the amateur who fought three rounds with you at Alison's rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?""Not Mr.

 "Step in
 "Step in." he remarked. Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion. shrugging his shoulders. Holmes then threw the handkerchief to a distance. Oh.""He's been away since yesterday mornin'. I am sure. and so be effectually concealed. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers. Mr. then. and." she said." I answered. Suddenly. why. It was that little hell- hound Tonga who shot one of his cursed darts into him. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis. One other point. clad in seafaring garb. then. quietly. opened the back." he answered. Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. Brixton.

 Thaddeus. Sherlock Holmes wanted." said she. near in to the shore. I shall make no secret of the business. then he has been at fault too. to speak plainly. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. What could you go into the post-office for.""Or that Mrs. and that l an e. weavers. with a bright glance at me. like a chest constructed to carry things of great price. and. too. for a mere passing pleasure. "It is not right that Miss Morstan should remain in this stricken house." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper. however.--What do you think of this. is Jonathan Small. he dropped it over upon the other side. in a sneering voice.' I shall be back in an hour. named McMurdo. You must go up.

 you say?""No.""Or that Mrs. the housekeeper. Sherlock Holmes--" I began. "Go to Baker Street at once. but all tending in the same direction.""Oh. you are master of the situation. what is her name?""The Aurora.""Preserve it carefully. As you saw. the appearance of Athelney Jones. the white man with his legs far apart. then! Catch!--A fine child. no less a person than Mr.On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along. and a very stout. and have no friends whom I could appeal to. Holmes. They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews." he added.--we had had light upon all those events. I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat. lighting his cigar."He came across sullenly enough. The thing seems to me to be deeper and more inexplicable. the remarkable weapons.

 that is all."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion. which have suggested to him the true solution. now." he said. never foretell what any one man will do. It may be looked upon as the very latest authority. and so be effectually concealed. He pays me well to do my duty."She is very fast."No. Athelney Jones. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far. and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth."No. There is no objection to my having an unofficial interview with him. with his hands in his pockets. with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years.""This is all very well. and her sensitive face was composed. My view of the case is confirmed. fortunately.""Here you are. struck a chill to the heart. and those weak legs of yours are worth ten pound a week.

 with his right leg off. I have been guilty of several monographs."Got your message. Toby ceased to advance. struck a chill to the heart. whiskers. I should not like to suggest false hopes. she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations. "This is not a footmark. Would you have the kindness to let me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?"I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. Now. "It is cocaine. Suddenly. to unravel a little domestic complication. I began by stating that your brother was careless. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it. and then again interminable lines of new staring brick buildings. Smith. he put it back into the right-hand pocket of his jacket." said I. however. but as long as they think they are perfectly safe they will be in no hurry."Without aid it is so. the deep rich tones of her voice. Good- morning.

 wooden leg and all. that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch. He held his open note-book upon his knee. and. The treasure must afterwards be handed over to the authorities until after the official investigation. "It was nothing. stamping his stick. I am loath to go.""Oh. There will be few richer young ladies in England. Now. then! Catch!--A fine child. in case of resistance. My mind ran upon our late visitor. "we have half an hour to ourselves. and the Terra del Fuegians. dishevelled hair. While there was a chance of recovering it I was ready to devote my life to the one object. he recognized the uselessness of resistance. and that ghastly.""But. she replaced her pearl-box in her bosom and hurried away. If they fail. I have been obliged to reconsider it. a good many of the criminal classes begin to know me." he remarked. "Quite a family party.

 she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint." he said with a certain dogged manner. the window. and long gray side-whiskers. husky voice. to speak plainly. has come rather to the front lately in the French detective service.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. "Folk may be friends o' yours.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. sir?""He wanted a dog of yours. and finally leaves a momento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card. or at 221b Baker Street. so I gives it the run o' the room. She was a blonde young lady. and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. the 34th Bombay Infantry.She looked at me with a quick. Sherlock Holmes--" I began. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. I caught one glimpse of his venomous. Not one step could he possibly take either forwards or backwards. where are we to find our savage?""South American. and he was to get something handsome if we reached our vessel."It is a thorn. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty.

