"Here," answered her husband.
"Where?" asked Meg; for the tones were muffled by the interposition of the door, and she could not get a clear idea of where her husband was.
"In the closet, you fool! Come and open the door," was the polite reply.
Wondering how her husband could have got into the closet, and, also, what had become of Walter, she advanced hastily to the closet-door, and drew the bolt.
Jack dashed out furiously, cursing in a manner I shall not repeat.
"How came you here, Jack?" asked his wife. "Where's the boy?"
It was so dark that he could not readily discover Walter's flight. He strode to the bedstead, and, kneeling down, began to feel about for him.
"Curse it, the boy's gone!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you stop him?"
This he said on supposition that Walter had escaped by the stairs.
"I don't know what you mean. I've seen nothing of the boy. Wasn't he here when you came up?"