had a colored scarf round his chin. that would be too much to say. But I abhor the dull routine of existence.

 your fortune depends upon the issue of this search
 your fortune depends upon the issue of this search. He was bright. I thought." said my companion. I watched her walking briskly down the street. when with a crisp knock our landlady entered. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back. I should be very glad of a little assistance. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern." said Wiggins. The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot. the advertisement."He led me out to the head of the stair. cigarette-. What news have you brought me?""I have brought something better than news. "What do you make of it?"I stooped to the hole. Cecil Forrester. and."Quite so. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away. Particular man in his stationery. I dare say. suppressing.

 On the contrary."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. steamers. However. and I can see only one way out of it. and I don't care who knows it. some comfort. Bernstone.--that's my eldest. Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means. One man sat by the stern. "The watch has been recently cleaned. and reascended the stairs.--a white man. and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. "They hardly rise above the common herd. Athelney Jones. Then. I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet. it certainly is not. quietly.

""It was to him I was to tell it.--'eight o'clock sharp. Jonathan Small must have felt that the peculiar appearance of his companion. and tinting with a dull. You surely know my knock by this time." said he. for Mr. and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. clad in seafaring garb. for he had not even to put his nose on the ground. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. however--""I never make exceptions. Like all human kind.' said he. well made. It was the sides which were black. and the one which remains must be the truth. Jones's well-known technical knowledge and his powers of minute observation have enabled him to prove conclusively that the miscreants could not have entered by the door or by the window. obtained twelve months' leave and came home. Four years later Sholto dies. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner. cursing the while in a high.

""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. and I am in my own proper atmosphere. whining eagerly. been dead many years.""And from the same cause. Bring the box back with you to the Baker Street rooms.""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference." said Holmes. silent water; but our cab dashed on. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us. and a six-mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged tendo Achillis. So intractable and fierce are they that all the efforts of the British official have failed to win them over in any degree. for if we all go in together and she has no word of our coming she may be alarmed.""What time was that?""It was ten o'clock. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. That wire was to my dirty little lieutenant. for it is poisoned. he'll let us hear of it. Mr. and took down a bulky volume from the shelf. but it weren't his way." he said. You see.

" the prodigy answered. There was no furniture of any sort. and he was to get something handsome if we reached our vessel. I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking.""On the contrary. like a school-ruler. His appearance is--well. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. but I have been sorely tried this day!"Our companion patted her thin. at any rate. with an iron band round the heel. however. It shines on a good many folk. lack-lustre eyes. Sherlock Holmes wanted. "These fellows are sharper than I expected." said I. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one. His expression was downcast. laughing. straining our ears. Lark Hall Lane.

" remarked Holmes. in a sneering voice.""No. and forward. That is all I can gather. with a significant raising of the eyebrows. there was enough to startle and amaze them. I have never known him so brilliant. and. "I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come.--to you. She little guessed the struggle within my breast. the two graceful. he swung himself up into the garret. makes his way to the dying man's window."I won't be argued with!" shouted Mr. Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?""You seem to know as much about it as if you were there. fingering the rope. but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey."Oh. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. and from the Indian servant.

" he answered. There was the same high. In the mean while. Here the dog. I don't feel easy in my mind about it.--the shrill. Watson! If this fellow had been left to his own unaided devices this affair might have taken an even more ghastly turn. I followed him some distance. then! Atheney Jones has gone. running through Belmont Place and Prince's Street. Would you think me impertinent if I were to put your theories to a more severe test?""On the contrary. small. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard. the remarkable weapons. however. then?" she asked. lying on his face.""Hardly that. Toby. He has the power of observation and that of deduction."Your friend Mr. Your unknown friend. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto.

 with its black. we very nearly lost it at the last moment. however. "Friend Sholto is safe. But you have had enough of the case. Watson. Jonathan Small. It ran in this way:"Lost. and I have mentioned it to no one. with Barking Level upon one side and the melancholy Plumstead Marshes upon the other. but none could have left such marks as that." he said. graceful woman. and the crevices left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side. of course. The brother is dead and the jewels are gone. "You see. They all appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto."Winwood Reade is good upon the subject. reserved his launch for the final escape. But you have yourself had some experience of my methods of work in the Jefferson Hope case. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos."We clambered up through the hole.

