London, W. I.

'MY DEAR MERTON:

'I am indebted to you and to Mr. Harley for an opportunity of examining
the serviette, which I return herewith. I agree that the oil does not
respond to ordinary tests, nor is any smell perceptible. But you have
noticed in your microscopic examination of the stains that there is a
peculiar crystalline formation upon the surface. You state that this is
quite unfamiliar to you, which is not at all strange, since outside
of the Himalayan districts of Northwest India I have never met with it
myself.

'Respecting the character of the oil employed, however, I am in no
doubt, and I actually possess a dried specimen of the flower from which
it is expressed. This is poetically known among the Mangars, one of the
fighting tribes of Nepal, as the Bloom or Orchid of Sleep.

'It is found upon the lower Himalayan slopes, and bears a close
resemblance to the white odontoglossum of commerce, except that the
flower is much smaller. Its perfume attracts insects and sometimes small
animals and reptiles, although inhalation seems to induce instant death.
It may be detected in its natural state by the presence of hundreds
of dead flies and insects upon the ground surrounding the plant. It is
especially fatal to nocturnal insects, its perfume being stronger at
night.

'Preparation of the oil is an art peculiar to members of an obscure sect
established in that district, by whom it is said to be employed for the
removal of enemies.

'An article is sprinkled with it, and whilst the perfume, which is
reported to resemble that of cloves, remains perceptible, to inhale it
results in immediate syncope, although by what physiological process I
have never been enabled to determine.

'With the one exception which I have mentioned, during my stay in Nepal
and the surrounding districts I failed to obtain a specimen of this
orchid. I have twice seen the curious purple stain upon articles of
clothing worn by natives who had died suddenly and mysteriously. The
Mangars simply say, "He has offended someone. It is the flower of
sleep."

'I immediately recognized the colour of the stains upon the enclosed
serviette, and also the curious crystalline formation on their surface.
The identity of the "someone" to whom the Mangars refer, I never
established. I shall welcome any particulars respecting the history of
the serviette.

'Very truly yours,

'WARWICK GREY.'

"Sir Charles Abingdon was poisoned," said Wessex in