the poor man coughed, once, rather loudly. Swankie, frowning
fiercely, and shaking his fist, looked at him in horror; and well he
might, for the Badger became first red and then purple in the face,
and seemed as if he were about to burst with his efforts to keep down
the cough. It came, however, three times, in spite of him,--not
violently, but with sufficient noise to alarm them, and cause them to
listen for five minutes intently ere they ventured to go on with
their work, in the belief that no one had been disturbed.

But Major Stewart had been awakened by the first cough. He was a
soldier who had seen much service, and who slept lightly. He raised
himself in his bed, and listened intently on hearing the first cough.
The second cough caused him to spring up and pull on his trousers;
the third cough found him half-way downstairs, with a boot-jack in
his hand, and when the burglars resumed work he was peeping at them
through the half-open door.

Both men were stooping over the plate-chest, the Badger with his back
to the door, Swankie with his head towards it. The major raised the
boot-jack and took aim. At the same moment the door squeaked, Big
Swankie looked up hastily, and, in technical phraseology, "doused the
glim". All was dark in an instant, but the boot-jack sped on its way
notwithstanding. The burglars were accustomed to fighting, however,
and dipped their heads. The boot-jack whizzed past, and smashed the
pier-glass on the mantelpiece to a thousand atoms. Major Stewart
being expert in all the devices of warfare, knew what to expect, and
drew aside. He was not a moment too soon, for the dark lantern flew
through the doorway, hit the opposite wall, and fell with a loud
clatter on the stone floor of the lobby. The Badger followed at once,
and received a random blow from the major that hurled him head over