orches appear, then Lord Strepp came down
and began giving instructions, and, after counting nearly a score of
his followers, I came back as quick as I could."

"You've done nobly," said I. "Now stand here with this sword and
prevent any man from coming up."

I took one of the candles, leaving him another, and lighted a third. I
went up the stair and set them in the front window; then I opened
another window and listened. The night was exceedingly still,--not
even the sound of a cricket to be heard. After a few minutes, however,
there came a cry, instantly smothered, from the other side of the
valley; another moment and I heard the stones a rolling, as if the
side of a wall had tumbled over, which indeed was the case; then two
lights were shown on the hill and were waved up and down; and although
Peel and I had arranged no signal, yet this being the counterpart of
my own, I took to signify that they had been successful, so, leaving
the candles burning there, in case there might have been some mistake,
I started down the stair to the man who was guarding the secret
passage.

"Has anything happened?"

"Nothing, sir."

I think the best part of an hour must have passed before there was
sign or sound. Of course I knew if the guards were flung down the
hole, they would at once run after their comrades and warn them that
both ends of the tunnel were in our possession. I was well aware that
the imprisoned men might drag away the stones and ultimately win a
passage out for themselves; but I trusted that they would be
panic-stricken when they found themselves caught like rats in a trap.
In any case it would be very difficult to remove stones from below in
the tunnel, because the space was narrow and few could labour at a
time; then there was every chance that the stones might jam, when
nothing could be done. However, I told the man beside me to go across
the valley and ask Peel and his men to pile on rocks till he had a
great heap above the entrance, and, if not disturbed, to work till
nearly daylight, so I sat on the top of the circular stair step with
my rapier across my knees, waiting so long that I began to fear they
all might be smothered, for I didn't know whether the stopping of air
at one end would prevent it coming in at the other, for I never heard
my father say what took place in a case like that. Father Donovan was
in bed and asleep, and I was afraid to leave the guarding of the stair
to any one else. It seemed