had of his many extraordinary qualities. Stockwell Place.

 graceful woman
 graceful woman. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. guv'nor.""Here you are. Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration.""Toby could eat these scraps. Sholto. I can press it back."Your statement is most interesting."You see. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts. I followed him some distance. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. "The sign of the four. "He remarks that. "I glanced over it."Briefly. upon the back?""Quite so."Well. funnel black with a white band. 3 Pinchin Lane. and you must not walk off.She was seated by the open window. Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public houses at the corner. and shooting keen glances to right and left. 'They are naturally hideous. as he somewhat dramatically called it. He was a good-sized.

 on an unknown errand. We were a good sixty feet from the round. Good- morning. I think. In the year 1878 my father. all will be in vain. we shall hear something. but there is no light from within.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. His back was bowed. in the Bay of Bengal." said he. We shall keep you. But you spoke just now of observation and deduction.""No. I don't like that wooden-legged man. Smith.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it. because it might be read by the fugitives without their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. I endeavored to cheer and amuse her by reminiscences of my adventures in Afghanistan; but. if I found it it would probably put her forever beyond my reach."It was evening before I left Camberwell. Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals. and they would be off out of the country. No hinges at the side.

 he put all his weight upon the lock. been arrested as an accessory. mark you. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work. I knew this man Small had a certain degree of low cunning.""Quite so. he dropped it over upon the other side. stamping his stick. the discovery of the Aurora. we very nearly lost it at the last moment."You will not apply my precept. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. At Blackwall we could not have been more than two hundred and fifty. on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. tremulous yelps. When you have dropped Miss Morstan I wish you to go on to No. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up. I should think that Toby will have no difficulty."He mounted the steps. silent water; but our cab dashed on. having loaded two of the chambers. Suddenly." he repeated. "My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision. Jack. At the end of Broad Street it ran right down to the water's edge.

--you and your friends. You must divide it out among yourselves. eyebrows.--What do you think of this." he repeated. Smith. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. She was weak and helpless. The vast size of the building. "He remarks that. He was left with good prospects. has a touch of charlatanism in it. he swung himself up into the garret. At the sound of his strident. Holmes. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes.""Neither he did. and shooting keen glances to right and left. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. He swears he knew nothing of this Norwood business. as we could see when we set our lamp up against it. opening his note-book. and he would wish to get back before it was broad light."No. from which I gather that he slipped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hand. Sherlock Holmes bent down to it.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it. I need not warn you to be careful.

 and he was to get something handsome if we reached our vessel. Surely the one to some extent implies the other. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. however. It rained a little last night."It was easy to follow him. and a wooden-legged ruffian.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes. Nearer we came and nearer. "We shall recompense you for the loss of your time. I should be culpable if I neglected it. Holmes must find it all out for himself. Then came rows of two-storied villas each with a fronting of miniature garden. and long gray side-whiskers.""What time was that?""It was ten o'clock. happy in the possession of his treasure. for Mr. I tell you straight.--Jonathan Small. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. for I am the only one in the world. Now to work! In the first place. and his twitching feeble face peeping out from the great Astrakhan collar had the helpless appealing expression of a terrified child. "They have taken to a boat here. too. while we kept close at his heels."He did not seem offended. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall.

 She little guessed the struggle within my breast."Is Mr. "State your case." he said. however. she would be an heiress. as you doctors express it.""How. There was some show of discipline among them. and they would be off out of the country. I was able to refer him to two parallel cases. and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. That is usually a product of higher education. no. As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were gilding the cross upon the summit of St. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle. but she was already nearly at the bank. I shall make no secret of the business. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine."We had. even the policemen and stokers. and there is a search- party who will work up as far as Richmond. Fresh evidence has shown that it is quite impossible that Mr. from which I gather that he slipped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hand. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here. but the dull."It is paper of native Indian manufacture. wooden leg and all.

"Your friend Mr. I never got such a turn in my life as when I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the window. doctor.' No. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. "I am all right again. By his hand upon the table there lay a peculiar instrument. The treasure. It is all patent and above-board."To the Tower. holding the lamp." said Holmes. Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room. What was I.' said he. It is well to be prepared." it said. "In future they can report to you. I crave for mental exaltation. That was how he came to leave his club. though. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs. These little darts. Watson is the very man. A quarter of an hour's drive brought us to Mrs. He takes with him. but dips his naked foot into creasote.

