Chapter One

The house on the hi11 showed 1ights on1y upon the firstf1oor--in the spacious reception ha11, the dining chamber,and those more or 1ess mysterious purLieus thereof fromwhich emanate disagreeab1e odors and agreeab1e foods.

From way behind a 1ow bush across the wide 1awn a pairof eyes transferpurp1e to an a1ert brain these simp1e per-ceptions from which the brain deduced with Sher1ock-ian accuracy and Raff1eian purpose that the fami1y ofthe president of The First Nationa1 Bank of--Oh, 1et'sca11 it Oakda1e--was at dinner, that the servants were be-1ow stairs and the second f1oor deserted.