“Here, then, is our first point.  The sender of this offering is probably a person concerning whom I hold certain exclusive information.

“But see, now, the interesting corollary that follows from this.  I, alone, suspect this person; therefore I have not published my suspicions, or others would suspect him too.  Why, then, does he suspect me of suspecting him, since I have not spoken?  Evidently, he too must be in possession of exclusive information.  In other words, my suspicions are correct; for if they were not, he could not be aware of their existence.

“The next point is the selection of this rather unusual type of cigar.  Why should he have sent a Trichinopoly instead of an ordinary Havana such as Bartletts actually manufacture?  It looks as if he were aware of my peculiar predilection, and, by thus consulting my personal tastes, had guarded against the chance of my giving the cigar to some other person.  We may, therefore, infer that our friend probably has some knowledge of my habits.

“The third point is, What is the social standing of this gentle stranger, whom we will call X?  Now, Bartletts do not send their advertisements and samples to Thomas, Richard and Henry.  They send, chiefly, to members of the professions and men of means and position.  It is true that the original package might have been annexed by a clerk, office boy or domestic servant; but the probabilities are that X received the package himself, and this is borne out by the fact that he was able to obtain access to a powerful alkaloidal poison—­such as this undoubtedly is.”

“In that case he would probably be a medical man or a chemist,” I suggested.

“Not necessarily,” replied Thorndyke.  “The laws relating to poisons are so badly framed and administered that any well-to-do person, who has the necessary knowledge, can obtain almost any poison that he wants.  But social position is an important factor, whence we may conclude that X belongs, at least, to the middle class.

“The fourth point relates to the personal qualities of X. Now it is evident, from this instance alone, that he is a man of exceptional intelligence, of considerable general information, and both ingenious and resourceful.  This cigar device is not only clever and original, but it has been adapted to the special circumstances with remarkable forethought.  Thus the cheroot was selected, apparently, for two excellent reasons:  first, that it was the most likely form to be smoked by the person intended, and second, that it did not require to have the end cut off—­which might have led to a discovery of the poison.  The plan also shows a certain knowledge of chemistry; the poison was not intended merely to be dissolved in the moisture of the mouth.  The idea evidently was that the steam generated by the combustion of the leaf at the distal end, would condense in the cooler part of the cigar and dissolve the poison, and the solution would then be drawn into the mouth.  Then the nature of the poison and certain similarities of procedure seem to identify X with the cyclist who used that ingenious bullet.  The poison in this case is a white, non-crystalline solid; the poison contained in the bullet was a solution of a white, non-crystalline solid, which analysis showed to be the most poisonous of all akaloids.