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