The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-12-09


Very soon Margaret, my servant, had Sc
cured all the shutters, drawn the curtains,
and sat down to my solitary tea, wishing
most fervently that Amy were safely within
doors again.
A sudden storm had come on; the wind
had arisen to hurricane, and babe fair to
continue during the night. About eight
clock message arrived for me from Lady
Dasent, telling me that as the storm was so
severe they had ventured to detain Amy
for the nig ght; in the morning she would be
with me early.
was both glad and sorry-glad that
Amy would not run the risk of encounter
ing any lurking individuals in the darkness;
that she was safely at Enfield; but sorry for
my own sake, I felt so solitary, and, truth
to tell SO strangely nervous.
The evening wore on slowly, and as ten
o'clock struck | went to my room. ltwas
directly over the drawing-room: Next to
mine was Amy's; and on the other side of
the landing was the spare room, which had
so recently been occupied by Alfred Maui
!everer. Above slept the servants. |
Z e,srd them go up to bed, and while could
hear them moving about overhead l was
tolerably comfortable; but soon stiffness
reigned over the Wren's Nest. Ny do
mestics were asleep. The best thing |
could do was to follow their example, which
after a time 1 suppose l did, for l was
wakened by a noise, distant sound from
the hall below I scarcely breathed. I
could hear my heart beating as I lay listen
ing with strained ears, and recalling with
Mortified terror the face I had seen at the
window.
need hardly say that 1 was thoroughly
awake. Every nerve was strung to such
pitch of tension that if pin had been
dropped I feel sure should have heard it.
1t came again-the sound from below-dull,
this time, but distinct; and presently heard
stealthy footsteps coming rapidly and quietly
up evidently shoeless feet, but none
the less audible to my ears. Never since
had lived at the Wren's Nest had | locked
my bedroom door; [ had dread of doing
it; and despite my nervousness on this oc-
casion, 1 had not departed from my rule.
1t was too late to attempt to accomplish it
now. Besides, looking back, think sort
of temporary paralysis had come over me.
l heard hand laid upon the handle; it was
turned cautiously, and the next moment,
from my curtained bed, i distinguished a man
bearing some sort of small lamp-his face
concealed by mask-enter.
It was matter of life or death to me to
remain quiet. Through my mind FASH ed
resolve to deliver up everything l was
possessed of-family plate, my mothers
amethists, all my small valuables to this
rufian in exchange for my life, should he
demand them. But no such attention ap-
peared to be his He approached the bed,
raised his lamp, flashed it for a second on
my closed eyes, and then withdrew it, ap-
parently satisfied that 1 slept. 1t must
have been cursory glance, for could not
have sustained the deception for more than
moment. He gave keen look round
the room. Only the lower part of his face
was covered, so [ could see his eyes, small,
black, and piercing, with something famil-
lar to me in them, even then. My watch
"a legacy from my mother-lay on the
toilet table, but he overlooked it. Evident
! II mine was not the room he meant to rifle.
Almost noiselessly he vanished out of it.,
and heard him proceed into Amy's room
next-thank God, it was empty-then into
the spare room, where he remained.
All at once it flashed across me that by
little courage might save everything
and secure the thief In former days, my
spare room had been nursery, and the
windows were barred, SO as to make all
exit from them impossible. If | could
slip out of bed, get across the passage, in
one second [ could lock the door, and, Sc
cure from any attack, raise an alarm.
The agony of fear l was in was such that
felt equal to any effort Without losing
moment, glided out of bed; moments
pause acquainted me with the fact that the
miscreant was busy; heard him throwing
out things all over the floor. He was
searching Mr.. Mauleverer's portmanteaus;
they were quite at the far end Of the bed
room; so calculated that could safely close
and lock the door before he could possibly
prevent me, Like ghost, l moved out of
my room on my perilous errand. Through
chink OF the half-open door | beheld the
man kneeling in front of the larger port
manteau, riAing it with rapidity and in
tentness which secured my being for the
present discovered. I had intended to
seize the door the instant | reached it, but
something made me pause in the darkness
and peer with terrified eyes into the bed
room. He had his back to me, and l could
see the quick movements of his arms as
one thing after another was hurridly thrown
upon the ground.
/ Imagine my feelings as l stood within
| few PAGES of him, to see him with the ut
most celerity tear open the lining of the
portmanteau and draw from it glittering
mass of diamonds, which I instantly recog-
nized as Lady Dasents famous circlet,
the one she had worn on the night Of the
eventful ball, and which, with the other
things, had so mysteriously disappeared.
! Horror, anguish and fear well mic gh caused
me to fall to the ground. made an in
voluntary movement; I thought was faint
ing; and the noise reached him. Looking
up, our eyes met. With the strength born
of desperation, I seized the handle of the
door, and in moment the key was safely
turned in the lock.
Happily for the lives of myself and my
servants, the door was an old-fashioned one,
of a particularly strong description, and
having strong outer molding, it was almost
physical impossibility to break it open
from the inside of the room. The exigen-
cy of the situation sustained me for the
moment and enabled me to rouse my three
servants, who must at first have thought l
had gone temporarily out of my mind when
tried to make them comprehend our po-
sition.
1t was two o'clock in the morning, still
blowing gale, and dark as Erebus. But
assistance must be got. The man within
our spare room might have accomplices
without; our danger might be but begin
n;no We had an alarm-hell. that must be