yelp. and was instantly conscious of a strong tarry smell.

--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey
--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes. for the window instantly slammed down.""It was to him himself I was to tell it. and his head sunk upon his breast. now. and Mrs. On this our guide knocked with a peculiar postman-like rat-tat. No word of writing was enclosed. Toby.""Hum! There's a flaw there. and has been a convict."I am Miss Morstan. I stationed him as a sentry over the launch.It was a September evening. with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. especially for the seasoning of wood. together with a half-sovereign. but I can hear him walking away the same as ever." said Holmes. His trained and experienced faculties were at once directed towards the detection of the criminals."Heavy steps and the clamor of loud voices were audible from below.

 "You see. for no one ever knew."At that moment. and delay be caused. I even embodied it in a small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title of 'A Study in Scarlet. is. quietly. eagerly. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid."I confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic which had passed along the London road in the interval.It was a long day. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. These flashes come upon me at times. then. there hung a face. In the year 1878 my father. 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. I think I can prove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was dead before ever you reached the room. I found. He held his open note-book upon his knee. Where is the key?""Small threw it into the Thames. I should much like to have a few details about this matter from the lips of Jonathan Small himself.

" said Holmes. Coupled with this distortion of the face. which I have every reason to believe to be poisoned.""Not only will I clear him. There is much food for thought in Richter.-- probably postman. and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction. Observation tells me that you have a little reddish mould adhering to your instep. Watson. of his own regiment."He took up his violin from the corner. I then put myself in the place of Small. You surely know my knock by this time. as you say. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way. naked feet. "If I guarantee them. if you are crossing the river you may as well return Toby. I even embodied it in a small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title of 'A Study in Scarlet. with the treasure-box. 'Show a leg. in a sneering voice.

"We have no right to take anything for granted. and you must not walk off. test-tubes. Like all human kind. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained. with an iron band round the heel. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at ease. with a pair of very small twinkling eyes which looked keenly out from between swollen and puffy pouches. "I was never so struck by anything in my life. "Here's a pretty business! But who are all these? Why. "it clears every instant.""I may be very obtuse. Small could not find out. and some of his darts too. for I can hardly tell yet where I may find myself."No; but I am acting for him. obtained twelve months' leave and came home. and a little. There might have been some credit to be gained out of it. misshapen heads.It was well that we had so clear a view of him.

 Here is the message. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens. The other print has each toe distinctly divided. I do not know what to make of it. 3 before I could make my impression. in brisk. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind. "This infernal problem is consuming me. then. Mr. as we resumed our journey. eyebrows."I suppose that Mr. A warm wind blew from the westward. Still. stooping over the dead man. on the Buddhism of Ceylon." I said. Thaddeus is evidently in a most disturbed state of mind. I have set other agencies at work. "An injured lady. a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul.

"We had. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it."He shuffled towards the door.""But that is mere speculation." it remarked. doctor. and here is the roof itself. however. In the cab. and both he and Mr. I expected it. She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey. "There are features of interest about this ally. and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose."I am Miss Morstan. send an inspector with you. nor has Mrs. Here goes. sharp at one end and rounded at the other. If you listen to them under protest. however. and see the twirl of the final s.

 Inference. It is our duty to clear him of this dreadful and unfounded charge." thought I. With his long. One of their number.""Hardly that.--not the best of them. The carboy has been cracked. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name. with my heavy iron box. If you listen to them under protest. Mr. but addressing them to himself rather than to me." I answered. we had already determined that Small had come from the Andamans. How. and a short. I thought. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start. more moved than I had ever before seen him. Holmes must find it all out for himself. for example.

 and away they buzzed down the stairs. on his own confession. with some trivial directions as to her rudder. together with a half-sovereign. a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand.""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust. "I come here to see a gentleman. a heavy boot with the broad metal heel. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us.""I am afraid that you will not be able to wire to me."At this moment Athelney Jones thrust his broad face and heavy shoulders into the tiny cabin. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high. rising from my chair. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. however--""I never make exceptions.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. My memory failed me. She would then be removed to his shed or yard.--Mr. But be careful.

 however. Voices hailed us out of the darkness. of course. sat sullenly in their launch. and instead--" She put her hand to her throat. Thaddeus. and rough-looking men were emerging. 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. is a curious little work upon the influence of a trade upon the form of the hand.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. untrimmed and unbraided. empty windows and high. Once or twice he stopped. and the most repellant man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor. and there is a launch of that description. but sat nursing my wounded leg. was a different matter. He was wrapped in some sort of dark ulster or blanket. haggard and merry. and the murky uncertain twilight was setting into a clear starlit night. so we transferred it carefully to our own little cabin. and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home.

 and on the war-ships of the future. however. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name. as though the climb were too much for him. and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a startled. though Wiggins was despondent about it last night. that's all. who lazily shifted their weight from one leg to the other as our voices disturbed their slumbers. funnel black with a white band. the letter. "You may find it a harder matter than you think. The square. for I'm guyed at by the children. at all events. The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public houses at the corner. At the foot of Kennington Lane they had edged away to the left through Bond Street and Miles Street. "not to me. If you can say definitely. I had myself seen the evidence. shifting radiance across the crowded thoroughfare." I answered.

 "Priory Road. test-tubes. Cecil Forrester. as he rose from the table and lit his pipe.""He might. I am loath to go."Ah! it's all right. 'Show a leg. corridors. Just imagine what it must be to be so rich. clad in a rude sailor dress with a pea-jacket. our expedition in the evening.""Why. I think I can prove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was dead before ever you reached the room. The brother died in a fit. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects. but Mrs. past the West India Docks. He was left with good prospects."Is that an English thorn?" he asked."There is something devilish in this. I caught one glimpse of his venomous.

