It was too dark to see any thing. He had thought of bringing the lantern with him; but when he thought that it would be of more assistance to the burglars in avoiding him, than it would be to him in finding them, he concluded to let the darkness hide his movements. It occurred to him that the light would enable them to use their revolvers effectively. All he could do was to stop and listen. The wind was blowing very hard; and the noise it made in the trees prevented him from hearing the tramp of footsteps, if there were any to be heard. There was not a sound that could be distinguished above the rattling of the leaves and the swaying of the branches. It was rather discouraging to the volunteer thief-taker; and he began to feel that he had come to the end of his rope, for it was useless to run here and there without something to guide his steps. As he had no clew to the marauders, he could only consider probabilities. What direction would the burglars take to make their escape? If they had come in a boat, they could embark anywhere between the bridge above the quarries and Beaver River. By land they could pass through the grounds of the estate, and reach the street; or they could follow the cart-path through the quarries, pass over the bridge, and reach Lake Champlain at Porter's Bay, or any point below it, or strike a road which would lead them to the north. While he was thinking of it, he heard the voice of Matt Randolph calling to him. But the bell was still ringing, even more furiously than at first; and it was plain that he had turned this task over to some other student, for no one but a boy would have put so much vigor into the operation. And by this time the tremendous racket ought to bring a crowd to the centre of the disturbance. "Have you seen any thing of them, Dory?" shouted Matt, as he reached the corner of the building. "Not a thing," replied Dory. The sound of his voice directed the steps of his companion, and brought him to the vicinity of the open window. He had a lantern in his hand, and by its aid they examined the window by which the burglars had made their exit from the shop. But there was nothing there to afford them a particle of information in the quest. "Don't you know which way they went?" asked Matt. "I have not the least idea," answered Dory; and he stated the avenues of escape open to the robbers, as he had just been over them in his own mind. "But while we are standing here, doing nothing, the villains are getting away," said Matt, with some excitement in his manner. "It's no use to tear around wildly without knowing what you are about," replied Dory quietly. "I am in favor of looking over the chances before we strike in any direction. With all the racket of that bell, they did not go through the grounds to the nearest road." "They will give the roads a wide berth," added Matt.