The
Sign
of
Four
:
By
A
.
Conan
Doyle
Author
of
'
Micah
Clarke
,
'
'
The
firm
of
Girdlestone
,
'
'
The
Captain
of
the
polestar
,
'
etc.
etc.
London
Spencer
Blackett
Milton
House
,
35
,
St
Bride
Street
,
E.C.
1890
[
All
rights
reserved
]
CHAPTER
I
.
THE
SCIENCE
OF
DEDUCTION
.
Sherlock
Holmes
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
the
sharp
point
home
,
pressed
down
the
tiny
piston
,
and
sank
back
into
the
velvet-lined
arm-chair
with
a
long
sigh
of
satisfaction
.
Three
times
a
day
for
many
months
I
had
witnessed
this
performance
,
but
custom
had
not
reconciled
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
should
deliver
my
soul
upon
the
subject
;
but
there
was
that
in
the
cool
,
nonchalant
air
of
my
companion
which
made
him
the
last
man
with
whom
one
would
care
to
take
anything
approaching
to
a
liberty
.
His
great
powers
,
his
masterly
manner
,
and
the
experience
which
I
had
had
of
his
many
extraordinary
qualities
,
all
made
me
diffident
and
backward
in
crossing
him
.
Yet
upon
that
afternoon
,
whether
it
was
the
Beaune
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-letter
volume
which
he
had
opened
.
'
It
is
cocaine
,
'
he
said
,
'
a
seven-per-cent
.
solution
.
Would
you
care
to
try
it
?
'
'
No
,
indeed
,
'
I
answered
brusquely
.
'
My
constitution
has
not
got
over
the
Afghan
campaign
yet
.
I
cannot
afford
to
throw
any
extra
strain
upon
it
.
'
He
smiled
at
my
vehemence
.
'
Perhaps
you
are
right
,
Watson
,
'
he
said
.
'
I
suppose
that
its
influence
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
moment
.
'
'
But
consider
!
'
I
said
earnestly
.
'
Count
the
cost
!
Your
brain
may
,
as
you
say
,
be
roused
and
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
constitution
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
for
mental
exaltation
.
That
is
why
I
have
chosen
my
own
particular
profession
,
or
rather
created
it
,
for
I
am
the
only
one
in
the
world
.
'
'
The
only
unofficial
detective
?
'
I
said
,
raising
my
eyebrows
.
'
The
only
unofficial
consulting
detective
,
'
he
answered
.
'
I
am
the
last
and
highest
court
of
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
me
.
I
examine
the
data
,
as
an
expert
,
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
,
'
said
he
.
'
Honestly
,
I
cannot
congratulate
you
upon
it
.
Detection
is
,
or
ought
to
be
,
an
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
lovestory
or
an
elopement
into
the
fifth
proposition
of
Euclid
.
'
'
But
the
romance
was
there
,
'
I
remonstrated
.
'
I
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
reasoning
from
effects
to
causes
,
by
which
I
succeeded
in
unravelling
it
.
'
I
was
annoyed
at
this
criticism
of
a
work
which
had
been
specially
designed
to
please
him
.
I
confess
,
too
,
that
I
was
irritated
by
the
egotism
which
seemed
to
demand
that
every
line
of
my
pamphlet
should
be
devoted
to
his
own
special
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
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
change
of
the
weather
.
'
My
practice
has
extended
recently
to
the
Continent
,
'
said
Holmes
,
after
awhile
,
filling
up
his
old
briar-root
pipe
.
'
I
was
consulted
last
week
by
François
le
Villard
,
who
,
as
you
probably
know
,
has
come
rather
to
the
front
lately
in
the
French
detective
service
.
He
has
all
the
Celtic
power
of
quick
intuition
,
but
he
is
deficient
in
the
wide
range
of
exact
knowledge
which
is
essential
to
the
higher
developments
of
his
art
.
The
case
was
concerned
with
a
will
,
and
possessed
some
features
of
interest
.
I
was
able
to
refer
him
to
two
parallel
cases
,
the
one
at
Riga
in
1857
,
and
the
other
at
St.
Louis
in
1871
,
which
have
suggested
to
him
the
true
solution
.
Here
is
the
letter
which
I
had
this
morning
acknowledging
my
assistance
.
'
He
tossed
over
,
as
he
spoke
,
a
crumpled
sheet
of
foreign
notepaper
.
