D. Wragg had spoken these words to the extreme delight of Screwby, who grinned and rubbed his hands down his sides upon hearing this voluntary corroboration of his evidence. But the sergeant merely shook his head, feeling convinced that the lame gentleman who had jerked his body up-stairs was far too old a stager to commit himself by such an open statement unless he had good reason for so doing. Meanwhile the master of the house looked on, while the police peered into all sorts of impossible places; passing over things that might perhaps have served as a clue, to stop to examine a scrap of paper or pieces of furniture that could not relate to the matter in hand. Walls were tapped, chimneys examined, cupboards peered into, and the light of bull's-eye lanthorns was made to startle spiders in many a dark corner. "This here wall's hollow!" exclaimed one of the policemen suddenly, as he started upon finding a certain resonant echo to the blows he bestowed at one side of the room. "Most likely," said the sergeant, drily, "Why, where are your brains, man? Don't you see that the staircase is behind?" The man relieved himself of his hard hat, wiped his forehead, and then resumed his search, till the sergeant declaring himself satisfied so far, a move was made for the upper regions. "There ain't nothing up there; so now then," cried D. Wragg, desperately; "I protest against all this here. You needn't go up; and don't you make no mistake; I ain't agoin' to stand having my place searched without a warrant. I'll have it outer some on you for this." As he spoke, D. Wragg started to the foot of the attic staircase, and made as if he would have barred the way; but the sergeant laid one firm hand upon his shoulder, and D. Wragg seemed to shrink away from that touch like the leaves of a mimosa. He glided aside, as if in dread lest the hand that touched him should remain there, and his face grew ashy and careworn--abject too in the extreme--until he encountered the triumphant grins of Mr John Screwby, when he roused himself directly, and stared his tormentor full in the face. "You see, my friend," said the sergeant, upon whom not one of D. Wragg's changes of countenance was lost,--"you see, my friend, now that we are up so high, we may as well go up a little higher--save coming again, perhaps." D. Wragg muttered uneasily, and glanced right and left, and then the creaking stairs were ascended, when he moved slowly off. "Stop him there, will you!" cried the sergeant, who saw through the little dealer's design. "What d'yer mean? what's all this?" cried D. Wragg, struggling with the man, who caught the wrist of his coat in a tight grasp. "If you're going to take a fellow up, take him up; but don't get playing at fast and loose. Don't you make no mistake, I ain't agoin' to stand this sorter thing. I ain't got his dorg, as I've told you 'arf a dozen times; but some on you shall pay for it, so I tell you."