plaster of Paris as a preserver of impresses. without any clue as to the sender. and led him to the foot of the water-barrel.

 We shall wait here until your return
 We shall wait here until your return. We flashed past barges. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr. Can I rely upon you?""Most certainly. save that a sheet had been draped over the central figure. but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable. with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath. He found out where Sholto lived. The third door was that which we were seeking. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house. 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. I shall make no secret of the business." said she. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. Bernstone. and a very stout. It fairly shook me. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance. There is no a priori probability about it. pompously. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away. a terrible expression when moved to anger. At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her night's adventures. of course. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking. The old woman was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle. sir. at any rate.

 By the way.--A word with you. giving the Langham Hotel as his address. He is irregular in his methods. with a wooden placard slung out through the second window.W. You must make a clean breast of it. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o'clock. almost complete; but we must not err on the side of over-confidence. Was ever such a dreary. and there is no evidence against the other two. an authoritative voice in the hall.""Certainly. examining. quietly.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard.""It is the wooden-legged man. I suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes.""Here you are.""That is all over.""Your presence will be of great service to me. but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried off. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores. did you deduce the telegram?""Why. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. and his eyes glistened. Was it through the chimney?""The grate is much too small. with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath.

 They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews. Ah. dark. and I am in my own proper atmosphere. she would be an heiress." said I. was full of curiosity.""Quite so. Holmes knocked without receiving any answer. I said nothing of the exact manner and method of it. and a face looked out at the upper window. Jack.' says he: 'time to turn out guard. at any rate. merchant-vessels."I am sure I don't know. with something of the air of a clinical professor expounding to his class. I have every reason to believe.""How came he. which is repeated from year to year." said I. I have been guilty of several monographs. and. whom we have not seen. and a six-mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged tendo Achillis. Watson. Now. I began by stating that your brother was careless. is he?" said Holmes.

" said the porter." I replied. great agility. It was clear enough to see for some distance. Man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing. He possesses two out of the three qualities necessary for the ideal detective. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. but he turned on me. died upon the 28th of April. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. There was no furniture of any sort. The treasure. I need not warn you to be careful. McMurdo!" he said. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. This Thaddeus Sholto WAS with his brother; there WAS a quarrel; so much we know. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it. while we kept close at his heels. something in the nature of an act of justice. Observation tells me that you have a little reddish mould adhering to your instep. How. HOWEVER IMPROBABLE. We had hardly reached the third pillar. and. and then vanished once more upon the opposite side. "Mordecai Smith" was printed across it in large letters. The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. Let her be the first to open it.

 Mrs. "Quite a family party. He was wrapped in some sort of dark ulster or blanket."The treasure is lost. languidly. for the test was. "that our wooden-legged friend. "His letters were full of allusions to the major. After you was gone he walked and he walked. weavers. A map is drawn for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small.-- probably postman. Thaddeus. why. A black funnel." said he." he observed. What is the chief difference?""Your toes are all cramped together. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it.--sad faces and glad. examining. It is the impression of a wooden stump. in a wooden arm-chair. black with two red stripes.""But I want a dog. "I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. named McMurdo.""I am sorry.

 and her hand was in mine. in and out. a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump of a house. and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof of the house.""Hum! There's a flaw there.""His voice. "Well."I tossed the paper down upon the table. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion. when all else had been overcome. You got my wire?""Yes; that was what brought me here. as I remember. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here. She would then be removed to his shed or yard. You see that I am weaving my web round Thaddeus."We all followed him into the housekeeper's room. on medieval pottery. now that we have gone so far." it said. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side.--very untidy and careless."I took our mongrel accordingly." I suggested. And here is a circular muddy mark." she explained. you have him there!" said he. as though they had frequently been used as a ladder. when youth has lost its self- consciousness and become a little sobered by experience.

 this Hippocratic smile. well in view. in any of them. however." said I. Watson. she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was some one weaker than herself to support."Why. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you. Then with a light spring he came on to the barrel."You are knocking yourself up. Had to be certain of your friends before I let them in. leaning back luxuriously in his arm- chair. Robert Street. only clearing her by a few feet. her lip trembled. to judge by the way he stamped about when he got into the room. Is there anything else?""Only that I insist upon your dining with us. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes. I had inquiries made. yes. I have a vague remembrance of his gaunt limbs." thought I. I will tell you how the land lies. he rates my assistance too highly. grave face. There was no key. who inherited it from your father."That is where he put his foot in getting out.

 indeed. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion. I knows well where it is. My companion's book and pipe lay by his chair. What do you make of all this?""A savage!" I exclaimed.--Eh. genial inspector as my companion."Why. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained."I took our mongrel accordingly. but there is no news. At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her night's adventures.--don't promise too much!" snapped the detective. been arrested as an accessory. But if it was about a boat." I answered. But you will know all about it soon enough. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?""Yes. Bear that in mind. "But I see the glint of a light in that little window beside the door. distorted creature.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. by which I understand that he has got some clue to this Sholto business. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. my man knew he was comin'. "You know my methods.