I
glanced
my
eyes
down
it
,
catching
a
profusion
of
notes
of
admiration
,
with
stray
'
magnifiques
,
'
'
coup-de-maîtres
,
'
and
'
tours-de-force
,
'
all
testifying
to
the
ardent
admiration
of
the
Frenchman
.
'
He
speaks
as
a
pupil
to
his
master
,
'
said
I
.
'
Oh
,
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
?
'
'
Oh
,
did
n't
you
know
?
'
he
cried
,
laughing
.
'
Yes
,
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
a
hundred
and
forty
forms
of
cigar
,
cigarette
,
and
pipe
tobacco
,
with
coloured
plates
illustrating
the
difference
in
the
ash
.
It
is
a
point
which
is
continually
turning
up
in
criminal
trials
,
and
which
is
sometimes
of
supreme
importance
as
a
clue
.
If
you
can
say
definitely
,
for
example
,
that
some
murder
had
been
done
by
a
man
who
was
smoking
an
Indian
lunkah
,
it
obviously
narrows
your
field
of
search
.
To
the
trained
eye
there
is
as
much
difference
between
the
black
ash
of
a
Trichinopoly
and
the
white
fluff
of
bird's-eye
as
there
is
between
a
cabbage
and
a
potato
.
'
'
You
have
an
extraordinary
genius
for
minutiæ
,
'
I
remarked
.
'
I
appreciate
their
importance
.
Here
is
my
monograph
upon
the
tracing
of
footsteps
,
with
some
remarks
upon
the
uses
of
plaster
of
Paris
as
a
preserver
of
impresses
.
Here
,
too
,
is
a
curious
little
work
upon
the
influènce
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
discovering
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
observation
and
deduction
.
Surely
the
one
to
some
extent
implies
the
other
.
'
'
Why
,
hardly
,
'
he
answered
,
leaning
back
luxuriously
in
his
armchair
,
and
sending
up
thick
blue
wreaths
from
his
pipe
.
'
For
example
,
observation
shows
me
that
you
have
been
to
the
Wigmore
Street
Post-Office
this
morning
,
but
deduction
lets
me
know
that
when
there
you
despatched
a
telegram
.
'
'
Right
!
'
said
I
.
'
Right
on
both
points
!
But
I
confess
that
I
do
n't
see
how
you
arrived
at
it
.
It
was
a
sudden
impulse
upon
my
part
,
and
I
have
mentioned
it
to
no
one
.
'
'
It
is
simplicity
itself
,
'
he
remarked
,
chuckling
at
my
surprise
—
'
so
absurdly
simple
that
an
explanation
is
superfluous
;
and
yet
it
may
serve
to
define
the
limits
of
observation
and
of
deduction
.
Observation
tells
me
that
you
have
a
little
reddish
mould
adhering
to
your
instep
.
Just
opposite
the
Wigmore
Street
Office
they
have
taken
up
the
pavement
and
thrown
up
some
earth
,
which
lies
in
such
a
way
that
it
is
difficult
to
avoid
treading
in
it
in
entering
.
The
earth
is
of
this
peculiar
reddish
tint
which
is
found
,
as
far
as
I
know
,
nowhere
else
in
the
neighbourhood
.
So
much
is
observation
.
The
rest
is
deduction
.
'
'
How
,
then
,
did
you
deduce
the
telegram
?
'
'
Why
,
of
course
I
knew
that
you
had
not
written
a
letter
,
since
I
sat
opposite
to
you
all
morning
.
I
see
also
in
your
open
desk
there
that
you
have
a
sheet
of
stamps
and
a
thick
bundle
of
postcards
.
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
.
'
'
In
this
case
it
certainly
is
so
,
'
I
replied
,
after
a
little
thought
.
'
The
thing
,
however
,
is
,
as
you
say
,
of
the
simplest
.
Would
you
think
me
impertinent
if
I
were
to
put
your
theories
to
a
more
severe
test
?
'
'
On
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
.
'
'
I
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
such
a
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
over
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
occasionally
assumed
.
He
balanced
the
watch
in
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
to
and
handed
it
back
.
'
There
are
hardly
any
data
,
'
he
remarked
.
'
The
watch
has
been
recently
cleaned
,
which
robs
me
of
my
most
suggestive
facts
.
