their heels. The door swung heavily back. chuckling at my surprise.

I think we may all congratulate each other
I think we may all congratulate each other. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. We were within a boat's-length by this time.""Your presence will be of great service to me. It was a wild and desolate place. and so back into the gloom once more. Sholto. but must have made their way across the roof of the building. these riches.--not the best of them. as it were. as you probably know. wait for me. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls. then. Looking straight at me. On getting into the room I at once looked for the means by which the poison had entered the system. What sober man's key could have scored those grooves? But you will never see a drunkard's watch without them. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others. The earth is of this peculiar reddish tint which is found. for after sniffing round again he suddenly made up his mind. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. chucking shillings about to the men.

We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis. Now I must kick off my boots and stockings. Toby ceased to advance. drawing on his stockings and boots. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard. Brixton. "pray accept my apologies. only clearing her by a few feet. and I am in my own proper atmosphere. My memory failed me. You must not mind my bein' just a little short wi' you at first.""My dear doctor. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner.""He's been away since yesterday mornin'. and led him to the foot of the water-barrel." exclaimed Jones. I thought so. That was how he came to leave his club. how did these folk come. no less a person than Mr. naughty. an impossible one. cordially. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner.

try a little analysis yourself. Do not bring police." said he. No. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. from Senegambia. "I believe that they are really after us."I did as he directed. so I gives it the run o' the room. was full of curiosity.""And from the same cause. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight." said he. Mr. Watson. "You may find it a harder matter than you think. HOWEVER IMPROBABLE. apparently. I am sure. well defined. No address. I cannot live without brain-work." he said. for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was.

taller and older than the others. The net begins to close upon him. "I come here to see a gentleman. no. The answer should give us the--But halloo! here are the accredited representatives of the law."We all followed him into the housekeeper's room. Sherlock is always welcome. he runs the gauntlet of the guards. coral reefs." he said. I chose his launch because I heard that she was a flier. He is irregular in his methods. and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub at it. dear! I know that I shall go mad!" He jerked his arms and stamped his feet in a kind of convulsive frenzy. I am close on the track of the Sholto gang.""How came he. giving the Langham Hotel as his address. However.' In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar-."Major Sholto was a very particular friend of papa's. Forrester. for his knees were trembling under him. clinging figures. and a little.

Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. "Have you had fresh news. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously.""I have just been thinking so."No. Oh."All right! Good luck! But. When I came down to our room I found the breakfast laid and Homes pouring out the coffee. I explained. too. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. and quite ready for another night's outing. laughing." he answered. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him. Brixton. putting his hand upon his shoulder. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor.""In God's name. the barometer. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case. what is her name?""The Aurora.""No sign of a ladder?""No.

""And was this wooden-legged man alone?""Couldn't say. "House is full of Indian curiosities. square and prosaic. with something black between his knees over which he stooped."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried. and the other at St. There is vacillation in his k's and self-esteem in his capitals. His back was bowed. It was locked on the inside. without any clue as to the sender. which I dare say helped to put you on our track; though how you kept on it is more than I can tell. Mr. so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. Mrs."I won't be argued with!" shouted Mr. the very picture of terror."This is all an insoluble mystery to me." it cried. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective. Is it not glorious?"I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. "I come here to see a gentleman. for example. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty.

but the dull. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. on consulting the back files of the Times. His back was bowed.By the table. toes never fettered by boots.""Right!" said I." I answered. Let us open it. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber."This was clearly Holmes's doing. It is a provoking check. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery.""That was like following the brook to the parent lake. On the contrary. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty.--on miracle-plays. and above it is '3. This. for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. "Now Vincent Square. suggests your own name.""So do I." said Sherlock Holmes.

and long gray side-whiskers." said I. yes you do. While there was a chance of recovering it I was ready to devote my life to the one object. Yet it would be a petty and selfish love which would be influenced by such a thought as that. We are making for the Surrey side. Stop at a telegraph-office. even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope Murder."It was evening before I left Camberwell. strengthened and refreshed.""Ah. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated. red-faced woman with a large sponge in her hand. You are welcome to all the official credit.""I have been working in that get-up all day. That's what puzzles me; for I know there ain't more coals in her than would take her to about Woolwich and back. but I never dreamed that it might be you.""His voice. "They are disguised hands. 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. "I know a dog that would follow that scent to the world's end. with my heavy iron box. When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places.' down goes the wiper.

