entlemen are only doing your clear duty after all,
and I have no right to stand in the way of it. I'd only ask you not to
worry Mrs. Douglas over this matter; for she has enough upon her just
now. I may tell you that poor Douglas had just one fault in the world,
and that was his jealousy. He was fond of me--no man could be fonder of
a friend. And he was devoted to his wife. He loved me to come here, and
was forever sending for me. And yet if his wife and I talked together
or there seemed any sympathy between us, a kind of wave of jealousy
would pass over him, and he would be off the handle and saying the
wildest things in a moment. More than once I've sworn off coming for
that reason, and then he would write me such penitent, imploring
letters that I just had to. But you can take it from me, gentlemen, if
it was my last word, that no man ever had a more loving, faithful
wife--and I can say also no friend could be more loyal than I!"

It was spoken with fervour and feeling, and yet Inspector MacDonald
could not dismiss the subject.

"You are aware," said he, "that the dead man's wedding ring has been
taken from his finger?"

"So it appears," said Barker.

"What do you mean by 'appears'? You know it as a fact."

The man seemed confused and undecided. "When I said 'appears' I meant
that it was conceivable that he had himself taken off the ring."

"The mere fact that the ring should be absent, whoever may have removed
it, would suggest to anyone's mind, would it not, that the marriage and
the tragedy were connected?"

Barker shrugged his broad shoulders. "I can't profess to say what it
means." he answered. "But if you mean to hint that it could reflect in
any way upon this lady's honour"--his eyes blazed for an instant, and
then with an evident effort he got a grip upon his own emotions--"well,
you are on the wrong track, that's all."

"I don't know that I've anything else to ask you at present," said
MacDonald, coldly.

"There was one small point," remarked Sherlock Holmes. "When you
entered the room there was only a candle lighted on the table, was
there not?"

"Yes, that was so."

"By its light you saw that some terrible incident had occurred?"

"Exactly."

"You at once rang for help?"

"Yes."

"And it arrived very speedily?"

"Within a minute or so."

"And yet when they arrived they found that the candle was out and that
the lamp had been lighted. That seems very remarkable."

Again Barker showe