"That anybody could have come into this house and gone out of it in a
night, unknown to me, is a moral impossibility," said the housekeeper;
"the doors were locked at half-past ten, and the keys were brought in a
basket to my room. So, you see it's quite impossible that any one could
have come in or gone out before the doors were open in the morning."
"What time was the child's disappearance discovered?"
"At a quarter to five in the morning," answered Mrs. Morden; "before
any one in the house was a-stir. My darling has always been in the
habit of waking at that hour, to take a little milk, which is left in a
glass by her bedside. I woke at the usual time, and rose, in order to
give her the milk, and when I looked at her cot, I saw that it was
empty. The child was gone. The silk coverlet and one blanket had
disappeared with her. I gave the alarm immediately, and in a quarter of
an hour the whole household was a-stir."
"And did you hear nothing during that night?" asked the captain,
turning suddenly to address Solomon Grundy, who had entered amongst the
rest of the servants.
"Nothing, captain."
"Humph," muttered the old soldier, "a sorry watch-dog."
"There is only one entrance to the castle which is at all weakly
guarded," said the magistrate, presently; "and that is a small door
belonging to the bed-room occupied by one of the footmen.
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