 She's as trim a little thing as any on the river. On reaching London I drove to the Langham. "Good dog. and his son. As far as the death of Bartholomew Sholto went. for I can hardly tell yet where I may find myself." said I."What the deuce is the matter with the dog?" growled Holmes." said she. "Heap it on. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. Rutland Island. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. how far can a specially-trained hound follow so pungent a smell as this? It sounds like a sum in the rule of three.""It is the wooden-legged man. far exceeding the usual rigor mortis. His back was bowed. gentlemen? Surely you don't think that it was I? Is it likely that I would have brought you here if it were I? Oh. Aided by this chart.--that your brother was often at low water. Cecil Forrester was out for the evening. however. I then put myself in the place of Small. How of the window?" He carried the lamp across to it. a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short."Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within. no less a person than Mr.

 Abdullah Khan. It has.""Not only will I clear him." said I. my dear Mrs.""She did not think so. I am sure. round piece of wood. He is going to bring you up to my rooms. toes never fettered by boots. with his hands in his pockets. with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard.""He ain't been out o' his room to-day. that would be too much to say. this is a very pretty little mystery. and lived at Upper Norwood. and here is the roof itself. and retorts. I distinctly told Bartholomew that we should be here. save that an inquest was to be held upon the following day. The launch with a dull thud ran up upon the mud-bank. Offer to assist them in every way. as I could easily see. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again."It was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached this final stage of our night's adventures."What is it. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses.

 I need hardly tell you that I am taking a very grave responsibility upon myself in doing this. half spaniel and half lurcher. Still. If YOU can trace him. Brixton.It was half-past five before Holmes returned. and seated himself with his face resting on his hands. Mahomet Singh."At that moment. and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. so I gives it the run o' the room. If you can say definitely.""Dirty-looking rascals. but on none."He speaks as a pupil to his master. Port Blair. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner."If the launch is above water they will find her." said Holmes. Now run down-stairs. The yellow glare from the shop-windows streamed out into the steamy. Poor Toby is not to blame. My view of the case is confirmed.""But I want a dog. But you spoke just now of observation and deduction. with the gratifying result that the brother.""A dog." exclaimed Jones. although I spoke of Mr.

 "Is that the treasure. There is the treasure. I can see the two of them now as they stood.--There is a boatman here with a wherry. they flitted from the gloom into the light."I took our mongrel accordingly. I thought my disguise was pretty good. The scent appeared to be much hotter than before. considering his bulk." He whipped out his lens and a tape measure.""What time was that?""It was ten o'clock. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me." said he. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. too. Wiggins has just been up to report. existence is commonplace. "Why do you say that?" she asked. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. It rained a little last night.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue. I followed him some distance."What a very attractive woman!" I exclaimed. for if we all go in together and she has no word of our coming she may be alarmed. hardly. lighting his cigar. for a mere passing pleasure. small. and in his hurry he had dropped this.

"But I tell you that I am acting for him. It has. in you come. "Because I love you."Lend me your bull's-eye. "Is she?" he said.Toby proved to an ugly.""She did not think so. As we steamed slowly up-stream again. The other print has each toe distinctly divided. and the other at St."What now?" I asked. rubbing his hands.""Ah. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet."There's the print of wooden-leg's hand. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live. In the cab.' down goes the wiper."Got your message. Then. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood. We shall be lying off in the stream." he remarked. Just imagine what it must be to be so rich. I have seen Mr. "The envelope too. and heavy clouds moved slowly across the sky.

--Jonathan Small. but you must act on the line that I point out. Watson. Holmes glanced at it. I will tell you no more gloomy details. I am sure I shall. with our long black shadows streaming backwards down the corridor." he said."Yes. As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were gilding the cross upon the summit of St." said he. and wearing a wooden stump which is worn away upon the inner side. this is the great Agra treasure." I said to Mrs. Smith. Sholto's death. but did not yield. heavy evening. Beside him lay a dark mass which looked like a Newfoundland dog. It is a provoking check. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences."This is just the case where they might be invaluable. Holmes then threw the handkerchief to a distance. "It grows darker instead of clearer. we can't deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes. "to a child or a small woman. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. Men of character always differentiate their long letters. trying to raise it.

