It would be done so quickly and so naturally
that I dare say the young man himself has no recollection of it.
Very likely it just so happened, and Oldacre had himself no
notion of the use he would put it to. Brooding over the case in
that den of his, it suddenly struck him what absolutely damning
evidence he could make against McFarlane by using that thumb-mark.
It was the simplest thing in the world for him to take a wax
impression from the seal, to moisten it in as much blood as he
could get from a pin-prick, and to put the mark upon the wall
during the night, either with his own hand or with that of his
housekeeper. If you examine among those documents which he took
with him into his retreat I will lay you a wager that you find
the seal with the thumb-mark upon it."
"Wonderful!" said Lestrade. "Wonderful! It's all as clear as
crystal, as you put it. But what is the object of this deep
deception, Mr. Holmes?"
It was amusing to me to see how the detective's overbearing
manner had changed suddenly to that of a child asking questions
of its teacher.
"Well, I don't think that is very hard to explain.
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