'
'
You
are
right
,
'
I
answered
.
'
It
was
cleaned
before
being
sent
to
me
.
'
In
my
heart
I
accused
my
companion
of
putting
forward
a
most
lame
and
impotent
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
,
lacklustre
eyes
.
'
Subject
to
your
correction
,
I
should
judge
that
the
watch
belonged
to
your
elder
brother
,
who
inherited
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
date
of
the
watch
is
nearly
fifty
years
back
,
and
the
initials
are
as
old
as
the
watch
:
so
it
was
made
for
the
last
generation
.
Jewellery
usually
descends
to
the
eldest
son
,
and
he
is
most
likely
to
have
the
same
name
as
the
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
,
'
said
I
.
'
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
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
descended
to
this
.
You
have
made
inquiries
into
the
history
of
my
unhappy
brother
,
and
you
now
pretend
to
deduce
this
knowledge
in
some
fanciful
way
.
You
cannot
expect
me
to
believe
that
you
have
read
all
this
from
his
old
watch
!
It
is
unkind
,
and
,
to
speak
plainly
,
has
a
touch
of
charlatanism
in
it
.
'
'
My
dear
doctor
,
'
said
he
kindly
,
'
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
wonderful
did
you
get
these
facts
?
They
are
absolutely
correct
in
every
particular
.
'
'
Ah
,
that
is
good
luck
.
I
could
only
say
what
was
the
balance
of
probability
.
I
did
not
at
all
expect
to
be
so
accurate
.
'
'
But
it
was
not
mere
guess-work
?
'
'
No
,
no
:
I
never
guess
.
It
is
a
shocking
habit
—
destructive
to
the
logical
faculty
.
What
seems
strange
to
you
is
only
so
because
you
do
not
follow
my
train
of
thought
or
observe
the
small
facts
upon
which
large
inferences
may
depend
.
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
dinted
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
cavalierly
must
be
a
careless
man
.
Neither
is
it
a
very
farfetched
inference
that
a
man
who
inherits
one
article
of
such
value
is
pretty
well
provided
for
in
other
respects
.
'
I
nodded
,
to
show
that
I
followed
his
reasoning
.
'
It
is
very
customary
for
pawnbrokers
in
England
,
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
ask
you
to
look
at
the
inner
plate
,
which
contains
the
keyhole
.
Look
at
the
thousands
of
scratches
all
round
the
hole
—
marks
where
the
key
has
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
.
Where
is
the
mystery
in
all
this
?
'
'
It
is
as
clear
as
daylight
,
'
I
answered
.
'
I
regret
the
injustice
which
I
did
you
.
I
should
have
had
more
faith
in
your
marvellous
faculty
.
May
I
ask
whether
you
have
any
professional
inquiry
on
foot
at
present
?
'
'
None
.
Hence
the
cocaine
.
I
cannot
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
the
duncoloured
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
commonplace
,
existence
is
commonplace
,
and
no
qualities
save
those
which
are
commonplace
have
any
function
upon
earth
.
'
I
had
opened
my
mouth
to
reply
to
this
tirade
,
when
,
with
a
crisp
knock
,
our
landlady
entered
,
bearing
a
card
upon
the
brass
salver
.
'
A
young
lady
for
you
,
sir
,
'
she
said
,
addressing
my
companion
.
'
Miss
Mary
Morstan
,
'
he
read
.
'
Hum
!
I
have
no
recollection
of
the
name
.
Ask
the
young
lady
to
step
up
,
Mrs.
Hudson
.
Do
n't
go
,
doctor
.
I
should
prefer
that
you
remain
.
'
CHAPTER
II
.
THE
STATEMENT
OF
THE
CASE
.
Miss
Morstan
entered
the
room
with
a
firm
step
and
an
outward
composure
of
manner
.
She
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
it
a
suggestion
of
limited
means
.
The
dress
was
a
sombre
grayish
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
separate
continents
,
I
have
never
looked
upon
a
face
which
gave
a
clearer
promise
of
a
refined
and
sensitive
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
.
'
I
have
come
to
you
,
Mr.
Holmes
,
'
she
said
,
'
because
you
once
enabled
my
employer
,
Mrs.
Cecil
Forrester
,
to
unravel
a
little
domestic
complication
.
She
was
much
impressed
by
your
kindness
and
skill
.
'
'
Mrs
.