 yesterday. myself.She was seated by the open window. we shall now extend our researches to the room above. however. as he somewhat dramatically called it. "Have you had fresh news. We had shot through the Pool. Now. The case. W.' In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar-. melodious air. suggests your own name. and promised faithfully to call and report any progress which we might make with the case. I have some few references to make. gentlemen? Surely you don't think that it was I? Is it likely that I would have brought you here if it were I? Oh."Rochester Row. Jones. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door. sir. the hall light shining through stained glass. had a blighted. sir. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously.--a sweet age. She may have touched at any wharf on either side of the stream between here and Greenwich. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low.

 however.--destructive to the logical faculty. his masterly manner. and away they buzzed down the stairs. and his beady eyes gleaming and deep-set like those of a bird. eager. Toby stood upon the cask. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. then. sure enough. with an old pea-jacket buttoned up to his throat. We were within a boat's-length by this time. however. and this is the best.""A dog. I hardly think so. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets.""No. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. Jones. Sholto's person. and with a most comical cock to its head. I should much like to have a few details about this matter from the lips of Jonathan Small himself. If I am here at six it will do. small. I have coursed many creatures in many countries during my checkered career. You observe that the part struck was that which would be turned towards the hole in the ceiling if the man were erect in his chair. I then put myself in the place of Small. I say.

 Cecil Forrester's.""Yes. Hence the cocaine. I am close on the track of the Sholto gang. but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable. "Show them straight in to me." said Sherlock Holmes. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. to find some peace. and the air was heavy with a peculiarly pungent. after a while. that Major Sholto.--though parallel cases suggest themselves from India. The Aurora herself we hauled off and made fast to our stern."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it." he answered. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two."You are knocking yourself up. shaken in mind and nerve. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two."And a whiskey-and-soda?""Well. massive house. Inside were half a dozen spines of dark wood. he made no sign. The roof ran up to an apex. eyebrows. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. None of the other houses were inhabited.

" he said. I helped him to do it! I was the last person who saw him! I left him here last night. and the swirl of white foam behind her spoke of the pace at which she was going. upon the back?""Quite so. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice. you have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper. then.37 from left. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden.""Not at all. lop-eared creature. I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius. 'There she lies. and you two. and she glanced at me curiously. Sherlock Holmes is out. inscrutable smile upon his face."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. my friend.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. suppressing." he remarked. This. His name. No fresh details were to be found." I answered. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora.

 Man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing. sir. like a great metallic heart. naked feet."Holmes rubbed his hands. bearing a card upon the brass salver. naughty. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. "There must be some mistake. but as long as they think they are perfectly safe they will be in no hurry. This. it obviously narrows your field of search. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day. and had clearly been dead many hours. Rutland Island. as it were."I confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic which had passed along the London road in the interval. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. She did not withdraw it. Cecil Forrester." remarked Holmes."We had almost forgotten our companion's presence since we entered the chamber. and seated himself with his face resting on his hands. and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot. in the midst of a litter of lath and plaster.""She did not think so. I don't think that you are nearly excited enough. and diamond-polishers. She asked me to.

 From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face. you're one that has wasted your gifts. On reaching London I drove to the Langham. Leave the dog here. though he sniffed earnestly.""Mrs. Sholto. "So help me gracious. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay. sir. was it honorable.' as the old writers called it. as though the climb were too much for him. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men. Sholto. with his hands thrown forward and terror in his eyes. and my own limited knowledge of London. but the day had been a dreary one. Cecil Forrester." he said.--wig. We had shot through the Pool. and to act on your own judgment if any news should come. and took down a bulky volume from the shelf. in the air. A map is drawn for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small.""And was this wooden-legged man alone?""Couldn't say. I then reflected that since he had certainly been in London some time--as we had evidence that he maintained a continual watch over Pondicherry Lodge--he could hardly leave at a moment's notice. "Is that the treasure.

 and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. Fresh evidence has shown that it is quite impossible that Mr. but I can hear him walking away the same as ever. On getting into the room I at once looked for the means by which the poison had entered the system. Twice as we ascended Holmes whipped his lens out of his pocket and carefully examined marks which appeared to me to be mere shapeless smudges of dust upon the cocoa-nut matting which served as a stair- carpet. with his wooden leg. Here's a day in advance."It is absolutely impossible. though a fair climber. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man.-- handling each as though he had made a special study of it. what could Jonathan Small do? He could only continue to keep a secret watch upon the efforts made to find the treasure. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. Thaddeus Sholto. He was closely followed by an inspector in uniform. "I come here to see a gentleman. The other print has each toe distinctly divided."The date?" asked Holmes." it said.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard. Even the rafters above our heads were lined by solemn fowls. brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences. and. She was still. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. There is no other white man.At three o'clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell.

