murder when their numbers are sufficient to overpower one man, it is
unusual for them to be content with a limited plunder when there was
much more within their reach, and finally, I should say, that it was
very unusual for such men to leave a bottle half empty. How do all these
unusuals strike you, Watson?'

'Their cumulative effect is certainly considerable, and yet each of them
is quite possible in itself. The most unusual thing of all, as it seems
to me, is that the lady should be tied to the chair.'

'Well, I am not so clear about that, Watson, for it is evident that
they must either kill her or else secure her in such a way that she
could not give immediate notice of their escape. But at any rate I have
shown, have I not, that there is a certain element of improbability
about the lady's story? And now, on the top of this, comes the incident
of the wineglasses.'

'What about the wineglasses?'

'Can you see them in your mind's eye?'

'I see them clearly.'

'We are told that three men drank from them. Does that strike you as
likely?'

'Why not? There was wine in each glass.'

'Exactly, but there was beeswing only in one glass. You must have
noticed that fact. What does that suggest to your mind?'