'I thought you might have fitted it in already,' said Mr. Murch. 'Come, Mr.
Trent, we're only at the beginning of our enquiries, but what do you say to
this for a preliminary theory? There's a plan of burglary, say a couple of men
in it and Martin squared. They know where the plate is, and all about the
handy little bits of stuff in the drawing-room and elsewhere. They watch the
house; see Manderson off to bed; Martin comes to shut the window, and leaves
it ajar, accidentally on purpose. They wait till Martin goes to bed at
twelve-thirty; then they just walk into the library, and begin to sample the
whisky first thing. Now suppose Manderson isn't asleep, and suppose they make
a noise opening the window, or however it might be. He hears it; thinks of
burglars; gets up very quietly to see if anything's wrong; creeps down on
them, perhaps, just as they're getting ready for work. They cut and run; he
chases them down to the shed, and collars one; there's a fight; one of them
loses his temper and his head, and makes a swinging job of it. Now, Mr. Trent,
pick that to pieces.'

'Very well,' said Trent; 'just to oblige you, Murch, especially as I know you
don't believe a word of it. First: no traces of any kind left by your burglar
or burglars, and the window found fastened in the morning, according to
Martin. Not much force in that, I allow. Next: nobody in the house hears
anything of this stampede through the library, nor hears any shout from
Manderson either inside the house or outside. Next: Manderson goes down
without a word to anybody, though Bunner and Martin are both at hand. Next:
did you ever hear, in your long experience, of a householder getting up in the
night to pounce on burglars, who dressed himself fully, with underclothing,
shirt; collar and tie, trousers, waistcoat and coat, socks and hard leather
shoes; and who gave the finishing touches to a somewhat dandified toilet by
doing his hair, and putting on his watch and chain? Personally, I call that
over-dressing the part. The only decorative detail he seems to have forgotten
is his teeth.'