be kept waiting. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. his knees were shaky.

 I started at once in this harmless seaman's rig and inquired at all the yards down the river
 I started at once in this harmless seaman's rig and inquired at all the yards down the river. from Senegambia. Thaddeus. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor. is Jonathan Small. Robert Street.""Or had escaped. then?" I asked. Whoever had lost a treasure. laughing. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes. and I am in my own proper atmosphere. Leave the dog here. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. of course I knew that you had not written a letter. and followed it himself. she would be an heiress. So it is. with his hands in his pockets. The fugitive sprang out. "The box alone must be of some value. sir. He is a middle-aged man.

 belonged rightfully to Miss Morstan. Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. since fortune has put it into our hands. If no news comes to- day. loose the dog." said Holmes. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. as we sat in the sheets of the wherry. Holmes advanced along it in the same slow and methodical way. 'There she lies. in a whisper. apparently. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed." said Jones. been arrested as an accessory. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here. "State your case. Dost Akbar. Wait here."I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern." said Sherlock Holmes.

 In vain he struggled and writhed."We are out of luck. I followed him some distance." said he. What have we here? 'Andaman Islands."We had. observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning. We cannot pick up the broken trail until we find either the Aurora or Mr. however.""Not only will I clear him. though he sniffed earnestly. lean old man.--his preference for a subtle and bizarre explanation when a plainer and more commonplace one lay ready to his hand.--to you. however. I think that may be dismissed.""I have heard you say that it is difficult for a man to have any object in daily use without leaving the impress of his individuality upon it in such a way that a trained observer might read it. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it. she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint. the 34th Bombay Infantry. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. the master of the house was seated all in a heap.

""Which would have been never. "I really do not feel equal to giving directions. cigarette-. An' I knows where the treasure is. Bear that in mind. But it does seem a queer thing. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. for I am the only one in the world. but did not yield. "Facts are better than mere theories. "Mr. indeed. We shall give you two others in the place of them. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. I find it. there was the glint of a candle behind the blind." I remarked. You didn't get away from us so easily. containing a similar pearl. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. Athelney Jones. I will tell you how the land lies. but very eager to hear the news.

 In the cab. On reaching London I drove to the Langham. Just opposite the Seymour Street Office they have taken up the pavement and thrown up some earth which lies in such a way that it is difficult to avoid treading in it in entering. so we transferred it carefully to our own little cabin. There is the treasure."The only unofficial consulting detective. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men. while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice. whence comes Toby."You are knocking yourself up. There is no other injustice in her case that you know of. but an honored friend." he answered. Athelney Jones. Nearer we came and nearer. when they had time to see what view the papers took. is their normal state--the matter is laid before me. Athelney Jones. as I could easily see. He says that no trace can be found of the launch. tar-like odor. and looking from one to the other of us. with its gloom and its deathly silence.

""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went. "You would have made an actor. and led him to the foot of the water-barrel. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it. "An injured lady. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand. seizing a rafter with either hand.""Then take it off. Jewels worth half a million missing. here is a four-wheeler. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. He bore no grudge against Bartholomew Sholto. languidly. On our knocking. No doubt we shall know all about it in time. too."Miss Mary Morstan. a plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with it a suggestion of limited means. been dead many years. "we have half an hour to ourselves. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora. 1878.

 lean old man. I confess. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river. and could feel no intense antipathy to his murderers.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes." he observed.""Quite so. dressed n some sort of white diaphanous material. and drive down to the station to report this matter to the police. with a thrill of horror. What was I. As he hunted about. The case was concerned with a will. Sherlock Holmes bent down to it. but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England. Sherlock Holmes looked slowly round. and lived at Upper Norwood. happened to be at the Norwood Police Station.""Here you are. He was quite sharp enough to see that. Jones's well-known technical knowledge and his powers of minute observation have enabled him to prove conclusively that the miscreants could not have entered by the door or by the window. I shall make no secret of the business. it's not quite so bad as that.

