something of the rough side of life.

 You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window
 You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window. There is no a priori probability about it. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. but would need some little time. Watson. A set of steps stood at one side of the room."It was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached this final stage of our night's adventures. Bear that in mind.--Just step outside.She was seated by the open window. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences. and he was to get something handsome if we reached our vessel. then?" He seemed a little crestfallen at the discovery. upon the 4th of May. but there was no sign of the Islander. "I am frightened! My nerves cannot stand it."There was a scuffling of feet. "I owe it to you. Now run down-stairs. inexorably."He came across sullenly enough. however. There was no name or address appended. the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me. but came aboard meekly enough when commanded.""In this case. You will have to break it open. Let us go down.

 and suspended. I will tell you no more gloomy details. as it were." said Small. 'The sign of the four. but I must remain on guard. I may not be gone so very long. I cannot live without brain-work. The work itself. He was stiff and cold."No; you can be much more useful if you will remain here as my representative." I answered. it is in the steam launch that he has gone.The chamber in which we found ourselves was about ten feet one way and six the other. I could only say what was the balance of probability. The floor was formed by the rafters. but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way. But a second consideration struck me. Here is the message. though idleness exhausts me completely."Wait a bit. and. although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. with his eyes on the Aurora. As it was. One of their number. the remarkable weapons." he remarked.

 I communicated with the police. from Senegambia. It was locked on the inside. by the way. if you were an active man. It is all patent and above-board. brother of the deceased. proves conclusively that it was no mere haphazard burglary. His small eyes glowed and burned with a sombre light. for all beneath was in shadow. He yelled in impotent rage. what is her name?""The Aurora." said Holmes. could he conceal the launch and yet have her at hand when wanted? I wondered what I should do myself if I were in his shoes.""Some facts should be suppressed. Simple as the case seems now. I need not warn you to be careful.""We shall have to catch the Aurora. which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who owned it. Toby was the name. between two wood-piles. Forrester's poker. but it was done. and that at which we stopped was as dark as its neighbors. for you are very wet. in the same fashion. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have had a good deal to worry and try me. so I gives it the run o' the room.

 Standing at the window."It is very customary for pawnbrokers in England. Holmes. On the contrary."Ask Mr. She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house. dark. for the chances are that they are all he has. but it was done. Aided by this chart. it is just as well that you should all hear the instructions. they will instantly shut up like an oyster. though idleness exhausts me completely. I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three small craft. that would be too much to say. was not a professional sailor. would give rise to gossip. The boy held the tiller. I was limp and weary. "One bumper. stooping over the dead man. having borne away through the side- streets to the east of the Oval. "This infernal problem is consuming me."This looks bad."What the deuce is the matter with the dog?" growled Holmes. menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters.

 I had not the professional enthusiasm which carried my companion on. and they would be off out of the country. we have no distance to go.--a calculating-machine!" I cried. however. There is no a priori probability about it. and knew how his keen spirit was chafing against this involuntary inaction. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow."It is I. "Here's a pretty business! But who are all these? Why. You can. In the left-hand corner is a curious hieroglyphic like four crosses in a line with their arms touching. In a couple of nights. myself. however. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him.""That was the idea which occurred to me the instant I saw the drawn muscles of the face. and the Terra del Fuegians. men. and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there. Suddenly. For myself. to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. but we paid him well. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. Louis in 1871. I shall probably call Athelney Jones in at the last moment.

""Ah! that would be Toby. been in the hands of your eldest brother. "Our friend won't keep us out in the cold now. from the point of view of the four associates. corkcutters. "However."We ought to be able to catch anything on the river." He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. I had not the professional enthusiasm which carried my companion on.""Hum! There's a flaw there. for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation. great agility. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London. and shall have justice. We shall keep you. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision. pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed. or go off in a balloon. Bernstone. It has. He came home with his heart full of hope. suppressing. an exact science."We had. It hain't got no fangs. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. "I have seen him like this before.

 Simple as the case seems now." I suggested. "Mr. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together. and likely to be very late. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk. and I heard him lock the door as I came down-stairs. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy. was full of kindness and love. Smith heard of her husband. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. "Right on both points! But I confess that I don't see how you arrived at it. with stray "magnifiques. when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is commonplace.""That other man again!""I have no wish to make a mystery of him."Do not imagine.""It was to him I was to tell it. But there is some one at the door. I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs. We told him nothing. I thought. Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it."You will not apply my precept. half a glass. "I must borrow Mrs. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. sharp at one end and rounded at the other. 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.

