Mr. Polton explains

New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1940. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. Red pictorial cloth in original dust jacket, slightly chipped at edges and near head of spine, otherwise a fine, uncut copy. First American edition. Told by Dr. Thorndyke’s great friend Mr. Polton, whose invaluable childhood experiences and skills as a clock-maker help solve this baffling crime. Thorndyke here is once again faced with a seemingly impossible scenario, that of a mysterious fire in a house filled with supposedly inflammable objects, and once again solves the crime (this time with a bit of outside assistance).