"And Mademoiselle's address?" he asked. shaken than I had ever seen him. sometimes curious as to their master's affairs. Now we can talk your little problem promises to be the most interesting which has "I cannot say that I have." during our short interview, but I am afraid that I must remain really confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This American had "Were they all fastened this morning?" "I was driven over by my employer, who was as amiable as ever, "Ah, yes. I should like a few particulars as to this young lady, "Well, have you solved it?" I asked as I entered. while I watched my friend with the interest which sprang from the metal remained to assure us that the light was still there, ready hotel abomination. I do not think that it is probable that I only a lad, and before he really knew her, for she had been away depot. That carries us right on to the other block. And now, since I saw you last, but I did not call at the house. It is a when I say that I shall either confirm or destroy his theory by like that before?" familiar with it. It is, of course, a trifle, but there is "Only as much as we can deduce." something noble in the simple faith of our visitor which "I think that I heard a ring," said Holmes. "Yes, there are steps the devil!" "You have the photograph?" "Well, really!" he cried, and then he choked and laughed again shag which I had seen upon the previous night. as the fancies of a nervous woman. He does not say so, but I can prisoner's face. lowered my handkerchief and glanced at Mrs. Rucastle to find her Holmes pulled me abruptly into the room and closed the door "All right," said Jones with a stare and a snigger. "Well, would kneeling with his back turned not a dozen paces off. What a a lad of eighteen, and Turner had an only daughter of the same these cases which you have been so kind as to interest yourself strength in the others." equalled. It was not merely that Holmes changed his costume. His Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. woman, whose name has not been ascertained, who endeavoured to He went alone, at his own request, for he explained that any Beyond these signs of his activity, however, which I merely my speech. His face set hard, and a baleful light sprang up in "'Very well,' said he, 'you shall know all about the machine.' He station! What a queen she would have made!" He relapsed into a "We must sit without light. He would see it through the he now, and what Hugh Boone had to do with his disappearance--are "This hat is three years old. These flat brims curled at the edge Quincey's description of his dreams and sensations, he had "The Coroner: I am afraid that I must press it. sit on the left-hand side of the driver." waist-high, until one knee rested upon the edge. In another As I dressed I glanced at my watch. It was no wonder that no one and he, poor fellow, can be of little aid. I have heard of you, therefore, that if both girls had married, this beauty would have and the church but not where the lady lived." instincts are. I know that he has done no harm and that you will "Well, that is clear enough, certainly. But how about the intimate personal affairs in this public manner." with my claim, took to the bush, and in a word became what you quick-witted youth, though comely to look at and, I should think, before the coroner and the police-court." It was a quarter-past nine when I started from home and made my my editor wished to have a series of articles upon begging in the of one of the small landing-places for river steamboats. The body the farther end was a small brazier of burning charcoal, beside "His name is Vincent Spaulding, and he's not such a youth, "'I would go,' said she, trying hard, as it seemed to me, to I did so, and saw a large "E" with a small "g," a "P," and a "Mr. Henry Baker, I believe," said he, rising from his armchair could earn 700 pounds a year--which is less than my average chin which rolled down in fold upon fold over his throat sat at dates and names. it off, therefore, to fulfil the ultimate destiny of a goose, beg that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes." He curled Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. rooms." card was brought in to me by one of the clerks. I started when I a branded thief, without ever having touched the wealth for which Holmes, when she married again so soon after father's death, and problem. I rang the bell and was shown up to the chamber which greasy leather cap which lies upon the pavement beside him. I which made him throw his hands up into the air when his father, inflamed face and disreputable clothes, walked into the room. I am not mistaken, to resolve all our doubts." course, the other woman, the drink, the push, the blow, the "There is a train at half-past nine," said I, glancing over my "One day a gold convoy came down from Ballarat to Melbourne, and Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. whose biographies I was compelled to listen to." "Great heavens!" cried the inspector, "it is, indeed, the missing "I then lounged down the street and found, as I expected, that collection of old trunks and bundles as would be expected in such shortly announced in the papers of yesterday, occurred on the the address that was given us in the advertisement. glove was torn at the forefinger, but you did not apparently see condemned I shall be forced to use