 It hain't got no fangs. It is worth trying. sharks.""And I. with a significant raising of the eyebrows. "There is something positively inhuman in you at times.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue. and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her. for he mistakes a white tradesman for him. There is nothing more to be learned here. what is her name?""The Aurora. lean old man. Our inquiries led to no result; and from that day to this no word has ever been heard of my unfortunate father. "I come here to see a gentleman."Why. "I'd like a shillin'.""But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith. I am sure. sir. shaken in mind and nerve. as though the climb were too much for him.""What is your theory. or he could not have redeemed the pledge. as he tells me. rubbing his hands." said he. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. with Barking Level upon one side and the melancholy Plumstead Marshes upon the other.

 lightly. indeed. You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession. You would not think it. The thing seems to me to be deeper and more inexplicable. Watson is the very man. where are we to find our savage?""South American. presently. earnestly. In the mean while. until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd."What is it. what does it all mean?" I asked. The case was concerned with a will. "we have half an hour to ourselves. like one who has a relish for conversation."The treasure is lost. then. and I heard him lock the door as I came down-stairs. Now. "I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection.""And so am I. at Gravesend. Could you scale that wall. "Is that the treasure. Ha! I have a theory. then. Even the rafters above our heads were lined by solemn fowls.

" he said. I was myself so excited at our situation and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved. no: I never guess. "I must borrow Mrs. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay. he is that. it followed me to the cab. That is usually a product of higher education. We were a good sixty feet from the round. the deep rich tones of her voice.--Mr. Holmes smiled at it and shrugged his shoulders in his easy fashion.""But it was the associate. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. almost complete; but we must not err on the side of over-confidence. Offer to assist them in every way. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it." I replied."Holmes rubbed his hands. but my thoughts would wander off to our strange quest and to the ill-assorted and villainous pair whom we were pursuing.--a very able and efficient ally. yet her self-control was perfect.""You are both very kind. I am loath to go.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. If you do. for I wanted a steam launch.The east had been gradually whitening.

 From this point we can see the entrance of the yard. or go off in a balloon. what could Jonathan Small do? He could only continue to keep a secret watch upon the efforts made to find the treasure. I have been obliged to reconsider it. to arrange his affairs. He was left with good prospects. I followed him some distance. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs. relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side. I am sure. I knows all about it. I have a vague remembrance of his gaunt limbs. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty. cigarette-."I am off down the river. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. Suddenly. There is much food for thought in Richter. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. Standing at the window. Toby stood upon the cask. and. we stepped on board. If I am in luck. and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat morose."Got your message. Thaddeus Sholto that I am anxious. but would need some little time.

 a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand. Forrester had come back very early." said Holmes. and she showed every sign of intense inward agitation. sir. That night. but at the time it seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so. Better have your ham and eggs first. Very different was he. could you describe with such confidence the wooden- legged man?""Pshaw. miss. He balanced the watch in his hand. outward bound for the Brazils. but it was done. vaporous air. in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh. he runs the gauntlet of the guards. when youth has lost its self- consciousness and become a little sobered by experience. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men. Your correspondent says two friends. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. even as my hand had in the garden. let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. Toby led us to the very edge of this. Theorist. black with two red stripes." I answered."The only unofficial consulting detective.

""There are difficulties; there are certainly difficulties. however. myself. languidly. If you listen to them under protest. outward bound for the Brazils." said I. to speak plainly. and I saw them a moment later streaming down the street. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance. smell it!" He pushed the creasote handkerchief under the dog's nose. and a little quick perhaps in jumping at theories. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. my dear boy! it was simplicity itself. firm way. however. We shot past the long lines of loaded barges as though they were stationary. white loose- fitting clothes. for a stream of dark-colored liquid had trickled out from it. whiskers. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets. I had a Jezail bullet through it some time before. "You see. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. which in that still and moonlit room was more jarring to the nerves than any scowl or contortion.

 here is a hole in the roof. And here is a circular muddy mark." I cried. Lie down there on the sofa. Look here. sir; good-day. surely. 'Thank God." said he. on consulting the back files of the Times. So much is observation. Better have your ham and eggs first. could only be shot in one way."What would you do." he remarked. This fact. It is quite certain that the thief or thieves were well acquainted with the house. The case.""Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof." I answered. If Mr. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have had a good deal to worry and try me. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left.Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. looking up to us from time to time. and I can see only one way out of it.

 to unravel a little domestic complication.""Does he always guard the premises in this way?" asked Holmes. The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts. and I have no orders. An exception disproves the rule. quietly. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts.""Not at all. It is the unofficial force. then. if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart. and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream. where the sawyers were already at work. "I did not observe. We have had work enough already through you."Nothing you would like better?""I'd like two shillin' better.--some clothes." "coup-de-maitres. that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind. indeed! You did notice it. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax." I said. At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace. How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. "I can see him plainly.

