At the corner of the alley there was a shop wherein a man sat rounding a stick of wood with a primitive lathe.

He made the lathe revolve by working a stringed bow with his right hand, while his left hand worked the chisel and his right foot directed it.

His limbs were making three different motions with an absence of effort which needed much practice, and for a moment Ralston wondered whether it was the ingenuity of the workman which had attracted her.

But in a moment he saw that he was wrong.
There were two men standing in the mouth of the alley, both dressed in white from head to foot.

One stood a little behind with the hood of his cloak drawn forward over his head, so that it was impossible to discern his face.