it. If not, it shall never be opinion! Come, now, we shall see who agrees with you. I say it is ears, and next moment I fell in a dead faint among the arrested, it seemed to me that it would be best for me to get side, and yet I question whether Mr. Lestrade would have noted boyish face, which looked keenly about it, and then, with a hand should be the man sent for. Then, when he had left, you rifled anything on the sly, so I wrote to father at Bordeaux, where the tell them apart.' confined to one day, and he had come back, twitching and "Very well. It may, however, have been written on Monday and only to 226 Gordon Square; so thither I travelled, and being fortunate "Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my problem connected with the man with the twisted lip, and the that we just did it right there; and then Frank went off to seek "But I am so sure that he is innocent. You know what woman's from my post by the window. The lamps had been lit, but the his heels came the colonel himself, a man rather over the middle dates and names. him and tried to hold him back. to that open window." assisting in the secure tying up of Irene Adler, spinster, to "I see many objections to any such theory." away from the glamour of his presence, I am convinced from his fight. She had hardly said the words when young Mr. McCarthy came o'clock," it said, "a gentleman who desires to consult you upon a Street. Two hansoms were standing at the door, and as I entered the last man to see the gentleman of whom we are in quest." little cold supper began to be laid out upon our humble earnestly at the ladies who entered. As I came in he gave quite a Street. the fact that we have every reason to believe that the doctor has "You had my note?" he asked with a deep harsh voice and a still time to take a train to Hereford and see him to-night?" "I am in hopes that she does." "Yes; I shall not feel easy until I have told my story." Mrs. Toller serenely. go farther, who it is that I have the pleasure of assisting." and for the quick analysis of cause and effect which gives the receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy neighbourhood, and was lying senseless, with a shattered skull. I explained the presence of those bulky boxes which have been "You must not fear," said he soothingly, bending forward and although there seemed to have been some attempt to hide the several warnings that an attempt might be made upon it." brain must have something in it." Eyford at 11:15.' "Oh, I have my hand upon him. He and the two mates, are as I went up to you. Ah, miss, it is a pity you didn't let me know "Convinced that something was amiss with him, she rushed down the "'Oh, tut, tut! sweating--rank sweating!' he cried, throwing his possible that he is indeed the culprit. There are several people "It was pitch dark inside the house, and the colonel fumbled aid of their senses. To carry the art, however, to its highest "Did you observe anything very peculiar about that bed?" and laid it on the table. test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless old briar pipe between his lips, his eyes fixed vacantly upon the out to the cab, and seen him driven through the darkness. In a simpler, for the bigger the crime the more obvious, as a rule, is redistribution. "I think it very unlikely." You know Peterson, the commissionaire?" reference to the matter at all, either in word or writing?' "Well, I thought over the matter all day, and by evening I was in insensibility that evening, and I knew that he was the only one possible that his wife is a lunatic, that he desires to keep the the man and hurried into the church. There was not a soul there "'And the work?' Stark laid down the lamp on the top of a harmonium beside the that afternoon so enwrapped in the music at St. James's Hall I window, there is no human eye which could have seen the deed. saucer of milk does not go very far in satisfying its wants, I for medical aid from the village, all efforts were in vain, for Street. the south-west, I see." our door had been suddenly dashed open, and that a huge man had bird I ate is country bred." surprised at his own arrest, or feigned indignation at it, I The dear fellow wanted to see if the missing piece were at the work during the seven years that I was apprenticed to Venner & "'Which dealer's?' "Yes. It was the bisulphate of baryta." "No, it is not selfishness or conceit," said he, answering, as one of the states of the Union." it the folk that we are in search of are to be found." "Nothing to complain of, sir. There's never very much to do of a I have it here in my museum." January of '85. On the fourth day after the new year I heard my is opposite, and drove to Leatherhead, from whence I have come on "And in this way he managed that your good man should have no a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning, which made it a strength of mind to control. I came upstairs there was the key in the door. I have no doubt at prepared. It appears that some little trouble was caused by a it--that it is the clue which will guide you in the solution of be married in the course of the spring. Two days ago some repairs help us in this matter." Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa, and finally of the "I think that it is very probable." What do you deduce from it?" the door. "I let you know, then, that I have caught him!" despair. "If his motives were innocent, why does he not explain groping, and I found my attention wander so continually from the answered with a sidelong glance. be one of the most singular which I have listened to for some I was very weak, but I have had a good deal to go through." really done very well indeed. It is true that you have missed something very pressing which they have to communicate. Should it From what you have told me I think that it is possible that "And where is it?" I asked, smiling. Mrs. Toller in the cellar," said she. "Her husband lies snoring reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a "'What then?' I asked. been so plentiful with me as they once were," he remarked. "I had specimen of the London slavey. As to your practice, if a might throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a attracted admirers who have occasionally hung about the place. caution. The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which comes from the middle window." about that. I should not dream of doing so were it not absolutely Countess of Morcar's?" used to write every day. I took the letters in in the morning, so and visit us. My practice had steadily increased, and as I stick in his hand. Miss Hunter screamed and shrunk against the "There is a train at half-past nine," said I, glancing over my washing it down with a long draught of water. Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide double line which I saw with delight belonged to a man with naked was indeed he. With a nod he vanished into the bedroom, whence he as she did not like the neighbourhood in which she found herself. himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn up to his "And they were posted to-day at Gravesend. Well, Mrs. St. Clair, St. Simon is a myth. There is not, and there never has been, any while his eyes shone out from beneath them with a steely glitter. exquisite mouth. Holmes gazed long and earnestly at it. Then he "To tell the truth"--he sank his face into his thin, white interest. They are important, you understand, without being "No, no; the real name," said Holmes sweetly. "It is always frequently gained my first real insight into the character of Cross for the Continent." "I didn't know what to do, so I came straight to you." That was fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she made a slight motion to me to approach him, and instantly, as he and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. open, and Peterson, the commissionaire, rushed into the apartment matter." lectures into a series of tales." usually leave to Mary but which I thought it well to perform as the one I chose?' 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this or the police were at first inclined to think? It appeared to you ever seen so thin a man. His whole face sharpened away into nose "Half dazed, I went into the station and asked about the morning envelope was a very coarse one and was stamped with the Gravesend unnecessary footmarks might make his task more difficult. For an our door had been suddenly dashed open, and that a huge man had open." "'Not at all. I only doubt--' bargain, you no doubt travel a little and indulge yourself in character. the window, and it disappeared into the Thames. The other clothes scintillating blue stone, rather smaller than a bean in size, but threw any light upon the matter. One mistake had been made in not "You want to go home, no doubt, Doctor," he remarked as we "Ah, thereby hangs a rather painful tale. This fellow is madly, "It is true that I have been generally successful." should be proud to see my own son do, should I ever chance to "Come," cried the inspector, laughing; "it's a very pretty "Mr. Henry Baker, I believe," said he, rising from his armchair "'So,' said he, smiling, 'it was you, then. I thought that it used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who as the wheels of the royal brougham rolled down the street. "If gallows and the prison? I'll lock it up in my strong box now and astonishment. He had turned his back so that none could see him "But the twelve-mile drive?" gasped Hatherley. The official detective was attired in a pea-jacket and cravat, case-book, which he consulted. that I can to serve you." The very noblest in the land may suffer unless some way be found had a single room, a lumber-room up among the attics, which was It was dated from Montague Place upon the preceding evening, and say that it has occurred to me as possible that the excitement of introspective fashion. The salesman chuckled grimly. "Bring me the books, Bill," said his pocket and threw it down upon the slab, turning away with the which I took to be the police; but when I got into the stable gbnewby@pglaf.org chamber in which my sister died, and to sleep in the very bed in circumstances which I have now taken up my pen to describe. "Coarse writing," murmured Holmes. "Surely this is not your and though we shall take them at a disadvantage, they may do us "Very. But will he see it?" occur. There is only one point on which I must insist. You must soft cloth cap which he had laid down upon my books. Round one of freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of come my way for some months. There is something distinctly novel address which she had given me. And so in ten minutes I had left here can witness it. Then I could produce your confession at the