I had no idea which
of them it could be; more hopeful of slipping past my butchers in the
darkness, and so to Rattray and poor Eva; but not the less eagerly
looking for some hiding-place in the room. The best that offered was a
recess in the thick wall between the two windows, filled with hanging
clothes: a narrow closet without a door, which would shelter me well
enough if not too curiously inspected. Here I hid myself in the end,
after a moment of indecision which nearly cost me my life. The coats and
trousers still shook in front of me when the door flew open at the first
kick, and Santos stood a moment in the moonlight, looking for the bed.
With a stride he reached it, and I saw the gleam of a knife from where I
stood among the squire's clothes; it flashed over my bed, and was still.

"He is not 'ere!"

"He heard us, and he's a-hiding."

"Make light, my friend, and we shall very soon see."

Harris did so.

"Here's a candle," said Santos; "light it, and watch the door. Perro mal
dicto! What have we here?"

I felt certain he had seen me, but the candle passed within a yard of my
feet, and was held on high at the open window.

"We are too late!" said Santos. "He's gone!"

"Are you sure

"Look at this sheet."

"Then the other swab knew of it, and we'll settle with him."

"Yes, yes. But not yet, my good friend--not yet. We want his asseestance
in getting the gold back to the sea; he will be glad enough to give it,
now that his pet bird has flown; after that--by all mins. You shall cut
his troth, and I will put one of 'is dear friend's bullets in 'im for my
own satisfaction."

There was a quick step on the stairs-in the corridor.

"I'd like to do it now," whispered Harris; "no time like the present."

"Not yet, I tell you!"

And Rattray was in the room, a silver-mounted pistol in each hand; the
sight of these was a surprise to his treacherous confederates, as even I
could see.

"What the devil are you two doing here?" he thundered.

"We thought he was too quite," said Santos. "You percive the rizzon."

And he waved from empty bed to open window, then held the candle close
to the tied sheet, and shrugged expressively.

"You thought he was too quiet!" echoed Rattray with fierce scorn. "You
thought I was too blind--that's what you mean. To tell me that Miss
Denison wished to see me, and Miss Denison that I wished to speak to
her! As if we shouldn't find you out in about a minute! But a minute was
be