the adventure of the abbey grange

 it was on a bitterly cold night and frosty morning , towards the
end of the winter of ' 97 , that i was awakened by a tugging at my
shoulder . it was holmes . the candle in his hand shone upon his
eager , stooping face , and told me at a glance that something was
amiss . 
 " come , watson , come ! " he cried . " the game is afoot . not a
word ! into your clothes and come ! " 
 ten minutes later we were both in a cab , and rattling through the
silent streets on our way to charing cross station . the first faint
winter 's dawn was beginning to appear , and we could dimly see
the occasional figure of an early workman as he passed us , blurred
and indistinct in the opalescent london reek . holmes nestled in
silence into his heavy coat , and i was glad to do the same , for
the air was most bitter , and neither of us had broken our fast . 
 it was not until we had consumed some hot tea at the station
and taken our places in the kentish train that we were sufficiently 
thawed , he to speak and i to listen . holmes drew a note
from his pocket , and read aloud : 

         " abbey grange , marsham , kent , 
              3 : 30 a . m . 
  " my dear mr . holmes : 
  i should be very glad of your immediate assistance in
 what promises to be a most remarkable case . it is something
 quite in your line . except for releasing the lady i will see
 that everything is kept exactly as i have found it , but i beg
 you not to lose an instant , as it is difficult to leave sir
 eustace there . 
            " yours faithfully , 
            " stanley hopkins . 

 " hopkins has called me in seven times , and on each occasion
his summons has been entirely justified , " said holmes . ' ' i fancy
that every one of his cases has found its way into your collection
 , and i must admit , watson , that you have some power of
selection , which atones for much which i deplore in your narratives
 . your fatal habit of looking at everything from the point of
view of a story instead of as a scientific exercise has ruined what
might have been an instructive and even classical series of
demonstrations . you slur over work of the utmost finesse and
delicacy , in order to dwell upon sensational details which may
excite , but cannot possibly instruct , the reader . " 
 " why do you not write them yourself ? " i said , with some
bitterness . 
 " i will , my dear watson , i will . at present i am , as you
know , fairly busy , but i propose to devote my declining years to
the composition of a textbook , which shall focus the whole art of
detection into one volume . our present research appears to be a
case of murder . " 
 " you think this sir eustace is dead , then ? " 
 " i should say so . hopkins 's writing shows considerable agitation
 , and he is not an emotional man . yes , i gather there has
been violence , and that the body is left for our inspection . a
mere suicide would not have caused him to send for me . as to
the release of the lady , it would appear that she has been locked
in her room during the tragedy . we are moving in high life , 
watson , crackling paper , ' e . b . ' monogram , coat-of-arms , picturesque 
address . i think that friend hopkins will live up to his
reputation , and that we shall have an interesting morning . the
crime was committed before twelve last night . " 
 " how can you possibly tell ? " 
 " by an inspection of the trains , and by reckoning the time . 
the local police had to be called in , they had to communicate
with scotland yard , hopkins had to go out , and he in turn had to
send for me . all that makes a fair night 's work . well , here we
are at chiselhurst station , and we shall soon set our doubts at
rest . " 
 a drive of a couple of miles through narrow country lanes
brought us to a park gate , which was opened for us by an old
lodge-keeper , whose haggard face bore the reflection of some
great disaster . the avenue ran through a noble park , between
lines of ancient elms , and ended in a low , widespread house , 
pillared in front after the fashion of palladio . the central part
was evidently of a great age and shrouded in ivy , but the large
windows showed that modern changes had been carried out , and
one wing of the house appeared to be entirely new . the youthful
figure and alert , eager face of inspector stanley hopkins confronted 
us in the open doorway . 
 " i ' m very glad you have come , mr . holmes . and you , too , 
dr . watson . but , indeed , if i had my time over again , i should
not have troubled you , for since the lady has come to herself , 
she has given so clear an account of the affair that there is not
much left for us to do . you remember that lewisham gang of
burglars ? " 
 " what , the three randalls ? " 
 " exactly ; the father and two sons . it 's their work . i have not a
doubt of it . they did a job at sydenham a fortnight ago and were
seen and described . rather cool to do another so soon and so
near , but it is they , beyond all doubt . it 's a hanging matter this
time . " 
 " sir eustace is dead , then ? " 
 " yes , his head was knocked in with his own poker . " 
 " sir eustace brackenstall , the driver tells me . " 
 " exactly -- one of the richest men in kent -- lady brackenstall
is in the morning-room . poor lady , she has had a most dreadful
experience . she seemed half dead when i saw her first . i think
you had best see her and hear her account of the facts . then we
will examine the dining-room together . " 
 lady brackenstall was no ordinary person . seldom have i
seen so graceful a figure , so womanly a presence , and so beautiful 
a face . she was a blonde , golden-haired , blue-eyed , and
would no doubt have had the perfect complexion which goes
with such colouring , had not her recent experience left her drawn
and haggard . her sufferings were physical as well as mental , for
over one eye rose a hideous , plum-coloured swelling , which her
maid , a tall , austere woman , was bathing assiduously with vinegar 
and water . the lady lay back exhausted upon a couch , but
her quick , observant gaze , as we entered the room , and the alert
expression of her beautiful features , showed that neither her wits
nor her courage had been shaken by her terrible experience . she
was enveloped in a loose dressing-gown of blue and silver , but a
black sequin-covered dinner-dress lay upon the couch beside her . 
 " i have told you all that happened , mr . hopkins , " she said , 
wearily . " could you not repeat it for me ? well , if you think it
necessary , i will tell these gentlemen what occurted . have they
been in the dining-room yet ? " 
 " i thought they had better hear your ladyship 's story first . " 
 " i shall be glad when you can arrange matters . it is horrible to
me to think of him still lying there . " she shuddered and buried
her face in her hands . as she did so , the loose gown fell back
from her forearms . holmes uttered an exclamation . 
 " you have other injuries , madam ! what is this ? " two vivid
red spots stood out on one of the white , round limbs . she hastily
covered it . 
 " it is nothing . it has no connection with this hideous business
to-night . if you and your friend will sit down , i will tell you all i
can . 
 " i am the wife of sir eustace brackenstall . i have been
married about a year . i suppose that it is no use my attempting to
conceal that our marriage has not been a happy one . i fear that
all our neighbours would tell you that , even if i were to attempt
to deny it . perhaps the fault may be partly mine . i was brought
up in the freer , less conventional atmosphere of south australia , 
and this english life , with its proprieties and its primness , is not
congenial to me . but the main reason lies in the one fact , which
is notorious to everyone , and that is that sir eustace was a
confirmed drunkard . to be with such a man for an hour is
unpleasant . can you imagine what it means for a sensitive and
high-spirited woman to be tied to him for day and night ? it is a
sacrilege , a crime , a villainy to hold that such a marriage is
binding . i say that these monstrous laws of yours will bring a
curse upon the land -- god will not let such wickedness endure . " 
for an instant she sat up , her cheeks flushed , and her eyes
blazing from under the terrible mark upon her brow . then the
strong , soothing hand of the austere maid drew her head down
on to the cushion , and the wild anger died away into passionate
sobbing . at last she continued : 
 " i will tell you about last night . you are aware , perhaps , that
in this house all the servants sleep in the modern wing . this
central block is made up of the dwelling-rooms , with the kitchen
behind and our bedroom above . my maid , theresa , sleeps above
my room . there is no one else , and no sound could alarm those
who are in the farther wing . this must have been well known to
the robbers , or they would not have acted as they did . 
 " sir eustace retired about half-past ten . the servants had
already gone to their quarters . only my maid was up , and she
had remained in her room at the top of the house until i needed
her services . i sat until after eleven in this room , absorbed in a
book . then i walked round to see that all was right before i went
upstairs . it was my custom to do this myself , for , as i have
explained , sir eustace was not always to be trusted . i went into
the kitchen , the butler 's pantry , the gun-room , the billiard-room , 
the drawing-room , and finally the dining-room . as i approached the
window , which is covered with thick curtains , i suddenly felt
the wind blow upon my face and realized that it was open . i
flung the curtain aside and found myself face to face with a
broad-shouldered elderly man , who had just stepped into the
room . the window is a long french one , which really forms a
door leading to the lawn . i held my bedroom candle lit in my
hand , and , by its light , behind the first man i saw two others , 
who were in the act of entering . i stepped back , but the fellow
was on me in an instant . he caught me first by the wrist and then
by the throat . i opened my mouth to scream , but he struck me a
savage blow with his fist over the eye , and felled me to the
ground . i must have been unconscious for a few minutes , for
when i came to myself , i found that they had torn down the
bell-rope , and had secured me tightly to the oaken chair which
stands at the head of the dining-table . i was so firmly bound that
i could not move , and a handkerchief round my mouth prevented
me from uttering a sound . it was at this instant that my unfortunate 
husband entered the room . he had evidently heard some
suspicious sounds , and he came prepared for such a scene as he
found . he was dressed in nightshirt and trousers , with his favourite 
blackthorn cudgel in his hand . he rushed at the burglars , 
but another -- it was an elderly man -- stooped , picked the poker
out of the grate and struck him a horrible blow as he passed . he
fell with a groan and never moved again . i fainted once more , 
but again it could only have been for a very few minutes during
which i was insensible . when i opened my eyes i found that
they had collected the silver from the sideboard , and they had
drawn a bottle of wine which stood there . each of them had a
glass in his hand . i have already told you , have i not , that one
was elderly , with a beard , and the others young , hairless lads . 
they might have been a father with his two sons . they talked
together in whispers . then they came over and made sure that i
was securely bound . finally they withdrew , closing the window
after them . it was quite a quarter of an hour before i got my
mouth free . when i did so , my sceams brought the maid to my
assistance . the other servants were soon alarmed , and we sent
for the local police , who instantly communicated with london . 
that is really all that i can tell you , gentlemen , and i trust that it
will not be necessary for me to go over so painful a story
again . " 
 " any questions , mr . holmes ? " asked hopkins . 
 " i will not impose any further tax upon lady brackenstall ' s
patience and time , " said holmes . " before i go into the dining-
room , i should like to hear your experience . " he looked at the
maid . 
 " i saw the men before ever they came into the house , " said
she . " as i sat by my bedroom window i saw three men in the
moonlight down by the lodge gate yonder , but i thought nothing
of it at the time . it was more than an hour after that i heard my
mistress scream and down i ran , to find her , poor lamb , just as
she says , and him on the floor , with his blood and brains over
the room . it was enough to drive a woman out of her wits , tied
there , and her very dress spotted with him , but she never wanted
courage , did miss mary fraser of adelaide , and lady brackenstall 
of abbey grange hasn ' t learned new ways . you ' ve ques-
tioned her long enough , you gentlemen , and now she is coming
to her own room , just with her old theresa , to get the rest that
she badly needs . " 
 with a motherly tenderness the gaunt woman put her arm
round her mistress and led her from the room . 
 " she has been with her all her life , " said hopkins . " nursed
her as a baby , and came with her to england when they first left
australia , eighteen months ago . theresa wright is her name , and
the kind of maid you don ' t pick up nowadays . this way , mr . 
holmes , if you please ! " 
 the keen interest had passed out of holmes 's expressive face , 
and i knew that with the mystery all the charm of the case had
departed . there still remained an arrest to be effected , but what
were these commonplace rogues that he should soil his hands
with them ? an abstruse and learned specialist who finds that he
has been called in for a case of measles would experience
something of the annoyance which i read in my friend 's eyes . 
yet the scene in the dining-room of the abbey grange was
sufficiently strange to arrest his attention and to recall his waning
interest . 
 it was a very large and high chamber , with carved oak ceiling , 
oaken panelling , and a fine array of deer 's heads and ancient
weapons around the walls . at the further end from the door was
the high french window of which we had heard . three smaller
windows on the right-hand side filled the apartment with cold
winter sunshine . on the left was a large , deep fireplace , with a
massive , overhanging oak mantelpiece . beside the fireplace was
a heavy oaken chair with arms and crossbars at the bottom . in
and out through the open woodwork was woven a crimson cord
which was secured at each side to the crosspiece below . in
releasing the lady , the cord had been slipped off her , but the
knots with which it had been secured still remained . these
details only struck our attention afterwards , for our thoughts
were entirely absorbed by the terrible object which lay upon the
tigerskin hearthrug in front of the fire . 
 it was the body of a tall , well-made man , about forty years of
age . he lay upon his back , his face upturned , with his white
teeth grinning through his short , black beard . his two clenched
hands were raised above his head , and a heavy , blackthorn stick
lay across them . his dark , handsome , aquiline features were
convulsed into a spasm of vindictive hatred , which had set his
dead face in a terribly fiendish expression . he had evidently
been in his bed when the alarm had broken out , for he wore a
foppish , embroidered nightshirt , and his bare feet projected from
his trousers . his head was horribly injured , and the whole room
bore witness to the savage ferocity of the blow which had struck
him down . beside him lay the heavy poker , bent into a curve by
the concussion . holmes examined both it and the indescribable
wreck which it had wrought . 
 " he must be a powerful man , this elder randall , " he remarked . 
 " yes , " said hopkins . " i have some record of the fellow , and
he is a rough customer . " 
 " you should have no difficulty in getting him . " 
 " not the slightest . we have been on the look-out for him , and
there was some idea that he had got away to america . now that
we know that the gang are here , i don ' t see how they can escape . 
we have the news at every seaport already , and a reward will be
offered before evening . what beats me is how they could have
done so mad a thing , knowing that the lady could describe them
and that we could not fail to recognize the description . " 
 " exactly . one would have expected that they would silence
lady brackenstall as well . " 
 " they may not have realized , " i suggested , " that she had
recovered from her faint . " 
 " that is likely enough . if she seemed to be senseless , they
would not take her life . what about this poor fellow , hopkins ? i
seem to have heard some queer stories about him . " 
 " he was a good-hearted man when he was sober , but a
perfect fiend when he was drunk , or rather when he was half
drunk , for he seldom really went the whole way . the devil
seemed to be in him at such times , and he was capable of
anything . from what i hear , in spite of all his wealth and his
title , he very nearly came our way once or twice . there was a
scandal about his drenching a dog with petroleum and setting it
on fire -- her ladyship 's dog , to make the matter worse -- and that
was only hushed up with difficulty . then he threw a decanter at
that maid , theresa wright -- there was trouble about that . on the
whole , and between ourselves , it will be a brighter house without
him . what are you looking at now ? " 
 holmes was down on his knees , examining with great attention 
 the knots upon the red cord with which the lady had been
secured . then he carefully scrutinized the broken and frayed end
where it had snapped off when the burglar had dragged it down . 
 " when this was pulled down , the bell in the kitchen must
have rung loudly , " he remarked . 
 " no one could hear it . the kitchen stands right at the back of
the house . " 
 " how did the burglar know no one would hear it ? how dared
he pull at a bellrope in that reckless fashion ? " 
 " exactly , mr . holmes , exactly . you put the very question
which i have asked myself again and again . there can be no
doubt that this fellow must have known the house and its habits . 
he must have perfectly understood that the servants would all be
in bed at that comparatively early hour , and that no one could
possibly hear a bell ring in the kitchen . therefore , he must have
been in close league with one of the servants . surely that is
evident . but there are eight servants , and all of good character . " 
 " other things being equal , " said holmes , " one would sus-
pect the one at whose head the master threw a decanter . and yet
that would involve treachery towards the mistress to whom this
woman seems devoted . well , well , the point is a minor one , and
when you have randall you will probably find no difficulty in
securing his accomplice . the lady 's story certainly seems to be
corroborated , if it needed corroboration , by every detail which
we see before us . " he walked to the french window and threw
it open . " there are no signs here , but the ground is iron hard , 
and one would not expect them . i see that these candles in the
mantelpiece have been lighted . " 
 " yes , it was by their light , and that of the lady 's bedroom
candle , that the burglars saw their way about . " 
 " and what did they take ? " 
 " well , they did not take much -- only half a dozen articles of
plate off the sideboard . lady brackenstall thinks that they were
themselves so disturbed by the death of sir eustace that they did
not ransack the house , as they would otherwise have done . " 
 " no doubt that is true , and yet they drank some wine , i
understand . " 
 " to steady their nerves . " 
 " exactly . these three glasses upon the sideboard have been
untouched , i suppose ? " 
 " yes , and the bottle stands as they left it . " 
 " let us look at it . halloa , halloa ! what is this ? " 
 the three glasses were grouped together , all of them tinged
with wine , and one of them containing some dregs of beeswing . 
the bottle stood near them , two-thirds full , and beside it lay a
long , deeply stained cork . its appearance and the dust upon the
bottle showed that it was no common vintage which the murderers 
had enjoyed . 
 a change had come over holmes 's manner . he had lost his
listless expression , and again i saw an alert light of interest in
his keen , deep-set eyes . he raised the cork and examined it
minutely . 
 " how did they draw it ? " he asked . 
 hopkins pointed to a half-opened drawer . in it lay some table
linen and a large corkscrew . 
 " did lady brackenstall say that screw was used ? " 
 " no , you remember that she was senseless at the moment
when the bottle was opened . " 
 " quite so . as a matter of fact , that screw was not used . this
bottle was opened by a pocket screw , probably contained in a
knife , and not more than an inch and a half long . if you will
examine the top of the cork , you will observe that the screw was
driven in three times before the cork was extracted . it has never
been transfixed . this long screw would have transfixed it and
drawn it up with a single pull . when you catch this fellow , you
will find that he has one of these multiplex knives in his
possession . " 
 " excellent ! " said hopkins . 
 " but these glasses do puzzle me , i confess . lady brackenstall
actually saw the three men drinking , did she not ? " 
 " yes ; she was clear about that . " 
 " then there is an end of it . what more is to be said ? and yet , 
you must admlt , that the three glasses are very remarkable , 
hopkins . what ? you see nothing remarkable ? well , well , let it
pass . perhaps , when a man has special knowledge and special
powers like my own , it rather encourages him to seek a complex
explanation when a simpler one is at hand . of course , it must be
a mere chance about the glasses . well , good-morning , hopkins . 
i don ' t see that i can be of any use to you , and you appear to
have your case very clear . you will let me know when randall is
arrested , and any further developments which may occur . i trust
that i shall soon have to congratulate you upon a successful
conclusion . come , watson , i fancy that we may employ our-
selves more profitably at home . " 
 during our return journey , i could see by holmes 's face that
he was much puzzled by something which he had observed . 
every now and then , by an effort , he would throw off the
impression , and talk as if the matter were clear , but then his
doubts would settle down upon him again , and his knitted brows
and abstracted eyes would show that his thoughts had gone back
once more to the great dining-room of the abbey grange , in
which this midnight tragedy had been enacted . at last , by a
sudden impulse , just as our train was crawling out of a suburban
station , he sprang on to the platform and pulled me out after
him . 
 " excuse me , my dear fellow , " said he , as we watched the
rear carriages of our train disappearing round a curve , " i am
sorry to make you the victim of what may seem a mere whim , 
but on my life , watson , i simply can ' t leave that case in this
condition . every instinct that i possess cries out against it . it ' s
wrong -- it 's all wrong -- i ' ll swear that it 's wrong . and yet the
lady 's story was complete , the maid 's corroboration was sufficient , 
the detail was fairly exact . what have i to put up against
that ? three wine-glasses , that is all . but if i had not taken things
for granted , if i had examined everything with care which i
should have shown had we approached the case de novo and had
no cut-and-dried story to warp my mind , should i not then have
found something more definite to go upon ? of course i should . 
sit down on this bench , watson , until a train for chiselhurst
arrives , and allow me to lay the evidence before you , imploring
you in the first instance to dismiss from your mind the idea that
anything which the maid or her mistress may have said must
necessarily be true . the lady 's charming personality must not be
permitted to warp our judgment . 
 " surely there are details in her story which , if we looked at
in cold blood , would excite our suspicion . these burglars made a
considerable haul at sydenham a fortnight ago . some account of
them and of their appearance was in the papers , and would
naturally occur to anyone who wished to invent a story in which
imaginary robbers should play a part . as a matter of fact , 
burglars who have done a good stroke of business are as a rule
only too glad to enjoy the proceeds in peace and quiet without
embarking on another perilous undertaking . again , it is unusual
for burglars to operate at so early an hour , it is unusual for
burglars to strike a lady to prevent her screaming , since one
would imagine that was the sure way to make her scream , it is
unusual for them to commit murder when their numbers are
sufficient to overpower one man , it is unusual for them to be
content with a limited plunder when there was much more within
their reach , and finally , i should say , that it was very unusual for
such men to leave a bottle half empty . how do all these unusuals
strike you , watson ? " 
 " their cumulative effect is certainly considerable , and yet
each of them is quite possible in itself . the most unusual thing
of all , as it seems to me , is that the lady should be tied to the
chair . " 
 " well , i am not so clear about that , watson , for it is evident
that they must either kill her or else secure her in such a way that
she could not give immediate notice of their escape . but at any
rate i have shown , have i not , that there is a certain element of
improbability about the lady 's story ? and now , on the top of
this , comes the incident of the wineglasses . " 
 " what about the wineglasses ? " 
 " can you see them in your mind 's eye ? " 
 " i see them clearly . " 
 " we are told that three men drank from them . does that strike
you as likely ? " 
 " why not ? there was wine in each glass . " 
 " exactly , but there was beeswing only in one glass . you must
have noticed that fact . what does that suggest to your mind ? " 
 " the last glass filled would be most likely to contain beeswing . " 
 " not at all . the bottle was full of it , and it is inconceivable
that the first two glasses were clear and the third heavily charged
with it . there are two possible explanations , and only two . one
is that after the second glass was filled the bottle was violently
agitated , and so the third glass received the beeswing . that does
not appear probable . no , no , i am sure that i am right . " 
 " what , then , do you suppose ? " 
 " that only two glasses were used , and that the dregs of both
were poured into a third glass , so as to give the false impression
that three people had been here . in that way all the beeswing
would be in the last glass , would it not ? yes , i am convinced
that this is so . but if i have hit upon the true explanation of this
one small phenomenon , then in an instant the case rises from the
commonplace to the exceedingly remarkable , for it can only
mean that lady brackenstall and her maid have deliberately lied
to us , that not one word of their story is to be believed , that they
have some very strong reason for covering the real criminal , and
that we must construct our case for ourselves without any help
from them . that is the mission which now lies before us , and
here , watson , is the sydenham train . " 
 the household at the abbey grange were much surprised at
our return , but sherlock holmes , finding that stanley hopkins
had gone off to report to headquarters , took possession of the
dining-room , locked the door upon the inside , and devoted him-
self for two hours to one of those minute and laborious investigations \
which form the solid basis on which his brilliant edifices of
deduction were reared . seated in a corner like an interested
student who observes the demonstration of his professor , i followed 
every step of that remarkable research . the window , the
curtains , the carpet , the chair , the rope -- each in turn was minutely 
examined and duly pondered . the body of the unfortunate
baronet had been removed , and all else remained as we had seen
it in the morning . finally , to my astonishment , holmes climbed
up on to the massive mantelpiece . far above his head hung the
few inches of red cord which were still attached to the wire . for
a long time he gazed upward at it , and then in an attempt to get
nearer to it he rested his knee upon a wooden bracket on the
wall . this brought his hand within a few inches of the broken
end of the rope , but it was not this so much as the bracket itself
which seemed to engage his attention . finally , he sprang down
with an ejaculation of satisfaction . 
 " it 's all right , watson , " said he . " we have got our case -- 
one of the most remarkable in our collection . but , dear me , how
slow-witted i have been , and how nearly i have committed the
blunder of my lifetime ! now , i think that , with a few missing
links , my chain is almost complete . " 
 " you have got your men ? " 
 " man , watson , man . only one , but a very formidable person . 
strong as a lion -- witness the blow that bent that poker ! six foot
three in height , active as a squirrel , dexterous with his fingers , 
finally , remarkably quick-witted , for this whole ingenious story
is of his concoction . yes , watson , we have come upon the
handiwork of a very remarkable individual . and yet , in that
bell-rope , he has given us a clue which should not have left us a
doubt . " 
 " where was the clue ? " 
 " well , if you were to pull down a bell-rope , watson , where
would you expect it to break ? surely at the spot where it is
attached to the wire . why should it break three inches from the
top , as this one has done ? " 
 " because it is frayed there ? " 
 " exactly . this end , which we can examine , is frayed . he was
cunning enough to do that with his knife . but the other end is not
frayed . you could not observe that from here , but if you were on
the mantelpiece you would see that it is cut clean off without any
mark of fraying whatever . you can reconstruct what occurred . 
the man needed the rope . he would not tear it down for fear of
giving the alarm by ringing the bell . what did he do ? he sprang
up on the mantelpiece , could not quite reach it , put his knee on
the bracket -- you will see the impression in the dust -- and so got
his knife to bear upon the cord . i could not reach the place by at
least three inches -- from which i infer that he is at least three
inches a bigger man than i . look at that mark upon the seat of
the oaken chair ! what is it ? " 
 " blood . " 
 " undoubtedly it is blood . this alone puts the lady 's story out
of court . if she were seated on the chair when the crime was
done , how comes that mark ? no , no , she was placed in the chair
after the death of her husband . i ' ll wager that the black dress
shows a corresponding mark to this . we have not yet met our
waterloo , watson , but this is our marengo , for it begins in
defeat and ends in victory . i should like now to have a few
words with the nurse , theresa . we must be wary for a while , if
we are to get the information which we want . " 
 she was an interesting person , this stern australian nurse -- 
taciturn , suspicious , ungracious , it took some time before holmes ' s
pleasant manner and frank acceptance of all that she said thawed
her into a corresponding amiability . she did not attempt to
conceal her hatred for her late employer . 
 " yes , sir , it is true that he threw the decanter at me . i heard
him call my mistress a name , and i told him that he would not
dare to speak so if her brother had been there . then it was that
he threw it at me . he might have thrown a dozen if he had but
left my bonny bird alone . he was forever ill-treating her , and she
too proud to complain . she will not even tell me all that he has
done to her . she never told me of those marks on her arm that
you saw this morning , but i know very well that they come from
a stab with a hatpin . the sly devil -- god forgive me that i should
speak of him so , now that he is dead ! but a devil he was , if ever
one walked the earth . he was all honey when first we met
him -- only eighteen months ago , and we both feel as if it were
eighteen years . she had only just arrived in london . yes , it was
her first voyage -- she had never been from home before . he won
her with his title and his money and his false london ways . if
she made a mistake she has paid for it , if ever a woman did . 
what month did we meet him ? well , i tell you it was just after
we arrived . we arrived in june , and it was july . they were
married in january of last year . yes , she is down in the morning-room 
again , and i have no doubt she will see you , but you must
not ask too much of her , for she has gone through all that flesh
and blood will stand . " 
 lady brackenstall was reclining on the same couch , but looked
brighter than before . the maid had entered with us , and began
once more to foment the bruise upon her mistress 's brow . 
 " i hope , " said the lady , " that you have not come to cross-
examine me again ? " 
 " no , " holmes answered , in his gentlest voice , " i will not
cause you any unnecessary trouble , lady brackenstall , and my
whole desire is to make things easy for you , for i am convinced
that you are a much-tried woman . if you will treat me as a friend
and trust me , you may find that i will justify your trust . " 
 " what do you want me to do ? " 
 " to tell me the truth . " 
 " mr . holmes ! " 
 " no , no , lady brackenstall -- it is no use . you may have
heard of any little reputation which i possess . i will stake it all
on the fact that your story is an absolute fabrication . " 
 mistress and maid were both staring at holmes with pale faces
and frightened eyes . 
 " you are an impudent fellow ! " cried theresa . " do you mean
to say that my mistress has told a lie ? " 
 holmes rose from his chair . 
 " have you nothing to tell me ? " 
 " i have told you everything . " 
 " think once more , lady brackenstall . would it not be better
to be frank ? " 
 for an instant there was hesitation in her beautiful face . then
some new strong thought caused it to set like a mask . 
 " i have told you all i know . " 
 holmes took his hat and shrugged his shoulders . " i am sorry , " 
he said , and without another word we left the room and the
house . there was a pond in the park , and to this my friend led
the way . it was frozen over , but a single hole was left for the
convenience of a solitary swan . holmes gazed at it , and then
passed on to the lodge gate . there he scribbled a short note for
stanley hopkins , and left it with the lodge-keeper . 
 " it may be a hit , or it may be a miss , but we are bound to do
something for friend hopkins , just to justify this second visit , " 
said he . " i will not quite take him into my confidence yet . i
think our next scene of operations must be the shipping office of
the adelaide-southampton line , which stands at the end of pall
mall , if i remember right . there is a second line of steamers
which connect south australia with england , but we will draw
the larger cover first . " 
 holmes 's card sent in to the manager ensured instant attention , 
and he was not long in acquiring all the information he needed . 
in june of ' 95 , only one of their line had reached a home port . it
was the rock of gibraltar , their largest and best boat . a reference 
to the passenger list showed that miss fraser , of adelaide , 
with her maid had made the voyage in her . the boat was now
somewhere south of the suez canal on her way to australia . her
officers were the same as in ' 95 , with one exception . the first
officer , mr . jack crocker , had been made a captain and was to
take charge of their new ship , the bass rock , sailing in two
days ' time from southampton . he lived at sydenham , but he
was likely to be in that morning for instructions , if we cared to
wait for him . 
 no , mr . holmes had no desire to see him , but would be glad
to know more about his record and character . 
 his record was magnificent . there was not an officer in the
fleet to touch him . as to his character , he was reliable on duty
but a wild , desperate fellow off the deck of his ship -- hot-
headed , excitable , but loyal , honest , and kind-hearted . that was
the pith of the information with which holmes left the office of
the adelaide-southampton company . thence he drove to scot-
land yard , but , instead of entering , he sat in his cab with his
brows drawn down , lost in profound thought . finally he drove
round to the charing cross telegraph office , sent off a message , 
and then , at last , we made for baker street once more . 
 " no , i couldn ' t do it , watson , " said he , as we reentered our
room . " once that warrant was made out , nothing on earth would
save him . once or twice in my career i feel that i have done
more real harm by my discovery of the criminal than ever he had
done by his crime . i have learned caution now , and i had rather
play tricks with the law of england than with my own con-
science . let us know a little more before we act . " 
 before evening , we had a visit from inspector stanley hopkins . 
 things were not going very well with him . 
 " i believe that you are a wizard , mr . holmes . i really do
sometimes think that you have powers that are not human . now , 
how on earth could you know that the stolen silver was at the
bottom of that pond ? " 
 " i didn ' t know it . " 
 " but you told me to examine it . " 
 " you got it , then ? " 
 " yes , i got it . " 
 " i am very glad if i have helped you . " 
 " but you haven ' t helped me . you have made the affair far
more difficult . what sort of burglars are they who steal silver
and then throw it into the nearest pond ? " 
 " it was certainly rather eccentric behaviour . i was merely
going on the idea that if the silver had been taken by persons
who did not want it -- who merely took it for a blind , as it
were -- then they would naturally be anxious to get rid of it . " 
 " but why should such an idea cross your mind ? " 
 " well , i thought it was possible . when they came out through
the french window , there was the pond with one tempting little
hole in the ice , right in front of their noses . could there be a
better hiding-place ? " 
 " ah , a hiding-place -- that is better ! " cried stanley hopkins . 
 " yes , yes , i see it all now ! it was early , there were folk upon
the roads , they were afraid of being seen with the silver , so they
sank it in the pond , intending to return for it when the coast was
clear . excellent , mr . holmes -- that is better than your idea of a
blind . " 
 " quite so , you have got an admirable theory . i have no doubt
that my own ideas were quite wild , but you must admit that they
have ended in discovering the silver . " 
 ' ' yes , sir -- yes . it was all your doing . but i have had a bad
setback . " 
 " a setback ? " 
 " yes , mr . holmes . the randall gang were arrested in new
york this morning . " 
 " dear me , hopkins ! that is certainly rather against your
theory that they committed a murder in kent last night . " 
 " it is fatal , mr . holmes -- absolutely fatal . still , there are
other gangs of three besides the randalls , or it may be some new
gang of which the police have never heard . " 
 " quite so , it is perfectly possible . what , are you off ? " 
 " yes , mr . holmes , there is no rest for me until i have got to
the bottom of the business . i suppose you have no hint to give
me ? " 
 " i have given you one . " 
 " which ? " 
 " well , i suggested a blind . " 
 " but why , mr . holmes , why ? " 
 " ah , that 's the question , of course . but i commend the idea
to your mind . you might possibly find that there was something
in it . you won ' t stop for dinner ? well , good-bye , and let us
know how you get on . " 
 dinner was over , and the table cleared before holmes alluded
to the matter again . he had lit his pipe and held his slippered feet
to the cheerful blaze of the fire . suddenly he looked at his
watch . 
 " i expect developments , watson . " 
 " when ? ' ' 
 " now -- within a few minutes . i dare say you thought i acted
rather badly to stanley hopkins just now ? " 
 " i trust your judgment . " 
 " a very sensible reply , watson . you must look at it this way : 
what i know is unofficial , what he knows is official . i have the
right to private judgment , but he has none . he must disclose all , 
or he is a traitor to his service . in a doubtful case i would not put
him in so painful a position , and so i reserve my information
until my own mind is clear upon the matter . " 
 " but when will that be ? " 
 " the time has come . you will now be present at the last
scene of a remarkable little drama . " 
 there was a sound upon the stairs , and our door was opened
to admit as fine a specimen of manhood as ever passed through
it . he was a very tall young man , golden-moustached , blue-
eyed , with a skin which had been burned by tropical suns , and a
springy step , which showed that the huge frame was as active as
it was strong . he closed the door behind him , and then he stood
with clenched hands and heaving breast , choking down some
overmastering emotion . 
 " sit down , captain crocker . you got my telegram ? " 
 our visitor sank into an armchair and looked from one to the
other of us with questioning eyes . 
 " i got yow telegram , and i came at the hour you said . i heard
that you had been down to the office . there was no getting away
from you . let 's hear the worst . what are you going to do with
me ? arrest me ? speak out , man ! you can ' t sit there and play
with me like a cat with a mouse . " 
 " give him a cigar , " said holmes . " bite on that , captain
crocker , and don ' t let your nerves run away with you . i should
not sit here smoking with you if i thought that you were a
common criminal , you may be sure of that . be frank with me
and we may do some good . play tricks with me , and i ' ll crush
you . " 
 " what do you wish me to do ? " 
 " to give me a true account of all that happened at the abbey
grange last night -- a true account , mind you , with nothing added
and nothing taken off . i know so much already that if you go one
inch off the straight , i ' ll blow this police whistle from my
window and the affair goes out of my hands forever . " 
 the sailor thought for a little . then he struck his leg with his
great sunburned hand . 
 " i ' ll chance it , " he cried . " i believe you are a man of your
word , and a white man , and i ' ll tell you the whole story . but one
thing i will say first . so far as i am concerned , i regret nothing
and i fear nothing , and i would do it all again and be proud of
the job . damn the beast , if he had as many lives as a cat , he
would owe them all to me ! but it 's the lady , mary -- mary
fraser -- for never will i call her by that accursed name . when i
think of getting her into trouble , i who would give my life just to
bring one smile to her dear face , it 's that that turns my soul into
water . and yet -- and yet -- what less could i do ? i ' ll tell you my
story , gentlemen , and then i ' ll ask you , as man to man , what
less could i do ? 
 " i must go back a bit . you seem to know everything , so i
expect that you know that i met her when she was a passenger
and i was first officer of the rock of gibraltar . from the first
day i met her , she was the only woman to me . every day of that
voyage i loved her more , and many a time since have i kneeled
down in the darkness of the night watch and kissed the deck of
that ship because i knew her dear feet had trod it . she was never
engaged to me . she treated me as fairly as ever a woman treated
a man . i have no complaint to make . it was all love on my side , 
and all good comradeship and friendship on hers . when we
parted she was a free woman , but i could never again be a free
man . 
 " next time i came back from sea , i heard of her marriage . 
well , why shouldn ' t she marry whom she liked ? title and
money -- who could carry them better than she ? she was born for
all that is beautiful and dainty . i didn ' t grieve over her marriage . 
i was not such a selfish hound as that . i just rejoiced that good
luck had come her way , and that she had not thrown herself
away on a penniless sailor . that 's how i loved mary fraser . 
 " well , i never thought to see her again , but last voyage i was
promoted , and the new boat was not yet launched , so i had to
wait for a couple of months with my people at sydenham . one
day out in a country lane i met theresa wright , her old maid . 
she told me all about her , about him , about everything . i tell
you , gentlemen , it nearly drove me mad . this drunken hound , 
that he should dare to raise his hand to her , whose boots he was
not worthy to lick ! i met theresa again . then i met mary
herself -- and met her again . then she would meet me no more . 
but the other day i had a notice that i was to start on my voyage
within a week , and i determined that i would see her once before
i left . theresa was always my friend , for she loved mary and
hated this villain almost as much as i did . from her i learned the
ways of the house . mary used to sit up reading in her own little
room downstairs . i crept round there last night and scratched at
the window . at first she would not open to me , but in her heart i
know that now she loves me , and she could not leave me in the
frosty night . she whispered to me to come round to the big front
window , and i found it open before me , so as to let me into the
dining-room . again i heard from her own lips things that made
my blood boil , and again i cursed this brute who mishandled the
woman i loved . well , gentlemen , i was standing with her just
inside the window , in all innocence , as god is my judge , when
he rushed like a madman into the room , called her the vilest
name that a man could use to a woman , and welted her across
the face with the stick he had in his hand . i had sprung for the
poker , and it was a fair fight between us . see here , on my arm , 
where his first blow fell . then it was my turn , and i went
through him as if he had been a rotten pumpkin . do you think i
was sorry ? not i ! it was his life or mine , but far more than that , 
it was his life or hers , for how could i leave her in the power of
this madman ? that was how i killed him . was i wrong ? well , 
then , what would either of you gentlemen have done , if you had
been in my position ? " 
 " she had screamed when he struck her , and that brought old
theresa down from the room above . there was a bottle of wine
on the sideboard , and i opened it and poured a little between
mary 's lips , for she was half dead with shock . then i took a
drop myself . theresa was as cool as ice , and it was her plot as
much as mine . we must make it appear that burglars had done
the thing . theresa kept on repeating our story to her mistress , 
while i swarmed up and cut the rope of the bell . then i lashed
her in her chair , and frayed out the end of the rope to make it
look natural , else they would wonder how in the world a burglar
could have got up there to cut it . then i gathered up a few plates
and pots of silver , to carry out the idea of the robbery , and there
i left them , with orders to give the alarm when i had a quarter of
an hour 's start . i dropped the silver into the pond , and made off
for sydenham , feeling that for once in my life i had done a real
good night 's work . and that 's the truth and the whole truth , mr . 
holmes , if it costs me my neck . " 
 holmes smoked for some time in silence . then he crossed the
room , and shook our visitor by the hand . 
 " that 's what i think , " said he . " i know that every word is
true , for you have hardly said a word which i did not know . no
one but an acrobat or a sailor could have got up to that bell-rope
from the bracket , and no one but a sailor could have made the
knots with which the cord was fastened to the chair . only once
had this lady been brought into contact with sailors , and that was
on her voyage , and it was someone of her own class of life , 
since she was trying hard to shield him , and so showing that she
loved him . you see how easy it was for me to lay my hands
upon you when once i had started upon the right trail . " 
 " i thought the police never could have seen through our
dodge . " 
 " and the police haven ' t , nor will they , to the best of my
belief . now , look here , captain crocker , this is a very serious
matter , though i am willing to admit that you acted under the
most extreme provocation to which any man could be subjected . 
i am not sure that in defence of your own life your action will
not be pronounced legitimate . however , that is for a british jury
to decide . meanwhile i have so much sympathy for you that , if
you choose to disappear in the next twenty-four hours , i will
promise you that no one will hinder you . " 
 " and then it will all come out ? " 
 " certainly it will come out . " 
 the sailor flushed with anger . 
 " what sort of proposal is that to make a man ? i know enough
of law to understand that mary would be held as accomplice . do
you think i would leave her alone to face the music while i slunk
away ? no , sir , let them do their worst upon me , but for heaven ' s
sake , mr . holmes , find some way of keeping my poor mary out
of the courts . " 
 holmes for a second time held out his hand to the sailor . 
 " i was only testing you , and you ring true every time . well , it
is a great responsibility that i take upon myself , but i have given
hopkins an excellent hint , and if he can ' t avail himself of it i can
do no more . see here , captain crocker , we ' ll do this in due
form of law . you are the prisoner . watson , you are a british
jury , and i never met a man who was more eminently fitted to
represent one . i am the judge . now , gentleman of the jury , you
have heard the evidence . do you find the prisoner guilty or not
guilty ? " 
 " not guilty , my lord , " said i . 
 " vox populi , vox dei . you are acquitted , captain crocker . 
so long as the law does not find some other victim you are safe
from me . come back to this lady in a year , and may her future
and yours justify us in the judgment which we have pronounced
this night ! " 
 . 
    the adventure of the beryl coronet

 " holmes , " said i as i stood one morning in our bow-window
looking down the street , " here is a madman coming along . it
seems rather sad that his relatives should allow him to come out
alone . " 
 my friend rose lazily from his armchair and stood with his
hands in the pockets of his dressing-gown , looking over my
shoulder . it was a bright , crisp february morning , and the snow
of the day before still lay deep upon the ground , shimmering
brightly in the wintry sun . down the centre of baker street it had
been ploughed into a brown crumbly band by the traffic , but at
either side and on the heaped-up edges of the foot-paths it still
lay as white as when it fell . the gray pavement had been cleaned
and scraped , but was still dangerously slippery , so that there
were fewer passengers than usual . indeed , from the direction of
the metropolitan station no one was coming save the single
gentleman whose eccentric conduct had drawn my attention . 
 he was a man of about fifty , tall , portly , and imposing , with a
massive , strongly marked face and a commanding figure . he
was dressed in a sombre yet rich style , in black frock-coat , 
shining hat , neat brown gaiters , and well-cut pearl-gray trousers . 
yet his actions were in absurd contrast to the dignity of his dress
and features , for he was running hard , with occasional little
springs , such as a weary man gives who is little accustomed to
set any tax upon his legs . as he ran he jerked his hands up and
down , waggled his head , and writhed his face into the most
extraordinary contortions . 
 " what on earth can be the matter with him ? " i asked . " he is
looking up at the numbers of the houses . " 
 " i believe that he is coming here , " said holmes , rubbing his
hands . 
 " here ? " 
 " yes ; i rather think he is coming to consult me professionally . 
i think that i recognize the symptoms . ha ! did i not tell you ? " 
as he spoke , the man , puffing and blowing , rushed at our door
and pulled at our bell until the whole house resounded with the
clanging . 
 a few moments later he was in our room , still puffing , still
gesticulating , but with so fixed a look of grief and despair in his
eyes that our smiles were turned in an instant to horror and pity . 
for a while he could not get his words out , but swayed his body
and plucked at his hair like one who has been driven to the
extreme limits of his reason . then , suddenly springing to his
feet , he beat his head against the wall with such force that we
both rushed upon him and tore him away to the centre of the
room . sherlock holmes pushed him down into the easy-chair
and , sitting beside him , patted his hand and chatted with him in
the easy , soothing tones which he knew so well how to employ . 
 " you have come to me to tell your story , have you not ? " said
he . " you are fatigued with your haste . pray wait until you have
recovered yourself , and then i shall be most happy to look into
any little problem which you may submit to me . " 
 the man sat for a minute or more with a heaving chest , 
fighting against his emotion . then he passed his handkerchief
over his brow , set his lips tight , and turned his face towards us . 
 " no doubt you think me mad ? " said he . 
 " i see that you have had some great trouble , " responded
holmes . 
 " cod knows i have ! -- a trouble which is enough to unseat my
reason , so sudden and so terrible is it . public disgrace i might
have faced , although i am a man whose character has never yet
borne a stain . private affliction also is the lot of every man ; but
the two coming together , and in so frightful a form , have been
enough to shake my very soul . besides , it is not i alone . the
very noblest in the land may suffer unless some way be found
out of this horrible affair . " 
 " pray compose yourself , sir , " said holmes , " and let me have
a clear account of who you are and what it is that has befallen
you . " 
 " my name , " answered our visitor , " is probably familiar to
your ears . i am alexander holder , of the banking firm of holder
& stevenson , of threadneedle street . " 
 the name was indeed well known to us as belonging to the
senior partner in the second largest private banking concern in
the city of london . what could have happened , then , to bring
one of the foremost citizens of london to this most pitiable pass ? 
we waited , all curiosity , until with another effort he braced
himself to tell his story . 
 " i feel that time is of value , " said he ; " that is why i hastened
here when the police inspector suggested that i should secure
your cooperation . i came to baker street by the underground
and hurried from there on foot , for the cabs go slowly through
this snow . that is why i was so out of breath , for i am a man
who takes very little exercise . i feel better now , and i will put
the facts before you as shortly and yet as clearly as i can . 
 " it is , of course , well known to you that in a successful
banking business as much depends upon our being able to find
remunerative investments for our funds as upon our increasing
our connection and the number of our depositors . one of our
most lucrative means of laying out money is in the shape of
loans , where the security is unimpeachable . we have done a
good deal in this direction during the last few years , and there
are many noble families to whom we have advanced large sums
upon the security of their pictures , libraries , or plate . 
 " yesterday morning i was seated in my office at the bank
when a card was brought in to me by one of the clerks . i started
when i saw the name , for it was that of none other than -- well , 
perhaps even to you i had better say no more than that it was a
name which is a household word all over the earth -- one of the
highest , noblest , most exalted names in england . i was over-
whelmed by the honour and attempted , when he entered , to say
so , but he plunged at once into business with the air of a man
who wishes to hurry quickly through a disagreeable task . 
 " ' mr . holder , ' said he , ' i have been informed that you are in
the habit of advancing money . ' 
 " ' the firm does so when the security is good . ' i answered . 
 ' ' ' it is absolutely essential to me , ' said he , ' that i should
have 50 , 000 pounds at once . i could , of course , borrow so trifling a
sum ten times over from my friends , but i much prefer to make it
a matter of business and to carry out that business myself . in my
position you can readily understand that it is unwise to place
one 's self under obligations . ' 
 " ' for how long , may i ask , do you want this sum ? ' i asked . 
 " ' next monday i have a large sum due to me , and i shall
then most certainly repay what you advance , with whatever
interest you think it right to charge . but it is very essential to me
that the money should be paid at once . ' 
 " ' i should be happy to advance it without further parley from
my own private purse , ' said i , ' were it not that the strain would
be rather more than it could bear . if , on the other hand , i am to
do it in the name of the firm , then in justice to my partner i must
insist that , even in your case , every businesslike precaution
should be taken . ' 
 " ' i should much prefer to have it so , ' said he , raising up a
square , black morocco case which he had laid beside his chair . 
 ' you have doubtless heard of the beryl coronet ? ' 
 " ' one of the most precious public possessions of the em-
pire , ' said i . 
 " ' precisely . ' he opened the case , and there , imbedded in
soft , flesh-coloured velvet , lay the magnificent piece of jewellery
which he had named . ' there are thirty-nine enormous beryls , ' 
said he , ' and the price of the gold chasing is incalculable . the
lowest estimate would put the worth of the coronet at double the
sum which i have asked . i am prepared to leave it with you as
my security . ' 
 " i took the precious case into my hands and looked in some
perplexity from it to my illustrious client . 
 " ' you doubt its value ? ' he asked . 
 " ' not at all . i only doubt -- ' 
 " ' the propriety of my leaving it . you may set your mind at
rest about that . i should not dream of doing so were it not
absolutely certain that i should be able in four days to reclaim it . 
it is a pure matter of form . is the security sufficient ? ' 
 " ' ample . ' 
 " ' you understand , mr . holder , that i am giving you a strong
proof of the confidence which i have in you , founded upon all
that i have heard of you . i rely upon you not only to be discreet
and to refrain from all gossip upon the matter but , above all , to
preserve this coronet with every possible precaution because i
need not say that a great public scandal would be caused if any
harm were to befall it . any injury to it would be almost as
serious as its complete loss , for there are no beryls in the world
to match these , and it would be impossible to replace them . i
leave it with you , however , with every confidence , and i shall
call for it in person on monday morning . ' 
 " seeing that my client was anxious to leave , i said no more
but , calling for my cashier , i ordered him to pay over fifty
1000 pound notes . when i was alone once more , however , with the
precious case lying upon the table in front of me , i could not but
think with some misgivings of the immense responsibility which
it entailed upon me . there could be no doubt that , as it was a
national possession , a horrible scandal would ensue if any mis-
fortune should occur to it . i already regretted having ever con-
sented to take charge of it . however , it was too late to alter the
matter now , so i locked it up in my private safe and turned once
more to my work . 
 " when evening came i felt that it would be an imprudence to
leave so precious a thing in the office behind me . bankers ' safes
had been forced before now , and why should not mine be ? if so , 
how terrible would be the position in which i should find myself ! 
i determined , therefore , that for the next few days i would
always carry the case backward and forward with me , so that
it might never be really out of my reach . with this intention , 
i called a cab and drove out to my house at streatham , carrying
the jewel with me . i did not breathe freely until i had taken it
upstairs and locked it in the bureau of my dressing-room . 
 " and now a word as to my household , mr . holmes , for i
wish you to thoroughly understand the situation . my groom and
my page sleep out of the house , and may be set aside altogether . 
i have three maid-servants who have been with me a number of
years and whose absolute reliability is quite above suspicion . 
another , lucy parr , the second waiting-maid , has only been in
my service a few months . she came with an excellent character , 
however , and has always given me satisfaction . she is a very
pretty girl and has attracted admirers who have occasionally
hung about the place . that is the only drawback which we have
found to her , but we believe her to be a thoroughly good girl in
every way . 
 " so much for the servants . my family itself is so small that it
will not take me long to describe it . i am a widower and have an
only son , arthur . he has been a disappointment to me , mr . 
holmes -- a grievous disappointment . i have no doubt that i
am myself to blame . people tell me that i have spoiled him . very
likely i have . when my dear wife died i felt that he was all i had
to love . i could not bear to see the smile fade even for a moment
from his face . i have never denied him a wish . perhaps it would
have been better for both of us had i been sterner , but i meant it
for the best . 
 " it was naturally my intention that he should succeed me in
my business , but he was not of a business turn . he was wild , 
wayward , and , to speak the truth , i could not trust him in the
handling of large sums of money . when he was young he
became a member of an aristocratic club , and there , having
charming manners , he was soon the intimate of a number of men
with long purses and expensive habits . he learned to play heav-
ily at cards and to squander money on the turf , until he had again
and again to come to me and implore me to give him an advance
upon his allowance , that he might settle his debts of honour . he
tried more than once to break away from the dangerous company
which he was keeping , but each time the influence of his friend , 
sir george burnwell , was enough to draw him back again . 
 " and . indeed , i could not wonder that such a man as sir
george bumwell should gain an influence over him , for he has
frequently brought him to my house , and i have found myself
that i could hardly resist the fascination of his manner . he is
older than arthur , a man of the world to his finger-tips , one who
had been everywhere . seen everything , a brilliant talker , and a
man of great personal beauty . yet when i think of him in cold
blood , far away from the glamour of his presence , i am con-
vinced from his cynical speech and the look which i have caught
in his eyes that he is one who should be deeply distrusted . so i
think , and so , too , thinks my little mary , who has a woman ' s
quick insight into character . 
 " and now there is only she to be described . she is my niece ; 
but when my brother died five years ago and left her alone in the
world i adopted her , and have looked upon her ever since as my
daughter . she is a sunbeam in my house -- sweet , loving , beauti-
ful , a wonderful manager and housekeeper , yet as tender and
quiet and gentle as a woman could be . she is my right hand . i do
not know what i could do without her . in only one matter has
she ever gone against my wishes . twice my boy has asked her to
marry him , for he loves her devotedly , but each time she has
refused him . i think that if anyone could have drawn him into the
right path it would have been she , and that his marriage might
have changed his whole life ; but now , alas ! it is too late -- 
forever too late ! 
 " now , mr . holmes , you know the people who live under my
roof , and i shall continue with my miserable story . 
 " when we were taking coffee in the drawing-room that night
after dinner , i told arthur and mary my experience , and of the
precious treasure which we had under our roof , suppressing only
the name of my client . lucy parr , who had brought in the
coffee , had , i am sure , left the room ; but i cannot swear that the
door was closed . mary and arthur were much interested and
wished to see the famous coronet , but i thought it better not to
disturb it . 
 " ' where have you put it ? ' asked arthur . 
 " ' in my own bureau . ' 
 " ' well , i hope to goodness the house won ' t be burgled
during the night . ' said he . 
 " ' it is locked up , ' i answered . 
 " ' oh , any old key will fit that bureau . when i was a young-
ster i have opened it myself with the key of the box-room
cupboard . ' 
 " he often had a wild way of talking , so that i thought little of
what he said . he followed me to my room , however , that night
with a very grave face . 
 " ' look here , dad , ' said he with his eyes cast down , ' can you
let me have 200 pounds ? ' 
 " ' no , i cannot ! ' i answered sharply . ' i have been far too
generous with you in money matters . ' 
 " ' you have been very kind , ' said he , ' but i must have this
money , or else i can never show my face inside the club again . ' 
 " ' and a very good thing , too ! ' i cried . 
 " ' yes , but you would not have me leave it a dishonoured
man , ' said he . ' i could not bear the disgrace . i must raise the
money in some way , and if you will not let me have it , then i
must try other means . ' 
 " i was very angry , for this was the third demand during the
month . ' you shall not have a farthing from me , ' i cried , on
which he bowed and left the room without another word . 
 " when he was gone i unlocked my bureau , made sure that my
treasure was safe , and locked it again . then i started to go round
the house to see that all was secure -- a duty which i usually
leave to mary but which i thought it well to perform myself that
night . as i came down the stairs i saw mary herself at the side
window of the hall , which she closed and fastened as i approached . 
 " ' tell me , dad , ' said she , looking , i thought , a little dis-
turbed , ' did you give lucy , the maid , leave to go out to-night ? ' 
 " ' certainly not . ' 
 " ' she came in just now by the back door . i have no doubt
that she has only been to the side gate to see someone , but i
think that it is hardly safe and should be stopped . ' 
 " ' you must speak to her in the morning , or i will if you
prefer it . are you sure that everything is fastened ? ' 
 " ' quite sure . dad . ' 
 " ' then . good-night . ' i kissed her and went up to my bed-
room again , where i was soon asleep . 
 " i am endeavouring to tell you everything , mr . holmes , 
which may have any bearing upon the case , but i beg that you
will question me upon any point which i do not make clear . " 
 " on the contrary , your statement is singularly lucid . " 
 " i come to a part of my story now in which i should wish to
be particularly so . i am not a very heavy sleeper , and the anxiety
in my mind tended , no doubt , to make me even less so than
usual . about two in the morning . then , i was awakened by some
sound in the house . it had ceased ere i was wide awake , but it
had left an impression behind it as though a window had gently
closed somewhere . i lay listening with all my ears . suddenly , to
my horror . there was a distinct sound of footsteps moving softly
in the next room . i slipped out of bed , all palpitating with fear , 
and peeped round the comer of my dressing-room door . 
 " ' arthur ! ' i screamed , ' you villain ! you thief ! how dare you
touch that coronet ? ' 
 " the gas was half up , as i had left it , and my unhappy boy , 
dressed only in his shirt and trousers , was standing beside the
light , holding the coronet in his hands . he appeared to be
wrenching at it , or bending it with all his strength . at my cry he
dropped it from his grasp and turned as pale as death . i snatched
it up and examined it . one of the gold corners , with three of the
beryls in it , was missing . 
 " ' you blackguard ! ' i shouted , beside myself with rage . ' you
have destroyed it ! you have dishonoured me forever ! where are
the jewels which you have stolen ? ' 
 " ' stolen ! ' he cried . 
 " ' yes , thief ! ' i roared , shaking him by the shoulder . 
 " ' there are none missing . there cannot be any missing , ' 
said he . 
 " ' there are three missing . and you know where they are . 
must i call you a liar as well as a thief ? did i not see you trying
to tear off another piece ? ' 
 " ' you have called me names enough , ' said he , ' i will not
stand it any longer . i shall not say another word about this
business , since you have chosen to insult me . i will leave your
house in the moming and make my own way in the world . ' 
 " ' you shall leave it in the hands of the police ! ' i cried
half-mad with grief and rage . ' i shall have this matter probed to
the bottom . ' 
 " ' you shall learn nothing from me , ' said he with a passion
such as i should not have thought was in his nature . ' if you
choose to call the police , let the police find what they can . ' 
 " by this time the whole house was astir , for i had raised my
voice in my anger . mary was the first to rush into my room , and , 
at the sight of the coronet and of arthur 's face , she read the
whole story and , with a scream . fell down senscless on the
ground . i sent the house-maid for the police and put the investi-
gation into their hands at once . when the inspector and a consta-
ble entered the house , arthur , who had stood sullenly with his
arms folded , asked me whether it was my intention to charge
him with theft . i answered that it had ceased to be a private
matter , but had become a public one , since the ruined coronet
was national property . i was determined that the law should have
its way in everything . 
 " ' at least , ' said he , ' you will not have me arrested at once . 
it would be to your advantage as well as mine if i might leave
the house for five minutes . ' 
 " ' that you may get away , or perhaps that you may conceal
what you have stolen , ' said i . and then , realizing the dreadful
position in which i was placed , i implored him to remember that
not only my honour but that of one who was far greater than i
was at stake ; and that he threatened to raise a scandal which
would convulse the nation . he might avert it all if he would but
tell me what he had done with the three missing stones . 
 " ' you may as well face the matter , ' said i ; ' you have been
caught in the act , and no confession could make your guilt more
heinous . if you but make such reparation as is in your power , by
telling us where the beryls are , all shall be forgiven and forgotten . ' 
 " ' keep your forgiveness for those who ask for it , ' he an-
swered , turning away from me with a sneer . i saw that he was
too hardened for any words of mine to influence him . there was
but one way for it . i called in the inspector and gave him into
custody . a search was made at once not only of his person but of
his room and-of every portion of the house where he could
possibly have concealed the gems ; but no trace of them could be
found , nor would the wretched boy open his mouth for all our
persuasions and our threats . this morning he was removed to a
cell , and i , after going through all the police formalities , have
hurried round to you to implore you to use your skill in unravel-
ling the matter . the police have openly confessed that they can
at present make nothing of it . you may go to any expense which
you think necessary . i have already offered a reward of looo pounds . 
my god , what shall i do ! i have lost my honour , my gems , and
my son in one night . oh , what shall i do ! " 
 he put a hand on either side of his head and rocked himself to
and fro , droning to himself like a child whose grief has got
beyond words . 
 sherlock holmes sat silent for some few minutes . with his
brows knitted and his eyes fixed upon the fire . 
 " do you receive much company ? " he asked . 
 " none save my partner with his family and an occasional
friend of arthur 's . sir george burnwell has been several times
lately . no one else , i think . " 
 " do you go out much in society ? " 
 " arthur does . mary and i stay at home . we neither of us care
for it . " 
 " that is unusual in a young girl . " 
 " she is of a quiet nature . besides , she is not so very young . 
she is four-and-twenty . " 
 " this matter , from what you say , seems to have been a shock
to her also . " 
 " terrible ! she is even more affected than i . " 
 " you have neither of you any doubt as to your son 's guilt ? " 
 " how can we have when i saw him with my own eyes with
the coronet in his hands . " 
 " i hardly consider that a conclusive proof . was the remainder
of the coronet at all injured ? " 
 " yes , it was twisted . " 
 " do you not think , then , that he might have been trying to
straighten it ? " 
 " god bless you ! you are doing what you can for him and for
me . but it is too heavy a task . what was he doing there at all ? if
his purpose were innocent , why did he not say so ? " 
 " precisely . and if it were guilty , why did he not invent a lie ? 
his silence appears to me to cut both ways . there are several
singular points about the case . what did the police think of the
noise which awoke you from your sleep ? " 
 " they considered that it might be caused by arthur 's closing
his bedroom door . " 
 " a likely story ! as if a man bent on felony would slam his
door so as to wake a household . what did they say , then , of the
disappearance of these gems ? " 
 " they are still sounding the planking and probing the furni-
ture in the hope of finding them . " 
 " have they thought of looking outside the house ? " 
 " yes , they have shown extraordinary energy . the whole gar-
den has already been minutely examined . " 
 " now , my dear sir , " said holmes . " is it not obvious to you
now that this matter really strikes very much deeper than either
you or the police were at first inclined to think ? it appeared to
you to be a simple case ; to me it seems exceedingly complex . 
consider what is involved by your theory . you suppose that your
son came down from his bed , went . at great risk , to your
dressing-room , opened your bureau , took out your coronet , broke
otf by main force a small portion of it , went off to some other
place , concealed three gems out of the thirty-nine . with such
skill that nobody can find them , and then returned with the other
thirty-six into the room in which he exposed himself to the
greatest danger of being discovered . i ask you now , is such a
theory tenable ? " 
 " but what other is there ? " cried the banker with a gesture of
despair . " if his motives were innocent , why does he not explain
them ? " 
 " it is our task to find that out , " replied holmes ; " so now , if
you please , mr . holder , we will set off for streatham together , 
and devote an hour to glancing a little more closely into details . " 
 my friend insisted upon my accompanying them in their expe-
dition , which i was eager enough to do , for my curiosity and
sympathy were deeply stirred by the story to which we had
listened . i confess that the guilt of the banker 's son appeared to
me to be as obvious as it did to his unhappy father , but still i had
such faith in holmes 's judgment that i felt that there must be
some grounds for hope as long as he was dissatisfied with the
accepted explanation . he hardly spoke a word the whole way out
to the southern suburb , but sat with his chin upon his breast and
his hat drawn over his eyes , sunk in the deepest thought . our
client appeared to have taken fresh heart at the little glimpse of
hope which had been presented to him , and he even broke into a
desultory chat with me over his business affairs . a short railway
journey and a shorter walk brought us to fairbank , the modest
residence of the great financier . 
 fairbank was a good-sized square house of white stone , stand-
ing back a little from the road . a double carriage-sweep , with a
snow-clad lawn , stretched down in front to two large iron gates
which closed the entrance . on the right side was a small wooden
thicket , which led into a narrow path between two neat hedges
stretching from the road to the kitchen door , and forming the
tradesmen 's entrance . on the left ran a lane which led to the
stables , and was not itself within the grounds at all , being a
public , though little used , thoroughfare . holmes left us standing
at the door and walked slowly all round the house , across the
front , down the tradesmen 's path , and so round by the garden
behind into the stable lane . so long was he that mr . holder and i
went into the dining-room and waited by the fire until he should
return . we were sitting there in silence when the door opened
and a young lady came in . she was rather above the middle
height , slim , with dark hair and eyes , which seemed the darker
against the absolute pallor of her skin . i do not think that i have
ever seen such deadly paleness in a woman 's face . her lips , too , 
were bloodless , but her eyes were flushed with crying . as she
swept silently into the room she impressed me with a greater
sense of grief than the banker had done in the morning , and it
was the more striking in her as she was evidently a woman of
strong character , with immense capacity for self-restraint . disre-
garding my presence , she went straight to her uncle and passed
her hand over his head with a sweet womanly caress . 
 " you have given orders that arthur should be liberated , have
you not , dad ? " she asked . 
 " no , no , my girl , the matter must be probed to the bottom . " 
 " but i am so sure that he is innocent . you know what
woman 's instincts are . i know that he has done no harm and that
you will be sorry for having acted so harshly . " 
 " why is he silent , then , if he is innocent ? " 
 " who knows ? perhaps because he was so angry that you
should suspect him . " 
 " how could i help suspecting him , when i actually saw him
with the coronet in his hand ? " 
 " oh , but he had only picked it up to look at it . oh , do , do
take my word for it that he is innocent . let the matter drop and
say no more . it is so dreadful to think of our dear arthur in
prison ! " 
 " i shall never let it drop until the gems are found -- never , 
mary ! your affection for arthur blinds you as to the awful
consequences to me . far from hushing the thing up , i have
brought a gentleman down from london to inquire more deeply
into it . " 
 " this gentleman ? " she asked , facing round to me . 
 " no , his friend . he wished us to leave him alone . he is round
in the stable lane now . " 
 " the stable lane ? " she raised her dark eyebrows . " what can
he hope to find there ? ah ! this , i suppose , is he . i trust , sir , that
you will succeed in proving , what i feel sure is the truth , that my
cousin arthur is innocent of this crime . " 
 " i fully share your opinion , and i trust , with you , that we may
prove it , " returned holmes , going back to the mat to knock the
snow from his shoes . " i believe i have the honour of addressing
miss mary holder . might i ask you a question or two ? " 
 " pray do , sir , if it may help to clear this horrible affair up . " 
 " you heard nothing yourself last night ? " 
 " nothing , until my uncle here began to speak loudly . i heard
that , and i came down . " 
 " you shut up the windows and doors the night before . did
you fasten all the windows ? " 
 " yes . " 
 " were they all fastened this morning ? " 
 " yes . " 
 " you have a maid who has a sweetheart ? i think that you
remarked to your uncle last night that she had been out to see
him ? " 
 " yes , and she was the girl who waited in the drawing-room . 
and who may have heard uncle 's remarks about the coronet . " 
 " i see . you infer that she may have gone out to tell her
sweetheart , and that the two may have planned the robbery . " 
 " but what is the good of all these vague theories , " cried the
banker impatiently , " when i have told you that i saw arthur
with the coronet in his hands ? " 
 " wait a little , mr . holder . we must come back to that . about
this girl , miss holder . you saw her return by the kitchen door , i
presume ? " 
 " yes ; when i went to see if the door was fastened for the
night i met her slipping in . i saw the man , too , in the gloom . " 
 " do you know him ? ' ' 
 " oh , yes ! he is the green-grocer who brings our vegetables
round . his name is francis prosper . " 
 " he stood , " said holmes , " to the left of the door -- that is to
say , farther up the path than is necessary to reach the door ? " 
 " yes , he did . " 
 " and he is a man with a wooden leg ? " 
 something like fear sprang up in the young lady 's expressive
black eyes . " why , you are like a magician , " said she . " how do
you know that ? " she smiled , but there was no answering smile
in holmes 's thin , eager face . 
 " i should be very glad now to go upstairs , " said he . " i shall
probably wish to go over the outside of the house again . perhaps
i had better take a look at the lower windows before i go up . " 
 he walked swiftly round from one to the other , pausing only
at the large one which looked from the hall onto the stable lane . 
this he opened and made a very careful examination of the sill
with his powerful magnifying lens . " now we shall go upstairs , " 
said he at last . 
 the banker 's dressing-room was a plainly furnished little cham-
ber , with a gray carpet , a large bureau , and a long mirror . 
holmes went to the bureau first and looked hard at the lock . 
 " which key was used to open it ? " he asked . 
 " that which my son himself indicated -- that of the cupboard
of the lumber-room . " 
 " have you it here ? " 
 " that is it on the dressing-table . " 
 sherlock holmes took it up and opened the bureau . 
 " it is a noiseless lock , " said he . " it is no wonder that it did
not wake you . this case , i presume , contains the coronet . we
must have a look at it . " he opened the case , and taking out the
diadem he laid it upon the table . it was a magnificent specimen
of the jeweller 's art , and the thiny-six stones were the finest that
i have ever seen . at one side of the coronet was a cracked edge , 
where a corner holding three gems had been torn away . 
 " now , mr . holder , " said holmes , " here is the corner which
corresponds to that which has been so unfortunately lost . might i
beg that you will break it off . " 
 the banker recoiled in horror . " i should not dream of trying , " 
said he . 
 " then i will . " holmes suddenly bent his strength upon it , but
without result . " i feel it give a little , " said he ; " but , though i
am exceptionally strong in the fingers , it would take me all my
time to break it . an ordinary man could not do it . now , what do
you think would happen if i did break it , mr . holder ? there
would be a noise like a pistol shot . do you tell me that all this
happened within a few yards of your bed and that you heard
nothing of it ? " 
 " i do not know what to think . it is all dark to me . " 
 " but perhaps it may grow lighter as we go . what do you
think , miss holder ? " 
 " i confess that i still share my uncle 's perplexity . " 
 " your son had no shoes or slippers on when you saw him ? " 
 " he had nothing on save only his trousers and shirt . " 
 " thank you . we have certainly been favoured with extraordi-
nary luck during this inquiry , and it will be entirely our own
fault if we do not succeed in clearing the matter up . with your
pemmission , mr . holder , i shall now continue my investigations
outside . " 
 he went alone , at his own request , for he explained that any
unnecessary footmarks might make his task more difficult . for
an hour or more he was at work , returning at last with his feet
heavy with snow and his features as inscrutable as ever . 
 " i think that i have seen now all that there is to see , mr . 
holder , " said he ; " i can serve you best by returning to my
rooms . " 
 " but the gems , mr . holmes . where are they ? " 
 " i cannot tell . " 
 the banker wrung his hands . " i shall never see them again ! " 
he cried . " and my son ? you give me hopes ? " 
 " my opinion is in no way altered . " 
 " then , for god 's sake , what was this dark business which
was acted in my house last night ? " 
 " if you can call upon me at my baker street rooms to-morrow
morning between nine and ten i shall be happy to do what i can
to make it clearer . i understand that you give me carte blanche to
act for you , provided only that i get back the gems , and that you
place no limit on the sum i may draw . " 
 " i would give my fortune to have them back . " 
 " very good . i shall look into the matter between this and
then . good-bye ; it is just possible that i may have to come over
here again before evening . " 
 it was obvious to me that my companion 's mind was now
made up about the case , although what his conclusions were was
more than i could even dimly imagine . several times during our
homeward journey i endeavoured to sound him upon the point , 
but he always glided away to some other topic , until at last i
gave it over in despair . it was not yet three when we found
ourselves in our rooms once more . he hurried to his chamber
and was down again in a few minutes dressed as a common
loafer . with his collar turned up , his shiny , seedy coat , his red
cravat , and his worn boots , he was a perfect sample of the class . 
 " i think that this should do , " said he , glancing into the glass
above the fireplace . " l only wish that you could come with me , 
watson , but i fear that it won ' t do . i may be on the trail in this
matter , or i may be following a will-o ' -the-wisp , but i shall soon
know which it is . i hope that i may be back in a few hours . " he
cut a slice of beef from the joint upon the sideboard , sandwiched
it between two rounds of bread , and thrusting this rude meal into
his pocket he started off upon his expedition . 
 i had just finished my tea when he returned , evidently in excel-
lent spirits , swinging an old elastic-sided boot in his hand . he
chucked it down into a corner and helped himself to a cup of
tea . 
 " i only looked in as i passed , " said he . " i am going right on . " 
 " where to ? " 
 " oh , to the other side of the west end . it may be some time
before i get back . don ' t wait up for me in case i should be
late . " 
 " how are you getting on ? " 
 " oh , so so . nothing to complain of . i have been out to
streatham since i saw you last , but i did not call at the house . it
is a very sweet little problem , and i would not have missed it for
a good deal . however , i must not sit gossiping here , but must
get these disreputable clothes off and return to my highly re-
spectable self . " 
 i could see by his manner that he had stronger reasons for
satisfaction than his words alone would imply . his eyes twin-
kled , and there was even a touch of colour upon his sallow
cheeks . he hastened upstairs , and a few minutes later i heard the
slam of the hall door , which told me that he was off once more
upon his congenial hunt . 
 i waited until midnight , but there was no sign of his return , so
i retired to my room . it was no uncommon thing for him to be
away for days and nights on end when he was hot upon a scent , 
so that his lateness caused me no surprise . i do not know at what
hour he came in , but when i came down to breakfast in the
morning there he was with a cup of coffee in one hand and the
paper in the other , as fresh and trim as possible . 
 " you will excuse my beginning without you , watson , " said
he , " but you remember that our client has rather an early
appointment this morning . " 
 " why , it is after nine now , " i answered . " i should not be
surprised if that were he . i thought i heard a ring . " 
 it was , indeed , our friend the financier . i was shocked by the
change which had come over him , for his face which was
naturally of a broad and massive mould , was now pinched and
fallen in , while his hair seemed to me at least a shade whiter . he
entered with a weariness and lethargy which was even more
painful than his violence of the morning before , and he dropped
heavily into the armchair which i pushed forward for him . 
 " i do not know what i have done to be so severely tried , " 
said he . " only two days ago i was a happy and prosperous man , 
without a care in the world . now i am left to a lonely and
dishonoured age . one sorrow comes close upon the heels of
another . my niece , mary , has deserted me . " 
 " deserted you ? " 
 " yes . her bed this morning had not been slept in , her room
was empty , and a note for me lay upon the hall table . i had said
to her last night , in sorrow and not in anger , that if she had
married my boy all might have been well with him . perhaps it
was thoughtless of me to say so . it is to that remark that she
refers in this note : 

   " my dearest uncle : 
   " i feel that i have brought trouble upon you , and that if i
   had acted differently this terrible misfortune might never
   have occurred . i cannot , with this thought in my mind , ever
   again be happy under your roof , and i feel that i must leave
   you forever . do not worry about my future , for that is
   provided for ; and , above all , do not search for me , for it
   will be fruitless labour and an ill-service to me . in life or in
   death , i am ever
              " your loving
                " mary . 
 
 " what could she mean by that note , mr . holmes ? do you think
it points to suicide ? " 
 " no , no , nothing of the kind . it is perhaps the best possible
solution . i trust , mr . holder , that you are nearing the end of
your troubles . " 
 " ha ! you say so ! you have heard something , mr . holmes ; 
you have learned something ! where are the gems ? " 
 " you would not think 1000 pounds apiece an excessive sum for
them ? " 
 " i would pay ten . " 
 " that would be unnecessary . three thousand will cover the
matter . and there is a little reward , i fancy . have you your
check-book ? here is a pen . better make it out for 4000 pounds . " 
 with a dazed face the banker made out the required check . 
holmes walked over to his desk , took out a little triangular piece
of gold with three gems in it , and threw it down upon the table . 
 with a shriek of joy our client clutched it up . 
 " you have it ! " he gasped . " i am saved ! i am saved ! " 
 the reaction of joy was as passionate as his grief had been , 
and he hugged his recovered gems to his bosom . 
 " there is one other thing you owe , mr . holder , " said sher-
lock holmes rather sternly . 
 " owe ! " he caught up a pen . " name the sum , and i will pay
it . " 
 " no , the debt is not to me . you owe a very humble apology
to that noble lad , your son , who has carried himself in this
matter as i should be proud to see my own son do , should i ever
chance to have one . " 
 " then it was not arthur who took them ? ' ' 
 " i told you yesterday , and i repeat to-day , that it was not . " 
 " you are sure of it ! then let us hurry to him at once to let
him know that the truth is known . " 
 " he knows it already . when i had cleared it all up i had an
interview with him . and finding that he would not tell me the
story , i told it to him , on which he had to confess that i was right
and to add the very few details which were not yet quite clear to
me . your news of this morning , however , may open his lips . " 
 " for heaven 's sake , tell me , then , what is this extraordinary
mystery ! " 
 " i will do so , and i will show you the steps by which i
reached it . and let me say to you , first , that which it is hardest
for me to say and for you to hear : there has been an understand-
ing between sir george burnwell and your niece mary . they
have now fled together . " 
 " my mary ? impossible ! " 
 " it is unfortunately more than possible ; it is certain . neither
you nor your son knew the true character of this man when you
admitted him into your family circle . he is one of the most
dangerous men in england -- a ruined gambler , an absolutely
desperate villain , a man without heart or conscience . your niece
knew nothing of such men . when he breathed his vows to her , 
as he had done to a hundred before her , she flattered herself that
she alone had touched his heart . the devil knows best what he
said , but at least she became his tool and was in the habit of
seeing him nearly every evening . " 
 " i cannot , and i will not , believe it ! " cried the banker with an
ashen face . 
 " i will tell you , then , what occurred in your house last night . 
your niece , when you had , as she thought , gone to your room . 
slipped down and talked to her lover through the window which
leads into the stable lane . his footmarks had pressed right through
the snow , so long had he stood there . she told him of the
coronet . his wicked lust for gold kindled at the news , and he
bent her to his will . i have no doubt that she loved you , but there
are women in whom the love of a lover extinguishes all other
loves , and i think that she must have been one . she had hardly
listened to his instructions when she saw you coming downstairs , 
on which she closed the window rapidly and told you about one
of the servants ' escapade with her wooden-legged lover , which
was all perfectly true . 
 " your boy , arthur , went to bed after his interview with you
but he slept badly on account of his uneasiness about his club
debts . in the middle of the night he heard a soft tread pass his
door , so he rose and , looking out , was surprised to see his
cousin walking very stealthily along the passage until she disap-
peared into your dressing-room . petrified with astonishment . the
lad slipped on some clothes and waited there in the dark to see
what would come of this strange affair . presently she emerged
from the room again , and in the light of the passage-lamp your
son saw that she carried the precious coronet in her hands . she
passed down the stairs , and he , thrilling with horror , ran along
and slipped behind the curtain near your door , whence he could
see what passed in the hall beneath . he saw her stealthily open
the window , hand out the coronet to someone in the gloom , and
then closing it once more hurry back to her room , passing quite
close to where he stood hid behind the curtain . 
 " as long as she was on the scene he could not take any action
without a horrible exposure of the woman whom he loved . but
the instant that she was gone he realized how crushing a misfor-
tune this would be for you , and how all-important it was to set it
right . he rushed down , just as he was , in his bare feet , opened
the window , sprang out into the snow , and ran down the lane , 
where he could see a dark figure in the moonlight . sir george
burnwell tried to get away , but arthur caught him , and there
was a struggle between them , your lad tugging at one side of the
coronet , and his opponent at the other . in the scuffle , your son
struck sir george and cut him over the eye . then something
suddenly snapped , and your son , finding that he had the coronet
in his hands , rushed back , closed the window , ascended to your
room , and had just observed that the coronet had been twisted in
the struggle and was endeavouring to straighten it when you
appeared upon the scene . " 
 " is it possible ? " gasped the banker . 
 " you then roused his anger by calling him names at a moment
when he felt that he had deserved your warmest thanks . he could
not explain the true state of affairs without betraying one who
certainly deserved little enough consideration at his hands . he
took the more chivalrous view , however , and preserved her
secret . " 
 " and that was why she shrieked and fainted when she saw
the coronet , " cried mr . holder . " oh , my god ! what a blind
fool i have been ! and his asking to be allowed to go out for five
minutes ! the dear fellow wanted to see if the missing piece were
at the scene of the struggle . how cruelly i have misjudged him ! ' 
 " when i arrived at the house , " continued holmes , " i at once
went very carefully round it to observe if there were any traces in
the snow which might help me . i knew that none had fallen since
the evening before , and also that there had been a strong frost to
preserve impressions . i passed along the tradesmen 's path , but
found it all trampled down and indistinguishable . just beyond it , 
however , at the far side of the kitchen door , a woman had stood
and talked with a man , whose round impressions on one side
showed that he had a wooden leg . i could even tell that they had
been disturbed , for the woman had run back swiftly to the door , 
as was shown by the deep toe and light heel marks , while
wooden-leg had waited a little , and then had gone away . i
thought at the time that this might be the maid and her sweet-
heart , of whom you had already spoken to me , and inquiry
showed it was so . i passed round the garden without seeing
anything more than random tracks , which i took to be the police ; 
but when i got into the stable lane a very long and complex story
was written in the snow in front of me . 
 " there was a double line of tracks of a booted man , and a
second double line which i saw with delight belonged to a man
with naked feet . i was at once convinced from what you had told
me that the latter was your son . the first had walked both ways , 
but the other had run swiftly , and as his tread was marked in
places over the depression of the boot , it was obvious that he had
passed after the other . i followed them up and found they led to
the hall window , where boots had worn all the snow away while
waiting . then i walked to the other end , which was a hundred
yards or more down the lane . i saw where boots had faced
round , where the snow was cut up as though there had been a
struggle , and , finally , where a few drops of blood had fallen , to
show me that i was not mistaken . boots had then run down the
lane , and another little smudge of blood showed that it was he
who had been hurt . when he came to the highroad at the other
end , i found that the pavement had been cleared , so there was an
end to that clue . 
 " on entering the house , however , i examined , as you remem-
ber , the sill and framework of the hall window with my lens , and
i could at once see that someone had passed out . i could distin-
guish the outline of an instep where the wet foot had been placed
in coming in . i was then beginning to be able to form an opinion
as to what had occurred . a man had waited outside the window ; 
someone had brought the gems ; the deed had been overseen by
your son ; he had pursued the thief ; had struggled with him ; they
had each tugged at the coronet , their united strength causing
injuries which neither alone could have effected . he had returned
with the prize , but had left a fragment in the grasp of his
opponent . so far i was clear . the question now was , who was
the man and who was it brought him the coronet ? 
 " it is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the
impossible , whatever remains , however improbable , must be the
truth . now , i knew that it was not you who had brought it down , 
so there only remained your niece and the maids . but if it were
the maids , why should your son allow himself to be accused in
their place ? there could be no possible reason . as he loved his
cousin , however , there was an excellent explanation why he
should retain her secret -- the more so as the secret was a dis-
graceful one . when i remembered that you had seen her at that
window , and how she had fainted on seeing the coronet again , 
my conjecture became a certainty . 
 " and who could it be who was her confederate ? a lover
evidently , for who else could outweigh the love and gratitude
which she must feel to you ? i knew that you went out little , and
that your circle of friends was a very limited one . but among
them was sir george burnwell . i had heard of him before as
being a man of evil reputation among women . it must have been
he who wore those boots and retained the missing gems . even
though he knew that arthur had discovered him , he might still
flatter himself that he was safe , for the lad could not say a word
without compromising his own family . 
 " well , your own good sense will suggest what measures i
took next . i went in the shape of a loafer to sir george 's house , 
managed to pick up an acquaintance with his valet , learned that
his master had cut his head the night before , and , finally , at the
expense of six shillings , made all sure by buying a pair of his
cast-off shoes . with these i journeyed down to streatham and
saw that they exactly fitted the tracks . " 
 " i saw an ill-dressed vagabond in the lane yesterday evening , " 
said mr . holder . 
 " precisely . it was i . i found that i had my man , so i came
home and changed my clothes . it was a delicate part which i had
to play then , for i saw that a prosecution must be avoided to
avert scandal , and i knew that so astute a villain would see that
our hands were tied in the matter . i went and saw him . at first , 
of course , he denied everything . but when i gave him every
particular that had occurred , he tried to bluster and took down a
life-preserver from the wall . i knew my man , however , and i
clapped a pistol to his head before he could strike . then he
became a little more reasonable . i told him that we would give
him a price for the stones he held looo pounds apiece . that brought
out the first signs of grief that he had shown . ' why , dash it all ! ' 
said he , ' i ' ve let them go at six hundred for the three ! ' i soon
managed to get the address of the receiver who had them , on
promising him that there would be no prosecution . off i set to
him , and after much chaffering i got our stones at 1000 pounds apiece . 
then i looked in upon your son , told him that all was right , and
eventually got to my bed about two o ' clock , after what i may
call a really hard day 's work . " 
 " a day which has saved england from a great public scan-
dal , " said the banker , rising . " sir , i cannot find words to thank
you , but you shall not find me ungrateful for what you have
done . your skill has indeed exceeded all that i have heard of it . 
and now i must fly to my dear boy to apologize to him for the
wrong which i have done him . as to what you tell me of poor
mary , it goes to my very heart . not even your skill can inform
me where she is now . " 
 " i think that we may safely say , " returned holmes , " that she
is wherever sir george burnwell is . it is equally certain , too , 
that whatever her sins are , they will soon receive a more than
sufficient punishment . " 
 . 
    the aduenture of black peter

 i have never known my friend to be in better form , both mental
and physical , than in the year ' 95 . his increasing fame had
brought with it an immense practice , and i should be guilty of an
indiscretion if i were even to hint at the identity of some of the
illustrious clients who crossed our humble threshold in baker
street . holmes , however , like all great artists , lived for his art ' s
sake , and , save in the case of the duke of holdernesse , i have
seldom known him claim any large reward for his inestimable
services . so unworldly was he -- or so capricious -- that he fre-
quently refused his help to the powerful and wealthy where the
problem made no appeal to his sympathies , while he would
devote weeks of most intense application to the affairs of some
humble client whose case presented those strange and dramatic
qualities which appealed to his imagination and challenged his
ingenuity . 
 in this memorable year ' 95 , a curious and incongruous succes-
sion of cases had engaged his attention , ranging from his famous
investigation of the sudden death of cardinal tosca -- an inquiry
which was carried out by him at the express desire of his
holiness the pope -- down to his arrest of wilson , the notorious
canary-trainer , which removed a plague-spot from the east end of
london . close on the heels of these two famous cases came the
tragedy of woodman 's lee , and the very obscure circumstances
which surrounded the death of captain peter carey . no record of
the doings of mr . sherlock holmes would be complete which
did not include some account of this very unusual affair . 
 during the first week of july , my friend had been absent so
often and so long from our lodgings that i knew he had some-
thing on hand . the fact that several rough-looking men called
during that time and inquired for captain basil made me under-
stand that holmes was working somewhere under one of the
numerous disguises and names with which he concealed his own
formidable identity . he had at least five small refuges in differ-
ent parts of london , in which he was able to change his person-
ality . he said nothing of his business to me , and it was not my
habit to force a confidence . the first positive sign which he gave
me of the direction which his investigation was taking was an
extraordinary one . he had gone out before breakfast , and i had
sat down to mine when he strode into the room , his hat upon his
head and a huge barbed-headed spear tucked like an umbrella
under his arm . 
 " good gracious , holmes ! " i cried . " you don ' t mean to say
that you have been walking about london with that thing ? " 
 " i drove to the butcher 's and back . " 
 " the butcher 's ? " 
 " and i return with an excellent appetite . there can be no
question , my dear watson , of the value of exercise before break-
fast . but i am prepared to bet that you will not guess the form
that my exercise has taken . " 
 " i will not attempt it . " 
 he chuckled as he poured out the coffee . 
 " if you could have looked into allardyce 's back shop , you
would have seen a dead pig swung from a hook in the ceiling , 
and a gentleman in his shirt sleeves furiously stabbing at it with
this weapon . i was that energetic person , and i have satisfied
myself that by no exertion of my strength can i transfix the pig
with a single blow . perhaps you would care to try ? " 
 " not for worlds . but why were you doing this ? " 
 " because it seemed to me to have an indirect bearing upon the
mystery of woodman 's lee . ah , hopkins , i got your wire last
night , and i have been expecting you . come and join us . " 
 our visitor was an exceedingly alert man , thirty years of age , 
dressed in a quiet tweed suit , but retaining the erect bearing of
one who was accustomed to official uniform . i recognized him at
once as stanley hopkins , a young police inspector , for whose
future holmes had high hopes while he in turn professed the
admiration and respect of a pupil for the scientific methods of the
famous amateur . hopkins 's brow was clouded , and he sat down
with an air of deep dejection . 
 " no , thank you , sir . i breakfasted before i came round . i
spent the night in town , for i came up yesterday to report . " 
 " and what had you to report ? " 
 " failure , sir , absolute failure . " 
 " you have made no progress ? " 
 " none . " 
 " dear me ! i must have a look at the matter . " 
 " i wish to heavens that you would , mr . holmes . it 's my first
big chance , and i am at my wit 's end . for goodness ' sake , come
down and lend me a hand . " 
 " well , well , it just happens that i have already read all the
available evidence , including the report of the inquest , with
some care . by the way , what do you make of that tobacco
pouch , found on the scene of the crime ? is there no clue there ? " 
 hopkins looked surprised . 
 " it was the man 's own pouch , sir . his initials were inside it . 
and it was of sealskin -- and he was an old sealer . " 
 " but he had no pipe . " 
 " no , sir , we could find no pipe . indeed , he smoked very
little , and yet he might have kept some tobacco for his friends . " 
 " no doubt . i only mention it because , if i had been handling
the case , i should have been inclined to make that the starting-
point of my investigation . however , my friend , dr . watson , 
knows nothing of this matter , and i should be none the worse for
hearing the sequence of events once more . just give us some
short sketches of the essentials . " 
 stanley hopkins drew a slip of paper from his pocket . 
 " i have a few dates here which will give you the career of the
dead man , captain peter carey . he was bom in ' 45 -- fifty years
of age . he was a most daring and successful seal and whale
fisher . in 1883 he commanded the steam sealer sea unicorn , of
dundee . he had then had several successful voyages in succes-
sion , and in the following year , 1884 , he retired . after that he
travelled for some years , and finally he bought a small place
called woodman 's lee , near forest row , in sussex . there he
has lived for six years , and there he died just a week ago to-day . 
 " there were some most singular points about the man . in
ordinary life , he was a strict puritan -- a silent , gloomy fellow . 
his household consisted of his wife , his daughter , aged twenty , 
and two female servants . these last were continually changing , 
for it was never a very cheery situation , and sometimes it
became past all bearing . the man was an intermittent drunkard , 
and when he had the fit on him he was a perfect fiend . he has
been known to drive his wife and daughter out of doors in the
middle of the night and flog them through the park until the
whole village outside the gates was aroused by their screams . 
 " he was summoned once for a savage assault upon the old
vicar , who had called upon him to remonstrate with him upon his
conduct . in short , mr . holmes , you would go far before you
found a more dangerous man than peter carey , and i have heard
that he bore the same character when he commanded his ship . 
he was known in the trade as black peter , and the name was
given him , not only on account of his swarthy features and the
colour of his huge beard , but for the humours which were the
terror of all around him . i need not say that he was loathed and
avoided by every one of his neighbours , and that i have not
heard one single word of sorrow about his terrible end . 
 " you must have read in the account of the inquest about the
man 's cabin , mr . holmes , but perhaps your friend here has not
heard of it . he had built himself a wooden outhouse -- he always
called it the ' cabin ' -- a few hundred yards from his house , and it
was here that he slept every night . it was a little , single-roomed
hut , sixteen feet by ten . he kept the key in his pocket , made his
 own bed , cleaned it himself , and allowed no other foot to cross
the threshold . there are small windows on each side , which
were covered by curtains and never opened . one of these win-
dows was turned towards the high road , and when the light
burned in it at night the folk used to point it out to each other and
wonder what black peter was doing in there . that 's the window , 
mr . holmes , which gave us one of the few bits of positive
evidence that came out at the inquest . 
 " you remember that a stonemason , named slater , walking
from forest row about one o ' clock in the morning -- two days
before the murder -- stopped as he passed the grounds and looked
at the square of light still shining among the trees . he swears
that the shadow of a man 's head turned sideways was clearly
visible on the blind , and that this shadow wals certainly not that
of peter carey , whom he knew well . it was that of a bearded
man , but the beard was short and bristled forward in a way very
differrnt from that of the captain . so he says , but he had been
two hours in the public-house , and it is some distance from the
road to the window . besides , this refers to the monday , and the
crime was done upon the wednesday . 
 " on the tuesday , peter carey was in one of his blackest
moods , flushed with drink and as savage as a dangerous wild
beast . he roamed about the house , and the women ran for it
when they heard him coming . late in the evening , he went down
to his own hut . about two o ' clock the following morning , his
daughter , who slept with her window open , heard a most fearful
yell from that direction , but it was no unusual thing for him to
bawl and shout when he was in drink , so no notice was taken . 
on rising st seven , one of the maids noticed that the door of the
hut was open , but so great was the terror which the man caused
that it was midday before anyone would venture down to see
what bad become of him . peeping into the open door , they saw
a sight which sent them flying , with white faces into the village . 
within an hour , i was on the spot and had taken over the case . 
 " well , i have fairly steady nerves , as you know , mr . holmes , 
but i give you my word , that i got a shake when i put my head
into that little house . it was droning like a harmonium with the
flies and bluebottles , and the floor and walls were like a 
slaughter-house . he had called it a cabin , and a cabin it was , sure enough , 
for you would have thought that you were in a ship . there was a
bunk at one end , a sea-chest , maps and charts , a picture of the
sea unicorin , a line of logbooks on a shelf , all exactly as one
would expect to find it in a captain 's room . and there , in the
middle of it , was the man himself -- his face twisted like a lost
soul in tornment , and his great brindled beard stuck upward in his
agony . right through his broad breast a steel tarpoon had been
driven , and it had sunk deep into the wood of the wall behind
him . he was pinned like a beetle on a card . of course , he was
quite dead , and had been so from the instant that he had uttered
that last yell of agony . 
 " i know your methods , sir , and i applied them . before i permitted
anything to be moved , i examined most carefully the ground outside , 
and also the floor of the room . there were no footmarks . " 
 " meaning that you saw none ? " 
 " i assure you , sir , that there were none . " 
 " my good hopkins , i have investigated many crimes , but i have never
yet seen one which was commited by a flying creature . as long as the
criminal remains upon two legs so long must there be some indentation , 
some abrasion , some trifling displacement which can be detected by the
scientific searcher . it is incredible that this blood-bespattered room
contained no trace which could have aided us . i understand , however , 
from the inquest that there were some objects which you failed to
overlook ? " 
 the young inspector winced at my companion 's ironical comments . 
 " i was a fool not to call you in at the time , mr . holmes . however , 
that 's past praying for now . yes , there were several objects in the 
room which called for special attention . one was the harpoon with
which the deed was committed . it had been snatched down from a rack 
on the wall . two others remained there , and there was a vacant place 
for the third . on the stock was engraved ' ss . sea unicorn , dundee . ' 
this seemed to establish that the crime had been done in a moment
of fury , and that the murderer had seized the first weapon which 
came in his way . the fact that the crime was committed at two in the
morning , and yet peter carey was fully dressed , suggested that he had
an appointment with the murderer , which is borne out by the fact that
a bottle of rum and two dirty glasses stood upon the table . " 
 " yes , " said holmes , " i think that both inferences are permissable . 
was there any other spirit but rum in the room ? " 
 " yes , there was a tantalus containing brandy and whisky on the 
sea-chest . it is of no importance to us , however , since the decanters
were full , and it had therefore not been used . " 
 " for all that , its presence had some significance , " said holmes . 
 " however , let us hear some more about the objects which do seem to 
you to bear upon the case . " 
 " there was the tobacco-pouch upon the table . " 
 " what part of the table ? " 
 " it lay in the middle . it was of coarse sealskin -- the straight-
haired skin , with a leather thong to bind it . inside was ' p . c . ' on
the flap . there was half an ounce of strong ship 's tobacco in it . " 
 " excellent ! what more ? " 
 stanley hopkins drew from his pocket a drab-covered note-
book . the outside was rough and worn , the leaves discoloured . 
on the first page were written the initials " j . h . n . " and the
date " 1883 . " holmes laid it on the table and examined it in his
minute way , while hopkins and i gazed over each shoulder . on
the second page were the printed letters " c . p . r . , " and then
came several sheets of numbers . another heading was " argen-
tine , " another " costa rica , " and another " san paulo , " each
with pages of signs and figures after it . 
 " what do you make of these ? " asked holmes . 
 " they appear to be lists of stock exchange securities . i
thought that ' j . h . n . ' were the initials of a broker , and that
 ' c . p . r . ' may have been his client . " 
 " try canadian pacific railway , " said holmes . 
 stanley hopkins swore between his teeth , and struck his thigh
with his clenched hand . 
 " what a fool i have been ! " he cried . " of course , it is as you
say . then ' j . h . n . ' are the only initials we have to solve . i
have already examined the old stock exchange lists , and i can
find no one in 1883 , either in the house or among the outside
brokers , whose initials correspond with these . yet i feel that the
clue is the most important one that i hold . you will admit , mr . 
holmes , that there is a possibility that these initials are those of
the second person who was present -- in other words , of the
murderer . i would also urge that the introduction into the case of
a document relating to large masses of valuable securities gives
us for the first time some indication of a motive for the crime . " 
 sherlock holmes 's face showed that he was thoroughly taken
aback by this new development . 
 " i must admit both your points , " said he . " i confess that this
notebook , which did not appear at the inquest , modifies any
views which i may have formed . i had come to a theory of the
crime in which i can find no place for this . have you endeav-
oured to trace any of the securities here mentioned ? ' ' 
 " inquiries are now being made at the offices , but i fear that
the complete register of the stockholders of these south ameri-
can concerns is in south america , and that some weeks must
elapse before we can trace the shares . " 
 holmes had been examining the cover of the notebook with
his magnifying lens . 
 " surely there is some discolouration here , " said he . 
 " yes , sir , it is a blood-stain . i told you that i picked the book
off the floor . " 
 " was the blood-stain above or below ? " 
 " on the side next the boards . " 
 " which proves , of course , that the book was dropped after the
crime was committed . " 
 " exactly , mr . holmes . i appreciated that point , and i conjec-
tured that it was dropped by the murderer in his hurried flight . it
lay near the door . " 
 " i suppose that none of these securities have been found
among the property of the dead man ? " 
 " no , sir . " 
 " have you any reason to suspect robbery ? " 
 " no , sir . nothing seemed to have been touched . " 
 " dear me , it is certainly a very interesting case . then there
was a knife , was there not ? " 
 " a sheath-knife , still in its sheath . it lay at the feet of the
dead man . mrs . carey has identified it as being her husband ' s
property . " 
 holmes was lost in thought for some time . 
 " well , " said he , at last , " i suppose i shall have to come out
and have a look at it . " 
 stanley hopkins gave a cry of joy . 
 " thank you , sir . that will , indeed , be a weight off my mind . " 
 holmes shook his finger at the inspector . 
 " it would have been an easier task a week ago , " said he . 
 " but even now my visit may not be entirely fruitless . watson , if
you can spare the time , i should be very glad of your company . 
if you will call a four-wheeler , hopkins , we shall be ready to
start for forest row in a quarter of an hour . " 