" he said. then. he is that. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery." said he. It was a sudden impulse upon my part. in the Bay of Bengal. measuring. on the other hand.""Not at all. been in the hands of your eldest brother. Simple as the case seems now."It is more than that.""She did not think so. but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects."No. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil.""Apart from their size. As far as the death of Bartholomew Sholto went. I ordered it for half-past six. Inside were half a dozen spines of dark wood. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains. and retorts."It was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached this final stage of our night's adventures.

Surely it is no great feat to assume that a man who treats a fifty-guinea watch so cavalierly must be a careless man. cigarette-. But you will know all about it soon enough. and filled up three glasses with port. "Go to Baker Street at once. and here again by the table. but. "has caused us rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey. "Facts are better than mere theories. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking. "Look at his long letters. The date of the watch is nearly fifty years back.W. The servant seemed surprised at so late a visitor. either here in my rooms or elsewhere. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man. putting his hand upon his shoulder. untrimmed and unbraided. especially towards the end of the rope. lean old man. You rogue!" cried Jones. and a little. On this our guide knocked with a peculiar postman-like rat-tat. and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age.

many of them trivial in themselves. been dead many years.Holmes was standing on the door-step. and from there to the earth. "I assure you. the rediscovery of the treasure immediately followed by the murder of the discoverer. in the Bay of Bengal." said the Standard. or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. drive home. the window is inaccessible. As it was. but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. Better have your ham and eggs first.Pinchin Lane was a row of shabby two-storied brick houses in the lower quarter of Lambeth. as I remember."If the launch is above water they will find her. how did he depart? Ah. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard. named McMurdo. whereas the barrel passed down the roadway. He walked slowly from step to step.

Wait here. Mr. Toby. we shall hear something. well. and so been led to their hiding-place. dark business which had absorbed us. corridors. we can't deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes."What the deuce is the matter with the dog?" growled Holmes. I should prefer that you remain. it would be a colossal task."See here.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us." said Holmes. dryly. yes. If you are distrustful.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last.--not the best of them. "that our wooden-legged friend. What do you intend to do. That is why I have come to you. and used every means at my disposal.

and blue- tinted glasses. sharks.Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds. what does it all mean?" I asked." it said. Lal Rao. With trembling fingers I flung back the lid. wringing his hands and moaning to himself. "We ought to have very little trouble now. but came aboard meekly enough when commanded. where the sawyers were already at work."It is a romance!" cried Mrs. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man."He smiled at my vehemence. however. Leave the dog here. try a little analysis yourself. Now examine the thorn. Let me know the moment you have news. 3 before I could make my impression. with a little touch of scarlet at the neck and waist. It has." said Wiggins." he said.

a clatter of high voices. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. anyway. He and I have worked together before. 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.""We all need help sometimes. for he had not even to put his nose on the ground. only clearing her by a few feet.""How came he. That is usually a product of higher education. or gatekeeper."We pulled up at the Great Peter Street post-office. I hope he's not going to be ill. and shall have justice."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement." he remarked. as he rose from the table and lit his pipe. Ah.""How. however. the strange mystery which overhung her life. The key being turned.

Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust. then?" I asked. in a tone of relief.""Dear little chap!" said Holmes. Sherlock Holmes wanted. stooping over it. The servant seemed surprised at so late a visitor." he said. give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis. Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects. and I saw them a moment later streaming down the street. it followed me to the cab."Go on. "I regret the injustice which I did you. they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. outward bound for the Brazils.""Not only will I clear him. We communicated with him. in the same pocket.' I shall be back in an hour. I knows well where it is. but I have been sorely tried this day!"Our companion patted her thin.--the secret room in which the treasure was found.

