The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 388: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A NIGHT ADVENTURE 371 to sound for the lock, just as a sailor at sea sounds with a cord and plummet to ascertain the depth of the water. Thrusting the leaden bullet through the hole that had been eut for the removal of the upper bolt, Chiffin gradually let out the string until the bullet was stopped by the top of the lock which projected from the inner side of the door; then keeping the string tight between his finger and thumb, so as to mark how much of it had been let go through the hole, he drew it back. To measure the outside of the door from the hole downward was now the work of an instant, and thus Chiffin discovered with the nicest exactitude the position of the lock. He next proceeded to bore with his gimlet, and having made a hole through the wood, his little-flexible saw was again put into requisition. In less than a quarter of an hour he had cut completely round the lock and the door opened to his thrust. “ Now, Tony, come gently,’ he said, and they entered the premises together. All was dark within, and all was silence likewise, at least down in the lower region of the premises. A dark lantern was quickly produced from Chiffin’s capacious pocket, the candle inside was lighted by means of lucifer matches with which he was also provided, and the two burglars commenced their survey of the place. They first entered the back kitchen, and as the Cannibal pointed to the iron bars which protected the windows, he said, in a whisper to his companion, “T told you as how it wouldn’t do to try the game on there. The opening of a shutter would have been nothing, but those iron fences would have given harder work than you or I should have liked to try. All these kind of houses have got oratings to the lower windows. It isn’t the first time I have broke into a house in this part of the world. But there’s nothing in this back kitchen worth looking after. So come along. It’s the butler’s pantry we must try, mate.”’ With these words Chiffin led the way out of the back kitchen, and soon found a door which was fast locked, but which he immediately concluded to be the one communicat- ing with the place he was in search of. “ Hold the hight, Tony,” he said. ‘‘ and [ll get to work again with the tools.” This time he tried the effect of a small crowbar upon the door, which, being of far lighter make than the one by which Gomicdoo SS GO