slipped on his things, he did go up, and beheld with amazement his man—his own man—his own skeleton—in the trap, leaning deliberately upon the sill of the open window with a book in its hand, a German pipe in its mouth, and an empty stout bottle and glass by its side.
Tom looked—of course he looked!—but he looked with an expression of mingled marvel and mirth. He couldn't tell at all what to make of it.
"I say, old fellow," he at length exclaimed, "what are you up to there?"
The skeleton answered him not.
"You seeb," said Tom, "to be doidg it rather browd!"
The skeleton made no reply.
"Have you hurt your leg at all, old fellow?"
The skeleton maintained a most contemptuous silence.
"Well," said Tom, "if ever there was a rub go this is wud!" and, approaching the skeleton, he burst into a loud roar of laughter.
"Syl must see this," said he, as soon as the first burst had subsided; and rushing down, he dashed into Sylvester's room, and, on finding him asleep, shook him violently.
"What's the matter? What's the matter?" cried Sylvester.
"Here's a go, by boy!—cobe alodg."
"Have you caught him?"
"Yes, he's id the trap!—cobe alodg."
Sylvester instantly drew on his trousers and followed Tom, who continued to roar.
"There you are!" said Tom, as Sylvester entered the study. "There he is! That's the swell!—fast as a four-year-old! That's a go, isd't it? What do you think of that?"
Sylvester knew not exactly what to think of it! He thought it very odd. He examined the skeleton from head to foot. Its leg was fixed in the trap fast enough—but how did it get there? That was the only problem to be solved.
"It's very strange," said he. "I can't understand it!"
"Udderstadd it!" cried Tom, "who cad? Surely this was dot the swell that was cuttidg his capers od the parapet! Yet it scebs as if he'd beed about to repeat the sabe gabe, got caught, add thed ibagided that he bight as well edjoy hibself id this way as dot! As to his sbokidg: that's hubbug. He hasd't the bellows to do it."
"Nor could he hold much stout," said Sylvester, "and yet the bottle's empty."
"There's sobe trick here," said Tom, "safe to be a trick. But dod't touch hib—let hib be as he is. The goverdor shall see hib: perhaps he'll be able to bake sobethidg out of it. Let's go add dress: by that tibe he'll be dowd. Dow," he added, addressing the skeleton, "if you have ady bore of your dodsedce—if you bove to your old quarters, before we cobe back agaid—I'll burder you."
They then left the room, and having locked the door securely, proceeded to dress; and when that job had been simultaneously achieved, they went down stairs together, and found in the breakfast-parlour Mrs. Delolme, Aunt Eleanor, and the doctor.
