us the third finger and including the bones of
the shoulder--the shoulder-blade and collar-bone. This discovery seems
to have set the local population, especially the juvenile part of it,
searching all the ponds and streams of the neighborhood----"

"Cannibals!" interjected Mr. Bellingham.

"With the result that there was dredged up out of a pond near St. Mary
Cray, in Kent, a right thigh-bone. There is a slight clue to identity
in respect of this bone, since the head of it has a small patch of
'eburnation'--that is a sort of porcelain-like polish that occurs on
the parts of bones that form a joint when the natural covering of
cartilage is destroyed by disease. It is produced by the unprotected
surface of the bone grinding against the similarly unprotected surface
of another."

"And how," Mr. Bellingham asked, "would that help the identification?"

"It would indicate," Thorndyke replied, "that the deceased had probably
suffered from rheumatoid arthritis--what is commonly known as rheumatic
gout--and he would probably have limped slightly and complained of some
pain in the right hip."

"I'm afraid that doesn't help us very much," said Mr. Bellingham; "for,
you see, John had a pretty pronounced limp from another cause, an old
injury to his left ankle; and as to complaining of pain--well, he was a
hardy old fellow and not much given to making complaints of any kind.
But don't let me interrupt you."

"The next discovery," continued Thorndyke, "was made near Lee, by the
police this time. They seem to have developed sudden activity in the
matter, and in searching the neighborhood of West Kent they dragged out
of a pond near Lee the bones of a right foot. Now, if it had been the
left instead of the right we might have a clue, as I understand your
brother had fractured his left ankle, and there might have been some
traces of the injury on the foot itself."

"Yes," said Mr. Bellingham. "I suppose there might. The injury was
described as a Pott's fracture."

"Exactly. Well, now, after this discovery at Lee it seems that the
police set on foot a systematic search of all the ponds and small
pieces of water around London, and, on the twenty-third, they found in
the Cuckoo Pits in Epping Forest, not far from Woodford, the bones of a
right arm (including those of the shoulder, as before), which seem to
be part of the same body."

"Yes," said Mr. Bellingham, "I heard of that. Quite close to my old
house. Horrible!