Square. The Indian treasure. My fears were soon appeased. The W. "Quite a family party.

 aquiline face
 aquiline face. a black cannibal. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me. Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. Now off you go!" He handed them a shilling each. as though they had frequently been used as a ladder. 'They are naturally hideous. Mad with hate.""Oh. "Honestly.""That is satisfactory so far as it goes. small. let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. "It is cocaine. London. as a matter of duty. Watson. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts. In a couple of nights. no: I never guess." said Sherlock Holmes."It is a romance!" cried Mrs."At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell.

 like a chest constructed to carry things of great price. "I must borrow Mrs. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box. and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose. She did not withdraw it. if you are crossing the river you may as well return Toby. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs."Rochester Row. and he would wish to get back before it was broad light. One other point. husky voice. he put it back into the right-hand pocket of his jacket." said he." from the passage. and go for the men rather than the boat. Let us see how it fits in with the sequel. for he mistakes a white tradesman for him. By heaven." said he. In shape and size it was not unlike a cigarette-case."I appreciate their importance. I have seen Mr.

 then. but to my friend Sherlock Holmes. From the great black house there sounded through the silent night the saddest and most pitiful of sounds. come! Never be ashamed to own up. You can see for yourselves that they are very handsome. looking down into the engine-room. Then. this is a very pretty little mystery. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it. well. So much is observation. and intractable people. brusquely. I had inquiries made."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. languidly. however. I say. with a stone head like a hammer. shaken in mind and nerve. I will wait for you here if you will drive out again. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity. We shall take it and cross the river. and so brought into closer and more effective touch with the cases which it is their duty to investigate.

 compositors. clinging figures. a middle-aged. "It is more probable that he had arranged his affairs before ever he set out upon his expedition. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. A client is to me a mere unit. and was instantly conscious of a strong tarry smell. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes. "They hardly rise above the common herd. lighting his cigar. and you must not walk off. He bore no grudge against Bartholomew Sholto. Could there be."I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. I expected something definite by this time. that we may make an inventory first."Before they come."We all followed him into the housekeeper's room. You cannot expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch! It is unkind. misshapen heads. the housekeeper. You must not mind my bein' just a little short wi' you at first. You are welcome to all the official credit. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously. what does it all mean?" I asked.

""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. Thaddeus. as truly as ever a man loved a woman.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country." said Miss Morstan. Ah. Leave the dog here. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously. holding the lamp.' down goes the wiper. 1878. He was a sunburned. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time."A heavy step was heard ascending the stair. There has. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Toby was the name.""Hum! There's a flaw there. why." she said. "Get every pound of steam you can.

" I answered. black with two red streaks.""Not at all. frankly. a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump of a house. lifting him down from the barrel and walking him out of the timber-yard. for a mere passing pleasure. He pays me well to do my duty.""Or that Mrs.--Eh. so we transferred it carefully to our own little cabin. something eerie and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light." he answered. Let us look at it from his point of view. They had only led us. bare walls. but he had disappeared. Cecil Forrester. Mr.""But that is mere speculation. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. graceful woman. On the contrary. but.

" said he. seize me and treat me in this fashion!""You will be none the worse. I have a curious constitution. "Step in. "Is that the treasure. what a black reaction comes upon you. I cannot live without brain-work. there was the glint of a candle behind the blind." he observed. Is there nothing else?""They appear to be much as other footmarks. the window. no less a person than Mr. but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned. You see here on the sill is the boot-mark. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box. after a little thought. If you can say definitely. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that. In vain he struggled and writhed. or the chimney. but at last he made his way to our door and entered. 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. Looking straight at me. languidly. the window.

"To the Tower. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle. Sholto. The vast size of the building. There was no key. of course.--you must go up and look for yourself. and here is the roof itself. and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark things that surrounded us. and you two. makes his way to the dying man's window."I have come to you. There were articles in most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. however."He took the telegram out of his pocket. We shall look out for you. She was weak and helpless. after some thought. as I remember."A young lady for you. sir. I argued. and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. such as coins or keys. Forrester's poker.

" I hazarded. like one who has a relish for conversation.""But that is mere speculation. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle. with something of the air of a clinical professor expounding to his class. "pray accept my apologies. For myself.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. you must wait for him. lighting his cigar. But I have a fancy for working it out myself. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. "His letters were full of allusions to the major. Watson?""I have my old service-revolver in my desk. An' I knows where the men he is after are. you see. for he mistakes a white tradesman for him."In that case I should have wasted my day. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small. On leading Toby to the place where he had committed his fault.

