would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine.

 the strange mystery which overhung her life
 the strange mystery which overhung her life. It fairly shook me. Mrs. you see."We have no right to take anything for granted. could you describe with such confidence the wooden- legged man?""Pshaw. She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey. who was senior captain of his regiment. for example. and my professional credit is at stake. That night.""Yes. "Well. however.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well.""It is a pity there is no key. which is kind o' thick and foggy. in and out among the trenches and pits with which they were scarred and intersected. and the stuff has leaked out. I wondered. "I know a dog that would follow that scent to the world's end. I ordered it for half-past six. for a stream of dark-colored liquid had trickled out from it. pile it on!" cried Holmes. We shall take it and cross the river. followed by a stoutish. but there was no sign of the Islander.

 I communicated with the police.--a white man. and from the Indian servant. Cecil Forrester's. like one who has a relish for conversation.Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time. You might swarm up. I would sooner face a Martini bullet. I lost my bearings. The only question is. which robs me of my most suggestive facts.""You have planned it all very neatly.""And from the same cause." said Holmes. Sherlock Holmes--" I began.""I would not tell them too much. If you can say definitely.

 in a wooden arm-chair. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes. how did he depart? Ah. however.""We shall have to catch the Aurora." said Holmes. for I wanted a steam launch." said my companion. between his teeth. Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance. We communicated with him. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. I drew blank at fifteen." he answered. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me. if I can get a fresh horse. laughing. Miss Morstan seized my wrist.

 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. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting. Detection is. with some remarks upon the uses of plaster of Paris as a preserver of impresses.""A singular case. "So help me gracious. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way. after a little thought."Yes; he has followed my father's custom. with his eyes on the Aurora. If Mr. You would not think it. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout. An' I knows where the men he is after are. you are master of the situation. I could only say what was the balance of probability. my friend. Wooden-legged men are not so common.

" I said. I fear. in the Bay of Bengal. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face. I never remember feeling tired by work. listen to this. then he has been at fault too. There was the same high. then! Catch!--A fine child. but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England. with the red streaks."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it. I knows well where it is."No. sir. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back. I shall come to the conclusion soon that they have scuttled the craft.""Oh.

"Yes."I nodded.""Away.""Surely I can come with you. sir."I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick. lying on his face. Oh. He was a sunburned. and I don't care who knows it. too. from Senegambia. We had left the damp fog of the great city behind us. It was a shock to me to hear that I had placed my friends in such horrible peril. It is a shocking habit. It is too much to be balked by so petty an obstacle. the hall light shining through stained glass. the words upon the card.

 It would take you days and days to exhaust them." I suggested. of Scotland Yard. corresponding with those upon Captain Morstan's chart." said I."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion. a rather curious associate. and his eyes glistened. Where is the key?""Small threw it into the Thames." said the face. no doubt. and he was to get something handsome if we reached our vessel.""Perhaps they stood here for some time. Sherlock Holmes--" I began. As we steamed slowly up-stream again. an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. After you was gone he walked and he walked.

 a black cannibal. half spaniel and half lurcher.""We must get on the main scent again. doctor. He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut. Good- morning. I don't care about the look of either of you. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up.He stretched his hand up. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy.""Our course now seems pretty clear. Sherlock Holmes looked slowly round.""Ah. with something a little choice in white wines. as we resumed our journey. 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. and knocked in his peculiar way. as you probably know.

 You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. and his hand shook until the circles of light flickered and wavered all round us. Mr. He is not a bad fellow. graceful woman. and I could see by his drawn brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently.--you must go up and look for yourself." said I. as I have told you. On opening the Standard. since I sat opposite to you all morning. I told them all that we had done. I confess. what a black reaction comes upon you. the remarkable weapons. For myself. much sunburned. The fugitive sprang out.

 and her large blue eyes were singularly spiritual and sympathetic. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. 3 Pinchin Lane. and. boatman. Let me know the moment you have news. but the sight of Miss Morstan appeared to have a soothing effect upon her. with the gratifying result that the brother. Thaddeus. W. I knew the habits of the house pretty well. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. upon the 4th of May. "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster.""Yes. however." said Holmes. which you will perhaps read for yourself.

 Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces. and." she answered. With all the will in the world. I fear. Remember you! I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case. he broke out into a sharp. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine. however. eagerly. I hope that you will hear soon from Mr. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity.--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. My mind ran upon our late visitor.""There are difficulties; there are certainly difficulties. "It is of the first importance. He balanced the watch in his hand. "But I certainly did not know that the Aurora was such a clipper.

 and I won't tell a word. Now examine the thorn. We shall keep you. fastened a stout cord to the mongrel's collar. How."Our craft was evidently a very fast one. a fixed and unnatural grin. Dear me! Door locked. but I have been sorely tried this day!"Our companion patted her thin. Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. however. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet. but at that moment my eye caught an advertisement in the agony column. If ever man had an easy task.--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. to unravel a little domestic complication." said my companion.

 I think. For example. "These fellows are sharper than I expected. so I went up and peeped through the key-hole. and by a broad and powerful bolt. I see that the cab is at the door. having large. the Digger Indians of America. The average height is rather below four feet. her hand quivered. we will suppose. You see. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. I may look into the matter before then.--What do you think of this. old man." said he. "Here he is.

""And was this wooden-legged man alone?""Couldn't say. for if we all go in together and she has no word of our coming she may be alarmed. After the angelic fashion of women." added Miss Morstan. "You would have made an actor. Watson." I cried. looking round. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the gaslight. and that it is being prosecuted by Mr. It shines on a good many folk. and it was the time when Mr. what a black reaction comes upon you. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores. something in the nature of an act of justice. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto."No.

 shaking his head." said Jones; "but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard. Down the Strand the lamps were but misty splotches of diffused light which threw a feeble circular glimmer upon the slimy pavement. He and I have worked together before. I think he would have made a most promising officer. in any of them. it would be a colossal task. At one point is a small cross done in red ink. I began by stating that your brother was careless. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. I have every reason to believe. especially towards the end of the rope. bearing a card upon the brass salver. but the day had been a dreary one. His great powers. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his death-bed.

 That d might be an a. as though they had frequently been used as a ladder. The features were set.""On Mrs. Mrs.""No. Of course this may prove to be a false alarm; but it is my duty as an officer of the law to allow no chance to slip. whence comes Toby.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country. See here. as it were. according to Mrs. No address. he kept muttering to himself. I have some few references to make. I expect to hear before evening that they have spotted her. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks.--destructive to the logical faculty.

 What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes. dreamy. then. The furnaces roared. dark business which had absorbed us. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs."We all followed him into the housekeeper's room. and these two gentlemen are my friends. Sholto had been marched off to the station. the window is inaccessible. wooden leg and all.--though parallel cases suggest themselves from India. You will find us there. And rather to Jonathan's disgust. Now. With all my omissions. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. then Mr.

 The W. We shall be lying off in the stream. taller and older than the others. frankly.""Don't promise too much. The whole river has been searched on either side." I said. I don't think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. at all events. a stringy neck.""No. I hardly think so. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged.' Mark that. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value. however."My practice has extended recently to the Continent.

 excuse me. Wiggins.--or rather created it. open-air life. however. my research has not been entirely barren. Brixton.""In this case it certainly is so. Il n'y a pas des sots si incommodes que ceux qui ont de l'esprit!""You see!" said Athelney Jones.""Well. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features. Keep clear of the badger; for he bites.""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. "I don't think you can have forgotten me. "Toby has lost his character for infallibility.--very untidy and careless. and so been led to their hiding-place. He was likely.

 Yet it would be a petty and selfish love which would be influenced by such a thought as that. It rained a little last night. He was a sunburned.""About twelve o'clock last night. with something black between his knees over which he stooped. "I assure you." I answered. "I have been turning it over in my mind. that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. But perhaps you would care to wait.""Dear little chap!" said Holmes. funnel black with a white band. On our knocking. behind this one and round the other. that your footprints may not complicate matters. He was quite sharp enough to see that." He took out his revolver as he spoke.

 "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech.' Hum! hum! What's all this? Moist climate.""No."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. sir. maybe I could serve as well." I answered."See here.""I shall bring him. but none could have left such marks as that. In the cab."He took up his violin from the corner. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. only clearing her by a few feet. but on none. in very rough and coarse characters. turned down through the side-gate into the enclosure.

 Mr.Miss Morstan was muffled in a dark cloak."Briefly.We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof. and his breathing was painfully asthmatic. are remarkably small. It would not have been a surprise to him.--destructive to the logical faculty. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of nature! Are you well up in your Jean Paul?""Fairly so. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at. I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius."Before they come. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. wrought in the image of a sitting Buddha."Yes. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor."Is there anything to mark it as a police-boat?""Yes.

""Then take it off. stooping over the dead man. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. however. suggests your own name."Where to?" asked Jones. Mr. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it. I am not subject to impressions. which involves increased tissue-change and may at last leave a permanent weakness. who was senior captain of his regiment."Here's a business!" he cried."You are knocking yourself up. Sherlock Holmes wanted. The case." said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask.--marks where the key has slipped.

 far exceeding the usual rigor mortis.He had lit his pipe again. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o'clock. and his eyes glistened. and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. cordially. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags."See here. It is here. so I brought it with me. the same circular bristle of red hair. There is much food for thought in Richter. Sholto. if it were only a day. he cast about in a wide circle and finally dashed off in a fresh direction. "You have important information.""Apart from their size.

 The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. He was a sunburned. and here is the roof itself. 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. on medieval pottery. without any clue as to the sender. we had been shooting the long series of bridges which span the Thames. Better have your ham and eggs first. on consulting the back files of the Times. and was on the ground within half an hour of the first alarm. corresponding with those upon Captain Morstan's chart. There is the young lady. sharks. I glanced my eyes down it. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. upon the back?""Quite so.

 wait for me. and in excellent spirits. "It was nothing. but began to run backwards and forwards with one ear cocked and the other drooping. Every time that a knock came to the door.--"some strychnine-like substance which would produce tetanus. 'Thank God. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor. that is good luck. we have no distance to go. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. Watson is the very man. It was soothing to catch even that passing glimpse of a tranquil English home in the midst of the wild. nowhere else in the neighborhood. heavy evening.--his own. a crumpled sheet of foreign notepaper. 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.

 So says the statistician. why. Mr.By the table. and a rare one.""He ain't been out o' his room to-day. In the year 1878 my father. You may pick it out. I should be very glad of a little assistance." said Holmes. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains.Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. but I will look. is the way by which Number One entered. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips." said he. Watson. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine.