She would have given it no further thought had not a door latch clicked.
She would have dropped off some time after the other girls, however, had she not suddenly heard a door latch somewhere on this upper floor, and then the creep, creep, creeping of a rustling step in the hall.
Whether it was the latch of her room, or another of the bedrooms on this floor of the bungalow, Ruth could not tell.
Otto had been shaking at the oldlatch for a while.
The slender figure stooped low as it passed the windows, softly lifted the latch of the house-door, and went in.
As she was thus busily engaged the door-latch was raised, and a youth entered dressed as a shop-boy and bearing a family resemblance to the Austins.
When I came down this morning I could see that some one had gone out at the front door, for only the French latch was down.
So the wolf lifted the latch and sprang in, and gobbled up the poor old grandmother in a moment.
Lift up the latch and walk in," said the wolf, and Red Riding Hood entered.
They knocked, and the wolf called out: "Lift up the latch and walk in," for he thought he would make another meal off whoever it was.
And but for this; that I heard the door-latch click behind her, and then the heavy wooden bar fall into place, I might have thought the happenings of the hour the unsubstantial fancies of a dream.
A moment afterward the bar was lifted cautiously from its socket, the latch clicked gently, and the door swung open.
But whilst I was groping for the latch there came a taste of blood in my mouth, and I heard my dear lady's voice as if she were calling to me across the eternal abysses.
The accursed door-latch would not find itself to let me fly; and as for excusings, I could not tell her that her own father had thrust me thus upon her.
The next witness was the butler, John Simons, who deposed to having fastened up the door at half-past ten on the night in question, and to having found the latchstuck on the following day.
If you had been out some time during the evening, before half-past ten, would it not have been possible for you to have accidentally left the latch in this position?
It is perhaps a circumstance worth noting, though the explanation may be very simple, that neither side has produced a latchkey purporting to be one of those belonging to the latch in question.
Simons stepped forward with his latchkey to open the door, but found the latch already lifted, and stuck fast in its raised position.
The importance of the answer was chiefly in its disposing of Tressamer's suggestion that the butler might have forced the latch up.
This was a thing which always occurred if the latch was lifted too high.
Has it ever occurred to you yourself to accidentally raise thelatch too far in the same way?
I object to her being allowed to say anything about the latchafter such a question as that.
He shut the door, dropped the wooden latch into its slot, and threw a dry sliver upon the hearth to give him light for turning in.
But the latch held, and the menacing furtive pressure was not repeated.
Notches in the Standard to receive the latch i in elevating or depressing the beam.
There, as I drew breath, I heard the latch shaken again, more impatiently.
I heard him latch the gate and walk away toward the hut.
Princess's voice, half imperious, half pleading; and from beyond the angle of the cottage wall came the noise of a latch shaken.
She led me up past the second window of the turret, lifted the latch of an iron-studded door in the opposite wall, and, pushing it open, motioned me to enter.
At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
She lifted the latch and entered the crowded room like a bad fate.
Then once more David lifted the latch of the cot and entered her presence.
He summoned from every nook of his being all the strength of the past, the present, and the future, and with a resolute hand lifted the latch of the door.
Tiptoeing along the hall to the door of the great parlour, Myra noiselessly lifted the latch (all the doors in the house had old-fashioned latches) and peeped in.
Here Donatello knocked, and the door immediately fell somewhat ajar; its latch having been pulled up by means of a string on the inside.
On the other side was a door, at which Miriam knocked, but rather as a friendly announcement of her presence than with any doubt of hospitable welcome; for, awaiting no response, she lifted the latch and entered.
At the end of that time Ralph rang again, but still no one appeared, and at length he lifted the latch and opened the door.
He had hardly seated himself when a hand was laid upon the latchof the outer door, and some one pushed hard.
Under cover of the newspaper, he detached the latch key from his watch-chain, slipped it into his pocket and rose, concealing the chain within his hand.
Mary's wave of the hand as she turned to latch the gate at the end of the walk was answered by a flutter of Mrs. Rochester's apron in the doorway, and each went her way smiling over the recollection of the other.
I cross the league of sea between And lift the latch and kiss Aleen.
The Count looked at the closing door, as it fell to behind Marie, and when the latch dropped, he spoke.
I thought of one after another, but had not yet brought myself to the point of moving, when a hand, raising the latch of one of the inner doors, effectually roused me.
I put it on, and I buttoned it from my throat-latch down to my boot-tops.
She leaped for the door, but before her hand touched the latch it was flung open and against the blinding sunshine loomed the tall figure of Shane Boreland.
She continued aloud: "Look at that quaint oldlatch on the door--made of a piece of drift-wood.
Ellen's fingers slipped over the severed ends, then flattened themselves forcibly over the latch on the pigeon's cage.
As he inserted his latch key in the lock, he heard the telephone bell in his office ringing insistently; his heart sank, and cried a rebellious answer.
Lucky fer ye thet yo' struck a cabin whar the latch string air allus out," she answered, her silver laughter echoing his.
He fumbled a moment at the heavy door, then, grasping the rude latch at last, thrust it open with his shoulder, and plunged headlong into the common room.
One such memory was of a dim morning within the cheerless room, when, through the familiar patter, patter of rain on the oiled paper at the windows, he heard a latch creak somewhere and men tread cautiously.
He closed the door with the latch to which he had his own key, and departed.
But the noisy click of the latch which she closed after her penetrated her with such a strange, sharp fear that she reeled back against the frame of the door and breathed heavily for a few moments.
Ellerey gave a cry of triumph as he caught the latch of the door and pulled it open, half turning to his companion as he did so.
The door was shut, and as he felt along it from top to bottom, touching no latch nor handle, nor keyhole even, he realized that entrance that way was barred.
The good grandmother, who was ill in bed, called out, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.
The Wolf called out, this time in rather a softer voice, "Pull the bobbin, and the latchwill go up.
