Continuing my
speculations, supposing it to be a blood-spot, what did it
indicate? Clearly that Mr. Langley was struck by somebody on the
head with a heavy instrument, perhaps in another part of the
room, that he was choked, that as the drops of blood oozed from
the wound on his head, he was dragged across the floor, in the
direction of the fireplace--"
"But, Professor Kennedy," interrupted Doctor Putnam, "have you
proved that the spot was a blood-spot? Might it not have been a
paint-spot or something of that sort?"
Kennedy had apparently been waiting for just such a question.
"Ordinarily, water has no effect on paint," he answered. "I found
that the spot could be washed off with water. That is not all. I
have a test for blood that is so delicately sensitive that the
blood of an Egyptian mummy thousands of years old will respond to
it. It was discovered by a German scientist, Doctor Uhlenhuth,
and was no longer ago than last winter applied in England in
connection with the Clapham murder. The suspected murderer
declared that stains on his clothes were only spatters of paint,
but the test proved them to be spatters of blood. Walter, bring
in the cage with the rabbits."
I opened the door and took the cage from the groom, who had
brought it up from the stable and stood waiting with it some
distance away.
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