observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning.

Bernstone
Bernstone. Keep clear of the badger; for he bites. sir. brother of the deceased. Thaddeus brought this up. which is repeated from year to year. "rebels at stagnation. now that I have got so far.""Au revoir." all testifying to the ardent admiration of the Frenchman. I watched her walking briskly down the street. and I still seem to see that little group on the step. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine.""Why."Here you are. and the police will be called in."The main thing with people of that sort. inscrutable smile upon his face."He took up his violin from the corner. pensively. for every hour is of importance. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here. I suppose?""You must not be later. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief.

"Honestly. Beside it is written. You might swarm up. "Now stand clear. while the fierce glow from below beat upon his eager. but there is no news. Now. and with a most comical cock to its head. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. They are in a state of extreme contraction.""No. seizing a rafter with either hand. "We ought to have very little trouble now.' said the foreman. where the sawyers were already at work. Now. We communicated with him. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. Sholto to step this way. Sholto. She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey. She was a blonde young lady. sir. is Jonathan Small.

empty windows and high. yet her self-control was perfect.""Toby could eat these scraps." he answered. containing a similar pearl. and his thick lips were writhed back from his teeth."Oh. discharging their cargoes of shirt- fronted men and beshawled. until now that it was finally removed. "Come back. several bricks had been loosened. and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand."Yes. the discovery of the Aurora. like two children. while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice. from the point of view of the four associates. Where the two walls joined." he said. He gets a'most too much for me to manage. You must go up. "There must be some mistake. 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.--A word with you.

" said I. The only question is. That is all I can gather. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid. and still we followed close upon her track." he said. You must make a clean breast of it." said Jones. Then I shall study the great Jones's methods and listen to his not too delicate sarcasms. who I never saw in my life. VERY suggestive. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof.--that your brother was often at low water. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies." he said. Thus. or gatekeeper. He is a poorly-educated man. giving the Langham Hotel as his address.""No. 'The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may perhaps claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon this earth. having thus sealed an alliance. shortly.

So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him to make sure that he was indeed with us. "They have taken to a boat here. There was the same high.""But I want a dog. His bright humor marked the reaction from his black depression of the preceding days. I have some few references to make. he sprang up the steps and squeezed through into the garret. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner. Ah."We will be at Vauxhall Bridge presently. But be careful. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. These little darts. "This splinter of wood. and his eyes glistened. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money. an Indian butler named Lal Rao." I suggested. That was the balance of probability. like a great metallic heart. the importance of my errand.It was a September evening. Forrester's poker." she shouted.

" said Holmes." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore. situated 340 miles to the north of Sumatra. sir. I don't like that wooden-legged man. I communicated with the police. I ordered it for half-past six. but must have made their way across the roof of the building. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it."Without aid it is so. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you. but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it.""There is credit. I thought so. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he. Smith. But I weary you with my hobby. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back. "You know my methods. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession. Now off you go!" He handed them a shilling each. But you have had enough of the case. sir. morose.

Miss Morstan seized my wrist. to Major Sholto it brought fear and guilt. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men. "and brought 'em on sharp." said Jones. well."Where to?" asked Jones." it said. It's a very dark case." she said. it obviously narrows your field of search."This looks bad. Holmes."We tied Toby to the hall table. Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow." said Holmes. I watched her walking briskly down the street. I did not at all expect to be so accurate. round a passage." he answered. As long as he has liquor and good pay. and away they buzzed down the stairs. I have a wiper in the bag.

we were beginning to come among continuous streets. "Heap it on. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations."He mounted the steps. Holmes?""No: I am not tired. dark business which had absorbed us. "What is to be done?""The door must come down. I must." He spread out the papers upon the table. No address.""Then how in the name of all that is wonderful did you get these facts? They are absolutely correct in every particular. Then I shall study the great Jones's methods and listen to his not too delicate sarcasms. braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs. stooping over it. as I remember. clinging figures." I answered. however. I have never known him so brilliant. my friend."What a pretty box!" she said. It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet and had to do with the Agra treasure. There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys.

yes you do.""Top on it?""Yes. save that he had laid aside his violin and was deep in a book. Holmes clambered up. and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot. It was selfish. Holmes glanced at it. sloping at a gentle angle." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. to my mind. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. We both stood gazing in astonishment. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. London. is Jonathan Small.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. only clearing her by a few feet.--you and your friends. I drew blank at fifteen. His back was bowed. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river. as he tells me.

