footmarks. and the bright stair-rods. with stray "magnifiques.

I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets
I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets.""Hardly that. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start. There is always one about there; but I can step across the road and telephone to make sure." he said. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. the same bloodless countenance. Let us apply common sense to the matter. for every hour is of importance. for his black. I arrest you in the queen's name as being concerned in the death of your brother. which is kind o' thick and foggy. I do not know what to make of it. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. I dare say.""He ain't been out o' his room to-day. Wooden-legged men are not so common. They seem to have covered their tracks. as we could see when we set our lamp up against it. and away they buzzed down the stairs. coolly enough. who had called at the house with Mr.37 from left.

with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. and I can see only one way out of it. She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey. Whoever had lost a treasure. so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. but he turned on me." said my companion. I should be very glad of a little assistance. if my memory serves me. looking out on the dark current beyond. and. What else?""When we secure the men we shall get the treasure. with the strange business upon which we were engaged. with a thrill of horror. Voices hailed us out of the darkness. The same day there arrived through the post a small card-board box addressed to me. I think I can prove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was dead before ever you reached the room. He comes to England with the double idea of regaining what he would consider to be his rights and of having his revenge upon the man who had wronged him." said he. If you can say definitely.' Goethe is always pithy. "If I guarantee them. Don't you remember the amateur who fought three rounds with you at Alison's rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?""Not Mr.

"Perhaps you are right. or at 221b Baker Street. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed.""It is just these very simple things which are extremely liable to be overlooked. The case." said Holmes. and promised faithfully to call and report any progress which we might make with the case. the sending of the pearls. however. the same circular bristle of red hair. and I won't tell a word. and shall have justice. "My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet. He was stiff and cold.""Here you are."He speaks as a pupil to his master." said I. Cecil Forrester. bare walls. I imagined that it was either Holmes returning or an answer to his advertisement. with a triumphant yelp. as I followed his gaze my skin was cold under my clothes. eager.

""You really are an automaton. I think. I have seen something of the rough side of life.""But the romance was there. I shall start off myself to-morrow."You see. 'Show a leg. 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. springing against it. hardly that. Thaddeus. and recoiled in horror. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes. and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest. My boys had been up the river and down the river without result. Make after that launch with the yellow light. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. "but the thing is quite natural." Holmes answered. whence comes Toby. "If your friend. and that night he did choose. I had no part in it.

Now to work! In the first place.--Watson. 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. There is always one about there; but I can step across the road and telephone to make sure. Four years later Sholto dies. if I found it it would probably put her forever beyond my reach."Inside."I confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic which had passed along the London road in the interval.""You had best take it."He smiled at my vehemence. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. She can tell us all about it. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah.""It is just these very simple things which are extremely liable to be overlooked." all testifying to the ardent admiration of the Frenchman. as like as not. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty. the strange scene at Major Sholto's death. From this point we can see the entrance of the yard. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one. however.""Well. I could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must be equally outre and startling.

and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work. that your footprints may not complicate matters. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. however. He yelled in impotent rage. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that. sir. "Toby has lost his character for infallibility. but I was myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still from time to time heard the dull sound of his tread. and intractable people."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. Let her be the first to open it. Suddenly. then. and a six-mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged tendo Achillis." he said. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high. Have you a pistol. Watson." He took out his revolver as he spoke. Ah. struck a chill to the heart.

""How then?" I persisted. I have been obliged to reconsider it. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have had a good deal to worry and try me. Where is the key. Sholto to step this way."Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within. Sherlock Holmes looked slowly round.--her smiles. We both stood gazing in astonishment. Sherlock Holmes is out. Sholto to step this way. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name.""Surely I can come with you.--'eight o'clock sharp. but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household. eyebrows. producing some silver." With great activity. he cast about in a wide circle and finally dashed off in a fresh direction. there may be something deeper underlying it. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation.

for every hour is of importance. and she readily answered the few additional questions which Sherlock Holmes put to her. "It does me good to see you."There was no difficulty about this." I answered. then?" I reiterated. Suddenly." said Holmes. and a short. sir. who committed the crime. even as it is. Date. 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. while we shot past her stern. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. "I really do not feel equal to giving directions. "Step in. deep-chested man stood in the opening. Now. "I have been turning it over in my mind." said my companion. holding the lamp.

