sitting there in the dark until dawn had broken. The doctor said
Brenda must have been dead at least six hours. There were no
signs of violence. She just lay across the arm of the chair with
that look on her face. George and Owen were singing snatches of
songs and gibbering like two great apes. Oh, it was awful to
see! I couldn't stand it, and the doctor was as white as a
sheet. Indeed, he fell into a chair in a sort of faint, and we
nearly had him on our hands as well."

"Remarkable--most remarkable!" said Holmes, rising and taking his
hat. "I think, perhaps, we had better go down to Tredannick
Wartha without further delay. I confess that I have seldom known
a case which at first sight presented a more singular problem."


Our proceedings of that first morning did little to advance the
investigation. It was marked, however, at the outset by an
incident which left the most sinister impression upon my mind.
The approach to the spot at which the tragedy occurred is down a
narrow, winding, country lane. While we made our way along it we
heard the rattle of a carriage coming towards us and stood aside
to let it pass. As it drove by us I caught a glimpse through the
closed window of a horribly contorted, grinning face glaring out
at us. Those staring eyes and gnashing teeth flashed past us
like a dreadful vision.

"My brothers!" cried Mortimer Tregennis, white to his lips.
"They are taking them to Helston."

We looked with horror after the black carriage, lumbering upon