夜雨聆风I went on and again turned a corner. I was at theback of the house now and suddenly I saw, only two feet away from me,an open window.
I crept up to it and listened. I could hear nothing, but somehow or otherI felt convinced that there was someone inside.
My back wasn’t too good for acrobatics as yet, but I managed to hoistmyself up and drop over the sill inside. I made rather a noise unfortu-nately.
I stood just inside the window listening. Then I walked forward, myhands outstretched. I heard then the faintest sound ahead of me to myright.
I had a torch in my pocket and I switched it on.
Immediately a low, sharp voice said: “Put that out.”
I obeyed instantly, for in that brief second I had recognized Superin-tendent Nash.
I felt him take my arm and propel me through a door and into a pas-sage. Here, where there was no window to betray our presence to anyoneoutside, he switched on a lamp and looked at me more in sorrow than inanger.
“You would have to butt in just that minute, Mr. Burton.”
“Sorry,” I apologized. “But I got a hunch that I was on to something.”
“And so you were probably. Did you see anyone?”
I hesitated. “I’m not sure,” I said slowly. “I’ve got a vague feeling I sawsomeone sneak in through the front gate but I didn’t really see anyone.
Then I heard a rustle round the side of the house.”
Nash nodded.
“That’s right. Somebody came round the house before you. They hesit-ated by the window, then went on quickly—heard you, I expect.”