"One had the impression," Charles said afterwards, "that such occurrences were everyday matters in this part of the world."
"You say the picture fell," the inspector recapitulated. "You have a suspicion someone was responsible. Any grounds for that, sir?"
"None," said Charles.
"Except," Peter put in, "that we can neither of us see how the falling picture could have knocked the rosette in the panelling out of place."
The inspector made dots on his blotting-pad with the point of a pencil he held. "Very hard to say that it could not, sir, from all you tell me. You haven't tested it?"
"No," said Charles, "funnily enough we haven't. Though there are quite a lot of pictures in the house, and if we'd smashed one in the test we could always have tried another."
The first sign of emotion crept into the inspector's face. The cold blue eyes twinkled. "Very true, sir," he said gravely. "Now there is the entrance into the cellars. You say you heard this move on several occasions, and on the last you went down and saw someone make his escape that way. Did you recognise this person?"
"No," Charles said. "There was hardly time for that."
"Very good, sir. And since you have sealed up that entrance no further attempt has been made to break into the house?"
"On the contrary. My aunt encountered the Monk in the library."