 alighting at the small wayside station , we drove for some
miles through the remains of widespread woods , which were
once part of that great forest which for so long held the saxon
invaders at bay -- the impenetrable " weald , " for sixty years the
bulwark of britain . vast sections of it have been cleared , for this
is the seat of the first iron-works of the country , and the trees
have been felled to smelt the ore . now the richer fields of the
north have absorbed the trade , and nothing save these ravaged
groves and great scars in the earth show the work of the past . 
here , in a clearing upon the green slope of a hill , stood a long , 
low , stone house , approached by a curving drive running through
the fields . nearer the road , and surrounded on three sides by
bushes , was a small outhouse , one window and the door facing
in our direction . it was the scene of the murder . 
 stanley hopkins led us first to the house , where he introduced
us to a haggard , gray-haired woman , the widow of the murdered
man , whose gaunt and deep-lined face , with the furtive look of
terror in the depths of her red-rimmed eyes . told of the years of
hardship and ill-usage which she had endured . with her was her
daughter , a pale , fair-haired girl , whose eyes blazed defiantly at
us as she told us that she was glad that her father was dead , and
that she blessed the hand which had struck him down . it was a
terrible household that black peter carey had made for himself , 
and it was with a sense of relief that we found ourselves in the
sunlight again and making our way along a path which had been
worn across the fields by the feet of the dead man . 
 the outhouse was the simplest of dwellings , wooden-walled , 
shingle-roofed , one window beside the door and one on the
farther side . stanley hopkins drew the key from his pocket and
had stooped to the lock , when he paused with a look of attention
and surprise upon his face . 
 " someone has been tampering with it , " he said . 
 there could be no doubt of the fact . the woodwork was cut , 
and the scratches showed white through the paint , as if they had
been that instant done . holmes had been examining the window . 
 " someone has tried to force this also . whoever it was has
failed to make his way in . he must have been a very poor
burglar . " 
 " this is a most extraordinary thing , " said the inspector , " i
could swear that these marks were not here yesterday evening . " 
 " some curious person from the village , perhaps , " i suggested . 
 " very unlikely . few of them would dare to set foot in the
grounds , far less try to force their way into the cabin . what do
you think of it , mr . holmes ? " 
 " i think that fortune is very kind to us . " 
 " you mean that the person will come again ? " 
 " it is very probable . he came expecting to find the door open . 
he tried to get in with the blade of a very small penknife . he
could not manage it . what would he do ? " 
 " come again next night with a more useful tool . " 
 " so i should say . it will be our fault if we are not there to
receive him . meanwhile , let me see the inside of the cabin . " 
 the traces of the tragedy had been removed , but the furniture
within the little room still stood as it had been on the night of the
crime . for two hours , with most intense concentration , holmes
examined every object in turn , but his face showed that his quest
was not a successful one . once only he paused in his patient
investigation . 
 " have you taken anything off this shelf , hopkins ? " 
 " no , i have moved nothing . " 
 " something has been taken . there is less dust in this corner
of the shelf than elsewhere . it may have been a book lying on its
side . it may have been a box . well , well , i can do nothing more . 
let us walk in these beautiful woods , watson , and give a few
hours to the birds and the flowers . we shall meet you here later , 
hopkins , and see if we can come to closer quarters with the
gentleman who has paid this visit in the night . " 
 it . was past eleven o ' clock when we formed our little ambus-
cade . hopkins was for leaving the door of the hut open , but
holmes was of the opinion that this would rouse the suspicions
of the stranger . the lock was a perfectly simple one , and only a
strong blade was needed to push it back . holmes also suggested
that we should wait , not inside the hut , but outside it , among the
bushes which grew round the farther window . in this way we
should be able to watch our man if he struck a light , and see
what his object was in this stealthy nocturnal visit . 
 it was a long and melancholy vigil , and yet brought with it
something of the thrill which the hunter feels when he lies beside
the water-pool , and waits for the coming of the thirsty beast of
prey . what savage creature was it which might steal upon us out
of the darkness ? was it a fierce tiger of crime , which could only
be taken fighting hard with flashing fang and claw , or would it
prove to be some skulking jackal , dangerous only to the weak
and unguarded ? 
 in absolute silence we crouched amongst the bushes , waiting
for whatever might come . at first the steps of a few belated
villagers , or the sound of voices from the village , lightened our
vigil , but one by one these interruptions died away , and an
absolute stillness fell upon us , save for the chimes of the distant
church , which told us of the progress of the night , and for the
rustle and whisper of a fine rain falling amid the foliage which
roofed us in . 
 half-past two had chimed , and it was the darkest hour which
precedes the dawn , when we all started as a low but sharp click
came from the direction of the gate . someone had entered the
drive . again there was a long silence , and i had begun to fear
that it was a false alarm , when a stealthy step was heard upon the
other side of the hut , and a moment later a metallic scraping and
clinking . the man was trying to force the lock . this time his
skill was greater or his tool was better , for there was a sudden
snap and the creak of the hinges . then a match was struck , and
next instant the steady light from a candle filled the interior of
the hut . through the gauze curtain our eyes were all riveted upon
the scene within . 
 the nocturnal visitor was a young man , frail and thin , with a
black moustache , which intensified the deadly pallor of his face . 
he could not have been much above twenty years of age . i have
never seen any human being who appeared to be in such a
pitiable fright , for his teeth were visibly chattering , and he was
shaking in every limb . he was dressed like a gentleman , in
norfolk jacket and knickerbockers , with a cloth cap upon his
head . we watched him staring round with frightened eyes . then
he laid the candle-end upon the table and disappeared from our
view into one of the corners . he returned with a large book , one
of the logbooks which formed a line upon the shelves . leaning
on the table , he rapidly turned over the leaves of this volume
until he came to the entry which he sought . then , with an angry
gesture of his clenched hand , he closed the book , replaced it in
the corner , and put out the light . he had hardly turned to leave
the hut when hopkins 's hand was on the fellow 's collar , and i
heard his loud gasp of terror as he understood that he was taken . 
the candle was relit , and there was our wretched captive , shiver-
ing and cowering in the grasp of the detective . he sank down
upon the sea-chest , and looked helplessly from one of us to the
other . 
 " now , my fine fellow , " said stanley hopkins , " who are
you , and what do you want here ? " 
 the man pulled himself together , and faced us with an effort
at self-composure . 
 " you are detectives , i suppose ? " said he . " you imagine i am
connected with the death of captain peter carey . i assure you
that i am innocent . " 
 " we ' ll see about that , " said hopkins . " first of all , what is
your name ? " 
 " it is john hopley neligan . " 
 i saw holmes and hopkins exchange a quick glance . 
 " what are you doing here ? " 
 " can i speak confidentially ? " 
 " no , certainly not . " 
 " why should i tell you ? " 
 " if you have no answer , it may go badly with you at the
trial . " 
 the young man winced . 
 " well , i will tell you , " he said . " why should i not ? and yet
i hate to think of this old scandal gaining a new lease of life . did
you ever hear of dawson and neligan ? " 
 i could see , from hopkins 's face , that he never had , but
holmes was keenly interested . 
 " you mean the west country bankers , " said he . " they
failed for a million , ruined half the county families of cornwall , 
and neligan disappeared . " 
 " exactly . neligan was my father . " 
 at last we were getting something positive , and yet it seemed
a long gap between an absconding banker and captain peter
carey pinned against the wall with one of his own harpoons . we
all listened intently to the young man 's words . 
 " it was my father who was really concerned . dawson had
retired . i was only ten years of age at the time , but i was old
enough to feel the shame and horror of it all . it has always been
said that my father stole all the securities and fled . it is not true . 
it was his belief that if he were given time in which to realize
them , all would be well and every creditor paid in full . he
started in his little yacht for norway just before the warrant was
issued for his arrest . i can remember that last night , when he
bade farewell to my mother . he left us a list of the securities he
was taking , and he swore that he would come back with his
honour cleared , and that none who had trusted him would suffer . 
well , no word was ever heard from him again . both the yacht
and he vanished utterly . we believed , my mother and i , that he
and it , with the securities that he had taken with him , were at the
bottom of the sea . we had a faithful friend , however , who is a
business man , and it was he who discovered some time ago that
some of the securities which my father had with him had reap-
peared on the london market . you can imagine our amazement . 
i spent months in trying to trace them , and at last , after many
doubtings and difficulties , i discovered that the original seller
had been captain peter carey , the owner of this hut . 
 " naturally , i made some inquiries about the man . i found that
he had been in command of a whaler which was due to return
from the arctic seas at the very time when my father was
crossing to norway . the autumn of that year was a stormy one , 
and there was a long succession of southerly gales . my father ' s
yacht may well have been blown to the north , and there met by
captain peter carey 's ship . if that were so , what had become of
my father ? in any case , if i could prove from peter carey ' s
evidence how these securities came on the market it would be a
proof that my father had not sold them , and that he had no view
to personal profit when he took them . 
 " i came down to sussex with the intention of seeing the
captain , but it was at this moment that his terrible death occurred . 
i read at the inquest a description of his cabin , in which it stated
that the old logbooks of his vessel were preserved in it . it struck
me that if i could see what occurred in the month of august , 
1883 , on board the sea unicorn , i might settle the mystery of
my father 's fate . i tried last night to get at these logbooks , but
was unable to open the door . to-night i tried again and suc-
ceeded , but i find that the pages which deal with that month have
been torn from the book . lt was at that moment i found myself a
prisoner in your hands . " 
 " is that all ? " asked hopkins . 
 " yes , that is all . " his eyes shifted as he said it . 
 " you have nothing else to tell us ? " 
 he hesitated . 
 " no , there is nothing . " 
 " you have not been here before last night ? ' ' 
 " no . d " 
 " then how do you account for that ? " cried hopkins , as he
held up the damning notebook , with the initials of our prisoner on
the first leaf and the blood-stain on the cover . 
 the wretched man collapsed . he sank his face in his hands , 
and trembled all over . 
 " where did you get it ? " he groaned . " i did not know . i
thought i had lost it at the hotel . " 
 " that is enough , " said hopkins , sternly . " whatever else
you have to say , you must say in court . you will walk down
with me now to the police-station . well , mr . holmes , i am very
much obliged to you and to your friend for coming down to help
me . as it turns out your presence was unnecessary , and i would
have brought the case to this successful issue without you , but , 
none the less , i am grateful . rooms have been reserved for you
at the brambletye hotel , so we can a]l walk down to the village
together . " 
 " well , watson , what do you think of it ? " asked holmes , as
we travelled back next morning . 
 " i can see that you are not satisfied . " 
 " oh , yes , my dear watson , i am perfectly satisfied . at the
same time , stanley hopkins 's methods do not commend them-
selves to me . i am disappointed in stanley hopkins . i had hoped
for better things from him . one should always look for a possi-
ble alternative , and provide against it . it is the first rule of
criminal investigation . " 
 " what , then , is the alternative ? " 
 " the line of investigation which i have myself been pursuing . 
it may give us nothing . i cannot tell . but at least i shall follow it
to the end . " 
 several letters were waiting for holmes at baker street . he
snatched one of them up , opened it , and burst out into a trium-
phant chuckle of laughter . 
 " excellent , watson ! the alternative develops . have you tele-
graph forms ? just write a couple of messages for me : ' sumner , 
shipping agent , ratcliff highway . send three men on , to arrive
ten to-morrow morning . -- basil . ' that 's my name in those parts . 
the other is : ' inspector stanley hopkins , 46 lord street , brixton . 
come breakfast to-morrow at nine-thirty . important . wire if un-
able to come . -- sherlock holmes . ' there , watson , this infernal
case has haunted me for ten days . i hereby banish it completely
from my presence . to-morrow , i trust that we shall hear the last
of it forever . " 
 sharp at the hour named inspector stanley hopkins appeared , 
and we sat down together to the excellent breakfast which mrs . 
hudson had prepared . the young detective was in high spirits at
his success . 
 " you really think that your solution must be correct ? " asked
holmes . 
 " i could not imagine a more complete case . " 
 " it did not seem to me conclusive . " 
 " you astonish me , mr . holmes . what more could one ask
for ? " 
 " does your explanation cover every point ? " 
 " undoubtedly . i find that young neligan arrived at the
brambletye hotel on the very day of the crime . he came on the
pretence of playing golf . his room was on the ground-floor , and
he could get out when he liked . that very , night he went down to
woodman 's lee , saw peter carey at the hut , quarrelled with
him , and killed him with the harpoon . then , horrified by what
he had done , he fled out of the hut , dropping the notebook which
he had brought with him in order to question peter carey about
these different securities . you may have observed that some of
them were marked with ticks , and the others -- the great majority -- 
were not . those which are ticked have been traced on the
london market , but the others , presumably , were still in the
possession of carey , and young neligan , according to his own
account , was anxious to recover them in order to do the right
thing by his father 's creditors . after his flight he did not dare to
approach the hut again for some time , but at last he forced
himself to do so in order to obtain the information which he
needed . surely that is all simple and obvious ? " 
 holmes smiled and shook his head . 
 " it seems to me to have only one drawback , hopkins , and
that is that it is intrinsically impossible . have you tried to drive a
harpoon through a body ? no ? tut , tut , my dear sir , you must
really pay attention to these details . my friend watson could tell
you that i spent a whole morning in that exercise . it is no easy
matter , and requires a strong and practised arm . but this blow
was delivered with such violence that the head of the weapon
sank deep into the wall . do you imagine that this anaemic youth
was capable of so frightful an assault ? is he the man who
hobnobbed in rum and water with black peter in the dead of the
night ? was it his profile that was seen on the blind two nights
before ? no , no , hopkins , it is another and more formidable
person for whom we must seek . " 
 the detective 's face had grown longer and longer during
holmes 's speech . his hopes and his ambitions were all crum-
bling about him . but he would not abandon his position without
a struggle . 
 " you can ' t deny that neligan was present that night , mr . 
holmes . the book will prove that . i fancy that i have evidence
enough to satisfy a jury , even if you are able to pick a hole in it . 
besides , mr . holmes , i have laid my hand upon my man . as to
this terrible person of yours , where is he ? " 
 " i rather fancy that he is on the stair , " said holmes , serenely . 
 " i think , watson , that you would do well to put that revolver
where you can reach it . " he rose and laid a written paper upon a
side-table . " now we are ready , " said he . 
 there had been some talking in gruff voices outside , and now
mrs . hudson opened the door to say that there were three men
inquiring for captain basil . 
 " show them in one by one , " said holmes . 
 the first who entered was a little ribston pippin of a man , 
with ruddy cheeks and fluffy white side-whiskers . holmes had
drawn a letter from his pocket . 
 " what name ? " he asked . 
 " james lancaster . " 
 " i am sorry , lancaster , but the berth is full . here is half a
sovereign for your trouble . just step into this room and wait
there for a few minutes . " 
 the second man was a long , dried-up creature , with lank hair
and sallow cheeks . his name was hugh pattins . he also received
his dismissal , his half-sovereign , and the order to wait . 
the third applicant was a man of remarkable appearance . a
fierce bull-dog face was framed in a tangle of hair and beard , 
and two bold , dark eyes gleamed behind the cover of thick , 
tufted , overhung eyebrows . he saluted and stood sailor-fashion , 
turning his cap round in his hands . 
 " your name ? " asked holmes . 
 " patrick cairns . " 
 " harpooner ? " 
 " yes , sir . twenty-six voyages . " 
 " dundee , i suppose ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " and ready to start with an exploring ship ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " what wages ? " 
 " eight pounds a month . " 
 " could you start at once ? " 
 " as soon as i get my kit . " 
 " have you your papers ? " 
 " yes , sir . " he took a sheaf of worn and greasy forms from
his pocket . holmes glanced over them and returned them . 
 " you are just the man i want , " said he . " here 's the agree-
ment on the side-table . if you sign it the whole matter will be
settled . " 
 the seaman lurched across the room and took up the pen . 
 " shall i sign here ? ' ' he asked , stooping over the table . 
 holmes leaned over his shoulder and passed both hands over
his neck . 
 " this will do , " said he . 
 i heard a click of steel and a bellow like an enraged bull . the
next instant holmes and the seaman were rolling on the ground
together . he was a man of such gigantic strength that , even with
the handcuffs which holmes had so deftly fastened upon his
wrists , he would have very quickly overpowered my friend had
hopkins and i not rushed to his rescue . only when i pressed the
cold muzzle of the revolver to his temple did he at last under-
stand that resistance was vain . we lashed his ankles with cord
and rose breathless from the struggle . 
 " i must really apologize , hopkins , " said sherlock holmes . 
 " i fear that the scrambled eggs are cold . however , you will
enjoy the rest of your breakfast all the better , will you not , for
the thought that you have brought your case to a triumphant
conclusion . " 
 stanley hopkins was speechless with amazement . 
 " i don ' t know what to say , mr . holmes , " he blurted out at
last , with a very red face . " it seems to me that i have been
making a fool of myself from the beginning . i understand now , 
what i should never have forgotten , that i am the pupil and you
are the master . even now i see what you have done , but i don ' t
know how you did it or what it signifies . " 
 " well , well , " said holmes , good-humouredly . " we all learn
by experience , and your lesson this time is that you should never
lose sight of the alternative . you were so absorbed in young
neligan that you could not spare a thought to patrick cairns , the
true murderer of peter carey . " 
 the hoarse voice of the seaman broke in on our conversation . 
 " see here , mister , " said he , " i make no complaint of being
man-handled in this fashion , but i would have you call things by
their right names . you say i murdered peter carey , i say i killed
peter carey , and there 's all the difference . maybe you don ' t
believe what i say . maybe you think i am just slinging you a
yarn . " 
 " not at all , " said holmes . " let us hear what you have to
say . " 
 " it 's soon told , and , by the lord , every word of it is truth . i
knew black peter , and when he pulled out his knife i whipped a
harpoon through him sharp , for i knew that it was him or me . 
that 's how he died . you can call it murder . anyhow , i ' d as
soon die with a rope round my neck as with black peter 's knife
in my heart . " 
 " how came you there ? " asked holmes . 
 " i ' ll tell it you from the beginning . just sit me up a little , so
as i can speak easy . it was in ' 83 that it happened -- august of
that year . peter carey was master of the sea unicorn , and i was
spare harpooner . we were coming out of the ice-pack on our
way home , with head winds and a week 's southerly gale , when
we picked up a little craft that had been blown north . there was
one man on her -- a landsman . the crew had thought she would
founder and had made for the norwegian coast in the dinghy . i
guess they were all drowned . well , we took him on board , this
man , and he and the skipper had some long talks in the cabin . 
all the baggage we took off with him was one tin box . so far as
i know , the man 's name was never mentioned , and on the
second night he disappeared as if he had never been . it was
given out that he had either thrown himself overboard or fallen
overboard in the heavy weather that we were having . only one
man knew what had happened to him , and that was me , for , with
my own eyes , i saw the skipper tip up his heels and put him over
the rail in the middle watch of a dark night , two days before we
sighted the shetland lights . 
 " well , i kept my knowledge to myself , and waited to see
what would come of it . when we got back to scotland it was
easily hushed up , and nobody asked any questions . a stranger
died by accident , and it was nobody 's business to inquire . shortly
after peter carey gave up the sea , and it was long years before i
could find where he was . i guessed that he had done the deed for
the sake of what was in that tin box , and that he could afford
now to pay me well for keeping my mouth shut . 
 " i found out where he was through a sailor man that had met
him in london , and down i went to squeeze him . the first night
he was reasonable enough , and was ready to give me what would
make me free of the sea for life . we were to fix it all two nights
later . when i came , i found him three parts drunk and in a vile
temper . we sat down and we drank and we yarned about old
times , but the more he drank the less i liked the look on his face . 
i spotted that harpoon upon the wall , and i thought i might need
it before i was through . then at last he broke out at me , spitting
and cursing , with murder in his eyes and a great clasp-knife in his
hand . he had not time to get it from the sheath before i had the
harpoon through him . heavens ! what a yell he gave ! and his face
gets between me and my sleep . i stood there , with his blood
splashing round me , and i waited for a bit , but all was quiet , so l
took heart once more . i looked round , and there was the tin box
on the shelf . i had as much right to it as peter carey , anyhow , so
i took it with me and left the hut . like a fool i left my
baccy-pouch upon the table . 
 " now i ' ll tell you the queerest part of the whole story . i had
hardly got outside the hut when i heard someone coming , and i
hid among the bushes . a man came slinking along , went into the
hut , gave a cry as if he had seen a ghost , and legged it as hard as
he could run until he was out of sight . who he was or what he
wanted is more than i can tell . for my part i walked ten miles , 
got a train at tunbridge wells , and so reached london , and no
one the wiser . 
 " well , when i came to examine the box i found there was no
money in it , and nothing but papers that i would not dare to sell . 
i had lost my hold on black peter and was stranded in london
without a shilling . there was only my trade left . i saw these
advertisements about harpooners , and high wages , so i went to
the shipping agents , and they sent me here . that 's all i know
and i say again that if i killed bllck peter , the law should give
me thanks , for i saved them the price of a hempen rope . " 
 " a very clear statement , " said holmes , rising and lighting his
pipe . " i think , hopkins , that you should lose no time in convey-
ing your prisoner to a place of safety . this room is not well
adapted for a cell , and mr . patrick cairns occupies too large a
proportion of our carpet . " 
 " mr . holmes , " said hopkins , " i do not know how to express
my gratitude . even now i do not understand how you attained
this result . " 
 " simply by having the good fortune to get the right clue from
the beginning . it is very possible if i had known about this
notebook it might have led away my thoughts , as it did yours . 
but all i heard pointed in the one direction . the amazing strength , 
the skill in the use of the harpoon , the rum and water , the
sealskin tobacco-pouch with the coarse tobacco -- all these pointed
to a seaman , and one who had been a whaler . i was convinced
that the initials ' p . c . ' upon the pouch were a coincidence , and
not those of peter carey , since he seldom smoked , and no pipe
was found in his cabin . you remember that i asked whether
whisky and brandy were in the cabin . you said they were . how
many landsmen are there who would drink rum when they could
get these other spirits ? yes , i was ccrtain it was a seaman . " 
 " and how did you find him ? " 
 " my dear sir , the problem had become a very simple one . if it
were a seaman , it could only be a seaman who had been with
him on the sea unicorn . so far as i could learn he had sailed in
no other ship . i spent three days in wiring to dundee , and at the
end of that time i had ascertained the names of the crew of the
sea unicorn in 1883 . when i found patrick cairns among the
harpooners , my research was nearing its end . i argued that the
man was probably in london , and that he would desire to leave
the country for a time . i therefore spent some days in the east
end , devised an arctic expedition , put forth tempting terms for
harpooners who would serve under captain basil -- and behold
the result ! " 
 " wonderful ! " cried hopkins . " wonderful ! " 
 " you must obtain the release of young neligan as soon as
possible , " said holmes . " i confess that i think you owe him
some apology . the tin box must be returned to him , but , of
course , the securities which peter carey has sold are lost forever . 
there 's the cab , hopkins , and you can remove your man . if you
want me for the trial , my address and that of watson will be
somewhere in norway -- i ' ll send particulars later . " 
 . 
   the adventure of the blue carbuncle

 i had called upon my friend sherlock holrnes upon the
second morning after christmas , with the intention of wishing
him the compliments of the season . he was lounging upon the
sofa in a purple dressing-gown , a pipe-rack within his reach
upon the right , and a pile of crumpled morning papers , evidently
newly studied , near at hand . beside the couch was a wooden
chair , and on the angle of the back hung a very seedy and
disreputable hard-felt hat , much the worse for wear , and cracked
in several places . a lens and a forceps lying upon the seat of the
chair suggested that the hat had been suspended in this manner
for the purpose of examination . 
 " you are engaged , " said l ; " perhaps i interrupt you . " 
 " not at all . i am glad to have a friend with whom i can
discuss my results . the matter is a perfectly trivial one " -- he
jerked his thumb in the direction of the old hat -- " but there are
points in connection with it which are not entirely devoid of
interest and even of instruction . " 
 i seated myself in his armchair and warmed my hands before
his crackling fire , for a sharp frost had set in , and the windows
were thick with the ice crystals . " i suppose , " i remarked , " that , 
homely as it looks , this thing has some deadly story linked on to
it -- that it is the clue which will guide you in the solution of
some mystery and the punishment of some crime . " 
 " no , no . no crime , " said sherlock holmes , laughing . " only
one of those whimsical little incidents which will happen when
you have four million human beings all jostling each other within
the space of a few square miles . amid the action and reaction of
so dense a swarm of humanity , every possible combination of
events may be expected to take place , and many a little problem
will be presented which may be striking and bizarre without
being criminal . we have already had experience of such . " 
 " so much so , " l remarked , " that of the last six cases which i
have added to my notes , three have been entirely free of any
legal crime . " 
 " precisely . you allude to my attempt to recover the irene
adler papers , to the singular case of miss mary sutherland , and
to the adventure of the man with the twisted lip . well , i have no
doubt that this small matter will fall into the same innocent
category . you know peterson , the commissionaire ? " 
 " yes . " 
 " it is to him that this trophy belongs . " 
 " it is his hat . " 
 " no , no , he found it . its owner is unknown . i beg that you
will look upon it not as a battered billycock but as an intellectual
problem . and , first , as to how it came here . it arrived upon
christmas morning , in company with a good fat goose , which is , 
i have no doubt , roasting at this moment in front of peterson ' s
fire . the facts are these : about four o ' clock on christmas morn-
ing , peterson , who , as you know , is a very honest fellow , was
returning from some small jollification and was making his way
homeward down tottenham court road . in front of him he saw , 
in the gaslight , a tallish man , walking with a slight stagger , and
carrying a white goose slung over his shoulder . as he reached
the corner of goodge street , a row broke out between this
stranger and a little knot of roughs . one of the latter knocked off
the man 's hat , on which he raised his stick to defend himself
and , swinging it over his head , smashed the shop window behind
him . peterson had rushed forward to protect the stranger from his
assailants ; but the man , shocked at having broken the window , 
and seeing an official-looking person in uniform rushing towards
him , dropped his goose , took to his heels , and vanished amid the
labyrinth of small streets which lie at the back of tottenham
court road . the roughs had also fled at the appearance of
peterson , so that he was left in possession of the field of battle , 
and also of the spoils of victory in the shape of this battered hat
and a most unimpeachable christmas goose . " 
 " which surely he restored to their owner ? " 
 " my dear fellow , there lies the problem . it is true that ' for
mrs . henry baker ' was printed upon a small card which was tied
to the bird 's left leg , and it is also true that the initials ' h . b . ' 
are legible upon the lining of this hat , but as there are some
thousands of bakers , and some hundreds of henry bakers in this
city of ours , it is not easy to restore lost property to any one of
them . " 
 " what , then , did peterson do ? " 
 " he brought round both hat and goose to me on christmas
morning , knowing that even the smallest problems are of interest
to me . the goose we retained until this morning , when there
were signs that , in spite of the slight frost , it would be well that
it should be eaten without unnecessary delay . its finder has
carried it off , therefore , to fulfil the ultimate destiny of a goose , 
while i continue to retain the hat of the unknown gentleman who
lost his christmas dinner . " 
 " did he not advertise ? " 
 " no . " 
 " then , what clue could you have as to his identity ? " 
 " only as much as we can deduce . " 
 " from his hat ? " 
 " precisely . " 
 " but you are joking . what can you gather from this old
battered felt ? " 
 " here is my lens . you know my methods . what can you
gather yourself as to the individuality of the man who has worn
this article ? " 
 i took the tattered object in my hands and turned it over rather
ruefully . it was a very ordinary black hat of the usual round
shape , hard and much the worse for wear . the lining had been of
red silk , but was a good deal discoloured . there was no maker ' s
name ; but , as holmes had remarked , the initials " h . b . " were
scrawled upon one side . it was pierced in the brim for a hat-
securer , but the elastic was missing . for the rest , it was cracked , 
exceedingly dusty , and spotted in several places , although there
seemed to have been some attempt to hide the discoloured
patches by smearing them with ink . 
 " i can see nothing , " said i , handing it back to my friend . 
 " on the contrary , watson , you can see everything . you fail , 
however , to reason from what you see . you are too timid in
drawing your inferences . " 
 " then , pray tell me what it is that you can infer from this
hat ? " 
 he picked it up and gazed at it in the peculiar introspective
fashion which was characteristic of him . " it is perhaps less
suggestive than it might have been , " he remarked , " and yet
there are a few inferences which are very distinct , and a few
others which represent at least a strong balance of probability . 
that the man was highly intellectual is of course obvious upon
the face of it , and also that he was fairly well-to-do within the
last three years , although he has now fallen upon evil days . he
had foresight , but has less now than formerly , pointing to a
moral retrogression , which , when taken with the decline of his
fortunes , seems to indicate some evil influence , probably drink , 
at work upon him . this may account also for the obvious fact
that his wife has ceased to love him . " 
 " my dear holmes ! " 
 " he has , however , retained some degree of self-respect , " he
continued , disregarding my remonstrance . " he is a man who
leads a sedentary life , goes out little , is out of training entirely , 
is middle-aged , has grizzled hair which he has had cut within the
last few days , and which he anoints with lime-cream . these are
the more patent facts which are to be deduced from his hat . 
also , by the way , that it is extremely improbable that he has gas
laid on in his house . " 
 " you are certainly joking , holmes . " 
 " not in the least . is it possible that even now , when i give
you these results , you are unable to see how they are attained ? " 
 " i have no doubt that i am very stupid , but i must confess that
i am unable to follow you . for example , how did you deduce
that this man was intellectual ? " 
 for answer holmes clapped the hat upon his head . it came
right over the forehead and settled upon the bridge of his nose . 
 " it is a question of cubic capacity , " said he ; " a man with so
large a brain must have something in it . " 
 " the decline of his fortunes , then ? " 
 " this hat is three years old . these flat brims curled at the
edge came in then . it is a hat of the very best quality . look at
the band of ribbed silk and the excellent lining . if this man could
afford to buy so expensive a hat three years ago , and has had no
hat since , then he has assuredly gone down in the world . " 
 " well , that is clear enough , certainly . but how about the
foresight and the moral retrogression ? " 
 sherlock holmes laughed . " here is the foresight , " said he
putting his finger upon the little disc and loop of the hat-securer . 
 " they are never sold upon hats . if this man ordered one , it is a
sign of a certain amount of foresight , since he went out of his
way to take this precaution against the wind . but since we see
that he has broken the elastic and has not troubled to replace it , it
is obvious that he has less foresight now than formerly , which is
a distinct proof of a weakening nature . on the other hand , he has
endeavoured to conceal some of these stains upon the felt by
daubing them with ink , which is a sign that he has not entirely
lost his self-respect . " 
 " your reasoning is certainly plausible . " 
 " the further points , that he is middle-aged , that his hair is
grizzled , that it has been recently cut , and that he uses lime-
cream , are all to be gathered from a close examination of the
lower part of the lining . the lens discloses a large number of
hair-ends , clean cut by the scissors of the barber . they all appear
to be adhesive , and there is a distinct odour of lime-cream . this
dust , you will observe , is not the gritty , gray dust of the street
but the fluffy brown dust of the house , showing that it has been
hung up indoors most of the time , while the marks of moisture
upon the inside are proof positive that the wearer perspired very
freely , and could therefore , hardly be in the best of training . " 
 " but his wife -- you said that she had ceased to love him . " 
 " this hat has not been brushed for weeks . when i see you , 
my dear watson , with a week 's accumulation of dust upon your
hat , and when your wife allows you to go out in such a state , i
shall fear that you also have been unfortunate enough to lose
your wife 's affection . " 
 " but he might be a bachelor . " 
 " nay , he was bringing home the goose as a peace-offering to
his wife . remember the card upon the bird 's leg . " 
 " you have an answer to everything . but how on earth do you
deduce that the gas is not laid on in his house ? " 
 " one tallow stain , or even two , might come by chance ; but
when i see no less than five , i think that there can be little doubt
that the individual must be brought into frequent contact with
burning tallow -- walks upstairs at night probably with his hat in
one hand and a guttering candle in the other . anyhow , he never
got tallow-stains from a gasjet . are you satisfied ? " 
 " well , it is very ingenious , " said i , laughing ; " but since , as
you said just now , there has been no crime committed , and no
harm done save the loss of a goose , all this seems to be rather a
waste of energy . " 
 sherlock holmes had opened his mouth to reply , when the
door flew open , and peterson , the commissionaire , rushed into
the apartment with flushed cheeks and the face of a man who is
dazed with astonishment . 
 " the goose , mr . holmes ! the goose , sir ! " he gasped . 
 " eh ? what of it , then ? has it returned to life and flapped off
through the kitchen window ? " holmes twisted himself round
upon the sofa to get a fairer view of the man 's excited face . 
 " see here , sir ! see what my wife found in its crop ! " he held
out his hand and displayed upon the centre of the palm a
brilliantly scintillating blue stone , rather smaller than a bean in
size , but of such purity and radiance that it twinkled like an
electric point in the dark hollow of his hand . 
 sherlock holmes sat up with a whistle . " by jove , peterson ! " 
said he , " this is treasure trove indeed . i suppose you know what
you have got ? " 
 " a diamond , sir ? a precious stone . it cuts into glass as
though it were putty . " 
 " it 's . more than a precious stone . it is the precious stone . " 
 " not the countess of morcar 's blue carbuncle ! " i ejaculated . 
 " precisely so . l ought to know its size and shape , seeing that i
have read the advertisement about it in the times every day
lately . it is absolutely unique , and its value can only be conjec-
tured , but the reward offered of 1000 pounds is certainly not within a
twentieth part of the market price . " 
 " a thousand pounds ! great lord of mercy ! " the commis-
sionaire plumped down into a chair and stared from one to the
other of us . 
 " that is the reward , and i have reason to know that there are
sentimental considerations in the background which would in-
duce the countess to part with half her fortune if she could but
recover the gem . " 
 " it was lost , if i remember aright , at the hotel cosmopoli-
tan , " i remarked . 
 " precisely so , on december 22d , just five days ago . john
horner , a plumber , was accused of having abstracted it from the
lady 's jewel-case . the evidence against him was so strong that
the case has been referred to the assizes . i have some account of
the matter here , i believe . " he rummaged amid his newspapers , 
glancing over the dates , until at last he smoothed one out , 
doubled it over , and read the following paragraph : 

    " hotel cosmopolitan jewel robbery . john horner , 26 , 
   plumber , was brought up upon the charge of having upon
   the 22d inst . , abstracted from the jewel-case of the countess
   of morcar the valuable gem known as the blue carbuncle . 
   james ryder , upper-attendant at the hotel , gave his evi-
   dence to the effect that he had shown horner up to the
   dressing-room of the countess of morcar upon the day of
   the robbery in order that he might solder the second bar of
   the grate , which was loose . he had remained with horner
   some little time , but had finally been called away . on
   returning , he found that horner had disappeared , that the
   bureau had been forced open , and that the small morocco
   casket in which , as it afterwards transpired , the countess
   was accustomed to keep her jewel , was lying empty upon
   the dressing-table . ryder instantly gave the alarm , and horner
   was arrested the same evening ; but the stone could not be
   found either upon his person or in his rooms . catherine
   cusack , maid to the countess , deposed to having heard
   ryder 's cry of dismay on discovering the robbery , and to
   having rushed into the room , where she found matters as
   described by the last witness . inspector bradstreet , b divi-
   sion , gave evidence as to the arrest of horner , who strug-
   gled frantically , and protested his innocence in the strongest
   terms . evidence of a previous conviction for robbery having
   been given against the prisoner , the magistrate refused to
   deal summarily with the offence , but referred it to the
   assizes . horner , who had shown signs of intense emotion
   during the proceedings , fainted away at the conclusion and
   was carried out of court . 

 " hum ! so much for the police-court , " said holmes thought-
fully , tossing aside the paper . " the question for us now to solve
is the sequence of events leading from a rifled jewel-case at one
end to the crop of a goose in tottenham court road at the other . 
you see , watson , our little deductions have suddenly assumed a
much more important and less innocent aspect . here is the stone ; 
the stone came from the goose , and the goose came from mr . 
henry baker , the gentleman with the bad hat and all the other
characteristics with which i have bored you . so now we must set
ourselves very seriously to finding this gentleman and ascertain-
ing what part he has played in this little mystery . to do this , we
must try the simplest means first , and these lie undoubtedly in an
advertisement in all the evening papers . if this fail , i shall have
recourse to other methods . " 
 " what will you say ? " 
 " give me a pencil and that slip of paper . now , then : 

   " found at the corner of goodge street , a goose and a
  black felt hat . mr . henry baker can have the same by
  applying at 6 : 30 this evening at 221b , baker street . 

that is clear and concise . " 
 " very . but will he see it ? " 
 " well , he is sure to keep an eye on the papers , since , to a
poor man , the loss was a heavy one . he was clearly so scared by
his mischance in breaking the window and by the approach of
peterson that he thought of nothing but flight , but since then he
must have bitterly regretted the impulse which caused him to
drop his bird . then , again , the introduction of his name will
cause him to see it , for everyone who knows him will direct his
attention to it . here you are , peterson , run down to the advertis-
ing agency and have this put in the evening papers . " 
 " in which , sir ? " 
 " oh , in the clobe , star , pall mall , st . james 's , evening
news standard , echo , and any others that occur to you . " 
 " very well , sir . and this stone ? " 
 " ah , yes , i shall keep the stone . thank you . and , i say , 
peterson , just buy a goose on your way back and leave it here
with me , for we must have one to give to this gentleman in place
of the one which your family is now devouring . " 
 when the commissionaire had gone , holmes took up the stone
and held it against the light . " it 's a bonny thing , " said he . " just
see how it glints and sparkles . of course it is a nucleus and focus
of crime . every good stone is . they are the devil 's pet baits . in
the larger and older jewels every facet may stand for a bloody
deed . this stone is not yet twenty years old . it was found in the
banks of the amoy river in southem china and is remarkable in
having every characteristic of the carbuncle , save that it is blue
in shade instead of ruby red . in spite of its youth , it has already a
sinister history . there have been two murders , a vitriol-throwing , 
a suicide , and several robberies brought about for the sake of this
forty-grain weight of crystallized charcoal . who would think that
so pretty a toy would be a purveyor to the gallows and the
prison ? i ' ll lock it up in my strong box now and drop a line to
the countess to say that we have it . " 
 " do you think that this man horner is innocent ? " 
 " i cannot tell . " 
 " well , then , do you imagine that this other one , henry baker , 
had anything to do with the matter ? " 
 " it is , i think , much more likely that henry baker is an
absolutely innocent man , who had no idea that the bird which he
was carrying was of considerably more value than if it were
made of solid gold . that , however , i shall determine by a very
simple test if we have an answer to our advertisement . " 
 " and you can do nothing until then ? " 
 " nothing . " 
 " in that case i shall continue my professional round . but i
shall come back in the evening at the hour you have mentioned , 
for i should like to see the solution of so tangled a business . " 
 " very glad to see you . i dine at seven . there is a woodcock , i
believe . by the way , in view of recent occurrences , perhaps i
ought to ask mrs . hudson to examine its crop . " 
 i had been delayed at a case , and it was a little after half-past
six when i found myself in baker street once more . as i
approached the house i saw a tall man in a scotch bonnet with a
coat which was buttoned up to his chin waiting outside in the
bright semicircle which was thrown from the fanlight . just as l
arrived the door was opened , and we were shown up together to
holmes 's room . 
 " mr . henry baker , i believe , " said he , rising from his armchair
and greeting his visitor with the easy air of geniality which he
could so readily assume . " pray take this chair by the fire , mr . 
baker . it is a cold night , and i observe that your circulation is
more adapted for summer than for winter . ah , watson , you have
just come at the right time . is that your hat , mr . baker ? " 
 " yes , sir , that is undoubtedly my hat . " 
 he was a large man with rounded shoulders , a massive head , 
and a broad , intelligent face , sloping down to a pointed beard of
grizzled brown . a touch of red in nose and cheeks , with a slight
tremor of his extended hand , recalled holmes 's surmise as to his
habits . his rusty black frock-coat was buttoned right up in front , 
with the collar turned up , and his lank wrists protruded from his
sleeves without a sign of cuff or shirt . he spoke in a slow
staccato fashion , choosing his words with care , and gave the
impression generally of a man of learning and letters who had
had ill-usage at the hands of fortune . 
 " we have retained these things for some days , " said holmes , 
 " because we expected to see an advertisement from you giving
your address . i am at a loss to know now why you did not
advertise . " 
 our visitor gave a rather shamefaced laugh . " shillings have
not been so plentiful with me as they once were , " he remarked . 
 " i had no doubt that the gang of roughs who assaulted me had
carried off both my hat and the bird . i did not care to spend more
money in a hopeless attempt at recovering them . " 
 " very naturally . by the way , about the bird , we were com-
pelled to eat it . " 
 " to eat it ! " our visitor half rose from his chair in his
excitement . 
 " yes , it would have been of no use to anyone had we not
done so . but i presume that this other goose upon the sideboard , 
which is about the same weight and perfectly fresh , will answer
your purpose equally well ? " 
 " oh , certainly , certainly , " answered mr . baker with a sigh of
relief . 
 " of course , we still have the feathers , legs , crop , and so on of
your own bird , so if you wish -- " 
 the man burst into a hearty laugh . " they might be useful to
me as relics of my adventure , " said he , " but beyond that i can
hardly see what use the disjecta membra of my late acquaintance
are going to be to me . no , sir , i think that , with your permis-
sion , i will confine my attentions to the excellent bird which i
perceive upon the sideboard . " 
 sherlock holmes glanced sharply across at me with a slight
shrug of his shoulders . 
 " there is your hat , then , and there your bird , " said he . " by
the way , would it bore you to tell me where you got the other
one from ? i am somewhat of a fowl fancier , and i have seldom
seen a better grown goose . " 
 " certainly , sir , " said baker , who had risen and tucked his
newly gained property under his arm . " there are a few of us
who frequent the alpha inn , near the museum -- we are to be
found in the museum itself during the day , you understand . this
year our good host , windigate by name , instituted a goose club , 
by which , on consideration of some few pence every week , we
were each to receive a bird at christmas . my pence were duly
paid , and the rest is familiar to you . i am much indebted to you , 
sir , for a scotch bonnet is fitted neither to my years nor my
gravity . " with a comical pomposity of manner he bowed sol-
emnly to both of us and strode off upon his way . 
 " so much for mr . henry baker , " said holmes when he had
closed the door behind him . " it is quite certain that he knows
nothing whatever about the matter . are you hungry , watson ? " 
 " not particularly . " 
 " then i suggest that we turn our dinner into a supper and
follow up this clue while it is still hot . " 
 " by all means . " 
 it was a bitter night , so we drew on our ulsters and wrapped
cravats about our throats . outside , the stars were shining coldly
in a cloudless sky , and the breath of the passers-by blew out into
smoke like so many pistol shots . our footfalls rang out crisply
and loudly as we swung through the doctors ' quarter , wimpole
street , harley street , and so through wigmore street into ox-
ford street . in a quarter of an hour we were in bloomsbury at the
alpha inn , which is a small public-house at the corner of one of
the streets which runs down into holborn . holmes pushed open
the door of the private bar and ordered two glasses of beer from
the ruddy-faced , white-aproned landlord . 
 " your beer should be excellent if it is as good as your
geese , " said he . 
 " my geese ! " the man seemed surprised . 
 " yes . i was speaking only half an hour ago to mr . henry
baker , who was a member of your goose club . " 
 " ah ! yes , i see . but you see , sir , them 's not our geese . " 
 " indeed ! whose , then ? " 
 " well , i got the two dozen from a salesman in covent garden . " 
 " indeed ? i know some of them . which was it ? " 
 " breckinridge is his name . " 
 " ah ! i don ' t know him . well , here 's your good health
landlord , and prosperity to your house . good-night . 
 " now for mr . breckinridge , " he continued , buttoning up his
coat as we came out into the frosty air . " remember , watson
that though we have so homely a thing as a goose at one end of
this chain , we have at the other a man who will certainly get
seven years ' penal servitude unless we can establish his inno-
cence . it is possible that our inquiry may but confirm his guilt
but , in any case , we have a line of investigation which has been
missed by the police , and which a singular chance has placed in
our hands . let us follow it out to the bitter end . faces to the
south , then , and quick march ! " 
 we passed across holborn , down endell street , and so through
a zigzag of slums to covent garden market . one of the largest
stalls bore the name of breckinridge upon it , and the proprietor
a horsy-looking man , with a sharp face and trim side-whiskers
was helping a boy to put up the shutters . 
 " good-evening . it 's a cold night , " said holmes . 
 the salesman nodded and shot a questioning glance at my
companion . 
 " sold out of geese , i see , " continued holmes , pointing at the
bare slabs of marble . 
 " let you have five hundred to-morrow morning . " 
 " that 's no good . " 
 " well , there are some on the stall with the gas-flare . " 
 " ah , but i was recommended to you . " 
 " who by ? " 
 " the landlord of the alpha . " 
 " oh , yes ; i sent him a couple of dozen . " 
 " fine birds they were , too . now where did you get them
from ? " 
 to my surprise the question provoked a burst of anger from
the salesman . 
 " now , then , mister , " said he , with his head cocked and his
arms akimbo , " what are you driving at ? let 's have it straight , 
now . " 
 " it is straight enough . i should like to know who sold you the
geese which you supplied to the alpha . " 
 " well then , i shan ' t tell you . so now ! " 
 " oh , it is a matter of no importance ; but i don ' t know why
you should be so warm over such a trifle . " 
 " warm ! you ' d be as warm , maybe , if you were as pestered
as i am . when i pay good money for a good article there should
be an end of the business ; but it 's ' where are the geese ? ' and
 ' who did you sell the geese to ? ' and ' what will you take for the
geese ? ' one would think they were the only geese in the world , 
to hear the fuss that is made over them . " 
 " well , i have no connection with any other people who have
been making inquiries , " said holmes carelessly . " if you won ' t
tell us the bet is off , that is all . but i ' m always ready to back my
opinion on a matter of fowls , and i have a fiver on it that the bird
i ate is country bred . " 
 " well , then , you ' ve lost your fiver , for it 's town bred , " 
snapped the salesman . 
 " it 's nothing of the kind . " 
 " i say it is . " 
 " i don ' t believe it . " 
 " d ' you think you know more about fowls than i , who have
handled them ever since i was a nipper ? i tell you , all those birds
that went to the alpha were town bred . " 
 " you ' ll never persuade me to believe that . " 
 " will you bet , then ? " 
 " it 's merely taking your money , for i know that i am right . 
but i ' ll have a sovereign on with you , just to teach you not to be
obstinate . " 
 the salesman chuckled grimly . " bring me the books , bill , " 
said he . 
 the small boy brought round a small thin volume and a great
greasy-backed one , laying them out together beneath the hanging
lamp . 
 " now then , mr . cocksure , " said the salesman , " i thought
that i was out of geese , but before i finish you ' ll find that there
is still one left in my shop . you see this little book ? " 
 " well ? " 
 " that 's the list of the folk from whom i buy . d ' you see ? 
well , then , here on this page are the country folk , and the
numbers after their names are where their accounts are in the big
ledger . now , then ! you see this other page in red ink ? well , that
is a list of my town suppliers . now , look at that third name . just
read it out to me . " 
 " mrs . oakshott , 117 , brixton road -- 249 , " read holmes . 
 " quite so . now turn that up in the ledger . " 
 holmes turned to the page indicated . " here you are , ' mrs . 
oakshott , 117 , brixton road , egg and poultry supplier . " 
 " now , then , what 's the last entry ? " 
 " ' december 22d . twenty-four geese at 7s . 6d . ' " 
 " quite so . there you are . and underneath ? " 
 " ' sold to mr . windigate of the alpha , at 12s . ' " 
 " what have you to say now ? " 
 sherlock holmes looked deeply chagrined . he drew a sover-
eign from his pocket and threw it down upon the slab , turning
away with the air of a man whose disgust is too deep for words . 
a few yards off he stopped under a lamp-post and laughed in the
hearty , noiseless fashion which was peculiar to him . 
 " when you see a man with whiskers of that cut and the
 ' pink ' un ' protruding out of his pocket , you can always draw him
by a bet , " said he . " i daresay that if i had put loo pounds down in
front of him , that man would not have given me such complete
information as was drawn from him by the idea that he was
doing me on a wager . well , watson , we are , i fancy , nearing
the end of our quest , and the only point which remains to be
determined is whether we should go on to this mrs . oakshott
to-night , or whether we should reserve it for to-morrow . it is
clear from what that surly fellow said that there are others
besides ourselves who are anxious about the matter , and i
should -- " 
 his remarks were suddenly cut short by a loud hubbub which
broke out from the stall which we had just left . turning round
we saw a little rat-faced fellow standing in the centre of the
circle of yellow light which was thrown by the swinging lamp , 
while breckinridge , the salesman , framed in the door of his stall , 
was shaking his fists fiercely at the cringing figure . 
 " i ' ve had enough of you and your geese , " he shouted . " i
wish you were all at the devil together . if you come pestering me
any more with your silly talk i ' ll set the dog at you . you bring
mrs . oakshott here and i ' ll answer her , but what have you to do
with it ? did i buy the geese off you ? " 
 " no ; but one of them was mine all the same , " whined the
little man . 
 " well , then , ask mrs . oakshott for it . " 
 " she told me to ask you . " 
 " well , you can ask the king of proosia , for all i care . i ' ve
had enough of it . get out of this ! " he rushed fiercely forward , 
and the inquirer flitted away into the darkness . 
 " ha ! this may save us a visit to brixton road , " whispered
holmes . " come with me , and we will see what is to be made of
this fellow . " striding through the scattered knots of people who
lounged round the flaring stalls , my companion speedily over-
took the little man and touched him upon the shoulder . he
sprang round , and i could see in the gas-light that every vestige
of colour had been driven from his face . 
 " who are you , then ? what do you want ? " he asked in a
quavering voice . 
 " you will excuse me , " said holmes blandly , " but i could not
help overhearing the questions which you put to the salesman
just now . i think that i could be of assistance to you . " 
 " you ? who are you ? how could you know anything of the
matter ? " 
 " my name is sherlock holmes . it is my business to know
what other people don ' t know . " 
 " but you can know nothing of this ? " 
 " excuse me , i know everything of it . you are endeavouring
to trace some geese which were sold by mrs . oakshott , of
brixton road , to a salesman named breckinridge , by him in turn
to mr . windigate , of the alpha , and by him to his club , of
which mr . henry baker is a member . " 
 " oh , sir , you are the very man whom i have longed to meet , " 
cried the little fellow with outstretched hands and quivering
fingers . " i can hardly explain to you how interested i am in this
matter . " 
 sherlock holmes hailed a four-wheeler which was passing . 
 " in that case we had better discuss it in a cosy room rather than
in this wind-swept market-place , " said he . " but pray tell me , 
before we go farther , who it is that i have the pleasure of
assisting . " 
 the man hesitated for an instant . " my name is john robin-
son , " he answered with a sidelong glance . 
 " no , no ; the real name , " said holmes sweetly . " it is always
awkward doing business with an alias . " 
 a flush sprang to the white cheeks of the stranger . " well
then , " said he , " my real name is james ryder . " 
 " precisely so . head attendant at the hotel cosmopolitan . pray
step into the cab , and i shall soon be able to tell you everything
which you would wish to know . " 
 the little man stood glancing from one to the other of us with
half-frightened , half-hopeful eyes , as one who is not sure whether
he is on the verge of a windfall or of a catastrophe . then he
stepped into the cab , and in half an hour we were back in the
sitting-room at baker street . nothing had been said during our
drive , but the high , thin breathing of our new companion , and
the claspings and unclaspings of his hands , spoke of the nervous
tension within him . 
 " here we are ! " said holmes cheerily as we filed into the
room . " the fire looks very seasonabe in this weather . you look
cold , mr . ryder . pray take the basket-chair . i will just put on my
slippers before we settle this little matter of yours . now , then ! 
you want to know what became of those geese ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " or rather , i fancy , of that goose . it was one bird , i imagine
in which you were interested -- white , with a black bar across the
tail . " 
 ryder quivered with emotion . " oh , sir , " he cried , " can you
tell me where it went to ? " 
 " it came here . " 
 " here ? " 
 " yes , and a most remarkable bird it proved . i don ' t wonder
that you should take an interest in it . it laid an egg after it was
dead -- the bonniest , brightest little blue egg that ever was seen . i
have it here in my museum . " 
 our visitor staggered to his feet and clutched the mantelpiece
with his right hand . holmes unlocked his strong-box and held up
the blue carbuncle , which shone out like a star , with a cold
brilliant , many-pointed radiance . ryder stood glaring with a
drawn face , uncertain whether to claim or to disown it . 
 " the game 's up , ryder , " said holmes quietly . " hold up , 
man , or you ' ll be into the fire ! give him an arm back into his
chair , watson . he 's not got blood enough to go in for felony
with impunity . give him a dash of brandy . so ! now he looks a
little more human . what a shrimp it is , to be sure ! " 
 for a moment he had staggered and nearly fallen , but the
brandy brought a tinge of colour into his cheeks , and he sat
staring with frightened eyes at his accuser . 
 " i have almost every link in my hands , and all the proofs
which i could possibly need , so there is little which you need tell
me . still , that little may as well be cleared up to make the case
complete . you had heard , ryder , of this blue stone of the
countess of morcar 's ? " 
 " it was catherine cusack who told me of it , " said he in a
crackling voice . 
 " i see -- her ladyship 's waiting-maid . well , the temptation of
sudden wealth so easily acquired was too much for you , as it has
been for better men before you ; but you were not very scrupu-
lous in the means you used . it seems to me , ryder , that there is
the making of a very pretty villain in you . you knew that this
man horner , the plumber , had been concerned in some such
matter before , and that suspicion would rest the more readily
upon him . what did you do , then ? you made some small job in
my lady 's room -- you and your confederate cusack -- and you
managed that he should be the man sent for . then , when he had
left , you rifled the jewel-case , raised the alarm , and had this
unfortunate man arrested . you then -- " 
 ryder threw himself down suddenly upon the rug and clutched
at my companion 's knees . " for god 's sake , have mercy ! " he
shrieked . " think of my father ! of my mother ! it would break
their hearts . i never went wrong before ! i never will again . i
swear it . i ' ll swear it on a bible . oh , don ' t bring it into court ! 
for christ 's sake , don ' t ! " 
 " get back into your chair ! " said holmes sternly . " it is very
well to cringe and crawl now , but you thought little enough of
this poor horner in the dock for a crime of which he knew
nothing . " 
 " i will fly , mr . holmes . i will leave the country , sir . then
the charge against him will break down . " 
 " hum ! we will talk about that . and now let us hear a true
account of the next act . how came the stone into the goose , and
how came the goose into the open market ? tell us the truth , for
there lies your only hope of safety . " 
 ryder passed his tongue over his parched lips . " i will tell you
it just as it happened , sir , " said he . " when horner had been
arrested , it seemed to me that it would be best for me to get
away with the stone at once , for i did not know at what moment
the police might not take it into their heads to search me and my
room . there was no place about the hotel where it would be
safe . i went out , as if on some commission , and i made for my
sister 's house . she had married a man named oakshott , and
lived in brixton road , where she fattened fowls for the market . 
all the way there every man i met seemed to me to be a
policeman or a detective ; and , for all that it was a cold night , the
sweat was pouring down my face before i came to the brixton
road . my sister asked me what was the matter , and why i was
so pale ; but i told her that i had been upset by the jewel robbery
at the hotel . then i went into the back yard and smoked a pipe
and wondered what it would be best to do . 
 " i had a friend once called maudsley , who went to the bad , 
and has just been serving his time in pentonville . one day he had
met me , and fell into talk about the ways of thieves , and how
they could get rid of what they stole . i knew that he would be
true to me , for i knew one or two things about him ; so i made up
my mind to go right on to kilburn , where he lived , and take him
into my confidence . he would show me how to turn the stone
into money . but how to get to him in safety ? i thought of the
agonies i had gone through in coming from the hotel . i might at
any moment be seized and searched , and there would be the
stone in my waistcoat pocket . i was leaning against the wall at
the time and looking at the geese which were waddling about
round my feet , and suddenly an idea came into my head which
showed me how i could beat the best detective that ever lived . 
 " my sister had told me some weeks before that i might have
the pick of her geese for a christmas present , and i knew that
she was always as good as her word . i would take my goose
now , and in it i would carry my stone to kilburn . there was a
little shed in the yard , and behind this i drove one of the
birds -- a fine big one , white , with a barred tail . i caught it , and
prying its bill open , i thrust the stone down its throat as far as
my finger could reach . the bird gave a gulp , and i felt the stone
pass along its gullet and down into its crop . but the creature
flapped and struggled , and out came my sister to know what was
the matter . as i turned to speak to her the brute broke loose and
fluttered off among the others . 
 " ' whatever were you doing with that bird , jem ? ' says she . 
 " ' well , ' said i , ' you said you ' d give me one for christmas , 
and i was feeling which was the fattest . ' 
 " ' oh , ' says she , ' we ' ve set yours aside for you -- jem 's bird , 
we call it . it 's the big white one over yonder . there 's twenty-six
of them , which makes one for you , and one for us , and two
dozen for the market . ' 
 " ' thank you , maggie , ' says l ; ' but if it is all the same to
you , i ' d rather have that one i was handling just now . ' 
 " ' the other is a good three pound heavier , ' said she , ' and we
fattened it expressly for you . ' 
 " ' never mind . i ' ll have the other , and i ' ll take it now , ' said i . 
 " ' oh , just as you like , ' said she , a little huffed . ' which is it
you want , then ? ' 
 " ' that white one with the barred tail , right in the middle of
the flock . ' 
 " ' oh , very well . kill it and take it with you . ' 
 " well , i did what she said , mr . holmes , and i carried the bird
all the way to kilburn . i told my pal what i had done , for he was
a man that it was easy to tell a thing like that to . he laughed
until he choked , and we got a knife and opened the goose . my
heart turned to water , for there was no sign of the stone , and i
knew that some terrible mistake had occurred . i left the bird
rushed back to my sister 's , and hurried into the back yard . there
was not a bird to be seen there . 
 " ' where are they all , maggie ? ' i cried . 
 " ' gone to the dealer 's , jem . ' 
 " ' which dealer 's ? ' 
 " ' breckinridge , of covent garden . ' 
 " ' but was there another with a barred tail ? ' i asked , ' the
same as the one i chose ? ' 
 " ' yes , jem ; there were two barred-tailed ones , and i could
never tell them apart . ' 
 " well , then , of course i saw it all , and i ran off as hard as my
feet would carry me to this man breckinridge ; but he had sold
the lot at once , and not one word would he tell me as to where
they had gone . you heard him yourselves to-night . well , he has
always answered me like that . my sister thinks that i am going
mad . sometimes i think that i am myself . and now -- and now i
am myself a branded thief , without ever having touched the
wealth for which i sold my character . god help me ! god help
me ! " he burst into convulsive sobbing , with his face buried in
his hands . 
 there was a long silence , broken only by his heavy breathing
and by the measured tapping of sherlock holmes 's finger-tips
upon the edge of the table . then my friend rose and threw open
the door . 
 " get out ! " said he . 
 " what , sir ! oh , heaven bless you ! " 
 " no more words . get out ! " 
 and no more words were needed . there was a rush , a clatter
upon the stairs , the bang of a door , and the crisp rattle of running
footfalls from the street . 
 " after all , watson , " said holmes , reaching up his hand for
his clay pipe , " i am not retained by the police to supply their
deficiencies . if horner were in danger it would be another thing ; 
but this fellow will not appear against him , and the case must
collapse . i suppose that i am commuting a felony . but it is just
possible that i am saving a soul . this fellow will not go wrong
again ; he is too terribly frightened . send him to jail now , and
you make him a jail-bird for life . besides , it is the season of
forgiveness . chance has put in our way a most singular and
whimsical problem , and its solution is its own reward . if you
will have the goodness to touch the bell , doctor , we will begin
another investigation , in which , also a bird will be the chief
feature . " 
 . 
    the boscombe valley mystery

 we were seated at breakfast one morning , my wife and i , 
when the maid brought in a telegram . it was from sherlock
holmes and ran in this way : 

   have you a couple of days to spare ? have just been wired
  for from the west of england in connection with boscombe
  valley tragedy . shall be glad if you will come with me . air
  and scenery perfect . leave paddington by the 11 : 15 . 

 " what do you say , dear ? " said my wife , looking across at
me . " will you go ? " 
 " i really don ' t know what to say . i have a fairly long list at
present . " 
 " oh , anstruther would do your work for you . you have been
looking a little pale lately . i think that the change would do you
good , and you are always so interested in mr . sherlock holmes ' s
cases . " 
 " i should be ungrateful if i were not , seeing what i gained
through one of them , " i answered . " but if i am to go , i must
pack at once , for i have only half an hour . " 
 my experience of camp life in afghanistan had at least had the
effect of making me a prompt and ready traveller . my wants
were few and simple , so that in less than the time stated i was in
a cab with my valise , rattling away to paddington station . 
sherlock holmes was pacing up and down the platform , his tall , 
gaunt figure made even gaunter and taller by his long gray
travelling-cloak and close-fitting cloth cap . 
 " it is reaily very good of you to come , watson , " said he . " it
makes a considerable difference to me , having someone with me
on whom i can thoroughly rely . local aid is always either
worthless or else biassed . if you will keep the two corner seats i
shall get the tickets . " 
 we had the carriage to ourselves save for an immense litter of
papers which holmes had brought with him . among these he
rummaged and read , with intervals of note-taking and of medita-
tion , until we were past reading . then he suddenly rolled them
all into a gigantic ball and tossed them up onto the rack . 
 " have you heard anything of the case ? " he asked . 
 " not a word . i have not seen a paper for some days . " 
 " the london press has not had very full accounts . i have just
been looking through all the recent papers in order to master the
particulars . it seems , from what i gather , to be one of those
simple cases which are so extremely difficult . " 
 " that sounds a little paradoxical . " 
 " but it is profoundly true . singularity is almost invariably a
clue . the more featureless and commonplace a crime is , the
more difficult it is to bring it home . in this case , however , they
have established a very serious case against the son of the
murdered man . " 
 " it is a murder , then ? " 
 " well , it is conjectured to be so . i shall take nothing for
granted until i have the opportunity of looking personally into it . 
i will explain the state of things to you , as far as i have been able
to understand it , in a very few words . 
 " boscombe valley is a country district not very far from
ross , in herefordshire . the largest landed proprietor in that part
is a mr . john turner , who made his money in australia and
returned some years ago to the old country . one of the farms
which he held , that of hatherley , was let to mr . charles mccar-
thy , who was also an ex-australian . the men had known each
other in the colonies , so that it was not unnatural that when they
came to settle down they should do so as near each other as
possible . turner was apparently the richer man , so mccarthy
became his tenant but still remained , it seems , upon terms of
perfect equality , as they were frequently together . mccarthy had
one son , a lad of eighteen , and turner had an only daughter of
the same age , but neither of them had wives living . they appear
to have avoided the society of the neighbouring english families
and to have led retired lives , though both the mccarthys were
fond of sport and were frequently seen at the race-meetings of
the neighbourhood . mccarthy kept two servants -- a man and a
girl . turner had a considerable household , some half-dozen at
the least . that is as much as i have been able to gather about the
families . now for the facts . 
 " on june 3rd , that is , on monday last , mccarthy left his
house at hatherley about three in the afternoon and walked down
to the boscombe pool , which is a small lake formed by the
spreading out of the stream which runs down the boscombe
valley . he had been out with his serving-man in the morning at
ross , and he had told the man that he must hurry , as he had an
appointment of importance to keep at three . from that appoint-
ment he never came back alive . 
 " from hatherley farmhouse to the boscombe pool is a quar-
ter of a mile , and two people saw him as he passed over this
ground . one was an old woman , whose name is not mentioned , 
and the other was william crowder , a game-keeper in the em-
ploy of mr . turner . both these witnesses depose that mr . mccarthy
was walking alone . the game-keeper adds that within a few
minutes of his seeing mr . mccarthy pass he had seen his son , 
mr . james mccarthy , going the same way with a gun under
his arm . to the best of his belief , the father was actually in sight
at the time , and the son was following him . he thought no more
of the matter until he heard in the evening of the tragedy that had
occurred . 
 " the two mccarthys were seen after the time when william
crowder , the game-keeper , lost sight of them . the boscombe
pool is thickly wooded round , with just a fringe of grass and of
reeds round the edge . a girl of fourteen , patience moran , who is
the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the boscombe valley estate , 
was in one of the woods picking flowers . she states that while
she was there she saw , at the border of the wood and close by
the lake , mr . mccarthy and his son , and that they appeared to be
having a violent quarrel . she heard mr . mccarthy the elder
using very strong language to his son , and she saw the latter
raise up his hand as if to strike his father . she was so frightened
by their violence that she ran away and told her mother when she
reached home that she had left the two mccarthys quarrelling
near boscombe pool , and that she was afraid that they were
going to fight . she had hardly said the words when young mr . 
mccarthy came running up to the lodge to say that he had found
his father dead in the wood , and to ask for the help of the
lodge-keeper . he was much excited , without either his gun or his
hat , and his right hand and sleeve were observed to be stained
with fresh blood . on following him they found the dead body
stretched out upon the grass beside the pool . the head had been
beaten in by repeated blows of some heavy and blunt weapon . 
the injuries were such as might very well have been inflicted by
the butt-end of his son 's gun , which was found lying on the grass
within a few paces of the body . under these circumstances the
young man was instantly arrested , and a verdict of ' wilful mur-
der ' having been returned at the inquest on tuesday , he was on
wednesday brought before the magistrates at ross , who have
referred the case to the next assizes . those are the main facts of
the case as they came out before the coroner and the police-court . " 
 " i could hardly imagine a more damning case , " i remarked . 
 " if ever circumstantial evidence pointed to a criminal it does so
here . " 
 " circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing , " answered
holmes thoughtfully . " it may seem to point very straight to one
thing , but if you shift your own point of view a little , you may
find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to some-
thing entirely different . it must be confessed , however , that the
case looks exceedingly grave against the young man , and it is
very possible that he is indeed the culprit . there are several
people in the neighbourhood , however , and among them miss
turner , the daughter of the neighbouring landowner , who be-
lieve in his innocence , and who have retained lestrade , whom
you may recollect in connection with ' a study in scarlet ' , to
work out the case in his interest . lestrade , being rather puzzled , 
has referred the case to me , and hence it is that two middle-aged
gentlemen are flying westward at fifty miles an hour instead of
quietly digesting their breakfasts at home . " 
 " i am afraid , " said i , " that the facts are so obvious that you
will find little credit to be gained out of this case . " 
 " there is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact , " he
answered , laughing . " besides , we may chance to hit upon some
other obvious facts which may have been by no means obvious
to mr . lestrade . you know me too well to think that i am
boasting when i say that i shall either confirm or destroy his
theory by means which he is quite incapable of employing , or
even of understanding . to take the first example to hand , i very
clearly perceive that in your bedroom the window is upon the
right-hand side , and yet i question whether mr . lestrade would
have noted even so self-evident a thing as that . " 
 " how on earth -- " 
 " my dear fellow , i know you well . i know the military
neatness which characterizes you . you shave every morning , and
in this season you shave by the sunlight ; but since your shaving
is less and less complete as we get farther back on the left side , 
until it becomes positively slovenly as we get round the angle of
the jaw , it is surely very clear that that side is less illuminated
than the other . i could not imagine a man of your habits looking
at himself in an equal light and being satisfied with such a result . 
i only quote this as a trivial example of observation and infer-
ence . therein lies my metier , and it is just possible that it may
be of some service in the investigation which lies before us . 
there are one or two minor points which were brought out in the
inquest , and which are worth considering . " 
 " what are they ? " 
 " it appears that his arrest did not take place at once , but after
the return to hatherley farm . on the inspector of constabulary
informing him that he was a prisoner , he remarked that he was
not surprised to hear it , and that it was no more than his deserts . 
this observation of his had the natural effect of removing any
traces of doubt which might have remained in the minds of the
coroner 's jury . " 
 " it was a confession , " i ejaculated . 
 " no , for it was followed by a protestation of innocence . " 
 " coming on the top of such a damning series of events , it was
at least a most suspicious remark . " 
 " on the contrary , " said holmes , " it is the brightest rift
which i can at present see in the clouds . however innocent he
might be , he could not be such an absolute imbecile as not to see
that the circumstances were very black against him . had he
appeared surprised at his own arrest , or feigned indignation at it , 
i should have looked upon it as highly suspicious , because such
surprise or anger would not be natural under the circumstances , 
and yet might appear to be the best policy to a scheming man . 
his frank acceptance of the situation marks him as either an
innocent man , or else as a man of considerable self-restraint and
firmness . as to his remark about his deserts , it was also not
unnatural if you consider that he stood beside the dead body of
his father , and that there is no doubt that he had that very day so
far forgotten his filial duty as to bandy words with him , and
even , according to the little girl whose evidence is so important , 
to raise his hand as if to strike him . the self-reproach and
contrition which are displayed in his remark appear to me to be
the signs of a healthy mind rather than of a guilty on . " 
 i shook my head . " many men have been hanged on far
slighter evidence , " i remarked . 
 " so they have . and many men have been wrongfully hanged . " 
 " what is the young man 's own account of the matter ? " 
 " it is , i am afraid , not very encouraging to his supporters , 
though there are one or two points in it which are suggestive . 
you will find it here , and may read it for yourself . " 
 he picked out from his bundle a copy of the local herefordshire
paper , and having turned down the sheet he pointed out the
paragraph in which the unfortunate young man had given his
own statement of what had occurred . i settled myself down in
the corner of the carriage and read it very carefully . it ran in this
way : 

  mr . james mccarthy , the only son of the deceased , 
 was then called and gave evidence as follows : " i had been
 away from home for three days at bristol , and had only just
 returned upon the morning of last monday , the 3d . my
 father was absent from home at the time of my arrival , and i
 was informed by the maid that he had driven over to ross
 with john cobb , the groom . shortly after my return i heard
 the wheels of his trap in the yard , and , looking out of my
 window , i saw him get out and walk rapidly out of the yard , 
 though i was not aware in which direction he was going . i
 then took my gun and strolled out in the direction of the
 boscombe pool , with the intention of visiting the rabbit-
 warren which is upon the other side . on my way i saw
 william crowder , the game-keeper , as he had stated in his
 evidence ; but he is mistaken in thinking that i was following
 my father . i had no idea that he was in front of me . when
 about a hundred yards from the pool i heard a cry of
  ' cooee ! ' which was a usual signal between my father and
 myself . i then hurried forward , and found him standing by
 the pool . he appeared to be much surprised at seeing me
 and asked me rather roughly what i was doing there . a
 conversation ensued which led to high words and almost to
 blows , for my father was a man of a very violent temper . 
 seeing that his passion was becoming ungovernable , i left
 him and returned towards hatherley farm . i had not gone
 more than 150 yards , however , when i heard a hideous
 outcry behind me , which caused me to run back again . 
 i found my father expiring upon the ground , with his head
 terribly injured . i dropped my gun and held him in my
 arms , but he almost instantly expired . i knelt beside him for
 some minutes , and then made my way to mr . turner ' s
 lodge-keeper , his house being the nearest , to ask for assis-
 tance . i saw no one near my father when i returned , and i
 have no idea how he came by his injuries . he was not a
 popular man , being somewhat cold and forbidding in his
 manners , but he had , as far as i know , no active enemies . i
 know nothing further of the matter . " 
 the coroner : did your father make any statement to you
before he died ? 
 witness : he mumbled a few words , but i could only
catch some allusion to a rat . 
 the coroner : what did you understand by that ? 
 witness : it conveyed no meaning to me . i thought that he
was delirious . 
 the coroner : what was the point upon which you and
your father had this final quarrel ? 
 witness : i should prefer not to answer . 
 the coroner : i am afraid that i must press it . 
 witness : it is really impossible for me to tell you . i can
assure you that it has nothing to do with the sad tragedy
which followed . 
 the coroner : that is for the court to decide . i need not
point out to you that your refusal to answer will prejudice
your case considerably in any future proceedings which may
arise . 
 witness : i must still refuse . 
 the coroner : i understand that the cry of " cooee " was a
common signal between you and your father ? 
 witnesls : it was . 
 the coroner : how was it , then , that he uttered it before
he saw you , and before he even knew that you had returned
from bristol ? 
 witness (with considerable confusion) : i do not know . 
 a juryman : did you see nothing which aroused your
suspiclons when you returned on hearing the cry and found
your father fatally injured ? 
 witness : nothing definite . 
 the coroner : what do you mean ? 
 witness : i was so disturbed and excited as i rushed out
into the open , that i could think of nothing except of my
father . yet i have a vague impression that as i ran forward
something lay upon the ground to the left of me . it seemed
to me to be something gray in colour , a coat of some sort , 
or a plaid perhaps . when i rose from my father i looked
round for it , but it was gone . 
 " do you mean that it disappeared before you went for
help ? " 
 " yes , it was gone . " 
 " you cannot say what it was ? " 
 " no , i had a feeling something was there . " 
 " how far from the body ? " 
 " a dozen yards or so . " 
 " and how far from the edge of the wood ? " 
 " about the same . " 
 " then if it was removed it was while you were within a
dozen yards of it ? " 
 " yes , but with my back towards it . " 
 this concluded the examination of the witness . 
 " i see , " said i as i glanced down the column , " that the
coroner in his concluding remarks was rather severe upon young
mccarthy . he calls attention , and with reason , to the discrep-
ancy about his father having signalled to him before seeing him
also to his refusal to give details of his conversation with his
father , and his singular account of his father 's dying words . 
they are all , as he remarks , very much against the son . " 
 holmes laughed softly to himself and stretched himself out
upon the cushioned seat . " both you and the coroner have been
at some pains , " said he , " to single out the very strongest points
in the young man 's favour . don ' t you see that you alternately
give him credit for having too much imaginition and too little ? 
too little , if he could not invent a cause of quarrel which would
give him the sympathy of the jury ; too much , if he evolved from
his own inner consciousness anything so outre as a dying refer-
ence to a rat , and the incident of the vanishing cloth . no , sir , i
shall approach this case from the point of view that what this
young man says is true , and we shall see whither that hypothesis
will lead us . and now here is my pocket petrarch , and not
another word shall i say of this case until we are on the scene of
action . we lunch at swindon , and i see that we shall be there in
twenty minutes . "   
 it was nearly four o ' clock when we at last , after passing
through the beautiful stroud valley , and over the broad gleaming
severn , found ourselves at the pretty little country-town of ross . 
a lean , ferret-like man , furtive and sly-looking , was waiting for
us upon the platform . in spite of the light brown dustcoat and
leather-leggings which he wore in deference to his rustic sur-
roundings , i had no difficulty in recognizing lestrade , of scot-
land yard . with him we drove to the hereford arms where a
room had already been engaged for us . 
 " i have ordered a carriage , " said lestrade as we sat over a
cup of tea . " i knew your energetic nature , and that you would
not be happy until you had been on the scene of the crime . " 
 " it was very nice and complimentary of you , " holmes an-
swered . " it is entirely a question of barometric pressure . " 
 lestrade looked startled . " i do not quite follow , " he said . 
 " how is the glass ? twenty-nine , i see . no wind , and not a
cloud in the sky . i have a caseful of cigarettes here which need
smoking , and the sofa is very much superior to the usual country
hotel abomination . i do not think that it is probable that i shall
use the carriage to-night . "  
 lestrade laughed indulgently . " yau have , no doubt , already
formed your conclusions from the newspapers , " he said . " the
case is as plain as a pikestaff , and the more one goes into it the
plainer it becomes . still , of course , one can ' t refuse a lady , and
such a very positive one , too . she hai heard of you , and would
have your opinion , though i repeatedly told her that there was
nothing which you could do which i had not already done . why , 
bless my soul ! here is her carriage at the door . " 
 he had hardly spoken before there rushed into the room one of
the most lovely young women that i have ever seen in my life . 
her violet eyes shining , her lips parted , a pink flush upon her
cheeks , all thought of her natural reserve lost in her overpower-
ing excitement and concern . 
 " oh , mr . sherlock holmes ! " she cried , glancing from one to
the other of us , and finally , with a woman 's quick intuition , 
fastening upon my companion , " i am so glad that you have
come . i have driven down to tell you so . i know that james
didn ' t do it . i know it , and i want you to start upon your work
knowing it , too . never let yourself doubt upon that point . we
have known each other since we were little children , and i know
his faults as no one else does ; but he is too tenderhearted to hurt
a fly . such a charge is absurd to anyone who really knows him . " 
 " i hope we may clear him , miss turner , " said sherlock
holmes . " you may rely upon my doing all that i can . " 
 " but you have read the evidence . you have formed some
conclusion ? do you not see some loophole , some flaw ? do you
not yourself think that he is innocent ? " 
 " i think that it is very probable . " 
 " there , now ! " she cried , throwing back her head and looking
defiantly at lestrade . " you hear ! he gives me hopes . " 
 lestrade shrugged his shoulders . " i am afraid that my col-
league has been a little quick in forming his conclusions , " he
said . 
 " but he is right . oh ! i know that he is right . james never did
it . and about his quarrel with his father , i am sure that the
reason why he would not speak about it to the coroner was
because i was concerned in it . " 
 " in what way ? " asked holmes . 
 " it is no time for me to hide anything . james and his father
had many disagreements about me . mr . mccarthy was very
anxious that there should be a marriage between us . james and i
have always loved each other as brother and sister ; but of course
he is young and has seen very little of life yet , and -- and -- well , 
he naturally did not wish to do anything like that yet . so there
were quarrels , and this , i am sure , was one of them . " 
 " and your father ? " asked holmes . " was he in favour of
such a union ? " 
 " no , he was averse to it also . no one but mr . mccarthy was
in favour of it . " a quick blush passed over her fresh young face
as holmes shot one of his keen , questioning glances at her . 
 " thank you for this information , " said he . " may i see your
father if i call to-morrow ? " 
 " i am afraid the doctor won ' t allow it . " 
 " the doctor ? " 
 " yes , have you not heard ? poor father has never been strong
for years back , but this has broken him down completely . he has
taken to his bed , and dr . willows says that he is a wreck and
that his nlervous system is shattered . mr . mccarthy was the only
man alive who had known dad in the old days in victoria . " 
 " ha ! ln victoria ! that is important . " 
 " yes , at the mines . " 
 " quite so ; at the gold-mines , where , as i understand , mr . 
turner made his money . " 
 " yes , certainly . " 
 " thank you , miss turner . you have been of material assis-
tance to me . " 

 " you will tell me if you have any news to-morrow . no doubt
you will go to the prison to see james . oh , if you do , mr . 
holmes , do tell him that i know him to be innocent . " 
 " i will , miss turner . " 
 " i must go home now , for dad is very ill , and he misses me so
if i leave him . good-bye , and god help you in your undertak-
ing . " she hurried from the room as impulsively as she had
entered , and we heard the wheels of her carriage rattle off down
the street . 
 " i am ashamed of you , holmes , " said lestrade with dignity
after a few minutes ' silence . " why should you raise up hopes
which you are bound to disappoint ? i am not over-tender of
heart , but i call it cruel . " 
 " i think that i see my way to clearing james mccarthy , " said
holmes . " have you an order to see him in prison ? " 
 " yes , but only for you and me . " 
 " then i shall reconsider my resolution about going out . we
have still time to take a train to hereford and see him to-night ? " 
 " ample . " 
 " then let us do so . watson , i fear that you will find it very
slow , but i shall only be away a couple of hours . " 
 i walked down to the station with them , and then wandered
through the streets of the little town , finally returning to the
hotel , where i lay upon the sofa and tried to interest myself in a
yellow-backed novel . the puny plot of the story was so thin , 
however , when compared to the deep mystery through which we
were groping , and i found my attention wander so continually
from the action to the fact , that i at last flung it across the room
and gave myself up entirely to a consideration of the events of
the day . supposing that this unhappy young man 's story were
absolutely true , then what hellish thing , what absolutely unfore-
seen and extraordinary calamity could have occurred between the
time when he parted from his father , and the moment when
drawn back by his screams , he rushed into the glade ? it was
something terrible and deadly . what could it be ? might not the
nature of the injuries reveal something to my medical instincts ? i
rang the bell and called for the weekly county paper , which
contained a verbatim account of the inquest . in the surgeon ' s
deposition it was stated that the posterior third of the left parietal
bone and the left half of the occipital bone hail been shattered by
a heavy blow from a blunt weapon . i marked the spot upon my
own head . clearly such a blow must have been struck from
behind . that was to some extent in favour of the accused , as
when seen quarrelling he was face to face with his father . still , it
did not go for very much , for the older man might have turned
his back before the blow fell . still , it might be worth while to
call holmes 's attention to it . then there was the peculiar dying
reference to a rat . what could that mean ? it could not be
delirium . a man dying from a sudden blow does not commonly
become delirious . no , it was more likely to be an attempt to
explain how he met his fate . but what could it indicate ? i
cudgelled my brains to find some possible explanation . and then
the incident of the gray cloth seen by young mccarthy . if that
were true the murderer must have dropped some part of his
dress , presumably his overcoat , in his flight , and must have had
the hardihood to return and to carry it away at the instant when
the son was kneeling with his back turned not a dozen paces off . 
what a tissue of mysteries and improbabilities the whole thing
was ! i did not wonder at lestrade 's opinion , and yet i had so
much faith in sherlock holmes 's insight that i could not lose
hope as long as every fresh fact seemed to strengthen his convic-
tion of young mccarthy 's innocence . 
 it was late before sherlock holmes returned . he came back
alone , for lestrade was staying in lodgings in the town . 
 " the glass still keeps very high , " he remarked as he sat
down . " it is of importance that it should not rain before we are
able to go over the ground . on the other hand , a man should be
at his very best and keenest for such nice work as that , and i did
not wish to do it when fagged by a long journey . i have seen
young mccarthy . " 
 " and what did you learn from him ? " 
 " nothing . " 
 " could he throw no light ? " 
 " none at all . i was inclined to think at one time that he knew
who had done it and was screening him or her , but i am
convinced now that he is as puzzled as everyone else . he is not a
very quick-witted youth , though comely to look at and , i should
think , sound at heart . " 
 " i cannot admire his taste , " i remarked , " if it is indeed a fact
that he was averse to a marriage with so charming a young lady
as this miss turner . " 
 " ah , thereby hangs a rather painful tale . this fellow is madly , 
insanely , in love with her , but some two years ago , when he was
only a lad , and before he really knew her , for she had been away
five years at a boarding-school , what does the idiot do but get
into the clutches of a barmaid in bristol and marry her at a
registry office ? no one knows a word of the matter , but you can
imagine how maddening it must be to him to be upbraided for
not doing what he would give his very eyes to do , but what he
knows to be absolutely impossible . it was sheer frenzy of this
sort which made him throw his hands up into the air when his
father , at their last interview , was goading him on to propose to
miss turner . on the other hand , he had no means of supporting
himself , and his father , who was by all accounts a very hard
man , would have thrown him over utterly had he known the
truth . it was with his barmaid wife that he had spent the last
three days in bristol , and his father did not know where he was . 
mark that point . it is of importance . good has come out of evil , 
however , for the barmaid , finding from the papers that he is in
serious trouble and likely to be hanged , has thrown him over
utterly and has written to him to say that she has a husband
already in the bermuda dockyard , so that there is really no tie
between them . i think that that bit of news has consoled young
mccarthy for all that he has suffered . " 
 " but if he is innocent , who has done it ? " 
 " ah ! who ? i would call your attention very particularly to two
points . one is that the murdered man had an appointment with
someone at the pool , and that the someone could not have been
his son , for his son was away , and he did not know when he
would return . the second is that the murdered man was heard to
cry ' cooee ! ' before he knew that his son had returned . those are
the crucial points upon which the case depends . and now let us
talk about george meredith , if you please , and we shall leave all
minor matters until to-morrow . " 
 there was no rain , as holmes had foretold , and the morning
broke bright and cloudless . at nine o ' clock lestrade called for
us with the carriage , and we set off for hatherley farm and the
boscombe pool .   
 " there is serious news this morning , " lestrade observed . " it
is said that mr . turner , of the hall , is so ill that his life is
despaired of . " 
 " an elderly man , i presume ? " saild holmes . 
 " about sixty ; but his constitution has been shattered by his
life abroad , and he has been in failing health for some time . this
business has had a very bad effect upon him . he was an old
friend of mccarthy 's , and , i may add , a great benefactor to him , 
for i have learned that he gave him hatherley farm rent free . " 
 " indeed ! that is interesting , " said holmes . 
 " oh , yes ! in a hundred other ways he has helped him . every-
body about here speaks of his kindness to him . " 
 " really ! does it not strike- you as a little singular that this
mccarthy , who appears to have had little of his own , and to
have been under such obligations to turner , should still talk of
marrying his son to turner 's daughter , who is , presumably , 
heiress to the estate , and that in such a very cocksure manner , as
if it were merely a case of a proposal and all else would follow ? 
it is the more strange , since we know that turner himself was
averse to the idea . the daughter told us as much . do you not
deduce something from that ? " 
 " we have got to the deductions and the inferences , " said
lestrade , winking at me . " i find it hard enough to tackle facts , 
holmes , without flying away after theories and fancies . " 
 " you are right , " said holmes demurely ; " you do find it very
hard to tackle the facts . " 
 " anyhow , i have grasped one fact which you seem to find it
difficult to get hold of , " replied lesbiade with some warmth . 
 " and that is -- " 
 " that mccarthy senior met his death from mccarthy junior
and that all theories to the contrary are the merest moonshine . " 
 " well , moonshine is a brighter thing than fog , " said holmes , 
laughing . " but i am very much mistaken if this is not hatherley
farm upon the left . " 
 " yes , that is it . " it was a widespread , comfortable-looking
building , two-storied , slate-roofed , with great yellow blotches of
lichen upon the gray walls . the drawn blinds and the smokeless
chimneys , however , gave it a stricken look , as though the weight
of this horror still lay heavy upon it . we called at the door , when
the maid , at holmes 's request , showed us the boots which her
master wore at the time of his death , and also a pair of the son 's , 
though not the pair which he had then had . having measured
these very carefully from seven or eight different points , holmes
desired to be led to the court-yard , from which we all followed
the winding track which led to boscombe pool . 
 sherlock holmes was transformed when he was hot upon such
a scent as this . men who had only known the quiet thinker and
logician of baker street would have failed to recognize him . his
face flushed and darkened . his brows were drawn into two hard
black lines , while his eyes shone out from beneath them with a
steely glitter . his face was bent downward , his shoulders bowed , 
his lips compressed , and the veins stood out like whipcord in his
long , sinewy neck . his nostrils seemed to dilate with a purely
animal lust for the chase , and his mind was so absolutely con-
centrated upon the matter before him that a question or remark
fell unheeded upon his ears , or , at the most , only provoked a
quick , impatient snarl in reply . swiftly and silently he made his
way along the track which ran through the meadows , and so by
way of the woods to the boscombe pool . it was damp , marshy
ground , as is all that district , and there were marks of many feet , 
both upon the path and amid the short grass which bounded it on
either side . sometimes holmes would hurry on , sometimes stop
dead , and once he made quite a little detour into the meadow . 
lestrade and i walked behind him , the detective indifferent and
contemptuous , while i watched my friend with the interest which
sprang from the conviction that every one of his actions was
directed towards a definite end . 
 the boscombe pool , which is a little reed-girt sheet of water
some fifty yards across , is situated at the boundary between the
hatherley farm and the private park of the wealthy mr . turner . 
above the woods which lined it upon the farther side we could
see the red , jutting pinnacles which marked the site of the rich
landowner 's dwelling . on the hatherley side of the pool the
woods grew very thick , and there was a narrow belt of sodden
grass twenty paces across between the edge of the trees land the
reeds which lined the lake . lestrade showed us the exact spot at
which the body had been found , and , indeed , so moist was the
ground , that i could plainly see the traces which had been left by
the fall of the stricken man . to holmes , as i could see by his
eager face and peering eyes , very many other things were to be
read upon the trampled grass . he ran round , like a dog who is
picking up a scent , and then turned upon my companion . 
 " what did you go into the pool for ? " he asked . 
 " i fished about with a rake . i thought there might be some
weapon or other trace . but how on earth -- " 
 " oh , tut , tut ! i have no time ! that left foot of yours with its
inward twist is all over the place . a mole could trace it , and
there it vanishes among the reeds . oh , how simple it would all
have been had i been here before they came like a herd of
buffalo and wallowed all over it . here is where the party with
the lodge-keeper came , and they have covered all tracks for six
or eight feet round the body . but here are three separate tracks of
the same feet . " he drew out a lens and lay down upon his
waterproof to have a better view , talking all the time rather to
himself than to us . " these are young mccarthy 's feet . twice he
was walking , and once he ran swiftly , so that the soles are
deeply marked and the heels hardly visible . that bears out his
story . he ran when he saw his father on the ground . then here
are the father 's feet as he paced up and down . what is this , then ? 
it is the butt-end of the gun as the son stood listening . and this ? 
ha , ha ! what have we here ? tiptoes ! tiptoes ! square , too , quite
unusual boots ! they come , they go , they come again -- of course
that was for the cloak . now where did they come from ? " he ran
up and down , sometimes losing , sometimes finding the track
until we were well within the edge of the wood and under the
shadow of a great beech , the largest tree in the neighbourhood . 
holmes traced his way to the farther side of this and lay down
once more upon his face with a little cry of satisfaction . for a
long time he remained there , turning over the leaves and dried
sticks , gathering up what seemed to me to be dust into an
envelope and examining with his lens not only the ground but
even the bark of the tree as far as he could reach . a jagged stone
was lying among the moss , and this also he carefully examined
and retained . then he followed a pathway through the wood
until he came to the highroad , where all traces were lost . 
 " it has been a case of considerable interest , " he remarked , 
returning to his natural manner . " i fancy that this gray house on
the right must be the lodge . i think that i will go in and have a
word with moran , and perhaps write a little note . having done
that , we may drive back to our lunchebn . you may walk to the
cab , and i shall be with you presently . " 
 it was about ten minutes before we regained our cab and drove
back into ross , holmes still carrying with him the stone which
he had picked up in the wood . 
 " this may interest you , lestrade , " he remarked , holding it
out . " the murder was done with it . " 
 " i see no marks . " 
 " there are none . " 
 " how do you know , then ? " 
 " the grass was growing under it . it had only lain there a few
days . there was no sign of a place whence it had been taken . it
corresponds with the injuries . there is no sign of any other
weapon . " 
 " and the murderer ? ' ' 
 " is a tall man , left-handed , limps with the right leg , wears
thick-soled shooting-boots and a gray cloak , smokes indian ci-
gars , uses a cigar-holder , and carries a blunt pen-knife in his
pocket . there are several other indications , but these may be
enough to aid us in our search . " 
 lestrade laughed . " i am afraid that i am still a sceptic , " he
said . " theories are all very well , but we have to deal with a
hard-headed british jury . " 
 " nous verrons , " answered holmes calmly . " you work your
own method , and i shall work mine . i shall be busy this after-
noon , and shall probably return to london by the evening train . " 
 " and leave your case unfinished ? " 
 " no , finished . " 
 " but the mystery ? " 
 " it is solved . ' 
 " who was the criminal , then ? " 
 " the gentleman i describe . " 
 " but who is he ? ' ' 
 " surely it would not be difficult to find out . this is not such a
populous neighbourhood . " 
 lestrade shrugged his shoulders . " i am a practical man , " he
said , " and i really cannot undertake to go about the country
looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game-leg . i should
become the laughing-stock of scotland yard . " 
 " all right , " said holmes quietly . " i have given you the
chance . here are your lodgings . good-bye . i shall drop you a
line before i leave . " 
 having left lestrade at his rooms , we drove to our hotel , 
where we found lunch upon the table . holmes was silent and
buried in thought with a pained expression upon his face , as one
who finds himself in a perplexing position . 
 " look here , watson , " he said when the cloth was cleared
 " just sit down in this chair and let me preach to you for a little . 
don ' t know quite what to do , and i should value your advice . 
light a cigar and let me expound . " 
 " pray do so . " 
 " well , now , in considering this case there are two points
about young mccarthy 's narrative which struck us both in-
stantly , although they impressed me in his favour and you against
him . one was the fact that his father should , according to his
account , cry ' cooee ! ' before seeing him . the other was his
singular dying reference to a rat . he mumbled several words , you
understand , but that was all that caught the son 's ear . now from
this double point our research must commence , and we will
begin it by presuming that what the lad says is absolutely true . " 
 " what of this ' cooee ! ' then ? " 
 " well , obviously it could not have been meant for the son . 
the son , as far as he knew , was in bristol . it was mere chance
that he was within earshot . the ' cooee ! ' was meant to attract the
attention of whoever it was that he had the appointment with . 
but ' cooee ' is a distinctly australian cry , and one which is used
between australians . there is a strong presumption that the
person whom mccarthy expected to meet him at boscombe pool
was someone who had been in australia . " 
 " what of the rat , then ? " 
 sherlock holmes took a folded paper from his pocket and
flattened it out on the table . " this is a map of the colony of
victoria , " he said . " i wired to bristol for it last night . " he put
his hand over part of the map . " what do you read ? " 
 " arat , " i read . 
 " and now ? " he raised his hand . 
 " ballarat . " 
 " quite so . that was the word the man uttered , and of which
his son only caught the last two syllables . he was trying to utter
the name of his murderer . so and so , of ballarat . " 
 " it is wonderful ! " i exclaimed . 
 " it is obvious . and now , you see , i had narrowed the field
down considerably . the possession of a gray garment was a third
point which , granting the son 's statement to be correct , was a
certainty . we have come now out of mere vagueness to the
definite conception of an australian from ballarat with a gray
cloak . " 
 " certainly . " 
 " and one who was at home in the district , for the pool can
only be approached by the farm or by the estate , where strangers
could hardly wander . " 
 " quite so . " 
 " then comes our expedition of to-day . by an examination of
the ground i gained the trifling details which i gave to that
imbecile lestrade , as to the personality of the criminal . " 
 " but how did you gain them ? " 
 " you know my method . it is founded upon the observation of
trifles . " 
 " his height i know that you might roughly judge from the
length of his stride . his boots , too , might be told from their
traces . " 
 " yes , they were peculiar boots . " 
 " but his lameness ? " 
 " the impression of his right foot was always less distinct than
his left . he put less weight upon it . why ? because he limped -- he
was lame . " 
 " but his left-handedness . " 
 " you were yourself struck by the nature of the injury as
recorded by the surgeon at-the inquest . the blow was struck
from immediately behind , and yet was upon the left side . now , 
how can that be unless it were by a left-handed man ? he had
stood behind that tree during the interview between the father
and son . he had even smoked there . i found the ash of a cigar , 
which my special knowledge of tobacco ashes enables me to
pronounce as an indian cigar . i have , as you know , devoted
some attention to this , and written a little monograph on the
ashes of 140 different varieties of pipe , cigar , and cigarette
tobacco . having found the ash , i then looked round and discov-
ered the stump among the moss where he had tossed it . it was an
indian cigar , of the variety which are rolled in rotterdam . " 
 " and the cigar-holder ? " 
 " i could see that the end had not been in his mouth . therefore
he used a holder . the tip had been cut off , not bitten off , but the
cut was not a clean one , so i deduced a blunt pen-knife . " 
 " holmes , " i said , " you have drawn a net round this man
from which he cannot escape , and you have saved an innocent
human life as truly as if you had cut the cord which was hanging
him . i see the direction in which all this points . the culprit
is -- " 
 " mr . john turner , " cried the hotel waiter , opening the door
of our sitting-room , and ushering in a visitor . 
 the man who entered was a strange and impressive figure . his
slow , limping step and bowed shoulders gave the appearance of
decrepitude , and yet his hard , deep-lined , craggy features , and
his enormous limbs showed that he was possessed of unusual
strength of body and of character . his tangled beard , grizzled
hair , and outstanding , drooping eyebrows combined to give an
air of dignity and power to his appearance , but his face was of an
ashen white , while his lips and the corners of his nostrils were
tinged with a shade of blue . it was clear to me at a glance that he
was in the grip of some deadly and chronic disease . 
 " pray sit down on the sofa , " said holmes gently . " you had
my note ? " 
 " yes , the lodge-keeper brought it up . you said that you
wished to see me here to avoid scandal . " 
 " i thought people would talk if i went to the hall . " 
 " and why did you wish to see me ? " he looked across at my
companion with despair in his weary eyes , as though his ques-
tion was already answered . 
 " yes , " said holmes , answering the look rather than the
words . " it is so . i know all about mccarthy . " 
 the old man sank his face in his hands . " god help me ! " he
cried . " but i would not have let the young man come to harm . i
give you my word that i would have spoken out if it went against
him at the assizes . " 
 " i am glad to hear you say so , " said holmes gravely . 
 " i would have spoken now had it not been for my dear girl . it
would break her heart -- it will break her heart when she hears
that i am arrested . " 
 " it may not come to that , " said holmes . 
 " what ? " 
 " i am no official agent . i understand that it was your daughter
who required my presence here , and i am acting in her interests . 
young mccarthy must be got off , however . " 
 " i am a dying man , " said old turner . " i have had diabetes
for years . my doctor says it is a question whether i shall live a
month . yet i would rather die under my own roof than in a jail . " 
 holmes rose and sat down at the table with his pen in his hand
and a bundle of paper before him . " lust tell us the truth , " he
said . " i shall jot down the facts . you will sign it , and watson
here can witness it . then i could produce your confession at the
last extremity to save young mccarthy . i promise you that i shall
not use it unless it is absolutely needed . " 
 " it 's as well , " said the old man ; " it 's a question whether i
shall live to the assizes , so it matters little to me , but i should
wish to spare alice the shock . and now i will make the thing
clear to you ; it has been a long time in the acting , but will not
take me long to tell . 
 " you didn ' t know this dead man , mccarthy . he was a devil
incarnate . i tell you that . god keep you out of the clutches of
such a man as he . his grip has been upon me these twenty years , 
and he has blasted my life . i ' ll tell you first how i came to be in
his power . 
 " it was in the early ' 60 's at the diggings . i was a young chap
then , hot-blooded and reckless , ready to turn my hand at any-
thing ; i got among bad companions , took to drink , had no luck
with my claim , took to the bush , and in a word became what
you would call over here a highway robber . there were six of
us , and we had a wild , free life of it , sticking up a station from
time to time , or stopping the wagons on the road to the diggings . 
black jack of ballarat was the name i went under , and our party
is still remembered in the colony as the ballarat gang . 
 " one day a gold convoy came down from ballarat to mel-
bourne , and we lay in wait for it and attacked it . there were six
troopers and six of us , so it was a close thing , but we emptied
four of their saddles at the first volley . three of our boys were
killed , however , before we got the swag . i put my pistol to the
head of the wagon-driver , who was this very man mccarthy . i
wish to the lord that i had shot him then , but i spared him , 
though i saw his wicked little eyes fixed on my face , as though
to remember every feature . we got away with the gold , became
wealthy men , and made our way over to england without being
suspected . there i parted from my old pals and determined to
settle down to a quiet and respectable life . i bought this estate , 
which chanced to be in the market , and i set myself to do a little
good with my money , to make up for the way in which i had
earned it . i married , too , and though my wife died young she left
me my dear little alice . even when she was just a baby her wee
hand seemed to lead me down the right path as nothing else had
ever done . in a word , i turned over a new leaf and did my best to
make up for the past . all was going well when mccarthy laid
hls grip upon me . 
 " i had gone up to town about an investment , and i met him in
regent street with hardly a coat to his back or a boot to his foot . 
 " ' here we are , jack , ' says he , touching me on the arm ; 
 ' we ' ll be as good as a family to you . there 's two of us , me and
my son , and you can have the keeping of us . if you don ' t -- it 's a
fine , law-abiding country is england , and there 's always a po-
liceman within hail . ' 
 " well , down they came to the west country , there was no
shaking them off , and there they have lived rent free on my best
land ever since . there was no rest for me , no peace , no forget-
fulness ; turn where i would , there was his cunning , grinning
face at my elbow . it grew worse as alice grew up , for he soon
saw i was more afraid of her knowing my past than of the police . 
whatever he wanted he must have , and whatever it was i gave
him without question , land , money , houses , until at last he
asked a thing which i could not give . he asked for alice . 
 " his son , you see , had grown up , and so had my girl , and as i
was known to be in weak health , it seemed a fine stroke to him
that his lad should step into the whole property . but there i was
firm . i would not have his cursed stock mixed with mine ; not
that i had any dislike to the lad , but his blood was in him , and
that was enough . i stood firm . mccarthy threatened . i braved
him to do his worst . we were to meet at the pool midway
between our houses to talk it over . 
 " when we went down there i found him talking with his son , 
so smoked a cigar and waited behind a tree until he should be
alone . but as i listened to his talk all that was black and bitter in 
me seemed to come uppermost . he was urging his son to marry my
daughter with as little regard for what she might think as if she
were a slut from off the streets . it drove me mad to think that i
and all that i held most dear should be in the power of such a
man as this . could i not snap the bond ? i was already a dying
and a desperate man . though clear of mind and fairly strong of
limb , i knew that my own fate was sealed . but my memory and
my girl ! both could be saved if i could but silence that foul
tongue . i did it , mr . holmes . i would do it again . deeply as i
have sinned , i have led a life of martyrdom to atone for it . but
that my girl should be entangled in the same meshes which held
me was more than i could suffer . i struck him down with no
more compunction than if he had been some foul and venomous
beast . his cry brought back his son ; but i had gained the cover of
the wood , though i was forced to go back to fetch the cloak
which i had dropped in my flight . that is the true story , gentle-
men , of all that occurred . " 
 " well , it is not for me to judge you , " said holmes as the old
man signed the statement which had been drawn out . " i pray
that we may never be exposed to such a temptation . " 
 " i pray not , sir . and what do you intend to do ? " 
 " in view of your health , nothing . you are yourself aware that
you will soon have to answer for your deed at a higher court than
the assizes . i will keep your confession , and if mccarthy is
condemned i shall be forced to use it . if not , it shall never be
seen by mortal eye ; and your secret , whether you be alive or
dead , shall be safe with us . " 
 " farewell , then , " said the old man solemnly . " your own
deathbeds , when they come , will be the easier for the thought of
the peace which you have given to mine . " tottering and shaking
in all his giant frame , he stumbled slowly from the room . 
 " god help us ! " said holmes after a long silence . " why does
fate play such tricks with poor , helpless worms ? i never hear of
such a case as this that i do not think of baxter 's words , and say , 
 ' there , but for the grace of god , goes sherlock holmes . ' " 
 james mccarthy was acquitted at the assizes on the strength
of a number of objections which had been drawn out by holmes
and submitted to the defending counsel . old turner lived for
seven months after our interview , but he is now dead ; and there
is every prospect that the son and daughter may come to live
happily together in ignorance of the black cloud which rests upon
their past . 
 . 
     a case of identity

 " my dear fellow . " said sherlock holmes as we sat on either
side of the fire in his lodgings at baker street , " life is infinitely
stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent . we
would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere
commonplaces of existence . if we could fly out of that window
hand in hand , hover over this great city , gently remove the
roofs , and peep in at the queer things which are going on , the
strange coincidences , the plannings , the cross-purposes , the won-
derful chains of events , working through generation , and leading
to the most outre results , it would make all fiction with its
conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprof-
itable . " 
 " and yet i am not convinced of it , " i answered . " the cases
which come to light in the papers are , as a rule , bald enough , 
and vulgar enough . we have in our police reports realism pushed
to its extreme limits , and yet the result is , it must be confessed , 
neither fascinating nor artistic . " 
 " a certain selection and discretion must be used in producing
a realistic effect , " remarked holmes . " this is wanting in the
police report , where more stress is laid , perhaps , upon the
platitudes of the magistrate than upon the details , which to an
observer contain the vital essence of the whole matter . depend
upon it , there is nothing so unnatural as the commonplace . " 
 i smiled and shook my head . " i can quite understand your
thinking so . " i said . " of course , in your position of unofficial
adviser and helper to everybody who is absolutely puzzled , 
throughout three continents , you are brought in contact with all
that is strange and bizarre . but here " -- i picked up the morning
paper from the ground -- " let us put it to a practical test . here is
the first heading upon which i come . ' a husband 's cruelty to his
wife . ' there is half a column of print , but i know without
reading it that it is all perfectly familiar to me . there is . of
course , the other woman , the drink , the push , the blow , the
bruise , the sympathetic sister or landlady . the crudest of writers
could invent nothing more crude . " 
 " indeed , your example is an unfortunate one for your argu-
ment , " said holmes , taking the paper and glancing his eye down
it . " this is the dundas separation case , and , as it happens , i was
engaged in clearing up some small points in connection with it . 
the husband was a teetotaler , there was no other woman , and
the conduct complained of was that he had drifted into the habit
of winding up every meal by taking out his false teeth and
hurling them at his wife , which , you will allow , is not an action
likely to occur to the imagination of the average story-teller . 
take a pinch of snuff , doctor , and acknowledge that i have
scored over you in your example . " 
 he held out his snuffbox of old gold , with a great amethyst in
the centre of the lid . its splendour was in such contrast to his
homely ways and simple life that i could not help commenting
upon it . 
 " ah , " said he , " i forgot that i had not seen you for some
weeks . it is a little souvenir from the king of bohemia in return
for my assistance in the case of the irene adler papers . " 
 " and the ring ? " i asked , glancing at a remarkable brilliant
which sparkled upon his finger . 
 " it was from the reigning family of holland , though the
matter in which i served them was of such delicacy that i cannot
confide it even to you , who have been good enough to chronicle
one or two of my little problems . " 
 " and have you any on hand just now ? " i asked with interest . 
 " some ten or twelve , but none which present any feature of
interest . they are important , you understand , without being
interesting . indeed , i have found that it is usually in unimportant
matters that there is a field for the observation , and for the quick
analysis of cause and effect which gives the charm to an investi-
gation . the larger crimes are apt to be the simpler , for the
bigger the crime thc more obvious , as a rule , is the motive . in
these cases , save for one rather intricate matter which has been
referred to me from marseilles , there is nothing which presents
any features of interest . it is possible , however , that i may have
something better before very many minutes are over , for this is
one of my clients , or i am much mistaken . " 
 he had risen from his chair and was standing between the
parted blinds gazing down into the dull neutral-tinted london
street . looking over his shoulder , i saw that on the pavement
opposite there stood a large woman with a heavy fur boa round
her neck , and a large curling red feather in a broad-brimmed hat
which was tilted in a coquettish duchess of devonshire fashion
over her ear . from under this great panoply she peeped up in a
nervous , hesitating fashion at our windows , while her body
oscillated backward and forward , and her fingers fidgeted with
her glove buttons . suddenly , with a plunge , as of the swimmer
who leaves the bank , she hurried across the road , and we heard
the sharp clang of the bell . 
 " i have seen those symptoms before , " said holmes , throwing
his cigarette into the fire . " oscillation upon the pavement al-
ways means an affaire de coeur . she would like advice , but is
not sure that the matter is not too delicate for communication . 
and yet even here we may discriminate . when a woman has
been seriously wronged by a man she no longer oscillates , and
the usual symptom is a broken bell wire . here we may take it
that there is a love matter , but that the maiden is not so much
angry as perplexed , or grieved . but here she comes in person to
resolve our doubts . " 
 as he spoke there was a tap at the door , and the boy in buttons . 
entered to announce miss mary sutherland , while the lady her-
self loomed behind his small black figure like a full-sailed
merchant-man behind a tiny pilot boat . sherlock holmes wel-
comed her with the easy courtesy for which he was remarkable , 
and , having closed the door and bowed her into an armchair , he
looked her over in the minute and yet abstracted fashion which
was peculiar to him . 
 " do you not find , " he said , " that with your short sight it is a
little trying to do so much typewriting ? " 
 " i did at first , " she answered , " but now i know where the
letters are without looking . " then , suddenly realizing the full
purport of his words , she gave a violent start and looked up , with
fear and astonishment upon her broad , good-humoured face . 
 " you ' ve heard about me , mr . holmes , " she cried , " else how
could you know all that ? " 
 " never mind , " said holmes , laughing ; " it is my business to
know things . perhaps i have trained myself to see what others
overlook . if not , why should you come to consult me ? " 
 " i came to you , sir , because i heard of you from mrs . 
etherege , whose husband you found so easy when the police and
everyone had given him up for dead . oh , mr . holmes , i wish
you would do as much for me . i ' m not rich , but still i have a
hundred a year in my own right , besides the little that i make by
the machine , and i would give it all to know what has become of
mr . hosmer angel . " 
 " why did you come away to consult me in such a hurry ? " 
asked sherlock holmes , with his finger-tips together and his
eyes to the ceiling . 
 again a startled look came over the somewhat vacuous face of
miss mary sutherland . " yes , i did bang out of the house , " she
said , " for it made me angry to see the easy way in which mr . 
windibank -- that is , my father -- took it all . he would not go to
the police , and he would not go to you , and so at last , as he
would do nothing and kept on saying that there was no harm
done , it made me mad , and i just on with my things and came
right away to you . " 
 " your father , " said holmes , " your stepfather , surely , since
the name is different . " 
 " yes , my stepfather . i call him father , though it sounds
funny , too , for he is only five years and two months older than
myself . " 
 " and your mother is alive ? " 
 " oh , yes , mother is alive and well . i wasn ' t best pleased , mr . 
holmes , when she married again so soon after father 's death , 
and a man who was nearly fifteen years younger than herself . 
father was a plumber in the tottenham court road , and he left a
tidy business behind him , which mother carried on with mr . 
hardy , the foreman ; but when mr . windibank came he made her
sell the business , for he was very superior , being a traveller in
wines . they got 4700 pounds for the goodwill and interest , which
wasn ' t near as much as father could have got if he had been
alive . " 
 i had expected to see sherlock holmes impatient under this
rambling and inconsequential narrative , but , on the contrary he
had listened with the greatest concentration of attention . 
 " your own little income , " he asked , " does it come out of the
business ? " 
 " oh , no , sir . it is quite separate and was left me by my uncle
ned in auckland . it is in new zealand stock , paying 4 1/2 per
cent . two thousand five hundred pounds was the amount , but i
can only touch the interest . " 
 " you interest me extremely , " said holmes . " and since you
draw so large a sum as a hundred a year , with what you earn into
the bargain , you no doubt travel a little and indulge yourself in
every way . i believe that a single lady can get on very nicely
upon an income of about 60 pounds . " 
 " i could do with much less than that , mr . holmes , but you
understand that as long as i live at home i don ' t wish to be a
burden to them , and so they have the use of the money just while
i am staying with them . of course , that is only just for the time . 
mr . windibank draws my interest every quarter and pays it over
to mother , and i find that i can do pretty well with what i earn at
typewriting . it brings me twopence a sheet , and i can often do
from fifteen to twenty sheets in a-day . " 
 " you have made your position very clear to me , " said holmes . 
 " this is my friend , dr . watson , before whom you can speak as
freely as before myself . kindly tell us now all about your
connection with mr . hosmer angel . " 
 a flush stole over miss sutherland 's face , and she picked
nervously at the fringe of her jacket . " i met him first at the
gasfitters ' ball , " she said . " they used to send father tickets
when he was alive , and then afterwards they remembered us , and
sent them to mother . mr . windibank did not wish us to go . he
never did wish us to go anywhere . he would get quite mad if i
wanted so much as to join a sunday-school treat . but this time i
was set on going , and i would go ; for what right had he to
prevent ? he said the folk were not fit for us to know , when all
father 's friends were to be there . and he said that i had nothing
fit to wear , when i had my purple plush that i had never so much
as taken out of the drawer . at last , when nothing else would do , 
he went off to france upon the business of the firm , but we
went , mother and i , with mr . hardy , who used to be our
foreman , and it was there i met mr . hosmer angel . " 
 " i suppose , " said holmes , " that when mr . windibank came
back from france he was very annoyed at your having gone to
the ball . " 
 " oh , well , he was very good about it . he laughed , i remem-
ber , and shrugged his shoulders , and said there was no use
denying anything to a woman , for she would have her way . " 
 " i see . then at the gasfitters ' ball you met , as i understand , a
gentleman called mr . hosmer angel . " 
 " yes , sir . i met him that night , and he called next day to ask
if we had got home all safe , and after that we met him -- that is to
say , mr . holmes , i met him twice for walks , but after that father
came back again , and mr . hosmer angel could not come to the
house any more . " 
 " no ? " 
 " well , you know father didn ' t like anything of the sort . he
wouldn ' t have any visitors if he could help it , and he used to say
that a woman should be happy in her own family circle . but
then , as i used to say to mother , a woman wants her own circle
to begin with , and i had not got mine yet . " 
 " but how about mr . hosmer angel ? did he make no attempt
to see you ? " 
 " well , father was going off to france again in a week , and
hosmer wrote and said that it would be safer and better not to
see each other until he had gone . we could write in the mean-
time , and he used to write every day . i took the letters in in the
morning , so there was no need for father to know . " 
 " were you engaged to the gentleman at this time ? " 
 " oh , yes , mr . holmes . we were engaged after the first walk
that we took . hosmer -- mr . angel -- was a cashier in an office in
leadenhall street -- and -- " 
 " what office ? " 
 " that 's the worst of it , mr . holmes , i don ' t know . " 
 " where did he live , then ? " 
 " he slept on the premises . " 
 " and you don ' t know his address ? ' ' 
 " no -- except that it was leadenhall street . " 
 " where did you address your letters , then ? " 
 " to the leadenhall street post-office , to be left till called
for . he said that if they were sent to the office he would be
chaffed by all the other clerks about having letters from a lady , 
so i offered to typewrite them , like he did his , but he wouldn ' t
have that , for he said that when i wrote them they seemed to
come from me , but when they were typewritten he always felt
that the machine had come between us . that will just show you
how fond he was of me , mr . holmes , and the little things that he
would think of . " 
 " it was most suggestive , " said holmes . " it has long been an
axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most impor-
tant . can you remember any other little things about mr . hosmer
angel ? " 
 " he was a very shy man , mr . holmes . he would rather walk
with me in the evening than in the daylight , for he said that he
hated to be conspicuous . very retiring and gentlemanly he was . 
even his voice was gentle . he ' d had the quinsy and swollen
glands when he was young , he told me , and it had left him with
a weak throat , and a hesitating , whispering fashion of speech . 
he was always well dressed , very neat and plain , but his eyes
were weak , just as mine are , and he wore tinted glasses against
the glare . " 
 " well , and what happened when mr . windibank , your stepfa-
ther , returned to france ? " 
 " mr . hosmer angel came to the house again and proposed
that we should marry before father came back . he was in
dreadful earnest and made me swear , with my hands on the
testament , that whatever happened i would always be true to
him . mother said he was quite right to make me swear , and that
it was a sign of his passion . mother was all in his favour from
the first and was even fonder of him than i was . then , when
they talked of marrying within the week , i began to ask about
father ; but they both said never to mind about father , but just to
tell him afterwards , and mother said she would make it all right
with him . i didn ' t quite like that , mr . holmes . it seemed funny
that i should ask his leave , as he was only a few years older than
me ; but i didn ' t want to do anything on the sly , so l wrote to
father at bordeaux , where the company has its french offices , 
but the letter came back to me on the very morning of the
wedding . " 
 " it missed him , then ? " 
 " yes , sir ; for he had started to england just before it arrived . " 
 " ha ! that was unfortunate . your wedding was arranged , then , 
for the friday . was it to be in church ? " 
 " yes , sir , but very quietly . it was to be at st . saviour 's , near
king 's cross , and we were to have breakfast afterwards at the
st . pancras hotel . hosmer came for us in a hansom , but as there
were two of us he put us both into it and stepped himself into a
four-wheeler , which happened to be the only other cab in the
street . we got to the church first , and when the four-wheeler
drove up we waited for him to step out , but he never did , and
when the cabman got down from the box and looked there was
no one there ! the cabman said that he couid not imagine what
had become of him , for he had seen him get in with his own
eyes . that was last friday , mr . holmes , and i have never seen
or heard anything since then to throw any light upon what
became of him . " 
 " it seems to me that you have been very shamefully treated , " 
said holmes . 
 " oh , no , sir ! he was too good and kind to leave me so . why , 
all the morning he was saying to me that , whatever happened , i
was to be true ; and that even if something quite unforeseen
occurred to separate us , i was always to remember that i was
pledged to him , and that he would claim his pledge sooner or
later . it seemed strange talk for a wedding-morning , but what
has happened since gives a meaning to it . " 
 " most certainly it does . your own opinion is , then , that some
unforeseen catastrophe has occurred to him ? " 
 " yes , sir . i believe that he foresaw some danger , or else he
would not have talked so . and then i think that what he foresaw
happened . " 
 " but you have no notion as to what it could have been ? " 
 " none . " 
 " one more question . how did your mother take the matter ? " 
 " she was angry , and said that i was never to speak of the
matter again . " 
 " and your father ? did you tell him ? " 
 " yes ; and he seemed to think , with me , that something had
happened , and that i should hear of hosmer again . as he said , 
what interest could anyone have in bringing me to the doors of
the church , and then leaving me ? now , if he had borrowed my
money , or if he had married me and got my money settled on
him , there might be some reason , but hosmer was very indepen-
dent about money and never would look at a shilling of mine . 
and yet , what could have happened ? and why could he not
write ? oh , it drives me half-mad to think of it , and i can ' t sleep
a wink at night . " she pulled a little handkerchief out of her muff
and began to sob heavily into it . 
 " i shall glance into the case for you , " said holmes , rising , 
 " and i have no doubt that we shall reach some definite result . 
let the weight of the matter rest upon me now , and do not let
your mind dwell upon it further . above all , try to let mr . 
hosmer angel vanish from your memory , as he has done from
your life . " 
 " then you don ' t think i ' ll see him again ? " 
 " l fear not . " 
 " then what has happened to him ? " 
 " you will leave that question in my hands . i should like an
accurate description of him and any letters of his which you can
spare . " 
 " i advertised for him in last saturday 's chronicle , " said she . 
 " here is the slip and here are four letters from him . " 
 " thank you . and your address ? " 
 " no . 31 lyon place , camberwell . " 
 " mr . angel 's address you never had , i understand . where is
your father 's place of business ? " 
 " he travels for westhouse & marbank , the great claret im-
porters of fenchurch street . " 
 " thank you . you have made your statement very clearly . 
you will leave the papers here , and remember the advice which i
have given you . let the whole incident be a sealed book , and do
not allow it to affect your life . " 
 " you are very kind , mr . holmes , but i cannot do that . i shall
be true to hosmer . he shall find me ready when he comes
back . " 
 for all the preposterous hat and the vacuous face , there was
something noble in the simple faith of our visitor which com-
pelled our respect . she laid her little bundle of papers upon the
table and went her way , with a promise to come again whenever
she might be summoned . 
 sherlock holmes sat silent for a few minutes with his finger-
tips still pressed together , his legs stretched out in front of him , 
and his gaze directed upward to the ceiling . then he took down
from the rack the old and oily clay pipe , which was to him as a
counsellor , and , having lit it , he leaned back in his chair , with
the thick blue cloud-wreaths spinning up from him , and a look of
infinite languor in his face . 
 " quite an interesting study , that maiden , " he observed . " i
found her more interesting than her little problem , which , by the
way , is rather a trite one . you will find parallel cases , if you
consult my index , in andover in ' 77 , and there was something of
the sort at the hague last year . old as is the idea , however , 
there were one or two details which were new to me . but the
maiden herself was most instructive . " 
 " you appeared to read a good deal upon her which was quite
invisible to me , " i remarked . 
 " not invisible but unnoticed , watson . you did not know
where to look , and so you missed all that was important . i can
never bring you to realize the importance of sleeves , the sugges-
tiveness of thumb-nails , or the great issues that may hang from a
boot-lace . now , what did you gather from that woman 's appear-
ance ? describe it . " 
 " well , she had a slate-coloured , broad-brimmed straw hat , 
with a feather of a brickish red . her jacket was black , with black
beads sewn upon it , and a fringe of little black jet ornaments . 
her dress was brown , rather darker than coffee colour , with a
little purple plush at the neck and sleeves . her gloves were
grayish and were worn through at the right forefinger . her boots
i didn ' t observe . she had small round , hanging gold earrings , 
and a general air of being fairly well-to-do in a vulgar , comfort-
able , easy-going way . " 
 sherlock holmes clapped his hands softly together and chuckled . 
 " ' pon my word , watson , you are coming along wonderfully . 
you have really done very well indeed . it is true that you have
missed everything of importance , but you have hit upon the
method , and you have a quick eye for colour . never trust to
general impressions , my boy , but concentrate yourself upon
details . my first glance is always at a woman 's sleeve . in a man
it is perhaps better first to take the knee of the trouser . as you
observe , this woman had plush upon her sleeves , which is a most
useful material for showing traces . the double line a little above
the wrist , where the typewritist presses against the table , was
beautifully defined . the sewing-machine , of the hand type , leaves
a similar mark , but only on the left arm , and on the side of it
farthest from the thumb , instead of being right across the broad-
est part , as this was . i then glanced at her face , and , observing
the dint of a pince-nez at either side of her nose , i ventured a
remark upon short sight and typewriting , which seemed to sur-
prise her . " 
 " it surprised me . " 
 " but , surely , it was obvious . i was then much surprised and
interested on glancing down to observe that , though the boots
which she was wearing were not unlike each other , they were
really odd ones ; the one having a slightly decorated toe-cap , and
the other a plain one . one was buttoned only in the two lower
buttons out of five , and the other at the first , third , and fifth . 
now , when you see that a young lady , otherwise neatly dressed , 
has come away from home with odd boots , half-buttoned , it is
no great deduction to say that she came away in a hurry . " 
 " and what else ? " i asked , keenly interested , as i always was , 
by my friend 's incisive reasoning . 
 " i noted , in passing , that she had written a note before leaving
home but after being fully dressed . you observed that her right
glove was torn at the forefinger , but you did not apparently see
that both glove and finger were stained with violet ink . she had
written in a hurry and dipped her pen too deep . it must have
been this morning , or the mark would not remain clear upon the
finger . all this is amusing , though rather elementary , but i must
go back to business , watson . would you mind reading me the
advertised description of mr . hosmer angel ? " 
 i held the little printed slip to the light . 

