"Exactly," I answered. "There is a suggestion to my mind of amateurishness in the affair. I grant the safe was not a difficult one to break open, but it had not been done in a very expert manner. The cigarette-ends, the dirty glasses, and the biscuit crumbs seem to me rather gratuitous deceptions, and——"
"Wait," said Quarles. "You assume a little too much. They would have deceived nine men out of ten—you happen to be the tenth man. Amateur or not, we have to deal with a very smart man, so don't underestimate the enemy, Wigan. Assuming this to be the work of an amateur, to what definite point does it lead you?"
"To this question," I replied. "Did Sir Joseph Maynard burgle his own house?"
"Why should you think so?"
"His manner was curious. Then there is only his own statement that nothing has been taken. But supposing he wished to get rid of papers, or of something else which was in his possession and for which he was responsible to others, a burglary would be an easy way out of the difficulty."
"Would he not have robbed himself of something to make the affair more plausible?" said Quarles.
"The amateur constantly overlooks the obvious," I answered.
The professor shook his head.
"Besides, Wigan, if he wanted to suggest that some important document had been stolen, that is just the one thing he would mention."
"I think that would entirely depend on the man's temperament, professor."