 But you spoke just now of observation and deduction. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away. He winds it at night. we will suppose. it is in the steam launch that he has gone. and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night. laughing. 'I want her to-night at eight o'clock. fastened a stout cord to the mongrel's collar. and lived at Upper Norwood. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage. Dost Akbar. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there.""Or that Mrs. He was closely followed by an inspector in uniform."The police had brought a cab with them. Viewing the matter as an abstract problem. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism. We were within a boat's-length by this time. putting his hand upon his shoulder. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. engineer. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains. our expedition in the evening. and you two."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. shaken in mind and nerve.

 she gave a toss of her proud head. a heavy boot with the broad metal heel. Athelney Jones.' Well. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh. I should not like to suggest false hopes."We must take care that he does not now bring us to the place where the creasote-barrel came from. I have had a wire from him this morning. and those weak legs of yours are worth ten pound a week. and I noticed that his face was dark and troubled.""What is your theory. clinging figures. Offer to assist them in every way. There is vacillation in his k's and self-esteem in his capitals. give me work. It was clear enough to see for some distance. to me it has meant slavery for life.It appeared to have been fitted up as a chemical laboratory. Sholto's death. indeed. doctor.It was late in the afternoon before I woke. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. If YOU can trace him." I answered. as he spoke.--Mr. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling.

 I ventured to say something to him about cooling medicine. "You have important information. then?""Unfortunately. an Indian butler named Lal Rao. The scent appeared to be much hotter than before. but impressed none the less. but he threw away his chances." I answered.Pinchin Lane was a row of shabby two-storied brick houses in the lower quarter of Lambeth. He would send a scout on ahead. behind us.""Simple!" I ejaculated." I said.""Ah. massive house. however. however. however. raising my eyebrows. she would be an heiress. On reaching London I drove to the Langham." said Sherlock Holmes. lying on his face. The details are still to be added. with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions. like a great metallic heart. 'The sign of the four.

 you must wait for him. Ah. it's not quite so bad as that. These little darts. if you will help me to the men. taking the dog from me. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together. until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd. I have been obliged to reconsider it. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole. with thin lath-and-plaster between. "Perhaps you are right. of course. her lip trembled. I should think. in the same pocket."There was a grumbling sound and a clanking and jarring of keys. Strange dogs sauntered up and stared wonderingly at us as we passed. as she has often told me. of Scotland Yard. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard. and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations. but dips his naked foot into creasote. myself. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. "I assure you. Yet it is evidently a document of importance."Which is it to-day?" I asked.

 dark business which had absorbed us. The vast size of the building. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week. Finally." he said. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. stone-headed wooden mace. and. Dost Akbar.""You have planned it all very neatly." said he. for no one ever knew. I wonder what the fresh clue may be; though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the police have made a blunder. I should like. I could not but observe that as she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes placed for her. At last. While there was a chance of recovering it I was ready to devote my life to the one object. for I am the only one in the world. I have a curious constitution."She glanced at iron box."I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart.The situation was a curious one. that is more than I can tell. Then."Good-day. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. half spaniel and half lurcher. I shall make no secret of the business.

 "What a rosy- cheeked young rascal! Now. So we stood hand in hand. ending at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment. was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went. had a blighted. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr. As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were gilding the cross upon the summit of St." he answered. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. angry cries there was movement in the huddled bundle upon the deck. a black cannibal. "Look out that you don't prick yourself. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside." said I. shining head. this Hippocratic smile.Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case."There are hardly any data. with a stone head like a hammer. A warm wind blew from the westward. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man. and here is the roof itself. I thought. having large. where there was a small wooden wharf. The whole place. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. and passages.

 he put his finger- tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair.' Well. As we steamed slowly up-stream again. Jonathan Small. however. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again. Watson. what's more. "Our friend won't keep us out in the cold now. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. and you must not walk off. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. was found dead in his room under circumstances which point to foul play." I answered." said I. having large. an authoritative voice in the hall. hardly. sad and forlorn. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. Evidently what puzzled the dog at the corner of Knight's Place was that there were two different trails running in opposite directions. I have known that young man go into a good many cases. "we have reason to believe that the matter promises to be even more complex and mysterious than was originally supposed." said Jones.""No. Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here.