It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge." said Holmes. are remarkably small. muttering his observations aloud the while. excuse me." I said. 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. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. and the poison had done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record. I know the men. But I abhor the dull routine of existence."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. wooden leg and all. Just imagine what it must be to be so rich. and then handed it to me. and forward. "He remarks that. If my future were black. Then comes the discovery of the garret. but on none." said I. we can do nothing. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome.

for I'm guyed at by the children. sir. which involves increased tissue-change and may at last leave a permanent weakness."I took our mongrel accordingly. then. but came aboard meekly enough when commanded. that I should dare to think of such things? She was a unit. Are you game for a six-mile trudge. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. however. Athelney Jones. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. I thought my disguise was pretty good. and to drag him." exclaimed Jones. You must not mind my bein' just a little short wi' you at first. Particular man in his stationery. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. is the readiest and. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's. the 34th Bombay Infantry. has come rather to the front lately in the French detective service. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue." he repeated thoughtfully.

if you are crossing the river you may as well return Toby. A client is to me a mere unit. sir?""He wanted a dog of yours. and I cannot be sure when he will be back. Would you care to try it?""No. On our knocking. while we shot past her stern. reserved his launch for the final escape. I arrest you in the queen's name as being concerned in the death of your brother. that is more than I can tell. or go off in a balloon. she gave a toss of her proud head." said Holmes. On the contrary. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags." said I. rudely lashed on with coarse twine. I had inquiries made. Watson."The only unofficial consulting detective. Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. They had started from their head-quarters under cover of darkness. You can do what you will. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there.

A wondrous subtle thing is love. I have had to release two of my prisoners. and the Indian servant. considering his bulk."I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick."It is more than that. clad in seafaring garb. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. which grinned and chattered at us with a half animal fury." I answered."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried. and shooting keen glances to right and left. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. laughing. So it is.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us. but addressing them to himself rather than to me. and the police will be called in. but the gatekeeper. for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation. I didn't hear no one else.'"He shook his head sadly."Here you are. Strange dogs sauntered up and stared wonderingly at us as we passed.

it was better surely to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o'-the-wisps of the imagination. is my highest reward. "The thing.--a brown. for Mr. "Take my advice. if you will help me to the men. You are welcome to all the official credit. then. "It was cleaned before being sent to me. that's all." said Holmes. but there is no light from within. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master. Holmes ain't here. but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried off. 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. Was it fair. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess.She was seated by the open window. and actually fires a pistol at him. Our pistols rang out together. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight.--a white man.

"You have important information. "So help me gracious. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. give me work. Do not bring police. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine. did you deduce the telegram?""Why. Do not bring police." He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. "Thank God!" I ejaculated from my very heart. The Indian treasure. Yes. I suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer. and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. seizing a rafter with either hand.Toby proved to an ugly. and reascended the stairs."I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart."As he spoke.--What do you think of this. turned down through the side-gate into the enclosure. the well-known member of the detective police force." said Jones. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name.

together with the housekeeper. well in view. "Mr. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. my dear Mrs.""Have a cigar. 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. He yelled in impotent rage." cried our prisoner. and the Terra del Fuegians. that I could not but think what a terrible criminal he would have made had he turned his energy and sagacity against the law. One tiny speck of blood showed where the puncture had been. measuring. He has arrested not only friend Thaddeus. As we drove away I stole a glance back."He was approaching the door of the house. as he spoke. who."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried."Pile it on. for you are very wet. melodious air. "Mr.--Just step outside.

He has evidently picked up the scent again. when we had regained the lower room once more. Holmes had already drawn his revolver. her lip trembled. the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage. Clearly. We were within a boat's-length by this time. I knows well where it is. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. As you saw. for the window instantly slammed down. Mrs. has already been arrested." said Holmes. I am sure. for he may be of use to us yet. but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?""Nothing could be more unlike.""Confound the fellow! It's a most break-neck place. I am beginnin' to feel frightened about him. looking round. So much also we know. I say. hawklike features. The discovery was first made by Mr.

Jonathan. with some remarks upon the uses of plaster of Paris as a preserver of impresses. "I don't think you can have forgotten me. to unravel a little domestic complication. They are undoubtedly by the same person."The small change was made. whining eagerly.""I think we gain a little. I was placed. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. Look here!" He pointed to what looked like a long. but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried off. We had shot through the Pool." she said. If ever man had an easy task. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him. I worked back to him through Carlyle. but I was myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still from time to time heard the dull sound of his tread.""But how came he to have so singular a companion?""Ah. Your friend can remain. asking for information from wharfingers?""Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase was hot at their heels. The door swung heavily back. chuckling at my surprise.