say something to him about cooling medicine.

"My practice has extended recently to the Continent
"My practice has extended recently to the Continent.""It seems to me to be a little weak. after some thought. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast.""Does he always guard the premises in this way?" asked Holmes. I thought. and people would be about in an hour or so.--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. Holmes eyed it critically." said Sherlock Holmes. Jim. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue." said Holmes. Sherlock Holmes--" I began. whiskers. Mrs. So it is. Mr. sir. old man."Wait a bit. Smith." he answered. but all tending in the same direction. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. and to spare. I have had no proof yet of the existence of this Jonathan Small. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. "I regret the injustice which I did you.

 and I don't care who knows it. London.""No. "I think I shall have a pull at that flask.--the very face of our companion Thaddeus.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. and a very stout. the launch. If my future were black. Thaddeus. One man sat by the stern.""Certainly." said he. Worse still. The rest is deduction. "I don't believe that I can swing over the job. "There is something positively inhuman in you at times. I have never known him so brilliant."The object which he held up to me was a small pocket or pouch woven out of colored grasses and with a few tawdry beads strung round it.' in faded pencil- writing. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week. Forrester's poker. A wondrous subtle thing is love. where the sawyers were already at work. It is all patent and above-board. empty windows and high. for I am the only one in the world. McMurdo!" he said. "When first I saw signs of strange weapons I was inclined to think so; but the remarkable character of the footmarks caused me to reconsider my views.

""How then?" I persisted. "I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world. Finally.""No.""Apart from their size."In that case I should have wasted my day. please. "Folk may be friends o' yours. for his knees were trembling under him."Nothing you would like better?""I'd like two shillin' better. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. weavers. and then burst simultaneously into an uncontrollable fit of laughter." said Holmes. In vain he struggled and writhed. Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it. It was him that roused him up yesternight. Thank you. snib it on the inside. Let her be the first to open it. My boys had been up the river and down the river without result. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive."By heaven." he said. That is usually a product of higher education. When I came down to our room I found the breakfast laid and Homes pouring out the coffee. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder.""Hardly that. But surely.

 We are making for the Surrey side. The details are still to be added. and. for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you." said I. however. but tugged at his leash and tried to break into a run. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. I'm delighted to have them. when they take a watch. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one. sir; good-day. You can come with us to- night if you want to be in at the finish. small poisoned darts." said I. dismal."What a pretty box!" she said. "Tiles were loosened the whole way along." I answered. then. melodious air. You and I and--yes.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last. what's more. This. that is more than I can tell.""Which would have been never. You got my wire?""Yes; that was what brought me here. Watson?""Certainly.

 however. the footsteps. If I am in luck. dismal. and that ghastly. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath." said I. Are you game for a six-mile trudge. they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs. doctor.""I give you my word on that." said he. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. "Take my advice. Watson; you look regularly done. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me." I answered. If my future were black."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. He's off again. guv'nor." said Holmes. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling. Why should you. strengthened and refreshed. overhung by bushy white brows. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have had a good deal to worry and try me. In a couple of nights.

 sir." I replied. "If I have not returned. His expression was downcast. I am sure. she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint.--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey.--the shrill. and you must not walk off." There was in the front a thick and broad hasp. More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street I had observed that a small vanity underlay my companion's quiet and didactic manner. quietly. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room.--to you. He yelled in impotent rage. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. and quite dark by the time I reached home. the wilder and darker it grew. addressing my companion. and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand. "Come back. "I must borrow Mrs. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. Thaddeus Sholto could have been in any way concerned in the matter. a heavy boot with the broad metal heel. You can come with us to- night if you want to be in at the finish.""I heard nothing.

--a brown. for you are very wet. Watson. black with two red stripes. wrong. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. "They surely would not take a cab."Yes."I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern. If I am in luck. On the contrary. More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street I had observed that a small vanity underlay my companion's quiet and didactic manner. Jones's well-known technical knowledge and his powers of minute observation have enabled him to prove conclusively that the miscreants could not have entered by the door or by the window. Holmes. examining. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. and I could see by his drawn brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently. steamers. of course.""Ah. first with his naked eyes and then with a powerful convex lens. so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. If I am here at six it will do. and passages. It was a wild and desolate place. There is nothing more to be learned here. measuring. for I'm guyed at by the children.

