“Who towld you thet awful lie ebout Rawdon’s meney being in this house?”

“Matt knew.  Uncle Monty guv it ’im by signs, I guess.  Oh, he’s O.K., he is.”

“Well, sir, yore a prisoner here, end if things don’t turn out es you sey, I’ll blow yore brains out.”

“For goodness sake don’t be aisty, mister.  I’ve told you the ’ole truth, I swear.”

Mr. Bangs next found out that the robbers were coming in a waggon, which would halt some distance to the left of the house, and that their plan was to set one man at the end of the hall to hinder communication with the servants’ quarters, and two on the upper landing to command the front and back stairs, while the remaining burglars ransacked the office and any other rooms in which plunder might be found.  The youth’s appointed mission was to fire the house, when the search was completed.  Hardly had this information been received when Maguffin’s challenge was heard, and a well-known voice in military accents replied “A friend.”  The colonel went out, and brought in Corporal Rigby, panting for want of breath.

“You’ve been running, Rigby,” said the astonished Squire.

“Duty required it, sir,” replied the constable, saluting; “I have come at the double, with trailed arms, all the way from Squire Halbert’s.  This is his rifle I am carrying.  The enemy is on the move, sir, in waggon transport.”  “You are jest in time, kenstable,” remarked Mr. Bangs.  “Miss Kermichael and the ether ledies hev jest keptured an impertent prisoner.  Hev you yore hendkeffs?”

“I have, sir, and everything else the law requires.”  Mr. Terry handed a glass to the breathless constable, who bowed his respects to the company generally, smacked his lips as a public token of satisfaction, and proceeded to handcuff and search his prisoner.  Several blasting cartridges with long fuses, and other incendiary material, were the results of the last operation.

“If I had my way with him, sergeant-major,” the constable remarked, while taking his man under the veteran’s command, to the stable, “I would borrow an old chair from the back kitchen, not the front, sergeant-major, tie him to it, and set off all these cattridges under him.  He would not go to heaven, sergeant-major, but they would help him a bit in that direction.  The man that would cattridge a house with ladies in it should be made a targate out of, sergeant-major.”

“Poor, deluded crathur!” replied Mr. Terry, “it’s but a shlip av a bhoy, it is, wid a burnt up father, that’s been shet on to mischief by thim as knows betther.  Kape him toight, Corporal Rigby, but be tindher wid the benoighted gossoon.”  Mr. Bangs ordered all lights out, save one in the thoroughly darkened office, and another in the closet back in the hall, which had no window.  He called in the three sentries, ordered the constable to maintain silence in the stable, and slipped out to reconnoitre.  The colonel, the Squire and Maguffin prepared their