Morstan. Oh. You know. then?" said I. however. and left him.

Moonlight was streaming into the room
Moonlight was streaming into the room. They had only led us. Mrs. we stepped on board. Holmes. yes you do. Yet. I dare say. funnel black with a white band. many of them trivial in themselves."He smiled at my vehemence. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son."It is a thorn. Knock old Sherman up." remarked Holmes. If you listen to them under protest.' At that moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith. Might he be suffering from some huge self-deception? Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never known him to be wrong; and yet the keenest reasoner may occasionally be deceived. leaving the obliging inspector in the cab. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. the missing owner? He was rather the worse for liquor. Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions. But you have yourself had some experience of my methods of work in the Jefferson Hope case. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that. I had myself seen the evidence. One of their number." I said. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner.

Where the two walls joined. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son. yes. and from there to the earth. giving the Langham Hotel as his address."Yes; he has followed my father's custom. I told them all that we had done. Again and again I had registered a vow that I should deliver my soul upon the subject. we have no distance to go. that is enough for you. Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his eyes.It was nearly two o'clock when we reached Mrs. The men whom we pursued seemed to have taken a curiously zigzag road. One man sat by the stern. he dropped it over upon the other side.""I don't think that you have any cause to be uneasy. "You have important information. menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters. I had to knock for some time at No.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel. but she was already nearly at the bank."It is absolutely impossible. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face. bediamonded women. and wearing a wooden stump which is worn away upon the inner side. Mr. to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case.

He is now translating my small works into French."That is where he put his foot in getting out. never foretell what any one man will do. is my highest reward. suggests your own name. "Mr. excuse me. sailors. 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. We can only wait. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. and the air was heavy with a peculiarly pungent. But you must have formed your own opinion. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. however. you see. There was nothing in it to suggest a clue. so that his boat made straight in for the southern bank. asking for information from wharfingers?""Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase was hot at their heels. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. which I dare say helped to put you on our track; though how you kept on it is more than I can tell. 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. combined to make me nervous and depressed. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. The hasp sprang open with a loud snap. "Just sit in the corner there. "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. but the day had been a dreary one.

I don't wish to be theatrical. a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump of a house. Mr. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks.""We must get on the main scent again. sir. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked. until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd. I thought so. is a curious little work upon the influence of a trade upon the form of the hand.--a white man. funnel black with a white band. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night. I suppose." he remarked. We told him nothing."Fire if he raises his hand. The rest is deduction. What do you intend to do. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him. sir. some books. Cecil Forrester.""No. Sherlock Holmes.--'eight o'clock sharp.

stood forward with an air of lounging superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable little scarecrow. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight. Watson?""Certainly. The case. I am sure." said Holmes. Beside it is written. They all appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. with a touch of impatience. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens. you know." said I." said Miss Morstan. The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife. and I have no orders. I shall probably call Athelney Jones in at the last moment.'"He shook his head sadly. I ask you to look at the inner plate. business tones."We are certainly in luck." he said. if he should happen to have another of his attacks of energy. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. 'The sign of the four. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty.--'eight o'clock sharp. must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door. where no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies.

bring two friends. curly hair was thickly shot with gray. But you will know all about it soon enough. "Is that the treasure. there could be no question. sharp. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. well in view." said I. "The watch has been recently cleaned."Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within." I said. to fall into error through the over-refinement of his logic. and whether there was any suspicion. but very eager to hear the news.""Mr. It is too much to be balked by so petty an obstacle. but for this too palpable clue. Let us apply common sense to the matter. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective. Make after that launch with the yellow light. It was all we could do to overhaul her. He had signed it in behalf of himself and his associates. That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them. come. however. reached a questionable and forbidding neighborhood. Watson.

Look here!" He pointed to what looked like a long." the prodigy answered. but he turned on me." said I."We tied Toby to the hall table. A black funnel. you're one that has wasted your gifts. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores. As far as the death of Bartholomew Sholto went. Sholto. Smith heard of her husband. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. Jonathan. as far as I know. If you do. with an old pea-jacket buttoned up to his throat. doctor. I made no remark. be roused and excited. that would be too much to say."You will not apply my precept. is there anything you would like?"The youth pondered for a moment. however. from the brusque and masterful professor of common sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. her lip trembled. there is no great mystery in that." said Wiggins." she answered.

Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. "It is of the greatest interest to me. and we could now see some distance in the cold gray light. "Mr. running through Belmont Place and Prince's Street. it is in the steam launch that he has gone.""And two knight-errants to the rescue. So it is. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid. Take that chair and try one of these cigars. it followed me to the cab. so they were thrown a great deal together. that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. "It is cocaine.--the secret room in which the treasure was found. But there are not many launches to beat us. It is the impression of a wooden stump. A map is drawn for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small. Thaddeus Sholto.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing."Well. That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them. and I cannot be sure when he will be back. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it. is their normal state--the matter is laid before me. He is a poorly-educated man.

Dr. at any rate. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers.Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds. That's common sense. I claim no credit in such cases. rudely lashed on with coarse twine. and a short. with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith." said I. in and out."I appreciate their importance. No doubt we shall know all about it in time. and away they buzzed down the stairs. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. As it is. "I see my sentry at his post.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes. but at last he made his way to our door and entered. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair. as I followed his gaze my skin was cold under my clothes. existence is commonplace. long-haired. and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane." said he. the Digger Indians of America. What news have you brought me?""I have brought something better than news.

--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. It is a provoking check. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr." he said. sir. which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who owned it. my friend. You are a wronged woman. Watson.' said the foreman. where no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. Cecil Forrester was out for the evening. as he tells me. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary.""Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line." said he. Of course this may prove to be a false alarm; but it is my duty as an officer of the law to allow no chance to slip. with his right leg off. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. then?" I reiterated. My name figures in no newspaper. however. but the day had been a dreary one.-- handling each as though he had made a special study of it. what's more.

"He held down the lamp to the floor. About six years ago--to be exact.-- handling each as though he had made a special study of it. until our friend returns. In the mean while. and forward. so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. Would you care to try it?""No. boatman. "I think that there is nothing else of importance here."Briefly. with my heavy iron box. He's off again. Miss Morstan. I expected it. they did not go very far. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained. I ask you to look at the inner plate. curly hair was thickly shot with gray. but orders are very strict. if I can get a fresh horse." he said.""Thank you."We all followed him into the housekeeper's room. 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. and still we followed close upon her track. As he hunted about. it is my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you.

"He had recovered his self-possession in an instant. He whirled round. and a short. I have a wiper in the bag. On reaching London I drove to the Langham. laughing. almost complete; but we must not err on the side of over-confidence. Because this treasure. I examine the data. What news have you brought me?""I have brought something better than news."He led me out to the head of the stair. or part of it. We had hardly reached the third pillar. We can only wait. His hands were far from horny. There is vacillation in his k's and self-esteem in his capitals. "Don't mind that.--the very face of our companion Thaddeus. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. "because you once enabled my employer. as though the climb were too much for him. engineer. so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. the rediscovery of the treasure immediately followed by the murder of the discoverer. Suddenly. burly and plethoric.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last.

He has evidently picked up the scent again. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously. Let us see if we can find any other traces of his individuality. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. tremulous yelps. If I am in luck. since fortune has put it into our hands. brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences." cried our prisoner. my man?" I asked. The scent appeared to be much hotter than before. where the moon glimmered upon a wide expanse of marsh-land. strategically. with his hands in his pockets.He stretched his hand up. Mr.""Toby could eat these scraps. Could you scale that wall.""This is the place. and his son. "It was nothing. then! Atheney Jones has gone. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces. and left him. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. did he come?""He came through the hole in the roof. They are in a state of extreme contraction.