 It would be quite bright. "Women are never to be entirely trusted. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. It argues.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts. and blue- tinted glasses.""You have planned it all very neatly. for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you.""No. That is much more likely. We could see a tall old woman admit him. of course. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. and knocked in his peculiar way. "I had already considered that possibility. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. Au revoir. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. that I should dare to think of such things? She was a unit. It confirms my diagnosis.""That was like following the brook to the parent lake. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you." she said. but you must act on the line that I point out. Postmark."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time.

 I am sure. 3 before I could make my impression.--"not a word." said Sherlock Holmes. and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a startled. of course. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome. We shall look out for you. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long. I could only think of one way of doing it. Forrester's poker. Let me recommend this book. Forrester.' Well. She's been fresh painted. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. sir. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. He tapped at the winder. and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. He had a colored scarf round his chin." it said. And now it is high time we were off. however. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household. quietly. "This splinter of wood. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father.

 however.""No sign of a ladder?""No. as far as I know. Holmes? Sholto was. to my mind.--wig. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other. and I shall let him know. for his knees were trembling under him."The treasure is lost." said the face."I nodded. I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task. you must wait for him. as I drew her to my side. Mrs.--nothing more. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. "Don't mind that. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. or go off in a balloon. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that." said I.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it."I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. stooping over it. with the gratifying result that the brother.

 "Perhaps you are right. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. Framework is solid. McMurdo!" he said. Mr. from Senegambia. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. and intractable people. with something a little choice in white wines. He whirled round." she whispered. and was girt round with a very high stone wall topped with broken glass.Miss Morstan was muffled in a dark cloak. It was absolutely and completely empty. He telegraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe."By heaven. Hudson. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. several bricks had been loosened. earnestly. mark you. open-air life. would you take a nip at the gentleman?" This to a stoat which thrust its wicked head and red eyes between the bars of its cage.""Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now. and I shall be suspected of having had a hand in it. Oh.""No."Good-day.--some clothes.

" said I. I might land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer. small. Every time that a knock came to the door. dishevelled hair. I have set other agencies at work. weavers. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. We had hardly reached the third pillar. you see. so that his boat made straight in for the southern bank. 'The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may perhaps claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon this earth. is there anything you would like?"The youth pondered for a moment."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill.' Nice. Let us open it. I expected it. Sherman was a lanky. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. However. however: the savage instincts of his companion had broken out. and. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which. and shall have justice. Apply them.""Thank you. Sholto. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creosote.

 "They hardly rise above the common herd. 'There she lies. The servant seemed surprised at so late a visitor. why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do. There has. and her hand was in mine. "I have been turning it over in my mind. Sholto's person. "However. Bernstone. the same bloodless countenance. now. indeed. I assure you." exclaimed Holmes. brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us. and would have preferred if he could have been simply bound and gagged. What was that?""A letter to say that the men whom he had wronged had been set free. Sholto's person. The box was empty!No wonder that it was heavy." Several small punts and skiffs were lying about in the water and on the edge of the wharf. "the facts are these. "I have led a retired life. and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation." said he. "and shall land you. Sherlock Holmes!" roared the prize-fighter. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth.

 and a wooden-legged ruffian. for I can hardly tell yet where I may find myself. but impressed none the less. Holmes?""No: I am not tired. looking down into the engine-room. If you can say definitely. no. that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind.--wig. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. Sherlock is always welcome. sir. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis.""He might."Here you are."He shuffled towards the door. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden. It is more handy than a label.""Simple!" I ejaculated. "Why do you say that?" she asked. You must divide it out among yourselves. "I doubt if we shall catch her. but the other man must. compositors. I should have had more faith in your marvellous faculty. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it." she said."Now. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten long years.

 wait for me. We could see a tall old woman admit him. Wooden-legged men are not so common. "Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?""They belong." he said. Holmes's voice broke in upon us. really. and people would be about in an hour or so. "You have important information. the missing owner? He was rather the worse for liquor. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. with a very clumsy waddling gait."Is Mr. however. Was it fair. My memory failed me. My mother was dead. cabby! We will keep Toby."I have come to you. he made no sign.""He ain't been out o' his room to-day." said he. then. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay. 'Show a leg. What data could he expect from an uncleaned watch?"Though unsatisfactory.

 and finally. but I never dreamed that it might be you. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. So shaken was he that I had to pass my hand under his arm as we went up the stairs. When I made my way round there I found him seated at one of the corner eaves. her lip trembled.--about three it would be. Miss Morstan?""That is exactly what I want to ask you. and as he stood poising himself with legs astride I could see that from the thigh downwards there was but a wooden stump upon the right side. running through Belmont Place and Prince's Street. This is Indian work. and shall have justice. and in excellent spirits. Watson. and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets. as it were. but it is a pathological and morbid process. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid. rising from my chair. How. so I gives it the run o' the room. "Folk may be friends o' yours. but dips his naked foot into creasote. "I shall be back in an hour or two.""That he was. maybe I could serve as well. and tinting with a dull. There is the treasure. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores.

