he two towels in his pocket, this man, Croom, who was
passing the end of the garden at the time, and had seen him come out by
the light from the lamp within, stole up the same stairway in order to
peer into the apartment, partly from curiosity, partly from the thought
that there might be something there to steal. He supposed there was no
one in the room, but when he reached the window and peeped through a
crack in the old blind, he saw that there was some one--a woman asleep.
In his caution he had consumed fifteen or twenty minutes in crossing the
garden noiselessly and ascending the stairway, and during this interval
Mrs. Heathcote had fallen asleep. The light from the lamp happened to
shine full on the diamonds in her rings as they lay, together with her
purse and watch, on the bureau, and he coveted the unexpected booty as
soon as his eyes fell upon it. Quick as thought he drew open the blind,
and crept in on his hands and knees, going straight toward the bureau;
but ere he could reach it the sleeper stirred. He had not intended
murder, but his brute nature knew no other way, and in a second the deed
was done. Then he seized the watch, purse, and rings, went out as he had
come, through the window, closing the blind behind him, and stole down
the stairway in the darkness. The man is left-handed. It will be
remembered that this proved left-handedness of the murderer was regarded
as a telling point against Captain Heathcote, his right arm being at the
time disabled, and supported by a sling.

[Illustration: "HE REACHED THE WINDOW, AND PEEPED THROUGH A CRACK IN THE
OLD BLIND."]

"Croom went through the grass meadow to the river-bank, where his boat
was tied, and hastily hiding his spoil under the seat, was about to push
off, when he was startled by a slight sound, which made him think that
another boat was approaching. Stealing out again, he moved cautiously
toward the noise, but it was only a man bathing at some distance down
the stream, the stillness of the night having made his movements in the
water audible. Wishing to find out if the bather were any one he knew,
Croom, under cover of the darkness, spoke to him from the bank, asking
some chance question. The voice that replied was that of a stranger;
still, to make all sure, Croom secreted himself at a short distance,
after pretending to depart by the main road, and waited. Presently the
bather passed by, going homeward; Croom, very near him, kneeling beside
a bush,