ONE morning I was engaged in the principal workroom with myemployer. We were alone. Old File and his son were occupied inthe garrets. Screw had been sent to Barkingham, accompanied, onthe usual precautionary plan, by Mill. They had been gone nearlyan hour when the doctor sent me into the next room to moisten andknead up some plaster of Paris. While I was engaged in thisoccupation, I suddenly heard strange voices in the largeworkroom. My curiosity was instantly excited. I drew back thelittle shutter from the peephole in the wall, and looked throughit.

I saw first my old enemy, Screw, with his villainous face muchpaler than usual; next, two respectably-dressed strangers whom heappeared to have brought into the room; and next to them YoungFile, addressing himself to the doctor.

"I beg your pardon, sir," said my friend, the workman-likefootman; "but before these gentlemen say anything for themselves,I wish to explain, as they seem strangers to you, that I only letthem in after I had heard them give the password. My instructionsare to let anybody in on our side of the door if they can givethe password. No offense, sir, but I want it to be understoodthat I have done my duty."

"Quite right, my man," said the doctor, in his blandest manner."You may go back to your work."

Young File left the room, with a scrutinizing look for the twostrangers and a suspicious frown for Screw.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," began the elder of the twostrangers.

"Pardon me for a moment," interposed the doctor. "Where is Mill?"he added, turning to Screw.

"Doing our errands at Barkingham," answered Screw, turning palerthan ever.

"We happened to meet your two men, and to ask them the way toyour house," said the stranger who had just spoken. "This man,with a caution that does him infinite credit, required to knowour business before he told us. We managed to introduce thepassword--'Happy-go-lucky'--into our answer. This of coursequieted suspicion; and he, at our request, guided us here,leaving his fellow-workman, as he has just told you, to do allerrands at Barkingham."

While these words were being spoken, I saw Screw's eyes wanderingdiscontentedly and amazedly round the room. He had left me in itwith the doctor before he went out: was he disappointed at notfinding me in it on his return?

While this thought was passing through my mind, the strangerresumed his explanations.

"We are here," he said, "as agents appointed to transact privatebusiness, out of London, for Mr. Manasseh, with whom you havedealings, I think?"

"Certainly," said the doctor, with a smile.

"And who owes you a little account, which we are appointed tosettle."

"Just so!" remarked the doctor, pleasantly rubbing his hands oneover the other. "My good friend, Mr. Manasseh, does not like totrust the post, I suppose? Very glad to make your acquaintance,gentlemen. Have you got the little memorandum about you?"

"Yes; but we think there is a slight inaccuracy in it. Have youany objection to let us refer to your ledger?"

"Not the least in the world. Screw, go down into my privatelaboratory, open the table-drawer nearest the window, and bringup a locked book, with a parchment cover, which you will find init."

As Screw obeyed I saw a look pass between him and the twostrangers which made me begin to feel a little uneasy. I thoughtthe doctor noticed it too; but he preserved his countenance, asusual, in a state of the most unruffled composure.

"What a time that fellow is gone!" he exclaimed gayly. "Perhaps Ihad better go and get the book myself."

The two strangers had been gradually lessening the distancebetween the doctor and themselves, ever since Screw had left theroom. The last words were barely out of his mouth, before theyboth sprang upon him, and pinioned his arms with their hands.

"Steady, my fine fellow," said Mr. Manasseh's head agent. "It'sno go. We are Bow Street runners, and we've got you for coining."

"Not a doubt of it," said the doctor, with the most superbcoolness. "You needn't hold me. I'm not fool enough to resistwhen I'm fairly caught."

"Wait till we've searched you; and then we'll talk about that,"said the runner.*

The doctor submitted to the searching with the patience of amartyr. No offensive weapon being found in his pockets, theyallowed him to sit down unmolested in the nearest chair.

"Screw, I suppose?" said the doctor, looking inquiringly at theofficers.

"Exactly," said the principal man of the two. "We have beensecretly corresponding with him for weeks past. We have nabbedthe man who went out with him, and got him safe at Barkingham.Don't expect Screw back with the ledger. As soon as he has madesure that the rest of you are in the house, he is to fetchanother man or two of our Bow Street lot, who are waiting outsidetill they hear from us. We only want an old man and a young one,and a third pal of yours who is a gentleman born, to make aregular clearance in the house. When we have once got you all, itwill be the prettiest capture that's ever been made since I wasin the force."

What the doctor answered to this I cannot say. Just as theofficer had done speaking, I heard footsteps approaching the roomin which I was listening. Was Screw looking for me? I instantlyclosed the peephole and got behind the door. It opened back uponme, and, sure enough, Screw entered cautiously.

