late and jewels. She lived alone, having only one old
servant and a little girl to attend upon her. The house stood on a
piece of ground not far from the ruins of the stately abbey which
originated and gave celebrity to the ancient town of Aberbrothoc. Mrs
Stewart's house was full of Eastern curiosities, some of them of great
value, which had been sent to her by her son, then a major in the East
India Company's service.

Now, it chanced that Major Stewart had arrived from India that very day,
on leave of absence, all unknown to the burglars, who, had they been
aware of the fact, would undoubtedly have postponed their visit to a
more convenient season.

As it was, supposing they had to deal only with the old lady and her two
servants, they began their work between twelve and one that night, with
considerable confidence, and in great hopes of a rich booty.

A small garden surrounded the old house. It was guarded by a wall about
eight feet high, the top of which bristled with bottle-glass. The old
lady and her domestics regarded this terrible-looking defence with much
satisfaction, believing in their innocence that no human creature could
succeed in getting over it. Boys, however, were their only dread, and
fruit their only care, when they looked complacently at the bottle-glass
on the wall, and, so far, they were right in their feeling of security,
for boys found the labour, risk, and danger to be greater than the worth
of the apples and pears.

But it was otherwise with men. Swankie and the Badger threw a piece of
thick matting on the wall; the former bent down, the latter stepped upon
his back, and thence upon the mat; then he hauled his comrade up, and
both leaped into the garden.

Advancing stealthily to the door, they tried it and found it locked.
The windows were all carefully bolted, and the shutters barred. This
they expected, but thought it as well to try each possible point of
entrance, in the hope of finding an unguarded spot before having
recourse to their tools. Such a point was soon found, in the shape of a
small window, opening into a sort of scullery at the back of the house.
It had been left open by accident. An entrance was easily effected by
the Badger, who was a small man, and who went through the house with the
silence of a cat, towards the front door. There were two lobbies, an
inner and an outer, separated from each other by a glass door.
Cautiously opening both doors, the Badger adm