to the rusty chain of the padlock.
Two others assisted him, but instead of breaking the chain, the iron
standard of the gate crumbled into so much flaky iron rust, while
padlock and attachments swung free upon the other. It was easy enough to
enter after that.

"In the name of the law!" cried the constable, taking a little staff
with a silver crown upon it in his hand. And at the word the gate
creaked open and the crowd pressed in.

But the constable held up his hand.

"'In the name of the law,' I said. I _might_ have put it, 'In the King's
name,' but what I meant was that we are to proceed in decency and
order--no unseemly rabbling, scuffling, or mischief making--otherwise ye
have me to reckon with. Let no word of ghosts and siclike be heard. The
case is infinitely more serious----"

"Hear to Jocky wi' his langnebbit words!" whispered Boyd Connoway in my
ear.

"Infinitely more so, I say. It is evident to the meanest capacity--"

"Evidently!" whispered Connoway, grinning.

"--that a dangerous band of smugglers or burglars is in possession of
the mansion of Marnhoul, and we must take them to a man!"

These words brought about a marked hesitation in the rear ranks, a
wavering, and a tendency to slip away through the breach of the broken
gate into the road.

"Halt there," cried Constable Black, holding the staff of office high.
"I call upon you, every man, to assist his Majesty's officers. You are
special constables, as soon as I get time to swear you in. Praise be,
here's good Maister Kettle! He's a Justice of the Peace. He will hold
you to it now and be my witness if ye refuse lawful aid. Now, forward!
Quick march!"

And this formidable armed band took its way along the overgrown gravel
avenue up to the front of the great house of Marnhoul. We boys (and
Greensleeves close to my elbow) played along the flanks like
skirmishers. All our spiritual fears were abated. At the name of the
law, and specially after the display of the silver-crowned staff, we
entered joyously into the game. If it had only been the arm of flesh we
had to encounter, we were noways afraid--though it was a sad downcome
from the solemn awe of coming to grips with the prince of darkness and
his emissaries.

"You that have pistols that will go off, round with you to guard the
back doors!" cried Constable John Black. "It's there the thieves have
taken up their abode. The smoke is coming from the kitchen lum. I see it
well. The rest, not so