this one, which foolishly allows its subjects to
insure even the life of its ruler without his will, knowledge, or
consent. For nearly a twelvemonth this little brute has been carrying
a heavy insurance upon the life of Jefferson P. Drake; but, thank
God, he'll never live to collect it. What's that, Doctor? How did
I find that out? By the simplest means possible, my dear sir.

"For a reason which concerns nobody but myself, I dropped in at
the Guildford office of the Royal British Life Assurance Society
in the latter part of last May, and upon that occasion I marked
the singular circumstance that a Japanese was then paying the
premium of an already existing policy. Why I speak of it as a
singular circumstance, and why I let myself be impressed by it, lie
in the fact that, as the Japanese regard their dead ancestors
with absolute veneration and the privilege of being united with
them a boon which makes death glorious, life assurance is not
popular with them, since it seems to be insulting their ancestors
and makes joining them tainted with the odour of baser things.
Consequently, I felt pretty certain that it was some other life
than his own he was there to pay the regularly recurring premium
upon. The chances are, Doctor, that in the ordinary run of things I
should never have thought of that man or that circumstance again.
But it so happens that I have a very good memory for faces and
events, so when I came down here to investigate this case, and in
the late Mr. Drake's valet saw that Japanese man again--voila! I
should have been an idiot not to put two and two together.

"The remainder, a telegram inquiring if an insurance upon the life
of Jefferson P. Drake, the famous inventor, had been effected by
anybody but the man himself, settled the thing beyond question. As
for the rest, it is easy enough to explain. Your remark that the
little puddle found upon the floor of the Stone Drum appeared to you
to bear a distinct resemblance to the water resulting from melted
snow, added to what I already knew regarding the refrigerating
plant installed here, put me on the track of the ice; and as the
small spot on the temple was of so minute a character, I knew that
the weapon must have been pointed. A pointed weapon of ice leaves but
one conclusion possible, Doctor. I have since learned from the man
in charge of the refrigerating plant that this yellow blob of
iniquity here was much taken by the icicles which the process of
re