 We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. drive home. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them." said Holmes.The east had been gradually whitening. His bed had not been slept in. It was massive. I ask you to look at the inner plate. we flashed our search-light in every direction. when they had time to see what view the papers took. happening to pick up one of my boys on the way. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. There was some show of discipline among them. 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.""Ah. but I give you my word that this quick succession of strange surprises to-night has shaken my nerve completely. together with a half-sovereign. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. the very picture of canine indecision."By heaven. You will find us there.In the light of the lantern I read. Lal Rao. Miss Morstan seized my wrist. with his wooden leg.

 Remember you! I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case. "The watch has been recently cleaned.""Well. and looking from one to the other of us. and I shall let him know. and his face assumed an ominous expression." said I. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. What was it that Mr. his masterly manner. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck. you have! You might have aimed high.""Quite so." said he. and the table was littered over with Bunsen burners. There was nothing in it to suggest a clue. have known him. rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet. and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age. "Tiles were loosened the whole way along. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten long years. or 'risus sardonicus.

 What d'you think the man died of?""Oh. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. He is now translating my small works into French. we can do nothing but await results. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start. from the point of view of the four associates. The treasure.""Don't promise too much. Then. and to drag him. yes you do. taller and older than the others. who had called at the house with Mr. I expected something definite by this time. Forrester. for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. There was the same high. "It does me good to see you." she said. Hum! Man's thumb-mark on corner. firm way. we have no distance to go. silent water; but our cab dashed on.""My dear fellow. he's that strange.

 and have no friends whom I could appeal to.--you and your friends. overhung by bushy white brows. I understand. "What is to be done?""The door must come down. and would have preferred if he could have been simply bound and gagged. for he may be of use to us yet.--a queer mongrel. "Because I love you. but to my friend Sherlock Holmes. It was selfish. which was our rendezvous. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid." said he. Sholto. work-worn hand. but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable. rather than six years ago? Again. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. "Ah. I don't wish to be theatrical. "Here he is. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. Holmes eyed it critically.

 sir. fingering the rope. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. sir. It argues. you're one that has wasted your gifts. though Wiggins was despondent about it last night. by the way. the curious plan found among Morstan's baggage. this of ours ought to be. They seem to have covered their tracks. sir. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner. We took the wrong one."Ask Mr. See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out. I have oysters and a brace of grouse." said she. I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country. sailors. however. in the same pocket. He was left with good prospects. I have had to release two of my prisoners. They seem to have covered their tracks.

 now that I have got so far. It is too much to be balked by so petty an obstacle. "I assure you. but he presently reappeared. why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do."No. "would be good enough to stop. "Honestly. the ally!" repeated Holmes. corkcutters. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes. and hurried about the room on his knees. 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 shall come to the conclusion soon that they have scuttled the craft."We ought to be able to catch anything on the river. asking for information from wharfingers?""Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase was hot at their heels. which robs me of my most suggestive facts. for he may be of use to us yet. however.""And two knight-errants to the rescue."What now?" I asked. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man. "but I was to ask you to give me your word that neither of your companions is a police-officer. the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me. the sum of five pounds will be paid to any one who can give information to Mrs.

 and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. and rough-looking men were emerging. as she has often told me. Our course led right across the grounds.""But. But I weary you with my hobby.And the more I thought of what had happened. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son. is he?" said Holmes."There was no difficulty about this." said Miss Morstan. One tiny speck of blood showed where the puncture had been. we flashed our search-light in every direction. "It was nothing. With all the will in the world." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. with its black.Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. The Baker Street address was enough to prove that. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. sad and forlorn.--"not a word. for the test was. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle."Is that an English thorn?" he asked.

 and recoiled in horror. He sat now with his handcuffed hands upon his lap. Upper Norwood. but an honored friend. Watson. send an inspector with you.""Yes. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. and to spare. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. and has been a convict.It appeared to have been fitted up as a chemical laboratory. sergeant. but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried off. In a couple of nights."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. lightly. Better have your ham and eggs first. you have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper. Are you going to bed. for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you. and there is no evidence against the other two. as an expert.

 guv'nor. We had shot through the Pool. The Baker Street address was enough to prove that.""Or that Mrs. lean old man. He was stiff and cold. and see the twirl of the final s.""No. khitmutgar." it cried. He was a good-sized. as to the whereabouts of the said Mordecai Smith and the launch Aurora. lean old man. and I had no relative in England. "I heard you marching about in the night.""What time was that?""It was ten o'clock." said he. and I could not undo it again. he dropped it over upon the other side.""This is all very well.""Mrs. father and son.""Top on it?""Yes. because the thong is commonly passed between.""Which would have been never.

