“Oh, murder!” ejaculated the bewildered boy, “is it dead I am?  Shure, the divil’s in the gun.  What will the ould wimmen say?  They’ll think it’s bloody burglars gettin’ into the house.  Shure, I’ll slip on my pants, for they’ll be coming to see what’s happened.”

He picked himself up, and slipped on his pants.  He had scarcely got them on when the trembling voice of Miss Priscilla was heard at the door.

CHAPTER IX WHAT FOLLOWED

The report of the gun, as may be supposed, had aroused both the ladies from their sleep.

“Did you hear it?” ejaculated Miss Priscilla, clutching her sister by the arm.

“Just so,” muttered Sophia, in bewilderment.  “It’s the gun.”

“Burglars!” exclaimed Sophia, in alarm.

“I am afraid so.  What shall we do?”

“Run away,” suggested Sophia.

“No, we must not leave the boy to be murdered.”

“Perhaps he has shot them?” said Sophia, with a gleam of hope.

“At any rate, it is our duty to go and see what has happened.”

“I’m afraid,” whimpered Sophia, covering up her head.

“Then you can stay here,” said the more courageous Priscilla.  “I will go.”

“And leave me alone?”

“I must.”

“I’ll go too, then,” said Sophia, her teeth chattering with fear.

So they crept out of bed, and throwing shawls over their shoulders, advanced into the entry, trembling with excitement and fear.

“If we should find Andy weltering in his gore?” suggested Priscilla.

“Don’t say such horrid things, or I shall scream,” said her sister.

Then came the tremulous knock mentioned at the close of the last chapter.

Andy opened the door in person, and met the gaze of the two Miss Grants, Sophia almost ready to drop with fright.

“Do you see any gore, Priscilla?” she asked, tremulously.

“Are you hurt, Andrew?” asked the elder sister.

“No, ma’am.”

“Did you fire the gun?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What made you?  Did any burglars try to get in?”

“Not exactly, ma’am,” said Andy; “but I thought there might be some.”

“Did you see any?”

“Not exactly,” said Andy, a little embarrassed; “but I heard a noise.”

“Just so,” said Sophia.

“Why didn’t you wait till they appeared at the window, Andrew?”

“Because, ma’am, they would fire at me first.  I wanted to scare ’em away.”

“Perhaps you were right.  You don’t see any traces of them outside, do you?”

“You can look for yourself, ma’am.”

The two ladies went to the window, which as already explained, had suffered from the discharge, and peered out timidly, but, of course, saw no burglars.

“Are you sure there were any burglars, Andrew?” asked Priscilla.

“No, ma’am, I couldn’t swear to it.”