place where an object
upon the roof might be expected to fall off? The points would affect
no object inside the train. Either the body fell from the roof, or a
very curious coincidence has occurred. But now consider the question
of the blood. Of course, there was no bleeding on the line if the body
had bled elsewhere. Each fact is suggestive in itself. Together they
have a cumulative force."

"And the ticket, too!" I cried.

"Exactly. We could not explain the absence of a ticket. This would
explain it. Everything fits together."

"But suppose it were so, we are still as far as ever from unravelling
the mystery of his death. Indeed, it becomes not simpler but stranger."

"Perhaps," said Holmes, thoughtfully, "perhaps." He relapsed into a
silent reverie, which lasted until the slow train drew up at last in
Woolwich Station. There he called a cab and drew Mycroft's paper from
his pocket.

"We have quite a little round of afternoon calls to make," said he. "I
think that Sir James Walter claims our first attention."

The house of the famous official was a fine villa with green lawns
stretching down to the Thames. As we reached it the fog was lifting,
and a thin, watery sunshine was breaking through. A butler answered
our ring.

"Sir James, sir!" said he with solemn face. "Sir James died this
morning."

"Good heavens!" cried Holmes in amazement. "How did he die?"

"Perhaps you would care to step in, sir, and see his brother, Colonel
Valentine?"

"Yes, we had best do so."

We were ushered into a dim-lit drawing-room, where an instant later we
were joined by a very tall, handsome, light-beared man of fifty, the
younger brother of the dead scientist. His wild eyes, stained cheeks,
and unkempt hair all spoke of the sudden blow which had fallen upon the
household. He was hardly articulate as he spoke of it.

"It was this horrible scandal," said he. "My brother, Sir James, was a
man of very sensitive honour, and he could not survive such an affair.
It broke his heart. He was always so proud of the efficiency of his
department, and this was a crushing blow."

"We had hoped that he might have given us some indications which would
have helped us to clear the matter up."

"I assure you that it was all a mystery to him as it is to you and to
all of us. He had already put all his knowledge at the disposal of the
police. Naturally he had no doubt that Cadogan West was guilty. But
all the rest was