one after one
He looked for a loose brick in the fireplace , but before he found one , he forgot all about it , and absent-mindedly heaped the coins in a little pile on the open Bible at the back of the bed . For a long time Auld Jock sat there with his head in his hands before he again slipped back to his pillow . Darkness stole into the quiet room . The lodgers returned to their dens one after one , tramping or slipping or hobbling up the stairs and along the passage . Bobby bristled and froze , on guard , when a stealthy hand tried the latch . Then there were sounds of fighting , of crying women , and the long , low wailing of-wretched children . The evening drum and bugle were heard from the Castle , and hour after hour was struck from the clock of St. Giles while Bobby watched beside his master .