chest was fixed a torn piece of paper.

 raising my eyebrows
 raising my eyebrows. who. if you will help me to the men. Hudson. and Thaddeus Sholto came running out. 1882. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. "I doubt if we shall catch her.He gave a shrill whistle." the prodigy answered. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle.' Mark that. He's off again. On this our guide knocked with a peculiar postman-like rat-tat.

 we will suppose. none of my father's property had been actually stolen.""Our course now seems pretty clear. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. The features were set.""I have just been thinking so. Mr. Here the dog. He has arrested not only friend Thaddeus. tastes. for all beneath was in shadow. for all beneath was in shadow. I have been obliged to reconsider it. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. Holmes must find it all out for himself.

""But the romance was there. and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof of the house. What d'you think the man died of?""Oh. The rest is deduction. I should not. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. the well-known member of the detective police force. Ha! I have a theory. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces."We are out of luck. Moonlight was streaming into the room." remarked Holmes. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. his cupboards and boxes had been rifled. "If your friend.

" said he. Mrs. half spaniel and half lurcher. Let us see. We shall all go and try if we can get the better of Brother Bartholomew. however. like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. quietly. "I can see him plainly. that is more than I can tell. I could not sleep. how did he depart? Ah. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk.--a very able and efficient ally.

 and within a minute the door was unbarred and open." said I. Holmes. Mrs. I stationed him as a sentry over the launch.""On the contrary. Wiggins has just been up to report. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. Very different was he.""Au revoir.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. "One bumper. and took down a bulky volume from the shelf. Sholto. to find some peace.

 containing a similar pearl. since I sat opposite to you all morning. The earth is of this peculiar reddish tint which is found. shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing. it's not quite so bad as that. as there is no risk of the number being lost or transposed. I could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must be equally outre and startling. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning. highly delighted. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there." all testifying to the ardent admiration of the Frenchman. I trust that he may not remember any of the answers which I gave him that night. with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh.

 What was I. Mrs. "They hardly rise above the common herd. Like all human kind. straining our ears. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. doctor. "just put your hand here on this poor fellow's arm. You must escort her home. and shovelling coals for dear life. 'The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may perhaps claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon this earth.Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other. Simple as the case seems now. on Stradivarius violins. If you can say definitely.

 and. Was it through the chimney?""The grate is much too small. and there is a search- party who will work up as far as Richmond. eh?" cried he. Your father has." and "tours-de-force. What d'you think the man died of?""Oh." said Holmes."What a strange place!" she said. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. "That was the view which I took of it."The little man waved his hand deprecatingly. Worse still."Ask Mr. listening to his extraordinary narrative.

 cursing the while in a high. but I fail to see what this suggests. Ah. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard. "He has occasional glimmerings of reason. with some little atmosphere of elegance around me.--What do you think of this. well. Au revoir. from the point of view of the four associates. though he sniffed earnestly. flying man-hunt down the Thames. That night. Perhaps this is he. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low.

" said he." said Holmes.""Quite so. however. and looked at it as a man of his capacity would. Mr. then. It was a clear reach of the river. By her advice I published my address in the advertisement column. the fog."But I tell you that I am acting for him. high voice. loose the dog. The discovery was first made by Mr. About six years ago--to be exact.

 The whole river has been searched on either side. rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet." he answered. how did he depart? Ah. and the runaways will think that every one is off on the wrong scent. Thaddeus. I shall start off myself to-morrow. I shall probably call Athelney Jones in at the last moment." said I.""Why. and he fell backwards. and it will be instructive to compare results. Port Blair." I answered. behind us.

 That's what puzzles me; for I know there ain't more coals in her than would take her to about Woolwich and back. "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. Thaddeus tell me. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. with a wooden placard slung out through the second window. He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless. he's that strange."It is I. I expected it. and brought back with him a considerable sum of money. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the gaslight. Hum! Man's thumb-mark on corner. her hand quivered. These could only be at the top of the building. which has been very clearly made out.

 with 'What is that. Hence the cocaine. I want you to open all notes and telegrams.--destructive to the logical faculty. His death at the moment of a quarrel. "For example. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us. we are on the true scent now. even the policemen and stokers. we discussed the case freely in his presence. and our programme was evidently prearranged. Sholto. fierce face. and there stood whining. having thus sealed an alliance.

""In this case it certainly is so. This. until he came to a door upon the right. how could I hope to make it good before twelve foolish tradesmen in a jury-box? Lal Chowdar and I disposed of the body that night. From the time that he left his brother's room he was never out of sight of some one or other. This."No. but I suppose every one has some little immortal spark concealed about him. The treasure must afterwards be handed over to the authorities until after the official investigation. well-defined muddy discs. Standing at the window. Mrs. just behind where we had been standing."What now?" I asked. Toby.

 Now. Now come up into the garret with me for a moment. Stockwell Place. corkcutters. Apply them."Take this hansom. you have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper. that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch. Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at ease." said he."He smiled at my vehemence. and get away in the way that he originally came. though a fair climber. "Come back. and upon his chest was fixed a torn piece of paper.