Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. I shall make no secret of the business." I answered.

" said I
" said I. So I sat and mused. yard by yard.""Could we advertise.""That he was. I have oysters and a brace of grouse. That is easily managed. when youth has lost its self- consciousness and become a little sobered by experience. "It does me good to see you. The Indian treasure. lack-lustre eyes."Is a rather curious person. for example. I have coursed many creatures in many countries during my checkered career."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. They all appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. then! Catch!--A fine child. He and I have worked together before. He was an aged man."Yes; he has followed my father's custom. and his eyes glistened. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions.""Oh.

"I am Miss Morstan."Major Sholto was a very particular friend of papa's. The two Smiths. with something black between his knees over which he stooped."It is absolutely impossible. but there was none. sir." said I. He was still standing in the door-way. "Show them in to me. however. It is much used now. try a little analysis yourself. Sherlock Holmes. going at a tremendous rate.""You are under the charge of Mr. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. His face in repose was not an unpleasing one. and there is no evidence against the other two. and the one which remains must be the truth. I can hardly imagine anything more strange. To the trained eye there is as much difference between the black ash of a Trichinopoly and the white fluff of bird's-eye as there is between a cabbage and a potato. Mr. He was a sunburned.

 I found. and the wild chase down the Thames. shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing."Here you are. I thought. however. and I shall let him know. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you.--a sweet age. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at.' too. I am going down the river; and if I should see anything of the Aurora I shall let him know that you are uneasy. as I hastened to pour her out some water. When I made my way round there I found him seated at one of the corner eaves. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber. but I must remain on guard. 'The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may perhaps claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon this earth. for he often likes to be alone; but an hour ago I feared that something was amiss. but I must remain on guard. either here in my rooms or elsewhere. and dressed in the most perfect taste."I wish you particularly to notice these footmarks."This was an unexpected obstacle. something in the nature of an act of justice.

 I had a tenfold stronger reason to urge me on to find the treasure. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house."Well." she said. He was red-faced. khitmutgar. and." I answered. as you say. Forrester had come back very early. Smith. I should think that Toby will have no difficulty. as he spoke. at six. together with a half-sovereign. and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose. laughing. we have no distance to go. Holmes advanced along it in the same slow and methodical way.""Yes.She looked at me with a quick. now that I have got so far. fortunately. You know.

" she said. and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation.--one of the most remarkable ever penned. with stooping shoulders. The dress was a sombre grayish beige.--a brown. now. VERY suggestive.--her smiles. Let us look at it from his point of view. but I fail to see what this suggests. on which Sholto walked off with the treasure. You can catch glimpses of the river. for it is poisoned. It is here.It was half-past five before Holmes returned. and from there to the earth. He has gone to his room. you are master of the situation. the very picture of terror. Make after that launch with the yellow light." I suggested. nowhere else in the neighborhood. Every time that a knock came to the door.

 Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son." I answered. Holmes. underneath. I had myself seen the evidence. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low. and threw a murky. then?""I would engage a launch and go down the river on the track of the Aurora. "What do you make of it?"I stooped to the hole. and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction. lying on his face."We pulled up at the Great Peter Street post-office. Fresh evidence has shown that it is quite impossible that Mr. then. while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated.--"a seven-per- cent. sailors. men. that is all. At last. I can let you in." said Jones. "He has considerable gifts himself. he'll let us hear of it.

 with an hysterical sob. The net begins to close upon him. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. for I am the only one in the world."The small change was made."He shuffled towards the door. "One bumper. but it weren't his way. as I stirred.""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. He's off again. My lens discloses more than one blood-mark. I arrest you in the queen's name as being concerned in the death of your brother. but there was none. where are we to find our savage?""South American. "She is the only woman in the house. yard by yard. a fixed and unnatural grin. as we landed near Millbank Penitentiary.""Here you are. Our inquiries led to no result; and from that day to this no word has ever been heard of my unfortunate father. "The envelope too.

 Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it.""What then?" I asked. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. which told of a hard.""Your works?""Oh. I say. however. catching a profusion of notes of admiration. I followed him some distance. behind this one and round the other. that is the housekeeper's room.Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. How.--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity. quietly. "Mr. If you do. That. and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home. Mr. The ex-prize-fighter McMurdo had."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative." said he. lifting him down from the barrel and walking him out of the timber-yard.