An empty old wardrobe stood opposite the door. Evidentlysuspecting that I might have taken the alarm and concealed myselfinside it, he approached it on tiptoe. On tiptoe also I followedhim; and, just as his hands were on the wardrobe door, my handswere on his throat. He was a little man, and no match for me. Ieasily and gently laid him on his back, in a voiceless andhalf-suffocated state--throwing myself right over him, to keephis legs quiet. When I saw his face getting black, and his smalleyes growing largely globular, I let go with one hand, crammed myempty plaster of Paris bag, which lay close by, into his mouth,tied it fast, secured his hands and feet, and then left himperfectly harmless, while I took counsel with myself how best tosecure my own safety.

I should have made my escape at once; but for what I heard theofficer say about the men who were waiting outside. Were theywaiting near or at a distance? Were they on the watch at thefront or the back of the house? I thought it highly desirable togive myself a chance of ascertaining their whereabouts from thetalk of the officers in the next room, before I risked thepossibility of running right into their clutches on the outerside of the door.

I cautiously opened the peephole once more.

The doctor appeared to be still on the most friendly terms withhis vigilant guardians from Bow Street.

"Have you any objection to my ringing for some lunch, before weare all taken off to London together?" I heard him ask in hismost cheerful tones. "A glass of wine and a bit of bread andcheese won't do you any harm, gentlemen, if you are as hungry asI am."

"If you want to eat and drink, order the victuals at once,"replied one of the runners, sulkily. "We don't happen to wantanything ourselves."

"Sorry for it," said the doctor. "I have some of the best oldMadeira in England."

"Like enough," retorted the officer sarcastically. "But you seewe are not quite such fools as we look; and we have heard of sucha thing, in our time, as hocussed wine."

"O fie! fie!" exclaimed the doctor merrily. "Remember how well Iam behaving myself, and don't wound my feelings by suspecting meof such shocking treachery as that!"

He moved to a corner of the room behind him, and touched a knobin the wall which I had never before observed. A bell rangdirectly, which had a new tone in it to my ears.

"Too bad," said the doctor, turning round again to the runners;"really too bad, gentlemen, to suspect me of that!"

Shaking his head deprecatingly, he moved back to the corner,pulled aside something in the wall, disclosed the mouth of a pipewhich was a perfect novelty to me, and called down it.

"Moses!"

It was the first time I had heard that name in the house.

"Who is Moses?" inquired the officers both together, advancing onhim suspiciously.

"Only my servant," answered the doctor. He turned once more tothe pipe, and called down it:

"Bring up the Stilton Cheese, and a bottle of the Old Madeira."

The cheese we had in use at that time was of purely Dutchextraction. I remembered Port, Sherry, and Claret in my palmydinner-days at the doctor's family-table; but certainly not OldMadeira. Perhaps he selfishly kept his best wine and his choicestcheese for his own consumption.

"Sam," said one of the runners to the other, "you look to ourcivil friend here, and I'll grab Moses when he brings up thelunch."

"Would you like to see what the operation of coining is, while myman is getting the lunch ready?" said the doctor. "It may be ofuse to me at the trial, if you can testify that I afforded youevery facility for finding out anything you might want to know.Only mention my polite anxiety to make things easy andinstructive from the very first, and I may get recommended tomercy. See here--this queer-looking machine, gentlemen (fromwhich two of my men derive their nicknames), is what we call aMill-and-Screw."

He began to explain the machine with the manner and tone of alecturer at a scientific institution. In spite of themselves, theofficers burst out laughing. I looked round at Screw as thedoctor got deeper into his explanations. The traitor was rollinghis wicked eyes horribly at me. They presented so shocking asight, that I looked away again. What was I to do next? Theminutes were getting on, and I had not heard a word yet, throughthe peephole, on the subject of the reserve of Bow Street runnersoutside. Would it not be best to risk everything, and get away atonce by the back of the house?

Just as I had resolved on v enturing the worst, and making myescape forthwith, I heard the officers interrupt the doctor'slecture.

"Your lunch is a long time coming," said one of them.

"Moses is lazy," answered the doctor; "and the Madeira is in aremote part of the cellar. Shall I ring again?"

"Hang your ringing again!" growled the runner, impatiently. "Idon't understand why our reserve men are not here yet. Supposeyou go and give them a whistle, Sam."

"I don't half like leaving you," returned Sam. "This learnedgentleman here is rather a shifty sort of chap; and it strikes methat two of us isn't a bit too much to watch him."

