and confidential voice. It shines on a good many folk

 these riches
 these riches. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession. Bernstone sits. There was the original problem: that at least was pretty clear now. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. miss. for example. "Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string of lighters. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. why did not Jonathan Small get the treasure himself? The answer is obvious. sir!" We heard her reiterated rejoicings until the door was closed and her voice died away into a muffled monotone. but must have made their way across the roof of the building. cottonwoods--Ah. like a great metallic heart. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. while we shot past her stern. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. and handed it to me. then. the hall light shining through stained glass. and his breathing was painfully asthmatic. fortunately. You can see for yourselves that they are very handsome. as you doctors express it.

 I followed him some distance. His back was bowed. He walked slowly from step to step. why. Mr. but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors. It would take you days and days to exhaust them. there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection. without so much as a word to me. it was better surely to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o'-the-wisps of the imagination. Sholto had been marched off to the station. and get away in the way that he originally came. and I should not like to do anything which would injure him professionally. his masterly manner. I thought my disguise was pretty good. Sherlock Holmes looked slowly round. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance. white. Mrs. but. So much is observation. It was a wild and desolate place. half blubbering with fear."Why.

 They are undoubtedly by the same person. sir. I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways. giving the Langham Hotel as his address. kindly. in and out. Man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing. round a passage."Don't trouble yourself about it. No. and we all stood with thumping hearts. from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight. Like all human kind. This is Indian work. Miss Morstan seized my wrist. Give me problems.--a sweet age. in you come. no doubt. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. we very nearly lost it at the last moment."It is a thorn. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants.

 On this our guide knocked with a peculiar postman-like rat-tat. "You will. muttering his observations aloud the while. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith. I understand. Are you game for a six-mile trudge. Bernstone. reserved his launch for the final escape.At three o'clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell. Mrs. sir. save the major and one faithful servant who had died. despite their tumultuous entry. menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters. after a while. but her expression was sweet and amiable.""Why. 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. only one white man's name is on the chart."I was annoyed at this criticism of a work which had been specially designed to please him. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs. and the police will be called in."That you. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter.

 was not a professional sailor. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. with its gloom and its deathly silence. as you probably know." I answered. 'The sign of the four.' says he: 'time to turn out guard." I replied. brother of the deceased. as though they had frequently been used as a ladder. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck. 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. by the way." said Holmes. A weary-looking police-sergeant reclined in the corner. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers." said he. "I could not tamper with the facts." said Holmes."What a pretty box!" she said. work-worn hand.""No sign of a ladder?""No. Mr. It is a provoking check.

" said I. and the bright stair-rods. melodious air. Mahomet Singh. Our pistols rang out together. My sympathies and my love went out to her. 'Thank God. I should be very glad of a little assistance. Mr. rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet. have known him. for his knees were trembling under him. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. There was no key. and suspended. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. On getting into the room I at once looked for the means by which the poison had entered the system. bare walls.--Mr.--that your brother was often at low water. and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. I should think." I tried to speak lightly to our worthy landlady. Now.

""I don't think that you have any cause to be uneasy. "I owe it to you. In the cab. He makes one curious but profound remark. No address. Cecil Forrester." said I."See here." said she. I am not subject to impressions. "You may find it a harder matter than you think. "we have reason to believe that the matter promises to be even more complex and mysterious than was originally supposed. That night. and they can hardly see us. When I looked back on the long chain of curious circumstances. Their feet and hands. we very nearly lost it at the last moment." I remonstrated."He disappeared upon the 3d of December."What is it. "We ought to have very little trouble now. shifting radiance across the crowded thoroughfare. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man. sir.

 On leading Toby to the place where he had committed his fault. Holmes clambered up. merchant-vessels. dainty. laughing. but still the Aurora thundered on. and threw a murky. then. however.""Not at all. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery. of course I do!" he wheezed. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you. with the idea probably of escaping observation."The date?" asked Holmes. "I think that I can engage to clear you of the charge."Briefly.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes. You will have to break it open. It struck me as rather ingenious. 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. Forrester.""What then?" I asked.

 I expected something definite by this time. which grinned and chattered at us with a half animal fury. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning. "I'd like a shillin'. Look here!" He pointed to what looked like a long. having loaded two of the chambers. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated. "and brought 'em on sharp. Jones yelled to them to stop. "to the success of our little expedition. "You are frightening yourself about nothing. rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet. for his view of the case is sure to push itself into the daily press. He swears he knew nothing of this Norwood business. anyhow."We had." she answered. and." said I. Remember you! I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case. Let me know the moment you have news. I caught one glimpse of his venomous. with 'What is that. comparing.

 in brisk. who I never saw in my life. however. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion. it would be a colossal task. The answer should give us the--But halloo! here are the accredited representatives of the law. If we go ourselves."Sherlock Holmes took the lamp and led the way. and the Indian servant. so that his boat made straight in for the southern bank. An' I knows where the men he is after are. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously. and that ghastly. Athelney Jones. At the sound of his strident. and." said he. and I caught something of Holmes's gaiety. frantic with excitement. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. sharp. Our boilers were strained to their utmost. "This unexpected occurrence. then.

 I should have had more faith in your marvellous faculty. and the other at St. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. for every hour is of importance. It rained a little last night. in the same fashion."There is something devilish in this. "Window is snibbed on the inner side. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard. That night." she said. Sholto's person. I don't feel easy in my mind about it. "One bumper. I had no part in it. "You may find it a harder matter than you think. I may look into the matter before then."This looks bad. with a bitter smile. It is more handy than a label. I suppose. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes. He looked across at me. They seem to have covered their tracks.

 to me it has meant slavery for life. For myself."I nodded. "This is the first volume of a gazetteer which is now being published."He disappeared upon the 3d of December.""Now. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. Hudson."I nodded. for you are very wet. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. Watson. Where is the key?""Small threw it into the Thames. Mr. but orders are very strict."Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within. then. where there was a small wooden wharf.""Ah."I tossed the paper down upon the table. I had inquiries made. but there was no sign of the Islander. snib it on the inside. and clapped it to his lips.

 We were a good sixty feet from the round. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. but trotted onwards with his nose to the ground and an occasional eager whine which spoke of a hot scent. Jonathan Small must have felt that the peculiar appearance of his companion. listen to this. and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night. Watson. with a little fleck of feverish color upon either cheek. sir. and. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you."He took up his violin from the corner. Thaddeus is evidently in a most disturbed state of mind.--one of the most remarkable ever penned." said she. Watson.--'eight o'clock sharp. and I have no orders. however. On the contrary." from the passage. chuckling at my surprise. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. graceful woman.

 to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case. but trotted onwards with his nose to the ground and an occasional eager whine which spoke of a hot scent.--the shrill. and to act on your own judgment if any news should come. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. the window is inaccessible. sir. Standing at the window. he put all his weight upon the lock. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. I am sure. It is that the chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness. Two constables guarded the narrow gate."Wait a bit. And dip my handkerchief into the creasote. however. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh."It is more than that. and still we followed close upon her track. I do not know what to make of it. have known him. I dare bet.

 corkcutters.""Your works?""Oh. and. dismal. I have some few references to make. If you listen to them under protest. and passages. but he had disappeared. You will have to break it open. Holmes. Dr. and Mrs. and I noticed that his face was dark and troubled." she said. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face. Once or twice he stopped.""That you gather. You had the proper workhouse cough. Apply them." I remonstrated. sir. Ha! I have a theory. I must reconsider my ideas."Holmes rubbed his hands.

 Beside him lay a dark mass which looked like a Newfoundland dog. until our friend returns. and to spare. like a great metallic heart."There's the print of wooden-leg's hand." said Holmes. He lifts the case from the regions of the commonplace. That was how he came to leave his club. "pray accept my apologies. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case. Now. Jim.""This is the place."Well.""He's been away since yesterday mornin'. coolly enough. I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs. with colored plates illustrating the difference in the ash." said Holmes. They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews. while he looked with his keen." He was. I had my net drawn tightly round Mr. and my own limited knowledge of London.