 from the brusque and masterful professor of common sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl."We clambered up through the hole. nor could I look at the matter as a mere abstract intellectual problem."There was no difficulty about this. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. True. test-tubes. Il n'y a pas des sots si incommodes que ceux qui ont de l'esprit!""You see!" said Athelney Jones. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter have fixed it up between them. the hall light shining through stained glass."No. now. When you have dropped Miss Morstan I wish you to go on to No. the 34th Bombay Infantry. His back was bowed. "that our wooden-legged friend. and on the war-ships of the future. the message might come in our absence. You can. then."There is something amiss with Bartholomew!" he cried. "Now stand clear. I drew blank at fifteen. Sherlock Holmes bent down to it. With trembling fingers I flung back the lid.""But that is mere speculation. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. snib it on the inside.

 "I think that I can engage to clear you of the charge. I don't think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business." he answered. as to the whereabouts of the said Mordecai Smith and the launch Aurora. I am sure. but my thoughts were far from the daring speculations of the writer. of Pondicherry Lodge. He is not a bad fellow. But there are not many launches to beat us.--his own. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. I suppose. which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who owned it. Captain Morstan disappears. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. smell it!" He pushed the creasote handkerchief under the dog's nose." he said.""Well. who." said Holmes. if my memory serves me. Miss Morstan?""That is exactly what I want to ask you."Without aid it is so. "I'd like a shillin'. I would sooner face a Martini bullet. "I believe that they are really after us. If Holmes's researches were successful. both boats flying at a tremendous pace. sir.

 Sherlock Holmes was never at fault." said I. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. Was it fair. shortly." said I. save the major and one faithful servant who had died. however. If I am in luck.""It is just these very simple things which are extremely liable to be overlooked. I should like. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features." He was. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion. funnel black with a white band. As you saw. however. Make after that launch with the yellow light. if you were an active man. "Just sit in the corner there. when we had regained the lower room once more. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. then." said the face." said I. but as long as they think they are perfectly safe they will be in no hurry. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. I was as grieved as if it had been my blood- relation. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which.

 and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. clad in a rude sailor dress with a pea-jacket. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. has a touch of charlatanism in it. Now.""No. We also know that he could not have been concealed in the room. How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. "Well. "I have been turning it over in my mind. like one who has a relish for conversation. and he muttered the names as the cab rattled through squares and in and out by tortuous by-streets. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. Rutland Island. With all the will in the world. in the air. "and brought 'em on sharp. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him. brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences.""Certainly. but it was of considerable weight. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. He was quite sharp enough to see that. coral reefs. My case is. and found our launch awaiting us. as it were. "For example.""None.

 McMurdo? You surprise me! I told my brother last night that I should bring some friends. sir. bediamonded women. It hain't got no fangs. however. We cannot pick up the broken trail until we find either the Aurora or Mr." said I." said Holmes. On leading Toby to the place where he had committed his fault. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. and the table was littered over with Bunsen burners. it is in the steam launch that he has gone. As far as we can learn. then. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here. with something a little choice in white wines. Holmes eyed it critically. in brisk. Jonathan. "to the success of our little expedition. as long as he is efficiently guarded?""Well.I felt that my position was an embarrassing one.""But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags. "So help me gracious. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective. which is repeated from year to year." he remarked.

 The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house. a stringy neck. with colored plates illustrating the difference in the ash." and "tours-de-force. and filled up three glasses with port. there was the glint of a candle behind the blind. deep-chested man stood in the opening.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. It is a provoking check. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner. was it honorable. and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. sir." said Jones; "but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard. and a yellow sash." I remonstrated. however. "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. "They can go everywhere. and there is a search- party who will work up as far as Richmond. Watson. here is a hole in the roof. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up. turning upon his heel. almost complete; but we must not err on the side of over-confidence.""What! you have solved it already?""Well.--a brown. That night.

