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son. "He's safe enough for the time; and meanwhile the gas is spreading. Give me the rope again, and stand ready to pull."

"He flashed his bull's-eye on the forms of the two men."

I handed him the rope, in which we had made a loop about three feet in length. Carefully holding his breath he slipped this over the body of the next man (the sham Countess de la Roche), and by hauling on the cord we managed to pull him through the doorway.

What O'Grady had told the sergeant I cannot say, but the puzzled look on his face, as he flashed his bull's-eye on the forms of the two men lying in the passage-way outside the strong room, was most comical.

"What's this, gentlemen—murder?" he inquired, looking from me to Macpherson as if uncertain which of us to "run in."

"Only burglary, at present, Mr. Jackson," I replied; "and there are two of the burglars for you. The other is still in the strong room, and we shall be glad of your help to get him out."

"That's soon done," said the officer, preparing to enter.

"Stop a bit," interrupted Macpherson; "it's not quite so easy as it looks. That room is filled breast-high with a poisonous gas, which has knocked over those fellows as you see them. In the upper part of the room, where those candles are burning, the air is pure enough, but below that level it is suffocating. Our best plan will be to walk in and stand three on each side of that fellow. I will call 'one, two, three!' at the word 'two,' each must dip down and lay hold of him, and at 'three' lift him up and carry him out, but don't breathe while you are stooping, or you will be knocked over as he is. Come along, O'Grady," for O'Grady, though plucky enough in a general way, had begun to back towards the stairs, with every appearance of terror.

"Is it in there, along with thim ilictric divils? Bedad, I'll lave that to my betthers. The climate's too onwholesome for the likes o' Tim O'Grady."

There was no time to argue the point. The remainder of the party marched into the strong room, and following the directions of Macpherson, we succeeded in getting out the remaining burglar.