a bit. Now look at this."

Phillips bent down to the fireplace and lifted one of the cigarette
ends, which he handed to Fielden.

"Do you know anybody who smokes these?" he asked.

"I think so," Fielden said after close inspection. "They are
particularly expensive cigarettes, and can't be had unless specially
ordered. The only man I know who smokes them is Raymond Copley."

"Precisely. And you may bet your boots this is one of his. At any rate,
it is a curious coincidence, and tends to confirm what I have already
told you. I should be greatly surprised if Copley were not here this
afternoon. Now let us get a bit farther. There is nothing to detain us
after we have examined the telephone. I am afraid we shall have to use a
match, but, then, we are bound to take certain risks."

By the aid of a box of vestas the telephone instrument was found in the
hall. It presented no special features. It appeared to be the kind of
hanging instrument to be seen in hundreds of offices and private houses.

"Nothing remarkable about that," Fielden said.

For the moment Phillips made no reply. He fetched a chair from the
kitchen and mounted it. After the expenditure of two or three matches,
the ends of which he was careful to deposit in his pocket, he broke into
a smile.

"Ah, I expected something like this," he said. "There is an extension to
this instrument. If you look in the angle of the wall you will see that
it goes up to the ceiling. To tell you the truth, I am glad to find
this, because it bears out what strikes me as a very plausible theory. I
was rather disappointed to find the telephone here at all. But now I can
understand why it was placed in this particular spot. We have a cunning
lot to deal with, and it was to be expected they would not do things
like other people. Let us go upstairs and see how far this extension
goes. To the roof, unless I am mistaken."

The exploration proved troublesome, but the extension was traced to the
second floor and thence along the ceiling, where it finally disappeared
through a skylight which gave on to the roof. An iron ladder was
attached to the skylight, and Phillips pointed out to his companion that
the ladder appeared to have been regularly used. The iron rungs were
worn bright, the sides were clean and shiny.

"Come along," Phillips whispered. "We must get out on the top. But be
cautious and display as little light as possible. I daresay we can
manage with a solitary match."