It was necessary that the coat should be found, and it was hardly natural that it should be found lying in the yard, it must appear that in his haste to get away the robber was compelled to leave his coat, and this could not be done unless he was forced to get out of it, leaving the police to suspect that he had done so with a struggle.

I had torn one sleeve nearly off.

But the mere falling of the sash on the tail of the coat would not do, it would pull out too easily.

Then I thought of the pipe.

I arranged the safe so that with a chisel I could open it easily--it was an old and insecure thing, anyway--and then placed a ladder on the ground under the window.