The captain, who had been listening at the door of Mrs. Rudd’s own bed-room, now partly descended the stairs, and again stood still to listen—his proceedings being conducted as noiselessly and cautiously as possible.
“Well—I’m blowed if he’s here!” exclaimed the bailiff with the hoarse voice.
“No more than a cat,” returned his companion.
“How’s this, my dear?” continued the first speaker: “have you been a-making fools on us?”
“No,” answered the girl sharply: “I thought the captain was here—but he ain’t. So I s’pose he’s gone out without my hearing or seeing him. But now you’ve broke the lock of the door and must pay for it—or else missus will blow me up finely when she comes home from market.”
“Then she is at market,” said Captain O’Blunderbuss to himself, his hopes becoming more elated by the assurance thus conveyed to him through the servant-girl’s remark to the bailiffs.
“Pay for it, indeed!” growled the one with the hoarse voice. “That won’t suit our books neither. S’pose we fix the lock on agin in such a way that it won’t be knowed as how we ever busted the door open at all?”
“Well—do what you like; but make haste about it, ’cause missus is sure to come home in a minit or two—leastways if she’s raly out; for I didn’t see her go. But I s’pose she is—or else she’d have been down afore this to know what all the row’s about.”
“We’ll see to it, my dear,” observed the hoarse-speaking bailiff. “But I say, Tom—here’s the captain’s cap, and coat, and veskitt. Bless’d if I believe he’s gone out arter all! Let’s search t’other rooms: this gal is a-playing tricks with us.”
“Come into Mr. Curtis’s chamber and see,” exclaimed the juvenile servant; and the captain heard the party pursuing their domiciliary visit in the quarter alluded to. “Well, now?” said the girl, with a derisive laugh: “is he there? Oh! ah! you may look under the bed! Why don’t you search the drawers—or get up the chimley and look out on the tiles?”