“We were making a systematic search of all likely places,” replied Badger.

“Exactly,” said the cobbler, with a ferocious grin, “that’s just my point.  I say, isn’t it very funny that, after finding remains in Kent some twenty miles from here with the River Thames between, you should come here to look for the bones and go straight to Staple’s Pond, where they happen to be—­and find ’em?”

“It would have been more funny,” Badger replied sourly, “if we’d gone straight to a place where they happened not to be—­and found them.”

A gratified snigger arose from the other eleven good men and true, and the cobbler grinned savagely; but before he could think of a suitable rejoinder the coroner interposed.

“The question is not very material,” he said, “and we mustn’t embarrass the police by unnecessary inquiries.”

“It’s my belief,” said the cobbler, “that he knew they were there all the time.”

“The witness has stated that he had no private information,” said the coroner; and he proceeded to take the rest of the inspector’s evidence, watched closely by the critical juror.

The account of the finding of the remains having been given in full, the police-surgeon was called and sworn; the jurymen straightened their backs with an air of expectancy, and I turned over a page of my note-book.

“You have examined the bones at present lying in the mortuary and forming the subject of this inquiry?” the coroner asked.

“I have.”

“Will you kindly tell us what you have observed?”

“I find that the bones are human bones, and are, in my opinion, all parts of the same person.  They form a skeleton which is complete with the exception of the skull, the third finger of the left hand, the knee-caps, and the leg-bones—­I mean the bones between the knees and the ankles.”

“Is there anything to account for the absence of the missing finger?”

“No.  There is no deformity and no sign of its having been amputated during life.  In my opinion it was removed after death.”

“Can you give us any description of the deceased?”

“I should say that these are the bones of an elderly man, probably over sixty years of age, about five feet eight and a half inches in height, of rather stout build, fairly muscular, and well preserved.  There are no signs of disease excepting some old-standing rheumatic gout of the right hip-joint.”

“Can you form any opinion as to the cause of death?”

“No.  There are no marks of violence or signs of injury.  But it will be impossible to form any opinion as to the cause of death until we have seen the skull.”

“Did you note anything else of importance?”

“Yes.  I was struck by the appearance of anatomical knowledge and skill on the part of the person who dismembered the body.  The knowledge of anatomy is proved by the fact that the corpse has been divided into definite anatomical regions.  For instance, the bones of the neck are complete and include the top joint of the backbone known as the atlas; whereas a person without anatomical knowledge would probably take off the head by cutting through the neck.  Then the arms have been separated with the scapula (or shoulder-blade) and clavicle (or collar-bone) attached, just as an arm would be removed for dissection.