Aclergyman and his wife were awakened very early in the morning by noises coming
from the study. They crept downstairs and heard the chink of money being taken from
the clergyman's desk. With a poker grasped firmly in his hand, the clergyman hoped to
surprise the thief. However, it was he who was surprised when he found the room to be
empty. He and his wife looked under the desk, behind the curtains, and even up the
chimney. There was nobody there. Yet the desk had been opened and the
housekeeping money was missing. It was a curious episode, and the clergyman kept
saying the words “extraordinary affair” for the rest of the day.