"What's that?" exclaimed Sam's comrade, suspiciously.

A crash of broken crockery in the lower part of the house hadfollowed that last word of the cautious officer's speech.Naturally, I could draw no special inference from the sound; but,for all that, it filled me with a breathless interest andsuspicion, which held me irresistibly at the peephole--though themoment before I had made up my mind to fly from the house.

"Moses is awkward as well as lazy," said the doctor. "He hasdropped the tray! Oh, dear, dear me! he has certainly dropped thetray."

"Let's take our learned friend downstairs between us," suggestedSam. "I shan't be easy till we've got him out of the house."

"And I shan't be easy if we don't handcuff him before we leavethe room," returned the other.

"Rude conduct, gentlemen--after all that has passed, remarkablyrude conduct," said the doctor. "May I, at least, get my hatwhile my hands are at liberty? It hangs on that peg opposite tous." He moved toward it a few steps into the middle of the roomwhile he spoke.

"Stop!" said Sam; "I'll get your hat for you. We'll see ifthere's anything inside it or not, before you put it on."

The doctor stood stockstill, like a soldier at the word, Halt.

"And I'll get the handcuffs," said the other runner, searchinghis coat-pockets.

The doctor bowed to him assentingly and forgivingly .

"Only oblige me with my hat, and I shall be quite ready for you,"he said--paused for one moment, then repeated the words, "Quiteready," in a louder tone--and instantly disappeared through thefloor!

I saw the two officers rush from opposite ends of the room to agreat opening in the middle of it. The trap-door on which thedoctor had been standing, and on which he had descended, closedup with a bang at the same moment; and a friendly voice from thelower regions called out gayly, "Good-by!"

The officers next made for the door of the room. It had beenlocked from the other side. As they tore furiously at the handle,the roll of the wheels of the doctor's gig sounded on the drivein front of the house; and the friendly voice called out oncemore, "Good-by!"

I waited just long enough to see the baffled officers unbarringthe window shutters for the purpose of giving the alarm, before Iclosed the peephole, and with a farewell look at the distortedface of my prostrate enemy, Screw, left the room.

The doctor's study-door was open as I passed it on my waydownstairs. The locked writing-desk, which probably contained theonly clew to Alicia's retreat that I was likely to find, was inits usual place on the table. There was no time to break it openon the spot. I rolled it up in my apron, took it off bodily undermy arm, and descended to the iron door on the staircase. Just asI was within sight of it, it was opened from the landing on theother side. I turned to run upstairs again, when a familiar voicecried, "Stop!" and looking round, I beheld Young File.

"All right!" he said. "Father's off with the governor in the gig,and the runners in hiding outside are in full cry after them. IfBow Street can get within pistol-shot of the blood mare, all Ican say is, I give Bow Street full leave to fire away with bothbarrels! Where's Screw?"

"Gagged by me in the casting-room."

"Well done, you! Got all your things, I see, under your arm? Waittwo seconds while I grab my money. Never mind the rumpusupstairs--there's nobody outside to help them; and the gate'slocked, if there was."

He darted past me up the stairs. I could hear the imprisonedofficers shouting for help from the top windows. Their reservemen must have been far away, by this time, in pursuit of the gig;and there was not much chance of their getting useful help fromany stray countryman who might be passing along the road, exceptin the way of sending a message to Barkingham. Anyhow we weresure of a half hour to escape in, at the very least.

"Now then," said Young File, rejoining me; "let's be off by theback way through the plantations. How came you to lay your luckyhands on Screw?" he continued, when we had passed through theiron door, and had closed it after us.

"Tell me first how the doctor managed to make a hole in the floorjust in the nick of time."

"What! did you see the trap sprung?"

"I saw everything."

"The devil you did! Had you any notion that signals were goingon, all the while you were on the watch? We have a regular set ofthem in case of accidents. It's a rule that father, and me, andthe doctor are never to be in the workroom together--so as tokeep one of us always at liberty to act on the signals.--Whereare you going to?"

"Only to get the gardener's ladder to help us over the wall. Goon."

"The first signal is a private bell--that means,

We scaled the wall easily by the help of the ladder. When we weredown on the other side, Young File suggested that the safestcourse for us was to separate, and for each to take his own way.We shook hands and parted. He went southward, toward London, andI went westward, toward the sea-coast, with Doctor Dulcifer'sprecious writing-desk safe under my arm.

---- * The "Bow Street runners" of those days were thepredecessors of the detective police of the present time.