“We will now,” Thorndyke continued, with unmoved serenity, “consider these relics in more detail, and we will begin with this pair of spectacles. They belonged to a person who was nearsighted and astigmatic in the left eye and almost certainly blind in the right. Such a description agrees entirely with Dr. Jervis’s account of the sick man.”

He paused for the moment, and then, as no one made any comment, proceeded:

“We next come to these little pieces of reed, which you, Mr. Stephen, will probably recognize as the remains of a Japanese brush, such as is used for writing in Chinese ink or for making small drawings.”

Again he paused, as though expecting some remark from his listeners; but no one spoke, and he continued: