He had the feeling of a detective or of a criminal, he knew not which; the mystery of the affair was a hideous oppression.
Even the initial step, that of watching the trio of strangers into their brougham, was not without difficulty.

The pavement began to be crowded.

Clutching her slave by the arm, Polly managed to hold a position whence she could see the people who descended the front steps of the theatre, and at length her energy was rewarded.

The ladies she could not have recognized, for they were muffled against the night air, but their male companion she "spotted"-- that was the word in her mind--with certainty.
"There! See those three?
That's them," she whispered excitedly.

"Off you go!" And off he went, as if life depended upon it; his eyes on the brougham, his heart throbbing violently, moisture dropping from his forehead and making his collar limp.