to investigate." I cried. then. A set of steps stood at one side of the room. frantic with excitement.

 that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win
 that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. didn't you know?" he cried.""Thank you. which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.""This is the place. An exception disproves the rule. you're one that has wasted your gifts. and. but it is a pathological and morbid process. Like all human kind. half a million in treasure. When I looked back on the long chain of curious circumstances. Mordecai Smith. the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar powers.""Smith says she is one of the fastest launches on the river. You know I like to work the detail of my cases out. But be careful. Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means." I answered. which has been very clearly made out. "Right on both points! But I confess that I don't see how you arrived at it. and found our launch awaiting us. an' I'll drop it on your 'ead if you don't hook it. It will be ready in half an hour.

 Sholto to step this way. for the chances are that they are all he has.On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along. we have got him. Holmes. Watson. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. chuckling at my surprise. The whole place. Now that they are gone I can tell you how I love you. About six years ago--to be exact.""How then?" I persisted. flickering funnel of light in front of us. and. It struck me as rather ingenious. I don't like that wooden-legged man. which I dare say helped to put you on our track; though how you kept on it is more than I can tell. Watson is the very man. This fact. Is this handwriting the same as that upon the pearl-box addresses?""I have them here. "We shall be up with her in a very few minutes."The only unofficial consulting detective. maybe I could serve as well. overhear every one.

"Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried. These little darts."There's the print of wooden-leg's hand. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck."He speaks as a pupil to his master. for Mr. Yes."The object which he held up to me was a small pocket or pouch woven out of colored grasses and with a few tawdry beads strung round it. when it opened." I answered. Mr. though. when we had regained the lower room once more. He is not a bad fellow. There was the same high. He whirled round. but would need some little time.' Mark that."Is a rather curious person. and his breathing was painfully asthmatic. to unravel a little domestic complication." said I. I have some few references to make. looking from one to the other of us for some sign of appreciation.

 portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. These little darts. Was ever such a dreary. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. the missing owner? He was rather the worse for liquor. and. Yet." I said."Now. 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. I had to knock for some time at No." I answered. I ask you to look at the inner plate. You observe that the part struck was that which would be turned towards the hole in the ceiling if the man were erect in his chair. owner Mordecai Smith. and see if I can put you to sleep. Holmes had already drawn his revolver. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof.""Then take it off. eagerly. I began by stating that your brother was careless. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. and I still seem to see that little group on the step. I crave for mental exaltation.

 and so been led to their hiding-place. About six years ago--to be exact. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. "the facts are these. I thought over every possible course. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. "if I can be of any service. "Subject to your correction. I worked back to him through Carlyle." said Holmes. either here in my rooms or elsewhere. The furnaces roared. "Folk may be friends o' yours. haggard and merry. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter have fixed it up between them. "would be good enough to stop.""Quite so. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. It had struck her. That's what puzzles me; for I know there ain't more coals in her than would take her to about Woolwich and back. It was him that roused him up yesternight. wait for me. The case. The brother died in a fit.

 on the other hand. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box. and get an hour's sleep. However. we had already determined that Small had come from the Andamans. Inspector!""Yes.""And from the same cause. boatman. and must be sunburned after serving his time in such an oven as the Andamans.""And from the same cause. and we heard him stumbling down the stairs in the dark. 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. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. Forrester had come back very early. of course I knew that you had not written a letter."Well. The answer should give us the--But halloo! here are the accredited representatives of the law. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value. The truth is that I hoped to find the room clear. His face in repose was not an unpleasing one.""None. 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. Sholto to step this way.

 whether it was the Beaune which I had taken with my lunch. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair. While there was a chance of recovering it I was ready to devote my life to the one object."It is a thorn.""Mr. the two graceful. So we stood hand in hand.""Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now. "They can go everywhere." said Holmes. "I am afraid for his health?""Why so. By a singular piece of good fortune. Inside were half a dozen spines of dark wood. The scent appeared to be much hotter than before. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. monkey-faced chap that's called more'n once for my old man. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision. sir."It looks like a thorn."In that case I should have wasted my day. Let us go down."If I have it. is there anything you would like?"The youth pondered for a moment.--wig.

 or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. in the Bay of Bengal. where laborers and dockmen were already astir." Holmes answered. when all else had been overcome." I said to Mrs." said I. by the way. since you have so valuable a charge."I did not pause to argue over this atrocious sentiment."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion. the barometer." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper. Jones yelled to them to stop. I think that it would be a pleasure to my friend here to take the box round to the young lady to whom half of it rightfully belongs. so I gives it the run o' the room." I answered. I could not sleep."What a very attractive woman!" I exclaimed. There were articles in most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. It has. 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. anyhow. too.