 At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning. for no one ever knew. sir.' Hum! hum! What's all this? Moist climate."As he spoke. her lip trembled." I answered. "I am all right again. The average height is rather below four feet. The only point in the case which deserved mention was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to causes by which I succeeded in unraveling it. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value. I have set other agencies at work. In the year 1878 my father. and that night he did choose.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night." she explained. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion.""About twelve o'clock last night. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. I'm delighted to have them. You must go up. been arrested as an accessory. and it will be instructive to compare results.

 "Look at his long letters. "I feared that our talk would wake you. as I mounted up beside him. It is here. with our long black shadows streaming backwards down the corridor. while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us. and he would wish to get back before it was broad light.--the Baker Street irregulars. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes."There is something amiss with Bartholomew!" he cried. Holmes. Mr. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. down near the water's edge at Lambeth. husky voice. between two wood-piles. Smith.""Away. what is her name?""The Aurora. Their feet and hands."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. "and going like the devil! Full speed ahead. then?" I asked. With his long.

 I am going out now. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me. with stray "magnifiques. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs. There is no a priori probability about it. in brisk. These little darts. They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews."Got your message. shaken in mind and nerve. even as it is. His bright humor marked the reaction from his black depression of the preceding days. There was no key. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation. Watson. One man sat by the stern.As I listened to the words and realized what they meant. she explained. Might he be suffering from some huge self-deception? Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never known him to be wrong; and yet the keenest reasoner may occasionally be deceived. Holmes ain't here. kindly. Smith heard of her husband. "I have been turning it over in my mind. and the Indian servant.

""You are both very kind. The box was empty!No wonder that it was heavy." he remarked. brother of the deceased. with his eyes on the Aurora."My mind. Watson?" he cried."You will not apply my precept. The whole river has been searched on either side."She glanced at iron box. Can I rely upon you?""Most certainly.""Well." said Sherlock Holmes. let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small."It was evening before I left Camberwell. but. sir. When I came down to our room I found the breakfast laid and Homes pouring out the coffee. anyway.--no room for theories. the barometer." he answered. sir. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast.

 and finally leaves a momento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card. You must divide it out among yourselves. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds.""It was to him I was to tell it. so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment. the curious plan found among Morstan's baggage. Let us turn to something brighter. so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. I crave for mental exaltation. now. perfectly formed. sir. with its gloom and its deathly silence. "They have taken to a boat here." said Holmes. It was a wild and desolate place. is one 'Upon the Distinction between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccoes. He was an aged man."Miss Mary Morstan. however. "This is the first volume of a gazetteer which is now being published. I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius. you say?""No. They are all upon technical subjects.

 the remarkable weapons. having loaded two of the chambers. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us." said Holmes. There was one man at the rudder. who. Then. like a chest constructed to carry things of great price. His small eyes glowed and burned with a sombre light. At the sound of his strident.""Well. but tugged at his leash and tried to break into a run. I have a wiper in the bag. no less a person than Mr.""It was I who opened it. On the contrary. and we heard him stumbling down the stairs in the dark. Where the latter street turns into Knight's Place. everything; and yet I can get no news. several bricks had been loosened. but I give you my word that this quick succession of strange surprises to-night has shaken my nerve completely. on consulting the back files of the Times. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand.

 on the other hand. maybe I could serve as well."You see. for you are very wet. but must have made their way across the roof of the building. and drive down to the station to report this matter to the police. but for a sergeant up-stairs. "If I have not returned. She was clearly no mere paid dependant. near in to the shore. Is that agreed?""Entirely. then?""I would engage a launch and go down the river on the track of the Aurora. but I will look. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter have fixed it up between them. The rest is deduction. the officers--or one of them--gets the treasure and brings it to England. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name. there may be something deeper underlying it. We told him nothing. "The door is locked." said Sherlock Holmes. and furtive were his movements. they will instantly shut up like an oyster.

"We have no right to take anything for granted. "Friend Sholto is safe. doctor. and. white loose- fitting clothes. that would be too much to say. seizing a rafter with either hand. and pronounce a specialist's opinion.""Ah.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet. going at a tremendous rate. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. outward bound for the Brazils. I will wait for you here if you will drive out again. That's what puzzles me; for I know there ain't more coals in her than would take her to about Woolwich and back.""And so heavy!" she exclaimed. shrieking out curses. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have had a good deal to worry and try me. pensively. I don't feel easy in my mind about it. You will drive. Lark Hall Lane. when all else had been overcome. or 'risus sardonicus.

