Shut up in their retreat, the women waited for the morning with sleepless eyes, or with only transient lapses of consciousness. Sometime after midnight, they were startled by the sound of a body falling heavily in the hall, and, an instant after, by the shout of "Burglars! thieves!" They rushed to the staircase in extreme fright, and soon learned the cause. The wary officer evidently did not believe the tale that had been told him respecting the absence of Mr. Sandford; and, that nobody should go out or in without his knowledge, he had drawn the sofa across the hall, completely cutting off all passage. A small jet of gas was left burning. Charles, returning late from the club in a mild stage of inebriation, entered the house by means of his latch-key, not without difficulty, and at once fell headlong over the sofa, and the worthy official sleeping thereon. When he heard the cry of "Burglars!" it occurred to him that he must have been knocked down by one of the gang; and he joined his own voice to the uproar,-- "BuggLARS! buggLARS!" An instant after, there was a grip on his collar. "Now I got ye, ye vill'in! What ye doin' on here?" "What _you_ doin' on, you rasc'l, inagen'l'm'n'shouse thistim'o'night?" "Arnswer me, you scoundrel, breakin' into a peaceful dwellin'!" "Tha'swhat_I_wan'to know.--How'd _you_com'ere? What'syerbusiness? Le'gomycollar. I'lsen'forp'lice. Le'go!" Tipsy as he was, he managed to give his assailant a pretty substantial token of regard under the ear, with his knuckles. "Now young'un, you're drunk! I won't hit you back, 'cause a case for manslaughter might be expensive. How'd you break in here, when you are so drunk you can't stand? I don't see how you could get in with the door open." "Noneo'yerimp'r'ence! Cl'out! Adecen'bugglar'sbad'nough; yousmokerot'nt'baccah. G'off! youdirtybugg_lar!_" "Young chap, it's time to stop this nonsense, or I'll have you in the watch-house in no time. Who are you? and how came you here?" "Tha'sit; who _are_ you? tha'swhat_I_wan'know." "Charles!" (_from above_.) "WhocallsCh'rl's? HereIam. Igott'afellah, the bugg_lar_. Callp'lice! P'LICE!" "Charles!" (_once more_.) "Do you belong here, young chap?" "B'long'ere? 'vcourseIdo; wherethedevilsh'dIb'long?" "You are not Mr. Sandford?" "Howd'yeknowIa'n't? I _am_ Mis'rr-Sanf'd." "You are Mr. Sandford's brother, are you?" "No, Mis'rr Sanf'd's _my_ bro'rr." "Well, if you've got brains enough to understand, listen to me." "I'm all 'tensh'n, 's Balaam said to th'ass. G'on, ol' fellah!--an' then g'off!" "I am an officer, sent to 'tach your brother's furnitur' and stuff; and as there's nobody here to go bail, I hed to stay and look arter things." "H'mushbailyewant? I'llgi'bail. An' I'll plankzemoney. I'vegotsev'ndollars'n'alf." "Charles!" (_the third time_.) "Wha'nyewant?" "They want you to go to bed, where you b'long." "Gotobed? 'llseeyoudam'f'st! Leave'nofficer'nth'ouse? Guessnot!"