I said as calmly as I could, for I knew the keen eyes of the skilful investigator were on me: "And the inference ?" He answered with the cool audacity of conviction: "The inference to me is that there was no robbery at all.

The goods were taken by someone to this house, where they were received through a window on the ground floor.

They were placed in the cabinet, ready to be discovered when the proper time should come!" Somehow I felt relieved; the assumption was too monstrous.

I did not want, however, my relief to be apparent, so I answered as gravely as I could: "And who do you suppose brought them to the house ?" "I keep my mind open as to that.

Possibly Mr.Corbeck himself; the matter might be too risky to trust to a third party." "Then the natural extension of your inference is that Mr.Corbeck is a liar and a fraud; and that he is in conspiracy with Miss Trelawny to deceive someone or other about those lamps." "Those are harsh words, Mr.Ross.