It is suggestive that during the last three years there have been four considerable burglaries in the west country, for none of which was any criminal ever arrested.

The last of these, at Folkestone Court, in May, was remarkable for the cold-blooded pistolling of the page, who surprised the masked and solitary burglar.

I cannot doubt that Stapleton recruited his waning resources in this fashion, and that for years he has been a desperate and dangerous man.
"We had an example of his readiness of resource that morning when he got away from us so successfully, and also of his audacity in sending back my own name to me through the cabman.

From that moment he understood that I had taken over the case in London, and that therefore there was no chance for him there.

He returned to Dartmoor and awaited the arrival of the baronet." "One moment!" said I."You have, no doubt, described the sequence of events correctly, but there is one point which you have left unexplained.