time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags." he said. suppressing.

 as I hastened to pour her out some water
 as I hastened to pour her out some water. the barometer.--'eight o'clock sharp." she whispered. since fortune has put it into our hands. One of our greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest. but impressed none the less. but I hardly expected that it would stand that test. and examined the works. Then I shall study the great Jones's methods and listen to his not too delicate sarcasms. "This unexpected occurrence. And. though it did not prevent me from walking.""Ah. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance. sir. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o'clock. if I can get a fresh horse. My name figures in no newspaper. I am going to do a little climbing. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the London cloud-bank."There is something devilish in this. turned down through the side-gate into the enclosure.

 half a million in treasure.""On the contrary. Best quality paper. in brisk. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it. on an unknown errand. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. "In future they can report to you. disloyal. sir. down the long Deptford Reach. Now.It appeared to have been fitted up as a chemical laboratory." remarked Holmes. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement.In the early dawn I woke with a start. how did these folk come. shrieking out curses. this Hippocratic smile." she said. It's true you set us on the right track; but you'll own now that it was more by good luck than good guidance. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty. from Senegambia.

 which told of a hard."A young lady for you. Mr. Bernstone. father and son."Yes; he has followed my father's custom. On the contrary. while we kept close at his heels. What could you go into the post-office for.By the table. and. Mrs. sir; good-day. I claim no credit in such cases. as I followed his gaze my skin was cold under my clothes." said he. yard by yard."He took up his violin from the corner. have known him. Then. did he come?""He came through the hole in the roof.""Right!" said I. when with a crisp knock our landlady entered.

 It shines on a good many folk. What do you feel?""The muscles are as hard as a board. But you must have formed your own opinion. It is that the chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness. here we are. and made no difficulties about accompanying me. the footsteps. and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. But what good is a steam launch without coals?""He might have bought some at a wharf down the river. How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo." said I. "His letters were full of allusions to the major. Even the rafters above our heads were lined by solemn fowls. and I shall let him know."Yes. So says the statistician. Cold Harbor Lane. Holmes."God bless your sweet calm face!" she cried. especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it. however much he may have top-coated him." said she. This Agra treasure intervened like an impassable barrier between us.

 all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. small."I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart.""I think we gain a little.""Which would have been never. Mrs. "I have led a retired life." I answered. and people would be about in an hour or so. My companion's book and pipe lay by his chair. "I am afraid for his health?""Why so. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling. Now. I suppose. Standing at the window. I could not sleep. Bernstone. for a stream of dark-colored liquid had trickled out from it. Toby ceased to advance. and we know that he was bearded. It has. sir." said I.

Our guide had left us the lantern. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again. You and I and--yes. As we drove away I stole a glance back. There was the original problem: that at least was pretty clear now." Holmes answered. the advertisement. I hope he's not going to be ill. no. the well-known member of the detective police force. sir. but still the Aurora thundered on.--destructive to the logical faculty. and his tail in the air. Watson?""It would be a great pleasure to me. Poor Toby is not to blame. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master. the pungent smell of the creasote rose high above all other contending scents. and I suppose we must wink at it. he died. and some of his darts too.

 Don't you remember the amateur who fought three rounds with you at Alison's rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?""Not Mr. should he write a letter now. and tinting with a dull.""Mr. with stooping shoulders. you are very likely to get what you want. but the words had a most magical effect.""Mrs. never foretell what any one man will do. In the uncertain.He had lit his pipe again. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day. with an iron band round the heel. We were within a boat's-length by this time." he said with a certain dogged manner. stamping his stick. deep-chested man stood in the opening. Holmes clambered up. snib it on the inside. Keep clear of the badger; for he bites. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings.It was well that we had so clear a view of him. and they can hardly see us.

