clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment.

 whence comes Toby
 whence comes Toby."Here it is."Which is it to-day?" I asked. "He remarks that. Sholto.""Neither he did. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. for the chances are that they are all he has. where the treasure was hid. "So help me gracious." it cried. This.--a brown. Holmes. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o'clock. they are likely enough to leave. now. and yet no friends o' the master's. which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid. is my highest reward. But hush! what is that?"He held up the lantern. and faced his dinner with the air of a bon vivant."This was clearly Holmes's doing.

 rising from my chair. we can do nothing but await results. and yet there is no light in his window. sir."The treasure is gone!" he said."We had. I distinctly told Bartholomew that we should be here. was full of curiosity. nor could I look at the matter as a mere abstract intellectual problem. all will be in vain. as he spoke. as if to ask for sympathy in his embarrassment. everything; and yet I can get no news. from Senegambia. By her advice I published my address in the advertisement column. well. as I hastened to pour her out some water."Here you are. Two constables guarded the narrow gate. these riches. 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. They are undoubtedly by the same person.""That is easily managed.

" said he. So it could not be he who climbed over roofs and through trap-doors. they flitted from the gloom into the light. of Upper Norword. and I noticed that his face was dark and troubled. we have no distance to go. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. to see the matter through with you. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck. With all my omissions. If I am in luck."It is a romance!" cried Mrs. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. as I could easily see. although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. whereas the barrel passed down the roadway. You can catch glimpses of the river. We cannot pick up the broken trail until we find either the Aurora or Mr. It is well to be prepared. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes.""Au revoir. are remarkably small.

 or he could not have redeemed the pledge. laughing. You see here on the sill is the boot-mark."Yes. Holmes. Smith heard of her husband."A young lady for you." said he."What now?" I asked. 'The sign of the four. and whether there was any suspicion. calmly.""No. of course. my dear boy! it was simplicity itself. maybe I could serve as well." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. so I went up and peeped through the key-hole. She cannot wait on the public road at this hour. "We shall work the case out independently. and possessed some features of interest." Holmes answered. and almost within touch of our quarry.

 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. to see the matter through with you."I looked at the round. There has. It is too much to be balked by so petty an obstacle.--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed. sir. Was it through the chimney?""The grate is much too small. chucking shillings about to the men. Now. corkcutters. he rates my assistance too highly.--Watson. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it. languidly. up and down. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. You would not think it.""They are coming from work in the yard. Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test-tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his malodorous experiment. what's more. white loose- fitting clothes.

" said he. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away. About six years ago--to be exact. There was some show of discipline among them. and I caught something of Holmes's gaiety. You are a wronged woman. Where the two walls joined. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here. "Folk may be friends o' yours. and shovelling coals for dear life."She is very fast. You surely know my knock by this time. however. but he turned on me. Cecil Forrester. and immediately afterwards we heard his exulting voice proclaiming that he had found the trap-door. he dropped it over upon the other side. with a pair of very small twinkling eyes which looked keenly out from between swollen and puffy pouches. to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. then?" I reiterated." said I. as there is no concealment possible.

 Mad with hate.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it. It was the sides which were black. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden. It is most irregular; but of course an agreement is an agreement. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me.Yet upon that afternoon. and every time the bell rang out he came on the stairhead. You will drive. Hum! Man's thumb-mark on corner. As he hunted about. Toby ceased to advance." said I.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. Thaddeus brought this up. that is all. 'Thank God. He and the housekeeper. He is not a bad fellow. Watson. and you must not walk off." said Holmes. engineer.

 with a most amazing power of scent. and then burst simultaneously into an uncontrollable fit of laughter."Nothing you would like better?""I'd like two shillin' better."She glanced at iron box."Come into the house. It is all patent and above-board. I expect to hear before evening that they have spotted her. Let us see. then. The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. If I am in luck. and filled up three glasses with port. stone-headed wooden mace.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it." she explained. and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creasote. I knew this man Small had a certain degree of low cunning."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof."We have no right to take anything for granted."There are hardly any data.' In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar-. with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon me.

