There were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honour of the time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned. The phrase “not to stir from the house” most likely refers to Montresor’s . 1. direction that no one be allowed in 2. command that they remain at home 3. instructions that the attendants go to carnival 4. expectation that the home be thoroughly cleaned