  " missing [it said] on the morning of the fourteenth . a
  gentleman named hosmer angel . about five feet seven
  inches in height ; strongly built , sallow complexion , black
  hair , a little bald in the centre , bushy , black side-whiskers
  and moustache ; tinted glasses , slight infirmity of speech . 
  was dressed , when last seen , in black frock-coat faced with
  silk , black waistcoat , gold albert chain , and gray harris
  tweed trousers , with brown gaiters over elastic-sided boots . 
  known to have been employed in an office in leadenhall
  street . anybody bringing -- " 

 " that will do , " said holmes . " as to the letters , " he contin-
ued , glancing over them , " they are very commonplace . abso-
lutely no clue in them to mr . angel , save that he quotes balzac
once . there is one remarkable point , however , which will no
doubt strike you . " 
 " they are typewritten , " i remarked . 
 " not only that , but the signature is typewritten . look at the
neat little ' hosmer angel ' at the bottom . there is a date , you
see , but no superscription except leadenhall street , which is
rather vague . the point about the signature is very suggestive -- in
fact , we may call it conclusive . " 
 " of what ? " 
 " my dear fellow , is it possible you do not see how strongly it
bears upon the case ? " 
 " i cannot say that i do unless it were that he wished to be able
to deny his signature if an action for breach of promise were
instituted . " 
 " no , that was not the point . however , i shall write two
letters , which should settle the matter . one is to a firm in the
city , the other is to the young lady 's stepfather , mr . windibank , 
asking him whether he could meet us here at six o ' clock to-
morrow evening . it is just as well that we should do business
with the male relatives . and now , doctor , we can do nothing
until the answers to those letters come , so we may put our little
problem upon the shelf for the interim . " 
 i had had so many reasons to believe in my friend 's subtle
powers of reasoning and extraordinary energy in action that i felt
that he must have some solid grounds for the assured and easy
demeanour with which he treated the singular mystery which he
had been called upon to fathom . once only had i known him to
fail , in the case of the king of bohemia and of the irene adler
photograph ; but when i looked back to the weird business of
 ' the sign of four ' , and the extraordinary circumstances con-
nected with ' a study in scarlet ' , i felt that it would be a strange
tangle indeed which he could not unravel . 
 i left him then , still puffing at his black clay pipe , with the
conviction that when i came again on the next evening i would
find that he held in his hands all the clues which would lead up
to the identity of the disappearing bridegroom of miss mary
sutherland . 
 a professional case of great gravity was engaging my own
attention at the time , and the whole of next day i was busy at the
bedside of the sufferer . it was not until close upon six o ' clock
that i found myself free and was able to spring into a hansom
and drive to baker street , half afraid that i might be too late to
assist at the denouement of the little mystery . i found sherlock
holmes alone , however , half asleep , with his long , thin form
curled up in the recesses of his armchair . a formidable array of
bottles and test-tubes , with the pungent cleanly smell of hydro-
chloric acid , told me that he had spent his day in the chemical
work which was so dear to him . 
 " well , have you solved it ? " i asked as i entered . 
 " yes . it was the bisulphate of baryta . " 
 " no , no , the mystery ! " i cried . 
 " oh , that ! i thought of the salt that i have been working upon . 
there was never any mystery in the matter , though , as i said
yesterday , some of the details are of interest . the only drawback
is that there is no law , i fear , that can touch the scoundrel . " 
 " who was he , then , and what was his object in deserting miss
sutherland ? " 
 the question was hardly out of my mouth , and holmes had
not yet opened his lips to reply , when we heard a heavy footfall
in the passage and a tap at the door . 
 " this is the girl 's stepfather , mr . james windibank , " said
holmes . " he has written to me to say that he would be here at
six . come in ! " 
 the man who entered was a sturdy , middle-sized fellow , some
thirty years of age , clean-shaven , and sallow-skinned , with a
bland , insinuating manner , and a pair of wonderfully sharp and
penetrating gray eyes . he shot a questioning glance at each of
us , placed his shiny top-hat upon the sideboard , and with a slight
bow sidled down into the nearest chair . 
 " good-evening , mr . james windibank , " said holmes . " i
think that this typewritten letter is from you , in which you made
an appointment with me for six o ' clock ? " 
 " yes , sir . i am afraid that i am a little late , but i am not quite
my own master , you know . i am sorry that miss sutherland has
troubled you about this little matter , for i think it is far better not
to wash linen of the sort in public . it was quite against my
wishes that she came , but she is a very excitable , impulsive girl , 
as you may have noticed , and she is not easily controlled when
she has made up her mind on a point . of course , i did not mind
you so much , as you are not connected with the official police , 
but it is not pleasant to have a family misfortune like this noised
abroad . besides , it is a useless expense , for how could you
possibly find this hosmer angel ? " 
 " on the contrary , " said holmes quietly ; " i have every reason
to believe that i will succeed in discovering mr . hosmer angel . " 
 mr . windibank gave a violent start and dropped his gloves . " i
am delighted to hear it , " he said . 
 " it is a curious thing , " remarked holmes , " that a typewriter
has really quite as much individuality as a man 's handwriting . 
unless they are quite new , no two of them write exactly alike . 
some letters get more worn than others , and some wear only on
one side . now , you remark in this note of yours , mr . windibank , 
that in every case there is some little slurring over of the ' e , ' and
a slight defect in the tail of the ' r . ' there are fourteen other
characteristics , but those are the more obvious . " 
 " we do all our correspondence with this machine at the
office , and no doubt it is a little worn , " our visitor answered . 
glancing keenly at holmes with his bright little eyes . 
 " and now i will show you what is really a very interesting
study , mr . windibank , " holmes continued . " i think of writing
another little monograph some of these days on the typewriter
and its relation to crime . it is a subject to which i have devoted
some little attention . i have here four letters which purport to
come from the missing man . they are all typewritten . in each
case , not only are the ' e 's ' slurred and the ' r 's ' tailless , but you
will observe , if you care to use my magnifying lens , that the
fourteen other characteristics to which i have alluded are there as
well . " 
 mr . windibank sprang out of his chair and picked up his hat . 
 " i cannot waste time over this sort of fantastic talk , mr . holmes , " 
he said . " if you can catch the man , catch him , and let me know
when you have done it . " 
 " certainly , " said holmes , stepping over and turning the key
in the door . " i let you know , then , that i have caught him ! " 
 " what ! where ? " shouted mr . windibank , turning white to his
lips and glancing about him like a rat in a trap . 
 " oh , it won ' t do -- really it won ' t , " said holmes suavely . 
 " there is no possible getting out of it , mr . windibank . it is
quite too transparent , and it was a very bad compliment when
you said that it was impossible for me to solve so simple a
question . that 's right ! sit down and let us talk it over . " 
 our visitor collapsed into a chair , with a ghastly face and a
glitter of moisture on his brow . " it -- it 's not actionable , " he
stammered . 
 " i am very much afraid that it is not . but between ourselves , 
windibank , it was as cruel and selfish and heartless a trick in a
petty way as ever came before me . now , let me just run over the
course of events , and you will contradict me if i go wrong . " 
 the man sat huddled up in his chair , with his head sunk upon
his breast , like one who is utterly crushed . holmes stuck his feet
up on the corner of the mantelpiece and , leaning back with his
hands in his pockets , began talking , rather to himself , as it
seemed , than to us . 
 " the man married a woman very much older than himself for
her money , " said he , " and he enjoyed the use of the money of
the daughter as long as she lived with them . it was a consider-
able sum , for people in their position , and the loss of it would
have made a serious difference . it was worth an effort to pre-
serve it . the daughter was of a good , amiable disposition , but
alfectionate and warm-hearted in her ways . so that it was evident
that with her fair personal advantages , and her little income , she
would not be allowed to remain single long . now her marriage
would mean , of course , the loss of a hundred a year , so what
does her stepfather do to prevent it ? he takes the obvious course
of keeping her at home and forbidding her to seek the company
of people of her own age . but soon he found that that would not
answer forever . she became restive , insisted upon her rights , and
finally announced her positive intention of going to a certain
ball . what does her clever stepfather do then ? he conceives an
idea more creditable to his head than to his heart . with the
connivance and assistance of his wife he disguised himself , 
covered those keen eyes with tinted glasses , masked the face
with a moustache and a pair of bushy whiskers , sunk that clear
voice into an insinuating whisper , and doubly secure on account
of the girl 's short sight , he appears as mr . hosmer angel , and
keeps off other lovers by making love himself . " 
 " it was only a joke at first , " groaned our visitor . " we never
thought that she would have been so carried away . " 
 " very likely not . however that may be , the young lady was
very decidedly carried away , and , having quite made up her
mind that her stepfather was in france , the suspicion of treach-
ery never for an instant entered her mind . she was flattered by
the gentleman 's attentions , and the effect was increased by the
loudly expressed admiration of her mother . then mr . angel
began to call , for it was obvious that the matter should be pushed
as far as it would go if a real effect were to be produced . there
were meetings , and an engagement , which would finally secure
the girl 's affections from turning towards anyone else . but the
deception could not be kept up forever . these pretended jour-
neys to france were rather cumbrous . the thing to do was
clearly to bring the business to an end in such a dramatic manner
that it would leave a permanent impression upon the young
lady 's mind and prevent her from looking upon any other suitor
for some time to come . hence those vows of fidelity exacted
upon a testament , and hence also the allusions to a possibility of
something happening on the very morning of the wedding . james
windibank wished miss sutherland to be so bound to hosmer
angel , and so uncertain as to his fate , that for ten years to come , 
at any rate , she would not listen to another man . as far as the
church door he brought her , and then , as he could go no farther , 
he conveniently vanished away by the old trick of stepping in at
one door of a four-wheeler and out at the other . i think that was
the chain of events , mr . windibank ! " 
 our visitor had recovered something of his assurance while
holmes had been talking , and he rose from his chair now with a
cold sneer upon his pale face . 
 " it may be so , or it may not . mr . holmes , " said he . " but if
you are so very sharp you ought to be sharp enough to know that
it is you who are breaking the law now , and not me . i have done
nothing actionable from the first , but as long as you keep that
door locked you lay yourself open to an action for assault and
illegal constraint . " 
 " the law cannot , as you say , touch you , " said holmes , 
unlocking and throwing open the door , " yet there never was a
man who deserved punishment more . if the young lady has a
brother or a friend , he ought to lay a whip across your shoulders . 
by jove ! " he continued , flushing up at the sight of the bitter
sneer upon the man 's face , " it is not part of my duties to my
client , but here 's a hunting crop handy , and i think i shall just
treat myself to -- " he took two swift steps to the whip , but
before he could grasp it there was a wild clatter of steps upon the
stairs , the heavy hall door banged , and from the window we
could see mr . james windibank running at the top of his speed
down the road . 
 " there 's a cold-blooded scoundrel ! " said holmes , laughing , 
as he threw himself down into his chair once more . " that fellow
will rise from crime to crime until he does something very bad , 
and ends on a gallows . the case has , in some respects , been not
entirely devoid of interest . " 
 " i cannot now entirely see all the steps of your reasoning , " i
remarked . 
 " well , of course it was obvious from the first that this mr . 
hosmer angel must have some strong object for his curious
conduct , and it was equally clear that the only man who really
profited by the incident , as far as we could see , was the step-
father . then the fact that the two men were never together , but
that the one always appeared when the other was away , was
suggestive . so were the tinted spectacles and the curious voice , 
which both hinted at a disguise , as did the bushy whiskers . my
suspicions were all confirmed by his peculiar action in typewrit-
ing his signature , which , of course , inferred that his handwriting
was so familiar to her that she would recognize even the smallest
sample of it . you see all these isolated facts , together with many
minor ones , all pointed in the same direction . " 
 " and how did you verify them ? " 
 " having once spotted my man , it was easy to get corrobora-
tion . i knew the firm for which this man worked . having taken
the printed description . i eliminated everything from it which
could be the result of a disguise -- the whiskers , the glasses , the
voice , and i sent it to the firm , with a request that they would
inform me whether it answered to the description of any of their
travellers . i had already noticed the peculiarities of the type-
writer , and i wrote to the man himself at his business address
asking him if he would come here . as i expected , his reply was
typewritten and revealed the same trivial but characteristic de-
fects . the same post brought me a letter from westhouse &
marbank , of fenchurch street , to say that the description tallied
in every respect with that of their employee , james windibank . 
voila tout ! " 
 " and miss sutherland ? " 
 " if i tell her she will not believe me . you may remember the
old persian saying , ' there is danger for him who taketh the tiger
cub , and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a
woman . ' there is as much sense in hafiz as in horace , and as
much knowledge of the world . " 
 . 
  the adventure of charles augustus milverton

 it is years since the incidents of which i speak took place , and
yet it is with diffidence that i allude to them . for a long time , 
even with the utmost discretion and reticence , it would have
been impossible to make the facts public , but now the principal
person concerned is beyond the reach of human law , and with
due suppression the story may be told in such fashion as to injure
no one . it records an absolutely unique experience in the career
both of mr . sherlock holmes and of myself . the reader will
excuse me if i conceal the date or any other fact by which he
might trace the actual occurrence . 
 we had been out for one of our evening rambles , holmes and
i , and had returned about six o ' clock on a cold , frosty winter ' s
evening . as holmes turned up the lamp the light fell upon a card
on the table . he glanced at it , and then , with an ejaculation of
disgust , threw it on the floor . i picked it up and read : 

    charles augustus milverton , 
       appledore towers , 
        hampstead . 
    agent . 

 " who is he ? " i asked . 
 " the worst man in london , " holmes answered , as he sat
down and stretched his legs before the fire . " is anything on the
back of the card ? " 
 i turned it over . 
 " will call at 6 : 30 -- c . a . m . , " i read . 
 " hum ! he 's about due . do you feel a creeping , shrinking
sensation , watson , when you stand before the serpents in the
zoo , and see the slithery , gliding , venomous creatures , with
their deadly eyes and wicked , flattened faces ? well , that 's how
milverton impresses me . i ' ve had to do with fifty murderers in
my career , but the worst of them never gave me the repulsion
which i have for this fellow . and yet i can ' t get out of doing
business with him -- indeed , he is here at my invitation . " 
 " but who is he ? " 
 " i ' ll tell you , watson . he is the king of all the blackmailers . 
heaven help the man , and still more the woman , whose secret
and reputation come into the power of milverton ! with a smiling
face and a heart of marble , he will squeeze and squeeze until he
has drained them dry . the fellow is a genius in his way , and
would have made his mark in some more savoury trade . his
method is as follows : he allows it to be known that he is
prepared to pay very high sums for letters which compromise
people of wealth and position . he receives these wares not only
from treacherous valets or maids , but frequently from genteel
ruffians , who have gained the confidence and affection of trust-
ing women . he deals with no niggard hand . i happen to know
that he paid seven hundred pounds to a footman for a note two
lines in length , and that the ruin of a noble family was the result . 
everything which is in the market goes to milverton , and there
are hundreds in this great city who turn white at his name . no
one knows where his grip may fall , for he is far too rich and far
too cunning to work from hand to mouth . he will hold a card
back for years in order to play it at the moment when the stake is
best worth winning . i have said that he is the worst man in
london , and i would ask you how could one compare the
ruffian , who in hot blood bludgeons his mate , with this man , 
who methodically and at his leisure tortures the soul and wrings
the nerves in order to add to his already swollen money-bags ? " 
 i had seldom heard my friend speak with such intensity of
feeling . 
 " but surely , " said i , " the fellow must be within the grasp of
the law ? " 
 " technically , no doubt , but practically not . what would it
profit a woman , for example , to get him a few months ' impris-
onment if her own ruin must immediately follow ? his victims
dare not hit back . if ever he blackmailed an innocent person , 
then indeed we should have him , but he is as cunning as the evil
one . no , no , we must find other ways to fight him . " 
 " and why is he here ? " 
 " because an illustrious client has placed her piteous case in
my hands . it is the lady eva blackwell , the most beautiful
debutante of last season . she is to be married in a fortnight to the
earl of dovercourt . this fiend has several imprudent letters -- 
imprudent , watson , nothing worse -- which were written to an
impecunious young squire in the country . they would suffice to
break off the match . milverton will send the letters to the earl
unless a large sum of money is paid him . i have been commis-
sioned to meet him , and -- to make the best terms i can . " 
 at that instant there was a clatter and a rattle in the street
below . looking down i saw a stately carriage and pair , the
brilliant lamps gleaming on the glossy haunches of the noble
chestnuts . a footman opened the door , and a small , stout man in
a shaggy astrakhan overcoat descended . a minute later he was in
the room . 
 charles augustus milverton was a man of fifty , with a large , 
intellectual head , a round , plump , hairless face , a perpetual
frozen smile , and two keen gray eyes , which gleamed brightly
from behind broad , gold-rimmed glasses . there was something
of mr . pickwick 's benevolence in his appearance , marred only
by the insincerity of the fixed smile and by the hard glitter of
those restless and penetrating eyes . his voice was as smooth and
suave as his countenance , as he advanced with a plump little
hand extended , murmuring his regret for having missed us at his
first visit . holmes disregarded the outstretched hand and looked
at him with a face of granite . milverton 's smile broadened , he
shrugged his shoulders , removed his overcoat , folded it with
great deliberation over the back of a chair , and then took a seat . 
 " this gentleman ? " said he , with a wave in my direction . " is
it discreet ? is it right ? " 
 " dr . watson is my friend and partner . " 
 " very good , mr . holmes . it is only in your client 's interests
that i protested . the matter is so very delicate -- " 
 " dr . watson has already heard of it . " 
 " then we can proceed to business . you say that you are
acting for lady eva . has she empowered you to accept my
terms ? " 
 " what are your terms ? " 
 " seven thousand pounds . " 
 " and the alternative ? " 
 " my dear sir , it is painful for me to discuss it , but if the
money is not paid on the 14th , there certainly will be no mar-
riage on the 18th . " his insufferable smile was more complacent
than ever . 
 holmes thought for a little . 
 " you appear to me , " he said , at last , " to be taking matters
too much for granted . i am , of course , familiar with the contents
of these letters . my client will certainly do what i may advise . i
shall counsel her to tell her future husband the whole story and to
trust to his generosity . " 
 milverton chuckled . 
 " you evidently do not know the earl , " said he . 
 from the baffled look upon holmes 's face , i could see clearly
that he did . 
 " what harm is there in the letters ? " he asked . 
 " they are sprightly -- very sprightly , " milverton answered . 
 " the lady was a charming correspondent . but i can assure you
that the earl of dovercourt would fail to appreciate them . how-
ever , since you think otherwise , we will let it rest at that . it is
purely a matter of business . if you think that it is in the best
interests of your client that these letters should be placed in the
hands of the earl , then you would indeed be foolish to pay so
large a sum of money to regain them . " he rose and seized his
astrakhan coat . 
 holmes was gray with anger and mortification . 
 " wait a little , " he said . " you go too fast . we should cer-
tainly make every effort to avoid scandal in so delicate a matter . " 
 milverton relapsed into his chair . 
 " i was sure that you would see it in that light , " he purred . 
 " at the same time , " holmes continued , " lady eva is not a
wealthy woman . i assure you that two thousand pounds would be
a drain upon her resources , and that the sum you name is utterly
beyond her power . i beg , therefore , that you will moderate your
demands , and that you will return the letters at the price i
indicate , which is , i assure you , the highest that you can get . " 
 milverton 's smile broadened and his eyes twinkled humorously . 
 " i am aware that what you say is true about the lady ' s
resources , " said he . " at the same time you must admit that the
occasion of a lady 's marriage is a very suitable time for her
friends and relatives to make some little effort upon her behalf . 
they may hesitate as to an acceptable wedding present . let me
assure them that this little bundle of letters would give more joy
than all the candelabra and butter-dishes in london . " 
 " it is impossible , " said holmes . 
 " dear me , dear me , how unfortunate ! " cried milverton , tak-
ing out a bulky pocketbook . " i cannot help thinking that ladies
are ill-advised in not making an effort . look at this ! " he held up
a little note with a coat-of-arms upon the envelope . " that be-
longs to well , perhaps it is hardly fair to tell the name until
to-morrow morning . but at that time it will be in the hands of the
lady 's husband . and all because she will not find a beggarly sum
which she could get by turning her diamonds into paste . it is
such a pity ! now , you remember the sudden end of the engage-
ment between the honourable miss miles and colonel dorking ? 
only two days before the wedding , there was a paragraph in the
morning post to say that it was all off . and why ? it is almost
incredible , but the absurd sum of twelve hundred pounds would
have settled the whole question . is it not pitiful ? and here i find
you , a man of sense , boggling about terms , when your client ' s
future and honour are at stake . you surprise me , mr . holmes . " 
 " what i say is true , " holmes answered . " the money cannot
be found . surely it is better for you to take the substantial sum
which i offer than to ruin this woman 's career , which can profit
you in no way ? " 
 " there you make a mistake , mr . holmes . an exposure would
profit me indirectly to a considerable extent . i have eight or ten
similar cases maturing . if it was circulated among them that i
had made a severe example of the lady eva , i should find all of
them much more open to reason . you see my point ? " 
 holmes sprang from his chair . 
 " get behind him , watson ! don ' t let him out ! now , sir , let us
see the contents of that notebook . " 
 milverton had glided as quick as a rat to the side of the room
and stood with his back against the wall . 
 " mr . holmes , mr . holmes , " he said , turning the front of his
coat and exhibiting the butt of a large revolver , which projected
from the inside pocket . " i have been expecting you to do
something original . this has been done so often , and what good
has ever come from it ? i assure you that i am armed to the teeth , 
and i am perfectly prepared to use my weapons , knowing that
the law will support me . besides , your supposition that i would
bring the letters here in a notebook is entirely mistaken . i would
do nothing so foolish . and now , gentlemen , i have one or two
little interviews this evening , and it is a long drive to hamp-
stead . " he stepped forward , took up his coat , laid his hand on
his revolver , and turned to the door . i picked up a chair , but
holmes shook his head , and i laid it down again . with a bow , a
smile , and a twinkle , milverton was out of the room , and a few
moments after we heard the slam of the carriage door and the
rattle of the wheels as he drove away . 
 holmes sat motionless by the fire , his hands buried deep in his
trouser pockets , his chin sunk upon his breast , his eyes fixed
upon the glowing embers . for half an hour he was silent and
still . then , with the gesture of a man who has taken his decision , 
he sprang to his feet and passed into his bedroom . a little later a
rakish young workman , with a goatee beard and a swagger , lit
his clay pipe at the lamp before descending into the street . " i ' ll
be back some time , watson , " said he , and vanished into the
night . i understood that he had opened his campaign against
charles augustus milverton , but i little dreamed the strange
shape which that campaign was destined to take . 
 for some days holmes came and went at all hours in this
attire , but beyond a remark that his time was spent at hamp-
stead , and that it was not wasted , i knew nothing of what he was
doing . at last , however , on a wild , tempestuous evening , when
the wind screamed and rattled against the windows , he returned
from his last expedition , and having removed his disguise he
sat before the fire and laughed heartily in his silent inward
fashion . 
 " you would not call me a marrying man , watson ? " 
 " no , indeed ! " 
 " you ' ll be interested to hear that i ' m engaged . " 
 " my dear fellow ! i congrat -- " 
 " to milverton 's housemaid . " 
 " good heavens , holmes ! " 
 " i wanted information , watson . " 
 " surely you have gone too far ? " 
 " it was a most necessary step . i am a plumber with a rising
business , escott , by name . i have walked out with her each
evening , and i have talked with her . good heavens , those talks ! 
however , i have got all i wanted . i know milverton 's house as i
know the palm of my hand . " 
 " but the girl , holmes ? " 
 he shrugged his shoulders . 
 " you can ' t help it , my dear watson . you must play your
cards as best you can when such a stake is on the table . how-
ever . i rejoice to say that i have a hated rival , who will certainly
cut me out the instant that my back is turned . what a splendid
night it is ! " 
 " you like this weather ? " 
 " it suits my purpose . watson , i mean to burgle milverton ' s
house to-night . " 
 i had a catching of the breath , and my skin went cold at the
words , which were slowly uttered in a tone of concentrated
resolution . as a flash of lightning in the night shows up in an
instant every detail of a wild landscape , so at one glance i
seemed to see every possible result of such an action -- the
detection , the capture , the honoured career ending in irreparable
failure and disgrace , my friend himself lying at the mercy of the
odious milverton . 
 " for heaven 's sake , holmes , think what you are doing , " i
cried . 
 " my dear fellow , i have given it every consideration . i am
never precipitate in my actions , nor would i adopt so energetic
and , indeed , so dangerous a course , if any other were possible . 
let us look at the matter clearly and fairly . i suppose that you
will admit that the action is morally justifiable , though techni-
cally criminal . to burgle his house is no more than to forcibly
take his pocketbook -- an action in which you were prepared to
aid me . " 
 i turned it over in my mind . 
 " yes , " i said , " it is morally justifiable so long as our object
is to take no articles save those which are used for an illegal
purpose . " 
 " exactly . since it is morally justifiable , i have only to con-
sider the question of personal risk . surely a gentleman should
not lay much stress upon this , when a lady is in most desperate
need of his help ? " 
 " you will be in such a false position . " 
 " well , that is part of the risk . there is no other possible way
of regaining these letters . the unfortunate lady has not the
money , and there are none of her people in whom she could
confide . to-morrow is the last day of grace , and unless we can
get the letters to-night , this villain will be as good as his word
and will bring about her ruin . i must , therefore , abandon my
client to her fate or i must play this last card . between ourselves , 
watson , it 's a sporting duel between this fellow milverton and
me . he had , as you saw , the best of the first exchanges , but my
self-respect and my reputation are concerned to fight it to a
finish . " 
 " well , i don ' t like it , but i suppose it must be , " said i . 
 " when do we start ? " 
 " you are not coming . " 
 " then you are not going , " said i . " i give you my word of
honour -- and i never broke ' it in my life -- that i will take a cab
straight to the police-station and give you away , unless you let
me share this adventure with you . " 
 " you can ' t help me . " 
 " how do you know that ? you can ' t tell what may happen . 
anyway , my resolution is taken . other people besides you have
self-respect , and even reputations . " 
 holmes had looked annoyed , but his brow cleared , and he
clapped me on the shoulder . 
 " well , well , my dear fellow , be it so . we have shared this
same room for some years , and it would be amusing if we ended
by sharing the same cell . you know , watson , i don ' t mind
confessing to you that i have always had an idea that i would
have made a highly efficient criminal . this is the chance of my
lifetime in that direction . see here ! " he took a neat little leather
case out of a drawer , and opening it he exhibited a number of
shining instruments . " this is a first-class , up-to-date burgling
kit , with nickel-plated jemmy , diamond-tipped glass-cutter , adapt-
able keys , and every modern improvement which the march of
civilization demands . here , too , is my dark lantern . everything
is in order . have you a pair of silent shoes ? " 
 " i have rubber-soled tennis shoes . " 
 " excellent ! and a mask ? " 
 " i can make a couple out of black silk . " 
 " i can see that you have a strong , natural turn for this sort of
thing . very good , do you make the masks . we shall have some
cold supper before we start . it is now nine-thirty . at eleven we
shall drive as far as church row . it is a quarter of an hour ' s
walk from there to appledore towers . we shall be at work
before midnight . milverton is a heavy sleeper , and retires punc-
tually at ten-thirty . with any luck we should be back here by
two , with the lady eva 's letters in my pocket . " 
 holmes and i put on our dress-clothes , so that we might
appear to be two theatre-goers homeward bound . in oxford
street we picked up a hansom and drove to an address in
hampstead . here we paid off our cab , and with our great coats
buttoned up , for it was bitterly cold , and the wind seemed to
blow through us , we walked along the edge of the heath . 
 " it 's a business that needs delicate treatment , " said holmes . 
 " these documents are contained in a safe in the fellow 's study , 
and the study is the ante-room of his bed-chamber . on the other
hand , like all these stout , little men who do themselves well , he
is a plethoric sleeper . agatha -- that 's my fiancee -- says it is a
joke in the servants ' hall that it 's impossible to wake the master . 
he has a secretary who is devoted to his interests , and never
budges from the study all day . that 's why we are going at night . 
then he has a beast of a dog which roams the garden . i met
agatha late the last two evenings , and she locks the brute up so
as to give me a clear run . this is the house , this big one in its
own grounds . through the gate -- now to the right among the
laurels . we might put on our masks here , i think . you see , there
is not a glimmer of light in any of the windows , and everything
is working splendldly . " 
 with our black silk face-coverings , which turned us into two
of the most truculent figures in london , we stole up to the silent , 
gloomy house . a sort of tiled veranda extended along one side
of it , lined by several windows and two doors . 
 " that 's his bedroom , " holmes whispered . " this door opens
straight into the study . it would suit us best , but it is bolted as
well as locked , and we should make too much noise getting in . 
come round here . there 's a greenhouse which opens into the
drawing-room . " 
 the place was locked , but holmes removed a circle of glass
and turned the key from the inside . an instant afterwards he had
closed the door behind us , and we had become felons in the eyes
of the law . the thick , warm air of the conservatory and the rich , 
choking fragrance of exotic plants took us by the throat . he
seized my hand in the darkness and led me swiftly past banks of
shrubs which brushed against our faces . holmes had remarkable
powers , carefully cultivated , of seeing in the dark . still holding
my hand in one of his , he opened a door , and i was vaguely
conscious that we had entered a large room in which a cigar had
been smoked not long before . he felt his way among the furni-
ture , opened another door , and closed it behind us . putting out
my hand i felt several coats hanging from the wall , and i
understood that i was in a passage . we passed along it , and
holmes very gently opened a door upon the right-hand side . 
something rushed out at us and my heart sprang into my mouth , 
but i could have laughed when i realized that it was the cat . a
fire was burning in this new room , and again the air was heavy
with tobacco smoke . holmes entered on tiptoe , waited for me to
follow , and then very gently closed the door . we were in
milverton 's study , and a portiere at the farther side showed the
entrance to his bedroom . 
 it was a good fire , and the room was illuminated by it . near
the door i saw the gleam of an electric switch , but it was
unnecessary , even if it had been safe , to turn it on . at one side
of the fireplace was a heavy curtain which covered the bay
window we had seen from outside . on the other side was the
door which communicated with the veranda . a desk stood in the
centre , with a turning-chair of shining red leather . opposite was
a large bookcase , with a marble bust of athene on the top . in the
corner , between the bookcase and the wall , there stood a tall , 
green safe , the firelight flashing back from the polished brass
knobs upon its face . holmes stole across and looked at it . then
he crept to the door of the bedroom , and stood with slanting head
listening intently . no sound came from within . meanwhile it had
struck me that it would be wise to secure our retreat through the
outer door , so i examined it . to my amazement , it was neither
locked nor bolted . i touched holmes on the arm , and he turned
his masked face in that direction . i saw him start , and he was
evidently as surprised as i . 
 " i don ' t like it , " he whispered , putting his lips to my very
ear . " i can ' t quite make it out . anyhow , we have no time to
lose . " 
 " can i do anything ? " 
 " yes , stand by the door . if you hear anyone come , bolt it on
the inside , and we can get away as we came . if they come the
other way , we can get through the door if our job is done , 
or hide behind these window curtains if it is not . do you
understand ? " 
 i nodded , and stood by the door . my first feeling of fear had
passed away , and i thrilled now with a keener zest than i had
ever enjoyed when we were the defenders of the law instead of
its defiers . the high object of our mission , the consciousness
that it was unselfish and chivalrous , the villainous character of
our opponent , all added to the sporting interest of the adventure . 
far from feeling guilty , i rejoiced and exulted in our dangers . 
with a glow of admiration i watched holmes unrolling his case
of instruments and choosing his tool with the calm , scientific
accuracy of a surgeon who performs a delicate operation . i knew
that the opening of safes was a particular hobby with him , and i
understood the joy which it gave him to be confronted with this
green and gold monster , the dragon which held in its maw the
reputations of many fair ladies . turning up the cuffs of his
dress-coat -- he had placed his overcoat on a chair -- holmes laid
out two drills , a jemmy , and several skeleton keys . i stood at the
centre door with my eyes glancing at each of the others , ready
for any emergency , though , indeed , my plans were somewhat
vague as to what i should do if we were interrupted . for half an
hour , holmes worked with concentrated energy , laying down
one tool , picking up another , handling each with the strength and
delicacy of the trained mechanic . finally i heard a click , the
broad green door swung open , and inside i had a glimpse of a
number of paper packets , each tied , sealed , and inscribed . holmes
picked one out , but it was hard to read by the flickering fire , and
he drew out his little dark lantern , for it was too dangerous , with
milverton in the next room , to switch on the electric light . 
suddenly i saw him halt , listen intently , and then in an instant he
had swung the door of the safe to , picked up his coat , stuffed his
tools into the pockets , and darted behind the window curtain , 
motioning me to do the same . 
 it was only when i had joined him there that i heard what had
alarmed his quicker senses . there was a noise somewhere within
the house . a door slammed in the distance . then a confused , 
dull murmur broke itself into the measured thud of heavy
footsteps rapidly approaching . they were in the passage outside
the room . they paused at the door . the door opened . there was
a sharp snick as the electric light was turned on . the door closed
once more , and the pungent reek of a strong cigar was borne to
our nostrils . then the footsteps continued backward and forward , 
backward and forward , within a few yards of us . finally there
was a creak from a chair , and the footsteps ceased . then a key
clicked in a lock , and i heard the rustle of papers . 
 so far i had not dared to look out , but now i gently parted the
division of the curtains in front of me and peeped through . from
the pressure of holmes 's shoulder against mine , i knew that he
was sharing my observations . right in front of us , and almost
within our reach , was the broad , rounded back of milverton . it
was evident that we had entirely miscalculated his movements , 
that he had never been to his bedroom , but that he had been
sitting up in some smoking or billiard room in the farther wing of
the house , the windows of which we had not seen . his broad , 
grizzled head , with its shining patch of baldness , was in the
immediate foreground of our vision . he was leaning far back in
the red leather chair . his legs outstretched , a long , black cigar
projecting at an angle from his mouth . he wore a semi-military
smoking jacket , claret-coloured . with a black velvet collar . in his
hand he held a long , legal document which he was reading in an
indolent fashion , blowing rings of tobacco smoke from his lips
as he did so . there was no promise of a speedy departure in his
composed bearing and his comfortable attitude . 
 i felt holmes 's hand steal into mine and give me a reassuring
shake , as if to say that the situation was within his powers , and
that he was easy in his mind . i was not sure whether he had seen
what was only too obvious from my position , that the door of the
safe was imperfectly closed , and that milverton might at any
moment observe it . in my own mind i had determined that if i
were sure , from the rigidity of his gaze , that it had caught his
eye , i would at once spring out , throw my great coat over his
head , pinion him , and leave the rest to holmes . but milverton
never looked up . he was languidly interested by the papers in his
hand , and page after page was turned as he followed the argu-
ment of the lawyer . at least , i thought , when he has finished the
document and the cigar he will go to his room , but before he had
reached the end of either , there came a remarkable development
which turned our thoughts into quite another channel . 
 several times i had observed that milverton looked at his
watch , and once he had risen and sat down again , with a gesture
of impatience . the idea , however , that he might have an ap-
pointment at so strange an hour never occurred to me until a faint
sound reached my ears from the veranda outside . milverton
dropped his papers and sat rigid in his chair . the sound was
repeated , and then there came a gentle tap at the door . milverton
rose and opened it . 
 " well , " said he , curtly , " you are nearly half an hour late . " 
 so this was the explanation of the unlocked door and of the
nocturnal vigil of milverton . there was the gentle rustle of a
woman 's dress . i had closed the slit between the curtains as
milverton 's face had turned in our direction , but now i ventured
very carefully to open it once more . he had resumed his seat , 
the cigar still projecting at an insolent angle from the corner of
his mouth . in front of him , in the full glare of the electric light , 
there stood a tall , slim , dark woman , a veil over her face , a
mantle drawn round her chin . her breath came quick and fast , 
and every inch of the lithe figure was quivering with strong
emotion . 
 " well , " said milverton , " you made me lose a good night ' s
rest , my dear . i hope you ' ll prove worth it . you couldn ' t come
any other time -- eh ? " 
 the woman shook her head . 
 " well , if you couldn ' t you couldn ' t . if the countess is a hard
mistress , you have your chance to get level with her now . bless
the girl , what are you shivering about ? that 's right . pull yourself
together . now , let us get down to business . " he took a note-
book from the drawer of his desk . " you say that you have five
letters which compromise the countess d ' albert . you want to
sell them . i want to buy them . so far so good . it only remains to
fix a price . i should want to inspect the letters , of course . if they
are really good specimens -- great heavens , is it you ? " 
 the woman , without a word , had raised her veil and dropped
the mantle from her chin . it was a dark , handsome , clear-cut
face which confronted milverton -- a face with a curved nose , 
strong , dark eyebrows shading hard , glittering eyes , and a straight , 
thin-lipped mouth set in a dangerous smile . 
 " it is i , " she said , " the woman whose life you have ruined . " 
 milverton laughed , but fear vibrated in his voice . " you were
so very obstinate , " said he . " why did you drive me to such
extremities ? i assure you i wouldn ' t hurt a fly of my own accord , 
but every man has his business , and what was i to do ? i put the
price well within your means . you would not pay . " 
 " so you sent the letters to my husband , and he -- the noblest
gentleman that ever lived , a man whose boots i was never
worthy to lace -- he broke his gallant heart and died . you remem-
ber that last night , when i came through that door , i begged and
prayed you for mercy , and you laughed in my face as you are
trying to laugh now , only your coward heart cannot keep your
lips from twitching . yes , you never thought to see me here
again , but it was that night which taught me how i could meet
you face to face , and alone . well , charles milverton , what have
you to say ? " 
 " don ' t imagine that you can bully me , " said he , rising to his
feet . " i have only to raise my voice , and i could call my
servants and have you arrested . but i will make allowance for
your natural anger . leave the room at once as you came , and i
will say no more . " 
 the woman stood with her hand buried in her bosom , and the
same deadly smile on her thin lips . 
 " you will ruin no more lives as you have ruined mine . you
will wring no more hearts as you wrung mine . i will free the
world of a poisonous thing . take that , you hound -- and that ! 
 -- and that ! -- and that ! -- and that ! " 
 she had drawn a little gleaming revolver , and emptied barrel
after barrel into milverton 's body , the muzzle within two feet of
his shirt front . he shrank away and then fell forward upon the
table , coughing furiously and clawing among the papers . then
he staggered to his feet , received another shot , and rolled upon
the floor . " you ' ve done me , " he cried , and lay still . the
woman looked at him intently , and ground her heel into his
upturned face . she looked again , but there was no sound or
movement . i heard a sharp rustle , the night air blew into the
heated room , and the avenger was gone . 
 no interference upon our part could have saved the man from
his fate , but , as the woman poured bullet after bullet into
milverton 's shrinking body i was about to spring out , when i felt
holmes 's cold , strong grasp upon my wrist . i understood the
whole argument of that firm , restraining grip -- that it was no
affair of ours , that justice had overtaken a villain , that we had
our own duties and our own objects , which were not to be lost
sight of . but hardly had the woman rushed from the room when
holmes , with swift , silent steps , was over at the other door . he
turned the key in the lock . at the same instant we heard voices
in the house and the sound of hurrying feet . the revolver shots
had roused the household . with perfect coolness holmes slipped
across to the safe , filled his two arms with bundles of letters , and
poured them all into the fire . again and again he did it , until the
safe was empty . someone turned the handle and beat upon the
outside of the door . holmes looked swiftly round . the letter
which had been the messenger of death for milverton lay , all
mottled with his blood , upon the table . holmes tossed it in
among the blazing papers . then he drew the key from the outer
door , passed through after me , and locked it on the outside . 
 " this way , watson , " said he , " we can scale the garden wall in
this direction . " 
 i could not have believed that an alarm could have spread so
swiftly . looking back , the huge house was one blaze of light . 
the front door was open , and figures were rushing down the
drive . the whole garden was alive with people , and one fellow
raised a view-halloa as we emerged from the veranda and fol-
lowed hard at our heels . holmes seemed to know the grounds
perfectly , and he threaded his way swiftly among a plantation of
small trees , i close at his heels , and our foremost pursuer panting
behind us . it was a six-foot wall which barred our path , but he
sprang to the top and over . as i did the same i felt the hand of
the man behind me grab at my ankle , but i kicked myself free
and scrambled over a grass-strewn coping . i fell upon my face
among some bushes , but holmes had me on my feet in an
instant , and together we dashed away across the huge expanse of
hampstead heath . we had run two miles , i suppose , before
holmes at last halted and listened intently . all was absolute
silence behind us . we had shaken off our pursuers and were
safe . 

 we had breakfasted and were smoking our morning pipe on
the day after the remarkable experience which i have recorded , 
when mr . lestrade , of scotland yard , very solemn and impres-
sive , was ushered into our modest sitting-room . 
 " good-morning , mr . holmes , " said he ; " good-morning . may
i ask if you are very busy just now ? " 
 " not too busy to listen to you . " 
 " i thought that , perhaps , if you had nothing particular on
hand , you might care to assist us in a most remarkable case , 
which occurred only last night at hampstead . " 
 " dear me ! " said holmes . " what was that ? " 
 " a murder -- a most dramatic and remarkable murder . i know
how keen you are upon these things , and i would take it as a
great favour if you would step down to appledore towers , and
give us the benefit of your advice . it is no ordinary crime . we
have had our eyes upon this mr . milverton for some time , and , 
between ourselves , he was a bit of a villain . he is known to have
held papers which he used for blackmailing purposes . these
papers have all been burned by the murderers . no article of
value was taken , as it is probable that the criminals were men of
good position , whose sole object was to prevent social exposure . " 
 " criminals ? " said holmes . " plural ? " 
 " yes , there were two of them . they were as nearly as possi-
ble captured red-handed . we have their footmarks , we have their
description , it 's ten to one that we trace them . the first fellow
was a bit too active , but the second was caught by the under-
gardener , and only got away after a struggle . he was a middle-
sized , strongly built man -- square jaw , thick neck , moustache , a
mask over his eyes . " 
 " that 's rather vague , " said sherlock holmes . " why , it might
be a description of watson ! " 
 " it 's true , " said the inspector , with amusement . " it might be
a description of watson . " 
 " well , i ' m afraid i can ' t help you , lestrade , " said holmes . 
 " the fact is that i knew this fellow milverton , that i considered
him one of the most dangerous men in london , and that i think
there are certain crimes which the law cannot touch , and which
therefore , to some extent , justify private revenge . no , it 's no use
arguing . i have made up my mind . my sympathies are with the
criminals rather than with the victim , and i will not handle this
case . " 

 holmes had not said one word to me about the tragedy which
we had witnessed , but i observed all the morning that he was in
his most thoughtful mood , and he gave me the impression , from
his vacant eyes and his abstracted manner , of a man who is
striving to recall something to his memory . we were in the
middle of our lunch , when he suddenly sprang to his feet . " by
jove , watson , i ' ve got it ! " he cried . " take your hat ! come
with me ! " he hurried at his top speed down baker street and
along oxford street , until we had almost reached regent circus . 
here , on the left hand , there stands a shop window filled with
photographs of the celebrities and beauties of the day . holmes ' s
eyes fixed themselves upon one of them , and following his gaze
i saw the picture of a regal and stately lady in court dress , with a
high diamond tiara upon her noble head . i looked at that del-
icately curved nose , at the marked eyebrows , at the straight
mouth , and the strong little chin beneath it . then i caught my
breath as i read the time-honoured title of the great nobleman
and statesman whose wife she had been . my eyes met those of
holmes , and he put his finger to his lips as we turned away from
the window . 
 . 
    the adventure of the copper beeches

 " to the man who loves art for its own sake , " remarked sher-
lock holmes , tossing aside the advertisement sheet of the daily
telegraph , " it is frequently in its least important and lowliest
manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived . it is
pleasant to me to observe , watson , that you have so far grasped
this truth that in these little records of our cases which you have
been good enough to draw up , and , i am bound to say , occasion-
ally to embellish , you have given prominence not so much to
the many causes celebres and sensational trials in which i have
figured but rather to those incidents which may have been trivial
in themselves , but which have given room for those faculties of
deduction and of logical synthesis which i have made my special
province . " 
 " and yet , " said i , smiling , " i cannot quite hold myself
absolved from the charge of sensationalism which has been
urged against my records . " 
 " you have erred , perhaps , " he observed , taking up a glowing
cinder with the tongs and lighting with it the long cherry-wood
pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was in a
disputatious rather than a meditative mood -- " you have erred
perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your
statements instead of confining yourself to the task of placing
upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect which is
really the only notable feature about the thing . " 
 " it seems to me that i have done you full justice in the
matter , " i remarked with some coldness , for i was repelled by
the egotism which i had more than once observed to be a strong
factor in my friend 's singular character . 
 " no , it is not selfishness or conceit , " said he , answering , as
was his wont , my thoughts rather than my words . " if i claim full
justice for my art , it is because it is an impersonal thing -- a thing
beyond myself . crime is common . logic is rare . therefore it is
upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell . 
you have degraded what should have been a course of lectures
into a series of tales . " 
 it was a cold morning of the early spring , and we sat after
breakfast on either side of a cheery fire in the old room at baker
street . a thick fog rolled down between the lines of dun-coloured
houses , and the opposing windows loomed like dark , shapeless
blurs through the heavy yellow wreaths . our gas was lit and
shone on the white cloth and glimmer of china and metal , for the
table had not been cleared yet . sherlock holmes had been silent
all the morning , dipping continuously into the advertisement
columns of a succession of papers until at last , having apparently
given up his search , he had emerged in no very sweet temper to
lecture me upon my literary shortcomings . 
 " at the same time , " he remarked after a pause , during which
he had sat puffing at his long pipe and gazing down into the fire , 
 " you can hardly be open to a charge of sensationalism , for out
of these cases which you have been so kind as to interest
yourself in , a fair proportion do not treat of crime , in its legal
sense , at all . the small matter in which i endeavoured to help
the king of bohemia , the singular experience of miss mary
sutherland , the problem connected with the man with the twisted
lip , and the incident of the noble bachelor , were all matters
which are outside the pale of the law . but in avoiding the
sensational , i fear that you may have bordered on the trivial . " 
 " the end may have been so , " i answered , " but the methods i
hold to have been novel and of interest . " 
 " pshaw , my dear fellow , what do the public , the great unob-
servant public , who could hardly tell a weaver by his tooth or a
compositor by his left thumb , care about the finer shades of
analysis and deduction ! but , indeed , if you are trivial . i cannot
blame you , for the days of the great cases are past . man , or at
least criminal man , has lost all enterprise and originality . as to
my own little practice , it seems to be degenerating into an
agency for recovering lost lead pencils and giving advice to
young ladies from boarding-schools . i think that i have touched
bottom at last , however . this note i had this morning marks my
zero-point , i fancy . read it ! " he tossed a crumpled letter across
to me . 
 it was dated from montague place upon the preceding eve-
ning , and ran thus : 

  dear mr . holmes : 
  i am very anxious to consult you as to whether i should
  or should not accept a situation which has been offered to
  me as governess . i shall call at half-past ten to-morrow if i
  do not inconvenience you . 
            yours faithfully , 
             violet hunter . 

 " do you know the young lady ? ' i asked . 
 " not i . " 
 " it is half-past ten now . " 
 " yes , and i have no doubt that is her ring . " 
 " it may turn out to be of more interest than you think . you
remember that the affair of the blue carbuncle , which appeared
to be a mere whim at first , developed into a serious investiga-
tion . it may be so in this case , also . " 
 " well , let us hope so . but our doubts will very soon be
solved , for here , unless i am much mistaken , is the person in
question . " 
 as he spoke the door opened and a young lady entered the
room . she was plainly but neatly dressed , with a bright . quick
face , freckled like a plover 's egg , and with the brisk manner of a
woman who has had her own way to make in the world . 
 " you will excuse my troubling you , i am sure , " said she , as
my companion rose to greet her , " but i have had a very strange
experience , and as i have no parents or relations of any sort from
whom i could ask advice , i thought that perhaps you would be
kind enough to tell me what i should do . " 
 " pray take a seat , miss hunter . i shall be happy to do
anything that i can to serve you . " 
 i could see that holmes was favourably impressed by the
manner and speech of his new client . he looked her over in his
searching fashion , and then composed himself , with his lids
drooping and his finger-tips together , to listen to her story . 
 " i have been a governess for five years , " said she , " in the
family of colonel spence munro , but two months ago the colo-
nel received an appointment at halifax , in nova scotia , and took
his children over to america with him , so that i found myself
without a situation . i advertised , and i answered advertisements , 
but without success . at last the little money which i had saved
began to run short , and i was at my wit 's end as to what i should
do . 
 " there is a well-known agency for governesses in the west
end called westaway 's , and there i used to call about once a
week in order to see whether anything had turned up which
might suit me . westaway was the name of the founder of the
business , but it is really managed by miss stoper . she sits in her
own little office , and the ladies who are seeking employment
wait in an anteroom , and are then shown in one by one , when
she consults her ledgers and sees whether she has anything which
would suit them . 
 " well , when i called last week i was shown into the little
office as usual , but i found that miss stoper was not alone . a
prodigiously stout man with a very smiling face and a great
heavy chin which rolled down in fold upon fold over his throat
sat at her elbow with a pair of glasses on his nose , looking very
earnestly at the ladies who entered . as i came in he gave quite a
jump in his chair and turned quickly to miss stoper . 
 " ' that will do , ' said he ; ' i could not ask for anything better . 
capital ! capital ! ' he seemed quite enthusiastic and rubbed his
hands together in the most genial fashion . he was such a
comfortable-looking man that it was quite a pleasure to look at
him . 
 " ' you are looking for a situation , miss ? ' he asked . 
 " ' yes , sir . ' 
 " ' as governess ? ' 
 " ' yes , sir . ' 
 " ' and what salary do you ask ? ' 
 " ' i had 4 pounds a month in my last place with colonel spence
munro . ' 
 " ' oh , tut , tut ! sweating -- rank sweating ! ' he cried , throwing
his fat hands out into the air like a man who is in a boiling
passion . ' how could anyone offer so pitiful a sum to a lady with
such attractions and accomplishments ? ' 
 " ' my accomplishments , sir , may be less than you imagine , ' 
said i . ' a little french , a little german , music , and drawing -- ' 
 " ' tut , tut ! ' he cried . ' this is all quite beside the question . 
the point is , have you or have you not the bearing and deport-
ment of a lady ? there it is in a nutshell . if you have not , you are
not fined for the rearing of a child who may some day play a
considerable part in the history of the country . but if you have
why , then , how could any gentleman ask you to condescend to
accept anything under the three figures ? your salary with me , 
madam , would commence at 100 pounds a year . ' 
 " you may imagine , mr . holmes , that to me , destitute as i
was , such an offer seemed almost too good to be true . the
gentleman , however , seeing perhaps the look of incredulity upon
my face , opened a pocket-book and took out a note . 
 " ' it is also my custom , ' said he , smiling in the most pleasant
fashion until his eyes were just two little shining slits amid the
white creases of his face , ' to advance to my young ladies half
their salary beforehand , so that they may meet any little expenses
of their journey and their wardrobe . ' 
 " it seemed to me that i had never met so fascinating and so
thoughtful a man . as i was already in debt to my tradesmen , the
advance was a great convenience , and yet there was something
unnatural about the whole transaction which made me wish to
know a little more before i quite committed myself . 
 " ' may i ask where you live , sir ? ' said i . 
 " ' hampshire . charming rural place . the copper beeches , 
five miles on the far side of winchester . it is the most lovely
country , my dear young lady , and the dearest old country-house . ' 
 " ' and my duties , sir ? i should be glad to know what they
would be . ' 
 " ' one child -- one dear little romper just six years old . oh , if
you could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper ! smack ! 
smack ! smack ! three gone before you could wink ! ' he leaned
back in his chair and laughed his eyes into his head again . 
 " i was a little startled at the nature of the child 's amusement , 
but the father 's laughter made me think that perhaps he was
joking . 
 " ' my sole duties , then , ' i asked , ' are to take charge of a
single child ? ' 
 " ' no , no , not the sole , not the sole , my dear young lady , ' he
cried . ' your duty would be , as i am sure your good sense would
suggest , to obey any little commands my wife might give , 
provided always that they were such commands as a lady might
with propriety obey . you see no difficulty , heh ? ' 
 " ' i should be happy to make myself useful . ' 
 " ' quite so . in dress now , for example . we are faddy people , 
you know -- faddy but kind-hearted . if you were asked to wear
any dress which we might give you , you would not object to our
little whim . heh ? ' 
 " ' no , ' said i , considerably astonished at his words . 
 " ' or to sit here , or sit there , that would not be offensive to
you ? ' 
 " ' oh , no . ' 
 " ' or to cut your hair quite short before you come to us ? ' 
 " i could hardly believe my ears . as you may observe , mr . 
holmes , my hair is somewhat luxuriant , and of a rather peculiar
tint of chestnut . it has been considered artistic . i could not dream
of sacrificing it in this offhand fashion . 
 " ' i am afraid that that is quite impossible , ' said i . he had
been watching me eagerly out of his small eyes , and i could see
a shadow pass over his face as i spoke . 
 " ' i am afraid that it is quite essential , ' said he . ' it is a little
fancy of my wife 's , and ladies ' fancies , you know , madam , 
ladies ' fancies must be consulted . and so you wonn ' t cut your
hair ? ' 
 " ' no , sir , i really could not , ' i answered firmly . 
 " ' ah , very well ; then that quite settles the matter . it is a pity , 
because in other respects you would really have done very
nicely . in that case , miss stoper , i had best inspect a few more
of your young ladies . ' 
 " the manageress had sat all this while busy with her papers
without a word to either of us , but she glanced at me now with
so much annoyance upon her face that i could not help suspect-
ing that she had lost a handsome commission through my refusal . 
 " ' do you desire your name to be kept upon the books ? ' she
asked . 
 " ' if you please , miss stoper . ' 
 " ' well , really , it seems rather useless , since you refuse the
most excellent offers in this fashion , ' said she sharply . ' you can
hardly expect us to exert ourselves to find another such opening
for you . good-day to you , miss hunter . ' she struck a gong upon
the table , and i was shown out by the page . 
 " well , mr . holmes , when i got back to my lodgings and
found little enough in the cupboard , and two or three bills upon
the table . i began to ask myself whether i had not done a very
foolish thing . after all , if these people had strange fads and
expected obedience on the most extraordinary matters , they were
at least ready to pay for their eccentricity . very few governesses
in england are getting 100 pounds a year . besides , what use was my
hair to me ? many people are improved by wearing it short and
perhaps i should be among the number . next day i was inciined
to think that i had made a mistake , and by the day after i was
sure of it . i had almost overcome my pride so far as to go back
to the agency and inquire whether the place was still open when i
received this letter from the gentleman himself . i have it here
and i will read it to you : 

       " the copper beeches , near winchester . 

  " dear mlss hunter : 
   " miss stoper has very kindly given me your address , and
  i write from here to ask you whether you have reconsidered
  your decision . my wife is very anxious that you should
  come , for she has been much attracted by my description of
  you . we are willing to give 30 pounds a quarter , or 120 pounds a year , 
  so as to recompense you for any little inconvenience which
  our fads may cause you . they are not very exacting , after
  all . my wife is fond of a particular shade of electric blue
  and would like you to wear such a dress indoors in the
  morning . you need not , however , go to the expense of
  purchasing one , as we have one belonging to my dear
  daughter alice (now in philadelphia) , which would , i should
  think , fit you very well . then , as to sitting here or there , or
  amusing yourself in any manner indicated , that need cause
  you no inconvenience . as regards your hair , it is no doubt a
  pity , especially as i could not help remarking its beauty
  during our short interview , but i am afraid that i must
  remain firm upon this point , and l only hope that the
  increased salary may recompense you for the loss . your
  duties , as far as the child is concerned , are very light . now
  do try to come , and i shall meet you with the dog-cart at
  winchester . let me know your train . 
            " yours faithfully , 
            " jephro rucastle . 

 " that is the letter which i have just received , mr . holmes , 
and my mind is made up that i will accept it . i thought , how-
ever , that before taking the final step i should like to submit the
whole matter to your consideration . " 
 " well , miss hunter , if your mind is made up , that settles the
question , " said holmes , smiling . 
 " but you would not advise me to refuse ? " 
 " i confess that it is not the situation which i should like to see
a sister of mine apply for . " 
 " what is the meaning of it all , mr . holmes ? " 
 " ah , i have no data . i cannot tell . perhaps you have yourself
formed some opinion ? " 
 " well , there seems to me to be only one possible solution . 
mr . rucastle seemed to be a very kind , good-natured man . is it
not possible that his wife is a lunatic , that he desires to keep the
matter quiet for fear she should be taken to an asylum , and that
he humours her fancies in every way in order to prevent an
outbreak ? " 
 " that is a possible solution -- in fact , as matters stand , it is the
most probable one . but in any case it does not seem to be a nice
household for a young lady . " 
 " but the money , mr . holmes the money ! " 
 " well , yes , of course the pay is good -- too good . that is what
makes me uneasy . why should they give you 120 pounds a year , when
they could have their pick for 40 pounds ? there must be some strong
reason behind . " 
 " i thought that if i told you the circumstances you would
understand afterwards if i wanted your help . i should feel so
much stronger if i felt that you were at the back of me . " 
 " oh , you may carry that feeling away with you . i assure you
that your little problem promises to be the most interesting which
has come my way for some months . there is something dis-
tinctly novel about some of the features . if you should find
yourself in doubt or in danger -- " 
 " danger ! what danger do you foresee ? " 
 holmes shook his head gravely . " it would cease to be a
danger if we could define it , " said he . " but at any time , day or
night , a telegram would bring me down to your help . " 
 " that is enough . " she rose briskly from her chair with the
anxiety all swept from her face . " i shall go down to hampshire
quite easy in my mind now . i shall write to mr . rucastle at
once , sacrifice my poor hair to-night , and start for winchester
to-morrow . " with a few grateful words to holmes she bade us
both good-night and bustled off upon her way . 
 " at least , " said i as we heard her quick , firm steps descend-
ing the stairs , " she seems to be a young lady who is very well
able to take care of herself . " 
 " and she would need to be , " said holmes gravely . " i am
much mistaken if we do not hear from her before many days are
past . " 
 it was not very long before my friend 's prediction was ful-
filled . a fortnight went by , during which i frequently found my
thoughts turning in her direction and wondering what strange
side-alley of human experience this lonely woman had strayed
into . the unusual salary , the curious conditions , the light duties , 
all pointed to something abnormal , though whether a fad or a
plot , or whether the man were a philanthropist or a villain , it was
quite beyond my powers to determine . as to holmes , i observed
that he sat frequently for half an hour on end , with knitted brows
and an abstracted air , but he swept the matter away with a wave
of his hand when i mentioned it . " data ! data ! data ! " he cried
impatiently . " i can ' t make bricks without clay . " and yet he
would always wind up by muttering that no sister of his should
ever have accepted such a situation . 
 the telegram which we eventually received came late one
night just as i was thinking of turning in and holmes was settling
down to one of those all-night chemical researches which he
frequently indulged in , when i would leave him stooping over a
retort and a test-tube at night and find him in the same position
when i came down to breakfast in the morning . he opened the
yellow envelope , and then , glancing at the message , threw it
across to me . 
 " just look up the trains in bradshaw , " said he , and turned
back to his chemical studies . 
 the summons was a brief and urgent one . 

  please be at the black swan hotel at winchester at
  midday to-morrow [it said] . do come ! i am at my wit 's end . 
              hunter . 

 " will you come with me ? " asked holmes , glancing up . 
 " i should wish to . " 
 " just look it up , then . " 
 " there is a train at half-past nine , " said i , glancing over my
bradshaw . " it is due at winchester at 11 : 30 . " 
 " that will do very nicely . then perhaps i had better postpone
my analysis of the acetones , as we may need to be at our best in
the morning . " 

 by eleven o ' clock the next day we were well upon our way to
the old english capital . holmes had been buried in the morning
papers all the way down , but after we had passed the hampshire
border he threw them down and began to admire the scenery . it
was an ideal spring day , a light blue sky , flecked with little
fleecy white clouds drifting across from west to east . the sun
was shining very brightly , and yet there was an exhilarating nip
in the air , which set an edge to a man 's energy . all over the
countryside , away to the rolling hills around aldershot , the little
red and gray roofs of the farm-steadings peeped out from amid
the light green of the new foliage . 
 " are they not fresh and beautiful ? " i cried with all the
enthusiasm of a man fresh from the fogs of baker street . 
 but holmes shook his head gravely . 
 " do you know , watson , " said he , " that it is one of the
curses of a mind with a turn like mine that i must look at
everything with reference to my own special subject . you look at
these scattered houses , and you are impressed by their beauty . i
look at them , and the only thought which comes to me is a
feeling of their isolation and of the impunity with which crime
may be committed there . " 
 " good heavens ! " i cried . " who would associate crime with
these dear old homesteads ? " 
 " they always fill me with a certain horror . it is my belief , 
watson , founded upon my experience , that the lowest and vilest
alleys in london do not present a more dreadful record of sin
than does the smiling and beautiful countryside . " 
 " you horrify me ! " 
 " but the reason is very obvious . the pressure of public
opinion can do in the town what the law cannot accomplish . 
there is no lane so vile that the scream of a tortured child , or the
thud of a drunkard 's blow , does not beget sympathy and indigna-
tion among the neighbours , and then the whole machinery of
justice is ever so close that a word of complaint can set it going , 
and there is but a step between the crime and the dock . but look
at these lonely houses , each in its own fields , filled for the most
part with poor ignorant folk who know little of the law . think of
the deeds of hellish cruelty , the hidden wickedness which may
go on , year in , year out , in such places , and none the wiser . had
this lady who appeals to us for help gone to live in winchester , i
should never have had a fear for her . it is the five miles of
country which makes the danger . still , it is clear that she is not
personally threatened . " 
 " no . if she can come to winchester to meet us she can get
away . " 
 " quite so . she has her freedom . " 
 " what can be the matter , then ? can you suggest no expla-
nation ? " 
 " i have devised seven separate explanations , each of which
would cover the facts as far as we know them . but which of
these is correct can only be determined by the fresh information
which we shall no doubt find waiting for us . well , there is the
tower of the cathedral , and we shall soon learn all that miss
hunter has to tell . " 
 the black swan is an inn of repute in the high street , at no
distance from the station , and there we found the young lady
waiting for us . she had engaged a sitting-room , and our lunch
awaited us upon the table . 
 " i am so delighted that you have come , " she said earnestly . 
 " it is so very kind of you both ; but indeed i do not know what i
should do . your advice will be altogether invaluable to me . " 
 " pray tell us what has happened to you . " 
 " i will do so , and i must be quick , for i have promised mr . 
rucastle to be back before three . i got his leave to come into
town this morning , though he little knew for what purpose . " 
 " let us have everything in its due order . " holmes thrust his
long thin legs out towards the fire and composed himself to
listen . 
 " in the first place , i may say that i have met , on the whole , 
with no actual ill-treatment from mr . and mrs . rucastle . it is
only fair to them to say that . but i cannot understand them , and i
am not easy in my mind about them . " 
 " what can you not understand ? " 
 " their reasons for their conduct . but you shall have it all just
as it occurred . when i came down , mr . rucastle met me here
and drove me in his dog-cart to the copper beeches . it is , as he
said , beautifully situated , but it is not beautiful in itself , for it is
a large square block of a house , whitewashed , but all stained and
streaked with damp and bad weather . there are grounds round it , 
woods on three sides , and on the fourth a field which slopes
down to the southampton highroad , which curves past about a
hundred yards from the front door . this ground in front belongs
to the house , but the woods all round are part of lord southerton ' s
preserves . a clump of copper beeches immediately in front of
the hall door has given its name to the place . 
 " i was driven over by my employer , who was as amiable as
ever , and was introduced by him that evening to his wife and the
child . there was no truth , mr . holmes , in the conjecture which
seemed to us to be probable in your rooms at baker street . mrs . 
rucastle is not mad . i found her to be a silent , pale-faced
woman , much younger than her husband , not more than thirty , i
should think , while he can hardly be less than forty-five . from
their conversation i have gathered that they have been married
about seven years , that he was a widower , and that his only child
by the first wife was the daughter who has gone to philadelphia . 
mr . rucastle told me in private that the reason why she had left
them was that she had an unreasoning aversion to her step-
mother . as the daughter could not have been less than twenty , i
can quite imagine-that her position must have been uncomfort-
able with her father 's young wife . 
 " mrs . rucastle seemed to me to be colourless in mind as well
as in feature . she impressed me neither favourably nor the
reverse . she was a nonentity . it was easy to see that she was
passionately devoted both to her husband and to her little son . 
her light gray eyes wandered continually from one to the other , 
noting every little want and forestalling it if possible . he was
kind to her also in his bluff , boisterous fashion , and on the whole
they seemed to be a happy couple . and yet she had some secret
sorrow , this woman . she would often be lost in deep thought , 
with the saddest look upon her face . more than once i have
surprised her in tears . i have thought sometimes that it was the
disposition of her child which weighed upon her mind , for i have
never met so utterly spoiled and so ill-natured a little creature . 
he is small for his age , with a head which is quite dispro-
portionately large . his whole life appears to be spent in an
alternation between savage fits of passion and gloomy intervals
of sulking . giving pain to any creature weaker than himself
seems to be his one idea of amusement , and he shows quite
remarkable talent in planning the capture of mice , little birds , 
and insects . but i would rather not talk about the creature , mr . 
holmes , and , indeed , he has little to do with my story . " 
 " i am glad of all details , " remarked my friend , " whether
they seem to you to be relevant or not . " 
 " i shall try not to miss anything of importance . the one
unpleasant thing about the house , which struck me at once , was
the appearance and conduct of the servants . there are only two , 
a man and his wife . toller , for that is his name , is a rough , 
uncouth man , with grizzled hair and whiskers , and a perpetual
smell of drink . twice since i have been with them he has been
quite drunk , and yet mr . rucastle seemed to take no notice of it . 
his wife is a very tall and strong woman with a sour face , as
silent as mrs . rucastle and much less amiable . they are a most
unpleasant couple , but fortunately i spend most of my time in the
nursery and my own room , which are next to each other in one
corner of the building . 
 " for two days after my arrival at the copper beeches my life
was very quiet ; on the third , mrs . rucastle came down just after
breakfast and whispered something to her husband . 
 " ' oh , yes , ' said he , turning to me , ' we are very much
obliged to you , miss hunter , for falling in with our whims so far
as to cut your hair . i assure you that it has not detracted in the
tiniest iota from your appearance . we shall now see how the
electric-blue dress will become you . you will find it laid out
upon the bed in your room , and if you would be so good as to
put it on we should both be extremely obliged . ' 
 " the dress which i found waiting for me was of a peculiar
shade of blue . it was of excellent material , a sort of beige , but it
bore unmistakable signs of having been worn before . it could not
have been a better fit if i had been measured for it . both mr . and
mrs . rucastle expressed a delight at the look of it , which seemed
quite exaggerated in its vehemence . they were waiting for me in
the drawing-room , which is a very large room , stretching along
the entire front of the house , with three long windows reaching
down to the floor . a chair had been placed close to the central
window , with its back turned towards it . in this i was asked to
sit , and then mr . rucastle , walking up and down on the other
side of the room , began to tell me a series of the funniest stories
that i have ever listened to . you cannot imagine how comical he
was , and i laughed until i was quite weary . mrs . rucastle , 
however , who has evidently no sense of humour , never so much
as smiled , but sat with her hands in her lap , and a sad , anxious
look upon her face . after an hour or so , mr . rucastle suddenly
remarked that it was time to commence the duties of the day , and
that i might change my dress and go to little edward in the
nursery . 
 " two days later this same performance was gone through
under exactly similar circumstances . again i changed my dress , 
again i sat in the window , and again i laughed very heartily at
the funny stories of which my employer had an immense reper-
toire , and which he told inimitably . then he handed me a yellow-
backed novel , and moving my chair a little sideways , that my
own shadow might not fall upon the page . he begged me to read
aloud to him . i read for about ten minutes , beginning in the heart
of a chapter , and then suddenly , in the middle of a sentence , he
ordered me to cease and to change my dress . 
 " you can easily imagine , mr . holmes , how curious i became
as to what the meaning of this extraordinary performance could
possibly be . they were always very careful , i observed , to turn
my face away from the window , so that i became consumed with
the desire to see what was going on behind my back . at first it
seemed to be impossible , but i soon devised a means . my
hand-mirror had been broken , so a happy thought seized me , and
i concealed a piece of the glass in my handkerchief . on the next
occasion , in the midst of my laughter , i put my handkerchief up
to my eyes , and was able with a little management to see all that
there was behind me . i confess that i was disappointed . there
was nothing . at least that was my first impression . at the second
glance , however , i perceived that there was a man standing in
the southampton road , a small bearded man in a gray suit , who
seemed to be looking in my direction . the road is an important
highway , and there are usually people there . this man , however , 
was leaning against the railings which bordered our field and was
looking earnestly up . i lowered my handkerchief and glanced at
mrs . rucastle to find her eyes fixed upon me with a most
searching gaze . she said nothing , but i am convinced that she
had divined that i had a mirror in my hand and had seen what
was behind me . she rose at once . 
 " ' jephro , ' said she , ' there is an impertinent fellow upon the
road there who stares up at miss hunter . ' 
 " ' no friend of yours , miss hunter ? ' he asked . 
 " ' no , i know no one in these parts . ' 
 " ' dear me ! how very impertinent ! kindly turn round and
motion to him to go away . ' 
 " ' surely it would be better to take no notice . ' 
 " ' no , no , we should have him loitering here always . kindly
turn round and wave him away like that . ' 
 " i did as i was told , and at the same instant mrs . rucastle
drew down the blind . that was a week ago , and from that time i
have not sat again in the window , nor have i worn the blue
dress , nor seen the man in the road . " 
 " pray continue , " said holmes . " your narrative promises to
be a most interesting one . " 
 " you will find it rather disconnected , i fear , and there may
prove to be little relation between the different incidents of
which i speak . on the very first day that i was at the copper
beeches , mr . rucastle took me to a small outhouse which stands
near the kitchen door . as we approached it i heard the sharp
rattling of a chain , and the sound as of a large animal moving
about . 
 " ' look in here ! ' said mr . rucastle , showing me a slit be-
tween two planks . ' is he not a beauty ? ' 
 " i looked through and was conscious of two glowing eyes , 
and of a vague figure huddled up in the darkness . 
 " ' don ' t be frightened , ' said my employer , laughing at the
start which i had given . ' it 's only carlo , my mastiff . i call him
mine , but really old toller , my groom , is the only man who can
do anything with him . we feed him once a day , and not too
much then , so that he is always as keen as mustard . toller lets
him loose every night , and god help the trespasser whom he
lays his fangs upon . for goodness ' sake don ' t you ever on any
pretext set your foot over the threshold at night , for it 's as much
as your life is worth . ' 
 " the warning was no idle one , for two nights later i happened
to look out of my bedroom window about two o ' clock in the
morning . it was a beautiful moonlight night , and the lawn in
front of the house was silvered over and almost as bright as day . 
i was standing , rapt in the peaceful beauty of the scene , when i
was aware that something was moving under the shadow of the
copper beeches . as it emerged into the moonshine i saw what it
was . it was a giant dog , as large as a calf , tawny tinted , with
hanging jowl , black muzzle , and huge projecting bones . it walked
slowly across the lawn and vanished into the shadow upon the
other side . that dreadful sentinel sent a chill to my heart which i
do not think that any burglar could have done . 
 " and now i have a very strange experience to tell you . i had , 
as you know , cut off my hair in london , and i had placed it in a
great coil at the bottom of my trunk . one evening , after the child
was in bed , i began to amuse myself by examining the furniture
of my room and by rearranging my own little things . there was
an old chest of drawers in the room , the two upper ones empty
and open , the lower one locked . i had filled the first two with
my linen . and as i had still much to pack away i was naturally
annoyed at not having the use of the third drawer . it struck me
that it might have been fastened by a mere oversight , so i took
out my bunch of keys and tried to open it . the very first key
fitted to perfection , and i drew the drawer open . there was only
one thing in it , but i am sure that you would never guess what it
was . it was my coil of hair . 
 " i took it up and examined it . it was of the same peculiar tint , 
and the same thickness . but then the impossibility of the thing
obtruded itself upon me . how could my hair have been locked in
the drawer ? with trembling hands i undid my trunk , turned out
the contents , and drew from the bonom my own hair . i laid the
two tresses together , and i assure you that they were identical . 
was it not extraordinary ? puzzle as i would , i could make
nothing at all of what it meant . i returned the strange hair to the
drawer , and i said nothing of the matter to the rucastles as i felt
that i had put myself in the wrong by opening a drawer which
they had locked . 
 " i am naturally observant , as you may have remarked , mr . 
holmes , and i soon had a pretty good plan of the whole house in
my head . there was one wing , however , which appeared not to
be inhabited at all . a door which faced that which led into the
quarters of the tollers opened into this suite , but it was invaria-
bly locked . one day , however , as i ascended the stair , i met mr . 
rucastle coming out through this door , his keys in his hand , and
a look on his face which made him a very different person to the
round , jovial man to whom i was accustomed . his cheeks were
red , his brow was all crinkled with anger , and the veins stood
out at his temples with passion . he locked the door and hurried
past me without a word or a look . 
 " this aroused my curiosity , so when i went out for a walk in
the grounds with my charge , i strolled round to the side from
which i could see the windows of this part of the house . there
were four of them in a row , three of which were simply dirty , 
while the fourth was shuttered up . they were evidently all
deserted . as i strolled up and down , glancing at them occasion-
ally , mr . rucastle came out to me , looking as merry and jovial
as ever . 
 " ' ah ! ' said he , ' you must not think me rude if i passed you
without a word , my dear young lady . i was preoccupied with
business matters . ' 
 " i assured him that i was not offended . ' by the way , ' said
i , ' you seem to have quite a suite of spare rooms up there , and
one of them has the shutters up . ' 
 " he looked surprised and , as it seemed to me , a little startled
at my remark . 
 " ' photography is one of my hobbies , ' said he . ' i have made
my dark room up there . but , dear me ! what an observant young
lady we have come upon . who would have believed it ? who
would have ever believed it ? ' he spoke in a jesting tone , but
there was no jest in his eyes as he looked at me . i read suspicion
there and annoyance , but no jest . 
 " well , mr . holmes , from the moment that i understood that
there was something about that suite of rooms which i was not to
know , i was all on fire to go over them . it was not mere
curiosity , though i have my share of that . it was more a feeling
of duty -- a feeling that some good might come from my penetrat-
ing to this place . they talk of woman 's instinct ; perhaps it was
woman 's instinct which gave me that feeling . at any rate , it was
there , and i was keenly on the lookout for any chance to pass the
forbidden door . 
 " it was only yesterday that the chance came . i may tell you
that , besides mr . rucastle , both toller and his wife find some-
thing to do in these deserted rooms , and i once saw him carrying
a large black linen bag with him through the door . recently he
has been drinking hard , and yesterday evening he was very
drunk ; and when i came upstairs there was the key in the door . i
have no doubt at all that he had left it there . mr . and mrs . 
rucastle were both downstairs , and the child was with them , so
that i had an admirable opportunity . i turned the key gently in
the lock , opened the door , and slipped through . 
 " there was a little passage in front of me , unpapered and
uncarpeted , which turned at a right angle at the farther end . 
round this corner were three doors in a line , the first and third of
which were open . they each led into an empty room , dusty and
cheerless , with two windows in the one and one in the other , so
thick with dirt that the evening light glimmered dimly through
them . the centre door was closed , and across the outside of it
had been fastened one of the broad bars of an iron bed , padlocked
at one end to a ring in the wall , and fastened at the other with
stout cord . the door itself was locked as well , and the key was
not there . this barricaded door corresponded clearly with the
shuttered window outside , and yet i could see by the glimmer
from beneath it that the room was not in darkness . evidently
there was a skylight which let in light from above . as i stood in
the passage gazing at the sinister door and wondering what secret
it might veil , i suddenly heard the sound of steps within the room
and saw a shadow pass backward and forward against the little
slit of dim light which shone out from under the door . a mad , 
unreasoning terror rose up in me at the sight , mr . holmes . my
overstrung nerves failed me suddenly , and i turned and ran -- ran
as though some dreadful hand were behind me clutching at the
skirt of my dress . i rushed down the passage , through the door , 
and straight into the arms of mr . rucastle , who was waiting
outside . 
 " ' so , ' said he , smiling , ' it was you , then . i thought that it
must be when i saw the door open . ' 
 " ' oh , i am so frightened ! ' i panted . 
 " ' my dear young lady ! my dear young lady ! ' -- you cannot
think how caressing and soothing his manner was -- ' and what
has frightened you , my dear young lady ? ' 
 " but his voice was just a little too coaxing . he overdid it . i
was keenly on my guard against him . 
 " ' i was foolish enough to go into the empty wing , ' i an-
swered . ' but it is so lonely and eerie in this dim light that i was
frightened and ran out again . oh , it is so dreadfully still in
there ! ' 
 " ' only that ? ' said he , looking at me keenly . 
 " ' why , what did you think ? ' i asked . 
 " ' why do you think that i lock this door ? ' 
 " ' i am sure that i do not know . ' 
 " ' it is to keep people out who have no business there . do
you see ? ' he was still smiling in the most amiable manner . 
 " ' i am sure if i had known
 " ' well , then , you know now . and if you ever put your foot
over that threshold again ' -- here in an instant the smile hardened
into a grin of rage , and he glared down at me with the face of a
demon -- ' i ' ll throw you to the mastiff . ' 
 " i was so terrified that i do not know what i did . i suppose
that i must have rushed past him into my room . i remember
nothing until i found myself lying on my bed trembling all over . 
then i thought of you , mr . holmes . i could not live there longer
without some advice . i was frightened of the house , of the man
of the woman , of the servants , even of the child . they were ali
horrible to me . if i could only bring you down all would be well . 
of course i might have fled from the house , but my curiosity
was almost as strong as my fears . my mind was soon made up . i
would send you a wire . i put on my hat and cloak , went down to
the office , which is about half a mile from the house , and then
returned , feeling very much easier . a horrible doubt came into my
mind as i approached the door lest the dog might be loose , but i
remembered that toller had drunk himself into a state of insensi-
bility that evening , and i knew that he was the only one in the
household who had any influence with the savage creature , or
who would venture to set him free . i slipped in in safety and lay
awake half the night in my joy at the thought of seeing you . i
had no difficulty in getting leave to come into winchester this
morning , but i must be back before three o ' clock , for mr . and
mrs . rucastle are going on a visit , and will be away all the
evening , so that i must look after the child . now i have told you
all my adventures , mr . holmes , and i should be very glad if you
could tell me what it all means , and , above all , what i should
do . " 
 holmes and i had listened spellbound to this extraordinary
story . my friend rose now and paced up and down the room , his
hands in his pockets , and an expression of the most profound
gravity upon his face . 
 " is toller still drunk ? " he asked . 
 " yes . i heard his wife tell mrs . rucastle that she could do
nothing with him . " 
 " that is well . and the rucastles go out to-night ? " 
 " yes . " 
 " is there a cellar with a good strong lock ? " 
 " yes , the wine-cellar . " 
 " you seem to me to have acted all through this matter like a
very brave and sensible girl , miss hunter . do you think that you
could perform one more feat ? i should not ask it of you if i did
not think you a quite exceptional woman . " 
 " i will try . what is it ? " 
 " we shall be at the copper beeches by seven o ' clock , my
friend and i . the rucastles will be gone by that time , and toller
will , we hope , be incapable . there only remains mrs . toller , 
who might give the alarm . if you could send her into the cellar
on some errand , and then turn the key upon her , you would
facilitate matters immensely . " 
 " i will do it . " 
 " excellent ! we shall then look thoroughly into the affair . of
course there is only one feasible explanation . you have been
brought there to personate someone , and the real person is
imprisoned in this chamber . that is obvious . as to who this
prisoner is , i have no doubt that it is the daughter , miss alice
rucastle , if i remember right , who was said to have gone to
america . you were chosen , doubtless , as resembling her in
height , figure , and the colour of your hair . hers had been cut
off , very possibly in some illness through which she has passed , 
and so , of course , yours had to be sacrificed also . by a curious
chance you came upon her tresses . the man in the road was
undoubtedly some friend of hers -- possibly her fiance -- and no
doubt , as you wore the girl 's dress and were so like her , he was
convinced from your laughter , whenever he saw you , and after-
wards from your gesture , that miss rucastle was perfectly happy , 
and that she no longer desired his attentions . the dog is let loose
at night to prevent him from endeavouring to communicate with
her . so much is fairly clear . the most serious point in the case is
the disposition of the child . " 
 " what on earth has that to do with it ? " i ejaculated . 
 " my dear watson , you as a medical man are continually
gaining light as to the tendencies of a child by the study of the
parents . don ' t you see that the converse is equally valid . i have
frequently gained my first real insight into the character of
parents by studying their children . this child 's disposition is
abnormally cruel , merely for cruelty 's sake , and whether he
derives this from his smiling father , as i should suspect , or from
his mother , it bodes evil for the poor girl who is in their
power . " 
 " i am sure that you are right , mr . holmes , " cried our client . 
 " a thousand things come back to me which make me certain
that you have hit it . oh , let us lose not an instant in bringing
help to this poor creature . " 
 " we must be circumspect , for we are dealing with a very
cunning man . we can do nothing until seven o ' clock . at that
hour we shall be with you , and it will not be long before we solve
the mystery . " 
 we were as good as our word , for it was just seven when we
reached the copper beeches , having put up our trap at a wayside
public-house . the group of trees , with their dark leaves shining
like burnished metal in the light of the setting sun , were suffi-
cient to mark the house even had miss hunter not been standing
smiling on the door-step . 
 " have you managed it ? " asked holmes . 
 a loud thudding noise came from somewhere downstairs . 
 " that is mrs . toller in the cellar , " said she . " her husband lies
snoring on the kitchen rug . here are his keys , which are the
duplicates of mr . rucastle 's . " 
 " you have done well indeed ! " cried holmes with enthusi-
asm . " now lead the way , and we shall soon see the end of this
black business . " 
 we passed up the stair , unlocked the door , followed on down
a passage , and found ourselves in front of the barricade which
miss hunter had described . holmes cut the cord and removed
the transverse bar . then he tried the various keys in the lock , but
without success . no sound came from within , and at the silence
holmes 's face clouded over . 
 " i trust that we are not too late , " said he . " i think , miss
hunter , that we had better go in without you . now , watson , put
your shoulder to it , and we shall see whether we cannot make
our way in . " 
 it was an old rickety door and gave at once before our united
strength . together we rushed into the room . it was empty . there
was no furniture save a little pallet bed , a small table , and a
basketful of linen . the skylight above was open , and the pris-
oner gone . 
 " there has been some villainy here , " said holmes ; " this
beauty has guessed miss hunter 's intentions and has carried his
victim off . " 
 " but how ? " 
 " through the skylight . we shall soon see how he managed
it . " he swung himself up onto the roof . " ah , yes , " he cried , 
 " here 's the end of a long light ladder against the eaves . that is
how he did it . " 
 " but it is impossible , " said miss hunter ; " the ladder was not
there when the rucastles went away . " 
 " he has come back and done it . i tell you that he is a clever
and dangerous man . i should not be very much surprised if this
were he whose step i hear now upon the stair . i think , watson , 
that it would be as well for you to have your pistol ready . " 
 the words were hardly out of his mouth before a man ap-
peared at the door of the room , a very fat and burly man , with a
heavy stick in his hand . miss hunter screamed and shrunk
against the wall at the sight of him , but sherlock holmes sprang
forward and confronted him . 
 " you villain ! " said he , " where 's your daughter ? " 
 the fat man cast his eyes round , and then up at the open
skylight . 
 " it is for me to ask you that , " he shrieked , " you thieves ! 
spies and thieves ! i have caught you , have l ? you are in my
power . i ' ll serve you ! " he turned and clattered down the stairs
as hard as he could go . 
 " he 's gone for the dog ! " cried miss hunter . 
 " i have my revolver , " said i . 
 " better close the front door , " cried holmes , and we all
rushed down the stairs together . we had hardly reached the hall
when we heard the baying of a hound , and then a scream of
agony , with a horrible worrying sound which it was dreadful to
listen to . an elderly man with a red face and shaking limbs came
staggering out at a side door . 
 " my god ! " he cried . " someone has loosed the dog . it 's not
been fed for two days . quick , quick , or it ' ll be too late ! " 
 holmes and i rushed out and round the angle of the house , 
with toller hurrying behind us . there was the huge famished
brute , its black muzzle buried in rucastle 's throat , while he
writhed and screamed upon the ground . running up , i blew its
brains out , and it fell over with its keen white teeth still meeting
in the great creases of his neck . with much labour we separated
them and carried him , living but horribly mangled , into the
house . we laid him upon the drawing-room sofa , and having
dispatched the sobered toller to bear the news to his wife , i did
what i could to relieve his pain . we were all assembled round
him when the door opened , and a tall , gaunt woman entered the
room . 
 " mrs . toller ! " cried miss hunter . 
 " yes , miss . mr . rucastle let me out when he came back
before he went up to you . ah , miss , it is a pity you didn ' t let me
know what you were planning , for i would have told you that
your pains were wasted . " 
 " ha ! " said holmes , looking keenly at her . " it is clear that
mrs . toller knows more about this matter than anyone else . " 
 " yes , sir , i do , and i am ready enough to tell what i know . " 
 " then , pray , sit down , and let us hear it for there are several
points on which i must confess that i am still in the dark . " 
 " i will soon make it clear to you , " said she ; " and i ' d have
done so before now if i could ha ' got out from the cellar . if
there 's police-court business over this , you ' ll remember that i
was the one that stood your friend , and that i was miss alice ' s
friend too . 
 " she was never happy at home , miss alice wasn ' t , from the
time that her father married again . she was slighted like and had
no say in anything , but it never really became bad for her until
after she met mr . fowler at a friend 's house . as well as i could
learn , miss alice had rights of her own by will , but she was so
quiet and patient , she was , that she never said a word about them
but just left everything in mr . rucastle 's hands . he knew he was
safe with her ; but when there was a chance of a husband coming
forward , who would ask for all that the law would give him , 
then her father thought it time to put a stop on it . he wanted her
to sign a paper , so that whether she married or not , he could use
her money . when she wouldn ' t do it , he kept on worrying her
until she got brain-fever , and for six weeks was at death 's door . 
then she got better at last , all worn to a shadow , and with her
beautiful hair cut off ; but that didn ' t make no change in her
young man , and he stuck to her as true as man could be . " 
 " ah , " said holmes , " i think that what you have been good
enough to tell us makes the matter fairly clear , and that i can
deduce all that remains . mr . rucastle then , i presume , took to
this system of imprisonment ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " and brought miss hunter down from london in order to get
rid of the disagreeable persistence of mr . fowler . " 
 " that was it , sir . " 
 " but mr . fowler being a persevering man , as a good seaman
should be , blockaded the house , and having met you succeeded
by certain arguments , metallic or otherwise , in convincing you
that your interests were the same as his . " 
 " mr . fowler was a very kind-spoken , free-handed gentle-
man , " said mrs . toller serenely . 
 " and in this way he managed that your good man should have
no want of drink , and that a ladder should be ready at the
moment when your master had gone out . " 
 " you have it , sir , just as it happened . " 
 " i am sure we owe you an apology , mrs . toller , " said
holmes , " for you have certainly cleared up everything which
puzzled us . and here comes the country surgeon and mrs . 
rucastle , so i think . watson , that we had best escort miss
hunter back to winchester , as it seems to me that our locus
standi now is rather a questionable one . " 
 and thus was solved the mystery of the sinister house with the
copper beeches in front of the door . mr . rucastle survived , but
was always a broken man , kept alive solely through the care of
his devoted wife . they still live with their old servants , who
probably know so much of rucastle 's past life that he finds it
difficult to part from them . mr . fowler and miss rucastle were
married , by special license , in southampton the day after their
flight , and he is now the holder of a government appointment in
the island of mauritius . as to miss violet hunter , my friend
holmes , rather to my disappointment , manifested no further
interest in her when once she had ceased to be the centre of one
of his problems , and she is now the head of a private school at
walsall , where i believe that she has met with considerable
success . 
 . 
     the crooked man

