As soon as the sound of their steps had been swallowed by the wind , Dick got to his feet as briskly as he was able , for he was stiff and aching with the cold . `` Capper , ye will give me a back up , '' he said . They advanced , all three , to the wall ; Capper stooped , and Dick , getting upon his shoulders , clambered on to the cope-stone . `` Now , Greensheve , '' whispered Dick , `` follow me up here ; lie flat upon your face , that ye may be the less seen ; and be ever ready to give me a hand if I fall foully on the other side . '' And so saying he dropped into the garden . It was all pitch dark ; there was no light in the house . The wind whistled shrill among the poor shrubs , and the surf beat upon the beach ; there was no other sound . Cautiously Dick footed it forth , stumbling among bushes , and groping with his hands ; and presently the crisp noise of gravel underfoot told him that he had struck upon an alley . Here he paused , and taking his crossbow from where he kept it concealed under his long tabard , he prepared it for instant action , and went forward once more with greater resolution and assurance . The path led him straight to the group of buildings . All seemed to be sorely dilapidated : the windows of the house were secured by crazy shutters ; the stables were open and empty ; there was no hay in the hay-loft , no corn in the corn-box . Any one would have supposed the place to be deserted . But Dick had good reason to think otherwise . He continued his inspection , visiting the offices , trying all the windows . At length he came round to the sea-side of the house , and there , sure enough , there burned a pale light in one of the upper windows . He stepped back a little way , till he thought he could see the movement of a shadow on the wall of the apartment . Then he remembered that , in the stable , his groping hand had rested for a moment on a ladder , and he returned with all despatch to bring it . The ladder was very short , but yet , by standing on the topmost round , he could bring his hands as high as the iron bars of the window ; and seizing these , he raised his body by main force until his eyes commanded the interior of the room . Two persons were within ; the first he readily knew to be Dame Hatch ; the second , a tall and beautiful and grave young lady , in a long , embroidered dress -- could that be Joanna Sedley ? his old wood-companion , Jack , whom he had thought to punish with a belt ?
He XXXXX back again to the top round of the ladder in a kind of amazement .
aching came dropped groping led raised struck supposed told trying