“I shall sleep in the trolly with you to-night, and we will stop the roller half a kilometre further away from the house. Is there any suitable place to hide in near the house?” “Yes.” “Then we’ll go together. Is that settled? All right, then; now I’m going to learn how to lay out the stones. Hitherto, I’ve only laid out criminals!” laughed Wenk. “Yes, your honour,” said Schmied cheerily, as he released the throttle and started the engine. “Will your honour please to stoke up!” And Wenk heaped more coal into its glowing maw. “Up to now your honour has never fired an engine, only criminals!” he continued, carrying on Wenk’s joke. “Yes, but not enough of those, as you see at the villa, my good Schmied,” answered the lawyer. “However, I hope with your help....” “We shall catch them all right,” said Schmied eagerly. “If we don’t overreach ourselves, for I think we are dealing at the moment with the most dangerous and daring gang in Europe. You know that we have ascertained so far that it is a case of card-sharping, murder, terrorization, and all of it done by the help of a gang.” “Yes, indeed,” said Schmied. As they were leaving the trolly that evening Schmied whispered: “I should like to draw your attention to something, sir. Every evening I go by as if I were taking a little rest after the day’s work, and I light up my pipe. Just at the side there, you see, we are getting to a little door. Whenever anyone goes by, the dog begins barking, and I couldn’t help thinking there was some reason for it, but one can’t find it out from the street. You see now, I am just close to it, and while I am going by I fasten ... (just listen to the dog now!) a thread across the door. Anybody who opens it would break the thread, but he would not notice it when going through. In this way I can keep watch over the door, even when it is not actually in view. Then I can tell whether anyone has gone through the gate in the dark. In the morning I go and look at it first thing, and take the thread away.” “Is it there already?” “I have just fastened it there.” “Then you did it very smartly, for I did not notice anything,” said Wenk, praising him. “Let us go back. It really is a side-entrance to the other villa.” “Do you know who is living there?” “For the last thirty years an old maid has been living there. There certainly is no connection between the two villas.” They strolled back along the road. “If you would like to go to sleep, Schmied, I have no objection. I know what I’ve to look out for now.” “Well, I really should be glad to, sir, for last night I got no sleep, and I must be out there again before four o’clock.” “I understand. Well then, good-night....”