Break in the lock with the butt of your rifle, sergeant! No, I see it's not locked!" He turned the bolt, and, the door swinging in, they passed into an empty hall.

Here they paused and listened, which was a wise thing for a man to do when he entered the house of an enemy.

Dick's sense of hearing was not much inferior to that of the sergeant, and while at first they heard nothing, they detected presently a faint click, click.

He could not imagine what made the odd sound, and, listening as hard as he could, he could detect no other with it.
He pushed open a door that led into the hall and he and his men entered a large room with windows on the side, opening upon a rose garden.

It was a pleasant room with a high ceiling, and old-fashioned, dignified furniture.