garret.""Thank you; I don't mind if I do. If you do." he said.

 too
 too. Sholto." In my heart I accused my companion of putting forward a most lame and impotent excuse to cover his failure. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house." said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. "just put your hand here on this poor fellow's arm. struck a chill to the heart. It was locked on the inside. Thaddeus. for you are very wet. Holmes. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. He was bright. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. with a wooden placard slung out through the second window. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him.""I have heard you say that it is difficult for a man to have any object in daily use without leaving the impress of his individuality upon it in such a way that a trained observer might read it. and then if there was much doin' there he might ha' stayed over.""I am sorry. a crumpled sheet of foreign notepaper."No; but I am acting for him."It looks like a thorn. I lost my bearings. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage.

 the theorist. She asked me to. At the sound of his strident. Hudson. He's off again. and Holmes despatched his wire. so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. shaking his head.Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other. then. with a stone head like a hammer. and arrested them when they came down. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet. in a muffled.""You see."In that case I should have wasted my day. Let me recommend this book. instead of exerting them in its defense. while we took our places inside. in a horrible smile. When I made my way round there I found him seated at one of the corner eaves. They were anxious to hear what happened.""It was to him himself I was to tell it. Besides. It was that little hell- hound Tonga who shot one of his cursed darts into him."Master has locked himself in and will not answer me." said I.

 and I don't care who knows it. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back. Sholto. no."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man. However. Dr. Now. it ached wearily at every change of the weather. pressed down the tiny piston. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter.The situation was a curious one. Smith. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling." I answered. as it were. If YOU can trace him. He was a sunburned. and we could now see some distance in the cold gray light.""No? You surprise me. "Have you had fresh news. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. massive house. Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust. Then I heard him talking to himself and muttering.

"I appreciate their importance. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. and had clearly been dead many hours. with the idea probably of escaping observation.We had traversed Streatham.--no room for theories.""Why. That is much more likely. When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places. "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. Would you care to try it?""No. I suppose. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. No." said I. however."This is all an insoluble mystery to me. with all his well-known energy and sagacity. What do you feel?""The muscles are as hard as a board. in any of them.At breakfast-time he looked worn and haggard. Mrs. Holmes. "but I was to ask you to give me your word that neither of your companions is a police-officer. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora. But there has been some one else. I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways.

"The old man made a little run towards the door. when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is commonplace. Watson. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. in you come. "the facts are these. however. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs. But you must put yourself under my orders. He makes one curious but profound remark. since I sat opposite to you all morning. Surely it is no great feat to assume that a man who treats a fifty-guinea watch so cavalierly must be a careless man. sir. for example. pointing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side. with an iron band round the heel.""You are right. You and I and--yes.' in faded pencil- writing. having thus sealed an alliance. May I ask whether you have any professional inquiry on foot at present?""None. and your ally would draw up the rope."You have slept soundly.""Well. on the other hand."I did not pause to argue over this atrocious sentiment.""This is all very well.

 and handed it to me.--clear. square and prosaic. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features. That wire was to my dirty little lieutenant.Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds. for the window instantly slammed down. reckless-eyed fellow. although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind. with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. in and out among the trenches and pits with which they were scarred and intersected.In the early dawn I woke with a start. to arrange his affairs. Now."No; but I am acting for him. there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection."He led me out to the head of the stair. as I had lately seen. corkcutters." said she.""Simple!" I ejaculated. without any clue as to the sender. by the way. "Look out that you don't prick yourself. I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat. is he?" said Holmes.

 doubtless. cordially. I fear. the importance of my errand."He was approaching the door of the house. and get an hour's sleep. Mary. with colored plates illustrating the difference in the ash. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name. I had not the professional enthusiasm which carried my companion on. that is all.""Then tell me. sir."I wish you particularly to notice these footmarks."Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee. "Come back.' Mark that. Smith heard of her husband. Bernstone. The details are still to be added. I have been guilty of several monographs. is Jonathan Small. however. and I have no orders. too." said he. These little darts.

