the window. When my uncle entered the room, he and his son
both stood so very close to me that his hand was every moment upon the
point of touching my face. I held my breath, and remained motionless
as death.

"You had no interruption from the next room?" said my uncle.

"No," was the brief reply.

"Secure the jewels, Ned; the French harpy must not lay her claws upon
them. You're a steady hand, by G--d; not much blood--eh?"

"Not twenty drops," replied his son, "and those on the quilt."

"I'm glad it's over," whispered my uncle again; "we must lift the--the
_thing_ through the window, and lay the rubbish over it."

They then turned to the bedside, and, winding the bed-clothes round
the body, carried it between them slowly to the window, and exchanging
a few brief words with some one below, they shoved it over the
window-sill, and I heard it fall heavily on the ground underneath.

"I'll take the jewels," said my uncle; "there are two caskets in the
lower drawer."

He proceeded, with an accuracy which, had I been more at ease, would
have furnished me with matter of astonishment, to lay his hand upon
the very spot where my jewels lay; and having possessed himself of
them, he called to his son:--

"Is the rope made fast above?"

"I'm no fool; to be sure it is," replied he.

They then lowered themselves from the window; and I rose lightly and
cautiously, scarcely daring to breathe, from my place of concealment,
and was creeping towards the door, when I heard my uncle's voice, in a
sharp whisper, exclaim, "Get up again; G--d d--n you, you've forgot
to lock the room door"; and I perceived, by the straining of the rope
which hung from above, that the mandate was instantly obeyed. Not
a second was to be lost. I passed through the door, which was only
closed, and moved as rapidly as I could, consistently with stillness,
along the lobby. Before I had gone many yards, I heard the door
through which I had just passed roughly locked on the inside. I glided
down the stairs in terror, lest, at every corner, I should meet the
murderer or one of his accomplices. I reached the hall, and listened,
for a moment, to ascertain whether all was silent around. No sound was
audible; the parlour windows opened on the park, and through one
of them I might, I thought, easily effect my escape. Accordingly, I
hastily entered; but, to my consternation, a candle was burning in the
room, and by its light I saw a figure seated at the dinner-t