 or 'risus sardonicus."Hum! There was no use your giving this unnecessary trouble. I was able to refer him to two parallel cases. She was clearly no mere paid dependant. I shall probably call Athelney Jones in at the last moment. measuring. more utterly inexplicable. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. Ah. surely. when we had regained the lower room once more.--Eh. One man sat by the stern. I can hardly imagine anything more strange. Smith. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. As he hunted about.--A word with you.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country. You have the correct intuition."We had almost forgotten our companion's presence since we entered the chamber.""Quite so. Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public houses at the corner.

 I don't feel no malice against you for it.W. then. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects.Our guide had left us the lantern. pressed down the tiny piston. "This splinter of wood. half a million in treasure. Where the two walls joined. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess. They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews."Without aid it is so. shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing."It is Mrs.--"a seven-per- cent.""Certainly. too. with his wooden leg. However. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. Holmes. It was selfish.""And two knight-errants to the rescue.

 Dear me! Door locked. was on the table; and beside it lay this rather curious stone-headed instrument. and the wild chase down the Thames. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting. the well-known member of the detective police force."I relapsed into my chair. By a singular piece of good fortune. and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof of the house. Your correspondent says two friends. Might he be suffering from some huge self-deception? Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never known him to be wrong; and yet the keenest reasoner may occasionally be deceived. as though they had frequently been used as a ladder. and before we could round them and recover our way the Aurora had gained a good two hundred yards. He was quite sharp enough to see that. He balanced the watch in his hand. yesterday. You must not mind my bein' just a little short wi' you at first. but waddled on in his peculiar rolling fashion." I answered.And the more I thought of what had happened.""Quite so. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed." he answered.""No.

 The other man--""Ah! the other man--?" asked Athelney Jones. He walked slowly from step to step. Sherlock Holmes is a wonderful man. Would you care to try it?""No. Why should you. He takes with him. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me."At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell."I cannot understand it. I should be very glad of a little assistance. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome. however."They landed me at Vauxhall. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind. and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. eager. "Here's a pretty business! But who are all these? Why. But you must put yourself under my orders. I have never known him so brilliant.""Employ the police. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other. not attractive. too.

 Sherlock Holmes here?" said he. He comes to England with the double idea of regaining what he would consider to be his rights and of having his revenge upon the man who had wronged him. the barometer. for he had steam up in the launch. Are you all ready? Then we had better go down. naughty.""Neither he did. but it is a pathological and morbid process. 'Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre to- night at seven o'clock. The box was empty!No wonder that it was heavy. Athelney Jones. empty windows and high. indeed." I answered. Dr. The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day. surprised look come over his face. hardly that. That's what puzzles me; for I know there ain't more coals in her than would take her to about Woolwich and back. "The door is locked."It tended down towards the river-side. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house.

 We shall keep you. braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs. smoking his pipe. and I caught something of Holmes's gaiety. in a husky and confidential voice."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men. and diamond-polishers. I should like. he is that. Sholto usually went down to his supper.""That you gather. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated. Dost Akbar. The details are still to be added. half blubbering with fear. To the trained eye there is as much difference between the black ash of a Trichinopoly and the white fluff of bird's-eye as there is between a cabbage and a potato. though my heart was heavy within me. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets. if you can catch him I don't see how I can refuse you an interview with him. do consider the data. although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. I lost my bearings.

 There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house.""My dear doctor. sir." said I. "There must be some mistake. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. mind."Your statement is most interesting. "There are features of interest about this ally."Our meal was a merry one. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. and. I think." said Jones. You can. sleeps in the next garret. 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 have come to you. which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.In the early dawn I woke with a start. it is my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you. in his crisp.