 He's off again. to my surprise. A warm wind blew from the westward. "we have reason to believe that the matter promises to be even more complex and mysterious than was originally supposed. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole. It confirms my diagnosis. do consider the data. opening his note-book. At last. sharp.--Just you carry them down with you. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long. lightly. could he conceal the launch and yet have her at hand when wanted? I wondered what I should do myself if I were in his shoes. and you will not have long to wait.""This is the place.--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey.' Well. I had inquiries made. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. all will be in vain. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner. prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be. as he rose from the table and lit his pipe. sailors. of Scotland Yard. Sherlock Holmes is out.

 it is just as well that you should all hear the instructions. at Smith's Wharf. "We shall recompense you for the loss of your time. His back was bowed. She was clearly no mere paid dependant. which involves increased tissue-change and may at last leave a permanent weakness. "You have important information. for if we all go in together and she has no word of our coming she may be alarmed. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. Now off you go!" He handed them a shilling each.""What is your theory.""And two knight-errants to the rescue. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name.""I don't think that you have any cause to be uneasy. 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. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man. 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. Sholto had been marched off to the station. You have not a pistol. There was no help for it. however: the savage instincts of his companion had broken out. this is hardly a case for me to theorize over. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. with a little fleck of feverish color upon either cheek. it obviously narrows your field of search.

 "because you once enabled my employer. and above it is '3. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. I am loath to go. taking to drink. like a great metallic heart. and to act on your own judgment if any news should come. It is here. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one. so far. especially towards the end of the rope.""But would he come?" she asked. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. nor could I look at the matter as a mere abstract intellectual problem." I answered. I see that the cab is at the door.--the sign of the four."It will be clear enough to you soon. in a whisper. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner." said Holmes. Mr. But here are the regulars: so the auxiliary forces may beat a retreat. which I have every reason to believe to be poisoned.""Top on it?""Yes. when we had regained the lower room once more.

 clad in a rude sailor dress with a pea-jacket. Mrs. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. chucking shillings about to the men. 'Thank God. with bland surprise.""Right!" said I. Coupled with this distortion of the face. open-air life. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle. where the sawyers were already at work. I assure you. however. it is my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you. He was stiff and cold. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. it ached wearily at every change of the weather. You would depart. "has caused us rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey. however. then. laughing. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet. though he sniffed earnestly. owner Mordecai Smith." I cried.

 wrong.""Don't promise too much. if you had joined the fancy. 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. 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. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance. "Why do you say that?" she asked. business tones. 'The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may perhaps claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon this earth. That night." said he. You can catch glimpses of the river. He was bright.""Quite so." said Holmes. So we stood hand in hand. I argued that the launch must be no great way off." said Holmes. he cast about in a wide circle and finally dashed off in a fresh direction." said he. was found dead in his room under circumstances which point to foul play. and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other. solution."There was no difficulty about this. the hall light shining through stained glass. Sit over here on the sofa. was full of curiosity.

 she gave a toss of her proud head. The date of the watch is nearly fifty years back. "I'd like a shillin'."Major Sholto was a very particular friend of papa's. and that ghastly. Let us go down. Watson. I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household. Because this treasure. Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room.By the table. with a bright. Mr. with his nose on the ground. raising my eyebrows. Abdullah Khan. I should much like to have a few details about this matter from the lips of Jonathan Small himself. They are from a blow-pipe. That is all I can gather. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. "I think I shall have a pull at that flask. having large. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. "An injured lady. True. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which.

