Colin nodded. "Sir George called at the hospital yesterday," he said. "I understood from him that you were thinking of engaging a resident assistant, and that he had suggested me as a possible choice." The Professor drew down the corners of his mouth in a dry smile. "Oh, you understood that, did you?" he remarked. "Well, it's hardly the impression which Onslow conveyed to me. From the enthusiastic fashion in which he spoke about your abilities I gathered that I should be remarkably fortunate if you would even consider the proposal." Colin flushed handsomely. "Sir George has always been uncommonly kind to me," he said, "but he knows that I should regard it as a tremendous honour to be allowed to work under you." The Professor looked at him over the top of his spectacles. "Well, I am glad to hear you speak so sensibly. Most clever young men are intolerably conceited." He paused. "I think I ought to make the situation quite plain before we go any further. As Onslow may have mentioned, this suggested arrangement of mine isn't quite the compliment to your professional skill which it appears to be on the surface." Colin laughed. "Yes, I know about that, sir," he replied. "I can only say that if you will allow me to assist you in the daytime I don't care how many burglars I have to tackle at night." "It's hardly likely to be a regular feature of your duties," returned the Professor. "Still, the fact remains that this house has been broken into once, and there seems to be no apparent reason why the same thing shouldn't happen again." "Did you lose much?" asked Colin. The old man shook his head. "Nothing that I am aware of. My visitor, whoever he was, got into this room by the window. The only thing damaged was that desk in the corner." He nodded toward the black oak bureau. "The safe over there in which I generally keep a certain amount of money, was absolutely untouched." "He might have been interrupted in the middle of his job," suggested Colin. "He might have been," assented the Professor, "but as it happens he wasn't. It was not until Mrs. Ramsay came in here the next morning that we had the least idea anything was wrong." Colin leaned forward and knocked off his ash into the fireplace. "It seems rather an extraordinary thing," he remarked. "Had you any specially valuable papers--I mean, anything like a description of some new scientific process--which people might want to get hold of?" "I daresay I had," was the answer, "but if so it was certainly not in that desk. I keep everything relating to my work in a special cabinet in the laboratory. You would think that a gentleman who was sufficiently intelligent to try to steal things of that nature would at least assure himself first that he was on the right ground." "What had the police got to say about it?" Colin inquired. "I suppose you called them in?"