as to
let; and, as no other kind of investigation was possible, we obtained
the keys and made an exploration of the premises."

Here he gave a brief account of our visit and the conditions that we
observed, and was proceeding to furnish a list of the articles that we
had found under the grate, when Mr. Winwood started from his chair.

"Really, sir!" he exclaimed, "this is too much! Have I come here, at
great personal inconvenience, to hear you read the inventory of a
dust-heap?"

Thorndyke smiled benevolently and caught my eye, once more, with a gleam
of amusement.

"Sit down, Mr. Winwood," he said quietly. "You came here to learn the
facts of the case, and I am giving them to you. Please don't interrupt
needlessly and waste time."

Winwood stared at him ferociously for several seconds; then, somewhat
disconcerted by the unruffled calm of his manner, he uttered a snort of
defiance, sat down heavily and shut himself up again.

"We will now," Thorndyke continued, with unmoved serenity, "consider
these relics in more detail, and we will begin with this pair of
spectacles. They belonged to a person who was near-sighted and
astigmatic in the left eye and almost certainly blind in the right. Such
a description agrees entirely with Dr. Jervis's account of the sick
man."

He paused for the moment, and then, as no one made any comment,
proceeded:

"We next come to these little pieces of reed, which you, Mr. Stephen,
will probably recognize as the remains of a Japanese brush, such as is
used for writing in Chinese ink or for making small drawings."

Again he paused, as though expecting some remark from his listeners; but
no one spoke, and he continued:

"Then there is this bottle with the theatrical wig-maker's label on it,
which once contained cement such as is used for fixing on false beards,
moustaches or eyebrows."

He paused once more and looked round expectantly at his audience, none
of whom, however, volunteered any remark.

"Do none of these objects that I have described and shown you, seem to
have any significance for us?" he asked, in a tone of some surprise.

"They convey nothing to me," said Mr. Marchmont, glancing at his
partner, who shook his head like a restive horse.

"Nor to you, Mr. Stephen?"

"No," replied Stephen. "Under the existing circumstances they convey no
reasonable suggestion to me."

Thorndyke hesitated as if he were half inclined to say something more;
then, with a slight shrug,