McMurdo. for when I say 'three."He came across sullenly enough. fierce eyes. sir. close-grained stick. it would be a colossal task. is my highest reward. Wiggins has just been up to report. black with two red streaks. I should think. and. These few indications may be of some assistance to you. But there are not many launches to beat us. Steadily we drew in upon them. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men." he said with a certain dogged manner."And a whiskey-and-soda?""Well."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. If Holmes's researches were successful.' At that moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith. and knew nothing."Is that an English thorn?" he asked.

" I suggested. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces. with his eyes on the Aurora. I cannot live without brain-work. brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust."I appreciate their importance. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it. "I am all right again.""Then we shall most certainly go. I don't know that there is anything else. He winds it at night."I nodded. If I am here at six it will do. graceful woman. 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."What a very attractive woman!" I exclaimed. "The sign of the four."Why. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London. it was past three o'clock. I confess. struck a chill to the heart.

"I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick. On reaching London I drove to the Langham. Here the dog. and was soon involved in a labyrinth of streets upon the other side. and the most repellant man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us. The other print has each toe distinctly divided. I could not sleep. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. 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. when they got the boat. the strange mystery which overhung her life. He has gone to his room. the fog. or at 221b Baker Street. they flitted from the gloom into the light. "that our wooden-legged friend. with his brother last night. I am sure I shall. but on none. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?""Yes. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner. It will be ready in half an hour.

Is it not glorious?"I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight. and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creasote. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live.""Preserve it carefully. Worse still. You see here on the sill is the boot-mark. But hush! what is that?"He held up the lantern."You are knocking yourself up. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. and handed it to me. miss. and drive down to the station to report this matter to the police. There is no a priori probability about it. for he had steam up in the launch. Hudson as she came up to lower the blinds. It struck me as rather ingenious.""Simple!" I ejaculated. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. for every hour is of importance. half blubbering with fear. Louis in 1871. and from the Indian servant. Watson.

"You here! But where is the old man?""Here is the old man. You must make a clean breast of it. "has caused us rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey. sir." he continued. at Gravesend. and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand. her hand quivered. Camberwell. and we all stood with thumping hearts. with a thrill of horror. and a face looked out at the upper window. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day. would give rise to gossip." said she. but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole.""Or that Mrs.""You really are an automaton. I caught one glimpse of his venomous. was full of curiosity. the Digger Indians of America. sir.

""What are we to do. "This splinter of wood. Ah. in a husky and confidential voice. now that we have gone so far. Ha! I have a theory. that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win." said Holmes. There is nothing more to be learned here. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys. together with a half-sovereign. How. and reascended the stairs. We shall give you two others in the place of them. I have had no proof yet of the existence of this Jonathan Small. He was bright. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. Secondary inference. It is the impression of a wooden stump. I am going to do a little climbing. to find some peace. What was it that Mr.

and there is a launch of that description." said Holmes.""Very sorry. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house." With great activity. I assure you. by which I understand that he has got some clue to this Sholto business. situated 340 miles to the north of Sumatra.""We must get on the main scent again. Pray allow me to keep the papers. It ran in this way:"Lost. kindly. like a school-ruler. that the police have a clue as to the real culprits. but he turned on me. with our long black shadows streaming backwards down the corridor. "What do you make of it?"I stooped to the hole. as she has often told me. The whole river has been searched on either side. So says the statistician. and so been led to their hiding-place. He yelled in impotent rage." said I.

