hirsty as to desire their end. Still, so many
interests are at stake. It is a case of burglar against housekeeper.
The scoundrels came armed."

"Armed?"

"Yes, I saw a revolver in the trunk with their burgling tools. If I had
come upon them suddenly, and they had had time, they would have fired at
me."

"Oh, surely not!"

"Humph! You are a woman, my dear, with a woman's gentle heart, ready to
defend and palliate. After the way in which I found you, I do not feel
so merciful. Let me ask you one question; If there was nothing to fear
from them, why did they come armed?"

The old housekeeper made no reply, but lay back upon the couch weak and
trembling, while the professor slowly paced the room, till she opened
her eyes wildly, and signed to him to come to her side.

"I am more upset than I thought for," she said feebly. "Help me up to
my room; I think I can walk now."

The professor's brow lightened, for it was a relief to him to hear the
old woman's words; but she noted the change and sighed as she rose
painfully.

"You will wait until they come?" she said, trembling at the thought of
that which she dreaded.

"Need you ask?" said the professor, gravely. "Come, you will be better
after lying down for a few hours. Try to forget everything in the
remembrance that I am doing all for you that I can."

"Yes, Harry," she said softly; "I have never had cause to complain of
your want of love for me in these forty years; but for my sake, dear,
let there be no more crime."

"For your sake I will do everything I can," said the professor, gravely,
as he bent down and kissed her while leading her to the door and then
slowly up to a bedroom on the third floor, where he left her at the end
of a few minutes, apparently sinking into a doze.

As he stole out softly he silently removed the key, replaced it on the
other side, and locked her in, before descending quickly to the hall,
where he stood listening for a few minutes, and then went down into the
basement and stepped softly forward to listen at the outer door of the
plate vault.

A faint muttering of voices could be heard as he placed his ear to the
key-hole, but all else was still; there was no sound of an effort being
made to escape, and he went back to the hall, where he took out and
re-examined his revolver.

"I wonder," he said to himself, "whether a shot or two could be heard in
the street. Pish! Absurd! No one heard the reports when poor Bob went