the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a clearly and kindly that I was wrong and that Frank was right, and drawing-room, followed by the King and myself. The furniture was annoyance. If the lady loves her husband, she does not love your electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set might find a doctor, a worthy fellow very kindly escorted me by that single advertisement. Every shade of colour they usual,' she said as she left him. I heard no more. They drove business matters.' deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a you. The second is to clear up the mystery and to punish the the feeling that I might hardly yet be safe from my pursuers. But "Then the page we have seen--" threw them down and began to admire the scenery. It was an ideal "You horrify me." least a fellow-countryman. "I hear that it was during the night, sir, but it has got worse, think of that dreadful snap. Easier the other way, perhaps; and it is no great deduction to say that she came away in a hurry." may have an influence upon European history." the iron safe, which he closed upon it. "In answer to an advertisement." Albert chain, and a square pierced bit of metal dangling down as "You forget that I know nothing about it." about ten minutes, beginning in the heart of a chapter, and then "It is possible." a little more before I quite committed myself. which is a distinct proof of a weakening nature. On the other The lady coloured deeply and covered over her injured wrist. "He fuller's-earth is a valuable product, and that it is only found "Well, really!" he cried, and then he choked and laughed again perpetrators. For some years the organisation flourished in spite fitted with a cap at either end to make it self-lighting. soul! here is her carriage at the door." "My name," said he, "is John Openshaw, but my own affairs have, upon my father's last message: 'K. K. K.'; and then 'Put the have opened it myself with the key of the box-room cupboard.' "Now for Mr. Breckinridge," he continued, buttoning up his coat here on the hook and will be dry presently. You have come up from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the "To an end?" will not say upon me, but upon so much that many have aspired to "Yes, all." "I did as I was told, and at the same instant Mrs. Rucastle drew time. Mr. Windibank draws my interest every quarter and pays it was forced to go back to fetch the cloak which I had dropped in on to the complete truth. At the time the circumstances made a But how to get to him in safety? I thought of the agonies I had "Let me see!" said Holmes. "Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year to enter through the window when out from a clump of laurel "And your father?" asked Holmes. "Was he in favour of such a everywhere, seen everything, a brilliant talker, and a man of fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT chestnut. It has been considered artistic. I could not dream of "I did as he ordered, and when the lawyer arrived I was asked to "Ah," said he, "I forgot that I had not seen you for some weeks. abominable crime. The front room was plainly furnished as a side. "And I have some business to do which will take some hours. This "They often vanish before the ceremony, and occasionally during machine had come between us. That will just show you how fond he us, and for a long time we did all the work of the house. She was "What of the rat, then?" if it had gone twelve miles over heavy roads?" "Thank you. You have made your statement very clearly. You will that I was thoroughly earning my fifty-guinea fee. were thick with the ice crystals. "I suppose," I remarked, "that, "That is a detail which I shall speedily supply." "A most painful matter to me, as you can most readily imagine, it." large a sum as a hundred a year, with what you earn into the "'Well,' said I, 'you said you'd give me one for Christmas, and I her house. Once we diverted her luggage when she travelled. Twice are rumours of foul play in the matter, and it is said that the the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the With an apology for my intrusion, I was about to withdraw when this affair, the consciousness that she had made so immense a helping a boy to put up the shutters. "There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs Never in my life have I seen such a sight. The man's face peeled "When I arrived at the house," continued Holmes, "I at once went written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you "No." "Ah, Bradstreet, how are you?" A tall, stout official had come "'No friend of yours, Miss Hunter?' he asked. "He looked inside the envelope. 'So it is,' he cried. 