 Rolfe put down the little dog he had been holding, and went out into the hall.  The dog accompanied him, frisking about him in friendly fashion.  Rolfe first examined the bedroom that he had seen Inspector Chippenfield enter.  It was a small room, containing a double bed.  It was prettily furnished in white, with white curtains, and toilet-table articles in ivory to match.  A glance round the room convinced Rolfe that it was impossible for a man to secrete himself in it.  The door of the wardrobe had been flung open by the inspector, and the dresses and other articles of feminine apparel it contained flung out on the floor.  There was no other hiding-place possible, except beneath the bed, and the ruthless hand of the inspector had torn off the white muslin bed hangings, revealing emptiness underneath.  Rolfe went out into the hall again, and entered the room next the bedroom.  This apartment was apparently used as a dining-room, for it contained a large table, a few chairs, a small sideboard, a spirit-stand, a case of books and ornaments, and two small oak presses.  Plainly, there was no place in it where a man could hide himself.  The next room was the bathroom, which was also empty.  Opposite the bathroom was a small bedroom, very barely furnished, offering no possibility of concealment.  Then the passage opened into a large roomy kitchen, the full width of the rooms on both sides of the hall, and the kitchen completed the flat. 
Why did Rolfe stop his search in the first room?
Because all hiding places were empty