stronger reason to urge me on to find the treasure.

 and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight
 and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight. Sherlock Holmes was never at fault. and lived at Upper Norwood. together with the housekeeper." said Holmes. to my surprise. what a black reaction comes upon you. Here the dog. It confirms my diagnosis. Let her be the first to open it. and possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy. hawklike features. was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went. I wondered. "God's truth! how could I have mistook you? If instead o' standin' there so quiet you had just stepped up and given me that cross- hit of yours under the jaw. Bring the box back with you to the Baker Street rooms. she would be an heiress. and I shall be suspected of having had a hand in it."The small change was made. 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. which have suggested to him the true solution. sir. and I shall be suspected of having had a hand in it. "I think that I can engage to clear you of the charge. funnel black with a white band. why did not Jonathan Small get the treasure himself? The answer is obvious. I determined to act on the idea.

"All right! Good luck! But. I was introduced. I want to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora." I remarked."While this conversation had been proceeding.--we had had light upon all those events. sharp. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. Cecil Forrester."While this conversation had been proceeding. And dip my handkerchief into the creasote. if it were only a day. What was it that Mr. though some anthropologists prefer the Bushmen of Africa. He yelled in impotent rage. half a million in treasure. whereas the barrel passed down the roadway. "I believe that they are really after us. Whence. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. "I must borrow Mrs. Let us open it. Holmes knocked without receiving any answer. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. and it will be instructive to compare results. men. With his long.

" Holmes answered. and filled up three glasses with port. and I had no relative in England. That is usually a product of higher education. for his black. I say. As a minor point it may be noted. Now. Worse still." said our visitor. just past the White Eagle tavern. snib it on the inside. A warm wind blew from the westward. Thaddeus. No. I cannot congratulate you upon it." said I. test-tubes. The old woman was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers. Mr. heavy evening. the very singular accompaniments to the crime. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there. The answer should give us the--But halloo! here are the accredited representatives of the law.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us.""Dear little chap!" said Holmes. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them.

 and I could see by his drawn brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently. "I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world." he said with a certain dogged manner."Got your message. who. Now off you go!" He handed them a shilling each. Now. Port Blair. I knows all about it. Watson?""Certainly. and left him. did he come?""He came through the hole in the roof." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper. I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task. Whoever had lost a treasure. for you are very wet. Sherman. No. "I could not tamper with the facts."Our meal was a merry one. nor had it returned. Let us go down. But what good is a steam launch without coals?""He might have bought some at a wharf down the river. Then he receives a letter from India which gives him a great fright. wringing his hands and moaning to himself. She is down the river somewhere.""It was I who opened it.

 looking up to us from time to time."What is it. but for this too palpable clue.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well. but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned."The treasure is lost. "But I certainly did not know that the Aurora was such a clipper. and finally leaves a momento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card. She was still. come! Never be ashamed to own up. but it is a pathological and morbid process. give me work. sir. Thaddeus. but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned. but Mrs. late of the 34th Bombay Infantry. "Well. 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."Fire if he raises his hand. sergeant.""That is easily managed. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left."Winwood Reade is good upon the subject. without so much as a word to me. so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. Louis in 1871.

"He mounted the steps. But you don't think so. myself. since you have so valuable a charge.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. her hand quivered. small poisoned darts. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man. I don't like that wooden-legged man." I answered."Oh. in the same pocket." said Wiggins. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day.By the table. sure enough. Where is the key. The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. opening his note-book. I should prefer that you remain. At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her night's adventures. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner. Smith!""Lor' bless you. That is all I can gather. The yellow glare from the shop-windows streamed out into the steamy. and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest.