Cecil
Forrester
,
'
he
repeated
thoughtfully
.
'
I
believe
that
I
was
of
some
slight
service
to
her
.
The
case
,
however
,
as
I
remember
it
,
was
a
very
simple
one
.
'
'
She
did
not
think
so
.
But
at
least
you
cannot
say
the
same
of
mine
.
I
can
hardly
imagine
anything
more
strange
,
more
utterly
inexplicable
,
than
the
situation
in
which
I
find
myself
.
'
Holmes
rubbed
his
hands
,
and
his
eyes
glistened
.
He
leaned
forward
in
his
chair
with
an
expression
of
extraordinary
concentration
upon
his
clear-cut
,
hawk-like
features
.
'
State
your
case
,
'
said
he
,
in
brisk
,
business
tones
.
I
felt
that
my
position
was
an
embarrassing
one
.
'
You
will
,
I
am
sure
,
excuse
me
,
'
I
said
,
rising
from
my
chair
.
To
my
surprise
,
the
young
lady
held
up
her
gloved
hand
to
detain
me
.
'
If
your
friend
,
'
she
said
,
'
would
be
good
enough
to
stop
,
he
might
be
of
inestimable
service
to
me
.
'
I
relapsed
into
my
chair
.
'
Briefly
,
'
she
continued
,
'
the
facts
are
these
.
My
father
was
an
officer
in
an
Indian
regiment
,
who
sent
me
home
when
I
was
quite
a
child
.
My
mother
was
dead
,
and
I
had
no
relative
in
England
.
I
was
placed
,
however
,
in
a
comfortable
boarding
establishment
at
Edinburgh
,
and
there
I
remained
until
I
was
seventeen
years
of
age
.
In
the
year
1878
my
father
,
who
was
senior
captain
of
his
regiment
,
obtained
twelve
months
'
leave
and
came
home
.
He
telegraphed
to
me
from
London
that
he
had
arrived
all
safe
,
and
directed
me
to
come
down
at
once
,
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
advice
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
,
and
a
choking
sob
cut
short
the
sentence
.
'
The
date
?
'
asked
Holmes
,
opening
his
note-book
.
'
He
disappeared
upon
the
3rd
of
December
,
1878
—
nearly
ten
years
ago
.
'
'
His
luggage
?
'
'
Remained
at
the
hotel
.
There
was
nothing
in
it
to
suggest
a
clue
—
some
clothes
,
some
books
,
and
a
considerable
number
of
curiosities
from
the
Andaman
Islands
.
He
had
been
one
of
the
officers
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
34th
Bombay
Infantry
.
The
Major
had
retired
some
little
time
before
,
and
lived
at
Upper
Norwood
.
We
communicated
with
him
,
of
course
,
but
he
did
not
even
know
that
his
brother
officer
was
in
England
.
'
'
A
singular
case
,
'
remarked
Holmes
.
'
I
have
not
yet
described
to
you
the
most
singular
part
.
About
six
years
ago
—
to
be
exact
,
upon
the
4th
of
May
,
1882
—
an
advertisement
appeared
in
the
Times
asking
for
the
address
of
Miss
Mary
Morstan
,
and
stating
that
it
would
be
to
her
advantage
to
come
forward
.
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
advertisement
column
.
The
same
day
there
arrived
through
the
post
a
small
cardboard
box
addressed
to
me
,
which
I
found
to
contain
a
very
large
and
lustrous
pearl
.
No
word
of
writing
was
enclosed
.
Since
then
every
year
upon
the
same
date
there
has
always
appeared
a
similar
box
,
containing
a
similar
pearl
,
without
any
clue
as
to
the
sender
.
They
have
been
pronounced
by
an
expert
to
be
of
a
rare
variety
and
of
considerable
value
.
You
can
see
for
yourselves
that
they
are
very
handsome
.
'
She
opened
a
flat
box
as
she
spoke
,
and
showed
me
six
of
the
finest
pearls
that
I
had
ever
seen
.
'
Your
statement
is
most
interesting
,
'
said
Sherlock
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
letter
,
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
—
probably
postman
.
Best
quality
paper
.
Envelopes
at
sixpence
a
packet
.
Particular
man
in
his
stationery
.
No
address
.
"
Be
at
the
third
pillar
from
the
left
outside
the
Lyceum
Theatre
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
.
