“It is me, Miss Penfold—­Anna Sibthorpe.”

The door was unlocked and opened.

“What is it, Anna?”

“There is some one in the house, ma’am; I can hear them moving about down below, and I think I can hear men’s voices.”

Miss Penfold came out and listened.

“Yes, there is some one there,” she said.  “Go and call the butler and the others.  I shall be ready by the time you come down.”

In two or three minutes the servants, headed by the butler, who had armed himself with a blunderbuss that always hung in his room ready for action, came downstairs.  Miss Penfold came out to meet them half-dressed.  She had a pistol in her hand.  The maids had armed themselves with pokers and brooms.

“Have you looked to the priming of your blunderbuss?” Miss Penfold asked quietly.

“No, ma’am.”

“Well, then, look now,” she said sharply.  “What’s the use of having a weapon if you don’t see that it’s in order?”

“It’s all right, ma’am,” the butler said, examining the priming.

“Well, then, come along and don’t make a noise.”

They went downstairs noiselessly, and paused when they reached the hall.  The sounds came from the drawing-room.  Miss Penfold led the way to the door, turned the handle, and flung it open.  Three men were seen in the act of packing up some of the valuables.  They started up with an exclamation.  Miss Penfold fired, and there was a cry of pain.  A moment later there was a roar as the blunderbuss went off, the contents lodging in the ceiling.  “Without hesitating for a moment the three men made a rush to the open window, and were gone.

“John Wilton,” Miss Penfold said sternly, “you are a fool!  I give you a month’s notice from to-day.  Fasten up the shutters again and all go off to bed.”  And without another word she turned and went upstairs.  As she reached the landing her sister ran out of her room in great alarm.

“What is the matter, Charlotte?  I heard two explosions.”

“It is nothing, Eleanor.  Some men broke into the house, and we have gone down and frightened them away.  I did not think it was worth while disturbing you, as you are so easily alarmed; but it is all over now, and the servants are shutting up the house again.  I will tell you all about it in the morning.  Go to bed again at once, or you will catch cold.  Good-night.”

Directly Miss Penfold had gone upstairs a hubbub of talk burst out from the female servants.

“It’s disgraceful, John!  With that great gun you ought to have shot them all dead.”

“It went off by itself,” John said, “just as I was going to level it.”

“Went off by itself!” the cook said scornfully.  “It never went off of itself when it was hanging above your bed.  Guns never go off by themselves, no more than girls do.  I am surprised at you, John.  Why, I have heard you talk a score of times of what you would do if burglars came; and now here you have been and knocked a big hole in the ceiling.  Why missus has twenty times as much courage as you have.  She shot straight, she did, for I heard one of the men give a squalk.  Oh, you men are pitiful creatures, after all!”