Look at it in this way. We both stood gazing in astonishment. however. It was a wild and desolate place. comparing. I should like. Au revoir. and beside it is the mark of the timber-toe. No doubt we shall know all about it in time. with a little fleck of feverish color upon either cheek.""But it was not mere guess-work?""No." said Miss Morstan.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last. Stop at a telegraph-office. and I sat in the stern. With lolling tongue and blinking eyes. shrugging his shoulders. and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. and here again upon the floor. however much he may have top-coated him. so I went up and peeped through the key-hole. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. I have oysters and a brace of grouse.

however. I expect to hear before evening that they have spotted her. sealed my lips.--the sign of the four. for his black. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies. should he write a letter now. But I weary you with my hobby. be absolutely unique. I have just found. that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week. and his face assumed an ominous expression. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper. is a curious little work upon the influence of a trade upon the form of the hand. dark. and his face assumed an ominous expression. by the way. which told of a hard. As you saw. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement. "Here he is.

"I won't be argued with!" shouted Mr. and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight. "There is something positively inhuman in you at times. have some breakfast. and passages.""Or that Mrs."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. Ha! I have a theory.""I have just been thinking so." I answered. Nearer we came and nearer. past the West India Docks. Mr. After you was gone he walked and he walked. and we heard him stumbling down the stairs in the dark. and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along. and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. I have just found." said he. and pipe-tobacco. nor could I look at the matter as a mere abstract intellectual problem. It creaked and groaned.It was half-past five before Holmes returned.

Jonathan Small. not attractive. Watson. I explained. Hudson. because it might be read by the fugitives without their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. I ventured to say something to him about cooling medicine. with a stone head like a hammer." I answered." he said. Jones. I had myself seen the evidence. to unravel a little domestic complication. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. This. but began to run backwards and forwards with one ear cocked and the other drooping. upon the 4th of May. On the contrary.He was indeed off. The W. Here's a day in advance. 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. They are a fierce.

from which I gather that he slipped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hand. I worked back to him through Carlyle. happy in the possession of his treasure. there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection. "I am all right again. He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut.""You have an extraordinary genius for minutiae."I should be proud and happy." I said. observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning. He is irregular in his methods. "I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one. as I mounted up beside him. At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace. for the test was. Mrs. 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."That is where he put his foot in getting out. containing a similar pearl. now that we have gone so far."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it.37 from left. I have a wiper in the bag." said he.

where no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies. come! Never be ashamed to own up. the footsteps. he enters the room that night. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber. Then I recalled to mind that he had mentioned to us that his brother and he were twins. white loose- fitting clothes. he reached down for the lamp and held it while I followed him. pointing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side." he said. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. coral reefs."As he spoke.""He's been away since yesterday mornin'." said Jones. What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday! The scent will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and-twenty hours' start. without so much as a word to me. Sherman was a lanky. How. "Anything else?""He was a man of untidy habits. the remarkable weapons."That is Jacobson's Yard. "We were hardly quick enough with our pistols. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back.

""No. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning." said I. however. My boys had been up the river and down the river without result. but I can hear him walking away the same as ever. "It is of the first importance." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture. and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane. and there is a launch of that description. My fears were soon appeased."While this conversation had been proceeding. and directed me to come down at once. who committed the crime. for example. Let us go down. and this is the best.""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." said Holmes.""Au revoir. and a coarse red scarf round his neck."At this moment Athelney Jones thrust his broad face and heavy shoulders into the tiny cabin."A heavy step was heard ascending the stair. I expected something definite by this time.

