text: [Themes: Historical, mystery, victorian era, crime, male protagonist]
  
  As an aspiring groom in Lord Bellwater's household, recklessness has not been one of the qualities for which you, Bert Smith, would wish to be noted. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and here you are in the early hours of the morning of Saturday 20th June 1863, undertaking the most reckless venture of your life. Instead of retiring to your bed, in your lodgings in the mews at the back of Lord Bellwater's town house, you sneaked into the house and hid in the cellar until the household had gone to bed. You sidled into the butler's pantry and took the key to the master's study and now find yourself creeping about like a common thief. You hear the clock in the hall strike one o'clock as you carefully pull the study door closed behind you.
  
  The study is a well-proportioned, rectangular room. The door, of finely polished oak, leads back onto the landing, to the west; a broad sash window in the opposite wall looks out over Cadogan Square. The heavy velvet curtains are drawn back and a pale moonlight falls into the room, illuminating a heavy mahogany desk in its centre. To the right of the window is a small table.
  
  On the north side of the room is a stone fireplace with a dull red glow still coming from the remains of the coals, burning among the ashes: a shadowy oil painting hangs above it. To the left of the fireplace is a wooden stand, supporting an ornate porcelain pot, in which a leafy plant is growing. The south wall is covered, floor to ceiling, with bookshelves, laden with hundreds, if not thousands, of leather-bound volumes, in neat rows.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a heavy iron key
  
  It has been a difficult time, with the two deaths happening in one week. Old Lord Bellwater had been ill for some time and no-one was really surprised when he passed peacefully away last Friday or even when his son, who had been noticeably absent throughout the old man's illness, suddenly turned up the following day and took over the role of master of the house. Of course he inherits the title, and presumably everything else, as his father's only son.
  
  > About you
  You are Bert Smith, a groom in the service of Lord Bellwater. You are currently wearing a brown jacket and corduroy trousers.
  
  The real blow was the tragic death of your sweetheart, Elsie Browning, on Monday. She was one of Lord Bellwater's housemaids, and she inexplicably fell from the study window in broad daylight and landed on the pavement outside. They say she must have died instantly and felt no pain; that it was a terrible accident; that no-one will ever know for sure how she managed to fall out of a window. For you it has just been a terrible shock: you were young and in love, and you planned to marry as soon as you had saved enough money. the strange thing was that you had seen her briefly on the morning of her death. She had been shaking out some dusters in the back garden and whispered to you that she had some important news to tell you, but she'd wait until you were alone. That was the last time you saw her alive.
  
  > look at the painting
  You leave the door and walk towards the fireplace.
  
  You examine the painting carefully. It is a full length portrait of Lord Horace Bellwater in his younger days, depicted as standing in front of this fireplace in his study. A couple of golden retrievers are curled up at his feet. In the background of the picture is some sort of scroll, showing a family pedigree.
  
  Despite all the talk of tragic accidents, you are sure that there is something sinister about Elsie's death. Somehow, it has to be connected with the Bellwaters - either the old man or his son - and if the answer is anywhere, it is probably in this study, the room from which she fell.
  
  > look at the scroll
  (the oil painting)
  It is a full length portrait of Lord Horace Bellwater in his younger days, depicted as standing in front of this fireplace in his study. A couple of golden retrievers are curled up at his feet. In the background of the picture is some sort of scroll, showing a family pedigree.
  
  > look at the pedigree
  It is a full length portrait of Lord Horace Bellwater in his younger days, depicted as standing in front of this fireplace in his study. A couple of golden retrievers are curled up at his feet. In the background of the picture is some sort of scroll, showing a family pedigree.
  
  > Examine books
  You turn away from the fireplace and walk over to the bookshelves.
  
  The entire wall is lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves, stacked with books - there must be over a thousand volumes here, all arranged neatly on the shelves, in groups of similarly-sized books. Looking along the shelves, you can see that each volume has a tiny hand-written label on its spine, with a number on it. The entire set of books seems to be numbered from 1 to 1200. You could select a particular book - "take volume 200", for instance.
  
