The officer in charge is Blathers, a heavy-set man of about fifty. He is accompanied by Duff, an unpleasant looking character. When asked about the burglary, Mr. Losberne gives a lengthy account of the affair. Blathers wants to know about "this here boy that the servants are a-talking on," but the doctor evades the inquiry.
The officers inspect the premises inside the house and outdoors. Following this procedure, they hear the versions of Giles and Brittles, which are loaded with contradictions. Blathers and Duff move off to consult in private.
The doctor is worried; he is convinced that Oliver's story will not exonerate him. Only the incriminating matters are obvious, but the favorable details depend upon the boy's unsupported words. Mr. Losberne decides that they must practice bold strategy.
The policemen have concluded that no servants were in league with the burglars. The criminals were experts from London; there were two men and a boy. Blathers now requests to see the boy upstairs, whereupon the officers are hastily prevailed upon to take something to drink. Encouraged by the liquor and Rose's feigned interest, the officers begin to reminisce about some other novel crime. The doctor leaves the room at this time, and when he returns invites the men upstairs.
Oliver appears worse, with no clue what is going on. Mr. Losberne boldly invents a story. The boy, he says, had been shot by a gun trap while trespassing and was subsequently handled roughly by the butler. Giles is baffled and becomes so confused under cross-examination that by degrees he comes to state definitely that Oliver was not the boy who entered the house.