If
you
do
,
all
will
be
in
vain
.
Your
unknown
friend
.
"
Well
,
really
,
this
is
a
very
pretty
little
mystery
!
What
do
you
intend
to
do
,
Miss
Morstan
?
'
'
That
is
exactly
what
I
want
to
ask
you
.
'
'
Then
we
shall
most
certainly
go
—
you
and
I
and
—
yes
,
why
Dr.
Watson
is
the
very
man
.
Your
correspondent
says
two
friends
.
He
and
I
have
worked
together
before
.
'
'
But
would
he
come
?
'
she
asked
,
with
something
appealing
in
her
voice
and
expression
.
'
I
shall
be
proud
and
happy
,
'
said
I
,
fervently
,
'
if
I
can
be
of
any
service
.
'
'
You
are
both
very
kind
,
'
she
answered
.
'
I
have
led
a
retired
life
,
and
have
no
friends
whom
I
could
appeal
to
.
If
I
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
pearlbox
addresses
?
'
'
I
have
them
here
,
'
she
answered
,
producing
half
a
dozen
pieces
of
paper
.
'
You
are
certainly
a
model
client
.
You
have
the
correct
intuition
.
Let
us
see
,
now
.
'
He
spread
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
resemblance
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
revoir
,
'
said
our
visitor
;
and
with
a
bright
,
kindly
glance
from
one
to
the
other
of
us
,
she
replaced
her
pearl-box
in
her
bosom
and
hurried
away
.
Standing
at
the
window
,
I
watched
her
walking
briskly
down
the
street
,
until
the
gray
turban
and
white
feather
were
but
a
speck
in
the
sombre
crowd
.
'
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
languidly
;
'
I
did
not
observe
.
'
'
You
really
are
an
automaton
—
a
calculating
machine
,
'
I
cried
.
'
There
is
something
positively
inhuman
in
you
at
times
.
'
He
smiled
gently
.
'
It
is
of
the
first
importance
,
'
he
said
,
'
not
to
allow
your
judgment
to
be
biased
by
personal
qualities
.
A
client
is
to
me
a
mere
unit
,
a
factor
in
a
problem
.
The
emotional
qualities
are
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
acquaintance
is
a
philanthropist
who
has
spent
nearly
a
quarter
of
a
million
upon
the
London
poor
.
'
'
In
this
case
,
however
—
'
'
I
never
make
exceptions
.
An
exception
disproves
the
rule
.
Have
you
ever
had
occasion
to
study
character
in
handwriting
?
What
do
you
make
of
this
fellow
's
scribble
?
'
'
It
is
legible
and
regular
,
'
I
answered
.
'
A
man
of
business
habits
and
some
force
of
character
.
'
Holmes
shook
his
head
.
'
Look
at
his
long
letters
,
'
he
said
.
'
They
hardly
rise
above
the
common
herd
.
That
d
might
be
an
a
,
and
that
l
an
e
.
Men
of
character
always
differentiate
their
long
letters
,
however
illegibly
they
may
write
.
There
is
vacillation
in
his
k
'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
the
window
with
the
volume
in
my
hand
,
but
my
thoughts
were
far
from
the
daring
speculations
of
the
writer
.
My
mind
ran
upon
our
late
visitor
—
her
smiles
,
the
deep
rich
tones
of
her
voice
,
the
strange
mystery
which
overhung
her
life
.
If
she
were
seventeen
at
the
time
of
her
father
's
disappearance
she
must
be
seven-and-twenty
now
—
a
sweet
age
,
when
youth
has
lost
its
self-consciousness
and
become
a
little
sobered
by
experience
.
So
I
sat
and
mused
,
until
such
dangerous
thoughts
came
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
I
should
dare
to
think
of
such
things
?
She
was
a
unit
,
a
factor
—
nothing
more
.
If
my
future
were
black
,
it
was
better
surely
to
face
it
like
a
man
than
to
attempt
to
brighten
it
by
mere
will-o'-the-wisps
of
the
imagination
.
CHAPTER
III
.
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
with
fits
of
the
blackest
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
have
solved
it
already
?
'
'
Well
,
that
would
be
too
much
to
say
.
I
have
discovered
a
suggestive
fact
,
that
is
all
.
It
is
,
however
,
very
suggestive
.
The
details
are
still
to
be
added
.
