from the door of that room they
stepped at once upon the stairs, thus having the nearest, easiest and
safest route to Miss Wardour's rooms. Either they found her door
unlocked, or they were prepared with skeleton keys. Was the door locked,
Miss Wardour?"

"It was locked."

"It was locked. They then used a skeleton key, entered, and knowing just
the proportion of chloroform Miss Wardour could bear, they administered
it carefully, secured the booty without further trouble, and made their
escape without detection."

No remarks from his listeners. They sit amazed, incredulous, admiring,
yet speechless.

"Now, I see I had better prove my statements," goes on Mr. Bathurst,
looking from one to another with a smile of easy superiority. "Miss
Wardour is beginning to think that I _do_ belong to the godmother
species, and yet, it's all very simple."

"No doubt," retorts Doctor Heath, drily; "yet we are willing to endure
your simple explanation."

"I say the robbers came by the river," continues the detective. "Before
sundown I sauntered along the river bank; to-morrow I can show you
traces, indistinct but sufficient, to prove that a boat has been drawn
out of the water, and overturned upon the grass; keel, prow and
oar-locks have left their traces. There is also the print of a clubbed
and muffled oar, above the water mark, where an impatient hand has
pushed off the boat. Here is blunder number one. All these traces might
have been avoided or obliterated."

He pauses a moment, but his listeners sit, a very respectful audience,
and are inclined neither to question or argue. So he continues:

"I said that the robbers entered purposely at that particular window,
and because they were familiar with the interior of the house. Now I
have examined all of the windows of this floor, and I find that a person
unfamiliar with the inside of the building, and not aware which of the
upper rooms were occupied, would have chosen differently. The
dining-room windows, from without, would seem much more inviting; still
more, the drawing-room windows. Naturally, our burglars would select a
window which was tolerably easy of access, and where they knew there was
the least chance of being overheard and observed from above. Now, the
dining-room windows are close to the ground, and the awnings cut off all
chance for observation from above; but--they knew that Miss Wardour's
coachman sleeps in a small room just in the rear of the dining-room."