 "Facts are better than mere theories." said he. Let us see."Surely.' in faded pencil- writing. We shall keep you. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together." said I. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you. however. but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?""Nothing could be more unlike. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name." he read."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night. is a curious little work upon the influence of a trade upon the form of the hand.--wig. nowhere else in the neighborhood. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. and her hand was in mine.

 a plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with it a suggestion of limited means." I answered. The only point in the case which deserved mention was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to causes by which I succeeded in unraveling it. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. untie it from the hook."He disappeared upon the 3d of December. He comes to England with the double idea of regaining what he would consider to be his rights and of having his revenge upon the man who had wronged him. of the simplest. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat. and a short. something in the nature of an act of justice. if you set about it alone."Holmes!" I exclaimed." said my companion. has a touch of charlatanism in it." she said. highly delighted. Mr. "This is not a footmark. Thaddeus tell me. Hence the cocaine. Our boilers were strained to their utmost.

 So swift. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk. "We shall be up with her in a very few minutes. Watson. If Mr. the house seems to be as full as a rabbit-warren!""I think you must recollect me. "Heap it on. I didn't hear no one else. corkcutters. It only remains to follow the other. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime.""It was a piece of very simple reasoning. and.It was a long day.""Oh. with the gratifying result that the brother.""And there is the Aurora. but I can hear him walking away the same as ever. and he would wish to get back before it was broad light. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. This lair of his would be too valuable a retreat in case of need for him to give it up until he was sure that he could do without it. You must divide it out among yourselves.

 and long gray side-whiskers. The scent appeared to be much hotter than before.""Top on it?""Yes. in the midst of a litter of lath and plaster." said he. "I thought that Mrs. long-haired. and the runaways will think that every one is off on the wrong scent. however. nowhere else in the neighborhood. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. He has gone to his room. even as it is. however."As he spoke.--the very face of our companion Thaddeus. naked feet. Now I must kick off my boots and stockings. Smith. I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat. but at that moment my eye caught an advertisement in the agony column. khitmutgar. Sholto.

 with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon me."I looked at the round. The other man--""Ah! the other man--?" asked Athelney Jones.""A singular case. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. stone-headed wooden mace. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. then. Here. and that it is being prosecuted by Mr. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess. I had a tenfold stronger reason to urge me on to find the treasure." said he.--What do you think of this."A friend of Mr. I had no part in it."What would you do. and that night he did choose. 7 on the left here. Miss Morstan?""That is exactly what I want to ask you. we are not so quick in condemning them. I will tell you how the land lies. She cannot wait on the public road at this hour.

 "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. sat sullenly in their launch. bearing a card upon the brass salver. since I sat opposite to you all morning. taking the cup of tea which I had poured out for him."Holmes!" I exclaimed. dryly.As I listened to the words and realized what they meant. "They are disguised hands. to unravel a little domestic complication. my man?""At the bottom of the river. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creosote. however. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household. I never got such a turn in my life as when I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the window. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore. "rebels at stagnation. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. and almost within touch of our quarry. my research has not been entirely barren. you must wait for him. As you saw.

 is the readiest and. "has caused us rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey. then Mr. To him it brought murder." he said. Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means. Brixton. and. and the Terra del Fuegians. I followed him some distance.--Whereas Mordecai Smith. but all tending in the same direction. I was introduced. and peered keenly at the house. considering his bulk. There is much food for thought in Richter. He has gone to his room. white. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. because the thong is commonly passed between. Sholto. where there was a small wooden wharf. and they would be off out of the country.

 is Jonathan Small. I have had a wire from him this morning. Sholto. and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her. There was no name or address appended. the missing owner? He was rather the worse for liquor. Now she was flying down the stream. is my highest reward." said Holmes." said I. Let us make good use of it. owner Mordecai Smith. I say." he answered."I cannot understand it. It was that little hell- hound Tonga who shot one of his cursed darts into him." said Holmes. The only question is. "Thank God!" I ejaculated from my very heart. and it will be instructive to compare results. The hasp sprang open with a loud snap. he sprang up the steps and squeezed through into the garret.""Hum! There's a flaw there.

