He spoke to Charles, saying,-- "Will you now descend?
I can see nothing here; but we will both make a search." George and Mr.Marchdale were both now in the balcony, and they would have descended likewise, but Henry said,-- "Do not all leave the house.

God only knows, now, situated as we are, what might happen." "I will remain, then," said George.

"I have been sitting up to-night as the guard, and, therefore, may as well continue to do so." Marchdale and Charles Holland clambered over the balcony, and easily, from its insignificant height, dropped into the garden.

The night was beautiful, and profoundly still.

There was not a breath of air sufficient to stir a leaf on a tree, and the very flame of the candle which Charles had left burning in the balcony burnt clearly and steadily, being perfectly unruffled by any wind.
It cast a sufficient light close to the window to make everything very plainly visible, and it was evident at a glance that no object was there, although had that figure, which Charles shot at, and no doubt hit, been flesh and blood, it must have dropped immediately below.
As they looked up for a moment after a cursory examination of the ground, Charles exclaimed,-- "Look at the window! As the light is now situated, you can see the hole made in one of the panes of glass by the passage of the bullet from my pistol." They did look, and there the clear, round hole, without any starring, which a bullet discharged close to a pane of glass will make in it, was clearly and plainly discernible.
"You must have hit him," said Henry.
"One would think so," said Charles; "for that was the exact place where the figure was." "And there is nothing here," added Marchdale.