Any other way would have
been exceedingly complicated. The escape must have also been
made along that line, for of the two other exits from the room
one was blocked by Susan as she ran downstairs and the other
leads straight to the Professor's bedroom. I therefore directed
my attention at once to the garden path, which was saturated
with recent rain and would certainly show any footmarks.
"My examination showed me that I was dealing with a cautious
and expert criminal. No footmarks were to be found on the path.
There could be no question, however, that someone had passed
along the grass border which lines the path, and that he had
done so in order to avoid leaving a track. I could not find
anything in the nature of a distinct impression, but the grass
was trodden down and someone had undoubtedly passed. It could
only have been the murderer, since neither the gardener nor
anyone else had been there that morning and the rain had only
begun during the night."
"One moment," said Holmes. "Where does this path lead to?"
"To the road."
"How long is it?"
"A hundred yards or so."
"At the point where the path passes through the gate you could
surely pick up the tracks?"
"Unfortunately, the path was tiled at that point.
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