Page:Sylvester Sound the Somnambulist (1844).djvu/443

"It is not too tight for you?"

"Oh! Not a bit."

"Very well. Now take this key and hide it somewhere. Don't let me know where it is."

"I'll take care of that, sir."

"And if I should attempt to get out of bed, all you will have to do is to wake me gently. And now, good night."

"I wish you good night, sir."

"Good night," repeated Sylvester; who put out the light, laid his head upon the pillow, and was very soon asleep.

Not so, however, Judkins. He began to reflect deeply. He had previously thought but little of the fact of sleeping in the same chamber; but then, in silence and in gloom, his apprehensions became prolific. Cook's expression of the hope that he might do them no mischief recurred to him, and he hoped so too; but, at the same time conceived it to be possible, quite possible, that he might. "Who knows?" thought he. "He may get up and cut my throat! And if he should, where's the remedy? I wonder whether he's opstropolus. I dare say he is. He can't, in course, know what he's about. If he does, I don't think he'd hurt a hair of my head; but if he don't, why there's no knowing what he may do. And yet Mr. Delolme slept with him—that appeared on the trial—and he never hurt him. But then he might have done! And yet, is it likely a gentleman like him would do me any mischief; and, as to cutting my throat, how is he to get the razor? He can't do it without pulling me out of bed, and I'm just about as strong as him, I fancy! But, then, how do I know he hasn't a knife in his pocket? He can reach that without waking me! and may do so! who knows? And yet I don't think he'd attempt to hurt me! But, then, if he doesn't know what he's about, he doesn't! That's the point! At all events, I'll keep awake this blessed night if I live, to see what sort of games he is likely to be up to."

And he did keep awake. He kept awake an hour; and then most unconsciously dropped off to sleep. He had, however, been asleep scarcely ten minutes, when Sylvester awoke him; and, having done so, said calmly,—

"Judkins! Give me the key."

"The key, sir? Yes, sir," said Judkins, who had not even the most remote idea of his being asleep at the time. "Here it is, sir."

"That will do," observed Sylvester; who, on the instant freed himself, and then very quietly proceeded to dress. He was not, however, long about this: he very soon slipped on his things; and when he had done so, he left the room, and—conceiving that he was then going out for a morning walk—took his hat, and deliberately quitted the house.

Judkins heard him open the front door, and it certainly did strike him at the moment as being possible that Sylvester was in a state of somnambulism then. And yet he asked for the key in a calm, collected manner, and dressed himself, and went out as if he had been awake. In Judkins's judgment, he must have been. He tried to repudiate the notion of his being asleep. But then what could he want to open the