He did not answer, so presently the landlord forced the door, and found the room empty.

His luggage was seemingly intact, only the clothes which he had worn were gone.

A strange thing was that, though the bed had been slept in and his clothes were gone, his night-clothes were not to be found, from which it was argued by the local authorities, when they came to make inquiry, that he had gone or been taken from the room in his night-gear, and that his clothes had been taken with him.

There was evidently some grim suspicion on the part of the authorities, for they had commanded absolute silence on all in the house.

When they came to make inquiry as to the other guests, it was found that one and all had gone in the course of the morning, after paying their bills.