nearly three o'clock
There was but one conclusion possible ; if this was Fagin 's gang of cutthroats , as I suspected , then they were either returning to their sand caves in Monmouth County after a raid , or else were starting forth on some new project near at hand . Whichever was true , Elmhurst lay in the direction taken . Determined to learn the truth , and wishing now I had more men at my back , we pressed forward , riding rapidly , yet exercising the precaution of keeping two scouts well in advance . It must have been nearly three o'clock when we reached the summit of the low hill within a few hundred yards of the house , and found the two scouts awaiting us . My first glance across the ravine revealed the outlines of the house above the low trees of the orchard . All appeared peaceable enough , and I felt a sudden relief . There were lights burning on the lower floor , streaming through several windows , while up stairs one window was ablaze .