 one summer night , a few months after my marriage , i was
seated by my own hearth smoking a last pipe and nodding over a
novel , for my day 's work had been an exhausting one . my wife
had already gone upstairs , and the sound of the locking of the
hall door some time before told me that the servants had also
retired . i had risen from my seat and was knocking out the ashes
of my pipe when i suddenly heard the clang of the bell . 
 i looked at the clock . it was a quarter to twelve . this could
not be a visitor at so late an hour . a patient evidently , and
possibly an all-night sitting . with a wry face i went out into the
hall and opened the door . to my astonishment it was sherlock
holmes who stood upon my step . 
 " ah , watson , " said he , " i hoped that i might not be too late
to catch you . " 
 " my dear fellow , pray come in . " 
 " you look surprised , and no wonder ! relieved , too , i fancy ! 
hum ! you still smoke the arcadia mixture of your bachelor
days , then ! there 's no mistaking that fluffy ash upon your coat . 
it 's easy to tell that you have been accustomed to wear a
uniform , watson . you ' ll never pass as a pure-bred civilian as
long as you keep that habit of carrying your handkerchief in your
sleeve . could you put me up to-night ? " 
 " with pleasure . " 
 " you told me that you had bachelor quarters for one , and i
see that you have no gentleman visitor at present . your hat-stand
proclaims as much . " 
 " i shall be delighted if you will stay . " 
 " thank you . i ' ll fill the vacant peg then . sorry to see that
you ' ve had the british workman in the house . he 's a token of
evil . not the drains , i hope ? " 
 " no , the gas . " 
 " ah ! he has left two nail-marks from his boot upon your
linoleum just where the light strikes it . no , thank you , i had
some supper at waterloo , but i ' ll smoke a pipe with you with
pleasure . " 
 i handed him my pouch , and he seated himself opposite to me
and smoked for some time . in silence . i was well aware that
nothing but business of importance would have brought him to
me at such an hour , so i waited patiently until he should come
round to it . 
 " i see that you are professionally rather busy just now , " said
he , glancing very keenly across at me . 
 " yes , i ' ve had a busy day , " i answered . " it may seem very
foolish in your eyes , " i added , " but really i don ' t know how
you deduced it . " 
 holmes chuckled to himself . 
 " i have the advantage of knowing your habits , my dear wat-
son , " said he . " when your round is a short one you walk , and
when it is a long one you use a hansom . as i perceive that your
boots , although used , are by no means dirty , i cannot doubt that
you are at present busy enough to justify the hansom . " 
 " excellent ! " i cried . 
 " elementary , " said he . " it is one of those instances where
the reasoner can produce an effect which seems remarkable to
his neighbour , because the latter has missed the one little point
which is the basis of the deduction . the same may be said , my
dear fellow , for the effect of some of these little sketches of
yours , which is entirely meretricious , depending as it does upon
your retaining in your own hands some factors in the problem
which are never imparted to the reader . now , at present i am in
the position of these same readers , for i hold in this hand several
threads of one of the strangest cases which ever perplexed a
man 's brain , and yet i lack the one or two which are needful to
complete my theory . but i ' ll have them , watson , i ' ll have
them ! " his eyes kindled and a slight flush sprang into his thin
cheeks . for an instant the veil had lifted upon his keen , intense
nature , but for an instant only . when i glanced again his face
had resumed that red-indian composure which had made so
many regard him as a machine rather than a man . 
 " the problem presents features of interest , " said he . " i may
even say exceptional features of interest . i have already looked
into the matter , and have come , as i think , within sight of my
solution . if you could accompany me in that last step you might
be of considerable service to me . " 
 " i should be delighted . " 
 " could you go as far as aldershot to-morrow ? " 
 " i have no doubt jackson would take my practice . " 
 " very good . i want to start by the 11 : 10 from waterloo . " 
 " that would give me time . " 
 " then , if you are not too sleepy , i will give you a sketch of
what has happened , and of what remains to be done . " 
 " i was sleepy before you came . i am quite wakeful now . " 
 " i will compress the story as far as may be done without
omitting anything vital to the case . it is conceivable that you
may even have read some account of the matter . it is the
supposed murder of colonel barclay , of the royal munsters , at
aldershot , which i am investigating . " 
 " i have heard nothing of it . " 
 " it has not excited much attention yet , except locally . the
facts are only two days old . briefly they are these : 
 " the royal munsters is , as you know , one of the most
famous irish regiments in the british army . it did wonders both
in the crimea and the mutiny , and has since that time distin-
guished itself upon every possible occasion . it was commanded
up to monday night by james barclay , a gallant veteran , who
started as a full private , was raised to commissioned rank for his
bravery at the time of the mutiny , and so lived to command the
regiment in which he had once carried a musket . 
 " colonel barclay had married at the time when he was a
sergeant , and his wife , whose maiden name was miss nancy
devoy , was the daughter of a former colour-sergeant in the same
corps . there was , therefore , as can be imagined , some little
social friction when the young couple (for they were still young)
found themselves in their new surroundings . they appear , how-
ever , to have quickly adapted themselves , and mrs . barclay has
always , i understand , been as popular with the ladies of the
regiment as her husband was with his brother officers . i may add
that she was a woman of great beauty , and that even now , when
she has been married for upward of thirty years , she is still of a
striking and queenly appearance . 
 " colonel barclay 's family life appears to have been a uni-
formly happy one . major murphy , to whom i owe most of my
facts , assures me that he has never heard of any misunderstand-
ing between the pair . on the whole , he thinks that barclay ' s
devotion to his wife was greater than his wife 's to barclay . he
was acutely uneasy if he were absent from her for a day . she , on
the other hand , though devoted and faithful , was less obtrusively
affectionate . but they were regarded in the regiment as the very
model of a middle-aged couple . there was absolutely nothing in
their mutual relations to prepare people for the tragedy which
was to follow . 
 " colonel barclay himself seems to have had some singular
traits in his character . he was a dashing , jovial old soldier in his
usual mood , but there were occasions on which he seemed to
show himself capable of considerable violence and vindictiveness . 
this side of his nature , however , appears never to have been
turned towards his wife . another fact which had struck major
murphy and three out of five of the other officers with whom i
conversed was the singular sort of depression which came upon
him at times . as the major expressed it , the smile has often been
struck from his mouth , as if by some invisible hand , when he has
been joining in the gaieties and chaff of the mess-table . for days
on end , when the mood was on him , he has been sunk in the
deepest gloom . this and a certain tinge of superstition were the
only unusual traits in his character which his brother officers had
observed . the latter peculiarity took the form of a dislike to
being left alone , especially after dark . this puerile feature in a
nature which was conspicuously manly had often given rise to
comment and conjecture . 
 " the first battalion of the royal munsters (which is the old
one hundred and seventeenth) has been stationed at aldershot
for some years . the married officers live out of barracks , and the
colonel has during all this time occupied a villa called ' lachine , ' 
about half a mile from the north camp . the house stands in its
own grounds , but the west side of it is not more than thirty yards
from the highroad . a coachman and two maids form the staff of
servants . these with their master and mistress were the sole
occupants of lachine , for the barclays had no children , nor was
it usual for them to have resident visitors . 
 " now for the events at lachine between nine and ten on the
evening of last monday . 
 " mrs . barclay was , it appears , a member of the roman
catholic church and had interested herself very much in the
establishment of the guild of st . george , which was formed in
connection with the watt street chapel for the purpose of sup-
plying the poor with cast-off clothing . a meeting of the guild
had been held that evening at eight , and mrs . barclay had
hurried over her dinner in order to be present at it . when leaving
the house she was heard by the coachman to make some com-
monplace remark to her husband , and to assure him that she
would be back before very long . she then called for miss
morrison , a young lady who lives in the next villa and the two
went off together to their meeting . it lasted forty minutes , and at
a quarter-past nine mrs . barclay returned home , having left miss
morrison at her door as she passed . 
 " there is a room which is used as a morning-room at lachine . 
this faces the road and opens by a large glass folding-door on to
the lawn . the lawn is thirty yards across and is only divided
from the highway by a low wall with an iron rail above it . it was
into this room that mrs . barclay went upon her return . the
blinds were not down , for the room was seldom used in the
evening , but mrs . barclay herself lit the lamp and then rang the
bell , asking jane stewart , the housemaid , to bring her a cup of
tea , which was quite contrary to her usual habits . the colonel
had been sitting in the dining-room , but , hearing that his wife
had returned , he joined her in the morning-room . the coachman
saw him cross the hall and enter it . he was never seen again
alive . 
 " the tea which had been ordered was brought up at the end
of ten minutes ; but the maid , as she approached the door , was
surprised to hear the voices of her master and mistress in furious
altercation . she knocked without receiving any answer , and even
turned the handle , but only to find that the door was locked upon
the inside . naturally enough she ran down to tell the cook , and
the two women with the coachman came up into the hall and
listened to the dispute which was still raging . they all agreed
that only two voices were to be heard , those of barclay and of
his wife . barclay 's remarks were subdued and abrupt so that
none of them were audible to the listeners . the lady 's , on the
other hand , were most bitter , and when she raised her voice
could be plainly heard . ' you coward ! ' she repeated over and
over again . ' what can be done now ? what can be done now ? 
give me back my life . i will never so much as breathe the same
air with you again ! you coward ! you coward ! ' those were
scraps of her conversation , ending in a sudden dreadful cry in the
man 's voice , with a crash , and a piercing scream from the
woman . convinced that some tragedy had occurred , the coach-
man rushed to the door and strove to force it , while scream after
scream issued from within . he was unable , however , to make
his way in , and the maids were too distracted with fear to be of
any assistance to him . a sudden thought struck him , however , 
and he ran through the hall door and round to the lawn upon
which the long french windows open . one side of the window
was open , which i understand was quite usual in the summer-
time , and he passed without difficulty into the room . his mis-
tress had ceased to scream and was stretched insensible upon a
couch , while with his feet tilted over the side of an armchair , and
his head upon the ground near the corner of the fender , was iying
the unfortunate soldier stone dead in a pool of his own blood . 
 " naturally , the coachman 's first thought , on finding that he
could do nothing for his master , was to open the door . but here
an unexpected and singular difficulty presented itself . the key
was not in the inner side of the door , nor could he find it
anywhere in the room . he went out again , therefore , through the
window , and , having obtained the help of a policeman and of a
medical man , he returned . the lady , against whom naturally the
strongest suspicion rested , was removed to her room , still in a
state of insensibility . the colonel 's body was then placed upon
the sofa and a careful examination made of the scene of the
tragedy . 
 " the injury from which the unfortunate veteran was suffering
was found to be a jagged cut some two inches long at the back
part of his head , which had evidently been caused by a violent
blow from a blunt weapon . nor was it difficult to guess what
that weapon may have been . upon the floor , close to the body , 
was lying a singular club of hard carved wood with a bone
handle . the colonel possessed a varied collection of weapons
brought from the different countries in which he had fought , and
it is conjectured by the police that this club was among his
trophies . the servants deny having seen it before , but among the
numerous curiosities in the house it is possible that it may have
been overlooked . nothing else of importance was discovered in
the room by the police , save the inexplicable fact that neither
upon mrs . barclay 's person nor upon that of the victim nor in
any part of the room was the missing key to be found . the door
had eventually to be opened by a locksmith from aldershot . 
 " that was the state of things , watson , when upon the tues-
day morning i , at the request of major murphy , went down to
aldershot to supplement the efforts of the police . i think that you
will acknowledge that the problem was already one of interest , 
but my observations soon made me realize that it was in truth
much more extraordinary than would at first sight appear . 
 " before examining the room i cross-questioned the servants , 
but only succeeded in eliciting the facts which i have already
stated . one other detail of interest was remembered by jane
stewart , the housemaid . you will remember that on hearing the
sound of the quarrel she descended and returned with the other
servants . on that first occasion , when she was alone , she says
that the voices of her master and mistress were sunk so low that
she could hardly hear anything , and judged by their tones rather
than their words that they had fallen out . on my pressing her , 
however , she remembered that she heard the word david uttered
twice by the lady . the point is of the utmost importance as
guiding us towards the reason of the sudden quarrel . the colo-
nel 's name , you remember , was james . 
 " there was one thing in the case which had made the deepest
impression both upon the servants and the police . this was the
contortion of the colonel 's face . it had set , according to their
account , into the most dreadful expression of fear and horror
which a human countenance is capable of assuming . more than
one person fainted at the mere sight of him , so terrible was the
effect . it was quite certain that he had foreseen his fate , and that
it had caused him the utmost horror . this , of course , fitted in
well enough with the police theory , if the colonel could have
seen his wife making a murderous attack upon him . nor was the
fact of the wound being on the back of his head a fatal objection
to this , as he might have turned to avoid the blow . no informa-
tion could be got from the lady herself , who was temporarily
insane from an acute attack of brain-fever . 
 " from the police i learned that miss morrison , who you
remember went out that evening with mrs . barclay , denied
having any knowledge of what it was which had caused the
ill-humour in which her companion had returned . 
 " having gathered these facts , watson , i smoked several pipes
over them , trying to separate those which were crucial from
others which were merely incidental . there could be no question
that the most distinctive and suggestive point in the case was the
singular disappearance of the door-key . a most careful search
had failed to discover it in the room . therefore it must have been
taken from it . but neither the colonel nor the colonel 's wife
could have taken it . that was perfectly clear . therefore a third
person must have entered the room . and that third person could
only have come in through the window . it seemed to me that a
careful examination of the room and the lawn might possibly
reveal some traces of this mysterious individual . you know my
methods , watson . there was not one of them which i did not
apply to the inquiry . and it ended by my discovering traces , but
very different ones from those which i had expected . there had
been a man in the room , and he had crossed the lawn coming
from the road . i was able to obtain five very clear impressions of
his footmarks : one in the roadway itself , at the point where he
had climbed the low wall , two on the lawn , and two very faint
ones upon the stained boards near the window where he had
entered . he had apparently rushed across the lawn , for his
toe-marks were much deeper than his heels . but it was not the
man who surprised me . it was his companion . " 
 " his companion ! " 
 holmes pulled a large sheet of tissue-paper out of his pocket
and carefully unfolded it upon his knee . 
 " what do you make of that ? " he asked . 
 the paper was covered with the tracings of the footmarks of
some small animal . it had five well-marked footpads , an indica-
tion of long nails , and the whole print might be nearly as large as
a dessert-spoon . 
 " it 's a dog , " said i . 
 " did you ever hear of a dog running up a curtain ? i found
distinct traces that this creature had done so . " 
 " a monkey , then ? " 
 " but it is not the print of a monkey . " 
 " what can it be , then ? " 
 " neither dog nor cat nor monkey nor any creature that we are
familiar with . i have tried to reconstruct it from the measure-
ments . here are four prints where the beast has been standing
motionless . you see that it is no less than fifteen inches from
fore-foot to hind . add to that the length of neck and head , and
you get a creature not much less than two feet long -- probably
more if there is any tail . but now observe this other measure-
ment . the animal has been moving , and we have the length of
its stride . in each case it is only about three inches . you have an
indication , you see , of a long body with very short legs attached
to it . it has not been considerate enough to leave any of its hair
behind it . but its general shape must be what i have indicated , 
and it can run up a curtain . and it is carnivorous . " 
 " how do you deduce that ? " 
 " because it ran up the curtain . a canary 's cage was hanging
in the window , and its aim seems to have been to get at the
bird . " 
 " then what was the beast ? " 
 " ah , if i could give it a name it might go a long way towards
solving the case . on the whole , it was probably some creature of
the weasel and stoat tribe -- and yet it is larger than any of these
that i have seen . " 
 " but what had it to do with the crime ? " 
 " that , also , is still obscure . but we have learned a good deal , 
you perceive . we know that a man stood in the road looking at
the quarrcl between the barclays -- the blinds were up and the
room lighted . we know , also , that he ran across the lawn , 
entered the room , accompanied by a strange animal , and that he
either struck the colonel or , as is equally possible , that the
colonel fell down from sheer fright at the sight of him , and cut
his head on the corner of the fender . finally we have the curious
fact that the intruder carried away the key with him when he
left . " 
 " your discoveries seem to have left the business more ob-
scure than it was before , " said i . 
 " quite so . they undoubtedly showed that the affair was much
deeper than was at first conjectured . i thought the matter over , 
and i came to the conclusion that i must approach the case from
another aspect . but really , watson , i am keeping you up , and i
might just as well tell you all this on our way to aldershot
to-morrow . " 
 " thank you , you have gone rather too far to stop . " 
 " it is quite certain that when mrs . barclay left the house at
half-past seven she was on good terms with her husband . she
was never , as i think i have said , ostentatiously affectionate , but
she was heard by the coachman chatting with the colonel in a
friendly fashion . now , it was equally certain that , immediately
on her return , she had gone to the room in which she was least
likely to see her husband , had flown to tea as an agitated woman
will , and finally , on his coming in to her , had broken into
violent recriminations . therefore something had occurred be-
tween seven-thirty and nine o ' clock which had completely al-
tered her feelings towards him . but miss morrison had been with
her during the whole of that hour and a half . it was absolutely
certain , therefore , in spite of her denial , that she must know
something of the matter . 
 " my first conjecture was that possibly there had been some
passages between this young lady and the old soldier , which the
former had now confessed to the wife . that would account for
the angry return , and also for the girl 's denial that anything had
occurred . nor would it be entirely incompatible with most of the
words overheard . but there was the reference to david , and therc
was the known affection of the colonel for his wife to weigh
against it , to say nothing of the tragic intrusion of this other man , 
which might , of course , be entirely disconnected with what had
gone before . it was not easy to pick one 's steps , but , on the
whole , i was inclined to dismiss the idea that there had been
anything between the colonel and miss morrison , but more than
ever convinced that the young lady held the clue as to what it
was which had turned mrs . barclay to hatred of her husband . i
took the obvious course , therefore , of calling upon miss m . , of
explaining to her that i was perfectly certain that she held the
facts in her possession , and of assuring her that her friend , mrs . 
barclay , might find herself in the dock upon a capital charge
unless the matter were cleared up . 
 " miss morrison is a little ethereal slip of a girl , with timid
eyes and blond hair , but i found her by no means wanting in
shrewdness and common sense . she sat thinking for some time
after i had spoken , and then , turning to me with a brisk air of
resolution , she broke into a remarkable statement which i will
condense for your benefit . 
 " ' i promised my friend that i would say nothing of the
matter , and a promise is a promise , ' said she ; ' but if i can really
help her when so serious a charge is laid against her , and when
her own mouth , poor darling , is closed by illness , then i think i
am absolved from my promise . i will tell you exactly what
happened upon monday evening . 
 " ' we were returning from the watt street mission about a
quarter to nine o ' clock . on our way we had to pass through
hudson street , which is a very quiet thoroughfare . there is only
one lamp in it , upon the left-hand side , and as we approached
this lamp i saw a man coming towards us with his back very
bent , and something like a box slung over one of his shoulders . 
he appeared to be deformed , for he carried his head low and
walked with his knees bent . we were passing him when he
raised his face to look at us in the circle of light thrown by the
lamp , and as he did so he stopped and screamed out in a dreadful
voice , " my god , it 's nancy ! " mrs . barclay turned as white as
death and would have fallen down had the dreadful-looking
creature not caught hold of her . i was going to call for the
police , but she , to my surprise , spoke quite civilly to the fellow . 
 " ' " i thought you had been dead this thirty years , henry , " 
said she in a shaking voice . 
 " ' " so i have , " said he , and it was awful to hear the tones
that he said it in . he had a very dark , fearsome face , and a
gleam in his eyes that comes back to me in my dreams . his hair
and whiskers were shot with gray , and his face was all crinkled
and puckered like a withered apple . 
 " ' " just walk on a little way , dear , " said mrs . barclay ; " i
want to have a word with this man . there is nothing to be afraid
of . " she tried to speak boldly , but she was still deadly pale and
could hardly get her words out for the trembling of her lips . 
 " ' i did as she asked me , and they talked together for a few
minutes . then she came down the street with her eyes blazing , 
and i saw the crippled wretch standing by the lamp-post and
shaking his clenched fists in the air as if he were mad with rage . 
she never said a word until we were at the door here , when she
took me by the hand and begged me to tell no one what had
happened . 
 " ' " it 's an old acquaintance of mine who has come down in
the world , " said she . when i promised her i would say nothing
she kissed me , and i have never seen her since . i have told you
now the whole truth , and if i withheld it from the police it is
because i did not realize then the danger in which my dear friend
stood . i know that it can only be to her advantage that everything
should be known . ' 
 " there was her statement , watson , and to me , as you can
imagine , it was like a light on a dark night . everything which
had been disconnected before began at once to assume its true
place , and i had a shadowy presentiment of the whole sequence
of events . my next step obviously was to find the man who had
produced such a remarkable impression upon mrs . barclay . if he
were still in aldershot it should not be a very difficult matter . 
there are not such a very great number of civilians , and a
deformed man was sure to have attracted attention . i spent a day
in the search , and by evening -- this very evening , watson -- i
had run him down . the man 's name is henry wood , and he
lives in lodgings in this same street in which the ladies met him . 
he has only been five days in the place . in the character of a
registration-agent i had a most interesting gossip with his land-
lady . the man is by trade a conjurer and performer , going round
the canteens after nightfall , and giving a little entertainment at
each . he carries some creature about with him in that box , about
which the landlady seemed to be in considerable trepidation , for
she had never seen an animal like it . he uses it in some of his
tricks according to her account . so much the woman was able to
tell me , and also that it was a wonder the man lived , seeing how
twisted he was , and that he spoke in a strange tongue sometimes , 
and that for the last two nights she had heard him groaning and
weeping in his bedroom . he was all right , as far as money went , 
but in his deposit he had given her what looked like a bad florin . 
she showed it to me , watson , and it was an indian rupee . 
 " so now , my dear fellow , you see exactly how we stand and
why it is i want you . it is perfectly plain that after the ladies
parted from this man he followed them at a distance , that he saw
the quarrel between husband and wife through the window , that
he rushed in , and that the creature which he carried in his box
got loose . that is all very certain . but he is the only person in
this world who can tell us exactly what happened in that room . " 
 " and you intend to ask him ? " 
 " most certainly -- but in the presence of a witness . " 
 " and i am the witness ? " 
 " if you will be so good . if he can clear the matter up , well
and good . if he refuses , we have no alternative but to apply for a
warrant . " 
 " but how do you know he ' ll be there when we return ? " 
 " you may be sure that i took some precautions . i have one of
my baker street boys mounting guard over him who would stick
to him like a burr , go where he might . we shall find him in
hudson street to-morrow , watson , and meanwhile i should be
the criminal myself if i kept you out of bed any longer . " 
 it was midday when we found ourselves at the scene of the
tragedy , and , under my companion 's guidance , we made our
way at once to hudson street . in spite of his capacity for
concealing his emotions , i could easily see that holmes was in a
state of suppressed excitement , while i was myself tingling with
that half-sporting , half-intellectual pleasure which i invariably
experienced when i associated myself with him in his invest-
igations . 
 " this is the street , " said he as we turned into a short thor-
oughfare lined with plain two-storied brick houses . " ah , here is
simpson to report . " 
 " he 's in all right , mr . holmes , " cried a small street arab , 
running up to us . 
 " good , simpson ! " said holmes , patting him on the head . 
 " come along , watson . this is the house . " he sent in his card
with a message that he had come on important business , and a
moment later we were face to face with the man whom we had
come to see . in spite of the warm weather he was crouching over
a fire , and the little room was like an oven . the man sat all
twisted and huddled in his chair in a way which gave an inde-
scribable impression of deformity ; but the face which he turned
towards us , though worn and swarthy , must at some time have
been remarkable for its beauty . he looked suspiciously at us now
out of yellow-shot , bilious eyes , and , without speaking or rising , 
he waved towards two chairs . 
 " mr . henry wood , late of india , i believe , " said holmes
affably . " i ' ve come over this little matter of colonel barclay ' s
death . " 
 " what should i know about that ? " 
 " that 's what i want to ascertain . you know , i suppose , that
unless the matter is cleared up , mrs . barclay , who is an old
friend of yours , will in all probability be tried for murder . " 
 the man gave a violent start . 
 " i don ' t know who you are , " he cried , " nor how you come
to know what you do know , but will you swear that this is true
that you tell me ? " 
 " why , they are only waiting for her to come to her senses to
arrest her . " 
 " my god ! are you in the police yourself ? " 
 " no . " 
 " what business is it of yours , then ? " 
 " it 's every man 's business to see justice done . " 
 " you can take my word that she is innocent . " 
 " then you are guilty . " 
 " no , i am not . " 
 " who killed colonel james barclay , then ? " 
 " it was a just providence that killed him . but , mind you this , 
that if i had knocked his brains out , as it was in my heart to do , 
he would have had no more than his due from my hands . if his
own guilty conscience had not struck him down it is likely
enough that i might have had his blood upon my soul . you want
me to tell the story . well , i don ' t know why i shouldn ' t , for
there 's no cause for me to be ashamed of it . 
 " it was in this way , sir . you see me now with my back like a
camel and my ribs all awry , but there was a time when corporal
henry wood was the smartest man in the one hundred and
seventeenth foot . we were in india , then , in cantonments , at a
place we ' ll call bhurtee . barclay , who died the other day , was
sergeant in the same company as myself , and the belle of the
regiment , ay , and the finest girl that ever had the breath of life
between her lips , was nancy devoy , the daughter of the colour-
sergeant . there were two men that loved her , and one that she
loved , and you ' ll smile when you look at this poor thing huddled
before the fire and hear me say that it was for my good looks that
she loved me . 
 " well , though i had her heart , her father was set upon her
marrying barclay . i was a harum-scarum , reckless lad , and he
had had an education and was already marked for the sword-belt . 
but the girl held true to me , and it seemed that i would have had
her when the mutiny broke out , and all hell was loose in the
country . 
 " we were shut up in bhurtee , the regiment of us with half a
battery of artillery , a company of sikhs , and a lot of civilians
and women-folk . there were ten thousand rebels round us , and
they were as keen as a set of terriers round a rat-cage . about the
second week of it our water gave out , and it was a question
whether we could communicate with general neill 's column , 
which was moving up-country . it was our only chance , for we
could not hope to fight our way out with all the women and
children , so i volunteered to go out and to warn general neill of
our danger . my offer was accepted , and i talked it over with
sergeant barclay , who was supposed to know the ground better
than any other man , and who drew up a route by which i might
get through the rebel lines . at ten o ' clock the same night i
started off upon my journey . there were a thousand lives to
save , but it was of only one that i was thinking when i dropped
over the wall that night . 
 " my way ran down a dried-up watercourse , which we hoped
would screen me from the enemy 's sentries ; but as i crept round
the corner of it i walked right into six of them , who were
crouching down in the dark waiting for me . in an instant i was
stunned with a blow and bound hand and foot . but the real blow
was to my heart and not to my head , for as i came to and
listened to as much as i could understand of their talk , i heard
enough to tell me that my comrade , the very man who had
arranged the way i was to take , had betrayed me by means of a
native servant into the hands of the enemy . 
 " well , there 's no need for me to dwell on that part of it . you
know now what james barclay was capable of . bhurtee was
relieved by neill next day , but the rebels took me away with
them in their retreat , and it was many a long year before ever i
saw a white face again . i was tortured and tried to get away , and
was captured and tortured again . you can see for yourselves the
state in which i was left . some of them that fled into nepal took
me with them , and then afterwards i was up past darjeeling . the
hill-folk up there murdered the rebels who had me , and i became
their slave for a time until i escaped ; but instead of going south i
had to go north , until i found myself among the afghans . there
i wandered about for many a year , and at last came back to the
punjab , where i lived mostly among the natives and picked up a
living by the conjuring tricks that i had learned . what use was it
for me , a wretched cripple , to go back to england or to make
myself known to my old comrades ? even my wish for revenge
would not make me do that . i had rather that nancy and my old
pals should think of harry wood as having died with a straight
back , than see him living and crawling with a stick like a
chimpanzee . they never doubted that i was dead , and i meant
that they never should . i heard that barclay had married nancy , 
and that he was rising rapidly in the regiment , but even that did
not make me speak . 
 " but when one gets old one has a longing for home . for years
i ' ve been dreaming of the bright green fields and the hedges of
england . at last i determined to see them before i died . i saved
enough to bring me across , and then i came here where the
soldiers are , for i know their ways and how to amuse them and
so earn enough to keep me . " 
 " your narrative is most interesting , " said sherlock holmes . 
 " i have already heard of your meeting with mrs . barclay , and
your mutual recognition . you then , as i understand , followed her
home and saw through the window an altercation between her
husband and her , in which she doubtless cast his conduct to you
in his teeth . your own feelings overcame you , and you ran
across the lawn and broke in upon them . " 
 " i did , sir , and at the sight of me he looked as i have never
seen a man look before , and over he went with his head on the
fender . but he was dead before he fell . i read death on his face
as plain as i can read that text over the fire . the bare sight of me
was like a bullet through his guilty heart . " 
 " and then ? " 
 " then nancy fainted , and i caught up the key of the door
from her hand , intending to unlock it and get help . but as i was
doing it it seemed to me better to leave it alone and get away , for
the thing might look black against me , and anyway my secret
would be out if i were taken . in my haste i thrust the key into
my pocket , and dropped my stick while i was chasing teddy , 
who had run up the curtain . when i got him into his box , from
which he had slipped , i was off as fast as i could run . " 
 " who 's teddy ? " asked holmes . 
 the man leaned over and pulled up the front of a kind of hutch
in the corner . in an instant out there slipped a beautiful reddish-
brown creature , thin and lithe , with the legs of a stoat , a long , 
thin nose , and a pair of the finest red eyes that ever i saw in an
animal 's head . 
 " it 's a mongoose , " i cried . 
 " well , some call them that , and some call them ichneumon , " 
said the man . " snake-catcher is what i call them , and teddy is
amazing quick on cobras . i have one here without the fangs , and
teddy catches it every night to please the folk in the canteen . 
 " any other point , sir ? " 
 " well , we may have to apply to you again if mrs . barclay
should prove to be in serious trouble . " 
 " in that case , of course , i ' d come forward . " 
 " but if not , there is no object in raking up this scandal against
a dead man , foully as he has acted . you have at least the
satisfaction of knowing that for thirty years of his life his con-
science bitterly reproached him for his wicked deed . ah , there
goes major murphy on the other side of the street . good-bye , 
wood . i want to learn if anything has happened since yesterday . " 
 we were in time to overtake the major before he reached the
corner . 
 " ah , holmes , " he said , " i suppose you have heard that all
this fuss has come to nothing ? " 
 " what then ? " 
 " the }nquest is just over . the medical evidence showed
conclusively that death was due to apoplexy . you see it was
quite a simple case . after all . " 
 " oh , remarkably superficial , " said holmes , smiling . " come , 
watson , i don ' t think we shall be wanted in aldershot any
more . " 
 " there 's one thing , " said i as we walked down to the station . 
 " if the husband 's name was james , and the other was henry , 
what was this talk about david ? " 
 " that one word , my dear watson , should have told me the
whole story had i been the ideal reasoner which you are so fond
of depicting . it was evidently a term of reproach . " 
 " of reproach ? ' ' 
 " yes ; david strayed a little occasionally , you know , and on
one occasion in the same direction as sergeant james barclay . 
you remember the small affair of uriah and bathsheba ? my
biblical knowledge is a trifle rusty , i fear , but you will find the
story in the first or second of samuel . " 
 . 
   the adventure of the dancing men

 holmes had been seated for some hours in silence with his
long , thin back curved over a chemical vessel in which he was
brewing a particularly malodorous product . his head was sunk
upon his breast , and he looked from my point of view like a
strange , lank bird , with dull gray plumage and a black top-knot . 
 " so , watson , " said he , suddenly , " you do not propose to
invest in south african securities ? " 
 i gave a start of astonishment . accustomed as i was to holmes ' s
curious faculties , this sudden intrusion into my most intimate
thoughts was utterly inexplicable . 
 " how on earth do you know that ? " i asked . 
 he wheeled round upon his stool , with a steaming test-tube in
his hand , and a gleam of amusement in his deep-set eyes . 
 " now , watson , confess yourself utterly taken aback , " said
he . 
 " i am . " 
 " i ought to make you sign a paper to that effect . " 
 " why ? " 
 " because in five minutes you will say that it is all so absurdly
simple . " 
 " i am sure that i shall say nothing of the kind . " 
 " you see , my dear watson " -- he propped his test-tube in the
rack , and began to lecture with the air of a professor addressing
his class -- " it is not really difficult to construct a series of
inferences , each dependent upon its predecessor and each simple
in itself . if , after doing so , one simply knocks out all the central
inferences and presents one 's audience with the starting-point
and the conclusion , one may produce a startling , though possi-
bly a meretricious , effect . now , it was not really difficult , by an
inspection of the groove between your left forefinger and thumb , 
to feel sure that you did not propose to invest your small capital
in the gold fields . " 
 " i see no connection . " 
 " very likely not ; but i can quickly show you a close connec-
tion . here are the missing links of the very simple chain : 1 . you
had chalk between your left finger and thumb when you returned
from the club last night . 2 . you put chalk there when you play
billiards , to steady the cue . 3 . you never play billiards except
with thurston . 4 . you told me , four weeks ago , that thurston
had an option on some south african property which would
expire in a month , and which he desired you to share with him . 
5 . your check book is locked in my drawer , and you have not
asked for the key . 6 . you do not propose to invest your money
in this manner . " 
 " how absurdly simple ! " i cried . 
 " quite so ! " said he , a little nettled . " every problem becomes
very childish when once it is explained to you . here is an
unexplained one . see what you can make of that , friend wat-
son . " he tossed a sheet of paper upon the table , and turned once
more to his chemical analysis . 
 i looked with amazement at the absurd hieroglyphics upon the
paper . 
 " why , holmes , it is a child 's drawing , " i cried . 
 " oh , that 's your idea ! " 
 " what else should it be ? " 
 " that is what mr . hilton cubitt , of riding thorpe manor , 
norfolk , is very anxious to know . this little conundrum came by
the first post , and he was to follow by the next train . there 's a
ring at the bell , watson . i should not be very much surprised if
this were he . " 
 a heavy step was heard upon the stairs , and an instant later
there entered a tall , ruddy , clean-shaven gentleman , whose clear
eyes and florid cheeks told of a life led far from the fogs of
baker street . he seemed to bring a whiff of his strong , fresh , 
bracing , east-coast air with him as he entered . having shaken
hands with each of us , he was about to sit down , when his eye
rested upon the paper with the curious markings , which i had
just examined and left upon the table . 
 " well , mr . holmes , what do you make of these ? " he cried . 
 " they told me that you were fond of queer mysteries , and i
don ' t think you can find a queerer one than that . i sent the paper
on ahead , so that you might have time to study it before i
came . " 
 " it is certainly rather a curious production , ' ' said holmes . 
 " at first sight it would appear to be some childish prank . it
consists of a number of absurd little figures dancing across the
paper upon which they are drawn . why should you attribute any
importance to so grotesque an object ? " 
 " i never should , mr . holmes . but my wife does . it is fright-
ening her to death . she says nothing , but i can see terror in her
eyes . that 's why i want to sift the matter to the bottom . " 
 holmes held up the paper so that the sunlight shone full upon
it . it was a page torn from a notebook . the markings were done
in pencil , and ran in this way : 


 holmes examined it for some time , and then , folding it carefully
up , he placed it in his pocketbook . 
 " this promises to be a most interesting and unusual case , " 
said he . " you gave me a few particulars in your letter , mr . 
hilton cubitt , but i should be very much obliged if you would
kindly go over it all again for the benefit of my friend , dr . 
watson . " 
 " i ' m not much of a story-teller , " said our visitor , nervously
clasping and unclasping his great , strong hands . " you ' ll just ask
me anything that i don ' t make clear . i ' ll begin at the time of my
marriage last year , but i want to say first of all that , though i ' m
not a rich man , my people have been at riding thorpe for a
matter of five centuries , and there is no better known family in
the county of norfolk . last year i came up to london for the
jubilee , and i stopped at a boardinghouse in russell square , 
because parker , the vicar of our parish , was staying in it . there
was an american young lady there -- patrick was the name -- 
elsie patrick . in some way we became friends , until before my
month was up i was as much in love as man could be . we were
quietly married at a registry office , and we returned to norfolk a
wedded couple . you ' ll think it very mad , mr . holmes , that a
man of a good old family should marry a wife in this fashion , 
knowing nothing of her past or of her people , but if you saw her
and knew her , it would help you to understand . 
 " she was very straight about it , was elsie . i can ' t say that she
did not give me every chance of getting out of it if i wished to do
so . ' l have had some very disagreeable associations in my life , ' 
said she , ' i wish to forget all about them . i would rather never
allude to the past , for it is very painful to me . if you take me , 
hilton , you will take a woman who has nothing that she need be
personally ashamed of ; but you will have to be content with my
word for it , and to allow me to be silent as to all that passed up
to the time when i became yours . if these conditions are too
hard , then go back to norfolk , and leave me to the lonely life in
which you found me . ' it was only the day before our wedding
that she said those very words to me . i told her that i was content
to take her on her own terms , and i have been as good as my
word . 
 " well , we have been married now for a year , and very happy
we have been . but about a month ago , at the end of june , i saw
for the first time signs of trouble . one day my wife received a
letter from america . i saw the american stamp . she turned
deadly white , read the letter , and threw it into the fire . she made
no allusion to it afterwards , and i made none , for a promise is a
promise , but she has never known an easy hour from that
moment . there is always a look of fear upon her face -- a look as
if she were waiting and expecting . she would do better to trust
me . she would find that i was her best friend . but until she
speaks , i can say nothing . mind you , she is a truthful woman , 
mr . holmes , and whatever trouble there may have been in her
past life it has been no fault of hers . i am only a simple norfolk
squire , but there is not a man in england who ranks his family
honour more highly than i do . she knows it well , and she knew
it well before she married me . she would never bring any stain
upon it -- of that i am sure . 
 " well , now i come to the queer part of my story . about a
week ago -- it was the tuesday of last week -- i found on one of
the window-sills a number of absurd little dancing figures like
these upon the paper . they were scrawled with chalk . i thought
that it was the stable-boy who had drawn them , but the lad swore
he knew nothing about it . anyhow , they had come there during
the night . i had them washed out , and i only mentioned the
matter to my wife afterwards . to my surprise , she took it very
seriously , and begged me if any more came to let her see them . 
none did come for a week , and then yesterday morning i found
this paper iying on the sundial in the garden . i showed it to
elsie , and down she dropped in a dead faint . since then she has
looked like a woman in a dream , half dazed , and with terror
always lurking in her eyes . it was then that i wrote and sent the
paper to you , mr . holmes . it was not a thing that i could take to
the police , for they would have laughed at me , but you will tell
me what to do . i am not a rich man , but if there is any danger
threatening my little woman , i would spend my last copper to
shield her . " 
 he was a fine creature , this man of the old english soil -- 
simple , straight , and gentle , with his great , earnest blue eyes and
broad , comely face . his love for his wife and his trust in her
shone in his features . holmes had listened to his story with the
utmost attention , and now he sat for some time in silent thought . 
 " don ' t you think , mr . cubitt , " said he , at last , " that your
best plan would be to make a direct appeal to your wife , and to
ask her to share her secret with you ? " 
 hilton cubitt shook his massive head . 
 " a promise is a promise , mr . holmes . if elsie wished to tell
me she would . if not , it is not for me to force her confidence . 
but i am justified in taking my own line -- and i will . " 
 " then i will help you with all my heart . in the first place , 
have you heard of any strangers being seen in your neighbour-
hood ? " 
 " no . " 
 " i presume that it is a very quiet place . any fresh face would
cause comment ? " 
 " in the immediate neighbourhood , yes . but we have several
small watering-places not very far away . and the farmers take in
lodgers . " 
 " these hieroglyphics have evidently a meaning . if it is a
purely arbitrary one , it may be impossible for us to solve it . if , 
on the other hand , it is systematic , i have no doubt that we shall
get to the bottom of it . but this particular sample is so short that
i can do nothing , and the facts which you have brought me are
so indefinite that we have no basis for an investigation . i would
suggest that you return to norfolk , that you keep a keen lookout , 
and that you take an exact copy of any fresh dancing men which
may appear . it is a thousand pities that we have not a reproduc-
tion of those which were done in chalk upon the window-sill . 
make a discreet inquiry also as to any strangers in the neigh-
bourhood . when you have collected some fresh evidence , come
to me again . that is the best advice which i can give you , mr . 
hilton cubitt . if there are any pressing fresh developments , i
shall be always ready to run down and see you in your norfolk
home . " 
 the interview left sherlock holmes very thoughtful , and sev-
eral times in the next few days i saw him take his slip of paper
from his notebook and look long and earnestly at the curious
figures inscribed upon it . he made no allusion to the affair , 
however , until one afternoon a fortnight or so later . i was going
out when he called me back . 
 " you had better stay here , watson . " 
 " why ? " 
 " because i had a wire from hilton cubitt this morning . you
remember hilton cubitt , of the dancing men ? he was to reach
liverpool street at one-twenty . he may be here at any moment . 
i gather from his wire that there have been some new incidents
of importance . " 
 we had not long to wait , for our norfolk squire came straight
from the station as fast as a hansom could bring him . he was
looking worried and depressed , with tired eyes and a lined
forehead . 
 " it 's getting on my nerves , this business , mr . holmes , " said
he , as he sank , like a wearied man , into an armchair . " it 's bad
enough to feel that you are surrounded by unseen , unknown folk , 
who have some kind of design upon you , but when , in addition
to that , you know that it is just killing your wife by inches , then
it becomes as much as flesh and blood can endure . she 's wear-
ing away under it -- just wearing away before my eyes . " 
 " has she said anything yet ? " 
 " no , mr . holmes , she has not . and yet there have been times
when the poor girl has wanted to speak , and yet could not quite
bring herself to take the plunge . i have tried to help her , but i
daresay i did it clumsily , and scared her from it . she has spoken
about my old family , and our reputation in the county , and our
pride in our unsullied honour , and i always felt it was leading to
the point , but somehow it turned off before we got there . " 
 " but you have found out something for yourself ? " 
 " a good deal , mr . holmes . i have several fresh dancing-men
pictures for you to examine , and , what is more important , i have
seen the fellow . " 
 " what , the man who draws them ? " 
 " yes , i saw him at his work . but i will tell you everything in
order . when i got back after my visit to you , the very first thing
i saw next morning was a fresh crop of dancing men . they had
been drawn in chalk upon the black wooden door of the tool-
house , which stands beside the lawn in full view of the front
windows . i took an exact copy , and here it is . " he unfolded a
paper and laid it upon the table . here is a copy of the hiero-
glyphics : 


 " excellent ! " said holmes . " excellent ! pray continue . " 
 " when i had taken the copy , i rubbed out the marks , but , two
mornings later , a fresh inscription had appeared . i have a copy of
it here " : 


 holmes rubbed his hands and chuckled with delight . 
 " our material is rapidly accumulating , " said he . 
 " three days later a message was left scrawled upon paper , 
and placed under a pebble upon the sundial . here it is . the
characters are , as you see , exactly the same as the last one . after
that i determined to lie in wait , so i got out my revolver and i sat
up in my study , which overlooks the lawn and garden . about
two in the morning i was seated by the window , all being dark
save for the moonlight outside , when i heard steps behind me , 
and there was my wife in her dressing-gown . she implored me to
come to bed . i told her frankly that i wished to see who it was
who played such absurd tricks upon us . she answered that it was
some senseless practical joke , and that i should not take any
notice of it . 
 " ' if it really annoys you , hilton , we might go and travel , you
and i , and so avoid this nuisance . ' 
 " ' what , be driven out of our own house by a practical
joker ? ' said i . ' why , we should have the whole county laughing
at us . ' 
 " ' well , come to bed . ' said she , ' and we can discuss it in the
morning . ' 
 " suddenly , as she spoke , i saw her white face grow whiter
yet in the moonlight , and her hand tightened upon my shoulder . 
something was moving in the shadow of the tool-house . i saw a
dark , creeping figure which crawled round the corner and squat-
ted in front of the door . seizing my pistol , i was rushing out , 
when my wife threw her arms round me and held me with
convulsive strength . i tried to throw her off , but she clung to me
most desperately . at last i got clear , but by the time i had
opened the door and reached the house the creature was gone . 
he had left a trace of his presence , however , for there on the
door was the very same arrangement of dancing men which had
already twice appeared , and which i have copied on that paper . 
there was no other sign of the fellow anywhere , though i ran all
over the grounds . and yet the amazing thing is that he must have
been there all the time , for when i examined the door again in
the morning , he had scrawled some more of his pictures under
the line which i had already seen . " 
 " have you that fresh drawing ? " 
 " yes , it is very short , but i made a copy of it , and here it is . " 
 again he produced a paper . the new dance was in this form : 


 " tell me , " said holmes -- and i could see by his eyes that he
was much excited -- " was this a mere addition to the first or did
it appear to be entirely separate ? " 
 " it was on a different panel of the door . " 
 " excellent ! this is far the most important of all for our
purpose . it fills me with hopes . now , mr . hilton cubitt , please
continue your most interesting statement . " 
 " i have nothing more to say , mr . holmes , except that i was
angry with my wife that night for having held me back when i
might have caught the skulking rascal . she said that she feared
that i might come to harm . for an instant it had crossed my mind
that perhaps what she really feared was that he might come to
harm , for i could not doubt that she knew who this man was , and
what he meant by these strange signals . but there is a tone in my
wife 's voice , mr . holmes , and a look in her eyes which forbid
doubt , and i am sure that it was indeed my own safety that was
in her mind . there 's the whole case , and now i want your advice
as to what i ought to do . my own inclination is to put half a
dozen of my farm lads in the shrubbery , and when this fellow
comes again to give him such a hiding that he will leave us in
peace for the future . " 
 " i fear it is too deep a case for such simple remedies , " said
holmes . " how long can you stay in london ? " 
 " i must go back today . i would not leave my wife alone all
night for anything . she is very nervous , and begged me to come
back . " 
 " i daresay you are right . but if you could have stopped . i
might possibly have been able to return with you in a day or two . 
meanwhile you will leave me these papers , and i think that it is
very likely that i shall be able to pay you a visit shortly and to
throw some light upon your case . " 
 sherlock holmes preserved his calm professional manner until
our visitor had left us , although it was easy for me , who knew
him so well , to see that he was profoundly excited . the moment
that hilton cubitt 's broad back had disappeared through the door
my comrade rushed to the table , laid out all the slips of paper
containing dancing men in front of him , and threw himself into
an intricate and elaborate calculation . for two hours i watched
him as he covered sheet after sheet of paper with figures and
letters , so completely absorbed in his task that he had evidently
forgotten my presence . sometimes he was making progress and
whistled and sang at his work ; sometimes he was puzzled , and
would sit for long spells with a furrowed brow and a vacant eye . 
finally he sprang from his chair with a cry of satisfaction , and
walked up and down the room rubbing his hands together . then
he wrote a long telegram upon a cable form . " if my answer to
this is as i hope , you will have a very pretty case to add to your
collection , watson , " said he . " i expect that we shall be able to
go down to norfolk tomorrow , and to take our friend some very
definite news as to the secret of his annoyance . " 
 i confess that i was filled with curiosity , but i was aware that
holmes liked to make his disclosures at his own time and in his
own way , so i waited until it should suit him to take me into his
confidence . 
 but there was a delay in that answering telegram , and two
days of impatience followed , during which holmes pricked up
his ears at every ring of the bell . on the evening of the second
there came a letter from hilton cubitt . all was quiet with him , 
save that a long inscription had appeared that morning upon the
pedestal of the sundial . he inclosed a copy of it , which is here
reproduced : 


 holmes bent over this grotesque frieze for some minutes , and
then suddenly sprang to his feet with an exclamation of surprise
and dismay . his face was haggard with anxiety . 
 " we have let this affair go far enough , " said he . " is there a
train to north walsham to-night ? " 
 i turned up the time-table . the last had just gone . 
 " then we shall breakfast early and take the very first in the
morning , " said holmes . " our presence is most urgently needed . 
ah ! here is our expected cablegram . one moment , mrs . hudson , 
there may be an answer . no , that is quite as i expected . this
message makes it even more essential that we should not lose an
hour in letting hilton cubitt know how matters stand , for it is a
singular and a dangerous web in which our simple norfolk squire
is entangled . " 
 so , indeed , it proved , and as i come to the dark conclusion of
a story which had seemed to me to be only childish and bizarre , i
experience once again the dismay and horror with which i was
filled . would that i had some brighter ending to communicate to
my readers , but these are the chronicles of fact , and i must
follow to their dark crisis the strange chain of events which for
some days made riding thorpe manor a household word through
the length and breadth of england . 
 we had hardly alighted at north walsham , and mentioned the
name of our destination , when the stationmaster hurried towards
us . " i suppose that you are the detectives from london ? " said
he . 
 a look of annoyance passed over holmes 's face . 
 " what makes you think such a thing ? " 
 " because inspector martin from norwich has just passed
through . but maybe you are the surgeons . she 's not dead -- or
wasn ' t by last accounts . you may be in time to save her yet -- 
though it be for the gallows . " 
 holmes 's brow was dark with anxiety . 
 " we are going to riding thorpe manor , " said he , " but we
have heard nothing of what has passed there . " 
 " it 's a terrible business , " said the stationmaster . " they are
shot , both mr . hilton cubitt and his wife . she shot him and then
herself -- so the servants say . he 's dead and her life is despaired
of . dear , dear , one of the oldest families in the county of
norfolk , and one of the most honoured . " 
 without a word holmes hurried to a carriage , and during the
long seven miles ' drive he never opened his mouth . seldom have
i seen him so utterly despondent . he had been uneasy during all
our journey from town , and i had observed that he had turned
over the morning papers with anxious attention , but now this
sudden realization of his worst fears left him in a blank melan-
choly . he leaned back in his seat , lost in gloomy speculation . 
yet there was much around to interest us , for we were passing
through as singular a countryside as any in england , where a few
scattered cottages represented the populatlon of to-day , while on
every hand enormous square-towered churches bristled up from
the flat green landscape and told of the glory and prosperity of
old east anglia . at last the violet rim of the german ocean
appeared over the green edge of the norfolk coast , and the driver
pointed with his whip to two old brick and timber gables which
projected from a grove of trees . " that 's riding thorpe manor , " 
said he . 
 as we drove up to the porticoed front door , i observed in front
of it , beside the tennis lawn , the black tool-house and the
pedestalled sundial with which we had such strange associations . 
a dapper little man , with a quick , alert manner and a waxed
moustache , had just descended from a high dog-cart . he intro-
duced himself as inspector martin , of the norfolk constabulary
and he was considerably astonished when he heard the name of
my companion . 
 " why , mr . holmes , the crime was only committed at three
this morning . how could you hear of it in london and get to the
spot as soon as l ? " 
 " i anticipated it . i came in the hope of preventing it . " 
 " then you must have important evidence , of which we are
ignorant , for they were said to be a most united couple . " 
 " i have only the evidence of the dancing men , " said holmes . 
 " i will explain the matter to you later . meanwhile , since it is too
late to prevent this tragedy , i am very anxious that i should use
the knowledge which i possess in order to insure that justice be
done . will you associate me in your investigation , or will you
prefer that i should act independently ? " 
 " i should be proud to feel that we were acting together , mr . 
holmes , " said the inspector , earnestly . 
 " in that case i should be glad to hear the evidence and to
examine the premises without an instant of unnecessary delay . " 
 inspector martin had the good sense to allow my friend to do
things in his own fashion , and contented himself with carefully
noting the results . the local surgeon , an old , white-haired man , 
had just come down from mrs . hilton cubitt 's room , and he
reported that her injuries were serious , but not necessarily fatal . 
the bullet had passed through the front of her brain , and it
would probably be some time before she could regain conscious-
ness . on the question of whether she had been shot or had shot
herself , he would not venture to express any decided opinion . 
certainly the bullet had been discharged at very close quarters . 
there was only the one pistol found in the room , two barrels of
which had been emptied . mr . hilton cubitt had been shot through
the heart . it was equally conceivable that he had shot her and then
himself , or that she had been the criminal , for the revolver lay
upon the floor midway between them . 
 " has he been moved ? " asked holmes . 
 " we have moved nothing except the lady . we could not leave
her lying wounded upon the floor . " 
 " how long have you been here , doctor ? " 
 " since four o ' clock . " 
 " anyone else ? " 
 " yes , the constable here . " 
 " and you have touched nothing ? " 
 " nothing . " 
 " you have acted with great discretion . who sent for you ? " 
 " the housemaid , saunders . " 
 " was it she who gave the alarm ? " 
 " she and mrs . king , the cook . " 
 " where are they now ? " 
 " in the kitchen , i believe . " 
 " then i think we had better hear their story at once . " 
 the old hall , oak-panelled and high-windowed , had been
turned into a court of investigation . holmes sat in a great , 
old-fashioned chair , his inexorable eyes gleaming out of his
haggard face . i could read in them a set purpose to devote his
life to this quest until the client whom he had failed to save
should at last be avenged . the trim inspector martin , the old , 
gray-headed country doctor , myself , and a stolid village police-
man made up the rest of that strange company . 
 the two women told their story clearly enough . they had
been aroused from their sleep by the sound of an explosion , 
which had been followed a minute later by a second one . they
slept in adjoining rooms , and mrs . king had rushed in to saunders . 
together they had descended the stairs . the door of the study
was open , and a candle was burning upon the table . their master
lay upon his face in the centre of the room . he was quite dead . 
near the window his wife was crouching , her head leaning
against the wall . she was horribly wounded , and the side of her
face was red with blood . she breathed heavily , but was incapa-
ble of saying anything . the passage , as well as the room , was
full of smoke and the smell of powder . the window was cer-
tainly shut and fastened upon the inside . both women were
positive upon the point . they had at once sent for the doctor and
for the constable . then , with the aid of the groom and the
stable-boy , they had conveyed their injured mistress to her room . 
both she and her husband had occupied the bed . she was clad in
her dress -- he in his dressing-gown , over his night-clothes . noth-
ing had been moved in the study . so far as they knew , there had
never been any quarrel between husband and wife . they had
always looked upon them as a very united couple . 
 these were the main points of the servants ' evidence . in
answer to inspector martin , they were clear that every door was
fastened upon the inside , and that no one could have escaped
from the house . in answer to holmes , they both remembered that
they were conscious of the smell of powder from the moment
that they ran out of their rooms upon the top floor . " i commend
that fact very carefully to your attention . " said holmes to his
professional colleague . " and now i think that we are in a
position to undertake a thorough examination of the room . " 
 the study proved to be a small chamber , lined on three sides
with books , and with a writing-table facing an ordinary window , 
which looked out upon the garden . our first attention was given
to the body of the unfortunate squire , whose huge frame lay
stretched across the room . his disordered dress showed that he
had been hastily aroused from sleep . the bullet had been fired at
him from the front , and had remained in his body , after penetrat-
ing the heart . his death had certainly been instantaneous and
painless . there was no powder-marking either upon his dressing-
gown or on his hands . according to the country surgeon , the
lady had stains upon her face , but none upon her hand . 
 " the absence of the latter means nothing , though its presence
may mean everything , " said holmes . " unless the powder from
a badly fitting cartridge happens to spurt backward , one may fire
many shots without leaving a sign . i would suggest that mr . 
cubitt 's body may now be removed . i suppose , doctor , you
have not recovered the bullet which wounded the lady ? " 
 " a serious operation will be necessary before that can be
done . but there are still four cartridges in the revolver . two have
been fired and two wounds inflicted , so that each bullet can be
accounted for . " 
 " so it would seem , " said holmes . " perhaps you can account
also for the bullet which has so obviously struck the edge of the
window ? " 
 he had turned suddenly , and his long , thin finger was pointing
to a hole which had been drilled right through the lower window-
sash . about an inch above the bottom . 
 " by george ! " cried the inspector . " how ever did you see
that ? " 
 " because i looked for it . " 
 " wonderful ! " said the counlry doctor . " you are certainly
right , sir . then a third shot has been fired , and therefore a third
person must have been present . but who could that have been , 
and how could he have got away ? " 
 " that is the problem which we are now about to solve , " said
sherlock holmes . " you remember , inspector martin , when the
servants said that on leaving their room they were at once
conscious of a smell of powder , i remarked that the point was an
extremely important one ? " 
 " yes , sir ; but i confess i did not quite follow you . " 
 " it suggested that at the time of the firing , the window as well
as the door of the room had been open . otherwise the fumes of
powder could not have been blown so rapidly through the house . 
a draught in the room was necessary for that . both door and
window were only open for a very short time , however . " 
 " how do you prove that ? " 
 " because the candle was not guttered . " 
 " capital ! " cried the inspector . " capital ! " 
 " feeling sure that the window had been open at the time of
the tragedy , i conceived that there might have been a third
person in the affair , who stood outside this opening and fired
through it . any shot directed at this person might hit the sash . i
looked , and there , sure enough , was the bullet mark ! " 
 " but how came the window to be shut and fastened ? " 
 " the woman 's first instinct would be to shut and fasten the
window . but , halloa ! what is this ? " 
 it was a lady 's hand-bag which stood upon the study table -- a
trim little handbag of crocodile-skin and silver . holmes opened it
and turned the contents out . there were twenty fifty-pound notes
of the bank of england , held together by an india-rubber band -- 
nothing else .   
 " this must be preserved , for it will figure in the trial , " said
holmes , as he handed the bag with its contents to the inspector . 
 " it is now necessary that we should try to throw some light upon
this third bullet , which has clearly , from the splintering of the
wood , been fired from inside the room . i should like to see mrs . 
king , the cook , again . you said , mrs . king , that you were
awakened by a loud explosion . when you said that , did you
mean that it seemed to you to be louder than the second one ? " 
 " well , sir , it wakened me from my sleep , so it is hard to
judge . but it did seem very loud . " 
 " you don ' t think that it might have been two shots fired
almost at the same instant ? " 
 " i am sure i couldn ' t say , sir . " 
 " i believe that it was undoubtedly so . i rather think , inspector
mattin , that we have now exhausted all that this room can teach
us . if you will kindly step round with me , we shall see what
fresh evidence the garden has to offer . " 
 a flower-bed extended up to the study window , and we all
broke into an exclamation as we approached it . the flowers were
trampled down , and the soft soil was imprinted all over with
footmarks . large , masculine feet they were , with peculiarly
long , sharp toes . holmes hunted about among the grass and
leaves like a retriever after a wounded bird . then , with a cry of
satisfaction , he bent forward and picked up a little brazen cylinder . 
 " i thought so , " said he ; " the revolver had an ejector , and
here is the third cartridge . i really think , inspector martin , that
our case is almost complete . " 
 the country inspector 's face had shown his intense amazement
at the rapid and masterful progress of holmes 's investigation . at
first he had shown some disposition to assert his own position , 
but now he was overcome with admiration , and ready to follow
without question wherever holmes led . 
 " whom do you suspect ? " he asked . 
 " i ' ll go into that later . there are several points in this problem
which i have not been able to explain to you yet . now that i
have got so far , i had best proceed on my own lines , and then
clear the whole matter up once and for all . " 
 " just as you wish , mr . holmes , so long as we get our man . " 
 " i have no desire to make mysteries , but it is impossible at the
moment of action to enter into long and complex explanations . i
have the threads of this affair all in my hand . even if this lady
should never recover consciousness , we can still reconstruct the
events of last night , and insure that justice be done . first of all , i
wish to know whether there is any inn in this neighbourhood
known as ' elrige 's ' ? " 
 the servants were cross-questioned , but none of them had
heard of such a place . the stable-boy threw a light upon the
matter by remembering that a farmer of that name lived some
miles off , in the direction of east ruston . 
 " is it a lonely farm ? " 
 " very lonely , sir . " 
 " perhaps they have not heard yet of all that happened here
during the night ? " 
 " maybe not , sir . " 
 holmes thought for a little , and then a curious smile played
over his face . 
 " saddle a horse , my lad , " said he . " i shall wish you to take a
note to elrige 's farm . " 
 he took from his pocket the various slips of the dancing men . 
with these in front of him he worked for some time at the
study-table . finally he handed a note to the boy , with directions
to put it into the hands of the person to whom it was addressed , 
and especially to answer no questions of any sort which might be
put to him . i saw the outside of the note , addressed in straggling , 
irregular characters , very unlike holmes 's usual precise hand . it
was consigned to mr . abe slaney , elrige 's farm , east ruston , 
norfolk . 
 " i think , inspector , " holmes remarked , " that you would do
well to telegraph for an escort , as , if my calculations prove to be
correct , you may have a particularly dangerous prisoner to con-
vey to the county jail . the boy who takes this note could no
doubt forward your telegram . if there is an afternoon train to
town , watson , i think we should do well to take it , as i have a
chemical analysis of some interest to finish , and this investiga-
tion draws rapidly to a close . " 
 when the youth had been dispatched with the note , sherlock
holmes gave his instructions to the servants . if any visitor were
to call asking for mrs . hilton cubitt , no information should be
given as to her condition , but he was to be shown at once into
the drawing-room . he impressed these points upon them with the
utmost earnestness . finally he led the way into the drawing-room , 
with the remark that the business was now out of our hands , and
that we must while away the time as best we might until we
could see what was in store for us . the doctor had departed to
his patients and only the inspector and myself remained . 
 " i think that i can help you to pass an hour in an interesting
and profitable manner , " said holmes , drawing his chair up to
the table , and spreading out in front of him the various papers
upon which were recorded the antics of the dancing men . " as to
you , friend watson , i owe you every atonement for having
allowed your natural curiosity to remain so long unsatisfied . to
you , inspector , the whole incident may appeal as a remarkable
professional study . i must tell you , first of all , the interesting
circumstances connected with the previous consultations which
mr . hilton cubitt has had with me in baker street . " he then
shortly recapitulated the facts which have already been recorded . 
 " i have here in front of me these singular productions , at which
one might smile , had they not proved themselves to be the
forerunners of so terrible a tragedy . i am fairly familiar with all
forms of secret writings , and am myself the author of a trifling
monograph upon the subject , in which i analyze one hundred and
sixty separate ciphers , but i confess that this is entirely new to
me . the object of those who invented the system has apparently
been to conceal that these characters convey a message , and to
give the idea that they are the mere random sketches of children . 
 " having once recognized , however , that the symbols stood
for letters , and having applied the rules which guide us in all
forms of secret writings , the solution was easy enough . the first
message submitted to me was so short that it was impossible for
me to do more than to say , with some confidence , that the
symbol ~ stood for e . as you are aware , e is the most common
letter in the english alphabet , and it predominates to so marked
an extent that even in a short sentence one would expect to find
it most often . out of fifteen symbols in the first message , four
were the same , so it was reasonable to set this down as e . it is
true that in some cases the figure was bearing a flag , and in some
cases not , but it was probable , from the way in which the flags
were distributed , that they were used to break the sentence up
into words . i accepted this as a hypothesis , and noted that e was
represented by ~ . 
 " but now came the real difficulty of the inquiry . the order of
the english letters after e is by no means well marked , and any
preponderance which may be shown in an average of a printed
sheet may be reversed in a single short sentence . speaking
roughly , t , a , 0 , i , n , s , h , r , d , and l are the numerical
order in which letters occur ; but t , a , 0 , and i are very nearly
abreast of each other , and it would be an endless task to try each
combination until a meaning was arrived at . i therefore waited
for fresh material . in my second interview with mr . hilton
cubitt he was able to give me two other short sentences and one
message , which appeared -- since there was no flag -- to be a
single word . here are the symbols . now , in the single word i
have already got the two e 's coming second and fourth in a word
of five letters . it might be ' sever . ' or ' lever , ' or ' never . ' there
can be no question that the latter as a reply to an appeal is far the
most probable , and the circumstances pointed to its being a reply
written by the lady . accepting it as correct , we are now able to say
that the symbols ~~~ stand respectively for n , v , and r . 
 " even now i was in considerable difficulty , but a happy
thought put me in possession of several other letters . it occurred
to me that if these appeals came , as i expected , from someone
who had been intimate with the lady in her early life , a combina-
tion which contained two e 's with three letters between might
very well stand for the name ' elsie . ' on examination i found
that such a combination formed the termination of the message
which was three times repeated . it was certainly some appeal to
 ' elsie . ' in this way i had got my l , s , and i . but what appeal
could it be ? there were only four letters in the word which
preceded ' elsie , ' and it ended in e . surely the word must be
 ' come . ' i tried all other four letters ending in e , but could find
none to fit the case . so now i was in possession of c . 0 , and
m , and i was in a position to attack the first message once more , 
dividing it into words and putting dots for each symbol which
was still unknown . so treated , it worked out in this fashion : 

    . m . ere . . e sl . ne . 

 " now the first letter can only be a , which is a most useful
discovery , since it occurs no fewer than three times in this short
sentence , and the h is also apparent in the second word . now it
becomes : 

    am here a . e slane . 

 or , filling in the obvious vacancies in the name : 

    am here abe slaney . 

i had so many letters now that i could proceed with considerable
confidence to the second message , which worked out in this
fashion : 

    a . elri . es

here i could only make sense by putting t and g for the missing
letters , and supposing that the name was that of some house or
inn at which the writer was staying . " 
 inspector martin and i had listened with the utmost interest to
the full and clear account of how my friend had produced results
which had led to so complete a command over our difficulties . 
 " what did you do then , sir ? " asked the inspector . 
 " i had every reason to suppose that this abe slaney was an
american , since abe is an american contraction , and since a
letter from america had been the starting-point of all the trouble . 
i had also every cause to think that there was some criminal
secret in the matter . the lady 's allusions to her past , and her
refusal to take her husband into her confidence , both pointed in
that direction . i therefore cabled to my friend , wilson hargreave , 
of the new york police bureau , who has more than once made
use of my knowledge of london crime . i asked him whether the
name of abe slaney was known to him . here is his reply : ' the
most dangerous crook in chicago . ' on the very evening upon
which i had his answer , hilton cubitt sent me the last message
from slaney . working with known letters , it took this form : 

    elsie . re . are to meet thy go . 

the addition of a p and a d completed a message which showed
me that the rascal was proceeding from persuasion to threats , and
my knowledge of the crooks of chicago prepared me to find that
he might very rapidly put his words into action . i at once came
to norfolk with my friend and colleague , dr . watson , but , 
unhappily , only in time to find that the worst had already
occurred . " 
 " it is a privilege to be associated with you in the handling of a
case , " said the inspector , warmly . " you will excuse me , how-
ever , if i speak frankly to you . you are only answerable to
yourself , but i have to answer to my superiors . if this abe
slaney , living at elrige 's , is indeed the murderer , and if he has
made his escape while i am seated here , i should certainly get
into serious trouble . " 
 " you need not be uneasy . he will not try to escape . " 
 " how do you know ? " 
 " to fly would be a confession of guilt . " 
 " then let us go to arrest him . " 
 " i expect him here every instant . " 
 " but why should he come ? " 
 " because i have written and asked him . " 
 " but this is incredible , mr . holmes ! why should he come
because you have asked him ? would not such a request rather
rouse his suspicions and cause him to fly ? " 
 " i think i have known how to frame the letter , " said sherlock
holmes . " in fact , if i am not very much mistaken , here is the
gentleman himself coming up the dnve . " 
 a man was striding up the path which led to the door . he was
a tall , handsome , swarthy fellow , clad in a suit of gray flannel , 
with a panama hat , a bristling black beard , and a great , aggres-
sive hooked nose , and flourishing a cane as he walked . he
swaggered up the path as if the place belonged to him , and we
heard his loud , confident peal at the bell . 
 " i think , gentlemen , " said holmes , quietly , " that we had
best take up our position behind the door . every precaution is
necessary when dealing with such a fellow . you will need your
handcuffs , inspector . you can leave the talking to me . " 
 we waited in silence for a minute -- one of those minutes
which one can never forget . then the door opened and the man
stepped in . in an instant holmes clapped a pistol to his head , and
martin slipped the handcuffs over his wrists . it was all done so
swiftly and deftly that the fellow was helpless before he knew
that he was attacked . he glared from one to the other of us with
a pair of blazing black eyes . then he burst into a bitter laugh . 
 " well , gentlemen , you have the drop on me this time . i seem
to have knocked up against something hard . but i came here in
answer to a letter from mrs . hilton cubitt . don ' t tell me that she
is in this ? don ' t tell me that she helped to set a trap for me ? " 
 " mrs . hilton cubitt was seriously injured , and is at death ' s
door . " 
 the man gave a hoarse cry of grief , which rang through the
house . 
 " you ' re crazy ! " he cried , fiercely . " it was he that was hurt , 
not she . who would have hurt little elsie ? i may have threatened
her -- god forgive me ! -- but i would not have touched a hair of
her pretty head . take it back -- you ! say that she is not hurt ! " 
 " she was found , badly wounded , by the side of her dead
husband . " 
 he sank with a deep groan on to the settee , and buried his face
in his manacled hands . for five minutes he was silent . then he
raised his face once more , and spoke with the cold composure of
despair . 
 " i have nothing to hide from you , gentlemen , " said he . " if i
shot the man he had his shot at me , and there 's no murder in
that . but if you think i could have hurt that woman , then you
don ' t know either me or her . i tell you , there was never a man in
this world loved a woman more than i loved her . i had a right to
her . she was pledged to me years ago . who was this englishman
that he should come between us ? i tell you that i had the first
right to her , and that i was only claiming my own . " 
 " she broke away from your influence when she found the
man that you are , " said holmes , sternly . " she fled from amer-
ica to avoid you , and she married an honourable gentleman in
england . you dogged her and followed her and made her life a
misery to her , in order to induce her to abandon the husband
whom she loved and respected in order to fly with you , whom
she feared and hated . you have ended by bringing about the
death of a noble man and driving his wife to suicide . that is
your record in this business , mr . abe slaney , and you will
answer for it to the law . 
 " if elsie dies , i care nothing what becomes of me , " said the
american . he opened one of his hands , and looked at a note
crumpled up in his palm . " see here , mister , " he cried , with a
gleam of suspicion in his eyes , " you ' re not trying to scare me
over this , are you ? if the lady is hurt as bad as you say , who was
it that wrote this note ? " he tossed it forward on to the table . 
 " i wrote it , to bring you here . " 
 " you wrote it ? there was no one on earth outside the joint
who knew the secret of the dancing men . how came you to write
it ? " 
 " what one man can invent another can discover , " said holmes . 
 " there is a cab coming to convey you to norwich , mr . slaney . 
but , meanwhile , you have time to make some small reparation
for the injury you have wrought . are you aware that mrs . hilton
cubitt has herself lain under grave suspicion of the murder of her
husband , and that it was only my presence here , and the knowl-
edge which i happened to possess , which has saved her from the
accusation ? the least that you owe her is to make it clear to the
whole world that she was in no way , directly or indirectly , 
responsible for his tragic end . " 
 " i ask nothing better , " said the american . " i guess the very
best case i can make for myself is the absolute naked truth . " 
 " it is my duty to warn you that it will be used against you , " 
cried the inspector , with the magnificent fair play of the british
criminal law . 
 slaney shrugged his shoulders . 
 " i ' ll chance that , " said he . " first of all , i want you gentle-
men to understand that i have known this lady since she was a
child . there were seven of us in a gang in chicago , and elsie ' s
father was the boss of the joint . he was a clever man , was old
patrick . it was he who invented that writing , which would pass
as a child 's scrawl unless you just happened to have the key to it . 
well elsie learned some of our ways . but she couldn ' t stand
the business , and she had a bit of honest money of her own . so
she gave us all the slip and got away to london . she had been
engaged to me , and she would have married me , i believe , if i
had taken over another profession , but she would have nothing to
do with anything on the cross . it was only after her marriage to
this englishman that i was able to find out where she was . i
wrote to her , but got no answer . after that i came over , and , as
letters were no use , i put my messages where she could read
them . 
 " well , i have been here a month now . i lived in that farm , 
where i had a room down below , and could get in and out every
night , and no one the wiser . i tried all i could to coax elsie
away . i knew that she read the messages , for once she wrote an
answer under one of them . then my temper got the better of me , 
and i began to threaten her . she sent me a letter then , imploring
me to go away , and saying that it would break her heart if any
scandal should come upon her husband . she said that she would
come down when her husband was asleep at three in the morn-
ing , and speak with me through the end window , if i would go
away afterwards and leave her in peace . she came down and
brought money with her , trying to bribe me to go . this made
me mad and i caught her arm and tried to pull her through
the window . at that moment in rushed the husband with his
revolver in his hand . elsie had sunk down upon the floor , 
and we were face to face . i was heeled also , and i held up my
gun to scare him off and let me get away . he fired and missed
me . i pulled off almost at the same instant , and down he
dropped . i made away across the garden , and as i went i heard
the window shut behind me . that 's god 's truth , gentlemen , 
every word of it : and i heard no more about it until that lad came
riding up with a note which made me walk in here , like a jay , 
and give myself into your hands . " 
 a cab had driven up whilst the american had been talking . 
two uniformed policemen sat inside . inspector martin rose and
touched his prisoner on the shoulder . 
 " it is time for us to go . " 
 " can i see her first ? " 
 " no , she is not conscious . mr . sherlock holmes . i only hope
that , if ever again i have an important case , i shall have the
good fortune to have you by my side . " 
 we stood at the window and watched the cab drive away . as i
turned back , my eye caught the pellet of paper which the pris-
oner had tossed upon the table . it was the note with which
holmes had decoyed him . 
 " see if you can read it , watson , " said he , with a smile . 
 it contained no word , but this little line of dancing men : 


 " if you use the code which i have explained , " said holmes , 
 " you will find that it simply means ' come here at once . ' i was
convinced that it was an invitation which he would not refuse , 
since he could never imagine that it could come from anyone but
the lady . and so , my dear watson , we have ended by turning the
dancing men to good when they have so often been the agents of
evil , and i think that i have fulfilled my promise of giving you
something unusual for your notebook . three-forty is our train , 
and i fancy we should be back in baker street for dinner . " 
 only one word of epilogue . the american , abe slaney , was
condemned to death at the winter assizes at norwich , but his
penalty was changed to penal servitude in consideration of miti-
gating circumstances , and the certainty that hilton cubitt had
fired the first shot . of mrs . hilton cubitt i only know that i have
heard she recovered entirely , and that she still remains a widow , 
devoting her whole life to the care of the poor and to the
administration of her husband 's estate . 
 . 
    the adventure of the empty house

 it was in the spring of the year 1894 that all london was
interested , and the fashionable world dismayed . by the murder of
the honourable ronald adair under most unusual and inexplica-
ble circumstances . the public has already learned those particu-
lars of the crime which came out in the po]ice investigation , but
a good deal was suppressed upon that occasion , since the case
for the prosecution was so overwhelmingly strong that it was not
necessary to bring forward all the facts . only now , at the end of
nearly ten years , am i allowed to supply those missing links
which make up the whole of that remarkable chain . the crime
was of interest in itself , but that interest was as nothing to me
compared to the inconceivable sequel , which afforded me the
greatest shock and surprise of any event in my adventurous life . 
even now , after this long interval , i find myself thrilling as i
think of it , and feeling once more that sudden flood of joy , 
amazement , and incredulity which utterly submerged my mind . 
let me say to that public , which has shown some interest in
those glimpses which i have occasionally given them of the
thoughts and actions of a very remarkable man , that they are not
to blame me if i have not shared my knowledge with them , for i
should have considered it my first duty to do so , had i not been
barred by a positive prohibition from his own lips , which was
only withdrawn upon the third of last month . 
 it can be imagined that my close intimacy with sherlock
holmes had interested me deeply in crime , and that after his
disappearance i never failed to read with care the various prob-
lems which came before the public . and i even attempted , more
than once , for my own private satisfaction , to employ his meth-
ods in their solution , though with indifferent success . there was
none , however , which appealed to me like this tragedy of ronald
adair . as i read the evidence at the inquest , which led up to a
verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons un-
known , i realized more clearly than i had ever done the loss
which the community had sustained by the death of sherlock
holmes . there were points about this strange business which
would , i was sure , have specially appealed to him , and the
efforts of the police would have been supplemented , or more
probably anticipated . by the trained observation and the alert
mind of the first criminal agent in europe . all day . as i drove
upon my round , i turned over the case in my mind and found no
explanation which appeared to me to be adequate . at the risk of
telling a twice-told tale . i will recapitulate the facts as they were
known to the public at the conclusion of the inquest . 
 the honourable ronald adair was the second son of the earl
of maynooth , at that time governor of one of the australian
colonies . adair 's mother had returned from australia to undergo
the operation for cataract , and she , her son ronald , and her
daughter hilda were living together at 427 park lane . the youth
moved in the best society -- had , so far as was known , no ene-
mies and no particular vices . he had been engaged to miss edith
woodley , of carstairs , but the engagement had been broken off
by mutual consent some months before , and there was no sign
that it had left any very profound feeling behind it . for the rest
of the man 's life moved in a narrow and conventional circle , for
his habits were quiet and his nature unemotional . yet it was
upon this easy-going young aristocrat that death came , in most
strange and unexpected form , between the hours of ten and
eleven-twenty on the night of march 30 , 1894 . 
 ronald adair was fond of cards -- playing continually , but
never for such stakes as would hurt him . he was a member of
the baldwin , the cavendish , and the bagatelle card clubs . it was
shown that , after dinner on the day of his death , he had played a
rubber of whist at the latter club . he had also played there in the
afternoon . the evidence of those who had played with him -- mr . 
murray , sir john hardy , and colonel moran -- showed that the
game was whist , and that there was a fairly equal fall of the
cards . adair might have lost five pounds , but not more . his
fortune was a considerable one , and such a loss could not in any
way affect him . he had played nearly every day at one club or
other , but he was a cautious player , and usually rose a winner . it
came out in evidence that , in partnership with colonel moran , he
had actually won as much as four hundred and twenty pounds in
a sitting , some weeks before , from godfrey milner and lord
balmoral . so much for his recent history as it came out at the
inquest . 
 on the evening of the crime , he returned from the club exactly
at ten . his mother and sister were out spending the evening with
a relation . the servant deposed that she heard him enter the front
room on the second floor , generally used as his sitting-room . she
had lit a fire there , and as it smoked she had opened the window . 
no sound was heard from the room until eleven-twenty , the hour
of the return of lady maynooth and her daughter . desiring to
say good-night , she attempted to enter her son 's room . the door
was locked on the inside , and no answer could be got to their
cries and knocking . help was obtained , and the door forced . the
unfortunate young man was found lying near the table . his head
had been horribly mutilated by an expanding revolver bullet , but
no weapon of any sort was to be found in the room . on the table
lay two banknotes for ten pounds each and seventeen pounds ten
in silver and gold , the money arranged in little piles of varying
amount . there were some figures also upon a sheet of paper , 
with the names of some club friends opposite to them , from
which it was conjectured that before his death he was endeav-
ouring to make out his losses or winnings at cards . 
 a minute examination of the circumstances served only to
make the case more complex . in the first place , no reason could
be given why the young man should have fastened the door upon
the inside . there was the possibility that the murderer had done
this , and had afterwards escaped by the window . the drop was
at least twenty feet , however , and a bed of crocuses in full
bloom lay beneath . neither the flowers nor the earth showed any
sign of having been disturbed , nor were there any marks upon
the narrow strip of grass which separated the house from the
road . apparently , therefore , it was the young man himself who
had fastened the door . but how did he come by his death ? no
one could have climbed up to the window without leaving traces . 
suppose a man had fired through the window , he would indeed
be a remarkable shot who could with a revolver inflict so deadly
a wound . again , park lane is a frequented thoroughfare ; there is
a cab stand within a hundred yards of the house . no one had
heard a shot . and yet there was the dead man , and there the
revolver bullet , which had mushroomed out , as soft-nosed bul-
lets will , and so inflicted a wound which must have caused
instantaneous death . such were the circumstances of the park
lane mystery , which were further complicated by entire absence
of motive , since , as i have said , young adair was not known to
have any enemy , and no attempt had been made to remove the
money or valuables in the room . 
 all day i turned these facts over in my mind , endeavouring to
hit some theory which could reconcile them all , and to find that
line of least resistance which my poor friend had declared to be
the starting-point of every investigation . i confess that i made
little progress . in the evening i strolled across the park , and
found myself about six o ' clock at the oxford street end of park
lane . a group of loafers upon the pavements , all staring up at a
particular window , directed me to the house which i had come to
see . a tall , thin man with coloured glasses , whom i strongly
suspected of being a plain-clothes detective , was pointing out
some theory of his own , while the others crowded round to listen
to what he said . i got as near him as i could , but his observations
seemed to me to be absurd , so i withdrew again in some disgust . 
as i did so i struck against an elderly , deformed man , who had
been behind me , and i knocked down several books which he
was carrying . i remember that as i picked them up , i observed
the title of one of them , the origin of tree worship , and it
struck me that the fellow must be some poor bibliophile , who , 
either as a trade or as a hobby , was a collector of obscure
volumes . i endeavoured to apologize for the accident , but it was
evident that these books which i had so unfortunately maltreated
were very precious objects in the eyes of their owner . with a
snarl of contempt he turned upon his heel , and i saw his curved
back and white side-whiskers disappear among the throng . 
 my observations of no . 427 park lane did little to clear up the
problem in which i was interested . the house was separated
from the street by a low wall and railing , the whole not more
than five feet high . it was perfectly easy , therefore , for anyone
to get into the garden , but the window was entirely inaccessible , 
since there was no waterpipe or anything which could help the
most active man to climb it . more puzzled than ever , i retraced
my steps to kensington . i had not been in my study five minutes
when the maid entered to say that a person desired to see me . to
my astonishment it was none other than my strange old book
collector , his sharp , wizened face peering out from a frame of
white hair , and his precious volumes , a dozen of them at least , 
wedged under his right arm . 
 " you ' re surprised to see me , sir , " said he , in a strange , 
croaking voice . 
 i acknowledged that i was . 
 " well , i ' ve a conscience , sir , and when i chanced to see you
go into this house , as i came hobbling after you , i thought to
myself , i ' ll just step in and see that kind gentleman , and tell him
that if i was a bit gruff in my manner there was not any harm
meant , and that i am much obliged to him for picking up my
books . " 
 " you make too much of a trifle , " said i . " may i ask how
you knew who i was ? " 
 " well , sir , if it isn ' t too great a liberty , i am a neighbour of
yours , for you ' ll find my little bookshop at the corner of church
street , and very happy to see you , i am sure . maybe you collect
yourself , sir . here 's british birds , and catullus , and the holy
war -- a bargain , every one of them . with five volumes you
could just fill that gap on that second shelf . it looks untidy , does
it not , sir ? " 
 i moved my head to look at the cabinet behind me . when i
turned again , sherlock holmes was standing smiling at me across
my study table . i rose to my feet , stared at him for some seconds
in utter amazement , and then it appears that i must have fainted
for the first and the last time in my life . certainly a gray mist
swirled before my eyes , and when it cleared i found my collar-
ends undone and the tingling after-taste of brandy upon my lips . 
holmes was bending over my chair , his flask in his hand . 
 " my dear watson , " said the well-remembered voice , " i owe
you a thousand apologies . i had no idea that you would be so
affected . " 
 i gripped him by the arms . 
 " holmes ! " i cried . " is it really you ? can it indeed be that
you are alive ? is it possible that you succeeded in climbing out
of that awful abyss ? " 
 " wait a moment , " said he . " are you sure that you are really
fit to discuss things ? i have given you a serious shock by my
unnecessarily dramatic reappearance . " 
 " i am all right , but indeed , holmes , i can hardly believe my
eyes . good heavens ! to think that you -- you of all men -- should
be standing in my study . " again i gripped him by the sleeve , 
and felt the thin , sinewy arm beneath it . " well , you ' re not a
spirit , anyhow , " said i . " my dear chap , i ' m overjoyed to see
you . sit down , and tell me how you came alive out of that
dreadful chasm . " 
 he sat opposite to me , and lit a cigarette in his old , nonchalant
manner . he was dressed in the seedy frockcoat of the book
merchant , but the rest of that individual lay in a pile of white
hair and old books upon the table . holmes looked even thinner
and keener than of old , but there was a dead-white tinge in his
aquiline face which told me that his life recently had not been a
healthy one . 
 " i am glad to stretch myself , watson , " said he . " it is no joke
when a tall man has to take a foot off his stature for several
hours on end . now , my dear fellow , in the matter of these
explanations , we have , if i may ask for your cooperation , a hard
and dangerous night 's work in front of us . perhaps it would be
better if i gave you an account of the whole situation when that
work is finished . " 
 " i am full of curiosity . i should much prefer to hear now . " 
 " you ' ll come with me to-night ? " 
 " when you like and where you like . " 
 " this is , indeed , like the old days . we shall have time for a
mouthful of dinner before we need go . well , then , about that
chasm . i had no serious difficulty in getting out of it , for the
very simple reason that i never was in it . " 
 " you never were in it ? "   
 " no , watson , i never was in it . my note to you was abso-
lutely genuine . i had little doubt that i had come to the end of
my career when i perceived the somewhat sinister figure of the
late professor moriarty standing upon the narrow pathway which
led to safety . i read an inexorable purpose in his gray eyes . i
exchanged some remarks with him , therefore , and obtained his
courteous permission to write the short note which you after-
wards received . i left it with my cigarette-box and my stick , and
i walked along the pathway , moriarty still at my heels . when i
reached the end i stood at bay . he drew no weapon , but he
rushed at me and threw his long arms around me . he knew that
his own game was up , and was only anxious to revenge himself
upon me . we tottered together upon the brink of the fall . i have
some knowledge , however , of baritsu , or the japanese system of
wrestling , which has more than once been very useful to me . i
slipped through his grip , and he with a horrible scream kicked
madly for a few seconds , and clawed the air with both his hands . 
but for all his efforts he could not get his balance , and over he
went . with my face over the brink , i saw him fall for a long
way . then he struck a rock , bounded off , and splashed into the
water . " 
 i listened with amazement to this explanation , which holmes
delivered between the puffs of his cigarette . 
 " but the tracks ! " i cried . " i saw , with my own eyes , that two
went down the path and none returned . " 
 " it came about in this way . the instant that the professor had
disappeared , it struck me what a really extraordinarily lucky
chance fate had placed in my way . i knew that moriarty was not
the only man who had sworn my death . there were at least three
others whose desire for vengeance upon me would only be
increased by the death of their leader . they were all most
dangerous men . one or other would certainly get me . on the
other hand . if all the world was convinced that i was dead they
would take liberties , these men , they would soon lay themselves
open , and sooner or later i could destroy them . then it would be
time for me to announce that i was still in the land of the living . 
so rapidly does the brain act that i believe i had thought this all
out before professor moriarty had reached the bottom of the
reichenbach fall . 
 " i stood up and examined the rocky wall behind me . in your
picturesque account of the matter , which i read with great inter-
est some months later , you assert that the wall was sheer . that
was not literally true . a few small footholds presented them-
selves , and there was some indication of a ledge . the cliff is so
high that to climb it all was an obvious impossibility , and it was
equally impossible to make my way along the wet path without
leaving some tracks . i might , it is true , have reversed my boots , 
as i have done on similar occasions , but the sight of three sets of
tracks in one direction would certainly have suggested a decep-
tion . on the whole , then , it was best that i should risk the climb . 
it was not a pleasant business , watson . the fall roared beneath
me . i am not a fanciful person , but i give you my word that i
seemed to hear moriarty 's voice screaming at me out of the
abyss . a mistake would have been fatal . more than once , as
tufts of grass came out in my hand or my foot slipped in the wet
notches of the rock , i thought that i was gone . but i struggled
upward , and at last i reached a ledge several feet deep and
covered with soft green moss , where i could lie unseen , in the
most perfect comfort . there i was stretched , when you , my dear
watson , and all your following were investigating in the most
sympathetic and inefficient manner the circumstances of my
death . 
 " at last , when you had all formed your inevitable and totally
erroneous conclusions , you departed for the hotel , and i was left
alone . l had imagined that i had reached the end of my adven-
tures , but a very unexpected occurrence showed me that there
were surprises still in store for me . a huge rock , falling from
above , boomed past me , struck the path , and bounded over into
the chasm . for an instant i thought that it was an accident , but a
moment later , looking up , i saw a man 's head against the
darkening sky , and another stone struck the very ledge upon
which i was stretched , within a foot of my head . of course , the
meaning of this was obvious . moriarty had not been alone . a
confederate -- and even that one glance had told me how danger-
ous a man that confederate was -- had kept guard while the
profcssor had attacked me . from a distance , unseen by me , he
had been a witness of his friend 's death and of my escape . he
had waited , and then making his way round to the top of the
cliff , he had endeavoured to succeed where his comrade had
failed . 
 " i did not take long to think about it , watson . again i saw
that grim face look over the cliff , and i knew that it was the
precursor of another stone . i scrambled down on to the path . i
don ' t think i could have done it in cold blood . it was a hundred
times more difficult than getting up . but i had no time to think of
the danger , for another stone sang past me as i hung by my
hands from the edge of the ledge . halfway down i slipped , but , 
by the blessing of god , i landed , torn and bleeding , upon the
path . i took to my heels , did ten miles over the mountains in the
darkness , and a week later i found myself in florence , with the
certainty that no one in the world knew what had become of me . 
 " i had only one confidant -- my brother mycroft . i owe you
many apologies , my dear watson , but it was all-important that it
should be thought i was dead , and it is quite certain that you
would not have written so convincing an account of my unhappy
end had you not yourself thought that it was true . several times
during the last three years i have taken up my pen to write to
you , but always i feared lest your affectionate regard for me
should tempt you to some indiscretion which would betray my
secret . for that reason i turned away from you this evening when
you upset my books , for i was in danger at the time , and any
show of surprise and emotion upon your part might have drawn
attention to my identity and led to the most deplorable and
irreparable results . as to mycroft , i had to confide in him in
order to obtain the money which i needed . the course of events
in london did not run so well as i had hoped , for the trial of the
moriarty gang left two of its most dangerous members , my own
most vindictive enemies , at liberty . i travelled for two years in
tibet , therefore , and amused myself by visiting lhassa , and
spending some days with the head lama . you may have read of
the remarkable explorations of a norwegian named sigerson , but
i am sure that it never occurred to you that you were receiving
news of your friend . i then passed through persia , looked in at
mecca , and paid a short but interesting visit to the khalifa at
khartoum , the results of which i have communicated to the
foreign office . returning to france , i spent some months in a
research into the coal-tar derivatives , which i conducted in a
laboratory at montpellier , in the south of france . having con-
cluded this to my satisfaction and learning that only one of my
enemies was now left in london , i was about to return when my
movements were hastened by the news of this very remarkable
park lane mystery , which not only appealed to me by its own
merits . but which seemed to offer some most peculiar personal
opportunities . i came over at once to london , called in my own
person at baker street . threw mrs . hudson into violent hysterics , 
and found that mycroft had preserved my rooms and my papers
exactly as they had always been . so it was , my dear watson
that at two o ' clock to-day i found myself in my old armchair in
my own old room , and only wishing that i could have seen my
old friend watson in the other chair which he has so often
adorned . " 
 such was the remarkable narrative to which i listened on that
april evening -- a narrative which would have been utterly in-
credible to me had it not been confirmed by the actual sight of
the tall , spare figure and the keen , eager face , which i had never
thought to see again . in some manner he had learned of my own
sad bereavement , and his sympathy was shown in his manner
rather than in his words . " work is the best antidote to sorrow , 
my dear watson , " said he ; " and i have a piece of work for us
both to-night which , if we can bring it to a successful conclu-
sion , will in itself justify a man 's life on this planet . " in vain i
begged him to tell me more . " you will hear and see enough
before morning , " he answered . " we have three years of the past
to discuss . let that suffice until half-past nine , when we start
upon the notable adventure of the empty house . " 
 it was indeed like old times when , at that hour , i found myself
seated beside him in a hansom , my revolver in my pocket , and
the thrill of adventure in my heart . holmes was cold and stern
and silent . as the gleam of the street-lamps flashed upon his
austere features , i saw that his brows were drawn down in
thought and his thin lips compressed . i knew not what wild beast
we were about to hunt down in the dark jungle of criminal
london , but i was well assured , from the bearing of this master
huntsman , that the adventure was a most grave one -- while the
sardonic smile which occasionally broke through his ascetic
gloom boded little good for the object of our quest . 
 i had imagined that we were bound for baker street , but
holmes stopped the cab at the corner of cavendish square . i
observed that as he stepped out he gave a most searching glance
to right and left , and at every subsequent street corner he took
the utmost pains to assure that he was not followed . our route
was certainly a singular one . holmes 's knowledge of the byways
of london was extraordinary , and on this occasion he passed
rapidly and with an assured step through a network of mews and
stables , the very existence of which i had never known . we
emerged at last into a small road , lined with old , gloomy houses . 
which led us into manchester street , and so to blandford street . 
here he turned swiftly down a narrow passage , passed through a
wooden gate into a deserted yard , and then opened with a key
the back door of a house . we entered together , and he closed it
behind us . 
 the place was pitch dark , but it was evident to me that it was
an empty house . our feet creaked and crackled over the bare
planking , and my outstretched hand touched a wall from which
the paper was hanging in ribbons . holmes 's cold , thin fingers
closed round my wrist and led me forward down a long hall , 
until i dimly saw the murky fanlight over the door . here holmes
turned suddenly to the right , and we found ourselves in a large , 
square , empty room , heavily shadowed in the corners , but faintly
lit in the centre from the lights of the street beyond . there was
no lamp near , and the window was thick with dust , so that we
could only just discern each other 's figures within . my compan-
ion put his hand upon my shoulder and his lips close to my ear . 
 " do you know where we are ? " he whispered . 
 " surely that is baker street , " i answered , staring through the
dim window . 
 " exactly . we are in camden house , which stands opposite to
our own old quarters . " 
 " but why are we here ? " 
 " because it commands so excellent a view of that picturesque
pile . might i trouble you , my dear watson , to draw a little
nearer to the window , taking every precaution not to show
yourself , and then to look up at our old rooms -- the starting-point
of so many of your little fairy-tales ? we will see if my three
years of absence have entirely taken away my power to surprise
you . " 
 i crept forward and looked across at the familiar window . as
my eyes fell upon it , i gave a gasp and a cry of amazement . the
blind was down , and a strong light was burning in the room . the
shadow of a man who was seated in a chair within was thrown in
hard , black outline upon the luminous screen of the window . 
there was no mistaking the poise of the head , the squareness of
the shoulders , the sharpness of the features . the face was turned
half-round , and the effect was that of one of those black silhou-
ettes which our grandparents loved to frame . it was a perfect
reproduction of holmes . so amazed was i that i threw out my
hand to make sure that the man himself was standing beside me . 
he was quivering with silent laughter . 
 " well ? " said he . 
 " good hcavens ! " i cried . " it is marvellous . " 
 " i trust that age doth not wither nor custom stale my infinite
variety , " said he , and i recognized in his voice the joy and pride
which the artist takes in his own creation . " it really is rather like
me , is it not ? " 
 " i should be prepared to swear that it was you . " 
 " the credit of the execution is due to monsieur oscar meunier
of grenoble , who spent some days in doing the moulding . it is a
bust in wax . the rest i arranged myself during my visit to baker
street this afternoon . " 
 " but why ? " 
 " because , my dear watson , i had the strongest possible rea-
son for wishing certain people to think that i was there when i
was really elsewhere . " 
 " and you thought the rooms were watched ? " 
 " i knew that they were watched . " 
 " by whom ? " 
 " by my old enemies , watson . by the charming society whose
leader lies in the reichenbach fall . you must remember that
they knew , and only they knew , that i was still alive . sooner or
later they believed that i should come back to my rooms . they
watched them continuously , and this morning they saw me arrive . " 
 " how do you know ? " 
 " because i recognized their sentinel when i glanced out of my
window . he is a harmless enough fellow , parker by name , a
garroter by trade , and a remarkable performer upon the jew ' s-
harp . i cared nothing for him . but i cared a great deal for the
much more formidable person who was behind him , the bosom
friend of moriarty , the man who dropped the rocks over the cliff
the most cunning and dangerous criminal in london . that is the
man who is after me to-night , watson , and that is the man who
is quite unaware that we are after him . " 
 my friend 's plans were gradually revealing themselvcs . from
this convenient retreat , the watchers were being watched and the
trackers tracked . that angular shadow up yonder was the bait . 
and we were the hunters . in silence we stood together in the
darkness and watched the hurrying figures who passed and re-
passed in front of us . holmes was silent and motionless ; but i
could tell that he was keenly alert , and that his eyes were fixed
intently upon the stream of passers-by . it was a bleak and
boisterous night , and the wind whistled shrilly down the long
street . many people were moving to and fro , most of them
muffled in their coats and cravats . once or twice it seemed to
me that i had seen the same figure before , and i especially
noticed two men who appeared to be sheltering themselves from
the wind in the doorway of a house some distance up the street . i
tried to draw my companion 's attention to them ; but he gave a
little ejaculation of impatience , and continued to stare into the
street . more than once he fidgeted with his feet and tapped
rapidly with his fingers upon the wall . it was evident to me that
he was becoming uneasy , and that his plans were not working
out altogether as he had hoped . at last , as midnight approached
and the street gradually cleared , he paced up and down the room
in uncontrollable agitation . i was about to make some remark to
him , when i raised my eyes to the lighted window , and again
experienced almost as great a surprise as before . i clutched holmes ' s
arm , and pointed upward . 
 " the shadow has moved ! " i cried . 
 it was indeed no longer the profile , but the back , which was
turned towards us . 
 three years had certainly not smoothed the asperities of his
temper or his impatience with a less active intelligence than his
own . 
 " of course it has moved , " said he . " am i such a farcical
bungler , watson , that i should erect an obvious dummy , and
expect that some of the sharpest men in europe would be de-
ceived by it ? we have been in this room two hours , and mrs . 
hudson has made some change in that figure eight times , or once
in every quarter of an hour . she works it from the front , so that
her shadow may never be seen . ah ! " he drew in his breath with
a shrill , excited intake . in the dim light i saw his head thrown
forward , his whole attitude rigid with attention . outside the
street was absolutely deserted . those two men might still be
crouching in the doorway , but i could no longer see them . all
was still and dark , save only that brilliant yellow screen in front
of us with the black figure outlined upon its centre . again in the
utter silence i heard that thin , sibilant note which spoke of
intense suppressed excitement . an instant later he pulled me
back into the blackest corner of the room . and i felt his warning
hand upon my lips . the fingers which clutched me were quiver-
ing . never had i known my friend more moved , and yet the dark
street still stretched lonely and motionless before us . 
 but suddenly i was aware of that which his keener senses had
already distinguished . a low , stealthy sound came to my ears , 
not from the direction of baker street , but from the back of the
very house in which we lay concealed . a door opened and shut . 
an instant later steps crept down the passage -- steps which were
meant to be silent , but which reverberated harshly through the
empty house . holmes crouched back against the wall , and i did
the same , my hand closing upon the handle of my revolver . 
peering through the gloom , i saw the vague outline of a man , a
shade blacker than the blackness of the open door . he stood for
an instant , and then he crept forward , crouching , menacing , into
the room . he was within three yards of us , this sinister figure , 
and i had braced myself to meet his spring , before i realized that
he had no idea of our presence . he passed close beside us , stole
over to the window , and very softly and noiselessly raised it for
half a foot . as he sank to the level of this opening , the light of
the street , no longer dimmed by the dusty glass , fell full upon his
face . the man seemed to be beside himself with excitement . his
two eyes shone like stars , and his features were working convul-
sively . he was an elderly man , with a thin , projecting nose , a
high , bald forehead , and a huge grizzled moustache . an opera
hat was pushed to the back of his head , and an evening dress
shirt-front gleamed out through his open overcoat . his face was
gaunt and swarthy , scored with deep , savage lines . in his hand
he carried what appeared to be a stick , but as he laid it down
upon the floor it gave a metallic clang . then from the pocket of
his overcoat he drew a bulky object , and he busied himself in
some task which ended with a loud , sharp click , as if a spring or
bolt had fallen into its place . still kneeling upon the floor he bent
forward and threw all his weight and strength upon some lever
with the result that there came a long , whirling , grinding noise , 
ending once more in a powerful click . he straightened himself
then , and i saw that what he held in his hand was a sort of gun , 
with a curiously misshapen butt . he opened it at the breech , put
something in , and snapped the breech-lock . then , crouching
down , he rested the end of the barrel upon the ledge of the open
window , and i saw his long moustache droop over the stock and
his eye gleam as it peered along the sights . i heard a little sigh of
satisfaction as he cuddled the butt into his shoulder , and saw that
amazing target , the black man on the yellow ground , standing
clear at the end of his foresight . for an instant he was rigid and
motionless . then his finger tightened on the trigger . there was a
strange , loud whiz and a long , silvery tinkle of broken glass . at
that instant holmes sprang like a tiger on to the marksman ' s
back , and hurled him flat upon his face . he was up again in a
moment , and with convulsive strength he seized holmes by the
throat , but i struck him on the head with the butt of my revolver , 
and he dropped again upon the floor . i fell upon him , and as i
held him my comrade blew a shrill call upon a whistle . there
was the clatter of running feet upon the pavement , and two
policemen in uniform , with one plain-clothes detective , rushed
through the front entrance and into the room . 
 " that you , lestrade ? " said holmes . 
 " yes , mr . holmes . i took the job myself . it 's good to see you
back in london , sir . " 
 " i think you want a little unofficial help . three undetected
murders in one year won ' t do , lestrade . but you handled the
molesey mystery with less than your usual -- that 's to say , you
handled it fairly well . " 
 we had all risen to our feet , our prisoner breathing hard , with
a stalwart constable on each side of him . already a few loiterers
had begun to collect in the street . holmes stepped up to the
window , closed it , and dropped the blinds . lestrade had pro-
duced two candles , and the policemen had uncovered their lan-
terns . i was able at last to have a good look at our prisoner . 
 it was a tremendously virile and yet sinister face which was
turned towards us . with the brow of a philosopher above and the
jaw of a sensualist below , the man must have started with great
capacities for good or for evil . but one could not look upon his
cruel blue eyes , with their drooping , cynical lids , or upon the
fierce , aggressive nose and the threatening , deep-lined brow , 
without reading nature 's plainest danger-signals . he took no
heed of any of us , but his eyes were fixed upon holmes 's face
with an expression in which hatred and amazement were equally
blended . " you fiend ! " he kept on muttering . " you clever , 
clever fiend ! " 
 " ah , colonel ! " said holmes , arranging his rumpled collar . 
 " ' journeys end in lovers ' meetings , ' as the old play says . i
don ' t think i have had the pleasure of seeing you since you
favoured me with those attentions as i lay on the ledge above the
reichenbach fall . " 
 the colonel still stared at my friend like a man in a trance . 
 " you cunning , cunning fiend ! " was all that he could say . 
 " i have not introduced you yet , " said holmes . " this , gentle-
men , is colonel sebastian moran , once of her majesty 's indian
army , and the best heavy-game shot that our eastern empire has
ever produced . i believe i am correct , colonel , in saying that
your bag of tigers still remains unrivalled ? " 
 the fierce old man said nothing , but still glared at my com-
panion . with his savage eyes and bristling moustache he was
wonderfully like a tiger himself . 
 " i wonder that my very simple stratagem could deceive so old
a shikari , " said holmes . " it must be very familiar to you . have
you not tethered a young kid under a tree , lain above it with your
rifle , and waited for the bait to bring up your tiger ? this empty
house is my tree , and you are my tiger . you have possibly had
other guns in reserve in case there should be several tigers , or in
the unlikely supposition of your own aim failing you . these , " 
he pointed around , " are my other guns . the parallel is exact . " 
 colonel moran sprang forward with a snarl of rage , but the
constables dragged him back . the fury upon his face was terrible
to look at . 
 " i confess that you had one small surprise for me , " said
holmes . " i did not anticipate that you would yourself make use
of this empty house and this convenient front window . i had
imagined you as operating from the street , where my friend
lestrade and his merry men were awaiting you . with that excep-
tion , all has gone as i expected . " 
 colonel moran turned to the official detective . 
 " you may or may not have just cause for arresting me , " said
he , " but at least there can be no reason why i should submit to
the gibes of this person . if i am in the hands of the law , let
things be done in a legal way . " 
 " well , that 's reasonable enough , " said lestrade . " nothing
further you have to say , mr . holmes , before we go ? " 
 holmes had picked up the powerful air-gun from the floor , 
and was examining its mechanism . 
 " an admirable and unique weapon , " said he , " noiseless and
of tremendous power : i knew von herder , the blind german
mechanic , who constructed it to the order of the late professor
moriarty . for years i have been aware of its existence , though i
have never before had the opportunity of handling it . i commend
it very specially to your attention , lestrade , and also the bullets
which fit it . " 
 " you can trust us to look after that , mr . holmes , " said
lestrade , as the whole party moved towards the door . " any-
thing further to say ? " 
 " only to ask what charge you intend to prefer ? " 
 " what charge , sir ? why , of course , the attempted murder of
mr . sherlock holmes . " 
 " not so , lestrade . i do not propose to appear in the matter at
all . to you , and to you only , belongs the credit of the remark-
able arrest which you have effected . yes , lestrade , i congratu-
late you ! with your usual happy mixture of cunning and audacity , 
you have got him . " 
 " got him ! got whom , mr . holmes ? " 
 " the man that the whole force has been seeking in vain -- 
colonel sebastian moran , who shot the honourable ronald adair
with an expanding bullet from an air-gun through the open
window of the second-floor front of no . 427 park lane , upon
the thirtieth of last month . that 's the charge , lestrade . and
now , watson , if you can endure the draught from a broken
window , i think that half an hour in my study over a cigar may
afford you some profitable amusement . " 

 our old chambers had been left unchanged through the super-
vision of mycroft holmes and the immediate care of mrs . hud-
son . as i entered i saw , it is true , an unwonted tidiness , but the
old landmarks were all in their place . there were the chemical
corner and the acid-stained , deal-topped table . there upon a
shelf was the row of formidable scrap-books and books of refer-
ence which many of our fellow-citizens would have been so glad
to burn . the diagrams , the violin-case , and the pipe-rack -- even
the persian slipper which contained the tobacco -- all met my
eyes as i glanced round me . there were two occupants of the
room -- one , mrs . hudson , who beamed upon us both as we
entered -- the other , the strange dummy which had played so
important a part in the evening 's adventures . it was a wax-
coloured model of my friend , so admirably done that it was a
perfect facsimile . it stood on a small pedestal table with an old
dressing-gown of holmes 's so draped round it that the illusion
from the street was absolutely perfect . 
 " i hope you observed all precautions , mrs . hudson ? " said
holmes . 
 " i went to it on my knees , sir , just as you told me . " 
 " excellent . you carried the thing out very well . did you
observe where the bullet went ? " 
 " yes , sir . i ' m afraid it has spoilt your beautiful bust , for it
passed right through the head and flattened itself on the wall . i
picked it up from the carpet . here it is ! " 
 holmes held it out to me . " a soft revolver bullet , as you
perceive , watson . there 's genius in that , for who would expect
to find such a thing fired from an air-gun ? all right , mrs . hudson . 
i am much obliged for your assistance . and now . watson , let me
see you in your old seat once more , for there are several points
which i should like to discuss with you . " 
 he had thrown off the seedy frockcoat , and now he was the
holmes of old in the mouse-coloured dressing-gown which he
took from his effigy . 
 " the old shikari 's nerves have not lost their steadiness , nor
his eyes their keenness , " said he , with a laugh , as he inspected
the shattered forehead of his bust . 
 " plumb in the middle of the back of the head and smack
through the brain . he was the best shot in india , and i expect
that there are few better in london . have you heard the name ? " 
 " no , i have not . " 
 " well , well , such is fame ! but , then , if i remember right , 
you had not heard the name of professor james moriarty , who
had one of the great brains of the century . just give me down
my index of biographies from the shelf . " 
 he turned over the pages lazily , leaning back in his chair and
blowing great clouds from his cigar . 
 " my collection of m 's is a fine one , " said he . " moriarty
himself is enough to make any letter illustrious , and here is
morgan the poisoner , and merridew of abominable memory , and
mathews , who knocked out my left canine in the waiting-room
at charing cross , and , finally , here is our friend of to-night . " 
 he handed over the book , and i read : 

  moran , sebastian , colonel . unemployed . formerly i st
 bangalore pioneers . born london , 1840 . son of sir augus-
 tus moran , c . b . , once british minister to persia . educated
 eton and oxford . served in jowaki campaign , afghan
 campaign , charasiab (despatches) , sherpur , and cabul . au-
 thor of heavy game of the western himalayas (1881) ; 
 three months in the jungle (1884) . address : conduit street . 
 clubs : the anglo-lndian , the tankerville , the bagatelle
 card club . 

 on the margin was written , in holmes 's precise hand : 

 the second most dangerous man in london . 

