Then he withdrew it, and showed a small cut from
which the blood was beginning to drip.
'Do you notice anything peculiar about that cut?' he enquired.
Mr Thompson did not. Nor did the ground-man.
'Look carefully. Now do you see? No? Well, it's not a clean cut.
Ragged. Very ragged. Now if a professional had cut that pane out he
wouldn't have left it jagged like that. No. He would have used a
diamond. Done the job neatly.'
This destroyed another of Mr Thompson's premises. He had taken it for
granted that a diamond had been used.
'Oh!' he said, 'was that pane not cut by a diamond; what did the
burglar use, then?'
'No. No diamond. Diamond would have left smooth surface. Smooth as a
razor edge. This is like a saw. Amateurish work. Can't say for certain,
but probably done with a chisel.'
'With a chisel? Surely not.'
'Yes. Probably with a chisel. Probably the man knocked the pane out
with one blow, then removed all the glass so as to make it look like
the work of an old hand. Very good idea, but amateurish. I am told that
three cups have been taken. Could you tell me how long they had been in
the Pavilion?'
Mr Thompson considered.
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