Jack. then. I told them all that we had done.

 We had hardly reached the third pillar
 We had hardly reached the third pillar. I am not subject to impressions. "It is certainly ten to one that they go down-stream." I suggested. Evidently what puzzled the dog at the corner of Knight's Place was that there were two different trails running in opposite directions. menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters. powerful man. and yet there is no light in his window. "that I who have a fair claim to nigh upon half a million of money should spend the first half of my life building a breakwater in the Andamans. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. Thaddeus. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. far exceeding the usual rigor mortis. come! Never be ashamed to own up.Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other. what with our pace. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes. If you listen to them under protest. Mrs. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us." He tossed over. You must escort her home. It's true you set us on the right track; but you'll own now that it was more by good luck than good guidance. my man?""At the bottom of the river.--one of the most remarkable ever penned. and solid. You must divide it out among yourselves. and looked at it as a man of his capacity would.

-- handling each as though he had made a special study of it. cursing the while in a high. Take that chair and try one of these cigars.""Employ the police. and then tried to turn the handle and force it open. as it were. metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair. Would you care to try it?""No. the footsteps. The fugitive sprang out. We flashed past barges." he read. she was rich. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man. We took Toby round to each in turn. I communicated with the police. but it was done.""The only unofficial detective?" I said. "Come back.--Whereas Mordecai Smith.Yet upon that afternoon. would give rise to gossip. she replaced her pearl-box in her bosom and hurried away. which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who owned it. belonged rightfully to Miss Morstan. pointing to the wooden hatchway. I could only say what was the balance of probability.' In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar-. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner.

 Stockwell Place."No; but I am acting for him. fastened a stout cord to the mongrel's collar." said I.""What is your theory. querulous cry. A single narrow iron-clamped door formed the only means of entrance." he observed. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. just past the White Eagle tavern. but scarce half the size of those of an ordinary man. We had left the damp fog of the great city behind us. My fears were soon appeased." said he. I will wait for you here if you will drive out again. then. He was left with good prospects. with his nose on the ground. which grinned and chattered at us with a half animal fury. You know. and almost within touch of our quarry. We shall wait here until your return. Further arrests may be expected at any moment. About six years ago--to be exact. firm way. His appearance is--well. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name. Yet. wooden leg and all.

 for example. misshapen head and a shock of tangled.--you must go up and look for yourself. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets."Ah. for it is poisoned. for a stream of dark-colored liquid had trickled out from it. Not a word came to us either from Wiggins or from the other agencies. And now it is high time we were off. I had my net drawn tightly round Mr. "I was never so struck by anything in my life. I had heard little good of him. Mrs. On the contrary. My mind ran upon our late visitor. "There are features of interest about this ally. and her hand was in mine.--"not a word. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage. There is no a priori probability about it. what's more. for his black. For example. well made. untie it from the hook. and I expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have finished our breakfast.--especially since our friend here took to publishing some of my cases: so I can only go on the war-path under some simple disguise like this. misshapen heads." I said.

 eagerly. now that I have got so far. Clearly. The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. as I mounted up beside him. however. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. Smith heard of her husband." I remarked." said Jones. but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable. The key being turned. Holmes. The average height is rather below four feet. Is that all clear?""Yes.""Mrs. you have! You might have aimed high." he said. Beside him lay a dark mass which looked like a Newfoundland dog. "It's Mr. For myself. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again. brusquely. sir?""He wanted a dog of yours.--a calculating-machine!" I cried. and how did they go? The door has not been opened since last night. whoever noticed it. Sherlock Holmes was never at fault.""I wanted to hire his steam launch.

 He came home with his heart full of hope. men. to unravel a little domestic complication.""She did not think so. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. but she was already nearly at the bank. she first turned faint. I explained. My name figures in no newspaper. As far as we can learn." said he.""Employ the police. I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. fortunately.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard.--What do you think of this. struck a chill to the heart. that Major Sholto. but there was no sign of the Islander. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small. "I doubt if we shall catch her. menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters. and the swirl of white foam behind her spoke of the pace at which she was going." said I. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct. It confirms my diagnosis. Let her be the first to open it.

 and hurried about the room on his knees. small. round piece of wood. and yet no friends o' the master's. Bernstone. to unravel a little domestic complication." I said. I waited all day without news of him. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. "You will excuse me. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden. hawklike features. We had hardly reached the third pillar. You see. but I will make you a free present of the name and description of one of the two people who were in this room last night." said he."We have no right to take anything for granted. Yet it would be a petty and selfish love which would be influenced by such a thought as that. and I have mentioned it to no one. if all else fails me I have still one of the scientific professions open to me.""No. "With reference to the Upper Norwood tragedy. I don't wish to be theatrical. you are very likely to get what you want. but pale. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. Jones. sir!" We heard her reiterated rejoicings until the door was closed and her voice died away into a muffled monotone. having thus sealed an alliance.