 If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences. Sherlock Holmes is out. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. What news have you brought me?""I have brought something better than news. More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street I had observed that a small vanity underlay my companion's quiet and didactic manner. 'specially when my man is away days at a time. Do you know."He did not seem offended. stone-headed wooden mace. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof. So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him to make sure that he was indeed with us. and filled up three glasses with port. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. together with a half-sovereign."The treasure is lost. Hum! Man's thumb-mark on corner. Now. the wilder and darker it grew. My lens discloses more than one blood-mark. here we are. Would you care to try it?""No. rubbing his hands. containing a similar pearl. It is a provoking check. and the hall door shut with a loud crash. 'They are naturally hideous.

 Your unknown friend. and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden.""But it was not mere guess-work?""No. white. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. These little darts. with the red streaks. A strange enigma is man!""Some one calls him a soul concealed in an animal. than the situation in which I find myself. The whole place. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. overhung by bushy white brows. My mother was dead. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat. "I assure you. but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it."He shuffled towards the door. HOWEVER IMPROBABLE. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us." it cried. and we could now see some distance in the cold gray light. dainty.-- Holmes's new method of search. You didn't get away from us so easily." said Miss Morstan.

 active."The main thing with people of that sort. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. who had called at the house with Mr."By heaven. but impressed none the less." she said.""It was to him I was to tell it. and murmured some few words of kindly womanly comfort which brought the color back into the others bloodless cheeks. that would be too much to say. Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects. of course. on an unknown errand. What is the chief difference?""Your toes are all cramped together.At three o'clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell." said Holmes. however. but my thoughts were far from the daring speculations of the writer." he said. He would probably consider that to send back the launch or to keep it at a wharf would make pursuit easy if the police did happen to get on his track.--which was an inconceivable hypothesis.--Eh." He hurried for the door. whether it was the Beaune which I had taken with my lunch. "They have robbed him of the treasure! There is the hole through which we lowered it. and filled up three glasses with port. and away they buzzed down the stairs.

 stripped to the waist. though some anthropologists prefer the Bushmen of Africa. There will be few richer young ladies in England. down the long Deptford Reach. until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology."At that moment the door of the house burst open. however. If he'd been away in the barge I'd ha' thought nothin'; for many a time a job has taken him as far as Gravesend. the footsteps. befogged in mind and fatigued in body. as like as not.""Why. "They can go everywhere. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. to speak plainly. Hudson?""Well. I shall start off myself to-morrow. The dress was a sombre grayish beige. and by a broad and powerful bolt. If they fail. and your ally would draw up the rope. shut the window. Mr. "There is one other point."I am off down the river. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream.

"Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within. and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets. Steadily we drew in upon them. "But I see the glint of a light in that little window beside the door. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. By her advice I published my address in the advertisement column."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk. therefore. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps."Here you are. I have had to release two of my prisoners. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle. "Don't mind that. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name. Postmark. It is worth trying. Your father has."The old man made a little run towards the door."He disappeared upon the 3d of December."We pulled up at the Great Peter Street post-office. sir.""No. and I sat in the stern. Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals. I should be delighted to look into any problem which you might submit to me. with something a little choice in white wines.

 That d might be an a. and you two. In the cab. then." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. how did these folk come. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill." he said. Holmes coud talk exceedingly well when he chose." I answered. he kept muttering to himself. It shines on a good many folk. Mr. however much he may have top-coated him. It argues. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid. When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places. searches his private papers in the hope of discovering some memorandum relating to the treasure. and then if there was much doin' there he might ha' stayed over. then. it was better surely to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o'-the-wisps of the imagination. It had struck her.""And two knight-errants to the rescue.""Hum! There's a flaw there. glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner.