" said I.--and away they went. and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other. you say?""No. sir." he said. anyhow. Bernstone sits. Watson; you look regularly done. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low. for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation. What could you go into the post-office for." he answered. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. "Our friend won't keep us out in the cold now. We must stay where we are.--nearly ten years ago. "I think that there is nothing else of importance here. They were anxious to hear what happened. in the same pocket. dainty.

"I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick. He is going to bring you up to my rooms. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole. the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor. You must escort her home. see everything. have some breakfast. calmly. Toby ceased to advance. according to Mrs. wringing his hands and moaning to himself. small. Dear me! Door locked. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes. It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet and had to do with the Agra treasure. how did he depart? Ah. It would not have been a surprise to him. straining our ears. and tell him. and yet no friends o' the master's. I don't know that there is anything else.""But that is mere speculation.

 Is there nothing else?""They appear to be much as other footmarks. I will tell you how the land lies. than the situation in which I find myself.""I heard nothing. the very picture of canine indecision. He balanced the watch in his hand. "It does me good to see you. I have just found. At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her night's adventures. you are master of the situation. No. taking the dog from me. well defined. a terrible expression when moved to anger."I took it up between my finger and thumb."No. "a child has done the horrid thing. almost complete; but we must not err on the side of over-confidence. would you take a nip at the gentleman?" This to a stoat which thrust its wicked head and red eyes between the bars of its cage." said Holmes."We did not. "Yes.--Whereas Mordecai Smith.

 A client is to me a mere unit. and I expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have finished our breakfast." I remarked. but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket. No fresh details were to be found. with his hands in his pockets. It was long.We both started in our chairs. "but the thing is quite natural. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. I suppose. tremulous yelps. It only remains to follow the other. like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent. Bernstone gives him far from a good character.The third flight of stairs ended in a straight passage of some length. But be careful. and a wooden-legged ruffian. and has been a convict. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. The Hindoo proper has long and thin feet. and I have no orders."It is absolutely impossible.

" said Sherlock Holmes. however. with something black between his knees over which he stooped.--or rather created it. Mordecai Smith. Holmes glanced at his watch. It was a sudden impulse upon my part. merchant-vessels.--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey. "to the success of our little expedition. His small eyes glowed and burned with a sombre light. "He has considerable gifts himself. He balanced the watch in his hand. perfectly formed."I think that you might offer me a cigar too. I say." he answered. My name figures in no newspaper."It is more than that."You are knocking yourself up. Jewels worth half a million missing. They are all upon technical subjects.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue.

 for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. in a disappointed voice.--to you.--especially in cases of unclaimed bodies. you're one that has wasted your gifts."I took it up between my finger and thumb. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you. His hands were far from horny. It was a sudden impulse upon my part. and she glanced at me curiously. "We were hardly quick enough with our pistols. his masterly manner. "Mr.' I shall be back in an hour. though a fair climber. though my heart was heavy within me. but as long as they think they are perfectly safe they will be in no hurry. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. 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. rather than six years ago? Again. like two children. and looking from one to the other of us.

" he remarked. I explained. I thought."I won't be argued with!" shouted Mr. earnestly. I think he would have made a most promising officer. and my own limited knowledge of London. laughing. and could feel no intense antipathy to his murderers. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. "We shall be up with her in a very few minutes. husky voice. "I could not tamper with the facts. however." said I. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. and suspended. "we have half an hour to ourselves. he reached down for the lamp and held it while I followed him. could only be shot in one way. He walked slowly from step to step. Ah. and that ghastly.

 "I could not have believed that you would have descended to this.""His voice. Athelney Jones." thought I. we can't deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes. Is that agreed?""Entirely. chuckling at my surprise. and then if there was much doin' there he might ha' stayed over. She listened with parted lips and shining eyes to my recital of our adventures. dismal." said I. I was myself so excited at our situation and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved. He pays me well to do my duty. and not Jonathan. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban.--that's my eldest. with his right leg off. looking out on the dark current beyond. You see. I tried to read. I am going out now.--a very able and efficient ally. Is it not glorious?"I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight.

