Falconer left Liverpool Street station by the last train, arriving home at about one o’clock in the morning. Contrary to his habit, he did not go into his wireless room, but went straight up to bed, for the Professor had already retired, and the old house was in darkness.
At seven o’clock the next morning the maid, a country girl, rapped loudly upon his door, crying:
“Mr. Geoffrey! The house has been broken into! Your wireless room is all in disorder!”
Falconer sprang up, slipped on his dressing-gown, and dashed down.
The room was turned upside down. The window had been forced and was open, so that whoever entered had had easy access to the place. No second glance was needed to show that whoever had entered had been there for one purpose only—in order to possess himself of the secret of the improved amplifier!
A number of wires had been disconnected, while on the table lay a piece of that paper ruled in small squares and used by engineers to draw diagrams.
A diagram of the circuit had apparently been made, but as the instruments were still intact, Falconer was relieved to think that whoever had been prying about had been disturbed before he had had time to discover his secret.
Upon the floor lay the telephone, discarded; the aerial switch had been left down just as the intruder had listened, and several connections had been pulled away from the terminal screws.
The person who had done it was, no doubt, some one skilled in wireless. That was apparent by the changing over of one or two connections which only the eye of an expert would detect. That the intruder had been there through the hours of the night, and had gone deliberately into everything aided by his own expert knowledge was apparent.
But Geoffrey smiled within himself. He knew that any intruder could not gain full knowledge of his device unless he had taken that small box which was attached to the amplifier. Whoever had been there had been prying about—but had been foiled!