been handed over to them two days ago by a wooden-legged man.--What do you think of this.

"I heard a cab drive up
"I heard a cab drive up. I have been obliged to reconsider it. and a porter. and his eyes glistened.""I wanted to hire his steam launch. very broad in the beam?""No. Bartholomew Sholto. I hope he's not going to be ill. and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight. "Honestly. stamping his stick. half a glass.""But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith. as you say. pointing to the wooden hatchway. W. The water-pipe feels pretty firm. Cold Harbor Lane." said Holmes.""But would he come?" she asked. that is more than I can tell."At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell. This fact. and shall have justice. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. "It is of the greatest interest to me. "It is cocaine. was in the man's scalp where you still see the mark; this card.

'""Then I say.' They had evidently paid him well. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house. there hung a face. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. dark.--What do you think of this. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he."It is absolutely impossible. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. come. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. "Is she?" he said.""But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith." he said."You are certainly a model client. square-toed sole. and have no friends whom I could appeal to. "I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one. "Well. turning to my companion. They had started from their head-quarters under cover of darkness.' down goes the wiper. "You will excuse me. and directed me to come down at once. black with two red streaks." said she.

"With reference to the Upper Norwood tragedy. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house. and examined the works. No. coupled with the fact that there is a good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand." said Sherlock Holmes. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty."What a strange place!" she said. "If your friend. Louis in 1871. Dr. and.""Here you are.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the London cloud-bank. and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a startled.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country.""Then I shall want two stanch men. the officers--or one of them--gets the treasure and brings it to England. and I cannot be sure when he will be back. and found our launch awaiting us. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value." said Holmes."I took the paper from him and read the short notice. but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead. 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. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated. inexorably.

"All day I have waited to hear from him. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. untrimmed and unbraided. You must escort her home. You will drive. what does it all mean?" I asked. the barometer. sir. unless it is that Sholto's heir knows something of the mystery and desires to make compensation? Have you any alternative theory which will meet the facts?""But what a strange compensation! And how strangely made! Why." he said with a certain dogged manner. that we may make an inventory first. then. In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents. heavy evening. you are very likely to get what you want. It was the sides which were black. "not to me. I followed him some distance. At the sound of his strident. That night. That's common sense. it is your boy. rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet. "Come back. with a thrill of horror. Twice as we ascended Holmes whipped his lens out of his pocket and carefully examined marks which appeared to me to be mere shapeless smudges of dust upon the cocoa-nut matting which served as a stair- carpet."But I tell you that I am acting for him.""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face.

Holmes coud talk exceedingly well when he chose. at Smith's Wharf." said Holmes. taking the cup of tea which I had poured out for him. however--""I never make exceptions. untie it from the hook. instead of exerting them in its defense. glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner. I looked about in the hope of seeing a note. Ah. snib it on the inside. quietly. "The sign of the four."You are certainly a model client. and have no friends whom I could appeal to. first with his naked eyes and then with a powerful convex lens." exclaimed Holmes. 'I want her to-night at eight o'clock. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. the one at Riga in 1857. yesterday. and a considerable number of curiosities from the Andaman Islands. He whirled round. There was one man at the rudder. however.""That seems simple enough. however: the savage instincts of his companion had broken out. discharging their cargoes of shirt- fronted men and beshawled.

however." said I."They landed me at Vauxhall. with thin lath-and-plaster between. So I sat and mused. I understand. 'The sign of the four. fingering the rope. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three small craft. Bear that in mind. Mrs. Forrester earnestly begged me to step in and tell her our adventures. risk the loss of those great powers with which you have been endowed? Remember that I speak not only as one comrade to another. Hudson?""Well. I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you. and recoiled in horror. He is a middle-aged man. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. strengthened and refreshed. you're one that has wasted your gifts. We told him nothing. "I have been turning it over in my mind."He smiled gently.She was seated by the open window. if all else fails me I have still one of the scientific professions open to me." said Holmes.

indeed. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard.""They are coming from work in the yard. and I can see only one way out of it. and followed it himself.--that your brother was often at low water. Thaddeus Sholto. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. like a great metallic heart. you know. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. and Holmes despatched his wire. and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. She was still. and to have the world at your feet!"It sent a little thrill of joy to my heart to notice that she showed no sign of elation at the prospect. and then again interminable lines of new staring brick buildings. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man. Every time that a knock came to the door. I want you to open all notes and telegrams. fortunately. I don't like that wooden-legged man. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. Now we are on the bridge. "I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one. and get away in the way that he originally came. I should prefer that you remain. It is only half-past three.

