Instantly steps were heard outside. Anthea threw her arms round
the burglar and whispered--
'It's us--the ones that gave you the cats. We've come to save you,
only don't let on we're here. Can't we hide somewhere?'
Heavy boots sounded on the flagged passage outside, and a firm
voice shouted--
'Here--you--stop that row, will you?'
'All right, governor,' replied the burglar, still with Anthea's
arms round him; 'I was only a-talking in my sleep. No offence.'
It was an awful moment. Would the boots and the voice come in.
Yes! No! The voice said--
'Well, stow it, will you?'
And the boots went heavily away, along the passage and up some
sounding stone stairs.
'Now then,' whispered Anthea.
'How the blue Moses did you get in?' asked the burglar, in a hoarse
whisper of amazement.
'On the carpet,' said Jane, truly.
'Stow that,' said the burglar. 'One on you I could 'a' swallowed,
but four--AND a yellow fowl.'
'Look here,' said Cyril, sternly, 'you wouldn't have believed any
one if they'd told you beforehand about your finding a cow and all
those cats in our nursery.'
'That I wouldn't,' said the burglar, with whispered fervour, 'so
help me Bob, I wouldn't.'
'Well, then,' Cyril went on, ignoring this appeal to his brother,
'just try to believe what we tell you and act accordingly.
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