My visit was specially made to the good Mr.
Ames, with whom I exchanged some amiabilities, which culminated
in his allowing me, without reference to anyone else, to sit
alone for a time in the study."
"What! With that?" I ejaculated.
"No, no, everything is now in order. You gave permission for
that, Mr. Mac, as I am informed. The room was in its normal
state, and in it I passed an instructive quarter of an hour."
"What were you doing?"
"Well, not to make a mystery of so simple a matter, I was looking
for the missing dumb-bell. It has always bulked rather large in
my estimate of the case. I ended by finding it."
"Where?"
"Ah, there we come to the edge of the unexplored. Let me go a
little further, a very little further, and I will promise that
you shall share everything that I know."
"Well, we're bound to take you on your own terms," said the
inspector; "but when it comes to telling us to abandon the
case--why in the name of goodness should we abandon the case?"
"For the simple reason, my dear Mr. Mac, that you have not got
the first idea what it is that you are investigating."
"We are investigating the murder of Mr.
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