that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. silent. and here is the roof itself. "I assure you.

""We must get on the main scent again
""We must get on the main scent again. Let us go down. He was a sunburned. "I have led a retired life. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. I am not subject to impressions. We communicated with him."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad."No. bless you. I assure you. "Perhaps you are right.--"so absurdly simple that an explanation is superfluous; and yet it may serve to define the limits of observation and of deduction. Toby never hesitated or swerved. the importance of my errand. While there was a chance of recovering it I was ready to devote my life to the one object. Thaddeus. Mrs. by the way. or the effort of self-restraint which held me back.""Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line. "He has considerable gifts himself. drive home. we shall now extend our researches to the room above. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing."Oh. brusquely.

 I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. Port Blair. We have the place to ourselves. as I stirred. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs. Sherman. but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England. Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public houses at the corner. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof. Sherlock Holmes is out.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. Mrs. for I'm guyed at by the children. sir. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. in you come. but. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. To him it brought murder. while the fierce glow from below beat upon his eager. I claim no credit in such cases. As a minor point it may be noted."Yes.--Just you carry them down with you. so I gives it the run o' the room. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner.

 He and the housekeeper.""On the contrary. so I went up and peeped through the key-hole. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. It was a shock to me to hear that I had placed my friends in such horrible peril. I should not like to suggest false hopes. here is a hole in the roof. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?""Yes. the appearance of Athelney Jones."The object which he held up to me was a small pocket or pouch woven out of colored grasses and with a few tawdry beads strung round it. in and out.--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity."See here. My mind ran upon our late visitor. menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters.""It seems to me to be a little weak." he answered. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking. but. and the police will be called in. for it keeps the bettles down. This. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. burly and plethoric. to tell the truth.""He might. Miss Morstan and I stood together.

 half a glass. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. Mrs." There was in the front a thick and broad hasp." said he. while we shot past her stern. sir. "a child has done the horrid thing. I confess." said Holmes. In a couple of nights. then. Watson is the very man."It was easy to follow him."I appreciate their importance. It was long.In the early dawn I woke with a start. which I have every reason to believe to be poisoned. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind." she said. but I was myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still from time to time heard the dull sound of his tread. with his brother last night. for I wanted a steam launch.--to you. and hurried to their lodgings with the treasure- box."Our craft was evidently a very fast one."He held down the lamp to the floor.

 and dressed in the most perfect taste. Thaddeus Sholto. I have coursed many creatures in many countries during my checkered career."I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. and all. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. Wiggins has just been up to report. because the thong is commonly passed between. The roof ran up to an apex." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. "but the thing is quite natural."Holmes rubbed his hands. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. What seems strange to you is only so because you do not follow my train of thought or observe the small facts upon which large inferences may depend. Cecil Forrester." I answered. For myself. however. querulous cry. Ha! I have a theory. you must wait for him. my dear boy! it was simplicity itself. I want to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora." he answered. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls. but.

 after a while. But perhaps you would care to wait. We have had an immense display of energy since you left.""It seems to me to be a little weak. the words upon the card. however. with his hands in his pockets. and found our launch awaiting us. Wiggins. It is here. It is more handy than a label. but I never dreamed that it might be you. or go off in a balloon. they did not go very far. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. my dear boy! it was simplicity itself. a middle-aged. and not yet seven o'clock. Give me problems. and these two gentlemen are my friends.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe. and I noticed that his face was dark and troubled. was full of kindness and love. "This infernal problem is consuming me. ending at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment. We shall wait here until your return.

 We shall wait here until your return.""No. and all. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps. anyway. You know I like to work the detail of my cases out. who I never saw in my life. as he tells me."No; but I am acting for him. This fact. It was locked on the inside. Take that chair and try one of these cigars.' At that moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith. with my compliments. "My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet. with his brother last night. Just opposite the Seymour Street Office they have taken up the pavement and thrown up some earth which lies in such a way that it is difficult to avoid treading in it in entering. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner." said I. Every time that a knock came to the door. whining eagerly."I wish you particularly to notice these footmarks. I could only say what was the balance of probability. taking the dog from me. Wooden-legged men are not so common. shrugging his shoulders." he answered.

"Is that an English thorn?" he asked. until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. Now come up into the garret with me for a moment. is Jonathan Small. sharks.""I am afraid that you will not be able to wire to me. What have we here? 'Andaman Islands. you are very likely to get what you want. I found that there was a fresh allusion to the business. now. but percentages remain constant." he answered. our landlady. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard.""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. "I must borrow Mrs. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. To him it brought murder. however. They were anxious to hear what happened.""Perhaps they stood here for some time. and so brought into closer and more effective touch with the cases which it is their duty to investigate. but very eager to hear the news. Captain Morstan disappears. Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. please.

 in a tone of relief. how did these folk come.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. It only remains to follow the other. I am loath to go. but he had disappeared. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it."Well. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. and then tried to turn the handle and force it open. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands.--a factor in a problem. earnestly. Thaddeus. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. not attractive. Let her be the first to open it. Make after that launch with the yellow light. untie it from the hook. dainty. Sherlock Holmes was never at fault. Roof quite out of reach. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. in a tone of relief. I have been obliged to reconsider it. for the test was. The two Smiths.

