Stuart watched the man's window a short while, and just about the time he had again decided to approach the house, he saw the light go out. Then came the noise of a window being raised. Evidently Louie had retired.
To make sure, Stuart moved silently back to the house, and again looked in the living-room window. The place was still deserted.
Stuart felt sure that the light had either been forgotten or that it was customary to leave it on all night. With that decision, Stuart Bruxton smiled quietly to himself.
Now, he could go back to Hawthorne's house, make another inspection, and return to his room at the Inn. But that was not Stuart's intention. He was going to introduce the element of action into this prowl. In that room was a desk. In a pigeonhole of the desk was a key. The key unlocked a drawer. Within the drawer was a package of envelopes that Sherwood Mayo had started to unbind — and then had changed his mind.
It was Stuart's plan to take advantage of the millionaire's absence and inspect that package. He wanted to know whether or not Sherwood Mayo had been bluffing when he had said that he had forgotten to bring the proper package from New York.
Softly, Stuart tried the living-room window, it was looser than he had anticipated. It had evidently been locked, but the fastening was not a firm one.
Stuart pushed the sash inward; then upward. It gave under pressure. With only a slight rattle, the window opened.
Stuart waited a full minute; then drew his body through the opening and into Mayo's living room. He stole to the doorway, crouching low as he moved. He listened.
Satisfied that Louie could not have heard his entry, Stuart went back to the desk and fished in the pigeonhole. He found the key. Then, with a slight smile on his lips, Stuart bethought himself of two precautions.
He removed the revolver from his right coat pocket and set it softly on the table. From his left coat pocket, he produced a blue bandanna handkerchief, and tied it about his face. Two eyeholes which Stuart had cut that afternoon served to transform the bandanna into a perfect mask. There was a remote chance that he might encounter someone here — either Louie or some unknown person. In either case, Stuart intended that his identity should remain wholly unknown.