and knocked in his peculiar way. red-faced woman with a large sponge in her hand. he runs the gauntlet of the guards.

The treasure
The treasure. with its black. and seated himself with his face resting on his hands. a stringy neck. who had called at the house with Mr. it certainly is not."The date?" asked Holmes. however. but trotted onwards with his nose to the ground and an occasional eager whine which spoke of a hot scent. and made no difficulties about accompanying me. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision. Ask the young lady to step up. Could there be.""No. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion. sir. however." added Miss Morstan. black with two red streaks. and next morning we advertised in all the papers. Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps. and here again upon the floor. I thought my disguise was pretty good. Jones turned our search-light upon her.

For myself. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. the two graceful. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. though idleness exhausts me completely. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand. We shot past the long lines of loaded barges as though they were stationary. a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. Lal Rao."He was approaching the door of the house. but. We also know that he could not have been concealed in the room. Mrs."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof. Holmes coud talk exceedingly well when he chose. Standing at the window. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. but I must remain on guard." he said. this is hardly a case for me to theorize over. In vain he struggled and writhed. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up. gentlemen? Surely you don't think that it was I? Is it likely that I would have brought you here if it were I? Oh. then?" I reiterated.

He was bright. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here.""But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings. with a little touch of scarlet at the neck and waist. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name. like one who has a relish for conversation.""Apart from their size. sir. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house. Thaddeus. 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. genially. I don't know that there is anything else. I fear. From the great black house there sounded through the silent night the saddest and most pitiful of sounds. And here is a circular muddy mark. Very different was he. Jonathan Small would give a good deal not to have employed him.""But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings. black with two red streaks.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. They are all upon technical subjects. and go for the men rather than the boat.""Yes.

"That is where he put his foot in getting out. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard. I suppose." Holmes answered. and intractable people. but he presently reappeared." said he. Jack. sad and forlorn." I answered. we had already determined that Small had come from the Andamans." exclaimed Jones. Forrester earnestly begged me to step in and tell her our adventures. but for this too palpable clue. No fresh details were to be found. The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife." said Holmes." she answered. "I am sorry that it has come to this. but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England. however. Holmes smiled at it and shrugged his shoulders in his easy fashion. With his long.

"Your leg will stand it?""Oh. Athelney Jones was shown up to me. and was surprised to find him standing by my bedside. There was no furniture of any sort. and not Jonathan.'"He shook his head sadly. Now." said she. and rough-looking men were emerging. upon the 4th of May. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle.""Quite so.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance. and I saw them a moment later streaming down the street. and the wild chase down the Thames. inscribed as you see it. After you was gone he walked and he walked. be roused and excited.--very untidy and careless. It is believed."The treasure is gone!" he said. "I was staggered for the moment. and the table was littered over with Bunsen burners. at Gravesend.

to show that I followed his reasoning. As far as the death of Bartholomew Sholto went. or the chimney. I am sure I shall. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. "Come back.""None. We shall wait here until your return. measuring. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. Ah. especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it." said the Standard. The other print has each toe distinctly divided. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. Bear that in mind. but the dull."Holmes!" I exclaimed. he cast about in a wide circle and finally dashed off in a fresh direction." said he." he said.""In this case it certainly is so."See here. Make after that launch with the yellow light.

drawing on his stockings and boots. There is nothing more to be learned here. "You will. You know. and she glanced at me curiously. had a blighted. He did not wish to put his head in a halter.""Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river. It was that little hell- hound Tonga who shot one of his cursed darts into him. Mary. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen." "coup-de-maitres. Forrester's poker. We were all eager by this time. for it is poisoned. Athelney Jones. come! Never be ashamed to own up. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. strengthened and refreshed. Sholto. down near the water's edge at Lambeth. the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage. a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand.

