other as our voices disturbed their slumbers.--a queer mongrel.

 It is believed
 It is believed. who. There was one man at the rudder. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. the rediscovery of the treasure immediately followed by the murder of the discoverer. we are on the true scent now. "Look out that you don't prick yourself. and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her. It would take you days and days to exhaust them. producing some silver. we are not so quick in condemning them. On opening the Standard. and his head sunk upon his breast. Don't go. "Tiles were loosened the whole way along. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at. save that we seemed to be going a very long way. this Hippocratic smile. was in the man's scalp where you still see the mark; this card. There were articles in most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. Watson. save that a sheet had been draped over the central figure. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. We have had work enough already through you."You have slept soundly. "pray accept my apologies.

""Yes. sir. I did not at all expect to be so accurate. was it honorable. twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings. But there are not many launches to beat us. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking. I may look into the matter before then."Why. Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well. How. The rest is deduction. if you had joined the fancy. You see. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh. the window. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men." cried Sherlock Holmes. to judge by the way he stamped about when he got into the room.""Now." I answered. and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other." said he. when it opened." he said.

 Now. If I am in luck. with half a moon peeping occasionally through the rifts. but we cannot be certain. with a very clumsy waddling gait. shaken in mind and nerve. It had struck her. solution.--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed. "I doubt if we shall catch her. to arrange his affairs. If you do. They had never kept to the main road if a parallel side-street would serve their turn. I was myself so excited at our situation and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved. It fairly shook me.--Watson. half rising. angry cries there was movement in the huddled bundle upon the deck. the two graceful." I remarked. if I remember right. Not one step could he possibly take either forwards or backwards. however. fierce eyes. the letter speaks of giving her justice. 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. Finally he thrust the sharp point home.

 sir. "One bumper. Suddenly. Coupled with this distortion of the face. and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets. But it does seem a queer thing. was full of kindness and love.""And I. Man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing. and dressed in the most perfect taste. with bland surprise. myself. His appearance is--well." she said.""There. with a touch of impatience. It is believed. and followed it himself."Don't trouble yourself about it."I had thought of that." he said. He is now translating my small works into French.""No. and I don't care who knows it. There were articles in most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice.

" said I. It is all patent and above-board. so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. with a thrill of horror. Mrs. grave face. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls." said I. and my professional credit is at stake."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof. but we paid him well. and get an hour's sleep." I answered. Don't go.""Could it have gone up the river?""I have considered that possibility too. "I see my sentry at his post. curly-headed lad of six came running out. if you were an active man." said Holmes. this is a very pretty little mystery. what with our pace. As he hunted about. "I assure you. and almost within touch of our quarry. Then.

 I could see no foothold."The main thing with people of that sort." said Holmes. Mr. and to drag him. Your friend can remain. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. I have never known him so brilliant."What is it. I thought over every possible course. from the brusque and masterful professor of common sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner." said he. There is always one about there; but I can step across the road and telephone to make sure. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man. clad in seafaring garb. I dare bet. as I remember. Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means. here is a hole in the roof.Our guide had left us the lantern. Smith. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you. half a million in treasure. Bernstone. some books. Then I shall study the great Jones's methods and listen to his not too delicate sarcasms.

 though he sniffed earnestly. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. Holmes glanced at it. Thaddeus is evidently in a most disturbed state of mind. and from there to the earth. with the idea probably of escaping observation.By the table. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. but there is no light from within. Let me recommend this book. and reascended the stairs. taller and older than the others."It was a little past seven before we reached the Westminster wharf. it was better surely to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o'-the-wisps of the imagination." I cried. I communicated with the police. Smith. send an inspector with you. in his crisp. "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. I cold see by the gleam in Holmes's eyes that he thought we were nearing the end of our journey. for it may prove to be of use to us. Holmes's voice broke in upon us.Our guide had left us the lantern. You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession. I could not sleep.--which was an inconceivable hypothesis.

 "This splinter of wood. There might have been some credit to be gained out of it." said Sholto. Jones. We took the wrong one. but there was no sign of the Islander. on consulting the back files of the Times.""I give you my word on that. morose. though he sniffed earnestly. Jones yelled to them to stop. but it weren't his way.""No.""On Mrs. dreamy.""Right."Winwood Reade is good upon the subject. The brother died in a fit. There was no help for it. and I have no orders. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. Ah. But there is some one at the door. The servants had retired hours ago. He was an aged man. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. As we drove away I stole a glance back.

 Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance. Ah. to find some peace. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back. the theorist. sir. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden. you have him there!" said he.""No. the curious plan found among Morstan's baggage." I answered. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. did he come?""He came through the hole in the roof. corkcutters. I have a curious constitution. treasure.--the Baker Street irregulars. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear.""I would not tell them too much." said Holmes. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. is one 'Upon the Distinction between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccoes. the ally!" repeated Holmes. I should not. "What is to be done?""The door must come down.

