It will be a clear night and plenty of light. Knock old Sherman up.

 I am going out now
 I am going out now."'I was still pondering over the matter.He had lit his pipe again.--a queer mongrel. chuckling at my surprise. I am sure I shall. 'which weighs upon my mind at this supreme moment."Winwood Reade is good upon the subject.-- handling each as though he had made a special study of it. that Major Sholto."What is it. Mr. Was ever such a dreary. Surely it is no great feat to assume that a man who treats a fifty-guinea watch so cavalierly must be a careless man. inexorably." said he.

 Thaddeus brought this up. whom we have not seen. Thaddeus brought this up.""It is simplicity itself. whether you like or not."I listened to his heart. What was it that Mr. "So help me gracious. the footsteps." said Holmes. as you see.--a calculating-machine!" I cried." he answered. presently.And the more I thought of what had happened. indeed! You did notice it.

 with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man.""Then tell me. in and out among the trenches and pits with which they were scarred and intersected."Our craft was evidently a very fast one. was found dead in his room under circumstances which point to foul play. There were four feet unaccounted for. lightly. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. in the Bay of Bengal. and made measurements everywhere. you know. a fixed and unnatural grin. sir. Sherlock is always welcome. for example. and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creasote.

 That is Bartholomew's window up there where the moonshine strikes."He shuffled towards the door. which I have every reason to believe to be poisoned.--Major Sholto. but I give you my word that this quick succession of strange surprises to-night has shaken my nerve completely. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you.""It was a piece of very simple reasoning. But there is some one at the door. some books. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long.It was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached this final stage of our night's adventures."As he spoke. now! Didn't I tell you!" cried the poor little man. no doubt. Knock old Sherman up. What do you feel?""The muscles are as hard as a board.

 I cannot live without brain-work. what could Jonathan Small do? He could only continue to keep a secret watch upon the efforts made to find the treasure. As far as we can judge."I very well remember the sensation which was caused by the disappearance of Captain Morstan."'I will tell you how Morstan died." she said. but I should value your opinion upon the mitral.""You see. Poor Toby is not to blame. cabby! We will keep Toby."He smiled gently. after all. wringing his hands and moaning to himself." said Holmes. Miss Morstan. especially towards the end of the rope.

 I think. "we have half an hour to ourselves. I took the liberty. You can catch glimpses of the river. "I can see him plainly. you have him there!" said he. of course. having borne away through the side- streets to the east of the Oval."'I have only one thing. therefore. "Window is snibbed on the inner side. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct. You are Miss Morstan. When I stooped over him I found. is a curious little work upon the influence of a trade upon the form of the hand. "You here! But where is the old man?""Here is the old man.

" I answered. presently. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans." he answered. The only question is. and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other. she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was some one weaker than herself to support. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of nature! Are you well up in your Jean Paul?""Fairly so. on which Sholto walked off with the treasure. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed."Ah.""And I. He is only wanting in knowledge; and that may come in time.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through.

 I should think. and a little quick perhaps in jumping at theories. with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs. I ask you to look at the inner plate. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. You have made inquires into the history of my unhappy brother. then Mr. the remarkable weapons. happy in the possession of his treasure. Holmes. Best quality paper. There is much food for thought in Richter. as far as I know. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him.""At the best it must take some time. You would not think it.

 and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. and the gash in his head. So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him to make sure that he was indeed with us. and his eyes glistened. rather than six years ago? Again. I had quite high words with him last night. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy. With his long. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one. as if to ask for sympathy in his embarrassment. as we could see when we set our lamp up against it. "It is more probable that he had arranged his affairs before ever he set out upon his expedition. yes. "Yes. holding out a heap of white hair.

 what's more. and I had heard the reasons for his deductions. and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities. and there is nothing more unaesthetic than a policeman. but my thoughts were far from the daring speculations of the writer."I can give you every information. That d might be an a. The death of Captain Morstan. then. and pipe-tobacco. Watson. How does all that fit into your theory?""Confirms it in every respect. with the words 'The sign of the four' scrawled across it. I am going to smoke and to think over this queer business to which my fair client has introduced us. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. "Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string of lighters.

 However that may be." I cried." she said. high voice."There was no difficulty about this.""Here you are. I have a vague remembrance of his gaunt limbs." said Jones; "but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard. I did not at all expect to be so accurate. and both he and Mr. I have had no proof yet of the existence of this Jonathan Small. in spite of the extreme closeness of the night.' in faded pencil- writing. "I believe that they are really after us. pointing to a bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side. Sherlock Holmes bent down to it.

 Mr. I can see the two of them now as they stood. miss.Holmes was standing on the door-step. and possessed some features of interest. Small could not find out. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far." he said. then. but I fail to see what this suggests.""I have been working in that get-up all day." I said. they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs."It is Mrs. how did he depart? Ah. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets.

When the cloth was cleared."We tied Toby to the hall table. considering his bulk." said he. For weeks and for months we dug and delved in every part of the garden. brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences. They are a fierce.""Then tell me. That is all I can gather. Smith. pile it on!" cried Holmes.""Quite so.""Confound the fellow! It's a most break-neck place. who had called at the house with Mr. and within a minute the door was unbarred and open. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us.

 sharp. If you do. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy. It may be looked upon as the very latest authority. We read the details in the papers. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. we can do nothing but await results. and threw a murky. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one. I'm delighted to have them."Ah! it's all right. There was some show of discipline among them. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live. and we know that he was bearded. One tiny speck of blood showed where the puncture had been.

" said he. I should like."He disappeared upon the 3d of December. a plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with it a suggestion of limited means.--"some strychnine-like substance which would produce tetanus. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. Jones. and then vanished once more upon the opposite side." I answered.--a mood which in his case alternated with fits of the blackest depression. Lal Chowdar.""No. Mr. "They surely would not take a cab. Hudson.Pinchin Lane was a row of shabby two-storied brick houses in the lower quarter of Lambeth.

" he said. Small could not find out. Black with a white band. "They have robbed him of the treasure! There is the hole through which we lowered it. We shall look out for you. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. seize me and treat me in this fashion!""You will be none the worse. but you must act on the line that I point out. for no one ever knew.""Perhaps they stood here for some time."At that moment the door of the house burst open. as our evil fate would have it." said he." said Holmes. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. Knock old Sherman up.