"
It was the contents of this appended letter which had inspired
Innes's remarks. Indeed, it contained matter which triumphantly
established Paul Harley's theory that Sir Charles Abingdon had
not died from natural causes. The letter was as follows:
'No.---- Harley Street
London, W. I.
'MY DEAR MERTON:
'I am indebted to you and to Mr. Harley for an opportunity of
examining the serviette, which I return herewith. I agree that
the oil does not respond to ordinary tests, nor is any smell
perceptible. But you have noticed in your microscopic examination
of the stains that there is a peculiar crystalline formation upon
the surface. You state that this is quite unfamiliar to you,
which is not at all strange, since outside of the Himalayan
districts of Northwest India I have never met with it myself.
'Respecting the character of the oil employed, however, I am in
no doubt, and I actually possess a dried specimen of the flower
from which it is expressed. This is poetically known among the
Mangars, one of the fighting tribes of Nepal, as the Bloom or
Orchid of Sleep.
'It is found upon the lower Himalayan slopes, and bears a close
resemblance to the white odontoglossum of commerce, except that
the flower is much smaller. Its perfume attracts insects and
sometimes small animals and reptiles, although inhalation seems
to induce instant death. It may be detected in its natural state
by the presence of hundreds of dead flies and insects upon the
ground surrounding the plant.
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