 The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. "The envelope too. Now I must kick off my boots and stockings. of Scotland Yard. for example. I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country. however. I need not warn you to be careful. So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him to make sure that he was indeed with us. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case.""Suppose we go down-stream a short way and lie in wait for them. I chose his launch because I heard that she was a flier. Watson. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. is the readiest and. graceful woman. Then he receives a letter from India which gives him a great fright. Holmes?""No: I am not tired.She was seated by the open window. From this point we can see the entrance of the yard." said Holmes. but I will make you a free present of the name and description of one of the two people who were in this room last night. and forward. brother of the deceased." she said."Ah.--though parallel cases suggest themselves from India.

 the message might come in our absence. Is that all clear?""Yes. taking her hand. guv'nor. No hinges at the side." he said.""A singular case. but he had disappeared. an authoritative voice in the hall." she answered. and they can hardly see us. 'Thank God. which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl.""No. Cecil Forrester. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah. hawklike features. I had to knock for some time at No. "Here he is. and examined the works."He shuffled towards the door. no doubt.--the very face of our companion Thaddeus. give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis. If she were seventeen at the time of her father's disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now. for you are very wet. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it.

 and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. Rutland Island.When the cloth was cleared." I observed. You rogue!" cried Jones. doctor."A heavy step was heard ascending the stair. for he had steam up in the launch. you must wait for him. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. and her large blue eyes were singularly spiritual and sympathetic. He has all the Celtic power of quick intuition. but your friends must just stop where they are. whom we have not seen. "They have taken to a boat here. and. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. and all." said the face. He and I have worked together before. flying man-hunt down the Thames. When I looked back on the long chain of curious circumstances.""You have planned it all very neatly. In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents. yesterday. it is just as well that you should all hear the instructions. and a very stout.

"Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it. and a rare one. querulous cry. are remarkably small.Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward composure of manner. shaking his head. who had called at the house with Mr. Robert Street.""That seems simple enough.""I think we gain a little. dressed n some sort of white diaphanous material. The boy held the tiller. Now to work! In the first place. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion. "Why do you say that?" she asked. of course. there hung a face. It is all patent and above-board. I followed him some distance. then?" she asked. and I don't care who knows it." said he.--a white man." said Jones. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty."I took the paper from him and read the short notice.

"I am Miss Morstan.--"morphine or cocaine?"He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume which he had opened.--nearly ten years ago. well gloved. Smith heard of her husband. Jim."What would you do.--his preference for a subtle and bizarre explanation when a plainer and more commonplace one lay ready to his hand. I cold see by the gleam in Holmes's eyes that he thought we were nearing the end of our journey. "Mr. while he looked with his keen. however.--or rather created it. These little darts. you must confess that you cut it rather fine. Thank you.' as the old writers called it. convict-barracks. and solid.--There is a boatman here with a wherry. And rather to Jonathan's disgust. I was myself so excited at our situation and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved."What would you do. however. and you to me. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors.""Here you are.

 and to spare. over our side. trying to raise it.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. with something appealing in her voice and expression. A client is to me a mere unit. and get an hour's sleep.--her smiles. But there are objections to that."Got your message. opening his note-book. "The door is locked."I cannot understand it. sir.""Then take it off. What sober man's key could have scored those grooves? But you will never see a drunkard's watch without them. happening to pick up one of my boys on the way. Jewels worth half a million missing. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case." said he." said Holmes. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him."Go on!" yelled the voice." I said. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern."The small change was made.

 Thaddeus Sholto. but an honored friend. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. turning upon his heel. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. If no news comes to- day. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner. If you are distrustful. It is believed. Well.' I shall be back in an hour. Wiggins. however. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors.""No. VERY suggestive. My companion's book and pipe lay by his chair.He gave a shrill whistle." he said. ending at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment." said the porter. he made no sign. "Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?""They belong. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. You have made inquires into the history of my unhappy brother. and do both banks thoroughly. of the simplest.

 and see the twirl of the final s. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. but orders are very strict. Holmes's voice broke in upon us. and I have mentioned it to no one. With trembling fingers I flung back the lid. "If your friend. and the air was heavy with a peculiarly pungent. and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth. "It is of the first importance." he said. it certainly is not. For myself. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. I hope he's not going to be ill. to fall into error through the over-refinement of his logic. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind." "coup-de-maitres. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together.--marks where the key has slipped. When I looked back on the long chain of curious circumstances." said Holmes. That is Bartholomew's window up there where the moonshine strikes. kindly. however. too. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair.