I
have
just
found
,
on
consulting
the
back
files
of
the
Times
,
that
Major
Sholto
,
of
Upper
Norwood
,
late
of
the
34th
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
only
person
in
London
whom
he
could
have
visited
is
Major
Sholto
.
Major
Sholto
denies
having
heard
that
he
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
as
a
wronged
woman
.
What
wrong
can
it
refer
to
except
this
deprivation
of
her
father
?
And
why
should
the
presents
begin
immediately
after
Sholto
's
death
,
unless
it
is
that
Sholto
's
heir
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
injustice
in
her
case
that
you
know
of
.
'
'
There
are
difficulties
;
there
are
certainly
difficulties
,
'
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
.
'
I
picked
up
my
hat
and
my
heaviest
stick
,
but
I
observed
that
Holmes
took
his
revolver
from
his
drawer
and
slipped
it
into
his
pocket
.
It
was
clear
that
he
thought
that
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
questions
which
Sherlock
Holmes
put
to
her
.
'
Major
Sholto
was
a
very
particular
friend
of
papa
's
,
'
she
said
.
'
His
letters
were
full
of
allusions
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
do
n'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
.
'
It
is
paper
of
native
Indian
manufacture
,
'
he
remarked
.
'
It
has
at
some
time
been
pinned
to
a
board
.
The
diagram
upon
it
appears
to
be
a
plan
of
part
of
a
large
building
with
numerous
halls
,
corridors
,
and
passages
.
At
one
point
is
a
small
cross
done
in
red
ink
,
and
above
it
is
"
3.37
from
left
,
"
in
faded
pencil-writing
.
In
the
lefthand
corner
is
a
curious
hieroglyphic
like
four
crosses
in
a
line
with
their
arms
touching
.
Beside
it
is
written
,
in
very
rough
and
coarse
characters
,
"
The
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
.
'
'
It
was
in
his
pocket-book
that
we
found
it
.
'
'
Preserve
it
carefully
,
then
,
Miss
Morstan
,
for
it
may
prove
to
be
of
use
to
us
.
I
begin
to
suspect
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
drizzly
fog
lay
low
upon
the
great
city
.
Mud-coloured
clouds
drooped
sadly
over
the
muddy
streets
.
Down
the
Strand
the
lamps
were
but
misty
splotches
of
diffused
light
which
threw
a
feeble
circular
glimmer
upon
the
slimy
pavement
.
The
yellow
glare
from
the
shop-windows
streamed
out
into
the
steamy
,
vaporous
air
,
and
threw
a
murky
,
shifting
radiance
across
the
crowded
thoroughfare
.
There
was
,
to
my
mind
,
something
eerie
and
ghost-like
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
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
manner
that
she
was
suffering
from
the
same
feeling
.
Holmes
alone
could
rise
superior
to
petty
influences
.
He
held
his
open
notebook
upon
his
knee
,
and
from
time
to
time
he
jotted
down
figures
and
memoranda
in
the
light
of
his
pocket-lantern
.
At
the
Lyceum
Theatre
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
of
shirt-fronted
men
and
be-shawled
,
be-diamonded
women
.
We
had
hardly
reached
the
third
pillar
,
which
was
our
rendezvous
,
before
a
small
,
dark
,
brisk
man
in
the
dress
of
a
coachman
accosted
us
.
'
Are
you
the
parties
who
come
with
Miss
Morstan
?
'
he
asked
.
'
I
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
companions
is
a
police-officer
.
'
'
I
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
horse
,
and
we
plunged
away
at
a
furious
pace
through
the
foggy
streets
.
The
situation
was
a
curious
one
.
We
were
driving
to
an
unknown
place
,
on
an
unknown
errand
.
Yet
our
invitation
was
either
a
complete
hoax
—
which
was
an
inconceivable
hypothesis
—
or
else
we
had
good
reason
to
think
that
important
issues
might
hang
upon
our
journey
.
Miss
Morstan
's
demeanour
was
as
resolute
and
collected
as
ever
.
I
endeavoured
to
cheer
and
amuse
her
by
reminiscences
of
my
adventures
in
Afghanistan
;
but
,
to
tell
the
truth
,
I
was
myself
so
excited
at
our
situation
,
and
so
curious
as
to
our
destination
,
that
my
stories
were
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
of
night
,
and
how
I
fired
a
double-barrelled
tiger
cub
at
it
.
