This time, Floriani was obliged to reply. He did so with
the greatest tranquility, as if the objection was the most
insignificant affair in the world.
"I will admit that it was; but is there not a transom in the upper
part of the window?"
"How do you know that?"
"In the first place, that was customary in houses of that date;
and, in the second place, without such a transom, the theft cannot
be explained."
"Yes, there is one, but it was closed, the same as the window.
Consequently, we did not pay attention to it."
"That was a mistake; for, if you had examined it, you would have
found that it had been opened."
"But how?"
"I presume that, like all others, it opens by means of a wire with
a ring on the lower end."
"Yes, but I do not see---"
"Now, through a hole in the window, a person could, by the aid of
some instrument, let us say a poker with a hook at the end, grip
the ring, pull down, and open the transom."
The count laughed and said:
"Excellent! excellent! Your scheme is very cleverly constructed,
but you overlook one thing, monsieur, there is no hole in the
window."
"There was a hole."
"Nonsense, we would have seen it.
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