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going his rounds, perceive that the street-door of Mr. Delolme was slightly open.

"What's the odds," said Ninety-nine, confidentially to himself, "that there isn't a burglary here? I shall make something of this; I should like a burglary, and I ought to have one, for I haven't had any luck lately. Let's have a look," he added, going very quietly up to the door; "that'll do—that'll do. I shall nail at least one of 'em. Burglaries always look well on the sheet."

He then glided to the opposite side on his toes—the proximity of a policeman being betrayed by his heels—and having established himself in the shade of a doorway, drew forth his truncheon, and watched. Nothing in nature could surpass the vigilance with which he kept his eye upon that door, nor could the ears of even a cat prick up and expand more instantaneously than his ears pricked up and expanded on hearing the slightest unusual sound. That a burglary had been committed he fervently hoped, and felt that if it should prove to have been accompanied by murder, it would be all the better for him. He would give no alarm; not a bit of it. Had he even known that murder might thus have been prevented, he was too wide awake to spoil such a fine chance by any premature interference.

Having, for nearly half an hour, kept his eyes, ears, mouth, and imagination, on the stretch, he heard some one approaching, and on looking up the street saw the figure of a man walking leisurely down on the opposite side with his hands in his great-coat pockets. Under these circumstances Ninety-nine, of course, took but very little notice of him; but when he saw him enter the house of Dr. Delolme, and heard him, when he had entered, close the door and deliberately bolt it, he felt in an instant prepared to swear that that man was his enemy Tom.

Having deliberated for a moment, and recollecting that the doctor had told him to ring a certain bell in the event of his seeing any one again upon the parapet, he opened his bull's-eye and rang that bell, and the doctor in due time appeared at the window.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

"Come down, sir," replied Ninety-nine, in a confidential tone, "there's a dodge, sir."

"A what?"

"A dodge, sir; you'll find it all out, if you will but come down, sir; you'll soon see who's who, sir, and know what's what."

The doctor closed the window, and having slipped on his pantaloons and dressing-gown, descended, expecting, of course, that the parapet was again the scene of action.

"I am sorry, sir," said Ninety-nine, on being admitted, "I'm indeed very sorry to inform you that your son, sir, is endangering your property very strangely. This door, sir, has been open for more than two hours, sir—wide open. Of course it was my duty to watch it, and I did so: I watched it until your son returned, which was just about a minute before I rang the bell."

"Is it possible!" cried the doctor: "and left the door open! Just