Martin Hewitt, Investigator | Page 8

where a groom was washing
the wheels of the dog-cart.
"Do you mind my smoking?" Hewitt asked Sir James. "Perhaps you
will take a cigar yourself--they are not so bad, I think. I will ask your
man for a light."
Sir James felt for his own match-box, but Hewitt had gone, and was
lighting his cigar with a match from a box handed him by the groom. A
smart little terrier was trotting about by the coach-house, and Hewitt
stooped to rub its head. Then he made some observation about the dog,
which enlisted the groom's interest, and was soon absorbed in a chat
with the man. Sir James, waiting a little way off, tapped the stones
rather impatiently with his foot, and presently moved away.
For full a quarter of an hour Hewitt chatted with the groom, and, when

at last he came away and overtook Sir James, that gentleman was about
re-entering the house.
"I beg your pardon, Sir James," Hewitt said, "for leaving you in that
unceremonious fashion to talk to your groom, but a dog, Sir James--a
good dog--will draw me anywhere."
"Oh!" replied Sir James, shortly.
"There is one other thing," Hewitt went on, disregarding the other's
curtness, "that I should like to know: There are two windows directly
below that of the room occupied yesterday by Mrs. Cazenove--one on
each floor. What rooms do they light?"
"That on the ground floor is the morning-room; the other is Mr.
Lloyd's--my secretary. A sort of study or sitting-room."
"Now you will see at once, Sir James," Hewitt pursued, with an affable
determination to win the baronet back to good-humor--"you will see at
once that, if a ladder had been used in Mrs. Heath's case, anybody
looking from either of these rooms would have seen it."
"Of course! The Scotland Yard man questioned everybody as to that,
but nobody seemed to have been in either of the rooms when the thing
occurred; at any rate, nobody saw anything."
"Still, I think I should like to look out of those windows myself; it will,
at least, give me an idea of what was in view and what was not, if
anybody had been there."
Sir James Norris led the way to the morning-room. As they reached the
door a young lady, carrying a book and walking very languidly, came
out. Hewitt stepped aside to let her pass, and afterward said
interrogatively: "Miss Norris, your daughter, Sir James?"
"No, my niece. Do you want to ask her anything? Dora, my dear," Sir
James added, following her in the corridor, "this is Mr. Hewitt, who is
investigating these wretched robberies for me. I think he would like to

hear if you remember anything happening at any of the three times."
The lady bowed slightly, and said in a plaintive drawl: "I, uncle? Really,
I don't remember anything; nothing at all."
"You found Mrs. Armitage's door locked, I believe," asked Hewitt,
"when you tried it, on the afternoon when she lost her brooch?"
"Oh, yes; I believe it was locked. Yes, it was."
"Had the key been left in?"
"The key? Oh, no! I think not; no."
"Do you remember anything out of the common happening--anything
whatever, no matter how trivial--on the day Mrs. Heath lost her
bracelet?"
"No, really, I don't. I can't remember at all."
"Nor yesterday?"
"No, nothing. I don't remember anything."
"Thank you," said Hewitt, hastily; "thank you. Now the morning-room,
Sir James."
In the morning-room Hewitt stayed but a few seconds, doing little more
than casually glance out of the windows. In the room above he took a
little longer time. It was a comfortable room, but with rather effeminate
indications about its contents. Little pieces of draped silk-work hung
about the furniture, and Japanese silk fans decorated the mantel-piece.
Near the window was a cage containing a gray parrot, and the
writing-table was decorated with two vases of flowers.
"Lloyd makes himself pretty comfortable, eh?" Sir James observed.
"But it isn't likely anybody would be here while he was out, at the time
that bracelet went."

"No," replied Hewitt, meditatively. "No, I suppose not."
He stared thoughtfully out of the window, and then, still deep in
thought, rattled at the wires of the cage with a quill toothpick and
played a moment with the parrot. Then, looking up at the window again,
he said: "That is Mr. Lloyd, isn't it, coming back in a fly?"
"Yes, I think so. Is there anything else you would care to see here?"
"No, thank you," Hewitt replied; "I don't think there is."
They went down to the smoking-room, and Sir James went away to
speak to his secretary. When he returned, Hewitt said quietly: "I think,
Sir James--I think that I shall be able to give you your thief presently."
"What!