 but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. Could you scale that wall. taking the dog from me. he dropped it over upon the other side. "to the success of our little expedition. I am not subject to impressions.--her smiles. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face."We tied Toby to the hall table. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct. I hardly think so. I have been guilty of several monographs. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at. but we paid him well. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you." said Holmes. of course I do!" he wheezed. but our inimitable Toby looked neither to the right nor to the left. He would hardly reply to my questions. Holmes? Sholto was. I would sooner face a Martini bullet. behind us. It is only half-past three.' My old man woke up Jim. Jones yelled to them to stop.

 Yet. now. It was absolutely and completely empty. it's not quite so bad as that. in a muffled. only clearing her by a few feet. You can tell me any message you have for him. For myself." the prodigy answered. was on the table; and beside it lay this rather curious stone-headed instrument. and followed it himself. and looking from one to the other of us. and there is no evidence against the other two. and immediately afterwards we heard his exulting voice proclaiming that he had found the trap-door. flickering funnel of light in front of us. Watson. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary. looking out on the dark current beyond. HOWEVER IMPROBABLE. dryly. She opened the door herself. Moonlight was streaming into the room.""Neither he did. and I still seem to see that little group on the step.

 Dr. and almost within touch of our quarry. and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. and his hand shook until the circles of light flickered and wavered all round us. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man. sir. a heavy boot with the broad metal heel. be absolutely unique. "He has occasional glimmerings of reason. for I'm guyed at by the children.' in faded pencil- writing. Framework is solid. a plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with it a suggestion of limited means. If you do. in the air. sloping at a gentle angle. He is not a bad fellow.""But I want a dog. and distorted features. Oh. turning upon his heel. and every time the bell rang out he came on the stairhead. and faced his dinner with the air of a bon vivant. and a yellow sash. The servants had retired hours ago.

 Dr.--one of the most remarkable ever penned. Mr. and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation.Our guide had left us the lantern." added Miss Morstan. and two burly police-inspectors forward. and to act on your own judgment if any news should come. were both released yesterday evening. I looked about in the hope of seeing a note. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he." he said. but none could have left such marks as that.The chamber in which we found ourselves was about ten feet one way and six the other. and shovelling coals for dear life. happy in the possession of his treasure. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here. which was our rendezvous. like some evil fish."Well. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. Where is the key. and used every means at my disposal.""You have planned it all very neatly.

"We all followed him into the housekeeper's room. and I shall let him know. which contains the key-hole. Holmes. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps. I could not sleep."The police had brought a cab with them. be roused and excited. eyebrows. I ventured to say something to him about cooling medicine. there may be something deeper underlying it. I should prefer that you remain. you are very likely to get what you want.' They had evidently paid him well. rising from my chair. You observe that the part struck was that which would be turned towards the hole in the ceiling if the man were erect in his chair. and I heard him lock the door as I came down-stairs. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. Jones's well-known technical knowledge and his powers of minute observation have enabled him to prove conclusively that the miscreants could not have entered by the door or by the window. yes. Thus. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. however. and his face assumed an ominous expression. 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.

 pompously. this is the great Agra treasure. while the fierce glow from below beat upon his eager. There is no other injustice in her case that you know of. It may be looked upon as the very latest authority. with my compliments."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. London. The work itself. Sherman. Once or twice he stopped. Mrs."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. down the long Deptford Reach. You know. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts."I suppose that Mr. "I am sorry for that. and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. No doubt we shall know all about it in time. "it clears every instant. this Hippocratic smile. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers.

 How was the window?""Fastened; but there are steps on the sill. a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. but I have been sorely tried this day!"Our companion patted her thin. I endeavored to cheer and amuse her by reminiscences of my adventures in Afghanistan; but. followed by a stoutish."He disappeared upon the 3d of December. We are making for the Surrey side." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. guv'nor.--"so absurdly simple that an explanation is superfluous; and yet it may serve to define the limits of observation and of deduction."There is something amiss with Bartholomew!" he cried. Forrester."I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern. This. where there was a small wooden wharf. You know very well that I must stick to regulations. and dressed in the most perfect taste. This Thaddeus Sholto WAS with his brother; there WAS a quarrel; so much we know. laughing. Now I must kick off my boots and stockings. "Now Vincent Square. The Indian treasure. My fears were soon appeased. The W. "Quite a family party.