Part 2 (1/2)

”Perfectly,” I answered; ”if I had not been sure I should not have allowed you to come down.”

Thereupon the ladies picked up courage and stepped further into the room.

”Did you and David catch them?” asked my aunt; ”and how in the world did you do it?”

”I'll tell you all about that another time,” I said, ”and you had better go upstairs as soon as you two have seen what sort of people are these cowardly burglars who sneak or break into the houses of respectable people at night, and rob and steal and ruin other people's property with no more conscience or human feeling than is possessed by the rats which steal your corn, or the polecats which kill your chickens.”

”I can scarcely believe,” said Aunt Martha, ”that that young man is a real burglar.”

At these words the eyes of the fellow spoken of glowed as he fixed them on Aunt Martha, but he did not say a word, and the paleness which had returned to his face did not change.

”Have they told you who they are?” asked my wife.

”I haven't asked them,” I said. ”And now don't you think you had better go upstairs?”

”It seems to me,” said Aunt Martha, ”that those ropes must hurt them.”

The tall man now spoke. ”Indeed they do, madam,” he said in a low voice and very respectful manner, ”they are very tight.”

I told David to look at all the cords and see if any of them were too tightly drawn.

”It's all nonsense, sir,” said he, when he had finished the examination; ”not one of the ropes is a bit too tight. All they want is a chance to pull out their ugly hands.”

”Of course,” said Aunt Martha, ”if it would be unsafe to loosen the knots I wouldn't do it. Are they to be sent to prison?”

”Yes,” said I; ”as soon as the day breaks I shall send down for the police.”

I now heard a slight sound at the door, and turning, saw Alice, our maid of the house, who was peeping in at the door. Alice was a modest girl, and quite pretty.

”I heard the noise and the talking, sir,” she said, ”and when I found the ladies had gone down to see what it was, I thought I would come too.”

”And where is the cook,” asked my wife; ”don't she want to see burglars?”

”Not a bit of it,” answered Alice, very emphatically. ”As soon as I told her what it was she covered up her head with the bedclothes and declared, ma'am, that she would never get up until they were entirely gone out of the house.”

At this the stout man grinned.

”I wish you'd all cover up your heads,” he said. The tall man looked at him severely, and he said no more.

David did not move from his post near the three burglars, but he turned toward Alice and looked at her. We knew that he had tender feelings toward the girl, and I think that he did not approve of her being there.

”Have they stolen anything?” asked Aunt Martha.

”They have not had any chance to take anything away,” I said; and my wife remarked that whether they had stolen anything or not, they had made a dreadful mess on the floor, and had broken the table. They should certainly be punished.

At this she made a motion as if she would leave the room, and an anxious expression immediately came on the face of the tall man, who had evidently been revolving something in his mind.

”Madam,” he said, ”we are very sorry that we have broken your table, and that we have damaged some of your gla.s.s and your carpet. I a.s.sure you, however, that nothing of the kind would have happened but for that drugged wine, which was doubtless intended for a medicine, and not a beverage; but weary and chilled as we were when we arrived, madam, we were glad to partake of it, supposing it ordinary wine.”

I could not help showing a little pride at the success of my scheme.