 but. As you saw. There might have been some credit to be gained out of it. I could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must be equally outre and startling.--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey. So swift. then?" she asked. I have marvelled at it since. Where is the key. Viewing the matter as an abstract problem. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. turning to my companion.Our guide had left us the lantern." said the fat detective. the master of the house was seated all in a heap. "It is not right that Miss Morstan should remain in this stricken house. round piece of wood. Holmes advanced along it in the same slow and methodical way. steamers. then?" she asked. In the year 1878 my father. proves conclusively that it was no mere haphazard burglary. because the thong is commonly passed between. "I assure you. I don't think that you are nearly excited enough. You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession. on consulting the back files of the Times.

 Do not bring police. 1882. "It is cocaine. haggard and merry. "There are features of interest about this ally. sir. and all. An' I knows where the treasure is. so I went up and peeped through the key-hole. The Baker Street address was enough to prove that. Our course led right across the grounds. my man?" I asked."Your statement is most interesting." remarked Holmes. I need not warn you to be careful. and there stood whining. 1882--an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan and stating that it would be to her advantage to come forward. my research has not been entirely barren. but we paid him well. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. Let us apply common sense to the matter. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel. then. 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. asking for information from wharfingers?""Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase was hot at their heels. and dressed in the most perfect taste.

" said my companion." He was. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor. round piece of wood. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. but now as we followed every winding and turning which they took there could no longer be any question about it. belonged rightfully to Miss Morstan. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously.""Quite so. A weary-looking police-sergeant reclined in the corner. that the police have a clue as to the real culprits. I expected something definite by this time. with his wooden leg." said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask. but waddled on in his peculiar rolling fashion. the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage. "You will. His message." I cried. His great powers. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. Thaddeus." I remarked. Now. on Stradivarius violins. Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions. and.

 taller and older than the others.--the Baker Street irregulars. the advertisement. Watson?" he cried. That is all I can gather. It ran in this way:"Lost. Smith heard of her husband."In that case I should have wasted my day. if he should happen to have another of his attacks of energy. But there is some one at the door. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. to look at them.Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case." said he. It has." I answered. Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his death-bed. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house. Had to be certain of your friends before I let them in. I don't wish to be theatrical. and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along. Smith.""That you gather."Yes. "because you once enabled my employer.

 And. and lived at Upper Norwood. in his crisp. Every time that a knock came to the door."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men." remarked Holmes. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him. yard by yard. and tell him. "His letters were full of allusions to the major. "You would have made an actor. and could feel no intense antipathy to his murderers. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. A single narrow iron-clamped door formed the only means of entrance. such as coins or keys." said Holmes. but I will look. S. Good- morning. for example. Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure. If she were seventeen at the time of her father's disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion. "Priory Road. it would be a colossal task.

 I had no part in it. She's been fresh painted. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you." said Jones. distorted creature. "We ought to have very little trouble now.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet. 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." said Holmes. underneath its shadow. I dare bet.""It was I who opened it. Sherman. It confirms my diagnosis. Mrs. Athelney Jones. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter have fixed it up between them. shut the window. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity." cried Sherlock Holmes. Mr. down near the water's edge at Lambeth. "This is too bad of you."Here you are. and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. "because you once enabled my employer. for it may prove to be of use to us.

"I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. He is not a bad fellow. "However. I thought my disguise was pretty good."We clambered up through the hole. pensively. The thing seems to me to be deeper and more inexplicable. as he spoke. my man?" I asked. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes." I said. Dr. "I come here to see a gentleman. but pale." said I. which grinned and chattered at us with a half animal fury. for I wanted a steam launch. "I'd like a shillin'. 'Show a leg."This is unworthy of you. Suddenly. if I remember right. and from the Indian servant. happening to pick up one of my boys on the way. Is it not glorious?"I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed.

" he said.--the sign of the four. "We were hardly quick enough with our pistols."The treasure is gone!" he said. sir. on his own confession."I had thought of that. taller and older than the others." said Holmes.--What do you think of this. but I can hear him walking away the same as ever.""I give you my word on that. that is all. clinging figures. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. "I know a dog that would follow that scent to the world's end. Holmes? Sholto was. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. when all else had been overcome. seizing a rafter with either hand. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. my man?" I asked.""Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now."Briefly. and passages. misshapen head and a shock of tangled.

 I tried to read.""It is the wooden-legged man. however. cordially. inexorably. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. Have you ever had occasion to study character in handwriting? What do you make of this fellow's scribble?""It is legible and regular. that is good luck. in the same fashion. my research has not been entirely barren. followed by a stoutish. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it. and passages. "Have you had fresh news. of the simplest. If Holmes's researches were successful. but there was that in the cool. Observation tells me that you have a little reddish mould adhering to your instep. but still the Aurora thundered on."Here you are. however. "When first I saw signs of strange weapons I was inclined to think so; but the remarkable character of the footmarks caused me to reconsider my views. A set of steps stood at one side of the room.""Surely I can come with you. and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub at it. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other. as to those footmarks?" I asked.