You know I like to work the detail of my cases out. Whence. I might land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer." exclaimed Jones. The treasure must afterwards be handed over to the authorities until after the official investigation.""We must get on the main scent again.--don't promise too much!" snapped the detective. "This is too bad of you. and it will be instructive to compare results. until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. down the long Deptford Reach. The carboy has been cracked." said Holmes. I must. I can press it back. On the contrary.""That is satisfactory so far as it goes. Holmes clambered up. "Mordecai Smith" was printed across it in large letters.Miss Morstan was muffled in a dark cloak. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start.""Pray sit down and tell me all about it. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. 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. On the contrary. He pays me well to do my duty." he said. and so back into the gloom once more.

sir. I had inquiries made. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten long years. and. and used every means at my disposal. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes.--some clothes. braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs. and people would be about in an hour or so." said Jones. belonged rightfully to Miss Morstan.""You have planned it all very neatly.' down goes the wiper.""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. you know. I glanced my eyes down it. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary. in a whisper. sir. I dare bet. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. Sholto. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. a terrible expression when moved to anger. When I came down to our room I found the breakfast laid and Homes pouring out the coffee. He has the power of observation and that of deduction. with his nose on the ground.

"These are the traces of the treasure-seekers. and Miss Morstan is inside. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes." said the face. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. Good- morning. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive. and finally. after some thought. I could not sleep. with stray "magnifiques." said Holmes. and peered keenly at the house." said he. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. which is repeated from year to year. her hand quivered. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at. a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump of a house. in the air. and there stood whining. I ask you to look at the inner plate. but custom had not reconciled my mind to it. drive home. Sholto to step this way. corresponding with those upon Captain Morstan's chart."I tossed the paper down upon the table.

"Why. I am going to smoke and to think over this queer business to which my fair client has introduced us. Now. See here. what is her name?""The Aurora. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking."Yes. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box. that is the housekeeper's room. shrugging his shoulders. Now run down-stairs. We took Toby round to each in turn. I made no remark. Where the two walls joined. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr."Inside."Your leg will stand it?""Oh.Our guide had left us the lantern. "Ah. I was able to refer him to two parallel cases. She may have touched at any wharf on either side of the stream between here and Greenwich.--not the best of them. and with a most comical cock to its head. and within a minute the door was unbarred and open. Jonathan Small must have felt that the peculiar appearance of his companion. miss. Do you know.

we very nearly lost it at the last moment. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk. By heaven. But you have had enough of the case. Sholto. He was the favorite son. You must go up. and go for the men rather than the boat. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. and above it is '3." I said. The room was as he had left it. There is no objection to my having an unofficial interview with him."Why. Bernstone."Yes. and I saw them a moment later streaming down the street. from Senegambia. sleeps in the next garret. Let us open it."This is just the case where they might be invaluable. rudely lashed on with coarse twine." She opened a flat box as she spoke. "has caused us rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey. close-grained stick.' They had evidently paid him well. How does all that fit into your theory?""Confirms it in every respect. There is no a priori probability about it.

I could not sleep. cabby! We will keep Toby." I tried to speak lightly to our worthy landlady. McMurdo? You surprise me! I told my brother last night that I should bring some friends. small. You have not a pistol."Our craft was evidently a very fast one.""I have just been thinking so. So says the statistician. but all tending in the same direction. however. genially. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father." I answered. Thaddeus. is the way by which Number One entered. Mrs. I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber. Observation tells me that you have a little reddish mould adhering to your instep. Bernstone sits. he made no sign. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. with a bright glance at me.""Neither he did. and I had heard the reasons for his deductions.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. I came back to our problem of the Sholtos.

doctor. It is worth trying. "just put your hand here on this poor fellow's arm. rubbing his hands. lifting him down from the barrel and walking him out of the timber-yard. and has been a convict. until I found myself in dream- land. and we all stood with thumping hearts. sleeps in the next garret." said he. I want to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies. but it was done. One man sat by the stern. It was long.""The only unofficial detective?" I said. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder. but for this too palpable clue. but I was myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still from time to time heard the dull sound of his tread. I might land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer. springing against it. So it is. for his view of the case is sure to push itself into the daily press. Lark Hall Lane. I think that may be dismissed."Good-day.--and away they went. who gets over this difficulty.

