The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 152: what you’re looking at

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the whll, which was a tolerably high THE MYSTERIES OF THE OOURT. 139 iron graprel which was at the end of the cord, caught against that part of the masonry which over- hung the sde-door. The rope was thus retained fast—and Tony Wil- kins, being the lighter and more agile of the two, ‘@ambered up the wall by means of the rope. In a moment he disappeared on the other side, and drew both the bolts of the door, while Chiffin the lock by means of a akeleton-key. Thus the Cannibal, who was too heavy and clumsy to climb one, obtained prompt admittance into the garden at the back of Sexondale House—for this was the mansion where the present burglary was bemg effected. “All seems as quiet as a workus,” whispered Tony Wilkins, as he and his leader carefully sur- veyed the rear of the buildings. “There isn’t never a light in none of the rooms—and not eo much as a mouse a-stirring.” “ Let's try this door, then,” said the Oannibal. “ Or that there windy—eh?” suggested Tony. “ Now-the door,” was Chiffin’s prompt answer: for his experienced eye at once showed him, by the @ capacious pocket in the lining ef of his shaggy coat, ho drew forth emall sew, thin ee 4 watch keen as an array of shark’s teeth, and flexible as 0 Castilian stiletto-blade. With{) gim- let he made a hole in the lower part of the door, near where he calculated the bolt must be ; and thrusting the saw into the hole, he cut out a circular piece, leaving an aperture large enough to introduce his hand. He was thus enabled to feel for the bolt and draw it beek—a process which was operation. exterior side; and thus he hed no immediate indi- eation ot the position of the lech inside. But this cificulty was speedily overcome. Again ordering Tony Wilkins to ge down upon all-fours and make himeelt into a foot-stoel, the Oannibal mounted en his back once more; and then, with a piece of and a leaden ballet at one end he bolt, Chifin gradually let out the stsing until the —_— ws « -—_— & —_ om ewe a eee Sere) age. eee ee ree owe Be a ap bullet was stopped by the top of the lock which projected from the inner side of the door: then keeping the string tight between his finger and thumb, so as to mark how much of it had been let go through the hole, he drew it back. To measure the outside of the door from the hole downward was now the work of an instan. ezd thus Chiffin discovered with the nicest exactitude .s0 position of the lock. He next proceeded to bore with u4 gim- let; and having made a hole through the wood, his little flexible saw was again put into requisition. In lees than a quarter of an hour he had cut com pletely round the lock; and the door opened to his thrust. “Now, Tony, come gently,” he said; and they entered the premises together. All wae dark within—and all was silence likewiee, at least down in the lower region of the premises. A dark lantern was quickly produced from Chiffin’s capacious pocket—the candle inside was lighted by means of lucifer-matches with which he was also provided—and the two burglars commenced their survey of the place. They first entered the back kitchen; and as the Cannibal pointed to the iron bars which protected the windows, he said in a whis- per to his companion, “ I told you as how it wouldn't do to try the game on there. The opéning of s shutter would have been nothing: but those iron fences would have given harder work than you or L should have liked totry. All these kind of houses have got gratings to the lower windows. It isn’t the first time I have broke into a house in this part of the world. But there’s nothing in this back kitchen worth looking after. So come along. It’s the butler’s pantry we must try, mate.” With these words Chiffin led the way out of the back kitchen, and soon found a door which was fast loeked, but which he immediately concluded to be the one communicating with the place he was im search of. “ Hold the light, Tony,” he said; “and I'll get te work again with the tools.” This time he tried the effect of a small crowbar upon the door, which being of far lighter make than the one by which the burglars had entered the ; premises, seemed to warrant this mode of dealing with it. Chiffin, we need hardly say, was an accom- plished hand in using the crowbar for such purposes, and made little noise in the . The door speedily yielded—a few more efforts, and it was broken completely open. The burglars passod into the place, which, as Chiffin had anticipated, proved to be the butler’s pantry. But infinite was their disappointment when after searching in every cup boerd, they found no plate there. “This is deuced provoking,” growled the Canni- bal in a ferocious manner. “Cussed mean of the people of the ’ouse to take their plate up to bed with ’em,” remarked Tony Wilkins. “ It ain’t giving s poor devil a fair chance,” he added with the look of a man who fancied that he was cruelly wronged. “What's to be done now?” “What's to be done?” echoed the Cannibal, in » veice which resembled the subdued grumblings of » hangry tiger: “why; hunt about for tho sway ta we find it, to be sure. And if a throat ov twe a be cut in the search, what matters it ?” “ Nutfin at all,” responded Tony Wilkias. “teed COMME MOO (CO