Now let us open it and see what those contents are." With a sharp knife he divided the outside cover, revealing a stout cardboard box wrapped in a number of advertisement sheets.

The box, when the lid was raised, was seen to contain a single cigar--a large cheroot--packed in cotton wool.
"A 'Trichy,' by Jove!" I exclaimed.

"Your own special fancy, Thorndyke." "Yes; and another anomaly, at once, you see, which might have escaped our notice if we had not been on the _qui vive_." "As a matter of fact, I _don't_ see," said I."You will think me an awful blockhead, but I don't perceive anything singular in a cigar manufacturer sending a sample cigar." "You read the label, I think ?" replied Thorndyke.

"However, let us look at one of these leaflets and see what they say.

Ah! here we are: 'Messrs.