I took my gun out of my pocket and put it on the table. Holmes
had brought a long, thin stick with him. He put this stick on the
bed. He put a box of matches beside the stick. I put out the lamp
and we waited.
I shall never forget that terrible night. We were in complete
darkness and we knew we mustn't make a sound. We heard the
bell in the village clock. It struck midnight, then one o'clock, two
o'clock, three o'clock . . . Still we waited.
Suddenly I saw a light shining through the ventilator. Some-
body in Dr Roylott's room had lit a lamp. I heard someone moving
about quietly. Then everything was silent again. Another half
hour passed.