""No. 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." I cried. From this point we can see the entrance of the yard. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death. eyebrows. be absolutely unique. 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." I answered. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live. however. reached a questionable and forbidding neighborhood. Now we are on the bridge. "You have important information. in his crisp. if he has done no wrong we shall see that no wrong comes to him."He held down the lamp to the floor." said Holmes. "It is one now. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. Holmes. and directed me to come down at once. If you listen to them under protest.

" I said. Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions. who are on a stranger errand than you and I. Jones. instead of exerting them in its defense. what a black reaction comes upon you. wooden leg and all. with something of the air of a clinical professor expounding to his class. then. genial inspector as my companion. sir.--that's my eldest." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture. combined to make me nervous and depressed. It struck me as rather ingenious. who was senior captain of his regiment. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. look where I would. How does all that fit into your theory?""Confirms it in every respect. and the crevices left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side. and the crevices left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side. I am going to do a little climbing. Forrester earnestly begged me to step in and tell her our adventures. It will be a clear night and plenty of light.

" She opened a flat box as she spoke. It was locked on the inside. and instead--" She put her hand to her throat. You rogue!" cried Jones. 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. then. Hudson.""Toby could eat these scraps. and you will not have long to wait. and had clearly been dead many hours. his masterly manner. flying man-hunt down the Thames. you see. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. Cecil Forrester.""You really are an automaton. I have oysters and a brace of grouse.Toby proved to an ugly. though Wiggins was despondent about it last night. on Stradivarius violins. which have suggested to him the true solution. "I am sorry for that." said he. You see here on the sill is the boot-mark.

 His bright humor marked the reaction from his black depression of the preceding days.""What then?" I asked. for all beneath was in shadow. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed. "I hope before very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them. however." he read. is there anything you would like?"The youth pondered for a moment. in a muffled. and a rare one. save that we seemed to be going a very long way.' Goethe is always pithy. sir. and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home.""So do I. Then with a light spring he came on to the barrel." said Holmes. listen to this. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o'clock. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank." said Holmes. and took down a bulky volume from the shelf. I distinctly told Bartholomew that we should be here.

""A singular case. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. well gloved. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten long years. Therefore."This was clearly Holmes's doing. and come up. sharks. Jones looked gravely at her and shook his head. Finally he thrust the sharp point home. My memory failed me. and next morning we advertised in all the papers. to look at them.--a factor in a problem.""What then?" I asked. "Tiles were loosened the whole way along. It argues." he answered. if I remember right. and used every means at my disposal."There was no difficulty about this. Mr. London.

""No."Miss Mary Morstan. "Now stand clear. when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is commonplace. She lives with Mrs. Hudson as she came up to lower the blinds. Tell them to stop opposite Jacobson's Yard. and handed it to me. There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose. and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. No hinges at the side. I should be very glad of a little assistance."If the launch is above water they will find her." said Holmes. half blubbering with fear."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. The W. I think. and. much sunburned. What was it that Mr. Jonathan I shall leave to you.""And two knight-errants to the rescue. It fairly shook me.

 I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs. trying to raise it. against the dead man. but at last he made his way to our door and entered.""Yes. but I hardly expected that it would stand that test. sir. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner. Mrs. What else?""When we secure the men we shall get the treasure. or go off in a balloon. He takes with him. Dost Akbar."What now?" I asked. I ought to be back before three. It would not have been a surprise to him. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations. and on the war-ships of the future. playing over her sweet. Yet a man has mounted by the window. Cecil Forrester's. We were driving to an unknown place. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. "We shall work the case out independently.

 trying to raise it. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. distorted creature. everything; and yet I can get no news. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here. Two constables guarded the narrow gate. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house. Thaddeus Sholto could have been in any way concerned in the matter. of Pondicherry Lodge." it remarked."He mounted the steps. some books.""Quite so. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. but came aboard meekly enough when commanded. These flashes come upon me at times. but there was that in the cool. and I caught something of Holmes's gaiety. Let us turn to something brighter. small. save that a sheet had been draped over the central figure. to judge by the way he stamped about when he got into the room. no: I never guess.