 " this is astonishing , " said i , as i handed back the volume . 
 " the man 's career is that of an honourable soldier . " 
 " it is true , " holmes answered . " up to a certain point he did
well . he was always a man of iron nerve , and the story is still
told in india how he crawled down a drain after a wounded
man-eating tiger . there are some trees , watson , which grow to a
certain height , and then suddenly develop some unsightly eccen-
tricity . you will see it often in humans . i have a theory that the
individual represents in his development the whole procession of
his ancestors , and that such a sudden turn to good or evil stands
for some strong influence which came into the line of his pedi-
gree . the person becomes , as it were , the epitome of the history
of his own family . " 
 " it is surely rather fanciful . " 
 " well , i don ' t insist upon it . whatever the cause , colonel
moran began to go wrong . without any open scandal , he still
made india too hot to hold him . he retired , came to london , and
again acquired an evil name . it was at this time that he was
sought out by professor moriarty , to whom for a time he was
chief of the staff . moriarty supplied him liberally with money , 
and used him only in one or two very high-class jobs , which no
ordinary criminal could have undertaken . you may have some
recollection of the death of mrs . stewart , of lauder , in 1887 . 
not ? well , i am sure moran was at the bottom of it , but nothing
could be proved . so cleverly was the colonel concealed that , 
even when the moriarty gang was broken up , we could not
incriminate him ; you remember at that date , when i called upon
you in your rooms , how i put up the shuners for fear of air-guns ? 
no doubt you thought me fanciful . i knew exactly what i was
doing , for i knew of the existence of this remarkable gun , and i
knew also that one of the best shots in the world would be
behind it . when we were in switzerland he followed us with
moriarty , and it was undoubtedly he who gave me that evil five
minutes on the reichenbach ledge . 
 " you may think that i read the papers with some attention
during my sojourn in france , on the look-out for any chance of
laying him by the heels . so long as he was free in london , my
life would really not have been worth living . night and day the
shadow would have been over me , and sooner or later his chance
must have come . what could i do ? i could not shoot him at
sight , or i should myself be in the dock . there was no use
appealing to a magistrate . they cannot interfere on the strength
of what would appear to them to be a wild suspicion . so i could
do nothing . but i watched the criminal news , knowing that
sooner or later i should get him . then came the death of this
ronald adair . my chance had come at last . knowing what i did , 
was it not certain that colonel moran had done it ? he had played
cards with the lad , he had followed him home from the club , he
had shot him through the open window . there was not a doubt
of it . the bullets alone are enough to put his head in a noose . i
came over at once . i was seen by the sentinel , who would , i
knew , direct the colonel 's attention to my presence . he could not
fail to connect my sudden return with his crime , and to be
terribly alarmed . i was sure that he would make an attempt to get
me out of the way at once , and would bring round his murderous
weapon for that purpose . i left him an excellent mark in the
window , and , having warned the police that they might be
needed -- by the way , watson , you spotted their presence in that
doorway with unerring accuracy -- i took up what seemed to me
to be a judicious post for observation , never dreaming that he
would choose the same spot for his attack . now , my dear
watson , does anything remain for me to explain ? " 
 " yes , " said i . " you have not made it clear what was colonel
moran 's motive in murdering the honourable ronald adair ? " 
 " ah ! my dear watson , there we come into those realms of
conjecture , where the most logical mind may be at fault . each
may form his own hypothesis upon the present evidence , and
yours is as likely to be correct as mine . " 
 " you have formed one , then ? " 
 " i think that it is not difficult to explain the facts . it came out
in evidence that colonel moran and young adair had , between
them , won a considerable amount of money . now , moran un-
doubtedly played foul -- of that i have long been aware . i believe
that on the day of the murder adair had discovered that moran
was cheating . very likely he had spoken to him privately , and
had threatened to expose him unless he voluntarily resigned his
membership of the club , and promised not to play cards again . it
is unlikely that a youngster like adair would at once make a
hideous scandal by exposing a well known man so much older
than himself . probably he acted as i suggest . the exclusion from
his clubs would mean ruin to moran , who lived by his ill-gotten
card-gains . he therefore murdered adair , who at the time was
endeavouring to work out how much money he should himself
return . since he could not profit by his partner 's foul play . he
locked the door lest the ladies should surprise him and insist
upon knowing what he was doing with these names and coins . 
will it pass ? " 
 " i have no doubt that you have hit upon the truth . " 
 " it will be verified or disproved at the trial . meanwhile . come
what may , colonel moran will trouble us no more . the famous
air-gun of von herder will embellish the scotland yard mu-
seum , and once again mr . sherlock holmes is free to devote his
life to examining those interesting little problems which the
complex life of london so plentifully presents . " 
 . 
   the adventure of the engineer 's thumb

 of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend , 
mr . sherlock holmes , for solution during the years of our
intimacy , there were only two which i was the means of intro-
ducing to his notice -- that of mr . hatherley 's thumb , and that of
colonel warburton 's madness . of these the latter may have
afforded a finer field for an acute and original observer , but the
other was so strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details
that it may be the more worthy of being placed upon record , 
even if it gave my friend fewer openings for those deductive
methods of reasoning by which he achieved such remarkable
results . the story has , i believe , been told more than once in the
newspapers , but , like all such narratives , its effect is much less
striking when set forth en bloc in a single half-column of print
than when the facts slowly evolve before your own eyes , and the
mystery clears gradually away as each new discovery furnishes a
step which leads on to the complete truth . at the time the
circumstances made a deep impression upon me , and the lapse of
two years has hardly served to weaken the effect . 
 it was in the summer of ' 89 , not long after my marriage , that
the events occurred which i am now about to summarize . i had
returned to civil practice and had finally abandoned holmes in
his baker street rooms , although i continually visited him and
occasionally even persuaded him to forgo his bohemian habits
so far as to come and visit us . my practice had steadily in-
creased , and as i happened to live at no very great distance from
paddington station , i got a few patients from among the offi-
cials . one of these , whom i had cured of a painful and lingering
disease , was never weary of advertising my virtues and of en-
deavouring to send me on every sufferer over whom he might
have any influence . 
 one morning , at a little before seven o ' clock , i was awakened
by the maid tapping at the door to announce that two men had
come from paddington and were waiting in the consulting-room . 
i dressed hurriedly , for i knew by experience that railway cases
were seldom trivial , and hastened downstairs . as i descended , 
my old ally , the guard , came out of the room and closed the door
tightly behind him . 
 " i ' ve got him here , " he whispered , jerking his thumb over his
shoulder ; " he 's all right . " 
 " what is it , then ? " i asked , for his manner suggested that it
was some strange creature which he had caged up in my room . 
 " it 's a new patient , " he whispered . " i thought i ' d bring him
round myself ; then he couldn ' t slip away . there he is , all safe
and sound . i must go now , doctor ; i have my dooties , just the
same as you . " and off he went , this trusty tout , without even
giving me time to thank him . 
 i entered my consulting-room and found a gentleman seated
by the table . he was quietly dressed in a suit of heather tweed
with a soft cloth cap which he had laid down upon my books . 
round one of his hands he had a handkerchief wrapped , which
was mottled all over with bloodstains . he was young , not more
than five-and-twenty , i should say , with a strong , masculine
face ; but he was exceedingly pale and gave me the impression of
a man who was suffering from some strong agitation , which it
took all his strength of mind to control . 
 " i am sorry to knock you up so early , doctor , " said he , " but
i have had a very serious accident during the night . i came in by
train this morning , and on inquiring at paddington as to where i
might find a doctor , a worthy fellow very kindly escorted me
here . i gave the maid a card , but i see that she has left it upon
the side-table . " 

i took it up and glanced at it . " mr . victor hatherley , hydrau-
iic engineer , 1 6a . victoria street (3d floor) . " that was the
name , style , and abode of my morning visitor . " i regret that i
have kept you waiting , " said i , sitting down in my library-chair . 
 " you are fresh from a night journey , i understand , which is in
itself a monotonous occupation . " 
 " oh , my night could not be called monotonous , " said he , and
laughed . he laughed very heartily , with a high , ringing note , 
leaning back in his chair and shaking his sides . all my medical
instincts rose up against that laugh . 
 " stop it ! " i cried ; " pull yourself together ! " and i poured out
some water from a carafe . 
 it was useless , however . he was off in one of those hysterical
outbursts which come upon a strong nature when some great
crisis is over and gone . presently he came to himself once more , 
very weary and pale-looking . 
 " i have been making a fool of myself , " he gasped . 
 " not at ail . drink this . " i dashed some brandy into the water , 
and the colour began to come back to his bloodless cheeks . 
 " that 's better ! " said he . " and now , doctor , perhaps you
would kindly attend to my thumb , or rather to the place where
my thumb used to be . " 
 he unwound the handkerchief and held out his hand . it gave
even my hardened nerves a shudder to look at it . there were four
protruding fingers and a horrid red , spongy surface where the
thumb should have been . it had been hacked or torn right out
from the roots . 
 " good heavens ! " i cried , " this is a terrible injury . it must
have bled considerably . " 
 " yes , it did . i fainted when it was done , and i think that i
must have been senseless for a long time . when i came to i
found that it was still bleeding , sol tied one end of my handker-
chief very tightly round the wrist and braced it up with a twig . " 
 " excellent ! you should have been a surgeon . " 
 " it is a question of hydraulics , you see , and came within my
own province . " 
 " this has been done , " said i , examining the wound , " by a
very heavy and sharp instrument . " 
 " a thing like a cleaver , " said he . 
 " an accident , i presume ? " 
 " by no means . " 
 " what ! a murderous attack ? ' ' 
 " very murderous indeed . " 
 " you horrify me . " 
 i sponged the wound , cleaned it , dressed it , and finally cov-
ered it over with cotton wadding and carbolized bandages . he
lay back without wincing , though he bit his lip from time to
time . 
 " how is that ? " i asked when i had finished . 
 " capital ! between your brandy and your bandage , i feel a
new man . i was very weak , but i have had a good deal to go
through . " 
 " perhaps you had better not speak of the matter . it is evi-
dently trying to your nerves . " 
 " oh , no , not now . i shall have to tell my tale to the police ; 
but , between ourselves , if it were not for the convincing evi-
dence of this wound of mine , i should be surprised if they
believed my statement , for it is a very extraordinary one , and i
have not much in the way of proof with which to back it up ; and , 
even if they believe me , the clues which i can give them are so
vague that it is a question whether justice will be done . " 
 " ha ! " cried i , " if it is anything in the nature of a problem
which you desire to see solved , i should strongly recommend
you to come to my friend , mr . sherlock holmes , before you go
to the official police . " 
 " oh , i have heard of that fellow , " answered my visitor , " and
i should be very glad if he would take the matter up , though of
course i must use the official police as well . would you give me
an introduction to him ? " 
 " i ' ll do better . i ' ll take you round to him myself . " 
 " i should be immensely obliged to you . " 
 " we ' ll call a cab and go together . we shall just be in time to
have a little breakfast with him . do you feel equal to it ? " 
 " yes ; i shall not feel easy until i have told my story . " 
 " then my servant will call a cab , and i shall be with you in
an instant . " i rushed upstairs , explained the matter shortly to my
wife , and in five minutes was inside a hansom , driving with my
new acquaintance to baker street . 
 sherlock holmes was , as i expected , lounging about his sitting-
room in his dressing-gown , reading the agony column of the
times and smoking his before-breakfast pipe , which was com-
posed of all the plugs and dottles left from his smokes of the day
before , all carefully dried and collected on the corner of the
mantelpiece . he received us in his quietly genial fashion , or-
dered fresh rashers and eggs , and joined us in a hearty meal . 
when it was concluded he settled our new acquaintance upon
the sofa , placed a pillow beneath his head , and laid a glass of
brandy and water within his reach . 
 " it is easy to see that your experience has been no common
one , mr . hatherley , " said he . " pray , lie down there and make
yourself absolutely at home . tell us what you can , but stop when
you are tired and keep up your strength with a little stimulant . " 
 " thank you , " said my patient . " but i have felt another man
since the doctor bandaged me , and i think that your breakfast has
completed the cure . i shall take up as little of your valuable time
as possible , so l shall start at once upon my peculiar experiences . " 
 holmes sat in his big armchair with the weary , heavy-lidded
expression which veiled his keen and eager nature , while i sat
opposite to him , and we listened in silence to the strange story
which our visitor detailed to us . 
 " you must know , " said he , " that i am an orphan and a
bachelor , residing alone in lodgings in london . by profession i
am a hydraulic engineer , and i have had considerable experience
of my work during the seven years that i was apprenticed to
venner & matheson , the well-known firm , of greenwich . two
years ago , having served my time , and having also come into a
fair sum of money through my poor father 's death , i determined
to start in business for myself and took professional chambers in
victoria street . 
 " i suppose that everyone finds his first independent start in
business a dreary experience . to me it has been exceptionally
so . during two years i have had three consultations and one
small job , and that is absolutely all that my profession has
brought me . my gross takings amount to 27 pounds los . every day , 
from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon , i waited in
my little den , until at last my heart began to sink , and i came to
believe that i should never have any practice at all . 
 " yesterday , however , just as i was thinking of leaving the
office , my clerk entered to say there was a gentleman waiting
who wished to see me upon business . he brought up a card , too , 
with the name of ' colonel lysander stark ' engraved upon it . 
close at his heels came the colonel himself , a man rather over
the middle size , but of an exceeding thinness . i do not think that
i have ever seen so thin a man . his whole face sharpened away
into nose and chin , and the skin of his cheeks was drawn quite
tense over his outstanding bones . yet this emaciation seemed to
be his natural habit , and due to no disease , for his eye was
bright , his step brisk , and his bearing assured . he was plainly
but neatly dressed , and his age , i should judge , would be nearer
forty than thirty . 
 " ' mr . hatherley ? ' said he , with something of a german
accent . ' you have been recommended to me , mr . hatherley , as
being a man who is not only proficient in his profession but is
also discreet and capable of preserving a secret . ' 
 " i bowed , feeling as flattered as any young man would at
such an address . ' may i ask who it was who gave me so good a
character ? ' 
 " ' well , perhaps it is better that i should not tell you that just
at this moment . i have it from the same source that you are both
an orphan and a bachelor and are residing alone in london . ' 
 " ' that is quite correct , ' i answered ; ' but you will excuse me
if i say that i cannot see how all this bears upon my professional
qualifications . i understand that it was on a professional matter
that you wished to speak to me ? ' 
 " ' undoubtedly so . but you will find that all i say is really to
the point . i have a professional commission for you , but absolute
secrecy is quite essential -- absolute secrecy , you understand , and
of course we may expect that more from a man who is alone than
from one who lives in the bosom of his family . ' 
 " ' if i promise to keep a secret , ' said i , ' you may absolutely
depend upon my doing so . ' 
 " he looked very hard at me as i spoke , and it seemed to me
that i had never seen so suspicious and questioning an eye . 
 " ' do you promise , then ? ' said he at last . 
 " ' yes , i promise . ' 
 " ' absolute and complete silence before , during , and after ? 
no reference to the matter at all , either in word or writing ? ' 
 " ' i have already given you my word . ' 
 " ' very good . ' he suddenly sprang up , and darting like light-
ning across the room he flung open the door . the passage
outside was empty . 
 " ' that 's all right , ' said he , coming back . ' i know the clerks
are sometimes curious as to their master 's affairs . now we can
talk in safety . ' he drew up his chair very close to mine and
began to stare at me again with the same questioning and thought-
ful look . 
 " a feeling of repulsion , and of something akin to fear had
begun to rise within me at the strange antics of this fleshless
man . even my dread of losing a client could not restrain me
from showing my impatience . 
 " ' i beg that you will state your business , sir , ' said l ; ' my
time is of value . ' heaven forgive me for that last sentence , but
the words came to my lips . 
 " ' how would fifty guineas for a night 's work suit you ? ' he
asked . 
 " ' most admirably . ' 
 " ' i say a night 's work , but an hour 's would be nearer the
mark . i simply want your opinion about a hydraulic stamping
machine which has got out of gear . if you show us what is
wrong we shall soon set it right ourselves . what do you think of
such a commission as that ? ' 
 " ' the work appears to be light and the pay munificent . ' 
 " ' precisely so . we shall want you to come to-night by the
last train . ' 
 " ' where to ? ' 
 " ' to eyford , in berkshire . it is a little place near the borders
of oxfordshire , and within seven miles of reading . there is a
train from paddington which would bring you there at about
11 : 15 . ' 
 " ' very good . ' 
 " ' i shall come down in a carriage to meet you . ' 
 " ' there is a drive , then ? ' 
 " ' yes , our little place is quite out in the country . it is a good
seven miles from eyford station . ' 
 " ' then we can hardly get there before midnight . i suppose
there would be no chance of a train back . i should be compelled
to stop the night . ' 
 " ' yes , we could easily give you a shake-down . ' 
 " ' that is very awkward . could i not come at some more
convenient hour ? ' 
 " ' we have judged it best that you should come late . it is to
recompense you for any inconvenience that we are paying to
you , a young and unknown man , a fee which would buy an
opinion from the very heads of your profession . still , of course , 
if you would like to draw out of the business , there is plenty of
time to do so . ' 
 " i thought of the fifty guineas , and of how very useful they
would be to me . ' not at all , ' said i , ' i shall be very happy to
accommodate myself to your wishes . i should like , however , to
understand a little more clearly what it is that you wish me to do . ' 
 " ' quite so . it is very natural that the pledge of secrecy which
we have exacted from you should have aroused your curiosity . i
have no wish to commit you to anything without your having it
all laid before you . i suppose that we are absolutely safe from
eavesdroppers ? ' 
 " ' entirely . ' 
 " ' then the matter stands thus . you are probably aware that
fuller ' s-earth is a valuable product , and that it is only found in
one or two places in england ? ' 
 " ' i have heard so . ' 
 " ' some little time ago i bought a small place -- a very small
place -- within ten miles of reading . i was fortunate enough to
discover that there was a deposit of fuller ' s-earth in one of my
fields . on examining it , however , i found that this deposit was a
comparatively small one , and that it formed a link between two
very much larger ones upon the right and left -- both of them , 
however , in the grounds of my neighbours . these good people
were absolutely ignorant that their land contained that which was
quite as valuable as a gold-mine . naturally , it was to my interest
to buy their land before they discovered its true value , but
unfortunately i had no capital by which i could do this . i took a
few of my friends into the secret , however , and they suggested
that we should quietly and secretly work our own little deposit
and that in this way we should earn the money which would
enable us to buy the neighbouring fields . this we have now been
doing for some time , and in order to help us in our operations we
erected a hydraulic press . this press , as i have already ex-
plained , has got out of order , and we wish your advice upon the
subject . we guard our secret very jealously , however , and if it
once became known that we had hydraulic engineers coming to
our little house , it would soon rouse inquiry , and then , if the
facts came out , it would be good-bye to any chance of getting
these fields and carrying out our plans . that is why i have made
you promise me that you will not tell a human being that you are
going to eyford to-night . i hope that i make it all plain ? ' 
 " ' i quite follow you , ' said i . ' the only point which i could
not quite understand was what use you could make of a hydraulic
press in excavating fuller ' s-earth , which , as i understand , is dug
out like gravel from a pit . ' 
 " ' ah ! ' said he carelessly , ' we have our own process . we
compress the earth into bricks , so as to remove them without
revealing what they are . but that is a mere detail . i have taken
you fully into my confidence now , mr . hatherley , and i have
shown you how i trust you . ' he rose as he spoke . ' i shall expect
you , then , at eyford at 11 : 15 . ' 
 " ' i shall certainly be there . ' 
 " ' and not a word to a soul . ' he looked at me with a last
long , questioning gaze , and then , pressing my hand in a cold , 
dank grasp , he hurried from the room . 
 " well , when i came to think it all over in cool blood i was
very much astonished , as you may both think , at this sudden
commission which had been intrusted to me . on the one hand , of
course , i was glad , for the fee was at least tenfold what i should
have asked had i set a price upon my own services , and it was
possible that this order might lead to other ones . on the other
hand , the face and manner of my patron had made an unpleasant
impression upon me , and i could not think that his explanation of
the fuller ' s-earth was sufficient to explain the necessity for my
coming at midnight , and his extreme anxiety lest i should tell
anyone of my errand . however , i threw all fears to the winds , 
ate a hearty supper , drove to paddington , and started off , having
obeyed to the letter the injunction as to holding my tongue . 
 " at reading i had to change not only my carriage but my
station . however , i was in time for the last train to eyford , and i
reached the little dim-lit station aher eleven o ' clock . i was the
only passenger who got out there , and there was no one upon the
platform save a single sleepy porter with a lantern . as i passed
out through the wicket gate , however , i found my acquaintance
of the morning waiting in the shadow upon the other side . 
without a word he grasped my arm and hurried me into a
carriage , the door of which was standing open . he drew up the
windows on either side , tapped on the wood-work , and away we
went as fast as the horse could go . " 
 " one horse ? " interjected holmes . 
 " yes , only one . " 
 " did you observe the colour ? " 
 " yes , i saw it by the side-lights when i was stepping into the
carriage . it was a chestnut . " 
 " tired-looking or fresh ? " 
 " oh , fresh and glossy . " 
 " thank you . i am sorry to have interrupted you . pray con-
tinue your most interesting statement . " 
 " away we went then , and we drove for at least an hour . 
colonel lysander stark had said that it was only seven miles , 
but i should think , from the rate that we seemed to go , and from
the time that we took , that it must have been nearer twelve . he
sat at my side in silence all the time , and i was aware , more than
once when i glanced in his direction , that he was looking at me
with great intensity . the country roads seem to be not very good
in that part of the world , for we lurched and jolted terribly . i
tried to look out of the windows to see something of where we
were , but they were made of frosted glass , and i could make out
nothing save the occasional bright blur of a passing light . now
and then i hazarded some remark to break the monotony of the
journey , but the colonel answered only in monosyllables , and the
conversation soon flagged . at last , however , the bumping of the
road was exchanged for the crisp smoothness of a gravel-drive , 
and the carriage came to a stand . colonel lysander stark sprang
out , and , as i followed after him , pulled me swiftly into a porch
which gaped in front of us . we stepped , as it were , right out of
the carriage and into the hall , so that i failed to catch the most
fleeting glance of the front of the house . the instant that i had
crossed the threshold the door slammed heavily behind us , and i
heard faintly the rattle of the wheels as the carriage drove away . 
 " it was pitch dark inside the house , and the colonel fumbled
about looking for matches and muttering under his breath . sud-
denly a door opened at the other end of the passage , and a long , 
golden bar of light shot out in our direction . it grew broader , and
a woman appeared with a lamp in her hand , which she held
above her head , pushing her face forward and peering at us . i
could see that she was pretty , and from the gloss with which the
light shone upon her dark dress i knew that it was a rich
material . she spoke a few words in a foreign tongue in a tone as
though asking a question , and when my companion answered in
a gruff monosyllable she gave such a start that the lamp nearly
fell from her hand . colonel stark went up to her , whispered
something in her ear , and then , pushing her back into the room
from whence she had come , he walked towards me again with
the lamp in his hand . 
 " ' perhaps you will have the kindness to wait in this room for
a few minutes , ' said he , throwing open another door . it was a
quiet , little , plainly furnished room , with a round table in the
centre , on which several german books were scattered . colonel
stark laid down the lamp on the top of a harmonium beside the
door . ' i shall not keep you waiting an instant , ' said he , and
vanished into the darkness . 

 " i glanced at the books upon the table , and in spite of my
ignorance of german i could see that two of them were treatises
on science , the others being volumes of poetry . then i walked
across to the window , hoping that i might catch some glimpse of
the country-side , but an oak shutter , heavily barred , was folded
across it . it was a wonderfully silent house . there was an old
clock ticking loudly somewhere in the passage , but otherwise
everything was deadly still . a vague feeling of uneasiness began
to steal over me . who were these german people , and what were
they doing living in this strange , out-of-the-way place ? and
where was the place ? i was ten miles or so from eyford , that was
all i knew , but whether north , south , east , or west i had no idea . 
for that matter , reading , and possibly other large towns , were
within that radius , so the place might not be so secluded , after
all . yet it was quite certain , from the absolute stillness , that we
were in the country . i paced up and down the room , humming a
tune under my breath to keep up my spirits and feeling that i was
thoroughly earning my fifty-guinea fee . 
 " suddenly , without any preliminary sound in the midst of the
utter stillness , the door of my room swung slowly open . the
woman was standing in the aperture , the darkness of the hall
behind her , the yellow light from my lamp beating upon her
eager and beautiful face . i could see at a glance that she was sick
with fear , and the sight sent a chill to my own heart . she held up
one shaking finger to warn me to be silent , and she shot a few
whispered words of broken english at me , her eyes glancing
back , like those of a frightened horse , into the gloom behind her . 
 " ' i would go , ' said she , trying hard , as it seemed to me , to
speak calmly ; ' i would go . i should not stay here . there is no
good for you to do . ' 
 " ' but , madam , ' said i , ' i have not yet done what i came for . 
i cannot possibly leave until i have seen the machine . ' 
 " ' it is not worth your while to wait , ' she went on . ' you can
pass through the door ; no one hinders . ' and then , seeing that i
smiled and shook my head , she suddenly threw aside her con-
straint and made a step forward , with her hands wrung together . 
 ' for the love of heaven ! ' she whispered , ' get away from here
before it is too late ! ' 
 " but i am somewhat headstrong by nature , and the more
ready to engage in an affair when there is some obstacle in the
way . i thought of my fifty-guinea fee , of my wearisome journey , 
and of the unpleasant night which seemed to be before me . was
it all to go for nothing ? why should i slink away without having
carried out my commission , and without the payment which was
my due ? this woman might , for all i knew , be a monomaniac . 
with a stout bearing , therefore , though her manner had shaken
me more than i cared to confess , i still shook my head and
declared my intention of remaining where i was . she was about
to renew her entreaties when a door slammed overhead , and the
sound of several footsteps was heard upon the stairs . she listened
for an instant , threw up her hands with a despairing gesture , and
vanished as suddenly and as noiselessly as she had come . 
 " the newcomers were colonel lysander stark and a short
thick man with a chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of
his double chin , who was introduced to me as mr . ferguson . 
 " ' this is my secretary and manager , ' said the colonel . ' by
the way , i was under the impression that i left this door shut just
now . i fear that you have felt the draught . ' 
 " ' on the contrary , ' said i , ' i opened the door myself because
i felt the room to be a little close . ' 
 " he shot one of his suspicious looks at me . ' perhaps we had
better proceed to business , then , ' said he . ' mr . ferguson and i
will take you up to see the machine . ' 
 " ' i had better put my hat on , i suppose . ' 
 " ' oh , no , it is in the house . ' 
 " ' what , you dig fuller ' s-earth in the house ? ' 
 " ' no , no . this is only where we compress it . but never mind
that . all we wish you to do is to examine the machine and to let
us know what is wrong with it . ' 
 " we went upstairs together , the colonel first with the lamp , 
the fat manager and i behind him . it was a labyrinth of an old
house , with corridors , passages , narrow winding staircases , and
little low doors , the thresholds of which were hollowed out by
the generations who had crossed them . there were no carpets
and no signs of any furniture above the ground floor , while the
plaster was peeling off the walls , and the damp was breaking
through in green , unhealthy blotches . i tried to put on as uncon-
cerned an air as possible , but i had not forgotten the warnings of
the lady , even though i disregarded them , and i kept a keen eye
upon my two companions . ferguson appeared to be a morose
and silent man , but i could see from the little that he said that he
was at least a fellow-countryman . 
 " colonel lysander stark stopped at last before a low door , 
which he unlocked . within was a small , square room , in which
the three of us could hardly get at one time . ferguson remained
outside , and the colonel ushered me in . 
 " ' we are now , ' said he , ' actually within the hydraulic press , 
and it would be a particularly unpleasant thing for us if anyone
were to turn it on . the ceiling of this small chamber is really the
end of the descending piston , and it comes down with the force
of many tons upon this metal floor . there are small lateral
columns of water outside which receive the force , and which
transmit and multiply it in the manner which is familiar to you . 
the machine goes readily enough , but there is some stiffness in
the working of it , and it has lost a little of its force . perhaps you
will have the goodness to look it over and to show us how we
can set it right . ' 
 " i took the lamp from him , and i examined the machine very
thoroughly . it was indeed a gigantic one , and capable of exercis-
ing enormous pressure . when i passed outside , however , and
pressed down the levers which controlled it , i knew at once by
the whishing sound that there was a slight leakage , which al-
lowed a regurgitation of water through one of the side cylinders . 
an examination showed that one of the india-rubber bands which
was round the head of a driving-rod had shrunk so as not quite to
fill the socket along which it worked . this was clearly the cause
of the loss of power , and i pointed it out to my companions , who
followed my remarks very carefully and asked several practical
questions as to how they should proceed to set it right . when i
had made it clear to them , i returned to the main chamber of the
machine and took a good look at it to satisfy my own curiosity . 
it was obvious at a glance that the story of the fuller ' s-earth was
the merest fabrication , for it would be absurd to suppose that so
powerful an engine could be designed for so inadequate a pur-
pose . the walls were of wood , but the floor consisted of a large
iron trough , and when i came to examine it i could see a crust of
metallic deposit all over it . i had stooped and was scraping at
this to see exactly what it was when i heard a muttered exclama-
tion in german and saw the cadaverous face of the colonel
looking down at me . 
 " ' what are you doing there ? ' he asked . 
 " i felt angry at having been tricked by so elaborate a story as
that which he had told me . ' i was admiring your fuller ' s-earth , ' 
said i ; ' i think that i should be better able to advise you as to
your machine if i knew what the exact purpose was for which it
was used . ' 
 " the instant that i uttered the words i regretted the rashness
of my speech . his face set hard , and a baleful light sprang up in
his gray eyes . 
 " ' very well , ' said he , ' you shall know all about the ma-
chine . ' he took a step backward , slammed the little door , and
turned the key in the lock . i rushed towards it and pulled at the
handle , but it was quite secure , and did not give in the least to
my kicks and shoves . ' hello ! ' i yelled . ' hello ! colonel ! let me
out ! ' 
 " and then suddenly in the silence i heard a sound which sent
my heart into my mouth . it was the clank of the levers and the
swish of the leaking cylinder . he had set the engine at work . the
lamp still stood upon the floor where i had placed it when
examining the trough . by its light i saw that the black ceiling
was coming down upon me , slowly , jerkily , but , as none knew
better than myself , with a force which must within a minute
grind me to a shapeless pulp . i threw myself , screaming , against
the door , and dragged with my nails at the lock . i implored the
colonel to let me out , but the remorseless clanking of the levers
drowned my cries . the ceiling was only a foot or two above my
head , and with my hand upraised i could feel its hard , rough
surface . then it flashed through my mind that the pain of my
death would depend very much upon the position in which i met
it . if i lay on my face the weight would come upon my spine , 
and i shuddered to think of that dreadful snap . easier the other
way , perhaps ; and yet , had i the nerve to lie and look up at that
deadly black shadow wavering down upon me ? already i was
unable to stand erect , when my eye caught something which
brought a gush of hope back to my heart . 
 " i have said that though the floor and ceiling were of iron , the
walls were of wood . as i gave a last hurried glance around , i
saw a thin line of yellow light between two of the boards , which
broadened and broadened as a small panel was pushed backward . 
for an instant i could hardly believe that here was indeed a door
which led away from death . the next instant i threw myself
through , and lay half-fainting upon the other side . the panel had
closed again behind me , but the crash of the lamp , and a few
moments afterwards the clang of the two slabs of metal , told me
how narrow had been my escape . 
 " i was recalled to myself by a frantic plucking at my wrist , 
and i found myself lying upon the stone floor of a narrow
corridor , while a woman bent over me and tugged at me with her
left hand , while she held a candle in her right . it was the same
good friend whose warning i had so foolishly rejected . 
 " ' come ! come ! ' she cried breathlessly . ' they will be here in
a moment . they will see that you are not there . oh , do not waste
the so-precious time , but come ! ' 
 " this time , at least , i did not scorn her advice . i staggered to
my feet and ran with her along the corridor and down a winding
stair . the latter led to ancther broad passage , and just as we
reached it we heard the sound of running feet and the shouting of
two voices , one answering the other from the floor on which we
were and from the one beneath . my guide stopped and looked
about her like one who is at her wit 's end . then she threw open
a door which led into a bedroom , through the window of which
the moon was shining brightly . 
 " ' it is your only chance , ' said she . ' it is high , but it may be
that you can jump it . ' 
 " as she spoke a light sprang into view at the further end of
the passage , and i saw the lean figure of colonel lysander stark
rushing forward with a lantern in one hand and a weapon like a
butcher 's cleaver in the other . i rushed across the bedroom , flung
open the window , and looked out . how quiet and sweet and
wholesome the garden looked in the moonlight , and it could not
be more than thirty feet down . i clambered out upon the sill , but
i hesitated to jump until i should have heard what passed be-
tween my saviour and the ruffian who pursued me . if she were
ill-used , then at any risks i was determined to go back to her
assistance . the thought had hardly flashed through my mind
before he was at the door , pushing his way past her ; but she
threw her arms round him and tried to hold him back . 
 " ' fritz ! fritz ! ' she cried in english , ' remember your promise
after the last time . you said it should not be again . he will be
silent ! oh , he will be silent ! ' 
 " ' you are mad , elise ! ' he shouted , struggling to break away
from her . ' you will be the ruin of us . he has seen too much . let
me pass , i say ! ' he dashed her to one side , and , rushing to the
window , cut at me with his heavy weapon . i had let myself go , 
and was hanging by the hands to the sill , when his blow fell . i
was conscious of a dull pain , my grip loosened , and i fell into
the garden below . 
 " i was shaken but not hurt by the fall ; so i picked myself up
and rushed off among the bushes as hard as i could run , for i
understood that i was far from being out of danger yet . sud-
denly , however , as i ran , a deadly dizziness and sickness came
over me . i glanced down at my hand , which was throbbing
painfully , and then , for the first time , saw that my thumb had
been cut off and that the blood was pouring from my wound . i
endeavoured to tie my handkerchief round it , but there came a
sudden buzzing in my ears , and next moment i fell in a dead
faint among the rose-bushes . 
 " how long i remained unconscious i cannot tell . it must have
been a very long time , for the moon had sunk , and a bright
morning was breaking when i came to myself . my clothes were
all sodden with dew , and my coat-sleeve was drenched with
blood from my wounded thumb . the smarting of it recalled in an
instant all the particulars of my night 's adventure , and i sprang
to my feet with the feeling that i might hardly yet be safe from
my pursuers . but to my astonishment , when i came to look round
me , neither house nor garden were to be seen . i had been iying
in an angle of the hedge close by the highroad , and just a little
lower down was a long building , which proved , upon my ap-
proaching it , to be the very station at which i had arrived upon
the previous night . were it not for the ugly wound upon my
hand , all that had passed during those dreadful hours might have
been an evil dream . 
 " half dazed , i went into the station and asked about the
morning train . there would be one to reading in less than an
hour . the same porter was on duty , i found , as had been there
when i arrived . i inquired of him whether he had ever heard of
colonel lysander stark . the name was strange to him . had he
observed a carriage the night before waiting for me ? no , he had
not . was there a police-station anywhere near ? there was one
about three miles off . 
 " it was too far for me to go , weak and ill as i was . i
determined to wait until i got back to town before telling my
story to the police . it was a little past six when i arrived , so i
went first to have my wound dressed , and then the doctor was
kind enough to bring me along here . i put the case into your
hands and shall do exactly what you advise . " 
 we both sat in silence for some little time after listening to
this extraordinary narrative . then sherlock holmes pulled down
from the shelf one of the ponderous commonplace books in
which he placed his cuttings . 
 " here is an advertisement which will interest you , " said he . 
 " it appeared in all the papers about a year ago . listen to this : 

  " lost , on the 9th inst . , mr . jeremiah hayling , aged
 twenty-six , a hydraulic engineer . left his lodgings at ten
 o ' clock at night , and has not been heard of since . was
 dressed in -- 

etc . , etc . ha ! that represents the last time that the colonel
needed to have his machine overhauled , i fancy . " 
 " good heavens ! " cried my patient . " then that explains what
the girl said . " 
 " undoubtedly . it is quite clear that the colonel was a cool and
desperate man , who was absolutely determined that nothing
should stand in the way of his little game , like those out-and-out
pirates who will leave no survivor from a captured ship . well , 
every moment now is precious , so if you feel equal to it we shall
go down to scotland yard at once as a preliminary to starting for
eyford . " 
 some three hours or so afterwards we were all in the train
together , bound from reading to the little berkshire village . 
there were sherlock holmes , the hydraulic engineer , inspector
bradstreet , of scotland yard , a plain-clothes man , and myself . 
bradstreet had spread an ordnance map of the county out upon
the seat and was busy with his compasses drawing a circle with
eyford for its centre . 
 " there you are , " said he . " that circle is drawn at a radius of
ten miles from the village . the place we want must be some-
where near that line . you said ten miles , i think , sir . " 
 " it was an hour 's good drive . " 
 " and you think that they brought you back all that way when
you were unconscious ? " 
 " they must have done so . l have a confused memory , too , of
having been lifted and conveyed somewhere . " 
 " what i cannot understand , " said i , " is why they should
have spared you when they found you lying fainting in the
garden . perhaps the villain was softened by the woman ' s
entreaties . " 
 " i hardly think that likely . i never saw a more inexorable face
in my life . " 
 " oh , we shall soon clear up all that , " said bradstreet . " well , 
i have drawn my circle , and i only wish i knew at what point
upon it the folk that we are in search of are to be found . " 
 " i think i could lay my finger on it , " said holmes quietly . 
 " really , now ! " cried the inspector , " you have formed your
opinion ! come , now , we shall see who agrees with you . i say it
is south , for the country is more deserted there . " 
 " and i say east , " said my patient . 
 " i am for west , " remarked the plain-clothes man . " there are
several quiet little villages up there . " 
 " and i am for north , " said i , " because there are no hills
there , and our friend says that he did not notice the carriage go
up any . " 
 " come , " cried the inspector , laughing ; " it 's a very pretty
diversity of opinion . we have boxed the compass among us . 
who do you give your casting vote to ? " 
 " you are all wrong . " 
 " but we can ' t all be . " 
 " oh , yes , you can . this is my point . " he placed his finger in
the centre of the circle . " this is where we shall find them . " 
 " but the twelve-mile drive ? " gasped hatherley . 
 " six out and six back . nothing simpler . you say yourself that
the horse was fresh and glossy when you got in . how could it be
that if it had gone twelve miles over heavy roads ? " 
 " indeed , it is a likely ruse enough , " observed bradstreet
thoughtfully . " of course there can be no doubt as to the nature
of this gang . " 
 " none at all , " said holmes . " they are coiners on a large
scale , and have used the machine to form the amalgam which
has taken the place of silver . " 
 " we have known for some time that a clever gang was at
work , " said the inspector . " they have been turning out half-
crowns by the thousand . we even traced them as far as reading , 
but could get no farther , for they had covered their traces in a
way that showed that they were very old hands . but now , thanks
to this lucky chance , i think that we have got them right enough . " 
 but the inspector was mistaken , for those criminals were not
destined to fall into the hands of justice . as we rolled into
eyford station we saw a gigantic column of smoke which streamed
up from behind a small clump of trees in the neighbourhood and
hung like an immense ostrich feather over the landscape . 
 " a house on fire ? " asked bradstreet as the train steamed off
again on its way . 
 " yes , sir ! " said the station-master . 
 " when did it break out ? " 
 " i hear that it was during the night , sir , but it has got worse , 
and the whole place is in a blaze . " 
 " whose house is it ? " 
 " dr . becher 's . " 
 " tell me , " broke in the engineer , " is dr . becher a german , 
very thin , with a long , sharp nose ? " 
 the station-master laughed heartily . " no , sir , dr . becher is
an englishman , and there isn ' t a man in the parish who has a
bener-lined waistcoat . but he has a gentleman staying with him , 
a patient , as i understand , who is a foreigner , and he looks as if
a little good berkshire beef would do him no harm . " 
 the station-master had not finished his speech before we were
all hastening in the direction of the fire . the road topped a low
hill , and there was a great widespread whitewashed building in
front of us , spouting fire at every chink and window , while in
the garden in front three fire-engines were vainly striving to keep
the flames under . 
 " that 's it ! " cried hatherley , in intense excitement . " there is
the gravel-drive , and there are the rose-bushes where i lay . that
second window is the one that i jumped from . " 
 " well , at least , " said holmes , " you have had your revenge
upon them . there can be no question that it was your oil-lamp
which , when it was crushed in the press , set fire to the wooden
walls , though no doubt they were too excited in the chase after
you to observe it at the time . now keep your eyes open in this
crowd for your friends of last night , though i very much fear that
they are a good hundred miles off by now . " 
 and holmes 's fears came to be realized , for from that day to
this no word has ever been heard either of the beautiful woman , 
the sinister german , or the morose englishman . early that morn-
ing a peasant had met a cart containing several people and some
very bulky boxes driving rapidly in the direction of reading , but
there all traces of the fugitives disappeared , and even holmes ' s
ingenuity failed ever to discover the least clue as to their
whereabouts . 
 the firemen had been much perturbed at the strange arrange-
ments which they had found within , and still more so by discov-
ering a newly severed human thumb upon a window-sill of the
second floor . about sunset , however , their efforts were at last
successful , and they subdued the flames , but not before the roof
had fallen in , and the whole place been reduced to such absolute
ruin that , save some twisted cylinders and iron piping , not a
trace remained of the machinery which had cost our unfortunate
acquaintance so dearly . large masses of nickel and of tin were
discovered stored in an out-house , but no coins were to be
found , which may have explained the presence of those bulky
boxes which have been already referred to . 
 how our hydraulic engineer had been conveyed from the
garden to the spot where he recovered his senses might have
remained forever a mystery were it not for the soft mould , which
told us a very plain tale . he had evidently been carried down by
two persons , one of whom had remarkably small feet and the
other unusually large ones . on the whole , it was most probable
that the silent englishman , being less bold or less murderous
than his companion , had assisted the woman to bear the uncon-
scious man out of the way of danger . 
 " well , " said our engineer ruefully as we took our seats to
return once more to london , " it has been a pretty business for
me ! i have lost my thumb and i have lost a fifty-guinea fee , and
what have i gained ? " 
 " experience , " said holmes , laughing . " indirectly it may be
of value , you know ; you have only to put it into words to gain
the reputation of being excellent company for the remainder of
your exlstence . " 
 . 
     the final problem

 it is with a heavy heart that i take up my pen to write these the
last words in which i shall ever record the singular gifts by
which my friend mr . sherlock holmes was distinguished . in an
incoherent and . as i deeply feel , an entirely inadequate fashion , i
have endeavoured to give some account of my strange experiences
in his company from the chance which first brought us together
at the period of the " study in scarlet , " up to the time of his
interference in the matter of the " naval treaty " -- an interfer-
ence which had the unquestionable effect of preventing a serious
international complication . it was my intention to have stopped
there , and to have said nothing of that event which has created a
void in my life which the lapse of two years has done little to
fill . my hand has been forced , however , by the recent letters in
which colonel james moriarty defends the memory of his brother , 
and i have no choice but to lay the facts before the public exactly
as they occurred . i alone know the absolute truth of the matter , 
and i am satisfied that the time has come when no good purpose
is to be served by its suppression . as far as i know , there have
been only three accounts in the public press : that in the journal
de geneve on may 6th , 1891 , the reuter 's dispatch in the
english papers on may 7th , and finally the recent letters to
which i have alluded . of these the first and second were ex-
tremely condensed , while the last is , as i shall now show , an
absolute perversion of the facts . it lies with me to tell for the first
time what really took place between professor moriarty and mr . 
sherlock holmes . 
 it may be remembered that after my marriage , and my subse-
quent start in private practice , the very intimate relations which
had existed between holmes and myself became to some extent
modified . he still came to me from time to time when he desired
a companion in his investigations , but these occasions grew more
and more seldom , until i find that in the year 1890 there were
only three cases of which i retain any record . during the winter
of that year and the early spring of 1891 , i saw in the papers that
he had been engaged by the french government upon a matter of
supreme importance , and i received two notes from holmes , 
dated from narbonne and from nimes , from which i gathered
that his stay in france was likely to be a long one . it was with
some surprise , therefore , that i saw him walk into my consulting-
room upon the evening of april 24th . it struck me that he was
looking even paler and thinner than usual . 
 " yes , i have been using myself up rather too freely , " he
remarked , in answer to my look rather than to my words ; " i
have been a little pressed of late . have you any objection to my
closing your shutters ? " 
 the only light in the room came from the lamp upon the table
at which i had been reading . holmes edged his way round the
wall , and , flinging the shutters together , he bolted them securely . 
 " you are afraid of something ? " i asked . 
 " well , i am . " 
 " of what ? " 
 " of air-guns . " 
 " my dear holmes , what do you mean ? " 
 " i think that you know me well enough . watson . to under-
stand that i am by no means a nervous man . at the same time , it
is stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger
when it is close upon you . might i trouble you for a match ? " he
drew in the smoke of his cigarette as if the soothing influence
was grateful to him . 
 " i must apologize for calling so late , " said he , " and i must
further beg you to be so unconventional as to allow me to leave
your house presently by scrambling over your back garden wall . " 
 " but what does it all mean ? " i asked . 
 he held out his hand , and i saw in the light of the lamp that
two of his knuckles were burst and bleeding . 
 " it 's not an airy nothing , you see , " said he . smiling . " on the
contrary , it is solid enough for a man to break his hand over . is
mrs . watson in ? " 
 " she is away upon a visit . " 
 " indeed ! you are alone ? " 
 " quite . " 
 " then it makes it the easier for me to propose that you should
come away with me for a week to the continent . " 
 " where ? " 
 " oh , anywhere . it 's all the same to me . " 
 there was something very strange in all this . it was not
holmes 's nature to take an aimless holiday , and something
about his pale , worn face told me that his nerves were at their
highest tension . he saw the question in my eyes , and , putting his
finger-tips together and his elbows upon his knees , he explained
the situation . 
 " you have probably never heard of professor moriarty ? " said
he . 
 " never . " 
 " ay , there 's the genius and the wonder of the thing ! " he
cried . " the man pervades london , and no one has heard of him . 
that 's what puts him on a pinnacle in the records of crime . i tell
you watson , in all seriousness , that if i could beat that man , if i
could free society of him , i should feel that my own career had
reached its summit , and i should be prepared to turn to some
more placid line in life . between ourselves , the recent cases in
which i have been of assistance to the royal family of scandina-
via , and to the french republic , have left me in such a position
that i could continue to live in the quiet fashion which is most
congenial to me , and to concentrate my attention upon my
chemical researches . but i could not rest . watson , i could not sit
quiet in my chair , if i thought that such a man as professor
moriarty were walking the streets of london unchallenged . " 
 " what has he done , then ? " 
 " his career has been an extraordinary one . he is a man of
good birth and excellent education . endowed by nature with a
phenomenal mathematical faculty . at the age of twenty-one he
wrote a treatise upon the binomial theorem , which has had a
european vogue . on the strength of it he won the mathematical
chair at one of our smaller universities , and had , to all appear-
ances , a most brilliant career before him . but the man had
hereditary tendencies of the most diabolical kind . a criminal
strain ran in his blood , which , instead of being modified , was
increased and rendered infinitely more dangerous by his extraor-
dinary mental powers . dark rumours gathered round him in the
university town , and eventually he was compelled to resign his
chair and to come down to london , where he set up as an army
coach . so much is known to the world , but what i am telling you
now is what i have myself discovered . 
 " as you are aware , watson , there is no one who knows the
higher criminal world of london so well as i do . for years past i
have continually been conscious of some power behind the male-
factor , some deep organizing power which forever stands in the
way of the law , and throws its shield over the wrong-doer . again
and again in cases of the most varying sorts -- forgery cases , 
robberies , murders -- i have felt the presence of this force , and i
have deduced its action in many of those undiscovered crimes in
which i have not been personally consulted . for years i have
endeavoured to break through the veil which shrouded it , and at
last the time came when l seized my thread and followed it , until
it led me . after a thousand cunning windings , to ex-professor
moriarty , of mathematical celebrity . 
 " he is the napoleon of crime , watson . he is the organizer of
half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great
city . he is a genius , a philosopher , an abstract thinker . he has a
brain of the first order . he sits motionless , like a spider in the
centre of its web , but that web has a thousand radiations , and he
knows well every quiver of each of them . he does little himself . 
he only plans . but his agents are numerous and splendidly
organized . is there a crime to be done , a paper to be abstracted , 
we will say , a house to be rifled , a man to be removed -- the
word is passed to the professor , the matter is organized and
carried out . the agent may be caught . in that case money is
found for his bail or his detence . but the central power which
uses the agent is never caught -- never so much as suspected . 
this was the organization which i deduced , watson , and which i
devoted my whole energy to exposing and breaking up . 
 " but the professor was fenced round with safeguards so cun-
ningly devised that , do what i would , it seemed impossible to get
evidence which would convict in a court of law . you know my
powers , my dear watson , and yet at the end of three months i
was forced to confess that i had at last met an antagonist who
was my intellectual equal . my horror at his crimes was lost in
my admiration at his skill . but at last he made a trip -- only a
little , little trip but it was more than he could afford , when i
was so close upon him . i had my chance , and , starting from that
point , i have woven my net round him until now it is all ready to
close . in three days -- that is to say , on monday next -- matters
will be ripe , and the professor , with all the principal members of
his gang , will be in the hands of the police . then will come the
greatest criminal trial of the century , the clearing up of over forty
mysteries , and the rope for all of them ; but if we move at all
prematurely , you understand , they may slip out of our hands
even at the last moment . 
 " now , if i could have done this without the knowledge of
professor moriarty , all would have been well . but he was too
wily for that . he saw every step which i took to draw my toils
round him . again and again he strove to break away , but i as
often headed him off . i tell you , my friend , that if a detailed
account of that silent contest could be written , it would take its
place as the most brilliant bit of thrust-and-parry work in the
history of detection . never have i risen to such a height , and
never have i been so hard pressed by an opponent . he cut deep , 
and yet i just undercut him . this morning the last steps were
taken , and three days only were wanted to complete the busi-
ness . i was sitting in my room thinking the matter over when the
door opened and professor moriarty stood before me . 
 " my nerves are fairly proof , watson , but i must confess to a
start when i saw the very man who had been so much in my
thoughts standing there on my threshold . his appearance was
quite familiar to me . he is extremely tall and thin , his forehead
domes out in a white curve , and his two eyes are deeply sunken
in his head . he is clean-shaven , pale , and ascetic-looking , re-
taining something of the professor in his features . his shoulders
are rounded from much study , and his face protrudes forward
and is forever slowly oscillating from side to side in a curiously
reptilian fashion . he peered at me with great curiosity in his
puckered eyes . 
 " ' you have less frontal development than i should have
expected , ' said he at last . ' it is a dangerous habit to finger
loaded firearms in the pocket of one 's dressing-gown . ' 
 " the fact is that upon his entrance i had instantly recognized
the extreme personal danger in which i lay . the only conceiv-
able escape for him lay in silencing my tongue . in an instant i
had slipped the revolver from the drawer into my pocket and was
covering him through the cloth . at his remark i drew the weapon
out and laid it cocked upon the table . he still smiled and
blinked , but there was something about his eyes which made me
feel very glad that i had it there . 
 " ' you evidently don ' t know me , ' said he . 
 " ' on the contrary , ' i answered , ' i think it is fairly evident
that i do . pray take a chair . i can spare you five minutes if you
have anything to say . ' 
 " ' all that i have to say has already crossed your mind , ' said
he . 
 " ' then possibly my answer has crossed yours , ' i replied . 
 " ' you stand fast ? ' 
 " ' absolutely . ' 
 " he clapped his hand into his pocket , and i raised the pistol
from the table . but he merely drew out a memorandum-book in
which he had scribbled some dates . 
 " ' you crossed my path on the fourth of january , ' said he . 
 ' on the twenty-third you incommoded me ; by the middle of
february i was seriously inconvenienced by you ; at the end of
march i was absolutely hampered in my plans ; and now , at the
close of april , i find myself placed in such a position through
your continual persecution that i am in positive danger of losing
my liberty . the situation is becoming an impossible one . ' 
 " ' have you any suggestion to make ? ' i asked . 
 " ' you must drop it , mr . holmes , ' said he , swaying his face
about . ' you really must , you know . ' 
 " ' after monday , ' said i . 
 " ' tut , tut ! ' said he . ' i am quite sure that a man of your
intelligence will see that there can be but one outcome to this
affair . it is necessary that you should withdraw . you have
worked things in such a fashion that we have only one resource
left . it has been an intellectual treat to me to see the way in
which you have grappled with this affair , and i say , unaffect-
edly , that it would be a grief to me to be forced to take any
extreme measure . you smile , sir , but i assure you that it really
would . 
 " ' danger is part of my trade , ' i remarked . 
 " ' this is not danger , ' said he . ' it is inevitable destruction . 
you stand in the way not merely of an individual but of a mighty
organization , the full extent of which you , with all your clever-
ness , have been unable to realize . you must stand clear , mr . 
holmes , or be trodden under foot . ' 
 " ' i am afraid , ' said i , rising , ' that in the pleasure of this
conversation i am neglecting business of importance which awaits
me elsewhere . ' 
 " he rose also and looked at me in silence , shaking his head
sadly . 
 " ' well , well , ' said he at last . ' it seems a pity , but i have
done what i could . i know every move of your game . you can
do nothing before monday . it has been a duel between you and
me , mr . holmes . you hope to place me in the dock . i tell you
that i will never stand in the dock . you hope to beat me . i tell
you that you will never beat me . if you are clever enough to
bring destruction upon me , rest assured that i shall do as much to
you . ' 
 " ' you have paid me several compliments , mr . moriarty , ' 
said i . ' let me pay you one in return when i say that if i were
assured of the former eventuality i would , in the interests of the
public , cheerfully accept the latter . ' 
 " ' i can promise you the one , but not the other , ' he snarled , 
and so turned his rounded back upon me and went peering and
blinking out of the room . 
 " that was my singular intervie with professor moriarty . i
confess that it left an unpleasant effect upon my mind . his soft , 
precise fashion of speech leaves a conviction of sincerity which a
mere bully could not produce . of course , you will say : ' why not
take police precautions against him ? ' the reason is that i am
well convinced that it is from his agents the blow would fall . i
have the best of proofs that it would be so . " 
 " you have already been assaulted ? " 
 " my dear watson , professor moriarty is not a man who lets
the grass grow under his feet . i went out about midday to
transact some business in oxford street . as i passed the corner
which leads from bentinck street on to the welbeck street
crossing a two-horse van furiously driven whizzed round and
was on me like a flash . i sprang for the foot-path and saved
myself by the fraction of a second . the van dashed round by
marylebone lane and was gone in an instant . i kept to the
pavement after that , watson , but as i walked down vere street a
brick came down from the roof of one of the houses and was
shattered to fragments at my feet . i called the police and had the
place examined . there were slates and bricks piled up on the
roof preparatory to some repairs , and they would have me be-
lieve that the wind had toppled over one of these . of course i
knew better , but i could prove nothing . i took a cab after that
and reached my brother 's rooms in pall mall , where i spent the
day . now i have come round to you , and on my way i was
attacked by a rough with a bludgeon . i knocked him down , and
the police have him in custody ; but i can tell you with the most
absolute confidence that no possible connection will ever be
traced between the gentleman upon whose front teeth i have
barked my knuckles and the retiring mathematical coach , who is , 
i daresay , working out problems upon a black-board ten miles
away . you will not wonder , watson , that my first act on enter-
ing your rooms was to close your shutters , and that i have been
compelled to ask your permission to leave the house by some
less conspicuous exit than the front door . " 
 i had often admired my friend 's courage , but never more than
now , as he sat quietly checking off a series of incidents which
must have combined to make up a day of horror . 
 " you will spend the night here ? " i said . 
 " no , my friend , you might find me a dangerous guest . i have
my plans laid , and all will be well . matters have gone so far now
that they can move without my help as far as the arrest goes , 
though my presence is necessary for a conviction . it is obvious , 
therefore , that i cannot do better than get away for the few days
which remain before the police are at liberty to act . it would be a
great pleasure to me , therefore , if you could come on to the
continent with me . " 
 " the practice is quiet , " said i , " and i have an accommodat-
ing neighbour . i should be glad to come . " 
 " and to start to-morrow morning ? " 
 " if necessary . " 
 " oh , yes , it is most necessary . then these are your instruc-
tions , and i beg , my dear watson , that you will obey them to the
letter , for you are now playing a double-handed game with me
against the cleverest rogue and the most powerful syndicate of
criminals in europe . now listen ! you will dispatch whatever
luggage you intend to take by a trusty messenger unaddressed to
victoria to-night . in the morning you will send for a hansom , 
desiring your man to take neither the first nor the second which
may present itself . into this hansom you will jump , and you will
drive to the strand end of the lowther arcade , handing the
address to the cabman upon a slip of paper , with a request that
he will not throw it away . have your fare ready , and the instant
that your cab stops , dash through the arcade , timing yourself to
reach the other side at a quarter-past nine . you will find a small
brougham waiting close to the curb , driven by a fellow with a
heavy black cloak tipped at the collar with red . into this you will
step , and you will reach victoria in time for the continental
express . " 
 " where shall i meet you ? " 
 " at the station . the second first-class carriage from the front
will be reserved for us . " 
 " the carriage is our rendezvous , then ? " 
 " yes . " 
 it was in vain that i asked holmes to remain for the evening . 
it was evident to me that he thought he might bring trouble to the
roof he was under , and that that was the motive which impelled
him to go . with a few hurried words as to our plans for the
morrow he rose and came out with me into the garden , clamber-
ing over the wall which leads into mortimer street , and immedi-
ately whistling for a hansom , in which i heard him drive away . 
 in the morning i obeyed holmes 's injunctions to the letter . a
hansom was procured with such precautions as would prevent its
being one which was placed ready for us , and i drove immedi-
ately after breakfast to the lowther arcade , through which i
hurried at the top of my speed . a brougham was waiting with a
very massive driver wrapped in a dark cloak , who , the instant
that i had stepped in , whipped up the horse and rattled off to
victoria station . on my alighting there he turned the camage , 
and dashed away again without so much as a look in my direction . 
 so far all had gone admirably . my luggage was waiting for
me , and i had no difficulty in finding the carriage which holmes
had indicated , the less so as it was the only one in the train
which was marked " engaged . " my only source of anxiety now
was the non-appearance of holmes . the station clock marked
only seven minutes from the time when we were due to start . in
vain i searched among the groups of travellers and leave-takers
for the lithe figure of my friend . there was no sign of him . i
spent a few minutes in assisting a venerable italian priest , who
was endeavouring to make a porter understand , in his broken
english , that his luggage was to be booked through to paris . 
then , having taken another look round , i returned to my car-
riage , where i found that the porter , in spite of the ticket , had
given me my decrepit italian friend as a travelling companion . it
was useless for me to explain to him that his presence was an
intrusion , for my italian was even more limited than his english , 
so i shrugged my shoulders resignedly , and continued to look out
anxiously for my friend . a chill of fear had come over me , as i
thought that his absence might mean that some blow had fallen
during the night . already the doors had all been shut and the
whistle blown , when -- 
 " my dear watson , " said a voice , " you have not even conde-
scended to say good-morning . " 
 i turned in uncontrollable astonishment . the aged ecclesiastic
had turned his face towards me . for an instant the wrinkles were
smoothed away , the nose drew away from the chin , the lower lip
ceased to protrude and the mouth to mumble , the dull eyes
regained their fire , the drooping figure expanded . the next the
whole frame collapsed again , and holmes had gone as quickly as
he had come . 
 " good heavens ! " i cried , " how you startled me ! " 
 " every precaution is still necessary , " he whispered . " i have
reason to think that they are hot upon our trail . ah , there is
moriarty himself . " 
 the train had already begun to move as holmes spoke . glanc-
ing back , i saw a tall man pushing his way furiously through the
crowd , and waving his hand as if he desired to have the train
stopped . it was too late , however , for we were rapidly gathering
momentum , and an instant later had shot clear of the station . 
 " with all our precautions , you see that we have cut it rather
fine , " said holmes , laughing . he rose , and throwing off the
black cassock and hat which had formed his disguise , he packed
them away in a hand-bag . 
 " have you seen the morning paper , watson ? " 
 " no . " 
 " you haven ' t seen about baker street , then ? " 
 " baker street ? " 
 " they set fire to our rooms last night . no great harm was
done . " 
 " good heavens , holmes . this is intolerable ! " 
 " they must have lost my track completely after their
bludgeonman was arrested . otherwise they could not have imag-
ined that i had returned to my rooms . they have evidently taken
the precaution of watching you , however , and that is what has
brought moriarty to victoria . you could not have made any slip
in coming ? " 
 " i did exactly what you advised . " 
 " did you find your brougham ? " 
 " yes , it was waiting . " 
 " did you recognize your coachman ? " 
 " no . " 
 " it was my brother mycroft . it is an advantage to get about in
such a case without taking a mercenary into your confidence . 
but we must plan what we are to do about moriarty now . " 
 " as this is an express , and as the boat runs in connection with
it , i should think we have shaken him off very effectively . " 
 " my dear watson , you evidently did not realize my meaning
when i said that this man may be taken as being quite on the
same intellectual plane as myself . you do not imagine that if i
were the pursuer i should allow myself to be baffled by so slight
an obstacle . why , then , should you think so meanly of him ? " 
 " what will he do ? " 
 " what i should do . " 
 " what would you do , then ? " 
 " engage a special . " 
 " but it must be late . " 
 " by no means . this train stops at canterbury ; and there is
always at least a quarter of an hour 's delay at the boat . he will
catch us there . " 
 " one would think that we were the criminals . let us have him
arrested on his arrival . " 
 " it would be to ruin the work of three months . we should get
the big fish . but the smaller would dart right and left out of the
net . on monday we should have them all . no , an arrest is
inadmissible . " 
 " what then ? " 
 " we shall get out at canterbury . " 
 " and then ? " 
 " well , then we must make a cross-country journey to
newhaven , and so over to dieppe . moriarty will again do what i
should do . he will get on to paris , mark down our luggage , and
wait for two days at the depot . in the meantime we shall treat
ourselves to a couple of carpet-bags , encourage the manufactures
of the countries through which we travel , and make our way at
our leisure into switzerland , via luxembourg and basle . " 
 at canterbury , therefore , we alighted , only to find that we
should have to walt an hour before we could get a train to
newhaven . 
 i was still looking rather ruefully after the rapidly disappearing
luggage-van which contained my wardrobe , when holmes pulled
my sleeve and pointed up the line . 
 " already , you see , " said he . 
 far away , from among the kentish woods there rose a thin
spray of smoke . a minute later a carriage and engine could be
seen flying along the open curve which leads to the station . we
had hardly time to take our place behind a pile of luggage when
it passed with a rattle and a roar , beating a blast of hot air into
our faces . 
 " there he goes , " said holmes , as we watched the carriage
swing and rock over the points . " there are limits , you see , to
our friend 's intelligetnce . it would have been a coup-de-maitre
had he deduced what i would deduce and acted accordingly . " 
 " and what would he have done had he overtaken us ? " 
 " there cannot be the least doubt that he would have made a
murderous attack upon me . it is , however , a game at which two
may play . the question now is whether we should take a prema-
ture lunch here , or run our chance of starving before we reach
the buffet at newhaven . " 
 we made our way to brussels that night and spent two days
there , moving on upon the third day as far as strasbourg . on the
monday morning holmes had telegraphed to the london police , 
and in the evening we found a reply waiting for us at our hotel . 
holmes tore it open , and then with a bitter curse hurled it into
the grate . 
 " i might have known it ! " he groaned . " he has escaped ! " 
 " moriarty ? " 
 " they have secured the whole gang with the exception of
him . he has given them the slip . of course , when i had left the
country there was no one to cope with him . but i did think that i
had put the game in their hands . i think that you had better return
to england , watson . " 
 " why ? " 
 " because you will find me a dangerous companion now . this
man 's occupation is gone . he is lost if he returns to london . if i
read his character right he will devote his whole energies to
revenging himself upon me . he said as much in our short
interview , and i fancy that he meant it . i should certainly recom-
mend you to return to your practice . " 
 it was hardly an appeal to be successful with one who was an
old campaigner as well as an old friend . we sat in the strasbourg
salle-a-manger arguing the question for half an hour , but the
same night we had resumed our journey and were well on our
way to geneva . 
 for a charming week we wandered up the valley of the rhone , 
and then , branching off at leuk , we made our way over the
gemmi pass , still deep in snow , and so , by way of interlaken , to
meiringen . it was a lovely trip , the dainty green of the spring
below , the virgin white of the winter above ; but it was clear to
me that never for one instant did holmes forget the shadow
which lay across him . in the homely alpine villages or in the
lonely mountain passes , i could still tell by his quick glancing
eyes and his sharp scrutiny of every face that passed us , that he
was well convinced that , walk where we would , we could not
walk ourselves clear of the danger which was dogging our
footsteps
 once , i remember , as we passed over the gemmi , and walked
along the border of the melancholy daubensee , a large rock
which had been dislodged from the ridge upon our right clattered
down and roared into the lake behind us . in an instant holmes
had raced up on to the ridge , and , standing upon a lofty pinna-
cle , craned his neck in every direction . it was in vain that our
guide assured him that a fall of stones was a common chance in
the springtime at that spot . he said nothing , but he smiled at me
with the air of a man who sees the fulfilment of that which he
had expected . 
 and yet for all his watchfulness he was never depressed . on
the contrary , i can never recollect having seen him in such
exuberant spirits . again and again he recurred to the fact that if
he could be assured that society was freed from professor moriarty
he would cheerfully bring his own career to a conclusion . 
 " i think that i may go so far as to say , watson , that i have not
lived wholly in vain , " he remarked . " if my record were closed
to-night i could still survey it with equanimity . the air of
london is the sweeter for my presence . in over a thousand cases
i am not aware that i have ever used my powers upon the wrong
side . of late i have been tempted to look into the problems
furnished by nature rather than those more superficial ones tor
which our artificial state of society is responsible . your memoirs
will draw to an end , watson , upon the day that i crown my
career by the capture or extinction of the most dangerous and
capable criminal in europe . " 
 i shall be brief , and yet exact , in the little which remains for
me to tell . it is not a subject on which i would willingly dwell , 
and yet i am conscious that a duty devolves upon me to omit no
detail . 
 it was on the third of may that we reached the little village of
meiringen , where we put up at the englischer hof . then kept by
peter steiler the elder . our landlord was an intelligent man and
spoke excellent english , having served for three years as waiter
at the grosvenor hotel in london . at his advice , on the after-
noon of the fourth we set off together , with the intention of
crossing the hills and spending the night at the hamlet of rosenlaui . 
we had strict injunctions , however , on no account to pass the
falls of reichenbach , which are about halfway up the hills , 
without making a small detour to see them . 
 it is , indeed , a fearful place . the torrent , swollen by the
melting snow , plunges into a tremendous abyss , from which the
spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house . the shaft
into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm , lined by
glistening coal-black rock , and narrowing into a creaming , boil-
ing pit of incalculable depth , which brims over and shoots the
stream onward over its jagged lip . the long sweep of green
water roaring forever down , and the thick flickering curtain of
spray hissing forever upward , turn a man giddy with their con-
stant whirl and clamour . we stood near the edge peering down at
the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black
rocks , and listening to the half-human shout which came boom-
ing up with the spray out of the abyss . 
 the path has been cut halfway round the fall to afford a
complete view , but it ends abruptly , and the traveller has to
return as he came . we had turned to do so , when we saw a
swiss lad come running along it with a letter in his hand . it bore
the mark of the hotel which we had just left and was addressed to
me by the landlord . it appeared that within a very few minutes of
our leaving , an english lady had arrived who was in the last
stage of consumption . she had wintered at davos platz and was
journeying now to join her friends at lucerne , when a sudden
hemorrhage had overtaken her . it was thought that she could
hardly live a few hours , but it would be a great consolation to
her to see an english doctor , and , if i would only return , etc . 
the good steiler assured me in a postscript that he would himself
look upon my compliance as a very great favour , since the lady
absolutely refused to see a swiss physician , and he could not but
feel that he was incurring a great responsibility . 
 the appeal was one which could not be ignored . it was
impossible to refuse the request of a fellow-countrywoman dying
in a strange land . yet i had my scruples about leaving holmes . it
was finally agreed , however , that he should retain the young
swiss messenger with him as guide and companion while i
returned to meiringen . my friend would stay some little time at
the fall , he said , and would then walk slowly over the hill to
rosenlaui , where i was to rejoin him in the evening . as i turned
away i saw holmes , with his back against a rock and his arms
folded , gazing down at the rush of the waters . it was the last that
i was ever destined to see of him in this world . 
 when i was near the bottom of the descent i looked back . it
was impossible , from that position , to see the fall , but i could
see the curving path which winds over the shoulder of the hills
and leads to it . along this a man was , i remember , walking very
rapidly . 
 i could see his black figure clearly outlined against the green
behind him . i noted him , and the energy with which he walked , 
but he passed from my mind again as i hurried on upon my
errand . 
 it may have been a little over an hour before i reached
meiringen . old steiler was standing at the porch of his hotel . 
 " well , " said i , as i came hurrying up , " i trust that she is no
worse ? " 
 a look of surprise passed over his face , and at the first quiver
of his eyebrows my heart turned to lead in my breast . 
 " you did not write this ? " i said , pulling the letter from my
pocket . " there is no sick englishwoman in the hotel ? " 
 " certainly not ! " he cried . " but it has the hotel mark upon it ! 
ha , it must have been written by that tall englishman who came
in after you had gone . he said -- " 
 but i waited for none of the landlord 's explanation . in a tingle
of fear i was already running down the village street , and making
for the path which i had so lately descended . it had taken me an
hour to come down . for all my efforts two more had passed
betore i found myself at the fall of reichenbach once more . 
there was holmes 's alpine-stock still leaning against the rock
by which i had left him . but there was no sign of him , and it
was in vain that i shouted . my only answer was my own voice
reverberating in a rolling echo from the cliffs around me . 
 it was the sight of that alpine-stock which turned me cold and
sick . he had not gone to rosenlaui , then . he had remained on
that three-foot path , with sheer wall on one side and sheer drop
on the other , until his enemy had overtaken him . the young
swiss had gone too . he had probably been in the pay of moriarty
and had left the two men together . and then what had happened ? 
who was to tell us what had happened then ? 
 i stood for a minute or two to collect myself , for i was dazed
with the horror of the thing . then i began to think of holmes ' s
own methods and to try to practise them in reading this tragedy . 
it was , alas , only too easy to do . during our conversation we
had not gone to the end of the path , and the alpine-stock marked
the place where we had stood . the blackish soil is kept forever
soft by the incessant drift of spray , and a bird would leave its
tread upon it . two lines of footmarks were clearly marked along
the farther end of the path , both leading away from me . there
were none returning . a few yards from the end the soil was all
ploughed up into a patch of mud , and the brambles and ferns
which fringed the chasm were torn and bedraggled . i lay upon
my face and peered over with the spray spouting up all around
me . it had darkened since i left , and now i could only see here
and there the glistening of moisture upon the black walls , and far
away down at the end of the shaft the gleam of the broken water . 
i shouted ; but only that same half-human cry of the fall was
borne back to my ears . 
 but it was destined that i should , after all , have a last word of
greeting from my friend and comrade . i have said that his
alpine-stock had been left leaning against a rock which jutted on
to the path . from the top of this bowlder the gleam of something
bright caught my eye , and raising my hand i found that it came
from the silver cigarette-case which he used to carry . as i took it
up a small square of paper upon which it had lain fluttered down
on to the ground . unfolding it , i found that it consisted of three
pages torn from his notebook and addressed to me . it was
characteristic of the man that the direction was as precise . and
the writing as firm and clear , as though it had been written in his
study . 

  my dear watson [it said] : 
  i write these few lines through the courtesy of mr . 
  moriarty , who awaits my convenience for the final discus-
  sion of those questions which lie between us . he has been
  giving me a sketch of the methods by which he avoided the
  english police and kept himself informed of our move-
  ments . they certainly confirm the very high opinion which
  i had formed of his abilities . i am pleased to think that i
  shall be able to free society from any further effects of his
  presence , though i fear that it is at a cost which will give
  pain to my friends , and especially , my dear watson , to you . 
  i have already explained to you , however , that my career
  had in any case reached its crisis , and that no possible
  conclusion to it could be more congenial to me than this . 
  indeed , if i may make a full confession to you , i was quite
  convinced that the letter from meiringen was a hoax , and i
  allowed you to depart on that errand under the persuasion
  that some development of this sort would follow . tell in-
  spector patterson that the papers which he needs to convict
  the gang are in pigeonhole m . , done up in a blue envelope
  and inscribed " moriarty . " i made every disposition of my
  property before leaving england and handed it to my brother
  mycroft . pray give my greetings to mrs . watson , and
  believe me to be , my dear fellow
           very sincerely yours , 
            sherlock holmes . 

 a few words may suffice to tell the little that remains . an
examination by experts leaves little doubt that a personal contest
between the two men ended , as it could hardly fail to end in such
a situation , in their reeling over , locked in each other 's arms . 
any attempt at recovering the bodies was absolutely hopeless , 
and there , deep down in that dreadful cauldron of swirling water
and seething foam , will lie for all time the most dangerous
criminal and the foremost champion of the law of their genera-
tion . the swiss youth was never found again , and there can be
no doubt that he was one of the numerous agents whom moriarty
kept in his employ . as to the gang , it will be within the memory
of the public how completely the evidence which holmes had
accumulated exposed their organization , and how heavily the
hand of the dead man weighed upon them . of their terrible chief
few details came out during the proceedings , and if i have now
been compelled to make a clear statement of his career , it is due
to those injudicious champions who have endeavoured to clear
his memory by attacks upon him whom i shall ever regard as the
best and the wisest man whom i have ever known . 
 . 
    the five orange pips

 when i glance over my notes and records of the sherlock
holmes cases between the years ' 82 and ' 90 , i am faced by so
many which present strange and interesting features that it is no
easy matter to know which to choose and which to leave . some , 
however , have already gained publicity through the papers , and
others have not offered a field for those peculiar qualities which
my friend possessed in so high a degree , and which it is the
object of these papers to illustrate . some , too , have baffled his
analytical skill , and would be , as narratives , beginnings without
an ending , while others have been but partially cleared up , and
have their explanations founded rather upon conjecture and sur-
mise than on that absolute logical proof which was so dear to
him . there is , however , one of these last which was so remark-
able in its details and so startling in its results that i am tempted
to give some account of it in spite of the fact that there are points
in connection with it which never have been , and probably never
will be , entirely cleared up . 
 the year ' 87 furnished us with a long series of cases of
greater or less interest , of which i retain the records . among my
headings under this one twelve months i find an account of the
adventure of the paradol chamber , of the amateur mendicant
society , who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a
furniture warehouse , of the facts connected with the loss of the
british bark sophy anderson , of the singular adventures of the
grice patersons in the island of uffa , and finally of the camberwell
poisoning case . in the latter , as may be remembered , sherlock
holmes was able , by winding up the dead man 's watch , to prove
that it had been wound up two hours before , and that therefore
the deceased had gone to bed within that time -- a deduction
which was of the greatest importance in clearing up the case . all
these i may sketch out at some future date , but none of them
present such singular features as the strange train of circum-
stances which i have now taken up my pen to describe . 
 it was in the latter days of september , and the equinoctial
gales had set in with exceptional violence . all day the wind had
screamed and the rain had beaten against the windows , so that
even here in the heart of great , hand-made london we were
forced to raise our minds for the instant from the routine of life
and to recognize the presence of those great elemental forces
which shriek at mankind through the bars of his civilization , like
untamed beasts in a cage . as evening drew in , the storm grew
higher and louder , and the wind cried and sobbed like a child in
the chimney . sherlock holmes sat moodily at one side of the
fireplace cross-indexing his records of crime , while i at the other
was deep in one of clark russell 's fine sea-stories until the howl
of the gale from without seemed to blend with the text , and the
splash of the rain to lengthen out into the long swash of the sea
waves . my wife was on a visit to her mother 's , and for a few
days i was a dweller once more in my old quarters at baker
street . 
 " why , " said i , glancing up at my companion , " that was
surely the bell . who could come to-night ? some friend of yours , 
perhaps ? " 
 " except yourself i have none , " he answered . " i do not
encourage visitors . " 
 " a client , then ? " 
 " if so , it is a serious case . nothing less would bring a man
out on such a day and at such an hour . but i take it that it is
more likely to be some crony of the landlady 's . " 
 sherlock holmes was wrong in his conjecture , however , for
there came a step in the passage and a tapping at the door . he
stretched out his long arm to turn the lamp away from himself
and towards the vacant chair upon which a newcomer must sit . 
 " come in ! " said he . 
 the man who entered was young , some two-and-twenty at the
outside , well-groomed and trimly clad , with something of refine-
ment and delicacy in his bearing . the streaming umbrella which
he held in his hand , and his long shining waterproof told of the
fierce weather through which he had come . he looked about him
anxiously in the glare of the lamp , and i could see that his face
was pale and his eyes heavy , like those of a man who is weighed
down with some great anxiety . 
 " l owe you an apology , " he said , raising his golden pince-nez
to his eyes . " i trust that i am not intruding . i fear that i have
brought some traces of the storm and rain into your snug chamber . " 
 " give me your coat and umbrella , " said holmes . " they may
rest here on the hook and will be dry presently . you have come
up from the south-west , i see . " 
 " yes , from horsham . " 
 " that clay and chalk mixture which i see upon your toe caps
is quite distinctive . " 
 " i have come for advice . " 
 " that is easily got . " 
 " and help . " 
 " that is not always so easy . " 
 " i have heard of you , mr . holmes . i heard from major
prendergast how you saved him in the tankerville club scandal . " 
 " ah , of course . he was wrongfully accused of cheating at
cards . " 
 " he said that you could solve anything . " 
 " he said too much . " 
 " that you are never beaten . " 
 " i have been beaten four times - three times by men , and
once by a woman . " 
 " but what is that compared with the number of your successes ? " 
 " it is true that i have been generally successful . " 
 " then you may be so with me . " 
 " i beg that you will draw your chair up to the fire and favour
me with some details as to your case . " 
 " it is no ordinary one . " 
 " none of those which come to me are . i am the last court of
appeal . " 
 " and yet i question , sir , whether , in all your experience , you
have ever listened to a more mysterious and inexplicable chain of
events than those which have happened in my own family . " 
 " you fill me with interest , " said holmes . " pray give us the
essential facts from the commencement , and i can afterwards
question you as to those details which seem to me to be most
important . " 
 the young man pulled his chair up and pushed his wet feet out
towards the blaze . 
 " my name , " said he , " is john openshaw , but my own affairs
have , as far as i can understand , little to do with this awful
business . it is a hereditary matter ; so in order to give you an idea
of the facts , i must go back to the commencement of the affair . 
 " you must know that my grandfather had two sons -- my
uncle elias and my father joseph . my father had a small factory
at coventry , which he enlarged at the time of the invention of
bicycling . he was a patentee of the openshaw unbreakable tire , 
and his business met with such success that he was able to sell it
and to retire upon a handsome competence . 
 " my uncle elias emigrated to america when he was a young
man and became a planter in florida , where he was reported to
have done very well . at the time of the war he fought in
jackson 's army , and afterwards under hood , where he rose to be
a colonel . when lee laid down his arms my uncle returned to his
plantation , where he remained for three or four years . about
1869 or 1870 he came back to europe and took a small estate in
sussex , near horsham . he had made a very considerable fortune
in the states , and his reason for leaving them was his aversion to
the negroes , and his dislike of the republican policy in extend-
ing the franchise to them . he was a singular man , fierce and
quick-tempered , very foul-mouthed when he was angry , and of a
most retiring disposition . during all the years that he lived at
horsham , i doubt if ever he set foot in the town . he had a
garden and two or three fields round his house , and there he
would take his exercise , though very often for weeks on end he
would never leave his room . he drank a great deal of brandy and
smoked very heavily , but he would see no society and did not
want any friends , not even his own brother . 
 " he didn ' t mind me ; in fact , he took a fancy to me , for at the
time when he saw me first i was a youngster of twelve or so . 
this would be in the year 1878 , after he had been eight or nine
years in england . he begged my father to let me live with him
and he was very kind to me in his way . when he was sober he
used to be fond of playing backgammon and draughts with me , 
and he would make me his representative both with the servants
and with the tradespeople , so that by the time that i was sixteen i
was quite master of the house . i kept all the keys and could go
where i liked and do what i liked , so long as i did not disturb
him in his privacy . there was one singular exception , however , 
for he had a single room , a lumber-room up among the attics , 
which was invariably locked , and which he would never permit
either me or anyone else to enter . with a boy 's curiosity i have
peeped through the keyhole , but i was never able to see more
than such a collection of old trunks and bundles as would be
expected in such a room . 
 " one day -- it was in march , 1883 -- a letter with a foreign
stamp lay upon the table in front of the colonel 's plate . it was
not a common thing for him to receive letters , for his bills were
all paid in ready money , and he had no friends of any sort . ' from
india ! ' said he as he took it up , ' pondicherry postmark ! what
can this be ? ' opening it hurriedly , out there jumped five little
dried orange pips , which pattered down upon his plate . i began
to laugh at this , but the laugh was struck from my lips at the
sight of his face . his lip had fallen , his eyes were protruding , his
skin the colour of putty , and he glared at the envelope which he
still held in his trembling hand , ' k . k . k . ! ' he shrieked , and
then , ' my god , my god , my sins have overtaken me ! ' 
 " ' what is it , uncle ? ' i cried . 
 " ' death , ' said he , and rising from the table he retired to his
room , leaving me palpitating with horror . i took up the envelope
and saw scrawled in red ink upon the inner flap , just above the
gum , the letter k three times repeated . there was nothing else
save the five dried pips . what could be the reason of his over-
powering terror ? i left the breakfast-table , and as i ascended the
stair i met him coming down with an old rusty key , which must
have belonged to the attic , in one hand , and a small brass box , 
like a cashbox , in the other . 
 " ' they may do what they like , but i ' ll checkmate them still , ' 
said he with an oath . ' tell mary that i shall want a fire in my
room to-day , and send down to fordham , the horsham lawyer . ' 
 " i did as he ordered , and when the lawyer arrived i was asked
to step up to the room . the fire was burning brightly , and in the
grate there was a mass of black , fluffy ashes , as of burned paper , 
while the brass box stood open and empty beside it . as i glanced
at the box i noticed , with a start , that upon the lid was printed
the treble k which i had read in the morning upon the envelope . 
 " ' i wish you , john , ' said my uncle , ' to witness my will . i
leave my estate , with all its advantages and all its disadvantages , 
to my brother , your father , whence it will , no doubt , descend to
you . if you can enjoy it in peace , well and good ! if you find you
cannot , take my advice , my boy , and leave it to your deadliest
enemy . i am sorry to give you such a two-edged thing , but i
can ' t say what turn things are going to take . kindly sign the
paper where mr . fordham shows you . ' 
 " i signed the paper as directed , and the lawyer took it away
with him . the singular incident made , as you may think , the
deepest impression upon me , and i pondered over it and turned it
every way in my mind without being able to make anything of it . 
yet i could not shake off the vague feeling of dread which it left
behind , though the sensation grew less keen as the weeks passed
and nothing happened to disturb the usual routine of our lives . i
could see a change in my uncle , however . he drank more than
ever , and he was less inclined for any sort of society . most of his
time he would spend in his room , with the door locked upon the
inside , but sometimes he would emerge in a sort of drunken
frenzy and would burst out of the house and tear about the
garden with a revolver in his hand , screaming out that he was
afraid of no man , and that he was not to be cooped up , like a
sheep in a pen , by man or devil . when these hot fits were over
however , he would rush tumultuously in at the door and lock and
bar it behind him , like a man who can brazen it out no longer
against the terror which lies at the roots of his soul . at such
times i have seen his face , even on a cold day , glisten with
moisture , as though it were new raised from a basin . 
 " well , to come to an end of the matter , mr . holmes , and not
to abuse your patience , there came a night when he made one of
those drunken sallies from which he never came back . we found
him , when we went to search for him , face downward in a little
green-scummed pool , which lay at the foot of the garden . there
was no sign of any violence , and the water was but two feet
deep , so that the jury , having regard to his known eccentricity , 
brought in a verdict of ' suicide . ' but i , who knew how he
winced from the very thought of death , had much ado to persuade
myself that he had gone out of his way to meet it . the matter
passed , however , and my father entered into possession of the
estate , and of some 14 , 000 pounds , which lay to his credit at the
bank . " 
 " one moment , " holmes interposed , " your statement is , i
foresee , one of the most remarkable to which i have ever lis-
tened . let me have the date of the reception by your uncle of the
letter , and the date of his supposed suicide . " 
 " the letter arrived on march 10 , 1883 . his death was seven
weeks later , upon the night of may 2d . " 
 " thank you . pray proceed . " 
 " when my father took over the horsham property , he , at my
request , made a careful examination of the attic , which had been
always locked up . we found the brass box there , although its
contents had been destroyed . on the inside of the cover was a
paper label , with the initials of k . k . k . repeated upon it , and
 ' letters , memoranda , receipts , and a register ' written beneath . 
these , we presume , indicated the nature of the papers which had
been destroyed by colonel openshaw . for the rest , there was
nothing of much importance in the attic save a great many
scattered papers and note-books bearing upon my uncle 's life in
america . some of them were of the war time and showed that he
had done his duty well and had borne the repute of a brave
soldier . others were of a date during the reconstruction of the
southern states , and were mostly concerned with politics , for he
had evidently taken a strong part in opposing the carpet-bag
politicians who had been sent down from the north . 
 " well , it was the beginning of ' 84 when my father came to
live at horsham , and all went as well as possible with us until
the january of ' 85 . on the fourth day after the new year i heard
my father give a sharp cry of surprise as we sat together at the
breakfast-table . there he was , sitting with a newly opened enve-
lope in one hand and five dried orange pips in the outstretched
palm of the other one . he had always laughed at what he called
my cock-and-bull story about the colonel , but he looked very
scared and puzzled now that the same thing had come upon
himself . 
 " ' why , what on earth does this mean , john ? ' he stammered . 
 " my heart had turned to lead . ' it is k . k . k . , ' said i . 
 " he looked inside the envelope . ' so it is , ' he cried . ' here are
the very letters . but what is this written above them ? ' 
 " ' put the papers on the sundial , ' i read , peeping over his
shoulder . 
 " ' what papers ? what sundial ? ' he asked . 
 " ' the sundial in the garden . there is no other , ' said i ; ' but
the papers must be those that are destroyed . ' 
 " ' pooh ! ' said he , gripping hard at his courage . ' we are in a
civilized land here , and we can ' t have tomfoolery of this kind . 
where does the thing come from ? ' 
 " ' from dundee , ' i answered , glancing at the postmark . 
 " ' some preposterous practical joke , ' said he . ' what have i to
do with sundials and papers ? i shall take no notice of such
nonsense . ' 
 " ' i should certainly speak to the police , ' i said . 
 " ' and be laughed at for my pains . nothing of the sort . ' 
 " ' then let me do so ? ' 
 " ' no , i forbid you . i won ' t have a fuss made about such
nonsense . ' 
 " it was in vain to argue with him , for he was a very obstinate
man . i went about , however , with a heart which was full of
forebodings . 
 " on the third day after the coming of the letter my father went
from home to visit an old friend of his , major freebody , who is
in command of one of the forts upon portsdown hill . i was glad
that he should go , for it seemed to me that he was farther from
danger when he was away from home . in that , however , i was in
error . upon the second day of his absence i received a telegram
from the major , imploring me to come at once . my father had
fallen over one of the deep chalk-pits which abound in the
neighbourhood , and was lying senseless , with a shattered skull . i
hurried to him , but he passed away without having ever recov-
ered his consciousness . he had , as it appears , been returning
from fareham in the twilight , and as the country was unknown
to him , and the chalk-pit unfenced , the jury had no hesitation in
bringing in a verdict of ' death from accidental causes . ' carefully
as i examined every fact connected with his death , i was unable
to find anything which could suggest the idea of murder . there
were no signs of violence , no footmarks , no robbery , no record
of strangers having been seen upon the roads . and yet i need not
tell you that my mind was far from at ease , and that i was
well-nigh certain that some foul plot had been woven round him . 
 " in this sinister way i came into my inheritance . you will ask
me why i did not dispose of it ? i answer , because i was well
convinced that our troubles were in some way dependent upon an
incident in my uncle 's life , and that the danger would be as
pressing in one house as in another . 
 " it was in january , ' 85 , that my poor father met his end , and
two years and eight months have elapsed since then . during that
time i have lived happily at horsham , and i had begun to hope
that this curse had passed way from the family , and that it had
ended with the last generation . i had begun to take comfort too
soon , however ; yesterday morning the blow fell in the very
shape in which it had come upon my father . " 
 the young man took from his waistcoat a crumpled envelope , 
and turning to the table he shook out upon it five little dried
orange pips . 
 " this is the envelope , " he continued . " the postmark is
london -- eastern division . within are the very words which
were upon my father 's last message : ' k . k . k . ' ; and then ' put
the papers on the sundial . ' " 
 " what have you done ? ' ' asked holmes . 
 " nothing . " 
 " nothing ? " 
 " to tell the truth " -- he sank his face into his thin , white
hands -- " i have felt helpless . i have felt like one of those poor
rabbits when the snake is writhing towards it . i seem to be in the
grasp of some resistless , inexorable evil , which no foresight and
no precautions can guard against . " 
 " tut ! tut ! " cried sherlock holmes . " you must act , man , or
you are lost . nothing but energy can save you . this is no time
for despair . " 
 " i have seen the police . " 
 " ah ! " 
 " but they listened to my story with a smile . i am convinced
that the inspector has formed the opinion that the letters are all
practical jokes , and that the deaths of my relations were really
accidents , as the jury stated , and were not to be connected with
the warnings . " 
 holmes shook his clenched hands in the air . " incredible
imbecility ! " he cried . 
 " they have , however , allowed me a policeman , who may re-
main in the house with me . " 
 " has he come with you to-night ? " 
 " no . his orders were to stay in the house . " 
 again holmes raved in the air . 
 " why did you come to me , " he cried , " and , above all , why
did you not come at once ? " 
 " i did not know . it was only to-day that i spoke to major
prendergast about my troubles and was advised by him to come
to you . " 
 " it is really two days since you had the letter . we should have
acted before this . you have no further evidence , i suppose , than
that which you have placed before us -- no suggestive detail
which might help us ? " 
 " there is one thing , " said john openshaw . he rummaged in
his coat pocket , and , drawing out a piece of discoloured , blue-
tinted paper , he laid it out upon the table . " i have some remem-
brance , " said he , " that on the day when my uncle burned the
papers i observed that the small , unburned margins which lay
amid the ashes were of this particular colour . i found this single
sheet upon the floor of his room , and i am inclined to think that
it may be one of the papers which has , perhaps , fluttered out
from among the others , and in that way has escaped destruction . 
beyond the mention of pips , i do not see that it helps us much . i
think myself that it is a page from some private diary . the
writing is undoubtedly my uncle 's . " 
 holmes moved the lamp , and we both bent over the sheet of
paper , which showed by its ragged edge that it had indeed been
torn from a book . it was headed , " march , 1869 , " and beneath
were the following enigmatical notices : 

  4th . hudson came . same old platform . 

  7th . set the pips on mccauley , paramore , and john swain , 
   of st . augustine . 
  9th . mccauley cleared . 
  1oth . john swain cleared . 
  12th . visited paramore . all well . 

 " thank you ! " said holmes , folding up the paper and return-
ing it to our visitor . " and now you must on no account lose
another instant . we cannot spare time even to discuss what you
have told me . you must get home instantly and act . " 
 " what shall i do ? " 
 " there is but one thing to do . it must be done at once . you
must put this piece of paper which you have shown us into the
brass box which you have described . you must also put in a note
to say that all the other papers were burned by your uncle , and
that this is the only one which remains . you must assert that in
such words as will carry conviction with them . having done
this , you must at once put the box out upon the sundial , as
directed . do you understand ? " 
 " entirely . " 
 " do not think of revenge , or anything of the sort , at present . i
think that we may gain that by means of the law ; but we have
our web to weave , while theirs is already woven . the first
consideration is to remove the pressing danger which threatens
you . the second is to clear up the mystery and to punish the
guilty parties . " 
 " i thank you , " said the young man , rising and pulling on his
overcoat . " you have given me fresh life and hope . i shall
certainly do as you advise . " 
 " do not lose an instant . and , above all , take care of yourself
in the meanwhile , for i do not think that there can be a doubt that
you are threatened by a very real and imminent danger . how do
you go back ? 
 " by train from waterloo . " 
 " it is not yet nine . the streets will be crowded , so l trust that
you may be in safety . and yet you cannot guard yourself too
closely . " 
 " i am armed . " 
 " that is well . to-morrow i shall set to work upon your case . " 
 " i shall see you at horsham , then ? " 
 " no , your secret lies in london . it is there that i shall seek
it . " 
 " then i shall call upon you in a day , or in two days , with
news as to the box and the papers . i shall take your advice in
every particular . " he shook hands with us and took his leave . 
outside the wind still screamed and the rain splashed and pat-
tered against the windows . this strange , wild story seemed to
have come to us from amid the mad elements -- blown in upon us
like a sheet of sea-weed in a gale -- and now to have been
reabsorbed by them once more . 
 sherlock holmes sat for some time in silence , with his head
sunk forward and his eyes bent upon the red glow of the fire . 
then he lit his pipe , and leaning back in his chair he watched the
blue smoke-rings as they chased each other up to the ceiling . 
 " i think , watson , " he remarked at last , " that of all our cases
we have had none more fantastic than this . " 
 " save , perhaps , the sign of four . " 
 " well , yes . save , perhaps , that . and yet this john openshaw
seems to me to be walking amid even greater perils than did the
sholtos . " 
 " but have you , " i asked , " formed any definite conception as
to what these perils are ? " 
 " there can be no question as to their nature , " he answered . 
 " then what are they ? who is this k . k . k . , and why does he
pursue this unhappy family ? " 
 sherlock holmes closed his eyes and placed his elbows upon
the arms of his chair , with his finger-tips together . " the ideal
reasoner , " he remarked , " would , when he had once been shown
a single fact in all its bearings , deduce from it not only all the
chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which
would follow from it . as cuvier could correctly describe a
whole animal by the contemplation of a single bone , so the
observer who has thoroughly understood one link in a series of
incidents should be able to accurately state all the other ones , 
both before and after . we have not yet grasped the results which
the reason alone can attain to . problems may be solved in the
study which have baffled all those who have sought a solution by
the aid of their senses . to carry the art , however , to its highest
pitch , it is necessary that the reasoner should be able to utilize all
the facts which have come to his knowledge ; and this in itself
implies , as you will readily see , a possession of all knowledge , 
which , even in these days of free education and encyclopaedias , 
is a somewhat rare accomplishment . it is not so impossible , 
however , that a man should possess all knowledge which is
likely to be useful to him in his work , and this i have endeav-
oured in my case to do . if i remember rightly , you on one
occasion , in the early days of our friendship , defined my limits
in a very precise fashion . " 
 " yes , " i answered , laughing . " it was a singular document . 
philosophy , astronomy , and politics were marked at zero , i
remember . botany variable , geology profound as regards the
mud-stains from any region within fifty miles of town , chemistry
eccentric , anatomy unsystematic , sensational literature and crime
records unique , violin-player , boxer , swordsman , lawyer , and
self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco . those , i think , were the
main points of my analysis . " 
 holmes grinned at the last item . " well , " he said , " i say
now , as i said then , that a man should keep his little brain-attic
stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use , and the rest
he can put away in the lumber-room of his library , where he can
get it if he wants it . now , for such a case as the one which has
been submitted to us to-night , we need certainly to muster all our
resources . kindly hand me down the letter k of the american
encyclopaedia which stands upon the shelf beside you . thank
you . now let us consider the situation and see what may be
deduced from it . in the first place , we may start with a strong
presumption that colonel openshaw had some very strong rea-
son for leaving america . men at his time of life do not change
all their habits and exchange willingly the charming climate of
florida for the lonely life of an english provincial town . his
extreme love of solitude in england suggests the idea that he was
in fear of someone or something , so we may assume as a
working hypothesis that it was fear of someone or something
which drove him from america . as to what it was he feared , we
can only deduce that by considering the formidable letters which
were received by himself and his successors . did you remark the
postmarks of those letters ? " 
 " the first was from pondicherry , the second from dundee , 
and the third from london . " 
 " from east london . what do you deduce from that ? " 
 " they are all seaports . that the writer was on board of a
ship . " 
 " excellent . we have already a clue . there can be no doubt
that the probability -- the strong probability -- is that the writer
was on board of a ship . and now let us consider another point . 
in the case of pondicherry , seven weeks elapsed between the
threat and its fulfillment , in dundee it was only some three or
four days . does that suggest anything ? " 
 " a greater distance to travel . " 
 " but the letter had also a greater distance to come . " 
 " then i do not see the point . " 
 " there is at least a presumption that the vessel in which the
man or men are is a sailing-ship . it looks as if they always seni
their singular warning or token before them when starting upon
their mission . you see how quickly the deed followed the sign
when it came from dundee . if they had come from pondicherry
in a steamer they would have arrived almost as soon as their
letter . but , as a matter of fact , seven weeks elapsed . i think that
those seven weeks represented the difference between the mail-
boat which brought the letter and the sailing vessel which brought
the writer . " 
 " it is possible . " 
 " more than that . it is probable . and now you see the deadly
urgency of this new case , and why i urged young openshaw to
caution . the blow has always fallen at the end of the time which
it would take the senders to travel the distance . but this one
comes from london , and therefore we cannot count upon delay . " 
 " good god ! " i cried . " what can it mean , this relentless
persecution ? " 
 " the papers which openshaw carried are obviously of vital
importance to the person or persons in the sailing-ship . i think
that it is quite clear that there must be more than one of them . a
single man could not have carried out two deaths in such a way
as to deceive a coroner 's jury . there must have been several in
it , and they must have been men of resource and determination . 
their papers they mean to have , be the holder of them who it
may . in this way you see k . k . k . ceases to be the initials of an
individual and becomes the badge of a society . " 
 " but of what society ? " 
 " have you never -- " said sherlock holmes , bending forward
and sinking his voice -- " have you never heard of the ku klux
klan ? " 
 " i never have . " 
 holmes turned over the leaves of the book upon his knee . 
 " here it is , " said he presently : 

  " ku klux klan . a name derived from the fanciful resem-
 blance to the sound produced by cocking a rifle . this
 terrible secret society was formed by some ex-confederate
 soldiers in the southern states after the civil war , and it
 rapidly formed local branches in different parts of the
 country , notably in tennessee , louisiana , the carolinas , 
 georgia , and florida . its power was used for political
 purposes , principally for the terrorizing of the negro vot-
 ers and the murdering and driving from the country of
 those who were opposed to its views . its outrages were
 usually preceded by a warning sent to the marked man in
 some fantastic but generally recognized shape -- a sprig of
 oak-leaves in some parts , melon seeds or orange pips in
 others . on receiving this the victim might either openly
 abjure his former ways , or might fly from the country . if
 he braved the matter out , death would unfailingly come
 upon him , and usually in some strange and unforeseen
 manner . so perfect was the organization of the society , 
 and so systematic its methods , that there is hardly a case
 upon record where any man succeeded in braving it with
 impunity , or in which any of its outrages were traced
 home to the perpetrators . for some years the organization
 flourished in spite of the efforts of the united states
 government and of the better classes of the community in
 the south . eventually , in the year 1869 , the movement
 rather suddenly collapsed , although there have been spo-
 radic outbreaks of the same sort since that date . 

