"The Gothic romance in particular," pursued Dr. Fell, "is full of such — eh?" he broke off, lifting his eyes. "Farfetched? God bless my soul, no! Some of the most farfetched of the death-traps have been real ones, like Nero's collapsing ship, or the poisoned gloves that killed Charles VII. No, no. I don't mind your being improbable. The point is that you haven't any grounds to be improbable on. That's where you're far behind the detective stories: They may reach an improbable conclusion, but they get there on the strength of good, sound, improbable evidence that's in plain sight.- How do you know there was any `box' inside that safe?"
"Well, we don't, of course; but — “
"Exactly. And you no sooner have the box, than you get an inspiration of a `paper' inside it. Then you get the paper, and you put `instructions' on it. Then young Starberth goes over the balcony; the box becomes inconvenient, so you drop it after him. Splendid! Now you've not only created the box and the paper, but you've made them disappear again, and the case is complete. As our American friends say, Horse-blinders! It won't do."
"Very well, then," the chief constable said, stiffly. "You can examine that balcony, if you like. I'm jolly certain I won't."
Dr. Fell hoisted himself to his feet. "Oh, I'm going to examine it. Mind, I don't say there wasn't any death-trap; you may be right," he added. He stared straight ahead of him, his big red face very intent. "But I want to remind you that there's only one thing we're absolutely sure of — that Starberth was lying under that balcony with his neck broken. That's all.
Sir Benjamin smiled in that tight way of his which seemed to pull the corners of his mouth down rather than up. He said, ironically:
"I'm glad you see at least a little virtue in the notion. I have advanced two perfectly good theories of the death, based on a trap―"
"They're rubbish," said Dr. Fell. He was already staring across at the door to the balcony, and he seemed preoccupied.
"Thank you."
"Oh, all right," the doctor murmured, wearily. "I'll show you, if you like. Both of your ideas, then, are based on young Starberth's being lured out on that balcony, either (A) by instruction she found in the safe, or (B) by the stratagem of some person who wanted to rob the safe, and so got him out there to let the balcony do its villainous job. EH?"