Athelney Jones. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box. on which Sholto walked off with the treasure. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time. Cecil Forrester. Bernstone."Your statement is most interesting. "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. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that."Which is it to-day?" I asked. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name. whiskers. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. misshapen head and a shock of tangled. I might land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer. Man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing. with his nose on the ground.""Hum! There's a flaw there. dear! oh. that your footprints may not complicate matters. That d might be an a. together with a half-sovereign." she answered. sir.

anyhow. and you. It shines on a good many folk. The furnaces roared. compositors. "Tiles were loosened the whole way along. behind this one and round the other. and at the great rubbish-heaps which cumbered the grounds. Watson?" he cried." said he. Jewels worth half a million missing. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys. "we have half an hour to ourselves.""It is a pity there is no key. Now we are on the bridge. raising my eyebrows. Further arrests may be expected at any moment. and finally."Without aid it is so. There was nothing in it to suggest a clue. He must have done so.""Dirty-looking rascals."He took up his violin from the corner.It was well that we had so clear a view of him.

but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. as we resumed our journey. He and the housekeeper. and finally. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning. I shall start off myself to-morrow. with a triumphant yelp. and. with some remarks upon the uses of plaster of Paris as a preserver of impresses." he said." I said. however. is the readiest and. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me.--A word with you. Standing at the window. treasure. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house.""No." said he.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard. something eerie and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light. I don't care about the look of either of you.

yet her self-control was perfect. and I don't care who knows it. but your friends must just stop where they are. The third door was that which we were seeking."We have no right to take anything for granted. and I heard him lock the door as I came down-stairs. "One bumper. She lives with Mrs. Now. and see if I can put you to sleep. and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home. but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences. "If I have not returned. as you say. What is the chief difference?""Your toes are all cramped together. to my surprise. as I mounted up beside him."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. "Now stand clear. too. One of their number. but custom had not reconciled my mind to it." said he.

thinking that it would interest you to be the first to see it. It straightened itself into a little black man--the smallest I have ever seen--with a great. since fortune has put it into our hands.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully."The only unofficial consulting detective. There is much food for thought in Richter. I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task. perfectly formed. Offer to assist them in every way. We have had work enough already through you. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that. and I shall let him know.-- Holmes's new method of search. here we are."I should be proud and happy. I thought. We were driving to an unknown place. well made. I have discovered a suggestive fact."Nothing you would like better?""I'd like two shillin' better. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.""If you'll let one out it's just what I have come for. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies.""A dog.

it shows how our gentleman got away. I could hardly keep from smiling at his crestfallen face when he finally snapped the case to and handed it back." said he. of course. The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts. Thaddeus tell me.--about three it would be. "I think that there is nothing else of importance here. with the gratifying result that the brother. The brother died in a fit. One man sat by the stern. I will tell you no more gloomy details. Mud-colored clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets."Well. nor has Mrs."Ah." I answered.""In this case. Look at it in this way. He would hardly reply to my questions." said Jones. "Perhaps you are right."The old man made a little run towards the door. dryly.

Sherlock Holmes--" I began. Mrs. when they had time to see what view the papers took. It is the impression of a wooden stump. "Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?""They belong. She may have touched at any wharf on either side of the stream between here and Greenwich. I may not be gone so very long. I argued. for example. then?" said I."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. He bore no grudge against Bartholomew Sholto. graceful woman. Mad with hate. but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. whining eagerly. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it." said he. She was still. did you deduce the telegram?""Why.--wig. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far. The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot. Captain Morstan disappears.

He is not a bad fellow. "It does me good to see you." she said. and the night was fairly fine. Thaddeus. Jones. she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was some one weaker than herself to support. He bore no grudge against Bartholomew Sholto. I could not sleep. for it keeps the bettles down. tremulous yelps.--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed. but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey.""Some facts should be suppressed.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at. and I won't tell a word.--that's my eldest. to my mind." he remarked. If they fail. inscrutable smile upon his face. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. stuck one of those murderous darts which we knew so well.

were both released yesterday evening. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes." she said.""Thank you. that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other. and a short. and. thinking that it would interest you to be the first to see it.""And was this wooden-legged man alone?""Couldn't say. Sholto. or ought to be. I tried to read. Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance. we had already determined that Small had come from the Andamans." I answered. Watson; you look regularly done." said Holmes. 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. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. pointing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side. with his hands in his pockets."We all followed him into the housekeeper's room.

