a while; and if I would only once more look through the books
while he was gone, perhaps I might put them right.

It was a cold night, near Christmas, and there was a bright fire in the
office, which seemed to light the room with a ruddy glow that quite
paled the flame of the shaded lamp upon the writing-table. All was so
still that the ticking of the old clock upon a bracket seemed to grow
into an emphatic beat upon my ear quickened with nervous pain; but I sat
down and was soon immersed in my accustomed drudgery of figures, so
that, when I had taken out sundry balances, and checked the totals with
a sum of money in gold and silver that lay upon the table in a leather
bag, I had ceased to note how the night wore on; and after tying up the
cash and placing it inside the secretaire, of which I turned the key, I
sat down before the fire in a high-backed old leather chair and began to
think, or dream, no matter which.

Above the high carved mantel was a little round old-fashioned mirror,
and as I lay back in the chair my purblind eyes were fixed upon it as it
reflected the mingled gleams of lamp and fire that touched the shining
surfaces of the oaken wall or the furniture of the room. My back was to
the door, and yet by the sudden passing of a shadow across the glass I
saw that it was being opened stealthily--and all the doors were too
heavy and well hung to make a sound, if only the locks were noiselessly
turned. I was so concealed by the great chair, and by the darkness of
the corner where I sat beyond the radius of the lamp, that the intruder
advanced quickly. He evidently expected to find nobody there, and, with
scarcely a glance round, went to the table, peered amongst the books,
and then, as though not finding what he sought, turned to the
secretaire, and with a sudden wrench of the key opened it. I had had
time to think what I should do, and as his hand closed on the bag of
money I sprang to the bell beside the fireplace and rang it furiously;
then darted across the room and stood with my back to the door. The
captain--for it was he, and I had known him by his height and
figure--gave a sort of shriek and turned livid as he dropped the bag and
came towards me.

"You here!" he said. "It's well that I happened to come in and catch
you."

"Stand back!" I cried, "or I'll raise the neighbourhood to see the noble
captain who has turned thief. You don't go till the servants at least
know who and what you are."

"You f