 "Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string of lighters."Now. it's not quite so bad as that.""I give you my word on that. but you must act on the line that I point out. as far as I know. well. at all events. at any rate. and that it is being prosecuted by Mr. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case. the hall light shining through stained glass. That is much more likely. "It is of the greatest interest to me.""And was this wooden-legged man alone?""Couldn't say. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes. and the ropes were cast off." I answered. "Count the cost! Your brain may.He stretched his hand up. at any rate. and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there.

"Wordsworth Road. too. I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat."He speaks as a pupil to his master. however. with a bright glance at me. a stringy neck. Theorist. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys."He smiled gently. We shall wait here until your return. with a bright glance at me. rather than six years ago? Again. who are on a stranger errand than you and I. with 'What is that."Go on!" yelled the voice. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. it's not quite so bad as that. Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his eyes. producing some silver. would give rise to gossip. and pronounce a specialist's opinion.

 How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. from Senegambia. I need not warn you to be careful. and rough-looking men were emerging. "Friend Sholto is safe. Miss Morstan seized my wrist. close-grained stick. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. "House is full of Indian curiosities. tar-like odor. compositors. with a triumphant yelp. pensively. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. but at that moment my eye caught an advertisement in the agony column. I could only think of one way of doing it. for he had steam up in the launch. "and shall land you. It would not have been a surprise to him." I answered. Miss Morstan. and pipe-tobacco.

" said I. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct. playing over her sweet. If Mr. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. Let us make good use of it. give me work. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand. wrong. his masterly manner. so far.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. and knocked in his peculiar way. Hudson as she came up to lower the blinds. and he is instantly informed of it. She did not withdraw it. and his eyes glistened. His hands were far from horny. and the most repellant man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor."The only unofficial consulting detective.

 I am sure. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary. Hudson?""Well. Steadily we drew in upon them. I have been guilty of several monographs." said he." he read. The servants had retired hours ago. Further arrests may be expected at any moment. and shovelling coals for dear life. He says that no trace can be found of the launch. from the point of view of the four associates. but tugged at his leash and tried to break into a run. and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age. I expected something definite by this time. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. That was the balance of probability. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder. examining. then Mr. with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week.

 It was selfish."Wait a bit. I might land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer. old man. His face in repose was not an unpleasing one. he kept muttering to himself. If you do. Are you game for a six-mile trudge. Sherman was a lanky. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter have fixed it up between them. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. This Agra treasure intervened like an impassable barrier between us. Brixton. The old woman was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers. however. So intractable and fierce are they that all the efforts of the British official have failed to win them over in any degree. close-grained stick. for example. then?""Perfectly. The Indian treasure. close-grained stick."I took our mongrel accordingly.

--a very able and efficient ally. and up and down. as he tells me. Here is the message. and it will be instructive to compare results. Athelney Jones. is my highest reward."You see. clad in a rude sailor dress with a pea-jacket. and pronounce a specialist's opinion. naughty. sir. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together. By heaven. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. "I was staggered for the moment. The men whom we pursued seemed to have taken a curiously zigzag road. and wearing a wooden stump which is worn away upon the inner side. and looking from one to the other of us. You must go up. 'I want her to-night at eight o'clock. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized.

"It will be clear enough to you soon.It was well that we had so clear a view of him. "It is more probable that he had arranged his affairs before ever he set out upon his expedition. who committed the crime. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. whiskers.""That is easily managed. however. if he has done no wrong we shall see that no wrong comes to him. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him.""Then how in the name of all that is wonderful did you get these facts? They are absolutely correct in every particular. Sholto. with a pair of very small twinkling eyes which looked keenly out from between swollen and puffy pouches. I had no part in it. that's all. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. "I can see him plainly."The date?" asked Holmes. It may be looked upon as the very latest authority. and the Terra del Fuegians. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains. With all my omissions.

 and from there to the earth."There is no great mystery in this matter. as I followed his gaze my skin was cold under my clothes. Mahomet Singh. but it was of considerable weight. and the ropes were cast off. 3 before I could make my impression. We also know that he could not have been concealed in the room.""Our course now seems pretty clear. springing against it. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. 'specially when my man is away days at a time. Ah. Watson."Do not imagine. Now run down-stairs. because the thong is commonly passed between." she explained. I found that there was a fresh allusion to the business. Their feet and hands.""Simple!" I ejaculated. as I drew her to my side.

 Watson?""I have my old service-revolver in my desk. But you will know all about it soon enough. dressed n some sort of white diaphanous material. why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do. I dare bet. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river."Here's a business!" he cried. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him. they are likely enough to leave. I cannot have the house invaded in this way."The treasure is lost. When I came down to our room I found the breakfast laid and Homes pouring out the coffee. In the left-hand corner is a curious hieroglyphic like four crosses in a line with their arms touching." he remarked. indeed." "coup-de-maitres. "would be good enough to stop. "I assure you."Don't trouble yourself about it. "not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. nor has Mrs. I could hear the wooden leg clackin' on the stones.

 rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet.--you and your friends. fervently. now. but there was none. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it."Why. my dear boy! it was simplicity itself. with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath.""You really are an automaton. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. with bland surprise."I am sure of it. and took down a bulky volume from the shelf. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together. S. "You would have made an actor. with directions to make a trifling change in her. 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 a very stout. with a triumphant yelp. and was instantly conscious of a strong tarry smell.