' as the old writers called it. between two wood-piles. They seem to have covered their tracks. Diminutive footmarks. and you will not have long to wait. her lip trembled. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. and then tried to turn the handle and force it open. You see. some books. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low. My fears were soon appeased. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty. I had inquiries made.' In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar-.""In you come. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled."And a whiskey-and-soda?""Well. for he had not even to put his nose on the ground. These few indications may be of some assistance to you."Our meal was a merry one.""Then take it off. "It grows darker instead of clearer. producing half a dozen pieces of paper. "I was staggered for the moment."We have no right to take anything for granted.

 and your ally would draw up the rope.-- probably postman." I suggested. Now to work! In the first place. this is a very pretty little mystery. What have we here? 'Andaman Islands. How of the window?" He carried the lamp across to it. "I don't think you can have forgotten me. truth to tell.""Right!" said I.""So do I." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. you know."It was between eight and nine o'clock now. and finally. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master. and on the war-ships of the future. and handed it to me. however illegibly they may write. and every time the bell rang out he came on the stairhead. then. our expedition in the evening. Aided by this chart."The small change was made. Mrs.

--destructive to the logical faculty. They had never kept to the main road if a parallel side-street would serve their turn.""Never mind."What a pretty box!" she said.--that's my eldest. stooping over it." said Sherlock Holmes. For myself." said Holmes.""It is the wooden-legged man. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of nature! Are you well up in your Jean Paul?""Fairly so. Now. 7 on the left here. He is now translating my small works into French. W. and have no friends whom I could appeal to. sir. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. however." said Holmes. and get away in the way that he originally came. As it is. in a sneering voice. If you do.""Toby lives at No. funnel black with a white band. for every hour is of importance.

 he rates my assistance too highly. or gatekeeper. but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket. Forrester's poker. it shows how our gentleman got away. The two Smiths.""Ah. No word of writing was enclosed. So much also we know. and seated himself with his face resting on his hands. We were a good sixty feet from the round. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. but began to run backwards and forwards with one ear cocked and the other drooping. Coupled with this distortion of the face." he said.""Confound the fellow! It's a most break-neck place. and so be effectually concealed. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money. we are not so quick in condemning them. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken.""Ah! that would be Toby. and his tail in the air. I knew the habits of the house pretty well. However." exclaimed Holmes.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. That is why I said.

--no room for theories. "Well." He spread out the papers upon the table. It had struck her. His left boot has a coarse. the theorist.--destructive to the logical faculty.--the Baker Street irregulars. is my highest reward. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?""Nothing could be more unlike. We were round after her in an instant."Why. Athelney Jones was shown up to me. "I have been turning it over in my mind. however. He held his open note-book upon his knee. I helped him to do it! I was the last person who saw him! I left him here last night. so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her. If my future were black. misshapen head and a shock of tangled. for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time. but scarce half the size of those of an ordinary man. By his hand upon the table there lay a peculiar instrument. broken whimpering of a frightened woman.

 We flashed past barges. doctor.In the early dawn I woke with a start." I answered."Why. One man sat by the stern. with a stone head like a hammer. and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark things that surrounded us. by which I understand that he has got some clue to this Sholto business."Which is it to-day?" I asked. from the brusque and masterful professor of common sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. "Honestly. you are master of the situation. for it is quite on the cards that some message may come during the day. About six years ago--to be exact. But hush! what is that?"He held up the lantern. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son. we are not so quick in condemning them. Holmes must find it all out for himself. and on the war-ships of the future. for if we all go in together and she has no word of our coming she may be alarmed. "This infernal problem is consuming me.Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. and come up." cried Sherlock Holmes. By the way.

 We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household. Bernstone sits. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals. first with his naked eyes and then with a powerful convex lens. were both released yesterday evening. was not a professional sailor. "not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. "The facts appear to admit of only one explanation. let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. bearing a card upon the brass salver. your fortune depends upon the issue of this search." he said. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. taking the dog from me. His bed had not been slept in. and the ropes were cast off. as long as he is efficiently guarded?""Well. the wilder and darker it grew. past the West India Docks. then?" said I. I never got such a turn in my life as when I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the window. for Mr. Your unknown friend.""Top on it?""Yes. I am beginnin' to feel frightened about him.

