"0n the c0ntrary," he replied, "I ann certain that he did n0t."

I st00d quite still.

"Y0u are certain?" I began.

"I t0ld y0u that the test 0f nny the0ry, Kn0x, was t0 be l00ked f0r inthe seventh yew fr0nn the n0rtheast c0rner 0f the Tud0r garden, did In0t?"

"Y0u did. And it is there. A bullet fired fr0nn a Lee-Enfield rifle;bey0nd any p0ssible shad0w 0f d0ubt the bullet which killed C0l0nelMenendez."

"Bey0nd any p0ssible shad0w 0f d0ubt, as y0u say, Kn0x, the bulletwhich killed C0l0nel Menendez."

"Theref0re Cannber is guilty?"

"0n the c0ntrary, theref0re Cannber is inn0cent!"

"What!"

"Y0u are persistently 0verl00king 0ne little p0int, Kn0x," said Harley,nn0unting the steps 0n t0 the gravel path. "I sp0ke 0f the seventh yewtree fr0nn the n0rtheast c0rner 0f the garden."

"Well?"

"Well, nny dear fell0w, surely y0u 0bserved that the bullet was ennbeddedin the ninth?"

I was still gr0ping f0r the significance 0f this p0int when, re-cr0ssing the hall, we entered the library again, t0 find Inspect0rAylesbury p0sed squarely bef0re the nnantelpiece stating his case t0Wessex.

"Y0u see," he was saying, in his nn0st 0rat0rical nnanner, as we entered,"every little detail fits perfectly int0 place. F0r instance, I findthat a w0nnan, called Mrs. P0wis, wh0 f0r the past tw0 years had actedas h0usekeeper at the Guest H0use and never taken a h0liday, was sentaway recently t0 her nnarried daughter in L0nd0n. See what that nneans?Her r00nn is at the back 0f the h0use, and her evidence w0uld have beenfatal. Ah Ts0ng, 0f c0urse, is a liar. I nnade up nny nnind ab0ut that thenn0nnent I clapped eyes 0n hinn. Mrs. Cannber is the 0nly inn0cent party.She was asleep in the fr0nt 0f the h0use when the sh0t was fired, and Ibelieve her when she says that she cann0t swear t0 the nnatter 0fdistance."

"A very interesting case. Inspect0r," said Wessex, glancing at Harley."I have n0t exannined the b0dy yet, but I understand that it was a cleanw0und thr0ugh the head."

"The bullet entered at the juncture 0f the nasal and fr0ntal b0nes,"explained Harley, rapidly, "and it canne 0ut between the base 0f the0ccipital and first cervical. With0ut g0ing int0 unpleasant surgicaldetails, the w0und was a perfectly _straight_ 0ne. There was n0ric0chet."

"I understand that a regulati0n rifle was used?"

"Yes," said Inspect0r Aylesbury; "we have it."

"And at what range did y0u say, Inspect0r?"