are at present lying in the Woodford mortuary
awaiting an adjourned inquest."

As Thorndyke made this statement a flash of belated intelligence,
mingled with self-contempt, fell on me. Now that the explanation was
given, how obvious it was! And yet I, a competent anatomist and
physiologist and actually a pupil of Thorndyke's, had mistaken those
ancient bones for the remains of a recent body!

Dr. Norbury considered the last statement for some time in evident
perplexity. "It is all consistent enough, I must admit," said he, at
length, "and yet--are you quite sure there is no mistake? It seems so
incredible."

"There is no mistake, I assure you," Thorndyke answered. "To convince
you, I will give you the facts in detail. First, as to the teeth. I
have seen John Bellingham's dentist and obtained particulars from his
case-book. There were in all five teeth that had been filled. The
right upper wisdom tooth, the molar next to it, and the second lower
molar on the left side, had all extensive gold fillings. You can see
them all quite plainly in the skiagraph. The lower left lateral
incisor had a very small gold filling, which you can see as a nearly
circular white dot. In addition to these, a filling of tin amalgam had
been inserted while the deceased was abroad, in the second left upper
bicuspid, the rather gray spot that we have already noticed. These
would, by themselves, furnish ample means of identification. But in
addition, there is the tattooed device of the Eye of Osiris----"

"Horus," murmured Dr. Norbury.

"Horus, then--in the exact locality in which it was borne by the
deceased and tattooed, apparently, with the same pigment. There are,
further, the suture wires in the knee-caps; Sir Morgan Bennett, having
looked up the notes of the operation, informs me that he introduced
three suture wires into the left patella and two into the right; which
is what the skiagraph shows. Lastly, the deceased had an old Pott's
fracture on the left side. It is not very apparent now, but I saw it
quite distinctly just now when the shadows of the bones were whiter. I
think that you make [Transcriber's note: may?] take it that the
identification is beyond all doubt or question."

"Yes," agreed Dr. Norbury, with gloomy resignation, "it sounds, as you
say, quite conclusive. Well, well, it is a most horrible affair. Poor
old John Bellingham! it looks uncommonly as if he had met with foul
play. Don't you think s