Question

Describe the robery at the vicarage house

Answer 1

The facts of the burglary were chiefly narrated through the medium of the vicar and his wife. In the small hours of Whit Monday which was the day devoted to Club festivities in Iping, Mrs Bunting had woken up suddenly in the stillness that comes before dawn with the strong impression that the door of their bedroom had opened and closed. She had not aroused her husband at first but sat listening on her bed. It was then that she heard the padding sound of bare feet coming out of the adjoining dressing-room and walking along the passage towards the staircase. As soon as she felt assured of the fact that she had heard them and not imagined them, she roused the Reverend Mr. Bunting as quietly as possible and the latter, putting on his spectacles, her dressing gown and his bath slippers, went out to the landing to listen. He heard a distinct sound of fumbling going on at his study desk downstairs and then a violent sneeze. At that he returned to the room for a poker, his weapon of choice and descended down the stairs as noiselessly as possible. There was a faint shimmer of light in the hallway but the study doorway was open and submerged in darkness. Everything was still except the faint creaking of the stairs under the vicar's tread and slight movements in the study. Then a snapping sound came, the drawer was opened and a rustle of papers followed ad a match was struck flooding the study with yellow light. Mr. Bunting stood indecisive as to what to do. One thing gave him courage and that was the fact that the burglar was a resident in the village. He heard the chink of money and realized the robber had found the housekeeping reserve of gold, two pounds ten in half sovereigns altogether. At that sound Mr. Bunting went in to brook the flow of events, gripping the poker firmly, rushing into the room, followed by his wife and then stopped, utterly amazed. There was no one in the room although they had distinctly heard the sound of movement coming from it.