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in his. "It appears to have been cut with a string. Tom," he added sternly, "go to bed, sir; and let us have no more of this folly."

"Well," said Tom, "but do you bead to bead—"

"I have nothing more to say," observed the doctor.

"Well, I suppose you'll let be explaid?"

"I don't require any explanation," said the doctor, who left the study, and in silence returned to his room.

"Victibized agaid!" exclaimed Tom, as the doctor left him. "Shouldd't I be happier id the grave? I do believe that if you were to go frob us roudd to our Adtipodes, you wouldd't beet with a bore udfortudate swell. If there be ady luck afloat, it's perfectly sure to cobe idto by harbour. I'b wud of the elect to receive addoyadce. I'll back byself agaidst ady bad id the udiverse to have byself bisudderstood, add by botives bisidterpreted. Dow look here, Syl: you kdow the purpose for which I put up those bells. Well, about half ad hour ago, I heard theb ridg, add I cabe up daturally with this sball stick, expectidg to fide a bad of sobe sort. But doe: he'd cut it; add I wedt dowd agaid; add the bells radg gaid, add agaid I cabe up add had by usual luck agaid; add agaid I wedt dowd, whed the bells radg agaid; add just as I was cobidg up here for the last tibe, to see if I could dail this varbidt—what would I dot give to see hib dow!—I fell over sobethidg, add grazed by shid—brought dowd by bells, add brought dowd by bad—add 'for all these courtesies' I ab dedoudced! If this be dot edough to bake a bad love his bother, I dod't kdow what is!"

"Then did you fall?"

"Fall! Slap! over sobethidg: I dod't kdow what, dor do I care—but I fell, add I suppose it was the doise I bade that woke you?"

"No," returned Sylvester, "some one had hold of my hand!"

"Is that a fact?"

"Oh! there's no doubt at all about it. I was pulled more than half out of bed!"

"Add did you see do wud dear?"

"Not a soul! I was somewhat alarmed at the moment, and called out to know who was there, and you answered me."

"Thed I suppose that I'b let id for that?"

"Not at all. You stated just now that you didn't come near me: I am, therefore, quite satisfied on that point; but that some one was near me at the time, is quite clear."

"Well, but where could he have gode to? I saw doe wud cobe frob your roob! I wish I had—it would have beed a happy idcidedt! How could he by ady possibility have got out? Add if he could have got out, he couldd't have rushed past be without by seeidg hib; add if eved he could have rushed past be idvisibly, he couldd't have pulled you out of bed dowd there, add kdocked by bad dowd here, at wud add the sabe tibe."

"There may be two of them."

"Good! so there bay. But if I odly caught wud, I'd give hib edough for both. I dod't thidk, however great a gluttod he bight be, that he'd hesitate for wud sidgle bobedt to codfess that he had had bore thad his