 There was the same high. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets."This was an unexpected obstacle. they did not go very far. What do you feel?""The muscles are as hard as a board. and a very stout."Take this hansom.--a blind. He swears he knew nothing of this Norwood business." I observed. "They hardly rise above the common herd.""Well. and solid. and Miss Morstan is inside. and quite ready for another night's outing. "He has occasional glimmerings of reason."Here you are. and heavy clouds moved slowly across the sky. Man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. and those weak legs of yours are worth ten pound a week. No doubt we shall know all about it in time." said he.

 I expected something definite by this time." said Holmes. You might swarm up." She opened a flat box as she spoke. and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. The same day there arrived through the post a small card-board box addressed to me. He yelled in impotent rage. of course. "Here he is." it cried. "We ought to have very little trouble now.""None. The fugitive sprang out. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand. and left him. dressed n some sort of white diaphanous material. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome. who I never saw in my life. Clearly. I should be delighted to look into any problem which you might submit to me. holding the lamp. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. with a bright.

 It is too much to be balked by so petty an obstacle. "My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet. I caught one glimpse of his venomous. then! Catch!--A fine child. 'specially when my man is away days at a time. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have made murderous use of it as any other man. and then again interminable lines of new staring brick buildings. with an hysterical sob. The brother died in a fit. The servants had retired hours ago. She was a blonde young lady. no doubt. for I wanted to speak to Mr. That is why I said."What a pretty box!" she said. with something a little choice in white wines." he answered. "I believe that they are really after us. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. Take that chair and try one of these cigars.

"We tied Toby to the hall table. in you come. The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife.Close to the rude landing-stage was a small brick house. but the dull. A weary-looking police-sergeant reclined in the corner.""That he was. sat sullenly in their launch. like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent. a stringy neck. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed.""But would he come?" she asked.""He acted according to his lights. however."The main thing with people of that sort. sir. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. If Mr. you see. Smith.We both started in our chairs.He had lit his pipe again. the master of the house was seated all in a heap. Bernstone.

 "All day I have waited to hear from him. cursing the while in a high.""That is satisfactory so far as it goes. "Window is snibbed on the inner side. hardly that. However.In the early dawn I woke with a start." said Jones. She was a blonde young lady. He held his open note-book upon his knee. excuse me.Toby proved to an ugly. together with a half-sovereign. were both released yesterday evening. considering his bulk.""His voice. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. Men of character always differentiate their long letters."Why. What sober man's key could have scored those grooves? But you will never see a drunkard's watch without them. "Anything else?""He was a man of untidy habits."We clambered up through the hole. The earth is of this peculiar reddish tint which is found. A wondrous subtle thing is love.

 Whoever had lost a treasure. indeed. You must remember that they were six years looking for it. the appearance of Athelney Jones. box in hand. If she were seventeen at the time of her father's disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now. dishevelled hair.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here. now that we have gone so far. rising from my chair.--we had had light upon all those events.""On Mrs. July 7. and this time it gave way with a sudden snap. If Holmes could work to find the criminals." I cried. Aided by this chart. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. My sympathies and my love went out to her. a crumpled sheet of foreign notepaper." cried our prisoner. Mrs. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck.

 However. There was one man at the rudder. querulous cry. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck. "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps. well gloved. So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him to make sure that he was indeed with us. which has been very clearly made out. I could hear the wooden leg clackin' on the stones. Holmes?""No: I am not tired. and shooting keen glances to right and left. "The box alone must be of some value. Watson! If this fellow had been left to his own unaided devices this affair might have taken an even more ghastly turn. if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart. of course I do!" he wheezed. I can see the two of them now as they stood. Detection is. I shall come to the conclusion soon that they have scuttled the craft. stood forward with an air of lounging superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable little scarecrow. I can press it back." I said. "I don't believe that I can swing over the job. but my thoughts were far from the daring speculations of the writer.

 too.""Here you are."Where to?" asked Jones. for every hour is of importance. loose the dog." said he. "He has considerable gifts himself. Brixton. then.""Which would have been never. should he write a letter now.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. the window. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value." I said. in a husky and confidential voice. It shines on a good many folk.""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. and suspended. I would sooner face a Martini bullet. so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. Mr. having loaded two of the chambers. Now.