No seal on door or window would have been broken.
He stood upright in the drawing-room, restored the blind and the heavy
curtains to their positions, and then ventured to press the button of
his lamp. He saw once more the vast outlines of the room which he had
last seen under such circumstances of woe. The great pieces of furniture
were enveloped in holland covers, and resembled formless ghosts in the
pale illumination of the lamp. He shivered again. He was afraid now,
with the fear of the unknown, the forbidden, and the withheld. Why was
he there? What could he hope to discover?
In answer to these questions, he replied:
'Why did Francis Tudor order that the flat should be closed? He must
have had some reason. I will find it out. It is essential to my peace of
mind to know. I meant to commit murder to-day; I have only committed
burglary. I ought to congratulate myself and sing for joy, instead of
feeling afraid.'
So he reassured his spirit as he stepped carefully into the midst of the
holland-covered and moveless ghosts. On the mantelpiece to the left
there still stood the electric table-light, and by its side still lay
the screwdriver.... He determined to pass straight through the
drawing-room. At the further edge of the carpet, on the parquet flooring
between the carpet and the portiere leading to the inner hall, he
noticed under the ray of his lamp footprints in the dust--footprints of
a man, and smaller footprints, either of a woman or a child.
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