"
After a moment the two men went down the gallery stairs in
silence. Bobby dropped from the bench and fell into a subdued
trot at their heels. As they left the cathedral by the door that
led into High Street Glenormiston remarked, with a mysterious
smile:
"I'm thinking Edinburgh can do better by wee Bobby than to banish
him to the Castle. But wait a bit, man. A kirk is not the place
for settling a small dog's affairs."
The Lord Provost led the way westward along the cathedral's
front. On High Street, St. Giles had three doorways. The middle
door then gave admittance to the police office; the western
opened into the Little Kirk, popularly known as Haddo's Hole. It
was into this bare, whitewashed chapel that Glenormiston turned
to get some restoration drawings he had left on the pulpit. He
was explaining them to Mr. Traill when he was interrupted by a
murmur and a shuffle, as of many voices and feet, and an odd
tap-tap-tapping in the vestibule.
Of all the doorways on the north and south fronts of St. Giles
the one to the Little Kirk was nearest the end of George IV
Bridge. Confused by the vast size and imposing architecture of
the old cathedral, these slum children, in search of the police
office, went no farther, but ventured timidly into the open
vestibule of Haddo's Hole. Any doubts they might have had about
this being the right place were soon dispelled. Bobby heard them
and darted out to investigate.
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