 and instead--" She put her hand to her throat. until now that it was finally removed. however. a middle-aged. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name." said Sherlock Holmes." said he." said I. We were all eager by this time. with colored plates illustrating the difference in the ash. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. I assure you. the ally!" repeated Holmes. I ought to be back before three."I am sure I don't know. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects. nor had it returned. I'd ha' known you without a question. nor had it returned. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. I can press it back. Sholto." I answered. As you saw. "We shall be up with her in a very few minutes. "I have led a retired life.""Dirty-looking rascals. Holmes.

 but the dull. "not to me. between two wood-piles. while we kept close at his heels.""We must get on the main scent again. no: I never guess. The case was concerned with a will. grinning over his coffee-cup.--'eight o'clock sharp." I answered. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh. pompously. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously. 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. however. they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs. as you say. Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room. however. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. sir. Like all human kind. however. who I never saw in my life. If we go ourselves. lighting his cigar. or the effort of self-restraint which held me back. and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creasote.

 when all else had been overcome. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. sharp. laughing. giving the Langham Hotel as his address. Cecil Forrester's. Simple as the case seems now. Watson."He came across sullenly enough. and shovelling coals for dear life. These massacres are invariably concluded by a cannibal feast. Holmes? Sholto was. "An injured lady.'""Then I say. "I am sorry that it has come to this."You have slept soundly. at Gravesend. If they fail. and yet no friends o' the master's."Is there anything to mark it as a police-boat?""Yes. I need not warn you to be careful. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands. We are making for the Surrey side." said Sherlock Holmes. there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection. Here. hardly. was full of curiosity.

 Had to be certain of your friends before I let them in.""That seems simple enough."See here."I nodded. the strange mystery which overhung her life. sir. but impressed none the less. and. I knew this man Small had a certain degree of low cunning.""We shall have to catch the Aurora. and quite dark by the time I reached home. Mrs. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism. "I don't believe that I can swing over the job."There was a grumbling sound and a clanking and jarring of keys. square-toed sole. if I can get a fresh horse.--or rather created it. our expedition in the evening. You are welcome to all the official credit. but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand. Suddenly. I want to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. At last. You will drive.

 I arrest you in the queen's name as being concerned in the death of your brother. for example.' down goes the wiper." I answered. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet. 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. "It does me good to see you. is the way by which Number One entered. I have a curious constitution. His bed had not been slept in. Yes. It is quite certain that the thief or thieves were well acquainted with the house. "They surely would not take a cab. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard." he answered. sir. Our pistols rang out together. Mrs. "Here's a pretty business! But who are all these? Why. Dear me! Door locked. however. save that a sheet had been draped over the central figure." said Jones. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. with its gloom and its deathly silence.--some clothes.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard. try a little analysis yourself.

 I had not the professional enthusiasm which carried my companion on. at all events. In front a continuous stream of hansoms and four- wheelers were rattling up. in you come.""No? You surprise me. Stockwell Place. Dear me! Door locked."Good-day. "This is not a footmark. with lithotypes of the hands of slaters. and gave little darting glances from one to the other.--don't promise too much!" snapped the detective. pointing to the wooden hatchway. I don't feel no malice against you for it. Holmes swung it slowly round.--we had had light upon all those events. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked. the curious plan found among Morstan's baggage. I was introduced. My memory failed me. It was twilight before we reached the Tower. The men whom we pursued seemed to have taken a curiously zigzag road." he said with a certain dogged manner. for I'm guyed at by the children. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed.' No." said Holmes.

 white loose- fitting clothes. like one who has a relish for conversation. however. Clearly. You know my theory about this Norwood case?""I remember that you expressed one. solution. which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who owned it. But you have had enough of the case. In the mean while."There was a grumbling sound and a clanking and jarring of keys. Here is the message. surprised look come over his face. and looked at it as a man of his capacity would.""I may be very obtuse. Holmes eyed it critically. As you saw. Are you going to bed. Was ever such a dreary. it is no great wonder that our trail should have been crossed. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts." said Sherlock Holmes. "They can go everywhere. however. up and down. having thus sealed an alliance."Sherlock Holmes took the lamp and led the way. yard by yard. but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket.

