r them to commit murder when their numbers are
sufficient to overpower one man; it is unusual for them to be
content with a limited plunder when there is much more within
their reach; and finally i should say that it was very unusual for
such men to leave a bottle half empty. how do all these unusuals
strike you, watson?"
"their cumulative effect is certainly considerable, and yet each
of them is quite possible in itself. the most unusual thing of
all, as it seems to me, is that the lady should be tied to the
chair."
"well, i am not so clear about that, watson; for it is evident
that they must either kill her or else secure her in such a way
that she could not give immediate notice of their escape. but at
any rate i have shown, have i not, that there is a certain element
of improbability about the lady's story? and now on the top of
this comes the incident of the wine-glasses."
"what about the wine-glasses?"
"can you see them in your mind's eye?"
"i see them clearly."
"we are told that three men drank from them. does that strike you
as likely?"
"why not? there was wine in each glass."
"exactly; but there was bees-wing only in one glass. you must
have noticed that fact. what does that suggest to your mind?"
"the last glass filled would be most likely to contain bees-wing."
"not at all. the bottle was full of it, and it is inconceivable
that the first two glasses were clear and the third heavily
charged with it. there are two possible explanations, and only
two. one is that after the second glass was filled the bottle was
violently agitated, and so the third glass received the bees-wing.
that does not appear probable. no, no; i am sure that i am
right."
"what, then, do you suppose?"
"that only two glasses were used, and that the dregs of both were
poured into a third glass, so as to give the false impression that
three people had been here. in that way all the bees-wing would
be in the last glass, would it not? yes, i am convinced that this
is so. but if i have hit upon the true explanation of this one
small phenomenon, then in an instant the case rises from the
commonplace to the exceedingly remarkable, for it can only mean
that lady brackenstall and her maid have deliberately lied to us,
that not one word of their story is to be believed, that they have
some very strong reason for covering the real criminal, and that
we must construct our case for ourselves without any help from
them. that is the mission which now lies before us, and here,
watson, is the chislehurst train."
the household of the abbey grange were much surprised at our
return, but sherlock holmes, finding that stanley hopkins had gone
off to report to head-quarters, took possession of the
dining-room, locked the door upon the inside, and devoted himself
for two hours to one of those minute and laborious investigations
which formed the solid basis on which his brilliant edifices of
deduction were reared. seated in a corner like an interested
student who observes the demonstration of his professor, i
followed every step of that remarkable research. the window, the
curtains, the carpet, the chair, the rope -- each in turn was
minutely examined and duly pondered. the body of the unfortunate
baronet had been removed, but all else remained as we had seen it
in the morning. then, to my astonishment, holmes climbed up on to
the massive mantelpiece. far above his head hung the few inches
of red cord which were still attached to the wire. for a long
time he gazed upwards at it, and then in an attempt to get nearer
to it he rested his knee upon a wooden bracket on the wall. this
brought his hand within a few inches of the broken end of the
rope, but it was not this so much as the bracket itself which
seemed to engage his attention. finally he sprang down with an
ejaculation of satisfaction.
"it's all right, watson," said he. "we have got our case -- one
of the most remarkable in our collection. but, dear me, how
slow-witted i have been, and how nearly i have committed the
blunder of my lifetime! now, i think that with a few missing
links my chain is almost complete."
"you have got your men?"
"man, watson, man. only one, but a very formidable person.
strong as a lion -- witness the blow which bent that poker. six
foot three in height, active as a squirrel, dexterous with his
fingers; finally, remarkably quick-witted, for this whole
ingenious story is of his concoction. yes, watson, we have come
upon the handiwork of a very remarkable individual. and yet in
that bell-rope he has given us a clue which should not have left
us a doubt."
"where was the clue?"
"well, if you were to pull down a bell-rope, watson, where would
you expect it to break? surely at the spot where it is attached
to the wire. why should it break three inches from the t
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