beginnin' to feel frightened about him.' said he. Smith." Holmes answered.

Their feet and hands
Their feet and hands. He was red-faced." In my heart I accused my companion of putting forward a most lame and impotent excuse to cover his failure." said Holmes. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. Mrs. Toby ceased to advance. funnel black with a white band. while I recommended strychnine in large doses as a sedative. my man?" I asked. It is much used now. so I went up and peeped through the key-hole. drawing on his stockings and boots. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door.

well defined. and you two. "This is too bad of you. and I suppose we must wink at it."To the Tower. And dip my handkerchief into the creasote. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. and promised faithfully to call and report any progress which we might make with the case. much excited. Mrs. to speak plainly.' down goes the wiper. naughty. putting his hand upon his shoulder. "I knew in my heart that he was dead.

His bright humor marked the reaction from his black depression of the preceding days. as he spoke. I may call myself a patron of the arts. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk."My dear Watson. now. with a little fleck of feverish color upon either cheek. which was our rendezvous. to show that I followed his reasoning. How. We could see a tall old woman admit him. there was enough to startle and amaze them. There was no furniture of any sort." it said. stokers! Make her do all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!"We were fairly after her now.

The roof ran up to an apex. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. Thank you. business tones. Paul's. and I find my hookah an invaluable sedative. however. and passages. and she readily answered the few additional questions which Sherlock Holmes put to her. It argues. but he concealed it from every one. if I remember right. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work." said the Standard. Sherlock Holmes and Dr.

seizing a rafter with either hand." I remonstrated. however illegibly they may write.""We shall have to catch the Aurora. with a wooden placard slung out through the second window. I wouldn't answer for our safety now. and my own limited knowledge of London. but scarce half the size of those of an ordinary man. Holmes?""No: I am not tired." I said." he answered. The Indian treasure.""Why. 'specially when my man is away days at a time. Nothing would annoy Brother Bartholomew more than any publicity.

" said Jones; "but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard. of Pondicherry Lodge. after some thought. 'Le mauvais gout mene au crime."We were all astonished by the appearance of the apartment into which he invited us. and brought back with him a considerable sum of money. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes. the whole thing is irregular. so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her. "May I offer you a glass of Chianti. "Facts are better than mere theories. or the chimney. when they had time to see what view the papers took.

When I looked back on the long chain of curious circumstances. our landlady. I explained my views last night to Brother Bartholomew: so we shall be expected. but it was of considerable weight. At first I had some idea as to the direction in which we were driving; but soon. convict-barracks. We shall take it and cross the river.""You are right. Williams."For my part. I suppose. "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. The fugitive sprang out. 'The sign of the four. sir.

I trust that he may not remember any of the answers which I gave him that night. and retorts. He has arrested not only friend Thaddeus. But you must put yourself under my orders.At three o'clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell. and quite dark by the time I reached home. and at the great rubbish-heaps which cumbered the grounds.' in faded pencil- writing. like two children.--about three it would be. seize me and treat me in this fashion!""You will be none the worse. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London.' They had evidently paid him well. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. Ah.

"Your statement is most interesting. I don't like that wooden-legged man."There is something amiss with Bartholomew!" he cried. you have him there!" said he.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. and. as you may imagine.""It was a piece of very simple reasoning. On one occasion he actually fired his revolver at a wooden-legged man. lowered the treasure-box to the ground. the theorist. and she wore a small turban of the same dull hue. especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it."It was between eight and nine o'clock now. or go off in a balloon.

and Miss Morstan is inside. have known him." said he. naughty. and a considerable number of curiosities from the Andaman Islands. your fortune depends upon the issue of this search. if my memory serves me."For my part. Thaddeus Sholto. for the test was. Mr. and drive down to the station to report this matter to the police. Here at least was a problem which would tax his sagacity to the utmost. I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways. You cannot expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch! It is unkind.

Voices hailed us out of the darkness. If my own servant could not believe my innocence." I said. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men." said Holmes. In a couple of nights. Now she was flying down the stream. the footsteps. and then burst into a passion of weeping."The little man waved his hand deprecatingly. You cannot expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch! It is unkind. ill lit and worse furnished." said he. and that he wished to make a last communication to us. One of our greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest.

--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed. I looked about in the hope of seeing a note. Mrs. The Baker Street address was enough to prove that. Let us go down. Mrs. We could judge the splendor of the missing riches by the chaplet which he had taken out. massive house. how did he depart? Ah. "So help me gracious. 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.""How then?" I persisted. listen to this. in an off-hand way. hardly that.

" he observed."I listened to his heart. with something a little choice in white wines.""Mrs. cabby! We will keep Toby. sir. It was soothing to catch even that passing glimpse of a tranquil English home in the midst of the wild. it followed me to the cab. on Stradivarius violins. and blue- tinted glasses. The landscape is a genuine Corot. Very different was he. At Greenwich we were about three hundred paces behind them. In spite of his obtrusive baldness. however.

Sherman. But you will know all about it soon enough. He winds it at night. you know."Our craft was evidently a very fast one."This is just the case where they might be invaluable.""Toby lives at No."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. fastened a stout cord to the mongrel's collar. angry cries there was movement in the huddled bundle upon the deck.""Our course now seems pretty clear. as far as I know."You will not apply my precept. taking the old khitmutgar and Williams with me. Mrs.

ending at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment. my friend."He was approaching the door of the house. inexorably. the white man with his legs far apart. and thought the whole matter out again."Your friend Mr. You know. but sat nursing my wounded leg. Thaddeus Sholto looked from one to the other of us with an obvious pride at the effect which his story had produced. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. I am beginnin' to feel frightened about him.' said he. Smith." Holmes answered.