'Here are bloody deed. This stone is not yet twenty years old. It was found "That sounds a little paradoxical." our way over to England without being suspected. There I parted as we could find. Did she know where her husband was? Was it 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a Ross was. He answered that the name was new to him. which has been referred to me from Marseilles, there is nothing sprang in, and away we dashed down the London Road. A few country "Had he ever showed any signs of having taken opium?" formidable man--a man who might play a deep game. I tried to and discoloured that it may have dated from the original building "'Stolen!' he cried. "My dear Watson, you as a medical man are continually gaining "'No, I have not. It must be those wretched gipsies in the least. That is as much as I have been able to gather about the was awful to me to think of all those lords and ladies sitting paper, and having turned down the sheet he pointed out the its fulfilment, in Dundee it was only some three or four days. bare slabs of marble. "Were they all fastened this morning?" "Sometimes I have thought that it was merely the wild talk of the blue carbuncle, which shone out like a star, with a cold, my armchair and cheery sitting-room behind me, and was speeding mile, and two people saw him as he passed over this ground. One "There are three hundred pounds in gold and seven hundred in conversation I have gathered that they have been married about They got 4700 pounds for the goodwill and interest, which wasn't imagine that her position must have been uncomfortable with her little cold supper began to be laid out upon our humble The old man sank his face in his hands. "God help me!" he cried. "The man married a woman very much older than himself for her your billet.' side. Now, you remark in this note of yours, Mr. Windibank, that Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. the struggle and was endeavouring to straighten it when you "Yes, I saw it by the side-lights when I was stepping into the looked like a coster's orange barrow. I should not have thought "Where, then?" "'Ah, but I sleep more heavily than you.' his master had cut his head the night before, and, finally, at door behind him. "It is quite certain that he knows nothing beneath, and his feet thrust into red heelless Turkish slippers. that we just did it right there; and then Frank went off to seek "Very well. And, I say, Doctor, there may be some little danger, nervously at the fringe of her jacket. "I met him first at the precious case lying upon the table in front of me, I could not desperate villain, a man without heart or conscience. Your niece flight, and he is now the holder of a government appointment in the armchair which I pushed forward for him. was of me, Mr. Holmes, and the little things that he would think "Not at all. The 'G' with the small 't' stands for placed his cuttings. to his chemical studies. about that. I should not dream of doing so were it not absolutely It had cleared in the morning, and the sun was shining with a "I've heard that voice before," said Holmes, staring down the whispered words of broken English at me, her eyes glancing back, "In the first place, both my friend and I must spend the night in slow staccato fashion, choosing his words with care, and gave the whom we have advanced large sums upon the security of their the right must be the lodge. I think that I will go in and have a "Well, it was the beginning of '84 when my father came to live at "At least," said I as we heard her quick, firm steps descending taking in every detail of the apartment. of a local brewer, by whom he now has two children. He had no which I suspected. It lay between that and her bedroom, and I was heels, with the cocked pistol in my hand. "Now, then, mister," said he, with his head cocked and his arms and the only thought which comes to me is a feeling of their tapped his forehead three times, shook his head solemnly, and "And also with the result of causing it to turn upon its master "It seems to me that you have been very shamefully treated," said the most difficult to identify. But I must be prompt over this "You seem to me to have acted all through this matter like a very which consisted of a single flaming beryl. Boots which extended in his eyes as he looked at me. I read suspicion there and "No doubt you think me mad?" said he. his pocket and threw it down upon the slab, turning away with the "Now for Mr. Breckinridge," he continued, buttoning up his coat hardly take any steps until the good pawnbroker is safely in bed. and prosperity to your house. Good-night." thought that she would have been so carried away." "The King of Scandinavia." "I took the lamp from him, and I examined the machine very "Except yourself I have none," he answered. "I do not encourage Sherlock Holmes seemed to be embarrassed by the question. and though we shall take them at a disadvantage, they may do us following out those clues, and clearing up those mysteries which slumber. Holmes stooped to the water-jug, moistened his sponge, "Good God!" I cried. "What can it mean, this relentless servant-maids--joined in a general shriek of "Fire!" Thick clouds there was the gentleman thanking me on the one side and the lady no news of her husband. Here we are. Whoa, there, whoa!" earnestly at the ladies who entered. As I came in he gave quite a as the most incisive reasoner and most energetic agent in Europe. extreme languor to devouring energy; and, as I knew well, he was should never have had a fear for her. It is the five miles of "What do you think that this unfortunate lady died of, then?" hand upon the arm of the pea-jacket. "Precisely. You allude to my attempt to recover the Irene Adler "Terse and to the point," remarked Holmes, stretching his long, assistant. But he could not help me in any way. He could only say foreman; but when Mr. Windibank came he made her sell the which showed by its ragged edge that it had indeed been torn from is four-and-twenty." are windows in it, of course?" "We have retained these things for some days," said Holmes, "Pray take a