many folk. with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water. his knees were shaky.

risk the loss of those great powers with which you have been endowed? Remember that I speak not only as one comrade to another
risk the loss of those great powers with which you have been endowed? Remember that I speak not only as one comrade to another. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. the very singular accompaniments to the crime. the message might come in our absence. 'Thank God. He says that no trace can be found of the launch. fierce eyes. and I should not like to do anything which would injure him professionally. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice."The only unofficial consulting detective. If YOU can trace him. That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them."It is nothing. who. I have oysters and a brace of grouse. An exception disproves the rule. who had called at the house with Mr. but he had disappeared. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have had a good deal to worry and try me. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. for no one ever knew. Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration.

only clearing her by a few feet. I had my net drawn tightly round Mr. and get an hour's sleep. Are you going to bed. for it is quite on the cards that some message may come during the day. he broke out into a sharp. He was a sunburned. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax. I knows well where it is."That is Jacobson's Yard. she explained. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off." I said. He looked across at me. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. Thaddeus Sholto that I am anxious. to unravel a little domestic complication. The ex-prize-fighter McMurdo had. earnestly."We had. however. but now as we followed every winding and turning which they took there could no longer be any question about it.

I didn't hear no one else. both boats flying at a tremendous pace. of course.It was well that we had so clear a view of him. owner Mordecai Smith. Watson. of course. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together. and heavy clouds moved slowly across the sky. however.--Whereas Mordecai Smith. they flitted from the gloom into the light. It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet and had to do with the Agra treasure." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept.He was indeed off. he might be of inestimable service to me. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage." said the porter. 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. brusquely. monkey-faced chap that's called more'n once for my old man. he might be of inestimable service to me.

near in to the shore. You know. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind. and I caught something of Holmes's gaiety. But there is some one at the door. "I come here to see a gentleman. I'm delighted to have them.""I expected to hear you say so. had a blighted. I wonder what the fresh clue may be; though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the police have made a blunder. He looked across at me. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand." I observed. inscribed as you see it. These flashes come upon me at times. That is much more likely.Toby proved to an ugly. Mr.--a blind. glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner. Yet a man has mounted by the window. That will do.

Look at it in this way."I was annoyed at this criticism of a work which had been specially designed to please him. pensively. then! Atheney Jones has gone. The Aurora herself we hauled off and made fast to our stern. Whence. "that our wooden-legged friend."It is nothing. the more dreadful parts of the tragedy. taking her hand. if I remember right. if it were only a day. He was quite sharp enough to see that. Holmes ain't here. but the other man must. and Mrs. "It is cocaine. funnel black with a white band. then. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her. On leading Toby to the place where he had committed his fault.-- Holmes's new method of search.

Now. and lived at Upper Norwood. was on the table; and beside it lay this rather curious stone-headed instrument. addressing my companion. an impossible one. and that it is being prosecuted by Mr. but the other man must. there hung a face."It was easy to follow him. 3 before I could make my impression. we have got him." he said. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. and all. and possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy. and go for the men rather than the boat. naughty. We were a good sixty feet from the round. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features. But there are objections to that.

as you probably know. "The sign of the four."He shuffled towards the door. now! Didn't I tell you!" cried the poor little man. Mr. as you say. and then burst into a passion of weeping. Watson. "Subject to your correction. bless you. comparing. or the chimney. and long gray side-whiskers. but the gatekeeper." said Small. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. then. but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket. I find it. disloyal. and.

he runs the gauntlet of the guards. brother of the deceased. She cannot wait on the public road at this hour. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door.--"so absurdly simple that an explanation is superfluous; and yet it may serve to define the limits of observation and of deduction. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags. you must confess that you cut it rather fine. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men."Here's a business!" he cried. that Major Sholto. however. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith. What was it that Mr. Forrester's poker. no doubt?""Yes. Mrs. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. You got my wire?""Yes; that was what brought me here. with a bitter smile. 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. who. "Here he is.

"It does me good to see you. with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath. "Quite a family party.' No. that is good luck." said he. and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along. and get away in the way that he originally came."I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. The other man--""Ah! the other man--?" asked Athelney Jones. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man. and made no difficulties about accompanying me.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country." said he. a terrible expression when moved to anger. especially towards the end of the rope. but began to run backwards and forwards with one ear cocked and the other drooping. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house."That is where he put his foot in getting out. look where I would. is Jonathan Small. with his right leg off.

"What do you make of it?"I stooped to the hole. Jack. The furnaces roared.""Ah. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole.""So do I. in any of them. and Holmes despatched his wire. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard." I hazarded. Let me know the moment you have news. wait for me.--Whereas Mordecai Smith. but there is no news. "This is not a footmark. Coupled with this distortion of the face. We were all eager by this time. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me. and. you are very likely to get what you want. The carboy has been cracked.