  > examine the key
  This is the key that you took from Mr Catchpole's butler's pantry. It was easy to identify because it was hanging on a hook labelled "Study".
  
  > Examine volume 374
  You select volume number 374 and carefully take it down from its shelf. It is a book called Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
  
  You open the book and read the first few sentences. A tear comes to your eye as you think of yourself with no fortune and now no prospect of marriage. However, the book does not seem to help with the task in hand and you return it to its place on the shelf.
  
  > look behind the painting
  You turn from the bookshelves and walk towards the fireplace.
  
  You try to move the painting and find that it is hinged to the wall so that it swings out like a door, revealing what is evidently a safe, set into the wall behind it.
  
  > examine safe
  The safe has a heavy iron door. On it is a dial which turns freely either way. As it does so, the numbers engraved around its rim, line up with a pointer. The numbers are from 1 to 100. There is also a brass handle which looks as though it can be turned.
  
  > turn the handle
  The handle begins to turn but seems to meet some resistance.
  
  > look at fireplace
  The fireplace consists of a stone surround, surmounted by a carved family crest of the Bellwaters. In the hearth a few embers glow a dull red amongst the pile of ashes. Above the fireplace hangs a painting of Lord Horace Bellwater.
  
  > examine ashes
  It looks as though someone has been burning papers in the fireplace. However, they are all completely burnt beyond recognition with the exception of a slightly charred printed leaflet, which you rescue from the fire.
  
  > examine the leaflet
  The leaflet is a bit charred, but still readable:
  
  Acme patented wall safe. Instructions for use.
  
  The safe will have been set up with a code consisting of three numbers (each between 1 and 100). These numbers should NEVER be written down but must be committed to memory. When the safe is first installed, it is advisable to select three numbers that are easily memorable. For instance, they might be selected for a memorable date. Someone who remembers the Battle of Waterloo (which took place on 18th June 1815) might choose the numbers 15, 6, 18, which are the year, month and day of the battle.
  
  To open the safe, proceed as follows:
  
  1. Spin the dial so that the mechanism is reset.
  2. Turn the dial to the first number (eg 15)
  3. Turn the dial to the second number (eg 6)
  4. Turn the dial to the third number (eg 18)
  5. Turn the handle
  
  The door will now open.
  
  After closing the door, spin the dial once again to ensure that the safe is locked.
  
  > turn the dial to 15
  The dial settles on the number 15 with a slight "clunk!"
  
  > turn the dial to 6
  The dial settles on the number 6 with a slight "clunk!"
  
  > turn the dial to 18
  The dial settles on the number 18 with a slight "clunk!"
  
  > turn the handle
  The handle begins to turn but seems to meet some resistance.
  
  > Spin dial
  The dial spins round randomly. Now it points to 86.
  
  > look at the painting
  It is a full length portrait of Lord Horace Bellwater in his younger days, depicted as standing in front of this fireplace in his study. A couple of golden retrievers are curled up at his feet. In the background of the picture is some sort of scroll, showing a family pedigree. The painting is currently hinged out from the wall.
  
  > look at the scroll
  (the oil painting)
  It is a full length portrait of Lord Horace Bellwater in his younger days, depicted as standing in front of this fireplace in his study. A couple of golden retrievers are curled up at his feet. In the background of the picture is some sort of scroll, showing a family pedigree. The painting is currently hinged out from the wall.
  
  > Examine volume 200
  You turn away from the fireplace and walk over to the bookshelves.
  
  You select volume number 200 and carefully take it down from its shelf. It is a book called Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.
  
  It seems to be a story of love and honour. You feel a sense of pride that you are embarking on a similar adventure. However, the book does not seem to help with the task in hand and you return it to its place on the shelf.
  
  > look at the ashes
  You turn from the bookshelves and walk towards the fireplace.
  
  You reach out to touch the ashes. Although the fire has almost burnt out, the ashes are still too hot to handle.