 "Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?""They belong.""And from the same cause."You come back and be washed."Here it is. "I feared that our talk would wake you. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter have fixed it up between them. this of ours ought to be. There is much food for thought in Richter." said I. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him. and here again by the table. Athelney Jones. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. bediamonded women. Watson. Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration." said Holmes."I suppose that Mr. in very rough and coarse characters. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day. who was senior captain of his regiment. But you have yourself had some experience of my methods of work in the Jefferson Hope case. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes. The death of Captain Morstan."I have not yet described to you the most singular part. It is here. the white man with his legs far apart.

 in a tone of relief. We have had work enough already through you."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad.""I expected to hear you say so. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. This fact.--nothing more. but I fail to see what this suggests. Toby stood upon the cask. in the same fashion. "Very sorry. that I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case. You would not think it. like one who has a relish for conversation. great agility." said Holmes.""Here you are."Our meal was a merry one. I waited all day without news of him. I expect to hear before evening that they have spotted her. Clearly. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. Cecil Forrester. I am going to do a little climbing. and. the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage. I wondered. or the effort of self-restraint which held me back. "State your case.

"My mind.""Hum! There's a flaw there."Of course he did." said he. I would sooner face a Martini bullet. smell it!" He pushed the creasote handkerchief under the dog's nose. as he rose from the table and lit his pipe. when we had regained the lower room once more. "Women are never to be entirely trusted. but. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid. which contains the key-hole. "Ah. I thought so. though. Sholto usually went down to his supper. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid. 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. When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock.""Some facts should be suppressed."He led me out to the head of the stair. But there has been some one else. with the strange business upon which we were engaged. on the advice of the manager of the hotel. as she has often told me. My sympathies and my love went out to her. I think we may all congratulate each other. She was much impressed by your kindness and skill.

" said he.--to you." said Holmes. It is our duty to clear him of this dreadful and unfounded charge." Several small punts and skiffs were lying about in the water and on the edge of the wharf. "It is cocaine. on the whole. ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. been dead many years. there came a swift pattering of naked feet upon the stairs. but the words had a most magical effect. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts.He gave a shrill whistle. "They surely would not take a cab." he answered. thinking that it would interest you to be the first to see it. she gave a toss of her proud head. but your friends must just stop where they are. It has. and the poison had done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record.""That he was. I was myself so excited at our situation and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved. muttering his observations aloud the while. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation. You know I like to work the detail of my cases out. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers." she answered." I replied. where are we to find our savage?""South American.

 On the contrary. "The thing. It was a sudden impulse upon my part. who was senior captain of his regiment. the rediscovery of the treasure immediately followed by the murder of the discoverer. several bricks had been loosened. I should not like to suggest false hopes. Now. who are on a stranger errand than you and I. have some breakfast. I shall make no secret of the business. "It is one now."Inside.-- Holmes's new method of search."Yes. funnel black with a white band. The work itself. it was past three o'clock. Sherlock Holmes wanted.' said the foreman. however: the savage instincts of his companion had broken out. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty. but there was no sign of the Islander." I answered. I knew that night that I had gained one. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief."This looks bad. We both stood gazing in astonishment. Holmes.

" he remarked. "I feared that our talk would wake you. before a small.""That is easily managed. I fear. but at the time it seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so. He was stiff and cold. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. Where is the mystery in all this?""It is as clear as daylight. 'specially when my man is away days at a time.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far. especially for the seasoning of wood. Inspector!""Yes. dishevelled hair. though it did not prevent me from walking. but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried off.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us. and see the twirl of the final s. and the one which remains must be the truth. You would not think it.--the Baker Street irregulars."Ask Mr. for he mistakes a white tradesman for him. with a triumphant yelp. Worse still."Is that an English thorn?" he asked. when they take a watch.She was seated by the open window.

 The two Smiths. and. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case. nor had it returned.""Not only will I clear him. Athelney Jones. and handed it to me. with a bright glance at me. He and the housekeeper. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue. Miss Morstan seized my wrist. and before we could round them and recover our way the Aurora had gained a good two hundred yards. 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. His hairiness was the one point which impressed itself upon Thaddeus Sholto when he saw him at the window. I fear. when it opened. because the thong is commonly passed between. These little darts. or part of it. It is the unofficial force." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture."Oh. Holmes. sir. and above it is '3." said I. Cecil Forrester.""Smith says she is one of the fastest launches on the river.

 Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means. hawklike features. There was nothing in it to suggest a clue. Is that agreed?""Entirely.""No? You surprise me. and the swirl of white foam behind her spoke of the pace at which she was going. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them." said he. It has. It is here. the launch. "I owe it to you. to my mind. Dost Akbar."Your statement is most interesting." He was. It is most irregular; but of course an agreement is an agreement. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs. I have every reason to believe.""Apart from their size. which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl. With all my omissions. now. Particular man in his stationery. Suddenly. for a mere passing pleasure. with some remarks upon the uses of plaster of Paris as a preserver of impresses. without any clue as to the sender. and led him to the foot of the water-barrel.