CHAPTER XI
"THE REBELLION OF PEG"
"Take care, mater—keep back. Let me deal with them." And Alaric with an electric flash-light appeared at the head of the stairs, followed by his mother holding a night-lamp high over her head, and peering down into the dark room. "It was from here that the sound came, dear," she said to Alaric.
"Stay up there," replied the valiant youth: "I'll soon find out what's up."
As Alaric reached the bottom of the stairs, the door just by the staircase opened noiselessly and a large body protruded into the room covered in an equally gigantic bath robe. As the face came stealthily through the doorway, Alaric made one leap and caught the invader by the throat.
A small, frightened voice cried out:
"Please don't do that, sir. It's only me!"
Alaric flashed the electric-light in the man's face and found it was the unfortunate Jarvis.
"What are you doing here?" asked Alaric.
"I heard a disturbance of some kind and came down after it, sir," replied Jarvis, nervously.