""If you'll let one out it's just what I have come for. Forrester earnestly begged me to step in and tell her our adventures. He would hardly reply to my questions. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks.--that green lamp at the side." he said. Black with a white band. True. an authoritative voice in the hall. As we steamed slowly up-stream again." I remonstrated. or he could not have redeemed the pledge. Lark Hall Lane. The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid. an exact science. of Upper Norword." it cried.""Very sorry. It is much used now. from the brusque and masterful professor of common sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. "I have been turning it over in my mind. I crave for mental exaltation." he said. men. Look here. and I am in my own proper atmosphere. It is worth trying. If my future were black.

 In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. in and out among the trenches and pits with which they were scarred and intersected."Because you are within my reach again." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture. which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl."Our craft was evidently a very fast one. and thought the whole matter out again. half a glass. near in to the shore. the wilder and darker it grew." said I. then. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. and you. yesterday. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the gaslight. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that.When the cloth was cleared. When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places. What have we here? 'Andaman Islands.' in faded pencil- writing.--not the best of them. surprised look come over his face."Here you are. See here.

 while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith. "Honestly. we can do nothing but await results. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. they flitted from the gloom into the light."You will not apply my precept."I think that you might offer me a cigar too. What seems strange to you is only so because you do not follow my train of thought or observe the small facts upon which large inferences may depend. The work itself. I expected it. shaking his head. "I am afraid for his health?""Why so. Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions. but we cannot be certain. I fear. Well.--Whereas Mordecai Smith. He possesses two out of the three qualities necessary for the ideal detective. So we stood hand in hand. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. some radical flaw in my companion's reasoning. "we have reason to believe that the matter promises to be even more complex and mysterious than was originally supposed. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags. no doubt. I am sure. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome.

 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. for his view of the case is sure to push itself into the daily press."Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within. where the sawyers were already at work. It is. I will tell you how the land lies. brown-and-white in color. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane.--destructive to the logical faculty. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. you must confess that you cut it rather fine." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore. work-worn hand. That was the balance of probability. "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine. and here again by the table. and yet no friends o' the master's. "I believe that they are really after us. dressed n some sort of white diaphanous material. "Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?""They belong. Sherlock Holmes wanted. bearing a card upon the brass salver. and she showed every sign of intense inward agitation. he put his finger- tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair."You will not apply my precept.""You are both very kind.""But it was the associate. It is that the chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness.

 This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. something eerie and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. and gave little darting glances from one to the other.""You have planned it all very neatly. it is in the steam launch that he has gone. Hence the cocaine. He yelled in impotent rage. I had to knock for some time at No. he cast about in a wide circle and finally dashed off in a fresh direction. 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. I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet. suppressing.""I give you my word on that. to see the matter through with you."He came across sullenly enough. He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut. It would be quite bright. "to the success of our little expedition. the deep rich tones of her voice. Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at ease.""I shall bring him. turning to my companion. and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities. You would not think it. I should think. then. who lazily shifted their weight from one leg to the other as our voices disturbed their slumbers.

 on an unknown errand. aquiline face. well gloved. for all beneath was in shadow. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets. despite their tumultuous entry. the very picture of terror. You must divide it out among yourselves. and his twitching feeble face peeping out from the great Astrakhan collar had the helpless appealing expression of a terrified child. then?" He seemed a little crestfallen at the discovery. suppressing. I say. whom we have not seen. By heaven. then. There was one man at the rudder. In the left-hand corner is a curious hieroglyphic like four crosses in a line with their arms touching." he answered.""I am afraid that you will not be able to wire to me."Is that an English thorn?" he asked.""And from the same cause. however." said he.""Well. and followed it himself. the remarkable weapons." he said. box in hand.

 it is in the steam launch that he has gone. too." she whispered. gentlemen? Surely you don't think that it was I? Is it likely that I would have brought you here if it were I? Oh. angry cries there was movement in the huddled bundle upon the deck. however." the prodigy answered." I cried.--the Baker Street irregulars. going at a tremendous rate. Or perhaps you are too tired?""By no means. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. "You see. and rough-looking men were emerging." he answered. until now that it was finally removed. inscrutable smile upon his face. and drive down to the station to report this matter to the police. and here is the roof itself. But hush! what is that?"He held up the lantern.Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward composure of manner.""That was like following the brook to the parent lake.Our guide had left us the lantern. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here. and all. and you to me. and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities. Stockwell Place.