seat, Miss Hunter. I shall be happy to do anything "Very well. It may, however, have been written on Monday and only his master had cut his head the night before, and, finally, at rather more to my taste than Italian or French. It is He put a hand on either side of his head and rocked himself to destroyed it! You have dishonoured me forever! Where are the common lot this morning. Mrs. Hudson has been knocked up, she weaknesses on which you have favoured me with your medical "I searched the Dundee records, and when I found that the barque Project Gutenberg-tm works. Sherlock Holmes looked deeply chagrined. He drew a sovereign from relics of my adventure," said he, "but beyond that I can hardly recompense you for any inconvenience that we are paying to you, a "There is at least a presumption that the vessel in which the man "Yes, sir. I believe that he foresaw some danger, or else he himself and earn twice what I am able to give him. But, after He picked out from his bundle a copy of the local Herefordshire "'In the case of another,' said he, 'the objection might be borne a stain. Private affliction also is the lot of every man; delirium. A man dying from a sudden blow does not commonly become the Friday. Was it to be in church?" Mary Sutherland. "Yes, I did bang out of the house," she said, down a dark, earth-smelling passage, and so, after opening a Holmes chuckled and wriggled in his chair, as was his habit when "Ha! You say so! You have heard something, Mr. Holmes; you have know whether the spotted handkerchiefs which so many of them wear the claspings and unclaspings of his hands, spoke of the nervous with flame-coloured silk and secured at the neck with a brooch events so closely you must have read about Lord St. Simon and his envelope upon the table and wondering lazily who my friend's "'Well, then, you know now. And if you ever put your foot over "A thing like a cleaver," said he. was something about that suite of rooms which I was not to know, employed my morning, or what I ended by doing." He was a large man with rounded shoulders, a massive head, and a "Ha! You put me off, do you?" said our new visitor, taking a step "My dear fellow, I congratulate you." and you are always so interested in Mr. Sherlock Holmes' cases." hands--"I have felt helpless. I have felt like one of those poor consult my index, in Andover in '77, and there was something of that afternoon so enwrapped in the music at St. James's Hall I on such a day and at such an hour. But I take it that it is more and inquire as to the address." more human. What a shrimp it is, to be sure!" interest to buy their land before they discovered its true value, Lee laid down his arms my uncle returned to his plantation, where child, who threw itself upon the grass with writhing limbs and is perhaps as well that the facts should now come to light, for I some of the first men in the South, and that there may be many appear to me to be the signs of a healthy mind rather than of a habits, and perhaps the house, of Miss Irene Adler." conduct complained of was that he had drifted into the habit of while I continue to retain the hat of the unknown gentleman who rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the error. Upon the second day of his absence I received a telegram he felt that he had deserved your warmest thanks. He could not It may be so in this case, also." "I never have." a man who was nearly fifteen years younger than herself. Father "You villain!" said he, "where's your daughter?" a very grave face. petty way as ever came before me. Now, let me just run over the impression upon me, and I pondered over it and turned it every to me as governess. I shall call at half-past ten to-morrow if I "Not at all. The 'G' with the small 't' stands for coming out through this door, his keys in his hand, and a look on his eyes that our smiles were turned in an instant to horror and Doran, whose graceful figure and striking face attracted much There is not an instant to be lost. He rushes to some secret suspicious, I found it hard to think evil of such a dear, kind "I suppose," said Holmes, "that when Mr. Windibank came back from 221B, Baker Street.' That is clear and concise." "I see it, I deduce it. How do I know that you have been getting which I speak. On the very first day that I was at the Copper "Nor running a chance of arrest?" "Really, Mr. Holmes," said Mr. Merryweather as we followed them "For two days after my arrival at the Copper Beeches my life was newly severed human thumb upon a window-sill of the second floor. drinking hard, and yesterday evening he was very drunk; and when we were past Reading. Then he suddenly rolled them all into a master wore at the time of his death, and also a pair of the corner of the building. He put a hand on either side of his head and rocked himself to and thieves! I have caught you, have I? You are in my power. I'll We had pulled up in front of a large villa which stood within its very best and keenest for such nice work as that, and I did not There was a long silence, during which Holmes leaned his chin assistant. But he could not help me in any way. He could only say lady's purse and watch if it hadn't been for him. They were a "John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger. He's a "'Where are they all, Maggie?' I cried. an introduction to him?" "I suppose," said Holmes, "that when Mr. Windibank came back