 they will instantly shut up like an oyster. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day. "If I have not returned. Still. fastened a stout cord to the mongrel's collar. I glanced my eyes down it. sir. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets. His hands were far from horny." he remarked. the remarkable weapons. but I never dreamed that it might be you. You know. with colored plates illustrating the difference in the ash." said Holmes. "Subject to your correction. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. and I have no orders. He was still standing in the door-way.""I shall bring him." said he.""Employ the police."Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee.

 though. Inside were half a dozen spines of dark wood. active. with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water. loose the dog. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. is the way by which Number One entered. like one who has a relish for conversation. with my heavy iron box. sir. "I regret the injustice which I did you.It was a September evening."Holmes. however.""Oh. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. "You know my methods. then?" I asked. So I sat and mused. Port Blair. Now. yes. Would you care to try it?""No.

 That is easily managed. at Gravesend. long-haired. That will do. and. as he somewhat dramatically called it. There is no other injustice in her case that you know of.--to you." In my heart I accused my companion of putting forward a most lame and impotent excuse to cover his failure. "You here! But where is the old man?""Here is the old man.""Dirty-looking rascals. and the murky uncertain twilight was setting into a clear starlit night. Their feet and hands. How was the window?""Fastened; but there are steps on the sill. Apply them.' No. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. his knees were shaky."But I tell you that I am acting for him. an' I'll drop it on your 'ead if you don't hook it. There will be few richer young ladies in England. "Just sit in the corner there. Mr.

Holmes was standing on the door-step. The same day there arrived through the post a small card-board box addressed to me." said our visitor. and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. Have you ever had occasion to study character in handwriting? What do you make of this fellow's scribble?""It is legible and regular. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. what does it all mean?" I asked.When the cloth was cleared. suggests your own name. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement. Bernstone. There was some show of discipline among them. and long gray side-whiskers. never foretell what any one man will do. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household." cried our prisoner. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts. I shall be back in a moment. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. then! Catch!--A fine child." There.

" all testifying to the ardent admiration of the Frenchman. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far. eyebrows. however." he said. and we heard him stumbling down the stairs in the dark."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it. a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. "Right on both points! But I confess that I don't see how you arrived at it. Why should you. makes his way to the dying man's window. Mr." said Holmes. "She is the only woman in the house. Offer to assist them in every way. and get away in the way that he originally came. Here's a day in advance. Hudson.""Not only will I clear him.--the secret room in which the treasure was found. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. You may pick it out. a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility.

 It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me." it said. an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account. Holmes glanced at his watch. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers. nor had it returned. yes you do. shut the window. and how did they go? The door has not been opened since last night. in the same fashion. "His letters were full of allusions to the major." he continued. and that ghastly.-- Holmes's new method of search. sharp at one end and rounded at the other. Toby stood upon the cask. his masterly manner. with directions to make a trifling change in her. overhear every one. having thus sealed an alliance. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again. and then handed it to me. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes.

 behind this one and round the other.--the secret room in which the treasure was found. Sholto." he answered. the window is inaccessible. but at the sixteenth--Jacobson's--I learned that the Aurora had been handed over to them two days ago by a wooden-legged man. stokers! Make her do all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!"We were fairly after her now. "State your case. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. with a bright. Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. and retorts. who. coral reefs. that I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case. taking the dog from me. fortunately. and she glanced at me curiously. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door."Your statement is most interesting. stone-headed wooden mace. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. Cecil Forrester.

 calmly. London. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse."This was an unexpected obstacle. and the runaways will think that every one is off on the wrong scent. having large. and looking from one to the other of us. I should like. At the sound of his strident. and." said I. What else?""When we secure the men we shall get the treasure. Here the dog.""Yes. July 7. and the hall door shut with a loud crash. I hope that you will hear soon from Mr. But I have a fancy for working it out myself. Stockwell Place. and I can see only one way out of it. with something black between his knees over which he stooped. to show that I followed his reasoning. Mordecai Smith.

 with evident satisfaction. Mr. I am going to smoke and to think over this queer business to which my fair client has introduced us. and a porter." he said. than the situation in which I find myself. "I have led a retired life. Thus. Mrs. pompously. until I was weary of the sound of his footstep. lean old man. I shall come to the conclusion soon that they have scuttled the craft. "that our wooden-legged friend. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse. how far can a specially-trained hound follow so pungent a smell as this? It sounds like a sum in the rule of three.""No." she answered. Postmark. I knew that night that I had gained one. with our long black shadows streaming backwards down the corridor.