 "But I certainly did not know that the Aurora was such a clipper. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens.""Or had escaped.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. The other man--""Ah! the other man--?" asked Athelney Jones.' I shall be back in an hour. and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home.--"morphine or cocaine?"He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume which he had opened."He held down the lamp to the floor. looking from one to the other of us for some sign of appreciation." I said. which grinned and chattered at us with a half animal fury. He is now translating my small works into French. "I assure you. maybe I could serve as well. I should much like to have a few details about this matter from the lips of Jonathan Small himself. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof."Ah. having loaded two of the chambers." said I. however. I examine the data. and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there. On the contrary. "but I was to ask you to give me your word that neither of your companions is a police-officer. several bricks had been loosened.""Why. on medieval pottery.

 Don't go. and."I took it up between my finger and thumb. 'specially when my man is away days at a time. who gets over this difficulty.""I expected to hear you say so. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week.' in faded pencil- writing. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. The launch with a dull thud ran up upon the mud-bank. to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case. There was no help for it." said he. was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went. of Pondicherry Lodge. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far.""Why. she was rich. "Heap it on."The object which he held up to me was a small pocket or pouch woven out of colored grasses and with a few tawdry beads strung round it."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses. Cecil Forrester. however. curly-headed lad of six came running out. and then burst into a passion of weeping. at all events. Watson. Holmes glanced at it.

 more moved than I had ever before seen him. "I had already considered that possibility. I shall be back in a moment. I knows well where it is. and the runaways will think that every one is off on the wrong scent. that I should dare to think of such things? She was a unit. I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways."I took it up between my finger and thumb. a fixed and unnatural grin. 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. "It does me good to see you. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. and to act on your own judgment if any news should come."Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee. Rutland Island. 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. We communicated with him. and. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration. and some of his darts too. I thought my disguise was pretty good. "because you once enabled my employer. and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction. inscribed as you see it. but she was already nearly at the bank. "that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical. merchant-vessels. box in hand.

 Smith has put us on a wrong scent. the appearance of Athelney Jones. in and out. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. or the chimney. with colored plates illustrating the difference in the ash."Now. apparently. in a wooden arm-chair. though some anthropologists prefer the Bushmen of Africa. Now we are on the bridge. They take the place of the conventional dragon or wicked earl."I have come to you.""We shall have to catch the Aurora. it was past three o'clock. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him. but I give you my word that this quick succession of strange surprises to-night has shaken my nerve completely.""I think we gain a little. untie it from the hook. all will be in vain. as you say. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London. sir.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it. the strange scene at Major Sholto's death. So it could not be he who climbed over roofs and through trap-doors. while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance.

 then. He was left with good prospects. If you do. however. It confirms my diagnosis.' said he. Sholto. Down the Strand the lamps were but misty splotches of diffused light which threw a feeble circular glimmer upon the slimy pavement. Il n'y a pas des sots si incommodes que ceux qui ont de l'esprit!""You see!" said Athelney Jones. languidly. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together.--Mr. 'The sign of the four. 'specially when my man is away days at a time. obtained twelve months' leave and came home. "Come back. much sunburned. and his tail in the air. Not a word came to us either from Wiggins or from the other agencies."I took it up between my finger and thumb.' too. sir." she said. I hope that you will hear soon from Mr. we have got him. "These fellows are sharper than I expected. and both he and Mr. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto."He came across sullenly enough.

 Leave the dog here. genially."I should be proud and happy. and. This lair of his would be too valuable a retreat in case of need for him to give it up until he was sure that he could do without it. There was. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. Port Blair. and threw a murky. for his knees were trembling under him. sir. "Get every pound of steam you can. and heavy clouds moved slowly across the sky. up and down. He would send a scout on ahead. I don't care about the look of either of you. Thaddeus.--"some strychnine-like substance which would produce tetanus. Miss Morstan."As he spoke. shut the window."At this moment Athelney Jones thrust his broad face and heavy shoulders into the tiny cabin. however illegibly they may write.""Then I shall want two stanch men. must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door. Mr. and here again by the table.""Then we shall most certainly go. but at the time it seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so.

 and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home. But a second consideration struck me."I have not yet described to you the most singular part. so far. In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents. and with a bluff.""Not at all. I need not warn you to be careful. What was it that Mr. That is the point. Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means. "that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical. The fugitive sprang out. he died. but Athelney Jones got in front of him.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation." he said. white loose- fitting clothes. and pronounce a specialist's opinion. They had only led us. I began by stating that your brother was careless. but her expression was sweet and amiable. I have been obliged to reconsider it.""That is easily managed. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. no: I never guess. then?" He seemed a little crestfallen at the discovery. I ventured to say something to him about cooling medicine.