e were with the
door open in case of Eliza coming back suddenly, and all dark on the
landings. And then it would have been just as bad, and it would have
lasted longer, and you would have known you were a coward besides. Dicky
says he felt all these same things. Many people would say we were young
heroes to go down as we did; so I have tried to explain, because no
young hero wishes to have more credit than he deserves.

The landing gas was turned down low--just a blue bead--and we four went
out very softly, wrapped in our blankets, and we stood on the top of the
stairs a good long time before we began to go down. And we listened and
listened till our ears buzzed.

And Oswald whispered to Dicky, and Dicky went into our room and fetched
the large toy pistol that is a foot long, and that has the trigger
broken, and I took it because I am the eldest; and I don't think either
of us thought it was the cat now. But Alice and H. O. did. Dicky got the
poker out of Noel's room, and told Dora it was to settle the cat with
when we caught her.

Then Oswald whispered, 'Let's play at burglars; Dicky and I are armed
to the teeth, we will go first. You keep a flight behind us, and be
a reinforcement if we are attacked. Or you can retreat and defend the
women and children in the fortress, if you'd rather.'

But they said they would be a reinforcement.

Oswald's teeth chattered a little when he spoke. It was not with
anything else except cold.

So Dicky and Oswald crept down, and when we got to the bottom of the
stairs, we saw Father's study door just ajar, and the crack of light.
And Oswald was so pleased to see the light, knowing that burglars prefer
the dark, or at any rate the dark lantern, that he felt really sure it
_was_ the cat after all, and then he thought it would be fun to make
the others upstairs think it was really a robber. So he cocked the
pistol--you can cock it, but it doesn't go off--and he said, 'Come on,
Dick!' and he rushed at the study door and burst into the room, crying,
'Surrender! you are discovered! Surrender, or I fire! Throw up your
hands!'

And, as he finished saying it, he saw before him, standing on the study
hearthrug, a Real Robber. There was no mistake about it. Oswald was
sure it was a robber, because it had a screwdriver in its hands, and was
standing near the cupboard door that H. O. broke the lock off; and there
were gimlets and screws and things on the floor. There is nothing in
that cupbo