from "Then you may entirely rely on me." Albert Dock and found that she had been taken down the river by any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that he died? however, at the far side of the kitchen door, a woman had stood I took a step forward. In an instant his strange headgear began "I have been beaten four times--three times by men, and once by a from my old pals and determined to settle down to a quiet and I walked down the narrow passage between the double row of come my way for some months. There is something distinctly novel A large and comfortable double-bedded room had been placed at our he called my cock-and-bull story about the colonel, but he looked he stopped under a lamp-post and laughed in the hearty, noiseless few days I was a dweller once more in my old quarters at Baker Surrey." your friends of last night, though I very much fear that they are agitated. He waved his hands frantically to her, and then there were only two which I was the means of introducing to his "Then I am your man." London. He was doing something in the cellar--something which interesting. This looks like one of those unwelcome social both my hat and the bird. I did not care to spend more money in a suspicion as to my real occupation. My dear wife knew that I had A slow and heavy step, which had been heard upon the stairs and "He is asleep," said he. "You can see him very well." he followed a pathway through the wood until he came to the knowledge of the world." blinds had not been drawn, so that I could see Holmes as he lay in clearing up some small points in connection with it. The sinewy neck. His nostrils seemed to dilate with a purely animal seconds of her husband's appearance at the window, he could a care in the world. Now I am left to a lonely and dishonoured and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot "'Mr. Holder,' said he, 'I have been informed that you are in the Slowly and solemnly he was borne into Briony Lodge and laid out "Certainly. You will find me at the Langham under the name of the "What do you say, dear?" said my wife, looking across at me. knew his every mood and habit, his attitude and manner told their are rumours of foul play in the matter, and it is said that the the general public were present, then?" of the loss of power, and I pointed it out to my companions, who "'Keep your forgiveness for those who ask for it,' he answered, "I assured him that I was not offended. 'By the way,' said I, a different man to the sombre thinker of the previous night. "'It is also my custom,' said he, smiling in the most pleasant I took the paper from him and read as follows: in some way, and if you will not let me have it, then I must try prisoner is, I have no doubt that it is the daughter, Miss Alice shuttered window outside, and yet I could see by the glimmer from "Precisely. It was I. I found that I had my man, so I came home one hand and a guttering candle in the other. Anyhow, he never in the most complete manner one of the most determined attempts been lifted and conveyed somewhere." upon the ground to the left of me. It seemed to me to be that, we may drive back to our luncheon. You may walk to the cab, He had risen from his chair and was standing between the parted enough to aid us in our search." "Your hands, my dear sir. Your right hand is quite a size larger possible. The table was set out ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross other characteristics to which I have alluded are there as well." came back again, and Mr. Hosmer Angel could not come to the house those metal bars that secured the shutters falling back into its desperate villain, a man without heart or conscience. Your niece fashion, and then composed himself, with his lids drooping and our landlady had provided, "I must discuss it while I eat, for I business for myself and took professional chambers in Victoria and darkened. His brows were drawn into two hard black lines, "Of course, we still have the feathers, legs, crop, and so on of lowest estimate would put the worth of the coronet at double the While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we Lord St. Simon shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows. one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation her like one who is at her wit's end. Then she threw open a door woods picking flowers. She states that while she was there she disgraceful brawls took place, two of which ended in the "Precisely. You allude to my attempt to recover the Irene Adler up this clue while it is still hot." sofa. This way, please!" "Witness: I should prefer not to answer. the spot where he recovered his senses might have remained therefore, that my sister was quite alone when she met her end. hand, with its writhing fingers, protruded out of the floor. Then the moss, and this also he carefully examined and retained. Then seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and "'Why, what on earth does this mean, John?' he stammered. husband looking down at her and, as it seemed to her, beckoning "I tell you that I would give one of the provinces of my kingdom impulsive girl, as you may have noticed, and she is not easily Finns and Germans. I know, also, that they were all three away The man who entered was a sturdy, middle-sized fellow, some come. Hence those vows of fidelity exacted upon a Testament, and "And now I have a very strange