Startled at this unexpected action, Godfrey sprang up, and, with hands rapidly following the gliding clothes, he seized them, threw himself back, and dragged them up to his chin again. "There, I knew you were shamming! What game have you been up to?" "Eh? What?" faltered the lad, trying to speak as if he were confused. "Is anything the matter? Have the soldiers come?" "No," cried Waller hotly, "but I have. There, it's no use to try and keep up that sham. What have you been doing? You may just as well confess. There, you have got your boots on, too. You have not been doing that for nothing." "What do you mean?" "That you are trying to hide something, and you only got into bed to hide it when you heard me coming. What have you been doing?" "What have I been doing?" "Yes. I know." Godfrey was silent. "I did trust you. Thought you wouldn't attempt to do anything without confiding in me. You have been trying to do, something with the rope." "Well," said Godfrey sourly, "suppose I have! What then? And how did you know?" "How did I know? Why, I was just taking a walk round outside, and I thought I'd have a look up at your window, and I don't know how it was, but I seemed to have a fancy that you had been striking a light, and had got a candle burning; and that meant for one of the servants to see, perhaps Joe Hanson, when they all knew that I was downstairs. You didn't do such a mad thing, did you?" "No, of course not," said Godfrey sulkily. "Then what did you do?" "What do you mean?" "What do I mean? What made you throw a rope out of the window so that the end of it hit me right across the head? What rope was it? How came you by it? Oh!" The boy dashed to the great press, pulled out one of the lower drawers, and thrust in his hand. "I thought so! You have been getting out that coil to fasten it to the window, and let it slip." Godfrey was silent. "Do you know the end of that hit me right across the head when you dropped it?" Still no answer. "How I could have been so stupid as to let you see, I don't know. Why, you meant to go off on the sly by yourself. Were you going to run right away?" "No," replied Godfrey. "There, I'll tell you. I couldn't bear it any longer. It was so dreadful being shut up, and I only wanted to go and have a walk in the woods. I meant to come up again."