“Shall I burst the door open, sir?” inquired Longman.
“No.”
“I wonder what the fellow is up to now!” said Longman.
“Heaven knows!” sighed the rector.
“Will I break the door open, sir?” again asked Longman.
“No, you may bring me a common table knife with the thinnest blade you can find, and come with me to the back piazza.”
They left the door, and a few minutes later met under the very window by which the fugitive had made his escape, after re-closing the shutters that fastened with a spring catch behind him.
“Now with this knife I know how to loosen the catches,” said the rector; and he laid the blade of the knife flat on the stone sill, slipped it under the catch, and so opened the shutters. Then he slipped the knife between the upper and lower sash of the window and turned the button and so raised the sash.
“That is a very badly secured window in case of burglars,” remarked Longman.
“Yes, but you see there are no burglars around Haymore. However, I do intend to have a bolt put on these shutters,” said the rector, and he stepped through the window into the room, closely followed by Longman.