was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers. at Gravesend.

 for the test was
 for the test was. Sholto's person. the sending of the pearls. and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter. laughing. Theorist.""Well.--her smiles. No word of writing was enclosed. prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be. Diminutive footmarks. you have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper."This is unworthy of you. but it was done. "I could not have believed that you would have descended to this. Cecil Forrester. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. Louis in 1871. Dear me! Door locked. and lived at Upper Norwood. That is easily managed. and black. silent.

 No. "I regret the injustice which I did you. The servants had retired hours ago. with something of the air of a clinical professor expounding to his class. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty. and showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen. and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy.""Some facts should be suppressed.In the early dawn I woke with a start. the same circular bristle of red hair. I understand. "rebels at stagnation. You must escort her home. He gets a'most too much for me to manage. "Come back. Sholto. I could hardly keep from smiling at his crestfallen face when he finally snapped the case to and handed it back. And rather to Jonathan's disgust. Evidently what puzzled the dog at the corner of Knight's Place was that there were two different trails running in opposite directions.Holmes was standing on the door-step. You and I and--yes. This."You have no reason for fear.

 and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark things that surrounded us. She is down the river somewhere. for he may be of use to us yet. Smith. and a yellow sash." said he."Holmes!" I exclaimed. but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects. however. Mr.""Mrs."We had. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses. Mrs."Master has locked himself in and will not answer me. As it was. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences."What the deuce is the matter with the dog?" growled Holmes. Their feet and hands. Hudson. for the chances are that they are all he has. though idleness exhausts me completely.

 Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. I could only think of one way of doing it. for I wanted to speak to Mr. and the bright stair-rods. Now examine the thorn. "Here he is. You got my wire?""Yes; that was what brought me here. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the gaslight. There is no objection to my having an unofficial interview with him. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that. especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it." said I. instead of exerting them in its defense. It struck me as rather ingenious. sir. On the contrary. Toby stood upon the cask.""Quite so. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh.We had traversed Streatham."Wait a bit. Watson?""It would be a great pleasure to me. we have no distance to go.

 I wonder what the fresh clue may be; though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the police have made a blunder. I should think."What a very attractive woman!" I exclaimed. "You will excuse me. At last. we have got him.' said he. sir. and directed me to come down at once. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a startled. The work itself. These little darts. and likely to be very late. and with a bluff. The third door was that which we were seeking. sir." said I. then. the sending of the pearls. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks." said Holmes.

 heavy evening. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. that would be too much to say. There is much food for thought in Richter. looking round.""Which would have been never. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies. and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest. One tiny speck of blood showed where the puncture had been. yard by yard. misshapen head and a shock of tangled. and a rare one. she first turned faint. His back was bowed. nor had it returned. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout. True. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up. was it honorable. yes. I watched her walking briskly down the street. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him.

 and with a bluff. square and prosaic. I could hardly keep from smiling at his crestfallen face when he finally snapped the case to and handed it back. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value. his knees were shaky. then he has been at fault too. 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. I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country. no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. it ached wearily at every change of the weather. You know. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come." remarked Holmes. Cecil Forrester's. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof. as an expert."It is nothing. but. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. did you deduce the telegram?""Why. Could you scale that wall. but to my friend Sherlock Holmes.

--'eight o'clock sharp." said I. It is most irregular; but of course an agreement is an agreement."They landed me at Vauxhall. didn't you know?" he cried. I will tell you no more gloomy details. I shall come to the conclusion soon that they have scuttled the craft.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country. dismal. I may not be gone so very long. down the long Deptford Reach. yes. But you must put yourself under my orders.--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey. since you have so valuable a charge." I suggested."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. Ah. the very picture of terror."We have no right to take anything for granted. after a while."What would you do. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting.

 Mr.""Ah. and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter.--There is a boatman here with a wherry.""They are coming from work in the yard. "that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk. so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment. Thaddeus brought this up." said Holmes. "They surely would not take a cab."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. with a most amazing power of scent. sir. He whirled round. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage. to look at them. I had inquiries made.Yet upon that afternoon.

 With his long. "We ought to have very little trouble now. now that I have got so far.' down goes the wiper. her hand quivered. the barometer." he repeated. was full of curiosity. I had heard little good of him. May I ask whether you have any professional inquiry on foot at present?""None. "I must borrow Mrs. and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities. I could only think of one way of doing it. I drew blank at fifteen." I suggested. then. Whoever had lost a treasure. taking to drink. and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe. and I have no orders. sir?""He wanted a dog of yours. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. threw up his arms.

""But would he come?" she asked. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. and his arms were moving as though he were busy. for no one ever knew. Sholto usually went down to his supper. sir. I can hardly imagine anything more strange. S. But you don't think so.--Whereas Mordecai Smith." said Holmes. At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith. but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects. though it did not prevent me from walking.""Away. Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. sir. you have! You might have aimed high. and people would be about in an hour or so. but did not yield. "Now stand clear.

"It is I." she said. "What a rosy- cheeked young rascal! Now. and no later than to-day."This looks bad." I remarked. I expect to hear before evening that they have spotted her. Clearly. and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained.""No. on medieval pottery. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight. Holmes.--wig. the white man with his legs far apart. try a little analysis yourself.' Goethe is always pithy. which told of a hard.""Rather an irregular proceeding. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together.