At
first
I
had
some
idea
as
to
the
direction
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
he
muttered
the
names
as
the
cab
rattled
through
squares
and
in
and
out
by
tortuous
by-streets
.
'
Rochester
Row
,
'
said
he
.
'
Now
Vincent
Square
.
Now
we
come
out
on
the
Vauxhall
Bridge
Road
.
We
are
making
for
the
Surrey
side
,
apparently
.
Yes
,
I
thought
so
.
Now
we
are
on
the
bridge
.
You
can
catch
glimpses
of
the
river
.
'
We
did
indeed
get
a
fleeting
view
of
a
stretch
of
the
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
Harbour
Lane
.
Our
quest
does
not
appear
to
take
us
to
very
fashionable
regions
.
'
We
had
indeed
reached
a
questionable
and
forbidding
neighbourhood
.
Long
lines
of
dull
brick
houses
were
only
relieved
by
the
coarse
glare
and
tawdry
brilliancy
of
public-houses
at
the
corner
.
Then
came
rows
of
two-storied
villas
,
each
with
a
fronting
of
miniature
garden
,
and
then
again
interminable
lines
of
new
,
staring
brick
buildings
—
the
monster
tentacles
which
the
giant
city
was
throwing
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
neighbours
,
save
for
a
single
glimmer
in
the
kitchen-window
.
On
our
knocking
,
however
,
the
door
was
instantly
thrown
open
by
a
Hindoo
servant
,
clad
in
a
yellow
turban
,
white
loose-fitting
clothes
,
and
a
yellow
sash
.
There
was
something
strangely
incongruous
in
this
Oriental
figure
framed
in
the
commonplace
doorway
of
a
third-rate
suburban
dwelling-house
.
'
The
Sahib
awaits
you
,
'
said
he
,
and
even
as
he
spoke
there
came
a
high
,
piping
voice
from
some
inner
room
.
'
Show
them
in
to
me
,
khitmutgar
,
'
it
cried
.
'
Show
them
straight
in
to
me
.
'
CHAPTER
IV
.
THE
STORY
OF
THE
BALD-HEADED
MAN
.
We
followed
the
Indian
down
a
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
centre
of
the
glare
there
stood
a
small
man
with
a
very
high
head
,
a
bristle
of
red
hair
all
round
the
fringe
of
it
,
and
a
bald
,
shining
scalp
which
shot
out
from
among
it
like
a
mountain-peak
from
fir-trees
.
He
writhed
his
hands
together
as
he
stood
,
and
his
features
were
in
a
perpetual
jerk
—
now
smiling
,
now
scowling
,
but
never
for
an
instant
in
repose
.
Nature
had
given
him
a
pendulous
lip
,
and
a
too
visible
line
of
yellow
and
irregular
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
just
turned
his
thirtieth
year
.
'
Your
servant
,
Miss
Morstan
,
'
he
kept
repeating
,
in
a
thin
,
high
voice
.
'
Your
servant
,
gentlemen
.
Pray
step
into
my
little
sanctum
.
A
small
place
,
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
of
brass
.
The
richest
and
glossiest
of
curtains
and
tapestries
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
huge
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
with
a
subtle
and
aromatic
odour
.
'
Mr
.
Thaddeus
Sholto
,
'
said
the
little
man
,
still
jerking
and
smiling
.
'
That
is
my
name
.
You
are
Miss
Morstan
,
of
course
.
And
these
gentlemen
—
'
'
This
is
Mr.
Sherlock
Holmes
,
and
this
Dr.
Watson
.
'
'
A
doctor
,
eh
?
'
cried
he
,
much
excited
.
'
Have
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
.
The
aortic
I
may
rely
upon
,
but
I
should
value
your
opinion
upon
the
mitral
.
'
I
listened
to
his
heart
,
as
requested
,
but
was
unable
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
normal
,
'
I
said
.
'
You
have
no
cause
for
uneasiness
.
'
'
You
will
excuse
my
anxiety
,
Miss
Morstan
,
'
he
remarked
airily
.
'
I
am
a
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
to
the
lips
.
'
I
knew
in
my
heart
that
he
was
dead
,
'
said
she
.
'
I
can
give
you
every
information
,
'
said
he
;
'
and
,
what
is
more
,
I
can
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
us
can
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
Brother
bartholomew
more
than
any
publicity
.
