Gerald may be pardoned for feeling melancholy. The death of his father had made a great change for him. But the most bitter thought was that all this had happened with the concurrence of his father. He might easily have been provided for and made independent of his stepmother, but this had not been done. Now, as he looked forward, his prospects seemed far from bright. Though his father had died rich, he was penniless and had his own way to make. However, Gerald had a healthy nature and he did not allow sad thoughts long to hold sway over him.
He was soon sound asleep.
How long he slept he did not know, but suddenly he became wide awake. His hearing was keen and he seemed to hear something moving in the next room.
"Is Abel up, I wonder?" he said to himself.
A DARK FIGURE WAS BENDING OVER THE BED
Just then he heard a scream, and, bounding out of bed, he dashed into the next room.
There in the faint light—for there was a moon—he saw a dark figure bending over the bed. The intruder looked like a tramp, and was grasping Abel by the throat.
"Shut up, you viper!" he exclaimed. "If you don't I'll choke you!"
Gerald comprehended the situation. The intruder was a burglar, who had been interrupted in his work by Abel's outcry, and was trying to stifle his screams.