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carpet⁠—I suppose that's nailed down all right, Reeves?"

"Well, nobody's been in a position to take liberties with the carpet, that's clear, and it goes right up to the edges of the floor, so I think we may rule the floor out too. Now, Gordon, you've four walls to choose from⁠—one with the door in it, one opposite with the windows in it, one with the fireplace in it, and one blank, where the bookcase stands. Which are you betting on?"

"I'm not betting on any. But I'm maintaining that the door wall is the one to search first, because we've only to open the door to see what thickness it is."

"There's something in that. Hullo! The door does stand in a bit of a recess. Where's that tape measure? A foot and a half⁠—hardly good enough, is it? You see, if you tap the panelling here the sound is quite dull, and that means there's brick behind the panelling. And there's something thicker than mere plaster on the passage side too. The mysterious gentleman can't be quite as thin as all that. No bulges in the wall, except of course that big oak chest. Do you know what's inside that chest, Reeves?"