He could have carried it inside his overcoat without
difficulty."

"And how do you consider that all this bears upon the general case?"

"Well, Mr. Holmes," said MacDonald, "when we have got our man--and you
may be sure that I had his description on the wires within five minutes
of hearing it--we shall be better able to judge. But, even as it stands,
we have surely gone a long way. We know that an American calling himself
Hargrave came to Tunbridge Wells two days ago with bicycle and valise.
In the latter was a sawed-off shotgun; so he came with the deliberate
purpose of crime. Yesterday morning he set off for this place on his
bicycle, with his gun concealed in his overcoat. No one saw him arrive,
so far as we can learn; but he need not pass through the village
to reach the park gates, and there are many cyclists upon the road.
Presumably he at once concealed his cycle among the laurels where it
was found, and possibly lurked there himself, with his eye on the house,
waiting for Mr. Douglas to come out. The shotgun is a strange weapon to
use inside a house; but he had intended to use it outside, and there it
has very obvious advantages, as it would be impossible to miss with it,
and the sound of shots is so common in an English sporting neighbourhood
that no particular notice would be taken."

"That is all very clear," said Holmes.

"Well, Mr. Douglas did not appear. What was he to do next? He left his
bicycle and approached the house in the twilight. He found the bridge
down and no one about. He took his chance, intending, no doubt, to make
some excuse if he met anyone. He met no one. He slipped into the first
room that he saw, and concealed himself behind the curtain. Thence he
could see the drawbridge go up, and he knew that his only escape was
through the moat. He waited until quarter-past eleven, when Mr. Douglas
upon his usual nightly round came into the room. He shot him and
escaped, as arranged. He was aware that the bicycle would be described
by the hotel people and be a clue against him; so he left it there and
made his way by some other means to London or to some safe hiding place
which he had already arranged. How is that, Mr. Holmes?"

"Well, Mr. Mac, it is very good and very clear so far as it goes. That
is your end of the story. My end is that the crime was committed half an
hour earlier than reported; that Mrs. Douglas and Barker are both in
a conspiracy to conceal something; that they aided the mu