rvants had committed the robbery.

The people on the roads and in the villages through which the carriage
passed looked up and nodded to Eric, Roland, and Pranken, as they drove
swiftly by. The few who raised their caps did it hesitatingly, as if
they, like the rest, would say, It is all up now with your master; the
officers will soon find out what has been going on among you.

The three men found everything in confusion at the villa when they
arrived.

The porter at once expressed conviction that the robbery had been
committed by persons belonging to the house, because all the doors had
been closely fastened, and not a dog had barked; showing that the
thieves must have been familiar with the house, and well known to the
dogs.

The officers were already on the spot. Sonnenkamp's work-room had been
entered, and treasures stolen whose value could not be estimated, among
them a dagger with a jewelled handle. The thieves had even tried to
force the fire-proof safe, but in vain. Great goblets of gold and
silver which stood upon the sideboard in the dressing-room had
disappeared, as well as Roland's gold watch, which, when he went to
Wolfsgarten, he had left on the table beside his bed. His pillow had
also been taken, but was afterwards found on the wall, where it had
served to make a smooth and easy passage over the broken glass which
had been intended to make the wall insurmountable.

Two footprints were discovered in the park and behind the hot-house.
The thieves must have stumbled among the heaps of garden mould, for on
one of these was plainly visible the impression of a human body; one of
the thieves had evidently fallen there. Here was also found a pair of
the dwarfs old boots, which, on being compared with the footprints in
the garden, were found exactly to correspond. Thus a clue was gained,
though a very uncertain one. The dwarf just then came by, on his way to
his accustomed work, and listened in astonishment to an account of what
had happened. He was allowed to work on undisturbed.

The officer who had charge of the investigation, and his assistants,
the burgomaster of the village, and some of the chief men, were
assembled in the balcony-room, examining the various servants. Roland
stood apart, his eyes fixed upon the pillow which had been stolen and
made use of by the thieves in climbing the wall. He grew very pale, as
he stood there listening to the questions that were asked of one man
after another, in t