“I didn’t really suppose there was any burglar about,” said Sally. “How lucky it was that we engaged you to come and stay here!”
Andy was modest, but he could not, with truth, disclaim this praise. He knew very well that he had been instrumental, under Providence, in saving the old ladies from being robbed.
“I don’t know whether you would be willing to stay here to-night, Andy, after the experience you had last night,” said Sally.
“And you are not afraid?”
“I don’t think the man will come again,” said Andy, laughing. “I don’t believe he liked the reception I gave him. He knows how it feels to get into hot water.”
It is needless to say that the news of the midnight attack upon the house of the Peabody sisters spread like wildfire through the village.
Probably not less than a hundred persons called to see the demolished window, and Andy had to tell the story over and over till he was weary of it.
Among those who were interested was Herbert Ross. He suspected, and rightly, that it was the same man who had stopped at his father’s gate, and nearly strangled his dog Prince.
He felt that if this was so, a part of the public interest would center upon him, and accordingly, forgetting his recent difficulty with Andy, he cross-questioned our hero as to the appearance of the burglar.