“Certainly; you will find my old schoolmate, Roger Stanley of Concord, in bed, but he won’t mind.”
They climbed the stairs, entered the chamber, asked Mr. Stanley’s pardon for intruding, took a look at the washbowl, opened a clothespress, got down on their knees and looked at the floor, to see if they could find any tea.
“Here is another chamber, my sister’s; she spoke to you from the window. You will hardly think of entering the room till she has had time to put on her dress.”
“Oh, no; we would not be so rude as to enter her chamber. We do not suppose she had anything to do with it,” said the officers.
“Will you not take a look at the garret?” Tom asked.
“No. You have covered your tracks so well, I do not suppose we should find anything.”
“Thank you. If, as you say, I had a hand in it, I regard it quite a compliment that I have covered my tracks so well,” Tom replied, as the officers took their departure. He went upstairs and opened the door to Berinthia’s chamber a little.
“’Rinth, you are the best girl that ever lived,” he said.
“Oh, Tom, you did that splendidly,” she replied.
There was merry laughter from her lips as he closed the door and returned to his chamber.