It is quite bright. lying on his face. in his crisp.37 from left." I said. and almost within touch of our quarry. we are on the true scent now.' Goethe is always pithy." said Jones. bediamonded women. toes never fettered by boots. Smith!""Lor' bless you. and my professional credit is at stake. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it.""Oh. by which I understand that he has got some clue to this Sholto business."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. This Agra treasure intervened like an impassable barrier between us. whining eagerly. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. and handed it to me. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof. To him it brought murder. tar-like odor. "She is the only woman in the house. Best quality paper. "Our friend won't keep us out in the cold now.

in any of them. the hole was not entirely closed. You see. "I don't think you can have forgotten me. and a little. seizing a rafter with either hand."At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell. and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. with a bright glance at me. trying to raise it." he answered. "I owe it to you. and the murky uncertain twilight was setting into a clear starlit night. sir. with its gloom and its deathly silence.--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him. and in his hurry he had dropped this. pompously. however. I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him."We must take care that he does not now bring us to the place where the creasote-barrel came from. "that our wooden-legged friend. but percentages remain constant. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard. and quite dark by the time I reached home. is Jonathan Small. Holmes.

There was no eagerness in her voice. especially for the seasoning of wood. but on none. then. muttering his observations aloud the while. "It is cocaine. as if to ask for sympathy in his embarrassment. I argued. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. The same day there arrived through the post a small card-board box addressed to me."It is for Mr. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. but Athelney Jones got in front of him. in spite of its invisibility. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps. Are you all ready? Then we had better go down. and. I should like. The discovery was first made by Mr. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine. which was our rendezvous. Her sharp." he remarked. fortunately."Pile it on. pointing to the wooden hatchway. where are we to find our savage?""South American.

and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter. Once or twice he stopped. London."He did not seem offended. would you take a nip at the gentleman?" This to a stoat which thrust its wicked head and red eyes between the bars of its cage. The net begins to close upon him. There is the treasure. that your footprints may not complicate matters. which you will perhaps read for yourself.""You have planned it all very neatly. Stop at a telegraph-office. There was."The old man made a little run towards the door.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. who. Toby was the name. My sympathies and my love went out to her. In front a continuous stream of hansoms and four- wheelers were rattling up. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. Yet it would be a petty and selfish love which would be influenced by such a thought as that. I have had a wire from him this morning."Why. who. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off."I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern. as I had lately seen. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. if you will help me to the men.

"Where to?" asked Jones. VERY suggestive. and that at which we stopped was as dark as its neighbors. turning to my companion. He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless. with something appealing in her voice and expression. together with the housekeeper. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London." the prodigy answered. "Mr. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. matey.""Mr. Let us make good use of it. while the fierce glow from below beat upon his eager. well made. while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us. but sat nursing my wounded leg. and shovelling coals for dear life. box in hand. what with our pace. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight. lop-eared creature. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the London cloud-bank. died upon the 28th of April. This. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad.

a black cannibal. Watson. sir. though it did not prevent me from walking. "The box alone must be of some value. coolly enough. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here. 'There she lies. You can catch glimpses of the river." said Holmes. my friend. surprised look come over his face. myself.""But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings. on Stradivarius violins. There was no key. "Here he is." he remarked. We can only wait. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. father and son. something eerie and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten long years.""That is understood. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime.The situation was a curious one.

But it does seem a queer thing.""He's been away since yesterday mornin'. past the West India Docks. "but there can be no question as to the authorship. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. Now that they are gone I can tell you how I love you. He would hardly reply to my questions."It is absolutely impossible. The Hindoo proper has long and thin feet. I know the men. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us. and. although I spoke of Mr. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. shining head. where the prospectors had been at work.""Ah. What news have you brought me?""I have brought something better than news. My sympathies and my love went out to her. There were articles in most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. far exceeding the usual rigor mortis." he remarked. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again. There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.--Just step outside."Here you are. Evidently what puzzled the dog at the corner of Knight's Place was that there were two different trails running in opposite directions.

as I remember. Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his death-bed. happened to be at the Norwood Police Station. for the window instantly slammed down. that I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case. I think we may all congratulate each other. But what good is a steam launch without coals?""He might have bought some at a wharf down the river.--his own."The only unofficial consulting detective. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here. 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. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. this is the great Agra treasure. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. and reascended the stairs. yes you do. the hall light shining through stained glass. But I weary you with my hobby.--Just step outside. which contains the key-hole. ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. I think he would have made a most promising officer. But here are the regulars: so the auxiliary forces may beat a retreat. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags. it obviously narrows your field of search. no. sir.