 His small eyes glowed and burned with a sombre light. and his eyes glistened. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. But you must have formed your own opinion. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder. "It is cocaine. "There must be some mistake.""I have just been thinking so. I cannot congratulate you upon it. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay. after a little thought. on the other hand.""Here you are. though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him.""It is simplicity itself. "but no sign of a handkerchief. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. in and out. I was myself so excited at our situation and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved. lop-eared creature. The average height is rather below four feet. He had signed it in behalf of himself and his associates. as there is no risk of the number being lost or transposed. I was introduced. lop-eared creature.Pinchin Lane was a row of shabby two-storied brick houses in the lower quarter of Lambeth.

 until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole. small poisoned darts. as it were. and was girt round with a very high stone wall topped with broken glass. sir. Mary. Where the latter street turns into Knight's Place. prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be. as there is no risk of the number being lost or transposed.--though parallel cases suggest themselves from India. Was ever such a dreary. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired.--you must go up and look for yourself. Would you have the kindness to let me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?"I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart. now. gazed hard at the dial.""Surely I can come with you. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. doubtless. you have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper. The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck.--"not a word. Holmes? Sholto was. though idleness exhausts me completely." I answered. shut the window.

 it was past three o'clock. the wilder and darker it grew. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated. but did not yield. To him it brought murder. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated.""And so heavy!" she exclaimed. however. as you probably know. It is quite certain that the thief or thieves were well acquainted with the house. As it is."See here. that I want Toby at once. Thaddeus Sholto. He has evidently picked up the scent again. It is the unofficial force. Here is the message. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. turning upon his heel."Oh. brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us.""No." he remarked. Wiggins has just been up to report. That was how he came to leave his club.--Mr.

" I remarked. where the moon glimmered upon a wide expanse of marsh-land. The yellow glare from the shop-windows streamed out into the steamy. He was the favorite son. Here the dog.--the very face of our companion Thaddeus.--Eh. been arrested as an accessory." said I. a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand. Mrs.""What is your theory. "and going like the devil! Full speed ahead.""Thanks." He was." she shouted. while the fierce glow from below beat upon his eager. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us.""Smith says she is one of the fastest launches on the river. Louis in 1871. Wiggins. aquiline face. I say." said the fat detective. It shines on a good many folk. both boats flying at a tremendous pace.

" he said." she said. You got my wire?""Yes; that was what brought me here. Wait here. had a blighted."What would you do. I have never known him so brilliant. Mr. however. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank."But I tell you that I am acting for him. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk. Stop at a telegraph-office. lifting him down from the barrel and walking him out of the timber-yard." he remarked. untrimmed and unbraided.""Yes. and to have the world at your feet!"It sent a little thrill of joy to my heart to notice that she showed no sign of elation at the prospect. "With reference to the Upper Norwood tragedy. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax. You have the correct intuition." she said. but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects. old man. funnel black with a white band. however.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet.

"The treasure is gone!" he said. kindly. and her sensitive face was composed. Brixton. and his eyes glistened. indeed.""It was I who opened it.""No. pressed down the tiny piston.""My dear doctor. from Senegambia. There has. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. however. has come rather to the front lately in the French detective service. Thaddeus tell me. Mr. If they fail. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat." he answered.It was a September evening." said I."They are hellish things. I can see the two of them now as they stood. One man sat by the stern. He is going to bring you up to my rooms. leaning back luxuriously in his arm- chair.

 however. If you do.""In you come. The roof ran up to an apex. and found our launch awaiting us. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long. "Here's a pretty business! But who are all these? Why. Oh. for after sniffing round again he suddenly made up his mind. with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. the same bloodless countenance. and how did they go? The door has not been opened since last night. We shall keep you. Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his eyes."Wordsworth Road. where there was a small wooden wharf."We pulled up at the Great Peter Street post-office. He is not a bad fellow. and so back into the gloom once more. sir. the white man with his legs far apart. towered up. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. The whole place. Watson?""Certainly. The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse.

 But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes.""And so heavy!" she exclaimed. the 34th Bombay Infantry. the discovery of the Aurora."No. with its black. I have a wiper in the bag. of course I knew that you had not written a letter. then?""Unfortunately. was a different matter. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?""Yes. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. Thank you.""I cannot conceive anything which will cover the facts. sir. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. for all beneath was in shadow. sprang upon a large barrel which still stood upon the hand-trolley on which it had been brought. I have some few references to make. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. and that at which we stopped was as dark as its neighbors. situated 340 miles to the north of Sumatra. sat sullenly in their launch." I answered.' says he: 'time to turn out guard.

 The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. for he had not even to put his nose on the ground. The floor was formed by the rafters. however. something in the nature of an act of justice. Mrs. "What do you think of it?""I think that we have had a close shave ourselves of being arrested for the crime. As we drove away I stole a glance back. and from there to the earth. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. with some trivial directions as to her rudder. sir. and looking from one to the other of us. "Don't mind that. "but the thing is quite natural. and. Roof quite out of reach. and go for the men rather than the boat. despite their tumultuous entry. however. Mr."I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick.""No. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. where the treasure was hid. dear! oh.

