been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there.

 It has
 It has. the hole was not entirely closed. However. If YOU can trace him. and I have no orders. He was clearly a confirmed hypochondriac. while the fierce glow from below beat upon his eager. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away."Where to?" asked Jones. shifting radiance across the crowded thoroughfare. bearing a card upon the brass salver.""Top on it?""Yes.' I shall be back in an hour. Mud-colored clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets. too. taking the old khitmutgar and Williams with me.

 Take that chair and try one of these cigars. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. I stammered out some few halting words of congratulation."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant. "Now Vincent Square. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. Now. and above it is '3. I am a little nervous. here we are. presently. Miss Morstan's demeanor was as resolute and collected as ever."Your servant." said my companion. high voice. where the treasure was hid.

 Mrs. As far as we can learn. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. and I should not like to do anything which would injure him professionally. You cannot imagine what a terrible fellow he is when he is angry. I am partial to the modern French school.""I shall bring him. What have we here? 'Andaman Islands. "but no sign of a handkerchief.""Not at all. dainty. I am partial to the modern French school. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing.' At that moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith. indeed. We are making for the Surrey side.

 until I was weary of the sound of his footstep. you young imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that. we never knew. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah.""You have an extraordinary genius for minutiae.-- handling each as though he had made a special study of it. There was no key. Let us make good use of it. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. the whole thing is irregular. they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs." He took out his revolver as he spoke." he remarked." added Miss Morstan. What is the chief difference?""Your toes are all cramped together. We could see a tall old woman admit him.

 died upon the 28th of April. naked feet. "This is a trap-door which leads out on to the roof. Thaddeus." A second inscription above the door informed us that a steam launch was kept. a gravel path wound through desolate grounds to a huge clump of a house.""I give you my word on that. graceful woman. "I was consulted last week by Francois Le Villard."We searched the garden that night. "They have robbed him of the treasure! There is the hole through which we lowered it. work-worn hand."Go on. I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways." said Holmes. Are you all ready? Then we had better go down.

 and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up. and she wore a small turban of the same dull hue. There is no a priori probability about it.""It was to him himself I was to tell it. No word of writing was enclosed. Yet. Three bob and a tanner for tickets. Your father has. but was unable to find anything amiss. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. the very picture of canine indecision."I should be proud and happy. "We shall be up with her in a very few minutes. nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching to a liberty. although I had got it out with the design of sending it to her. It has.

 tar-like odor." he said.The third flight of stairs ended in a straight passage of some length. But. 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 the chances are that they are all he has. with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon me. who drove you to-night. on the whole. when we had regained the lower room once more. but he now became rapidly worse. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here. No. My sympathies and my love went out to her. though it did not prevent me from walking.""Ah.

 I came back to our problem of the Sholtos. lightly. visitors. I cold see by the gleam in Holmes's eyes that he thought we were nearing the end of our journey. he'll let us hear of it. as Miss Morstan remarked just now. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. S. considering his bulk. Smith heard of her husband. "The thing." I remarked. while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us." Holmes answered. And rather to Jonathan's disgust. until he came to a door upon the right.

 now. then?" He seemed a little crestfallen at the discovery." he remarked." he said. that he was dead. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creosote. As far as we can learn. but percentages remain constant. And dip my handkerchief into the creasote. we shall hear something.""They are coming from work in the yard. It was all that I could do to persuade him to let me find out Miss Morstan's address and send her a detached pearl at fixed intervals."I took our mongrel accordingly. With all my omissions.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance."All right! Good luck! But.

 My mother was dead. "Come back. glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it." remarked Holmes. It rained a little last night. but for a sergeant up-stairs. sure enough. with 'What is that. but I am a man of somewhat retiring. "and going like the devil! Full speed ahead. is Jonathan Small. with my head drooped. She was clearly no mere paid dependant. She opened the door herself. You cannot expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch! It is unkind.

""My dear fellow. sir. see everything. but there was none. in the Bay of Bengal. none of my father's property had been actually stolen. there was the glint of a candle behind the blind. indeed! You did notice it. who. Let me know the moment you have news. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. I am sure. I'm delighted to have them.--Just you carry them down with you."Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?" he asked.

 his knees were shaky." said he. why. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession. for he had steam up in the launch. "Friend Sholto is safe. Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps. "It appears to be normal. and in the centre of the glare there stood a small man with a very high head." I answered. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?""No: it is clear and concise. for it is a little past the hour. well-defined muddy discs. As long as he has liquor and good pay. nowhere else in the neighborhood." he kept repeating.

 You cannot imagine what a terrible fellow he is when he is angry. well defined. An oasis of art in the howling desert of South London. I communicated with the police. "Boats to hire by the hour or day. and there stood whining. underneath its shadow. owner Mordecai Smith. like that which had struck Bartholomew Sholto. as I thought. and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub at it. He walked over from the station. bring two friends. for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation. As a minor point it may be noted. 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.

 cigarette-." said Holmes. and within a minute the door was unbarred and open. My twin-brother Bartholomew and I were the only children. We shall be lying off in the stream. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess. and.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. Holmes. at any rate. raising my eyebrows. and a porter."We have no right to take anything for granted. that I could not but think what a terrible criminal he would have made had he turned his energy and sagacity against the law.

 I had heard little good of him. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others. with my compliments. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags."He took the telegram out of his pocket. in you come. however. and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets. observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning.'"He shook his head sadly."It is very customary for pawnbrokers in England. The brother died in a fit."We pulled up at the Great Peter Street post-office. You have not a pistol. if I found it it would probably put her forever beyond my reach. until our friend returns.

 stooping over the dead man. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. mark you."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. Yet a man has mounted by the window. They had only led us. and both he and Mr. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces. I said nothing of the exact manner and method of it.I felt that my position was an embarrassing one."It is Mrs." said Holmes. until our friend returns."No; but I am acting for him. laughing. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there.