'
He
sat
down
upon
a
low
settee
,
and
blinked
at
us
inquiringly
with
his
weak
,
watery
blue
eyes
.
'
For
my
part
,
'
said
Holmes
,
'
whatever
you
may
choose
to
say
will
go
no
further
.
'
I
nodded
to
show
my
agreement
.
'
That
is
well
!
That
is
well
!
'
said
he
.
'
May
I
offer
you
a
glass
of
Chianti
,
Miss
Morstan
?
Or
of
Tokay
?
I
keep
no
other
wines
.
Shall
I
open
a
flask
?
No
?
Well
,
then
,
I
trust
that
you
have
no
objection
to
tobacco-smoke
,
to
the
balsamic
odour
of
the
Eastern
tobacco
.
I
am
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
rosewater
.
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
centre
.
'
When
I
first
determined
to
make
this
communication
to
you
,
'
said
he
,
'
I
might
have
given
you
my
address
;
but
I
feared
that
you
might
disregard
my
request
and
bring
unpleasant
people
with
you
.
I
took
the
liberty
,
therefore
,
of
making
an
appointment
in
such
a
way
that
my
man
Williams
might
be
able
to
see
you
first
.
I
have
complete
confidence
in
his
discretion
,
and
he
had
orders
,
if
he
were
dissatisfied
,
to
proceed
no
further
in
the
matter
.
You
will
excuse
these
precautions
,
but
I
am
a
man
of
somewhat
retiring
,
and
I
might
even
say
refined
tastes
,
and
there
is
nothing
more
unæsthetic
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
Corot
,
and
,
though
a
connoisseur
might
perhaps
throw
a
doubt
upon
that
Salvator
Rosa
,
there
cannot
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
.
It
is
very
late
,
and
I
should
desire
the
interview
to
be
as
short
as
possible
.
'
'
At
the
best
it
must
take
some
time
,
he
answered
;
'
for
we
shall
certainly
have
to
go
to
Norwood
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
to
me
.
I
had
quite
high
words
with
him
last
night
.
You
cannot
imagine
what
a
terrible
fellow
he
is
when
he
is
angry
.
'
'
If
we
are
to
go
to
Norwood
,
it
would
perhaps
be
as
well
to
start
at
once
,
'
I
ventured
to
remark
.
He
laughed
until
his
ears
were
quite
red
.
'
That
would
hardly
do
,
'
he
cried
.
'
I
do
n'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
I
am
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
Pondicherry
Lodge
in
Upper
Norwood
.
He
had
prospered
in
India
,
and
brought
back
with
him
a
considerable
sum
of
money
,
a
large
collection
of
valuable
curiosities
,
and
a
staff
of
native
servants
.
With
these
advantages
he
bought
himself
a
house
,
and
lived
in
great
luxury
.
My
twinbrother
Bartholomew
and
I
were
the
only
children
.
'
I
very
well
remember
the
sensation
which
was
caused
by
the
disappearance
of
Captain
Morstan
.
We
read
the
details
in
the
papers
,
and
,
knowing
that
he
had
been
a
friend
of
our
father
's
,
we
discussed
the
case
freely
in
his
presence
.
He
used
to
join
in
our
speculations
as
to
what
could
have
happened
.
Never
for
an
instant
did
we
suspect
that
he
had
the
whole
secret
hidden
in
his
own
breast
,
that
of
all
men
he
alone
knew
the
fate
of
Arthur
Morstan
.
'
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
you
to-night
,
was
one
of
them
.
He
was
once
light-weight
champion
of
England
.
Our
father
would
never
tell
us
what
it
was
he
feared
,
but
he
had
a
most
marked
aversion
to
men
with
wooden
legs
.
On
one
occasion
he
actually
fired
his
revolver
at
a
wooden-legged
man
,
who
proved
to
be
a
harmless
tradesman
canvassing
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
.
'
Early
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
in
a
scrawling
hand
.
He
had
suffered
for
years
from
an
enlarged
spleen
,
but
he
now
became
rapidly
worse
,
and
towards
the
end
of
April
we
were
informed
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
.
He
besought
us
to
lock
the
door
and
to
come
upon
either
side
of
the
bed
.
Then
,
grasping
our
hands
,
he
made
a
remarkable
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
.
'
"
I
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
