nuts out of a heap, and putting them in a
bag or a sack.

Hot with indignation, as soon as he had arrived at this point, against
whoever it could be who was robbing his uncle, Tom half turned from the
window to go and wake him.

No, he would not do that. It must be some one in the village, and if he
could find out who, that would be enough, and he could tell his uncle in
the morning.

Tom had only been a short time at Furzebrough, but it was long enough to
make him know many of the people at sight, and, in spite of the
darkness, he fancied that he would be able to recognise the marauder if
he could get near enough.

He did not stop to think. There was a heavy trellis-work covered with
roses and creepers all over his side of the house, and the sill of his
window was not much over ten feet from the flower-beds below.

He had no cap up-stairs, and he was in his slippers, but this last was
all the better, and with all a boy's activity he climbed out of the
window, got a good hold of the trellis, felt down with his feet for a
place, and descended with the greatest ease, avoided the narrow flower
border by a bit of a spring, and landed upon David's carefully-kept
grass.

Here for a moment or two he paused.

The gate would be locked at night, and it would be better to get out at
the bottom of the garden.

Satisfied with this, he set off at a trot, the velvety grass deadening
his steps. Then, getting over the iron hurdle, he passed through a bit
of shrubbery, found a thick stick, and got over the palings into the
lane.

Here he had to be more cautious, for he wanted to try and make out who
was the thief without being seen, and perhaps getting a crack over the
head, as he put it, with a piece of iron.

The lane would not do, and besides, the gate would be locked, and the
wall awkward to climb.

Another idea suggested itself, and stopping at the end of the mill-yard,
he passed into a field, and with his heart increasing its pulsations,
partly from exertion, as much as from excitement, he hurried round on
tiptoe to the back of the mill-yard, and cautiously raising himself up,
peered over the top of the wall, and listened.

To his disappointment, he found that though he could look over the top
of the wall, it was only at the mill--all below in the yard was
invisible, but the place was all very still now. Not a sound fell upon
his ear for some minutes, and then a very faint one, which sounded like
a load being l