"Are you ready to join our friends?"

 

And each time Jasper answered:

 

"No!"

 

"You must like staying here," said the old man.

 

"I am very tired of it," said Jasper, with a sigh.

 

"You can come out any time," said Nathan.

 

"Let me out now, then."

 

"Oh, no, my dear young friend," said Nathan, shaking his head, "not until you accept Jack²'s offer."

 

"Good heavens!" thought Jasper, "can it be possible that in the middle of a great city I can be imprisoned³ like this, with hundreds passing the house every hour? I wish I could be heard outside."

 

But this was impossible, owing to the peculiar⁴ situation of the room. The prospects⁵ of our young hero were certainly gloomy enough. But there's an old saying that the darkest hour is just before the dawn, and deliverance was nearer than Jasper supposed.

 

On the fourth day, at noon, Jasper heard steps ascending⁶ the stairs. He supposed it to be the old man, with his dinner, and he looked up listlessly as the sliding-door was opened. But instead of the wrinkled face of Nathan he beheld⁷ the fresh face of a young girl, apparently⁸ about sixteen years of age. She regarded the prisoner with curiosity and surprise.

 

"Here's your dinner," she said.

 

"Thank you," said Jasper. "Where is the old man that generally comes up?"

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