rvice old ramrod, the corpular, was foolin' round about Trypheeny."
Coristine relieved Timotheus; Bill Richards, Rufus; and Mr.
Bigglethorpe, Harry Richards. The relieved men went to sleep on the
quilts and under the skiff. Mr. Bangs came up every quarter of an hour
to the lawyer, and asked if he had heard a noise about the house, to
which the sentinel replied in the affirmative every time; whereupon the
detective would take a lamp and search the building from top to bottom
without any result. Once, after such a noise, that sounded like some
heavy article being dragged along, Coristine thought he heard the words:
"Keep quiet, Tilly," and, "Take it hoff," but he was not sure. The night
was cloudy and dark, and the mosquitoes' buzzing sometimes had a human
sound, while the snoring of the Pilgrims, and the restless moving of the
horses, brought confusion to the ear, which sought to verify suspected
articulations. Had he known that Matilda Nagle was about the house, he
would not have let Bangs rest until the mystery was solved. He did not
know; and, being very tired and sleepy, was inclined to distrust the
evidence of his senses and lay it to the charge of imagination.

Down by the water's edge Mr. Bigglethorpe sat on a stone in front of the
carved out block, thinking of the best fly for bass, and of a great
fishing party to the lakes that should include Mr. Bulky. Standing up to
stretch his legs and facing the block of limestone, he thought he saw a
narrow line of light along the left perpendicular incision. Moving over,
he saw the same perpendicular line on the right. Just then the clouds
drifted off the moon, and he convinced himself that the light lines were
reflections from the sheen that glimmered over the lake. He also thought
he heard a whining noise, such as a sick person or a child might make,
and then a rough voice saying: "Stow that now!" but Richards, like the
two Pilgrims above, was snoring, and Harry had a slight cold in his
head. "What a stoopid, superstitious being I should become," said the
fisherman to himself, "if I were out here long all alone." But, hark!
the sound of paddles softly dipping came from the left, and at once the
sentry lay down behind the upturned skiff, and, gun in hand, listened.
He poked Richards with his foot, and, as he awoke, enjoined silence.
Richards crawled out, and quietly replaced the boat in its original
position. There were now two on guard instead of one. The boat entered
the