, at any rate, may live near a
factory, and have to pass it frequently."
"Yes; and I think we can distinguish between the two possibilities. For,
if he only passes the factory, the dust will be on the outside of the
hat only; the inside will be protected by his head. But if he is engaged
in the works, the dust will be inside, too, as the hat will hang on a
peg in the dust-laden atmosphere, and his head will also be powdered,
and so convey the dust to the inside."
He turned the hat over once more, and as I brought the powerful lens to
bear upon the dark lining, I could clearly distinguish a number of white
particles in the interstices of the fabric.
"The powder is on the inside, too," I said.
He took the lens from me, and, having verified my statement, proceeded
with the examination. "You notice," he said, "that the leather
head-lining is stained with grease, and this staining is more pronounced
at the sides and back. His hair, therefore, is naturally greasy, or he
greases it artificially; for if the staining were caused by
perspiration, it would be most marked opposite the forehead."
He peered anxiously into the interior of the hat, and eventually turned
down the head-lining; and immediately there broke out upon his face a
gleam of satisfaction.
"Ha!" he exclaimed. "This is a stroke of luck. I was afraid our neat and
orderly friend had defeated us with his brush. Pass me the small
dissecting forceps, Jervis."
I handed him the instrument, and he proceeded to pick out daintily from
the space behind the head-lining some half a dozen short pieces of
hair, which he laid, with infinite tenderness, on a sheet of white
paper.
"There are several more on the other side," I said, pointing them out to
him.
"Yes, but we must leave some for the police," he answered, with a smile.
"They must have the same chance as ourselves, you know."
"But surely," I said, as I bent down over the paper, "these are pieces
of horsehair!"
"I think not," he replied; "but the microscope will show. At any rate,
this is the kind of hair I should expect to find with a head of that
shape."
"Well, it is extraordinarily coarse," said I, "and two of the hairs are
nearly white."
"Yes; black hairs beginning to turn grey. And now, as our preliminary
survey has given such encouraging results, we will proceed to more exact
methods; and we must waste no time, for we shall have the police here
presently to rob us of our treasure."
He
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