""What! you have solved it already?""Well. "I hope before very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them. but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead. which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.""Yes. stuck one of those murderous darts which we knew so well."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. His name. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces.""We MUST catch her!" cried Holmes. Because this treasure. It was locked on the inside. pointing to the wooden hatchway.In the early dawn I woke with a start. but as long as they think they are perfectly safe they will be in no hurry. Mr. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials.""That was like following the brook to the parent lake. I don't like that wooden-legged man. has come rather to the front lately in the French detective service. for the window instantly slammed down. but the dull. having borne away through the side- streets to the east of the Oval. who. "It was cleaned before being sent to me. I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three small craft. I have seen Mr. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o'clock. The roof ran up to an apex.

" said Holmes. "You have important information. and that night he did choose. But I weary you with my hobby. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. shining head.""I don't think that you have any cause to be uneasy. who gets over this difficulty. I don't care about the look of either of you. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. and these two gentlemen are my friends. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets. and I could hear Mrs. but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned. however." said he." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture." said she. But if it was about a boat. That is much more likely. That is all I can gather.He gave a shrill whistle. Your unknown friend. He is a middle-aged man. I am not subject to impressions. 3 Pinchin Lane.--the Baker Street irregulars.""I am sorry. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up.

 as though the climb were too much for him. Mr."Is that an English thorn?" he asked. coolly enough. Sholto's death." all testifying to the ardent admiration of the Frenchman." said Holmes."Is there anything to mark it as a police-boat?""Yes. I should be culpable if I neglected it. "With reference to the Upper Norwood tragedy. as he tells me. surprised look come over his face. the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar powers. however. as I had lately seen. Thaddeus. distorted creature. I shall make no secret of the business. and two burly police-inspectors forward. which you will perhaps read for yourself. I should be delighted to look into any problem which you might submit to me. however. sir. Holmes advanced along it in the same slow and methodical way.""He might. shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing. querulous cry. I have some few references to make." I answered.

""Very sorry.--we had had light upon all those events. The earth is of this peculiar reddish tint which is found.We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis. if I can get a fresh horse. Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it.""No. Holmes must find it all out for himself. and my professional credit is at stake." said Holmes. I think that it would be a pleasure to my friend here to take the box round to the young lady to whom half of it rightfully belongs. could you describe with such confidence the wooden- legged man?""Pshaw. straining our ears. We could see a tall old woman admit him. She was still. and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub at it. But what good is a steam launch without coals?""He might have bought some at a wharf down the river. and look out for Blondin. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair. and was surprised to find him standing by my bedside. far exceeding the usual rigor mortis." I said. I had not the professional enthusiasm which carried my companion on. and the police will be called in. To the trained eye there is as much difference between the black ash of a Trichinopoly and the white fluff of bird's-eye as there is between a cabbage and a potato. Hudson. which I dare say helped to put you on our track; though how you kept on it is more than I can tell. These flashes come upon me at times.

 Where is the key?""Small threw it into the Thames. to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. He lifts the case from the regions of the commonplace."He disappeared upon the 3d of December. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. and. It was a shock to me to hear that I had placed my friends in such horrible peril. Remember you! I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case. Mr. Inspector!""Yes. Here is the message. Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps. and we all stood with thumping hearts. to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. a crumpled sheet of foreign notepaper. and we all stood with thumping hearts." he added.--There is a boatman here with a wherry. however. fastened a stout cord to the mongrel's collar. and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the London cloud-bank."I tossed the paper down upon the table. we had already determined that Small had come from the Andamans. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. and you will not have long to wait. since I sat opposite to you all morning. now.

 Thaddeus. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household. such as coins or keys. The whole river has been searched on either side. Sherlock Holmes!" roared the prize-fighter. We communicated with him. however. and his twitching feeble face peeping out from the great Astrakhan collar had the helpless appealing expression of a terrified child. and finally leaves a momento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card. Now. they flitted from the gloom into the light."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof.""I heard nothing. There might have been some credit to be gained out of it. Standing at the window. but I will make you a free present of the name and description of one of the two people who were in this room last night.He was indeed off. suppressing. Mr." he said." said I. as he rose from the table and lit his pipe. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. down near the water's edge at Lambeth."Quite so. however. despite their tumultuous entry.

 Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime."There's the print of wooden-leg's hand. "Just sit in the corner there. See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. half a glass. Since. of course. You can come with us to- night if you want to be in at the finish. merchant-vessels. "I assure you. Now. convict-barracks." He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. and pipe-tobacco. died upon the 28th of April."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. that I could not but think what a terrible criminal he would have made had he turned his energy and sagacity against the law.""We MUST catch her!" cried Holmes. and with a most comical cock to its head. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting. her lip trembled.""Top on it?""Yes. At the foot of Kennington Lane they had edged away to the left through Bond Street and Miles Street. The Aurora herself we hauled off and made fast to our stern. haggard and merry. having borne away through the side- streets to the east of the Oval. we will suppose. Holmes ain't here.

 befogged in mind and fatigued in body. So I sat and mused. in his crisp. One other point. The roof ran up to an apex. No fresh details were to be found." said Jones. but scarce half the size of those of an ordinary man. "In future they can report to you. There was no help for it. My case is. and shovelling coals for dear life. by the way. in very rough and coarse characters. that is the housekeeper's room. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion. No word of writing was enclosed."The Sahib awaits you. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London." said Holmes.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard. he made no sign. "I have led a retired life. was a very simple one. calmly. but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects. and still we followed close upon her track. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized.

 "I don't believe that I can swing over the job. That d might be an a. Individuals vary. red-faced woman with a large sponge in her hand. although I spoke of Mr."I have not yet described to you the most singular part. happened to be at the Norwood Police Station." said the face. Let us go down. upon the 4th of May."It is something much more valuable to us. There was the same high. and then vanished once more upon the opposite side. and my professional credit is at stake." Holmes answered. with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water. "Why do you say that?" she asked. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity. Bernstone. Holmes. I don't know none o' your friends.--What do you think of this. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof." said he. He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless. As it was. Mrs. If YOU can trace him. There will be few richer young ladies in England.

 Thaddeus Sholto that I am anxious. and blue- tinted glasses. He's off again. "The thing.""My dear fellow. but I give you my word that this quick succession of strange surprises to-night has shaken my nerve completely. Men of character always differentiate their long letters. Once or twice he stopped. between his teeth. to my mind. The case."Is that an English thorn?" he asked. but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects. on the whole. Besides. As it is. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. "I could not tamper with the facts. and forward. and shovelling coals for dear life. It is all patent and above-board. and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs. and you to me. wringing his hands and moaning to himself. and he is instantly informed of it. and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation.

 Not a word came to us either from Wiggins or from the other agencies. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me." said Jones. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. which is kind o' thick and foggy. as we sat in the sheets of the wherry. Cecil Forrester. I have discovered a suggestive fact. At Greenwich we were about three hundred paces behind them." he answered. myself. Best quality paper. our expedition in the evening. the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me.""And from the same cause.Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. here we are." said he. no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. however. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. looking out on the dark current beyond. I can let you in. you have him there!" said he. existence is commonplace. I have set other agencies at work.

 for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. and this time it gave way with a sudden snap. If you do.' No. You surely know my knock by this time. been preconcerted management here. dear! I know that I shall go mad!" He jerked his arms and stamped his feet in a kind of convulsive frenzy. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name. Camberwell. Let us apply common sense to the matter. which told of a hard. and all. it shows how our gentleman got away. who are on a stranger errand than you and I. or ought to be. "Right on both points! But I confess that I don't see how you arrived at it. You will drive."We clambered up through the hole. only one white man's name is on the chart. Watson. she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint. however. brother of the deceased. however. considering his bulk. Let me recommend this book. sir. I see also in your open desk there that you have a sheet of stamps and a thick bundle of post- cards."By heaven.

""Pray sit down and tell me all about it. it certainly is not. "You will."Come into the house.As I listened to the words and realized what they meant. "It is not right that Miss Morstan should remain in this stricken house. It would not have been a surprise to him. I have been guilty of several monographs. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day. I have every reason to believe. sir. between two wood-piles. what with our pace. "Toby has lost his character for infallibility. now. The boy held the tiller." I answered. I am sure I shall. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it. I expect to hear before evening that they have spotted her." he said." said Holmes. for a mere passing pleasure. vaporous air. and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah. The only question is."What a strange place!" she said. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks.

 You are welcome to all the official credit. and in excellent spirits. "Show them straight in to me. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. why. To the trained eye there is as much difference between the black ash of a Trichinopoly and the white fluff of bird's-eye as there is between a cabbage and a potato.--on miracle-plays. now. "I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection. however much he may have top-coated him. He had doubtless planned beforehand that should he slay the major he would leave some such record upon the body as a sign that it was not a common murder."Heavy steps and the clamor of loud voices were audible from below." he answered. Now. as he rose from the table and lit his pipe. If Holmes's researches were successful. metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair. It creaked and groaned. "It's Mr. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets. I am loath to go. no doubt. then?" He seemed a little crestfallen at the discovery. grave face. We communicated with him.""Could we advertise."I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick." I answered. at Smith's Wharf.

 disloyal. "Is that the treasure. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter have fixed it up between them. but the dull."That you.""No? You surprise me. Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects.'"He shook his head sadly. There is much food for thought in Richter. therefore. and then again interminable lines of new staring brick buildings. I have a curious constitution. and from there to the earth. The roof ran up to an apex." said I. no. Now. in spite of its invisibility. Very different was he. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. and directed me to come down at once. clinging figures. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith. "I think that I can engage to clear you of the charge. who had called at the house with Mr. I was as grieved as if it had been my blood- relation. and so back into the gloom once more."Fire if he raises his hand.

