The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-30

''Well, they did not take much
only half a dozen articles of plate off
the sideboard. Lady BrackenstaH
thinks that they were themselves so
disturbed by the death of Sir Eustace
that they did not ransack the house,
as they would otherwise have done"
mo doubt that is true, and yet they
drank some wine, l understand"
"To steady their nerves.
Exactly. These three glasses upon
the sideboard have been untouched. /
SUPPOSE"
Yes, and the bottle stands as they
left it,
Let us look at it. Halloa, halloa!
What's this?"
The three glasses were grouped to-
gether, all of them tingcd with wine,
and one of them containing some dregs
of beeswing. The bottle stood near
them, two-thirds full, and beside it lay
a, long, deeply stained cork It's APP
pearance and the dust upon the bottle
showed that it was no common vintage
which the murdercrs had enjoyed.
A change had come over Holmes
manner. He had lost his listless, eX-
preston, and again l saw an alert light
of interest in his keen, deep-set eyes.
He raised the cork and examined it
infinitely.
How did they draw it," he asked.
Hopkins pointed to half-opened
drawer. In it lay some table linen
and large cork-screw.
did Lady Brackenstall say that
screw was used 2"
NO you remember that she was
senseless at the moment when the bot
tie was opened"
"Quite so. AS matter of fact, that
screw was not used This bottle was
opened by a pocket screw, probably
contained in a knife and not more
than an inch and a half long. If you
will examine the top of the cork, you
will observe that the screw was driven
in three times before the cork was ex-
tracted. 1t has never been tranSfXed.
This long screw would have trans
fixed it and drawn it up with pull.
When you catch this fellow, you will
find that he has one of these multipleX
knives in his possession
Excellent" said Hopkins.
But these glasses do puzzle me, |
confess. Lady Brackenstall actually
saw the three men drinking, did she
not?"
Yes: she was clear about that"
"Then there is an end of it. What
more is to be said? And yet. you must
admit, that the three glasses are very
remarkable, Hopkins. What? Yiou
see nothing remarkable? Well, well,
let it pass Perhaps when man has
special knowledge and special powers
like my own, it rather encourages him
to seek a complex explanation when
simpler one is at hand OF course. sit
must be a mere chance about the
glasses. Well good morning, Hopkins.
don't see that / can be of any use to
you, and you appear to have your case
very clear. You will let me know when
Randall is arrested, and any further
which may occur. trust
shall soon have to congratulate you
upon a successful conclusion. Come,
Watson, / fancy that we may employ
ourselves more profitably at home"
During our return journey | could
see by Holmes face that he was much
puzzled by something which he had
observed. Every now and then, by an
effort, he would throw off the. impress
sion, and talk as if the matter was
clear, but then his doubts would settle
down upon him again. and his knit
ted brows and distracted eyes would
show that his thoughts had gone back
once more to the great dining-room of
the Abbey Grange, in which this mid