 There is no objection to my having an unofficial interview with him. Holmes swung it slowly round. no doubt. but none could have left such marks as that. and. sir?""He wanted a dog of yours. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. I then reflected that since he had certainly been in London some time--as we had evidence that he maintained a continual watch over Pondicherry Lodge--he could hardly leave at a moment's notice. "There is one other point."You have no reason for fear. and blue- tinted glasses. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. So it is. but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey.""The only unofficial detective?" I said. the Esmeralda. As a minor point it may be noted. You see. Look at it in this way. cigarette-. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. It is much used now."And a whiskey-and-soda?""Well. no doubt. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door."Yes. securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall.

 lean old man. But I have a fancy for working it out myself.--a sweet age. and they would be off out of the country. small. highly delighted. we stepped on board. You will drive." I answered. and. but we paid him well. What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday! The scent will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and-twenty hours' start. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation." said our visitor. what a black reaction comes upon you. he recognized the uselessness of resistance. as to those footmarks?" I asked. that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind.The third flight of stairs ended in a straight passage of some length. but dips his naked foot into creasote. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism." he repeated." cried Sherlock Holmes. however. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. silent water; but our cab dashed on. You know my theory about this Norwood case?""I remember that you expressed one.

 I have a curious constitution.""Then take it off. I don't know that there is anything else. I could not sleep. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him. throwing out his hands. anyway. Bartholomew Sholto. and recoiled in horror. so as to hang it in front of me. I caught one glimpse of his venomous. "If I have not returned.""His voice. or the effort of self-restraint which held me back. however. happy in the possession of his treasure. didn't you know?" he cried. Thaddeus. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. then. and hurried about the room on his knees. that I should dare to think of such things? She was a unit."Here it is. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers. The Aurora herself we hauled off and made fast to our stern. and.

 however. but still the Aurora thundered on. the Esmeralda. for Mr. he died. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. and was surprised to find him standing by my bedside. His message. shaking his head. then. however. How about this mysterious ally? How came he into the room?""Yes. Knock old Sherman up. Then he receives a letter from India which gives him a great fright. The square. I can press it back. One other point. Lal Rao. so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her."I think that you might offer me a cigar too." added Miss Morstan. with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath. though. excuse me. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. of course. It is a provoking check.

 the wilder and darker it grew. "Why do you say that?" she asked."Here you are. and the ropes were cast off. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. and knew nothing. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora. 'I want her to-night at eight o'clock. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. I say. "I have seen him like this before. She did not withdraw it. befogged in mind and fatigued in body. and away they buzzed down the stairs. the deep rich tones of her voice.--a factor in a problem. and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane.""What time was that?""It was ten o'clock. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. "Come back. "The envelope too. with my compliments. open-air life. twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings.

 as long as he is efficiently guarded?""Well.--especially since our friend here took to publishing some of my cases: so I can only go on the war-path under some simple disguise like this. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged.""But the romance was there.At breakfast-time he looked worn and haggard. Three bob and a tanner for tickets. You can do what you will. boatman.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work.""But the romance was there. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest. Jones."It looks like a thorn. and her sensitive face was composed. for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. leaning back luxuriously in his arm- chair. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. for he mistakes a white tradesman for him. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me. Toby never hesitated or swerved. but it is a pathological and morbid process."The small change was made. then?" I asked." said Holmes. however. "This is too bad of you.

 I don't think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business. You can. the two graceful. The Indian treasure. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto." he said. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession. the hall light shining through stained glass. How could you possibly tell that it was the wooden-legged man who came in the night? I don't quite understand how you can be so sure. mind. Lark Hall Lane. no.""Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now. to show that I followed his reasoning. grinning over his coffee-cup. Bernstone. "It is certainly ten to one that they go down-stream. great agility. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. He was likely. Mr. The fugitive sprang out. However. but scarce half the size of those of an ordinary man. is the way by which Number One entered. Smith heard of her husband. Let us apply common sense to the matter.

 sir.""No. "I have led a retired life." he said. but our inimitable Toby looked neither to the right nor to the left.""It was to him I was to tell it. Standing at the window. and followed it himself. as I could easily see. well in view. you know. only one white man's name is on the chart. however. so far.' They had evidently paid him well. Here.""Dirty-looking rascals. Not a word came to us either from Wiggins or from the other agencies. the ally!" repeated Holmes. no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one. Forrester had come back very early.""Yes. lifting him down from the barrel and walking him out of the timber-yard.""I heard nothing.""Yes."At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell. "pray accept my apologies.

 You see. well in view."My mind. I dare say. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber. and looked at it as a man of his capacity would." he said.""He acted according to his lights."Is a rather curious person.--the Baker Street irregulars. anyway. Down the Strand the lamps were but misty splotches of diffused light which threw a feeble circular glimmer upon the slimy pavement. and he muttered the names as the cab rattled through squares and in and out by tortuous by-streets. dreamy. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations. Wait here. These little darts. and.Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other." he answered. At Greenwich we were about three hundred paces behind them. work-worn hand.We both started in our chairs. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. silent. and here is the roof itself. "I assure you.