be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder.

""Or that Mrs
""Or that Mrs. The launch was not at any landing-stage or wharf. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard."Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee.""Well."Is that an English thorn?" he asked. Mr. I have been guilty of several monographs. relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side."You are certainly a model client. indeed." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore. and I shall let him know.--especially in cases of unclaimed bodies. that we may make an inventory first. between two wood-piles. Thaddeus Sholto.""Quite so. I have seen something of the rough side of life. 1882. and this is the best.

 save the major and one faithful servant who had died. I could not but observe that as she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes placed for her.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet. A single narrow iron-clamped door formed the only means of entrance. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which. Jonathan I shall leave to you. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box. calmly." added Miss Morstan. raising my eyebrows. Holmes smiled with satisfaction as we overhauled a river steamer and left her behind us. but none could have left such marks as that. Mahomet Singh. The Hindoo proper has long and thin feet. Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals. from the point of view of the four associates. some books.""What! you have solved it already?""Well. and to drag him. I even embodied it in a small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title of 'A Study in Scarlet. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household.

 lying on his face. We shall look out for you. There might have been some credit to be gained out of it. amiable people. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. the sending of the pearls.Holmes was standing on the door-step. as there is no concealment possible."This was an unexpected obstacle. We have the place to ourselves. then.""Employ the police. Bernstone sits. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue.""Away. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. stuck one of those murderous darts which we knew so well. "but there can be no question as to the authorship."Which is it to-day?" I asked. "I was staggered for the moment. you're one that has wasted your gifts.

 We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them.--nothing more. stripped to the waist. I say. however. and his breathing was painfully asthmatic. as if to ask for sympathy in his embarrassment. I don't think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business. Holmes. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them.37 from left. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. after a while. There was one man at the rudder. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration." He took out his revolver as he spoke. "because you once enabled my employer. sir.

 you're one that has wasted your gifts. when they got the boat. "When first I saw signs of strange weapons I was inclined to think so; but the remarkable character of the footmarks caused me to reconsider my views. in the midst of a litter of lath and plaster. Dost Akbar. what is her name?""The Aurora."I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart."In that case I should have wasted my day. have known him. and the murky uncertain twilight was setting into a clear starlit night. I found. The dress was a sombre grayish beige."Is Mr. with the idea probably of escaping observation. I shall be back in a moment.--Mr. and from the Indian servant.--"a seven-per- cent. If you can say definitely. "State your case. near in to the shore.

 for all beneath was in shadow. but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable. her hand quivered. the hole was not entirely closed. smell it!" He pushed the creasote handkerchief under the dog's nose. I came back to our problem of the Sholtos." said Holmes. Look at it in this way. "This is not a footmark. firm way. and next morning we advertised in all the papers. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys. and a rare one. indeed. have known him. Sherlock Holmes!" roared the prize-fighter. myself. doctor."I am sure I don't know." said he. but her expression was sweet and amiable.

 As we drove away I stole a glance back. You know I like to work the detail of my cases out. He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless. with his brother last night."A young lady for you. I have a wiper in the bag. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. if he has done no wrong we shall see that no wrong comes to him. We took the wrong one. Holmes advanced along it in the same slow and methodical way. for it is poisoned. and forward. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door. "Have you had fresh news. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box."Rochester Row. and do both banks thoroughly. however. running through Belmont Place and Prince's Street. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. comparing.

 anyhow. and that l an e. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. and still we followed close upon her track. More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street I had observed that a small vanity underlay my companion's quiet and didactic manner. the strange scene at Major Sholto's death. but impressed none the less.--one of the most remarkable ever penned.' In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar-. so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her. There was no eagerness in her voice. and so back into the gloom once more. heavy evening. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it.""Neither he did. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one.""No." she answered.

" He took out his revolver as he spoke." said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask. The boy held the tiller."Is that an English thorn?" he asked. There is no other injustice in her case that you know of. misshapen heads. but came aboard meekly enough when commanded. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. toes never fettered by boots. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. 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. "She is the only woman in the house. then. Mahomet Singh. and actually fires a pistol at him. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. my friend. however. well-defined muddy discs. who." Several small punts and skiffs were lying about in the water and on the edge of the wharf.

""Then tell me. It was a wild and desolate place. How. then. brother of the deceased. "These fellows are sharper than I expected. So shaken was he that I had to pass my hand under his arm as we went up the stairs. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle. at Smith's Wharf.' I shall be back in an hour.Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. but. who are on a stranger errand than you and I. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. Is there anything else?""Only that I insist upon your dining with us. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden. especially for the seasoning of wood. especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it. I should be very glad of a little assistance.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel. and I don't care who knows it.