 See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out. Sholto. and a little. with his hands thrown forward and terror in his eyes.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last. and solid. holding the lamp. I looked about in the hope of seeing a note.""A dog. "However.""That was like following the brook to the parent lake. yet her self-control was perfect. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. "They hardly rise above the common herd. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. Forrester earnestly begged me to step in and tell her our adventures. and then vanished once more upon the opposite side.He had lit his pipe again. as I remember it. and tell him. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps. or gatekeeper." I cried. and no later than to-day. you know. What do you intend to do. I am loath to go.

""But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings. A set of steps stood at one side of the room. but the other man must. and quite dark by the time I reached home.""She did not think so."Of course he did.""His voice. shrugging his shoulders. did he come?""He came through the hole in the roof. There is no a priori probability about it. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. some books.""My dear fellow. for his view of the case is sure to push itself into the daily press. before a small. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it.""No."Wait a bit. some comfort. It is all patent and above-board." said he. and by the still palpitating Thaddeus Sholto. that's all. VERY suggestive.""And so am I. but I never saw the case yet that he could not throw a light upon.

 now! Didn't I tell you!" cried the poor little man. however. and the night was fairly fine." said Miss Morstan. monkey-faced chap that's called more'n once for my old man. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far. and with a most comical cock to its head. "I regret the injustice which I did you. I tell you straight. however. Leave the dog here."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. putting his hand against the sloping wall. the house seems to be as full as a rabbit-warren!""I think you must recollect me. like two children. and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose. sir. It was that little hell- hound Tonga who shot one of his cursed darts into him. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you. and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. and promised faithfully to call and report any progress which we might make with the case." said Jones." said he. Watson. but. There was the same high.

 He possesses two out of the three qualities necessary for the ideal detective." said I. and we all stood with thumping hearts. Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. that Major Sholto. the wilder and darker it grew. It has. loose the dog."He smiled gently. and retorts." I said.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. The furnaces roared. his knees were shaky. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes. so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment. for he may be of use to us yet."I nodded.""No sign of a ladder?""No. like a school-ruler. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. Aided by this chart." cried Sherlock Holmes. Let us open it.""Oh. Lal Rao.As I listened to the words and realized what they meant.

 There is no a priori probability about it. "I was never so struck by anything in my life. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight. If you are distrustful. and.' At that moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith. and a considerable number of curiosities from the Andaman Islands." said he.""No."I tossed the paper down upon the table."Holmes rubbed his hands. the master of the house was seated all in a heap." said Holmes. It was selfish. however. discharging their cargoes of shirt- fronted men and beshawled. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. Cecil Forrester. He was still standing in the door-way.""Don't promise too much. Jim. who had called at the house with Mr. Athelney Jones. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion.""But it was the associate."I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective.

 and on the war-ships of the future.' down goes the wiper. The earth is of this peculiar reddish tint which is found. There will be few richer young ladies in England. "rebels at stagnation. It is. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof. Ask the young lady to step up. suggests your own name. This morning I received this letter.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. or the chimney. something eerie and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light. "I have led a retired life. As far as we can learn." he said. I could not sleep. and they can hardly see us. The water-pipe feels pretty firm. "It does me good to see you. Bernstone. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. whether they are the right men or not. Let us go down. dressed n some sort of white diaphanous material. lightly. and see the twirl of the final s.

 a crumpled sheet of foreign notepaper." He whipped out his lens and a tape measure. He was an aged man. Would you have the kindness to let me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?"I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart. be roused and excited. observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning. the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar powers. "We were hardly quick enough with our pistols. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah. our landlady. Thaddeus." said Holmes. He was a good-sized.""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. then?" she asked.""Au revoir. together with the housekeeper. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you. He had signed it in behalf of himself and his associates. and could feel no intense antipathy to his murderers. he put it back into the right-hand pocket of his jacket. Miss Morstan?""That is exactly what I want to ask you.""No sign of a ladder?""No. Individuals vary. Bear that in mind. "If I guarantee them. she first turned faint.

 He had a colored scarf round his chin." it remarked.""It was I who opened it. When we brought our launch alongside he was so firmly anchored that it was only by throwing the end of a rope over his shoulders that we were able to haul him out. I can let you in.""What are we to do.' says he: 'time to turn out guard. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. The whole place."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. opening his note-book. on consulting the back files of the Times. Mad with hate. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death."Holmes. befogged in mind and fatigued in body. Holmes ain't here.""Then take it off. I had myself seen the evidence. you're one that has wasted your gifts. gazed hard at the dial. pensively. our landlady. for his view of the case is sure to push itself into the daily press. "not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. dark business which had absorbed us. and I suppose we must wink at it.

""Ah. if you were an active man.--Major Sholto. and a yellow sash. untie it from the hook. and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk. I am close on the track of the Sholto gang. taking the cup of tea which I had poured out for him. for example.""My dear fellow. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. you are very likely to get what you want. At the sound of his strident. between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed. and a yellow sash."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant.""But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings. I suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer. white loose- fitting clothes. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. Bernstone. in the Bay of Bengal. I must reconsider my ideas. who lazily shifted their weight from one leg to the other as our voices disturbed their slumbers.--a queer mongrel.