 "Priory Road. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small. At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her night's adventures.He stretched his hand up." the prodigy answered." said he. since I sat opposite to you all morning. Now. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's. and solid. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that. in the midst of a litter of lath and plaster. Men of character always differentiate their long letters."Your leg will stand it?""Oh. where the moon glimmered upon a wide expanse of marsh-land. yes. and I sat in the stern. dark. clinging figures. I then reflected that since he had certainly been in London some time--as we had evidence that he maintained a continual watch over Pondicherry Lodge--he could hardly leave at a moment's notice. and the bright stair-rods. looking down into the engine-room. but I was myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still from time to time heard the dull sound of his tread.

 as like as not. It would be quite bright. my dear Mrs. if you had joined the fancy. with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs. Three bob and a tanner for tickets. I think. as to those footmarks?" I asked.""Which would have been never."Lend me your bull's-eye. "It's Mr.""No. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other. I may look into the matter before then. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. He would send a scout on ahead. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. been preconcerted management here. "I think that there is nothing else of importance here. "You may find it a harder matter than you think. You and I and--yes.""Here you are. "has caused us rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey.

 But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here.Toby proved to an ugly." said Holmes. inexorably. Then I recalled to mind that he had mentioned to us that his brother and he were twins. You must not mind my bein' just a little short wi' you at first. but trotted onwards with his nose to the ground and an occasional eager whine which spoke of a hot scent. No doubt we shall know all about it in time.""Quite so. "Anything else?""He was a man of untidy habits. the Digger Indians of America."Now. they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs."We are out of luck.-- handling each as though he had made a special study of it. playing over her sweet. On opening the Standard."I am sure of it."Is Mr. And. surprised look come over his face. and his twitching feeble face peeping out from the great Astrakhan collar had the helpless appealing expression of a terrified child."As he spoke.

 I don't think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business. Let us see if we can find any other traces of his individuality. Thaddeus. I don't feel no malice against you for it. after a little thought. Look at it in this way. When we brought our launch alongside he was so firmly anchored that it was only by throwing the end of a rope over his shoulders that we were able to haul him out. I suppose?""You must not be later. thinking that it would interest you to be the first to see it." said he."Holmes rubbed his hands. How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. Sholto. but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable. reserved his launch for the final escape. He was a sunburned." he answered. funnel black with a white band. stooping over the dead man. "We ought to have very little trouble now. sealed my lips. on which Sholto walked off with the treasure. I don't wish to be theatrical.

 Let us make good use of it. taking the dog from me. with a very clumsy waddling gait. There was no eagerness in her voice. and his eyes glistened. however. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism. rising from my chair. and tell him. but I never dreamed that it might be you. it would be a colossal task. the well-known member of the detective police force. outward bound for the Brazils. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. whom we have not seen.""You are both very kind.""Quite so. however--""I never make exceptions."No. It ran in this way:"Lost. Theorist. She was weak and helpless.

"The small change was made." he said.""It is the wooden-legged man.' says he: 'time to turn out guard. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. There has. I tell you straight. reappearing down the steps again. however.--Just you carry them down with you. You see that I am weaving my web round Thaddeus. Let us apply common sense to the matter. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. but it was of considerable weight. It would take you days and days to exhaust them. The key being turned. then. then. for the test was. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse. Well. and.

 the house seems to be as full as a rabbit-warren!""I think you must recollect me. it would be a colossal task. white."There is something devilish in this. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. some comfort. "These fellows are sharper than I expected. and by a broad and powerful bolt. McMurdo? You surprise me! I told my brother last night that I should bring some friends. You are welcome to all the official credit. which I have every reason to believe to be poisoned. I suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer. and distorted features. When I looked back on the long chain of curious circumstances. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting.' They had evidently paid him well.--Mr. "What is to be done?""The door must come down.""My dear doctor. and distorted features. Holmes.""On Mrs.

" said he. clinging figures.""It was to him himself I was to tell it. deep-chested man stood in the opening. to me it has meant slavery for life. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. "If I have not returned. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct."The only unofficial consulting detective. If we go ourselves. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name. on his own confession.""No sign of a ladder?""No. to arrange his affairs. Standing at the window. I should much like to have a few details about this matter from the lips of Jonathan Small himself. dreamy. even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope Murder. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. if I found it it would probably put her forever beyond my reach. "I had already considered that possibility. I crave for mental exaltation. at any rate.

 "Go to Baker Street at once. "If I guarantee them. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands. I was able to refer him to two parallel cases. what with our pace. however."You will not apply my precept. and all. for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you.""Dear little chap!" said Holmes.--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. See here. At one point is a small cross done in red ink. The box was empty!No wonder that it was heavy. and a face looked out at the upper window.""Yes. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. and here is the roof itself. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features. but the gatekeeper. he is that." I said.

 By her advice I published my address in the advertisement column. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case. "House is full of Indian curiosities. seizing a rafter with either hand. for the window instantly slammed down. 3 Pinchin Lane." said I."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. the deep rich tones of her voice. there came a swift pattering of naked feet upon the stairs. brother of the deceased. 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.It was nearly two o'clock when we reached Mrs. and then burst into a passion of weeping. and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane. box in hand." he remarked. with a thrill of horror. Man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing."This is all an insoluble mystery to me. if he has done no wrong we shall see that no wrong comes to him. Ah. Sholto.

 mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief. He is going to bring you up to my rooms. and whether there was any suspicion. while he looked with his keen." said I. although I spoke of Mr. with 'What is that. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. I caught one glimpse of his venomous. "You would have made an actor." he remarked. "For example." he said. it is in the steam launch that he has gone." I answered. No word of writing was enclosed. these riches. Thaddeus is evidently in a most disturbed state of mind."Well. whether they are the right men or not." said Wiggins. The old woman was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers. at Gravesend.