‘One o’clock. No sign of the bug. Ticking continues. Wife getting
sleepy.
‘Two o’clock. No sign of the bug. Ticking intermittent. Wife fast
asleep.
‘Three o’clock. No sign of the bug. Ticking pretty steady. Julia
and Anna getting sleepy.
‘Four o’clock. No sign of the bug. Ticking regular, but not
spirited. Wife, Julia, and Anna, all fast asleep in their chairs.
‘Five o’clock. No sign of the bug. Ticking faint. Myself feeling
drowsy. The rest still asleep.’
So far the journal.
--Rap! rap! rap!
A terrific, portentous rapping against a door.
Startled from our dreams, we started to our feet.
Rap! rap! rap!
Julia and Anna shrieked.