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Hole in the Wall, Chesterton Story

An architect and an archaelogist meet at Lord Bulmer's house. The discuss the various pretenses of the house--the hole in the wall around it, how old it really is, etc.

Prior Park--it was said that it was named after a priory.  Then someone said, no, just named after a Mr. Prior.  Chesterton's comment:  people believe "facts" that deglamorize something far more readily than similarly unsubstantiated facts that glamorize.  In fact, the place was a priory.

Anyway, Horne Fisher is invited, along with many others, to a masquerade party.  Two of the men are sport swords.  They have an argument of sorts.  There is ice skating on a frozen pond.

The next morning one of the "swordsmen" is missing.  H-F determines that he has fallen into the pond.  Yes, it's shallow, but in one spot it is very deep.  Our murderer knew this, weakened the ice the night before, and then departed.  The murder occurs when he is not there.  Same plot, in many ways, as a previous story.  Still fun.

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