n No. 5. Recalling that in
Wilson's report a light had disappeared from a window on the fifth
floor, he knew that it could not be unoccupied. To get in, he resorted
to a trick often practised by sneak thieves. He rang the bell of No. 1,
and when the door silently swung open he walked in, apologizing to the
servant on the first landing for having "rung the wrong bell," and
proceeded up to the fifth floor. Here he rang the bell of the private
hall belonging to that special apartment. He could have rung the lower
bell of this apartment at the outset, but he wished to make it
impossible for anyone to leave after his signal announced visitors. He
stood several minutes and heard no sound from within. A second pull at
the bell produced no better results. Taking a firm hold of the
door-knob, he slowly turned it, making not the slightest noise. To his
surprise the door yielded when he pressed, and in a moment he had passed
in and closed it behind him. His first idea was, that after all he had
entered an empty apartment, but a glance into the room at the farther
end of the hall, showed him that it was a furnished parlor. He hesitated
a moment, then walked stealthily towards that room and looking in saw no
one. He tip-toed back to the hall-door, turned the key, took it from the
lock and dropped it into his pocket. Again he passed forward to the
parlor, this time entering it. It was elegantly and tastily furnished.
The windows opened on the street. Between them stood a cabinet
writing-desk, open, as though recently used. Beside it was an enamel
piano-lamp, possibly the same which had furnished the light which Wilson
had suddenly missed several hours before. Opposite the windows a pair of
folding glass doors communicated with an apartment beyond. These were
closed. Peeping through a part of the pattern cut in the glass, Mr.
Barnes could just distinguish the form of a woman in bed, her long hair
hanging down from the pillow. This sight made him uncertain as to the
next move. This was possibly Mrs. Rose Mitchel, as she had announced
herself. She was asleep, and he had entered her apartment without any
warrant for doing so. True he looked upon her with some suspicion, but
the most innocent frequently suffer in this way, and without better
reason than he had, he knew that he could not account legally for what
he was doing. As he stood by the glass doors cogitating, he chanced to
look down. Instantly his eye was attracted by that which mad