That satisfied me, and as fast as I could I went up one flight and then
another of dirty creaking stairs and found myself on the first floor.
Then up another flight, dirtier, more creaking, and with the woodwork
broken away here and there.
Up another flight worse still, and by the light of a staircase window I
could see that the plaster ceiling was down here and there, showing the
laths, while the wall was blackened by hands passing over it. On the
handrail side the balusters were broken out entirely in the most
dangerous way; but all this seemed of no consequence whatever, for there
was the boy still going on, evidently to the very top of the house.
All at once there was silence above me, and I thought he must have gone,
but he was only listening, and as he heard me coming he uttered a faint
cry, and went on up whimpering, evidently so much exhausted by the long
chase that he could hardly drag himself up higher.
By this time I was up to the second floor, where there were a couple of
battered doors and another staircase window nearly without glass, the
broken panes being covered with paper pasted on, or else, fortunately
for the inhabitants of the noisome place, left open for the air to blow
through.
I ought to have stopped; in fact I ought never to have gone; but I was
too much excited by my chase to think of anything but getting hold of
that boy and shaking him till he dropped our new rope; and now as I
began to toil breathlessly up the last flight I knew that my task was
done, for my young enemy could hardly crawl, and had begun to sob and
whine, and I could just make out: "You'd best let me be--I--I--ain't--I ain't done--done--"
I heard no more, only that doors were being thrown open, and there was a
buzz of voices below, with heavy footsteps in the passage.
Still that did not seem to have anything to do with me, so intent was I
on my pursuit up those last two flights of stairs, which seemed to be
steeper, more broken, and more difficult to climb than those which had
gone before. In fact the boy above me was dragging himself up, and I
had settled down into a walk, helping myself on by the dirty hand-rail,
and panting so hoarsely that each breath came to be a snore. My heart,
too, throbbed heavily, and seemed to be beating right up into my throat.
I had gained on my quarry, so that we were on the last flight together,
and this gave me the requisite strength for the last climb, for I knew
that he could go no further.