that he inserted this letter, for it
drew the following interesting communication from the great detective
himself:

"THE BIG BOW MYSTERY SOLVED.

"Sir--I do not agree with you that your correspondent's theory
lacks originality. On the contrary, I think it is delightfully
original. In fact it has given me an idea. What that idea is I do
not yet propose to say, but if 'One Who Looks Through His Own
Spectacles' will favor me with his name and address I shall be
happy to inform him a little before the rest of the world whether
his germ has borne any fruit. I feel he is a kindred spirit, and
take this opportunity of saying publicly that I was extremely
disappointed at the unsatisfactory verdict. The thing was a
palpable assassination; an open verdict has a tendency to relax the
exertions of Scotland Yard. I hope I shall not be accused of
immodesty, or of making personal reflections, when I say that the
Department has had several notorious failures of late. It is not
what it used to be. Crime is becoming impertinent. It no longer
knows its place, so to speak. It throws down the gauntlet where
once it used to cower in its fastnesses. I repeat, I make these
remarks solely in the interest of law and order. I do not for one
moment believe that Arthur Constant killed himself, and if Scotland
Yard satisfies itself with that explanation, and turns on its other
side and goes to sleep again, then, sir, one of the foulest and
most horrible crimes of the century will forever go unpunished. My
acquaintance with the unhappy victim was but recent; still, I saw
and knew enough of the man to be certain (and I hope I have seen
and known enough of other men to judge) that he was a man
constitutionally incapable of committing an act of violence,
whether against himself or anybody else. He would not hurt a fly,
as the saying goes. And a man of that gentle stamp always lacks the
active energy to lay hands on himself. He was a man to be esteemed
in no common degree, and I feel proud to be able to say that he
considered me a friend. I am hardly at the time of life at which a
man cares to put on his harness again; but, sir, it is impossible
that I should ever know a day's rest till the perpetrator of this
foul deed is discovered. I have already put myself in communication
w