catches had been broken, and there were
marks of some instrument on the outside woodwork.

"This looks like business," he muttered.

He pulled open the window, and walked into the room. The light of an
afternoon sun showed him that the apartment was a breakfast room, well
and solidly furnished in an old-fashioned way, with most of the furniture
in covers, as though the occupants of the house were away. The daylight
penetrated to the door at the far end of the room. It was wide open, and
revealed an empty passage. Inspector Seldon walked into the passage. The
drawn blinds made the passage seem quite dark after the bright August
sunshine outside, but he produced an electric torch, and by its light he
saw that the passage ran into the main hall.

His footsteps echoed in the empty house. The electric bell rang
continuously as Flack pressed it outside. Inspector Seldon walked along
the passage to the hall, flashing his torch into each room he passed. He
saw nothing, and went to the front door to admit Flack.

"That is enough of that noise, Flack," he said. "Come inside and help me
search the house above. It's empty on this floor so far as I've been over
it. If you find anything call me, and mind you do not touch anything.
Where did you say the library was?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, look about you on the ground floor while I go upstairs. Call me if
you hear anything."

Inspector Seldon mounted the stairs swiftly in order to continue
his search.

The staircase was a wide one, with broad shallow steps, thickly carpeted,
and a handsome carved mahogany baluster. The inspector, flashing his
torch as he ran up, saw a small electric light niche in the wall before
he reached the first landing. The catch of the light was underneath, and
Inspector Seldon turned it on. The light revealed that the stairs swept
round at that point to the landing of the first floor, which was screened
from view by heavy velvet hangings, partly caught back by the bent arm
of a marble figure of Diana, which faced downstairs, with its other arm
upraised and about to launch a hunting spear. By this graceful device the
curtains were drawn back sufficiently to give access to the corridor on
the first floor.

Inspector Seldon looked closely at the figure and the hangings. Something
strange about the former arrested his eye. It was standing awry on its
pedestal--was, indeed, almost toppling over. He looked up and saw that
one of the curtains suppor