"Look _there_!" whispered Blossom, pointing to a pistol which lay upon the carpet, almost within reach of the brawny hand which hung over the bed-side. "Good God! ejaculated Somers. "Now look _there_!" Blossom pointed to the brandy bottle on the table, and held the light near it. "_Empty!_ d'ye see?" Then Blossom drew from his capacious pocket, certain pieces of rope, each of which was attached to the middle of a piece of hickory, as hard as iron. "Hold the light," and like a nurse attending to a sleeping babe, the ingenious Blossom gently attached one of the aforesaid pieces of rope to the ankles of the sleeper, in such a manner, that the two pieces of hickory,--one at either end of the rope,--formed a knot, which a giant would have found it hard to break. As the ankles rested side by side, this feat was not so difficult. "Now for the wrists," and Blossom quietly regarded the position of the sleeper's hands. One was doubled on his huge chest, the other hung over the bedside. To straighten one arm and lift the other,--to do this gently and without awaking the sleeper,--to tie both wrists together as he had tied the ankles,--this was a difficult task, but Blossom accomplished it. Once the convict moved. "_Don't give it up so easy!_" he muttered and snored again. Blossom surveyed him with great satisfaction.--"There's muscle, and bone, and fists,--did you ever see sich fists!" "A perfect brute!" ejaculated Somers. "Now you stay here, while I go into the next room, and hunt for the tother one." This room, it will be remembered, communicated with an adjoining apartment by folding-doors. Blossom took the candle and listened; all was silent beyond the folding-doors. He carefully opened these doors, and light in hand, went into the next apartment. A belt of light came through the aperture, and fell upon the tall, spare form of the merchant prince, who, standing in the center of the _first_ apartment gazed through the aperture just mentioned, into the _second_ room. All the movements of Blossom were open to his gaze. He saw him approach a bed, whose ruffled coverlet indicated that a man was sleeping there. He saw him bend over this bed, but the burly form of the police-officer hid the face of the sleeper from the sight of the merchant prince. He saw him lift the coverlet, and stand for a moment, as if gazing upon the sleeping man, and then saw him start abruptly from the bed, and turn his step toward the _first_ room. "What's the matter with _you_," cried the merchant prince, "are _you_ frightened?" Truth to tell, the full-moon face of Blossom, spotted with carbuncles, had somewhat changed its color. "Can't you speak? It's Evelyn who's sleeping yonder,--isn't it? Hadn't you better wake him quietly?" "Ah my feller," and the broken voice of Blossom, showed that he was _human_ after all--all that he had seen in his lifetime,--"Ah my feller, he'll never wake again."