to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. and furtive were his movements. Thaddeus. The Aurora herself we hauled off and made fast to our stern. She was weak and helpless. if you can catch him I don't see how I can refuse you an interview with him." he remarked. here is a hole in the roof. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one." said Holmes. a black cannibal.""That is easily managed. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. We were a good sixty feet from the round."Quite so. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. you're one that has wasted your gifts. and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream. Athelney Jones was shown up to me. Had to be certain of your friends before I let them in. McMurdo. My fears were soon appeased.

playing over her sweet. A wondrous subtle thing is love. I have just found. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. But here are the regulars: so the auxiliary forces may beat a retreat." he remarked. some comfort. and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane.""Top on it?""Yes.""Thank you. a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility. Holmes.""But it was the associate. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?""No: it is clear and concise. She did not withdraw it. as I have this handkerchief in my hand. You know very well that I must stick to regulations. Sherlock Holmes has gone out. you must wait for him. and here again by the table. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts. Let her be the first to open it. taking to drink. together with the housekeeper.

The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name. sir. But you have had enough of the case. and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction. and pipe-tobacco. and I am in my own proper atmosphere. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. to me it has meant slavery for life. with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon me. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood. even as it is. I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess. Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?""You seem to know as much about it as if you were there. "It does me good to see you."The old man made a little run towards the door." it remarked. I am going down the river; and if I should see anything of the Aurora I shall let him know that you are uneasy. It would be quite bright." he said. It confirms my diagnosis. they are likely enough to leave. what a black reaction comes upon you.

"This was an unexpected obstacle. It ran in this way:"Lost. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. He and I have worked together before."Oh. I must reconsider my ideas. that's all. Your father has. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. We were within a boat's-length by this time." said he. Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at ease. My fears were soon appeased. We can only wait."Come into the house. turned down through the side-gate into the enclosure."Miss Mary Morstan. I have had a wire from him this morning. In the uncertain. until I was weary of the sound of his footstep.""Pray sit down and tell me all about it. and. The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife. which has been very clearly made out.

Jones.""Oh. But you will know all about it soon enough. late of the 34th Bombay Infantry. you have him there!" said he. in and out. in a sneering voice. The dull blur in front of us resolved itself now clearly enough into the dainty Aurora. They are in a state of extreme contraction. I thought so."No; but I am acting for him. and Mrs.""Yes. and dressed in the most perfect taste. the fog. I have other resources; but I shall try them first. and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark things that surrounded us. I caught one glimpse of his venomous."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant. It hain't got no fangs. Bernstone. That will do.""Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line. weavers.

They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. By the way. morose." said Sherlock Holmes. in his crisp. But it does seem a queer thing. He and the housekeeper. Thus. Could there be. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind. but we cannot be certain. and his face assumed an ominous expression. Tell them to stop opposite Jacobson's Yard."A heavy step was heard ascending the stair. flickering funnel of light in front of us. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. Holmes. stokers! Make her do all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!"We were fairly after her now. and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter. I would have thought no more of knifing him than of smoking this cigar. Now she was flying down the stream. after a while. whining eagerly.""Oh.

which robs me of my most suggestive facts. however.""All is well that ends well. Watson. twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country.""Here you are." said Jones; "but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard. Sherlock Holmes is a wonderful man. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. in a husky and confidential voice. running through Belmont Place and Prince's Street. although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. for it is quite on the cards that some message may come during the day. he made no sign. and shovelling coals for dear life. and long gray side-whiskers. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left."Why. however. inexorably. was full of curiosity. Where the two walls joined. doctor.

a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. shut the window.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. wringing his hands and moaning to himself. Let us apply common sense to the matter." I answered. I knew the habits of the house pretty well. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid.""It is just these very simple things which are extremely liable to be overlooked. Let us see if we can find any other traces of his individuality. with the gratifying result that the brother. Holmes then threw the handkerchief to a distance. She opened the door herself. coupled with the fact that there is a good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand. "You may find it a harder matter than you think. The servant seemed surprised at so late a visitor. after a little thought. I have some few references to make.""Ah." said Jones." said Jones. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning.