ere are no
indications that any thing was disturbed on the second floor, save in
Miss Wardour's rooms, therefore (I cite this presumptive evidence), Miss
Wardour's door was _not_ locked as she supposed it to be; finding this
to be the case the man signaled to his confederate to come up, and then,
having a dark lantern, they entered, and surveyed the room. The rest is
evident; one of them, skilled in his profession, and in the exigencies
that must arise in the practice of it, administered to Miss Wardour the
chloroform. Now the operation must have been a delicate one, and the
length of time necessary to open the safe and get possession of its
contents covered some minutes; having heard Miss Wardour's statement in
regard to the effect a powerful dose of chloroform has on her physical
system, I incline to the opinion that the drug was administered to her
in minute doses, not once, but two or three times at least; this
accounts for the bottle and the linen being left in the sleeping room.
Probably, just at the moment when they had stowed away the last of their
booty, some slight sound alarmed them and they made a hurried escape,
forgetting the bottle entirely.

"The robbers left behind them no clues beyond the established fact that
they were professional burglars. This is proved by the manner in which
they did their work, and by the tools they must have carried.

"I see plainly here the work of city-bred burglars, and the remainder of
the work of finding them is to be done in the city, where they will
eventually try to dispose of some of the jewels, no doubt.

"In order to satisfy myself that there has been no accomplice here, who
may have been acquainted with the premises, I have searched most
thoroughly. I have examined the servants closely, and I find nothing to
indicate that there has been any one concerned in this affair, who is an
inhabitant, or habitual visitor in the town.

"In a field to the northward, I have found what may be, I think is, a
trace of the robbers. Two or more men have leaped a ditch, running
across the field from east to west; and the footmarks in the first
instance are coming southward, or toward Wardour. These footmarks are
within a few rods of the road, as if the parties had suddenly abandoned
that highway, fearing observation from travelers. My supposition is,
that they approached Wardour Place, keeping to the field, after having
leaped the ditch, until the northern boundary of the orchard wa