text: [Themes: Historical, victorian era]
  
  > go down
  The cord bites painfully into your hands as you grip it tightly and test it with your weight. Gritting your teeth against the pain, you brace your feet against the wall of the house and begin to release the cord. You manage to lower yourself almost to the ground then drop the last few feet, landing on the pavement in front of the front door.
  
  Armed with the evidence, you set off for Scotland Yard.
  
  Some weeks later, the following item appears in "The Times":
  
  Today at the Old Bailey was concluded the trial which has been called (in the more "popular" press) the "Bellwater burglary case". The curious background to this case is that in the early hours of 20th June a groom, then in the service of Lord James Bellwater, presented himself at Scotland yard, claiming that a murder had been committed and making accusations against his employer. The groom, by the name of Smith, produced a number of documents which he claimed to be "evidence" against those whom he accused. Our trusty police force quickly ascertained that the documents in question had been stolen from Lord Bellwater  and, on further examination of Smith, it was discovered that he was in possession of some one hundred pounds, in coins, stolen from his master's safe. The trial of Smith created a degree of public interest because Lord Bellwater himself appeared as a witness for the prosecution: despite his many business comittments and his recent bereavement (the previous Lord Bellwater having passed away a few days before the events of the case), Lord Bellwater stated that he must "do his public duty as a witness and ensure that justice is done".
  
  After retiring for just fifteen minutes, the jury returned a guilty verdict on Smith. In sentencing, the Judge spoke out strongly against this servant who has breached the trust of the noble family of Bellwater. Smith is to be transported, for life, to the penal colony in Western Australia.
  
  > put the money in safe
  If you go to the safe, the hundred guineas will no longer be within your reach.
  
  You can hear the sound of heavy feet hastening up the staircase.
  
  > examine safe
  You leave the door and walk towards the fireplace.
  
  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. The safe is open.
  
  You hear another set of footsteps coming down the staircase from the upper parts of the house, and somebody shouting about a burglar.
  
  > put the money in safe
  You need to be holding the hundred guineas before you can put it into something else.
  
  The sounds of running footsteps converge outside the door of the study. You recognise Dewhurst's voice saying "He's in there, my Lord."
  
  > lock the door
  You turn away from the fireplace and walk over to the door.
  
  (with the heavy iron key)
  
  The key turns smoothly in the lock and you hear a faint but satisfying click as the lock engages.
  
  You hear Lord Bellwater's voice, outside the door, saying "Dewhurst, you guard the door! My father used to keep his old service revolver in a drawer in the library. I'll go and get that, then we'll flush the rat out!"
  
  > get the money
  You already have that.
  
  You hear the sound of someone rattling the door handle and saying "He's got a key and has locked it from the inside!"
  
  > put the leather bag in safe
  You leave the door and walk towards the fireplace.
  
  You put the leather bag into the safe.
  
  You can hear some muted discussion outside the door.
  
  > Close safe
  You swing the heavy door shut and it locks with a satisfying "clunk".
  
  You close the safe.
  
  Out on the landing, you hear the sound of footsteps moving briskly away from the door.
  
  > Spin dial
  The dial spins round randomly. Now it points to 1.
  
  There is silence from outside the door.
  
  > stand on the table
  You turn away from the fireplace and walk over to the window.
  
  You climb up onto the table, bringing your head close to the level of the curtain rail.
  
  You recognise Mrs Jenkins" voice outside the door, saying "There's nowhere for him to go. We've got him cornered."
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  Dewhurst's confession
  a flimsy sheet of paper
  Lord Bellwater's will
  a red pocketbook
  a letter from Roger Jowett the solicitor
  a shiny silver sixpence
  an Elsie's note
  a purse (open)
  a stubby pencil
  an ink bottle
  a leather-bound diary
  a slightly charred instruction leaflet
  a heavy iron key
  
  You can hear some shuffling of feet and a murmur of voices outside the door.
  
  > untie the cord from the curtains
  You undo the knots and release the cord from the curtains. You pull it out from the curtain mechanism and find that you have a considerable length of cord in your hands.
  
  You hear Dewhurst's voice: "We can't go in yet. The burglar might be dangerous. We'll wait for Lord Bellwater to come back with the revolver."
  
  > stand
  You get off the table.
  
  On the table is a cardboard grocery box (in which is an envelope (in which is a letter to Sutherland the banker)).
  
  You can see a newspaper cutting here.
  
  Through the study door you can hear some shuffling of feet and a murmur of voices.
  
  > Tie cord to table
  You tie the cord around the table and knot it securely.
  
  You recognise Dewhurst's voice outside the door, saying "I'm ready with this iron poker. I'll give him a good whack with that."
  
  > take cutting
  Taken.
  
  There is an eerie silence outside the door.
  
  > go outside
  You climb out through the window onto the sill.
  
  You are standing balanced on the narrow ledge. To keep yourself from falling, you have to cling on to the ivy which grows on the house wall. It is a long way down to the pavement below!
  
  You can hear some whispered conversation outside the study door.