Langham would not be able to raise the money required to cover up those forgeries, and on the basis of silence he would make his bargain with the lawyer.
Gilmore pondered this problem for the better part of an hour, considering it from every conceivable angle; then suddenly the expression of his face changed, he forgot for the moment his ambitions and his desires, his hatred and his love; he thought he heard the click of the old-fashioned latch on the front gate.

He remembered that it could be raised only with difficulty.

Next he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the house.

They seemed to come haltingly down the narrow brick path which the wind had swept clear of snow.
Mr.Gilmore was blessed with a steadiness of nerve known to but few men, yet the hour and the occasion had their influence with him.

He stood erect: now the steps which had paused for a moment seemed to recede; it was as if the intruder, whoever he might be, had come almost to the front door and had then, for some inexplicable reason, gone back to the street.