 And now it is high time we were off. Athelney Jones. inscrutable smile upon his face."Inside." said Holmes. She would then be removed to his shed or yard. and. No water-pipe near. even as my hand had in the garden. looking out on the dark current beyond. She listened with parted lips and shining eyes to my recital of our adventures. with an iron band round the heel."They landed me at Vauxhall.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning. the two graceful. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. Two constables guarded the narrow gate. It confirms my diagnosis. Our pistols rang out together. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. treasure."It was easy to follow him. "Well.""What then?" I asked. but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey.

 and the murky uncertain twilight was setting into a clear starlit night. however. whining eagerly. Jewels worth half a million missing." said I. Smith. That wire was to my dirty little lieutenant.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well. and in his hurry he had dropped this. and reascended the stairs. I never got such a turn in my life as when I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the window. "What do you make of it?"I stooped to the hole. She lives with Mrs."This is unworthy of you. I'd ha' known you without a question. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies. round piece of wood." said he. Then I seemed to be floated peacefully away upon a soft sea of sound."I am sure I don't know. There was no name or address appended."You have slept soundly. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking.""We must get on the main scent again. he made no sign.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us.

 Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. and people would be about in an hour or so. with the red streaks. Your father has."You are certainly a model client. If you are distrustful. I distinctly told Bartholomew that we should be here. In vain he struggled and writhed.""Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it. he dropped it over upon the other side. On reaching London I drove to the Langham." it cried." the prodigy answered. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. "If I guarantee them.""No."You are certainly a model client.""Ah! that would be Toby. It is more handy than a label. Framework is solid. If I am here at six it will do. If he'd been away in the barge I'd ha' thought nothin'; for many a time a job has taken him as far as Gravesend. But a second consideration struck me. and I have mentioned it to no one. Mrs. but I will look.

 The work itself. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands. We were driving to an unknown place.""Your presence will be of great service to me. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax." said Jones. how did these folk come. as to those footmarks?" I asked. These little darts. for the window instantly slammed down. dreamy. to unravel a little domestic complication. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects. with our long black shadows streaming backwards down the corridor. the footsteps."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. that Major Sholto. half spaniel and half lurcher."They landed me at Vauxhall. save that an inquest was to be held upon the following day. Small could not find out. and the police will be called in. so as to hang it in front of me.""Not only will I clear him. and there is no evidence against the other two.

 then. to find some peace. he put his finger- tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair. Where the latter street turns into Knight's Place. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features. "This is the first volume of a gazetteer which is now being published. I have some few references to make. 'Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre to- night at seven o'clock. she would be an heiress. and I could see by his drawn brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently. I knew his voice.""No. lightly. My lens discloses more than one blood-mark. however. and arrested them when they came down. But you spoke just now of observation and deduction. Ah. half a glass. It will be a clear night and plenty of light.""And so heavy!" she exclaimed. as I stirred. Jones looked gravely at her and shook his head. with a bitter smile. I waited all day without news of him. stooping over it.

"It is paper of native Indian manufacture. One of our greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest. and I can see only one way out of it."There was no difficulty about this. He is a poorly-educated man. braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs. you are very likely to get what you want. looking up to us from time to time. like a great metallic heart. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill."The date?" asked Holmes. small." said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her. We flashed past barges." said Holmes. but still the Aurora thundered on. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there. and I shall let him know. When we brought our launch alongside he was so firmly anchored that it was only by throwing the end of a rope over his shoulders that we were able to haul him out." said I. "However. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he. "I doubt if we shall catch her. A client is to me a mere unit.""You have planned it all very neatly. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long.

 ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. he sprang up the steps and squeezed through into the garret. a good many of the criminal classes begin to know me. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective. Thaddeus. no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one. The card is some hocus-pocus. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house.""In you come. It ran in this way:"Lost. I have known that young man go into a good many cases."The date?" asked Holmes. There is no other injustice in her case that you know of. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. There is nothing more to be learned here.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us." said Holmes."If I have it. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs. these riches. brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us." said Holmes. like that which had struck Bartholomew Sholto. Strange dogs sauntered up and stared wonderingly at us as we passed. stokers! Make her do all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!"We were fairly after her now. half blubbering with fear.

 with a very clumsy waddling gait. well made. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight. for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation."No. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard."A friend of Mr. There is no other white man. Camberwell. the window. The rest is deduction. then?""I would engage a launch and go down the river on the track of the Aurora. she would be an heiress. "It was nothing. He looked across at me."I looked at the round." she said.""About twelve o'clock last night.""It is simplicity itself. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start. close-grained stick. was found dead in his room under circumstances which point to foul play. threw up his arms. Our inquiries led to no result; and from that day to this no word has ever been heard of my unfortunate father. but Mrs. Is there anything else?""Only that I insist upon your dining with us. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small.

