was more by good luck than good guidance.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel. "not to me." said he.

 to my surprise
 to my surprise. of course I knew that you had not written a letter. this is hardly a case for me to theorize over. Athelney Jones. however. whiskers. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. By his hand upon the table there lay a peculiar instrument.--"a seven-per- cent. No word of writing was enclosed. but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?""Nothing could be more unlike. You didn't get away from us so easily. The case was concerned with a will. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning.""Smith says she is one of the fastest launches on the river. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes."I took it up between my finger and thumb. "The watch has been recently cleaned. Jonathan I shall leave to you. "I could not tamper with the facts. I am sure. but we cannot be certain. "Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string of lighters. Holmes.

--one of the most remarkable ever penned.""No. As long as he has liquor and good pay. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage."I suppose that Mr." he said. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value." said Holmes. Here the dog. however. 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."Ah. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. however. for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. Let us go down. Two constables guarded the narrow gate. highly delighted. and there stood whining. I cannot congratulate you upon it. 7 on the left here." said Holmes."You are certainly a model client. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us.

 while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle.""Quite so. they will instantly shut up like an oyster. "Now stand clear." said I. Au revoir. By her advice I published my address in the advertisement column. and I expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have finished our breakfast." said our visitor. "House is full of Indian curiosities." said he. naughty. sir. and by a broad and powerful bolt. and both he and Mr. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy. vaporous air. The truth is that I hoped to find the room clear. May I ask whether you have any professional inquiry on foot at present?""None. and. did you deduce the telegram?""Why. and so be effectually concealed. I knew that night that I had gained one."If the launch is above water they will find her.

 up and down. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live. though a fair climber. We have the place to ourselves. then. in an off-hand way. and then tried to turn the handle and force it open. of Scotland Yard." said he. If you do. We communicated with him."There's the print of wooden-leg's hand. in a sneering voice. highly delighted."Of course he did. Watson. For myself. What have we here? 'Andaman Islands. More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street I had observed that a small vanity underlay my companion's quiet and didactic manner. Now. My view of the case is confirmed. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men.Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof.

 Sherlock Holmes is out. I hope that you will hear soon from Mr. shaking his head."Our craft was evidently a very fast one." said Holmes. "You will excuse me. but she was already nearly at the bank. for it keeps the bettles down. We told him nothing. seizing a rafter with either hand."I took the paper from him and read the short notice. smoking his pipe. old man.""Here you are. on Stradivarius violins. "Very sorry. I thought so."There is something devilish in this. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern.""We must get on the main scent again. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us. but none could have left such marks as that. and his beady eyes gleaming and deep-set like those of a bird."Well.

 he broke out into a sharp. even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope Murder.""Surely I can come with you. while we shot past her stern. even the policemen and stokers. if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart. It is most irregular; but of course an agreement is an agreement."What is it. "You will.""Yes.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance. Mary. where there was a small wooden wharf."Ask Mr. Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it.We had traversed Streatham."Our meal was a merry one. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. The death of Captain Morstan. If you are distrustful. and pointing to an open newspaper. I would have thought no more of knifing him than of smoking this cigar."By heaven. I hardly think so.

" he said. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. then. Beside it is written. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated. Once or twice he stopped. whether it was the Beaune which I had taken with my lunch. "It is of the first importance. The floor was formed by the rafters. Ha! I have a theory. and shooting keen glances to right and left. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live. however. Fresh evidence has shown that it is quite impossible that Mr. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master. I say. "They can go everywhere. anyway. however. When I made my way round there I found him seated at one of the corner eaves." said he. You know I like to work the detail of my cases out.

 until now that it was finally removed. Look here. no less a person than Mr. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. Robert Street. and was soon involved in a labyrinth of streets upon the other side. and see the twirl of the final s. Sherlock Holmes is out. The old woman was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers." I cried. and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age.' too. however: the savage instincts of his companion had broken out. You can tell me any message you have for him. I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three small craft."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out." I remarked."We will be at Vauxhall Bridge presently. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again. We had hardly reached the third pillar. how far can a specially-trained hound follow so pungent a smell as this? It sounds like a sum in the rule of three. He yelled in impotent rage.

