“I can come all the sooner if you’ll help me,” said Jacob. “You can wash while I polish. Now then, two pair of hands are better than one.” “That they are,” said Hester, delighted. She put the key on the shelf by her side, and helped Jacob to wash up the plate. With a sudden dexterous turn of his hand and a flick of the leather with which he was polishing a valuable tray, Jacob contrived to slip the key into his own pocket. Hester, quick as she was, did not see the movement. After a time the plate was all in order, and the footman announced to the lady’s maid that he was at her service. Hester began to look for the key—she looked on the shelf where she had placed it, she looked on the floor, she felt her pockets and shook out her apron, but all in vain. Jacob helped her in her search with assiduity. He appeared as anxious and annoyed as she was. Footsteps were heard approaching before any solution of the difficulty was arrived at, and Hester, knowing that her opportunity for that evening was gone, bade Jacob a reluctant good-night. “What am I to do?” she said as she was parting from him. “If I lose that key Leah will give it to me—it opens the little postern gate into the garden, and Leah never knew that I took it. I took it yesterday, for I thought I’d like to show you the Queen Anne wing and the garden, Mr. Jacob.” “And I am sure I am much obliged to you,” replied Jacob. “We’ll have a good look for the key the first thing in the morning.” Hester was obliged to be satisfied, and when she departed Jacob softly patted the key which lay in his trousers pocket. That night, when the rest of the house had gone to bed, the new footman rose and stole quietly through the silent house. He was evidently an expert at this sort of thing, for the floors did not creak as he passed over them, and he turned the handles of several doors without making the ghost of a sound. By-and-by he found himself in the open air. The night was a dark one, which favoured his purpose. A great watch-dog, of the name of Chance, rose up and growled as the man approached. Jacob called his name very softly under his breath and the creature wagged his tail. “Quiet, Chance, stay where you are,” said Jacob. The dog looked wistfully after him, but obeyed. Jacob Short quickly discovered the little postern door. He slipped Hester’s well-oiled key into it, turned the lock, and soon found himself in the Queen Anne garden. The night was a cold one, but Jacob did not seem to mind that fact in the least. He stayed in the garden for two or three hours, and during that time he explored every inch of it. Dark as the night was, there was a perfect map of that garden sketched out in Jacob Short’s brain before the first streak of daylight dawned. He was back in his bed by that time, having made some discoveries which excited him considerably.