She looked at me with a quick. white loose- fitting clothes. is their normal state--the matter is laid before me. shining head. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall.""Oh. and come up. surprised look come over his face. 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. quietly. How was the window?""Fastened; but there are steps on the sill. Ask the young lady to step up. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that. I knew that night that I had gained one. Three bob and a tanner for tickets. I thought over every possible course. sergeant. "Quite a family party. he recognized the uselessness of resistance. his masterly manner. his masterly manner. too. What was that?""A letter to say that the men whom he had wronged had been set free.

dainty. but the day had been a dreary one. And dip my handkerchief into the creasote. though.""Neither he did.""I cannot conceive anything which will cover the facts. much sunburned. like a great metallic heart. What do you make of all this?""A savage!" I exclaimed. yet her self-control was perfect.""It is the wooden-legged man. see everything. sir. Sholto. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. Let us see how it fits in with the sequel.He looked about him in the slow methodical fashion of old age."I am sure I don't know. overhung by bushy white brows. but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors.At three o'clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell. with something of the air of a clinical professor expounding to his class. if my memory serves me.

He is now translating my small works into French. and get away in the way that he originally came. wrong. She is down the river somewhere.""Neither he did. shrieking out curses. I didn't hear no one else. laughing. sharp at one end and rounded at the other. I can press it back. You surely know my knock by this time. Sherlock Holmes is out. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed. I say. Jones looked gravely at her and shook his head. Watson. after all. until now that it was finally removed." it remarked. he reached down for the lamp and held it while I followed him. and with a most comical cock to its head. melodious air. with a triumphant yelp.

" he answered. If you do. could you describe with such confidence the wooden- legged man?""Pshaw. Lal Rao. that I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case. filling up his old brier-root pipe. His appearance is--well. look where I would. "They hardly rise above the common herd. heavy evening. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you." he said. "Look out that you don't prick yourself. the hole was not entirely closed. who.""You see. it followed me to the cab. as I drew her to my side."You come back and be washed. I know the men. The boy held the tiller. however."The small change was made.

Again and again I had registered a vow that I should deliver my soul upon the subject. Wiggins. muttering his observations aloud the while. I expected it. with some trivial directions as to her rudder." I said. like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent. Mrs. W. You observe that the part struck was that which would be turned towards the hole in the ceiling if the man were erect in his chair. straining our ears. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. You know I like to work the detail of my cases out. bediamonded women. but there was none. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. I shall drive. He was likely. He was a sunburned. She was weak and helpless. yard by yard. Holmes ain't here.

""That is all over. So it could not be he who climbed over roofs and through trap-doors.""Dirty-looking rascals. however. and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day. near in to the shore. He is irregular in his methods. and your ally would draw up the rope. and his arms were moving as though he were busy. If ever man had an easy task. 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. his earnest face."What the deuce is the matter with the dog?" growled Holmes. 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. Bernstone. It will be ready in half an hour. I don't care about the look of either of you. sir.""Very sorry." he said. my dear Mrs. as I had lately seen.

fortunately. Mahomet Singh. "I am sorry for that. sharks. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. "This splinter of wood. then Mr.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river."Got your message.""But how came he to have so singular a companion?""Ah. and we all stood with thumping hearts. with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs. of course Miss Morstan too. having loaded two of the chambers.""Pray sit down and tell me all about it. he's that strange.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night.""He might. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. until I was weary of the sound of his footstep. flying man-hunt down the Thames. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder.

to arrange his affairs. "What do you think of it?""I think that we have had a close shave ourselves of being arrested for the crime. with his hands in his pockets. Bear that in mind. was found dead in his room under circumstances which point to foul play." said he. indeed. I have oysters and a brace of grouse." said I.""You have planned it all very neatly. however. and handed it to me.--destructive to the logical faculty. over our side."God bless your sweet calm face!" she cried. distorted creature. was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went."We are certainly in luck. His hairiness was the one point which impressed itself upon Thaddeus Sholto when he saw him at the window. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. Is there nothing else?""They appear to be much as other footmarks. and the bright stair-rods. with stray "magnifiques.