The intruders stood for a few moments gazing round in silence.
The place did not look very interesting, and smelt rather damp and
mouldy.

"I say," exclaimed Jack Vance, "look there: he don't seem very careful
how he leaves his things when he goes away."

As he spoke he pointed across to the opposite side of the room, where,
between two bookcases, an iron safe had been let into the wall.
The heavy door was standing half open, while the floor beneath was
strewn with a quantity of shallow wooden trays lined with green baize.

"Old bachelors are always untidy," remarked Diggory. "Let's see where
this door leads to." He turned the handle as he spoke, and walked out
into a gloomy little hall paved with cold, bare flagstones, which caused
their footsteps to waken mournful echoes in the empty house.

"I say, you fellows, don't let's go any further," murmured Mugford;"
we've seen enough now. Suppose the old chap came back and--"

He never reached the end of the sentence, for Diggory suddenly raised
his hand, exclaiming in a whisper, "Hark! what was that?"

The loud ticking of Mugford's old turnip of a watch was distinctly
audible in the silence which followed.

"What is it, Diggy? what--"

"Hark! there it is again; listen."

The suspense became awful. At length Diggory dropped his hand.
"Didn't you hear footsteps?" he asked. "I'm certain there's some one
walking about on the gravel path."

"We shall be caught," whimpered Mugford; "I knew we should. What can we
do?"

"Bolt!" answered Diggory, and began tip-toeing back towards the library
door. "Stay here half a 'jiffy,'" he added; "I'll go and reconnoitre."

Ages seemed to pass while Jack Vance and Mugford stood in the dark
passage awaiting their companion's return. At length the door was
pushed softly open.

"It's all right; there's no one there. I must have been mistaken.
Come along."

In a very short time the Triple Alliance were once more outside The
Hermitage. Diggory lingered for a moment to close the window, and then
followed his companions through the shrubs and over the wall.

"You are a great ass, Diggy, to go giving us a start like that," said
Jack, as they paused for a moment to take breath before returning to the
house.

"Well, I could have sworn I heard the gravel crunch as if some one was
walking on it," returned the other. "I should think the place must be
haunted."

A good tea, with all kinds of nice things on the table, soon