The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1878-03-29

Presently there were more footsteps
along the hall; then voices; then
drawing of bolts and creaking of locks !;
then utter darkness; then silence
lasting, terrible, profound. The house
had gone to bed; the house would
quickly be asleep; it was time to be mp
and doing. But first and foremost 1
must get rid of the plate. Without the
hidcous corpus deficit should have
some chance. /! must at all hazards
creep down into the hall, find my way
to the lower regions6and replace the
accurscd thing where ] found il. 1t
required nerve to attempt this; but l
was thoroughly wound up, and after
allowing q reasonable time TO elapsc, TO
give my enemies fair opportunity of
falling asleep, | set out upon my adven-
ture. The door creaked as | went out !;
the plate grated against my very soul
as descended the steps; but slowly,
stealthily L crept along the wall, and at
length found myself upon the level
floor. There was but one door on that
side of the hall--thc door which led to
the arca-room, and it was with mex
pressiblc relief reached it in safety
and graspcd the knob in my hand.
The knob turned-but the door did not
open; IL was locked; it was my fate to
be thief. and, after a moment of new
dismay, | turned again doggedly,
reached the stair and rc-entcrcd the
apartment had left.
1t was like getting home. 1t was
snug and private. | had chair there
waiting for me. | thought to myself
that many man would take q deal of
trouble to break into such tbouse.
had only sneaked. | wondered how
Jack Shepard felt on such occasions.
He would make nothing of getting
down into the street from the window
spoons and all. / tried this; the shut
ters were not even closed, and the sash
moving noisclessly, had no difficulty
in raising it, / stepped out into the
balcony and looked over. Nothing
was to be seen but black and yawn-
ing gulf beneath, guarded by the
ing. Jack wouldj laugh at this diff
ence in the craft than l, and was pro-
AS for me, l had stupidity forgotten
even my coil of rope. The governors
house, found, hadno balcony at all, or
| II was loO W Dc u.
Presently ! heard footstep on the
sidewalk little way of. 1t was
approaching with slow measured
tread; the person was walking as
calmly and gravcly in the night as if it
had been broad day. Suppose l hailed
this philosophical stranger and confded
to him in friendly way the fact that
the baronet, without the slightest PROV
ocation, had locked me up in his house !?
Perhaps he would take the trouble of
knocking at the door or crying fire,
and when the servants opened might
rush out and so make my escape But
while was looking wistfully down to
see if could not discern the walking
figure, which was now under the Win
dows, sudden glare from the spot
dazzled my sight. 1t was the bulls
eye of policeman, and with the in-
stinct Of n predatory character, l
shrunk back trembling, crept into the
room and shut the window.
By this time was sensible that there
was a little confusion in my thoughts,
and by way of employing them on
practical and useful objects | determ in
ed to make tour of the room. But
first it was necessary to get rid, some
how or other, of my plunder-to plant
the property, as we call it; and with
that view | laid it carefully, piece by
piece. in the corner of sofa, and con-
cealed it with the cover. This was n
great relief. | almost began to feel
like the injured party-morc like cap
tive than robber; and | CROPPED my
way through the room with a sort of
vague idea that | might perhaps stum-
BILE upon some trap door or siding
panel which would lead into the open
air, or, at worst, into secret chamber,
whore l should be safe for any given
number of years from my prosecutors.
But there was nothing of the kind in
this stern, prosaic place; nothing but
few cabinets, and tables, and couches,
and arn-chairs, devotional-chairs, foot.
stools, lamps and statuettes, and the
elaborate girandole hung around with
crystal prisns, which played such an in
| terminablc tune against each other
when | chanccd to move them that
stumbled away as fast as | could and
subsidized into q fduteuu so rich and so
deep that felt myself swallowed up,
as it were, in its billows of swans
down.
How long had been in the house by
this time L cannot tell. 1t seemed to
me, when | looked back, to form a con-
siderable portion of lifetime. Indeed
| did not remember the more distant
events of the night, although every now
and then the fact occurred to me with
startling distinctness that all had gone
through was only preliminary to some
thing still TO happen; that the morning
was to come, the family to be astir and
the houscbreaker TO be apprehendcd.
My reflections We're not continuous. 1t
may be that | doZcd between whilcs.
How else can | account for my feeling
myself grasped by the throat, to the
very brink of suflocation, by hand
without a body? How else can | ac-
count for sister Laura standing over me
where | rcclincd, pointing to the stolen
plate on the sofa, and lecturing me on
my horrible propensities till her voice
rose to wild, unearthly scream which
pierced through my brain?
| When this fancy occurred, | started
from my rccumbent posture. A voice
was actually in my cars, and living
form before my eyes; lady stood con-
templating me with half-scream on
her lips and the color fading from her
cheek, and as | moved she would have
fallen to the ground had not sprung
up and caught her in my arms. | laid
her softly down in the chair. Ii was
the morning twilight. The silence was
profound. The boundaries of the room
were still dim and indistinct. Is it any
wonder that | was in some considera-
BILE degree of perplexity as to whether
was not still in the land of dreams?
MADAM" | said, ''if you are vision
ii is ofno consequence; but if not, l
wish particularly to get out"
"Ofier no injury" she replied in a
tremulous voice, "and no one will mo-
lest you. Take what you have come for,
and begone."
"That is sooner said than done. The
doors and windows below are locked
and bolted, and beneath those of this