 " you will observe , " said holmes , laying down the volume , 
 " that the sudden breaking up of the society was coincident with
the disappearance of openshaw from america with their papers . 
it may well have been cause and effect . it is no wonder that he
and his family have some of the more implacable spirits upon
their track . you can understand that this register and diary may
implicate some of the first men in the south , and that there may
be many who will not sleep easy at night until it is recovered . " 
 " then the page we have seen -- " 
 " is such as we might expect . it ran , if i remember right , ' sent
the pips to a , b , and c ' -- that is , sent the society 's warning to
them . then there are successive entries that a and b cleared , or
left the country , and finally that c was visited , with , i fear , a
sinister result for c . well , i think , doctor , that we may let some
light into this dark place , and i believe that the only chance
young openshaw has in the meantime is to do what i have told
him . there is nothing more to be said or to be done to-night , so
hand me over my violin and let us try to forget for half an hour
the miserable weather and the still more miserable ways of our
fellowmen . " 

 it had cleared in the morning , and the sun was shining with a
subdued brightness through the dim veil which hangs over the
great city . sherlock holmes was already at breakfast when i
came down . 
 " you will excuse me for not waiting for you , " said he ; " i
have , i foresee , a very busy day before me in looking into this
case of young openshaw 's . " 
 " what steps will you take ? " i asked . 
 " it will very much depend upon the results of my first inquir-
ies . i may have to go down to horsham , after all . " 
 " you will not go there first ? " 
 " no , i shall commence with the city . just ring the bell and
the maid will bring up your coffee . " 
 as i waited , i lifted the unopened newspaper from the table
and glanced my eye over it . it rested upon a heading which sent
a chill to my heart . 
 " holmes , " i cried , " you are too late . " 
 " ah ! " said he , laying down his cup , " i feared as much . how
was it done ? " he spoke calmly , but i could see that he was
deeply moved . 
 " my eye caught the name of openshaw , and the heading
 ' tragedy near waterloo bridge . ' here is the account : 

  " between nine and ten last night police-constable cook , 
 of the h division , on duty near waterloo bridge , heard a
 cry for help and a splash in the water . the night , however , 
 was extremely dark and stormy , so that , in spite of the help
 of several passers-by , it was quite impossible to effect a
 rescue . the alarm , however , was given , and , by the aid of
 the water-police , the body was eventually recovered . it
 proved to be that of a young gentleman whose name , as it
 appears from an envelope which was found in his pocket , 
 was john openshaw , and whose residence is near horsham . 
 it is conjectured that he may have been hurrying down to
 catch the last train from waterloo station , and that in his
 haste and the extreme darkness he missed his path and
 walked over the edge of one of the small landing-places for
 river steamboats . the body exhibited no traces of violence , 
 and there can be no doubt that the deceased had been the
 victim of an unfortunate accident , which should have the
 effect of calling the attention of the authorities to the condi-
 tion of the riverside landing-stages . " 

 we sat in silence for some minutes , holmes more depressed
and shaken than i had ever seen him . 
 " that hurts my pride , watson , " he said at last . " it is a petty
feeling , no doubt , but it hurts my pride . it becomes a personal
matter with me now , and , if god sends me health , i shall set my
hand upon this gang . that he should come to me for help , and
that i should send him away to his death -- ! " he sprang from his
chair and paced about the room in uncontrollable agitation , with
a flush upon his sallow cheeks and a nervous clasping and
unclasping of his long thin hands . 
 " they must be cunning devils , " he exclaimed at last . " how
could they have decoyed him down there ? the embankment is
not on the direct line to the station . the bridge , no doubt , was
too crowded , even on such a night , for their purpose . well , 
watson , we shall see who will win in the long run . i am going
out now ! " 
 " to the police ? " 
 " no ; i shall be my own police . when i have spun the web
they may take the flies , but not before . " 
 all day i was engaged in my professional work , and it was
late in the evening before i returned to baker street . sherlock
holmes had not come back yet . it was nearly ten o ' clock before
he entered , looking pale and worn . he walked up to the side-
board , and tearing a piece from the loaf he devoured it vora-
ciously , washing it down with a long draught of water . 
 " you are hungry , " i remarked . 
 " starving . it had escaped my memory . i have had nothing
since breakfast . " 
 " nothing ? " 
 " not a bite . i had no time to think of it . " 
 " and how have you succeeded ? " 
 " well . " 
 " you have a clue ? " 
 " i have them in the hollow of my hand . young openshaw
shall not long remain unavenged . why , watson , let us put their
own devilish trade-mark upon them . it is well thought of ! " 
 " what do you mean ? " 
 he took an orange from the cupboard , and tearing it to pieces
he squeezed out the pips upon the table . of these he took five
and thrust them into an envelope . on the inside of the flap he
wrote " s . h . for j . 0 . " then he sealed it and addressed it to
 " captain james calhoun , bark lone star , savannah , georgia . " 
 " that will await him when he enters port , " said he , chuck-
ling . " it may give him a sleepless night . he will find it as sure a
precursor of his fate as openshaw did before him . " 
 " and who is this captain calhoun ? " 
 " the leader of the gang . i shall have the others , but he first . " 
 " how did you trace it , then ? " 
 he took a large sheet of paper from his pocket , all covered
with dates and names . 
 " i have spent the whole day , " said he , " over lloyd 's regis-
ters and files of the old papers , following the future career of
every vessel which touched at pondicherry in january and febru-
ary in ' 83 . there were thirty-six ships of fair tonnage which
were reported there during those months . of these , one , the lone
star , instantly attracted my attention , since , although it was
reported as having cleared from london , the name is that which
is given to one of the states of the union . " 
 " texas , i think . " 
 " i was not and am not sure which ; but i knew that the ship
must have an american origin . " 
 " what then ? " 
 " i searched the dundee records , and when i found that the
bark lone star was there in january , ' 85 , my suspicion became a
certainty . i then inquired as to the vessels which lay at present in
the port of london . " 
 " yes ? " 
 " the lone star had arrived here last week . i went down to
the albert dock and found that she had been taken down the
river by the early tide this morning , homeward bound to savan-
nah . i wired to gravesend and learned that she had passed some
time ago , and as the wind is easterly i have no doubt that she is
now past the goodwins and not very far from the isle of wight . " 
 " what will you do , then ? " 
 " oh , i have my hand upon him . he and the two mates , are
as i learn , the only native-born americans in the ship . the others
are finns and germans . i know , also , that they were all three
away from the ship last night . i had it from the stevedore who
has been loading their cargo . by the time that their sailing-ship
reaches savannah the mail-boat will have carried this letter , and
the cable will have informed the police of savannah that these
three gentlemen are badly wanted here upon a charge of murder . " 
 there is ever a flaw , however , in the best laid of human plans , 
and the murderers of john openshaw were never to receive the
orange pips which would show them that another , as cunning
and as resolute as themselves , was upon their track . very long
and very severe were the equinoctial gales that year . we waited
long for news of the lone star of savannah , but none ever
reached us . we did at last hear that somewhere far out in the
atlantic a shattered stern-post of the boat was seen swinging in
the trough of a wave , with the letters " l . s . " carved upon it , 
and that is all which we shall ever know of the fate of the lone
star . 
 . 
     the " gloria scott " 

 " i have some papers here , " said my friend sherlock holmes as
we sat one winter 's night on either side of the fire , " which i
really think , watson , that it would be worth your while to glance
over . these are the documents in the extraordinary case of the
gloria scott , and this is the message which struck justice of the
peace trevor dead with horror when he read it . " 
 he had picked from a drawer a little tarnished cylinder , and . 
undoing the tape , he handed me a short note scrawled upon a
half-sheet of slate-gray paper . 

  the supply of game for london is going steadily up {it
 ran] . head-keeper hudson , we believe , has been now told to
 receive all orders for fly-paper and for preservation of your
 hen-pheasant 's life . 

 as i glanced up from reading this enigmatical message , i saw
holmes chuckling at the expression upon my face . 
 " you look a little bewildered , " said he . 
 " i cannot see how such a message as this could inspire horror . 
it seems to me to be rather grotesque than otherwise . " 
 " very likely . yet the fact remains that the reader , who was a
fine , robust old man , was knocked clean down by it as if it had
been the butt end of a pistol . " 
 " you arouse my curiosity , " said i . " but why did you say
just now that there were very particular reasons why i should
study this case ? " 
 " because it was the first in which i was ever engaged . " 
 i had often endeavoured to elicit from my companion what
had first turned his mind in the direction of criminal research , 
but had never caught him before in a communicative humour . 
now he sat forward in his armchair and spread out the docu-
ments upon his knees . then he lit his pipe and sat for some time
smoking and turning them over . 
 " you never heard me talk of victor trevor ? " he asked . " he
was the only friend i made during the two years i was at college . 
i was never a very sociable fellow , watson , always rather fond
of moping in my rooms and working out my own little methods
of thought , so that i never mixed much with the men of my year . 
bar fencing and boxing i had few athletic tastes , and then my
line of study was quite distinct from that of the other fellows , so
that we had no points of contact at all . trevor was the only man
i knew , and that only through the accident of his bull terrier
freezing on to my ankle one morning as i went down to chapel . 
 " it was a prosaic way of forming a friendship , but it was
effective . i was laid by the heels for ten days , and trevor used to
come in to inquire after me . at first it was only a minute 's chat
but soon his visits lengthened , and before the end of the term we
were close friends . he was a hearty , full-blooded fellow , full of
spirits and energy , the very opposite to me in most respects , but
we had some subjects in common , and it was a bond of union
when i found that he was as friendless as i . finally he invited me
down to his father 's place at donnithorpe , in norfolk , and i
accepted his hospitality for a month of the long vacation . 
 " old trevor was evidently a man of some wealth and consid-
eration , a j . p . , and a landed proprietor . donnithorpe is a little
hamlet just to the north of langmere , in the country of the
broads . the house was an old-fashioned , widespread , oak-beamed
brick building , with a fine lime-lined avenue leading up to it . 
there was excellent wild-duck shooting in the fens , remarkably
good fishing , a small but select library , taken over , as i under-
stood , from a former occupant , and a tolerable cook , so that he
would be a fastidious man who could not put in a pleasant month
there . 
 " trevor senior was a widower , and my friend his only son . 
 " there had been a daughter , i heard , but she had died of
diphtheria while on a visit to birmingham . the father interested
me extremely . he was a man of little culture , but with a consid-
erable amount of rude strength , both physically and mentally . he
knew hardly any books , but he had travelled far , had seen much
of the world , and had remembered all that he had learned . in
person he was a thick-set , burly man with a shock of grizzled
hair , a brown , weather-beaten face , and blue eyes which were
keen to the verge of fierceness . yet he had a reputation for
kindness and charity on the countryside , and was noted for the
leniency of his sentences from the bench . 
 " one evening , shortly after my arrival , we were sitting over a
glass of port after dinner , when young trevor began to talk about
those habits of observation and inference which i had already
formed into a system , although i had not yet appreciated the part
which they were to play in my life . the old man evidently
thought that his son was exaggerating in his description of one or
two trivial feats which i had performed . 
 " ' come , now , mr . holmes , ' said he , laughing good-
humouredly . ' i ' m an excellent subject , if you can deduce any-
thing from me . ' 
 " ' i fear there is not very much , ' i answered . ' i might suggest
that you have gone about in fear of some personal attack within
the last twelvemonth . ' 
 " the laugh faded from his lips , and he stared at me in great
surprlse . 
 " ' well , that 's true enough , ' said he . ' you know , victor , ' 
turning to his son , ' when we broke up that poaching gang they
swore to knife us , and sir edward holly has actually been
attacked . i ' ve always been on my guard since then , though i
have no idea how you know it . ' 
 " ' you have a very handsome stick , ' i answered . ' by the
inscription i observed that you had not had it more than a year . 
but you have taken some pains to bore the head of it and pour
melted lead into the hole so as to make it a formidable weapon . i
argued that you would not take such precautions unless you had
some danger to fear . ' 
 " ' anything else ? ' he asked , smiling . 
 " ' you have boxed a good deal in your youth . ' 
 " ' right again . how did you know it ? is my nose knocked a
little out of the straight ? ' 
 " ' no , ' said i . ' it is your ears . they have the peculiar flatten-
ing and thickening which marks the boxing man . ' 
 " ' anything else ? ' 
 " ' you have done a good deal of digging by your callosities . ' 
 " ' made all my money at the gold fields . ' 
 " ' you have been in new zealand . ' 
 " ' right again . ' 
 " ' you have visited japan . ' 
 " ' quite true . ' 
 " ' and you have been most intimately associated with some-
one whose initials were j . a . , and whom you afterwards were
eager to entirely forget . ' 
 " mr . trevor stood slowly up , fixed his large blue eyes upon
me with a strange wild stare , and then pitched forward , with his
face among the nutshells which strewed the cloth , in a dead
faint . 
 " you can imagine , watson , how shocked both his son and i
were . his attack did not last long , however , - for when we undid
his collar and sprinkled the water from one of the finger-glasses
over his face , he gave a gasp or two and sat up . 
 " ' ah , boys , ' said he , forcing a smile , ' i hope i haven ' t
frightened you . strong as i look , there is a weak place in my
heart , and it does not take much to knock me over . i don ' t know
how you manage this , mr . holmes , but it seems to me that all
the detectives of fact and of fancy would be children in your
hands . that 's your line of life , sir , and you may take the word of
a man who has seen something of the world . ' 
 " and that recommendation , with the exaggerated estimate of
my ability with which he prefaced it , was , if you will believe
me , watson , the very first thing which ever made me feel that a
profession might be made out of what had up to that time been
the merest hobby . at the moment , however , i was too much
concerned at the sudden illness of my host to think of anything
else . 
 " ' i hope that i have said nothing to pain you ? ' said i . 
 " ' well , you certainly touched upon rather a tender point . 
might i ask how you know , and how much you know ? ' he
spoke now in a half-jesting fashion , but a look of terror still
lurked at the back of his eyes . 
 " ' it is simplicity itself , ' said i . ' when you bared your arm to
draw that fish into the boat i saw that j . a . had been tattooed in
the bend of the elbow . the letters were still legible , but it was
perfectly clear from their blurred appearance , and from the stain-
ing of the skin round them , that efforts had been made to
obliterate them . it was obvious , then , that those initials had once
been very familiar to you , and that you had afterwards wished to
forget them . ' 
 " ' what an eye you have ! ' he cried with a sigh of relief . ' it is
just as you say . but we won ' t talk of it . of all ghosts the ghosts
of our old loves are the worst . come into the billiard-room and
have a quiet cigar . ' 

 " from that day , amid all his cordiality , there was always a
touch of suspicion in mr . trevor 's manner towards me . even his
son remarked it . ' you ' ve given the governor such a turn , ' said
he , ' that he ' ll never be sure again of what you know and what
you don ' t know . ' he did not mean to show it , i am sure , but it
was so strongly in his mind that it peeped out at every action . at
last i became so convinced that i was causing him uneasiness
that i drew my visit to a close . on the very day , however , before
i left , an incident occurred which proved in the sequel to be of
importance . 
 " we were sitting out upon the lawn on garden chairs , the
three of us , basking in the sun and admiring the view across the
broads , when a maid came out to say that there was a man at the
door who wanted to see mr . trevor . 
 " ' what is his name ? ' asked my host . 
 " ' he would not give any . ' 
 " ' what does he want , then ? ' 
 " ' he says that you know him , and that he only wants a
moment 's conversation . ' 
 " ' show him round here . ' an instant afterwards there ap-
peared a little wizened fellow with a cringing manner and a
shambling style of walking . he wore an open jacket , with a
splotch of tar on the sleeve , a red-and-black check shirt , dunga-
ree trousers , and heavy boots badly worn . his face was thin and
brown and crafty , with a perpetual smile upon it , which showed
an irregular line of yellow teeth , and his crinkled hands were half
closed in a way that is distinctive of sailors . as he came slouch-
ing across the lawn i heard mr . trevor make a sort of hiccoughing
noise in his throat , and , jumping out of his chair , he ran into the
house . he was back in a moment , and i smelt a strong reek of
brandy as he passed me . 
 " ' well , my man , ' said he . ' what can i do for you ? ' 
 " the sailor stood looking at him with puckered eyes , and with
the same loose-lipped smile upon his face . 
 " ' you don ' t know me ? ' he asked . 
 " ' why , dear me , it is surely hudson , ' said mr . trevor in a
tone of surprise . 
 " ' hudson it is , sir , ' said the seaman . ' why , it 's thirty year
and more since i saw you last . here you are in your house , and
me still picking my salt meat out of the harness cask . ' 
 " ' tut , you will find that i have not forgotten old times , ' 
cried mr . trevor , and , walking towards the sailor , he said
something in a low voice . ' go into the kitchen , ' he continued
out loud , ' and you will get food and drink . i have no doubt that i
shall find you a situation . ' 
 " ' thank you , sir , ' said the seaman , touching his forelock . 
 ' i ' m just off a two-yearer in an eight-knot tramp , short-handed at
that , and i wants a rest . i thought i ' d get it either with mr . 
beddoes or with you . ' 
 " ' ah ! ' cried mr . trevor . ' you know where mr . beddoes is ? ' 
 " ' bless you , sir , i know where all my old friends are , ' said
the fellow with a sinister smile , and he slouched off after the
maid to the kitchen . mr . trevor mumbled something to us about
having been shipmate with the man when he was going back to
the diggings , and then , leaving us on the lawn , he went indoors . 
an hour later , when we entered the house , we found him stretched
dead drunk upon the dining-room sofa . the whole incident left a
most ugly impression upon my mind , and i was not sorry next
day to leave donnithorpe behind me , for i felt that my presence
must be a source of embarrassment to my friend . 
 " all this occurred during the first month of the long vacation . 
i went up to my london rooms , where i spent seven weeks
working out a few experiments in organic chemistry . one day , 
however , when the autumn was far advanced and the vacation
drawing to a close , i received a telegram from my friend implor-
ing me to return to donnithorpe , and saying that he was in great
need of my advice and assistance . of course i dropped every-
thing and set out for the north once more . 
 " he met me with the dog-cart at the station , and i saw at a
glance that the last two months had been very trying ones for
him . he had grown thin and careworn , and had lost the loud , 
cheery manner for which he had been remarkable . 
 " ' the governor is dying , ' were the first words he said . 
 " ' impossible ! ' i cried . ' what is the matter ? ' 
 " ' apoplexy . nervous shock . he 's been on the verge all day . 
i doubt if we shall find him alive . ' 
 " i was , as you may think , watson , horrified at this unex-
pected news . 
 " ' what has caused it ? ' i asked . 
 " ' ah , that is the point . jump in and we can talk it over while
we drive . you remember that fellow who came upon the evening
before you left us ? ' 
 " ' perfectly . ' 
 " ' do you know who it was that we let into the house that
day ? ' 
 " ' i have no idea . ' 
 " ' it was the devil , holmes , ' he cried . 
 " i stared at him in astonishment . 
 " ' yes , it was the devil himself . we have not had a peaceful
hour since -- not one . the governor has never held up his head
from that evening , and now the life has been crushed out of him
and his heart broken , all through this accursed hudson . ' 
 " ' what power had he , then ? ' 
 " ' ah , that is what i would give so much to know . the
kindly , charitable good old governor -- how could he have fallen
into the clutches of such a ruffian ! but i am so glad that you
have come , holmes . i trust very much to your judgment and
discretion , and i know that you will advise me for the best . ' 
 " we were dashing along the smooth white country road , with
the long stretch of the broads in front of us glimmering in the
red light of the setting sun . from a grove upon our left i could
already see the high chimneys and the flagstaff which marked the
squire 's dwelling . 
 " ' my father made the fellow gardener , ' - said my companion , 
 ' and then , as that did not satisfy him , he was promoted to be
butler . the house seemed to be at his mercy , and he wandered
about and did what he chose in it . the maids complained of his
drunken habits and his vile language . the dad raised their wages
all round to recompense them for the annoyance . the fellow
would take the boat and my father 's best gun and treat himself to
little shooting trips . and all this with such a sneering , leering , 
insolent face that i would have knocked him down twenty times
over if he had been a man of my own age . i tell you , holmes , i
have had to keep a tight hold upon myself all this time and now
i am asking myself whether , if i had let myself go a littie more , i
might not have been a wiser man . 
 " ' well , matters went from bad to worse with us , and this
animal hudson became more and more intrusive , until at last , on
his making some insolent reply to my father in my presence one
day , i took him by the shoulders and turned him out of the room . 
he slunk away with a livid face and two venomous eyes which
uttered more threats than his tongue could do . i don ' t know what
passed between the poor dad and him after that , but the dad
came to me next day and asked me whether i would mind
apologizing to hudson . i refused , as you can imagine , and asked
my father how he could allow such a wretch to take such
liberties with himself and his household . 
 " ' " ah , my boy , " said he , " it is all very well to talk , but
you don ' t know how i am placed . but you shall know , victor . 
i ' ll see that you shall know , come what may . you wouldn ' t
believe harm of your poor old father , would you , lad ? " he was
very much moved and shut himself up in the study all day , 
where i could see through the window that he was writing
busily . 
 " ' that evening there came what seemed to me to be a grand
release , for hudson told us that he was going to leave us . he
walked into the dining-room as we sat after dinner and an-
nounced his intention in the thick voice of a half-drunken man . 
 " ' " i ' ve had enough of norfolk , " said he . " i ' ll run down to
mr . beddoes in hampshire . he ' ll be as glad to see me as you
were , i daresay . " 
 " ' " you ' re not going away in an unkind spirit , hudson , i
hope , " said my father with a tameness which made my blood
boil . 
 " ' " i ' ve not had my ' pology , " said he sulkily , glancing in
my direction . 
 " ' " victor , you will acknowledge that you have used this
worthy fellow rather roughly , " said the dad , turning to me . 
 " ' " on the contrary , i think that we have both shown
extraordinary patience towards him , " i answered . 
 " ' " oh , you do , do you ? " he snarled . " very good , mate . 
we ' ll see about that ! " 
 " ' he slouched out of the room and half an hour afterwards
left the house , leaving my father in a state of pitiable nervous-
ness . night after night i heard him pacing his room , and it was
just as he was recovering his confidence that the blow did at last
fall . ' 
 " ' and how ? ' i asked eagerly . 
 " ' in a most extraordinary fashion . a letter arrived for my
father yesterday evening , bearing the fordingham postmark . my
father read it , clapped both his hands to his head , and began
running round the room in little circles like a man who has been
driven out of his senses . when i at last drew him down on to the
sofa , his mouth and eyelids were all puckered on one side , and i
saw that he had a stroke . dr . fordham came over at once . we
put him to bed , but the paralysis has spread , he has shown no
sign of returning consciousness , and i think that we shall hardly
find him alive . ' 
 " ' you horrify me , trevor ! ' i cried . ' what then could have
been in this letter to cause so dreadful a result ? ' 
 " ' nothing . there lies the inexplicable part of it . the message
was absurd and trivial . ah , my god , it is as i feared ! ' 
 " as he spoke we came round the curve of the avenue and saw
in the fading light that every blind in the house had been drawn
down . as we dashed up to the door , my friend 's face convulsed
with grief , a gentleman in black emerged from it . 
 " ' when did it happen , doctor ? ' asked trevor . 
 " ' almost immediately after you left . ' 
 " ' did he recover consciousness ? ' 
 " ' for an instant before the end . ' 
 " ' any message for me ? ' 
 " ' only that the papers were in the back drawer of the japa-
nese cabinet . ' 
 " my friend ascended with the doctor to the chamber of death
while i remained in the study , turning the whole matter over and
over in my head , and feeling as sombre as ever i had done in my
life . what was the past of this trevor , pugilist , traveller , and
gold-digger , and how had he placed himself in the power of this
acid-faced seaman ? why , too , should he faint at an allusion to
the half-effaced initials upon his arm and die of fright when he
had a letter from fordingham ? then i remembered that fordingham
was in hampshire , and that this mr . beddoes , whom the seaman
had gone to visit and presumably to blackmail , had also been
mentioned as living in hampshire . the letter , then , might either
come from hudson , the seaman , saying that he had betrayed the
guilty secret which appeared to exist , or it might come from
beddoes , warning an old confederate that such a betrayal was
imminent . so far it seemed clear enough . but then how could
this letter be trivial and grotesque , as described by the son ? he
must have misread it . if so , it must have been one of those
ingenious secret codes which mean one thing while they seem to
mean another . i must see this letter . if there was a hidden
meaning in it , i was confident that i could pluck it forth . for an
hour i sat pondering over it in the gloom , until at last a weeping
maid brought in a lamp , and close at her heels came my friend
trevor , pale but composed , with these very papers which lie
upon my knee held in his grasp . he sat down opposite to me , 
drew the lamp to the edge of the table , and handed me a short
note scribbled , as you see , upon a single sheet of gray paper . 
 ' the supply of game for london is going steadily up , ' it ran . 
 ' head-keeper hudson , we believe , has been now told to receive
all orders for fly-paper and for preservation of your hen-pheasant ' s
life . ' 
 " i daresay my face looked as bewildered as yours did just
now when first i read this message . then i reread it very
carefully . it was evidently as i had thought , and some secret
meaning must lie buried in this strange combination of words . or
could it be that there was a prearranged significance to such
phrases as ' fly-paper ' and ' hen-pheasant ' ? such a meaning would
be arbitrary and could not be deduced in any way . and yet i was
loath to believe that this was the case , and the presence of the
word hudson seemed to show that the subject of the message
was as i had guessed , and that it was from beddoes rather than
the sailor . i tried it backward , but the combination ' life pheas-
ant 's hen ' was not encouraging . then i tried alternate words , but
neither ' the of for ' nor ' supply game london ' promised to throw
any light upon it . 
 " and then in an instant the key of the riddle was in my hands , 
and i saw that every third word , beginning with the first , would
give a message which might well drive old trevor to despair . 
 " it was short and terse , the warning , as i now read it to my
companion : 
 " ' the game is up . hudson has told all . fly for your life . ' 
 " victor trevor sank his face into his shaking hands . ' it must
be that , i suppose , ' said he . ' this is worse than death , for it
means disgrace as well . but what is the meaning of these " head-
keepers " and " hen-pheasants " ? ' 
 " ' it means nothing to the message , but it might mean a good
deal to us if we had no other means of discovering the sender . 
you see that he has begun by writing " the . . . game . . . is , " 
and so on . afterwards he had , to fulfil the prearranged cipher , to
fill in any two words in each space . he would naturally use the
first words which came to his mind , and if there were so many
which referred to sport among them , you may be tolerably sure
that he is either an ardent shot or interested in breeding . do you
know anything of this beddoes ? ' 
 " ' why , now that you mention it , ' said he , ' i remember that
my poor father used to have an invitation from him to shoot over
his preserves every autumn . ' 
 " ' then it is undoubtedly from him that the note comes , ' said
i . ' it only remains for us to find out what this secret was which
the sailor hudson seems to have held over the heads of these two
wealthy and respected men . ' 
 " ' alas , holmes , i fear that it is one of sin and shame ! ' cried
my friend . ' but from you i shall have no secrets . here is the
statement which was drawn up by my father when he knew that
the danger from hudson had become imminent . i found it in the
japanese cabinet , as he told the doctor . take it and read it to me , 
for i have neither the strength nor the courage to do it myself . ' 
 " these are the very papers , watson , which he handed to me , 
and i will read them to you , as i read them in the old study that
night to him . they are endorsed outside , as you see , ' some
particulars of the voyage of the bark gloria scott , from her
leaving falmouth on the 8th october , 1855 , to her destruction in
n . lat . 15 degrees 20 ' . w . long . 25 degrees 14 ' , on nov . 6th . ' it is
in the form of a letter , and runs in this way . 
 " ' my dear . dear son . now that approaching disgrace begins
to darken the closing years of my life , i can write with all truth
and honesty that it is not the terror of the law , it is not the loss of
my position in the county , nor is it my fall in the eyes of all who
have known me , which cuts me to the heart ; but it is the thought
that you should come to blush for me -- you who love me and
who have seldom , i hope , had reason to do other than respect
me . but if the blow falls which is forever hanging over me , then
i should wish you to read this , that you may know straight from
me how far i have been to blame . on the other hand , if all
should go well (which may kind god almighty grant ! ) , then , if
by any chance this paper should be still undestroyed and should
fall into your hands , i conjure you , by all you hold sacred , by
the memory of your dear mother , and by the love which has been
between us , to hurl it into the fire and to never give one thought
to it again . 
 " ' if then your eye goes on to read this line , i know that i shall
already have been exposed and dragged from my home , or , as is
more likely , for you know that my heart is weak , be lying with
my tongue sealed forever in death . in either case the time for
suppression is past , and every word which i tell you is the naked
truth , and this i swear as i hope for mercy . 
 " ' my name , dear lad , is not trevor . i was james armitage in
my younger days , and you can understand now the shock that it
was to me a few weeks ago when your college friend addressed
me in words which seemed to imply that he had surprised my
secret . as armitage it was that i entered a london banking-
house , and as armitage i was convicted of breaking my coun-
try 's laws , and was sentenced to transportation . do not think
very harshly of me , laddie . it was a debt of honour , so called , 
which i had to pay , and i used money which was not my own to
do it , in the certainty that i could replace it before there could be
any possibility of its being missed . but the most dreadful ill-luck
pursued me . the money which i had reckoned upon never came
to hand , and a premature examination of accounts exposed my
deficit . the case might have been dealt leniently with , but the
laws were more harshly administered thirty years ago than now , 
and on my twenty-third birthday i found myself chained as a
felon with thirty-seven other convicts in the ' tween-decks of the
bark cloria scott , bound for australia . 
 " ' it was the year ' 55 , when the crimean war was at its
height , and the old convict ships had been largely used as
transports in the black sea . the government was compelled , 
therefore , to use smaller and less suitable vessels for sending out
their prisoners . the gloria scott had been in the chinese tea-
trade , but she was an old-fashioned , heavy-bowed , broad-beamed
craft , and the new clippers had cut her out . she was a five-
hundred-ton boat ; and besides her thirty-eight jail-birds , she
carried twenty-six of a crew , eighteen soldiers , a captain , three
mates , a doctor , a chaplain , and four warders . nearly a hundred
souls were in her , all told , when we set sail from faltnouth . 
 " ' the partitions between the cells of the convicts instead of
being of thick oak , as is usual in convict-ships , were quite thin
and frail . the man next to me , upon the aft side , was one whom
i had particularly noticed when we were led down the quay . he
was a young man with a clear , hairless face , a long , thin nose , 
and rather nut-cracker jaws . he carried his head very jauntily in
the air , had a swaggering style of walking , and was above all
else , remarkable for his extraordinary height . i don ' t think any of
our heads would have come up to his shoulder , and i am sure
that he could not have measured less than six and a half feet . it
was strange among so many sad and weary faces to see one
which was full of energy and resolution . the sight of it was to
me like a fire in a snowstorm . i was glad , then , to find that he
was my neighbour , and gladder still when , in the dead of the
night , i heard a whisper close to my ear and found that he had
managed to cut an opening in the board which separated us . 
 " ' " hullo , chummy ! " said he , " what 's your name , and
what are you here for ? " 
 " ' i answered him , and asked in turn who i was talking with . 
 " ' " i ' m jack prendergast , " said he , " and by god ! you ' ll
learn to bless my name before you ' ve done with me . " 
 " ' i remembered hearing of his case , for it was one which had
made an immense sensation throughout the country some time
before my own arrest . he was a man of good family and of great
ability , but of incurably vicious habits , who had by an ingenious
system of fraud obtained huge sums of money from the leading
london merchants . 
 " ' " ha , ha ! you remember my case ! " said he proudly . 
 " ' " very well ' , indeed . " 
 " ' " then maybe you remember something queer about it ? " 
 " ' " what was that , then ? " 
 " ' " i ' d had nearly a quarter of a million , hadn ' t i ? " 
 " ' " so it was said . " 
 " ' " but none was recovered , eh ? " 
 " ' " no . " 
 " ' " well , where d ' ye suppose the balance is ? " he asked . 
 " ' " i have no idea , " said i . 
 " ' " right between my finger and thumb , " he cried . " by
god ! i ' ve got mare pounds to my name than you ' ve hairs on
your head . and if you ' ve money , my son , and know how to
handle it and spread it , you can do anything . now , you don ' t
think it likely that a man who could do anything is going to wear
his breeches out sitting in the stinking hold of a rat-gutted
beetle-ridden , mouldy old coffin of a chin china coaster . no , 
sir , such a man will look after himself and will look after his
chums . you may lay to that ! you hold on to him , and you may
kiss the book that he ' ll haul you through . " 
 " ' that was his style of talk , and at first i thought it meant
nothing ; but after a while , when he had tested me and sworn me
in with all possible solemnity , he let me understand that there
really was a plot to gain command of the vessel . a dozen of the
prisoners had hatched it before they came aboard , prendergast
was the leader , and his money was the motive power . 
 " ' " i ' d a partner , " said he , " a rare good man , as true as a
stock to a barrel . he 's got the dibbs , he has , and where do you
think he is at this moment ? why , he 's the chaplain of this
ship -- the chaplain , no less ! he came aboard with a black coat , 
and his papers right , and money enough in his box to buy the
thing right up from keel to main-truck . the crew are his , body
and soul . he could buy ' em at so much a gross with a cash
discount , and he did it before ever they signed on . he 's got two
of the warders and mereer , the second mate , and he ' d get the
captain himself , if he thought him worth it . " 
 " ' " what are we to do , then ? " i asked . 
 " ' " what do you think ? " said he . " we ' ll make the coats of
some of these soldiers redder than ever the tailor did . " 
 " ' " but they are armed , " said i . 
 " ' " and so shall we be , my boy . there 's a brace of pistols
for every mother 's son of us ; and if we can ' t carry this ship , with
the crew at our back , it 's time we were all sent to a young
misses ' boarding-school . you speak to your mate upon the left
to-night , and see if he is to be trusted . " 
 " ' i did so and found my other neighbour to be a young fellow in
much the same position as myself , whose crime had been forg-
ery . his name was evans , but he afterwards changed it , like
myself , and he is now a rich and prosperous man in the south of
england . he was ready enough to join the conspiracy , as the
only means of saving ourselves , and before we had crossed the
bay there were only two of the prisoners who were not in the
secret . one of these was of weak mind , and we did not dare to
trust him , and the other was suffering from jaundice and could not
be of any use to us . 
 " ' from the beginning there was really nothing to prevent us
from taking possession of the ship . the crew were a set of
ruffians , specially picked for the job . the sham chaplain came
into our cells to exhort us , carrying a black bag , supposed to be
full of tracts , and so often did he come that by the third day we
had each stowed away at the foot of our beds a file , a brace of
pistols , a pound of powder , and twenty slugs . two of the
warders were agents of prendergast , and the second mate was his
right-hand man . the captain , the two mates , two warders , lieu-
tenant martin , his eighteen soldiers , and the doctor were all that
we had against us . yet , safe as it was , we determihed to neglect
no precaution , and to make our attack suddenly by night . it
came , however , more quickly than we expected , and in this way . 
 " ' one evening , about the third week after our start , the
doctor had come down to see one of the prisoners who was ill , 
and putting his hand down on the bottom of his bunk , he felt the
outline of the pistols . if he had been silent he might have blown
the whole thing , but he was a nervous little chap , so he gave a
cry of surprise and turned so pale that the man knew what was up
in an instant and seized him . he was gagged before he could
give the alarm and tied down upon the bed . he had unlocked the
door that led to the deck , and we were through it in a rush . 
the two sentries were shot down , and so was a corporal who
came running to see what was the matter . there were two more
soldiers at the door of the stateroom , and their muskets seemed
not to be loaded , for they never fired upon us , and they were
shot whi ! e trying to fix their bayonets . then we rushed on into
the captain 's cabin , but as we pushed open the door there was an
explosion from within , and there he lay with his brains smeared
over the chart of the atlantic which was pinned upon the table , 
while the chaplain stood with a smoking pistol in his hand at his
elbow . the two mates had both been seized by the crew , and the
whole business seemed to be settled . 
 " ' the stateroom was next the cabin , and we flocked in there
and flopped down on the settees , all speaking together , for we
were just mad with the feeling that we were free once more . 
there were lockers all round , and wilson , the sham chaplain , 
knocked one of them in , and pulled out a dozen of brown sherry . 
we cracked off the necks of the bottles , poured the stuff out into
tumblers , and were just tossing them off when in an instant
without warning there came the roar of muskets in our ears , and
the saloon was so full of smoke that we could not see across the
table . when it cleared again the place was a shambles . wilson
and eight others were wriggling on the top of each other on the
floor , and the blood and the brown sherry on that table turn me
sick now when i think of it . we were so cowed by the sight that
i think we should have given the job up if it had not been for
prendergast . he bellowed like a bull and rushed for the door
with all that were left alive at his heels . out we ran , and there on
the poop were the lieutenant and ten of his men . the swing
skylights above the saloon table had been a bit open , and they
had fired on us through the slit . we got on them before they
could load , and they stood to it like men ; but we had the upper
hand of them , and in five minutes it was all over . my god ! was
there ever a slaughter-house like that ship ! prendergast was like a
raging devil , and he picked the soldiers up as if they had been
children and threw them overboard alive or dead . there was one
sergeant that was horribly wounded and yet kept on swimming
for a surprising time until someone in mercy blew out his brains . 
when the fighting was over there was no one left of our enemies
except just the warders , the mates , and the doctor . 
 " ' lt was over them that the great quarrel arose . there were
many of us who were glad enough to win back our freedom , and
yet who had no wish to have murder on our souls . it was one
thing to knock the soldiers over with their muskets in their
hands , and it was another to stand by while men were being
killed in cold blood . eight of us , five convicts and three sailors , 
said that we would not see it done . but there was no moving
prendergast and those who were with him . our only chance of
safety lay in making a clean job of it , salid he , and he would not
leave a tongue with power to wag in a witness-box . it nearly
came to our sharing the fate of the prisoners , but at last he said
that if we wished we might take a boat and go . we jumped at the
offer , for we were already sick of these blood-thirsty doings , and
we saw that there would be worse beforo it was done . we were
given a suit of sailor togs each , a barrel of water , two casks , one
of junk and one of biscuits , and a compass . prendergast threw us
over a chart , told us that we were shiprecked mariners whose
ship had foundered in lat . 15 degrees and long . 25 degrees west , 
and then cut the painter and let us go . 
 " ' and now i come to the most surprising part of my story , 
my dear son . the seamen had hauled the fore-yard aback during
the rising , but now as we left them they brought it square again , 
and as there was a light wind from the north and east the bark
began to draw slowly away from us . our boat lay , rising and
falling , upon the long , smooth rollers , and evans and i , who
were the most educated of the party , were sitting in the sheets
working out our position and planning what coast we should
make for . it was a nice question , for the cape verdes were about
five hundred miles to the north of us , and the african coast about
seven hundred to the east . on the whole , as the wind was
coming round to the north , we thought hat sierra leone might
be best and turned our head in that direction , the bark being at
that time nearly hull down on our starboard quarter . suddenly as
we looked at her we saw a dense black cloud of smoke shoot up
from her , which hung like a monstrous tree upon the sky-line . a
few seconds later a roar like thunder burst upon our ears , and as
the smoke thinned away there was no sign left of the gloria
scott . in an instant we swept the boat 's head round again and
pulled with all our strength for the place where the haze still
trailing over the water marked the scene of this catastrophe . 
 " ' it was a long hour before we reached it , and at first we
feared that we had come too late to save anyone . a splintered
boat and a number of crates and fragments of spars rising and
falling on the waves showed us where the vessel had foundered ; 
but there was no sign of life , and we had turned away in despair , 
when we heard a cry for help and saw at some distance a piece
of wreckage with a man lying stretchetl across it . when we
pulled him aboard the boat he proved to be a young seaman of
the name of hudson , who was so burned and exhausted that he
could give us no account of what had happened until the follow-
ing morning . 
 " ' it seemed that after we had left , prendergast and his gang
had proceeded to put to death the five remaining prisoners . the
two warders had been shot and thrown overboard , and so also
had the third mate . prendergast then descended into the ' tween-
decks and with his own hands cut the throat of the unfortunate
surgeon . there only remained the first mate , who was a bold and
active man . when he saw the convict approaching him with the
bloody knife in his hand he kicked off his bonds , which he had
somehow contrived to loosen , and rushing down the deck he
plunged into the after-hold . a dozen convicts , who descended
with their pistols in search of him , found him with a match-box
in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel , which was one
of the hundred carried on board , and swearing that he would
blow all hands up if he were in any way molested . an instant
later the explosion occurred , though hudson thought it was
caused by the misdirected bullet of one of the convicts rather
than the mate 's match . be the cause what it may , it was the
end of the gloria scott and of the rabble who held command of
her . 
 " ' such , in a few words , my dear boy , is the history of this
terrible business in which i was involved . next day we were
picked up by the brig hotspur , bound for australia , whose
captain found no difficulty in believing that we were the survi-
vors of a passenger ship which had foundered . the transport ship
gloria scott was set down by the admiralty as being lost at sea , 
and no word has ever leaked out as to her true fate . after an
excellent voyage the hotspur landed us at sydney , where evans
and i changed our names and made our way to the diggings , 
where , among the crowds who were gathered from all nations , 
we had no difficulty in losing our former identities . the rest i
need not relate . we prospered , we travelled , we came back as
rich colonials to england , and we bought country estates . for
more than twenty years we have led peaceful and useful lives , 
and we hoped that our past was forever buried . imagine , then , 
my feelings when in the seaman who came to us i recognized
instantly the man who had been picked off the wreck . he had
tracked us down somehow and had set himself to live upon our
fears . you will understand now how it was that i strove to keep
the peace with him , and you will in some measure sympathize
with me in the fears which fill me , now that he has gone from
me to his other victim with threats upon his tongue . ' 

 " underneath is written in a hand so shaky as to be hardly
legible , ' beddoes writes in cipher to say h . has told all . sweet
lord , have mercy on our souls ! ' 
 " that was the narrative which i read that night to young
trevor , and i think , watson , that under the circumstances it was
a dramatic one . the good fellow was heart-broken at it , and
went out to the terai tea planting , where i hear that he is doing
well . as to the sailor and beddoes , neither of them was ever
heard of again after that day on which the letter of warning was
written . they both disappeared utterly and completely . no com-
plaint had been lodged with the police , so that beddoes had
mistaken a threat for a deed . hudson had been seen lurking
about , and it was believed by the police that he had done away
with beddoes and had fled . for myself i believe that the truth
was exactly the opposite . i think that it is most probable that
beddoes , pushed to desperation and believing himself to have
been already betrayed , had revenged himself upon hudson , and
had fled from the country with as much money as he could lay
his hands on . those are the facts of the case , doctor , and if they
are of any use to your collection , i am sure that they are very
heartily at your service . " 
 . 
   the adventure of the golden pince-nez

 when i look at the three massive manuscript volumes which
contain our work for the year 1894 , i confess that it is very
difficult for me , out of such a wealth of material , to select the
cases which are most interesting in themselves , and at the same
time most conducive to a display of those peculiar powers for
which my friend was famous . as i turn over the pages , i see my
notes upon the repulsive story of the red leech and the terrible
death of crosby , the banker . here also i find an account of the
addleton tragedy , and the singular contents of the ancient british
barrow . the famous smith-mortimer succession case comes also
within this period , and so does the tracking and arrest of huret , 
the boulevard assassin -- an exploit which won for holmes an
autograph letter of thanks from the french president and the
order of the legion of honour . each of these would furnish a
narrative , but on the whole i am of opinion that none of them
unites so many singular points of interest as the episode of
yoxley old place , which includes not only the lamentable death
of young willoughby smith , but also those subsequent develop-
ments which threw so curious a light upon the causes of the
crime . 
 it was a wild , tempestuous night , towards the close of novem-
ber . holmes and i sat together in silence all the evening , he
engaged with a powerful lens deciphering the remains of the
original inscription upon a palimpsest , i deep in a recent treatise
upon surgery . outside the wind howled down baker street , 
while the rain beat fiercely against the windows . it was strange
there , in the very depths of the town , with ten miles of man ' s
handiwork on every side of us , to feel the iron grip of nature , 
and to be conscious that to the huge elemental forces all london
was no more than the molehills that dot the fields . i walked to
the window , and looked out on the deserted street . the occa-
sional lamps gleamed on the expanse of muddy road and shining
pavement . a single cab was splashing its way from the oxford
street end . 
 " well , watson , it 's as well we have not to turn out to-night , " 
said holmes , laying aside his lens and rolling up the palimpsest . 
 " i ' ve done enough for one sitting . it is trying work for the eyes . 
so far as i can make out , it is nothing more exciting than an
abbey 's accounts dating from the second half of the fifteenth
century . halloa ! halloa ! halloa ! what 's this ? " 
 amid the droning of the wind there had come the stamping of
a horse 's hoofs , and the long grind of a wheel as it rasped
against the curb . the cab which i had seen had pulled up at our
door . 
 " what can he want ? " i ejaculated , as a man stepped out of it . 
 " want ? he wants us . and we , my poor watson , want over-
coats and cravats and goloshes , and every aid that man ever
invented to fight the weather . wait a bit , though ! there 's the cab
off again ! there 's hope yet . he ' d have kept it if he had wanted
us to come . run down , my dear fellow , and open the door , for
all virtuous folk have been long in bed . " 
 when the light of the hall lamp fell upon our midnight visitor , 
i had no difficulty in recognizing him . it was young stanley
hopkins , a promising detective , in whose career holmes had
several times shown a very practical interest . 
 " is he in ? " he asked , eagerly . 
 " come up , my dear sir , " said holmes 's voice from above . " i
hope you have no designs upon us on such a night as this . " 
 the detective mounted the stairs , and our lamp gleamed upon
his shining waterproof . i helped him out of it , while holmes
knocked a blaze out of the logs in the grate . 
 " now , my dear hopkins , draw up and warm your toes , " said
he . " here 's a cigar , and the doctor has a prescription containing
hot water and a lemon , which is good medicine on a night like
this . it must be something important which has brought you out
in such a gale . " 
 " it is indeed , mr . holmes . i ' ve had a bustling afternoon , i
promise you . did you see anything of the yoxley case in the
latest editions ? " 
 " i ' ve seen nothing later than the fifteenth century to-day . " 
 " well , it was only a paragraph , and all wrong at that , so you
have not missed anything . i haven ' t let the grass grow under my
feet . it 's down in kent , seven miles from chatham and three
from the railway line . i was wired for at 3 : 15 , reached yoxley
old place at 5 , conducted my investigation , was back at charing
cross by the last train , and straight to you by cab . " 
 " which means , i suppose , that you are not quite clear about
your case ? " 
 " lt means that i can make neither head nor tail of it . so far as
i can see , it is just as tangled a business as ever i handled , and
yet at first it seemed so simple that one couldn ' t go wrong . 
there 's no motive , mr . holmes . that 's what bothers me -- i
can ' t put my hand on a motive . here 's a man dead -- there 's no
denying that -- but , so far as i can see , no reason on earth why
anyone should wish him harm . " 
 holmes lit his cigar and leaned back in his chair . 
 " let us hear about it , " said he . 
 " i ' ve got my facts pretty clear , " said stanley hopkins . " all i
want now is to know what they all mean . the story , so far as i
can make it out , is like this . some years ago this country house , 
yoxley old place , was taken by an elderly man , who gave the
name of professor coram . he was an invalid , keeping his bed
half the time , and the other half hobbling round the house with a
stick or being pushed about the grounds by the gardener in a
bath chair . he was well liked by the few neighbours who ealled
upon him , and he has the reputation down there of being a very
learned man . his household used to consist of an elderly house-
keeper , mrs . marker , and of a maid , susan tarlton . these have
both been with him since his arrival , and they seem to be women
of excellent character . the professor is writing a learned book , 
and he found it necessary , about a year ago , to engage a secre-
tary . the first two that he tried were not successes , but the third , 
mr . willoughby smith , a very young man straight from the
university , seems to have been just what his employer wanted . 
his work consisted in writing all the morning to the professor ' s
dictation , and he usually spent the evening in hunting up refer-
ences and passages which bore upon the next day 's work . this
willoughby smith has nothing against him , either as a boy at
uppingham or as a young man at cambridge . i have seen his
testimonials , and from the first he was a decent , quiet , hard-
working fellow , with no weak spot in him at all . and yet this is
the lad who has met his death this morning in the professor ' s
study under circumstances which can point only to murder . " 
 the wind howled and screamed at the windows . holmes and
i drew closer to the fire , while the young inspector slowly and
point by point developed his singular narrative . 
 " if you were to search all england , " said he , " i don ' t
suppose you could find a household more self-contained or freer
from outside influences . whole weeks would pass , and not one
of them go past the garden gate . the professor was buried in his
work and existed for nothing else . young smith knew nobody in
the neighbourhood , and lived very much as his employer did . 
the two women had nothing to take them from the house . 
mortimer , the gardener , who wheels the bath chair , is an army
pensioner -- an old crimean man of excellent character . he does
not live in the house , but in a three-roomed cottage at the other
end of the garden . those are the only people that you would find
within the grounds of yoxley old place . at the same time , the
gate of the garden is a hundred yards from the main london to
chatham road . it opens with a latch , and there is nothing to
prevent anyone from walking in . 
 " now i will give you the evidence of susan tarlton , who is
the only person who can say anything positive about the matter . 
it was in the forenoon , between eleven and twelve . she was
engaged at the moment in hanging some curtains in the upstairs
front bedroom . professor coram was still in bed , for when the
weather is bad he seldom rises before midday . the housekeeper
was busied with some work in the back of the house . wil-
loughby smith had been in his bedroom , which he uses as a
sitting-room , but the maid heard him at that moment pass along
the passage and descend to the study immediately below her . she
did not see him , but she says that she could not be mistaken in
his quick , firm tread . she did not hear the study door close , but a
minute or so later there was a dreadful cry in the room below . it
was a wild , hoarse scream , so strange and unnatural that it might
have come either from a man or a woman . at the same instant
there was a heavy thud , which shook the old house , and then all
was silence . the maid stood petrified for a moment , and then , 
recovering her courage , she ran downstairs . the study door was
shut and she opened it . inside , young mr . willoughby smith
was stretched upon the floor . at first she could see no injury , but
as she tried to raise him she saw that blood was pouring from the
underside of his neck . it was pierced by a very small but very
deep wound , which had divided the carotid artery . the instru-
ment with which the injury had been inflicted lay upon the carpet
beside him . it was one of those small sealing-wax knives to be
found on old-fashioned writing-tables , with an ivory handle and
a stiff blade . it was part of the fittings of the professor 's own
desk . 
 " at first the maid thought that young smith was already dead , 
but on pouring some water from the carafe over his forehead he
opened his eyes for an instant . ' the professor , ' he murmured -- ' it
was she . ' the maid is prepared to swear that those were the
exact words . he tried desperately to say something else , 
and he held his right hand up in the air . then he fell back
dead . 
 " in the meantime the housekeeper had also arrived upon the
scene , but she was just too late to catch the young man 's dying
words . leaving susan with the body , she hurried to the profes-
sor 's room . he was sitting up in bed horribly agitated , for he had
heard enough to convince him that something terrible had oc-
curred . mrs . marker is prepared to swear that the professor was
still in his night-clothes , and indeed it was impossible for him to
dress without the help of mortimer , whose orders were to come
at twelve o ' clock . the professor declares that he heard the
distant cry , but that he knows nothing more . he can give no
explanation of the young man 's last words , ' the professor -- it
was she , ' but imagines that they were the outcome of delirium . 
he believes that willoughby smith had not an enemy in the
world , and can give no reason for the crime . his first action was
to send mortimer , the gardener , for the local police . a little later
the chief constable sent for me . nothing was moved before i got
there , and strict orders were given that no one should walk upon
the paths leading to the house . it was a splendid chance of
putting your theories into practice , mr . sherlock holmes . there
was really nothing wanting . " 
 " except mr . sherlock holmes , " said my companion , with a
somewhat bitter smile . " well , let us hear about it . what sort of
job did you make of it ? " 
 " i must ask you first , mr . holmes , to glance at this rough
plan , which will give you a general idea of the position of the
professor 's study and the various points of the case . it will help
you in following my investigation . " 
 he unfolded the rough chart , which i here reproduce , and he
laid it across holmes 's knee . i rose and , standing behind
holmes , studied it over his shoulder . 
 " it is very rough , of course , and it only deals with the points
which seem to me to be essential . all the rest you will see later
for yourself . now , first of all , presuming that the assassin entered
the house , how did he or she come in ? undoubtedly by the
garden path and the back door , from which there is direct access
to the study . any other way would have been exceedingly
complicated . the escape must have also been made along that
line , for of the two other exits from the room one was blocked
by susan as she ran downstairs and the other leads straight to the
professor 's bedroom . i therefore directed my attention at once to
the garden path , which was saturated with recent rain , and would
certainly show any footmarks . 
 " my examination showed me that i was dealing with a cautious
and expert criminal . no footmarks were to be found on the path . 
there could be no question , however , that someone had passed
along the grass border which lines the path , and that he had done
so in order to avoid leaving a track . i could not find anything in
the nature of a distinct impression , but the grass was trodden
down , and someone had undoubtedly passed . it could only have
been the murderer , since neither the gardener nor anyone else
had been there that morning , and the rain had only begun during
the night . " 
 " one moment , " said holmes . " where does this path lead
to ? " 
 " to the road . " 
 " how long is it ? " 
 " a hundred yards or so . " 
 " at the point where the path passes through the gate , you
could surely pick up the tracks ? " 
 " unfortunately , the path was tiled at that point . " 
 " well , on the road itself ? " 
 " no , it was all trodden into mire . " 
 " tut-tut ! well , then , these tracks upon the grass , were they
coming or going ? " 
 " it was impossible to say . there was never any outline . " 
 " a large foot or a small ? " 
 " you could not distinguish . " 
 holmes gave an ejaculation of impatience . 
 " it has been pouring rain and blowing a hurricane ever since , " 
said he . " it will be harder to read now than that palimpsest . 
well , well . it can ' t be helped . what did you do . hopkins , after
you had made certain that you had made certain of nothing ? " 
 " i think i made certain of a good deal , mr . holmes . i knew
that someone had entered the house cautiously from without . i
next examined the corridor . it is lined with cocoanut matting and
had taken no impression of any kind . this brought me into the
study itself . it is a scantily furnished room . the main article is a
large writing-table with a fixed bureau . this bureau consists of a
double column of drawers , with a central small cupboard be-
tween them . the drawers were open , the cupboard locked . the
drawers , it seems , were always open , and nothing of value was
kept in them . there were some papers of importance in the
cupboard , but there were no signs that this had been tampered
with , and the professor assures me that nothing was missing . it is
certain that no robbery has been committed . 
 " i come now to the body of the young man . it was found near
the bureau , and just to the left of it , as marked upon that chart . 
the stab was on the right side of the neck and from behind
forward , so that it is almost impossible tbat it could have been
self-inflicted . " 
 " unless he fell upon the knife , " said holmes . 
 " exactly . the idea crossed my mind . but we found the knife
some feet away from the body , so that seems impossible . then , 
of course , there are the man 's own dying words . and , finally , 
there was this very important piece of evidence which was found
clasped in the dead man 's right hand . " 
 from his pocket stanley hopkins drew a small paper packet . 
he unfolded it and disclosed a golden pince-nez , with two
broken ends of black silk cord dangling from the end of it . 
 " willoughby smith had excellent sight , " he added . " there can
be no question that this was snatched from the face or the person
of the assassin . " 
 sherlock holmes took the glasses into his hand , and examined
them with the utmost attention and interest . he held them on his
nose , endeavoured to read through them , went to the window
and stared up the street with them , looked at them most minutely
in the full light of the lamp , and finally , with a chuckle , seated
himself at the table and wrote a few lines upon a sheet of paper , 
which he tossed across to stanley hopkins . 
 " that 's the best i can do for you , " said he . " it may prove to
be of some use . " 
 the astonished detective read the note aloud . it ran as follows : 

  " wanted . a woman of good address . attired like a lady . 
 she has a remarkably thick nose , with eyes which are set
 close upon either side of it . she has a puckered forehead , a
 peering expression , and probably rounded shoulders . there
 are indications that she has had recourse to an optician at
 least twice during the last few months . as her glasses are of
 remarkable strength , and as opticians are not very numer-
 ous , there should be no difficulty in tracing her . " 

 holmes smiled at the astonishment of hopkins , which must
have been reflected upon my features . 
 " surely my deductions are simplicity itself , " said he . " it
would be difficult to name any articles which afford a finer field
for inference than a pair of glasses , especially so remarkable a
pair as these . that they belong to a woman i infer from their
delicacy , and also , of course , from the last words of the dying
man . as to her being a person of refinement and well dressed
they are , as you perceive , handsomely mounted in solid gold , 
and it is inconceivable that anyone who wore such glasses could
be slatternly in other respects . you will find that the clips are too
wide for your nose , showing that the lady 's nose was very broad
at the base . this sort of nose is usually a short and coarse one , 
but there is a sufficient number of exceptions to prevent me from
being dogmatic or from insisting upon this point in my descrip-
tion . my own face is a narrow one , and yet i find that i cannot
get my eyes into the centre , nor near the centre , of these glasses . 
therefore , the lady 's eyes are set very near to the sides of the
nose . you will perceive , watson , that the glasses are concave
and of unusual strength . a lady whose vision has been so
extremely contracted all her life is sure to have the physical
characteristics of such vision , which are seen in the forehead , the
eyelids , and the shoulders . " 
 " yes , " i said , " i can follow each of your arguments . i
confess , however , that i am unable to understand how you arrive
at the double visit to the optician . " 
 holmes took the glasses in his hand . 
 " you will perceive , " he said , " that the clips are lined with
tiny bands of cork to soften the pressure upon the nose . one of
these is discoloured and worn to some slight extent , but the other
is new . evidently one has fallen off and been replaced . i should
judge that the older of them has not been there more than a few
months . they exactly correspond , so i gather that the lady went
back to the same establishment for the second . " 
 " by george , it 's marvellous ! " cried hopkins . in an ecstasy of
admiration . " to think that i had all that evidence in my hand
and never knew it ! i had intended , however , to go the round of
the london opticians . " 
 " of course you would . meanwhile , have you anything more
to tell us about the case ? " 
 " nothing , mr . holmes . i think that you know as much as i do
now -- probably more . we have had inquiries made as to any
stranger seen on the country roads or at the railway station . we
have heard of none . what beats me is the utter want of all object
in the crime . not a ghost of a motive can anyone suggest . " 
 " ah ! there i am not in a position to help you . but i suppose
you want us to come out to-morrow ? " 
 " if it is not asking too much , mr . holmes . there 's a train
from charing cross to chatham at six in the morning , and we
should be at yoxley old place between eight and nine . " 
 " then we shall take it . your case has certainly some features
of great interest , and i shall be delighted to look into it . well , 
it 's nearly one , and we had best get a few hours ' sleep . i daresay
you can manage all right on the sofa in front of the fire . i ' ll light
my spirit lamp , and give you a cup of coffee before we start . " 
 the gale had blown itself out next day , but it was a bitter
morning when we started upon our journey . we saw the cold
winter sun rise over the dreary marshes of the thames and the
long , sullen reaches of the river , which i shall ever associate
with our pursuit of the andaman islander in the earlier days of
our career . after a long and weary journey , we alighted at a
small station some miles from chatham . while a horse was
being put into a trap at the local inn , we snatched a hurried
breakfast , and so we were all ready for business when we at last
arrived at yoxley old place . a constable met us at the garden
gate . 
 " well , wilson , any news ? " 
 " no , sir -- nothing . " 
 " no reports of any stranger seen ? " 
 " no , sir . down at the station they are certain that no stranger
either came or went yesterday . " 
 " have you had inquiries made at inns and lodgings ? " 
 " yes , sir : there is no one that we cannot account for . " 
 " well , it 's only a reasonable walk to chatham . anyone might
stay there or take a train without being observed . this is the
garden path of which i spoke , mr . holmes . i ' ll pledge my word
there was no mark on it yesterday . " 
 " on which side were the marks on the grass ? " 
 " this side , sir . this narrow margin of grass between the path
and the flowerbed . i can ' t see the traces now , but they were clear
to me then . " 
 " yes , yes : someone has passed along , " said holmes , stoop-
ing over the grass border . " our lady must have picked her steps
carefully , must she not , since on the one side she would leave a
track on the path , and on the other an even clearer one on the
soft bed ? " 
 " yes , sir , she must have been a cool hand . " 
 i saw an intent look pass over holmes 's face . 
 " you say that she must have come back this way ? " 
 " yes , sir , there is no other . " 
 " on this strip of grass ? " 
 " certainly , mr . holmes . " 
 " hum ! it was a very remarkable performance -- very remark-
able . well , i think we have exhausted the path . let us go
farther . this garden door is usually kept open , i suppose ? then
this visitor had nothing to do but to walk in . the idea of murder
was not in her mind , or she would have provided herself with
some sort of weapon , instead of having to pick this knife off the
writing-table . she advanced along this corridor , leaving no traces
upon the cocoanut matting . then she found herself in this study . 
how long was she there ? we have no means of judging . " 
 " not more than a few minutes , sir . i forgot to tell you that
mrs . marker , the housekeeper , had been in there tidying not
very long before -- about a quarter of an hour , she says . " 
 " well , that gives us a limit . our lady enters this room , and
what does she do ? she goes over to the writing-table . what for ? 
not for anything in the drawers . if there had been anything
worth her taking , it would surely have been locked up . no , it
was for something in that wooden bureau . halloa ! what is that
scratch upon the face of it ? just hold a match , watson . why did
you not tell me of this , hopkins ? " 
 the mark which he was examining began upon the brasswork
on the righthand side of the keyhole , and extended for about four
inches , where it had scratched the varnish from the surface . 
 " i noticed it , mr . holmes , but you ' ll always find scratches
round a keyhole . " 
 " this is recent , quite recent . see how the brass shines where
it is cut . an old scratch would be the same colour as the surface . 
look at it through my lens . there 's the varnish , too , like earth
on each side of a furrow . is mrs . marker there ? " 
 a sad-faced , elderly woman came into the room . 
 " did you dust this bureau yesterday morning ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " did you notice this scratch ? " 
 " no , sir , i did not . " 
 " i am sure you did not , for a duster would have swept away
these shreds of varnish . who has the key of this bureau ? " 
 " the professor keeps it on his watch-chain . " 
 " is it a simple key ? " 
 " no , sir , it is a chubb 's key . " 
 " very good . mrs . marker , you can go . now we are making a
little progress . our lady enters the room , advances to the bureau , 
and either opens it or tries to do so . while she is thus engaged , 
young willoughby smith enters the room . in her hurry to with-
draw the key , she makes this scratch upon the door . he seizes
her , and she , snatching up the nearest object , which happens to
be this knife , strikes at him in order to make him let go his hold . 
the blow is a fatal one . he falls and she escapes , either with or
without the object for which she has come . is susan , the maid , 
there ? could anyone have got away through that door after the
time that you heard the cry , susan ? " 
 " no , sir , it is impossible . before i got down the stair , i ' d
have seen anyone in the passage . besides , the door never opened , 
or i would have heard it . " 
 " that settles this exit . then no doubt the lady-went out the
way she came . i understand that this other passage leads only to
the professor 's room . there is no exit that way ? " 
 " no , sir . " 
 " we shall go down it and make the acquaintance of the
professor . halloa , hopkins ! this is very important , very impor-
tant indeed . the professor 's corridor is also lined with cocoanut
matting . " 
 " well , sir , what of that ? " 
 " don ' t you see any bearing upon the case ? well , well . i don ' t
insist upon it . no doubt i am wrong . and yet it seems to me to
be suggestive . come with me and introduce me . " 
 we passed down the passage , which was of the same length as
that which led to the garden . at the end was a short flight of
steps ending in a door . our guide knocked , and then ushered us
into the professor 's bedroom . 
 it was a very large chamber , lined with innumerable volumes , 
which had overflowed from the shelves and lay in piles in the
corners , or were stacked all round at the base of the cases . the
bed was in the centre of the room , and in it , propped up with
pillows , was the owner of the house . i have seldom seen a more
remarkable-looking person . it was a gaunt , aquiline face which
was turned towards us , with piercing dark eyes , which lurked in
deep hollows under overhung and tufted brows . his hair and
beard were white , save that the latter was curiously stained with
yellow around his mouth . a cigarette glowed amid the tangle of
white hair , and the air of the room was fetid with stale tobacco
smoke . as he held out his hand to holmes , i perceived that it
was also stained with yellow nicotine . 
 " a smoker , mr . holmes ? " said he , speaking in well-chosen
english , with a curious little mincing accent . " pray take a
cigarette . and you , sir ? i can recommend them , for i have them
especially prepared by lonides , of alexandria . he sends me a
thousand at a time , and i grieve to say that i have to arrange for
a fresh suprly every fortnight . bad , sir , very bad , but an old
man has few pleasures . tobacco and my work -- that is all that is
left to me . " 
 holmes had lit a cigarette and was shooting little darting
glances all over the room . 
 " tobacco and my work , but now only tobacco , " the old man
exclaimed . " alas ! what a fatal interruption ! who could have
foreseen such a terrible catastrophe ? so estimable a young man ! 
i assure you that , after a few months ' training , he was an
admirable assistant . what do you think of the matter , mr . 
holmes ? " 
 " i have not yet made up my mind . " 
 " i shall indeed be indebted to you if you can throw a light
where all is so dark to us . to a poor bookworm and invalid like
myself such a blow is paralyzing . i seem to have lost the faculty
of thought . but you are a man of action -- you are a man of
affairs . it is part of the everyday routine of your life . you can
preserve your balance in every emergency . we are fortunate , 
indeed , in having you at our side . " 
 holmes was pacing up and down one side of the room whilst
the old professor was talking . i observed that he was smoking
with extraordinary rapidity . it was evident that he shared our
host 's liking for the fresh alexandrian cigarettes . 
 " yes , sir , it is a crushing blow , " said the old man . " that is
my magnum opus -- the pile of papers on the side table yonder . it
is my analysis of the documents found in the coptic monasteries
of syria and egypt , a work which will cut deep at the very
foundation of revealed religion . with my enfeebled health i do
not know whether i shall ever be able to complete it , now that
my assistant has been taken from me . dear me ! mr . holmes , 
why , you are even a quicker smoker than i am myself . " 
 holmes smiled . 
 " i am a connoisseur , " said he , taking another cigarette from
the box -- his fourth -- and lighting it from the stub of that which
he had finished . " i will not trouble you with any lengthy cross-
examination , professor coram , since i gather that you were in
bed at the time of the crime , and could know nothing about it . i
would only ask this : what do you imagine that this poor fellow
meant by his last words : ' the professor -- it was she ' ? " 
 the professor shook his head . 
 " susan is a country girl , " said he , " and you know the
incredible stupidity of that class . i fancy that the poor fellow
murmured some incoherent , delirious words , and that she twisted
them into this meaningless message . " 
 " i see . you have no explanation yourself of the tragedy ? " 
 " possibly an accident , possibly -- i only breathe it among
ourselves -- a suicide . young men have their hidden troubles -- 
some affair of the heart , perhaps , which we have never known . 
it is a more probable supposition than murder . " 
 " but the eyeglasses ? " 
 " ah ! i am only a student -- a man of dreams . i cannot explain
the practical things of life . but still , we are aware , my friend , 
that love-gages may take strange shapes . by all means take
another cigarette . it is a pleasure to see anyone appreciate them
so . a fan , a glove , glasses -- who knows what article may be
carried as a token or treasured when a man puts an end to his
life ? this gentleman speaks of footsteps in the grass , but , after
all , it is easy to be mistaken on such a point . as to the knife , it
might well be thrown far from the unfortunate man as he fell . it
is possible that i speak as a child , but to me it seems that
willoughby smith has met his fate by his own hand . " 
 holmes seemed struck by the theory thus put forward , and hc
continued to walk up and down for some time , lost in thought
and consuming cigarette after cigarette . 
 " tell me , professor coram , " he said . at last , " what is in that
cupboard in the bureau ? " 
 " nothing that would help a thief . family papers , letters from
my poor wife , diplomas of universities which have done me
honour . here is the key . you can look for yourself . " 
 holmes picked up the key , and looked at it for an instant , then
he handed it back . 
 " no , i hardly think that it would help me , " said he . " i
should prefer to go quietly down to your garden , and turn the
whole matter over in my head . there is something to be said for
the theory of suicide which you have put forward . we must
apologize for having intruded upon you , professor coram , and i
promise that we won ' t disturb you until after lunch . at two
o ' clock we will come again , and report to you anything which
may have happened in the interval . " 
 holmes was curiously distrait , and we walked up and down
the garden path for some time in silence . 
 " have you a clue ? " i asked , at last . 
 " it depends upon those cigarettes that i smoked , " said he . " it
is possible that i am utterly mistaken . the cigarettes will show
me . " 
 " my dear holmes , " i exclaimed , " how on earth -- " 
 " well , well , you may see for yourself . if not , there 's no harm
done . of course , we always have the optician clue to fall back
upon , but i take a short cut when i can get it . ah , here is the
good mrs . marker ! let us enjoy five minutes of instructive
conversation with her . " 
 i may have remarked before that holmes had , when he liked , 
a peculiarly ingratiating way with women , and that he very
readily established terms of confidence with them . in half the
time which he had named , he had captured the housekeeper ' s
goodwill and was chatting with her as if he had known her for
years . 
 " yes , mr . holmes , it is as you say , sir . he does smoke
something terrible . all day and sometimes all night , sir . i ' ve
seen that room of a morning -- well , sir , you ' d have thought it
was a london fog . poor young mr . smith , he was a smoker
also , but not as bad as the professor . his health -- well , i don ' t
know that it 's better nor worse for the smoking . " 
 " ah ! " said holmes , " but it kills the appetite . " 
 " well , i don ' t know about that , sir . " 
 " i suppose the professor eats hardly anything ? " 
 " well , he is variable . i ' ll say that for him . " 
 " i ' ll wager he took no breakfast this morning , and won ' t face
his lunch after all the cigarettes i saw him consume . " 
 " well , you ' re out there , sir , as it happens , for he ate a
remarkable big breakfast this morning . i don ' t know when i ' ve
known him make a better one , and he 's ordered a good dish of
cutlets for his lunch . i ' m surprised myself , for since i came into
that room yesterday and saw young mr . smith lying there on the
floor , i couldn ' t bear to look at food . well , it takes all sorts to
make a world , and the professor hasn ' t let it take his appetite
away . " 
 we loitered the morning away in the garden . stanley hopkins
had gone down to the village to look into some rumours of a
strange woman who had been seen by some children on the
chatham road the previous morning . as to my friend , all his
usual energy seemed to have deserted him . i had never known
him handle a case in such a half-hearted fashion . even the news
brought back by hopkins that he had found the children , and that
they had undoubtedly seen a woman exactly corresponding with
holmes 's description , and wearing either spectacles or eyeglasses , 
failed to rouse any sign of keen interest . he was more attentive
when susan , who waited upon us at lunch , volunteered the
information that she believed mr . smith had been out for a walk
yesterday morning , and that he had only returned half an hour
before the tragedy occurred . i could not myself see the bearing
of this incident , but i clearly perceived that holmes was weaving
it into the general scheme which he had formed in his brain . 
suddenly he sprang from his chair and glanced at his watch . 
 " two o ' clock , gentlemen . " said he . " we must go up and have
it out with our friend , the professor . " 
 the old man had just finished his lunch , and certainly his
empty dish bore evidence to the good appetite with which his
housekeeper had credited him . he was , indeed , a weird figure as
he turned his white mane and his glowing eyes towards us . the
eternal cigarette smouldered in his mouth . he had been dressed
and was seated in an armchair by the fire . 
 " well , mr . holmes , have you solved this mystery yet ? " he
shoved the large tin of cigarettes which stood on a table beside
him towards my companion . holmes stretched out his hand at
the same moment , and between them they tipped the box over
the edge . for a minute or two we were all on our knees retriev-
ing stray cigarettes from impossible places . when we rose again , 
i observed holmes 's eyes were shining and his cheeks tinged
with colour . only at a crisis have i seen those battle-signals
flying . 
 " yes , " said he , " i have solved it . " 
 stanley hopkins and i stared in amazement . something like a
sneer quivered over the gaunt features of the old professor . 
 " indeed ! in the garden ? " 
 " no , here . " 
 " here ! when ? " 
 " this instant . " 
 " you are surely joking , mr . sherlock holmes . you compel
me to tell you that this is too serious a matter to be treated in
such a fashion . " 
 " i have forged and tested every link of my chain , professor
coram , and i am sure that it is sound . what your motives are , or
what exact part you play in this strange business , i am not yet
able to say . in a few minutes i shall probably hear it from your
own lips . meanwhile i will reconstruct what is past for your
benefit , so that you may know the information which i still
require . 
 " a lady yesterday entered your study . she came with the
intention of possessing herself of certain documents which were
in your bureau . she had a key of her own . i have had an
opportunity of examining yours , and i do not find that slight
discolouration which the scratch made upon the varnish would
have produced . you were not an accessory , therefore , and she
came , so far as i can read the evidence , without your knowledge
to rob you . " 
 the professor blew a cloud from his lips . " this is most
interesting and instructive , " said he . " have you no more to
add ? surely , having traced this lady so far , you can also say
what has become of her . " 
 " i will endeavour to do so . in the first place she was seized
by your secretary , and stabbed him in order to escape . this
catastrophe i am inclined to regard as an unhappy accident , for i
am convinced that the lady had no intention of inflicting so
grievous an injury . an assassin does not come unarmed . horri-
fied by what she had done , she rushed wildly away from the
scene of the tragedy . unfortunately for her , she had lost her
glasses in the scuffle , and as she was extremely shortsighted she
was really helpless without them . she ran down a corridor , 
which she imagined to be that by which she had come -- both
were lined with cocoanut matting -- and it was only when it was
too late that she understood that she had taken the wrong pas-
sage , and that her retreat was cut off behind her . what was she
to do ? she could not go back . she could not remain where she
was . she must go on . she went on . she mounted a stair , pushed
open a door , and found herself in your room . " 
 the old man sat with his mouth open , staring wildly at
holmes . amazement and fear were stamped upon his expressive
features . now , with an effort , he shrugged his shoulders and
burst into insincere laughter . 
 " all very fine , mr . holmes , " said he . " but there is one little
flaw in your splendid theory . i was myself in my room , and i
never left it during the day . " 
 " i am aware of that , professor coram . " 
 " and you mean to say that i could lie upon that bed and not
be aware that a woman had entered my room ? " 
 " i never said so . you were aware of it . you spoke with her . 
you recognized her . you aided her to escape . " 
 again the professor burst into high-keyed laughter . he had
risen to his feet , and his eyes glowed like embers . 
 " you are mad ! " he cried . " you are talking insanely . i helped
her to escape ? where is she now ? " 
 " she is there , " said holmes , and he pointed to a high book-
case in the corner of the room . 
 i saw the old man throw up his arms , a terrible convulsion
passed over his grim face , and he fell back in his chair . at the
same instant the bookcase at which holmes pointed swung round
upon a hinge , and a woman rushed out into the room . " you are
right ! " she cried , in a strange foreign voice . " you are right ! i
am here . " 
 she was brown with the dust and draped with the cobwebs
which had come from the walls of her hiding-place . her face , 
too , was streaked with grime , and at the best she could never
have been handsome , for she had the exact physical characteris-
tics which holmes had divined , with , in addition , a long and
obstinate chin . what with her natural blindness , and what with
the change from dark to light , she stood as one dazed , blinking
about her to see where and who we were . and yet , in spite of all
these disadvantages , there was a certain nobility in the woman ' s
bearing -- a gallantry in the defiant chin and in the upraised head , 
which compelled something of respect and admiration . 
 stanley hopkins had laid his hand upon her arm and claimed
her as his prisoner , but she waved him aside gently , and yet with
an over-mastering dignity which compelled obedience . the old
man lay back in his chair with a twitching face , and stared at her
with brooding eyes . 
 " yes , sir , i am your prisoner , " she said . " from where i
stood i could hear everything , and i know that you have learned
the truth . i confess it all . it was i who killed the young man . but
you are right -- you who say it was an accident . i did not even
know that it was a knife which i held in my hand , for in my
despair i snatched anything from the table and struck at him to
make him let me go . it is the truth that i tell . " 
 " madam , " said holmes , " i am sure that it is the truth . i fear
that you are far from well . " 
 she had turned a dreadful colour , the more ghastly under the
dark dust-streaks upon her face . she seated herself on the side of
the bed ; then she resumed . 
 " i have only a little time here , " she said , " but i would have
you to know the whole truth . i am this man 's wife . he is not an
englishman . he is a russian . his name i will not tell . " 
 for the first time the old man stirred . " god bless you , anna ! " 
he cried . " god bless you ! " 
 she cast a look of the deepest disdain in his direction . " why
should you cling so hard to that wretched life of yours , sergius ? " 
said she . " it has done harm to many and good to none -- not
even to yourself . however , it is not for me to cause the frail
thread to be snapped before god 's time . i have enough already
upon my soul since i crossed the threshold of this cursed house . 
but i must speak or i shall be too late . 
 " i have said , gentlemen , that i am this man 's wife . he was
fifty and i a foolish girl of twenty when we married . it was in a
city of russia , a university -- i will not name the place . " 
 " god bless you , anna ! " murmured the old man again . 
 " we were reformers -- revolutionists -- nihilists , you under-
stand . he and i and many more . then there came a time of
trouble , a police officer was killed , many were arrested , evi-
dence was wanted , and in order to save his own life and to earn a
great reward , my husband betrayed his own wife and his com-
panions . yes , we were all arrested upon his confession . some of
us found our way to the gallows , and some to siberia . i was
among these last , but my term was not for life . my husband
came to england with his ill-gotten gains and has lived in quiet
ever since , knowing well that if the brotherhood knew where he
was not a week would pass before justice would be done . " 
 the old man reached out a trembling hand and helped himself
to a cigarette . " i am in your hands , anna , " said he . " you were
always good to me . " 
 " i have not yet told you the height of his villainy , " said she . 
 " among our comrades of the order , there was one who was the
friend of my heart . he was noble , unselfish , loving -- all that my
husband was not . he hated violence . we were all guilty -- if that
is guilt -- but he was not . he wrote forever dissuading us from
such a course . these letters would have saved him . so would my
diary , in which , from day to day , i had entered both my feelings
towards him and the view which each of us had taken . my
husband found and kept both diary and letters . he hid them , and
he tried hard to swear away the young man 's life . in this he
failed , but alexis was sent a convict to siberia , where now , at
this moment , he works in a salt mine . think of that , you villain , 
you villain ! -- now , now , at this very moment , alexis , a man
whose name you are not worthy to speak , works and lives like a
slave , and yet i have your life in my hands , and i let you go . " 
 " you were always a noble woman , anna , " said the old man , 
puffing at his cigarette . 
 she had risen , but she fell back again with a little cry of pain . 
 " i must finish , " she said . " when my term was over i set
myself to get the diary and letters which , if sent to the russian
government , would procure my friend 's release . i knew that my
husband had come to england . after months of searching i dis-
covered where he was . i knew that he still had the diary , for
when i was in siberia i had a letter from him once , reproaching
me and quoting some passages from its pages . yet i was sure
that , with his revengeful nature , he would never give it to me of
his own free-will . i must get it for myself . with this object i
engaged an agent from a private detective firm , who entered my
husband 's house as a secretary -- it was your second secretary
sergius , the one who left you so hurriedly . he found that papers
were kept in the cupboard , and he got an impression of the key . 
he would not go farther . he furnished me with a plan of the
house , and he told me that in the forenoon the study was always
empty , as the secretary was employed up here . so at last i took
my courage in both hands , and i came down to get the papers for
myself . i succeeded ; but at what a cost ! 
 " i had just taken the papers and was locking the cupboard , 
when the young man seized me . i had seen him already that
morning . he had met me on the road , and i had asked him to tell
me where professor coram lived , not knowing that he was in his
employ . 
 " exactly ! exactly ! " said holmes . " the secretary came back , 
and told his employer of the woman he had met . then , in his last
breath , he tried to send a message that it was she -- the she whom
he had just discussed with him . " 
 " you must let me speak , " said the woman , in an imperative
voice , and her face contracted as if in pain . " when he had fallen
i rushed from the room , chose the wrong door , and found myself
in my husband 's room . he spoke of giving me up . i showed him
that if he did so , his life was in my hands . if he gave me to the
law , i could give him to the brotherhood . it was not that i
wished to live for my own sake , but it was that i desired to
accomplish my purpose . he knew that i would do what i said -- 
that his own fate was involved in mine . for that reason , and for
no other , he shielded me . he thrust me into that dark hiding-
place -- a relic of old days , known only to himself . he took his
meals in his own room , and so was able to give me part of his
food . it was agreed that when the police left the house i should
slip away by night and come back no more . but in some way
you have read our plans . " she tore from the bosom of her dress
a small packet . " these are my last words , " said she ; " here is
the packet which will save alexis . i confide it to your honour
and to your love of justice . take it ! you will deliver it at the
russian embassy . now , i have done my duty , and -- " 
 " stop her ! " cried holmes . he had bounded across the room
and had wrenched a small phial from her hand . 
 " too late ! " she said , sinking back on the bed . " too late ! i
took the poison before i left my hiding-place . my head swims ! i
am going ! i charge you , sir , to remember the packet . " 

 " a simple case , and yet , in some ways , an instructive one , " 
holmes remarked , as we travelled back to town . " it hinged from
the outset upon the pince-nez . but for the fortunate chance of the
dying man having seized these , i am not sure that we could ever
have reached our solution . it was clear to me , from the strength
of the glasses , that the wearer must have been very blind and
helpless when deprived of them . when you asked me to believe
that she walked along a narrow strip of grass without once
making a false step , i remarked , as you may remember , that it
was a noteworthy performance . in my mind i set it down as an
impossible performance , save in the unlikely case that she had a
second pair of glasses . i was forced , therefore , to consider
seriously the hypothesis that she had remained within the house . 
on perceiving the similarity of the two corridors . it became clear
that she might very easily have made such a mistake , and , in that
case , it was evident that she must have entered the professor ' s
room . i was keenly on the alert , therefore , for whatever would
bear out this supposition , and i examined the room narrowly for
anything in the shape of a hiding-place . the carpet seemed
continuous and firmly nailed , so i dismissed the idea of a
trap-door . there might well be a recess behind the books . as
you are aware , such devices are common in old libraries . i ob-
served that books were piled on the floor at all other points , but
that one bookcase was left clear . this , then , might be the door . i
could see no marks to guide me , but the carpet was of a dun
colour , which lends itself very well to examination . i therefore
smoked a great number of those excellent cigarettes , and i
dropped the ash all over the space in front of the suspected
bookcase . it was a simple trick , but exceedingly effective . i then
went downstairs , and i ascertained , in your presence , watson , 
without your perceiving the drift of my remarks , that professor
coram 's consumption of food had increased -- as one would
expect when he is supplying a second person . we then ascended
to the room again , when , by upsetting the cigarette-box , i ob-
tained a very excellent view of the floor , and was able to see
quite clearly , from the traces upon the cigarette ash , that the
prisoner had in our absence come out from her retreat . well
hopkins , here we are at charing cross , and i congratulate you
on having brought your case to a successful conclusion . you are
going to headquarters , no doubt . i think , watson , you and i will
drive together to the russian embassy . " 
 . 
     the greek interpreter

 during my long and intimate acquaintance with mr . sherlock
holmes i had never heard him refer to his re}ations , and hardly
ever to his own early life . this reticence upon his part had
increased the somewhat inhuman effect which he produced upon
me , until sometimes i found myself regarding him as an isolated
phenomenon , a brain without a heart , as deficient in human
sympathy as he was preeminent in intelligence . his aversion to
women and his disinclination to form new friendships were both
typical of his unemotional character , but not more so than his
complete suppression of every reference to his own people . i had
come to believe that he was an orphan with no relatives living ; 
but one day . to my very great surprise , he began to talk to me
about his brother . 
 it was after tea on a summer evening , and the conversation , 
which had roamed in a desultory , spasmodic fashion from golf
clubs to the causes of the change in the obliquity of the ecliptic , 
came round at last to the question of atavism and hereditary
aptitudes . the point under discussion was , how far any singular
gift in an individual was due to his ancestry and how far to his
own early training . 
 " in your own case , " said i , " from all that you have told me , 
it seems obvious that your faculty of observation and your
peculiar facility for deduction are due to your own systematic
training . " 
 " to some extent , " he answered thoughtfully . " my ancestors
were country squires , who appear to have led much the same life
as is natural to their class . but , none the less , my turn that way
is in my veins , and may have come with my grandmother , who
was the sister of vernet , the french artist . art in the blood is
liable to take the strangest forms . " 
 " but how do you know that it is hereditary ? " 
 " because my brother mycroft possesses it in a larger degree
than i do . " 
 this was news to me indeed . if there were another man with
such singular powers in england , how was it that neither police
nor public had heard of him ? i put the question , with a hint that
it was my companion 's modesty which made him acknowledge
his brother as his superior . holmes laughed at my suggestion . 
 " my dear watson , " said he , " i cannot agree with those who
rank modesty among the virtues . to the logician all things
should be seen exactly as they are , and to underestimate one ' s
self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one 's own
powers . when i say , therefore , that mycroft has better powers of
observation than i , you may take it that i am speaking the exact
and literal truth . " 
 " is he your junior ? " 
 " seven years my senior . " 
 " how comes it that he is unknown ? ' ' 
 " oh , he is very well known in his own circle . " 
 " where , then ? " 
 " well , in the diogenes club , for example . " 
 i had never heard of the institution , and my face must have
proclaimed as much , for sherlock homes pulled out his watch . 
 " the diogenes club is the queerest club in london , and
mycroft one of the queerest men . he 's always there from quarter
to five to twenty to eight . it 's six now , so if you care for a stroll
this beautiful evening i shall be very happy to introduce you to
two curiosities . " 
 five minutes later we were in the street , walking towards
regent 's circus . 
 " you wonder , " said my companion , " why it is that mycroft
does not use his powers for detective work . he is incapable of
it . " 
 " but i thought you said -- " 
 " i said that he was my superior in observation and deduction . 
if the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an
armchair , my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that
ever lived . but he has no ambition and no energy . he will not
even go out of his way to verify his own solutions , and would
rather be considered wrong than take the trouble to prove himself
right . again and again i have taken a problem to him , and have
received an explanation which has afterwards proved to be the
correct one . and yet he was absolutely incapable of working out
the practical points which must be gone into before a case could
be laid before a judge or jury . " 
 " it is not his profession , then ? " 
 " by no means . what is to me a means of livelihood is to him
the merest hobby of a dilettante . he has an extraordinary faculty
for figures , and audits the books in some of the government
departments . mycroft lodges in pall mall , and he walks round
the corner into whitehall every morning and back every evening . 
from year 's end to year 's end he takes no other exercise , and is
seen nowhere else , except only in the diogenes club , which is
just opposite his rooms . " 
 " i cannot recall the name . " 
 " very likely not . there are many men in london , you know , 
who , some from shyness , some from misanthropy , have no wish
for the company of their fellows . yet they are not averse to
comfortable chairs and the latest periodicals . it is for the conve-
nience of these that the diogenes club was started , and it now
contains the most unsociable and unclubable men in town . no
member is permitted to take the least notice of any other one . 
save in the stranger 's room , no talking is , under any circum-
stances , allowed . and three offences , if brought to the notice of
the committee , render the talker liable to expulsion . my brother
was one of the founders , and i have myself found it a very
soothing atmosphere . " 
 we had reached pall mall as we talked , and were walking
down it from the st . james 's end . sherlock holmes stopped at a
door some little distance from the carlton , and , cautioning me
not to speak , he led the way into the hall . through the glass
panelling i caught a glimpse of a large and luxurious room , in
which a considerable number of men were sitting about and
reading papers , each in his own little nook . holmes showed me
into a small chamber which looked out into pall mall , and then , 
leaving me for a minute , he came back with a companion whom
i knew could only be his brother . 
 mycroft holmes was a much larger and stouter man than sher-
lock . his body was absolutely corpulent , but his face , though
massive , had preserved something of the sharpness of expression
which was so remarkable in that of his brother . his eyes , which
were of a peculiarly light , watery gray , seemed to always retain
that far-away , introspective look which i had only observed in
sherlock 's when he was exerting his full powers . 
 " i am glad to meet you , sir , " said he , putting out a broad , fat
hand like the flipper of a seal . " i hear of sherlock everywhere
since you became his chronicler . by the way , sherlock , i ex-
pected to see you round last week to consult me over that manor
house case . i thought you might be a little out of your depth . " 
 " no , i solved it , " said my friend , smiling . 
 " it was adams , of course . " 
 " yes , it was adams . " 
 " i was sure of it from the first . " the two sat down together in
the bow-window of the club . " to anyone who wishes to study
mankind this is the spot , " said mycroft . " look at the magnifi-
cent types ! look at these two men who are coming towards us , 
for example . " 
 " the billiard-marker and the other ? " 
 " precisely . what do you make of the other ? " 
 the two men had stopped opposite the window . some chalk
marks over the waistcoat pocket were the only signs of billiards
which i could see in one of them . the other was a very small , 
dark fellow , with his hat pushed back and several packages
under his arm . 
 " an old soldier , i perceive , " said sherlock . 
 " and very recently discharged , " remarked the brother . 
 " served in india , i see . " 
 " and a non-commissioned officer . " 
 " royal artillery , i fancy , ' ' said sherlock . 
 " and a widower . " 
 " but with a child . " 
 " children , my dear boy , children . " 
 " come , " said i . laughing , " this is a little too much . " 
 " surely . " answered holmes , " it is not hard to say that a man
with that bearing . expression of authority , and sun-baked skin . is
a soldier , is more than a private , and is not long from india . " 
 " that he has not left the service long is shown by his still
wearing his ammunition boots , as they are called , " observed
mycroft . 
 " he had not the cavalry stride , yet he wore his hat on one
side , as is shown by the lighter skin on that side of his brow . his
weight is against his being a sapper . he is in the artillery . " 
 " then , of course , his complete mourning shows that he has
lost someone very dear . the fact that he is doing his own
shopping looks as though it were his wife . he has been buying
things for children , you perceive . there is a rattle , which shows
that one of them is very young . the wife probably died in
childbed . the fact that he has a picture-book under his arm
shows that there is another child to be thought of . " 
 i began to understand what my friend meant when he said that
his brother possessed even keener faculties than he did himself . 
he glanced across at me and smiled . mycroft took snuff from a
tortoise-shell box and brushed away the wandering grains from
his coat front with a large , red silk handkerchief . 
 " by the way , sherlock , " said he , " i have had something
quite after your own heart -- a most singular problem -- submltted
to my judgment . i really had not the energy to follow it up save
in a very incomplete fashion , but it gave me a basis for some
pleasing speculations . if you would care to hear the facts -- " 
 " my dear mycroft , i should be delighted . " 
 the brother scribbled a note upon a leaf of his pocket-book , 
and , ringing the bell , he handed it to the waiter . 
 " i have asked mr . melas to step across , " said he . " he lodges
on the floor above me , and i have some slight acquaintance with
him , which led him to come to me in his perplexity . mr . melas
is a greek by extraction , as i understand , and he is a remarkable
linguist . he earns his living partly as interpreter in the law courts
and partly by acting as guide to any wealthy orientals who may
visit the northumberland avenue hotels . i think i will leave him
to tell his very remarkable experience in his own fashion . " 
 a few minutes later we were joined by a short , stout man
whose olive face and coal black hair proclaimed his southern
origin , though his speech was that of an educated englishman . 
he shook hands eagerly with sherlock holmes , and his dark
eyes sparkled with pleasure when he understood that the special-
ist was anxious to hear his story . 
 " i do not believe that the police credit me -- on my word , i do
not , " said he in a wailing voice . " just because they have never
heard of it before , they think that such a thing cannot be . but i
know that i shall never be easy in my mind until i know what
has become of my poor man with the sticking-plaster upon his
face . " 
 " i am all attention , " said sherlock holmes . 
 " this is wednesday evening , " said mr . melas . " well , then , 
it was monday night -- only two days ago , you understand -- that
all this happened . i am an interpreter , as perhaps my neighbour
there has told you . i interpret all languages -- or nearly all -- but
as i am a greek by birth and with a grecian name , it is with that
particular tongue that i am principally associated . for many
years i have been the chief greek interpreter in london , and my
name is very well known in the hotels . 
 " it happens not unfrequently that i am sent for at strange
hours by foreigners who get into difficulties , or by travellers who
arrive late and wish my services . i was not surprised , therefore , 
on monday night when a mr . latimer , a very fashionably
dressed young man , came up to my rooms and asked me to
accompany him in a cab which was waiting at the door . a greek
friend had come to see him upon business , he said , and as he
could speak nothing but his own tongue , the services of an
interpreter were indispensable . he gave me to understand that his
house was some little distance off , in kensington , and he seemed
to be in a great hurry , bustling me rapidly into the cab when we
had descended to the street . 
 " i say into the cab , but i soon became doubtful as to whether
tt was not a carriage in which i found myself . it was certainly
more roomy than the ordinary four-wheeled disgrace to london , 
and the fittings , though frayed , were of rich quality . mr . latimer
seated himself opposite to me and we started off through charing
cross and up the shaftesbury avenue . we had come out upon
oxford street and i had ventured some remark as to this being a
roundabout way to kensington , when my words were arrested by
the extraordinary conduct of my companion . 
 " he began by drawing a most formidable-looking bludgeon
loaded with lead from his pocket , and switching it backward and
forward several times , as if to test its weight and strength . then
he placed it without a word upon the seat beside him . having
done this , he drew up the windows on each side , and i found to
my astonishment that they were covered with paper so as to
prevent my seeing through them . 
 " ' i am sorry to cut off your view , mr . melas , ' said he . ' the
fact is that i have no intention that you should see what the place
is to which we are driving . it might possibly be inconvenient to
me if you could find your way there again . ' 
 " as you can imagine , i was utterly taken aback by such an
address . my companion was a powerful , broad-shouldered young
fellow , and , apart from the weapon , i should not have had the
slightest chance in a struggle with him . 
 " ' this is very extraordinary conduct , mr . latimer , ' i stam-
mered . ' you must be aware that what you are doing is quite
illegal . ' 
 " ' it is somewhat of a liberty , no doubt , ' said he , ' but we ' ll
make it up to you . i must warn you , however , mr . melas , that if
at any time to-night you attempt to raise an alarm or do anything
which is against my interest , you will find it a very serious thing . 
i beg you to remember that no one knows where you are , and
that , whether you are in this carriage or in my house , you are
equally in my power . ' 
 " his words were quiet , but he had a rasping way of saying
them , which was very menacing . i sat in silence wondering what
on earth could be his reason for kidnapping me in this extraordi-
nary fashion . whatever it might be , it was perfectly clear that
there was no possible use in my resisting , and that i could only
wait to see what might befall . 
 " for nearly two hours we drove without my having the least
clue as to where we were going . sometimes the rattle of the
stones told of a paved causeway , and at others our smooth , silent
course suggested asphalt ; but , save by this variation in sound , 
there was nothing at all which could in the remotest way help me
to form a guess as to where we were . the paper over each
window was impenetrable to light , and a blue curtain was drawn
across the glasswork in front . it was a quarter-past seven when
we left pall mall , and my watch showed me that it was ten
minutes to nine when we at last came to a standstill . my com-
panion let down the window , and i caught a glimpse of a low , 
arched doorway with a lamp burning above it . as i was hurried
from the carriage it swung open , and i found myself inside the
house , with a vague impression of a lawn and trees on each side
of me as i entered . whether these were private grounds , how-
ever , or bona-fide country was more than i could possibly ven-
ture to say . 
 " there was a coloured gas-lamp inside which was turned so
low that i could see little save that the hall was of some size and
hung with pictures . in the dim light i could make out that the
person who had opened the door was a small , mean-looking , 
middle-aged man with rounded shoulders . as he turned towards
us the glint of the light showed me that he was wearing glasses . 
 " ' is this mr . melas , harold ? ' said he . 
 " ' yes . ' 
 " ' well done , well done ! no ill-will , mr . melas , i hope , but
we could not get on without you . if you deal fair with us you ' ll
not regret it , but if you try any tricks , god help you ! ' he spoke
in a nervous , jerky fashion , and with little giggling laughs in
between , but somehow he impressed me with fear more than the
other . 
 " ' what do you want with me ? ' i asked . 
 " ' only to ask a few questions of a greek gentleman who is
visiting us , and to let us have the answers . but say no more than
you are told to say , or -- ' here came the nervous giggle again -- 
 ' you had better never have been born . ' 
 " as he spoke he opened a door and showed the way into a
room which appeared to be very richly furnished , but again the
only light was afforded by a single lamp half-turned down . the
chamber was certainly large , and the way in which my feet sank
into the carpet as i stepped across it told me of its richness . i
caught glimpses of velvet chairs , a high white marble mantel-
piece , and what seemed to be a suit of japanese armour at one
side of it . there was a chair just under the lamp , and the elderly
man motioned that i should sit in it . the younger had left us , but
he suddenly returned through another door , leading with him a
gentleman clad in some sort of loose dressing-gown who moved
slowly towards us . as he came into the circle of dim light which
enabled me to see him more clearly i was thrilled with horror at
his appearance . he was deadly pale and terribly emaciated , with
the protruding , brilliant eyes of a man whose spirit was greater
than his strength . but what shocked me more than any signs of
physical weakness was that his face was grotesquely criss-crossed
with sticking-plaster , and that one large pad of it was fastened
over his mouth . 
 " ' have you the slate , harold ? ' cried the older man , as this
strange being fell rather than sat down into a chair . ' are his
hands loose ? now , then , give him the pencil . you are to ask the
questions , mr . melas , and he will write the answers . ask him
first of all whether he is prepared to sign the papers ? " 
 " the man 's eyes flashed fire . 
 " ' never ! ' he wrote in greek upon the slate . 
 " ' on no conditions ? ' i asked at the bidding of our tyrant . 
 " ' only if i see her married in my presence by a greek priest
whom i know . ' 
 " the man giggled in his venomous way . 
 " ' you know what awaits you , then ? ' 
 " ' i care nothing for myself . ' 
 " these are samples of the questions and answers which made
up our strange half-spoken , half-written conversation . again and
again i had to ask him whether he would give in and sign the
documents . again and again i had the same indignant reply . but
soon a happy thought came to me . i took to adding on little
sentences of my own to each question , innocent ones at first , to
test whether either of our companions knew anything of the
matter , and then , as i found that they showed no sign i played a
more dangerous game . our conversation ran something like this : 
 " ' you can do no good by this obstinacy . who are you ? ' 
 " ' i care not . i am a stranger in london . ' 
 " ' your fate will be on your own head . how long have you
been here ? ' 
 " ' let it be so . three weeks . ' 
 " ' the property can never be yours . what ails you ? ' 
 " ' it shall not go to villains . they are starving me . ' 
 " ' you shall go free if you sign . what house is this ? ' 
 " ' i will never sign . i do not know . ' 
 " ' you are not doing her any service . what is your name ? ' 
 " ' let me hear her say so . kratides . ' 
 " ' you shall see her if you sign . where are you from ? ' 
 " ' then i shall never see her . athens . ' 
 " another five minutes , mr . holmes , and i should have wormed
out the whole story under their very noses . my very next ques-
tion might have cleared the matter up , but at that instant the door
opened and a woman stepped into the room . i could not see her
clearly enough to know more than that she was tall and graceful , 
with black hair , and clad in some sort of loose white gown . 
 " ' harold , ' said she , speaking english with a broken accent . 
 ' i could not stay away longer . it is so lonely up there with
only -- oh , my god , it is paul ! ' 
 " these last words were in greek , and at the same instant the
man with a convulsive effort tore the plaster from his lips , and
screaming out ' sophy ! sophy ! ' rushed into the woman 's arms . 
their embrace was but for an instant , however , for the younger
man seized the woman and pushed her out of the room , while the
elder easily overpowered his emaciated victim and dragged him
away through the other door . for a moment i was left alone in
the room , and i sprang to my feet with some vague idea that i
might in some way get a clue to what this house was in which i
found myself . fortunately , however , i took no steps , for looking
up i saw that the older man was standing in the doorway , with
his eyes fixed upon me . 
 " ' that will do , mr . melas , ' said he . ' you perceive that we
have taken you into our confidence over some very private
business . we should not have troubled you , only that our friend
who speaks greek and who began these negotiations has been
forced to return to the east . it was quite necessary for us to find
someone to take his place , and we were fortunate in hearing of
your powers . ' 
 " i bowed . 
 " ' there are five sovereigns here , ' said he , walking up to me , 
 ' which will , i hope , be a sufficient fee . but remember , ' he
added , tapping me lightly on the chest and giggling , ' if you
speak to a human soul about this -- one human soul , mind -- well , 
may god have mercy upon your soul ! ' 
 " i cannot tell you the loathing and horror with which this
insignificant-looking man inspired me . i could see him better
now as the lamp-light shone upon him . his features were peaky
and sallow , and his little pointed beard was thready and ill-
nourished . he pushed his face forward as he spoke and his lips
and eyelids were continually twitching like a man with st . 
vitus 's dance . i could not help thinking that his strange , catchy
little laugh was also a symptom of some nervous malady . the
terror of his face lay in his eyes , however , steel gray , and
glistening coldly with a malignant , inexorable cruelty in their
depths . 
 " ' we shall know if you speak of this , ' said he . ' we have our
own means of information . now you will find the carriage
waiting , and my friend will see you on your way . ' 
 " i was hurried through the hall and into the vehicle , again
obtaining that momentary glimpse of trees and a garden . mr . 
latimer followed closely at my heels and took his place opposite
to me without a word . in silence we again drove for an intermi-
nable distance with the windows raised , until at last , just after
midnight , the carriage pulled up . 
 " ' you will get down here , mr . melas , ' said my companion . 
 ' i am sorry to leave you so far from your house , but there is no
alternative . any attempt upon your part to follow the carriage
can only end in injury to yourself . ' 
 " he opened the door as he spoke . and i had hardly time to
spring out when the coachman lashed the horse and the carriage
rattled away . i looked around me in astonishment . i was on some
sort of a heathy common mottled over with dark clumps of
furze-bushes . far away stretched a line of houses , with a light
here and there in the upper windows . on the other side i saw the
red signal-lamps of a railway . 
 " the carriage which had brought me was already out of sight . 
i stood gazing round and wondering where on earth i might be , 
when i saw someone coming towards me in the darkness . as he
came up to me i made out that he was a railway porter . 
 " ' can you tell me what place this is ? ' i asked . 
 " ' wandsworth common , ' said he . 
 " ' can i get a train into town ? ' 
 " ' if you walk on a mile or so to clapham junction , ' said he , 
 ' you ' ll just be in time for the last to victoria . ' 
 " so that was the end of my adventure , mr . holmes . i do not
know where i was , nor whom i spoke with , nor anything save
what i have told you . but i know that there is foul play going
on , and i want to help that unhappy man if i can . i told the
whole story to mr . mycroft holmes next morning , and subse-
quently to the police . " 
 we all sat in silence for some little time after listening to this
extraordinary narrative . then sherlock looked across at his brother . 
 " any steps ? " he asked . 
 mycroft picked up the daily news , which was lying on the
side-table . 

  " anybody supplying any information as to the where-
  abouts of a greek gentleman named paul kratides , from
  athens , who is unable to speak english , will be rewarded . 
  a similar reward paid to anyone giving information about a
  greek lady whose first name is sophy . x 2473 . 

 " that was in all the dailies . no answer . " 
 " how about the greek legation ? " 
 " i have inquired . they know nothing . " 
 " a wire to the head of the athens police , then ? " 
 " sherlock has all the energy of the family , " said mycroft , 
turning to me . " well , you take the case up by all means and let
me know if you do any good . " 
 " certainly , " answered my friend , rising from his chair . " i ' ll
let you know , and mr . melas also . in the meantime , mr . melas , 
i should certainly be on my guard if i were you , for of course
they must know through these advertisements that you have
betrayed them . " 
 as we walked home together , holmes stopped at a telegraph
office and sent off several wires . 
 " you see , watson , " he remarked , " our evening has been by
no means wasted . some of my most interesting cases have come
to me in this way through mycroft . the problem which we have
just listened to , although it can admit of but one explanation , has
still some distinguishing features . " 
 " you have hopes of solving it ? " 
 " well , knowing as much as we do , it will be singular indeed
if we fail to discover the rest . you must yourself have formed
some theory which will explain the facts to which we have
listened . " 
 " in a vague way , yes . " 
 " what was your idea , then ? " 
 " it seemed to me to be obvious that this greek girl had been
carried off by the young englishman named harold latimer . " 
 " carried off from where ? " 
 " athens , perhaps . " 
 sherlock holmes shook his head . " this young man could not
talk a word of greek . the lady could talk english fairly well . 
inference -- that she had been in england some little time , but he
had not been in greece . " 
 " well , then , we will presume that she had once come on a
visit to england , and that this harold had persuaded her to fly
with him . " 
 " that is more probable . " 
 " then the brother -- for that , i fancy , must be the relationship -- 
comes over from greece to interfere . he imprudently puts him-
self into the power of the young man and his older associate . 
they seize him and use violence towards him in order to make
him sign some papers to make over the girl 's fortune of which
he may be trustee -- to them . this he refuses to do . in order to
negotiate with him they have to get an interpreter , and they pitch
upon this mr . melas , having used some other one before . the
girl is not told of the arrival of her brother and finds it out by the
merest accident . " 
 " excellent , watson ! " cried holmes . " i really fancy that you
are not far from the truth . you see that we hold all the cards , and
we have only to fear some sudden act of violence on their part . if
they give us time we must have them . " 
 " but how can we find where this house lies ? " 
 " well , if our conjecture is correct and the girl 's name is or
was sophy kratides , we should have no difficulty in tracing her . 
that must be our main hope , for the brother is , of coursc , a
complete stranger . it is clear that some time has elapsed since
this harold established these relations with the girl -- some weeks
at any rate -- since the brother in greece has had time to hear of it
and come across . if they have been living in the same place
during this time , it is probable that we shall have some answer to
mycroft 's advertisement . " 
 we had reached our house in baker street while we had been
talking . holmes ascended the stair first , and as he opened the
door of our room he gave a start of surprise . looking over his
shoulder , i was equally astonished . his brother mycroft was
sitting smoking in the armchair . 
 " come in , sherlock ! come in , sir , " said he blandly , smiling
at our surprised faces . " you don ' t expect such energy from me
do you , sherlock ? but somehow this case attracts me . " 
 " how did you get here ? " 
 " i passed you in a hansom . " 
 " there has been some new development ? " 
 " i had an answer to my advertisement . " 
 " ah ! " 
 " yes , it came within a few minutes of your leaving . " 
 " and to what effect ? " 
 mycroft holmes took out a sheet of paper . 
 " here it is , " said he , " written with a j pen on royal cream
paper by a middle-aged man with a weak constitution . 

  " sir [he saysl : 
  " in answer to your advertisement of to-day 's date , i beg
 to inform you that i know the young lady in question very
 well . if you should care to call upon me i could give you
 some particulars as to her painful history . she is living at
 present at the myrtles , beckenham . 
            " yours faithfully , 
             " j . davenport . 

 " he writes from lower brixton , " said mycroft holmes . " do
you not think that we might drive to him now , sherlock , and
learn these particulars ? " 
 " my dear mycroft , the brother 's life is more valuable than the
sister 's story . i think we should call at scotland yard for inspec-
tor gregson and go straight out to beckenham . we know that a
man is being done to death , and every hour may be vital . " 
 " better pick up mr . melas on our way , " i suggested . " we
may need an interpreter . " 
 " excellent , " said sherlock holmes . " send the boy for a
four-wheeler , and we shall be off at once . " he opened the
table-drawer as he spoke , and i noticed that he slipped his
revolver into his pocket . " yes , " said he in answer to my glance , 
 " i should say , from what we have heard , that we are dealing
with a particularly dangerous gang . " 
 it was almost dark before we found ourselves in pall mall , at
the rooms of mr . melas . a gentleman had just called for him , 
and he was gone . 
 " can you tell me where ? " asked mycroft holmes . 
 " i don ' t know , sir , " answered the woman who had opened
the door ; " i only know that he drove away with the gentleman in
a carriage . " 
 " did the gentleman give a name ? " 
 " no , sir . " 
 " he wasn ' t a tall , handsome , dark young man ? " 
 " oh , no , sir . he was a little gentleman , with glasses , thin in
the face , but very pleasant in his ways , for he was laughing all
the time that he was talking . " 
 " come along ! " cried sherlock holmes abruptly . " this grows
serious , " he observed as we drove to scotland yard . " these
men have got hold of melas again . he is a man of no physical
courage , as they are well aware from their experience the other
night . this villain was able to terrorize him the instant that he
got into his presence . no doubt they want his professional
services , but , having used him , they may be inclined to punish
him for what they will regard as his treachery . " 
 our hope was that , by taking train , we might get to beckenham
as soon as or sooner than the carriage . on reaching scotland
yard , however , it was more than an hour before we could get
inspector gregson and comply with the legal formalities which
would enable us to enter the house . it was a quarter to ten before
we reached london bridge , and half past before the four of us
alighted on the beckenham platform . a drive of half a mile
brought us to the myrtles -- a large , dark house standing back
from the road in its own grounds . here we dismissed our cab and
made our way up the drive togeter . 
 " the windows are all dark , " remarked the inspector . " the
house seems deserted . " 
 " our birds are flown and the nest empty , " said holmes . 
 " why do you say so ? " 
 " a carriage heavily loaded with luggage has passed out dur-
ing the last hour . " 
 the inspector laughed . " i saw the wheel-tracks in the light of
the gate-lamp , but where does the luggage come in ? " 
 " you may have observed the same wheel-tracks going the
other way . but the outward-bound ones were very much
deeper -- so much so that we can say for a certainty that there
was a very considerable weiyht on the carriage . " 
 " you get a trifle beyond me there , " said the inspector , shrug-
ging his shoulders . " it will not be an easy door to force , but we
will try if we cannot make someone hear us . " 
 he hammered loudly at the knocker and pulled at the bell , but
without any success . holmes had slipped away , but he came
back in a few minutes . 
 " i have a window open , " said he . 
 " it is a mercy that you are on the side of the force , and not
against it , mr . holmes , " remarked the inspector as he noted the
clever way in which my friend had forced back the catch . 
 " well , i think that under the circumstances we may enter with-
out an invitation . " 
 one after the other we made our way into a large apartment , 
which was evidently that in which mr . melas had found himself . 
the inspector had lit his lantern , and by its light we could see the
two doors , the curtain , the lamp , and the suit of japanese mail as
he had described them . on the table lay two glasses , an empty
brandy-bottle , and the remains of a meal . 
 " what is that ? " asked holmes suddenly . 
 we all stood still and listened . a low moaning sound was
coming from somewhere over our heads . holmes rushed to the
door and out into the hall . the dismal noise came from upstairs . 
he dashed up , the inspector and i at his heels . while his brother
mycroft followed as quickly as his great bulk would permit . 
 three doors faced us upon the second floor , and it was from
the central of these that the sinister sounds were issuing , sinking
sometimes into a dull mumble and rising again into a shrill
whine . it was locked , but the key had been left on the outside . 
holmes flung open the door and rushed in , but he was out again
in an instant , with his hand to his throat . 
 " it 's charcoal , " he cried . " give it time . it will clear . " 
 peering in , we could see that the only light in the room came
from a dull blue flame which flickered from a small brass tripod
in the centre . it threw a livid unnatural circle upon the floor , 
while in the shadows beyond we saw the vague loom of two
fiyures which crouched against the wall . from thc open door
there reeked a horrible poisonous exhalation which set us gasp-
ing and coughing . holmes rushed to the top of the stairs to draw
in the fresh air , and then , dashing into the room , he threw up the
window and hurled the brazen tripod out into the garden . 
 " we can enter in a minute , " he gasped , darting out again . 
 " where is a candle ? i doubt if we could strike a match in that
atmosphere . hold the light at the door and we shall get them out , 
mycroft , now ! " 
 with a rush we got to the poisoned men and dragged them out
into the well-lit hall . both of them were blue-lipped and insensi-
ble , with swollen , congested faces and protruding eyes . indeed , 
so distorted were their features that , save for his black beard and
stout figure , we might have failed to recognize in one of them
the greek interpreter who had parted from us only a few hours
before at the diogenes club . his hands and feet were securely
strapped together , and he bore over one eye the marks of a
violent blow . the other , who was secured in a similar fashion
was a tall man in the last stage of emaciation , with several strips
of sticking-plaster arranged in a grotesque pattern over his face . 
he had ceased to moan as we laid him down , and a glance
showed me that for him at least our aid had come too late . mr . 
melas , however , still lived , and in less than an hour , with the
aid of ammonia and brandy , i had the satisfaction of seeing him
open his eyes , and of knowing that my hand had drawn him back
from that dark valley in which all paths meet . 
 it was a simple story which he had to tell , and one which did
but confirm our own deductions . his visitor , on entering his
rooms , had drawn a life-preserver from his sleeve , and had so
impressed him with the fear of instant and inevitable death that
he had kidnapped him for the second time . indeed , it was almost
mesmeric , the effect which this giggling ruffian had produced
upon the unfortunate linguist , for he could not speak of him save
with trembling hands and a blanched cheek . he had been taken
swiftly to beckenham , and had acted as interpreter in a second
interview , even more dramatic than the first , in which the two
englishmen had menaced their prisoner with instant death if he
did not comply with their demands . finally , finding him proof
against every threat , they had hurled him back into his prison
and after reproaching melas with his treachery , which appeared
from the newspaper advertisement , they had stunned him with a
blow from a stick , and he remembered nothing more until he
found us bending over him . 
 and this was the singular case of the grecian interpreter , the
explanation of which is still involved in some mystery . we were
able to find out , by communicating with the gentleman who had
answered the advertisement , that the unfortunate young lady
came of a wealthy grecian family , and that she had been on a
visit to some friends in england . while there she had met a
young man named harold latimer , who had acquired an ascen-
dency over her and had eventually persuaded her to fly with him . 
her friends , shocked at the event , had contented themselves with
informing her brother at athens , and had then washed their
hands of the matter . the brother , on his arrival in england , had
imprudently placed himself in the power of latimer and of his
associate , whose name was wilson kemp -- a man of the foulest
antecedents . these two , finding that through his ignorance of the
language he was helpless in their hands , had kept him a prisoner , 
and had endeavoured by cruelty and starvation to make him sign
away his own and his sister 's property . they had kept him in the
house without the girl 's knowledge , and the plaster over the
face had been for the purpose of making recognition difficult in
case she should ever catch a glimpse of him . her feminine
perceptions , however , had instantly seen through the disguise
when , on the occasion of the interpreter 's visit , she had seen him
for the first time . the poor girl , however , was herself a prisoner , 
for there was no one about the house except the man who acted
as coachman , and his wife , both of whom were tools of the
conspirators . finding that their secret was out , and that their
prisoner was not to be coerced , the two villains with the girl had
fled away at a few hours ' notice from the furnished house which
they had hired , having first , as they thought , taken vengeance
both upon the man who had defied and the one who had betrayed
them . 
 months afterwards a curious newspaper cutting reached us
from buda-pesth . it told how two englishmen who had been
travelling with a woman had met with a tragic end . they had
each been stabbed , it seems , and the hungarian police were of
opinion that they had quarrelled and had inflicted mortal injuries
upon each other . holmes , however , is , i fancy , of a different
way of thinking , and he holds to this day that , if one could
find the grecian girl , one might learn how the wrongs of herself
and her brother came to be avenged . 
 . 
      chapter 1
     mr . sherlock holmes

 mr . sherlock holmes , who was usually very late in the
mornings , save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was
up all night , was seated at the breakfast table . i stood upon the
hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left
behind him the night before . it was a fine , thick piece of wood , 
bulbous-headed , of the sort which is known as a " penang law-
yer . " just under the head was a broad silver band nearly an inch
across . " to james mortimer , m . r . c . s . , from his friends of the
c . c . h . , " was engraved upon it , with the date " 1884 . " it was
just such a stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used to
carry -- dignified , solid , and reassuring . 
 " well , watson , what do you make of it ? " 
 holmes was sitting with his back to me , and i had given him
no sign of my occupation . 
 " how did you know what i was doing ? i believe you have
eyes in the back of your head . " 
 " i have , at least , a well-polished , silver-plated coffee-pot in
front of me , " said he . " but , tell me , watson , what do you make
of our visitor 's stick ? since we have been so unfortunate as to
miss him and have no notion of his errand , this accidental
souvenir becomes of importance . let me hear you reconstruct
the man by an examination of it . " 
 " i think , " said i , following as far as i could the methods of
my companion , " that dr . mortimer is a successful , elderly
medical man , well-esteemed since those who know him give
him this mark of their appreciation . " 
 " good ! " said holmes . " excellent ! " 
 " i think also that the probability is in favour of his being a
country practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting on
foot . " 
 " why so ? " 
 " because this stick , though originally a very handsome one
has been so knocked about that i can hardly imagine a town
practitioner carrying it . the thick-iron ferrule is worn down , so it
is evident that he has done a great amount of walking with it . " 
 " perfectly sound ! " said holmes . 
 " and then again , there is the ' friends of the c . c . h . ' i should
guess that to be the something hunt , the local hunt to whose
members he has possibly given some surgical assistance , and
which has made him a small presentation in return . " 
 " really , watson , you excel yourself , " said holmes , pushing
back his chair and lighting a cigarette . " i am bound to say that
in all the accounts which you have been so good as to give of my
own small achievements you have habitually underrated your
own abilities . it may be that you are not yourself luminous , but
you are a conductor of light . some people without possessing
genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it . i confess , my
dear fellow , that i am very much in your debt . " 
 he had never said as much before , and i must admit that his
words gave me keen pleasure , for i had often been piqued by his
indifference to my admiration and to the attempts which i had
made to give publicity to his methods . i was proud , too , to think
that i had so far mastered his system as to apply it in a way
which earned his approval . he now took the stick from my hands
and examined it for a few minutes with his naked eyes . then
with an expression of interest he laid down his cigarette , and
carrying the cane to the window , he looked over it again with a
convex lens . 
 " interesting , though elementary , " said he as he returned to
his favourite corner of the settee . " there are certainly one or
two indications upon the stick . it gives us the basis for several
deductions . " 
 " has anything escaped me ? " i asked with some self-
importance . " i trust that there is nothing of consequence which i
have overlooked ? " 
 " i am afraid , my dear watson , that most of your conclusions
were erroneous . when i said that you stimulated me i meant , to
be frank , that in noting your fallacies i was occasionally guided
towards the truth . not that you are entirely wrong in this in-
stance . the man is certainly a country practitioner . and he walks
a good deal . " 
 " then i was right . " 
 " to that extent . " 
 " but that was all . " 
 " no , no , my dear watson , not all -- by no means all . i would
suggest , for example , that a presentation to a doctor is more
likely to come from a hospital than from a hunt , and that when
the initials ' c . c . ' are placed before that hospital the words
 ' charing cross ' very naturally suggest themselves . " 
 " you may be right . " 
 " the probability lies in that direction . and if we take this as a
working hypothesis we have a fresh basis from which to start our
construction of this unknown visitor . " 
 " well , then , supposing that ' c . c . h . ' does stand for ' charing
cross hospital , ' what further inferences may we draw ? " 
 " do none suggest themselves ? you know my methods . apply
them ! " 
 " i can only think of the obvious conclusion that the man has
practised in town before going to the country . " 
 " i think that we might venture a little farther than this . look
at it in this light . on what occasion would it be most probable
that such a presentation would be made ? when would his friends
unite to give him a pledge of their good will ? obviously at the
moment when dr . mortimer withdrew from the service of the
hospital in order to start in practice for himself . we know there
has been a presentation . we believe there has been a change
from a town hospital to a country practice . is it , then , stretching
our inference too far to say that the presentation was on the
occasion of the change ? " 
 " it certainly seems probable . " 
 " now , you will observe that he could not have been on the
staff of ohe hospital , since only a man well-established in a
london practice could hold such a position , and such a one
would not drift into the country . what was he , then ? if he was in
the hospital and yet not on the staff he could only have been a
house-surpeon or a house-physician -- little more than a senior
student . and he left five years ago -- the date is on the stick . so
your grave , middle-aged family practitioner vanishes into thin
air , my dear watson , and there emerges a young fellow under
thirty , amiable , unambitious , absent-minded , and the possessor
of a favourite dog , which i should describe roughly as being
larger than a terrier and smaller than a mastiff . " 
 i laughed incredulously as sherlock holmes leaned back in his
settee and blew little wavering rings of smoke up to the ceiling . 
 " as to the latter part , i have no means of checking you , " said
i , " but at least it is not difficult to find out a few particulars
about the man 's age and professional career . " from my small
medical shelf i took down the medical directory and turned up
the name . there were several mortimers , but only one who
could be our visitor . i read his record aloud . 

