MISCELLANEOUS PUZZLES
business matters to look into, and would be sitting up late. He
would require no attendance. It was supposed that after all had
gone to bed he had admitted some person to the house, for one
of the servants was positive that she had heard loud conversation at
a very late hour.
Next morning, at a quarter to seven o'clock, one of the man-
servants, on entering the room, found Mr. Mowbray lying on the
floor, shot through the head, and quite dead. Now we come to the
curious circumstance of the case. It was clear that after the bullet
had passed out of the dead man's head it had struck the tall clock in
the room, right in the very centre of the face, and actually welded
together the three hands, for the clock had a seconds hand that
revolved round the same dial as the hour and minute hands. But
although the three hands had become welded together exactly as
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