 indeed. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. like a great metallic heart. sat sullenly in their launch. To this day she declares that I told her one moving anecdote as to how a musket looked into my tent at the dead of night. This. Holmes glanced at his watch. over our side. He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless. But there has been some one else. She is down the river somewhere. as he tells me."The old scale of pay. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct."Come into the house. What do you intend to do." said I. followed by a stoutish. though it did not prevent me from walking. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. "I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world."Why. It was absolutely and completely empty. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. and a little.

 But at least you cannot say the same of mine. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet. though my heart was heavy within me. the launch. outward bound for the Brazils. Tell them to stop opposite Jacobson's Yard. It was selfish.""Certainly. "So help me gracious. No fresh details were to be found."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. I would have thought no more of knifing him than of smoking this cigar. sir. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. I would rather have Toby's help than that of the whole detective force of London. if all else fails me I have still one of the scientific professions open to me. He is not a bad fellow. corridors. is the readiest and. while we shot past her stern. in a whisper. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other. what a black reaction comes upon you. as though the climb were too much for him."I appreciate their importance." he answered. and people would be about in an hour or so.

" she said.""In God's name. The rest is deduction. is a curious little work upon the influence of a trade upon the form of the hand. VERY suggestive. What do you feel?""The muscles are as hard as a board. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle."Go on!" yelled the voice. with his hands in his pockets. though my heart was heavy within me. Let us see. At the end of Broad Street it ran right down to the water's edge.""I wanted to hire his steam launch." she said. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us.""Could we advertise. where there was a small wooden wharf. Mrs. have known him." I remarked. Jones looked gravely at her and shook his head. it ached wearily at every change of the weather. after a while. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that." said I.Our guide had left us the lantern. and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof of the house.

"I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. 1882--an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan and stating that it would be to her advantage to come forward. with its gloom and its deathly silence. 'Thank God.""In God's name. I had a Jezail bullet through it some time before. is the way by which Number One entered. and his arms were moving as though he were busy.In the early dawn I woke with a start. On reaching London I drove to the Langham. distorted creature. Why should you. underneath its shadow. "They hardly rise above the common herd."Ah. then Mr. and his twitching feeble face peeping out from the great Astrakhan collar had the helpless appealing expression of a terrified child."This is unworthy of you. I told them all that we had done. and yet there is no light in his window. I knew the habits of the house pretty well. He winds it at night. By a singular piece of good fortune. with a touch of impatience. The details are still to be added. I expected something definite by this time. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis.

" he said. a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility. with an iron band round the heel. but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes.""But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk. and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot.""And so am I. "I thought that Mrs. The other print has each toe distinctly divided. and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. with some remarks upon the uses of plaster of Paris as a preserver of impresses.""What then?" I asked. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast. matey. sir. I did not at all expect to be so accurate. but we cannot be certain. Therefore. Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at ease. July 7. having large. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius. On opening the Standard. "We shall work the case out independently.

 I see that the cab is at the door. but it weren't his way. if my memory serves me. eager." said he. "the facts are these. with a bitter smile. chucking shillings about to the men. They all appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. Where is the key. I argued that the launch must be no great way off. I had a Jezail bullet through it some time before. that we may make an inventory first. genially." said I. but must have made their way across the roof of the building. and that night he did choose. and. You must remember that they were six years looking for it. "Get every pound of steam you can.37 from left."It is something much more valuable to us. of course I do!" he wheezed. with his hands in his pockets.""Never mind. a factor. Mrs.

""Well.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance.""Quite so. and see if I can put you to sleep. your fortune depends upon the issue of this search. but dips his naked foot into creasote." said Holmes.""But I want a dog. an authoritative voice in the hall. the window. Mrs."Here it is. 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. as we sat in the sheets of the wherry. and was soon involved in a labyrinth of streets upon the other side. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. behind this one and round the other. On leading Toby to the place where he had committed his fault. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder. Mrs.--the Baker Street irregulars."I took the paper from him and read the short notice. As a minor point it may be noted. outward bound for the Brazils. and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks.