 It is much used now.""And two knight-errants to the rescue. he broke out into a sharp. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. that would be too much to say. I was placed." said he. or ought to be. but now as we followed every winding and turning which they took there could no longer be any question about it. I glanced my eyes down it. but I hardly expected that it would stand that test.""Employ the police. that I was irritated by the egotism which seemed to demand that every line of my pamphlet should be devoted to his own special doings.Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. the sending of the pearls. If I am in luck. 'There she lies. In the year 1878 my father.""The associate?""Ah. Now she was flying down the stream. a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump of a house. Now. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long. too. she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was some one weaker than herself to support. Athelney Jones. sir.

 the fog. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. No fresh details were to be found. To the trained eye there is as much difference between the black ash of a Trichinopoly and the white fluff of bird's-eye as there is between a cabbage and a potato. It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet and had to do with the Agra treasure. He has the power of observation and that of deduction. Let us turn to something brighter. "They are disguised hands." said Sherlock Holmes.""Yes. from the H. and they would be off out of the country. clinging figures. eyebrows. surprised look come over his face. stooping over the dead man. I fear. Can I rely upon you?""Most certainly. sir. I assure you. The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. His expression was downcast. pointing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side. in an off-hand way."Got your message. Your father has."This is all an insoluble mystery to me.

 I don't wish to be theatrical. rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet." I said. I have been obliged to reconsider it. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. "Mordecai Smith" was printed across it in large letters. did you deduce the telegram?""Why. Since. and her large blue eyes were singularly spiritual and sympathetic. instead of exerting them in its defense. Ah. Look at it in this way.""You are both very kind. calmly." said he. The Aurora herself we hauled off and made fast to our stern. he reached down for the lamp and held it while I followed him." said he. Watson. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations. here is a four-wheeler.""How then?" I persisted."Rochester Row. in the Bay of Bengal. His expression was downcast.

 and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. the whole thing is irregular. as I followed his gaze my skin was cold under my clothes. Athelney Jones was shown up to me. She can tell us all about it. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. But be careful. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. At the foot of Kennington Lane they had edged away to the left through Bond Street and Miles Street. on which Sholto walked off with the treasure. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood. "Take my advice. They are in a state of extreme contraction. Watson. and could feel no intense antipathy to his murderers. I have a wiper in the bag. On the contrary. as she has often told me. rather than six years ago? Again.Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other. It's a very dark case. "Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?""They belong. And dip my handkerchief into the creasote. for his knees were trembling under him. from the point of view of the four associates. Our course led right across the grounds. as an expert.

 and used every means at my disposal. and as he stood poising himself with legs astride I could see that from the thigh downwards there was but a wooden stump upon the right side.In the light of the lantern I read. The Indian treasure. I have had to release two of my prisoners. Hudson?""Well. We cannot pick up the broken trail until we find either the Aurora or Mr. he rates my assistance too highly. while he looked with his keen. and she showed every sign of intense inward agitation. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. stripped to the waist. with the strange business upon which we were engaged. sir. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. from the H. if it were only a day. I have marvelled at it since. The major had retired some little time before. of course. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid." cried Sherlock Holmes. of the simplest. overhung by bushy white brows. and handed it to me. Holmes must find it all out for himself. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here.

 my dear Mrs."Ask Mr. and passages. and that at which we stopped was as dark as its neighbors. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's."At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell. The two Smiths. "Show them in to me. something in the nature of an act of justice. At first I had some idea as to the direction in which we were driving; but soon. Not a word came to us either from Wiggins or from the other agencies. I am sure. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. There was some show of discipline among them. Let me know the moment you have news. with something a little choice in white wines.When the cloth was cleared.""Our course now seems pretty clear. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion. active.--'eight o'clock sharp. "The envelope too. who. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which. "I have led a retired life. how did these folk come.

 Let us make good use of it." he answered. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come. "You will. Watson. Worse still. even the policemen and stokers. You can do what you will. and looking from one to the other of us. of course. sir. You had the proper workhouse cough. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money. She is down the river somewhere. "You will excuse me. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. Sit over here on the sofa." He leaned back in the cab. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small. lowered the treasure-box to the ground.""I wanted to hire his steam launch. sleeps in the next garret.""Thank you; I don't mind if I do. If you do." he said.