stairs, and just as his hand touched the case I let the silver
drop to the dining-room. I smiled as I saw his next move. He
carefully removed his coat and vest, rolled up his sleeves, and
took off his collar. This evidently meant that he intended to get
the silver if it took the whole night, and nothing could have
pleased me more. I lay in my comfortable bed fairly shaking with
suppressed laughter, and had to stuff a corner of a pillow in my
mouth to smother the sound of my mirth. I did not allow the least
pity for the unfortunate fellow to weaken my nerve.

A low, long screech from the hall told me that I had a man of
uncommon brain to contend with, for I knew the sound came from
his hands drawing along the banister, and that to husband his
strength and to save time, he was sliding down. But this did not
disconcert me. It pleased me. The quicker he went down, the
oftener he would have to walk up.

For half an hour I played with him, giving him just time to get
down to the foot of the stairs before I raised the silver, and
just time to reach the top before I lowered it, and then I grew
tired of the sport--for it was nothing else to me--and decided to
finish him off. I was getting sleepy, but it was evident that the
burglar was not, and I was a little afraid I might fall asleep
and thus defeat myself. The burglar had that advantage because he
was used to night work. So I quickened my movements a little.
When the burglar slid down I gave him just time to see the silver
rise through the ceiling, and when he climbed the stairs I only
allowed him to see it descend through the floor. In this way I
made him double his pace, and as I quickened my movements I soon
had him dashing up the stairs and sliding down again as if for a