It was most fortunate that, as she says, she happened to be awake and heard the sounds; and she acted very properly in coming quietly down to wake me.

If the one man in the house," and she looked scornfully at the unfortunate butler, "had been possessed of the courage of a man the whole of them would have been shot; for they were standing close together, and he could hardly have missed them if he had tried.
"If that weapon had been in the hands of Anna, instead of those of John Wilton, the results would have been very different.

However, John Wilton, you have been a, good servant generally, and I suppose it is not your fault if you have not the courage of a mouse, therefore I shall withdraw my notice for you to leave.

I shall make arrangements for the gardener to sleep in the house in future, and you will hand that blunderbuss over to him.

I shall write to-day to the ironmonger at Weymouth to come over and fix bells to all the shutters, and to arrange wires for a bell from my room to that which the gardener will occupy." At breakfast Miss Penfold informed her sister of what had taken place the night before.
"I shall write, of course, to the head constable at Weymouth to send over to inquire about it, but I have very little hope that he will discover anything, Eleanor." "Why do you think that, Charlotte?
You said that you were convinced you had wounded one of the men; so they ought to be able to trace him." "I dare say they would if this had been an ordinary theft; but I am convinced that it was not." "Not an ordinary theft! What do you mean ?" "I have no doubt in my mind, Eleanor, that it was another attempt to discover the will." "Do you think so ?" Eleanor said in an awed voice.