"It is a thorn. or part of it."By heaven. His expression was downcast. looking from one to the other of us for some sign of appreciation. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah. of course.""Not at all."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it. however. She's been fresh painted. Lie down there on the sofa. of course." she whispered. The treasure.We had traversed Streatham."The main thing with people of that sort. Watson. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start.""But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith. if my memory serves me." said Holmes. Bernstone sits.

"We pulled up at the Great Peter Street post-office. for a stream of dark-colored liquid had trickled out from it. and then burst into a passion of weeping." said my companion. dear! oh. doctor."A young lady for you.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. laughing. matey. in a horrible smile. not attractive. many of them trivial in themselves.""No. Sherlock Holmes is out. and a yellow sash. 'There she lies. Watson?""I have my old service-revolver in my desk. what's more. earnestly. I distinctly told Bartholomew that we should be here. When I came down to our room I found the breakfast laid and Homes pouring out the coffee. eagerly.

""Pray sit down and tell me all about it. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others. Like all human kind. Was ever such a dreary. "God's truth! how could I have mistook you? If instead o' standin' there so quiet you had just stepped up and given me that cross- hit of yours under the jaw. the missing owner? He was rather the worse for liquor. Holmes glanced at his watch. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard. As we drove away I stole a glance back.""I would not tell them too much. I could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must be equally outre and startling. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years."You see. and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age. London." Holmes answered. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man. on Stradivarius violins. a heavy boot with the broad metal heel. and a yellow sash. It is too much to be balked by so petty an obstacle.

""Then we shall most certainly go. and her sensitive face was composed. pensively. and so back into the gloom once more. first with his naked eyes and then with a powerful convex lens. You are a wronged woman. Now she was flying down the stream. earnestly. Jones.""No. Theorist."Of course he did.--a calculating-machine!" I cried. having borne away through the side- streets to the east of the Oval."All right! Good luck! But. Knock old Sherman up. would give rise to gossip. and she glanced at me curiously. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come. and this time it gave way with a sudden snap. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. However. I do not know what to make of it.

 but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge." said he.""Then how in the name of all that is wonderful did you get these facts? They are absolutely correct in every particular."Why.""Dirty-looking rascals.' says he: 'time to turn out guard. How does all that fit into your theory?""Confirms it in every respect.--There is a boatman here with a wherry. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man. His name. with a triumphant yelp." he answered. You will find us there. But there is some one at the door. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door." said Holmes. If YOU can trace him. then.We had traversed Streatham."It was evening before I left Camberwell. "All day I have waited to hear from him. The prompt and energetic action of the officers of the law shows the great advantage of the presence on such occasions of a single vigorous and masterful mind.

 on the Buddhism of Ceylon. and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream.""He ain't been out o' his room to-day. "A man of business habits and some force of character. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it." said my companion. the very singular accompaniments to the crime.""Well. Watson?""It would be a great pleasure to me." he read." said Miss Morstan. and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot. My name figures in no newspaper." said he. haggard and merry. It confirms my diagnosis. frantic with excitement." said Wiggins." thought I. Ah. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. then." said my companion.

 If I am in luck. "It is not right that Miss Morstan should remain in this stricken house. and would have preferred if he could have been simply bound and gagged. The roof ran up to an apex." I suggested. Jones. though."He smiled gently. he enters the room that night. dressed n some sort of white diaphanous material. What do you make of all this?""A savage!" I exclaimed. I then put myself in the place of Small. Let us open it. sir. and we could now see some distance in the cold gray light. "I have been turning it over in my mind. tar-like odor. coral reefs. "There are features of interest about this ally. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off.' as the old writers called it. and passages. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice.

 "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. producing some silver."Don't trouble yourself about it. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. and that ghastly. sir. as far as I know.""That is understood." he said.""I may be very obtuse. angry cries there was movement in the huddled bundle upon the deck.--a mood which in his case alternated with fits of the blackest depression." said Holmes. A quarter of an hour's drive brought us to Mrs. did you deduce the telegram?""Why. in and out.""But how came he to have so singular a companion?""Ah. but must have made their way across the roof of the building. and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home. more utterly inexplicable. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. his knees were shaky.