M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY, CHICAGO. Pee eS gis pis ge fs WORKS OF MARIE ST. FELIX. Over one million copies of these four books have been sold, and the ' demand increases daily. The books are-issued in a popular style, # printed from good, clear plates, on excellent quality of paper, in at- ‘Sf _ tractive paper covers, printed in two colors from unique and attactive special designs. Following are the titles: : A Little Game with Destiny Ta AU NS A fin de siecle novel in the form of a AIM UA avn terse and brilliant diary. Penelope | ie Gray,” a young girl of our own day and | i, | | generation, tells the story of her life in a 5 ene ! ! ° . | ; os | interesting, and at times startling in its | Be ee candor. Prick..........50C. . -way that is Sometimes humorous, always Cwo Bad it i i Brown Vii Eyes This work, from the pen of America’s most illustrious and popular realistic writer, is justly likened to the best works of Zola, Daudet and Balzac. It bristles Ras with trenchant wit and burns with real- MANIK PY ai rel istic truths that produce conviction and WANA 3 a arouse admiration on the part of the HA peel i oj ala i il cae l | Hiden en il ITAA nating and startling of this justly cele- brated author’s productions. It is caus- ing a sensation in the literary world and should be read by every up-to-date lover of the sensational and realistic in litera- ture; 264 pages of interesting and charm- ing reading. Price....60c. Cold bY Baer ult CTW0.... 4g UU Vy Uy nd therefore the best of this celebrated author’s books. It is full of epigram and gives an excellent description of the Bermudas and the Winter Colony there. It is full of thrill- ing romance, with innumerable happen- ings to a giddy young married woman of New York and a bachelor from Boston. Plenty of rich, spicy dialogue—it is re- plete with up-to-date expletives. Lovers © of realistic fiction will revel in this liter- WAZA ary feast. Paper .arcoes 50c. oh Gloaliostc Paper 50c., each, any three, postpaid, for $1.00 M. A. DONOHUE & CO., CHICAGO Aik Ae ihm he As em Bh A Be Sh Be Bh Ai Ah en AR he Ak RE SR AH AB I. W SS Ae Return this book on or before the , Latest Date stamped below. A T charge is made on all overdue | books. Uuof I. Library Hhuy Le i949 AUT! JUN 19, 198" | | | \ ) % 17625-S VCE WORKS OF MARIE ST, FELIX | Over one million copies of these four books have been sold, and the demand increases daily. The books are issued in a popular style, # printed from good, clear plates, on excellent quality of paper, in at- _ tractive paper covers, printed in two colors from unique and attactive special designs. Following are thetitles: — mae A Little Game with Destiny HSE A fin de siecle novel in the form of a y ii terse and brilliant diary. ‘“‘Penelope | | Gray,” a young girl of our own day and generation, tells the story of her life ina -way that is Sometimes humorous, always interesting, and at times startling in its candor. Prick......+0.-50C. Cwo Bad ET RET RT TTT CT oe Ip << AK > a If. — “4 | i iil i) Eyes This work, from the pen of America’s most illustrious and popular realistic writer, is justly likened to the best works i Qh a f of Zola, Daudet and Balzac. It bristles Ps 7 with trenchant wit and burns with real- f be” f «istic truths that produce conviction and Re arouse admiration on the part of the Prat : 3 i “f | +h rah wok .e i) | incon i ih i ie A work that is pronounced by public Ja" and press to be one of the most fasci- TM nating and startling of this justly cele- A uh HU Hn brated author’s productions. It is caus- —— ing a sensation in the literary world and should be read by every up-to-date lover of the sensational and realistic in litera- ture; 264 pages of interesting and charm- ing reading. pricr,...60C. } zl ———— s a Bi na HIN CW... and therefore the best of this celebrated author’s books. It is full of epigram and gives an excellent description of the Bermudas and the Winter Colony there. It is full of thrill- ing romance, with innumerable happen- ings to a giddy young married woman of New York and a bachelor from Boston. Plenty of rich, spicy dialogue—it is re- plete with up-to-date expletives. Lovers of realistic fiction will revel in Uh liter- Yip 287 SS NANG © LAAN A SEQD . S aS besabee SNES WS Ip RRR Nis ah SS A Ny WEG. y es Uf ary feast: ~~ Papersiasisess: C. G8 Goliad [YU 4GYGEY! LZ W454 Yj Paper 50c, each, any three, postpaid, for $1.00 M. A. DONOHUE & CO., CHICAGO ERE EE SSG |S AL AK AK AL AK AK AL BRAK AG AK AK AR AL at i CHICAGO: ~ - DONOHUE & co cas ‘CHAPTER I. ‘MHP SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION. : Ene Hoimes took his bottle from the corner of the mantelpiece and his hypodermic _ syringe from its neat morocco case. With his long, white, nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle, and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist, all dotted and scarred _ with innumerable puncture-marks. Finally he : - thrust t the sharp point home, pressed down the tiny _ piston, and sank back into the velvet-lined arm- chair with a long sigh of satisfaction. - Phsee times a day for many months I had wits - nessed this performance, but custom had not recone - ciled my mind to it. On the contrary, from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight, and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest. — Again and again I had registered a vow that I 077898 ay THE SIGN OF THE FOUR, lould deliver my soul upon the subject, but there | was that in the cool, nonchalant air of my compan. jon which made him the last man with whom one | would care to take anything approaching toa liberty. His great. powers, his masterly manner, and the experience which I had had of his many extraor- dinary qualities, all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. Vet upon that afternoon, qheiher it was the claret which I had taken with my lunch, or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner, I suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer. ‘© Which is it to-day ?” I asked. ‘‘ @ Morphine or cocaine ?”’ He raised his eyes languidly from the old black- Nee letter volume which he had opened. “It is cocaine,” he said ; “a seven per cent solution. Would youcare _ SO try 1? ‘*No, indeed,” I ) answered, brusquely. ¢ My onstitution has not got over the Afghan campaign et. I car not afford to throw any extra strain _ipon it.’ He smiled at my vebemence, « Perhaps you are pene Watson,” he said. ‘I suppose that its influ. — ence is physically a bad one. I find it, however, — so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the — mind that its secondary action is a matter of small i moment.” THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION. 4 __ * But consider!” [ said, earnestly. ‘Count the - gost! Your brain may, as you say, be roused andj _ excited, but it is a pathological and morbid process, which involves increased tissue change, and may at last leave a permanent weakness, You Know, too, | _ what a black reaction comes upon you. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. Why should you, _ for a mere passing pleasure, risk the loss of those great powers with which you have been endowed ? _ Remember that I speak not only as one comrade to another, but as a medical man to one for whose con- stitution he is to some extent answerable.” He did not seem offended. On the contrary, he _ put his finger-tips together and leaned his elbows - on the arms of his chair, like one who has a relish for conversation. : ‘“*My mind,” he said, “rebels at stagnation. _ Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, - and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can _. dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave fot tS ‘mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen m:_ - own particular profession—or rather created it, fo} - Tam the only one in the world.” © The only unofficial detective ?” I said, raising my eyebrows. The only unofficial consulting detective,” he answered. “‘T am the last and highest court of 8 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. — appeal in detection, When Gregson, or Lestrade, or Athelney- Jones are out of their depths—which, by the way, is their normal state —the matter is laid — before nie. » I examine the data, asanexpert, and pronounce a specialist’s opinion. I claim no credit in such cases. My name figures in no newspaper, The work itself, the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar powers, is my highest reward. But you have yourself had some experience of my methods of work in the Jefferson Hope case.” — ‘Yes, indeed,’’ said I, cordially. ‘I was never so struck by anything in my life. I even embodied it in a small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title of ‘A Study in Scarlet.’ ”’ ‘ He shook his head sadly. ‘I glanced over it,”? 2 : = said he. ‘‘Honestly, Ican not congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be, am exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and _ unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism, which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.” *But the romance was there,’’? I remonstrated. ‘“F could not tamper with the facts.’’ . “Some facts should be suppressed, or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. ‘The only point in the case which deserved mention was the curious analytical rear THE SCIENCE oF DEDUCTION. 9 ahs from effects to causes s by which I succeeded a in unraveling HOLS I was annoyed at this criticism of a work whick _ had been specially designed toplease him. I con . fess, too, that I was irritated by the egotism whicl oe seemed to demand that every line of my pamphlef should be devoted to his ownspecial doings. 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. I made no remark, however, but sat ae | nursing my wounded leg. I had had a Jezail bullet through it some time before, and though it did not prevent me from walking, it ached wearily at every _ ehange of the weather. | ‘‘My practice has extended recently to the Con- tinent,’’ said Holmes, after a while, filling up his old briar-root pipe. ‘‘I wasconsulted last week by Francois Le Villard, who, as you probably know, has come rather to the front lately inthe French detective service. He has all the Celtic power of quick intuition, but he is deficient in the wide wot - yange of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art. The case was con- cerned with a will, and possessed some features of fnterest. I was able to refer him to two parallel ie cases; the one at Riga in 1857, and the other at St. Dy ‘Louis in 1871, which have suggested to him the true solution. Here is the letter which I had this ~ Ie THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. morning acknowledging my assistance.” He tossed over, as he spoke, a crumpled sheet of foreign note- paper. I glanced my eyes down it, catching a pro- fusion of notes of admiration, with stray ‘‘ magnifi- ques,” ‘‘coup-de-maitres,” and ‘tours-de-force,” all testifying to the ardent admiration of the French- man. | ? “He speaks as a pupil to his master,” said I. “Qh, he rates my assistance too highly,” said Sherlock Holmes, lightly. ‘‘He has considerable’ gifts himself. He possesses two out of the three qualities necessary for the ideal detective, He has the power of observation and that of deduction. He — is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time. He is now translating my small works into : French.” “Your works ?” | ge, -~Oh, didn’t you know?” he cried, laughing. “Ves, I have been guilty of several monographs. They are all upon technical subjects. Here, for example, is. one ‘Upon the Distinction between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos.’ In it I enumerate “3 hundred and forty forms of cigar, cigarette and vipe tobacco, with colored plates illustrating the _lifference in the ash. It is a point which is con- inually turning up in criminal trials, and which is sometimes of supreme importance asaclue. If you. can say definitely, for example, that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an In- THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION. tt - dian lunkah, it obviously narrows your field of search, ‘To the trained eye there is as much differ- ence between the black ash of a Trinchinopoly and the white fluff of bird’s-eye as there is between cab- bage and a potato.”’ | ‘Vou have anextraordinary genius for minutize,” I remarked. “T appreciate their importance. Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps, with some remarks upon the uses of plaster of paris as a pre- server of impresses. Here, too, is a curious little ‘work upon the influence of a trade upon the form of the hand, with lithotypes of the hands of slaters, sailors, cork-cutters, compositors, weavers, and ‘diamond-polishers. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective— especially in cases of unclaimed bodies, or in dis- covering the antecedents of criminals. But I ‘weary you with my hobby.’’ Not at all,’’ I answered, earnestly. ‘‘It is of the greatest interest to me, especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it. But you spoke just now of ob- servation’ and deduction. Surely the one to some extent implies the other.”’ — : “Why, hardly,’ he answered, leaning back luxuriously in his arm-chair, and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe. ‘‘For example, obser- vation shows me that you have been to the Wig- 12 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. more Street Post Office this morning, but deduc- See tion lets me know that when there you dispatched a telegram.’’ eRight!? said c1, “Right on both points! But | I confess that I don’t see how you arrived at it. It was a sudden pide y upon my part, and I have — mentioned it to no one.’ “It is simplicity itself,” he remarked, chucklide | at my surprise; ‘‘so absurdly simple that an expla- nation is superfluous; and yet it may serve to define ~ the limits of observation and of deduction. Obser- vation tells me that you have a little reddish mold adhering to your instep. Just opposite the Seymour Street Office they have taken up the pavement and thrown up some earth which lies in sucha way that it is difficult to avoid treading in it inentering. _ The earth is of this peculiar reddish tint which is — found, so far as I know, nowhere else in the neigh- borhood. So much is observation. The rest is deduction.”’ ‘““How, then, did you Aa Ss the telegram? ‘Why, of course I knew that you had not writ- ten a letter, since I sat opposite to you all morning. I see also in your open desk there that you havea sheet of stamps and a thick bundle of post-cards. © - What could you go into the post office for, then, — but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.”’ : “Tn this case it certainly is so,’’ I replied, after a ~ THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION. 413 ~ little thought. The thing, however, Ei as you say, of the simplest. Would you think me imper: tinent if I were to put your theories to a more ‘severe test ?”’ ) - Qn the contrary,’? he answered, “it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine. _I-should be delighted to look into any problem -_ which you might submit to me.” “Tt have heard you say that it is difficult for a man to have any object in daily use without leaving the impress of his individuality upon it in sucha way that a trained observer might read it. Now, I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. Would you have the kindness to let ‘me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner ?”’ I handed him the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart, for the test was, as I thought, an impossible one, and I intended it as a lesson; against the somewhat dogmatic tone - which he constantly assumed. He balanced the watc hin his hand, gazed hard at the dial, opened the back, and examined the works, first with his naked eyes and then with a powerful convex lens. I could hardly keep from smiling at his crestfallen face when he finally snapped the case and handed it back. “There are hardly any data,’? he remarked. 14 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ‘The watch has been recently Sone which robs me of my most suggestive fac “Vou are right,’’ I answered. Tt was cleaned before being sentto me. In my heart I accused my companion of putting forward a most lame and im- potent excuse to cover his failure. What data could he expect from an uncleaned watch ? “Though unsatisfactory, my research has not — - been entirely barren,’’ he observed, staring up at the ceiling with dreamy, lack-luster eyes. ‘‘Sub- ject to your correction, I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother, who in- herited it from your father.’’ . ‘‘That you gather, no doubt, from the H. W. upon the back ?”’ | ‘Quite so. The W. suggests your own name. The data of the watch is nearly fifty years back, and the initals are as old as the watch; so it was made for the last generation. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son, and he is most likely to have the same name as his father. Your father, has, if I remember right, been dead many years. It has, therefore, been in the hands of your eldest brother.”’ ) : “Right, so far,’’? saidI. ‘‘Anything else ?’’ ‘He was a man of untidy habits—very untidy _and careless. He was left with good prospects, — but he threw away his chances, lived for some time in poverty, with occasional short intervals of ‘THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION, 1§ prosperity, and finally, taking to drink, he died, That is all I can gather.’’ — I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart. ‘This is unworthy of you, Holmes,’’ I said. “I could not have believed that you would have des- cended tothis. You have made inquiries into the history of my unhappy brother, and you now pre- tend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. Youcan not expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch! It is uns kind, and, to speak plainly, has a touch of charla- tanism in it.”’ ‘‘My dear doctor,’’ said he, Madly pray accept my apologies. Viewing the matter as an abstract problem, I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you. I assure you, however, that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch.’’ -*’Then how in the name of all that is wonderfu? did you get all these facts? They are absolutely correct in every particular.’’ ‘Ah, that is good luck. I could only say what: was the balance of Bepeenlty: I did not at all expect to be so accurate.’ “But it was nof mere guess work ?” | ‘‘No, no, I never guess. It is a shocking habit _ «destructive to the logical faculty. What seems 16 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. strange to you is only so becanse you do not follow. my train of thought or observe the small facts upon — which large inferences may depend. For example, I began by stating that your brother was careless. When you observe the lower part of that watch- case you notice that it is not only dented in two © places, but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects, such as coins — or keys, in the same pocket. Surely it is no great feat to assume that a man who treats a fifty-guinea watch so cavaliery must be a careless man. Neitker is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who in- — herits one article of such value is pretty well pro- vided for in other respects.’’ - - I nodded to show that I followed his reasoning. ‘Tt is very customary for pawnbrokers in Eng- a land, when they take a watch, to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the > , inside of the case.’ It is more handy than a label, as there is no risk of the number being lost or transposed. There are no less than four such “numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this = case. Inference—that your brother was often at low water. Secondary inference—that he had occasional bursts of prosperity, or he could not have redeemed the pledge. Finally, I aske you to look at the inner plate which contains the key- hole. Look at the thousands of scratches all : THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION. 17 round the hole—marks where the key-was slipped. What sober man’s key could have scored those grooves? But you will never see a drunkard’s watch without them. He winds it at night, and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand. Whereis the mystery in allthis?’ , “Tt is as clear as daylight,’’ I answered. ‘‘I regret the injustice which I did you. I should have had more faith in your marvelous faculty. May I ask whether you have any professional inquiry on foot at present?”’ “None. Hence the cocaine. I can not live without brain-work. What else is there to live _ for? Stand at the window here. Was ever such a dreary, dismal, unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across dun-colored houses. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers, doctor, when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is com- monplace, and existence is commonplace, and no qualities save those wench: are Get nrt eae have any function upon eart Thad opened my oath to reply to his tirade, when, with a crisp knock, our landlady entered, ae bearing a card upon the brass salver, — “A&A young lady for you, sir,’’ she said, sanrette ing my ae GY have no recollection of Ae name - CHAPTER II. SHE STATEMENT OF THE CASE. Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm _ step and an outward composure of manner. She a was a blonde young lady; small, dainty, well- gloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste. There was, however, a plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with a suggestion of limited means. The dress was a somber gray- ish beige, untrimmed and unbraided, and she wore a small turban of the same dull hue, relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side. Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion, but her expression was sweet and amiable, .and. her large blue eyes were singularly ‘spiritual and sympathetic. In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three _ seperate continents I have never looked upon a face _ which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensi- tive nature. I could not but observe that, as she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes placed for her, her lip trembled, her hand quivered, and she _ showed every sign of intense inward agitation. - eas S519) 20 ; THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. *‘Thave come = you, Mr. Holmes,” she said: “because you once enabled my employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic com- plication. She was much gig ote by your kind- : . ness and skill.” a ‘‘Mrs. Cecil Forrester,’ he epeabes ibnekt: fully. ‘I believe that I was of some slight service _ ; to her. The rey however, as I remember it, was avery simple one.’ ‘“‘She did not think so. But, at least. you cai ae not say the same ofmine. Ican hardly imagine anything more strange, more utterly inexplicable, than the situation in which I find myself.” — me Holmes rubbed his hands, and his eyes glistened. _ He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-eut, _ hawklike features. ‘‘State your case,’ said he, ic, brisk, business tones. I felt that my position was an cmbegee ies one. “You will, I am sure, excuse BS I said rising = from my chars - To my surprise, the young lady held up her _ . gloved hand to detain me. “If your friend,” she — said, ‘“‘would be good enough to stay, he cgees by be * of inestimable service to me.” — I relapsed into my chair. . oe ‘‘Briefly,’’ she continued, ‘‘the facts are these. ee: My father was an officer in an Indian regiment, who sent me home when I was quite a child. My HE STATEMENT OF THE CASE. gt - mother was dead, and I had no Plate in England. I was placed, however, in a comfortable boarding : O tablichmient at Edinburgh, and there I remained until I was seventeen years ofage. In the year 1878 my- father, who-was senior captain of his regi- _ ment, obtained twelve months’ leave and came ae home. He telegraphed to me’ from London that eae had arrived all safe, and directed me tocome down _atlonce, giving the Langham Hotel as his address. - ‘His message, as I remember, was full of kindness and. love. On reaching London I drove to the Langham, and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there, but that he had gone out the - night before and had not returned. I waited all - day without news of him. That night, on the ad- vice of the manager of the hotel, I communicated _ with the police, and next morning we advertised in all the papers. Our inquiries led to no result; and ~ - from that day to this no word has ever been heard of my unfortunate father. He came home, with his : : heart full of hope, to find some peace, some comfort, and instead—’’ She put her hand to her throat, _ ganda choking sob cut short the sentence. | _ “The date? asked Holmes, opening his note book. _ ‘He disappeared upon the 3d of December, 1878 _ --nearly ten years ago.”’ “His luggage?’ . | cs S Homainedat the hotel. There were nothing in att to Suggest a lee me clothes, some books, Me #2 THE SiGw OF THE FOUR. and a cousiderable number of curiosities from the Andaman Island. He had been one of the officezs | in charge of the convict guard there.”’ ‘“‘Had he any friends in town.?”’ : “Only one that we know of—Major Sholto of his own regiment, the Thirty-fourth Bombay Infantry. The major had retired some little time “before, and lived at Upper Norwood. Wecommunicated with hira, of course, but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England.’’ ‘‘A singular case,’’ remarked Holmes. ‘TI have not yet described to you the most sin- gular part. About six years ago—to be exact, upon the 4th of May, 1882—an advertisement appeared in the Zimes asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan, and stating that it would be to her advan- tage to come forward. There was no name or address appended. I had at that time just entered — the family of Mrs. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. By her advice I published my address in the advertisment column. ‘The same day there arrived through the post a small cardboard box ad- dressed to me, which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl. No word of writing was en-— ‘ ; closed. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box, containing a similar pearl, without any clue to the sender. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a “y fare variety and of considerable value. You can see ae THE STATEMENT OF THE CASE. 23 for yourselves that they are very handsome.’’ She _ opened a flat box as she spoke, and showed me six of the finesf pearls that I had ever seen. ‘“Yonr statement is most interesting,’ said Sher- lock Holmes. ‘‘Has anything else occurred to you?” ‘‘Yes; and no later than to-day. That is why I have come to you. This morning I received this etter, which you will perhaps read for yourself.’’ ' “Thank you,’ said Holmes. ‘“The envelope, | too, please. Post-mark, London, S. W., date, July 7. Hum! Man’s thumb-mark on corner—prob- ably postman. Best quality paper. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. Particular man in his station- ery; Noaddress. ‘‘Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theater to-night at seven o’clock. If you are distrustful bring two friends. You are a wronged woman, and shall have justice. * Do not bring police. Ifyou do, all will be in vain. Your unknown friend.’ Well, really, this is a very : ‘pretty little mystery. What do you intend to i ~ Miss Morstan ?’’ _‘“"Thst is exactly what I want to ask you?”’ ‘*Then we shall most certainly go. You and ¥ and—yes, why, Doctor Watson is the very man. Your correspondent says two friends. He and I . have worked together before.” ‘“‘But would he come?’’ she asked, with some- > _ thing appealing in her voice and expression. 24 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR, “I should be proud and hapayt said L ‘fer vently, ‘‘if I can be of any service.”’ “You are both very kind,” she sirens “r have led a retired life, and have no friends whom RR could appeal to. IfI am here : at six it will do, I suppose ?”’ ‘You must not be later,” said Holmes. ‘There is one other point, however. ~ Is this handwriting the same as that upon the pearl-box addresses ?”’ “T have them here,’’ she answered, producing. half-a-dozen pieces of paper. “Vou are certainly a model client. Vou have the correct intuition. Let us see, now.’’ Hespread out the papers upon the table, and gave little darting © glances from one to the other. ‘They are disguised — hands, except the letter,’’ he said, presently, “but there can be no question as to the authorship. See — _ how the irrepressible Greek e will break out, and — see the twirl of the final s. They are undoubtedly by the same person. I should not like to suggest false hopes, Miss Morstan, but is there any resem- — i blance between this hand and that of your father?’’ ‘‘Nothing could be more unlike.’’ ‘I expected to hear you say so. We shall look . out for you, then, at six. Pray allow me to keep — the papers. I may look into the matter before then. It is only half-past three. Au revoir, then.’’ “Au Dahan et said our ‘visitor, and, with a bright, ee a “WHE STATEMENT OF THE CASH, 25, ~ kindly glance from one to the other of us, she re- _ placed her pearl-box in her bosom and hurried away _ $tanding in the window I watched her walking briskly down the street, until the gray turban and _ white feather were but a speck in the sombercrowd. ‘What a very attractive woman!’’ I exclaimed, turning to my companion. He had lit his pipe again, and was leaning back with drooping eyelids. ‘Is she?’ he said, lan- - guidly. ‘Idid not observe.” “You really are an automaton—a calculating- : machine!” Ieried. ‘‘There is something PEUNELY — inhuman in you at times!”’ He smiled gently. “‘Itis of the first importance,” he said, ‘‘not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. Aclient isto me a mere unit —a factor in aproblem, The emotional qualities are ae antagonistic to clear reasoning. I assure you that _ the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance money, and the most repellant man of my acquaint- ance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a millon upon the London poor.”’ “In this case, however—’’ “I never make exceptions. An exception dis- proves the rule. Have you ever had occasion to study character in handwriting? What do you make - _ of this fellow’s scribble?’ 26 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. “It is legible and regular,’’? Ianswered. ‘‘A man of business habits and some force of character.’’ — Holmes shook his head. ‘‘Look at his long let- ters,’’ he said. ‘“They hardly rise above the com- mon herd. That d might be an a, and that /an e, Men of character always differentiate their long let- ters, however illegibly they may write. ‘There is vacillation in his &’s and self-esteem in his capitals. I am going out now. I have some few references to make. Let me recommend this book—one of the most remarkable ever penned. It is Winwood Reade’s ‘Martyrdom of Man.’ I shall be back in an hour.”’ I sat in he window with the volume in my hand, but my thoughts were far from the daring specula- tions of the writer. My mind ran upon our late visitor—her smiles, the deep rich tones ofher voice, the strange mystery which overhung her life. If she were seventeen at the time of her father’s disap- pearance she must be seven and twenty now—a ‘sweet age, when youth has lost its self-conscious- ness and become a little sobered by experience. So Y sat and mused, until such dangerous thoughts _ame into my head that I hurried away to my desk — and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. What was I, an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account, that J should dare to think of such things? She was u nat Me iN THE STATEMENT OF THE CASE. 27 unit, a factor—nothing more. If my future were black, it was better surély to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o’-the-wisps of the imaginatior.. CHAPTER II. IN QUEST OF A SOLUTION. It was half-past five before Holmes returned. He was bright, eager, and in excellent spirits—a mood which in his case alternated we fits of the black- est depression. ‘There is no great mystery in this matter, ” he said; taking the cup of tea which I had poured out for him. ‘The facts appear to admit of only one © explanation.” ‘What! you ee solved it already?” “Well, that will be too much to say. I have de covered a suggestive fact, that isall. It is, how- : ever, very suggestive. The details are still to be added. I have just found, on consulting the back files of the Zzmes, that Major Sholto of Upper Nor- wood, late of the Thirty-fourth Bombay Infantry, died upon the 28th of April, 1882.”’ | ‘I may be very obtuse, Holmes, but I fail to see what this suggests.”’ “No? You. surprise me. Look at it in this way, then. Captain Morstan disappears. The enly person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. Major Sholto denies (28) oc ee ue IN QuEST OF A SOLUTION. 29 having heard that i. was in London. Four years later Sholto dies. Within a week of his death, Captain Morstan’s daughter receives a valuable present, which is repeated from year to year, and now culminates in a letter which describes her asa wronged woman. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after _ §$holto’s death, unless it is that Sholto’s heiz knows something of the mystery, and desires. to make compensation? Have you any alternative _ theory which will meet the facts?” ‘But what a strange compensation! And how strangely made! Why, too, should he write a letter now, rather than six years ago? Again, the - letter speaks of giving her justice. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive. ‘There is no other CS in _her case that you know of.” ‘There are difficulties; there are certainly diffi. culties.”’ said Sherlock Holmes, pensively. ‘But our expedition of to-night will solve them all. Ah, here is a four-wheeler, and Miss Morstan is inside, ‘Are you all ready? ‘Then we had better go down, _ for it is a little past the hour.”’ Sy picked up my hat and my heaviest model but eo eed observed that Helmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket. It was clear 3 a 30 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. that he thought our night’s work might be a serious one. : Miss Morstan was muffled in a dark cloak, and her sensitive face was composed, but pale. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon. which we were embarking, yet her self-control was perfect, and she readily answered the few additional quesions which Sherlock Holmes put to her. “Major Sholto wasa very particular friend of _ papa’s,’’ she said. ‘‘His letters were full of allu- sions to the major. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands, so they were thrown a great deal together. By the way, a curious paper was found in papa’s desk which no one could understand. I don’t suppose that it is of the slightest importance, but I thought you might care to see it, so I brought it with me. It is here.’’ Holmes. unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens. | ‘Tt is paper of native Indian manufacture,’’ he remarked. - ‘It has at some time been pinned tc a board. The diagram upon it appears to bea plan of part ofa large building, with numerous halls, corridors, and passages. At one point isa small | cross done in red ink, and above it is ‘3.37 from VU ae, FP eg IN QUEST OF A SOLUTION. 31 left,’ in faded pencil-writing. In the left-hand corner is acurious hieroglyphic, like four crosses ina line with their arms touching. Beside it is written, in very rough and coarse characters, ‘“I‘he sign of the four—Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.’ No, I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter! Yet it is evidently a document of importance, It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other.”? “Tt was in his pocket-book that we found it.”’ ‘‘Preserve it carefully, then, Miss Morstan, for it may preve to be of use to us. I begin to sus- pect that this matter may turn out to be much © deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. I must reconsider my ideas.’’ He leaned back in the cab, and I could see by his drawn brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome, but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey. It was a September evening, and not yet seven o’clock, but the day had been a dreary one, and a dense, drizzling fog lay low upon the great city, Mud-colored clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets. Down the Strand the lamps were but misty blotches of diffused light which threw a ~ feeble circular glimmer upon the slimy pavement. 32 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. The yellow glare from the shop vida streamed out into the steamy, vaporous air, and threw a ~ murky, shifting radiance across the crowded thor- — oughfare. ‘Shere was to my mind something eerie and ghostlike in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light— - sad faces and glad, haggard and merry. Like all human kind, they flitted from the gloom into the light and so back came into the gloom once more. I. am not subject to impressions, but the dull, heavy evening, with the strange business upon which we were engaged, combined to make me nervous and depressed. I could see from Miss Morstan’s man- ner that she was suffering from the same feeling. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influ- ences. He held his open note-book upon his knee, and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. At the Lyceum Theater the crowds were already thick at the side-entrances... In front a continuous stream of hansoms and four-wheelers were rattling © up, discharging their cargoes ofshirt-fronted men and beshawled, bediamoneded women. We had hardly reached the third pillar, which was our _ rendezvous, before a small, dark, brisk ae in the - dress of a coachman, accosted us. — | ‘‘Are you the pete WHOS come Ait Miss Mor- btan ?’’ he asked. IN QUEST OF A SOLUTION. = 138 *f am Miss Morstan and these two gentlemen are my friends,’’ said she. He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us. ‘‘You will excuse me ‘miss,’’ he said with a certain dogged manner, ‘‘but I was to ask you to give me your word that neither of your componions is a police officer.’’ _ “¥ give you my word on that,’’ she answered. He gave a shrill whistle, on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box, while we took our places inside. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his _ horses, and we plunged away at a furious pace _ through the foggy streets. | : _ ‘The situation was a curious one. We were driv- ing to an unknown place, on an unknown errand. Vet our invitation was either a complete hoax, which was an inconcieveable hypothesis, or else we had good reason to think that important issues - might hang upon our journey. Miss Morstan’s demeanor was as resolute and collected as ever, © - Tendeavored to cheer and amuse her by reminis- -cences of my adventures in Afghanistan; but, to tell the truth, I was myselfso excited at our situ- - ation and so curious as to our destination that my stories vere slightly involved. To this day she declares that I told her one moving anecdote as to how a musket looked into my tent at the dead tt 34 | HE SIGN OF THE FOUR- of night, and howI fired a double-barreled tiger cub at it. At first I had some idea as to the direc- . tion in which we were driving but soon, what with our pace, the fog, and my own limited — knowledge of London, I lost my bearings, and knew nothing, save that we seemed to be going a very long way. Sherlock Holmes was never at fault, however, and muttered out the names as the cab rattled through squares and in and out by tortuous by-streets. — ‘fRochester Row,’’ said he. ‘‘Now Vincent Square. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. We are making for the Surrey side appar-~ ently. Yes I thought so. Now we are on the _ bridge. You can catch glimpses of the river.’’ We did indeed catch a fleeting view of a stretch ofthe Thames, with the lamps shining upon the broad, silent water; but our cab dashed on, and © was soon involved in a labyrinth of-streets upon the other side. ‘Wordsworth Road,’’ said my companion. ‘Priory Road. Lark Hall Lane. Stockwell Place. Robert Street. Cold Harbor Lane, Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashion- able regions.’ We had, indeed, reached a questionable and for- bidding neighborhood. Long lines of dull brick _ houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of the public houses on the corner. © IN QUEST OF A SOLUTION. 35 ’ Then came rows of two-storied villas, each with a _ fronting of miniture garden, and then again inter- Minable lines of new staring brick buildings—the monstester tentacles which the giant city was throw- ing out into the country. At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace. None of the other houses were inhabited, and that at which we stopped was as dark as its neighbors, save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. On our knocking, however, the door was instantly opened. by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban, white, loose-fitting clothes, and a yellow sash. ‘There was something strangely incongruous in this orient- al figure framed in the commonplace doorway of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house. ‘The Sahib awaits you,’’ he said, and even as he spoke there came a high piping voice from some inner room. ‘‘Show them in tome Khitmutgar,’’ it cried. “Show them straight in to me.’’ CHAPTER IV. “HE STORY OF nice BALD- HEADED AN, We foliowed the Indian oon, the sordid and common passage, ill lit and worse furnished, until he came to a door upon the right, which he threw open. A blaze of yellow light streamed out upon — us, and in the center of the glare there stood a small man with a very high headja bristle of red hair all around the fringe of it, and a bald shining scalp, which shot out from it like a mountain-peak from fir-trees. He rubbed his hands as he stood, and his features were in a perpetual jerk, now scowling, now siniling, but never for an instant in repose. Nature had given him a pendulous lip, and a too visible line of yellow andirregular teeth, which he — strove feebly to conceal by constantly passing his hand over the lower part of his face. In spite of his obtrusive baldness, he gave the impression of youth. In point of fact he had inst turned his _ thirtieth year. ‘Your servant Miss Morstan,”’ he kept repeating ina thin, high voice. “Your servant, gentlemen. Pray step into my little sanctum. A small place. (G9 . “HE STORY OF THE BALD-HEADED MAN. 39 miss, but furnished to my own liking. An oasis of art in the howling desert of South London.”’ We were all astonished by the appearance of the apartment into which he invited us. In that sorry house it looked as out of place as a diamond of the first water in a setting ofbrass. Therichestand glossiest of curtains and draperies draped the walls, looped back here and there to expose some richly mounted painting or oriental vase. The carpet was of amber-and-black, so soft and so thick that. the foot sank pleasantly into it, as into a bed of moss. Two great tiger-skins thrown athwart it increased the suggestion of Eastern luxury, as did a hugh hookah which stood upon a mat in the corner. A lamp in the fashion of a silver dove was hung from an almost invisible golden wire in the centre of the room. As it burned it filled the air - witha subtle and aromatic odor.: ‘Mr. Thaddeus Sholto,’”’ said the little man, : still jerking and smiling. - ‘‘That ismy name. You are Miss Morstan, of course. And these gentle- Dig TNGi oi! ~ “This is. Mr. ‘Sherlock Holmes, and this Dr. >. Watson.’ A doctor, eh?’’ cried he, muchexcited. ‘‘Have a you your stethoscope? Might I ask you—would - you have the kindness? I have grave doubts as to my mitral valve, if you would be so very good. 38 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. The aortic I may rely npon, but I should value you opinion upon the mitral.’’ — | I listened to his heart as requested, but was un- able to find anything amiss, save indeed that he was in an ecstasy of fear, for he shivered from head to foot. ‘‘It appears to be Pet me u said. ‘‘You have no cause for uneasiness.’ “You will excuse my anxiety, Wiss Morstan,’’ he remarked, airily. ‘‘I ama great sufferer, and I have long had suspicions as to that valve. I am delighted to hear that they are unwarranted. Had your father, Miss Morstan, refrained from throwing a strain upon his heart, he might have been alive now.’’ I could have struck the man across the face, so hot was I at this callous and off-hand reference to so delicate a matter. Miss Morstan sat down, and her face grew white tothelips. “I knew in my heart that he was dead,’’ said she. “T can give you every information,’’ said he, ‘and what is more, I cam do you justice; and I will, too, whatever Brother Bartholomew may say. I am so glad to have your friends here, not only as an escort to you, but also as witnesses to what I am about to do and say. The three of uscan show a bold front to Brother Bartholomew. But let us have no outsiders—no police, or officials. We can settle everything satisfactorily among ourselves, without any interference. Nothing would annoy ~ : THE STORY Ui THE BALD-HEAD"D MAN. 39 ‘Brother Bartholomew more than any publicity.’ a He sat down upon alow settee and blinked at us inquiringly with his weak, watery blue eyes. “Ror my part,’? said Holmes, ‘‘whatever you ' may choose to say will go no further.’’ I nodded to show my agreement. “That is well! Thatis well!” saidhe. ‘‘May ‘I offer you a glass of Chianti, Miss Morstan? or of ‘okay? I keep no other wines. Shall I opena flask? No? Well, then, I trust that you have no- objection to tobacco-smoke, to the mild balsamic odor of the Hastern tobacco. Iam a little nervous, and I find my hookah an invaluable sedative.’’ He applied a taper to the great bowl, and the smoke — bubbled merrily through the rose-water. We sat all three in a semicircle, with our heads advanced, and our chins upon our hands, while the strange, jerky little fellow, with his high, shining head, puffed uneasily in the center. *‘When I first determined to make this nak cation to you,’’ said he, “I might have given you my. address, but I fear that you might disregard my request and bring unpleasant people with you. I took the liberty, therefore, of making an appoint- ment in such a way that my man Williams might be able to see you first. I havecomplete confidence - in his discretion, and he had orders, if he were dis- - satisfied, to proceed no further in the matter. You _ will excuse these precautions, but I am a man of 40. ‘THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. somewhat retiring, and I might even say refined. tastes, and there is nothing more unzthetic than a policeman. I have a natural shrinking from all forms of rough materialism. I seldom come in contact with the rough crowd. I live, as you see, with some little atmosphere of elegance around me. -I may call myself a patron of the arts. It is my weakness. The landscape is a genuine Carot, and, thought a connoisseur might perhaps throw a doubt upon that Salvator Rosa, there can not be the least question about the Bouguereau. I am partial to the modern French school.”’ : “You will excuse me, Mr. Sholto,’? said Miss Morstan, ‘‘but I am here at your request to learn something which you desire to tell me. Itis very © late, and I should desire the interview to be as short as possible.’ “At the best it must take some time,’’? he an: swered; “‘for we shall certainly have to go to Nor- wood and see Brother Bartholomew. We shall all go and try if we can get the better of Brother = Bartholomew. He is very angry with me for taking the course which has seemed right tome. I had quite high words with him last night. You can not anaes what a terrible fellow he is when he is © angry.’ If we are to go to Nanvoct it would perhaps be as ef. well to start at once, fo 3 ventured to remark, GE STORY OF HEH BALD-HEADED MAN, 41 : He laughed until hisears were quite red. ‘That would hardiy do,’’ hecried. ‘‘I don’t know what he would say if I brought you in that sudden way. No; I must prepare you by showing you how we all stand to each other. In the first place, I must ~ tell you that there are several points in the story of which Iam myself ignorant. I can only lay the facts before you as far as I know them myself. _ “My father was, as you may have guessed, Major John Sholto, once of the Indian army. He retired - some eleven years ago, and came to live at Pondi- _ cherry Lodge in Upper Norwood. He had pros-— pered in India, and brought back with him a con- siderable sum of money, a large collection of valu- able curiosities, and a staff of native servants. With these advantages he bought himself a house, and lived in great luxury. My twin-brother Bartholo- mew and I were the only children. “JT very well remember the sensation which was caused by the disappearance of Captain Morstan. We read the details in the papers, and, knowing ee that he had been a friend of our father’ S, we dis- ree cussed the case freely in his presence. He used to __ tojoin in our speculations as to what could have oe happened. _ Never for an instant did we suspect -- that he had the whole secret hidden in his own as 5 breast—that of all men he alone cut 6 the fate of oe ue} Morstan. 42 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ‘“‘We did know however, that some mystery— some positive danger—overhung our father. He was very fearful of going out alone, and he always — _ employed two prize-fighters to act as porters at Pondicherry Lodge. Williams, who drove yon to- night was one of them. He wasonce a light-weight champion of England. Our father would never tell us what it was he feared, but he hada most marked aversion to men with wooden legs. On one occa- sion he actually fired his revolver at a wooden-legged man, who proved to be a harmless tradesman can- vassing for orders. We had to pay a large sum to hush the matter up. My brother and I used to think this a mere whim of my father’s, but events have since led us to change our opinion, ‘‘Harly in 1882 my father received a letter from India which was a great shock to him. He nearly fainted at the breakfast table when he opened it, — and from that day he sickened to his death.. What was in the letter we could never discover, but I could see as he held it that it was short and written ina scrawling hand. He had suffered for years from an enlarged spleen, but he now became rapidly worse, and toward the end of April we were in- formed that he was beyond all hope, and that he wished to make a last communication to us. _. “When we entered his room he was propped up with pillows and breathing heavily. se besought us to lock the door and come upon either side of the ‘aH STORY OF THE BALD-HEADED MAN. 43 bed. Then, grasping our hands, he made a re- markable statement to us, in a voice which was broken as much by emotion as by pain. I shall try and give it to you in his own very words. ‘««T have only one thing,’ he said, ‘which weighs upon my mind at this supreme moment. It is my treatment of poor Morstan’s orphan. ‘The cursed greed, which has been my besetting sin through life has withheld from her the treasure, half at least of which, should have been hers. And yet I have _ made no use of it myself—so blind and foolish a thing is avarice. The mere feeling of possession has been so dear to me that I could not bear to share it with another. See that chaplet tipped with pearls beside the quinine-bottle. Even that I could not bear to part with, although I had gotit out with the design of sending it toher. You, my sons, will give her a fair share of the Agra treasure. But send her nothing—not even the chaplet—until I am gone. After all, men have been as bad as this and have recovered. “ *T will tell you how Morstan died,’ he contin- ued. ‘He had suffered for years from a weak heart, but he concealed it from everyone. I alone knew it. When in India, he and I, through a remarka- ble chain of circumstances, came into possession of a considerable treasure. I brought it over to Eng- land, and on the night of Morstan’s arrival he came straight over here to claim his share, He walked Ad, THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ever from the station, and was admitted by my faithful old Lal Chowdar, who is now dead. Mor- stan and I had a difference of opinion as to the divi- sion of the treasure, and we came to heated words, Morstan had sprung out of his chair in a paroxysm of anger, when he suddenly pressed his hand to his — side, his face turned a dusky hue, and he fell back- ward, cutting his head against the corner of the treasure-chest. When I stooped over him I found, te my horror, that he was dead. “Ror a long time I sat half distracted, wonder- ing what I should do. My first impulse was, of course, to call for assistance; but I could not but recognize that there was every chance that I would be accused of murder. His death at the moment of a quarrel, and the gash in his head, would be black against me. Again, an official in- quiry could not be made without bringing out some facts about the treasure, which I was particularly anxious to keep secret. He had told me that no soul upon earth knew where he had gone. There seemed to be no oe why any soul ever should know. “*T was still pondering over the matter, when, looking up, I saw my servant, Lal Chowdar, in the doorway. He stole in, and bolted the door behind him. ‘‘Do not fear, Sahib,’’ he said. ‘‘No one need know that you have killed him. Let us — hima away, and who is the wiser?’ “I did | {HE STORY OF THE BALD-HEADED MAN, 45 not kill him,’”’ said I. Wal Chowdar shook his — head, and smiled. ‘I heard it all, Sahib,”’ said he. “I heard you quarrel, and I heard the blow, But my lips are sealed. All are asleep in the - house. Let us put him away together.’’ That was enough to-decide me. If my own servant could not believe my innocence, how could I hope to ~ make it good before twelve foolish tradesmen in a jury-box? Lal Cowdar and I disposed of the body that night, and within a few days the London papers were full of the mysterious disappearance of Captain Morstan. You will see from what I say that I can hardly be blamed in the matter. My fault lies in the fact that we concealed, not only the body, but also the treasure, and that I have clung to Morstan’s share as well as to my own. I wish you, therefore, to make restitution. Put your ears down tomy mouth. The treasure is hidden in— At this instant a horrible change came over his ex- pression ; his eyes started wildly, his jaw dropped, and he yelled, in a voice which I can never forget, - ‘Keep him out! For Christ’s sake, keep him out!’ We both stared round at the window behind ts upon which his gaze was fixed. A face was look- ing in at us out of the darkness. We could see the whitening of the nose where it was pressed against the glass. It was a bearded, hairy face, with wild, -eruel eyes and an expression of concentrated male- volence. My brother and I rushed toward the 46 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. window, and the man was gone. When we re- turned to my father, his head had copes and his pulse had ceased to beat. We searched the garden that night, but found no sign of the intruder, save that just under the win- dow a single footmark was visible in the flower- bed. But for that one trace, we might have thought that our imaginations had conjured up that wild, fierce face. We soon, however, had another and more striking proof that there were secret agencies at work all around us. The win- dow of my father’s room was found open in the morning, his cupboards and boxes had been rifled, and upon his chest was fixed a torn piece of paper, with the words, ‘The sign of the four’ scrawled -across it. What the phrase meant, or who our secret visitor may have been, we never knew. As far as we can judge, none of my father’s property had been actually stolen, though everything had been turned out. My brother and I naturally associated this peculiar incident with the fear which haunted my father during his life ; but it is still a complete mystery to us.” The little man stopped to relight his en and puffed thoughtfully for a few moments. We had - all sat absorbed, listening to his extraordinary nar- rative. At the short account of her father’s death Miss Morstan had turned deadly white, and for a moment I feared that she was about to faint. She THE STORY OF THE BALD-HEADED MAN. 47 rallied, however, on drinking a glass of water which I quietly poured out for her from a Venetian carafe, upon the side table. Sherlock Holmes leaned backin his chair with an abstracted expres- sion and the lids drawn low over his glittering eyes. As I glanced at himI could not but think how on that very day he had complained bitterly of the com- monplaceness of life. Here, atleast, was a problem which would tax his sagacity to the utmost. Mr. Thaddeus Sholto looked from one to the other of us with an obvious pride at the effect which his _ story had produced, and then continued between the puffs of his overgrown pipe.”’ ‘‘My brother and I,”’ said he, ‘‘were, as you may imagine, much excited as to the treasure which my father had spoken of. For weeks and for months we dug and delved in every part of the garden, without discovering its whereabouts. It was mad- dening to think that the hiding-place was on his very lips at the moment that he died. We could judge the splendor of the missing riches by the chaplet which he had takenout. Over this chaplet my brother Bartholomew and I had some little dis- cussion. The pearls were evidently of great value. and he was averse to part. with them, for, between . friends, my brother was himself a little inclined to my father’s fault. He thought, too, that if we parted with the chaplet it might give rise to gossip, and finally bring us into trouble. It was all that I 48 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. = could do to persuade him to let me find out Miss Morstan’s address and send her a detached pearl at fixed intervals, so that, at least, she fede: never feel destitute.’’ ae : “It was a kindly thought,’’ said our companion, earnestly. ‘It was extremely good of you.”’ The little man waved his hand deprecatingly. “We were your trustees,’’ he said. ‘That was the view which I took of it, though Brother Bartholo- mew could not altogether see it in that light. We > had plenty of money ourselves. I desired no more. Besides, it would have been such bad taste to have — treated a young lady in so scurvy a fashion. ‘Le mauvais gout mene au crime.’ ‘The French have a very neat way of putting these things. Our difference of opinion on this subject went so far that I thought it best to set up rooms for myself, so I left Pondicherry Lodge, taking the old khit- mutgar and Williams with me. Yesterday, how- ever, I learned that an event of extreme importance has occurred. ‘The treasure has been discovered. Linstantly communicated with Miss Morstan, and it only remains for us to drive out to Norwood and demand our share. I epxlained my views last night to Brother Bartholomew; so we shall be ex- pected, if not welcome, visitors.’? Mr. Thaddeus Sholto ceased, and sat faitchiag on his luxurious settee. We all remained silent, with our thoughts upon the new development "HE STORY OF THE BALD-HEADED MAN. 49 _ - which the mysterious business had taken. Holnses was the first to spring to his feet. ‘You have done well, sir, from first to last,’’ said he. ‘Tt is posslble that we may be able to make you some small return by throwing some light upon that which is stfil dark to you. But, _ as Miss Morstan remarked just now, it is late, and we had best put the matter through without de- lay.’ aoe goed 7 Our new acquaintance very deliberately coiled up the tube of his hookah, ard produced from behind a curtain a very long befogged top-coat with astrakhan collar and cuffs. This he buttoned tightly up, in spite of the extreme closeness of the night, and finished his attire by putting on a rabbit- skin cap with hanging lappets which covered the ears, sothat no part of him was visible save his mobile and peaky face. ‘‘My health is somewhat fragile,’? he remarked, as he led the way down the passage. “I am compelled to be a valetudinarian.”’ Our cab was awaiting us outside, and our pro- ' gramme was evidently prearranged, for the driver started off at once at a rapid pace. ‘Thaddeus Sholto talked incessantly, in a voice which rose high above the rattle of the wheels. | 3 ‘‘Bartholomew is a clever fellow,’’ said he. “How do you think he found out where the treasure was? He had come to the conclusion that it was - somewhere in-doors; so he worked out all the cubie < 50 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. space of the house, and made measurements every- where, so that not one inch should be unaccounted for. Among other things, he found that the height of the building was seventy-four feet, but on adding together the heights of all the separate rooms, and making every allowance for the space between, which he ascertained by borings, he could not bring the total to more than seventy feet. There were four feet unaccounted for. These could only be at the top of the building. He knocked a hole, there- fore, in the lath-and-plaster ceiling of the highest room, and there, sure anough, he came upon an- other little garret above it, which had been sealed up and was known to no one! In the center stood the treasure-chest, resting wpon two rafters. He lowered it through the hole, and there it lies. He computes the value of the jewels at not less than half a million sterling.’’ At the mention of this gigantic sum we all stared — at one another open-eyed. Miss Morstan, could we secure her rights, would change from a needy governess to the richest heiressin England. Surely it was the place of a loyal friend to rejoice.at such news; yet I am ashamed to say that selfishness took ' me by the soul, and that my heart turned as heavy as lead within me. I stammered out some few halting words of congratulation, and then sat down- cast, with my head drooped, deaf to the babble of _ our new acquaintance. He was Clearly a confirmed THE STORY OF THE BALD-HEADED MAN. 51 hypochondriac, and I was dreamily conscious that he was pouring forth interminable trains of symp- toms, and imploring information as to the composi- tion and action of innumerable quack nostrums, some of which he bore about in a leather case in his pocket. I trust that he may not remember any of the answers which I gave him that night. Holmes declares that he overheard me caution him against the great danger of taking more than two drops of castor-oil, while I recommended strychnine in large doses asa sedative. However that may be, I was certainly relieved when our cab pulled up with a jerk and the coachman sprang down to open the door. . ‘*This, Miss Morstan, is Pondicherry Lodge,” said Mr. Thaddeus Sholto, as he handed her out. CHAPTER V. THE TRAGEDY OF PONDICHERRY LODGE. Fr was nearly eleven o’clock when we reached this final stage of our night’s adventures. Wehad — left the damp fog of the great city behind us, and the night was fairly fine. A warm wind blew from the westward, and heavy clouds moved slowly across the sky, with halfamoon peeping occasion- — ally through the rifts. It was clear enough to see for some distance, but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the eeage t to give usa better light upon our way. _ Pondicherry Lodge stood in its. own. grounds, and was girt around with a very high stone wall - _ topped with broken glass. A single narrow iron- clamped door formed the only means of entrance. On this our guide knocked wit a a Peony post- man-like rat-tat. ‘‘Who is there?’ cried a gruff voice from within. “Tt isI, McMurdo. You eed know my knock by this time.’’ There was a grumbling sound, and a clanking ae and jarring of keys. ‘The door swung heavily — Co =a ; THE TRAGEDY OF PONDICHERRY LODGE. 53 back, and a short, deep-chested man stood in the opening, with the yellow light of the lantern shin- ing upon his protruded face and twinkling distrust- ful eyes. “That you, Mr. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master.’’ : a “No, McMurdo? You surprise me! I told my brother last night that I should bring some friends.’’ “He hain’t been out o’ his room to-day, Mr. Thaddeus, and I have ‘no orders. You know very well that I must stick to regulations. I can. let you in; but your friends they must just stop where they are.’ This was an thexpected eieticle | Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and help- less manner. ‘“This is too badofyou, McMurdo !’ he said. ‘If I guarantee them, that is enough for you. There‘is a young lady, too. She cannot = - wait on the public road at this hour.”’ “Very sorry, Mr. Thaddeus,” said the porter, inexorably. ‘‘Folk may be friends o’ yours, and _ yet no friends o’ the master’s. He pays me well to _ domy duty, and my duty I'll do. I don’t know ~ none o’ your friends,”’ “Oh, yes, you do, McMurdo,”’ ened Sherlock : Holmes, genially. ‘I don’t think you can have forgotten me. Don’t you remember the amateur 54 "HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ~ who fought three rounds with you at Alison’s rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?” ‘‘Not Mr. Sherlock Holmes?’’ roared the prize- fighter. ‘‘God’s truth! how could I have mistook you? If, instead o’ standing there so quiet, you had just stepped up and given me that cross-hit of yours under the jaw, I’d ha’ known you without a question. Ah, you’re one that has wasted your gifts, you have! You might have aimed high, if you had joined the fancy.”’ — ‘You see, Watson, if all else fails me I have still one of the scientific professions open to me,’’ said Holmes, laughing. ‘‘Our friend won’t keep us out in the cold now, Iam sure.” ‘In you come, sir; in you come—you and your friends,’? he answered. ‘‘Very sorry, Mr. Thad- deus, but orders are very strict. Had to be certain of your friends before I let them in.”’ Inside a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump ofa house, square and prosaic, all plunged in shadow save where a moon- beam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. ‘The vast size of the building, with ita _ gloom and its deathly silence, struck a chill to the heart. Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at ease, and the lantern quivered and rattled in his -hand. “I can not understand it,’’ he said. ‘There must be some mistake. I distinctly told Bartholomew $MM TRAGEDY OF PONDICHERRY LODGE. 55 that we should be here, and yet there is no light in his window. I do not know what to make of it.’ ‘Does he always guard the premises in this way?’ asked Holmes. ‘Yes; he has etlowed qe father’s custom. He was the favorite son, you know, and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. That is Bartholomew’s window up there where the moonshine strikes. It is quite bright, but there is no light from within, I think.’ ‘‘None,”’ said Holmes. ‘‘But I see the glint of a light in that little window beside the door.’’ “Ah, that is the housekeeper’s room. ‘That is where old Mrs. Bernstone sits. She can tell us all aboutit. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two, for if we all go in together, _ and she has had no word of our coming, she may be alarmed. But hush! what is that?” He held up the lantern, and his hand shook until the circles of light flickered and wavered all round us. Miss Morstan seized my wrist, and weall stood with thumping hearts, straining our ears, From the great black house there sounded through the silent night the saddest and most pitiful of sounds— the shrill, broken whimpering of a frigthened woman. Ae _ ‘Tt is Mrs. Bernstone,’’ said Sholto. ‘‘She is the only woman in the house. Wait here. I shall be back ina moment.’’ He hurried for the door, ang 56 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. knocked in his peculiar way. Wecouldseeatall — old woman admit him and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. “Oh, Mr. Thaddeus, sir, I am so glad you have come! I am so glad you have come, Mr. Thaddeus, sir!’ We herd her reiterated rejoicings until the door was closed and her voice died away into 2 muffled monotone. | | Our guide had left us the lantern. Holmes swung it slowly round, and peered keenly at the — house and at the great Pubbich Heaps which cum-_ _ bered the grounds. Miss Morstan and I stood to- gether, and her hand was in mine. A wondrous subtle thing is love, for here were we two had never seen each other before that day, between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed, and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other. I have marveled at it since, but at-the time it seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so, and, as she has often told me, there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection: So we stood hand in hand, like two children, and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark tas that sur- rounded us. . “What a strange place!” ake aa looking round. “Tt looks as though all the moles in Enelas ad had been let loose init. I have ‘seen something of the @uw TRAGEDY OF PONDICHERRY LODGH $7 gort on the side of a hill near Ballarat, where the prospectors had been at work.”’ ‘And from the same cause,’’ said Holnies. ‘These are the traces of the treasure-seekers. Vou must remember that they were six years looking ‘for it. No wonder that the grounds looks likea _ gravel-pit.’’ At that moment the agar of the house burst open, and Thaddeus Sholto came running out, with his hands thrown forward and terror in his eyes, ! There is something amiss with Bartholomew!”’ he erled. “I am frightened! My nerves can not stand it.’”” He was, indeed, half blubbering with fear, and his twitching feeble face, peeping out from the great astrakhan collar, had the helpless appeal- ing expression of a terrified child. ‘Come into the secant said Holmes, in his Potes firm way. Ves, do!” pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. “I i ceally do not feel equal to giving directions.’’ - . Weall followed hiin into the housekeeper’s room, _ which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. The old woman was pacing up and down witha scared look and restless, picking fingers, but the © sight of Miss Morstan appeared to have a soothing _ effect upon her. “God bless your sweet calm face!’ she cried, 3 with an hysterical sob. “It does me good to see you, Ob, but I have been sorely tried this day!’ 58 ‘HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. Our companion patted her thin, work-worn hand, — and murmured some few words of kindly womanly comfort, which brought the color back into the other’s bloodless cheeks. 3 ‘Master has locked himself in and will not an- swer me,’? she explained. ‘‘All day I have waited to hear from him for he often likes to be alone; but an hour ago I feared that something was amiss, so I went up and peeped through the keyhole. You must go up, Mr. Thaddeus—you must go up and look for yourself. I have see, Mr. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten long years, but I never saw him with such a face on him as that.’’ Sherlock Holmes took the lamp and led the way, — for Thaddeus Sholto’s teeth were chattering in his head. So shaken was he that I had to pass my hand under his arm as we went upstairs, for his © knees were trembling under him. ‘Twice as we ascended Holmes whipped his lens out of his poc- ket, and carefully examined marks which appeared to me to be mere shapeless smudges of dust upon the cocoa-nut matting which served as a stair-car- pet. He walked slowly from step to step, holding the lamp low, and shooting keen glances to the right and left. Miss Morstan had remained behind with the frightened housekeeper. © ; The third flight of stairs ended in a straight passage of some length, with a great picture in Indian tapestay upon the right of it and three doors © & THE TRAGEDY OF PONDICHERRY LODGE. 59 upon the left. Holmes advanced along it in the same slow and methodical way, while we kept close at his heels, with our long black shadows stream: ing backwards down the corridor. ‘he third door was that which we were seeking. Holmes knocked without receiving any answer, and then tried to. turn the handle and force it open. It was locked on the inside, however, and by a broad and powers ful bolt, as we could see when we set our lamp up against it. The key being turned, however, the hole was not entirely closed. Sherlock Holmes bent down to it, and instantly rose again with a sharp intaking of the breath. | | ‘“There is something devilish in this, Watson,’* said he, more moved than I had ever before seen him. ‘‘What do you make of it?” I stooped to the hole, and recoiled in horror, Moonlight was streaming into the room, and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance. Looking straight at me, and suspended, as it were, in the _ air, for all beneath was in shadow, there hung a _ face—the very face of our companion Thaddeus. _. There was the same high, shinging head, the same circular bristle of red hair, the same bloodless countenance. The features were set, however, in a horrible smile, a fixed and unnatural grin, which, in that still and moonlit room, was more jarring _ to the nerves than any scowl or contortion. So like __-was the face to that of our little friend that I looked ey 2 60 HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. round at him to make sure that he was indeed with — us. ‘Then I recalled to mind that he had mentioned — to us that his brother and he were twins. | “This is terrible!’? I said to Holmes. ‘‘What is to be done?”’ “The door must come down,” “he answered, and, springing against it, he put all his weight upon the lock. It creaked and groaned, but did not yield. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more, and this time it gave way with a sudden snap, and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto’s chamber. It appeared to have been fitted * up as a chemical laboratory. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door, and the table was littered over with Bunsen burners, test-tubes, and retorts. In the corners stood car- _ boys of acid in wicker baskets. One of these ap- _ peared to leak or to have been broken, for a stream of dark-colored liquid had trickled out from it, and the air was heavy with a peculiarly pungent tar- — . like odor. A set of steps stood at one side of the room, in the midst of a litter of lath and plaster, o8 and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. Atthe — : i foot of the steps a long coil of ee wasthrown carelessly together. By the table, in a wooden aincdiete the matter ee of the house was sitting all in a heap, with hisheat@ THE TRAGEDY OF PONDICHERRY LODGE. 61 ae : sunk upon his left shoulder, and that ghastly, in- sctutable smile upon his face. He was stiff and cold, and had clearly been dead many hours. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his _ limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion. By his hand-upon the table there lay a peculiar instrument—a brown, close-grained stick, with a stone head like a hammer, rudely lashed on with coarse twine. Beside it was a torn sheet of } note-paper with some words scrawled upon it. Holmes glanced at it, and then handed it to me. “You see,’’ he said, with a significant rising of the eyebrows. In the light of the lantern I read, with a thrill of horror, ‘“The sign of the four.’’ ‘In God’s name, what does it all mean?’’ I asked. ‘Tt means murder,”’ sald he, stooping over the - deadman, ‘‘Ah,I expected it. Look here!’ He - pointed to what looked like a long, dark thorn stuck. in the skin just above the ear. “It looks like a thorn,’’ said I. “Itis a thorn. You may pick it out. But be - careful, for itis poisoned.’’ I took it up between my finger and thumb. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind. One tiny speck of blood showed where the puncture had been. - This is all an insoluble mystery to me,” said _ "It grows darker instead of clearer.” ORO BOONE SET ALGER sas CUNT Ot Fe Sh an a eR oR tae ee as a a Pas j Rae hie ‘ Q i ; f S65 Sd ee Be ery rk eA cone Wi BN ite (cate ehh uP hai 62 THE SICN OF THE FOUR: “On the contrary,’’ ne answered, “‘it clears every instant. I only require a few missing links to have an entirely connected case.”’ We had almost forgotten our companion’ $ presence since we entered the chamber. He was still stand- ing in the doorway, the very picture of terror, wring- _ ing his hands and moaning to himself. Suddenly, however, he proke out into a sharp, querulous cry. ‘*The treasure is gone!’’ he said. ‘“They have robbed him of the treasure! There is the hole through which we lowered it. I helped him to do it! I was the last person who saw him! I left him here last night, andI heard him lock the door as I came down stairs.’’ | os ‘‘What time was that?’’ “It was ten o'clock. And now he isdead, and _ the police will be called in, and I shall be suspected | of having hada hand in it. Oh, yes, I am sure I shall. But you don’t think so, gentlemen? Surely you don’t think that it was I? Is it likely that I would have brought you hereif it were I? Oh, dear! oh, dear! I know I shall gomad!’’ He jerked his arms and stamped his feet in a kind of convulsive frenzy. | | ‘“‘You have no reason to fear, Mr. Sholto, ” said Holmes, kindly, putting his hand upon his shoulder. — ‘‘Take my advise, and drive down to the station and report the matter tothe police. Offer to assist them ose TeAGUDY or PONDICHERRY LODGE. 63_ in every way. We shall wait here until your return.” | "The little man obeyed in a half-stunefied fashion, a rat Nas tarcicee lanrncyuig Mein the stairs in the ba TN Roe = CHAPTER VI. SHERLOCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMONSTRATION. *‘Now Watson,”’ said Holmes, rubbing his hands, “we have half an hour to ourselves. Let us make > good use of it. My case is, as I have told you, almost complete; but we must not err on the side. of over-confidence. Simple as the case seems a. a9 “Simple!”’ I ejaculated. ‘‘Surely,’’ said he, with something of the air oe a clinical professor expounding to his class. —“Tust sit in the corner there, that your footprintsmaynot _ . complicate matters. Now to work! In the first place, how did these folks come, and how did they go? The door has not been opened since last night. How of the window?’’ He carried the lamp across to it, muttering his observations aloud the while, but addressing them to himself rather than to me. ‘Window is snibbed on the inner side. Framework is solid. No hinges at the side. Let us open it. No water-pipe near. Roof quite out ofreach. Yet — aman has mounted by the window. It rained a | little last night. ‘Here i is the print ¢ of a foot in mold (64) now, there may be something varias nee Se | __ BRLOCK HOLMES GIVES A DMIMONSTRATION. 63 _ upon the sill, And hereis a cirtular muddy mark, and here again upon the floor, and here again by the table. See here, Watson! This'ts really a ve > 7 pretty demonstration.” I looked at the ‘round, well-defined, muddy, dis¢s. ‘This is not a footmark,’’ said I. * ‘Tt is something much more vahiable tous. % isthe impression of a woodenstump, Vou see here on the sill is the bootmark, a heavy boot witha ~~ ‘broad metal heel, and beside itis the mark of the _timber-toe.”’ “Tt is the wooden-legged man.’ “Quite so. But there has been some one else—a very able and efficient ally. Could you scale that wall, doctor ?”’ I looked out of the open window. ‘The moon He still shone brightly on that angle of the house. We’ --were a good sixty feet from the ground, and, look a _ where I would, I could see no foothold, nor as much as-a crevice in the brickwork. | It is absolutely Hapossible, I answered. Without aid it is so. But suppose you had a | friend up here who lowered you this good stout - rope which I see in the corner, securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall. Then, I think, if you were an active man, you might climb up, — wooden leg and all. You would depart, of course, _ _ in the same fashion, and your ally would draw up a the Biba untie it from the hook, ane the window, 66 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. snib it on the inside, and get away in the way thet he originally came. As amizor point it may be noted,’’ he continued, fingering the rope, ‘‘that our — - wooden-legged friend, though a fair climber, was not a professional sailor. His hands were far from — horny. My lens discloses more than one bleod- | mark, especially toward the end of the rope, from which I gather that he slipped down. with such velocity that he took the skin off his hands.”’ “This is all very well,’’ said I, ‘but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. How about this mysterious ally? How came he inte | the room ?’’ ‘Yes, the ally !’’ repeated Holmes, pensively. . ‘There are features of interest about this ally. He lifts the case from the regions of the commonplace. I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the _ annals of crime in this country—though paralled cases suggest themselves from India, and, if my memory serves me, from Senegambia.” - “How came he, then?’ I reiterated. ‘The door fg locked, the window is inaccessible. Was it through the chimney ?” “The grate is much too small,” he answered. “T have already considered that possibility.” _ “How then ?’’ I persisted. : ‘You will not apply my precept,” he said, shak- ing his head. ‘‘How often have I said to yon that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever ~ i eat _ SHERLOCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMONSTRATION. 67 remains, however improbable, must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door, - the window, or the chimney. Wealso know that he could not have been concealed in the room, as there is no concealment possible. Whence, then, . _ did he come ?’’ “He came through the hole in the roof,’’ I cried. “Ofcourse he did. He must have done so. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me, ‘we shall now extend our researches to the room -above—the secret room in which the treasure was found.”’ _ He mounted the steps, and, seizing a rafter with _ either hand, he swung himself up into the garret. Then lying on his face, he reached down 10. the . lamp and held it while I followed him. The chamber in which we found ourselves was about ten feet one way and six the other. The _ floor was formed by the rafters, with thin lath and plaster between, so that in walking one had to step _ from beam to beam. ‘The roof ran up to an apex, and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof 2 of the house. ‘There was no furniture of. any sort, _ and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon ee the floor. ‘‘Here you are, you see,’’ said Sherlock Holmes, - putting his hand against the sloping wall. ‘This is a trap door which leads out onto the roof. I can 68 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. press it back, and here is the roof itself, sloping et a gentle angle. This, then, is the way by which Number One entered. Let us see if we can find some other traces of his individuality. He held down the lamp to the floor, and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a Startled, surprised look come over his face. For myself, as I followed his gaze, my skin was cold under my clothes. | The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot—clear, well defined, — : perfectly formed, but scarce half the size of those of an ordinary man. 3 “‘Hlolmes,’’ I said, in a whisper, “gq child has — done this horrid thing.’’ He had recovered his Pe es in an instant. ‘‘I was staggered for the moment,’’ he said, ‘‘but the thing is quite natural. My memory failed me, or I should have been able to foretell it. There is nothing more to be learned here. Let us go down. ‘What is your pees cher. as to those foot-_ marks ?’? I asked, eagerly, when we had regained the lower room once more. | ‘(My dear, Watson, try a little auelvaa yourself,”’ said he, with a touch of impatience. ‘You know my methods. Apply them, and it will be instrac- — tive to compare results,”’ ; *F can not conceive snything winch will cover the facts,’ I answered. é - re 2 SHBRIOCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMONSTRATION. 69 — “Tt will be clear enough to you soon,’’ ke said, aus in an off-hand way. ‘‘I think that there is nothing _ else of importance here, but I will look.’ He _ whipped out his lens and tape-measure, and hurried about the room on his knees, measuring, compar- . ing, examining with his long thin nose only a few _ inches from the planks, and his beady eyes gleam- ing and deep-set like those of a bird. So swift, -silent, and furtive were his movements, like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent, that I - could not but think what a terrible criminal he _ would have made had he turned his energy and gagacity against the law instead of exerting them in its defense. As he hunted about, he kept mutter- ing to himself, and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight. | ‘We are certainly in luck,’ said he. ‘We - ought to have very little trouble now. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creo- sote. You can see the outline of the edge of his - small foot here at the edge of this evil-smelling mess, ‘The carboy has been cracked, you see, and the stuff has leaked out.’’ _ ‘What then?’ I asked. _ “Why, we have got him, that’s all, . ‘ais he. “T know a dog that would follow that scent to the * 2 - world’s end. Ifa pack can track a trailed herring across a shire, how far can a specially trained hound follow so pungent a smell as this? It ge THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. sounds like a sum in the rule of three. The answer should give us the— But halloo! here are the accredited representatives of the law.’’ ' Heavy steps and the clamor ofloud voices were audible from below, and the hall door shut with a a loud crash. . | ‘Before they come,’ said ables ‘dust put your hand here on this poor fellow’s arm, and here on his leg. What do you feel?’ x “The muscles are as hard as a board,” f answered. ‘4 : “Quite so. They are in a state of extreme con- traction, far exceeding the usual rigor mortis. Coupled with this distortion of the face, this Hippo- cratic smile, or ‘rilus sardonicus,’ as the old writers called it, what conclusion would it chi to your e mind??? “Death from some powerful eerste alka-loid,” I answered; ‘‘some strychnine-like substance which would produce tetanus.’’ | i ‘That was the idea which occurred to me the > instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. On getting into the room I at once looked for the means by which the poison had entered the system. As you saw, I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. You observe that the part struck was that which would be turned toward the hole in the ceiling if @¢ SHERLOCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMONSTRATION. 71 the man were erect in his chair. Now examine this thorn.”’ I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern. It was long, sharp and black, with a glazed look near the point as though some. _ gummy substance had dried uponit. The blunt end had been trimmed and rounded off with a knife. “Is that an English thorn?’’ he asked. "No, it certainly is not.” **With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. But here are the regulars; so the auxiliary forces may beat a retreat.’’ As he spoke, the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage, and a very stout, portly man ina gray suit strode heavily into the room. He was red-faced, burly and plethoric, with a pair of very small twinkling eyes which looked keenly out from between swollen and puffy pouches. He was closely followed by an inspector in uniform, and by the still palpitating Thaddeus - Sholto. “Here’s a business!’? he cried, in a muffled, ~ Ihusky voice. ‘‘Here’s a pretty business! But who are all these? Why, the house seems to be as full as a rabbit-warren.”’ “I think you must recollect me, Mr Athelney Sh ue | Jones," said Holines, quietly, 72 {HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ‘Why, of course I dol’? he wheezed. “It’s. | Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the theorist. Remember — you? I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes, and inferences, and effects in the Bishop- gate jewel case. It’s true you set us on the right track, but you’ll own now that it was more by good luck than good guidance.’’ “It was a piece of very simple reasoning. as “Oh, come, now, come! Never be ashamed to own up. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here—no room for the- ories. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. What oye think the man died of ?”’ ; “Oh, this is hardly a case for me to theorize _ over,’’ said Holmes, dryly. | ‘‘No, no. Still, we can’t deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes. Dear me! Door locked, I understand. Jewels worth half 2 a million missing. How was the window?”’’ _ “Fastened; but there are steps on the sill.” “Well, well; if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. That’s com- mon sense. Man might have died ina fit; but then the jewels are missing. Ha! I have a theory. These flashes come apon me at times.—Just step outside, sergeant, and you, Mr. Sholto. Your friend can cemain.—What do you think of this, SHBRLOCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMONSTRATION. 73 Holmes? Sholto was, on his own confession, with his brother last night. ‘The brother died ina fit, on which Sholto walked off with the treasure. How’s that?’’ “On which the dead man very ne oo up and locked the door on the inside.’’ “Hum! There’s a flaw there. Let us apply common sense to the matter. This Thaddeus Sholto was with his brother; there was a quarrel: so much we know. ‘The brother is dead and the jewels are gone. So much also we know. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him. His bed had not been sleptin. Thaddeus is evi- co dently in a most disturbed state of mind. His appearance is—well, not attractive. You see that I am weaving my web around Thaddeus. ‘The net begins to close upon him.”’ ‘You are not quite in possession of the facts yet,” pe said Holmes. ‘‘This splinter of wood, which I have every reason to believe to be poisoned, was in the man’s scalp where you still see the mark; this card, inscribed as you see it, was on the table; and beside it lay this rather curious stone-headed instru- ment. How does all this fit into you theory?”’ _ “Confirms it in every respect,’ said the fat _ detective, pompously. ‘‘House is full of Indian curiosities. Thaddeus brought this up, and if this splinter be poisonous Thaddeus may as well have ‘made murderous use of it as any other man. The 44 HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. card is some hocus-pocus—a blind, as like as not. The only question is, How did he depart? Ah, of course, here is a hole in the roof.’’ With great activity, considering his bulk, he sprang up the steps and squeezed through into the garret, and immediately afterward we heard his exulting voice proclaiming that he had found the trap-door. ‘‘He can find something,’’ remarked Holmes, shrugging his shoulders. ‘‘He has occasional glimmerings of reason. 2 wy a pas des sots st incommodes que ceux qui ont del esprit!” “You see!’? said Athelney Jones, reappearing down the steps again. ‘Facts are better than mere theories, after all. My view of the case is con- firmed. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof, and it is partly open.”’ “It was I who opened it.’’ ; ‘‘Oh, Indeed! You did notice it, then?’ He seemed a little crestfallen at the discovery. ‘‘Well, whoever noticed it, it shows how our gentleman got away. Inspector!’’ “Yes, sir,’’ from the passage. “Ask Mr. Sholto to step this way. Mr. Shotto, itis my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you. I arrest you in the queen’s name as Brine concerned in the death of your brother.’’ ‘There, now! Dida’ t I tell roe cried the poor SMIRLOCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMONSTRATION. 75 - little man, throwing out his hands, and looking from one to the other of us. “Don’t trouble yourself about it, Mr. Sholte,”’ said Holmes: ‘‘I think that I can engage to clear you of the charge.” “Don't promise too much, Mr. Theorist—don’ t promise too much!’’ snapped the detective. ‘‘You may find it a harder matter than you think.”’ “Not only will I clear him, Mr. Jones, but I will make you a free present of the name and description of one of the two people who were in the room last : night. His name, I have every reason to believe, is Jonathan Small. He is a poorly-educated man; small, active, with his right leg off, and wearing a wooden stump which is worn away upon the inner- side. His left boot has a coarse, square-toed sole, with an iron band round the heel. He is a middle- aged man, much sunburned, and has been a con- vict. These few indications may be of some assist- ance to you, coupled with the fact that there isa good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand. The other man—’’ ‘CAh! the other man?’’ asked Athelney Jones, in asneering voice, but impressed none the less, as I could easily see, ey the precision of the other’s manner. “Is a rather. curious nea oud Sherlock Holmes, turning upon his heel. “I hope before 7 "HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them. A word with you, Watson.’ He led me out to the head of the stair. ‘This unexpected occurrence,’’ he said, ‘‘has caused us _ rather to lose sight of the original purpose of our journey.’’ “T have just been thinking so,’’ I answered ‘‘It ‘is not right that Miss Morstan should remain in — this stricken house.’’ 2 “No. You must escort her home. She lives with Mrs. Cecil Forrester, in Lower Camberwell; - soitis not very far. I will wait for you here, if you will drive out again. Or perhaps you are too tired?’ | “By no means. I don’t think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business. I have seen something of the rough side of life, but I give you my word that this quick succession of strange | surprises to-night has shaken my nerve completely. I should like, however, to see the matter through with you, now that I have got so far.” “Vour presence will be of great service to me,”’ he answered. ‘‘We shall work the case out inde- pendently, and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare’s-nest which he may choose to construct. When you have dropped Miss Morstan I wish you to go on to No. 3 Pinchin Lane, down near the. water's edge, at Lambeth. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer’s; Sherman is the @ _ SHERLOCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMONSTRATION. 77 name, You will see a weasel holding a young rab. bit in the window. Rouse old Sherman up, and tell him, with my compliments, that I want Toby at once. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you. ties ‘A dog, I suppose?” “Yes, a queer mongrel, with a most ening power of scent. I would rather have Toby’s help than that of the whole detective force of London.” ‘*¥ shall bring him, then,’’ saidI. ‘It is one _ now. JI ought to be back before three, if I can get a fresh horse.”’ *‘And I,” said Holmes, ‘‘shall see what I can learn from Mrs. Bernstone, and from the Indian servant, who, Mr. Thaddeus tells me, sleeps in the next garret. Then I shall study the great : _* Jones’ methods, and listen to his not too delicate sarcasms. ‘Wir sind gewohnt dass die Menschen _verhohnen was ste nicht verstehen.’ Goethe is al- “ways pithy.”’ ~ CHAPTER WH. SHE HPISOME OF THE BARREL. The police had brought a cab with them, and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home. After the angelic fashion of women, she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was some * one weaker than herself to support, and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. In the cab, however, she first turned faint, and then burst into a passion of weeping, so sorely had she been tried by the ad- ventures of the night. Shehas told me since that | - she thought me coldand distant upon that journey. She little guessed the struggle within my breast, or the effort of self-restraint which held me back. My sympathies and my love went out to her, even as my hand had in the garden. I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet, brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. She was weak and helpless, shaken in mind and nerve. It was to take her at a disadvantage to ob- trude love upon her at suchatime. Worse still. : (8) THE EPISODE OF THE BARRFI,. 79 she wasrich. If Holmes’ researches were success- ful, she would be an heiress. Was it fair, was it honorable, 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. This Agra treasure intervened like an vet beacons barrier between us. ‘It was nearly two o’clock when we reached Mrs. Cecil Forrester’s. The servants had retired hours ago, but Mrs. Forrester had been so interested by the strange message which Miss Morstan hadre- ceived, that she had sat up in the hope of her return. She opened the door herself, a middle-aged, grace- ful woman, and it gave me joy to see how tenderly © her arm stole round the other’s waist and how _ motherly was the voice in which she greeted her. She was clearly no mere paid dependent, but an honored friend. I was introduced, and Mrs. For- rester earnestly begged me to step in and to tell he ouradventures. I explained, however, the impor tance of my errand, and promised faithfully to cal and report any progress which we might make witl the case. As we drove away Istole a glance back and I still seem to see that little group on the step, the two graceful, clinging figures, the half-opened _ door, the hall light shining through stained glass, the barometer, and the bright stair-rods. It was $5.0 ‘THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. soothing to catch even that passing glimpse ofa ‘ tranquil English home in the midst of the wild, dark business which had absorbed us. : And the more I thought of what had happened, the wilder and darker it grew. I teviewed the - whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled om through the silent. gas-lit streets. There was the original problem; that at least was pretty clear now. The death of Captain Morstan, the sending — of the pearls, the advertisement, the letter—we had had light upon all those events. They had only -led us, however, to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. The Indian treasure, the curious plan found among Morstan’s baggage, the strange scene at Major Sholto’s death, the re-discovery of the treasure immediately followed by the murder of the discoverer, the very sigular accompaniments to the crime, the footsteps, the remarkable weapons, the words upon the card, corresponding with those upon Captain Morstan’s chart—here was indeed a laby- rinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair at ever find- ' ing the clue. Pinchin Lane was a row ot shabby two-storied brick houses in. thelower quarter of Lambeth. I had to knock for some time at No. 3 before I could make any impression. At last, however, there was the glint of a candle behind the blind, anda face looked out at the upper window. _ HE EPISODE OF THE BARREL. $1 “Go on, you drunken vagabond,” said the feee. “Tf you kick up any more row I’ll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs at you.” — TF you'll let one out it’s just what I have come for,”’ said I. : “Goon!” yelled the 3 voice. “So help me gracious, _ Ihave a wiper in this bag, an’ I’ll drop it on your ead if you don’t hook it.” » “But I want a dog,”’ I cried. “T won’t be argued with!’ shouted Mr. Sherman. *“‘Now stand clear; for when I say ‘three,’ down goes the wiper.”’ “Mr, Sherlock Heunes I began, but the words had a most magical effect, for the widow instantly slammed down, and within a minute the door was unbarred and open. Mr. Sherman was a lanky, lean old man, with stooping shoulders, a stringy neck, and blue-tinted glasses. | “A friend of Mr. Sherlock is always welcome,” _ saidhe. ‘‘Stepin, sir. Keep clear of the badger; for he bites. Ah, naughty, naughty! would you _ take anip at the gentleman?’ This toa stoat which thrust its wicked head and red eyes between the bars ofits cage. ‘‘Don’t mind that, sir; it’s only a slow- worm. It hain’t got no fangs, sol gives it the run o’ the room, for it keeps the beetles down. You - must not mind my bein’ just a little short wi’ you at oe ns : fast, for I’m guyed by the children, and there’s __Iaany @ one just comes down this lane to rouse me 4 THE SIGN OF THE igs up. What wasit that Mr. Sherlock Holmes wanted, sir?”’ “‘He wanted a dog of yours.’’ ‘‘Ah! that would be Toby.’’ ‘Yes, Toby was the name.”’ “Toby lives at No. 7, on the left here.” He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. In the uncertain, shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing, glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner. Even the rafters above our head were lined by solemn fowls, who lazily shifted their weight from one leg to the other as our voices disturbed their MEP ’ Toby proved to bean ugly, long-haired, toon reature, half-spaniel and half-lurcher, brown and yhite in color, with a very clumsy waddling gait. it accepted, after some hesitation, a lump of sugar _ which the old naturalist handed to me, and, having | thus sealed an alliance, it followed me to the cab, and made no difficulties about accompanying me. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. The ex-prize-fighter, McMurdo, had, I found, been - arrested as an accessory, and both he and Mr. Sholto had been marched off to the station. Two constables guarded the narrow gate, but they "HE EPISODE OF THE BARREL. 8s : ae allowed me to pass cate the dog on BLY mentioning _ the detective’s name. _ Holmes was standing on -the doorstep, with his” hands in his pockets, smoking his pipe. _ ‘Ah, you have him there!’ saidhe. ‘‘Good dog, | - then! Athelney Jones has gone. We have had an : immense display of energy, since you left. He has Og ‘ arrested not only friend Thaddeus, but the gate- keeper, the housekeeper, and the Indian servant. _ We have the place to ourselves but for a sergeant upstairs. Leave the dog here and come up.’’ _ We tied Toby to the hall table, and reascended - the stairs. The room wasas we had leftit, save that _ sheet had been draped over the central figure. A weary looking police-sergeant reclined in the corner. - Tend me your bull’s-eye, sergeant,’? said my © - companion. ‘‘Now tie this bit of card round my neck, so as to hang it in front of me. Thank you. _ Now I must kick off my boots and stockings. Just you carry them down with you, Watson. I am _- going to do alittle climbing. And dip my handker- chief into the creosote. That will do. Now come _- up into the garret with me for a moment.” ‘We clambered up through the hole. Holmes ee turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the Pe dust: 2. a pe tT wish you particularly to notice these foot- marks,” he said. Do you observe anything note- ae a tad about them?”’ 84 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. orthey Belen I said, ‘‘to cease or a smell woman.’’ . ‘‘Apart from their size, though. Is there nothing ~ else?”’ ‘They appear to be much as other footmarks.”’ ‘Not at all. Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it.. What is the chief difference?’’ “Your toes are all cramped together. ‘The other print has each toe distinctly divided.’’ “Quiteso. Thatisthe point. Bear that in mind. Now, wonld you kindly step over to that flat-window and smell the edge of the woodwork? I shall stay over here as I have this handkerchief in my hand.’ I did as he directed, and was instantly conscious of a strong tarry smell. ‘That is where he put his foot in getting out. If youcan trace him, I should think that ‘Toby will have no difficulty. Now run down-stairs, loose the dog, and look out for Blondin.’’ By the time that I got out into the Brod Sherlock Holmes was on the roof, and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys, but he presently reappeared, and then vanished once more upon the opposite side. When I made my way round there ¥ fund him seated at one of the corner eaves. — Be a ae EPISODE OF ag BARREL, as “That you, Watson oe he Sake 6*¥Ves, +B] i “This is the place. What is that black thing _ down there ?”’ “A water-barrel.’’ “Top on it ?”’ “Yes,”? ‘‘No sign of a ladder ?”’ a ‘No.’ j ; . *Confound the fellow! It’s a most breakneck - place. I ought to be able to come down where he 4 could climb up. The water-pipe feels pretty firm. Here goes, anyhow.’ - ‘There was a scuffling of the feet, and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall, Then with a light spring he came on to the barrel, and from there to the earth. ~ “It was easy to follow him,” he said, drawing on his stockings and boots. ‘“Tiles were loosened the whole way along, and in his hurry he had dropped this. It confirms my diagnosis, as “you _ doctors express it.’’ The object which he held up to me was a small _ pocket or pouch, woven out of colored grasses and with a fewtawdry beads strung roundit. In shape and size it was not unlike a cigarette-case.. Inside "were half'a dozen spines of dark wood, sharp at one end and rounded at the other, like that which had : . ‘struck Bartholomew Sholto. i _ ‘SHE SIGN OF THE FOUR. “They are hellish things,” saidhe. “Look out that you don’t prick yourself. I’m delighted to have them, fpr the chances are that they are all he has. ‘There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. I would sooner face a Martini bullet myself. Are you gant for a six- mile trudge, Watson ?”’ “Certainly,’’ I answered. ‘*Your leg will stand it?’’ “Oh, yes.’’ : : ‘Here you are, doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it, Toby; smell it!’ He pushed the creosote handkerechief under the dog’s nose, while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated, and with a most comical cock to its head, like a con- noisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. Holmes then threw the handkerchief to a distance, fastened a stout cord to the mongrel’s collar, and led him to the foot of the water-barrel. The crea- ture instantly broke into a succession of high, tremulous yelps, and, with his nose on the ground, and his tail in the air, pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed. — The east had fics gradually whitening, and we could now see some distance in the cold, gray light. The square, massive house, with its black, empty — windows and high, bare walls, towered up, sad and forlorn, behind us. Our course led right across _ ‘THE BPISODS OF THE BARREL. 89 the grounds, in and’ out among the trenches and pits with which they were scarred and intersected. ‘The whole place, with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs, had a blighted, ill-omened look es ~ which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. On reaching the Sanics wall Toby ran alony, | whining eagerly, underneath its shadow, and _ stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. Where the two walls joined, several bricks 7 had been loosened, and the crevices left were worn - down and rounded upon the lower side, as though _ they had frequently been used as a ladder. Holmes - clambered up, and, taking the dog from me, he dropped it over upon the other side. : ‘*There’s the print of wooden-leg’s hand,’’ he remarked, as I mounted up beside him. ‘‘You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday! The scent ae will lie upon the road in spite of their eigh t-and oe twenty hours’ start.’’ - I-confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic which had passed se os along the London road in the interv al. - My fears 3 = “were soon appeased, however. Toby never hesti- tated or swerved, but waddled on in his peculiar rolling fashion. Clearly the pungent smell of the — $8 © ‘THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. creosote rose high above all other contending scents. | | ere “Do not imagine,” said Holmes. ‘‘that I. depend for my success in this case upon the meru chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical. I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways. This, however, is the readiest, and, since fortune has put it into our hands, I shoule be culpable if I neglectedit. It has, however, pre- vented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised tobe. There might have been some credit to be gained out ofit, but for this too palpable clue.’’ ‘There is credit, and to spare,’ said I. ‘‘I assure you, Holmes, that I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case, even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope murder. The thing seems to me to be deeper and more in- explicable How; for example, could you describe with such confidence the wooden-legged man ?”’ ‘“‘Pshaw, my dear boy! it was simplicity itself. I don’t wish to be theatrical. It is all patent and above board. ‘Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an-important secret as to buried treasure. A map is drawn for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small. You remem- ber that we saw the name upon the chart in Cap- tain Morstan’s possession. He had signed & in THE EPISODE OF THH BARREL. 89 behalf of himself and his associates—the sign of the four, as he somewhat dramatically called it. Aided : _ by this chart, the offers—or one of them—gets the treasure and brings it to England, leaving, we will suppose, some condition under which he received it, unfulfilled. Now, then, why did not Jonathan Small get the treasure himself? The answer is obvious. The chart is dated at a time when Mor-. _ stan was brought into close association with _ convicts. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure __ because he and his associates were themselves con- _victs and could not get away.’ “But this is mere speculation,’’ said I. ‘Tt is more than that. It is the only hypothesis _ which covers the facts.. Let us see how it fits in with the sequel. Major Sholto remains at peace for _ some years, happy in the possession of his treasure. Then he receives a letter from India which gives him a great fright. What was that?’’ “A letter to say that the men whom he had wronged had been set free.’’ | “Or had escaped. ‘That is much more likely, for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. It would not have been a - surprise to him. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man—a white man, mark you, for he mistakes awhite trades- man for him, and actually fires a pistal at him. _ Now, only one white man’s name is on the chart, 9° _ THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. © The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. There is no other white man. ‘Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. Does the reasoning - strike you as being faulty ?”’ “No; it is clear and concise.’’ “Well, now, let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. Let us look at it from his point of view. He comes to England with the double idea of regaining what he would consider to be his rights and of having his revenge tpon the man who had wronged him. He found out where | Sholto lived, and very ‘possibly he established communications with some one inside the house. There is this butler, Lal Rao, whom: we have not seen. Mrs. Bernstone gives him far from a bad character. Small could not find out, where ‘the treasure was hid, for no one ever knew, save the major and one faithful servant who-had died. Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his deathbed. Ina frenzy lest the secret of the treas- ure die with him, he runs the gauntlet of the © guards, makes his way to the dying man’s window, and is only deterred from entering by the presence — of his two sons. Mad with hate however, against the dead man, he enters the room that night, searches his private papers in the hope of discover- ing some memorandum relating to the treasure,and finally leaves a momento of his visit in the short i cc. EPISODE OF THE BARREL. | or inseription wpon the ode He had doubtless planned — beforehand that should he slay the major he would leaye some such record upon the body as a sign that it was not a common murder, but, from the point of view of the four associates, something in the nature of an act of justice. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime, and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. Do you follow all - this ?” _ 'Wery clearly.” ‘Now, what could Jonathan Small do? He ~ could only continue to keep a secret watch upon the efforts made to find the treasure. Possibly he leaves Hngland and only comes back at intervals. Then comes the discovery of the garret, and he is instantly informed of it. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household, Jonathan, with his wooden leg, is utterly unable to _ reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. He takes with him, however, a rather curious associate, “who gets over this difficulty, but dips his naked foot into creosote, whence come Toby, and a six mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged. ‘Achillis tendo.’’ “But it was the associate, and not Mi onathan, who -eommited the crime.”’ ‘‘Ouite so, and rather to J otfathan’ s disgust, to ihe by the way he stamped about when he’ got 92 ‘HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. into the room. He bore no grudge against Barthol- emew Sholto, and would have preferred if he could have been simply bound and gagged. He did not. wish to put his head in a halter. There was no help for it, however; the savage instincts of his companion had broken out, and the poison had done its work; so Jonathan Small left his record, lowered the treasure box to the ground, and followed it himself. That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them. Of course as to. his personal appearance he must be middle-aged, and must be sunburned after serving his time in such an oven as the Andamans. His height is readily calculated from the length of his stride, and we know that he was bearded. His hairiness was the one point that impressed itself upon Thaddeus Sholto when he saw him at the window. I don’t — know that there is anything else.’’ : ““The associate?”’ Ah, well, there is no great mystery in that. But you will know all about it soon enough. How sweet the morning airis! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the London cloud-bank. It shines on a good many folk, but on none, I dare bet, who are on a stranger errand than you and I. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and striving in the ~ THE EPISODE OF THE BARREL, 93 presence of the great elemental forces of nature! - Are you well up in your Jean Paul?” “Fairly so. I worked back to him through Carlyle.’’ ‘That was like following the Week to the parent lake. He makes one curious but profound remark. It is that the chief proof of man’s real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness. It argues, you see, a power of comparison and of appreciation, which is in itself a proof of nobility. ‘There is - much food for thought in Richter. You have nota _ pistol, have you?”’ “TY have my stick.” ! ‘It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. Jonathan I shall leave to you, but ifthe other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead.’’ He took out his revolver as he spoke, and, having loaded two of the chambers, he © put it back into the right-hand pocket of his jacket. We-had, during this time, been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural, villa-lined ‘roads which lead to the metropolis. Now, however, we were beginning to come among continuous streets, where laborers and dockmen were already astir, and slatternly women were taking down ‘shutters and brushing doorsteps. At the square topped corner public-houses business was just beginning, and rough-looking men were emerging, rubbing their sleeves across their beards after theis $4 | THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ~~ morning wet. Strange dogs sauntered up, and stared wonderingly at us as we passed, but our inimitable Toby looked neither to the right nor to the left, but trotted onward with his nose to the | ground and an occasional eager whine, which spoke — ef a hot scent. We had traversed Streatham, Brixton, Gane well, and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane, having borne away through the side streets to the east of the Oval. The men who we pursued seemed to have taken a curiously zigzag road, with the idea probably of escaping observation. They had never kept to the main road if a parallel side street would serve their turn. Atthe foot of Kennington Lane _ they had edged away to the left through Bond — Street and Miles Street. Where the latter street turns into Knight’s Place, Toby ceased to advance, but began to run backward and forward with one ear cocked and the other drooping; the very picture of canine indecision. Then he waddled round in circles, looking up to us from time to time, as if to ask for sympathy in his embarrassment. ‘‘What the deuce is the matter with the dog?”’ growled Holmes. ‘“They surely would not take a ‘cab, or go offin a balloon.” —_— : “Perhaps they s08 here for some time,’’ I suggested. ~ ““Ahl it’s all right. He’s off apain,”? enid my companion, in a tone of relief. | -_ ‘THE EPISODE OF THE BARREL. 98 He ¥ was indeed, off: for, after sniffing round again, he suddeniy made up his mind, and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. The scent. appeared to be much hotter than before, for he had not even to put his nose on the ground, but tugged at his leash, and tried to break into arun. I could see by the gleam in Holmes’ eyes that he thought we were nearing the end of our journey. Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we _ @ame to Broderick and Nelson’s large timber-yard, _ just past the White Eagle tavern. Here the dog, frantic with excitement, turned down through the side gate into the inclosure, where the sawyers were already at work. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings, down an alley, round a passage, between two wood-piles, and finally, with -a triumphant yelp, sprang upon a large barrel, which stood upon the hand-trolley on which it had been brought. With lolling tongue and blinking _ eyes, Toby Stood upon the cask, looking from one to the other of us for some sign of appreciation, The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid, and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creosote. _ Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each . _ other, and then burst simultaneously i into an Uf controllable é of ee CHAPTER VIII. THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS. — “What now?’’ I asked. ‘Toby has lost kis character for infallibility.’’ | : **He acted according to his lights,’’ said Holmes, lifting him down from the barrel and walking him ~ - out of the timber yard. ‘‘If you consider how much creosote is carried about London in one day, it is no great wonder that our trail should have been crossed. It is much used now, especially for — the eens of wood, Poor Toby ie not to blame.”’ THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS. 109 of a Siete yield is now being published. It may be looked upon as the very latest authority... What have we here? ‘Andaman Islands, situated three hundred and forty miles to the north of Sumatra in the Bay of Bengal.’ Hum! hum! What’sall this Moist climate, coral reefs, sharks, Port Blair, con- vict-barracks, Rutland Island, cottonwoods—Ah, here we are. ‘The aborigines of the Andaman ‘Islands may perhaps claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon the earth. though some anthropologists prefer the Bushmen. of Africa, the Digger Indians of America¥ and the Terra del Fuegians. ‘The average height is rather below four feet, although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. They are a fierce, morose, and intractable people, though capable of forming most devoted friendships whex their confidence has once been gained.’ Mark that, Watson. Now, then, listen to this. ‘They are naturally hideous, having large, misshapen heads, small, fierce eyes, and distorted features, Their feet and hands, however, are remarkably small. So intractable and fierce are they that all the efforts of the British officials have failed to win them over in any degree. ‘They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews, braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs, or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. These massacres are invariably ; = : ‘concluded by a cannibal feast.’ Nice, amiably peo- ITO THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ple, Watson! If this fellow had been left to his own unaided devices this affair might have taken an even more ghastly turn. I fancy that, even as itis, Jonathan Small would give a good deal not to have employed him.”’ ‘‘But how came he to have sosingularaeom- . panion.’’ ‘‘Ah, that is more than I can tell. Since, how- ever, we had already determined that Small had come from the Andamans, it is not so very wonder- ful that this Islander should be with him. No doubt we shall know all about itin time. Look here, Watson; you look regularly done. Lie down there on the sofa, and see it I can put you to sleep.”’ : He took up his violin from the corner, and as J stretched myself out he began to play some low, dreamy, melodious air—his own, no doubt, for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation. I have a vague rememberance of his gaunt limbs, his earnest face, and the rise and fall of his bow. Then I seemed to be floating peacefully away upon a soft sea of sound, until I found myself in dreamland, with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon CHAPTER IX. A BREAK IN THE CHAIN. It was late in the afternoon before I awoke, strengthened and refreshed. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him, save that he had laid aside his violin and was deepinabook. He looked across at me as I stirred, and I noticed that his face was dark and troubled. ‘You have slept soundly,’”? hesaid. ‘I feared that our talk would wake you.’’ | ‘“‘T heard nothing,’’ I answered. ‘‘Have you had fresh news, then?’’ . “Unfortunately, no. I confess that I am sur- prised and disappointed. I expected something definite by this time. Wiggins has just been up to teport. He says that no trace can be found of the -Jaunch. It is a provoking check, for every hour is of importance.”’ ‘‘Can I doanything?’’ Iam perfectly fresh now, and quite ready for another night’s outing.”’ ‘No; we can do nothing. We can only wait. If we go ourselves, the message might come in our absence, and delay be caused. You can do what you will but I must remain on guard.”’ (z11) 212 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ‘Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. Cecil Forrester. She asked me to, yesterday.” “On Mrs. Cecil Forrester?’’ asked Holmes, with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes, “Well, of course, on Miss Morstan, too. They were anxious to hear what happened.” *¥ would not tell them too much,’’ said Holmes. ‘Women are never to be entirely trusted—not the best of them.” I did not pause to argue over the atrocious senti- “ment. ‘‘I shall be back in an hour or two,” I re- marked. : ‘All right! Good luck! But, I say, if you are~ crossing the river you may as well return Toby, for I don’t think it a all likely that we shall have any use for him now.’ I took our mongrel saeodicely, Sai left him, to- gether with a half-sovereign, at the old naturalist’s in Pinchin Lane. At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her night’s adventures, but very eager to hear the news. Mrs. Forrester, too, was full of curiosity. I told them all that we had done, suppressing, however, the more dreadful parts of the tragedy. Thus, although I spoke of — Mr. Sholto’s death, I said nothing of the exact manner and method of it. With all my omissions, _ however, there was anus to startle and amaze — _ them. ha A BREAK IN THE CHAIN, 11g “Tt is a romance!’’ cried Mrs. Forrester. ‘‘An injured lady, half a million in treasure, a black cannibal, and a wooden-legged ruffian. ‘T’hey take the place of the conventional dragon or wicked ~~ earl.’ “And two enn to the rescue,” added Miss Morstan, with a.bright glance at me. _ ee “Why, Mary, your fortune depends upon the issue of this search. I don’t think that you are nearly excited enough. Just imagine what it must be to be so rich and to have the world at yon _- feet.’? ort sent a thrill of joy to my heart to notice that she showed no sign of elation at the prospect. On _the contrary, she gave a toss of her proud head, as though the matter’ were onein which she took small interest. | “It is for Mr. Thaddeus Sholto that I am -anxious,’’ she said, ‘‘Nothing else is of any con- sequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout... It is our duty to clear him of this dreadful and unfounded charge.”’ It was evening before I left Camberwell, .and quite dark by the time I reached home. My com- panion’s book and pipe lay by his chair, but he had disappeared. I looked about in the hope of seeing ~ anote, but there was none. “T suppose that Mr. Sherlock Holmes has gone 114 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. out,’’ I said to Mrs. Hudson, as she came up to lower the blinds. Ws ‘‘No, sir. He has gone to his room, sir. Do you know, sir,’’ sinking her voice into an impres- — sive whisper, ‘‘I am afraid for his health!’’ | ‘Why so, Mrs. Hudson?’’ ‘es “Well, he’s that strange, sir. After you was gone he walked, and he walked, up and down, and up and down, until I was weary of the sound of his footstep. ‘Then I heard him talking to himself, and muttering, and every time he bell rang out he came on the stair-head, with, ‘What is that, Mrs. Hudson?’ And now he has slammed off to his room, but I can hear him walking away the same as ever. I hope he’s not going to be ill, sir. I. ventured to say something to him about cooling medicine, but he turned on me, sir, with sucha look that I don’t know how I ever got out of the room.”’ “T don’t think that you have any cause tobe uneasy, Mrs. Hudson,’’ I answered. ‘‘I have seen him like this before. He has some small matter - upon his mind which makes him restless.’’ I tried to speak lightly to our worthy landlady, but I was myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still, from time to time, heard the dull sound of his tread, and knew how his keen spirit was chafing against this involuntary inaction. _ At breakfast-time he looked worn and haggard, A BREAK IN THE CHAIN, 115 with a little fleck of feverish color upon either cheek. “You are knocking yourself up, old man,” I remarked. “I heard you marching about in the night.”’ ‘No, I could not sleep,’? he answered. ‘This infernal problem is consuming me. It is to much to be balked by so petty an obstacle, when all else had been overcome. I know the men, launch, everything; and yet I can get no news. I have _ set other agencies at work, and used every means at my disposal. ‘The whole river has been searched . on either side, but there is no news, nor has Mrs. Smith heard of her husband. I shall come to the conclusion soon that they have scuttled the craft. But there are ubjections to that.’’ “Or that Mrs. Smith has put us on a wrong scent.”’ ‘‘No, I think that may be dismissed. I had inquiries made, and there is a launch of that discription.’’ ‘Could it have gone up the river ?”’ “T have considered that possibility, too, and . there is a search party who will work up as far as Richmond. If no news comes to-day, I shall start off myself to-morrow, and go for the men rather than the boat. But surely, surely, we shall hear gsomething.’’ We did not, however. Not a word came to us * (= eae. PON SEC Oye LEO TTA | 116 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. either from Wiggins or from the other agencies There were articles in most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. ‘They all appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. No fresh details were to be found, however, in any of them, save that the inquest was to be held upon | the following day. I walked over to Camberwell ‘in the evening to report our ill success to the ladies, and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose. He would hardly reply to my — questions, and busied himself all evening in an obstruse chemical analysis which involved much “heating of retorts and distilling of vapors, ending at last in a smell of smoke which fairly drove me out of the apartment. Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test- tubes, which told me that he was still Beer in his malodorous experiment. In the early dawn I awoke with a start, and was surprised to find him standing by my bed-side, clad in a rude sailor dress, with a peajacket, and a course red scarf round his neck. “T am off down the river, Watson,” said be “T have been turning it over in my mind, and I can see only one way out of it. it is worth try- ing at all events.” ‘Surely I can come with you, then? paid I. ‘No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative. I am loath to A BREAK IN THE CHAIN. 119 go, for it is quite on the cards that some message inay come during the day, though Wiggins was despondent about it last night. I want you to open all notes and telegrams, and to act on your own judgment if any news Snowe come. Can I rely upon you ?”’ ~ “Most certainly. ee - “T.am afraid that you will Boe be able to wire to : : me, for I can hardly tell yet where I may find my- ae self. If I am in luck, however, I may not be gone so very long. I shall have news of some sort or | other before I get back.’’ _ Thad heard nothing of bim py breakfast time. On opening the Standard, however, I found that there was a fresh allusion to the business. ‘‘With - _ reference to the Upper Norwood tragedy,’ it re- _marked, ‘‘we have reason to believe that the matter -- promises to be even more complex and mysterious { than was originally supposed. Fresh evidence has _shown that it is quite impossible that Mr. Thaddeus _- $holto could have been in any way concerned in the matter. He and the housekeeper Mrs. Bern-. stone, were both released yesterday evening. It is believed, however, that the police have a cltte to the real culprits, and that it is being prosecuted by Mr. Zoe _ Athelney Jones of Scotland Vard, with all his well- -known energy and sagacity. Further ayrests maw | = expected at any moment.”’ Mee ery tae et eres: ae “That is cy so far as it goes,’’ thought 118 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. I. ‘Friend Sholto is safe, at any rate. I wonder what the fresh clue may be; though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the police have made a blunder.’’ | I tossed the paper down upon the table, but at that moment my eye caught an advertisement in the agony column. It ran in this way: “Tost. —Whereas, Mordecai Smith, boatman and his son Jim, left Smith’s Wharf at or about three o’clock last Tuesday morning, in the steam launch Aurora, black with two red stripes, funnel black with a white band; the sum of five pounds will be paid to any one who can give information to Mrs. Smith, at Smith’s Wharf, or at 2214 Baker Street, as to the whereabouts of the said Mordecai Smith and the launch Aurora.”’ This was clearly Holmes’ doing. The Haker Street address was enough to prove that. It struck me as rather ingenious, because it might be read by the fugitives without there seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. It was along day. Every time that a knock came to the door, or a sharp step passed in the street, I imagined that it was either Holmes returning or an answer to his advertisement. I tried to read, but my thoughts would wander off to our strange quest and to the ill-assorted and villainous pair whom we were pursuing. Could there be, I wondered, some A BREAK IN THE CHAIN. 119 radical flaw in my companion’s reasoning? 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 de- ceived. He was likely, I thought, to fall into error through the over refinement of his logic—his pref- erence for a subtle and bizarre explanation when a plainer and more commonplace one lay ready to his hand. Yet, on the other hand, I had myself seen the evidence, and I had heard the reasons for his deductions. When I looked back on the long- chain of curious circumstances, many of them trivial in themselves, but all tending in the same direction, I. could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes’ explanation were incorrect the truetheory » must be equally outre and startling. At three o’clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell, an authoritative voice in the hall, and, tomy surprise, no less a person than Mr, Athelney Jones was shown up to me. Very differ- _ ent was he, however, from the brusque and master- - ful professor of common-sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. His expression was downcast, and his bearing meek and even apologetic. _ +“ Good-day, sir; good-day,” said he. Mr. Shere lock Holmes is out, I understand.” | 120 _ THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ‘‘Ves, and I can not be sure when he will be bach. But perhaps you would care to wait. ‘Take that chair and try one of these cigars.”’ ‘Thank you; I don’t mind ifI do,’’ said he, mopping his face with a red Bandanna hanaker- chief. ~ “And a qhishey apa code) 27? ‘‘Well, half a glass. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have hada good deal to worry and — try me. You know my ey about this Norwood case ?”” “‘T remember that you fe one. ‘Well, Ihave been obliged to reconsider it. I had my net drawn tightly round Mr. Sholto, sir, when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. He was able to prove an alibi which could not — be shaken. From the time that he left his brother’s room he was never out of Sight of some one or other, so it could not be he who climbed over roofs and through trap-doors. It’s a very dark case, and my professional credit is at stake. I should be very glad of a little assistance.”’ *‘We all need help sometimes,’’ said I. “Vour friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, is a won- derful man, sir,’’ said he, in a husky and confi- dential voice. ‘‘He’s a man who is not to be beat. I have known that young man go into a good many cases, but I have never saw the case yet that — he could not throw a light upon. He is irregular A BREAK IN THE CHAIN, 121 in his methods, and a little quick, perhaps, in jump- ‘ng at theories, but, on the whole, I think he would ‘ave made a most promising officer, and I don’t .’re who knows it. I have had a wire from him (his morning, by which I understand that he has got some clue to this Sholto business. Here is his message.”’ ~ He took the telegram out of his pocket, and handed it to me. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o’clock. ‘‘Go to Baker street at once,’’ it said. “IfI have not returned, wait forme. I am - close on the track of the Sholto gang, Vou can come with us to-night if you want to be in at the finish.”’ ‘This sounds well. He has evidently picked up the scent again,’’ said I: “Ah, then he has been at fault, too, exclaimed Jones, with evident satisfaction. “Even the best ae ; he.” of us are thrown off sometimes. 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. But there issome one at the door. Perhaps this is A heavy step was heard ascending the stairs, ma - with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man - who was sorely put to it for breath. Once or twice z : he stopped, as though the climb were too much for him, but at last he made his way to our door and entered. His appearance corresponded to the sounds 122 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. which we had heard. He was an aged man, clad _ in seafaring garb, with an old pea-jacket buttoned up to his throat. His back was bowed, his knees were shaky, and his breathing was painfully asth- matic. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. He hadacolored scarf round his chin, and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes, overhung by bushy white brows, and long gray side-whiskers. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty. ‘““What is it, my man?’ I asked. He looked about him in the slow, methodical — fashion of old age. “Ts Mr. Sherlock Holmes here?’’ said he. . “No; but I am acting for him. You can tell me any message you have for him.”’ ‘Tt was to himself I was to tell it,’’ said he. “But I tell you that lam acting forhim. Wasit about Mordecai Smith’s boat?’’ | “Yes. I knows well where itis. An’ I knows - where the men he is after are An’ I knows where the treasure is. I knows all about it.’’ ; ‘Then tell me, and I shall let him know.’’ “It was to him I was to tell it,’’ he repeated, with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. “Well, you must wait for him.” ‘‘No, no; I ain’t goin’ to lose a whole day to A BREAK IN THE CHAIN, $23 piste no one. If Mr. Holmes ain’t here, then Mr. Holmes must find it all out for himself. I don’t care about the look of either of you, and I won't tell a word.”’ He shuffled toward the door, but Athelney Jones _gotin front of him. ‘Wait a bit, my friend,”’ said he. ‘You have important information, and you must not walk off. We shall keep you, whether you like it or not, un- til our friend returns.”’ The old man made a little run toward the dase. but, as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it, he recognized the uselessness of resiste ance. ‘*Pretty sort o’ treatment this!’’ he cried, stamp- ing his stick. ‘‘I come here to see a gentleman, and you two, who I never saw in my life, seize me and treat me in this fashion!’’ ‘You will be none the worse,’ I said. ‘We shall recompense you for the loss of your time. Sit over here on the sofa, and you will not have long ~ _ to wait.” . He came across sullenly enough, and seated him- self with his face resting on his hands. Jones and I resumed our cigars and ourtalk. Suddenly, how- ever, Holmes’ voice broke in upon us. ; ‘I think that you might offer me a cigar, too,” he said. 1244 + $‘HE SIGN OF THE FOUR; We both started in our chairs. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. — ‘*‘Holmes,’’ I exclaimed. “You here? But where is the old man?’’ ‘Here is the old man,’ said he, holding out a 2 heap of whitehair. ‘Here he is wig and whiskers, — = eyebrows, and all. I thought my disguise was pretty good, but I hardly expected that it would stand that test.” *“‘Ah, you rogue,”’ cried Jones, highly delighted. “You would have made an actor, and a rare one, You had the proper workhouse cough, and those | weak legs of yours are worth ten pound a week. ea J thought I knew the glint of your eye, though. te You didn’t get away from us so easily, you see.” ‘‘T have been working in that get-up all day,” said he, lighting his cigar. ‘‘Yousee, a good many of the criminal classes begin to know me—especially _ since our friend here took to publishing some of : my cases; soI can only go on the war-path under eS some simple disguise like this. You got my wire??? _ = ““Yes; that was what brought me here.’’ ‘‘Hlow has your case prospered?’ “It has all come to nothing. I had to release ; two of my prisoners, and there is no evidence against the other two.’’ ‘‘Never mind. We shall give you two others in ~ the place of them. But you must put yourself ve eae 1 ToT NT. DR Ste ier cx orchaeage vA “—— A BREAK IN THE CHAIN.. _—_:128 tinder’ my orders. You are welcome to all the official credit, but you must act on the lines that I point out. Is that agreed?’ ‘Entirely, if you will help me to the men.’’ ‘Well, then, in the first place I shall want a fast eae police-boat—a steam launch—to be at the West- mister Stairs at seven o’clock.”? “That is easily managed. ‘There is always one about there; but I can step across the road and tele- phone to make sure.” “Then I shall want two stauch men, in case of resistance. els ‘There will be two or three in the boat. What. else?’ ‘‘When we secure the men we shall net the trea- sure, I think that it. would bea pleasure to my friend here to take the box round to the young lady to whom half of it rightfully belongs. Let her be the first to open it. Eh, Watson?’’ ~ “Tt would be a great pleasure to me.”? “Rather an irregular proceeding,’’ said Jones, shaking his head. ‘However, the whole thing is _ frregular, and I suppose we must wink at it. The treasure must afterward be handed over the authori- ties until after the official investigation.”’ “Certainly. ‘That is easily managed. One other . point. I should much like to have the details about this matter from the lips of Jonathan Small __ himself. You know I like to work the detail of my pe 126 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. cases out. ‘There is no objection tomy having an. unofficial interview with him, either here in my rooms or elsewhere, as long ‘as he is efficiently ‘guarded? ‘Well, you are master of the situation. I have had no proof yet of the existence of this Jonathan Small. However, if you can catch him I don’t see how Ican refuse you an interview with him.” ‘“Mhat is understood, then?’ “Perfectly. Is there anything else?” “Only that I insist upon your dining with us, It will be ready in half an hour. I have oysters anda brace of grouse, with something a little choice in white wine. Watson, you have never yet revoguised my merits as a pecnarauncer Sl CHAPTER &. Tae nie OF THE ISLANDER. _ Our meal was a merry one. Holmes could tall _ gxceedingly well when he chose, and that night he did choose. He appeared to be in a state of ner- vous exaltation. I have never known him so bril- liant. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects —on miracle-plays, on medizeval pottery, on Stra- divarius violins, on the Buddism of Ceylon, and on the warships of the future—handling each as though he had made a special study of it. His bright hu- mor marked the reaction from his black depression of the preceding days, Athelney Jones proved to _ bea sociable soul in his hours of r-laxation, and _ faced his dinner with the air ofa bon vivant. For myself, I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task, and I caught some- thing of Holmes’ gayety. None of us alluded dur- ing the dinner to the cause which had brought us together. _ When the cloth was cleared, Holmes glanced at his watch, and filled up three glasses with port. : “One bumper,”’ said pe the success of our 228 ‘THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. little expedition. And now itis high time we were Off. Have you a pistol, Watson?” _ . “JT have my old service-revolver in my desk.’’ “You had best take it, then. It is well to be | prepared. I see that the cab is at the door. I ore dered it for half-past six.’’. It was a little past seven before we reached the Westminster wharf, and found our launch awaiting us. Holmes eyed it critically. “Is there anything to mark it as a police-boat?”’ ‘‘Yes—that green lamp at the side.”’ ‘Then take it off.’’ The small change was made; we stepped on board, and the ropes were cast off. Jones, Holmes, and I satin the stern. There was one man at the rudder, one to tend the engines, and two burly police- — inspectors forward. ‘‘Where to?’’ asked Jones, Shes ‘To the Tower. Tell them to sop opposite to ‘Jacobson’s Yard.’’ Our craft was evidently : a very fast one. We shot ‘past the long lines of loaded barges as though they were stationary. Holmes smiled with satis- faction as we overhauled a river steamer and left her behind us. __ “We ought to be able to catch snything on the river,’’ he said. ‘Well hardly that, But there are not many launches to beat us.’? _ THE END oF ‘uae ISLANDER. _ 129 “We shall have to catch the Aurora, and she has” -aname for being a clipper. I will tell you how the - Jand lies, Watson. You recollect how annoyed I _ was at being balked by so small a thing?’’ as (Ves. be Jin eee Rieke, Well, | A gave ‘my tind: a thorough rest by a = plunging into a chemical analysis. One of our _ greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest. So it is. When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at, - Icame back at our problem of the Sholto’s, and thought the whole matter out again. My boys had been up the river and down the river without result. The launch was not at any landing-stage or wharf, nor had it returned. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces—though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all. else failed. I knew that this man Small hada certain degree of low cunning, but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate ae finesse. That is usually a product of higher educa- tion. ¥ then reflected that since he had certainly | ‘ been in London some time—as we had evidence ae that he maintained a continual watch over Pondi- ee S cherry Lodge—he could hardly leave at a moment’s notice, but would need some little time, if it were i ii only a day, to arrange his affairs. That was the balance of probability, at any rate.’’ | ‘Tt seems to me to be a little weak,’ said I. §30 THE SIGN OF THY FOUR. “It is more probable that he had arranged hip affairs before ever he set out upon his expedition.” “No, I hardly think so. This lait of his would be too valuable a retreat in case of need for him to give it up until he was sure that he could do — without it. Buta second consideration struck me: Jonathan Small must have felt that the peculiar — appearance of his companion, however much he may have top-coated him, would give rise to gos-. sip; and possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy. He was quite sharp enough to see that. They had started from their headquarters under cover of darkness, and he would wish to get back before it was broad light. Now it was past three o’clock, according to Mrs Smith, when they got the boat. It would be quite bright, and people would be about in an hour or so. ‘Therefore, I argued, they did notgovery far. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue, reserved his launch for the final escape, and hurried to their lodgings with the _ treasure-box. In a coupie of nights, when they had time to see what view the papers took, and whether there was any suspicion, they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs, where no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies.”’ “But the launch? They could not have taken | that to their lodgings.” wd ; q a HE END OF THE ISLANDER. —_ 88 ‘Quite so. I argued that the launch must be no ' great way off, in spite of its invisibility. I then put myself in the place of Small, and looked at it as aman of his capacity would. . 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. How then, could he conceal the launch and yet have her at hand when wanted? I wondered what I should do my- self ifI were in his shoes. I could only think of one way of doing it. I might hand the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer, with direc- tions to make a trifling change in her. She would then be removed to his shed or yard, and so be effectually concealed, while at the same time [ could have her at a few hours’ notice.”’ ‘“That seems simple enough.”’ “It is just these very simple things which are extremely liable to be overlooked. However, I - determined to act.on the idea. I started at once in this harmless seaman’s rig and inquired at all the yards down the river. I drew blank at fifteen, but at the sixteenth—Jacobson’s—I learned that the _ Aurora had been handed over to them two days ago by a wooden-legged man, with some trivial directions as to her rudder. ‘‘There ain’t naught amiss with her rudder,’ said the foreman. ‘There she lies, with the red streaks.’ : C : At that moment who should come down but 132 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. Mordecai Smith, the missing owner? He was rather the worse for liquor. I should not, of course, have known him, but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. ‘I want her to-- ‘aight at eight o’clock,’ said he—‘eight o’clock sharp, mind, for I have two gentlemen who won’t be kept waiting.’ They had evidently paid him well, for he was very flush of money, chucking shillings about to the men. I followed him some distance, but he subsided into an ale-house; so I went back into the yard, and happening to pick up one of my boys on the way, I stationed him asa sentry over the launch. He is to stand at the ‘water’s edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start. Weshall be lying off in the stream, — and it will be a strange thing ifwe do not fake Le men, treasure, and all.’? — ‘You have planned it all very elie whether they are the right men or not,” said Jones; “but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson’s Yard, and arrested — them when they came down.”’ ets ‘“‘Which would have been never, This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. He would senda scout on ahead, and if anything made him suspic- ious he would lie snug for another week.’’ “But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith, and so been led to their hiding-place,”’ said I. ‘In that case I should have wasted my day. ! HE END OF THE ISLANDER. 133 think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live. As long as he has liquor and good pay, why should heask questions? ‘They send him messages what to do. No, I thought over every possible course, and this is the best.”’ While this conversation had been proceeding, we _ had been shooting the long series of bridges which span the Thames. As we passed the city the last rays of the sun were gilding the cross upon the summit of St. Paul’s. It was twilight before we reached the Tower. : ‘That is Jacobson’s Yard,’’ said Holmes, point- ‘ing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side. ‘Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string oflighters.”” He took a pair of night glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore. ‘“‘I see my sentry at his post,” he remarked, ‘‘but no sign of a handkerchief.”’ “Suppose we go down stream a short way and lie in wait for them,’’ said Jones, eagerly. We were all eager by this time, even the policemen and __ stokers, who had a very vague idea of what was _ going forward. _. “We have no right to take anything for ae granted,’ Holmes answered. “‘It is certainly ten to one that they go down stream, but we can not be certain. From this point we can see the entrance to the yard, and they can hardly see us. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. We must stay 394 HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. where we are. See how the folks swarm over yonder in the gaslight.’’ “They are coming from work in the yard.” ‘‘Dirty-looking rascals, but I suppose every one has some little immortal spark concealed about him. You would not think it, to look at them. There is no A priori probability about it. A strange enigma is man !”’ “Some one calls him a soul concealed in an animal,’ I suggested. ‘Winwood Reade is good upon the subject,’ said Holmes. ‘‘He remarks that, while the indi- vidual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathamatical certainty. You can, for example, never fortell what any one man will do, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to, Individuals vary, but per- centages remain constant. So says the statistician. But do I see a handkerchief? Surely there is a white flutter over yonder.”” | byes ; “Yes ; it is your boy,”? I cried, “I can see him plainly.’’ ‘And there is the Avoes. é eedatried Holmes, _ “and going like the devil! Full speed ahead, | engineer. Make after that launch with the yellow — light. | By heaven, I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!” She had slipped unseen through the pani ~ entrance, and passed behind two or three amall SHE END OF THE ISLANDER. 135 craft, so that she had fairly got “her speed up before we saw her. Now she was flying down the stream, near in to the shore, going at a tremen- dous rate. Jones looked BEavely at her and shook his head. | | ‘She is very fast,’’ rte a ‘“‘T doubt if we shall catch her.’’ “We must catch her!’ cried Holmes, between his teeth. ‘‘Heap it on, stokers! Make her do - all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!’ We were fairly after her now. ‘The furnaces roared, and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked, like a great metallic heart. Her sharp, steep prow cut through the still river water, and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. With every throb of the engines she sprang and quivered like a living thing. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long, flickering funnel of light in front of us. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay, and the swirl of white foam behind her spoke of the pace at which she was going. We flashed past barges, steamers, merchant vessels, in and out, behind this one and around the other. Voices hailed us out of the darkness, but still the Aurora . thundered on, and still we followed close upon her Ve... track, “Pile it on, men; pile it on!’ ctied Holmes, 136 HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. looking down into the engine-room, while the ‘fierce glow from below beat upon his eager, aquiline _ face. ‘Get every pound of steam you can.” = “I think we gain a little,’’ said Jones, with his — eyes on the Aurora. oy “I am sure of it,’’ said I. ‘‘We shall be up with her in a very few minutes.’’ ee ‘At that moment, however, as onr evil fate would have it, a tug with three barges ix tow blundered in between us. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision, - and before we could round them and recover our way the Aurora had gained a good two hundred yards. She was still, however, well in view, and the murky uncertain twilight was settling into a clear starlit night. Our boilers were strained to | their utmost, and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along. We had shot through the Pool past the West India docks, down the long Deptford Reach. and up again after rounding the Isle of Dogs. Ihe dull blur in front of us resolved itself now clearly enough into the dainty Aurora. _ Jones turned our search-light upon her, so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. One | man sat by the stern, with something black between his knees, over which he stooped. Beside him lay a dark mass which looked like a Newfoundling dog. The boy held the tiller, while against the red glare ws THE END OF THE ISLANDER. 137 a) ofthe furnace I could see old Smith, stripped to the waist, and shoveling coal for dear life. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them, but now, as we followed every winding and turning which they took, there could no longer be any question about it. At Greenwich we were about three hundred paces behind them. At Blackwall we could not have been more than two hundred and fifty. * have coursed many creatures in many countries uuring my checkered ca- reer, but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad, flying man-hunt down the Thames. Steadily we drew in upon them, yard by yard. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery. ‘The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck, and his arms ‘were moving as though he were busy, while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us. Nearer we came and nearer. Jones yelled to them to stop. We werenot more than four boats’ lengths behind them, both boats flying ata tremendous pace. __It was a clear reach of the river, with Barking Level -». ttpon one side and the melancholy Plumstead __ Marshes upon the other, At our hail the man in : the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his __ two clinched fists at us, cursing the while in a high, cracked voice. Hewas a good-sized, powerful man, -__and, as he stood poising himself with legs astride, I 138 "HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. could see that from the thigh downward there was but a wooden stump upon the right side. At the sound of his strident, angry cries there was move- ment in the huddled bundle upon the deck. It straightened itself into a little black man—the smallest I have ever seen—with a great, misshapen head and a shock of tangled, disheveled hair. Holmes had already drawn his revolver, andI whipped out mine at the sight of this savage, dis- torted creature. He was wrapped in some sort of dark ulster or blanket, which left only his face ex- posed; but that face was enough to givea mana > sleepless night. Never have I seen features so. deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty. His small eyes glowed and burned with a somber light, and his thick lips were writhed back from his teeth, — which grinned and chattered at us with a half-ani-. mal fury. ‘(Hire if he raises his hand,’’ said Holmes, quietly. | We were within a boat’s length by this time, and almost within touch of our quarry. I can see the two of them now as they stood, the white man with his legs far apart, shrieking out curses, and the un- hallowed dwarf, with his hideous face, and his strong, yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern, It was well that we had so ete a view of him, | ‘Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short, round piece of wood, like a schaal- "HH END OF THE ISLANDER. 139 ruler, and clapped it to his lips. Our pistols rang out together. He whirled round, threw up his arms, and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream. J caught one glimpse of his venomous, menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters. At the same moment the wooden-legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it ‘hard down, so. that his boat made straight in for the southern bank, while we shot past her stern, only clearing her bya few feet. We were round after her in an instant, but she was already nearly at the bank. It was a wiid and desolate place, where the moon glimmered upon a wide expanse of marsh-land, with pools of Stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. The launch with a dull thud ran up upon the mud- bank, with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water. The fugitive sprang out, but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. In vain he struggled and writhed. Not one step could he possibly take either forward or backward, He yelled in impotent rage, and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot, _ but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the _ deeper into the sticky bank. 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, and to drag him, like some evil fish, over our side. ‘The two Smiths, father and son, sat sullenly in their 140 _ THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. launch, but came aboard meekly enough when com- manded, The Aurora herself we hauled off and made fast to our stern. A solidironchest of Indian -workmanship stood upon the deck. ‘This, there could be no question, was the same that had con- - tained the ill-omened treasure of the Sholtos. There was no key, but it was of considerable weight, so we transferred it carefully to our own little cabin. As we steamed slowly up-stream again, we flashed our search-light in every direction, but there was no sign of the Islander. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores. ‘See here,’’ said Holmes, pointing to the wooden : hatchway. ‘‘We were hardly quick enough with our pistols.’”’ There, sure enough, just behind where we had been standing, stuck one of those murderous darts which we knew so well. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. Holmes. ' smiled at it, and shrugged his shoulders in his easy fashion, but I confess tkat it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that -_ a oy ag : CHAPTER XI. an kta GREAT AGRA eta grape Our olaia sat in the cabin opposite the iron box _ which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his | mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life. There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose. His age may have © been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with gray. His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger. He sat - now with his handcuffed hands upon his lap, and his head sunk upon his breast, while he looked - with his keen, twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill-doings. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance. _ Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his oe = eyes. | (141) 142 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. ‘Well, Jonathan Small,” said Holmes, lighting a cigar, ‘‘I am sorry that it has come to this.”’ “And so am JI, sir,’? he answered, frankly. ‘“‘I don’t believe that I can swing over the job. I give you my word on that book that I never raised hand against Mr. Sholto. It was that little hell-hound, Tonga, who shot one ofhis cursed dartsintohim. I had no part init, sir. I wasas grieved as if it had been my blood-relation. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it, but it was done, and I could not undo it again.’’ — ‘‘Have a cigar,’’ said- Holmes; ‘‘and you had better take a pull out of my flask, for you are very wet. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?” ‘You seem to know as much about it as if you were there, sir. ‘The truth is that I hoped to find the room clear. I knew the habits of the house pretty well, and it was the time when Mr. Sholto usu- ’ ally went down to his supper. I shall make no secret of the business. ‘The best defense that I can make is just the simple truth. Now, ifit had been the old major, I would have swung for him with a light heart. I would have thought no more of knifing him than of smoking this cigar. But it’s cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto, with whom I had no quarrel whatever.”’ “You are under the charge of Mr. Athelney Jones "HH GREAT AGRA TREASURE. 143 BE ‘scotland Yard. He 1s going to bring you up to my rooms, and I shall ask you fora true account of the matter. You must make a clean breast of it, for if you do I hope that I may beofusetoyou. I think I can prove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was “ead before you ever reached the room.’’ ‘That he was, sirt 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 win- dow. It fairly shook me, sir. I’d have half killed Tonga for it, if he had notscrambled off. ‘That was how he came to leave his club, and some of his darts, too, as he tells me, which, I dare say, helped to put you on our track; though how you kept on itis more than I can tell. I don’t feel no malice against you for it.. But it does seem a’ queer thing,’’ he added, with a bitter smile, ‘that I, who have a fair _ claim to nigh upon half a million of money, should spend the first half of my life building a break- water in the Andamans, and am like tospend the other half diggin’ drains at Dartmoor. It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet, and had to do with the Agra treasure, which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who ownedit. To him it brought murder; to Major Sholto it brought fear and guilt; to meit has meant slavery for life.’ At this moment Athelney Jones thrust his broad 144 HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. face and heavy shoulders into the tiny cabin. “Quite a family party,’ hé remarked, “I think I~ shall have a pull at that flask, Holmes. Well, I think we may all congratulate each other. Pity we © didn’t take the other alive; but there was no choice. I say, Holmes, you must confess that you cut it rather fine. It was ali we could do to overhaut her.” ‘All is well that ends well,’’ said Holmes. ‘‘But I aes did not know that the Aurora was such a clipper.’’ “Smith says she is one of the fastest launches on the river, and that if he had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught | her. He swears he knew nothing of this a Coy oed : business.”’ ‘‘Neither he did,’? cried our prisoner; ‘‘not a word. I chose his launch, because I heard that she was a flyer. We told him nothing, but we paid him well, and he was to get something hand- -gome if we reached our vessel, the Esmeralda, at Gravesend, outward bound for the Brazils.’’ “Well, if he has done no wrong, we shall see that no wrong comes to him. If we are pretty quick in- catching our men, we are not so quick in condemn-- ing them.”’ It was amusing to notice how the con- sequential Jones was already beginning to give him- self airs on the strenght of the capture. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes’ 2 : 2 Bee THE GREAT AGRA TREASURE. 145 - face, I ecaik see ‘that the speech had not been lost ~— upon him. ‘We will be at Vauxhall Bridge presently,’’ said Jones, ‘‘and shall land you, Dr. Watson, with the ~__ treasure-box. I need hardly tell you that I am - taking a very grave responsibility upon myself in doing this. It is most irregular; but, of course, an ~ agreement is an agreement. I must, however, asa matter of duty, send an inspector with you, since you have so valuable a EChatEe. You will drive, no doubt?”’ | Shes ewes, ) snall drive.? > ~~. “It is a pity there is no key, that we may Re an inventory first. You will have to break it open. Where is the key, my man?”’ **At the bottom of the river,’’ said Small shortly. ‘Hum! There was no use your giving this un- necessary trouble. We have had work enough already through you. However, doctor, I need not ~~ ‘warn you to becareful. Bring the box back with - you to the Baker Street rooms. You will find us _ there, on our way to the station.”” — | They landed me at Vauxhall, with my heavy iron box, and with a bluff, genial inspector as my eae _ companion. A quarter of an hour’s drive brought _. .us to Mrs, Cecil Forrester’s. The servant seemed cay _ surprised at so late a visitor, Mrs. Cecil Forrester g was out for the evening, she explained, and likely to be very late. Miss Morstan, however, was in the ~~ = 146 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. drawing-room; so to the drawing-room I went, box in hand, leaving the obliging inspector in the cab. She was seated by the open window, dressed in — “some sort of white diaphanous material, with a little touch of scarlet in the neck and waist. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair, playing over her sweet, grave, face, and tinting with a dull metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair; one white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair, and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. At the sound of my foot- _ fall she sprang to her feet, however, and a bright - flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. “IT heard a cab drive up,’’ she said. ‘1 thought that Mrs. Forrester had come back very early, but I never dreamed that it might be you. What news have you brought me?” “{ have brought something better than news,’’ said I, putting down the box upon the table, and speaking jovially and boisterously, though my heart was heavy within me. ‘‘I have brought you some- thing which is worth all the news in the world. I have brought you a fortune.” _ ) | She glanced at the iron box. ‘Is that the treas- ure, then ?’’ she asked, coolly enough. yy ‘‘Yes, this is the great Agra treasure. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto’s. You will eeea re ce talon ON Pe Piss gIAC RT ee DTP Re Pee SAU OGs ae! Mie Ny ASCE peat Smee em, CRY oe Tt oe rae Pag), \ Setatie der h ss is Se sie PEON es GK a te : es THE GREAT AGRA TREASURE. 147 have a couple of hundred thousand each. ‘Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. There will be a few richer young ladies in England. Is it not glorious ?”’ I think that I must have been rather over-acting my delight, and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations, for I saw her eyebrows rise a little, and she glanced at me curiously. “Tf I have it,’’ said she, ‘‘I owe it to you.’’ *‘No, no,’’ I answered; ‘‘not to me, but to my — friend, Sherlock Holmes. With all the willin the - world, I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even hisanalytical genius. Asit was, we very nearly lost it at the last moment.” ‘*Pray sit down, and tell me all about it, Doctor Watson,’’ said she, I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last—Holmes’ new method of search, the discovery of the Aurora, the appearance of _ Athelney Jones, our expedition in the evening, and the wild chase down the Thames. She listened with parted lips and shining eyes, to my recital of our adventures. When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us, she turned so white that I feared she was about to faint. ‘Tt is nothing,’’ she said, as I hastened to pour her out some water. ‘I am all right again. It was a shock to me to hear that I had placed my __ friends in such horrible peril.’’ 148 HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. “That is all over,’? I answered. “It was nothing. I will tell you no more gloomy details. Let us turn to something brighter. There is the — treasure. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me, thinking that it -would interest you to be the first to see it.”’ “Tt would be of the greatest interest to me,’’ she said. There was no eagerness in her voice, however. It struck her, doubtless, that it might — seem ungratious upon her part to be Does toa prize which had cost so much to win. . “What a pretty box !’’ she said, stooping over it. ‘This is Indian work, I suppose ?”’ ‘‘Ves; it is Benares metal-work.”’ ‘‘And-so heavy !’’ she exclaimed, trying to raise it. “The box alone must be of some value. Where is the key ?”’ “Small threw it into the ahanies, a soa: | “T must borrow Mrs. Forreste’rs poker.” ROLES was, in the front, a thick and broad hasp, wrought in the image of a sitting Buddha. Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward asa lever. The hasp sprang open with a loud snap. With trembling fingers I flung back the lid. We both stood gazing with astonishment. The box — was empty ! No wonder that it was heavy. The peewee was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. It was PSE a Rash rep aa rat ee massive, well made, and solid, like a chest eom- = is calmly. THE GREAT AGRA TREASURE. 149 Sd = structed to carry things of great price, but not one _ shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. It was absclutely and completely empty. ‘The treasure is lost,’® said Miss Morstan, i As I listened to the dards and realized what they - meant, a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. - I did not know how this Agra treasure had weighed - medown until now that it was finally removed. It was, selfish, no doubt, disloyal, wrong, but I could ‘realize nothing, save that the golden barrier was - gone from between us. “Thank God !? I Robe tek from my very heart. She looked at me with a quick, questioning smile. ‘Why do you say that ?’’ she asked. “Because you are within my reach again,’’ I S said, taking her hand. She did not withdraw it, *Beeause I love you, Mary, as truly as ever a man _ lovedawoman. Because this treasure, these riches, a : sealed my lips. Now that they are gone, I can tell te you how I love you. Thatis why I said, “Thank God.’”? ‘Then I say, “Thank God,’ G0, »» she whispered, fe a asI drew her to my side. Whoever had lost a __ treasure, I knew that night that I had gained one. CHAPTER XII. THE STRANGE STORY OF JONATHAN SMALL, A VERY patient man was the inspector in the cab, for it was a weary time before I rejoined him. His face clouded over when I showed him the empty box. ‘‘There goes the reward!’’ said he, gloomily. ‘Where there is no money there is no pay. _ ‘This night’s work would have been worth a tenner each toSam Brown and me, if the treasure had been there.’’ “Mr. Thaddeus Sholto is a rich man,’’ I said. “He will see that you are rewarded, treasure or no.’’ : 4 The inspector shook his head despondently, how- ever. ‘‘It’s a bad job,’’ he repeated; ‘‘and ‘so Mr, Athelney Jones will think.”’ His forecast proved to be correct, for the detective looked blank enough when I got to Baker Street and showed him the empty box. They had only — just arrived, Holmes, the prisoner, and he, for they had changed their plans so far as to report them- selves at a station upon the way. My companion lounged in his arm-chair with his usual listless ex: . (150) THE STRANGE STORY OF JONATHAN SMALL. 151 pression, while Small sat stolidly opposite to him with his wooden leg cocked over his sound one. : As I exhibited the empty box he leaned back in his chair and laughed aloud. “This is your doing, Small,’’? said Athelney Jones, angrily. ‘Yes, I have put it away where you shall never lay hand upon it,’’ he cried, exultantly. ‘‘It is my treasure; and if I can’t have the loot I’ll take darned .good care that no one else does. 1 tell you _ that no living man has any right to it, unless it is - three men who are in the Andaman convict-bar- tacks and myself. I know now that I can not have the use of it, and I know that they cannot. I have acted all through for them as much as for myself. It’s been the sign of four with us always. Well I know that they would have had me do just what I have done, and throw the treasure into the Thames rather than let it goto kith or kin of Sholto or of ‘Morstan. It was not to make them rich that we did for Achmet. You'll find the treasure where the key is, and where little Tonga is. When I saw - that your launch must catch us, I put the loot in a - safe ate. There are no rupees for you this jour- - mey.”’ “You are sjeclene us, Small,’ said Athelney Jones, sternly. ‘‘If you had wished to throw the treasure into the Thames, it would have been easier _ for you to have thrown box and all.” ~ 152 - HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. “Fasier for me to throw, and easier for you to recover,’ he answered, with a shrewd, sidelong look. ‘“I‘he man that was clever enough to hunt me down is clever enough to pick an iron box from the bottom ofa river. Now that they are scattered - over five miles or so, it may be a harder job. It went to my heart to doit, though. I was half mad when you came up with us. However, there’s no good grieving over it. I’ve had ups in my life, — : and I’ve had downs, but I’ve learned not to cry. over spilt milk.’’ : ‘This is a very serious matter, Small, ’? said the detective. ‘‘If you had helped justice, instead of thwarting it in this way, you would have had a 3 better chance at your trial.”’ eS Justice??? snarled the ex-convict. ‘‘A pretty justice! Whose loot is this, if it is mot ours? Where is the justice that I should give it up to those who had never earned it. Look how I have earned it! Twenty long years in that fever-riden swamp, all day at work under the mangrove tree, all night chained up in the filthy convict-huts, bitten by mosquitoes, racked with ague, bullied by — e every cursed black-faced policeman who loved to take itout ofa white man. That was how I earned — the Agra treasure; and you talk to me of justice be- cause I can not bear to feel that I have paid this. price only that another may enjoy it! I would tather swing a score of times, or have one of THE STRANGE STORY OF JONATHAN SMALL. 153 Tonga’s darts in my hide, than live in a convict’s cell and feel that another man is at his easeina palace with the money that should be mitie.” Small had dropped his mask of stoicism, and all this came out in a wild whirl of words, while his eyes blazed, and the hand-cuffs clanked together with the impassioned movement of his hands. I could understand, as I saw the fury and the passion -_ of the man, that it was no groundless or unnatural _ terror which had possessed Major Sholto when he first learned that the injured convict was upon his track. i YOU forget that we know nothing of all this,’’ said Holmes, quietly. “We have not heard your story, and we can not tell how far justice may originally have been on your side.”’ : ‘Well, sir, you have been very fair spuer to me, though I can see that I have you to thank that ~. JY have these bracelets upon my wrists. Still, I ~ bear no grudge for that. Itis all fair and above- _ board. If you want to hear my story I have no : wish to hold it back. What I say to you is God’s truth, every word of it. Thank you; you can put the glass beside me here, and I'll Boe my lips to it ae. Liam dry. te Fehbcam = a Worcestershire man myself—born te Pershore. I dare say you would find a ea = ciceP of Smalls living there now if you were to ae I have often thought of taking a loox WTR OLN Se RDI eu (ye Ca Sa MD ae CS CAPE RN RL AOI NL CRD AN MN WAR ee Doe an ee RA See ea 154 THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. Ths round there, but the truth is that I was never much of a credit to the family, and I doubt if they would be so very glad tosee me. ‘They were all steady, chapel-going folk, small farmers, well known and respected over. the country-side, while I was always a bit of a rover. At last, however, when I was about eighteen, I gave them no more trouble, for I got into a mess over a girl, and could only get out of it by taking the queen’s shilling and joining the Third Bluffs, which was just start- ing for India. ‘T wasn’t destined to do much soldiering, how: ever. I had just got past the goose-step, and learned to handle my musket, when I was fool enough to go swimming in the Ganges. Luckily for me, my company sergeant, John Holder, was in the water at the same time, and he was one of the finest swimmers in the service. A crocodile took me, _ just as I was half-way across, and nipped off my right leg, as clean as a surgeon could have done it, just above the knee. What with the shock and the loss of blood, I fainted, and should have been drowned if Holder had not caught hold of me and paddled for the bank. I was five months in hospi- tal over it, and when at last I was able to limp out of it, with this timber toe strapped to my stump, I found myself invalided out of the army and unfitted for any active occupation. “I was, as you can imagine, pretty down on my SHE STRANGE STORY OF JONATHAN SMALL. 155 luck at this time, for I was a useless cripple, though not yetin my twentieth year. However, my misfortune soon proved to be a blessing in dis- guise. A man named Abelwhite, who had come out there as an indigo-planter, wanted an overseer to look after his coolies and keep them up to their work. He happened to be a friend of our colonel’s,. who had taken an interest in me since the accident. To make a long story short, the colonel recom- -- mended me strongly for the post, and, as the work was mostly done on horse-back, my leg was no great obstacle, for I had enough knee left tokeep a good grip on the saddle. What I had to do was to ride over the plantation, to keep an eye on the men as they worked, and to report the idlers. The pay was fair, I had comfortable quarters’ and altogether I was content to spend the remainder of my life in indigo planting. Mr. Abelwhite was a kind man, and he would often drop into my little shanty and : - smoke a pipe with me, for white folks out there feel their hearts warm to each other as’ sine never do here at home. ‘Well, I was never in Iuck’s way long. Sud- denly, without a note of warning, the great mutiny broke upon us. One month India lay as still and peaceful, to all appearance, as Surrey or Kent; the next there were two hundred thousand black devils let loose, and the country was a perfect hell. Of course, you know all about: it, gentlemen, a deal 156 "HE SIGN OF HE FOUR. “more than Ido, very like, since reading is notin — my line. I only know what I saw with my own eyes. Our plantation was at a place called Muttra, _ near the border of the Northwest Provinces. Night after night the whole sky was alight with the burning bungalows, and day after day we had small companies of Huropeans passing through our estate, with their wifes and children, on their way to Agra, where were the nearest troops. Mr. Abelwhite was an obstinate man. He had it in his head that the affair had been exaggerated, and that it would blow over as suddenly as it had sprung up. There he sat on his veranda, drinking whiskey- pegs and smoking cheroots, while the country was. in a blaze about him. Ofcourse we stuck by him, I and Dawson, who, with his wife, used to do the bookwork and the managing. ‘Well, one fine day the crash came. I had been away on a distant * plantation, and was riding slowly home in the eve- ning, when my eye fell upon something all huddled together at the bottom ofa steep nullah. I rode down to see what it was, and the cold struck through my heart when I found it was Dawson’s wife, all cut to ribbons, and half-eaten by jackals and native dogs. A little farther up the road — Dawson himself was lying on his face, quite dead, with an empty revolver in his hand, and four Sepoys lying across each other in front of him. I reigne# ‘up my horse, wondering which way I should turn: 2 aah STRANGE STORY oF JONATHAN SMALL. 157 but at that moment T saw thick seal curling up from Abelwhite’s bungalow and the flames begin- ‘ning to burst through the roof. I knew then that I could do my employer no good, but would only throw my own life away if I meddled in the matter. From where I stood I could see hundreds of the black fiends, with their red coats still on their __. backs, dancing and howling around the burning _ house. Some of them pointed at me, and a couple of bullets sang past my head; so I broke away = across the paddy-fields, and found myself late at night safe within the walls at Agra. ‘As it proved, however, there was no great - safety there, either. The whole country was up like a swarm of bees, Wherever the English ~ could collect in little bands they held just the ~ ground that their guns commanded. Every- where else they were helpless fugitives. It was a _ fight of the millions against the hundreds; and the cruelest part of it was that these men that we - _ fought against, foot, horse, and gunners, were - our own picked troops, whom we had taught and trained, handling our own weapons, and blowing ns iS _our own bugle-calls. At Agra there were the Third Bengal Fusiliers, some Sikhs, two troops of horse, and a battery of artillery. A volunteer corps of a clerks and merchants had been formed, and this Ee joined, wooden leg and all. We went out to meet the rebels at Shahgunge early in July, and we 158 ‘HE SIGN OF THE FOUR. beat them back for atime, but our powder gave out and we had to fall back upon the city. Nothing but the worst news came to us from every side— which is not to be wondered at, for if you look at | the map you will see that we were right in the heart of it. Lucknow is rather better than a hundred miles to the east, and Cawnpore about as far to the south. From every point on the compass there was nothing but torture, and murder, and outrage. “The city of Agra is a great place, swarming with fanatics and fierce devil-worshipers of all sorts. Our handful of men were lost among the narrow, winding streets. Our leader moved across the river, therefore, and took up his position in the old fort of Agra. I don’t know if any of you gentlemen have ever read or heard anything of that old fort. It is avery queer place—the queerest that ever I was in, and I have been in some rum corners, too. First of all, it is enormousin size. I should think that the inclosure must be acres andacres. There isa modern part which took all our garrison, women, children, stores, and everything else, withplent y of room over. But the modern part is noth- ing like the size of the old quarter, where nobody goes, and whichis given over to the scorpions and the centipedes. It is all full of great deserted halls, and winding passages, and long corridors twisting in and out, so that it is easy enough for folks to get. THE STRANGE STORY OF JONATHAN SMALL. 159 lost in it. For this reason it was eiton that any one went into it, though now and again a party with torches might go exploring. _ “The river washes along the front of the old fort, and so protects it, but on the sides and behind there are many doors, and these had to be guarded, of course, in the old quarter as well as in. that which was actually held by our troops. We were short-handed, with hardly men enough to man the angles of the building and to serve the guns. It wasimpossible for us, therefore, to station a ‘strong guard at every one of the innumerable gates What we did was to organize a central guard-house in the middle of the fort, and to leave each gate under the charge of one white man and - two or three natives. I was selected to take charge during certain hours of the night of a small isolated door upon the southwest side of the building. T'we Sikh troopers were placed under my command, and I was instructed if anything went wrong to fire my _ musket, when I might rely upon help coming af. once from the central guard. As the guard was a good two hundred paces away, however, and as the space between was cut up intoa labyrinth of pass- ages and corridors, I had great doubts as to whether _ they could arrive in time to be of any use in case of an actual attack. , ‘Well, I was pretty proud at having this small command given me, since I was a raw recruit, and 160 ‘THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. a game-legged one at that. For two nights I kept the watch with my Punjaubees. They were tall, fierce-looking chaps, Mahomet Singh and Abdullah © Khan by name, both old fighting-men who had borne arms against us at Chilianwallah. They could talk English pretty well, but I could get little out of them. They preferred to stand together and jabber all night in their queer Sikh lingo. For myself, I used to stand outside the gateway, look- — ing down on the broad, winding river, and on the’ _ twinkling lights of the great city. The beating of drums, the rattle of tomtoms, and the yells and howls of the rebels, drunk with opium and with bang, were enough to remind us all night of our dangerous neighbors across the stream. Every two hours the officers of the night used to come round to all the posts, to make sure that all was well. : : “The third night of my watch was dark and dirty, with a small, driving rain. It was dreary work standing in the gateway hour after hour in such weather. JI tried again and again to make my Sikhs talk, but without much success. At two in the morning the rounds passed, and broke for a moment the weariness of the night. Finding that my companions would not be led into conversation, I took out my pipe, and laid down my musket to strike a match. In an instant the two Sikhs were ‘pon me. One of them snatched my fire-lock up — 3 pay STRANGE STORY OF JONATHAN SMALL. 161 : j Pend leveled it at my head, Wile Wie! offier held'a great knife at my throat and swore between his teeth that he would plunge it into me if I moved a p> - Step. Pe My first thought was ‘that these fellows were in '--‘Jeague with the rebels, and that this was the beginning of an assault. If our door were in the hands of the Sepoys the place must fall, and the women and children be treated as they were in nad Sela - Cawnpore. -Maybe you gentlemen think that I am just making out a case for myself, but I give you my word that when I thought of that, though I - felt the point of the knife at my throat, I opened my . : mouth wide with the intention of giving a scream, ifit was my last one, which might alarm the main guard. The man who held me seemed to know my thoughts; for, even as I braced myself to it, he -_ whispered, ‘Don’t make a noise. The fort is safe enough. ‘There are no rebel dogs on this side of -. theriver. There was the ring of truth in what he ~ said, and I knew that if I raised my voice I was 2 _ dead man. I could read it in the fellow’s brown eyes. I waited, therefore, in silence, to see what it e was that they wanted from me. _-*Tisten to me, Sahib,’ said the taller and fletoers - ofthe pair, the one whom they called Abdullah - Khan. ‘You must be either with us now or you - must be silenced forever. ‘The thing is too great a one for us to hesitate. Hither you are heart and 162 ‘THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. soul with us on your oath on the cross of the Christ- jans, or your body this night shall be thrown into the ditch and we shall pass over to our brothers in the rebel army. ‘There is-no middle way. Which is it to be, death, or life? We can only give you three minutes to decide, for the time is passing, and all must be done before the rounds come again.’ ‘‘How can I decide?’ said I. ‘You have not told me what you want ofme. But I tell you now, that if it is anything against the safety of the fort I will — have no truck with it; so you can drive home your knife and welcome.’ ‘It is nothing against the fort,’ said he. ‘We only ask you to do that which your countrymen came to this land for. Weask youtoberich. If you will be one of us this night, we will swear to you upon the naked knife, and by the threefold oath which no Sikh was ever known to break, that you shall have your fair share of the loot. A quarter of the treasure shall be yours. We can say no fairer.’ ‘“But what is the treasure, then?’ I asked. ‘I am as ready to be rich as you can be, if you will but show me how it can be done.’ “You swear, then,’ said he, ‘by the bones of your father, by the honor of your mother, by the cross of your faith, to raise no hand and speak no word against us, either now or afterward?’ Nee SHE STRANGE STORY OF JONATHAN SMALL. 163 i ‘T will swear 4,741 answered, ‘provided that the fortis not endangered? -— ‘“«*Then my comrade and I will swear that you shall have a quarter of the treasure, which shall be equally divided among the four of us.’ ‘* “There are but three,’ said I. ‘* "No; Dost Akbar must have his share. Wecan tell the tale to you while we await them. Do you stand at the gate, Mahomet Singh, and give notice of their coming. The thing stands thus, Sahib, and _ I tell it to you because I know that an oath is bind- ing upon a Feringhee, and that we may trust you. e Had you been a lying Hindoo, though. you had ‘sworn by all the gods in their false temples, your blood would have been upon the knife, and your - body in the water. But the Sikh knows the Eng- lishman, and the Englishman knows the Sikh. Hearken, then, to what I have to say. _ * “Phere is a rajah in the northern provinces who a has much wealth, though his lands are small. _ Much has come to him from his father, and more — _ still he has set by himself, for he is of a low nature and hoards his gold rather than spend it. When is : ® the troubles broke out he would be friends both - with the lion and the tiger—with the Sepoy and Ree with the Company’s Raj. Soon, however, ‘t seemed fa ie to him that the white men’s day was come, for ___. through all the land he could hear of nothing but [eee of their death and their overthrow. Yet, being a en a Re ER AB ca 4 ay, SY Vee, ae