The bones were quite clean--of soft structures, I mean.

There were no cuts, scratches, or marks on them.

There was not a trace of adipocere--the peculiar waxy soap that forms in bodies that decay in water or in a damp situation.
The right hand had been detached at the time the arm was thrown into the pond, and the left ring finger had been separated and had vanished.

This latter fact had attracted my attention from the first, but I will leave its consideration for the moment and return to it later." "How did you discover that the hand had been detached ?" Mr.Jellicoe asked.
"By the submersion marks," replied Thorndyke.

"It was lying on the bottom of the pond in a position which would have been impossible if it had been attached to the arm." "You interest me exceedingly," said Mr.Jellicoe.