Chapter III
Thud—thud—thud! Biff! Rattle! Bang! came a noise from below.
I sat bolt upright in bed, and hollered through the pitch-darkness at the top of my voice:
"Help! Police! Burglars! Robbers! Wake up, Holmes, and catch 'em!"
Despite the racket I made, which was increased by my jumping out of bed and falling head-first over a chair, upsetting the latter, the hardened old cuss slept on. When I yelled again, and shook him by the shoulder, he half opened his eyes and said:
"Well, what's eating you, Watson? Got the nightmare? I told you that you took too much mince-pie last night!"
"For Heaven's sake, didn't you hear the noise downstairs, Holmes?" I shouted. "Somebody is breaking in, trying to steal the Earl's last pair of diamond cuff-buttons!"
Holmes yawned lazily, rolled over in bed, and said, as he settled himself to sleep again: