But, death, fires, and burglary, make all men equals; so Mr.Giles sat with his legs stretched out before the kitchen fender, leaning his left arm on the table, while, with his right, he illustrated a circumstantial and minute account of the robbery, to which his bearers (but especially the cook and housemaid, who were of the party) listened with breathless interest.
'It was about half-past two,' said Mr.Giles, 'or I wouldn't swear that it mightn't have been a little nearer three, when I woke up, and, turning round in my bed, as it might be so, (here Mr.Giles turned round in his chair, and pulled the corner of the table-cloth over him to imitate bed-clothes,) I fancied I heerd a noise.' At this point of the narrative the cook turned pale, and asked the housemaid to shut the door: who asked Brittles, who asked the tinker, who pretended not to hear.
'-- Heerd a noise,' continued Mr.Giles.

'I says, at first, "This is illusion"; and was composing myself off to sleep, when I heerd the noise again, distinct.' 'What sort of a noise ?' asked the cook.
'A kind of a busting noise,' replied Mr.Giles, looking round him.
'More like the noise of powdering a iron bar on a nutmeg-grater,' suggested Brittles.
'It was, when _you_ heerd it, sir,' rejoined Mr.Giles; 'but, at this time, it had a busting sound.

I turned down the clothes'; continued Giles, rolling back the table-cloth, 'sat up in bed; and listened.' The cook and housemaid simultaneously ejaculated 'Lor!' and drew their chairs closer together.
'I heerd it now, quite apparent,' resumed Mr.Giles.

'"Somebody," I says, "is forcing of a door, or window; what's to be done?
I'll call up that poor lad, Brittles, and save him from being murdered in his bed; or his throat," I says, "may be cut from his right ear to his left, without his ever knowing it."' Here, all eyes were turned upon Brittles, who fixed his upon the speaker, and stared at him, with his mouth wide open, and his face expressive of the most unmitigated horror.
'I tossed off the clothes,' said Giles, throwing away the table-cloth, and looking very hard at the cook and housemaid, 'got softly out of bed; drew on a pair of--' 'Ladies present, Mr.Giles,' murmured the tinker.
'-- Of _shoes_, sir,' said Giles, turning upon him, and laying great emphasis on the word; 'seized the loaded pistol that always goes upstairs with the plate-basket; and walked on tiptoes to his room.
"Brittles," I says, when I had woke him, "don't be frightened!"' 'So you did,' observed Brittles, in a low voice.
'"We're dead men, I think, Brittles," I says,' continued Giles; '"but don't be frightened."' '_Was_ he frightened ?' asked the cook.
'Not a bit of it,' replied Mr.Giles.

'He was as firm--ah! pretty near as firm as I was.' 'I should have died at once, I'm sure, if it had been me,' observed the housemaid.
'You're a woman,' retorted Brittles, plucking up a little.
'Brittles is right,' said Mr.Giles, nodding his head, approvingly; 'from a woman, nothing else was to be expected.