Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-25

| and wife. They had always looked upon
them a very united couple.
These were the main points of the ser
| wants evidence. In answer to Inspector
| Martin, they were clear that every door
was fastened upon the inside, and that no
one could have escaped from the house.
| In answer to Holmes. they both remem-
| Dered that they were conscious of the smell
of powder from the moment that they
| ran out of their rooms upon the top floor
| Il commend that fact very carefully to
your attention" said Holmes to his profess
| sional colleague. And now think that
| we are in position to undertake a thor
| ough examination of the room"
The study proved to be a small chamber
| lined on three sides with books, and with
a writing table facing an ordinary win
dow. which looked out upon the garden
Our first attention was given to the body
or the unfortunate squire. whose huge
frame lay stretched across the room. His
| disordered dress showed that he had been
hastily aroused from sleep. The bullet had
| been fired at him from the front. and had
| remained in his body after penetrating the
| heart. His death had certainly been In
| Simultaneous and painless. There was no
| powder-marking either upon his dressing
gown or on his hands. According to the
country surgeon, the lady had stains upon
| her face but none upon her hand.
| THE absence of the latter means nothing.
| though It's presence may mean everything"
| said Holmes. Unless the powder from
badly fitting cartridge happens 10 squirt
| backwards. one may fire many shots with
| out leaving sign. l would suggest that
| Mr.. Cubitt's body may now be removed. I
| suppose. doctor. you have not recovered
4, the bullet which wounded the LADY,"
| "A serious operation will be necessary be
| fore that can be done. But there are still
| four cartridges In the revolver. Two have
| been fired and two wounds inflicted, so
| that each bullet can he accounted for
so it would SEEM" said Holmes. per
| haps you can account also for the bullet
| which has so obviously struck the edge of
| the window
| He had turned suddenly, and mis- Icing.
| thin finger was pointing to a hole which
| had been drilled right through the lower
| wlndow-sash, about an inch above the bot
| tom.
by George cried the inspector How
ever did you see that"'
| Because | looked for it,"
| WONDERFUL" said the country doctor
| "You are certainly right, sir. Then a third
| shot has been fired, and therefore a third
| person must have been present. But who
| could that have been. and how could lie
| have got away?''
THAT is the problem which we are now
| about to solve, said Sherlock Holmes.
| You remember. Inspector Martin, when
| the servants said that on leaving their
| room they were at once conscious of 4
| smell of powder, i remarked that tho pojal
was an extremely important one?"
! Yes, sir; but l confess did not quite fol-
| low you
1T suggested that al the time of the fir
| Ing, the window as well the door of the
room had been open. Otherwise the fumes
rapidly through the house. A draugnt IN
| the room was necessary for thar. Both
door and window were only open for 4
| very short time, however"
How do you prove that?'
| Because the candle was not gutierrez:
| "Capitali' cried the Inspector. Capital!
| Feeling that the window had been open
| at the time of the tragedy. conceived that
| there might have been a third person in the
| affair, who stood outside this opening and
| fired through It. Any shot directed at tbs
1 ipb
| there, sure enough, was the bullet mark"
But how came the window to be shut
| and fastened?'
The womans first instinct would be to
| shut and fasten the window. But haloa!
| what is this?"
1t was a lady's handbag which stood up
on the study table-a trim little handbag
| of crocodile skin and silver. Holmes open
| ed it and turned the contents out There
| were twenty fifty-pound notes OF the Bank
| of England, held together by an india rub
| Der band-nothing else
| This must be preserved for II will fig
ure in the trial" said Holmes, as he handel
| the bag with its contents to the inspector
| 1T Is now necessary that should try
| to throw some light upon this third bull
| let, which has clearly. from the spin :erlng
of the wood, been fired from the inside of
| the room. l should like to see Mrs King
| the cook, again. You said. Mrs. King. that
you were awakened by loud explosion.
| When you said that, did you mean that
| 1t seemed to you to be louder than the
"Well, sir, It Weakened me from Try sleep.
and so it is hard to judge. But IL did
seem very loud"
you don't think that 1t might have been
two shots fired almost at the same instant"
II am sure | couldn't say, sir"
Il believe that it was und )ubted,y so.
1 rather think. Inspector Martin that we
have now exhausted all that thl4 room
can teach US. If you will kindly step round
| with me. we shall what fresh evidence
| the garden has to offer"
| flower bed extended up to the
| study window. and we all broke into
| an exclamation as We approached it,
| The flowers were trampled down, ard
| the soft soil was imprinted all over
| with footmarks. Large. masculine feet they
| were, with peculiarly long, sharp toes
| Holmes hunted about among the grass and
| Then. with a cry of satisfaction he bent
| forward and picked up a little brazen
| cylinder.
| an ejector and here is the third cartridge.
| I really think Inspector Martin, that our
| case is almost complete"
The country inspectors face had shown
| his intense amazement at the rapid and
| masterful progress of Holmes inyestiga-
| ton. At first he had shown some dlsposi-
! ton to assert his own position, but now he
| was overcome with admiration and ready
| to follow without question wherever
| Holmes led.
| Whom do you suspect he asked
| '1u go into that later. There are sew
! eral points in this problem which I have
| not been able to explain to you yet Now