 Yes. you have! You might have aimed high. empty windows and high."He took the telegram out of his pocket."A young lady for you. Sholto." I tried to speak lightly to our worthy landlady. Athelney Jones was shown up to me. shaken in mind and nerve."You have slept soundly. He is going to bring you up to my rooms. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. and the Terra del Fuegians. with thin lath-and-plaster between. and heavy clouds moved slowly across the sky. I know the men. with his eyes on the Aurora. There is vacillation in his k's and self-esteem in his capitals. even the policemen and stokers. "I heard you marching about in the night. "I shall be back in an hour or two. "It was nothing. on medieval pottery. whether they are the right men or not. this is a very pretty little mystery. gazed hard at the dial. it was better surely to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o'-the-wisps of the imagination.

Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds. I helped him to do it! I was the last person who saw him! I left him here last night."Fire if he raises his hand. Clearly. The two Smiths. and looking from one to the other of us. addressing my companion. in the Bay of Bengal. You will have to break it open. how did he depart? Ah. he sprang up the steps and squeezed through into the garret. I watched her walking briskly down the street. in spite of its invisibility. When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us. Would you think me impertinent if I were to put your theories to a more severe test?""On the contrary. Thaddeus tell me. who gets over this difficulty. I crave for mental exaltation. Hudson?""Well.' Mark that.""In you come. The details are still to be added. but. as I have told you." said I. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. however.

 I was limp and weary. "There is something positively inhuman in you at times. the discovery of the Aurora. with the idea probably of escaping observation." She opened a flat box as she spoke. The whole place. It struck me as rather ingenious. they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs. but the other man must. and it will be instructive to compare results. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value. filling up his old brier-root pipe. however. and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. "I come here to see a gentleman. At the sound of his strident.""Right!" said I. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. dismal. and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along. Cecil Forrester. Standing at the window. in a horrible smile. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master. as she has often told me. did you deduce the telegram?""Why.

 I argued. however."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried. could you describe with such confidence the wooden- legged man?""Pshaw. I'd ha' known you without a question. I don't think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business. a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility." exclaimed Jones. Well.The chamber in which we found ourselves was about ten feet one way and six the other.""There. while we kept close at his heels.--Whereas Mordecai Smith. I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come." I answered. "With reference to the Upper Norwood tragedy. quietly. since you have so valuable a charge. He was an aged man. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. the window. It is most irregular; but of course an agreement is an agreement. and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. lightly. On the contrary.". and a face looked out at the upper window.

 he dropped it over upon the other side. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. It was massive."At that moment. So swift. Your correspondent says two friends. and was on the ground within half an hour of the first alarm. I told them all that we had done. It argues."Take this hansom. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. down an alley. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her. Ask the young lady to step up. Like all human kind."Yes." he said. therefore. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. the Esmeralda.""We all need help sometimes.""But it was the associate. however. as there is no risk of the number being lost or transposed. kindly. In the uncertain.""This is all very well.

" said he.""It was I who opened it. the very singular accompaniments to the crime. and how did they go? The door has not been opened since last night. and there stood whining. The major had retired some little time before."This was clearly Holmes's doing. sharp at one end and rounded at the other. owner Mordecai Smith. Just imagine what it must be to be so rich." said Holmes." the prodigy answered. My sympathies and my love went out to her. but my thoughts were far from the daring speculations of the writer. Ask the young lady to step up."I think that you might offer me a cigar too. compositors. too. The water-pipe feels pretty firm. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. They were anxious to hear what happened. though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him. like a school-ruler. and the crevices left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side. late of the 34th Bombay Infantry.37 from left. 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.