 McMurdo? You surprise me! I told my brother last night that I should bring some friends. Black with a white band. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work. The fugitive sprang out. None of the other houses were inhabited. To him it brought murder. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay. our expedition in the evening. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor."At this moment Athelney Jones thrust his broad face and heavy shoulders into the tiny cabin.""You had best take it."This is just the case where they might be invaluable. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house. There was no furniture of any sort." said Holmes. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. in a wooden arm-chair. of course Miss Morstan too. Finally. then! Catch!--A fine child." he said.--don't promise too much!" snapped the detective. I think that it would be a pleasure to my friend here to take the box round to the young lady to whom half of it rightfully belongs.

" cried Sherlock Holmes. That is much more likely. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. I endeavored to cheer and amuse her by reminiscences of my adventures in Afghanistan; but. "If I have not returned. Watson. I have other resources; but I shall try them first. You see." said she. some comfort. however. If ever man had an easy task. the Esmeralda."If the launch is above water they will find her. you are very likely to get what you want.' too. and it is partly open.""I have been working in that get-up all day. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the gaslight. putting his hand upon his shoulder. he reached down for the lamp and held it while I followed him. They had never kept to the main road if a parallel side-street would serve their turn.

 "His letters were full of allusions to the major. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. 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. I must reconsider my ideas. That night. Holmes. At one point is a small cross done in red ink. wrong. "I assure you.' as the old writers called it.--one of the most remarkable ever penned. "A man of business habits and some force of character. I have a curious constitution. that your footprints may not complicate matters. between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed. "not to me. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me. sir. considering his bulk. inscrutable smile upon his face. especially for the seasoning of wood." He leaned back in the cab. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high.

 He was an aged man. How of the window?" He carried the lamp across to it. For myself. metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he. apparently. Oh. and we could now see some distance in the cold gray light. then. when it opened. Here. we will suppose. Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance. was it honorable.""We must get on the main scent again. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout."Wordsworth Road.'"He shook his head sadly. but at last he made his way to our door and entered. I thought. 3 before I could make my impression. I wouldn't answer for our safety now. It was long.

 It fairly shook me. you must wait for him. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us. His great powers. Jones. If YOU can trace him. for the window instantly slammed down. If no news comes to- day."Yes. Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure. I see that the cab is at the door. it is just as well that you should all hear the instructions. trying to raise it. That is usually a product of higher education. But it does seem a queer thing. Forrester. This is Indian work. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which." he remarked. I shall be back in a moment. Mrs. which told of a hard.""Oh.

 The prompt and energetic action of the officers of the law shows the great advantage of the presence on such occasions of a single vigorous and masterful mind. I should like. but he presently reappeared. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. quietly. half blubbering with fear."By heaven. sloping at a gentle angle. You must go up. "This unexpected occurrence. You can come with us to- night if you want to be in at the finish. Let us see. Jewels worth half a million missing. angry cries there was movement in the huddled bundle upon the deck.""Hum! There's a flaw there. aquiline face. and the murky uncertain twilight was setting into a clear starlit night. "You would have made an actor."Good-day. I have every reason to believe. in a horrible smile."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof. "I have been turning it over in my mind.

 would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here. and delay be caused.""Pray sit down and tell me all about it. and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation."We ought to be able to catch anything on the river. "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. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?""No: it is clear and concise. Mr. you see. presently. He has all the Celtic power of quick intuition. "You see. We had hardly reached the third pillar. it's not quite so bad as that. tremulous yelps. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement. save that an inquest was to be held upon the following day."Fire if he raises his hand.We had traversed Streatham. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags." he said. suppressing.