  " mortimer , james , m . r . c . s . , 1882 , grimpen , dartmoor , 
 devon . house-surgeon , from 1882 to 1884 , at charing
 cross hospital . winner of the jackson prize for compara-
 tive pathology , with essay entitled ' is disease a reversion ? ' 
 corresponding member of the swedish pathological soci-
 ety . author of ' some freaks of atavism ' (lancet 1882) . 
  ' do we progress ? ' (journal of psychology , march , 1883) . 
 medical officer for the parishes of grimpen , thorsley , and
 high barrow . " 

 " no mention of that local hunt , watson , " said holmes with a
mischievous smile , " but a country doctor , as you very astutely
observed . i think that i am fairly justified in my inferences . as
to the adjectives , i said , if i remember right , amiable , unambi-
tious , and absent-minded . it is my experience that it is only an
amiable man in this world who receives testimonials , only an
unambitious one who abandons a london career for the country , 
and only an absent-minded one who leaves his stick and not his
visiting-card after waiting an hour in your room . " 
 " and the dog ? " 
 " has been in the habit of carrying this stick behind his
master . being a heavy stick the dog has held it tightly by the
middle , and the marks of his teeth are very plainly visible . the
dog 's jaw , as shown in the space between these marks , is too
broad in my opinion for a terrier and not broad enough for a
mastiff . it may have been -- yes , by jove , it is a curly-haired
spaniel . " 
 he had risen and paced the room as he spoke . now he halted
in the recess of the window . there was such a ring of conviction
in his voice that i glanced up in surprise . 
 " my dear fellow , how can you possibly be so sure of that ? " 
 " for the very simple reason that i see the dog himself on our
very door-step , and there is the ring of its owner . don ' t move , i
beg you , watson . he is a professional brother of yours , and your
presence may be of assistance to me . now is the dramatic
moment of fate , watson , when you hear a step upon the stair
which is walking into your life , and you know not whether for
good or ill . what does dr . james mortimer , the man of science , 
ask of sherlock holmes , the specialist in crime ? come in ! " 
 the appearance of our visitor was a surprise to me , since i
had expected a typical country practitioner . he was a very tall , 
thin man , with a long nose like a beak , which jutted out between
two keen , gray eyes , set closely together and sparkling brightly
from behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses . he was clad in a
professional but rather slovenly fashion , for his frock-coat was
dingy and his trousers frayed . though young , his long back was
already bowed , and he walked with a forward thrust of his head
and a general air of peering benevolence . as he entered his eyes
fell upon the stick in holmes 's hand , and he ran towards it with
an exclamation of joy . " i am so very glad , " said he . " i was not
sure whether i had left it here or in the shipping office . i would
not lose that stick for the world . " 
 " a presentation , i see , " said holmes . 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " from charing cross hospital ? " 
 " from one or two friends there on the occasion of my
marriage . " 
 " dear , dear , that 's bad ! " said holmes , shaking his head . 
 dr . mortimer blinked through his glasses in mild astonishment . 
 " why was it bad ? " 
 " only that you have disarranged our little deductions . your
marriage , you say ? " 
 " yes , sir . i married , and so left the hospital , and with it all
hopes of a consulting practice . it was necessary to make a home
of my own . " 
 " come , come , we are not so far wrong , after all , " said
holmes . " and now , dr . james mortimer -- " 
 " mister , sir , mister -- a humble m . r . c . s . " 
 " and a man of precise mind , evidently . " 
 " a dabbler in science , mr . holmes , a picker up of shells on
the shores of the great unknown ocean . i presume that it is mr . 
sherlock holmes whom i am addressing and not -- " 
 " no , this is my friend dr . watson . " 
 " glad to meet you , sir . i have heard your name mentioned in
connection with that of your friend . you interest me very much , 
mr . holmes . i had hardly expected so dolichocephalic a skull or
such well-marked supra-orbital development . would you have
any objection to my running my finger along your parietal
fissure ? a cast of your skull , sir , until the original is available , 
would be an ornament to any anthropological museum . it is not
my intention to be fulsome , but i confess that i covet your
skull . " 
 sherlock holmes waved our strange visitor into a chair . " you
are an enthusiast in your line of thought , i perceive , sir , as i am
in mine , " said he . " i observe from your forefinger that you
make your own cigarettes . have no hesitation in lighting one . " 
 the man drew out paper and tobacco and twirled the one up in
the other with surprising dexterity . he had long , quivering fin-
gers as agile and restless as the antennae of an insect . 
 holmes was silent , but his little darting glances showed me
the interest which he took in our curious companion . 
 " i presume , sir , " said he at last , " that it was not merely for
the purpose of examining my skull that you have done me the
honour to call here last night and again to-day ? " 
 " no , sir , no ; though i am happy to have had the opportunity
of doing that as well . i came to you , mr . holmes , because i
recognized that i am myself an unpractical man and because i am
suddenly confronted with a most serious and extraordinary prob-
lem . recognizing , as i do , that you are the second highest expert
in europe -- " 
 " indeed , sir ! may i inquire who has the honour to be the
first ? " asked holmes with some asperity . 
 " to the man of precisely scientific mind the work of mon-
sieur bertillon must always appeal strongly . " 
 " then had you not better consult him ? " 
 " i said , sir , to the precisely scientific mind . but as a practical
man of affairs it is acknowledged that you stand alone . i trust , 
sir , that i have not inadvertently -- " 
 " just a little , " said holmes . " i think , dr . mortimer , you
would do wisely if without more ado you would kindly tell me
plainly what the exact nature of the problem is in which you
demand my assistance . " 

      chapter 2
   the curse of the baskervilles

 " i have in my pocket a manuscript , " said dr . james mortimer . 
 " i observed it as you entered the room , " said holmes . 
 " it is an old manuscript . " 
 " early eighteenth century , unless it is a forgery . " 
 " how can you say that , sir ? " 
 " you have presented an inch or two of it to my examination
all the time that you have been talking . it would be a poor expert
who could not give the date of a document within a decade or so . 
you may possibly have read my little monograph upon the
subject . i put that at 1730 . " 
 " the exact date is 1742 . " dr . mortimer drew it from his
breast-pocket . " this family paper was committed to my care by
sir charles baskerville , whose sudden and tragic death some
three months ago created so much excitement in devonshire . i
may say that i was his personal friend as well as his medical
attendant . he was a strong-minded man , sir , shrewd , practical , 
and as unimaginative as i am myself . yet he took this document
very seriously , and his mind was prepared for just such an end as
did eventually overtake him . " 
 holmes stretched out his hand for the manuscript and flattened
it upon his knee . 
 " you will observe , watson , the alternative use of the long s
and the short . it is one of several indications which enabled me
to fix the date . " 
 i looked over his shoulder at the yellow paper and the faded
script . at the head was written : " baskerville hall , " and below
in large , scrawling figures : " 1742 . " 
 " it appears to be a statement of some sort . " 
 " yes , it is a statement of a certain legend which runs in the
baskerville family . " 
 " but i understand that it is something more modern and
practical upon which you wish to consult me ? " 
 " most modern . a most practical , pressing matter , which must
be decided within twenty-four hours . but the manuscript is short
and is intimately connected with the affair . with your permission
i will read it to you . " 
 holmes leaned back in his chair , placed his finger-tips to-
gether , and closed his eyes , with an air of resignation . dr . 
mortimer turned the manuscript to the light and read in a high , 
cracking voice the following curious , old-world narrative : 

  " of the origin of the hound of the baskervilles there
  have been many statements , yet as i come in a direct line
  from hugo baskerville , and as i had the story from my
  father , who also had it from his , i have set it down with all
  belief that it occurred even as is here set forth . and i would
  have you believe , my sons , that the same justice which
  punishes sin may also most graciously forgive it , and that
  no ban is so heavy but that by prayer and repentance it may
  be removed . learn then from this story not to fear the fruits
  of the past , but rather to be circumspect in the future , that
  those foul passions whereby our family has suffered so
  grievously may not again be loosed to our undoing . 
  " know then that in the time of the great rebellion (the
  history of which by the learned lord clarendon i most
  earnestly commend to your attention) this manor of basker-
  ville was held by hugo of that name , nor can it be gainsaid
  that he was a most wild , profane , and godless man . this , in
  truth , his neighbours might have pardoned , seeing that saints
  have never flourished in those parts , but there was in him a
  certain wanton and cruel humour which made his name a by-
  word through the west . it chanced that this hugo came to
  love (if , indeed , so dark a passion may be known under so
  bright a name) the daughter of a yeoman who held lands
  near the baskerville estate . but the young maiden , being
  discreet and of good repute , would ever avoid him , for she
  feared his evil name . so it came to pass that one michaelmas
  this hugo , with five or six of his idle and wicked compan-
  ions , stole down upon the farm and carried off the maiden , 
  her father and brothers being from home , as he well knew . 
  when they had brought her to the hall the maiden was
  placed in an upper chamber , while hugo and his friends sat
  down to a long carouse , as was their nightly custom . now , 
  the poor lass upstairs was like to have her wits turned at the
  singing and shouting and terrible oaths which came up to
  her from below , for they say that the words used by hugo
  baskerville , when he was in wine , were such as might blast
  the man who said them . at last in the stress of her fear she
  did that which might have daunted the bravest or most
  active man , for by the aid of the growth of ivy which
  covered (and still covers) the south wall she came down
  from under the eaves , and so homeward across the moor , 
  there being three leagues betwixt the hall and her father ' s
  farm . 
  " it chanced that some little time later hugo left his
  guests to carry food and drink -- with other worse things , 
  perchance -- to his captive , and so found the cage empty and
  the bird escaped . then , as it would seem , he became as one
  that hath a devil , for , rushing down the stairs into the
  dining-hall , he sprang upon the great table , flagons and
  trenchers flying before him , and he cried aloud before all
  the company that he would that very night render his body
  and soul to the powers of evil if he might but overtake the
  wench . and while the revellers stood aghast at the fury of
  the man , one more wicked or , it may be , more drunken than
  the rest , cried out that they should put the hounds upon her
  whereat hugo ran from the house , crying to his grooms
  that they should saddle his mare and unkennel the pack , and
  giving the hounds a kerchief of the maid 's , he swung them
  to the line , and so off full cry in the moonlight over the
  moor . 
  " now , for some space the revellers stood agape , unable
  to understand all that had been done in such haste . but anon
  their bemused wits awoke to the nature of the deed which
  was like to be done upon the moorlands . everything was
  now in an uproar , some calling for their pistols , some for
  their horses , and some for another flask of wine . but at
  length some sense came back to their crazed minds , and the
  whole of them , thirteen in number , took horse and started in
  pursuit . the moon shone clear above them , and they rode
  swiftly abreast , taking that course which the maid must
  needs have taken if she were to reach her own home . 
  " they had gone a mile or two when they passed one of
  the night shepherds upon the moorlands , and they cried to
  him to know if he had seen the hunt . and the man , as the
  story goes , was so crazed with fear that he could scarce
  speak , but at last he said that he had indeed seen the
  unhappy maiden , with the hounds upon her track . ' but i
  have seen more than that , ' said he , ' for hugo baskerville
  passed me upon his black mare , and there ran mute behind
  him such a hound of hell as god forbid should ever be at
  my heels . ' so the drunken squires cursed the shepherd and
  rode onward . but soon their skins turned cold , for there
  came a galloping across the moor , and the black mare , 
  dabbled with white froth , went past with trailing bridle and
  empty saddle . then the revellers rode close together , for a
  great fear was on them , but they still followed over the
  moor , though each , had he been alone , would have been
  right glad to have turned his horse 's head . riding slowly in
  this fashion they came at last upon the hounds . these , 
  though known for their valour and their breed , were whim-
  pering in a cluster at the head of a deep dip or goyal , as we
  call it , upon the moor , some slinking away and some , with
  starting hackles and staring eyes , gazing down the narrow
  valley before them . 
  " the company had come to a halt , more sober men , as
  you may guess , than when they started . the most of them
  would by no means advance , but three of them , the boldest , 
  or it may be the most drunken , rode forward down the
  goyal . now , it opened into a broad space in which stood two
  of those great stones , still to be seen there , which were set
  by certain forgotten peoples in the days of old . the moon
  was shining bright upon the clearing , and there in the centre
  lay the unhappy maid where she had fallen , dead of fear and
  of fatigue . but it was not the sight of her body , nor yet was
  it that of the body of hugo baskerviile lying near her , 
  which raised the hair upon the heads of these three dare-
  devil roysterers , but it was that , standing over hugo , and
  plucking at his throat , there stood a foul thing , a great , 
  black beast , shaped like a hound , yet larger than any hound
  that ever mortal eye has rested upon . and even as they
  looked the thing tore the throat out of hugo baskerville , on
  which , as it turned its blazing eyes and dripping jaws upon
  them , the three shrieked with fear and rode for dear life , 
  still screaming , across the moor . one , it is said , died that
  very night of what he had seen , and the other twain were
  but broken men for the rest of their days . 
  " such is the tale , my sons , of the coming of the hound
  which is said to have plagued the family so sorely ever
  since . if i have set it down it is because that which is clearly
  known hath less terror than that which is but hinted at and
  guessed . nor can it be denied that many of the family have
  been unhappy in their deaths , which have been sudden , 
  bloody , and mysterious . yet may we shelter ourselves in
  the infinite goodness of providence , which would not for-
  ever punish the innocent beyond that third or fourth genera-
  tion which is threatened in holy writ . to that providence , 
  my sons , i hereby commend you , and i counsel you by way
  of caution to forbear from crossing the moor in those dark
  hours when the powers of evil are exalted . 
  " [this from hugo baskerville to his sons rodger and
  john , with instructions that they say nothing thereof to their
  sister elizabeth . ] " 

 when dr . mortimer had finished reading this singular narra-
tive he pushed his spectacles up on his forehead and stared
across at mr . sherlock holmes . the latter yawned and tossed the
end of his cigarette into the fire . 
 " well ? " said he . 
 " do you not find it interesting ? " 
 " to a collector of fairy tales . " 
 dr . mortimer drew a folded newspaper out of his pocket . 
 " now , mr . holmes , we will give you something a little more
recent . this is the devon county chronicle of may 14th of this
year . it is a short account of the facts elicited at the death of sir
charles baskerville which occurred a few days before that date . " 
 my friend leaned a little forward and his expression became
intent . our visitor readjusted his glasses and began : 

  " the recent sudden death of sir charles baskerville , 
  whose name has been mentioned as the probable liberal
  candidate for mid-devon at the next election , has cast a
  gloom over the county . though sir charles had resided at
  baskerville hall for a comparatively short period his amia-
  bility of character and extreme generosity had won the
  affection and respect of all who had been brought into
  contact with him . in these days of nouveaux riches it is
  refreshing to find a case where the scion of an old county
  family which has fallen upon evil days is able to make his
  own fortune and to bring it back with him to restore the
  fallen grandeur of his line . sir charles , as is well known , 
  made large sums of money in south african speculation . 
  more wise than those who go on until the wheel turns
  against them , he realized his gains and returned to england
  with them . it is only two years since he took up his resi-
  dence at baskerville hall , and it is common talk how large
  were those schemes of reconstruction and improvement which
  have been interrupted by his death . being himself childless , 
  it was his openly expressed desire that the whole country-
  side should , within his own lifetime , profit by his good
  fortune , and many will have personal reasons for bewailing
  his untimely end . his generous donations to local and county
  charities have been frequently chronicled in these columns . 
  " the circumstances connected with the death of sir charles
  cannot be said to have been entirely cleared up by the
  inquest , but at least enough has been done to dispose of
  those rumours to which local superstition has given rise . 
  there is no reason whatever to suspect foul play , or to
  imagine that death could be from any but natural causes . sir
  charles was a widower , and a man who may be said to have
  been in some ways of an eccentric habit of mind . in spite of
  his considerable wealth he was simple in his personal tastes , 
  and bis indoor servants at baskerville hall consisted of a mar-
  ried couple named barrymore , the husband acting as butler
  and the wife as housekeeper . their evidence , corroborated
  by that of several friends , tends to show that sir charles ' s
  health has for some time been impaired , and points espe-
  cially to some affection of the heart , manifesting itself in
  changes of colour , breathlessness , and acute attacks of ner-
  vous depression . dr . james mortimer , the friend and medi-
  cal attendant of the deceased , has given evidence to the
  same effect . 
  " the facts of the case are simple . sir charles baskerville
  was in the habit every night before going to bed of walking
  down the famous yew alley of baskerville hall . the evi-
  dence of the barrymores shows that this had been his
  custom . on the fourth of may sir charles had declared his
  intention of starting next day for london , and had ordered
  barrymore to prepare his luggage . that night he went out as
  usual for his nocturnal walk , in the course of which he was
  in the habit of smoking a cigar . he never returned . at
  twelve o ' clock barrymore , finding the hall door still open , 
  became alarmed , and , lighting a lantern , went in search of
  his master . the day had been wet , and sir charles 's foot-
  marks were easily traced down the alley . halfway down this
  walk there is a gate which leads out on to the moor . there
  were indications that sir charles had stood for some little
  time here . he then proceeded down the alley , and it was at
  the far end of it that his body was discovered . one fact
  which has not been explained is the statement of barrymore
  that his master 's footprints altered their character from the
  time that he passed the moor-gate , and that he appeared
  from thence onward to have been walking upon his toes . 
  one murphy , a gipsy horse-dealer , was on the moor at no
  great distance at the time , but he appears by his own
  confession to have been the worse for drink . he declares
  that he heard cries but is unable to state from what direction
  they came . no signs of violence were to be discovered upon
  sir charles 's person , and though the doctor 's evidence pointed
  to an almost incredible facial distortion -- so great that dr . 
  mortimer refused at first to believe that it was indeed his
  friend and patient who lay before him -- it was explained
  that that is a symptom which is not unusual in cases of
  dyspnoea and death from cardiac exhaustion . this expla-
  nation was borne out by the post-mortem examination , which
  showed long-standing organic disease , and the coroner ' s
  jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evi-
  dence . it is well that this is so , for it is obviously of the
  utmost importance that sir charles 's heir should settle at the
  hall and continue the good work which has been so sadly
  interrupted . had the prosaic finding of the coroner not
  finally put an end to the romantic stories which have been
  whispered in connection with the affair , it might have been
  difficult to find a tenant for baskerville hall . it is under-
  stood that the next of kin is mr . henry baskerville , if he be
  still alive , the son of sir charles baskerville 's younger
  brother . the young man when last heard of was in america , 
  and inquiries are being instituted with a view to informing
  him of his good fortune . " 

 dr . mortimer refolded his paper and replaced it in his pocket . 
 " those are the public facts , mr . holmes , in connection with
the death of sir charles baskerville . " 
 " i must thank you , " said sherlock holmes , " for calling my
attention to a case which certainly presents some features of
interest . i had observed some newspaper comment at the time , but
i was exceedingly preoccupied by that little affair of the vatican
cameos , and in my anxiety to oblige the pope i lost touch with
several interesting english cases . this article , you say , contains
all the public facts ? " 
 " it does . " 
 " then let me have the private ones . " he leaned back , put his
finger-tips together , and assumed his most impassive and judicial
expression . 
 " in doing so , " said dr . mortimer , who had begun to show
signs of some strong emotion , " i am telling that which i have
not confided to anyone . my motive for withholding it from the
coroner 's inquiry is that a man of science shrinks from placing
himself in the public position of seeming to indorse a popular
superstition . i had the further motive that baskerville hall , as the
paper says , would certainly remain untenanted if anything were
done to increase its already rather grim reputation . for both these
reasons i thought that i was justified in telling rather less than i
knew , since no practical good could result from it , but with you
there is no reason why i should not be perfectly frank . 
 " the moor is very sparsely inhabited , and those who live near
each other are thrown very much together . for this reason i saw
a good deal of sir charles baskerville . with the exception of
mr . frankland , of lafter hall , and mr . stapleton , the naturalist , 
there are no other men of education within many miles . sir
charles was a retiring man , but the chance of his illness brought
us together , and a community of interests in science kept us so . 
he had brought back much scientific information from south
africa , and many a charming evening we have spent together
discussing the comparative anatomy of the bushman and the
hottentot . 
 " within the last few months it became increasingly plain to
me that sir charles 's nervous system was strained to the break-
ing point . he had taken this legend which i have read you
exceedingly to heart -- so much so that , although he would walk
in his own grounds , nothing would induce him to go out upon
the moor at night . incredible as it may appear to you , mr . 
holmes , he was honestly convinced that a dreadful fate overhung
his family , and certainly the records which he was able to give of
his ancestors were not encouraging . the idea of some ghastly
presence constantly haunted him , and on more than one occasion
he has asked me whether i had on my medical journeys at night
ever seen any strange creature or heard the baying of a hound . 
the latter question he put to me several times , and always with a
voice which vibrated with excitement . 
 " i can well remember driving up to his house in the evening
some three weeks before the fatal event . he chanced to be at his
hall door . i had descended from my gig and was standing in
front of him , when i saw his eyes fix themselves over my
shoulder and stare past me with an expression of the most
dreadful horror . i whisked round and had just time to catch a
glimpse of something which i took to be a large black calf
passing at the head of the drive . so excited and alarmed was he
that i was compelled to go down to the spot where the animal
had been and look around for it . it was gone , however , and the
incident appeared to make the worst impression upon his mind . i
stayed with him all the evening , and it was on that occasion , to
explain the emotion which he had shown , that he confided to my
keeping that narrative which i read to you when first i came . i
mention this small episode because it assumes some importance
in view of the tragedy which followed , but i was convinced at
the time that the matter was entirely trivial and that his excite-
ment had no justification . 
 " it was at my advice that sir charles was about to go to
london . his heart was , i knew , affected , and the constant anxi-
ety in which he lived , however chimerical the cause of it might
be , was evidently having a serious effect upon his health . i
thought that a few months among the distractions of town
would send him back a new man . mr . stapleton , a mutual friend
who was much concerned at his state of health , was of the same
opinion . at the last instant came this terrible catastrophe . 
 " on the night of sir charles 's death barrymore the butler
who made the discovery , sent perkins the groom on horseback to
me , and as i was sitting up late i was able to reach baskerville
hall within an hour of the event . i checked and corroborated all
the facts which were mentioned at the inquest . i followed the
footsteps down the yew alley , i saw the spot at the moor-gate
where he seemed to have waited , i remarked the change in the
shape of the prints after that point , i noted that there were no
other footsteps save those of barrymore on the soft gravel , and
finally i carefully examined the body , which had not been touched
until my arrival . sir charles lay on his face , his arms out , his
fingers dug into the ground , and his features convulsed with
some strong emotion to such an extent that i could hardly have
sworn to his identity . thefe was certainly no physical injury of
any kind . but one false statement was made by barrymore at the
inquest . he said that there were no traces upon the ground round
the body . he did not observe any . but i did -- some little distance
off , but fresh and clear . " 
 " footprints ? " 
 " footprints . " 
 " a man 's or a woman 's ? " 
 dr . mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant , and his
voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered : 
 " mr . holmes , they were the footprints of a gigantic hound ! " 

     chapter 3
     the problem

 i confess at these words a shudder passed through me . 
there was a thrill in the doctor 's voice which showed that he
was himself deeply moved by that which he told us . holmes
leaned forward in his excitement and his eyes had the hard , dry
glitter which shot from them when he was keenly interested . 
 " you saw this ? " 
 " as clearly as i see you . " 
 " and you said nothing ? " 
 " what was the use ? " 
 " how was it that no one else saw it ? " 
 " the marks were some twenty yards from the body and no
one gave them a thought . i don ' t suppose i should have done so
had i not known this legend . " 
 " there are many sheep-dogs on the moor ? " 
 " no doubt , but this was no sheep-dog . " 
 " you say it was large ? " 
 " enormous . " 
 " but it had not approached the body ? " 
 " no . " 
 " what sort of night was it ? ' 
 " damp and raw . " 
 " but not actually raining ? " 
 " no . " 
 " what is the alley like ? " 
 " there are two lines of old yew hedge , twelve feet high and
 impenetrable . the walk in the centre is about eight feet across . " 
 " is there anything between the hedges and the walk ? " 
 " yes , there is a strip of grass about six feet broad on either
side . " 
 " i understand that the yew hedge is penetrated at one point by
a gate ? " 
 " yes , the wicket-gate which leads on to the moor . " 
 " is there any other opening ? " 
 " none . " 
 " so that to reach the yew alley one either has to come down it
from the house or else to enter it by the moor-gate ? " 
 " there is an exit through a summer-house at the far end . " 
 " had sir charles reached this ? " 
 " no ; he lay about fifty yards from it . " 
 " now , tell me , dr . mortimer -- and this is important -- the
 marks which you saw were on the path and not on the grass ? " 
 " no marks could show on the grass . " 
 " were they on the same side of the path as the moor-gate ? " 
 " yes ; they were on the edge of the path on the same side as
the moor-gate . " 
 " you interest me exceedingly . another point . was the wicket-
gate closed ? " 
 " closed and padlocked . " 
 " how high was it ? " 
 " about four feet high . " 
 " then anyone could have got over it ? " 
 " yes . " 
 " and what marks did you see by the wicket-gate ? " 
 " none in particular . " 
 " good heaven ! did no one examine ? " 
 " yes , i examined , myself . " 
 " and found nothing ? " 
 " it was all very confused . sir charles had evidently stood
there for five or ten minutes . " 
 " how do you know that ? " 
 " because the ash had twice dropped from his cigar . " 
 " excellent ! this is a colleague , watson , after our own heart . 
but the marks ? " 
 " he had left his own marks all over that small patch of
gravel . i could discern no others . " 
 sherlock holmes struck his hand against his knee with an
impatient gesture . 
 " if i had only been there ! " he cried . " it is evidently a case of
extraordinary interest , and one which presented immense opportu-
nities to the scientific expert . that gravel page upon which i
might have read so much has been long ere this smudged by the
rain and defaced by the clogs of curious peasants . oh , dr . 
mortimer , dr . mortimer , to think that you should not have
called me in ! you have indeed much to answer for . " 
 " i could not call you in , mr . holmes , without disclosing these
facts to the world , and i have already given my reasons for not
wishing to do so . besides , besides -- " 
 " why do you hesitate ? " 
 " there is a realm in which the most acute and most experi-
enced of detectives is helpless . " 
 " you mean that the thing is supernatural ? " 
 " i did not positively say so . " 
 " no , but you evidently think it . " 
 " since the tragedy , mr . holmes , there have come to my ears
several incidents which are hard to reconcile with the settled
order of nature . " 
 " for example ? " 
 " i find that before the terrible event occurred several people
had seen a creature upon the moor which corresponds with this
baskerville demon , and which could not possibly be any animal
known to science . they all agreed that it was a huge creature , 
luminous , ghastly , and spectral . i have cross-examined these
men , one of them a hard-headed countryman , one a farrier , and
one a moorland farmer , who all tell the same story of this
dreadful apparition , exactly corresponding to the hell-hound of
the legend . i assure you that there is a reign of terror in the
district , and that it is a hardy man who will cross the moor at
night . " 
 " and you , a trained man of science , believe it to be super-
natural ? " 
 " i do not know what to believe . " 
 holmes shrugged his shoulders . 
 " i have hitherto confined my investigations to this world , " 
said he . " in a modest way i have combated evil , but to take on
the father of evil himself would , perhaps , be too ambitious a
task . yet you must admit that the footmark is material . " 
 " the original hound was material enough to tug a man ' s
throat out , and yet he was diabolical as well . " 
 " i see that you have quite gone over to the supernaturalists . 
but now , dr . mortimer , tell me this . if you hold these views
why have you come to consult me at all ? you tell me in the same
breath that it is useless to investigate sir charles 's death , and
that you desire me to do it . " 
 " i did not say that i desired you to do it . " 
 " then , how can i assist you ? " 
 " by advising me as to what i should do with sir henry
baskerville , who arrives at waterloo station " -- dr . mortimer
looked at his watch -- " in exactly one hour and a quarter . " 
 " he being the heir ? " 
 " yes . on the death of sir charles we inquired for this young
gentleman and found that he had been farming in canada . from
the accounts which have reached us he is an excellent fellow in
every way . i speak now not as a medical man but as a trustee
and executor of sir charles 's will . " 
 " there is no other claimant , i presume ? " 
 " none . the only other kinsman whom we have been able to
trace was rodger baskerville , the youngest of three brothers of
whom poor sir charles was the elder . the second brother , who
died young , is the father of this lad henry . the third , rodger , 
was the black sheep of the family . he came of the old masterful
baskerville strain and was the very image , they tell me , of the
family picture of old hugo . he made england too hot to hold
him , fled to central america , and died there in 1876 of yellow
fever . henry is the last of the baskervilles . in one hour and five
minutes i meet him at waterloo station . i have had a wire that
he arrived at southampton this morning . now , mr . holmes , 
what would you advise me to do with him ? " 
 " why should he not go to the home of his fathers ? " 
 " it seems natural , does it not ? and yet , consider that every
baskerville who goes there meets with an evil fate . i feel sure
that if sir charles could have spoken with me before his death he
would have warned me against bringing this , the last of the old
race , and the heir to great wealth , to that deadly place . and yet it
cannot be denied that the prosperity of the whole poor , bleak
countryside depends upon his presence . all the good work which
has been done by sir charles will crash to the ground if there is
no tenant of the hall . i fear lest i should be swayed too much by
my own obvious interest in the matter , and that is why i bring
the case before you and ask for your advice . " 
 holmes considered for a little time . 
 " put into plain words , the matter is this , " said he . " in your
opinion there is a diabolical agency which makes dartmoor an
unsafe abode for a baskerville -- that is your opinion ? " 
 " at least i might go the length of saying that there is some
evidence that this may be so . " 
 " exactly . but surely , if your supernatural theory be correct , it
could work the young man evil in london as easily as in
devonshire . a devil with merely local powers like a parish
vestry would be too inconceivable a thing . " 
 " you put the matter more flippantly , mr . holmes , than you
would probably do if you were brought into personal contact
with these things . your advice , then , as i understand it , is that
the young man will be as safe in devonshire as in london . he
comes in fifty minutes . what would you recommend ? " 
 " i recommend , sir , that you take a cab , call off your spaniel
who is scratching at my front door , and proceed to waterloo to
meet sir henry baskerville . " 
 " and then ? " 
 " and then you will say nothing to him at all until i have made
up my mind about the matter . " 
 " how long will it take you to make up your mind ? " 
 " twenty-four hours . at ten o ' clock to-morrow , dr . morti-
mer , i will be much obliged to you if you will call upon me here , 
and it will be of help to me in my plans for the future if you will
bring sir henry baskerville with you . " 
 " i will do so , mr . holmes . " he scribbled the appointment on
his shirt-cuff and hurried off in his strange , peering , absent-
minded fashion . holmes stopped him at the head of the stair . 
 " only one more question , dr . mortimer . you say that before
sir charles baskerville 's death several people saw this apparition
upon the moor ? " 
 " three people did . " 
 " did any see it after ? " 
 " i have not heard of any . " 
 " thank you . good-morning . " 
 holmes returned to his seat with that quiet look of inward
satisfaction which meant that he had a congenial task before him . 
 " going out , watson ? " 
 " unless i can help you . " 
 " no , my dear fellow , it is at the hour of action that i turn to
you for aid . but this is splendid , really unique from some points
of view . when you pass bradley 's , would you ask him to send
up a pound of the strongest shag tobacco ? thank you . it would
be as well if you could make it convenient not to return before
evening . then i should be very glad to compare impressions as
to this most interesting problem which has been submined to us
this morning . " 
 i knew that seclusion and solitude were very necessary for my
friend in those hours of intense mental concentration during
which he weighed every particle of evidence , constructed alter-
native theories , balanced one against the other , and made up his
mind as to which points were essential and which immaterial . i
therefore spent the day at my club and did not return to baker
street until evening . it was nearly nine o ' clock when i found
myself in the sitting-room once more . 
 my first impression as i opened the door was that a fire had
broken out , for the room was so filled with smoke that the light
of the lamp upon the table was blurred by it . as i entered , 
however , my fears were set at rest , for it was the acrid fumes of
strong coarse tobacco which took me by the throat and set me
coughing . through the haze i had a vague vision of holmes in
his dressing-gown coiled up in an armchair with his black clay
pipe between his lips . several rolls of paper lay around him . 
 " caught cold , watson ? " said he . 
 " no , it 's this poisonous atmosphere . " 
 " i suppose it is pretty thick , now that you mention it . " 
 " thick ! it is intolerable . " 
 " open the window , then ! you have been at your club all day , 
i perceive . " 
 " my dear holmes ! " 
 " am i right ? " 
 " certainly , but how ? " 
 he laughed at my bewildered expression . 
 " there is a delightful freshness about you , watson , which
makes it a pleasure to exercise any small powers which i possess
at your expense . a gentleman goes forth on a showery and miry
day . he returns immaculate in the evening with the gloss still on
his hat and his boots . he has been a fixture therefore all day . he
is not a man with intimate friends . where , then , could he have
been ? is it not obvious ? " 
 " well , it is rather obvious . " 
 " the world is full of obvious things which nobody by any
chance ever observes . where do you think that i have been ? " 
 " a fixture also . " 
 " on the contrary , i have been to devonshire . " 
 " in spirit ? " 
 " exactly . my body has remained in this armchair and has , i
regret to observe , consumed in my absence two large pots of
coffee and an incredible amount of tobacco . after you left i sent
down to stamford 's for the ordnance map of this portion of the
moor , and my spirit has hovered over it all day . i flatter myself
that i could find my way about . " 
 " a large-scale map , i presume ? " 
 " very large . " he unrolled one section and held it over his
knee . " here you have the particular district which concerns us . 
that is baskerville hall in the middle . " 
 " with a wood round it ? " 
 " exactly . i fancy the yew alley , though not marked under that
name , must stretch along this line , with the moor , as you per-
ceive , upon the right of it . this small clump of buildings here is
the hamlet of grimpen , where our friend dr . mortimer has his
headquarters . within a radius of five miles there are , as you see , 
only a very few scattered dwellings . here is lafter hall , which
was mentioned in the narrative . there is a house indicated here
which may be the residence of the naturalist -- stapleton , if i
remember right , was his name . here are two moorland farm-
houses , high tor and foulmire . then fourteen miles away the
great convict prison of princetown . between and around these
scattered points extends the desolate , lifeless moor . this , then , is
the stage upon which tragedy has been played , and upon which
we may help to play it again . " 
 " it must be a wild place . " 
 " yes , the setting is a worthy one . if the devil did desire to
have a hand in the affairs of men -- " 
 " then you are yourself inclining to the supernatural explanation . " 
 " the devil 's agents may be of flesh and blood , may they not ? 
there are two questions waiting for us at the outset . the one is
whether any crime has been committed at all ; the second is , what
is the crime and how was it committed ? of course , if dr . 
mortimer 's surmise should be correct , and we are dealing with
forces outside the ordinary laws of nature , there is an end of our
investigation . but we are bound to exhaust all other hypotheses
before falling back upon this one . i think we ' ll shut that window
again , if you don ' t mind . it is a singular thing , but i find that a
concentrated atmosphere helps a concentration of thought . i have
not pushed it to the length of getting into a box to think , but that
is the logical outcome of my convictions . have you turned the
case over in your mind ? " 
 " yes , i have thought a good deal of it in the course of the
day . " 
 " what do you make of it ? " 
 " it is very bewildering . " 
 " it has certainly a character of its own . there are points of
distinction about it . that change in the footprints , for example . 
what do you make of that ? " 
 " mortimer said that the man had walked on tiptoe down that
portion of the alley . " 
 " he only repeated what some fool had said at the inquest
why should a man walk on tiptoe down the alley ? " 
 " what then ? " 
 " he was running , watson -- running desperately , running for
his life , running until he burst his heart-and fell dead upon his
face . " 
 " running from what ? " 
 " there lies our problem . there are indications that the man
was crazed with fear before ever he began to run . " 
 " how can you say that ? " 
 " i am presuming that the cause of his fears came to him
across the moor . if that were so , and it seems most probable
only a man who had lost his wits would have run from the house
instead of towards it . if the gipsy 's evidence may be taken as
true , he ran with cries for help in the direction where help was
least likely to be . then , again , whom was he waiting for that
night , and why was he waiting for him in the yew alley rather
than in his own house ? " 
 " you think that he was waiting for someone ? " 
 " the man was elderly and infirm . we can understand his
taking an evening stroll , but the ground was damp and the night
inclement . is it natural that he should stand for five or ten
minutes , as dr . mortimer , with more practical sense than i
should have given him credit for , deduced from the cigar ash ? " 
 " but he went out every evening . " 
 " i think it unlikely that he waited at the moor-gate every
evening . on the contrary , the evidence is that he avoided the
moor . that night he waited there . it was the night before he
made his departure for london . the thing takes shape , watson . 
it becomes coherent . might i ask you to hand me my violin , and
we will postpone all further thought upon this business until we
have had the advantage of meeting dr . mortimer and sir henry
baskerville in the morning . " 

      chapter 4
    sir henry baskerville

 our breakfast table was cleared early , and holmes waited in his
dressing-gown for the promised interview . our clients were punc-
tual to their appointment , for the clock had just struck ten when
dr . mortimer was shown up , followed by the young baronet . 
the latter was a small , alert , dark-eyed man about thirty years of
age , very sturdily built , with thick black eyebrows and a strong , 
pugnacious face . he wore a ruddy-tinted tweed suit and had the
weather-beaten appearance of one who has spent most of his
time in the open air , and yet there was something in his steady
eye and the quiet assurance of his bearing which indicated the
gentleman . 
 " this is sir henry baskerville , " said dr . mortimer . 
 " why , yes , " said he , " and the strange thing is , mr . sherlock
holmes , that if my friend here had not proposed coming round to
you this morning i should have come on my own account . i
understand that you think out little puzzles , and i ' ve had one this
morning which wants more thinking out than i am able to give
it . " 
 " pray take a seat , sir henry . do i understand you to say that
you have yourself had some remarkable experience since you
arrived in london ? " 
 " nothing of much importance , mr . holmes . only a joke , as
like as not . it was this letter , if you can call it a letter , which
reached me this morning . " 
 he laid an envelope upon the table , and we all bent over it . it
was of common quality , grayish in colour . the address , " sir
henry baskerville , northumberland hotel , " was printed in rough
characters ; the post-mark " charing cross , " and the date of
posting the preceding evening . 
 " who knew that you were going to the northumberland ho-
tel ? " asked holmes , glancing keenly across at our visitor . 
 " no one could have known . we only decided after i met dr . 
mortimer . " 
 " but dr . mortimer was no doubt already stopping there ? " 
 " no , i had been staying with a friend , " said the doctor . 
 " there was no possible indication that we intended to go to this
hotel . " 
 " hum ! someone seems to be very deeply interested in your
movements . " out of the envelope he took a half-sheet of fools-
cap paper folded into four . this he opened and spread flat upon
the table . across the middle of it a single sentence had been
formed by the expedient of pasting printed words upon it . it ran : 

 as you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor . 

the word " moor " only was printed in ink . 
 " now , " said sir henry baskerville , " perhaps you will tell
me , mr . holmes , what in thunder is the meaning of that , and
who it is that takes so much interest in my affairs ? " 
 " what do you make of it , dr . mortimer ? you must allow that
there is nothing supernatural about this , at any rate ? " 
 " no , sir , but it might very well come from someone who was
convinced that the business is supernatural . " 
 " what business ? " asked sir henry sharply . " it seems to me
that all you gentlemen know a great deal more than i do about
my own affairs . " 
 " you shall share our knowledge before you leave this room , 
sir henry . i promise you that , " said sherlock holmes . " we will
confine ourselves for the present with your permission to this
very interesting document , which must have been put together
and posted yesterday evening . have you yesterday 's times , 
watson ? " 
 " it is here in the corner . " 
 " might i trouble you for it -- the inside page , please , with the
leading articles ? " he glanced swiftly over it , running his eyes up
and down the columns . " capital article this on free trade . permit
me to give you an extract from it . 

  " you may be cajoled into imagining that your own spe-
 cial trade or your own industry will be encouraged by a
 protective tariff , but it stands to reason that such legislation
 must in the long run keep away wealth from the country , 
 diminish the value of our imports , and lower the general
 conditions of life in this island . 

 " what do you think of that , watson ? " cried holmes in high glee , 
rubbing his hands together with satisfaction . " don ' t you think
that is an admirable sentiment ? " 
 dr . mortimer looked at holmes with an air of professional
interest , and sir henry baskerville turned a pair of puzzled dark
eyes upon me . 
 " i don ' t know much about the tariff and things of that kind , " 
said he , " but it seems to me we ' ve got a bit off the trail so far as
that note is concerned . " 
 " on the contrary , i think we are particularly hot upon the
trail , sir henry . watson here knows more about my methods
than you do , but i fear that even he has not quite grasped the
significance of this sentence . " 
 " no , i confess that i see no connection . " 
 " and yet , my dear watson , there is so very close a connec-
tion that the one is extracted out of the other . ' you , ' ' your , ' 
 ' your , ' ' life , ' ' reason , ' ' value , ' ' keep away , ' ' from the . ' don ' t
you see now whence these words have been taken ? " 
 " by thunder , you ' re right ! well , if that isn ' t smart ! " cried sir
henry . 
 " if any possible doubt remained it is settled by the fact that
 ' keep away ' and ' from the ' are cut out in one piece . " 
 " well , now -- so it is ! " 
 " really , mr . holmes , this exceeds anything which i could
have imagined , " said dr . mortimer , gazing at my friend in
amazement . " i could understand anyone saying that the words
were from a newspaper ; but that you should name which , and
add that it came from the leading article , is really one of the
most remarkable things which i have ever known . how did you
do it ? " 
 " i presume , doctor , that you could tell the skull of a negro
from that of an esquimau ? " 
 " most certainly . " 
 " but how ? " 
 " because that is my special hobby . the differences are obvi-
ous . the supra-orbital crest , the facial angle , the maxillary curve , 
the -- " 
 " but this is my special hobby , and the differences are equally
obvious . there is as much difference to my eyes between the
leaded bourgeois type of a times article and the slovenly print of
an evening half-penny paper as there could be between your
negro and your esquimau . the detection of types is one of the
most elementary branches of knowledge to the special expert in
crime , though i confess that once when i was very young i
confused the leeds mercury with the western morning news . 
but a times leader is entirely distinctive , and these words could
have been taken from nothing else . as it was done yesterday the
strong probability was that we should find the words in yester-
day 's issue . " 
 " so far as i can follow you , then , mr . holmes , " said sir
henry baskerville , " someone cut out this message with a
scissors -- " 
 " nail-scissors , " said holmes . " you can see that it was a
very short-bladed scissors , since the cutter had to take two snips
over ' keep away . ' " 
 " that is so . someone , then , cut out the message with a pair
of short-bladed scissors , pasted it with paste -- " 
 " gum , " said holmes . 
 " with gum on to the paper . but i want to know why the word
 ' moor ' should have been written ? " 
 " because he could not find it in print . the other words were
all simple and might be found in any issue , but ' moor ' would be
less common . " 
 " why , of course , that would explain it . have you read any-
thing else in this message , mr . holmes ? " 
 " there are one or two indications , and yet the utmost pains
have been taken to remove all clues . the address , you observe
is printed in rough characters . but the times is a paper which is
seldom found in any hands but those of the highly educated . we
may take it , therefore , that the letter was composed by an
educated man who wished to pose as an uneducated one , and his
effort to conceal his own writing suggests that that writing might
be known , or come to be known , by you . again , you will
observe that the words are not gummed on in an accurate line , 
but that some are much higher than others . ' life , ' for example
is quite out of its proper place . that may point to carelessness or
it may point to agitation and hurry upon the part of the cutter . on
the whole i incline to the latter view , since the matter was
evidently important , and it is unlikely that the composer of such
a letter would be careless . if he were in a hurry it opens up the
interesting question why he should be in a hurry , since any letter
posted up to early morning would reach sir henry before he
would leave his hotel . did the composer fear an interruption -- 
and from whom ? " 
 " we are coming now rather into the region of guesswork , " 
said dr . mortimer . 
 " say , rather , into the region where we balance probabilities
and choose the most likely . it is the scientific use of the imagina-
tion , but we have always some material basis on which to start
our speculation . now , you would call it a guess , no doubt , but i
am almost certain that this address has been written in a hotel . " 
 " how in the world can you say that ? " 
 " if you examine it carefully you will see that both the pen and
the ink have given the writer trouble . the pen has spluttered
twice in a single word and has run dry three times in a short
address , showing that there was very little ink in the bottle . 
now , a private pen or ink-bottle is seldom allowed to be in such
a state , and the combination of the two must be quite rare . but
you know the hotel ink and the hotel pen , where it is rare to get
anything else . yes , i have very little hesitation in saying that
could we examine the waste-paper baskets of the hotels around
charing cross until we found the remains of the mutilated times
leader we could lay our hands straight upon the person who sent
this singular message . halloa ! halloa ! what 's this ? " 
 he was carefully examining the foolscap , upon which the
words were pasted , holding it only an inch or two from his eyes . 
 " well ? " 
 " nothing , " said he , throwing it down . " it is a blank half-
sheet of paper , without even a water-mark upon it . i think we
have drawn as much as we can from this curious letter ; and now , 
sir henry , has anything else of interest happened to you since
you have been in london ? " 
 " why , no , mr . holmes . i think not . " 
 " you have not observed anyone follow or watch you ? " 
 " i seem to have walked right into the thick of a dime novel , " 
said our visitor . " why in thunder should anyone follow or watch
me ? " 
 " we are coming to that . you have nothing else to report to us
before we go into this matter ? " 
 " well , it depends upon what you think worth reporting . " 
 " i think anything out of the ordinary routine of life well worth
reporting . " 
 sir henry smiled . 
 " i don ' t know much of british life yet , for i have spent nearly
all my time in the states and in canada . but i hope that to lose
one of your boots is not part of the ordinary routine of life over
here . " 
 " you have lost one of your boots ? " 
 " my dear sir , " cried dr . mortimer , " it is only mislaid . you
will find it when you return to the hotel . what is the use of
troubling mr . holmes with trifles of this kind ? " 
 " well , he asked me for anything outside the ordinary routine . " 
 " exactly , " said holmes , " however foolish the incident may
seem . you have lost one of your boots , you say ? " 
 " well , mislaid it , anyhow . i put them both outside my door
last night , and there was only one in the morning . i could get no
sense out of the chap who cleans them . the worst of it is that i
only bought the pair last night in the strand , and i have never
had them on . " 
 " if you have never worn them , why did you put them out to
be cleaned ? " 
 " they were tan boots and had never been varnished . that was
why i put them out . " 
 " then i understand that on your arrival in london yesterday
you went out at once and bought a pair of boots ? " 
 " i did a good deal of shopping . dr . mortimer here went round
with me . you see , if i am to be squire down there i must dress
the part , and it may be that i have got a little careless in my ways
out west . among other things i bought these brown boots -- gave
six dollars for them -- and had one stolen before ever i had them
on my feet . " 
 " it seems a singularly useless thing to steal , " said sherlock
holmes . " i confess that i share dr . mortimer 's belief that it will
not be long before the missing boot is found . " 
 " and , now , gentlemen , " said the baronet with decision , " it
seems to me that i have spoken quite enough about the little that
i know . it is time that you kept your promise and gave me a full
account of what we are all driving at . " 
 " your request is a very reasonable one , " holmes answered . 
 " dr . mortimer , i think you could not do better than to tell your
story as you told it to us . " 
 thus encouraged , our scientific friend drew his papers from
his pocket and presented the whole case as he had done upon the
morning before . sir henry baskerville listened with the deepest
attention and with an occasional exclamation of surprise . 
 " well , i seem to have come into an inheritance with a ven-
geance , " said he when the long narrative was finished . " of
course , i ' ve heard of the hound ever since i was in the nursery . 
it 's the pet story of the family , though i never thought of taking
it seriously before . but as to my uncle 's death -- well , it all
seems boiling up in my head , and i can ' t get it clear yet . you
don ' t seem quite to have made up your mind whether it 's a case
for a policeman or a clergyman . " 
 " precisely . " 
 " and now there 's this affair of the letter to me at the hotel . i
suppose that fits into its place . " 
 " it seems to show that someone knows more than we do about
what goes on upon the moor , " said dr . mortimer . 
 " and also , " said holmes , " that someone is not ill-disposed
towards you , since they warn you of danger . " 
 " or it may be that they wish , for their own purposes , to scare
me away . " 
 " well , of course , that is possible also . i am very much
indebted to you , dr . mortimer , for introducing me to a problem
which presents several interesting alternatives . but the practical
point which we now have to decide , sir henry , is whether it is or
is not advisable for you to go to baskerville hall . " 
 " why should i not go ? " 
 " there seems to be danger . " 
 " do you mean danger from this family fiend or do you mean
danger from human beings ? " 
 " well , that is what we have to find out . " 
 " whichever it is , my answer is fixed . there is no devil in
hell , mr . holmes , and there is no man upon earth who can
prevent me from going to the home of my own people , and you
may take that to be my final answer . " his dark brows knitted
and his face flushed to a dusky red as he spoke . it was evident
that the fiery temper of the baskervilles was not extinct in this
their last representative . " meanwhile , " said he , " i have hardly
had time to think over all that you have told me . it 's a big thing
for a man to have to understand and to decide at one sitting . i
should like to have a quiet hour by myself to make up my mind . 
now , look here , mr . holmes , it 's half-past eleven now and i am
going back right away to my hotel . - suppose you and your friend , 
dr . watson , come round and lunch with us at two . i ' ll be able to
tell you more clearly then how this thing strikes me . " 
 " is that convenient to you , watson ? " 
 " perfectly . " 
 " then you may expect us . shall i have a cab called ? " 
 " i ' d prefer to walk , for this affair has flurried me rather . " 
 " i ' ll join you in a walk , with pleasure , " said his companion . 
 " then we meet again at two o ' clock . au revoir , and good-
morning ! " 
 we heard the steps of our visitors descend the stair and the
bang of the front door . in an instant holmes had changed from
the languid dreamer to the man of action . 
 " your hat and boots , watson , quick ! not a moment to lose ! " 
he rushed into his room in his dressing-gown and was back
again in a few seconds in a frock-coat . we hurried together down
the stairs and into the street . dr . mortimer and baskerville were
still visible about two hundred yards ahead of us in the direction
of oxford street . 
 " shall i run on and stop them ? " 
 " not for the world , my dear watson . i am perfectly satisfied
with your company if you will tolerate mine . our friends are
wise , for it is certainly a very fine morning for a walk . " 
 he quickened his pace until we had decreased the distance
which divided us by about half . then , still keeping a hundred
yards behind , we followed into oxford street and so down
regent street . once our friends stopped and stared into a shop
window , upon which holmes did the same . an instant after-
wards he gave a little cry of satisfaction , and , following the
direction of his eager eyes , i saw that a hansom cab with a man
inside which had halted on the other side of the street was now
proceeding slowly onward again . 
 " there 's our man , watson ! come along ! we ' ll have a good
look at him , if we can do no more . " 
 at that instant i was aware of a bushy black beard and a pair
of piercing eyes turned upon us through the side window of the
cab . instantly the trapdoor at the top flew up , something was
screamed to the driver , and the cab flew madly off down regent
street . holmes looked eagerly round for another , but no-empty
one was in sight . then he dashed in wild pursuit amid the stream
of the traffic , but the start was too great , and already the cab was
out of sight . 
 " there now ! " said holmes bitterly as he emerged panting and
white with vexation from the tide of vehicles . " was ever such
bad luck and such bad management , too ? watson , watson , if
you are an honest man you will record this also and set it against
my successes ! " 
 " who was the man ? " 
 " i have not an idea . " 
 " a spy ? " 
 " well , it was evident from what we have heard that basker-
ville has been very closely shadowed by someone since he has
been in town . how else could it be known so quickly that it was
the northumberland hotel which he had chosen ? if they had
followed him the first day i argued that they would follow him
also the second . you may have observed that i twice strolled
over to the window while dr . mortimer was reading his legend . " 
 " yes , i remember . " 
 " i was looking out for loiterers in the street , but i saw none . 
we are dealing with a clever man , watson . this matter cuts very
deep , and though i have not finally made up my mind whether it
is a benevolent or a malevolent agency which is in touch with us , 
i am conscious always of power and design . when our friends
left i at once followed them in the hopes of marking down their
invisible attendant . so wily was he that he had not trusted
himself upon foot , but he had availed himself of a cab so that he
could loiter behind or dash past them and so escape their notice . 
his method had the additional advantage that if they were to take
a cab he was all ready to follow them . it has , however , one
obvious disadvantage . " 
 " it puts him in the power of the cabman . " 
 " exactly . " 
 " what a pity we did not get the number ! " 
 " my dear watson , clumsy as i have been , you surely do not
seriously imagine that i neglected to get the number ? no . 2704
is our man . but that is no use to us for the moment . " 
 " i fail to see how you could have done more . " 
 " on observing the cab i should have instantly turned and
walked in the other direction . i should then at my leisure have
hired a second cab and followed the first at a respectful distance , 
or , better still , have driven to the northumberland hotel and
waited there . when our unknown had followed baskerville home
we should have had the opportunity of playing his own game
upon himself and seeing where he made for . as it is , by an
indiscreet eagerness , which was taken advantage of with extraor-
dinary quickness and energy by our opponent , we have betrayed
ourselves and lost our man . " 
 we had been sauntering slowly down regent street during this
conversation , and dr . mortimer , with his companion , had long
vanished in front of us . 
 " there is no object in our following them , " said holmes . 
 " the shadow has departed and will not return . we must see
what further cards we have in our hands and play them with
decision . could you swear to that man 's face within the cab ? " 
 " i could swear only to the beard . " 
 " and so could i -- from which i gather that in all probability it
was a false one . a clever man upon so delicate an errand has no
use for a beard save to conceal his features . come in here , 
watson ! " 
 he turned into one of the district messenger offices , where he
was warmly greeted by the manager . 
 " ah , wilson , i see you have not forgotten the little case in
which i had the good fortune to help you ? " 
 " no , sir , indeed i have not . you saved my good name , and
perhaps my life . " 
 " my dear fellow , you exaggerate . i have some recollection , 
wilson , that you had among your boys a lad named cartwright , 
who showed some ability during the investigation . " 
 " yes , sir , he is still with us . " 
 " could you ring him up ? -- thank you ! and i should be glad to
have change of this five-pound note . " 
 a lad of fourteen , with a bright , keen face , had obeyed the
summons of the manager . he stood now gazing with great
reverence at the famous detective . 
 " let me have the hotel directory , " said holmes . " thank
you ! now , cartwright , there are the names of twenty-three
hotels here , all in the immediate neighbourhood of charing
cross . do you see ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " you will visit each of these in turn . " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " you will begin in each case by giving the outside porter one
shilling . here are twenty-three shillings . " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " you will tell him that you want to see the waste-paper of
yesterday . you will say that an important telegram has miscar-
ried and that you are looking for it . you understand ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " but what you are really looking for is the centre page of the
times with some holes cut in it with scissors . here is a copy of
the times . it is this page . you could easily recognize it , could
you not ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " in each case the outside porter will send for the hall porter , 
to whom also you will give a shilling . here are twenty-three
shillings . you will then learn in possibly twenty cases out of the
twenty-three that the waste of the day before has been burned or
removed . in the three other cases you will be shown a heap of
paper and you will look for this page of the times among it . the
odds are enormously against your finding it . there are ten
shillings over in case of emergencies . let me have a report by
wire at baker street before evening . and now , watson , it only
remains for us to find out by wire the identity of the cabman , 
no . 2704 , and then we will drop into one of the bond street
picture galleries and fill in the time until we are due at the
hotel . " 

      chapter 5
     three broken threads

 sherlock holmes had , in a very remarkable degree , the power
of detaching his mind at will . for two hours the strange business
in which we had been involved appeared to be forgotten , and he
was entirely absorbed in the pictures of the modern belgian
masters . he would talk of nothing but art , of which he had the
crudest ideas , from our leaving the gallery until we found our-
selves at the northumberland hotel . 
 " sir henry baskerville is upstairs expecting you , " said the
clerk . " he asked me to show you up at once when you came . " 
 " have you any objection to my looking at your register ? " 
said holmes . 
 " not in the least . " 
 the book showed that two names had been added after that of
baskerville . one was theophilus johnson and family , of new-
castle ; the other mrs . oldmore and maid , of high lodge , alton . 
 " surely that must be the same johnson whom i used to
know , " said holmes to the porter . " a lawyer , is he not , gray-
headed , and walks with a limp ? " 
 " no , sir , this is mr . johnson , the coal-owner , a very active
gentleman , not older than yourself . " 
 " surely you are mistaken about his trade ? " 
 " no , sir ! he has used this hotel for many years , and he is very
well known to us . " 
 " ah , that settles it . mrs . oldmore , too ; i seem to remember
the name . excuse my curiosity , but often in calling upon one
friend one finds another . " 
 " she is an invalid lady , sir . her husband was once mayor of
gloucester . she always comes to us when she is in town . " 
 " thank you ; i am afraid i cannot claim her acquaintance . we
have established a most important fact by these questions , wat-
son , " he continued in a low voice as we went upstairs together . 
 " we know now that the people who are so interested in our
friend have not settled down in his own hotel . that means that
while they are , as we have seen , very anxious to watch him , they
are equally anxious that he should not see them . now , this is a
most suggestive fact . " 
 " what does it suggest ? " 
 " it suggests -- halloa , my dear fellow , what on earth is the
matter ? " 
 as we came round the top of the stairs we had run up against
sir henry baskerville himself . his face was flushed with anger , 
and he held an old and dusty boot in one of his hands . so furious
was he that he was hardly articulate , and when he did speak it
was in a much broader and more western dialect than any which
we had heard from him in the morning . 
 " seems to me they are playing me for a sucker in this hotel , " 
he cried . " they ' ll find they ' ve stafted in to monkey with the
wrong man unless they are careful . by thunder , if that chap can ' t
find my missing boot there will be trouble . i can take a joke with
the best , mr . holmes , but they ' ve got a bit over the mark this
time . " 
 " still looking for your boot ? " 
 " yes , sir , and mean to find it . " 
 " but , surely , you said that it was a new brown boot ? " 
 " so it was , sir . and now it 's an old black one . " 
 " what ! you don ' t mean to say ? " 
 " that 's just what i do mean to say . i only had three pairs in
the world -- the new brown , the old black , and the patent leath-
ers , which i am wearing . last night they took one of my brown
ones , and to-day they have sneaked one of the black . well , have
you got it ? speak out , man , and don ' t stand staring ! " 
 an agitated german waiter had appeared upon the scene . 
 " no , sir ; i have made inquiry all over the hotel , but i can hear
no word of it . " 
 " well , either that boot comes back before sundown or i ' ll see
the manager and tell him that i go right straight out of this
hotel . " 
 " it shall be found , sir -- i promise you that if you will have a
little patience it will be found . " 
 " mind it is , for it 's the last thing of mine that i ' ll lose in this
den of thieves . well , well , mr . holmes , you ' ll excuse my
troubling you about such a trifle -- " 
 " i think it 's well worth troubling about . " 
 " why , you look very serious over it . " 
 " how do you explain it ? " 
 " i just don ' t attempt to explain it . it seems the very maddest , 
queerest thing that ever happened to me . " 
 " the queerest perhaps -- " said holmes thoughtfully . 
 " what do you make of it yourself ? " 
 " well , i don ' t profess to understand it yet . this case of yours
is very complex , sir henry . when taken in conjunction with
your uncle 's death i am not sure that of all the five hundred cases
of capital importance which i have handled there is one which
cuts so deep . but we hold several threads in our hands , and the
odds are that one or other of them guides us to the truth . we may
waste time in following the wrong one , but sooner or later we
must come upon the right . " 
 we had a pleasant luncheon in which little was said of the
business which had brought us together . it was in the private
sitting-room to which we afterwards repaired that holmes asked
baskerville what were his intentions . 
 " to go to baskerville hall . " 
 " and when ? " 
 " at the end of the week . " 
 " on the whole , " said holmes , " i think that your decision is a
wise one . i have ample evidence that you are being dogged in
london , and amid the millions of this great city it is difficult to
discover who these people are or what their object can be . if
their intentions are evil they might do you a mischief , and we
should be powerless to prevent it . you did not know , dr . 
moftimer , that you were followed this morning from my house ? " 
 dr . mortimer started violently . 
 " followed ! by whom ? " 
 " that , unfortunately , is what i cannot tell you . have you
among your neighbours or acquaintances on daftmoor any man
with a black , full beard ? " 
 " no -- or , let me see -- why , yes . barrymore , sir charles ' s
butler , is a man with a full , black beard . " 
 " ha ! where is baffymore ? " 
 " he is in charge of the hall . " 
 " we had best ascertain if he is really there , or if by any
possibility he might be in london . " 
 " how can you do that ? " 
 " give me a telegraph form . ' is all ready for sir henry ? ' that
will do . address to mr . barrymore , baskerville hall . what is
the nearest telegraph-office ? grimpen . very good , we will send
a second wire to the postmaster , grimpen : ' telegram to mr . 
barrymore to be delivered into his own hand . if absent , please
return wire to sir henry baskerville , northumberland hotel . ' 
that should let us know before evening whether barrymore is at
his post in devonshire or not . " 
 " that 's so , " said baskerville . " by the way , dr . mortimer , 
who is this barrymore , anyhow ? " 
 " he is the son of the old caretaker , who is dead . they have
looked after the hall for four generations now . so far as i know , 
he and his wife are as respectable a couple as any in the
county . " 
 " at the same time , " said baskerville , " it 's clear enough that
so long as there are none of the family at the hall these people
have a mighty fine home and nothing to do . " 
 " that is true . " 
 " did barrymore profit at all by sir charles 's will ? " asked
holmes . 
 " he and his wife had five hundred pounds each . " 
 " ha ! did they know that they would receive this ? " 
 " yes ; sir charles was very fond of talking about the provi-
sions of his wlll . " 
 " that is very interesting . " 
 " i hope , " said dr . mortimer , " that you do not look with
suspicious eyes upon everyone who received a legacy from sir
charles , for i also had a thousand pounds left to me . " 
 " indeed ! and anyone else ? " 
 " there were many insignificant sums to individuals , and a
large number of public charities . the residue all went to sir
henry . " 
 " and how much was the residue ? " 
 " seven hundred and forty thousand pounds . " 
 holmes raised his eyebrows in surprise . " i had no idea that so
gigantic a sum was involved , " said he . 
 " sir charles had the reputation of being rich , but we did not
know how very rich he was until we came to examine his
securities . the total value of the estate was close on to a million . " 
 " dear me ! it is a stake for which a man might well play a
desperate game . and one more question , dr . mortimer . suppos-
ing that anything happened to our young friend here -- you will
forgive the unpleasant hypothesis ! -- who would inherit the estate ? " 
 " since rodger baskerville , sir charles 's younger brother
died unmarried , the estate would descend to the desmonds , who
are distant cousins . james desmond is an elderly clergyman in
westmoreland . " 
 " thank you . these details are all of great interest . have you
met mr . james desmond ? " 
 " yes ; he once came down to visit sir charles . he is a man of
venerable appearance and of saintly life . i remember that he
refused to accept any settlement from sir charles , though he
pressed it upon him . " 
 " and this man of simple tastes would be the heir to sir
charles 's thousands . " 
 " he would be the heir to the estate because that is entailed . 
he would also be the heir to the money unless it were willed
otherwise by the present owner , who can , of course , do what he
likes with it . " 
 " and have you made your will , sir henry ? " 
 " no , mr . holmes , i have not . i ' ve had no time , for it was
only yesterday that i learned how matters stood . but in any case
i feel that the money should go with the title and estate . that
was my poor uncle 's idea . how is the owner going to restore the
glories of the baskervilles if he has not money enough to keep
up the property ? house , land , and dollars must go together . " 
 " quite so . well , sir henry , i am of one mind with you as to
the advisability of your going down to devonshire without delay . 
there is only one provision which i must make . you certainly
must not go alone . " 
 " dr . mortimer returns with me . " 
 " but dr . mortimer has his practice to attend to , and his house
is miles away from yours . with all the good will in the world he
may be unable to help you . no , sir henry , you must take with
you someone , a trusty man , who will be always by your side . " 
 " is it possible that you could come yourself , mr . holmes ? " 
 " if matters came to a crisis i should endeavour to be present
in person ; but you can understand that , with my extensive con-
sulting practice and with the constant appeals which reach me
from many quarters , it is impossible for me to be absent from
london for an indefinite time . at the present instant one of the
most revered names in england is being besmirched by a black-
mailer , and only i can stop a disastrous scandal . you will see
how impossible it is for me to go to dartmoor . " 
 " whom would you recommend , then ? " 
 holmes laid his hand upon my arm . 
 " if my friend would undertake it there is no man who is better
worth having at your side when you are in a tight place . no one
can say so more confidently than i . " 
 the proposition took me completely by surprise , but before i
had time to answer , baskerville seized me by the hand and
wrung it heartily . 
 " well , now , that is real kind of you , dr . watson , " said he . 
 " you see how it is with me , and you know just as much about
the matter as i do . if you will come down to baskerville hall and
see me through i ' ll never forget it . " 
 the promise of adventure had always a fascination for me , 
and i was complimented by the words of holmes and by the
eagerness with which the baronet hailed me as a companion . 
 " i will come , with pleasure , " said i . " i do not know how i
could employ my time better . " 
 " and you will report very carefully to me , " said holmes . 
 " when a crisis comes , as it will do , i will direct how you shall
act . i suppose that by saturday all might be ready ? " 
 " would that suit dr . watson ? " 
 " perfectly . " 
 " then on saturday , unless you hear to the contrary , we shall
meet at the ten-thirty train from paddington . " 
 we had risen to depart when baskerville gave a cry , of triumph , 
and diving into one of the corners of the room he drew a brown
boot from under a cabinet . 
 " my missing boot ! " he cried . 
 " may all our difficulties vanish as easily ! " said sherlock
holmes . 
 " but it is a very , singular thing , " dr . mortimer remarked . " i
searched this room carefully before lunch . " 
 " and so did i , " said baskerville . " every , inch of it . " 
 " there was certainly no boot in it then . " 
 " in that case the waiter must have placed it there while we
were lunching . " 
 the german was sent for but professed to know nothing of the
matter , nor could any inquiry , clear it up . another item had been
added to that constant and apparently purposeless series of small
mysteries which had succeeded each other so rapidly . setting
aside the whole grim story , of sir charles 's death , we had a line
of inexplicable incidents all within the limits of two days , which
included the receipt of the printed letter , the black-bearded spy in
the hansom , the loss of the new brown boot , the loss of the old
black boot , and now the return of the new brown boot . holmes
sat in silence in the cab as we drove back to baker street , and i
knew from his drawn brows and keen face that his mind , like my
own , was busy in endeavouring to frame some scheme into
which all these strange and apparently disconnected episodes
could be fitted . all afternoon and late into the evening he sat lost
in tobacco and thought . 
 just before dinner two telegrams were handed in . the first ran : 

  have just heard that barrymore is at the hall . 
          baskerville . 

the second : 

  visited twenty-three hotels as directed , but sorry , to report
 unable to trace cut sheet of times . 
       cartwrlght . 

 " there go two of my threads , watson . there is nothing more
stimulating than a case where everything goes against you . we
must cast round for another scent . " 
 " we have still the cabman who drove the spy . " 
 " exactly . i haw wired to get his name and address from the
official registry . i should not be surprised if this were an
answer to my question . " 
 the ring at the bell proved to be something even more satis-
factory than an answer , however , for the door opened and a
rough-looking fellow entered who was evidently the man himself . 
 " i got a message from the head office that a gent at this
address had been inquiring for no . 2704 , " said he . " i ' ve driven
my cab this seven years and never a word of complaint . i came
here straight from the yard to ask you to your face what you had
against me . " 
 " i have nothing in the world against you , my good man , " 
said holmes . " on the contrary , i have half a sovereign for you
if you will give me a clear answer to my questions . " 
 " well , i ' ve had a good day and no mistake , " said the cabman
with a grin . " what was it you wanted to ask , sir ? " 
 " first of all your name and address , in case i want you
again . " 
 " john clayton , 3 turpey street , the borough . my cab is out
of shipley 's yard , near waterloo station . " 
 sherlock holmes made a note of it . 
 " now , clayton , tell me all about the fare who came and
watched this house at ten o ' clock this morning and afterwards
followed the two gentlemen down regent street . " 
 the man looked surprised and a little embarrassed . " why
there 's no good my telling you things , for you seem to know as
much as i do already , " said he . " the truth is that the gentleman
told me that he was a detective and that i was to say nothing
about him to anyone . " 
 " my good fellow ; this is a very serious business , and you
may find yourself in a pretty bad position if you try to hide
anything from me . you say that your fare told you that he was a
detective ? " 
 " yes , he did . " 
 " when did he say this ? " 
 " when he left me . " 
 " did he say anything more ? " 
 " he mentioned his name . " 
 holmes cast a swift glance of triumph at me . " oh , he men-
tioned his name , did he ? that was imprudent . what was the
name that he mentioned ? " 
 " his name , " said the cabman , " was mr . sherlock holmes . " 
 never have i seen my friend more completely taken aback
than by the cabman 's reply . for an instant he sat in silent
amazement . then he burst into a hearty laugh . 
 " a touch , watson -- an undeniable touch ! " said he . " i feel a
foil as quick and supple as my own . he got home upon me very
prettily that time . so his name was sherlock holmes , was it ? " 
 " yes , sir , that was the gentleman 's name . " 
 " excellent ! tell me where you picked him up and all that
occurred . " 
 " he hailed me at half-past nine in trafalgar square . he said
that he was a detective , and he offered me two guineas if i would
do exactly what he wanted all day and ask no questions . i was
glad enough to agree . first we drove down to the northumberland
hotel and waited there until two gentlemen came out and took a
cab from the rank . we followed their cab until it pulled up
somewhere near here . " 
 " this very door , " said holmes . 
 " well , i couldn ' t be sure of that , but i dare say my fare knew
all about it . we pulled up halfway down the street and waited an
hour and a half . then the two gentlemen passed us , walking , and
we followed down baker street and along -- " 
 " i know , " said holmes . 
 " until we got three-quarters down regent street . then my
gentleman threw up the trap , and he cried that i should drive
right away to waterloo station as hard as i could go . i whipped
up the mare and we were there under the ten minutes . then he
paid up his two guineas , like a good one , and away he went into
the station . only just as he was leaving he turned round and he
said : ' it might interest you to know that you have been driving
mr . sherlock holmes . ' that 's how i come to know the name . " 
 " i see . and you saw no more of him ? " 
 " not after he went into the station . " 
 " and how would you describe mr . sherlock holmes ? " 
 the cabman scratched his head . " well , he wasn ' t altogether
such an easy gentleman to describe . i ' d put him at forty years of
age , and he was of a middle height , two or three inches shorter
than you , sir . he was dressed like a toff , and he had a black
beard , cut square at the end , and a pale face . i don ' t know as i
could say more than that . " 
 " colour of his eyes ? " 
 " no , i can ' t say that . " 
 " nothing more that you can remember ? " 
 " no , sir ; nothing . " 
 " well , then , here is your half-sovereign . there 's another one
waiting for you if you can bring any more information . 
good-night ! " 
 " good-night , sir , and thank you ! " 
 john clayton departed chuckling , and holmes turned to me
with a shrug of his shoulders and a rueful smile . 
 " snap goes our third thread , and we end where we began , " 
said he . " the cunning rascal ! he knew our number , knew that
sir henry baskerville had consulted me , spotted who i was in
regent street , conjectured that i had got the number of the cab
and would lay my hands on the driver , and so sent back this
audacious message . i tell you , watson , this time we have got a
foeman who is worthy of our steel . i ' ve been checkmated in
london . i can only wish you better luck in devonshire . but i ' m
not easy in my mind about it . " 
 " about what ? " 
 " about sending you . it 's an ugly business , watson , an ugly
dangerous business , and the more i see of it the less i like it . yes
my dear fellow , you may laugh , but i give you my word that i
shall be very glad to have you back safe and sound in baker
street once more . " 

       chapter 6
      baskerville hall

 sir henry baskerville and dr . mortimer were ready upon
the appointed day , and we started as arranged for devonshire . mr . 
sherlock holmes drove with me to the station and gave me his
last parting injunctions and advice . 
 " i will not bias your mind by suggesting theories or suspi-
cions , watson , " said he ; " i wish you simply to report facts in
the fullest possible manner to me , and you can leave me to do
the theorizing . " 
 " what sort of facts ? " i asked . 
 " anything which may seem to have a bearing however indi-
rect upon the case , and especially the relations between young
baskerville and his neighbours or any fresh particulars concern-
ing the death of sir charles . i have made some inquiries myself
in the last few days , but the results have , i fear , been negative . 
one thing only appears to be certain , and that is that mr . james
desmond , who is the next heir , is an elderly gentleman of a very
amiable disposition , so that this persecution does not arise from
him . i really think that we may eliminate him entirely from our
calculations . there remain the people who will actually surround
sir henry baskerville upon the moor . " 
 " would it not be well in the first place to get rid ofl this
barrymore couple ? " 
 " by no means . you could not make a greater mistake . if they
are innocent it would be a cruel injustice , and if they are guilty
we should be giving up all chance of bringing it home to them . 
no , no , we will preserve them upon our list of suspects . then
there is a groom at the hall , if i remember right . there are two
moorland farmers . there is our friend dr . mortimer , whom i
believe to be entirely honest , and there is his wife , of whom we
know nothing . there is this naturalist , stapleton , and there is his
sister , who is said to be a young lady of attractions . there is mr . 
frankland , of lafter hall , who is also an unknown factor . and
there are one or two other neighbours . these are the folk who
must be your very special study . " 
 " i will do my best . " 
 " you have arms , i suppose ? " 
 " yes , i thought it as well to take them . " 
 " most certainly . keep your revolver near you night and day , 
and never relax your precautions . " 
 our friends had already secured a first-class carriage and were
waiting for us upon the platform . 
 " no , we have no news of any kind , " said dr . mortimer in
answer to my friend 's questions . " i can swear to one thing , and
that is that we have not been shadowed during the last two days . 
we have never gone out without keeping a sharp watch , and no
one could have escaped our notice . " 
 " you have always kept together , i presume ? " 
 " except yesterday afternoon . i usually give up one day to
pure amusement when i come to town , so i spent it at the
museum of the college of surgeons . " 
 " and i went to look at the folk in the park , " said baskerville . 
 " but we had no trouble of any kind . " 
 " it was imprudent , all the same , " said holmes , shaking his
head and looking very grave . " i beg , sir henry , that you will
not go about alone . some great misfortune will befall you if you
do . did you get your other boot ? " 
 " no , sir , it is gone forever . " 
 " indeed . that is very interesting . well , good-bye , " he added
as the train began to glide down the platform . " bear in mind , sir
henry , one of the phrases in that queer old legend which dr . 
mortimer has read to us and avoid the moor in those hours of
darkness when the powers of evil are exalted . " 
 i looked back at the plafform when we had left it far behind
and saw the tall , austere figure of holmes standing motionless
and gazing after us . 
 the journey was a swift and pleasant one , and i spent it in
making the more intimate acquaintance of my two companions
and in playing with dr . mortimer 's spaniel . in a very few hours
the brown earth had become ruddy , the brick had changed to
granite , and red cows grazed in well-hedged fields where the
lush grasses and more luxuriant vegetation spoke of a richer , if a
damper , climate . young baskerville stared eagerly out of the
window and cried aloud with delight as he recognized the famil-
ar features of the devon scenery . 
 " i ' ve been over a good part of the world since i left it , dr . 
watson , " said he ; " but i have never seen a place to compare
with it . " 
 " l never saw a devonshire man who did not swear by his
county , " i remarked . 
 " it depends upon the breed of men quite as much as on the
county , " said dr . mortimer . " a glance at our friend here
reveals the rounded head of the celt , which carries inside it the
celtic enthusiasm and power of attachment . poor sir charles ' s
head was of a very rare type , half gaelic , half ivernian in its
characteristics . but you were very young when you last saw
baskerville hall , were you not ? " 
 " i was a boy in my teens at the time of my father 's death and
had never seen the hall , for he lived in a little cottage on the
south coast . thence i went straight to a friend in america . i tell
you it is all as new to me as it is to dr . watson , and i ' m as keen
as possible to see the moor . " 
 " are you ? then your wish is easily granted , for there is your
first sight of the moor , " said dr . mortimer , pointing out of the
carriage window . 
 over the green squares of the fields and the low curve of a
wood there rose in the distance a gray , melancholy hill , with a
strange jagged summit , dim and vague in the distance , like some
fantastic landscape in a dream . baskerville sat for a long time
his eyes fixed upon it , and i read upon his eager face how much
it meant to him , this first sight of that strange spot where the men
of his blood had held sway so long and left their mark so deep . 
there he sat , with his tweed suit and his american accent , in the
corner of a prosaic railway-carriage , and yet as i looked at his
dark and expressive face i felt more than ever how true a
descendant he was of that long line of high-blooded , fiery , and
masterful men . there were pride , valour , and strength in his
thick brows , his sensitive nostrils , and his large hazel eyes . if on
that forbidding moor a difficult and dangerous quest should lie
before us , this was at least a comrade for whom one might
venture to take a risk with the certainty that he would bravely
share it . 
 the train pulled up at a small wayside station and we all
descended . outside , beyond the low , white fence , a wagonette
with a pair of cobs was waiting . our coming was evidently a
great event , for station-master and porters clustered round us to
carry out our luggage . it was a sweet , simple country spot , but i
was surprised to observe that by the gate there stood two sol-
dierly men in dark uniforms who leaned upon their short rifles
and glanced keenly at us as we passed . the coachman , a hard-
faced , gnarled little fellow , saluted sir henry baskerville , and in
a few minutes we were flying swiftly down the broad , white
road . rolling pasture lands curved upward on either side of us , 
and old gabled houses peeped out from amid the thick green
foliage , but behind the peaceful and sunlit countryside there rose
ever , dark against the evening sky , the long , gloomy curve of the
moor , broken by the jagged and sinister hills . 
 the wagonette swung round into a side road , and we curved
upward through deep lanes worn by centuries of wheels , high
banks on either side , heavy with dripping moss and fleshy
hart ' s-tongue ferns . bronzing bracken and mottled bramble gleamed
in the light of the sinking sun . still steadily rising , we passed
over a narrow granite bridge and skirted a noisy stream which
gushed swiftly down , foaming and roaring amid the gray boul-
ders . both road and stream wound up through a valley dense
with scrub oak and fir . at every turn baskerville gave an excla-
mation of delight , looking eagerly about him and asking count-
less questions . to his eyes all seemed beautiful , but to me a
tinge of melancholy lay upon the countryside , which bore so
clearly the mark of the waning year . yellow leaves carpeted the
lanes and fluttered down upon us as we passed . the rattle of our
wheels died away as we drove through drifts of rotting vegetation -- 
sad gifts , as it seemed to me , for nature to throw before the
carriage of the returning heir of the baskervilles . 
 " halloa ! " cried dr . mortimer , " what is this ? " 
 a steep curve of heath-clad land , an outlying spur of the
moor , lay in front of us . on the summit , hard and clear like an
equestrian statue upon its pedestal , was a mounted soldier , dark
and stern , his rifle poised ready over his forearm . he was
watching the road along which we travelled . 
 " what is this , perkins ? " asked dr . mortimer . 
 our driver half turned in his seat . 
 " there 's a convict escaped from princetown , sir . he 's been
out three days now , and the warders watch every road and every
station , but they ' ve had no sight of him yet . the farmers about
here don ' t like it , sir , and that 's a fact . " 
 " well , i understand that they get five pounds if they can give
information . " 
 " yes , sir , but the chance of five pounds is but a poor thing
compared to the chance of having your throat cut . you see , it
isn ' t like any ordinary convict . this is a man that would stick at
nothing . " 
 " who is he , then ? " 
 " it is selden , the notting hill murderer . " 
 i remembered the case well , for it was one in which holmes
had taken an interest on account of the peculiar ferocity of the
crime and the wanton brutality which had marked all the actions
of the assassin . the commutation of his death sentence had been
due to some doubts as to his complete sanity , so atrocious was
his conduct . our wagonette had topped a rise and in front of us
rose the huge expanse of the moor , mottled with gnarled and
craggy caims and tors . a cold wind swept down from it and set
us shivering . somewhere there , on that desolate plain , was
lurking this fiendish man , hiding in a burrow like a wild beast , 
his heart full of malignancy against the whole race which had
cast him out . it needed but this to complete the grim suggestive-
ness of the barren waste , the chilling wind , and the darkling sky . 
even baskerville fell silent and pulled his overcoat more closely
around him . 
 we had left the fertile country behind and beneath us . we
looked back on it now , the slanting rays of a low sun turning the
streams to threads of gold and glowing on the red earth new
turned by the plough and the broad tangle of the woodlands . the
road in front of us grew bleaker and wilder over huge russet and
olive slopes , sprinkled with giant boulders . now and then we
passed a moorland cottage , walled and roofed with stone , with
no creeper to break its harsh outline . suddenly we looked down
into a cuplike depression , patched with stunted oaks and fus
which had been twisted and bent by the fury of years of storm . 
two high , narrow towers rose over the trees . the driver pointed
with his whip . 
 " baskerville hall , " said he . 
 its master had risen and was staring with flushed cheeks and
shining eyes . a few minutes later we had reached the lodge-
gates , a maze of fantastic tracery in wrought iron , with weather-
bitten pillars on either side , blotched with lichens , and summounted
by the boars ' heads of the baskervilles . the lodge was a ruin of
black granite and bared ribs of rafters , but facing it was a new
building , half constructed , the first fruit of sir charles 's south
african gold . 
 through the gateway we passed into the avenue , where the
wheels were again hushed amid the leaves , and the old trees shot
their branches in a sombre tunnel . over our heads . baskerville
shuddered as he looked up the long , dark drive to where the
house glimmered like a ghost at the farther end . 
 " was it here ? " he asked in a low voice . 
 " no , no , the yew alley is on the other side . " 
 the young heir glanced round with a gloomy face . 
 " it 's no wonder my uncle felt as if trouble were coming on
him in such a place as this , " said he . " it 's enough to scare any
man . i ' ll have a row of electric lamps up here inside of six
months , and you won ' t know it again , with a thousand candle-
power swan and edison right here in front of the hall door . " 
 the avenue opened into a broad expanse of turf , and the house
lay before us . in the fading light i could see that the centre was a
heavy block of building from which a porch projected . the
whole front was draped in ivy , with a patch clipped bare here
and there where a window or a coat of arms broke through the
dark veil . from this central block rose the twin towers , ancient , 
crenellated , and pierced with many loopholes . to right and left
of the turrets were more modern wings of black granite . a dull
light shone through heavy mullioned windows , and from the
high chimneys which rose from the steep , high-angled roof there
sprang a single black column of smoke . 
 " welcome , sir henry ! welcome to baskerville hall ! " 
 a tall man had stepped from the shadow of the porch to open
the door of the wagonette . the figure of a woman was silhouet-
ted against the yellow light of the hall . she came out and helped
the man to hand down our bags . 
 " you don ' t mind my driving straight home , sir henry ? " said
dr . mortimer . " my wife is expecting me . " 
 " surely you will stay and have some dinner ? " 
 " no , i must go . i shall probably find some work awaiting me . 
i would stay to show you over the house , but barrymore will be
a better guide than i . good-bye , and never hesitate night or day
to send for me if i can be of service . " 
 the wheels died away down the drive while sir henry and i
turned into the hall , and the door clanged heavily behind us . it
was a fine apartment in which we found ourselves , large , lofty , 
and heavily raftered with huge baulks of age-blackened oak . in
the great old-fashioned fireplace behind the high iron dogs a
log-fire crackled and snapped . sir henry and i held out our
hands to it , for we were numb from our long drive . then we
gazed round us at the high , thin window of old stained glass , the
oak panelling , the stags ' heads , the coats of arms upon the walls , 
all dim and sombre in the subdued light of the central lamp . 
 " it 's just as i imagined it , " said sir henry . " is it not the very
picture of an old family home ? to think that this should be the
same hall in which for five hundred years my people have lived . 
it strikes me solemn to think of it . " 
 i saw his dark face lit up with a boyish enthusiasm as he gazed
about him . the light beat upon him where he stood , but long
shadows trailed down the walls and hung like a black canopy
above him . barrymore had returned from taking our luggage to
our rooms . he stood in front of us now with the subdued manner
of a well-trained servant . he was a remarkable-looking man , 
tall , handsome , with a square black beard and pale , distinguished
features . 
 " would you wish dinner to be served at once , sir ? " 
 " is it ready ? " 
 " in a very few minutes , sir . you will find hot water in your
rooms . my wife and i will be happy , sir henry , to stay with you
until you have made your fresh arrangements , but you will
understand that under the new conditions this house will require
a considerable staff . " 
 " what new conditions ? " 
 " i only meant , sir , that sir charles led a very retired life , and
we were able to look after his wants . you would , naturally , wish
to have more company , and so you will need changes in your
household . " 
 " do you mean that your wife and you wish to leave ? " 
 " only when it is quite convenient to you , sir . " 
 " but your family have been with us for several generations , 
have they not ? i should be sorry to begin my life here by
breaking an old family connection . " 
 i seemed to discern some signs of emotion upon the butler ' s
white face . 
 " i feel that also , sir , and so does my wife . but to tell the truth , 
sir , we were both very much attached to sir charles and his
death gave us a shock and made these surroundings very painful
to us . i fear that we shall never again be easy in our minds at
baskerville hall . " 
 " but what do you intend to do ? " 
 " i have no doubt , sir , that we shall succeed in establishing
ourselves in some business . sir charles 's generosity has given us
the means to do so . and now , sir , perhaps i had best show you
to your rooms . " 
 a square balustraded gallery ran round the top of the old hall , 
approached by a double stair . from this central point two long
corridors extended the whole length of the building , from which
all the bedrooms opened . my own was in the same wing as
baskerville 's and almost next door to it . these rooms appeared
to be much more modern than the central part of the house , and
the bright paper and numerous candles did something to remove
the sombre impression which our arrival had left upon my mind . 
 but the dining-room which opened out of the hall was a place
of shadow and gloom . it was a long chamber with a step
separating the dais where the family sat from the lower portion
reserved for their dependents . at one end a minstrel 's gallery
overlooked it . black beams shot across above our heads , with a
smoke-darkened ceiling beyond them . with rows of flaring torches
to light it up , and the colour and rude hilarity of an old-time
banquet , it might have softened ; but now , when two black-
clothed gentlemen sat in the little circle of light thrown by a
shaded lamp , one 's voice became hushed and one 's spirit sub-
dued . a dim line of ancestors , in every variety of dress , from the
elizabethan knight to the buck of the regency , stared down upon
us and daunted us by their silent company . we talked little , and i
for one was glad when the meal was over and we were able to
retire into the modern billiard-room and smoke a cigarette . 
 " my word , it isn ' t a very cheerful place , " said sir henry . " i
suppose one can tone down to it , but i feel a bit out of the
picture at present . i don ' t wonder that my uncle got a little
jumpy if he lived all alone in such a house as this . however , if it
suits you , we will retire early to-night , and perhaps things may
seem more cheerful in the morning . " 
 i drew aside my curtains before i went to bed and looked out
from my window . it opened upon the grassy space which lay in
front of the hall door . beyond , two copses of trees moaned and
swung in a rising wind . a half moon broke through the rifts of
racing clouds . in its cold light i saw beyond the trees a broken
fringe of rocks , and the long , low curve of the melancholy moor . 
i closed the curtain , feeling that my last impression was in
keeping with the rest . 
 and yet it was not quite the last . i found myself weary and yet
wakeful , tossing restlessly from side to side , seeking for the
sleep which would not come . far away a chiming clock struck
out the quarters of the hours , but otherwise a deathly silence lay
upon the old house . and then suddenly , in the very dead of the
night , there came a sound to my ears , clear , resonant , and
unmistakable . it was the sob of a woman , the muffled , strangling
gasp of one who is torn by an uncontrollable sorrow . i sat up in
bed and listened intently . the noise could not have been far
away and was certainly in the house . for half an hour i waited
with every nerve on the alert , but there came no other sound save
the chiming clock and the rustle of the ivy on the wall . 

      chapter 7
    the stapletons of merripit house

 the fresh beauty of the following morning did something to
efface from our minds the grim and gray impression which had
been left upon both of us by our first experience of baskerville
hall . as sir henry and i sat at breakfast the sunlight flooded in
through the high mullioned windows , throwing watery patches of
colour from the coats of arms which covered them . the dark
panelling glowed like bronze in the golden rays , and it was hard
to realize that this was indeed the chamber which had struck such
a gloom into our souls upon the evening before . 
 " i guess it is ourselves and not the house that we have to
blame ! " said the baronet . " we were tired with our journey and
chilled by our drive , so we took a gray view of the place . now
we are fresh and well , so it is all cheerful once more . " 
 " and yet it was not entirely a question of imagination , " i
answered . " did you , for example , happen to hear someone , a
woman i think , sobbing in the night ? " 
 " that is curious , for i did when i was half asleep fancy that i
heard something of the sort . i waited quite a time , but there was
no more of it , so i concluded that it was all a dream . " 
 " i heard it distinctly , and i am sure that it was really the sob
of a woman . " 
 " we must ask about this right away . " he rang the bell and
asked barrymore whether he could account for our experience . it
seemed to me that the pallid features of the butler turned a shade
paler still as he listened to his master 's question . 
 " there are only two women in the house , sir henry , " he
answered . " one is the scullery-maid , who sleeps in the other
wing . the other is my wife , and i can answer for it that the
sound could not have come from her . " 
 and yet he lied as he said it , for it chanced that after breakfast i
met mrs . barrymore in the long corridor with the sun full upon
her face . she was a large , impassive , heavy-featured woman
with a stern set expression of mouth . but her telltale eyes were
red and glanced at me from between swollen lids . it was she , 
then , who wept in the night , and if she did so her husband must
know it . yet he had taken the obvious risk of discovery in
declaring that it was not so . why had he done this ? and why did
she weep so bitterly ? already round this pale-faced , handsome , 
black-bearded man there was gathering an atmosphere of mys-
tery and of gloom . it was he who had been the first to discover
the body of sir charles , and we had only his word for all the
circumstances which led up to the old man 's death . was it
possible that it was barrymore , after all , whom we had seen in
the cab in regent street ? the beard might well have been the
same . the cabman had described a somewhat shorter man , but
such an impression might easily have been erroneous . how could
i settle the point forever ? obviously the first thing to do was to
see the grimpen postmaster and find whether the test telegram
had really been placed in barrymore 's own hands . be the answer
what it might , i should at least have something to report to
sherlock holmes . 
 sir henry had numerous papers to examine after breakfast , so
that the time was propitious for my excursion . it was a pleasant
walk of four miles along the edge of the moor , leading me at last
to a small gray hamlet , in which two larger buildings , which
proved to be the inn and the house of dr . mortimer , stood high
above the rest . the postmaster , who was also the village grocer , 
had a clear recollection of the telegram . 
 " certainly , sir , " said he , " i had the telegram delivered to
mr . barrymore exactly as directed . " 
 " who delivered it ? " 
 " my boy here . james , you delivered that telegram to mr . 
barrymore at the hall last week , did you not ? " 
 " yes , father , i delivered it . " 
 " into his own hands ? " i asked . 
 " well , he was up in the loft at the time , so that i could not
put it into his own hands , but i gave it into mrs . barrymore ' s
hands , and she promised to deliver it at once . " 
 " did you see mr . barrymore ? " 
 " no , sir ; i tell you he was in the loft . " 
 " if you didn ' t see him , how do you know he was in the loft ? " 
 " well , surely his own wife ought to know where he is , " said
the postmaster testily . " didn ' t he get the telegram ? if there is
any mistake it is for mr . barrymore himself to complain . " 
 it seemed hopeless to pursue the inquiry any farther , but it was
clear that in spite of holmes 's ruse we had no proof that barry-
more had not been in london all the time . suppose that it were
so -- suppose that the same man had been the last who had seen
sir charles alive , and the first to dog the new heir when he
returned to england . what then ? was he the agent of others or
had he some sinister design of his own ? what interest could he
have in persecuting the baskerville family ? i thought of the
strange warning clipped out of the leading article of the times . 
was that his work or was it possibly the doing of someone who
was bent upon counteracting his schemes ? the only conceivable
motive was that which had been suggested by sir henry , that if
the family could be scared away a comfortable and permanent
home would be secured for the barrymores . but surely such an
explanation as that would be quite inadequate to account for the
deep and subtle scheming which seemed to be weaving an
invisible net round the young baronet . holmes himself had said
that no more complex case had come to him in all the long series
of his sensational investigations . i prayed , as i walked back
along the gray , lonely road , that my friend might soon be freed
from his preoccupations and able to come down to take this
heavy burden of responsibility from my shoulders . 
 suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of run-
ning feet behind me and by a voice which called me by name . i
turned , expecting to see dr . mortimer , but to my surprise it was
a stranger who was pursuing me . he was a small , slim , clean-
shaven , prim-faced man , flaxen-haired and leanjawed , between
thirty and forty years of age , dressed in a gray suit and wearing a
straw hat . a tin box for botanical specimens hung over his
shoulder and he carried a green butterfly-net in one of his hands . 
 " you will , i am sure , excuse my presumption , dr . watson , " 
said he as he came panting up to where i stood . " here on the
moor we are homely folk and do not wait for formal introduc-
tions . you may possibly have heard my name from our mutual
friend , mortimer . i am stapleton , of merripit house . " 
 " your net and box would have told me as much , " said i , 
 " for i knew that mr . stapleton was a naturalist . but how did you
know me ? " 
 " i have been calling on mortimer , and he pointed you out to
me from the window of his surgery as you passed . as our road
lay the same way i thought that i would overtake you and
introduce myself . i trust that sir henry is none the worse for his
journey ? " 
 " he is very well , thank you . " 
 " we were all rather afraid that after the sad death of sir
charles the new baronet might refuse to live here . it is asking
much of a wealthy man to come down and bury himself in a
place of this kind , but i need not tell you that it means a very
great deal to the countryside . sir henry has , i suppose , no
superstitious fears in the matter ? " 
 " i do not think that it is likely . " 
 " of course you know the legend of the fiend dog which
haunts the family ? " 
 " i have heard it . " 
 " it is extraordinary how credulous the peasants are about
here ! any number of them are ready to swear that they have seen
such a creature upon the moor . " he spoke with a smile , but i
seemed to read in his eyes that he took the matter more seri-
ously . " the story took a great hold upon the imagination of sir
charles , and i have no doubt that it led to his tragic end . " 
 " but how ? " 
 " his nerves were so worked up that the appearance of any
dog might have had a fatal effect upon his diseased heart . i fancy
that he really did see something of the kind upon that last night
in the yew alley . i feared that some disaster might occur , for i
was very fond of the old man , and i knew that his heart was
weak . " 
 " how did you know that ? " 
 " my friend mortimer told me . " 
 " you think , then , that some dog pursued sir charles , and that
he died of fright in consequence ? " 
 " have you any better explanation ? " 
 " i have not come to any conclusion . " 
 " has mr . sherlock holmes ? " 
 the words took away my breath for an instant but a glance at
the placid face and steadfast eyes of my companion showed that
no surprise was intended . 
 " it is useless for us to pretend that we do not know you , dr
watson , " said he . " the records of your detective have reached
us here , and you could not celebrate him without being known
yourself . when mortimer told me your name he could not deny
your identity . if you are here , then it follows that mr . sherlock
holmes is interesting himself in the matter , and i am naturally
curious to know what view he may take . " 
 " i am afraid that i cannot answer that question . " 
 " may i ask if he is going to honour us with a visit himsel ? " 
 " he cannot leave town at present . he has other cases which
engage his attention . " 
 " what a pity ! he might throw some light on that which is so
dark to us . but as to your own researches , if there is any possible
way in which i can be of service to you i trust that you will
command me . if i had any indication of the nature of your
suspicions or how you propose to investigate the case , i might
perhaps even now give you some aid or advice . " 
 " i assure you that i am simply here upon a visit to my friend , 
sir henry , and that i need no help of any kind . " 
 " excellent ! " said stapleton . " you are perfectly right to be
wary and discreet . i am justly reproved for what i feel was an
unjustifiable intrusion , and i promise you that i will not mention
the matter again . " 
 we had come to a point where a narrow grassy path struck off
from the road and wound away across the moor . a steep , 
boulder-sprinkled hill lay upon the right which had in bygone
days been cut into a granite quarry . the face which was turned
towards us formed a dark cliff , with ferns and brambles growing
in its niches . from over a distant rise there floated a gray plume
of smoke . 
 " a moderate walk along this moor-path brings us to merripit
house , " said he . " perhaps you will spare an hour that i may
have the pleasure of introducing you to my sister . " 
 my first thought was that i should be by sir henry 's side . but
then i remembered the pile of papers and bills with which his
study table was littered . it was certain that i could not help with
those . and holmes had expressly said that i should study the
neighbours upon the moor . i accepted stapleton 's invitation , and
we turned together down the path . 
 " it is a wonderful place , the moor , " said he , looking round
over the undulating downs , long green rollers , with crests of
jagged granite foaming up into fantastic surges . " you never tire
of the moor . you cannot think the wonderful secrets which it
contains . it is so vast , and so barren , and so mysterious . " 
 " you know it well , then ? " 
 " i have only been here two years . the residents would call
me a newcomer . we came shortly after sir charles settled . but
my tastes led me to explore every part of the country round , and
i should think that there are few men who know it better than i
do . " 
 " is it hard to know ? " 
 " very hard . you see , for example , this great plain to the
north here with the queer hills breaking out of it . do you observe
anything remarkable about that ? " 
 " it would be a rare place for a gallop . " 
 " you would naturally think so and the thought has cost
several their lives before now . you notice those bright green
spots scattered thickly over it ? " 
 " yes , they seem more fertile than the rest . " 
 stapleton laughed . 
 " that is the great grimpen mire , " said he . " a false step
yonder means death to man or beast . only yesterday i saw one
of the moor ponies wander into it . he never came out . i saw his
head for quite a long time craning out of the bog-hole , but it
sucked him down at last . even in dry seasons it is a danger to
cross it , but after these autumn rains it is an awful place . and yet
i can find my way to the very heart of it and return alive . by
george , there is another of those miserable ponies ! " 
 something brown was rolling and tossing among the green
sedges . then a long , agonized , writhing neck shot upward and a
dreadful cry echoed over the moor . it turned me cold with
horror , but my companion 's nerves seemed to be stronger than
mme . 
 " it 's gone ! " said he . " the mire has him . two in two days , 
and many more , perhaps , for they get in the way of going there
in the dry weather and never know the difference until the mire
has them in its clutches . it 's a bad place , the great grimpen
mire . " 
 " and you say you can penetrate it ? " 
 " yes , there are one or two paths which a very active man can
take . i have found them out . " 
 " but why should you wish to go into so horrible a place ? " 
 " well , you see the hills beyond ? they are really islands cut
off on all sides by the impassable mire , which has crawled round
them in the course of years . that is where the rare plants and the
butterflies are , if you have the wit to reach them . " 
 " i shall try my luck some day . " 
 he looked at me with a surprised face . 
 " for god 's sake put such an idea out of your mind , " said he . 
 " your blood would be upon my head . i assure you that there
would not be the least chance of your coming back alive . it is
only by remembering certain complex landmarks that i am able
to do it . " 
 " halloa ! " i cried . " what is that ? " 
 a long , low moan , indescribably sad , swept over the moor . it
filled the whole air , and yet it was impossible to say whence it
came . from a dull murmur it swelled into a deep roar , and then
sank back into a melancholy , throbbing murmur once again . 
stapleton looked at me with a curious expression in his face . 
 " queer place , the moor ! " said he . 
 " but what is it ? " 
 " the peasants say it is the hound of the baskervilles calling
for its prey . i ' ve heard it once or twice before , but never quite so
loud . " 
 i looked round , with a chill of fear in my heart , at the huge
swelling plain , mottled with the green patches of rushes . nothing
stirred over the vast expanse save a pair of ravens , which croaked
loudly from a tor behind us . 
 " you are an educated man . you don ' t believe such nonsense
as that ? " said i . " what do you think is the cause of so strange a
sound ? " 
 " bogs make queer noises sometimes . it 's the mud settling , or
the water rising , or something . " 
 " no , no , that was a living voice . " 
 " well , perhaps it was . did you ever hear a bittern booming ? " 
 " no , i never did . " 
 " it 's a very rare bird -- practically extinct -- in england now , 
but all things are possible upon the moor . yes , i should not be
surprised to learn that what we have heard is the cry of the last of
the bitterns . " 
 " it 's the weirdest , strangest thing that ever i heard in my
life . " 
 " yes , it 's rather an uncanny place altogether . look at the
hillside yonder . what do you make of those ? " 
 the whole steep slope was covered with gray circular rings of
stone , a score of them at least . 
 " what are they ? sheep-pens ? " 
 " no , they are the homes of our worthy ancestors . prehistoric
man lived thickly on the moor , and as no one in particular has
lived there since , we find all his little arrangements exactly as he
left them . these are his wigwams with the roofs off . you can
even see his hearth and his couch if you have the curiosity to go
inside . 
 " but it is quite a town . when was it inhabited ? " 
 " neolithic man -- no date . " 
 " what did he do ? " 
 " he grazed his cattle on these slopes , and he learned to dig
for tin when the bronze sword began to supersede the stone axe . 
look at the great trench in the opposite hill . that is his mark . 
yes , you will find some very singular points about the moor , dr . 
watson . oh , excuse me an instant ! it is surely cyclopides . " 
 a small fly or moth had fluttered across our path , and in an
instant stapleton was rushing with extraordinary energy and
speed in pursuit of it . to my dismay the creature flew straight
for the great mire , and my acquaintance never paused for an
instant , bounding from tuft to tuft behind it , his green net waving
in the air . his gray clothes and jerky , zigzag , irregular progress
made him not unlike some huge moth himself . i was standing
watching his pursuit with a mixture of admiration for his extraor-
dinary activity and fear lest he should lose his footing in the
treacherous mire when i heard the sound of steps and , turning
round , found a woman near me upon the path . she had come
from the direction in which the plume of smoke indicated the
position of merripit house , but the dip of the moor had hid her
until she was quite close . 
 i could not doubt that this was the miss stapleton of whom i
had been told , since ladies of any sort must be few upon the
moor , and i remembered that i had heard someone describe her
as being a beauty . the woman who approached me was certainly
that , and of a most uncommon type . there could not have been a
greater contrast between brother and sister , for stapleton was
neutral tinted , with light hair and gray eyes , while she was
darker than any brunette whom i have seen in england -- slim , 
elegant , and tall . she had a proud , finely cut face , so regular that
it might have seemed impassive were it not for the sensitive
mouth and the beautiful dark , eager eyes . with her perfect figure
and elegant dress she was , indeed , a strange apparition upon a
lonely moorland path . her eyes were on her brother as i turned , 
and then she quickened her pace towards me . i had raised my hat
and was about to make some explanatory remark when her own
words turned all my thoughts into a new channel . 
 " go back ! " she said . " go straight back to london , instantly . " 
 i could only stare at her in stupid surprise . her eyes blazed at
me , and she tapped the ground impatiently with her foot . 
 " why should i go back ? " i asked . 
 " i cannot explain . " she spoke in a low , eager voice , with a
curious lisp in her utterance . " but for god 's sake do what i ask
you . go back and never set foot upon the moor again . " 
 " but i have only just come . " 
 " man , man ! " she cried . " can you not tell when a warning is
for your own good ? go back to london ! start to-night ! get away
from this place at all costs ! hush , my brother is coming ! not a
word of what i have said . would you mind getting that orchid
for me among the mare ' s-tails yonder ? we are very rich in
orchids on the moor , though , of course , you are rather late to see
the beauties of the place . " 
 stapleton had abandoned the chase and came back to us
breathing hard and flushed with his exertions . 
 " halloa , beryl ! " said he , and it seemed to me that the tone of
his greeting was not altogether a cordial one . 
 " well , jack , you are very hot . " 
 " yes , i was chasing a cyclopides . he is very rare and seldom
found in the late autumn . what a pity that i should have missed
him ! " he spoke unconcernedly , but his small light eyes glanced
incessantly from the girl to me . 
 " you have introduced yourselves , i can see . " 
 " yes . i was telling sir henry that it was rather late for him to
see the true beauties of the moor . " 
 " why , who do you think this is ? " 
 " i imagine that it must be sir henry baskerville . " 
 " no , no , " said i . " only a humble commoner , but his friend . 
my name is dr . watson . " 
 a flush of vexation passed over her expressive face . " we
have been talking at cross purposes , " said she . 
 " why , you had not very much time for talk , " her brother
remarked with the same questioning eyes . 
 " i talked as if dr . watson were a resident instead of being
merely a visitor , " said she . " it cannot much matter to him
whether it is early or late for the orchids . but you will come on , 
will you not , and see merripit house ? " 
 a short walk brought us to it , a bleak moorland house , once
the farm of some grazier in the old prosperous days , but now put
into repair and turned into a modern dwelling . an orchard
surrounded it , but the trees , as is usual upon the moor , were
stunted and nipped , and the effect of the whole place was mean
and melancholy . we were admitted by a strange , wizened , rusty-
coated old manservant , who seemed in keeping with the house . 
inside , however , there were large rooms furnished with an ele-
gance in which i seemed to recognize the taste of the lady . as i
looked from their windows at the interminable granite-flecked
moor rolling unbroken to the farthest horizon i could not but
marvel at what could have brought this highly educated man and
this beautiful woman to live in such a place . 
 " queer spot to choose , is it not ? " said he as if in answer to
my thought . " and yet we manage to make ourselves fairly
happy , do we not , beryl ? " 
 " quite happy , " said she , but there was no ring of conviction
in her words . 
 " i had a school , " said stapleton . " it was in the north coun-
try . the work to a man of my temperament was mechanical and
uninteresting , but the privilege of living with youth , of helping
to mould those young minds , and of impressing them with one ' s
own character and ideals was very dear to me . however , the
fates were against us . a serious epidemic broke out in the school
and three of the boys died . it never recovered from the blow , and
much of my capital was irretrievably swallowed up . and yet , if
it were not for the loss of the charming companionship of the
boys , i could rejoice over my own misfortune , for , with my
strong tastes for botany and zoology , i find an unlimited field of
work here , and my sister is as devoted to nature as i am . all
this , dr . watson , has been brought upon your head by your
expression as you surveyed the moor out of our window . " 
 " it certainly did cross my mind that it might be a little
dull -- less for you , perhaps , than for your sister . " 
 " no , no , i am never dull , " said she quickly . 
 " we have books , we have our studies , and we have interest-
ing neighbours . dr . mortimer is a most learned man in his own
line . poor sir charles was also an admirable companion . we
knew him well and miss him more than i can tell . do you think
that i should intrude if i were to call this afternoon and make the
acquaintance of sir henry ? " 
 " i am sure that he would be delighted . " 
 " then perhaps you would mention that i propose to do so . 
we may in our humble way do something to make things more
easy for him until he becomes accustomed to his new surround-
ings . will you come upstairs , dr . watson , and inspect my
collection of lepidoptera ? i think it is the most complete one in
the south-west of england . by the time that you have looked
through them lunch will be almost ready . " 
 but i was eager to get back to my charge . the melancholy of
the moor , the death of the unfortunate pony , the weird sound
which had been associated with the grim legend of the basker-
villes , all these things tinged my thoughts with sadness . then on
the top of these more or less vague impressions there had come
the definite and distinct warning of miss stapleton , delivered
with such intense earnestness that i could not doubt that some
grave and deep reason lay behind it . i resisted all pressure to stay
for lunch , and i set off at once upon my return journey , taking
the grass-grown path by which we had come . 
 it seems , however , that there must have been some short cut
for those who knew it , for before i had reached the road i was
astounded to see miss stapleton sitting upon a rock by the side
of the track . her face was beautifully flushed with her exertions
and she held her hand to her side . 
 " i have run all the way in order to cut you off , dr . watson , " 
said she . " i had not even time to put on my hat . i must not stop , 
or my brother may miss me . i wanted to say to you how sorry i
am about the stupid mistake i made in thinking that you were sir
henry . please forget the words i said , which have no application
whatever to you . " 
 " but i can ' t forget them , miss stapleton , " said i . " i am sir
henry 's friend , and his welfare is a very close concern of mine . 
tell me why it was that you were so eager that sir henry should
return to london . " 
 " a woman 's whim , dr . watson . when you know me better
you will understand that i cannot always give reasons for what i
say or do . " 
 " no , no . i remember the thrill in your voice . i remembe the
look in your eyes . please , please , be frank with me , miss
stapleton , for ever since i have been here i have been conscious
of shadows all round me . life has become like that great grimpen
mire , with little green patches everywhere into which one may
sink and with no guide to point the track . tell me then what it
was that you meant , and i will promise to convey your warning
to sir henry . " 
 an expression of irresolution passed for an instant over her
face , but her eyes had hardened again when she answered me . 
 " you make too much of it , dr . watson , " said she . " my
brother and i were very much shocked by the death of sir
charles . we knew him very intimately , for his favourite walk
was over the moor to our house . he was deeply impressed with
the curse which hung over the family , and when this tragedy
came i naturally felt that there must be some grounds for the
fears which he had expressed . i was distressed therefore when
another member of the family came down to live here , and i felt
that he should be warned of the danger which he will run . that
was all which i intended to convey . 
 " but what is the danger ? " 
 " you know the story of the hound ? " 
 " i do not believe in such nonsense . " 
 " but i do . if you have any influence with sir henry , take him
away from a place which has always been fatal to his family . 
the world is wide . why should he wish to live at the place of
danger ? " 
 " because it is the place of danger . that is sir henry 's nature . 
i fear that unless you can give me some more definite informa-
tion than this it would be impossible to get him to move . " 
 " i cannot say anything definite , for i do not know anything
definite . " 
 " i would ask you one more question , miss stapleton . if you
meant no more than this when you first spoke to me , why should
you not wish your brother to overhear what you said ? there is
nothing to which he , or anyone else , could object . " 
 " my brother is very anxious to have the hall inhabited , for he
thinks it is for the good of the poor folk upon the moor . he
would be very angry if he knew that i have said anything which
might induce sir henry to go away . but i have done my duty
now and i will say no more . i must go back , or he will miss me
and suspect that i have seen you . good-bye ! " she turned and
had disappeared in a few minutes among the scattered boulders , 
while i , with my soul full of vague fears , pursued my way to
baskerville hall . 