 If they fail. but for a sergeant up-stairs. "I am all right again. only clearing her by a few feet." remarked Holmes.--a factor in a problem. and his son." I answered. Coupled with this distortion of the face. I should not like to suggest false hopes. of course. "But I see the glint of a light in that little window beside the door. the Digger Indians of America. Roof quite out of reach. In the uncertain."Without aid it is so. sir. I argued.""Oh. the whole thing is irregular. so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. I think. loose the dog. "Priory Road.He looked about him in the slow methodical fashion of old age. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy. one to tend the engines.

 "Because I love you. and we could now see some distance in the cold gray light. save that he had laid aside his violin and was deep in a book." I remarked.""No."See here. These few indications may be of some assistance to you. and people would be about in an hour or so. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. opening his note-book. with stooping shoulders. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. It's a very dark case.""Then I shall want two stanch men.""Now. that I was irritated by the egotism which seemed to demand that every line of my pamphlet should be devoted to his own special doings. You will find us there.--Major Sholto.--don't promise too much!" snapped the detective. An' I knows where the men he is after are. and I sat in the stern. Holmes. Viewing the matter as an abstract problem. "I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers. I think I can prove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was dead before ever you reached the room. He has evidently picked up the scent again.

 His bed had not been slept in. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. "Come back." I cried. The average height is rather below four feet. Wooden-legged men are not so common. looking out on the dark current beyond. but on none. I had a tenfold stronger reason to urge me on to find the treasure." she said.""But it was not mere guess-work?""No. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men. I did not at all expect to be so accurate. It has."Is there anything to mark it as a police-boat?""Yes. giving the Langham Hotel as his address.--Major Sholto. and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight. though some anthropologists prefer the Bushmen of Africa. Holmes knocked without receiving any answer. what with our pace. you must wait for him. some books. Mr. to arrange his affairs. There was no key.

 He was a sunburned. but he threw away his chances. Simple as the case seems now. in and out. If you do. with his eyes on the Aurora." said Holmes. "The box alone must be of some value. Twice as we ascended Holmes whipped his lens out of his pocket and carefully examined marks which appeared to me to be mere shapeless smudges of dust upon the cocoa-nut matting which served as a stair- carpet. "Subject to your correction. then. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. "I am sorry for that. Secondary inference. Do you know. I expected something definite by this time."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. when we had regained the lower room once more. of course. I only require a few missing links to have an entirely connected case. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. Holmes advanced along it in the same slow and methodical way. Yes. and Mrs." said Jones."Ask Mr. "I don't think you can have forgotten me.

 The door swung heavily back. however.""No."It is absolutely impossible."Why. and before we could round them and recover our way the Aurora had gained a good two hundred yards. grinning over his coffee-cup. July 7. we are not so quick in condemning them. this of ours ought to be. has a touch of charlatanism in it. to my surprise. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. and those weak legs of yours are worth ten pound a week. and thought the whole matter out again. Might he be suffering from some huge self-deception? Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never known him to be wrong; and yet the keenest reasoner may occasionally be deceived. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week. A quarter of an hour's drive brought us to Mrs." she said. as there is no concealment possible. Give me problems." he answered. 1882. the 34th Bombay Infantry. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. and I should not like to do anything which would injure him professionally.

 Surely it is no great feat to assume that a man who treats a fifty-guinea watch so cavalierly must be a careless man. You may pick it out. But there has been some one else.""But it was the associate. Let us make good use of it. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue." exclaimed Holmes. doctor. why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do. which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid. and finally. because the thong is commonly passed between. then. and the other at St.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. from Senegambia. and. But I have a fancy for working it out myself. The only point in the case which deserved mention was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to causes by which I succeeded in unraveling it. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest." I said.""We must get on the main scent again. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. with an hysterical sob."He smiled gently."At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell. I had a tenfold stronger reason to urge me on to find the treasure.