Mrs. Spalding shook her head. "It's all been quite quiet so far, Sir Antony." "Well, I think we had better go upstairs and arrange our plans," he observed. "We may have plenty of time, but it's just as well to be on the safe side. There's a strain of impetuosity in the foreign blood that one has to look out for." He moved towards the door; and followed by Mrs. Spalding and Bugg--the latter of whom had climbed in through the window after him--he mounted the flight of stone stairs that led up into the hall. "I suppose Miss Francis is in her bedroom?" he said turning to Mrs. Spalding. She nodded her head. "Yes, Sir Antony. She went up directly she came back into the house." He took a step forward and stood for a moment contemplating the scene with the thoughtful air of a general surveying the site of a future battle. "I think your place, Bugg," he said, "will be half-way up the staircase, just out of sight of the front door. I shall wait in the sitting-room, and Mrs. Spalding will be downstairs in the kitchen." He paused. "What will happen is this. When the bell rings Mrs. Spalding will come up and open the door. Directly she does, our friends will probably force their way into the hall and ask to see Miss Francis. They will know she is upstairs, because as a matter of fact she is sitting in the window reading a book." "Am I to let them through, sir?" inquired Mrs. Spalding. "Not without a protest," said Tony; "but I expect as a matter of fact they will simply push past you. People like that have very bad manners, especially when they are pressed for time. In that case all you have got to do will be to fall back to the kitchen stairs and leave the rest to us." Bugg sighed happily. "An' then I s'pose I comes dahn and we shoves it across 'em, sir?" he inquired. "That's the idea," said Tony, "but there's no need to be rough or unkind about it. All I want to do is to get them into the sitting-room in a sufficiently chastened frame of mind to answer a few civil questions. It oughtn't to be difficult unless they have got revolvers." "Revolvers!" repeated Mrs. Spalding in some distress. "Oh, dear, dear! You will be careful, won't you, Sir Antony?" "I shall," said Tony: "extremely careful." He walked to the hall table and picked up the blackthorn that he had left lying there. "I don't think I shall want this," he remarked, "but perhaps----" He broke off abruptly, as a faint sound from outside suddenly reached his ear. "Listen!" he said softly. "What's that?" There was a moment's pause, and then quite clearly came the unmistakable click of the front gate. Swiftly and quietly Tony stepped back to the sitting-room door. "Here they are!" he announced with a cheerful smile. "Take it coolly: there's heaps of time."