      chapter 8
    first report of dr . watson

 from this point onward i will follow the course of events by
transcribing my own letters to mr . sherlock holmes which lie
before me on the table . one page is missing , but otherwise they
are exactly as written and show my feelings and suspicions of the
moment more accurately than my memory , clear as it is upon
these tragic events , can possibly do . 

         baskerville hall , october 13th . 

my dear holmes : 
 my previous letters and telegrams have kept you pretty well
up to date as to all that has occurred in this most god-forsaken
corner of the world . the longer one stays here the more does the
spirit of the moor sink into one 's soul , its vastness , and also its
grim charm . when you are once out upon its bosom you have
left all traces of modern england behind you , but , on the other
hand , you are conscious everywhere of the homes and the work
of the prehistoric people . on all sides of you as you walk are the
houses of these forgotten folk , with their graves and the huge
monoliths which are supposed to have marked their temples . as
you look at their gray stone huts against the scarred hillsides you
leave your own age behind you , and if you were to see a
skin-clad , hairy man crawl out from the low door fitting a
flint-tipped arrow on to the string of his bow , you wouid feel that
his presence there was more natural than your own . the strange
thing is that they should have lived so thickly on what must
always have been most unfruitful soil . i am no antiquarian , but i
could imagine that they were some unwarlike and harried race
who were forced to accept that which none other would occupy . 
 all this , however , is foreign to the mission on which you sent
me and will probably be very uninteresting to your severely
practical mind . i can still remember your complete indifference
as to whether the sun moved round the earth or the earth round
the sun . let me , therefore , return to the facts concerning sir
henry baskerville . 
 if you have not had any report within the last few days it is
because up to to-day there was nothing of importance to relate . 
then a very surprising circumstance occurred , which i shall tell
you in due course . but , first of all , i must keep you in touch
with some of the other factors in the situation . 
 one of these , concerning which i have said little , is the
escaped convict upon the moor . there is strong reason now to
believe that he has got right away , which is a considerable relief
to the lonely householders of this district . a fortnight has passed
since his flight , during which he has not been seen and nothing
has been heard of him . it is surely inconceivable that he could
have held out upon the moor during all that time . of course , so
far as his concealment goes there is no difficulty at all . any one
of these stone huts would give him a hiding-place . but there is
nothing to eat unless he were to catch and slaughter one of the
moor sheep . we think , therefore , that he has gone , and the
outlying farmers sleep the better in consequence . 
 we are four able-bodied men in this household , so that we
could take good care of ourselves , but i confess that i have had
uneasy moments when i have thought of the stapletons . they
live miles from any help . there are one maid , an old manser-
vant , the sister , and the brother , the latter not a very strong man . 
they would be helpless in the hands of a desperate fellow like
this notting hill criminal if he could once effect an entrance . 
both sir henry and i were concerned at their situation , and it
was suggested that perkins the groom should go over to sleep
there , but stapleton would not hear of it . 
 the fact is that our friend , the baronet , begins to display a
considerable interest in our fair neighbour . it is not to be won-
dered at , for time hangs heavily in this lonely spot to an active
man like him , and she is a very fascinating and beautiful woman . 
there is something tropical and exotic about her which forms a
singular contrast to her cool and unemotional brother . yet he
also gives the idea of hidden fires . he has certainly a very
marked influence over her , for i have seen her continually glance
at him as she talked as if seeking approbation for what she said . i
trust that he is kind to her . there is a dry glitter in his eyes and a
firm set of his thin lips , which goes with a positive and possibly
a harsh nature . you would find him an interesting study . 
 he came over to call upon baskerville on that first day , and
the very next morning he took us both to show us the spot where
the legend of the wicked hugo is supposed to have had its
origin . it was an excursion of some miles across the moor to a
place which is so dismal that it might have suggested the story . 
we found a short valley between rugged tors which led to an
open , grassy space flecked over with the white cotton grass . in
the middle of it rose two great stones , worn and sharpened at the
upper end until they looked like the huge corroding fangs of
some monstrous beast . in every way it corresponded with the
scene of the old tragedy . sir henry was much interested and
asked stapleton more than once whether he did really believe in
the possibility of the interference of the supernatural in the
affairs of men . he spoke lightly , but it was evident that he was
very much in earnest . stapleton was guarded in his replies , but it
was easy to see that he said less than he might , and that he
would not express his whole opinion out of consideration for the
feelings of the baronet . he told us of similar cases , where
families had suffered from some evil influence , and he left us
with the impression that he shared the popular view upon the
matter . 
 on our way back we stayed for lunch at merripit house , and it
was there that sir henry made the acquaintance of miss stapleton . 
from the first moment that he saw her he appeared to be strongly
attracted by her , and i am much mistaken if the feeling was not
mutual . he referred to her again and again on our walk home , 
and since then hardly a day has passed that we have not seen
something of the brother and sister . they dine here to-night , and
there is some talk of our going to them next week . one would
imagine that such a match would be very welcome to stapleton , 
and yet i have more than once caught a look of the strongest
disapprobation in his face when sir henry has been paying some
attention to his sister . he is much attached to her , no doubt , and
would lead a lonely life without her , but it would seem the
height of selfishness if he were to stand in the way of her making
so brilliant a marriage . yet i am certain that he does not wish
their intimacy to ripen into love , and i have several times
observed that he has taken pains to prevent them from being
tete-a-tete . by the way , your instructions to me never to allow
sir henry to go out alone will become very much more onerous
if a love affair were to be added to our other difficulties . my
popularity would soon suffer if i were to carry out your orders to
the letter . 
 the other day -- thursday , to be more exact -- dr . mortimer
lunched with us . he has been excavating a barrow at long down
and has got a prehistoric skull which fills him with great joy . 
never was there such a single-minded enthusiast as he ! the
stapletons came in afterwards , and the good doctor took us all to
the yew alley at sir henry 's request to show us exactly how
everything occurred upon that fatal night . it is a long , dismal
walk , the yew alley , between two high walls of clipped hedge , 
with a narrow band of grass upon either side . at the far end is an
old tumble-down summer-house . halfway down is the moor-
gate , where the old gentleman left his cigar-ash . it is a white
wooden gate with a latch . beyond it lies the wide moor . i
remembered your theory of the affair and tried to picture all that
had occurred . as the old man stood there he saw something
coming across the moor , something which terrified him so that
he lost his wits and ran and ran until he died of sheer horror and
exhaustion . there was the long , gloomy tunnel down which he
fled . and from what ? a sheep-dog of the moor ? or a spectral
hound , black , silent , and monstrous ? was there a human agency
in the matter ? did the pale , watchful barrymore know more than
he cared to say ? it was all dim and vague , but always there is
the dark shadow of crime behind it . 
 one other neighbour i have met since i wrote last . this is mr . 
frankland , of lafter hall , who lives some four miles to the south
of us . he is an elderly man , red-faced , white-haired , and cho-
leric . his passion is for the british law , and he has spent a large
fortune in litigation . he fights for the mere pleasure of fighting
and is equally ready to take up either side of a question , so that it
is no wonder that he has found it a costly amusement . some-
times he will shut up a right of way and defy the parish to make
him open it . at others he will with his own hands tear down
some other man 's gate and declare that a path has existed there
from time immemorial , defying the owner to prosecute him for
trespass . he is learned in old manorial and communal rights , and
he applies his knowledge sometimes in favour of the villagers of
fernworthy and sometimes against them , so that he is periodi-
cally either carried in triumph down the village street or else
burned in effigy , according to his latest exploit . he is said to
have about seven lawsuits upon his hands at present , which will
probably swallow up the remainder of his fortune and so draw
his sting and leave him harmless for the future . apart from the
law he seems a kindly , good-natured person , and i only mention
him because you were particular that i should send some descrip-
tion of the people who surround us . he is curiously employed at
present , for , being an amateur astronomer , he has an excellent
telescope , with which he lies upon the roof of his own house and
sweeps the moor all day in the hope of catching a glimpse of the
escaped convict . if he would confine his energies to this all
would be well , but there are rumours that he intends to prosecute
dr . mortimer for opening a grave without the consent of the next
of kin because he dug up the neolithic skull in the barrow on
long down . he helps to keep our lives from being monotonous
and gives a little comic relief where it is badly needed . 
 and now , having brought you up to date in the escaped
convict , the stapletons , dr . mortimer , and frankland , of lafter
hall , let me end on that which is most important and tell you
more about the barrymores , and especially about the surprising
development of last night . 
 first of all about the test telegram , which you sent from
london in order to make sure that barrymore was really here . i
have already explained that the testimony of the postmaster
shows that the test was worthless and that we have no proof one
way or the other . i told sir henry how the matter stood , and he
at once , in his downright fashion , had barrymore up and asked
him whether he had received the telegram himself . barrymore
said that he had . 
 " did the boy deliver it into your own hands ? " asked sir
henry . 
 barrymore looked surprised , and considered for a little time . 
 " no , " said he , " i was in the box-room at the time , and my
wife brought it up to me . " 
 " did you answer it yourself ? " 
 " no ; i told my wife what to answer and she went down to
write it . " 
 in the evening he recurred to the subject of his own accord . 
 " i could not quite understand the object of your questions this
morning , sir henry , " said he . " i trust that they do not mean
that i have done anything to forfeit your confidence ? " 
 sir henry had to assure him that it was not so and pacify him
by giving him a considerable part of his old wardrobe , the
london outfit having now all arrived . 
 mrs . barrymore is of interest to me . she is a heavy , solid
person , very limited , intensely respectable , and inclined to be
puritanical . you could hardly conceive a less emotional subject . 
yet i have told you how , on the first night here , i heard her
sobbing bitterly , and since then i have more than once observed
traces of tears upon her face . some deep sorrow gnaws ever at
her heart . sometimes i wonder if she has a guilty memory which
haunts her , and sometimes i suspect barrymore of being a
domestic tyrant . i have always felt that there was something
singular and questionable in this man 's character , but the adven-
ture of last night brings all my suspicions to a head . 
 and yet it may seem a small matter in itself . you are aware
that i am not a very sound sleeper , and since i have been on
guard in this house my slumbers have been lighter than ever . 
last night , about two in the morning , i was aroused by a stealthy
step passing my room . i rose , opened my door , and peeped out . 
a long black shadow was trailing down the corridor . it was
thrown by a man who walked softly down the passage with a
candle held in his hand . he was in shirt and trousers , with no
covering to his feet . i could merely see the outline , but his height
told me that it was barrymore . he walked very slowly and
circumspectly , and there was something indescribably guilty and
furtive in his whole appearance . 
 i have told you that the corridor is broken by the balcony
which runs round the hall , but that it is resumed upon the farther
side . i waited until he had passed out of sight and then i
followed him . when i came round the balcony he had reached
the end of the farther corridor , and i could see from the glimmer
of light through an open door that he had entered one of the
rooms . now , all these rooms are unfurnished and unoccupied so
that his expedition became more mysterious than ever . the light
shone steadily as if he were standing motionless . i crept down
the passage as noiselessly as i could and peeped round the corner
of the door . 
 barrymore was crouching at the window with the candle held
against the glass . his profile was half turned towards me , and his
face seemed to be rigid with expectation as he stared out into the
blackness of the moor . for some minutes he stood watching
intently . then he gave a deep groan and with an impatient
gesture he put out the light . instantly i made my way back to my
room , and very shortly came the stealthy steps passing once more
upon their return journey . long afterwards when i had fallen into
a light sleep i heard a key turn somewhere in a lock , but i could
not tell whence the sound came . what it all means i cannot
guess , but there is some secret business going on in this house of
gloom which sooner or later we shall get to the bottom of . i do
not trouble you with my theories , for you asked me to furnish
you only with facts . i have had a long talk with sir henry this
morning , and we have made a plan of campaign founded upon
my observations of last night . i will not speak about it just now , 
but it should make my next report interesting reading . 

      chapter 9
    second report of dr . watson

     the light upon the moor

         baskerville hall , oct . 15th . 

my dear holmes : 
 if i was compelled to leave you without much news during
the early days of my mission you must acknowledge that i am
making up for lost time , and that events are now crowding thick
and fast upon us . in my last report i ended upon my top note
with barrymore at the window , and now i have quite a budget
already which will , unless i am much mistaken , considera-
bly surprise you . things have taken a turn which i could not
have anticipated . in some ways they have within the last forty-
eight hours become much clearer and in some ways they have
become more complicated . but i will tell you all and you shall
judge for yourself . 
 before breakfast on the morning following my adventure i
went down the corridor and examined the room in which barry-
more had been on the-night before . the western window through
which he had stared so intently has , i noticed , one peculiarity
above all other windows in the house -- it commands the nearest
outlook on to the moor . there is an opening between two trees
which enables one from this point of view to look right down
upon it , while from all the other windows it is only a distant
glimpse which can be obtained . it follows , therefore , that barry-
more , since only this window would serve the purpose , must
have been looking out for something or somebody upon the
moor . the night was very dark , so that i can hardly imagine how
he could have hoped to see anyone . it had struck me that it was
possible that some love intrigue was on foot . that would have
accounted for his stealthy movements and also for the uneasiness
of his wife . the man is a striking-looking fellow , very well
equipped to steal the heart of a country girl , so that this theory
seemed to have something to support it . that opening of the door
whlch i had heard after i had returned to my room might mean
that he had gone out to keep some clandestine appointment . so i
reasoned with myself in the morning , and i tell you the direction
of my suspicions , however much the result may have shown that
they were unfounded . 
 but whatever the true explanation of barrymore 's movements
might be , i felt that the responsibility of keeping them to myself
until i could explain them was more than i could bear . i had an
interview with the baronet in his study after breakfast , and i told
him all that i had seen . he was less surprised than i had
expected . 
 " i knew that barrymore walked about nights , and i had a
mind to speak to him about it , " said he . " two or three times i
have heard hls steps in the passage , coming and going , just about
the hour you name . " 
 " perhaps then he pays a visit every night to that particular
window , " i suggested . 
 " perhaps he does . if so , we should be able to shadow him and
see what it is that he is after . i wonder what your friend holmes
would do if he were here . " 
 " i believe that he would do exactly what you now suggest , " 
said i . " he would follow barrymore and see what he did . " 
 " then we shall do it together . " 
 " but surely he would hear us . " 
 " the man is rather deaf , and in any case we must take our
chance of that . we ' ll sit up in my room to-night and wait until
he passes . " sir henry rubbed his hands with pleasure , and it was
evident that he hailed the adventure as a relief to his somewhat
quiet life upon the moor . 
 the baronet has been in communication with the architect who
prepared the plans for sir charles , and with a contractor from
london , so that we may expect great changes to begin here
soon . there have been decorators and furnishers up from plym-
outh , and it is evident that our friend has large ideas and means
to spare no pains or expense to restore the grandeur of his
family . when the house is renovated and refurnished , all that he
will need will be a wife to make it complete . between ourselves
there are pretty clear signs that this will not be wanting if the
lady is willing , for i have seldom seen a man more infatuated
with a woman than he is with our beautiful neighbour , miss
stapleton . and yet the course of true love does not run quite as
smoothly as one would under the circumstances expect . to-day , 
for example , its surface was broken by a very unexpected ripple , 
which has caused our friend considerable perplexity and annoyance . 
 after the conversation which i have quoted about barrymore , 
sir henry put on his hat and prepared to go out . as a matter of
course i did the same . 
 " what , are you coming , watson ? " he asked , looking at me in
a curious way . 
 " that depends on whether you are going on the moor , " said
i . 
 " yes , i am . " 
 " well , you know what my instructions are . i am sorry to
intrude , but you heard how earnestly holmes insisted that i
should not leave you , and especially that you should not go alone
upon the moor . " 
 sir henry put his hand upon my shoulder with a pleasant
smile . 
 " my dear fellow , " said he , " holmes , with all his wisdom , 
did not foresee some things which have happened since i have
been on the moor . you understand me ? i am sure that you are
the last man in the world who would wish to be a spoil-sport . i
must go out alone . " 
 it put me in a most awkward position . i was at a loss what to
say or what to do , and before i had made up my mind he picked
up his cane and was gone . 
 but when i came to think the matter over my conscience
reproached me bitterly for having on any pretext allowed him to
go out of my sight . i imagined what my feelings would be if i
had to return to you and to confess that some misfortune had
occurred through my disregard for your instructions . i assure you
my cheeks flushed at the very thought . it might not even now be
too late to overtake him , so i set off at once in the direction of
merripit house . 
 i hurried along the road at the top of my speed without seeing
anything of sir henry , until i came to the point where the moor
path branches off . there , fearing that perhaps i had come in the
wrong direction after all , i mounted a hill from which i could
command a view -- the same hill which is cut into the dark
quarry . thence i saw him at once . he was on the moor path
about a quarter of a mile off , and a lady was by his side who
could only be miss stapleton . it was clear that there was already
an understanding between them and that they had met by ap-
pointment . they were walking slowly along in deep conversa-
tion , and i saw her making quick little movements of her hands
as if she were very earnest in what she was saying , while he
listened intently , and once or twice shook his head in strong
dissent . i stood among the rocks watching them , very much
puzzled as to what i should do next . to follow them and break
into their intimate conversation seemed to be an outrage , and yet
my clear duty was never for an instant to let him out of my sight . 
to act the spy upon a friend was a hateful task . still , i could see
no better course than to observe him from the hill , and to clear
my conscience by confessing to him afterwards what i had done . 
it is true that if any sudden danger had threatened him i was too
far away to be of use , and yet i am sure that you will agree with
me that the position was very difficult , and that there was
nothing more which i could do . 
 our friend , sir henry , and the lady had halted on the path and
were standing deeply absorbed in their conversation , when i was
suddenly aware that i was not the only witness of their interview . 
a wisp of green floating in the air caught my eye , and another
glance showed me that it was carried on a stick by a man who
was moving among the broken ground . it was stapleton with his
butterfly-net . he was very much closer to the pair than i was , 
and he appeared to be moving in their direction . at this instant
sir henry suddenly drew miss stapleton to his side . his arm was
round her , but it seemed to me that she was straining away from
him with her face averted . he stooped his head to hers , and she
raised one hand as if in protest . next moment i saw them spring
apart and turn hurriedly round . stapleton was the cause of the
interruption . he was running wildly towards them , his absurd net
dangling behind him . he gesticulated and almost danced with
excitement in front of the lovers . what the scene meant i could
not imagine , but it seemed to me that stapleton was abusing sir
henry , who offered explanations , which became more angry as
the other refused to accept them . the lady stood by in haughty
silence . finally stapleton turned upon his heel and beckoned in a
peremptory way to his sister , who , after an irresolute glance at
sir henry , walked off by the side of her brother . the naturalist ' s
angry gestures showed that the lady was included in his displea-
sure . the baronet stood for a minute looking after them , and
then he walked slowly back the way that he had come , his head
hanging , the very picture of dejection . 
 what all this meant i could not imagine , but i was deeply
ashamed to have witnessed so intimate a scene without my
friend 's knowledge . i ran down the hill therefore and met the
baronet at the bottom . his face was flushed with anger and his
brows were wrinkled , like one who is at his wit 's ends what to
do . 
 " halloa , watson ! where have you dropped from ? " said he . 
 " you don ' t mean to say that you came after me in spite of all ? " 
 i explained everything to him : how i had found it impossible
to remain behind , how i had followed him , and how i had
witnessed all that had occurred . for an instant his eyes blazed at
me , but my frankness disarmed his anger , and he broke at last
into a rather rueful laugh . 
 " you would have thought the middle of that prairie a fairly
safe place for a man to be private , " said he , " but , by thunder , 
the whole countryside seems to have been out to see me do my
wooing -- and a mighty poor wooing at that ! where had you
engaged a seat ? " 
 " i was on that hill . " 
 " quite in the back row , eh ? but her brother was well up to
the front . did you see him come out on us ? " 
 " yes , i did . " 
 " did he ever strike you as being crazy -- this brother of hers ? " 
 " i can ' t say that he ever did . " 
 " i dare say not . i always thought him sane enough until
to-day , but you can take it from me that either he or i ought to be
in a straitjacket . what 's the matter with me , anyhow ? you ' ve
lived near me for some weeks , watson . tell me straight , now ! is
there anything that would prevent me from making a good
husband to a woman that i loved ? " 
 " i should say not . " 
 " he can ' t object to my worldly position , so it must be myself
that he has this down on . what has he against me ? i never hurt
man or woman in my life that i know of . and yet he would not
so much as let me touch the tips of her fingers . " 
 " did he say so ? " 
 " that , and a deal more . i tell you , watson , i ' ve only known
her these few weeks , but from the first i just felt that she was
made for me , and she , too -- she was happy when she was with
me , and that i ' ll swear . there 's a light in a woman 's eyes that
speaks louder than words . but he has never let us get together
and it was only to-day for the first time that i saw a chance of
having a few words with her alone . she was glad to meet me , 
but when she did it was not love that she would talk about , and
she wouldn ' t have let me talk about it either if she could have
stopped it . she kept coming back to it that this was a place of
danger , and that she would never be happy until i had left it . i
told her that since i had seen her i was in no hurry to leave it , 
and that if she really wanted me to go , the only way to work it
was for her to arrange to go with me . with that i offered in as
many words to marry her , but before she could answer , down
came this brother of hers , running at us with a face on him like a
madman . he was just white with rage , and those light eyes of his
were blazing with fury . what was i doing with the lady ? how
dared i offer her attentions which were distasteful to her ? did i
think that because i was a baronet i could do what i liked ? if he
had not been her brother i should have known better how to
answer him . as it was i told him that my feelings towards his
sister were such as i was not ashamed of , and that i hoped that
she might honour me by becoming my wife . that seemed to
make the matter no better , so then i lost my temper too , and i
answered him rather more hotly than i should perhaps , consider-
ing that she was standing by . so it ended by his going off with
her , as you saw , and here am i as badly puzzled a man as any in
this county . just tell me what it all means , watson , and i ' ll owe
you more than ever i can hope to pay . " 
 i tried one or two explanations , but , indeed , i was completely
puzzled myself . our friend 's title , his fortune , his age , his
character , and his appearance are all in his favour , and i know
nothing against him unless it be this dark fate which runs in his
family . that his advances should be rejected so brusquely with-
out any reference to the lady 's own wishes and that the lady
should accept the situation without protest is very amazing . 
however , our conjectures were set at rest by a visit from stapleton
himself that very afternoon . he had come to offer apologies for
his rudeness of the morning , and after a long private interview
with sir henry in his study the upshot of their conversation was
that the breach is quite healed , and that we are to dine at merripit
house next friday as a sign of it . 
 " l don ' t say now that he isn ' t a crazy man , " said sir henry
 " i can ' t forget the look in his eyes when he ran at me this
morning , but i must allow that no man could make a more
handsome apology than he has done . " 
 " did he give any explanation of his conduct ? " 
 " his sister is everything in his life , he says . that is natural
enough , and i am glad that he should understand her value . they
have always been together , and according to his account he has
been a very lonely man with only her as a companion , so that the
thought of losing her was really terrible to him . he had not
understood , he said , that i was becoming attached to her , but
when he saw with his own eyes that it was really so , and that she
might be taken away from him , it gave him such a shock that for
a time he was not responsible for what he said or did . he was
very sorry for all that had passed , and he recognized how foolish
and how selfish it was that he should imagine that he could hold
a beautiful woman like his sister to himself for her whole life . if
she had to leave him he had rather it was to a neighbour like
myself than to anyone else . but in any case it was a blow to him
and it would take him some time before he could prepare himself
to meet it . he would withdraw all opposition upon his part if i
would promise for three months to let the matter rest and to be
content with cultivating the lady 's friendship during that time
without claiming her love . this i promised , and so the matter
rests . " 
 so there is one of our small mysteries cleared up . it is
something to have touched bottom anywhere in this bog in which
we are floundering . we know now why stapleton looked with
disfavour upon his sister 's suitor -- even when that suitor was so
eligible a one as sir henry . and now i pass on to another thread
which i have extricated out of the tangled skein , the mystery of
the sobs in the night , of the tear-stained face of mrs . barrymore , 
of the secret journey of the butler to the western lattice window . 
congratulate me , my dear holmes , and tell me that i have not
disappointed you as an agent -- that you do not regret the confi-
dence which you showed in me when you sent me down . all
these things have by one night 's work been thoroughly cleared . 
 i have said " by one night 's work , " but , in truth , it was by
two nights ' work , for on the first we drew entirely blank . i sat up
with sir henry in his rooms until nearly three o ' clock in the
morning , but no sound of any sort did we hear except the
chiming clock upon the stairs . it was a most melancholy vigil
and ended by each of us falling asleep in our chairs . fortunately
we were not discouraged , and we determined to try again . the
next night we lowered the lamp and sat smoking cigarettes
without making the least sound . it was incredible how slowly the
hours crawled by , and yet we were helped through it by the same
sort of patient interest which the hunter must feel as he watches
the trap into which he hopes the game may wander . one struck , 
and two , and we had almost for the second time given it up in
despair when in an instant we both sat bolt upright in our chairs
with all our weary senses keenly on the alert once more . we had
heard the creak of a step in the passage . 
 very stealthily we heard it pass along until it died away in the
distance . then the baronet gently opened his door and we set out
in pursuit . already our man had gone round the gallery and the
corridor was all in darkness . softly we stole along untii we had
come into the other wing . we were just in time to catch a
glimpse of the tall , black-bearded figure , his shoulders rounded
as he tiptoed down the passage . then he passed through the
same door as before , and the light of the candle framed it in the
darkness and shot one single yellow beam across the gloom of
the corridor . we shuffled cautiously towards it , trying every
plank before we dared to put our whole weight upon it . we had
taken the precaution of leaving our boots behind us , but , even
so , the old boards snapped and creaked beneath our tread . some-
times it seemed impossible that he should fail to hear our ap-
proach . however , the man is fortunately rather deaf , and he was
entirely preoccupied in that which he was doing . when at last we
reached the door and peeped through we found him crouching at
the window , candle in hand , his white , intent face pressed
against the pane , exactly as i had seen him two nights before . 
 we had arranged no plan of campaign , but the baronet is a
man to whom the most direct way is always the most natural . he
walked into the room , and as he did so barrymore sprang up
from the window with a sharp hiss of his breath and stood , livid
and trembling , before us . his dark eyes , glaring out of the white
mask of his face , were full of horror and astonishment as he
gazed from sir henry to me . 
 " what are you doing here , barrymore ? " 
 " nothing , sir . " his agitation was so great that he could
hardly speak , and the shadows sprang up and down from the
shaking of his candle . " it was the window , sir . i go round at
night to see that they are fastened . " 
 " on the second floor ? " 
 " yes , sir , all the windows . " 
 " look here , barrymore , " said sir henry sternly , " we have
made up our minds to have the truth out of you , so it will save
you trouble to tell it sooner rather than later . come , now ! no
lies ! what were you doing at that window ? ? ' 
 the fellow looked at us in a helpless way , and he wrung his
hands together like one who is in the last extremity of doubt and
misery . 
 " i was doing no harm , sir . i was holding a candle to the
window . " 
 " and why were you holding a candle to the window ? " 
 " don ' t ask me , sir henry -- don ' t ask me ! i give you my
word , sir , that it is not my secret , and that i cannot tell it . if it
concerned no one but myself i would not try to keep it from
you . " 
 a sudden idea occurred to me , and i took the candle from the
trembling hand of the butler . 
 " he must have been holding it as a signal , " said i . " let us
see if there is any answer . " i held it as he had done , and stared
out into the darkness of the night . vaguely i could discern the
black bank of the trees and the lighter expanse of the moor , for
the moon was behind the clouds . and then i gave a cry of
exultation , for a tiny pin-point of yellow light had suddenly
transfixed the dark veil , and glowed steadily in the centre of the
black square framed by the window . 
 " there it is ! " i cried . 
 " no , no , sir , it is nothing -- nothing at all ! " the butler broke
in ; " i assure you , sir -- " 
 " move your light across the window , watson ! " cried the
baronet . " see , the other moves also ! now , you rascal , do you
deny that it is a signal ? come , speak up ! who is your confeder-
ate out yonder , and what is this conspiracy that is going on ? " 
 the man 's face became openly defiant . 
 " it is my business , and not yours . i will not tell . " 
 " then you leave my employment right away . " 
 " very good , sir . if i must i must . " 
 " and you go in disgrace . by thunder , you may well be
ashamed of yourself . your family has lived with mine for over a
hundred years under this roof , and here i find you deep in some
dark plot against me . " 
 " no , no , sir ; no , not against you ! " it was a woman 's voice , 
and mrs . barrymore , paler and more horror-struck than her
husband , was standing at the door . her bulky figure in a shawl
and skirt might have been comic were it not for the intensity of
feeling upon her face . 
 " we have to go , eliza . this is the end of it . you can pack our
things , " said the butler . 
 " oh , john , john , have i brought you to this ? it is my doing , 
sir henry -- all mine . he has done nothing except for my sake
and because i asked him . " 
 " speak out , then ! what does it mean ? " 
 " my unhappy brother is starving on the moor . we cannot let
him perish at our very gates . the light is a signal to him that
food is ready for him , and his light out yonder is to show the
spot to which to bring it . " 
 " then your brother is -- " 
 " the escaped convict , sir -- selden , the criminal . " 
 " that 's the truth , sir , " said barrymore . " i said that it was not
my secret and that i could not tell it to you . but now you have
heard it , and you will see that if there was a plot it was not
against you . " 
 this , then , was the explanation of the stealthy expeditions at
night and the light at the window . sir henry and i both stared at
the woman in amazement . was it possible that this stolidly
respectable person was of the same blood as one of the most
notorious criminals in the country ? 
 " yes , sir , my name was selden , and he is my younger brother . 
we humoured him too much when he was a lad and gave him his
own way in everything until he came to think that the world was
made for his pleasure , and that he could do what he liked in it . 
then as he grew older he met wicked companions , and the devil
entered into him until he broke my mother 's heart and dragged
our name in the dirt . from crime to crime he sank lower and
lower until it is only the mercy of god which has snatched him
from the scaffold ; but to me , sir , he was always the little
curly-headed boy that i had nursed and played with as an elder
sister would . that was why he broke prison , sir . he knew that i
was here and that we could not refuse to help him . when he
dragged himself here one night , weary and starving , with the
warders hard at his heels , what could we do ? we took him in
and fed him and cared for him . then you returned , sir , and my
brother thought he would be safer on the moor than anywhere
else until the hue and cry was over , so he lay in hiding there . but
every second night we made sure if he was still there by putting
a light in the window , and if there was an answer my husband
took out some bread and meat to him . every day we hoped that
he was gone , but as long as he was there we could not desert
him . that is the whole truth , as i am an honest christian woman
and you will see that if there is blame in the matter it does not lie
with my husband but with me , for whose sake he has done all
that he has . " 
 the woman 's words came with an intense earnestness which
carried conviction with them . 
 " is this true , barrymore ? " 
 " yes , sir henry . every word of it . " 
 " well , i cannot blame you for standing by your own wife . 
forget what i have said . go to your room , you two , and we shall
talk further about this matter in the morning . " 
 when they were gone we looked out of the window again . sir
henry had flung it open , and the cold night wind beat in upon
our faces . far away in the black distance there still glowed that
one tiny point of yellow light . 
 " i wonder he dares , " said sir henry . 
 " it may be so placed as to be only visible from here . " 
 " very likely . how far do you think it is ? " 
 " out by the cleft tor , i think . " 
 " not more than a mile or two off . " 
 " hardly that . " 
 " well , it cannot be far if barrymore had to carry out the food
to it . and he is waiting , this villain , beside that candle . by
thunder , watson , i am going out to take that man ! " 
 the same thought had crossed my own mind . it was not as if
the barrymores had taken us into their confidence . their secret
had been forced from them . the man was a danger to the
community , an unmitigated scoundrel for whom there was nei-
ther pity nor excuse . we were only doing our duty in taking this
chance of putting him back where he could do no harm . with his
brutal and violent nature , others would have to pay the price if
we held our hands . any night , for example , our neighbours the
stapletons might be attacked by him , and it may have been the
thought of this which made sir henry so keen upon the adventure . 
 " i will come , " said i . 
 " then get your revolver and put on your boots . the sooner
we start the better , as the fellow may put out his light and be
off . " 
 in five minutes we were outside the door , starting upon our
expedition . we hurried through the dark shrubbery , amid the
dull moaning of the autumn wind and the rustle of the falling
leaves . the night air was heavy with the smell of damp and
decay . now and again the moon peeped out for an instant , but
clouds were driving over the face of the sky , and just as we came
out on the moor a thin rain began to fall . the light still burned
steadily in front . 
 " are you armed ? " i asked . 
 " i have a hunting-crop . " 
 " we must close in on him rapidly , for he is said to be a
desperate fellow . we shall take him by surprise and have him at
our mercy before he can resist . " 
 " i say , watson , " said the baronet , " what would holmes say
to this ? how about that hour of darkness in which the power of
evil is exalted ? " 
 as if in answer to his words there rose suddenly out of the
vast gloom of the moor that strange cry which i had already
heard upon the borders of the great grimpen mire . it came with
the wind through the silence of the night , a long , deep mutter
then a rising howl , and then the sad moan in which it died away . 
again and again it sounded , the whole air throbbing with it , 
strident , wild , and menacing . the baronet caught my sleeve and
his face glimmered white through the darkness . 
 " my god , what 's that , watson ? " 
 " i don ' t know . it 's a sound they have on the moor . i heard it
once before . " 
 it died away , and an absolute silence closed in upon us . we
stood straining our ears , but nothing came . 
 " watson , " said the baronet , " it was the cry of a hound . " 
 my blood ran cold in my veins , for there was a break in his
voice which told of the sudden horror which had seized him . 
 " what do they call this sound ? " he asked . 
 " who ? " 
 " the folk on the countryside . " 
 " oh , they are ignorant people . why should you mind what
they call it ? " 
 " tell me , watson . what do they say of it ? " 
 i hesitated but could not escape the question . 
 " they say it is the cry of the hound of the baskervilles . " 
 he groaned and was silent for a few moments . 
 " a hound it was , " he said at last , " but it seemed to come
from miles away , over yonder , i think . " 
 " it was hard to say whence it came . " 
 " it rose and fell with the wind . isn ' t that the direction of the
great grimpen mire ? " 
 " yes , it is . " 
 " well , it was up there . come now , watson , didn ' t you think
yourself that it was the cry of a hound ? i am not a child . you
need not fear to speak the truth . " 
 " stapleton was with me when i heard it last . he said that it
might be the calling of a strange bird . " 
 " no , no , it was a hound . my god , can there be some truth in
all these stories ? is it possible that i am really in danger from so
dark a cause ? you don ' t believe it , do you , watson ? " 
 " no , no . " 
 " and yet it was one thing to laugh about it in london , and it
is another to stand out here in the darkness of the moor and to
hear such a cry as that . and my uncle ! there was the footprint of
the hound beside him as he lay . it all fits together . i don ' t think
that i am a coward , watson , but that sound seemed to freeze my
very blood . feel my hand ! " 
 it was as cold as a block of marble . 
 " you ' ll be all right to-morrow . " 
 " i don ' t think i ' ll get that cry out of my head . what do you
advise that we do now ? " 
 " shall we turn back ? " 
 " no , by thunder ; we have come out to get our man , and we
will do it . we after the convict , and a hell-hound , as likely as
not , after us . come on ! we ' ll see it through if all the fiends of
the pit were loose upon the moor . " 
 we stumbled slowly along in the darkness , with the black
loom of the craggy hills around us , and the yellow speck of light
burning steadily in front . there is nothing so deceptive as the
distance of a light upon a pitch-dark night , and sometimes the
glimmer seemed to be far away upon the horizon and sometimes
it might have been within a few yards of us . but at last we could
see whence it came , and then we knew that we were indeed very
close . a guttering candle was stuck in a crevice of the rocks
which flanked it on each side so as to keep the wind from it and
also to prevent it from being visible , save in the direction of
baskerville hall . a boulder of granite concealed our approach , 
and crouching behind it we gazed over it at the signal light . it
was strange to see this single candle burning there in the middle
of the moor , with no sign of life near it -- just the one straight
yellow flame and the gleam of the rock on each side of it . 
 " what shall we do now ? " whispered sir henry . 
 " wait here . he must be near his light . let us see if we can
get a glimpse of him . " 
 the words were hardly out of my mouth when we both saw
him . over the rocks , in the crevice of which the candle burned , 
there was thrust out an evil yellow face , a terrible animal face , 
all seamed and scored with vile passions . foul with mire , with a
bristling beard , and hung with matted hair , it might well have
belonged to one of those old savages who dwelt in the burrows
on the hillsides . the light beneath him was reflected in his small , 
cunning eyes which peered fiercely to right and left through the
darkness like a crafty and savage animal who has heard the steps
of the hunters . 
 something had evidently aroused his suspicions . it may have
been that barrymore had some private signal which we had
neglected to give , or the fellow may have had some other reason
for thinking that all was not well , but i could read his fears upon
his wicked face . any instant he might dash out the light and
vanish in the darkness . i sprang forward therefore , and sir henry
did the same . at the same moment the convict screamed out a
curse at us and hurled a rock which splintered up against the
boulder which had sheltered us . i caught one glimpse of his
short , squat , strongly built figure as he sprang to his feet and
turned to run . at the same moment by a lucky chance the moon
broke through the clouds . we rushed over the brow of the hill , 
and there was our man running with great speed down the other
side , springing over the stones in his way with the activity of a
mountain goat . a lucky long shot of my revolver might have
crippled him , but i had brought it only to defend myself if
attacked and not to shoot an unarmed man who was running
away . 
 we were both swift runners and in fairly good training , but we
soon found that we had no chance of overtaking him . we saw
him for a long time in the moonlight until he was only a small
speck moving swiftly among the boulders upon the side of a
distant hill . we ran and ran until we were completely blown , but
the space between us grew ever wider . finally we stopped and
sat panting on two rocks , while we watched him disappearing in
the distance . 
 and it was at this moment that there occurred a most strange
and unexpected thing . we had risen from our rocks and were
turning to go home , having abandoned the hopeless chase . the
moon was low upon the right , and the jagged pinnacle of a
granite tor stood up against the lower curve of its silver disc . 
there , outlined as black as an ebony statue on that shining
background , i saw the figure of a man upon the tor . do not think
that it was a delusion , holmes . i assure you that i have never in
my life seen anything more clearly . as far as i could judge , the
figure was that of a tall , thin man . he stood with his legs a little
separated , his arms folded , his head bowed , as if he were
brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite
which lay before him . he might have been the very spirit of that
terrible place . it was not the convict . this man was far from the
place where the latter had disappeared . besides , he was a much
taller man . with a cry of surprise i pointed him out to the
baronet , but in the instant during which i had turned to grasp his
arm the man was gone . there was the sharp pinnacle of granite
still cutting the lower edge of the moon , but its peak bore no
trace of that silent and motionless figure . 
 i wished to go in that direction and to search the tor , but it was
some distance away . the baronet 's nerves were still quivering
from that cry , which recalled the dark story of his family , and he
was not in the mood for fresh adventures . he had not seen this
lonely man upon the tor and could not feel the thrill which his
strange presence and his commanding attitude had given to me . 
 " a warder , no doubl , " said he . " the moor has been thick with
them since this fellow escaped . " well , perhaps his explanation
may be the right one , but i should like to have some further
proof of it . to-day we mean to communicate to the princetown
people where they should look for their missing man , but it is
hard lines that we have not actually had the triumph of bringing
him back as our own prisoner . such are the adventures of last
night , and you must acknowledge , my dear holmes , that i have
done you very well in the matter of a report . much of what i tell
you is no doubt quite irrelevant , but still i feel that it is best that
i should let you have all the facts and leave you to select for
yourself those which will be of most service to you in helping
you to your conclusilons . we are certainly making some prog-
ress . so far as the barrymores go we have found the motive of
their actions , and that has cleared up the situation very much . 
but the moor with its mysteries and its strange inhabitants re-
mains as inscrutable as ever . perhaps in my next i may be able to
throw some light upon this also . best of all would it be if you
could come down to us . in any case you will hear from me again
in the course of the next few days . 
   
      chapter 10
   extract from the diary of dr . watson

 so far i have been able to quote from the reports which i
have forwarded during these early days to sherlock holmes . 
now , however , i have arrived at a point in my narrative where i
am compelled to abandon this method and to trust once more to
my recollections , aided by the diary which i kept at the time . a
few extracts from the latter will carry me on to those scenes
which are indelibly fixed in every detail upon my memory . i
proceed , then , from the morning which followed our abortive
chase of the convict and our other strange experiences upon the
moor . 
 october 16th . a dull and foggy day with a drizzle of rain . the
house is banked in with rolling clouds , which rise now and then
to show the dreary curves of the moor , with thin , silver veins
upon the sides of the hills , and the distant boulders gleaming
where the light strikes upon their wet faces . it is melancholy
outside and in . the baronet is in a black reaction after the
excitements of the night . i am conscious myself of a weight at
my heart and a feeling of impending danger -- ever present dan-
ger , which is the more terrible because i am unable to define it . 
 and have i not cause for such a feeling ? consider the long
sequence of incidents which have all pointed to some sinister
influence which is at work around us . there is the death of the
last occupant of the hall , fulfilling so exactly the conditions of
the family legend , and there are the repeated reports from peas-
ants of the appearance of a strange creature upon the moor . 
twice i have with my own ears heard the sound which resem-
bled the distant baying of a hound . it is incredible , impossible , 
that it should really be outside the ordinary laws of nature . a
spectral hound which leaves material footmarks and fills the air
with its howling is surely not to be thought of . stapleton may fall
in with such a superstition , and mortimer also , but if i have one
quality upon earth it is common sense , and nothing will persuade
me to believe in such a thing . to do so would be to descend to
the level of these poor peasants , who are not content with a mere
fiend dog but must needs describe him with hell-fire shooting
from his mouth and eyes . holmes would not listen to such
fancies , and i am his agent . but facts are facts , and i have twice
heard this crying upon the moor . suppose that there were really
some huge hound loose upon it ; that would go far to explain
everything . but where could such a hound lie concealed , where
did it get its food , where did it come from , how was it that no
one saw it by day ? it must be confessed that the natural explana-
tion offers almost as many difficulties as the other . and always , 
apart from the hound , there is the fact of the human agency in
london , the man in the cab , and the letter which warned sir
henry against the moor . this at least was real , but it might have
been the work of a protecting friend as easily as of an enemy . 
where is that friend or enemy now ? has he remained in london , 
or has he followed us down here ? could he -- could he be the
stranger whom i saw upon the tor ? 
 it is true that i have had only the one glance at him , and yet
there are some things to which i am ready to swear . he is no one
whom i have seen down here , and i have now met all the
neighbours . the figure was far taller than that of stapleton , far
thinner than that of frankland . barrymore it might possibly have
been , but we had left him behind us , and i am certain that he
could not have followed us . a stranger then is still dogging us , 
just as a stranger dogged us in london . we have never shaken
him off . if i could lay my hands upon that man , then at last we
might find ourselves at the end of all our difficulties . to this one
purpose i must now devote all my energies . 
 my first impulse was to tell sir henry all my plans . my
second and wisest one is to play my own game and speak as little
as possible ta anyone . he is silent and distrait . his nerves have
been strangely shaken by that sound upon the moor . i will say
nothing to add to his anxieties , but i will take my own steps to
attain my own end . 
 we had a small scene this morning after breakfast . barrymore
asked leave to speak with sir henry , and they were closeted in
his study some little time . sitting in the billiard-room i more
than once heard the sound of voices raised , and i had a pretty
good idea what the point was which was under discussion . after
a time the baronet opened his door and called for me . 
 " barrymore considers that he has a grievance , " he said . " he
thinks that it was unfair on our part to hunt his brother-in-law
down when he , of his own free will , had told us the secret . " 
 the butler was standing very pale but very collected before us . 
 " i may have spoken too warmly , sir , " said he , " and if i 
have , i am sure that i beg your pardon . at the same time , i was
very much surprised when i heard you two gentlemen come back
this morning and learned that you had been chasing selden . the
poor fellow has enough to fight against without my putting more
upon his track . " 
 " if you had told us of your own free will it would have been a
different thing , " said the baronet , " you only told us , or rather
your wife only told us , when it was forced from you and you
could not help yourself . " 
 " i didn ' t think you would have taken advantage of it , sir 
henry -- indeed i didn ' t . " 
 " the man is a public danger . there are lonely houses scat-
tered over the moor , and he is a fellow who would stick at
nothing . you only want to get a glimpse of his face to see that . 
look at mr . stapleton 's house , for example , with no one but
himself to defend it . there 's no safety for anyone untill he is
under lock and key . " 
 " he ' ll break into no house , sir . i give you my solemn word
upon that . but he will never trouble anyone in this country
again . i assure you , sir henry , that in a very few days the
necessary arrangements will have been made and he will be on
his way to south america . for god 's sake , sir , i beg of you not
to let the police know that he is still on the moor . they have
given up the chase there , and he can lie quiet until the ship is
ready for him . you can ' t tell on him without getting my wife
and me into trouble . i beg you , sir , to say nothing to the
police . " 
 " what do you say , watson ? " 
 i shrugged my shoulders . " if he were safely out of the
country it would relieve the tax-payer of a burden . " 
 " but how about the chance of his holding someone up before
he goes ? " 
 " he would not do anything so mad , sir . we have provided
him with all that he can want . to commit a crime would be to
show where he was hiding . " 
 " that is true , " said sir henry . " well , barrymore -- " 
 " god bless you , sir , and thank you from my heart ! it would
have killed my poor wife had he been taken again . " 
 " i guess we are aiding and abetting a felony , watson ? but , 
after what we have heard i don ' t feel as if i could give the man
up , so there is an end of it . all right , barrymore , you can go . " 
 with a few broken words of gratitude the man turned , but he
hesitated and then came back . 
 " you ' ve been so kind to us , sir , that i should like to do the
best i can for you in return . i know something , sir henry , and
perhaps i should have said it before , but it was long after the
inquest that i found it out . i ' ve never breathed a word about it
yet to mortal man . it 's about poor sir charles 's death . " 
 the baronet and i were both upon our feet . " do you know
how he died ? " 
 " no , sir , i don ' t know that . " 
 " what then ? " 
 " i know why he was at the gate at that hour . it was to meet a
woman . " 
 " to meet a woman ! he ? " 
 " yes , sir . " 
 " and the woman 's name ? " 
 " i can ' t give you the name , sir , but i can give you the initials . 
her initials were l . l . " 
 " how do you know this , barrymore ? " 
 " well , sir henry , your uncle had a letter that morning . he
had usually a great many letters , for he was a public man and
well known for his kind heart , so that everyone who was in
trouble was glad to turn to him . but that morning , as it chanced , 
there was only this one letter , so i took the more notice of it . it
was from coombe tracey , and it was addressed in a woman ' s
hand . " 
 " well ? " 
 " well , sir , i thought no more of the matter , and never would
have done had it not been for my wife . only a few weeks ago
she was cleaning out sir charles 's study -- it had never been
touched since his death -- and she found the ashes of a burned
letter in the back of the grate . the greater part of it was charred
to pieces , but one little slip , the end of a page , hung together , 
and the writing could still be read , though it was gray on a black
ground . it seemed to us to be a postscript at the end of the letter
and it said : ' please , please , as you are a gentleman , burn this
letter , and be at the gate by ten o clock . beneath it were signed
the initials l . l . " 
 " have you got that slip ? " 
 " no , sir , it crumbled all to bits after we moved it . " 
 " had sir charles received any other lettefs in the same
writting ? " 
 " well , sir , i took no particular notice of his letters . i should
not have noticed this one , only it happened to come alone . " 
 " and you have no idea who l . l . is ? " 
 " no , sir . no more than you have . but i expect if we could lay
our hands upon that lady we should know more about sir charles ' s
death . " 
 " i cannot understand , barrymore , how you came to conceal
this important information . " 
 " well , sir , it was immediately after that our own trouble came
to us . and then again , sir , we were both of us very fond of sir
charles , as we well might be considering all that he has done for
us . to rake this up couldn ' t help our poor master , and it 's well
to go carefully when there 's a lady in the case . even the best of
us -- " 
 " you thought it might injure his reputation ? " 
 " well , sir , i thought no good could come of it . but now you
have been kind to us , and i feel as if it would be treating you
unfairly not to tell you all that i know about the matter . " 
 " very good , barrymore ; you can go . " when the butler had
left us sir henry turned to me . " well , watson , what do you
think of this new light ? " 
 " it seems to leave the darkness rather blacker than before . " 
 " so i think . but if we can only trace l . l . it should clear up
the whole business . we have gained that much . we know that
there is someone who has the facts if we can only find her . what
do you think we should do ? " 
 " let holmes know all about it at once . it will give him the
clue for which he has been seeking . i am much mistaken if it
does not bring him down . " 
 i went at once to my room and drew up my report of the
morning 's conversation for holmes . it was evident to me that he
had been very busy of late , for the notes which i had from baker
street were few and short , with no comments upon the informa-
tion which i had supplied and hardly any reference to my mis-
sion . no doubt his blackmailing case is absorbing all his faculties . 
and yet this new factor must surely arrest his attention and
renew his interest . i wish that he were here . 
 october 17th . all day to-day the rain poured down , rustling
on the ivy and dripping from the eaves . i thought of the convict
out upon the bleak , cold , shelterless moor . poor devil ! whatever
his crimes , he has suffered something to atone for them . and
then i thought of that other one -- the face in the cab , the figure
against the moon . was he also out in that deluged -- the unseen
watcher , the man of darkness ? in the evening i put on my
waterproof and i walked far upon the sodden moor , full of dark
imaginings , the rain beating upon my face and the wind whis-
tling about my ears . god help those who wander into the great
mire now , for even the firm uplands are becoming a morass . i
found the black tor upon which i had seen the solitary watcher , 
and from its craggy summit i looked out myself across the
melancholy downs . rain squalls drifted across their russet face , 
and the heavy , slate-coloured clouds hung low over the land-
scape , trailing in gray wreaths down the sides of the fantastic
hills . in the distant hollow on the left , half hidden by the mist , 
the two thin towers of baskerville hall rose above the trees . 
they were the only signs of human life which i could see , save
only those prehistoric huts which lay thickly upon the slopes of
the hills . nowhere was there any trace of that lonely man whom
i had seen on the same spot two nights before . 
 as i walked back i was overtaken by dr . mortimer driving in
his dog-cart over a rough moorland track which led from the
outlying farmhouse of foulmire . he has been very attentive to
us , and hardly a day has passed that he has not called at the hall
to see how we were getting on . he insisted upon my climbing
into his dog-cart , and he gave me a lift homeward . i found him
much troubled over the disappearance of his little spaniel . it had
wandered on to the moor and had never come back . i gave him
such consolation as i might , but i thought of the pony on the
grimpen mire , and i do not fancy that he will see his little dog
again . 
 " by the way , mortimer , " said i as we jolted along the rough
road , " i suppose there are few people living within driving
distance of this whom you do not know ? " 
 " hardly any , i think . " 
 " can you , then , tell me the name of any woman whose
initials are l . l . ? " 
 he thought for a few minutes . 
 " no , " said he . " there are a few gipsies and labouring folk
for whom i can ' t answer , but among the farmers or gentry there
is no one whose initials are those . wait a bit though , " he added
after a pause . " there is laura lyons -- her initials are l . l . -- but
she lives in coombe tracey . " 
 " who is she ? " i asked . 
 " she is frankland 's daughter . " 
 " what ! old frankland the crank ? " 
 " exactly . she married an artist named lyons , who came
sketching on the moor . he proved to be a blackguard and
deserted her . the fault from what i hear may not have been
entirely on one side . her father refused to have anything to do
with her because she had married without his consent and per-
haps for one or two other reasons as well . so , between the old
sinner and the young one the girl has had a pretty bad time . " 
 " how does she live ? " 
 " i fancy old frankland allows her a pittance , but it cannot be
more , for his own affairs are considerably involved . whatever
she may have deserved one could not allow her to go hopelessly
to the bad . her story got about , and several of the people here
did something to enable her to earn an honest living . stapleton
did for one , and sir charles for another . i gave a trifle myself . it
was to set her up in a typewriting business . " 
 he wanted to know the object of my inquiries , but i managed
to satisfy his curiosity without telling him too much , for there is
no reason why we should take anyone into our confidence . 
to-morrow morning i shall find my way to coombe tracey , and
if i can see this mrs . laura lyons , of equivocal reputation , a
long step will have been made towards clearing one incident in
this chain of mysteries . i am certainly developing the wisdom of
the serpent , for when mortimer pressed his questions to an
inconvenient extent i asked him casually to what type frank-
land 's skull belonged , and so heard nothing but craniology for
the rest of our drive . i have not lived for years with sherlock
holmes for nothing . 
 i have only one other incident to record upon this tempestuous
and melancholy day . this was my conversation with barrymore
just now , which gives me one more strong card which i can play
in due time . 
 mortimer had stayed to dinner , and he and the baronet played
ecarte afterwards . the butler brought me my coffee into the
library , and i took the chance to ask him a few questions . 
 " well , " said i , " has this precious relation of yours departed , 
or is he still lurking out yonder ? " 
 " i don ' t know , sir . i hope to heaven that he has gone , for he
has brought nothing but trouble here ! i ' ve not heard of him since
i left out food for him last , and that was three days ago . " 
 " did you see him then ? " 
 " no , sir , but the food was gone when next i went that way . " 
 " then he was certainly there ? " 
 " so you would think , sir , unless it was the other man who
took it . " 
 i sat with my coffee-cup halfway to my lips and stared at
barrymore . 
 " you know that there is another man then ? " 
 " yes , sir ; there is another man upon the moor . " 
 " have you seen him ? " 
 " no , sir . " 
 " how do you know of him then ? " 
 " selden told me of him , sir , a week ago or more . he 's in
hiding , too , but he 's not a convict as far as i can make out . i
don ' t like it , dr . watson -- i tell you straight , sir , that i don ' t like
it . " he spoke with a sudden passion of earnestness . 
 " now , listen to me , barrymore ! i have no interest in this
matter but that of your master . i have come here with no object
except to help him . tell me , frankly , what it is that you don ' t
like . " 
 barrymore hesitated for a moment , as if he regretted his
outburst or found it difficult to express his own feelings in
words . 
 " it 's all these goings-on , sir , " he cried at last , waving his
hand towards the rain-lashed window which faced the moor . 
 " there 's foul play somewhere , and there 's black villainy brew-
ing , to that i ' ll swear ! very glad i should be , sir , to see sir
henry on his way back to london again ! " 
 " but what is it that alarms you ? " 
 " look at sir charles 's death ! that was bad enough , for all
that the coroner said . look at the noises on the moor at night . 
there 's not a man would cross it after sundown if he was paid
for it . look at this stranger hiding out yonder , and watching and
waiting ! what 's he waiting for ? what does it mean ? it means no
good to anyone of the name of baskerville , and very glad i shall
be to be quit of it all on the day that sir henry 's new servants are
ready to take over the hall . " 
 " but about this stranger , " said i . " can you tell me anything
about him ? what did selden say ? did he find out where he hid , 
or what he was doing ? " 
 " he saw him once or twice , but he is a deep one and gives
nothing away . at first he thought that he was the police , but
soon he found that he had some lay of his own . a kind of
gentleman he was , as far as he could see , but what he was doing
he could not make out . " 
 " and where did he say that he lived ? " 
 " among the old houses on the hillside -- the stone huts where
the old folk used to live . " 
 " but how about his food ? " 
 " selden found out that he has got a lad who works for him and
brings all he needs . i dare say he goes to coombe tracey for
what he wants . " 
 " very good , barrymore . we may talk further of this some
other time . " when the butler had gone i walked over to the
black window , and i looked through a blurred pane at the driving
clouds and at the tossing outline of the wind-swept trees . it is a
wild night indoors , and what must it be in a stone hut upon the
moor . what passion of hatred can it be which leads a man to lurk
in such a place at such a time ! and what deep and earnest
purpose can he have which calls for such a trial ! there , in that
hut upon the moor , seems to lie the very centre of that problem
which has vexed me so sorely . i swear that another day shall not
have passed before i have done all that man can do to reach the
heart of the mystery . 

      chapter 11
     the man on the tor

 the extract from my private diary which forms the last chapter
has brought my narrative up to the eighteenth of october , a time
when these strange events began to move swiftly towards their
terrible conclusion . the incidents of the next few days are
indelibly graven upon my recollection , and i can tell them
without reference to the notes made at the time . i start them from
the day which succeeded that upon which i had established two
facts of great importance , the one that mrs . laura lyons of
coombe tracey had written to sir charles baskerville and made
an appointment with him at the very place and hour that he met
his death , the other that the lurking man upon the moor was to be
found among the stone huts upon the hillside . with these two
facts in my possession i felt that either my intelligence or my
courage must be deficient if i could not throw some further light
upon these dark places . 
 i had no opportunity to tell the baronet what i had learned
about mrs . lyons upon the evening before , for dr . mortimer
remained with him at cards until it was very late . at breakfast , 
however , i informed him about my discovery and asked him
whether he would care to accompany me to coombe tracey . at
first he was very eager to come , but on second thoughts it
seemed to both of us that if i went alone the results might be
better . the more formal we made the visit the less information
we might obtain . i left sir henry behind , therefore , not without
some prickings of conscience , and drove off upon my new quest . 
 when i reached coombe tracey i told perkins to put up the
horses , and i made inquiries for the lady whom i had come to
interrogate . i had no difficulty in finding her rooms , which were
central and well appointed . a maid showed me in without cere-
mony , and as i entered the sitting-room a lady , who was sitting
before a remington typewriter , sprang up with a pleasant smile
of welcome . her face fell , however , when she saw that i was a
stranger , and she sat down again and asked me the object of my
visit . 
 the first impression left by mrs . lyons was one of extreme
beauty . her eyes and hair were of the same rich hazel colour , 
and her cheeks , though considerably freckled , were flushed with
the exquisite bloom of the brunette , the dainty pink which lurks
at the heart of the sulphur rose . admiration was , i repeat , the
first impression . but the second was criticism . there was some-
thing subtly wrong with the face , some coarseness of expres-
sion , some hardness , perhaps , of eye , some looseness of lip
which marred its perfect beauty . but these , of course , are after-
thoughts . at the moment i was simply conscious that i was in
the presence of a very handsome woman , and that she was
asking me the reasons for my visit . i had not quite understood
until that instant how delicate my mission was . 
 " i have the pleasure , " said i , " of knowing your father . " 
it was a clumsy introduction , and the lady made me feel it . 
 " there is nothing in common between my father and me , " 
she said . " i owe him nothing , and his friends are not mine . if it
were not for the late sir charles baskerville and some other kind
hearts i might have starved for all that my father cared . " 
 " it was about the late sir charles baskerville that i have come
here to see you . " 
 the freckles started out on the lady 's face . 
 " what can i tell you about him ? " she asked , and her fingers
played nervously over the stops of her typewriter . 
 " you knew him , did you not ? " 
 " i have already said that i owe a great deal to his kindness . if
i am able to support myself it is largely due to the interest which
he took in my unhappy situation . " 
 " did you correspond with him ? " 
 the lady looked quickly up with an angry gleam in her hazel
eyes . 
 " what is the object of these questions ? " she asked sharply . 
 " the object is to avoid a public scandal . it is better that i
should ask them here than that the matter should pass outside our
control . " 
 she was silent and her face was still very pale . at last she
looked up with something reckless and defiant in her manner . 
 " well , i ' ll answer , " she said . " what are your questions ? " 
 " did you correspond with sir charles ? " 
 " i certainly wrote to him once or twice to acknowledge his
delicacy and his generosity . " 
 " have you the dates of those letters ? " 
 " no . " 
 " have you ever met him ? " 
 " yes , once or twice , when he came into coombe tracey . he
was a very retiring man , and he preferred to do good by stealth . " 
 " but if you saw him so seldom and wrote so seldom , how did
he know enough about your affairs to be able to help you , as you
say that he has done ? " 
 she met my difficulty with the utmost readiness . 
 " there were several gentlemen who knew my sad history and
united to help me . one was mr . stapleton , a neighbour and
intimate friend of sir charles 's . he was exceedingly kind , and it
was through him that sir charles learned about my affairs . " 
 i knew already that sir charles baskerville had made stapleton
his almoner upon several occasions , so the lady 's statement bore
the impress of truth upon it . 
 " did you ever write to sir charles asking him to meet you ? " 
i continued . 
 mrs . lyons flushed with anger again . 
 " really , sir , this is a very extraordinary question . " 
 " i am sorry , madam , but i must repeat it . " 
 " then i answer , certainly not . " 
 " not on the very day of sir charles 's death ? " 
 the flush had faded in an instant , and a deathly face was
before me . her dry lips could not speak the " no " which i saw
rather than heard . 
 " surely your memory deceives you , " said i . " i could even
quote a passage of your letter . it ran ' please , please , as you are a
gentleman , burn this letter , and be at the gate by ten o ' clock . ' " 
 i thought that she had fainted , but she recovered herself by a
supreme effort . 
 " is there no such thing as a gentleman ? " she gasped . 
 " you do sir charles an injustice . he did burn the letter . but
sometimes a letter may be legible even when burned . you
acknowledge now that you wrote it ? " 
 " yes , i did write it , " she cried , pouring out her soul in a
torrent of words . " i did write it . why should i deny it ? i have no
reason to be ashamed of it . i wished him to help me . i believed
that if i had an interview i could gain his help , so i asked him to
meet me . " 
 " but why at such an hour ? " 
 " because i had only just learned that he was going to london
next day and might be away for months . there were reasons why
i could not get there earlier . " 
 " but why a rendezvous in the garden instead of a visit to the
house ? " 
 " do you think a woman could go alone at that hour to a
bachelor 's house ? " 
 " well , what happened when you did get there ? " 
 " i never went . " 
 " mrs . lyons ! " 
 " no , i swear it to you on all i hold sacred . i never went . 
something intervened to prevent my going . " 
 " what was that ? " 
 " that is a private matter . i cannot tell it . " 
 " you acknowledge then that you made an appointment with
sir charles at the very hour and place at which he met his death , 
but you deny that you kept the appointment . " 
 " that is the truth . " 
 again and again i cross-questioned her , but i could never get
past that point . 
 " mrs . lyons , " said i as i rose from this long and inconclu-
sive interview , " you are taking a very great responsibility and
putting yourself in a very false position by not making an
absolutely clean breast of all that you know . if i have to call in
the aid of the police you will find how seriously you are compro-
mised . if your position is innocent , why did you in the first
instance deny having written to sir charles upon that date ? " 
 " because i feared that some false conclusion might be drawn
from it and that i might find myself involved in a scandal . " 
 " and why were you so pressing that sir charles should
destroy your letter ? " 
 " if you have read the letter you will know . " 
 " i did not say that i had read all the letter . " 
 " you quoted some of it . " 
 " i quoted the postscript . the letter had , as i said , been burned
and it was not all legible . i ask you once again why it was that
you were so pressing that sir charles should destroy this letter
which he received on the day of his death . " 
 " the matter is a very private one . " 
 " the more reason why you should avoid a public investigation . " 
 " i will tell you , then . if you have heard anything of my
unhappy history you will know that i made a rash marriage and
had reason to regret it . " 
 " i have heard so much . " 
 " my life has been one incessant persecution from a husband
whom i abhor . the law is upon his side , and every day i
am faced by the possibility that he may force me to live with him . 
at the time that i wrote this letter to sir charles i had learned
that there was a prospect of my regaining my freedom if certain
expenses could be met . it meant everything to me -- peace of
mind , happiness , self-respect -- everything . i knew sir charles ' s
generosity , and i thought that if he heard the story from my own
lips he would help me . " 
 " then how is it that you did not go ? " 
 " because i received help in the interval from another source . " 
 " why then , did you not write to sir charles and explain
this ? " 
 " so i should have done had i not seen his death in the paper
next morning . " 
 the woman 's story hung coherently together , and all my
questions were unable to shake it . i could only check it by
finding if she had , indeed , instituted divorce proceedings against
her husband at or about the time of the tragedy . 
 it was unlikely that she would dare to say that she had not
been to baskerville hall if she really had been , for a trap would
be necessary to take her there , and could not have returned to
coombe tracey until the early hours of the morning . such an
excursion could not be kept secret . the probability was , there-
fore , that she was telling the truth , or , at least , a part of the
truth . i came away baffled and disheartened . once again i had
reached that dead wall which seemed to be built across every
path by which i tried to get at the object of my mission . and yet
the more i thought of the lady 's face and of her manner the more
i felt that something was being held back from me . why should
she turn so pale ? why should she fight against every admission
until it was forced from her ? why should she have been so
reticent at the time of the tragedy ? surely the explanation of all
this could not be as innocent as she would have me believe . for
the moment i could proceed no farther in that direction , but must
turn back to that other clue which was to be sought for among
the stone huts upon the moor . 
 and that was a most vague direction . i realized it as i drove
back and noted how hill after hill showed traces of the ancient
people . barrymore 's only indication had been that the stranger
lived in one of these abandoned huts , and many hundreds of
them are scattered throughout the length and breadth of the
moor . but i had my own experience for a guide since it had
shown me the man himself standing upon the summit of the
black tor . that , then , should be the centre of my search . from
there i should explore every hut upon the moor until i lighted
upon the right one . if this man were inside it i should find out
from his own lips , at the point of my revolver if necessary , who
he was and why he had dogged us so long . he might slip away
from us in the crowd of regent street , but it would puzzle him
to do so upon the lonely moor . on the other hand , if i should
find the hut and its tenant should not be within it i must remain
there , however long the vigil , until he returned . holmes had
missed him in london . it would indeed be a triumph for me if i
could run him to earth where my master had failed . 
 luck had been against us again and again in this inquiry , but
now at last it came to my aid . and the messenger of good
fortune was none other than mr . frankland , who was standing , 
gray-whiskered and red-faced , outside the gate of bis garden , 
which opened on to the highroad along which i travelled . 
 " good-day , dr . watson , " cried he with unwonted good
humour , " you must really give your horses a rest and come in to
have a glass of wine and to congratulate me . " 
 my feelings towards him were very far from being friendly
after what i had heard of his treatment of his daughter , but i was
anxious to send perkins and the wagonette home , and the oppor-
tunity was a good one . i alighted and sent a message to sir
henry that i should walk over in time for dinner . then i fol-
lowed frankland into his dining-room . 
 " it is a great day for me , sir -- one of the red-letter days of my
life , " he cried with many chuckles . " i have brought off a double
event . i mean to teach them in these parts that law is law , and
that there is a man here who does not fear to invoke it . i have
established a right of way through the centre of old middleton ' s
park , slap across it , sir , within a hundred yards of his own front
door . what do you think of that ? we ' ll teach these magnates that
they cannot ride roughshod over the rights of the commoners , 
confound them ! and i ' ve closed the wood where the fernworthy
folk used to picnic . these infernal people seem to think that
there are no rights of property , and that they can swarm where
they like with their papers and their bottles . both cases decided
dr . watson , and both in my favour . i haven ' t had such a day
since i had sir john morland for trespass because he shot in his
own warren . " 
 " how on earth did you do that ? " 
 " look it up in the books , sir . it will repay reading -- frankland
v . morland , court of queen 's bench . it cost me 200 pounds , but i got
my verdict . " 
 " did it do you any good ? " 
 " none , sir , none . i am proud to say that i had no interest in
the matter . i act entirely from a sense of public duty . i have no
doubt , for example , that the fernworthy people will burn me in
effigy to-night . i told the police last time they did it that they
should stop these disgraceful exhibitions . the county constabu-
lary is in a scandalous state , sir , and it has not afforded me the
protection to which i am entitled . the case of frankland v . 
regina will bring the matter before the attention of the public . i
told them that they would have occasion to regret their treatment
of me , and already my words have come true . " 
 " how so ? " i asked . 
 the oid man put on a very knowing expression . 
 " because i could tell them what they are dying to know ; but
nothing would induce me to help the rascals in any way . " 
 i had been casting round for some excuse by which i could get
away from his gossip , but now i began to wish to hear more of
it . i had seen enough of the contrary nature of the old sinner to
understand that any strong sign of interest would be the surest way
to stop his confidences . 
 " some poaching case , no doubt ? " said i with an indifferent
manner~
 " ha , ha , my boy , a very much more important matter than
that ! what about the convict on the moor ? " 
 i stared . " you don ' t mean that you know where he is ? " said
i . 
 " i may not know exactly where he is , but i am quite sure that
i could help the police to lay their hands on him . has it never
struck you that the way to catch that man was to find out where
he got his food and so trace it to him ? " 
 he certainly seemed to be getting uncomfortably near the
truth . " no doubt , " said i ; " but how do you know that he is
anywhere upon the moor ? " 
 " i know it because i have seen with my own eyes the
messenger who takes him his food . " 
 my heart sank for barrymore . it was a serious thing to be in
the power of this spiteful old busybody . but his next remark took
a weight from my mind . 
 " you ' ll be surprised to hear that his food is taken to him by a
child . i see him every day through my telescope upon the roof . 
he passes along the same path at the same hour , and to whom
should he be going except to the convict ? " 
 here was luck indeed ! and yet i suppressed all appearance of
interest . a child ! barrymore had said that our unknown was
supplied by a boy . it was on his track , and not upon the
convict 's , that frankland had stumbled . if i could get his knowl-
edge it might save me a long and weary hunt . but incredulity
and indifference were evidently my strongest cards . 
 " i should say that it was much more likely that it was the son
of one of the moorland shepherds taking out his father 's dinner . " 
 the least appearance of opposition struck fire out of the old
autocrat . his eyes looked malignantly at me , and his gray whis-
kers bristled like those of an angry cat . 
 " indeed , sir ! " said he , pointing out over the wide-stretching
moor . " do you see that black tor over yonder ? well , do you
see the low hill beyond with the thornbush upon it ? it is the
stoniest part of the whole moor . is that a place where a shepherd
would be likely to take his station ? your suggestion , sir , is a
most absurd one . " 
 i meekly answered that i had spoken without knowing all the
facts . my submission pleased him and led him to further
confidences . 
 " you may be sure , sir , that i have very good grounds before i
come to an opinion . i have seen the boy again and again with his
bundle . every day , and sometimes twice a day , i have been
able -- but wait a moment , dr . watson . do my eyes deceive me , 
or is there at the present moment something moving upon that
hillside ? " 
 it was several miles off , but i could distinctly see a small dark
dot against the dull green and gray . 
 " come , sir , come ! " cried frankland , rushing upstairs . " you
will see with your own eyes and judge for yourself . " 
 the telescope , a formidable instrument mounted upon a tri-
pod , stood upon the flat leads of the house . frankland clapped
his eye to it and gave a cry of satisfaction . 
 " quick , dr . watson , quick , before he passes over the hill ! " 
 there he was , sure enough , a small urchin with a little bundle
upon his shoulder , toiling slowly up the hill . when he reached
the crest i saw the ragged uncouth figure outlined for an instant
against the cold blue sky . he looked round him with a furtive
and stealthy air , as one who dreads pursuit . then he vanished
over the hill . 
 " well ! am i right ? " 
 " certainly , there is a boy who seems to have some secret
errand . " 
 " and what the errand is even a county constable could guess . 
but not one word shall they have from me , and i bind you to
secrecy also , dr . watson . not a word ! you understand ! " 
 " just as you wish . " 
 " they have treated me shamefully -- shamefully . when the facts
come out in frankland v . regina i venture to think that a thrill of
indignation will run through the country . nothing would induce
me to help the police in any way . for all they cared it might
have been me , instead of my effigy , which these rascals burned
at the stake . surely you are not going ! you will help me to
empty the decanter in honour of this great occasion ! " 
 but i resisted all his solicitations and succeeded in dissuading
him from his announced intention of walking home with me . i
kept the road as long as his eye was on me , and then i struck off
across the moor and made for the stony hill over which the boy
had disappeared . everything was working in my favour , and i
swore that it should not be through lack of energy or persever-
ance that i should miss the chance which fortune had thrown in
my way . 
 the sun was already sinking when i reached the summit of the
hill , and the long slopes beneath me were all golden-green on one
side and gray shadow on the other . a haze lay low upon the
farthest sky-line , out of which jutted the fantastic shapes of
belliver and vixen tor . over the wide expanse there was no
sound and no movement . one great gray bird , a gull or curlew , 
soared aloft in the blue heaven . he and i seemed to be the only
living things between the huge arch of the sky and the desert
beneath it . the barren scene , the sense of loneliness , and the
mystery and urgency of my task all struck a chill into my heart . 
the boy was nowhere to be seen . but down beneath me in a cleft
of the hills there was a circle of the old stone huts , and in the
middle of them there was one which retained sufficient roof to
act as a screen against the weather . my heart leaped within me as
i saw it . this must be the burrow where the stranger lurked . at
last my foot was on the threshold of his hiding place -- his secret
was within my grasp . 
 as i approached the hut , walking as warily as stapleton would
do when with poised net he drew near the settled butterfly , i
satisfied myself that the place had indeed been used as a habita-
tion . a vague pathway among the boulders led to the dilapidated
opening which served as a door . all was silent within . the
unknown might be lurking there , or he might be prowling on the
moor . my nerves tingled with the sense of adventure . throwing
aside my cigarette , i closed my hand upon the butt of my
revolver and , walking swiftly up to the door , i looked in . the
place was empty . 
 but there were ample signs that i had not come upon a false
scent . this was certainly where the man lived . some blankets
rolled in a waterproof lay upon that very stone slab upon which
neolithic man had once slumbered . the ashes of a fire were
heaped in a rude grate . beside it lay some cooking utensils and a
bucket half-full of water . a litter of empty tins showed that the
place had been occupied for some time , and i saw , as my eyes
became accustomed to the checkered light , a pannikin and a
half-full bottle of spirits standing in the corner . in the middle of
the hut a flat stone served the purpose of a table , and upon this
stood a small cloth bundle -- the same , no doubt , which i had
seen through the telescope upon the shoulder of the boy . it
contained a loaf of bread , a tinned tongue , and two tins of
preserved peaches . as i set it down again , after having examined
it , my heart leaped to see that beneath it there lay a sheet of
paper with writing upon it . i raised it , and this was what i read , 
roughly scrawled in pencil : " dr . watson has gone to coombe
tracey . " 
 for a minute i stood there with the paper in my hands thinking
out the meaning of this curt message . it was i , then , and not sir
henry , who was being aogged by this secret man . he had not
followed me himself , but he had set an agent -- the boy , perhaps -- 
upon my track , and this was his report . possibly i had taken no
step since i had been upon the moor which had not been observed
and reported . always there was this feeling of an unseen force , a
fine net drawn round us with infinite skill and delicacy , holding
us so lightly that it was only at some supreme moment that one
realized that one was indeed-entangled in its meshes . 
 if there was one report there might be others , so i looked
round the hut in search of them . there was no trace , however , of
anything of the kind , nor could i discover any sign which might
indicate the character or intentions of the man who lived in this
singular place , save that he must be of spartan habits and cared
little for the comforts of life . when i thought of the heavy rains
and looked at the gaping roof i understood how strong and
immutable must be the purpose which had kept him in that
inhospitable abode . was he our malignant enemy , or was he by
chance our guardian angel ? i swore that i would not leave the hut
until i knew . 
 outside the sun was sinking low and the west was blazing
with scarlet and gold . its reflection was shot back in ruddy
patches by the distant pools which lay amid the great grimpen
mire . there were the two towers of baskerville hall , and there a
distant blur of smoke which marked the village of grimpen . 
between the two , behind the hill , was the house of the stapletons . 
all was sweet and mellow and peaceful in the golden evening
light , and yet as i looked at them my soul shared none of the
peace of nature but quivered at the vagueness and the terror of
that interview which every instant was bringing nearer . with
tingling nerves but a fixed purpose , i sat in the dark recess of the
hut and waited with sombre patience for the coming of its tenant . 
 and then at last i heard him . far away came the sharp clink of
a boot striking upon a stone . then another and yet another , 
coming nearer and nearer . i shrank back into the darkest corner
and cocked the pistol in my pocket , determined not to discover
myself until i had an opportunity of seeing something of the
stranger . there was a long pause which showed that he had
stopped . then once more the footsteps approached and a shadow
fell across the opening of the hut . 
 " it is a lovely evening , my dear watson , " said a well-known
voice . " i really think that you will be more comfortable outside
than in . " 

      chapter 12
     death on the moor

 for a moment or two i sat breathless , hardly able to believe
my ears . then my senses and my voice came back to me , while
a crushing weight of responsibility seemed in an instant to be
lifted from my soul . that cold , incisive , ironical voice could
belong to but one man in all the world . 
 " holmes ! " i cried -- " holmes ! " 
 " come out , " said he , " and please be careful with the revolver . " 
 i stooped under the rude lintel , and there he sat upon a stone
outside , his gray eyes dancing with amusement as they fell upon
my astonished features . he was thin and worn , but clear and
alert , his keen face bronzed by the sun and roughened by the
wind . in his tweed suit and cloth cap he looked like any other
tourist upon the moor , and he had contrived , with that catlike
love of personal cleanliness which was one of his characteristics , 
that his chin should be as smooth and his linen as perfect as if he
were in baker street . 
 " i never was more glad to see anyone in my life , " said i as i
wrung him by the hand . 
 " or more astonished , eh ? " 
 " well , i must confess to it . " 
 " the surprise was not all on one side , i assure you . i had no
idea that you had found my occasional retreat , still less that you
were inside it , until i was within twenty paces of the door . " 
 " my footprint , i presume ? " 
 " no , watson , i fear that i could not undertake to recognize
your footprint amid all the footprints of the world . if you seri-
ously desire to deceive me you must change your tobacconist ; for
when i see the stub of a cigarette marked bradley , oxford street , 
i know that my friend watson is in the neighbourhood . you will
see it there beside the path . you threw it down , no doubt , at that
supreme moment when you charged into the empty hut . " 
 " exactly . " 
 " i thought as much -- and knowing your admirable tenacity i
was convinced that you were sitting in ambush , a weapon within
reach , waiting for the tenant to return . so you actually thought
that i was the criminal ? " 
 " i did not know who you were , but i was determined to find
out . " 
 " excellent , watson ! and how did you localize me ? you saw
me , perhaps , on the night of the convict hunt , when i was so
imprudent as to allow the moon to rise behind me ? " 
 " yes , i saw you then . " 
 " and have no doubt searched all the huts until you came to
this one ? " 
 " no , your boy had been observed , and that gave me a guide
where to look . " 
 " the old gentleman with the telescope , no doubt . i could not
make it out when first i saw the light flashing upon the lens . " 
he rose and peeped into the hut . " ha , i see that cartwright has
brought up some supplies . what 's this paper ? so you have been
to coombe tracey , have you ? " 
 " yes . " 
 " to see mrs . laura lyons ? " 
 " exactly . " 
 " well done ! our researches have evidently been running on
parallel lines , and when we unite our results i expect we shall
have a fairly full knowledge of the case . " 
 " well , i am glad from my heart that you are here , for indeed
the responsibility and the mystery were both becoming too much
for my nerves . but how in the name of wonder did you come
here , and what have you been doing ? i thought that you were in
baker street working out that case of blackmailing . " 
 " that was what i wished you to think . " 
 " then you use me , and yet do not trust me ! " i cried with
some bitterness . " i think that i have deserved better at your
hands , holmes . " 
 " my dear fellow , you have been invaluable to me in this as in
many other cases , and i beg that you will forgive me if i have
seemed to play a trick upon you . in truth , it was partly for your
own sake that i did it , and it was my appreciation of the danger
which you ran which led me to come down and examine the
matter for myself . had i been with sir henry and you it is
confident that my point of view would have been the same as
yours , and my presence would have warned our very formidable
opponents to be on their guard . as it is , i have been able to get
about as i could not possibly have done had i been living in the
hall , and i remain an unknown factor in the business , ready to
throw in all my weight at a critical moment . " 
 " but why keep me in the dark ? " 
 " for you to know could not have helped us and might possi-
bly have led to my discovery . you would have wished to tell me
something , or in your kindness you would have brought me out
some comfort or other , and so an unnecessary risk would be run . 
i brought cartwright down with me -- you remember the little
chap at the express office -- and he has seen after my simple
wants : a loaf of bread and a clean collar . what does man want
more ? he has given me an extra pair of eyes upon a very active
pair of feet , and both have been invaluable . " 
 " then my reports have all been wasted ! " -- my voice trem-
bled as i recalled the pains and the pride with which i had
composed them . 
 holmes took a bundle of papers from his pocket . 
 " here are your reports , my dear fellow , and very well thumbed , 
i assure you . i made excellent arrangements , and they are only
delayed one day upon their way . i must compliment you ex-
ceedingly upon the zeal and the intelligence which you have
shown over an extraordinarily difficult case . " 
 i was still rather raw over the deception which had been
practised upon me , but the warmth of holmes 's praise drove my
anger from my mind . i felt also in my heart that he was right in
what he said and that it was really best for our purpose that i
should not have known that he was upon the moor . 
 " that 's better , " said he , seeing the shadow rise from my
face . " and now tell me the result of your visit to mrs . laura
lyons -- it was not difficult for me to guess that it was to see her
that you had gone , for i am already aware that she is the one
person in coombe tracey who might be of service to us in the
matter . in fact , if you had not gone to-day it is exceedingly
probable that i should have gone to-morrow . " 
 the sun had set and dusk was settling over the moor . the air
had turned chill and we withdrew into the hut for warmth . there
sitting together in the twilight , i told holmes of my conversation
with the lady . so interested was he that i had to repeat some of it
twice before he was satisfied . 
 " this is most important , " said he when i had concluded . " it
fills up a gap which i had been unable to bridge in this most
complex affair . you are aware , perhaps , that a close intimacy
exists between this lady and the man stapleton ? " 
 " i did not know of a close intimacy . " 
 " there can be no doubt about the matter . they meet , they
write , there is a complete understanding between them . now , 
this puts a very powerful weapon into our hands . if i could only
use it to detach his wife " 
 " his wife ? " 
 " i am giving you some information now , in return for all that
you have given me . the lady who has passed here as miss
stapleton is in reality his wife . " 
 " good heavens , holmes ! are you sure of what you say ? how
could he have permitted sir henry to fall in love with her ? " 
 " sir henry 's falling in love could do no harm to anyone
except sir henry . he took particular care that sir henry did not
make love to her , as you have yourself observed . i repeat that the
lady is his wife and not his sister . " 
 " but why this elaborate deception ? " 
 " because he foresaw that she would be very much more
useful to him in the character of a free woman . " 
 all my unspoken instincts , my vague suspicions , suddenly
took shape and centred upon the naturalist . in that impassive
colourless man , with his straw hat and his butterfly-net , i seemed
to see something terrible -- a creature of infinite patience and
craft , with a smiling face and a murderous heart . 
 " it is he , then , who is our enemy -- it is he who dogged us in
london ? " 
 " so i read the riddle . " 
 " and the warning -- it must have come from her ! " 
 " exactly . " 
 the shape of some monstrous villainy , half seen , half guessed , 
loomed through the darkness which had girt me so long . 
 " but are you sure of this , holmes ? how do you know that the
woman is his wife ? " 
 " because he so far forgot himself as to tell you a true piece of
autobiography upon the occasion when he first met you , and i
dare say he has many a time regretted it since . he was once a
schoolmaster in the north of england . now , there is no one more
easy to trace than a schoolmaster . there are scholastic agencies
by which one may identify any man who has been in the
profession . a little investigation showed me that a school had
come to grief under atrocious circumstances , and that the man
who had owned it -- the name was different -- had disappeared
with his wife . the descriptions agreed . when i learned that the
missing man was devoted to entomology the identification was
complete . " 
 the darkness was rising , but much was still hidden by the
shadows . 
 " if this woman is in truth his wife , where does mrs . laura
lyons come in ? " i asked . 
 " that is one of the points upon which your own researches
have shed a light . your interview with the lady has cleared the
situation very much . i did not know about a projected divorce
between herself and her husband . in that case , regarding stapleton
as an unmarried man , she counted no doubt upon becoming his
wife . " 
 " and when she is undeceived ? " 
 " why , then we may find the lady of service . it must be our
first duty to see her -- both of us -- to-morrow . don ' t you think , 
watson , that you are away from your charge rather long ? your
place should be at baskerville hall . " 
 the last red streaks had faded away in the west and night had
settled upon the moor . a few faint stars were gleaming in a
violet sky . 
 " one last question , holmes , " i said as i rose . " surely there
is no need of secrecy between you and me . what is the meaning
of it all ? what is he after ? " 
 holmes 's voice sank as he answered : 
 " it is murder , watson -- refined , cold-blooded , deliberate mur-
der . do not ask me for particulars . my nets are closing upon
him , even as his are upon sir henry , and with your help he is
already almost at my mercy . there is but one danger which can
threaten us . it is that he should strike before we are ready to do
so . another day -- two at the most -- and i have my case com-
plete , but until then guard your charge as closely as ever a fond
mother watched her ailing child . your mission to-day has justi-
fied itself , and yet i could almost wish that you had not left his
side . hark ! " 
 a terrible scream -- a prolonged yell of horror and anguish
burst out of the silence of the moor . that frightful cry turned the
blood to ice in my veins . 
 " oh , my god ! " i gasped . " what is it ? what does it mean ? " 
 holmes had sprung to his feet , and i saw his dark , athletic
outline at the door of the hut , his shoulders stooping , his head
thrust forward , his face peering into the darkness . 
 " hush ! " he whispered . " hush ! " 
 the cry had been loud on account of its vehemence , but it had
pealed out from somewhere far off on the shadowy plain . now it
burst upon our ears , nearer , louder , more urgent than before . 
 " where is it ? " holmes whispered ; and i knew from the thrill
of his voice that he , the man of iron , was shaken to the soul . 
 " where is it , watson ? " 
 " there , i think . " i pointed into the darkness . 
 " no , there ! " 
 again the agonized cry swept through the silent night , louder
and much nearer than ever . and a new sound mingled with it , a
deep , muttered rumble , musical and yet menacing , rising and
falling like the low , constant murmur of the sea . 
 " the hound ! " cried holmes . " come , watson , come ! great
heavens , if we are too late ! " 
 he had started running swiftly over the moor , and i had
followed at his heels . but now from somewhere among the
broken ground immediately in front of us there came one last
despairing yell , and then a dull , heavy thud . we halted and
listened . not another sound broke the heavy silence of the
windless night . 
 i saw holmes put his hand to his forehead like a man dis-
tracted . he stamped his feet upon the ground . 
 " he has beaten us , watson . we are too late . " 
 " no , no , surely not ! " 
 " fool that i was to hold my hand . and you , watson , see what
comes of abandoning your charge ! but , by heaven , if the worst
has happened we ' ll avenge him ! " 
 blindly we ran through the gloom , blundering against boul-
ders , forcing our way through gorse bushes , panting up hills and
rushing down slopes , heading always in the direction whence
those dreadful sounds had come . at every rise holmes looked
eagerly round him , but the shadows were thick upon the moor , 
and nothing moved upon its dreary face . 
 " can you see anything ? " 
 " nothing . " 
 " but , hark , what is that ? " 
 a low moan had fallen upon our ears . there it was again upon
our left ! on that side a ridge of rocks ended in a sheer cliff
which overlooked a stone-strewn slope . on its jagged face was
spread-eagled some dark , irregular object . as we ran towards it
the vague outline hardened into a definite shape . it was a pros-
trate man face downward upon the ground , the head doubled
under him at a horrible angle , the shoulders rounded and the
body hunched together as if in the act of throwing a somersault . 
so grotesque was the attitude that i could not for the instant
realize that that moan had been the passing of his soul . not a
whisper , not a rustle , rose now from the dark figure over which
we stooped . holmes laid his hand upon him and held it up again
with an exclamation of horror . the gleam of the match which he
struck shone upon his clotted fingers and upon the ghastly pool
which widened slowly from the crushed skull of the victim . and
it shone upon something else which turned our hearts sick and
faint within us -- the body of sir henry baskerville ! 
 there was no chance of either of us forgetting that peculiar
ruddy tweed suit -- the very one which he had worn on the first
morning that we had seen him in baker street . we caught the
one clear glimpse of it , and then the match flickered and went
out , even as the hope had gone out of our souls . holmes
groaned , and his face glimmered white through the darkness . 
 " the brute ! the brute ! " i cried with clenched hands . " oh
holmes , i shall never forgive myself for having left him to his
fate . " 
 " i am more to blame than you , watson . in order to have my
case well rounded and complete , i have thrown away the life of
my client . it is the greatest blow which has befallen me in my
career . but how could i know -- how could l know -- that he
would risk his life alone upon the moor in the face of all my
warnings ? " 
 " that we should have heard his screams -- my god , those
screams ! -- and yet have been unable to save him ! where is this
brute of a hound which drove him to his death ? it may be lurking
among these rocks at this instant . and stapleton , where is he ? 
he shall answer for this deed . " 
 " he shall . i will see to that . uncle and nephew have been
murdered -- the one frightened to death by the very sight of a
beast which he thought to be supernatural , the other driven to his
end in his wild flight to escape from it . but now we have to
prove the connection between the man and the beast . save from
what we heard , we cannot even swear to the existence of the
latter , since sir henry has evidently died from the fall . but , by
heavens , cunning as he is , the fellow shall be in my power
before another day is past ! " 
 we stood with bitter hearts on either side of the mangled body , 
overwhelmed by this sudden and irrevocable disaster which had
brought all our long and weary labours to so piteous an end . 
then as the moon rose we climbed to the top of the rocks over
which our poor friend had fallen , and from the summit we gazed
out over the shadowy moor , half silver and half gloom . far
away , miles off , in the direction of grimpen , a single steady
yellow light was shining . it could only come from the lonely
abode of the stapletons . with a bitter curse i shook my fist at it
as i gazed . 
 " why should we not seize him at once ? " 
 " our case is not complete . the fellow is wary and cunning to
the last degree . it is not what we know , but what we can prove . 
if we make one false move the villain may escape us yet . " 
 " what can we do ? " 
 " there will be plenty for us to do to-morrow . to-night we
can only perform the last offices to our poor friend . " 
 together we made our way down the precipitous slope and
approached the body , black and clear against the silvered stones . 
the agony of those contorted limbs struck me with a spasm of
pain and blurred my eyes with tears . 
 " we must send for help , holmes ! we cannot carry him all the
way to the hall . good heavens , are you mad ? " 
 he had uttered a cry and bent over the body . now he was
dancing and laughing and wringing my hand . could this be my
stern , self-contained friend ? these were hidden fires , indeed ! 
 " a beard ! a beard ! the man has a beard ! " 
 " a beard ? " 
 " it is not the baronet -- it is -- why , it is my neighbour , the
convict ! " 
 with feverish haste we had turned the body over , and that
dripping beard was pointing up to the cold , clear moon . there
could be no doubt about the beetling forehead , the sunken animal
eyes . it was indeed the same face which had glared upon me in
the light of the candle from over the rock -- the face of selden , 
the criminal . 
 then in an instant it was all clear to me . i remembered how
the baronet had told me that he had handed his old wardrobe to
barrymore . barrymore had passed it on in order to help selden
in his escape . boots , shirt , cap -- it was all sir henry 's . the
tragedy was still black enough , but this man had at least de-
served death by the laws of his country . i told holmes how the
matter stood , my heart bubbling over with thankfulness and joy . 
 " then the clothes have been the poor devil 's death , " said he . 
 " it is clear enough that the hound has been laid on from some
article of sir henry 's -- the boot which was abstracted in the
hotel , in all probability -- and so ran this man down . there is one
very singular thing , however : how came selden , in the dark-
ness , to know that the hound was on his trail ? " 
 " he heard him . " 
 " to hear a hound upon the moor would not work a hard man
like this convict into such a paroxysm of terror that he would risk
recapture by screaming wildly for help . by his cries he must
have run a long way after he knew the animal was on his track . 
how did he know ? " 
 " a greater mystery to me is why this hound , presuming that
all our conjectures are correct -- " 
 " i presume nothing . " 
 " well , then , why this hound should be loose to-night . i
suppose that it does not always run loose upon the moor . stapleton
would not let it go unless he had reason to think that sir henry
would be there . " 
 " my difficulty is the more formidable of the two , for i think
that we shall very shortly get an explanation of yours , while
mine may remain forever a mystery . the question now is , what
shall we do with this poor wretch 's body ? we cannot leave it
here to the foxes and the ravens . " 
 " i suggest that we put it in one of the huts until we can
communicate with the police . " 
 " exactly . i have no doubt that you and i could carry it so far . 
halloa , watson , what 's this ? it 's the man himself , by all that ' s
wonderful and audacious ! not a word to show yow suspicions -- 
not a word , or my plans crumble to the ground . " 
 a figure was approaching us over the moor , and i saw the dull
red glow of a cigar . the moon shone upon him , and i could
distinguish the dapper shape and jaunty walk of the naturalist . 
he stopped when he saw us , and then came on again . 
 " why , dr . watson , that 's not you , is it ? you are the last man
that i should have expected to see out on the moor at this time of
night . but , dear me , what 's this ? somebody hurt ? not -- don ' t
tell me that it is our friend sir henry ! " he hurried past me and
stooped over the dead man . i heard a sharp intake of his breath
and the cigar fell from his fingers . 
 " who -- who 's this ? " he stammered . 
 " it is selden , the man who escaped from princetown . " 
 stapleton turned a ghastly face upon us , but by a supreme
effort he had overcome his amazement and his disappointment . 
he looked sharply from holmes to me . 
 " dear me ! what a very shocking affair ! how did he die ? " 
 " he appears to have broken his neck by falling over these
rocks . my friend and i were strolling on the moor when we
heard a cry . " 
 " i heard a cry also . that was what brought me out . i was
uneasy about sir henry . " 
 " why about sir henry in particular ? " i could not help asking . 
 " because i had suggested that he should come over . when he
did not come i was surprised , and i naturally became alarmed for
his safety when i heard cries upon the moor . by the way " -- his
eyes darted again from my face to holmes 's -- " did you hear
anything else besides a cry ? " 
 " no , " said holmes ; " did you ? " 
 " no . " 
 " what do you mean , then ? " 
 " oh , you know the stories that the peasants tell about a
phantom hound , and so on . it is said to be heard at night upon
the moor . i was wondering if there were any evidence of such a
sound to-night . " 
 " we heard nothing of the kind , " said i . 
 " and what is your theory of this poor fellow 's death ? " 
 " i have no doubt that anxiety and exposure have driven him
off his head . he has rushed about the moor in a crazy state and
eventually fallen over here and broken his neck . " 
 " that seems the most reasonable theory , " said stapleton , and
he gave a sigh which i took to indicate his relief . " what do you
think about it , mr . sherlock holmes ? " 
 my friend bowed his compliments . 
 " you are quick at identification , " said he . 
 " we have been expecting you in these parts since dr . watson
came down . you are in time to see a tragedy . " 
 " yes , indeed . i have no doubt that my friend 's explanation
will cover the facts . i will take an unpleasant remembrance back
to london with me to-morrow . " 
 " oh , you return to-morrow ? " 
 " that is my intention . " 
 " i hope your visit has cast some light upon those occurrences
which have puzzled us ? " 
 holmes shrugged his shoulders . 
 " one cannot alway