“Here, sor,” replied a suppressed voice, in as rich a brogue as his own.
The three joined him, and a whispered conference ensued, the chief speaker being one who answered to the name of Teddy McManus. He was describing a country-seat, the situation of doors and windows, arrangement and contents of its lower rooms. “We’ll git in aisy,” he said; “wan o’ thim kitchin doors ain’t got no bolt at all—nothin’ but a common lock; an’ a wire’ll turn the kay an’ let us in as aisy as the masther hissilf walks intil the front door wid his latch-kay. An’ thin it’s all plain sailin’; dinin’-room nixt, solid siller a plenty on the sideboard; beyont that, jist acrost the hall’s the lib’ry, where he kapes his money.”
“But where he won’t kape it much longer,” put in one of the others.
“We’ll do oor indivors to relave him o’t the noight, if that’s yer wull, captain,” continued Teddy’s rough voice.
“Yis, if yees are all agraable. What’s yer wull, Gotlieb? an’ yours, Pat?”
“I dinks we goes; and we petter makes haste,” answered the first.
Patrick echoed the sentiment, and they set off at once, walking rapidly in a direction opposite to that from which Phelim had come some hours ago.
They were armed with pistols and knives, and carried with them a dark lantern and a full set of burglars’ tools.
When the family at Walnut Hill rose from that night’s slumbers it was to find that butter, bread, meat, and other edibles had disappeared from spring-house and pantry; also all the silver ware from the dining-room; and that the secretary in the library had been robbed of several hundred dollars in gold and silver, bank-notes, and United States bonds.