He ignited one of the
little pieces of wax-ends, and when the small flame rose and began to
burn steadily, he held up the piece of candle, so they both looked
curiously about them. The hall of the house in which they were was well got up. A handsome
table and some old carved chairs were in it, with some crests upon the
backs, and upon numerous pegs hung hats, cloaks, and coats. "Humph," said Lupin, "this is the very place for us, I shall take the
great liberty of making free with some gentleman's coat and hat, and I
think you had better do the same." Todd at once practically acquiesced in the suggestion, by slipping on a
large cloak with sleeves, and placing upon his head a hat richly bound
with silver lace. "Upon my word," said Lupin, "you almost look respectable." "Do I?" said Todd. "It isn't then on account of the company I am in." Lupin smiled, as he said--

"Very good--very good, but the less we cut at each other, my friend, the
better." "You began it," said Todd. "So I did, so we will say no more about it, as yours was the hardest
hit. How do I look in the cloak and hat?" "Just nice," said Todd, making a frightful face. Lupin laughed again. "Come," he said. "Now that we have a little time to spare, let us see if
these people keep a good larder. If they do and they lock it up at
night, they will find that the cat has been at it by the morning, I
rather think. Tread as lightly as you can, Todd, and keep down your
voice as you have done. Sounds go so far in the night time." "They do," said Todd. "I have heard them at odd times." Lupin led the way along the hall, at the end of which was the staircase,
and to the right of that a door which was not fast, so that they passed
on quite easily to the domestic portion of the house, and soon found the
way to a kitchen, which was upon the same floor. Then they opened a door
that led into a little sort of outhouse, paved with red bricks, and in
one corner of that was a larder, or safe, well stocked with provisions. Lupin took from it a magnificent quarter of venison, with scarcely a
quarter of a pound cut from it; and that, with some bread were the only
viands that he felt disposed to take from the larder. "It will be wholesome," he said, "and do us a world of good, by the aid
of Providence; and we don't know what we may have to go through yet, in
this world of woe. Amen!" "You fancy you are in the chapel again." "Dear me; yes, I do--I do. Well, well, it don't matter--it don't matter. Come, friend Todd. Let us recruit ourselves a little. Oh, that I could
find the way to the wine cellar of these people; and yet that should not
be a difficult matter. Let us think. It must be somewhere hereabouts." "There is a door," said Todd, pointing to one at the end of the
outhouse. "It seems to be locked, and if so, it is no doubt that of the
cellar." "We will try it," said Lupin. With this he quickly opened the door, by the aid of his picklocks, which
no ordinary lock could withstand the fascinations of for a moment, and
then sure enough the supposition of Todd was found to be correct, for a
goodly collection of bottles in long rows presented themselves to the
eye. Lupin at once laid hold of a bottle, and breaking off the neck of
it he decanted a quantity of its contents into his throat, rubbing his
stomach as he did so in a most ludicrous kind of way, to indicate how
much he enjoyed the draught. "Nectar," he said, when he took the bottle from his mouth to enable
himself to breathe; "nectar." "Is it?" said Todd, as he seized upon another bottle. "I am partial
generally to something a trifle stronger than wine; but if it be really
good, I have no particular objection to a drop." With this Todd finished off half a bottle of the rich and rare old port
that was in the cellar. They then worked away at the haunch of venison;
and having made a very hearty meal, they looked at each other as though
they would both say--"What next?" "You say you have money?" said Lupin. "True," said Todd. "But not here of course, my friend; and who knows what difficulties we
may find in our way before we reach your nice little hoard? Where did
you say it was?" "Hidden beneath a tree in Caen Wood, close to the village of Hampstead. I went one night, and myself placed the cash there in case of
accidents." "And how much do you suppose, my friend, there is?" "I know what there is. I put away two thousand pounds, and that you know
will be a thousand pounds for you, and another for me. I purpose in that
manner equitably to share it, for I am not ungrateful for the great
assistance you have been to me in this escape from Newgate." If Mr. Lupin had not swallowed two-thirds of a bottle of old port-wine,
the probability is that he would have detected that Todd was deceiving
him, by the whining canting tone in which he spoke. The fact was, that
Todd had not one farthing hidden in Caen Wood; but he thought it highly
desirable while there existed any danger, and while Mr. Lupin was likely
to be useful to him, to keep up such a delusion. "Well," added Lupin, "you really are a liberal fellow; but as, I say,
there is no knowing what good a trifle may be to us before we reach your
snug two thousand pounds in Caen Wood, I propose to see what we can get
in this house. People who keep such a good cellar, and such a capital
larder, ought to have something in the place worth the taking in the way
of cash." "Yes, but I am afraid it will be hazardous," said Todd. "A little, perhaps; but with this carving knife, don't you think we
might make things pleasant?" "That is possible. Well, if anything worth having is to be got, let us
set about it at once; for I think we have spent time enough in this
house; and no doubt our friends are upon the move off, if they have not
gone long before this." "Come on, then." They both left the kitchen, and each being armed with a knife, they
cautiously opened all the room doors on that floor; but they only found
the usual furniture of such apartments, and it was quite clear that no
cash was to be had in that portion of the premises. "Come up stairs," said Lupin, with a look of savage determination. "Come
on, Todd; we will see what can be done up stairs." They carefully ascended the staircase, but they only just peeped into
the drawing-room, and then they went up to the floor upon which the
bed-rooms were situated. They paused at the first door they came to, and
Lupin very carefully tried the lock. It was only on the latch, and in
the room a rushlight was burning. They both crept in, and their
footsteps made no noise upon the soft carpeting of the apartment. A bed
was in the room, and upon it lay a young lady. Lupin gave a hideous grin
as he looked at her, and then stooping down by the bed-side he said, in
a whisper--

"If you scream, everybody in this house will be murdered!--If you
scream, everybody in this house will be murdered! If you--Oh, that will
do."