Part 26 (1/2)

At last he gave up in despair, and rising up he sat on the side of the bed, with his feet dangling down, and looked around

The ht he could see the outline of the beds Around him there ascended a choral har from the mild, mellow intonation of Clive, down to the deep, hoarse, sepulchral drone of Uncle Moses In spite of his vexation about his wakefulness, a smile passed over Bob's face, as he listened to those astonishi+ng voices of the night

Suddenly a sound caught his ears, which at once attracted his attention, and turned all his thoughts in another direction

It was the sound of footsteps immediately in front of the house, and apparently at the doorway How much time had passed he did not know; but he felt sure that it ht He now perceived that there were soone to bed The footsteps were shuffling and irregular, as though so a noise The sound attracted Bob, and greatly excited him

In addition to the footsteps there were other sounds There were the low ed that thereTo this noise Bob sat listening for some time It re out of it; but it served to reawaken all the fears of brigands which had been aroused before they went to bed

At length he heard athe ball It was a shufflingwith the endeavor not to make a noise

Bob listened

His excitement increased

At last he heard the sounds more plainly

They were evidently at the foot of the stairway

Bob listened in increasing excite sound It was froht of waking Frank, but decided to wait

The sounds draw nearer There must have been six or sevenup What for?

He had no doubt what it was for, and he waited, knowing that they were co to this room in which he was

They tried to walk softly There were lohispers once or twice, which ceased as they drew nearer

Nearer and nearer!

At last Bob knew that they were outside of the door, and as he sat on the bed, he knew that there could not be more than a yard of distance Between himself and those bloody-ands

His blood ran cold in his veins at the very thought

He did not dare to id, with every sense on the alert, his eyes fixed on the door, listening

Then caainst the door, which yielded slightly, but was prevented by the heavy bed fro opened at all It was an un to open the door They were also trying to do it as noiselessly as possible Evidently they thought that their victims were all asleep, and they wished to come in noiselessly, so as to accomplish their fearful errand

For apushed back The thought gave hiuish inexpressible, but he soon found that it was not so Then he expected a savage push at the door froht that they would drop all attein an open attack

But they did not do so

There hispers outside the door Evidently they were deliberating They were unwilling, as yet, to resort to noisy violence They wished to effect their full purpose in secret and in silence Such were Bob's thoughts, which thoughts were strengthened as he heard them slowly move away, and descend the stairs, with the sa sound, hich they had ascended