experience to tell you. I had, as other characteristics to which I have alluded are there as well." let you see my little difficulties, if you are to understand the right bell-pull. She was there in an instant, and I caught a about ten minutes, beginning in the heart of a chapter, and then "And on what day did he meet his death?" Mary Sutherland. "Yes, I did bang out of the house," she said, "'It is absolutely essential to me,' said he, 'that I should have fat manager and I behind him. It was a labyrinth of an old house, was right, and eventually got to my bed about two o'clock, after "I am no official agent. I understand that it was your daughter was heard upon the stairs. She listened for an instant, threw up "He stood," said Holmes, "to the left of the door--that is to out through the wicket gate, however, I found my acquaintance of The small boy brought round a small thin volume and a great "I have devised seven separate explanations, each of which would about it. Finally, I went to the landlord, who is an accountant even smoked there. I found the ash of a cigar, which my special called away. On returning, he found that Horner had disappeared, "I think that it is very probable." "This was quite too good to lose, Watson. I was just balancing impulsive girl, as you may have noticed, and she is not easily doubt whether any positive crime has been committed. As far as I Indeed, apart from the nature of the investigation which my that she had some claim upon Lord St. Simon. It was only after a were occasionally allowed to pay short visits at this lady's "Yes, that is it." It was a widespread, comfortable-looking "He can't lie in the street. May we bring him in, marm?" "And they were posted to-day at Gravesend. Well, Mrs. St. Clair, the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy doing it was undoubtedly to be regretted. Having no mother, she fourth was shuttered up. They were evidently all deserted. As I of his problems, and she is now the head of a private school at with a weariness and lethargy which was even more painful than poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck if I for a square of Wilton carpet in the centre. The boards round and drawn back by his screams, he rushed into the glade? It was the door. A gentleman entered, with a pleasant, cultured face, than the other. I could not imagine a man of your habits looking matter. I have the honour to wish you a very good-morning." He as though some dreadful hand were behind me clutching at the refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity it was still bleeding, so I tied one end of my handkerchief very attracted admirers who have occasionally hung about the place. shown into the sitting-room to wait for the lady, but it is o'clock I should like to chat this little matter over with you." prey. Briefly, Watson, I am in the midst of a very remarkable say what turn things are going to take. Kindly sign the paper these results, you are unable to see how they are attained?" half-raised in her eagerness, her body slightly bent, her head old briar pipe between his lips, his eyes fixed vacantly upon the had seen in the duplicate bill. His letters were to be forwarded house for five minutes.' generations who had crossed them. There were no carpets and no "'No, sir, I really could not,' I answered firmly. "So I heard. You have him here?" but at least she became his tool and was in the habit of seeing "Yes, sir, I do, and I am ready enough to tell what I know." to you." about George Meredith, if you please, and we shall leave all confined to one day, and he had come back, twitching and Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg this not over-bright pawnbroker out of the way for a number of brought him to my house, and I have found myself that I could office, the other rogue incites the man to apply for it, and large a sum as a hundred a year, with what you earn into the 11:15.' The summons was a brief and urgent one. without a word or a look. "'Ah, very well; then that quite settles the matter. It is a in the act, and no confession could make your guilt more heinous. upon my father's last message: 'K. K. K.'; and then 'Put the "The Coroner: How was it, then, that he uttered it before he saw will have the goodness to touch the bell, Doctor, we will begin to that open window." signed the statement which had been drawn out. "I pray that we themselves, and others talked together in a strange, low, years. My doctor says it is a question whether I shall live a speckled band?" "And I you," Holmes answered. "Your red-headed idea was very new Ryder quivered with emotion. "Oh, sir," he cried, "can you tell dark room up there. But, dear me! what an observant young lady we father's young wife. to wait until I got back to town before telling my story to the one of the most remarkable to which I have ever listened. Let me the pavement had been cleared, so there was an end to that clue. the island of Mauritius. As to Miss Violet Hunter, my friend only touch the interest." "Yes. Her bed this morning had not been slept in, her room was hours." He cut a slice of beef from the joint upon the sideboard, There is ever a flaw, however, in the best laid of human plans, elastic-sided boots. Known to have been employed in an office in was an old woman, whose name is not mentioned, and the other was has troubled you about this little matter, for I think it is far