Year: 1878




agng the case decidedly queer, and as
l sat thus ponderlng In the dark, with
the spoon In my hand, am quite sure
that no malefactor In dungeon could
have envied my reflections In fact, the
evidence was so dead against me that j
began TO doubt my own innocence.
What was here for If my intentions
were really honesty and how came IL
that all this silver plate had found It's
way into my pocketsY I was angry as
well rs terrified. was judge and Grim
inal in one, but the instincts Of nature
got the better Of my sense of justice, and
l rose suddenly up TO ascertain whether
II was not possible to get from the win
dow into the street.


AS i moved, however, the terrible
booty had in my pocket moved like
wise, appearing to me to shrek, like
score Of flends, Police police !" and
the next instant l heard quick foot
step ascending the stair. Now was the
fateful moment come l was on my
feet; my eyes glared upon the door my
hands were clenched the perspiration
had dried suddenly upon my skin, and
my tongue Glove to the roof OF my
mouth. But the footstep, accompanied
by CLEAN of light, passed-passed, and
from very weakness, ] sat down again,
with dreadful indifference to the
screams of the plate in my pockets
Presently there were footsteps along the
hall, then voices; then drawing of bolts
and creaking of locks the utter dark
ness; then silence-lasting, terrible pro-
found. The house had gone to bed;
then the house would quickly be asleep;
II was time to be up and doing. But
first and foremost must get rid of the
plate. Without the hideous corpus
deticiH l should have some chance
1 must at all hazards creep down into
the hall, find my way TO the lower
regions and replace the accursed thing
where found It. 1t required nerve, to
attempt this; but I was thoroughly
wound up, and after allowing reasona-
BILE time to elapse, to give my enemies
fair opportunity of falling asleep, set
out upon the adventure. The door
creaked as l went out; the plate grated
against my very soul as / descended the
steps but slowly, stealthily / crept
along the wall, and at length found my
self upon the level floor. There was but
one door on that side of the hall - the
door which led to the area room, and it
was with inexpressble relief reached 1t
In safety and grasped the knob in my
hand. The knob turned-but the door
did not open 1t was locked; IL was my
fate to be thief, and, after moment of
new dismay, 1 turned again doggedly,
reached the stair and re-entered the
apartment had left.


1t was like getting home. 1t was snug
and private. had chair there await
ing me. / thought to myself that many
man would take a deal of trouble to
break into such house. i had only
sneaked in. / wondered how Jack
He would make nothing of getting
down into the street from the win
dow, spoons and all. / tried this;
the shutters were not even closed, and
the sash moving nolselessly, / had no
difficulty in raising it. L stepped out
into the balcony and looked over
Nothing was to be seen but black and
yawning gulf beneath, guarded by the
imaginary spikes of an invisible railing.
Jack would have laughed at this diff
Guilty; but then he had more experience
in the craft than 1, and was provided
with all necessary appliances. AS for
me, L had stupidity forgotten even my
coil of rope. The Governors house, L
found had either no balcony at all or it
was too far apart to be reached.


Presently heard footstep on the
sidewalk little way off. 1t was APP
preaching with slow measured pace;
the person was walking as calmly and
gravely in the night as if it had been
broad day. Suppose hailed this phil
osophical stranger and confided to him
in a friendly way the fact that the
baronet, without the slightest provoca-
ton, had locked me up in the house,
with his silver spoons in my pocket
Perhaps he would take the trouble of
knocking at the door or crying fire, and
when the servants opened might rush
out and make my escape.


But while l was looking wistfully
down to see if could not discern the
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