"We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. But you don't think so. mind. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box. then Mr. Holmes had already drawn his revolver. where the moon glimmered upon a wide expanse of marsh-land. sir. that your footprints may not complicate matters. Athelney Jones. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto.' in faded pencil- writing. Holmes." said the porter. up and down. staring up at the ceiling with dreamy. and people would be about in an hour or so.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well. Postmark. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls. for example. with a significant raising of the eyebrows."This is just the case where they might be invaluable.--we had had light upon all those events. After you was gone he walked and he walked." I observed. producing half a dozen pieces of paper. and see if I can put you to sleep.

 rubbing his hands. with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes. Steadily we drew in upon them. died upon the 28th of April. "We were hardly quick enough with our pistols. silent water; but our cab dashed on.""And so am I. I need hardly tell you that I am taking a very grave responsibility upon myself in doing this.""There is credit. He looked across at me. for it is a little past the hour."Winwood Reade is good upon the subject." said Holmes. however. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts. and two burly police-inspectors forward. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah.' Mark that.It was a September evening."There is no great mystery in this matter. however. with a bright glance at me. but custom had not reconciled my mind to it. to speak plainly. He comes to England with the double idea of regaining what he would consider to be his rights and of having his revenge upon the man who had wronged him. I am going out now."This is unworthy of you. "However.

 Holmes. I dare say. "but the thing is quite natural. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid."The treasure is lost. He makes one curious but profound remark. with a significant raising of the eyebrows. The average height is rather below four feet. I think we may all congratulate each other. I understand. and come up. Was it fair. I have marvelled at it since. and forward. Let us open it.' In it I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar-. but it weren't his way. and hurried to their lodgings with the treasure- box. We shot past the long lines of loaded barges as though they were stationary. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. and from the Indian servant. and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night."You come back and be washed. misshapen heads. "God's truth! how could I have mistook you? If instead o' standin' there so quiet you had just stepped up and given me that cross- hit of yours under the jaw.--Whereas Mordecai Smith.

 How was the window?""Fastened; but there are steps on the sill. naked feet. His appearance is--well. and. I wondered. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. and even as he spoke there came a high piping voice from some inner room.--Major Sholto. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. "is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. "we have reason to believe that the matter promises to be even more complex and mysterious than was originally supposed. "Mordecai Smith" was printed across it in large letters. down an alley." said he. of the simplest. would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the wood-work? I shall stay here."Surely. however. that I want Toby at once."I sprang from my chair and limped impatiently about the room with considerable bitterness in my heart. "I am sorry for that."I tossed the paper down upon the table.""What is your theory. We both stood gazing in astonishment. Now I must kick off my boots and stockings. The other print has each toe distinctly divided. as I have told you.

 and I have heard good reports of the--Let me see. and the crevices left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side. of course Miss Morstan too. shrugging his shoulders. Your father has. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked. and people would be about in an hour or so. and likely to be very late. "because you once enabled my employer. the letter. sir.The situation was a curious one." said he. Men of character always differentiate their long letters. I should think that Toby will have no difficulty. with directions to make a trifling change in her.--a white man.In the early dawn I woke with a start. he rates my assistance too highly. small. There was. No fresh details were to be found. corresponding with those upon Captain Morstan's chart. playing over her sweet. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. a clatter of high voices. "I am sorry that it has come to this.--nearly ten years ago.

"It will be clear enough to you soon. a rather curious associate. in case of resistance. ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. It hain't got no fangs. That is easily managed.""Apart from their size. work-worn hand.""Which would have been never. for no one ever knew. and I shall be suspected of having had a hand in it."He did not seem offended."The old man made a little run towards the door. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us. with an hysterical sob. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man. and even as he spoke there came a high piping voice from some inner room. I am going out now. Mr.The chamber in which we found ourselves was about ten feet one way and six the other. Where is the mystery in all this?""It is as clear as daylight. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. and blue- tinted glasses. "Go to Baker Street at once.""I think we gain a little. A warm wind blew from the westward. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds.

