His captor gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment, and then lowered his weapon. Mr. Bates breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"And now we are at our ease," said the Professor, "I should be interested to hear a little more about you. If you won't think me insulting, your methods, from the technical point of view, appear to be deplorably amateurish. Why didn't you lock the kitchen door?"
There was something in the Professor's tone which made Mr. Bates feel a shade less like a trapped rat. He even drew himself up with a pathetic effort at courage.
"I assure you, sir," he said earnestly, "I am no burglar."
The Professor looked at him quizzically.
"I am inclined to agree with you, Mr. Bates," he said.
"It was very wrong of me to come in here, sir, I admit, but I was hungry, sir—desperately hungry—and I knew I should find some food inside. I assure you, sir, I had no intention of taking away anything else."
"And may I inquire why you were so certain about the contents of my kitchen? Indeed, how did you even know it was the kitchen?"
"If you please, sir, it was hearing what Mr. Andrew said at the inn last night."
A sudden look of illumination flashed across the Professor's face.