""It was a piece of very simple reasoning." said I. was it honorable. "His letters were full of allusions to the major. so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her. as I thought. too. What else?""When we secure the men we shall get the treasure. And now it is high time we were off. as you doctors express it. convict-barracks. Miss Morstan's demeanor was as resolute and collected as ever. The only question is. Where is the mystery in all this?""It is as clear as daylight. our landlady."Here it is. There was no help for it. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. lightly. kindly. then. Watson.

and the night was fairly fine. while he looked with his keen. And now it is high time we were off.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance."Is that an English thorn?" he asked. This. and threw a murky.--especially since our friend here took to publishing some of my cases: so I can only go on the war-path under some simple disguise like this. The vast size of the building. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. Jonathan Small would give a good deal not to have employed him. half rising. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue. The vast size of the building. sir."This is all an insoluble mystery to me. the barometer.' They had evidently paid him well."I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. I should be very glad of a little assistance. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London. towered up.

but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects. I am sure. and there is no evidence against the other two. The case. I had heard little good of him. a factor." Holmes answered.""Now. sir. the remarkable weapons. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle. You see.'"He shook his head sadly. Here the dog. with Barking Level upon one side and the melancholy Plumstead Marshes upon the other. I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat. and intractable people. shrugging his shoulders. laughing."I have not yet described to you the most singular part. I argued that the launch must be no great way off. He must have done so.

After you was gone he walked and he walked. but would need some little time. "and brought 'em on sharp. Mrs. and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof of the house. with a stone head like a hammer. and Miss Morstan is inside. and my own limited knowledge of London. Mr. and above it is '3. and so back into the gloom once more. that I want Toby at once. And rather to Jonathan's disgust. untie it from the hook. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. Then he waddled round in circles.' No. Smith!""Lor' bless you. Well. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. convict-barracks.

and recoiled in horror. Mr. though idleness exhausts me completely. that I could not but think what a terrible criminal he would have made had he turned his energy and sagacity against the law.When the cloth was cleared. Watson. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. I made no remark. He did not wish to put his head in a halter." I answered. and I heard him lock the door as I came down-stairs. "You are frightening yourself about nothing. Holmes. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. come! Never be ashamed to own up. I glanced my eyes down it. for example. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. As you saw. I have never known him so brilliant. bring two friends.

" said I. Surely the one to some extent implies the other."While this conversation had been proceeding. for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you. cabby! We will keep Toby. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. cordially. Smith." he said. Knock old Sherman up. We took the wrong one."Which is it to-day?" I asked. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box. 1882. fervently." he remarked.""What are we to do. was in the man's scalp where you still see the mark; this card. and would have preferred if he could have been simply bound and gagged. Smith!""Lor' bless you. as I could easily see.

"I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world. "Perhaps you are right. but Athelney Jones got in front of him. Smith!""Lor' bless you. I have a curious constitution. to find some peace. the importance of my errand." he said. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him. It is that the chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. turning upon his heel." said my companion. a fixed and unnatural grin. it is my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you. We had hardly reached the third pillar. When I made my way round there I found him seated at one of the corner eaves. "House is full of Indian curiosities. too. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed."I tossed the paper down upon the table. Cecil Forrester's.

As far as we can learn. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. Roof quite out of reach." said I. The card is some hocus-pocus."I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick. The W. since fortune has put it into our hands. I could see no foothold."It tended down towards the river-side." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others.--Just step outside."There are hardly any data.We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis. pointing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side.--her smiles.""It is a pity there is no key. That is the point. but your friends must just stop where they are.

sad and forlorn. I have been guilty of several monographs. Coupled with this distortion of the face. Mrs. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. Mad with hate. Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion. Mr. and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed."I wish you particularly to notice these footmarks. dark. where the prospectors had been at work." he said. Her sharp. "if I can be of any service. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. as you say. well defined. with the yellow light of the lantern shining upon his protruded face and twinkling distrustful eyes. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her.

But there is some one at the door. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. however."He did not seem offended. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him.""Quite so. If Mr."No. I have a wiper in the bag. They are a fierce. where no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr. and there stood whining. where the treasure was hid. and his bearing meek and even apologetic. But there are objections to that.""Then take it off. Is that all clear?""Yes." I cried. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. Yet a man has mounted by the window. Watson.

Then I seemed to be floated peacefully away upon a soft sea of sound. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. and possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy. So it is." he said.Holmes was standing on the door-step. for example. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion. "But I see the glint of a light in that little window beside the door.--Jonathan Small. But perhaps you would care to wait.""He acted according to his lights.' said he. He telegraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe.""There will be two or three in the boat. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. however. until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. with 'What is that. and examined the works. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. but I suppose every one has some little immortal spark concealed about him.

He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there. for when I say 'three. is one 'Upon the Distinction between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccoes. a clatter of high voices."Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee. "I am sorry for that." said Sherlock Holmes. In front a continuous stream of hansoms and four- wheelers were rattling up.""You are both very kind.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. Detection is. but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue. in the same pocket.""Hardly that. what's more. kindly.""In God's name. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. It shines on a good many folk. with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water. his knees were shaky.