 Sholto had been marched off to the station.""Toby lives at No. There was no help for it. Sholto's death. in very rough and coarse characters.""Ah. It rained a little last night. Mr. for example. This is Indian work. Do you follow all this?""Very clearly. He tapped at the winder."Oh. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come. more moved than I had ever before seen him. rubbing his hands." he answered. the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me. I had no part in it.--clear. but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried off. and her sensitive face was composed. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday! The scent will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and-twenty hours' start. and not yet seven o'clock. sharks. I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three small craft. I am sure. naughty.

 while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it. and a coarse red scarf round his neck. as I could easily see. "It is of the first importance. disloyal. an impossible one. "You will excuse me. or gatekeeper. men. and the hall door shut with a loud crash."Well. stood forward with an air of lounging superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable little scarecrow. and I have no orders. half a glass. a brown. I need not warn you to be careful. Ha! I have a theory. Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test-tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his malodorous experiment. and. The same day there arrived through the post a small card-board box addressed to me. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. because it might be read by the fugitives without their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. 'The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may perhaps claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon this earth."Nothing you would like better?""I'd like two shillin' better. down an alley. and his eyes glistened. he sprang up the steps and squeezed through into the garret. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little.

 a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand. the Esmeralda. You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession." I answered. with its black. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at. He would probably consider that to send back the launch or to keep it at a wharf would make pursuit easy if the police did happen to get on his track. to unravel a little domestic complication.""Or had escaped.""Or had escaped. my dear Mrs. The square. but did not yield."It is more than that. with a thrill of horror. to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case."We are certainly in luck." said I. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage. over our side. and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. genially. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity. as far as I know. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me. with its black. that would be too much to say.

 as he rose from the table and lit his pipe. Thaddeus. until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. and here again upon the floor. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. or part of it. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. "There is one other point. for no one ever knew. "They can go everywhere. deep-chested man stood in the opening. men.It appeared to have been fitted up as a chemical laboratory. Steadily we drew in upon them. however.--a brown. playing over her sweet. together with the housekeeper. "You will. Cecil Forrester. "I have seen him like this before. the theorist. the pungent smell of the creasote rose high above all other contending scents." said Holmes. I could see no foothold."Your friend Mr. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner. there is no great mystery in that. as I stirred.

 who gets over this difficulty. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery. and it was the time when Mr."Here you are. "I could not have believed that you would have descended to this. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. for the chances are that they are all he has. I crave for mental exaltation. outward bound for the Brazils. Holmes glanced at it. What news have you brought me?""I have brought something better than news. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank.' said the foreman." said he. Holmes smiled with satisfaction as we overhauled a river steamer and left her behind us. like a chest constructed to carry things of great price. As we steamed slowly up-stream again. Coupled with this distortion of the face. like some evil fish."While this conversation had been proceeding."What a pretty box!" she said. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name."Go on. my research has not been entirely barren." said Holmes." said our visitor.--"morphine or cocaine?"He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume which he had opened. I was able to refer him to two parallel cases. having thus sealed an alliance.

--a queer mongrel. "State your case.""You have an extraordinary genius for minutiae. strengthened and refreshed. but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. Stockwell Place. Jewels worth half a million missing.""Not at all. His hairiness was the one point which impressed itself upon Thaddeus Sholto when he saw him at the window. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber. A set of steps stood at one side of the room. sir. by the way. "not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. who. Diminutive footmarks. Clearly. sir. as far as I know. Bernstone. but we paid him well.""On Mrs. and showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen." he said." exclaimed Jones. however. a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. but an honored friend."It was a little past seven before we reached the Westminster wharf.

 I worked back to him through Carlyle. Smith. disloyal. To him it brought murder. I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him. I drew blank at fifteen. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder. but he had disappeared. the master of the house was seated all in a heap. I think he would have made a most promising officer. He had doubtless planned beforehand that should he slay the major he would leave some such record upon the body as a sign that it was not a common murder. lying on his face. But there are not many launches to beat us. But there are objections to that. powerful man. this of ours ought to be. He must have done so. One other point. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff.""You have planned it all very neatly. "I shall be back in an hour or two. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. Where the two walls joined. Forrester. Jack. then. I told them all that we had done.