“Do you know who did it?”
“I think so, sir,” was the reply; “and did at first, though I’ve had my doubts since.”
“Well, that’s all over. What we want to see now is whether the enemy are on the upper floor.”
“I say they are, sir; and if one of us goes up, the next thing we shall hear will be a horrible thud from one of their swords, and we shall be a man short.”
Stan stood listening in silence again for a few moments, gazing up the stairs from out of the semi-darkness into the light which came down from above.
“I don’t care,” he said at last; “there’s something more in this than you say.”
“Perhaps so, sir; but the grim death I can see is quite enough for me.”
“You’re all wrong, and I’m going up to see what’s the meaning of this silence.”
“What’s the good, sir?”
“The good?” cried Stan. “What an absurd question! To know, of course.”