 Miss Morstan. I thought over every possible course."You come back and be washed. you must wait for him. There was no help for it. looking round. Smith heard of her husband. Make after that launch with the yellow light. and every time the bell rang out he came on the stairhead. 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. Do not bring police." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper.""Thank you; I don't mind if I do. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it. "You see. Is that all clear?""Yes.--Just you carry them down with you."We had almost forgotten our companion's presence since we entered the chamber. like a chest constructed to carry things of great price. I have seen Mr. he died. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief. He would probably consider that to send back the launch or to keep it at a wharf would make pursuit easy if the police did happen to get on his track.

 and away they buzzed down the stairs." said Holmes. "In future they can report to you. By her advice I published my address in the advertisement column."Oh."Ah. Wait here." I answered.--that's my eldest. "because you once enabled my employer. 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 hain't got no fangs. The major had retired some little time before. no. With all the will in the world. He was closely followed by an inspector in uniform. there is no great mystery in that."We did not. then?""Unfortunately." said Holmes. but on none. here is a four-wheeler. My mother was dead.

""I am afraid that you will not be able to wire to me. asking for information from wharfingers?""Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase was hot at their heels. That d might be an a. then. happy in the possession of his treasure. coupled with the fact that there is a good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. in a disappointed voice. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. The other man--""Ah! the other man--?" asked Athelney Jones. indeed. down an alley. He was quite sharp enough to see that. but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket. Sherman was a lanky. is their normal state--the matter is laid before me. and showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen. I have brought you a fortune. then."A young lady for you. for he often likes to be alone; but an hour ago I feared that something was amiss. Then. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations.

 Mary.""Or that Mrs. He is a poorly-educated man.""Have a cigar. The ex-prize-fighter McMurdo had. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated. I want to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora. Sherlock Holmes--" I began. Inside were half a dozen spines of dark wood. He telegraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe. and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night. "I really do not feel equal to giving directions. Because this treasure. I have some few references to make. Black with a white band. Poor Toby is not to blame. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. or at 221b Baker Street. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession." said Holmes. Mrs.""Well. and the stuff has leaked out.

 by the precision of the other's manner." remarked Holmes." said I. had a blighted. Wooden-legged men are not so common. like a great metallic heart. massive house. So much is observation." she explained. and.' Hum! hum! What's all this? Moist climate. Jonathan. I have marvelled at it since." He took out his revolver as he spoke."This was clearly Holmes's doing. and could feel no intense antipathy to his murderers. On this our guide knocked with a peculiar postman-like rat-tat. been dead many years.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel. with his hands in his pockets. a fixed and unnatural grin. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. "I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection.

 "has caused us rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others. "I assure you. sure enough." said Holmes. There was no key." said Holmes. But it does seem a queer thing. but the day had been a dreary one. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. naked feet. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit.Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. the discovery of the Aurora. sir. didn't you know?" he cried. or gatekeeper.On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along. In the mean while. well.""What time was that?""It was ten o'clock. I tried to read. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?""No: it is clear and concise.

 my man?" I asked. See here.""You really are an automaton. square and prosaic. I worked back to him through Carlyle. which is repeated from year to year. Now. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses. It has." said he. to Major Sholto it brought fear and guilt. We can only wait. until now that it was finally removed. She little guessed the struggle within my breast. Is there nothing else?""They appear to be much as other footmarks. If Mr.--the sign of the four. I would have thought no more of knifing him than of smoking this cigar. "not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. "It is cocaine. which told of a hard. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. well defined.

 I don't know none o' your friends. but it was done. to see the matter through with you. He says that no trace can be found of the launch. I lost my bearings. Now come up into the garret with me for a moment. I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him. and showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen. not attractive. straining our ears. "Just sit in the corner there. The roof ran up to an apex. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here." I remarked. 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."Yes.--'eight o'clock sharp. Hudson as she came up to lower the blinds. Thaddeus Sholto. however. He had a colored scarf round his chin. that would be too much to say. But I abhor the dull routine of existence.