Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-13
Then. as to getting In at the window

i n
and 1t looks over the roof and skyiight OF
the billiard room. built the billiard room
myself-built 1t out from smoking room
just at this corner. 1t would be easy
lard room roof But, them" he added,
that couldn't have been the way. Some
body or other was in the billiard room the
whole time. and nobody could have got
over the roof (Which is nearly all sky
lighO without being seen and heard. l was
there myself for an hour or two. taking a
little practice
We'll was anything done?'
'Strict inquiry was made among the serv-
ants, of course, but nothing came Of it. 1t
was such a small matter that Mrs. Armf-
tage wouldn't hear Of my calling in the
police or anything of that sort. although
felt pretty certain that there must be a
dishonest servant about somewhere. A
servant might take plain brooch. you
ktow. who would feel afraid Of a valuable
ring, the loss of which would be made
greater matter Of
well, yes. perhaps SO. in the case OF an
inexperienced thief, who also would be
likely to snatch up whatever she took in a
hurry. But I'm doubtful. What made you
connect these two robberies together"'
Nothing whatever-for some months.
They seemed quite Of different sort. But
scarcely more than a month ago l met
Mrs. Armitage at Brighton, and we talked.
among other things. of the previous robbery
that of Mrs Heath's bracelet. l described
the circumstances pretty minutely. and.
WIien i mentioned the match 1OunQ on tne
table, she said: How strange! Why, my
thief left match on the dressing table
when he took my poor little brooch!
Hewitt nodded. Yes he said. IA spent
match of course"
Eyes, of course, a spent match. She no.
ticed 1t lying close by the pin-cushion, but
threw it away without mentioning the cir
cumstance. Still. it seemed rather curious
to me that a match should be lit and
dropped in each case. on the dressing
cover an inch from where the article was
taken. l mentioned it to Lloyd when 1 got
back, and he agreed that it seemed sig
nificant.''
Scarcely said Hewitt. shaking his
head. Scarcely, far. to be called sig
nificant. although worth following up.
Everybody uses matches in the dark. you
know
well, at any rate, the coincidence ap-
pealed to me far that it struck me it
might be worth while to describe the brooch
to the police in order that they could trace
1t If 1t had been pawned. They had tried
that. of course, over the bracelet without
any result. but fancied the shot might be
worth making, and might possibly lead us
on the track of the more serious robbery"
"Quite So 1t was the right thing to do.
Well?"
well. they found it. A woman had
pawned it in London-at shop in Chelsea.
But that was some time before and the
pawnbroker had clean forgotten all about
the woman's appearance. The name and
address she gave were false. So that was
the end of that business"
Had any of the servants left you be-
tween the time the brooch was lost and the
date of the pawn ticket?"
No"
Were all your servants at home on the
day the brooch was pawned?'
''Oh, yes! L made that inquiry myself"
Very good! What next?'
1esterday-and this is what made me
serd for you. My late wifes sister came
here last Tuesday, and we gave her the
hioh har
bracelet She had with her a very old
fashioned brooch, containing a miniature
OF her father, and set in front with three
very fine brllliants and few smaller
stones. Here we are. though. at the Croft.
III tell you the rest indoors"
Hewitt laid his hand on the baronet's arm.
Dent pull up. Sir James," he said.
Drive a little farther. 1 should like to
have general idea of the whole case be-
fore we go in"
Very good! Sir James Norris straight
ened the horses head again and went on.
Late yesterday afternoon as my sister
in-law was changing her dress. she left her
room for moment to speak to my daugh-
ter in her room. almost adjoining. She was
gene no more than three minutes, or five
at most, but on her return the brooch,
which had been left on the table, had gone.
Now, the window was shut fast, and had
not been tempered with. or course, the
door was open. but so was my daughters,
and anybody walking near must have been
heard. But the strangest circumstance, and
one that almost makes me wonder whether
have been awake today not. was that
there lay a used match the very spot.
as nearly as possible. where the brooch
had been-and it was broad daylight!'
Hewitt rubbed his nose and looked
thorghtfully before him. "Um-curious,
certainly" he said Anything else?"
Nothing more than you shall see for
yourself. have had the room locked and
watched till you could examine it, My
sister-in-law had heard of your name and
suggested that you should be called in;
so. of course. | did exactly as she wanted.
That she should have lost that brooch, of
all things. in my house is most unfortunate;
you see. there was some small difference
about the thing between my late wife and
her sister when their mother died and left
1t. It's almost worse than the Heaths'
bracelet business, and altogether I'm not
pleased with things, l can assure you. See
what position it is for me! Here are
three ladies, in the space of one year,
robbed one after another in this mysterious
fashion in my house, and L can't find the
thief! It's horrible! People will be afraid
nothing!'
"Ah, well. We'll see Perhaps we had
better turn back now. By-the-by. were you
thinking of having any alterations or addi-
tons made to your house?''
mo. What makes you ask?"
Il think you might at least consider the
question of painting and decorating, Sir
James-or say. putting up another coach
to be Ito the ServantS) the architect-or the
builder, if you plcase-come to look around.
You haven't told any of them about this
buSinesS?"
Not a word. Nobody knows but my
relatives and Lloyd. l took every precau-
ton myself. at once. AS to your little dis
guse, be the architect by all means, and
do as you please. If you can only find this
thief and put end to this horrible state
of affairs, you'll do me the greatest service
I've ever asked for-and as to your fee I'll
gladly make it whatever is usual and three
hundred In addition"
Martin Hewitt bowed. you are very
generous. Sir James. and you may be sure
III do what l can. AS a professional man,
of course, a good fee always stimulates
my interest, although this case of yours
certainly seems interesting enough by it
self"
Most extraordinary! Don't you think so?
Here are three persons. all ladies, all in my
house, two even In the same room each
excessively robbed of a piece of jewelry
each from a dressing table, and a used
match left behind in every case. All in the
most difficult-one would say impossible
circumstances for a thief. and yet there Is
no clue!'
well. we won't say that just yet, Sir
James: must see. And we must guard
against any undue predispostion to con-
slider the robberies in a lump. Here we are
at the lodge gate again. Is that your gar
der Fl a hn 1nft ha LODI hx,f I,o