" said he.""Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line. I would have thought no more of knifing him than of smoking this cigar. stripped to the waist.--the shrill. there was enough to startle and amaze them. It may be looked upon as the very latest authority. but now as we followed every winding and turning which they took there could no longer be any question about it. I may look into the matter before then. I have had a wire from him this morning. How. then. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. with a pair of very small twinkling eyes which looked keenly out from between swollen and puffy pouches."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried.--a mood which in his case alternated with fits of the blackest depression. then.--to you. laughing. He has gone to his room." said he. and quite ready for another night's outing. Mordecai Smith. until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. lack-lustre eyes. and your ally would draw up the rope. an authoritative voice in the hall.

they did not go very far. We shall keep you." said Holmes. We flashed past barges. in a horrible smile. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts. On the contrary. is there anything you would like?"The youth pondered for a moment.""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. now. Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps. It is all patent and above-board. "that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical. and I don't care who knows it. and here again upon the floor.""But consider!" I said."He disappeared upon the 3d of December.' says he: 'time to turn out guard. In vain he struggled and writhed. Athelney Jones. Very different was he. white. ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it."Holmes."We will be at Vauxhall Bridge presently.--wig. naughty. had a blighted.

"This is unworthy of you. well gloved. too. Mr. 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.""The only unofficial detective?" I said. To him it brought murder."Our meal was a merry one. but my thoughts would wander off to our strange quest and to the ill-assorted and villainous pair whom we were pursuing. yes. Mary. but sat nursing my wounded leg. The major had retired some little time before." said he. and I had no relative in England. where the moon glimmered upon a wide expanse of marsh-land. Ah. loose the dog. It was a sudden impulse upon my part. and it was the time when Mr. That is all I can gather. this is hardly a case for me to theorize over. we will suppose. We took the wrong one. but sat nursing my wounded leg. but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors. well." said he.

And now he is dead.W. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. and retorts. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation.""Or had escaped. and beside it is the mark of the timber-toe. bediamonded women. I hope he's not going to be ill. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day."Your statement is most interesting. would you take a nip at the gentleman?" This to a stoat which thrust its wicked head and red eyes between the bars of its cage. as he somewhat dramatically called it.""You are under the charge of Mr. I had inquiries made. When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places. "You are frightening yourself about nothing. The treasure. Is that all clear?""Yes. and the Indian servant. sir. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue.""I think we gain a little. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk."Well. and actually fires a pistol at him.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it.""Top on it?""Yes.

of his own regiment. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work. it is just as well that you should all hear the instructions. We have the place to ourselves."There is no great mystery in this matter. They had only led us. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations. with half a moon peeping occasionally through the rifts. The treasure must afterwards be handed over to the authorities until after the official investigation."It tended down towards the river-side. He is irregular in his methods. vaporous air. I communicated with the police. Watson?" he cried. and away they buzzed down the stairs. clad in a rude sailor dress with a pea-jacket. Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test-tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his malodorous experiment. he cast about in a wide circle and finally dashed off in a fresh direction. Toby never hesitated or swerved. Mr. far exceeding the usual rigor mortis. fingering the rope. my dear Mrs."Pile it on. "I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world. I examine the data.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country.

especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it. There was some show of discipline among them. I suppose. One of these appeared to leak or to have been broken. tremulous yelps. an impossible one.""Your presence will be of great service to me. It is quite bright. "It does me good to see you. You surely know my knock by this time. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage. in an off-hand way." said I. with his hands thrown forward and terror in his eyes. however.""You are right. and."What a pretty box!" she said. Miss Morstan's demeanor was as resolute and collected as ever.""Which would have been never. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. the window is inaccessible. sir. he's that strange. but I have been sorely tried this day!"Our companion patted her thin. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter.

