"You don't spare trouble, Doctor," he remarked; "nor time either," he
added, with a significant glance at his watch.
"No," answered Thorndyke, as he detached the finished sketch from the
block; "I try to collect all the facts that may bear on a case. They may
prove worthless, or they may turn out of vital importance; one never
knows beforehand, so I collect them all. But here, I think, is Dr.
Egerton."
The police-surgeon greeted Thorndyke with respectful cordiality, and we
proceeded at once to the examination of the body. Drawing out the
thermometer, my colleague noted the reading, and passed the instrument
to Dr. Egerton.
"Dead about ten hours," remarked the latter, after a glance at it. "This
was a very determined and mysterious murder."
"Very," said Thorndyke. "Feel that dagger, Jervis."
I touched the hilt, and felt the characteristic grating of bone.
"It is through the edge of a rib!" I exclaimed.
"Yes; it must have been used with extraordinary force. And you notice
that the clothing is screwed up slightly, as if the blade had been
rotated as it was driven in. That is a very peculiar feature, especially
when taken together with the violence of the blow.
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