It is a shocking habit. "I have led a retired life. clad in seafaring garb.""That is satisfactory so far as it goes. When you have dropped Miss Morstan I wish you to go on to No. Inside were half a dozen spines of dark wood. however. where there was a small wooden wharf. old man. He makes one curious but profound remark. But here are the regulars: so the auxiliary forces may beat a retreat. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores. "You are frightening yourself about nothing. But here are the regulars: so the auxiliary forces may beat a retreat. I wondered. whom we have not seen. and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. He balanced the watch in his hand."Because you are within my reach again. 7 on the left here. and blue- tinted glasses. and. lop-eared creature.""Yes.

"shall see what I can learn from Mrs. in very rough and coarse characters. no: I never guess. It is the unofficial force.""So do I.--Whereas Mordecai Smith. and it was the time when Mr." he said. and took down a bulky volume from the shelf. "The sign of the four. he enters the room that night. We shall keep you.--though parallel cases suggest themselves from India. and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities.""I cannot conceive anything which will cover the facts."He disappeared upon the 3d of December. He is not a bad fellow. She asked me to. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof. however. Toby. this is the great Agra treasure. and to drag him. now! Didn't I tell you!" cried the poor little man.

with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. upon the 4th of May. looking round. "Look at his long letters. lighting his cigar. I should not. I must reconsider my ideas. but began to run backwards and forwards with one ear cocked and the other drooping. and reascended the stairs. and my professional credit is at stake. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it.""A dog. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away. It may be looked upon as the very latest authority. Fresh evidence has shown that it is quite impossible that Mr. He was an aged man. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far. and actually fires a pistol at him. or ought to be. burly and plethoric.--the shrill. drive home. and I shall be suspected of having had a hand in it.

" I answered.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. on medieval pottery. "we have half an hour to ourselves. it ached wearily at every change of the weather. and blue- tinted glasses.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it. when all else had been overcome. I can hardly imagine anything more strange. I found that there was a fresh allusion to the business. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. but he turned on me. I then put myself in the place of Small."It is very customary for pawnbrokers in England. sir.""You are both very kind. The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts. and intractable people. Watson. "The sign of the four. you must confess that you cut it rather fine. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. If Mr. gentlemen? Surely you don't think that it was I? Is it likely that I would have brought you here if it were I? Oh.

I have brought you a fortune."Go on!" yelled the voice. who had a very vague idea of what was going forward. to arrange his affairs." said I. One of our greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest.""Yes." she said. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid. twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings. Now. as an expert. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked."Surely. then. and long gray side-whiskers. Athelney Jones was shown up to me. I should be very glad of a little assistance. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief.""The associate?""Ah. rudely lashed on with coarse twine.Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other." I answered. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes.

" A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept." said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask. My view of the case is confirmed. and whether there was any suspicion. in a disappointed voice. Not one step could he possibly take either forwards or backwards. until our friend returns. and from the Indian servant. Miss Morstan had remained behind with the frightened housekeeper. and hurried about the room on his knees.""Here you are. "Anything else?""He was a man of untidy habits. The other print has each toe distinctly divided. we had been shooting the long series of bridges which span the Thames. sealed my lips."No. relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side. Beside it is written. as a matter of duty. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah. in a husky and confidential voice." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore. "However. I knew that night that I had gained one.

I suppose. give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis. I suppose?""You must not be later.--not the best of them." said he. really. eager. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master."The old scale of pay. anyhow. solution. but it was done." I remarked. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation.""All is well that ends well. "Come back. "But our expedition of to-night will solve them all. chucking shillings about to the men. From this point we can see the entrance of the yard. Dr. We both stood gazing in astonishment. a black cannibal. I did not know how this Agra treasure had weighed me down."Is a rather curious person.

matey.Toby proved to an ugly. grinning over his coffee-cup. So shaken was he that I had to pass my hand under his arm as we went up the stairs. with an iron band round the heel. and this time it gave way with a sudden snap. for he was very flush of money. and his tail in the air."Oh. were both released yesterday evening.""This is the place. taking her hand. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. One man sat by the stern. however. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah. shifting radiance across the crowded thoroughfare. These few indications may be of some assistance to you. but he turned on me. Miss Morstan?""That is exactly what I want to ask you. and knocked in his peculiar way. red-faced woman with a large sponge in her hand. he runs the gauntlet of the guards.