een the body of Jeffrey and the living man whom he knew by sight,
and who must, after all, have been distinctly different in appearance?"

"I am glad you raised that question," Thorndyke replied, "for that very
difficulty presented itself to me at the beginning of the case. But on
thinking it over, I decided that it was an imaginary difficulty,
assuming, as we do, that there was a good deal of resemblance between
the two men. Put yourself in the porter's place and follow his mental
processes. He is informed that a dead man is lying on the bed in Mr.
Blackmore's rooms. Naturally, he assumes that the dead man is Mr.
Blackmore--who, by the way, had hinted at suicide only the night before.
With this idea he enters the chambers and sees a man a good deal like
Mr. Blackmore and wearing Mr. Blackmore's clothes, lying on Mr.
Blackmore's bed. The idea that the body could be that of some other
person has never entered his mind. If he notes any difference of
appearance he will put that down to the effects of death; for every one
knows that a man dead looks somewhat different from the same man alive.
I take it as evidence of great acuteness on the part of John Blackmore
that he should have calculated so cleverly, not only the mental process
of the porter, but the erroneous reasoning which every one would base on
the porter's conclusions. For, since the body was actually Jeffrey's,
and was identified by the porter as that of his tenant, it has been
assumed by every one that no question was possible as to the identity of
Jeffrey Blackmore and the tenant of New Inn."

There was a brief silence, and then Marchmont asked:

"May we take it that we have now heard all the evidence?"

"Yes," replied Thorndyke. "That is my case."

"Have you given information to the police?" Stephen asked eagerly.

"Yes. As soon as I had obtained the statement of the cabman, Ridley, and
felt that I had enough evidence to secure a conviction, I called at
Scotland Yard and had an interview with the Assistant Commissioner. The
case is in the hands of Superintendent Miller of the Criminal
Investigation Department, a most acute and energetic officer. I have
been expecting to hear that the warrant has been executed, for Mr.
Miller is usually very punctilious in keeping me informed of the
progress of the cases to which I introduce him. We shall hear to-morrow,
no doubt."

"And, for the present," said Marchmont, "the case seems to have passed
out of our hands.