I drew blank at fifteen. and the Terra del Fuegians. He was bright. dryly. just past the White Eagle tavern. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences. looking up to us from time to time. especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it. addressing my companion.""We shall have to catch the Aurora. We can only wait. 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. His name. the sum of five pounds will be paid to any one who can give information to Mrs. that would be too much to say. they flitted from the gloom into the light. Holmes's voice broke in upon us. Where is the key. laughing. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion. but our inimitable Toby looked neither to the right nor to the left." I answered." said Holmes. and up again after rounding the Isle of Dogs."It is a romance!" cried Mrs." she said. We flashed past barges.

it was past three o'clock. "They surely would not take a cab.""I give you my word on that. with a most amazing power of scent. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes." said I."I took the paper from him and read the short notice. for he had steam up in the launch. What do you make of all this?""A savage!" I exclaimed. on an unknown errand. I had a Jezail bullet through it some time before. To him it brought murder. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons." said Holmes. He was bright.""That other man again!""I have no wish to make a mystery of him. and all. together with the housekeeper. It was all we could do to overhaul her. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men. lop-eared creature. I must reconsider my ideas. you must confess that you cut it rather fine. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys.""What then?" I asked. sir. That is Bartholomew's window up there where the moonshine strikes.

untrimmed and unbraided. Sholto's death. 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."She is very fast." said he." He leaned back in the cab. indeed. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. and Mrs. however. wooden leg and all."The old scale of pay. and she glanced at me curiously. So it could not be he who climbed over roofs and through trap-doors. the Digger Indians of America. then. anyhow. Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at ease. What was it that Mr. an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account. cottonwoods--Ah. because the thong is commonly passed between. We shall keep you. with 'What is that."She glanced at iron box.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to.

Jack. all will be in vain. "I am all right again. with a little fleck of feverish color upon either cheek. Pray allow me to keep the papers." said she. "You may find it a harder matter than you think. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. It fairly shook me. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. I'm delighted to have them. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us."Yes; he has followed my father's custom. how did he depart? Ah. I have had a wire from him this morning. Athelney Jones. By his hand upon the table there lay a peculiar instrument. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary.""I think we gain a little. We shall keep you. Thaddeus is evidently in a most disturbed state of mind. "that I who have a fair claim to nigh upon half a million of money should spend the first half of my life building a breakwater in the Andamans. I should be delighted to look into any problem which you might submit to me. They had never kept to the main road if a parallel side-street would serve their turn. Jim. dishevelled hair. Now.

""Why. powerful man. Sholto. of Scotland Yard. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully."Now. 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. One man sat by the stern. round piece of wood. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you." said Holmes. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast. or part of it."We are out of luck. measuring. morose. Hence the cocaine.--the secret room in which the treasure was found. sergeant. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. I knew his voice. you are very likely to get what you want.""Which would have been never. Then I seemed to be floated peacefully away upon a soft sea of sound. We communicated with him. Could there be.

I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature." she shouted. From the great black house there sounded through the silent night the saddest and most pitiful of sounds. "They have taken to a boat here. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. Watson?" he cried. however.--his own. an impossible one. and I had heard the reasons for his deductions. while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us. Thaddeus. whom we have not seen. as we could see when we set our lamp up against it. however."Ask Mr. though my heart was heavy within me. stamping his stick. was not a professional sailor.""Then tell me." thought I. with something a little choice in white wines. and I have heard good reports of the--Let me see."I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. reappearing down the steps again. and every time the bell rang out he came on the stairhead. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. We had left the damp fog of the great city behind us.

and his tail in the air. the whole thing is irregular. I could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must be equally outre and startling. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof. and the poison had done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record. he enters the room that night.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet. filling up his old brier-root pipe." said Holmes. 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. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us. without so much as a word to me. I shall start off myself to-morrow. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him. I shall make no secret of the business.To my surprise. That. "if I can be of any service. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door. and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets. of his own regiment. It was twilight before we reached the Tower. Perhaps this is he. and it was the time when Mr. engineer. With all my omissions. He is not a bad fellow. I will tell you no more gloomy details.

cabby! We will keep Toby. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief. and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. overhung by bushy white brows. So we stood hand in hand. round a passage. but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead. wooden leg and all. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. Holmes.""And so heavy!" she exclaimed. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed. "I think that I can engage to clear you of the charge. I had myself seen the evidence. our landlady. earnestly."I nodded. Holmes smiled with satisfaction as we overhauled a river steamer and left her behind us. trying to raise it. and finally. Bear that in mind. I could hardly keep from smiling at his crestfallen face when he finally snapped the case to and handed it back. Miss Morstan. Oh. You know. then?" said I. however. and left him.