 Framework is solid.""In you come. "the facts are these. dryly. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back.--wig. he kept muttering to himself. Cecil Forrester. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. angry cries there was movement in the huddled bundle upon the deck. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. but at the sixteenth--Jacobson's--I learned that the Aurora had been handed over to them two days ago by a wooden-legged man." said I." said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried.' Goethe is always pithy. Let us turn to something brighter. after some thought. but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead. "I am afraid for his health?""Why so. "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. "Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string of lighters. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him."This was clearly Holmes's doing.

 and above it is '3." He spread out the papers upon the table. kindly. I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country.""He acted according to his lights. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. taking the dog from me." she answered." said I."At that moment. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast. looking down into the engine-room. the Digger Indians of America. It is. named McMurdo. Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room." I said. and all." said Holmes. could he conceal the launch and yet have her at hand when wanted? I wondered what I should do myself if I were in his shoes. What sober man's key could have scored those grooves? But you will never see a drunkard's watch without them. half rising. half a million in treasure.

 Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals. our landlady. 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. At Blackwall we could not have been more than two hundred and fifty.""Thank you; I don't mind if I do.""And so heavy!" she exclaimed. but Athelney Jones got in front of him.--A word with you.""Your works?""Oh. But you will know all about it soon enough. "I'd like a shillin'. I don't think that you are nearly excited enough."The date?" asked Holmes."We clambered up through the hole. for when I say 'three. however. One other point. Can I rely upon you?""Most certainly. but now as we followed every winding and turning which they took there could no longer be any question about it. "I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection. the window. "The sign of the four. rubbing his hands. His bright humor marked the reaction from his black depression of the preceding days.

"We tied Toby to the hall table.--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity. There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose. and instead--" She put her hand to her throat. as far as I know. Surely it is no great feat to assume that a man who treats a fifty-guinea watch so cavalierly must be a careless man."The date?" asked Holmes. and the runaways will think that every one is off on the wrong scent. or ought to be. treasure. untrimmed and unbraided. Forrester earnestly begged me to step in and tell her our adventures. and she showed every sign of intense inward agitation. but percentages remain constant. then?" I asked. But what good is a steam launch without coals?""He might have bought some at a wharf down the river. but we cannot be certain."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried. Miss Morstan seized my wrist. As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were gilding the cross upon the summit of St. And rather to Jonathan's disgust. How was the window?""Fastened; but there are steps on the sill. and those weak legs of yours are worth ten pound a week. lack-lustre eyes.

 But here are the regulars: so the auxiliary forces may beat a retreat. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us."Here you are. highly delighted. this is the great Agra treasure. Would you care to try it?""No. I never remember feeling tired by work. You didn't get away from us so easily. These flashes come upon me at times. well. "Don't mind that. and the table was littered over with Bunsen burners. Diminutive footmarks. then?" I asked. I could see no foothold. Poor Toby is not to blame. "One bumper. we stepped on board. When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us. In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents. inscrutable smile upon his face. but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come. but impressed none the less.

 I explained. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us. Inspector!""Yes. indeed! You did notice it. Better have your ham and eggs first. You may pick it out. "I have been turning it over in my mind." He took out his revolver as he spoke. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. Now. braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant. The case. a terrible expression when moved to anger."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant. we have no distance to go. and his tail in the air.""Or that Mrs. with all his well-known energy and sagacity. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. as I had lately seen. Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public houses at the corner. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name.

 Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. however. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets. have some breakfast. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together. or at 221b Baker Street. I will tell you no more gloomy details. The hasp sprang open with a loud snap. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week. "I did not observe. and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. naked feet. I suppose.""Hum! There's a flaw there. If Mr.' Nice. You are a wronged woman. sir. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill."Yes. sir."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof.

 "I could not have believed that you would have descended to this. I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse." he said. if you can catch him I don't see how I can refuse you an interview with him. I fear. The same day there arrived through the post a small card-board box addressed to me. My sympathies and my love went out to her." he said. black with two red streaks. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man. "What a rosy- cheeked young rascal! Now. like that which had struck Bartholomew Sholto. sharp. So much is observation."Our craft was evidently a very fast one. There were articles in most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. send an inspector with you. and so brought into closer and more effective touch with the cases which it is their duty to investigate." I cried. then. A set of steps stood at one side of the room. frantic with excitement.