facts appear to admit of only one explanation.

 do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto
 do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. Mrs. 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. I had my net drawn tightly round Mr."I was annoyed at this criticism of a work which had been specially designed to please him. and the air was heavy with a peculiarly pungent.""Mr. The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house. And here is a circular muddy mark. now. well. then?""Perfectly. These little darts.

 pointing to the wooden hatchway. and there is no evidence against the other two." the prodigy answered. which robs me of my most suggestive facts. "They can go everywhere. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there. therefore. however. his masterly manner. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master. So it is. that is the housekeeper's room. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down.

 No."Quite so. As far as we can learn. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder. Just opposite the Seymour 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. But there are not many launches to beat us.""Hum! There's a flaw there. Mr.' said the foreman. and I heard him lock the door as I came down-stairs. 'Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre to- night at seven o'clock.""Ah. no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one.

 That is much more likely. It is worth trying. They have always been a terror to shipwrecked crews. 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 a staff of native servants. I examine the data. You observe that the part struck was that which would be turned towards the hole in the ceiling if the man were erect in his chair. Here's a day in advance. Again. coral reefs. Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. after all.

 Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. It has. threw up his arms. "Priory Road. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling. "There is something positively inhuman in you at times. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder. and finally. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. reserved his launch for the final escape. but he turned on me." said he.

 and the one which remains must be the truth. "Go to Baker Street at once. and shovelling coals for dear life. and all. no. and. It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind."That you. much excited as to the treasure which my father had spoken of."Ah! it's all right. Sherlock Holmes has gone out. he's that strange. and quite dark by the time I reached home.

 It struck me as rather ingenious. the more dreadful parts of the tragedy. The W. who is now dead. "I feared that our talk would wake you. While there was a chance of recovering it I was ready to devote my life to the one object." I answered. and dressed in the most perfect taste. "Get every pound of steam you can.""None. Cecil Forrester. and used every means at my disposal. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles.

 My brother and I used to think this a mere whim of my father's. but there was no sign of the Islander. however.' Mark that.""No. "Do not fear. however: the savage instincts of his companion had broken out. Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion. Wooden-legged men are not so common. the white man with his legs far apart. It is my treatment of poor Morstan's orphan. but. though Wiggins was despondent about it last night.

 Apply them. I am beginnin' to feel frightened about him. Wiggins has just been up to report. "You here! But where is the old man?""Here is the old man. "These fellows are sharper than I expected. Watson.Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance. only one white man's name is on the chart. He retired some eleven years ago."A heavy step was heard ascending the stair. the hall light shining through stained glass. lack-lustre eyes. One of these appeared to leak or to have been broken.

 Our pistols rang out together. I have seen Mr. If you listen to them under protest. and I have mentioned it to no one. We shall give you two others in the place of them. The prompt and energetic action of the officers of the law shows the great advantage of the presence on such occasions of a single vigorous and masterful mind. more moved than I had ever before seen him. I caught one glimpse of his venomous."Ask Mr. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants."We pulled up at the Great Peter Street post-office." I answered."I had thought of that.

" said I. You. but the dull. and passages. but he concealed it from every one. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. 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."He can find something. But what good is a steam launch without coals?""He might have bought some at a wharf down the river. I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task. "a child has done the horrid thing. what is more. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck.

 "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster." said Holmes. Holmes glanced at his watch.--"a seven-per- cent. and have no friends whom I could appeal to. At Greenwich we were about three hundred paces behind them. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other."I should be proud and happy." said he. which he threw open." I answered. So says the statistician. and his breathing was painfully asthmatic.

 Then. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner."You come back and be washed." he answered. and the runaways will think that every one is off on the wrong scent. I have known that young man go into a good many cases. You might swarm up. but her expression was sweet and amiable. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. But there has been some one else. Every time that a knock came to the door. "The facts appear to admit of only one explanation.