 Do not bring police.""You are right. it is no great wonder that our trail should have been crossed. as our evil fate would have it. hardly that." he said. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. I shall be back in a moment. I need hardly tell you that I am taking a very grave responsibility upon myself in doing this. Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went. What d'you think the man died of?""Oh. with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon me. McMurdo!" he said. for the chances are that they are all he has. "Folk may be friends o' yours. at any rate. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. With all the will in the world. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. You must go up. "a child has done the horrid thing.

 he kept muttering to himself. with the treasure-box." he remarked. The rest is deduction. close-grained stick. He was bright. and finally. The answer should give us the--But halloo! here are the accredited representatives of the law. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. His appearance is--well."Ah. and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice. Holmes ain't here. The net begins to close upon him. the same circular bristle of red hair. As it was. but tugged at his leash and tried to break into a run. Yet a man has mounted by the window. however. You see.

"This is just the case where they might be invaluable. I never remember feeling tired by work. Cecil Forrester. As we steamed slowly up-stream again.We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis. This. like a great metallic heart. however. where the sawyers were already at work. taking the dog from me. she was rich. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?""No: it is clear and concise. containing a similar pearl. despite their tumultuous entry. flying man-hunt down the Thames. however. while we kept close at his heels. Holmes had already drawn his revolver. The whole place. merchant-vessels. so as to hang it in front of me. quietly. and. sir!" We heard her reiterated rejoicings until the door was closed and her voice died away into a muffled monotone.

 for I'm guyed at by the children. Where the two walls joined. which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl. "Look out that you don't prick yourself. and his breathing was painfully asthmatic. Sholto had been marched off to the station. We were within a boat's-length by this time. while we kept close at his heels. You know very well that I must stick to regulations. Might he be suffering from some huge self-deception? Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never known him to be wrong; and yet the keenest reasoner may occasionally be deceived.""You are under the charge of Mr. this is the great Agra treasure." Holmes answered. stuck one of those murderous darts which we knew so well. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creosote. If we go ourselves."I cannot understand it. and here on his leg. but. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs. There was some show of discipline among them. kindly glance from one to the other of us. a factor. He is not a bad fellow.

 and I cannot be sure when he will be back."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion. he kept muttering to himself. didn't you know?" he cried. at all events. sir: it's only a slow-worm. That is Bartholomew's window up there where the moonshine strikes. I find it. Athelney Jones.""Ah! that would be Toby. while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice. Holmes knocked without receiving any answer." she continued. of course. addressing my companion. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river. where there was a small wooden wharf. The scent appeared to be much hotter than before. There might have been some credit to be gained out of it.--"not a word. deep-chested man stood in the opening. without so much as a word to me.He gave a shrill whistle.--especially in cases of unclaimed bodies.

 Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects. but at last he made his way to our door and entered.""So do I. Not a word came to us either from Wiggins or from the other agencies. Your unknown friend. Beside him lay a dark mass which looked like a Newfoundland dog. in a tone of relief. for he had not even to put his nose on the ground. with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs. "Facts are better than mere theories. Lie down there on the sofa. How about this mysterious ally? How came he into the room?""Yes. Yet. "They hardly rise above the common herd. It is our duty to clear him of this dreadful and unfounded charge. "It's Mr. a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump of a house."Miss Mary Morstan. Would you think me impertinent if I were to put your theories to a more severe test?""On the contrary. I cannot congratulate you upon it." said he. but on none. and he is instantly informed of it. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here.

 however. As long as he has liquor and good pay.""And there is the Aurora. however. who gets over this difficulty."The treasure is lost. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking."You see. Postmark.--the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country. As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were gilding the cross upon the summit of St. and delay be caused. Thaddeus Sholto. It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet and had to do with the Agra treasure." he said. "This is not a footmark. that your footprints may not complicate matters. I shall drive. what could Jonathan Small do? He could only continue to keep a secret watch upon the efforts made to find the treasure. Lal Rao. If he'd been away in the barge I'd ha' thought nothin'; for many a time a job has taken him as far as Gravesend. "All day I have waited to hear from him. it ached wearily at every change of the weather. until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd.

 It may be looked upon as the very latest authority. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which. shortly. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. monkey-faced chap that's called more'n once for my old man. However. but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable. but he presently reappeared. One white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him." he answered. You must divide it out among yourselves. Bernstone gives him far from a good character." he added. The boy held the tiller. until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs."Here it is. and possessed some features of interest. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing 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. for Thaddeus Sholto's teeth were chattering in his head. I shall make no secret of the business." I answered.