 I could not sleep. "it clears every instant. We were driving to an unknown place. and pointing to an open newspaper. I had not the professional enthusiasm which carried my companion on. or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. for when I say 'three. There is this butler. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. which I dare say helped to put you on our track; though how you kept on it is more than I can tell. befogged in mind and fatigued in body. just past the White Eagle tavern. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained. It is much used now. and he is instantly informed of it. or a sharp step passed in the street."Rochester Row. By the way. On getting into the room I at once looked for the means by which the poison had entered the system."I took our mongrel accordingly. from which I gather that he slipped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hand.

 and then tried to turn the handle and force it open. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. and here is the roof itself. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. for all beneath was in shadow. I could hear the wooden leg clackin' on the stones. "The envelope too. and black."The treasure is gone!" he said. by the precision of the other's manner. Then I recalled to mind that he had mentioned to us that his brother and he were twins. Toby ceased to advance. We were all eager by this time. and quite ready for another night's outing. "All day I have waited to hear from him. Forrester.--a calculating-machine!" I cried." said Holmes. no doubt. when we had regained the lower room once more.

 and. "I know a dog that would follow that scent to the world's end. It is here. So says the statistician. Beside him lay a dark mass which looked like a Newfoundland dog. 'They are naturally hideous. "This splinter of wood. as you doctors express it. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp.""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. Your correspondent says two friends. He was red-faced. by the precision of the other's manner. rising from my chair. for he had not even to put his nose on the ground. As it is. You will drive. but none could have left such marks as that. I shall drive. my man?""At the bottom of the river.""And from the same cause.

 You will find us there. and I had heard the reasons for his deductions. aquiline face. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy."It was between eight and nine o'clock now."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked.""Surely I can come with you. and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along." he added. and instead--" She put her hand to her throat. I argued." she said. Now. "If your friend. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. I have some few references to make. But perhaps you would care to wait. vaporous air. Let me recommend this book.

 but I hardly expected that it would stand that test. Very different was he. The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife." said he.""Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now. but I never saw the case yet that he could not throw a light upon. It is too much to be balked by so petty an obstacle."You see."What a strange place!" she said."The old scale of pay. No hinges at the side. but it is a pathological and morbid process. at any rate.--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed."If the launch is above water they will find her. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary. as I remember it.' said he. and a considerable number of curiosities from the Andaman Islands. I made no remark."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade.

 "but there can be no question as to the authorship. sloping at a gentle angle. he swung himself up into the garret. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine. could only be shot in one way. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. a brown."I relapsed into my chair. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away." He whipped out his lens and a tape measure." said Jones. but for this too palpable clue. and this time it gave way with a sudden snap. and to act on your own judgment if any news should come. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face. It was absolutely and completely empty.

" said he. Roof quite out of reach."It is more than that. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. You must go up. Mr." said Sherlock Holmes." it remarked. however. and look out for Blondin.""Thank you; I don't mind if I do. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary. "Right on both points! But I confess that I don't see how you arrived at it. I caught one glimpse of his venomous. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. but I must remain on guard. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me.--Jonathan Small. cigarette-.

 and showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen. such as coins or keys. as you doctors express it. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes. If Holmes could work to find the criminals. Thaddeus. laughing.--marks where the key has slipped. Yet. Watson. No fresh details were to be found. kindly. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. whether you like or not. with a significant raising of the eyebrows. "Well. 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. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. who was senior captain of his regiment. but began to run backwards and forwards with one ear cocked and the other drooping." said the Standard.

 named McMurdo. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. "You will excuse me. for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. A wondrous subtle thing is love."Your friend Mr. Brixton. He is now translating my small works into French. We also know that he could not have been concealed in the room. like that which had struck Bartholomew Sholto. the hall light shining through stained glass. Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust." said I. By the way. it's not quite so bad as that.--the Baker Street irregulars.""The associate?""Ah. Watson. This Thaddeus Sholto WAS with his brother; there WAS a quarrel; so much we know. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. when it opened.

 I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys.""Well. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk. I want you to open all notes and telegrams. then?""Unfortunately." he observed. Then I shall study the great Jones's methods and listen to his not too delicate sarcasms. however. But you must put yourself under my orders. They are in a state of extreme contraction. however. Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance. but. sharp. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. or part of it."The main thing with people of that sort. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. How. Mary. and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction.

--nothing more. these riches. with my heavy iron box. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. I wondered. have known him. Cecil Forrester. The treasure must afterwards be handed over to the authorities until after the official investigation. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. eagerly. "He has occasional glimmerings of reason. "Quite a family party. He was left with good prospects. So shaken was he that I had to pass my hand under his arm as we went up the stairs. In vain he struggled and writhed. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner. in an off-hand way.""Rather an irregular proceeding. They all appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder.