Twice I made little half steps forward to take it; but each
time something in the man's look daunted me. He was a
surly-looking man who, if roused suddenly, in a locked stable,
might lay about him without waiting to see who roused him. He
stirred in his sleep as I drew near him for the second time; so I
gave up the key as a bad job. The loft seemed to be my only
chance; as there was only this one big locked double door upon
the lower floor, I clambered up the steep ladder to the loft,
hoping that my luck there might be better, but resolved, if the
worst came, to hide there in the hay until the carter took the
horses to work, leaving the doors open.
I had hardly set my foot upon the loft floor, when one of the
horses, hearing some noise outside, or being moved by some evil
spirit, whinnied loudly, rattling his halter. The noise was
enough to arouse an army. It startled the carter from his bed. I
heard him leap to his feet with an oath; I heard him pad round
the stable, talking to the horses in turn; I heard him unlock the
door to see what was stirring. I stood stock-still in my tracks,
not daring to stir towards the cover of the hay at the farther
end of the loft. I heard him walk slowly, grunting heavily, to
the foot of the ladder, where he stopped to listen for any
further signal. If he had come up he must have caught me. I could
not have escaped. But though he seemed suspicious he did not
venture further. He walked slowly back to his bed, grunting
discontentedly.
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