Christmas Penny Readings Part 26

"Shall I go first?" I said, all in a fidget at the same time lest he should say "Yes," for I don't mind owning that it looked uncommonly like putting one's head in a trap to go in at that window; and I felt a bit nervous, if not frightened.

The next moment I was over the railings too; and, holding my bull's-eye so as to throw all the light into the room I could, when in went the sergeant, and directly after, almost before you could say "Jack Robinson," there was a bit of a scuffle and the sound of a heavy blow, and some one went down with a crash; while, as I leaned forward and held in my light, I just caught a glimpse of some one, and at the same moment a heavy, numbing blow came down on my hand, and the lanthorn was knocked out, and fell with a clang under my feet in the area, while the silence which followed showed me plainly enough that it was not the lady in the case who had been knocked down, but the sergeant.

"Now, my lad," I said to the other policeman, as I stood rubbing and shaking my hand, "one of us must go in; sergeant's down, safe."

"Well," he said, "you've been longest in the force, you'd best go."

"Wrong," I said; "you were in before me."

"Well, but," he said, "I'm a married man, and you ain't."

"Wrong again," I said; "I'm married, and have two little ones."

Well, perhaps, you'll say it was cowardly not to have dashed in at once to help the sergeant. Perhaps it was; but, mind you, all this didn't take many seconds, as we whispered together; and, besides, I knew well enough that I should be taken at a disadvantage; for, though I couldn't see him, I was sure enough that there was a fellow armed with a life-preserver or a poker just behind the large window-curtain, so I wanted to plan a bit. And, mind you, I didn't want to go; but, as my fellow-constable did not seem disposed, and I stood close to the window, there was nothing for it, but to take off my great coat and jump in. So I drew out my staff, when my fingers were so numbed that I could hardly hold it; and then I said to myself, "Now for it, my boy;" when, making plenty of noise, I tried a very stale old trick--one that I didn't for a moment expect would take; and I tell you what I did. I got my fellow-constable's bull's-eye, opened it, and set it on the window-sill, so that the light was shining into the room, and then in went one leg, and I made believe to be jumping in with a rush; but, instead of doing so, I pushed in my hat as far as I could reach on the end of my staff, when "bang, crash," down came something right on the hat, beating my staff out of my hand, and making my fingers tingle again, it came so hard.

That was my time, though, and I leaped in so quickly that, before there was time for another cut, I had tight hold of somebody, and there I was engaged in the fiercest struggle I ever had. There were the chairs knocking here, there, and everywhere, while I could feel somebody's hot breath against my neck as, locked together, we swayed backwards and forwards. Once I was forced right back upon the dining-room table, but I sprang up again, and the next moment, whoever it was I struggled with had his head through the gla.s.s; while, as to the darkness, it was something fearful, for the lanthorn was knocked over, and only shone just in one corner by the floor. Jangle went a piano once as I was forced back on to it, and then the noise grew louder, for I could hear above the wild beast, worrying noise we made, the people upstairs screaming worse than ever.

"Well, there must be help come soon," I thought, as now down, now up, we struggled on. I wanted to shout to my fellow-constable to come in, as he was not wanted outside, but I suppose he did not like the job of getting in, for he did not attempt to come, while as to calling him, I could just as soon have flown, for my adversary seemed quite satisfied with my company, and held on by my throat so tightly, that I was almost choked.

All at once, for about the sixth time, I tumbled over the sergeant, and this time down I went undermost, while my head came against one of those tin-plate warmers, and made the most outrageous noise you ever heard in your life. Well, this rather shook the sense out of me, tin being rather a hard metal to catch your head against--so hard, that it seemed to me to quite strike fire, and then taking advantage of my being a little beaten down, this fellow got his hand inside my stock, when what with the blow and the pressure of his knuckles in my throat, lights began to dance before my eyes, and I felt about done. However, it seemed to me to be now not a struggle for capture or escape, but for life and death, and in the last despair of the moment, I got hold of the fellow's hand between my teeth, and hung on like a bull terrier.

How long this lasted I can't say; but I remember hearing a crash, and seeing the flashed light of a bull's-eye, when my lord rolled off me, and then through a sort of mist I could just see the sergeant's face looking all b.l.o.o.d.y, while directly after the light of the lanthorn was thrown two or three times upon my face.

"How are you, my lad?" said the sergeant.

But I didn't tell him, for the simple reason that I could not just then, but lay as still as could be, feeling afraid of tumbling, for the room appeared to be spinning round as fast as possible.

"How are you, my lad?" said the sergeant again directly after, but this time a little way off, and then I heard the "click, click" of the handcuffs, as he made them fast round my dear friend's wrists.

But I did not answer then; for though the room had left off spinning so hard, my tongue seemed to have turned sulky, and would not speak, though it was not my fault a bit. One feeling, however, did seem to come upon me now strong, and that was that I should like to have a look at the man on the floor, though not an inch could I move right or left.

Well, seeing that I could not answer, the sergeant called in the outside man, and then after a look round the room, he went and opened the dining-room door, and called out:--

"Come down, and bring a light. We are the police."

But before he had well said the words, there came a bang like thunder, and I could hear shot go rattling down the pa.s.sage.

"Here, I say! confound you; what are you doing?" shouted the sergeant.

