"However, the second incident was more serious, and even stranger. It happened just last night. A well-known doctor, called Dr. Barnicot, lives a few hundred yards away from Morse Hudson's shop in Kennington Road. He is one of the most important doctors on the south side of the river Thames. His home and where he sees is patients are on the Kennington Road, but he has another office two miles away on Lower Brixton Road. This Dr. Barnicot is a great admirer of Napoleon, and his house is full of books, pictures, and mementos of the French Emperor.

A little while ago Dr Barnicot purchased two identical plaster heads of Napoleon from Morse Hudson. These were by the famous French sculptor, Devine. One of these heads was kept in the hall in the house at Kennington Road. The other one was kept on the mantelpiece of the office in Lower Brixton. Well, when Dr. Barnicot came down from his bedroom this morning he was astonished to find that his house had been burgled during the night.

Nothing had been taken except the plaster head from the hall. This had been carried outside and had been smashed against the garden wall. That's where the pieces were found."

Holmes rubbed his hands. "This is certainly very unusual," he said.