“‘Is anything the matter, sir?’ the housemaid asked.

“‘Yes,’ I replied.  ’I think there has been a burglary.  I woke in the night and thought I heard a pistol-shot, but, putting it down to a dream, I went to sleep again.  Did either of you hear anything?’

“‘I thought I heard a pistol go off, sir,’ said the cook, ’and so did Susan.  That’s why she came in here.’

“‘Ah!’ said I, ’then it was not a dream.  Then just now I distinctly heard the street door shut, so I went down and found the gas alight in the dining-room and the safe open.’

“‘Lor’, sir!’ exclaimed Susan, ‘I hope nothing’s been took.’ (She spoke exceedingly badly for a good-class housemaid.)

“‘That,’ said I, ’is what I wish you to find out.  Perhaps you will come down and take a look round.  There is no one about now.’

“On this they came down with alacrity, each provided with a candle, all agog, no doubt, to see what success their friends had had.  The first trace of the intruders was a large blood-stain at the foot of the stairs, at which Susan shied like a horse.  There was another stain near the street door, and there was the burglar’s knife on the mat, which the cook picked up and then dropped with a faint scream.  I examined it and discovered the letters ‘G.B.’ cut on the handle.

“‘It looks,’ I remarked, ’as if the burglars had quarreled.  However, that is none of our business.  Let us see what has happened to the safe.’

“We went into the dining-room and the two women looked eagerly at the open safe; but though they both repeated the hope that ’nothing had been took,’ they could hardly conceal their disappointment when they saw that the contents were intact.  I examined the roughly-made false key without comment but with a significant glance at them which I think they understood; and I overhauled a couple of large carpet bags, neither of which contained anything but the outfit of appliances for the raid.

“‘I suppose I ought to communicate with the police,’ said I (without the slightest intention of doing anything of the kind).

“‘I don’t see what good that would do, sir,’ said Susan.  ’The men is gone and nothing hasn’t been took.  The police would only come in and turn the place upside down and take up your time for nothing.’

“Thus Susan Slodger, with a vivid consciousness of the false key, made exactly the suggestion that I desired.  Of course it would never do to have the police in the house again so soon.  I affected to be deeply impressed by her sagacity and in the end decided to ’let sleeping dogs lie.’  Only Susan did not realize how exceedingly soundly they slept.