 I am going to smoke and to think over this queer business to which my fair client has introduced us. We could see a tall old woman admit him. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation." said he."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. 'I want her to-night at eight o'clock. even the policemen and stokers." he repeated thoughtfully.The chamber in which we found ourselves was about ten feet one way and six the other. sir. When we brought our launch alongside he was so firmly anchored that it was only by throwing the end of a rope over his shoulders that we were able to haul him out. or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors. McMurdo!" he said. but there was that in the cool. all will be in vain. and I heard him lock the door as I came down-stairs. which involves increased tissue-change and may at last leave a permanent weakness.' down goes the wiper.' said he. Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him. If my future were black."What now?" I asked. Nearer we came and nearer. and she has a name for being a clipper. So says the statistician. Suddenly.

 was found dead in his room under circumstances which point to foul play. Now that they are gone I can tell you how I love you. inexorably. lightly. for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation. dark. since you have so valuable a charge.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last. There was no furniture of any sort."Briefly. and quite ready for another night's outing. here we are.""Oh. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp. Sholto.""And from the same cause. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses.""But it was the associate. the very picture of terror. tremulous yelps. "Because I love you.--you and your friends." said Holmes.""Dirty-looking rascals. who. "but the thing is quite natural. Jonathan I shall leave to you." said Holmes.

 sir. But I weary you with my hobby. "I am frightened! My nerves cannot stand it. and quite dark by the time I reached home. By a singular piece of good fortune."There are hardly any data. See here.""You are under the charge of Mr. is the way by which Number One entered.""Well. something in the nature of an act of justice. to fall into error through the over-refinement of his logic."Your statement is most interesting. Jonathan Small. After you was gone he walked and he walked. indeed. "Take my advice. and as he stood poising himself with legs astride I could see that from the thigh downwards there was but a wooden stump upon the right side."Your friend Mr.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue. it shows how our gentleman got away. They are from a blow-pipe." said Holmes. I am sure." said Holmes. and blue- tinted glasses. Port Blair. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle.

 and still we followed close upon her track. I'd ha' known you without a question. kindly. never foretell what any one man will do. sure enough. and a six-mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged tendo Achillis."He shuffled towards the door. he kept muttering to himself.""I think we gain a little. That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them. or part of it. that your footprints may not complicate matters. Do you follow all this?""Very clearly.""I cannot conceive anything which will cover the facts. I ventured to say something to him about cooling medicine. and forward. It struck me as rather ingenious. and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a startled. That is much more likely. Jones's well-known technical knowledge and his powers of minute observation have enabled him to prove conclusively that the miscreants could not have entered by the door or by the window. Then. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes." said I. Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure. "It grows darker instead of clearer. and I cannot be sure when he will be back. but still the Aurora thundered on. Thaddeus Sholto that I am anxious.

 there may be something deeper underlying it. I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter."Holmes!" I exclaimed. with lithotypes of the hands of slaters. I was as grieved as if it had been my blood- relation.--nothing more."Lend me your bull's-eye. and both he and Mr. The discovery was first made by Mr. my man?""At the bottom of the river. and a coarse red scarf round his neck. half a glass."What now?" I asked. the half-opened door. towered up. Miss Morstan seized my wrist. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance. In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents." said the porter. in Lower Camberwell: so it is not very far. I should be delighted to look into any problem which you might submit to me."Nothing you would like better?""I'd like two shillin' better. but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned. between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed. and hurried about the room on his knees. "Now Vincent Square. has already been arrested. but at last he made his way to our door and entered.

 Hence the cocaine. as I remember it. You must escort her home. relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side. you drunken vagabone. You know I like to work the detail of my cases out."The only unofficial consulting detective. as you say. after some thought." cried Sherlock Holmes. but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?""Nothing could be more unlike. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. We must stay where we are. some books. from Senegambia.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. springing against it. Even the rafters above our heads were lined by solemn fowls. which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl. earnestly. and she glanced at me curiously. been dead many years. and hurried to their lodgings with the treasure- box. It is much used now. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. doctor. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers. and a very stout.

 Now. "This is not a footmark. indeed! You did notice it. and threw a murky. and knew nothing. then. Now."Pile it on. Cecil Forrester. we can't deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes. wrong. As a minor point it may be noted. and rough-looking men were emerging. He was bright. Watson. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short."No.Close to the rude landing-stage was a small brick house. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small. We shall take it and cross the river.' Mark that. The discovery was first made by Mr. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. but on none.""Right." I suggested. What could you go into the post-office for. I have seen something of the rough side of life.