e other side, and the amazed
Ames stood in the entrance. Holmes brushed him aside without a word and,
followed by all of us, rushed into the room which had been occupied by
the man whom we had been watching.

The oil lamp on the table represented the glow which we had seen from
outside. It was now in the hand of Cecil Barker, who held it towards us
as we entered. Its light shone upon his strong, resolute, clean-shaved
face and his menacing eyes.

"What the devil is the meaning of all this?" he cried. "What are you
after, anyhow?"

Holmes took a swift glance round, and then pounced upon a sodden bundle
tied together with cord which lay where it had been thrust under the
writing table.

"This is what we are after, Mr. Barker--this bundle, weighted with a
dumb-bell, which you have just raised from the bottom of the moat."

Barker stared at Holmes with amazement in his face. "How in thunder came
you to know anything about it?" he asked.

"Simply that I put it there."

"You put it there! You!"

"Perhaps I should have said 'replaced it there,'" said Holmes. "You will
remember, Inspector MacDonald, that I was somewhat struck by the absence
of a dumb-bell. I drew your attention to it; but with the pressure of
other events you had hardly the time to give it the consideration which
would have enabled you to draw deductions from it. When water is near
and a weight is missing it is not a very far-fetched supposition that
something has been sunk in the water. The idea was at least worth
testing; so with the help of Ames, who admitted me to the room, and the
crook of Dr. Watson's umbrella, I was able last night to fish up and
inspect this bundle.

"It was of the first importance, however, that we should be able to
prove who placed it there. This we accomplished by the very obvious
device of announcing that the moat would be dried to-morrow, which had,
of course, the effect that whoever had hidden the bundle would most
certainly withdraw it the moment that darkness enabled him to do so. We
have no less than four witnesses as to who it was who took advantage
of the opportunity, and so, Mr. Barker, I think the word lies now with
you."

Sherlock Holmes put the sopping bundle upon the table beside the lamp
and undid the cord which bound it. From within he extracted a dumb-bell,
which he tossed down to its fellow in the corner. Next he drew forth a
pair of boots. "American, as you perceive," he remarked, pointing to
the toes.