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An hour later they passed back into the front room again. The sun wasalready behind the houses opposite, and the shadows began to gather.
"I went off easily?" Laidlaw asked.
"You were a little obstinate at first. But though you came in like alion, you went out like a lamb. I let you sleep a bit afterwards."
Dr. Stephen kept his eyes rather steadily upon his friend's face.
"What were you doing by the fire before you came here?" he asked,pausing, in a casual tone, as he lit a cigarette and handed the case tohis patient.
"I? Let me see. Oh, I know; I was worrying my way through poor oldEbor's papers and things. I'm his executor, you know. Then I got wearyand came out for a whiff of air." He spoke lightly and with perfectnaturalness. Obviously he was telling the truth. "I prefer specimens topapers," he laughed cheerily.
"I know, I know," said Dr. Stephen, holding a lighted match for thecigarette. His face wore an expression of content. The experiment hadbeen a complete success. The memory of the last two hours was wiped oututterly. Laidlaw was already chatting gaily and easily about a dozenother things that interested him. Together they went out into thestreet, and at his door Dr. Stephen left him with a joke and a wry facethat made his friend laugh heartily.
"Don't dine on the professor's old papers by mistake," he cried, as hevanished down the street.
Dr. Laidlaw went up to his study at the top of the house. Half way downhe met his housekeeper, Mrs. Fewings. She was flustered and excited, andher face was very red and perspiring.
"There've been burglars here," she cried excitedly, "or something funny!All your things is just any'ow, sir. I found everything all abouteverywhere!" She was very confused. In this orderly and very preciseestablishment it was unusual to find a thing out of place.
"Oh, my specimens!" cried the doctor, dashing up the rest of the stairsat top speed. "Have they been touched or--"
He flew to the door of the laboratory. Mrs. Fewings panted up heavilybehind him.
"The labatry ain't been touched," she explained, breathlessly, "but theysmashed the libry clock and they've 'ung your gold watch, sir, on theskelinton's hands. And the books that weren't no value they flung out erthe window just like so much rubbish. They must have been wild drunk,Dr. Laidlaw, sir!"
The young scientist made a hurried examination of the rooms. Nothing ofvalue was missing. He began to wonder what kind of burglars they were.He looked up sharply at Mrs. Fewings standing in the doorway. For amoment he seemed to cast about in his mind for something.
"Odd," he said at length. "I only left here an hour ago and everythingwas all right then."
"Was it, sir? Yes, sir." She glanced sharply at him. Her room looked outupon the courtyard, and she must have seen the books come crashing down,and also have heard her master leave the house a few minutes later.
"And what's this rubbish the brutes have left?" he cried, taking uptwo slabs of worn gray stone, on the writing-table. "Bath brick, orsomething, I do declare."
He looked very sharply again at the confused and troubled housekeeper.
"Throw them on the dust heap, Mrs. Fewings, and--and let me know ifanything is missing in the house, and I will notify the police thisevening."
When she left the room he went into the laboratory and took his watchoff the skeleton's fingers. His face wore a troubled expression, butafter a moment's thought it cleared again. His memory was a completeblank.
"I suppose I left it on the writing-table when I went out to take theair," he said. And there was no one present to contradict him.
He crossed to the window and blew carelessly some ashes of burned paperfrom the sill, and stood watching them as they floated away lazily overthe tops of the trees.
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