"Don't you hear? We're the police." When, bad as I was, I could not help laughing to see the way our poor sergeant jumped. Though certainly it was enough to make him, you'll say.

After a few minutes a miserable looking old gentleman, in a dressing gown, came shivering down with one of those great bra.s.s blunderbusses in one hand, and a candlestick in the other.

"Keep back," the old gentleman cried; "it's loaded again."

"Then the sooner you unc.o.c.k it the better," said our sergeant; "or else, perhaps, you'll be making another mistake. But now, if you'll go with me, we will just let the other man in," and then he went and shut down the window, and drew the curtains across.

But the old gentleman seemed so scared, that he could hardly tell friends from enemies, and he did not appear to like the idea of the front door being opened, for nearly all the sense seemed frightened out of him. However, he followed the sergeant, and they unlocked the door, let down the chain, and slipped back the bolts, and then after unlocking the darby, they lugged in my friend who said there was a lady in the case, brought him into the dining-room, and set him in an easy-chair in the corner. The sergeant then set light to a pair of candles on the chimney-piece, when I could see all that went on, for I could neither move nor speak yet.

"Slip round to the station for more help, and the stretcher," said the sergeant; and my fellow-constable went, though the old gentleman didn't seem to like it, and asked if it was safe to be left with the two burglars.

Then the sergeant came and stooped over me again, and asked me how I was; but all I could do was to look hard in his face, and wink both my eyes.

Just then he asked the old gentleman if he had a drop of brandy in the house, when a decanter was brought out, and a gla.s.s held to my lips, and a few drops seemed to revive me so, that I was able to sit up, when the sergeant and the old gentleman between them got me upon a sofa, where I lay quite still and felt better.

"Dear me, dear me," said the old gentleman: "I don't like my house being turned into a hospital."

"P'raps not," said the sergeant; "but if it hadn't been for that poor fellow, you might have looked queer."

Hearing the old fellow grumble seemed to rouse me, and I still went on listening.

"It's been a stiff fight, sir," said the sergeant; "and that young fellow--"

"And you, sergeant," I said feebly.

"Oh, come; that's cheering," said he with a pleasant look, which went right over his shining face.

You can't tell how pleased I felt to be able to use my tongue once more, but there was no work in me, and there I lay watching the sergeant give a look at the two prisoners, and examine the handcuffs to see that all was right, when all at once the fellow I had such a struggle with, sprang up and fetched the sergeant the most savage of kicks in the knee--one which sent him staggering back--when, in spite of all that has been said about the police using their staves, I'm sure no one could have blamed that sergeant for bringing his staff down on the fellow's head, and striking him to the ground, where, as he lay, I had a good look at him.

And a nice specimen of humanity he looked--a great six-foot fellow, strong as a horse, while my impression is that, if the sergeant had not come so opportunely to my aid, you would not have heard this story. But the fellow was tolerably knocked about. Ah! and so was the sergeant, while, no doubt, I should have been stunned at first if the chap had not been taken in by my shallow trick.

A nice little affair that was, and I saw that I had only just got up in time, for there were two carpet-bags on the floor crammed full of plate--silver dishes and tea and coffee pots, while all the small parts were filled out with forks and spoons.

All at once the old gentleman, who had been shivering about as far off the burglars as he could, seemed to catch sight of my half-crown gentleman's face--a face that he had not appeared so far to be very proud of, for he had kept it hung down over his waistcoat the greater part of the time--when all at once the old gentleman stood still and exclaimed:--

"Why, you scoundrel, it's you, is it?" and the fellow only shrunk down more of a heap, while the old gentleman was so enraged, that he made believe to shoot the rascal with his blunderbuss, when the sergeant made no more ado, but went and took it away from him.

"Come, you know," said the sergeant; "I see you won't be happy till you've done some one a mischief with that pretty little plaything. Oh, he was your footman, was he, and you discharged him for drunkenness, did you, a month ago? Well, I'm not surprised a bit."

Just then three of our men came in, and they walked off our two gaol-birds at once, and then I got hold of the sergeant's arm, and found I could walk.

"Take a little more brandy," said the old gentleman, and he poured out with a shaking hand about half a wine-gla.s.sful, when after I had drunk it he said again:

"You're a brave fellow, and there's something to drink my health with."

I thanked him, and then we two walked out together, and stood on the pavement amongst the snow, listening to the old gentleman and the servants locking and bolting the door after us.

"Well," said the sergeant; "I think, my lad, we've done our night's work, and after reporting at the station, we'll go off duty for a day or two; for my head is in a queer state," and then he lifted his hat, pressed his hand upon it, and looked at the blood-smeared palm under the lamp. "But what did the old fellow give you?"

I opened my hand and looked, for I had not cared to look before; in fact, I was so stupid then, and dizzy, that I felt no interest in the money.

"Just what I expected," exclaimed the sergeant; "Sixpence! Well, some men have consciences."

It was a week before the sergeant was p.r.o.nounced fit for duty, but it took me a fortnight to get right; while our friends had fourteen years each. I've often thought of the way I spent that Christmas-night--the roughest I ever did pa.s.s; but then you see, there was a Lady in the Case.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

THE GHOSTS AT THE GRANGE.