"Then I snatches my hand back and turns all over in a wet, cold state as if I'd been dipped, for I feels precious uncomfortable, and didn't know what was best to be done next. One moment I expected to hear the `whish' of a heavy stick, or the sharp crack of a pistol; for arter the noise I made it was quite impossible for whoever was in the bed to be asleep. Then I thinks as I would call for help, or run out, for I don't mind telling you I felt regularly scared with the silence. How-so-be, I gets the better of my bit o' failing; and, rousing up, I puts my hand over once more close up to where the pillow should be, and lays it upon a cold face, and there it seemed to stick, for a shudder went up my arm right to my head, and I couldn't neither move nor speak, while my mouth felt as dry and hot inside as though it was full o' dust. "Cold! I never felt anything so cold; and I fell a shivering awful, till with a regular drag I rouses myself up and snatches my hand away; and as fast as ever I could I got out on to the landing and into the front room, and all the while trembling and feeling as if something was after me to pull me back. I got to the window, smashes out a pane, and gives a whistle as brings my mate to the door, and then I hears a ring, and some voices, and he was up to my side in a moment or two, with some o' the people o' the house arter him. "`Turn on your light,' I says, as soon as he stood by me on the landing, and then, feeling as white as a sheet, and my hair wet with persperation, but more plucky now there was light and a companion, I goes back towards the room. "`Here, give us one o' them candles,' I says to a woman as came upstairs with one in each hand; and then from upstairs and down comes the people, all talking together, while as soon as some on 'em sees as it was the police they shuffles off again, so as it was all women as stayed about us. "First glance I take I sees what was up, and I says to my mate:-- "`Keep them all out;' and he goes and stands at the door and closes it after him, when I'm blest if I didn't let the candle fall, and it was out in a moment. But I felt better now there was help if I wanted it, and I goes up to the bedside and lays my hand on that face as I touched before, but it was cold as ice. Then I slips my hand down to the breast, but there wasn't a beat there, so I then says to myself, `Gone,' says I; and in spite o' my shiverin' and tremblin' I tried to get the better of it, and reaches over again and lays my hand on the back of a head as felt cold, too; and then, after a good hard tussel with number one, I feels down to the breast of this one, and there wasn't a beat there. Then I gets to the door again, just as a man comes with a candle in his hand. "I gives him my empty candlestick, and takes his light, and I says:-- "`I'm a policeman,' I says, `and you go out and fetch the nighest doctor; and if you meets another constable tell him to come here.'