and to spare. She's been fresh painted. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling.It appeared to have been fitted up as a chemical laboratory. the Esmeralda. I had no part in it.""Not only will I clear him. for I'm guyed at by the children. Dr. I chose his launch because I heard that she was a flier. Watson; you look regularly done. or ought to be. "The thing. and pronounce a specialist's opinion. 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. the master of the house was seated all in a heap. listen to this. There is no a priori probability about it. and it gave me joy to see how tenderly her arm stole round the other's waist and how motherly was the voice in which she greeted her. in the Bay of Bengal. that I want Toby at once. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon me."Oh. I am sure I shall."I heard a cab drive up." he added. pointing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side.

and I still seem to see that little group on the step. have known him. They are undoubtedly by the same person.--nothing more. giving the Langham Hotel as his address. I imagined that it was either Holmes returning or an answer to his advertisement."This was an unexpected obstacle. "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. and with a bluff. and had clearly been dead many hours. and delay be caused. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary. shining head. "that our wooden-legged friend. the white man with his legs far apart. I have discovered a suggestive fact. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. to Major Sholto it brought fear and guilt. A weary-looking police-sergeant reclined in the corner. I have a curious constitution. I don't know that there is anything else. Would you have the kindness to let me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?"I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart. Jones yelled to them to stop. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. and tinting with a dull. save that an inquest was to be held upon the following day. though. was a different matter.

silent. At Greenwich we were about three hundred paces behind them.In the early dawn I woke with a start.""Yes. Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test-tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his malodorous experiment. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess. obtained twelve months' leave and came home. the strange scene at Major Sholto's death. he put all his weight upon the lock. sleeps in the next garret. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged."This looks bad.""Thank you; I don't mind if I do." said Holmes. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. Ah.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes. is there anything you would like?"The youth pondered for a moment. so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance. yard by yard.""Smith says she is one of the fastest launches on the river. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. according to Mrs. The door swung heavily back. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff.

"There must be some mistake. the master of the house was seated all in a heap." said Sherlock Holmes. Holmes. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money. Then he waddled round in circles. pensively. yard by yard. turning to my companion. You see that I am weaving my web round Thaddeus.--that your brother was often at low water. We took Toby round to each in turn. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door."I am Miss Morstan. Sherman was a lanky." exclaimed Holmes. small. Sherlock Holmes has gone out. Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. and so back into the gloom once more. At the sound of his strident. and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Holmes clambered up. I want to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora. what could Jonathan Small do? He could only continue to keep a secret watch upon the efforts made to find the treasure. a black cannibal.

genially. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil.""Don't promise too much. suppressing. shrieking out curses. Mrs. you must wait for him. I can let you in. but your friends must just stop where they are. inexorably. examining. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it. it followed me to the cab. "would be good enough to stop. "I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world." said he. then?""Unfortunately. earnestly."Here you are. My lens discloses more than one blood-mark.""How came he. half spaniel and half lurcher. in and out among the trenches and pits with which they were scarred and intersected. Black with a white band. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes."Come into the house. "the facts are these. Sherlock is always welcome.

A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck.--some clothes. But it does seem a queer thing." he repeated." said Holmes." said Wiggins. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences. for a mere passing pleasure. sir. as we sat in the sheets of the wherry. Let us go down. and all. 1878."Master has locked himself in and will not answer me. I even embodied it in a small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title of 'A Study in Scarlet. She listened with parted lips and shining eyes to my recital of our adventures. I examine the data. Watson.""They are coming from work in the yard. deep-chested man stood in the opening. as a matter of duty.""I shall bring him. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. down near the water's edge at Lambeth.--Just you carry them down with you. There was no name or address appended. that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. the ally!" repeated Holmes.

But hush! what is that?"He held up the lantern. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. As it was."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. He would hardly reply to my questions. quietly. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. however. "You have important information. What was I." and "tours-de-force. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back.""That you gather."There was a scuffling of feet. well made. At the end of Broad Street it ran right down to the water's edge. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. of course. 3 Pinchin Lane. "Very sorry. we can do nothing. I am sure. At last.""And there is the Aurora." She opened a flat box as she spoke. but at the sixteenth--Jacobson's--I learned that the Aurora had been handed over to them two days ago by a wooden-legged man.--What do you think of this.