“Hush!” I exclaimed, suddenly.
We had remained, so far, in undisturbed possession of the office, and there was no chance of any new-comer entering without our knowing. But while Jack was speaking I thought I heard a sound, not on the stairs outside, but in the partners’ room, which opened out of the counting-house.
Suppose one of the partners had been there all the while, and heard all we had said.
Jack stopped dead in his talk, and with pale face looked inquiringly at me.
“I thought I heard a noise in there,” said I, pointing to the door.
“What?” said Jack, with a gasp. The same thought was evidently crossing his mind which had crossed mine.
“It can’t be either of the partners,” whispered he, “at this hour.”
“We’d better see,” said I; “it may be a thief.”
We went quietly to the door. All was silent as we listened; and yet I felt I could not have been mistaken about the noise. The door was closed to, but not fastened. Jack opened it softly.
There, sitting at the partners’ table, with his head on his hands, apparently absorbed in work, and unconscious of everything else, sat—Hawkesbury!