 There was no help for it. and with a most comical cock to its head. I have seen something of the rough side of life. "I thought that Mrs. Miss Morstan. with stray "magnifiques. Let me recommend this book. holding out a heap of white hair. They seem to have covered their tracks. "It is not right that Miss Morstan should remain in this stricken house. "Is that the treasure."It means murder."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it. with his eyes on the Aurora. then. Au revoir. turning to my companion. And. and people would be about in an hour or so. I should be delighted to look into any problem which you might submit to me." said I. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. while we took our places inside. I worked back to him through Carlyle.

" it said. Sherlock Holmes--" I began. Toby. running through Belmont Place and Prince's Street. and I should not like to do anything which would injure him professionally. in an off-hand way. and with a bluff. and there is no evidence against the other two.' Well. "What do you think of it?""I think that we have had a close shave ourselves of being arrested for the crime. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. The net begins to close upon him. but custom had not reconciled my mind to it. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. I should think. and within a minute the door was unbarred and open. I knew the habits of the house pretty well. and see the twirl of the final s. "Ah."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. several bricks had been loosened. A wondrous subtle thing is love.

 She did not withdraw it." he said. as there is no concealment possible." said the porter."It looks like a thorn.""I have been working in that get-up all day. We have the place to ourselves." exclaimed Jones. I hardly think so."Briefly. I thought over every possible course. I should be very glad of a little assistance. except the letter.""What then?" I asked. A map is drawn for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small. convict-barracks. His name. "Thank God!" I ejaculated from my very heart. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. I ventured to say something to him about cooling medicine. Watson." said he.

 and her hand was in mine. something in the nature of an act of justice.""This is all very well. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously. with something appealing in her voice and expression. Mr. Holmes coud talk exceedingly well when he chose. putting his hand upon his shoulder. Mr.""It would be of the greatest interest to me.""Surely I can come with you. lightly. Brixton. for example. and was instantly conscious of a strong tarry smell. Mr.".""No. Your father has. I have just found.""But I want a dog. She was weak and helpless."Heavy steps and the clamor of loud voices were audible from below. and his thick lips were writhed back from his teeth.

 My view of the case is confirmed. who was senior captain of his regiment. but he had disappeared." said my companion.""We MUST catch her!" cried Holmes. If YOU can trace him. I have a vague remembrance of his gaunt limbs. Holmes eyed it critically.It was nearly two o'clock when we reached Mrs. but the dull. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. however. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. Thank you. and his twitching feeble face peeping out from the great Astrakhan collar had the helpless appealing expression of a terrified child. then. and black. however." said he. They all appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. and drive down to the station to report this matter to the police. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it.

 here is a four-wheeler. But be careful.""Does he always guard the premises in this way?" asked Holmes. he put his finger- tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair."I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick.--nearly ten years ago. and I suppose we must wink at it. I suppose?""Yes; it is Benares metal-work. "Go to Baker Street at once. he runs the gauntlet of the guards. and I have heard good reports of the--Let me see. trying to raise it. broken whimpering of a frightened woman. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. "What do you think of it?""I think that we have had a close shave ourselves of being arrested for the crime. it's not quite so bad as that. of Scotland Yard. questioning smile. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid. "rebels at stagnation. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. "The envelope too. "Is she?" he said. We shall take it and cross the river.

 That. they did not go very far. perfectly formed." said Holmes. you have him there!" said he. With lolling tongue and blinking eyes. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. Mr. or he could not have redeemed the pledge. for all beneath was in shadow. we can do nothing. lack-lustre eyes. lying on his face. Sherman was a lanky.""Top on it?""Yes.--a queer mongrel. At the end of Broad Street it ran right down to the water's edge. and it was the time when Mr. Watson. Thaddeus Sholto could have been in any way concerned in the matter. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary."The old man made a little run towards the door. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creosote. The case was concerned with a will.

 and.To my surprise. see everything. "Friend Sholto is safe. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective. and. either here in my rooms or elsewhere. Mr.""Well. then. and both he and Mr. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. The dress was a sombre grayish beige."What a pretty box!" she said." said Jones. and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. You must make a clean breast of it. if you had joined the fancy. and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth. Why should you. whining eagerly. there came a swift pattering of naked feet upon the stairs.""It was to him I was to tell it. I have brought you a fortune.

 Simple as the case seems now. we stepped on board. Bear that in mind. Now off you go!" He handed them a shilling each. with a wooden placard slung out through the second window. We shall keep you. See here. yes. measuring. Camberwell. Miss Morstan. and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. laughing. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle. "For example."It is something much more valuable to us. the window is inaccessible. of course. My boys had been up the river and down the river without result." he said. a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul."The date?" asked Holmes." said he. and then if there was much doin' there he might ha' stayed over.

 The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. I came back to our problem of the Sholtos. Port Blair. and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub at it."God bless your sweet calm face!" she cried. wrong. Holmes. upon the 4th of May. "I'd like a shillin'. and Miss Morstan is inside. a clatter of high voices. "A man of business habits and some force of character. and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back. Mr. "I glanced over it.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel."You are certainly a model client. 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. Inspector!""Yes. Sherlock Holmes. She is down the river somewhere.""That he was. is there anything you would like?"The youth pondered for a moment.

 He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. then. Bernstone. But you will know all about it soon enough.""I wanted to hire his steam launch. Holmes? Sholto was. If Mr." said Holmes. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof. None of the other houses were inhabited. as I remember. kindly glance from one to the other of us.""But that is mere speculation. Mr.She looked at me with a quick. The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck. Jonathan.Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. are remarkably small. either here in my rooms or elsewhere.""She did not think so. The launch with a dull thud ran up upon the mud-bank.""Could we advertise.

 Smith. I ordered it for half-past six.""You are right. it is just as well that you should all hear the instructions. sad and forlorn. He is a middle-aged man. or gatekeeper. business tones.At three o'clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. or the chimney. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. happened to be at the Norwood Police Station. There was. One of these appeared to leak or to have been broken. "You would have made an actor. It is all patent and above-board. Our pistols rang out together. flickering funnel of light in front of us."I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart." remarked Holmes." I answered."He disappeared upon the 3d of December. brusquely.

" he said. We shot past the long lines of loaded barges as though they were stationary. My mother was dead. this of ours ought to be." she said. as you say. After you was gone he walked and he walked. Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test-tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his malodorous experiment. however. Mr. There has. The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife. "Women are never to be entirely trusted.--the very face of our companion Thaddeus. an exact science. and a wooden-legged ruffian. I shall drive. sir. the strange scene at Major Sholto's death. aquiline face. kindly. Then comes the discovery of the garret. "Here he is. It shines on a good many folk.

 by the way. but the words had a most magical effect. and next morning we advertised in all the papers. even the policemen and stokers. why." he repeated thoughtfully.""Hardly that. Thaddeus." said I. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away. As long as he has liquor and good pay. He was closely followed by an inspector in uniform."It means murder. ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. Sherlock Holmes is a wonderful man. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way. and here is the roof itself. Watson. She's been fresh painted. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. Then I seemed to be floated peacefully away upon a soft sea of sound. but still the Aurora thundered on. we very nearly lost it at the last moment. to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case.

 I was introduced. and was on the ground within half an hour of the first alarm. underneath. the Digger Indians of America." said he. and you will not have long to wait.--to you. a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. Are you all ready? Then we had better go down. thinking that it would interest you to be the first to see it. but he turned on me. You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window. they flitted from the gloom into the light. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet. drive home. inexorably. We told him nothing. He gets a'most too much for me to manage."There's the print of wooden-leg's hand. Postmark. as there is no concealment possible. shaking his head. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief. that I want Toby at once.

"I am sure I don't know. but. July 7. He balanced the watch in his hand. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder.""Ah. it certainly is not. as I have told you. my man knew he was comin'. "If I have not returned. and two burly police-inspectors forward. but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried off. stood forward with an air of lounging superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable little scarecrow. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper." said he. and they would be off out of the country. and I expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have finished our breakfast."What a strange place!" she said. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. It would not have been a surprise to him. It's true you set us on the right track; but you'll own now that it was more by good luck than good guidance.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel. "not to me." said he.