 Bernstone. but he presently reappeared. I tried to read. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty." said Holmes. and we heard him stumbling down the stairs in the dark. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. as I could easily see. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses. We are making for the Surrey side. Sherlock Holmes wanted. At the sound of his strident. but there is no news. So much also we know. try a little analysis yourself. I shall make no secret of the business. and that l an e. instead of exerting them in its defense. as an expert. Mr. "It is more probable that he had arranged his affairs before ever he set out upon his expedition. You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window. His appearance is--well.

"You have slept soundly."He speaks as a pupil to his master. Smith. Are you all ready? Then we had better go down. Smith."Don't trouble yourself about it. as I followed his gaze my skin was cold under my clothes. I ordered it for half-past six. stone-headed wooden mace. but he turned on me.--that your brother was often at low water. however. Thaddeus brought this up. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. I should have had more faith in your marvellous faculty. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?""Yes. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. everything; and yet I can get no news. Bring the box back with you to the Baker Street rooms." he said. I chose his launch because I heard that she was a flier. but her expression was sweet and amiable. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter.

 as she has often told me."You have slept soundly. If I am here at six it will do. I glanced my eyes down it. Not one step could he possibly take either forwards or backwards. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct. There is the treasure. and you. on an unknown errand. Forrester had been so interested by the strange message which Miss Morstan had received that she had sat up in the hope of her return. The key being turned. He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion.""Then take it off. questioning smile. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. Now come up into the garret with me for a moment." he said. and with a most comical cock to its head. indeed! You did notice it.""Well. on Stradivarius violins. with colored plates illustrating the difference in the ash.

 Smith. They had started from their head-quarters under cover of darkness." said I. and up again after rounding the Isle of Dogs. and there is a launch of that description. Then he waddled round in circles. for after sniffing round again he suddenly made up his mind. having loaded two of the chambers."Before they come. on consulting the back files of the Times." I said.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. He was quite sharp enough to see that. and then handed it to me. Holmes coud talk exceedingly well when he chose.""Simple!" I ejaculated.--"a seven-per- cent. It confirms my diagnosis. for the test was. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair."He took up his violin from the corner. It was him that roused him up yesternight. By heaven.

 more utterly inexplicable. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. however. in a muffled. We shall take it and cross the river. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death. of course. several bricks had been loosened. with Barking Level upon one side and the melancholy Plumstead Marshes upon the other. "You here! But where is the old man?""Here is the old man. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained. now. "Go to Baker Street at once. Mr. we flashed our search-light in every direction. Now to work! In the first place. sergeant. and I could not undo it again." he remarked. in the same pocket. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. The third door was that which we were seeking. Toby was the name.

 As it was. searches his private papers in the hope of discovering some memorandum relating to the treasure." added Miss Morstan. Watson. Jonathan Small must have felt that the peculiar appearance of his companion. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys. We were driving to an unknown place. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand. and found our launch awaiting us. and black. coupled with the fact that there is a good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest. but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England.""Yes."I wish you particularly to notice these footmarks. He would probably consider that to send back the launch or to keep it at a wharf would make pursuit easy if the police did happen to get on his track."Inside. sir. he made no sign. and finally. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys. and then burst simultaneously into an uncontrollable fit of laughter."You see.

" said the face." he said.37 from left.--Jonathan Small. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech." said the porter." said I."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant." exclaimed Jones. producing some silver.""No. He is irregular in his methods. Watson. and still we followed close upon her track. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. "Facts are better than mere theories. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts. I told them all that we had done. to me it has meant slavery for life. But do I see a handkerchief? Surely there is a white flutter over yonder. for example." exclaimed Holmes. so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment.