第1章

INtheyear1878ItookmydegreeofDoctorofMedicineoftheUniversityofLondon，andproceededtoNetleytogothroughthecourseprescribedforsurgeonsinthearmy。

Havingcompletedmystudiesthere，IwasdulyattachedtotheFifthNorthumberlandFusiliersasAssistantSurgeon。

TheregimentwasstationedinIndiaatthetime，andbeforeIcouldjoinit，thesecondAfghanwarhadbrokenout。

OnlandingatBombay，Ilearnedthatmycorpshadadvancedthroughthepasses，andwasalreadydeepintheenemy"scountry。Ifollowed，however，withmanyotherofficerswhowereinthesamesituationasmyself，andsucceededinreachingCandaharinsafety，whereIfoundmyregiment，andatonceentereduponmynewduties。

Thecampaignbroughthonoursandpromotiontomany，butformeithadnothingbutmisfortuneanddisaster。IwasremovedfrommybrigadeandattachedtotheBerkshires，withwhomI

servedatthefatalbattleofMaiwand。ThereIwasstruckontheshoulderbyaJezailbullet，whichshatteredtheboneandgrazedthesubclavianartery。IshouldhavefallenintothehandsofthemurderousGhazishaditnotbeenforthedevotionandcourageshownbyMurray，myorderly，whothrewmeacrossapack-horse，andsucceededinbringingmesafelytotheBritishlines。

Wornwithpain，andweakfromtheprolongedhardshipswhichIhadundergone，Iwasremoved，withagreattrainofwoundedsufferers，tothebasehospitalatPeshawar。HereIrallied，andhadalreadyimprovedsofarastobeabletowalkaboutthewards，andeventobaskalittleupontheverandah，whenIwasstruckdownbyentericfever，thatcurseofourIndianpossessions。Formonthsmylifewasdespairedof，andwhenatlastIcametomyselfandbecameconvalescent，IwassoweakandemaciatedthatamedicalboarddeterminedthatnotadayshouldbelostinsendingmebacktoEngland。

Iwasdispatched，accordingly，inthetroopship"Orontes，"

andlandedamonthlateronPortsmouthjetty，withmyhealthirretrievablyruined，butwithpermissionfromapaternalgovernmenttospendthenextninemonthsinattemptingtoimproveit。

IhadneitherkithnorkininEngland，andwasthereforeasfreeasair——orasfreeasanincomeofelevenshillingsandsixpenceadaywillpermitamantobe。Undersuchcircumstances，InaturallygravitatedtoLondon，thatgreatcesspoolintowhichalltheloungersandidlersoftheEmpireareirresistiblydrained。ThereIstayedforsometimeataprivatehotelintheStrand，leadingacomfortless，meaninglessexistence，andspendingsuchmoneyasIhad，considerablymorefreelythanIought。Soalarmingdidthestateofmyfinancesbecome，thatIsoonrealizedthatImusteitherleavethemetropolisandrusticatesomewhereinthecountry，orthatImustmakeacompletealterationinmystyleofliving。Choosingthelatteralternative，Ibeganbymakingupmymindtoleavethehotel，andtotakeupmyquartersinsomelesspretentiousandlessexpensivedomicile。

OntheverydaythatIhadcometothisconclusion，IwasstandingattheCriterionBar，whensomeonetappedmeontheshoulder，andturningroundIrecognizedyoungStamford，whohadbeenadresserundermeatBarts。ThesightofafriendlyfaceinthegreatwildernessofLondonisapleasantthingindeedtoalonelyman。InolddaysStamfordhadneverbeenaparticularcronyofmine，butnowIhailedhimwithenthusiasm，andhe，inhisturn，appearedtobedelightedtoseeme。Intheexuberanceofmyjoy，IaskedhimtolunchwithmeattheHolborn，andwestartedofftogetherinahansom。

"Whateverhaveyoubeendoingwithyourself，Watson?"

heaskedinundisguisedwonder，aswerattledthroughthecrowdedLondonstreets。"Youareasthinasalathandasbrownasanut。"

Igavehimashortsketchofmyadventures，andhadhardlyconcludeditbythetimethatwereachedourdestination。

"Poordevil!"hesaid，commiseratingly，afterhehadlistenedtomymisfortunes。"Whatareyouuptonow?"

"Lookingforlodgings。"{3}Ianswered。"Tryingtosolvetheproblemastowhetheritispossibletogetcomfortableroomsatareasonableprice。"

"That"sastrangething，"remarkedmycompanion；"youarethesecondmanto-daythathasusedthatexpressiontome。"

"Andwhowasthefirst?"Iasked。

"Afellowwhoisworkingatthechemicallaboratoryupatthehospital。Hewasbemoaninghimselfthismorningbecausehecouldnotgetsomeonetogohalveswithhiminsomeniceroomswhichhehadfound，andwhichweretoomuchforhispurse。"

"ByJove!"Icried，"ifhereallywantssomeonetosharetheroomsandtheexpense，Iamtheverymanforhim。Ishouldpreferhavingapartnertobeingalone。"

YoungStamfordlookedratherstrangelyatmeoverhiswine-glass。

"Youdon"tknowSherlockHolmesyet，"hesaid；"perhapsyouwouldnotcareforhimasaconstantcompanion。"

"Why，whatisthereagainsthim?"

"Oh，Ididn"tsaytherewasanythingagainsthim。Heisalittlequeerinhisideas——anenthusiastinsomebranchesofscience。AsfarasIknowheisadecentfellowenough。"

"Amedicalstudent，Isuppose?"saidI。

"No——Ihavenoideawhatheintendstogoinfor。

Ibelieveheiswellupinanatomy，andheisafirst-classchemist；but，asfarasIknow，hehasnevertakenoutanysystematicmedicalclasses。Hisstudiesareverydesultoryandeccentric，buthehasamassedalotofout-of-thewayknowledgewhichwouldastonishhisprofessors。"

"Didyouneveraskhimwhathewasgoinginfor?"Iasked。

"No；heisnotamanthatitiseasytodrawout，thoughhecanbecommunicativeenoughwhenthefancyseizeshim。"

"Ishouldliketomeethim，"Isaid。"IfIamtolodgewithanyone，Ishouldpreferamanofstudiousandquiethabits。

Iamnotstrongenoughyettostandmuchnoiseorexcitement。

IhadenoughofbothinAfghanistantolastmefortheremainderofmynaturalexistence。HowcouldImeetthisfriendofyours?"

"Heissuretobeatthelaboratory，"returnedmycompanion。

"Heeitheravoidstheplaceforweeks，orelseheworkstherefrommorningtonight。Ifyoulike，weshalldriveroundtogetherafterluncheon。"

"Certainly，"Ianswered，andtheconversationdriftedawayintootherchannels。

AswemadeourwaytothehospitalafterleavingtheHolborn，StamfordgavemeafewmoreparticularsaboutthegentlemanwhomIproposedtotakeasafellow-lodger。

"Youmustn"tblamemeifyoudon"tgetonwithhim，"hesaid；

"IknownothingmoreofhimthanIhavelearnedfrommeetinghimoccasionallyinthelaboratory。Youproposedthisarrangement，soyoumustnotholdmeresponsible。"

"Ifwedon"tgetonitwillbeeasytopartcompany，"Ianswered。

"Itseemstome，Stamford，"Iadded，lookinghardatmycompanion，"thatyouhavesomereasonforwashingyourhandsofthematter。

Isthisfellow"stempersoformidable，orwhatisit?

Don"tbemealy-mouthedaboutit。"

"Itisnoteasytoexpresstheinexpressible，"heansweredwithalaugh。"Holmesisalittletooscientificformytastes——itapproachestocold-bloodedness。Icouldimaginehisgivingafriendalittlepinchofthelatestvegetablealkaloid，notoutofmalevolence，youunderstand，butsimplyoutofaspiritofinquiryinordertohaveanaccurateideaoftheeffects。Todohimjustice，Ithinkthathewouldtakeithimselfwiththesamereadiness。Heappearstohaveapassionfordefiniteandexactknowledge。"

"Veryrighttoo。"

"Yes，butitmaybepushedtoexcess。Whenitcomestobeatingthesubjectsinthedissecting-roomswithastick，itiscertainlytakingratherabizarreshape。"

"Beatingthesubjects!"

"Yes，toverifyhowfarbruisesmaybeproducedafterdeath。

Isawhimatitwithmyowneyes。"

"Andyetyousayheisnotamedicalstudent?"

"No。Heavenknowswhattheobjectsofhisstudiesare。

Buthereweare，andyoumustformyourownimpressionsabouthim。"Ashespoke，weturneddownanarrowlaneandpassedthroughasmallside-door，whichopenedintoawingofthegreathospital。Itwasfamiliargroundtome，andIneedednoguidingasweascendedthebleakstonestaircaseandmadeourwaydownthelongcorridorwithitsvistaofwhitewashedwallanddun-coloureddoors。Nearthefurtherendalowarchedpassagebranchedawayfromitandledtothechemicallaboratory。

Thiswasaloftychamber，linedandlitteredwithcountlessbottles。Broad，lowtableswerescatteredabout，whichbristledwithretorts，test-tubes，andlittleBunsenlamps，withtheirblueflickeringflames。Therewasonlyonestudentintheroom，whowasbendingoveradistanttableabsorbedinhiswork。Atthesoundofourstepsheglancedroundandsprangtohisfeetwithacryofpleasure。

"I"vefoundit!I"vefoundit，"heshoutedtomycompanion，runningtowardsuswithatest-tubeinhishand。"Ihavefoundare-agentwhichisprecipitatedbyhoemoglobin，{4}

andbynothingelse。"Hadhediscoveredagoldmine，greaterdelightcouldnothaveshoneuponhisfeatures。

"Dr。Watson，Mr。SherlockHolmes，"saidStamford，introducingus。

"Howareyou?"hesaidcordially，grippingmyhandwithastrengthforwhichIshouldhardlyhavegivenhimcredit。

"YouhavebeeninAfghanistan，Iperceive。"

"Howonearthdidyouknowthat?"Iaskedinastonishment。

"Nevermind，"saidhe，chucklingtohimself。"Thequestionnowisabouthoemoglobin。Nodoubtyouseethesignificanceofthisdiscoveryofmine?"

"Itisinteresting，chemically，nodoubt，"Ianswered，"butpractically——"

"Why，man，itisthemostpracticalmedico-legaldiscoveryforyears。Don"tyouseethatitgivesusaninfallibletestforbloodstains。Comeoverherenow!"Heseizedmebythecoat-sleeveinhiseagerness，anddrewmeovertothetableatwhichhehadbeenworking。"Letushavesomefreshblood，"

hesaid，diggingalongbodkinintohisfinger，anddrawingofftheresultingdropofbloodinachemicalpipette。"Now，Iaddthissmallquantityofbloodtoalitreofwater。Youperceivethattheresultingmixturehastheappearanceofpurewater。

Theproportionofbloodcannotbemorethanoneinamillion。

Ihavenodoubt，however，thatweshallbeabletoobtainthecharacteristicreaction。"Ashespoke，hethrewintothevesselafewwhitecrystals，andthenaddedsomedropsofatransparentfluid。Inaninstantthecontentsassumedadullmahoganycolour，andabrownishdustwasprecipitatedtothebottomoftheglassjar。

"Ha!ha!"hecried，clappinghishands，andlookingasdelightedasachildwithanewtoy。"Whatdoyouthinkofthat?"

"Itseemstobeaverydelicatetest，"Iremarked。

"Beautiful!beautiful!TheoldGuiacumtestwasveryclumsyanduncertain。Soisthemicroscopicexaminationforbloodcorpuscles。Thelatterisvaluelessifthestainsareafewhoursold。Now，thisappearstoactaswellwhetherthebloodisoldornew。Hadthistestbeeninvented，therearehundredsofmennowwalkingtheearthwhowouldlongagohavepaidthepenaltyoftheircrimes。"

"Indeed!"Imurmured。

"Criminalcasesarecontinuallyhinginguponthatonepoint。

Amanissuspectedofacrimemonthsperhapsafterithasbeencommitted。Hislinenorclothesareexamined，andbrownishstainsdiscovereduponthem。Aretheybloodstains，ormudstains，orruststains，orfruitstains，orwhatarethey?Thatisaquestionwhichhaspuzzledmanyanexpert，andwhy?Becausetherewasnoreliabletest。NowwehavetheSherlockHolmes"test，andtherewillnolongerbeanydifficulty。"

Hiseyesfairlyglitteredashespoke，andheputhishandoverhisheartandbowedasiftosomeapplaudingcrowdconjuredupbyhisimagination。

"Youaretobecongratulated，"Iremarked，considerablysurprisedathisenthusiasm。

"TherewasthecaseofVonBischoffatFrankfortlastyear。

Hewouldcertainlyhavebeenhunghadthistestbeeninexistence。ThentherewasMasonofBradford，andthenotoriousMuller，andLefevreofMontpellier，andSamsonofnewOrleans。Icouldnameascoreofcasesinwhichitwouldhavebeendecisive。"

"Youseemtobeawalkingcalendarofcrime，"saidStamfordwithalaugh。"Youmightstartapaperonthoselines。

Callitthe`PoliceNewsofthePast。""

"Veryinterestingreadingitmightbemade，too，"remarkedSherlockHolmes，stickingasmallpieceofplasterovertheprickonhisfinger。"Ihavetobecareful，"hecontinued，turningtomewithasmile，"forIdabblewithpoisonsagooddeal。"Heheldouthishandashespoke，andInoticedthatitwasallmottledoverwithsimilarpiecesofplaster，anddiscolouredwithstrongacids。

"Wecamehereonbusiness，"saidStamford，sittingdownonahighthree-leggedstool，andpushinganotheroneinmydirectionwithhisfoot。"Myfriendherewantstotakediggings，andasyouwerecomplainingthatyoucouldgetnoonetogohalveswithyou，IthoughtthatIhadbetterbringyoutogether。"

SherlockHolmesseemeddelightedattheideaofsharinghisroomswithme。"IhavemyeyeonasuiteinBakerStreet，"

hesaid，"whichwouldsuitusdowntotheground。Youdon"tmindthesmellofstrongtobacco，Ihope?"

"Ialwayssmoke`ship"s"myself，"Ianswered。

"That"sgoodenough。Igenerallyhavechemicalsabout，andoccasionallydoexperiments。Wouldthatannoyyou?"

"Bynomeans。"

"Letmesee——whataremyothershortcomings。Igetinthedumpsattimes，anddon"topenmymouthfordaysonend。

YoumustnotthinkIamsulkywhenIdothat。Justletmealone，andI"llsoonberight。Whathaveyoutoconfessnow?It"sjustaswellfortwofellowstoknowtheworstofoneanotherbeforetheybegintolivetogether。"

Ilaughedatthiscross-examination。"Ikeepabullpup，"

Isaid，"andIobjecttorowsbecausemynervesareshaken，andIgetupatallsortsofungodlyhours，andIamextremelylazy。IhaveanothersetofviceswhenI"mwell，butthosearetheprincipalonesatpresent。"

"Doyouincludeviolin-playinginyourcategoryofrows?"

heasked，anxiously。

"Itdependsontheplayer，"Ianswered。"Awell-playedviolinisatreatforthegods——abadly-playedone——"

"Oh，that"sallright，"hecried，withamerrylaugh。

"Ithinkwemayconsiderthethingassettled——thatis，iftheroomsareagreeabletoyou。"

"Whenshallweseethem?"

"Callformehereatnoonto-morrow，andwe"llgotogetherandsettleeverything，"heanswered。

"Allright——noonexactly，"saidI，shakinghishand。

Welefthimworkingamonghischemicals，andwewalkedtogethertowardsmyhotel。

"Bytheway，"Iaskedsuddenly，stoppingandturninguponStamford，"howthedeucedidheknowthatIhadcomefromAfghanistan?"

Mycompanionsmiledanenigmaticalsmile。"That"sjusthislittlepeculiarity，"hesaid。"Agoodmanypeoplehavewantedtoknowhowhefindsthingsout。"

"Oh!amysteryisit?"Icried，rubbingmyhands。

"Thisisverypiquant。Iammuchobligedtoyouforbringingustogether。`Theproperstudyofmankindisman，"youknow。"

"Youmuststudyhim，then，"Stamfordsaid，ashebademegood-bye。

"You"llfindhimaknottyproblem，though。I"llwagerhelearnsmoreaboutyouthanyouabouthim。Good-bye。"

"Good-bye，"Ianswered，andstrolledontomyhotel，considerablyinterestedinmynewacquaintance。

CHAPTERII。

THESCIENCEOFDEDUCTION。

WEmetnextdayashehadarranged，andinspectedtheroomsatNo。221B，{5}BakerStreet，ofwhichhehadspokenatourmeeting。Theyconsistedofacoupleofcomfortablebed-roomsandasinglelargeairysitting-room，cheerfullyfurnished，andilluminatedbytwobroadwindows。Sodesirableineverywayweretheapartments，andsomoderatedidthetermsseemwhendividedbetweenus，thatthebargainwasconcludeduponthespot，andweatonceenteredintopossession。ThatveryeveningImovedmythingsroundfromthehotel，andonthefollowingmorningSherlockHolmesfollowedmewithseveralboxesandportmanteaus。Foradayortwowewerebusilyemployedinunpackingandlayingoutourpropertytothebestadvantage。Thatdone，wegraduallybegantosettledownandtoaccommodateourselvestoournewsurroundings。

Holmeswascertainlynotadifficultmantolivewith。

Hewasquietinhisways，andhishabitswereregular。

Itwasrareforhimtobeupaftertenatnight，andhehadinvariablybreakfastedandgoneoutbeforeIroseinthemorning。Sometimeshespenthisdayatthechemicallaboratory，sometimesinthedissecting-rooms，andoccasionallyinlongwalks，whichappearedtotakehimintothelowestportionsoftheCity。Nothingcouldexceedhisenergywhentheworkingfitwasuponhim；butnowandagainareactionwouldseizehim，andfordaysonendhewouldlieuponthesofainthesitting-room，hardlyutteringawordormovingamusclefrommorningtonight。OntheseoccasionsIhavenoticedsuchadreamy，vacantexpressioninhiseyes，thatImighthavesuspectedhimofbeingaddictedtotheuseofsomenarcotic，hadnotthetemperanceandcleanlinessofhiswholelifeforbiddensuchanotion。

Astheweekswentby，myinterestinhimandmycuriosityastohisaimsinlife，graduallydeepenedandincreased。

Hisverypersonandappearanceweresuchastostriketheattentionofthemostcasualobserver。Inheighthewasratheroversixfeet，andsoexcessivelyleanthatheseemedtobeconsiderablytaller。Hiseyesweresharpandpiercing，saveduringthoseintervalsoftorportowhichIhavealluded；

andhisthin，hawk-likenosegavehiswholeexpressionanairofalertnessanddecision。Hischin，too，hadtheprominenceandsquarenesswhichmarkthemanofdetermination。Hishandswereinvariablyblottedwithinkandstainedwithchemicals，yethewaspossessedofextraordinarydelicacyoftouch，asIfrequentlyhadoccasiontoobservewhenIwatchedhimmanipulatinghisfragilephilosophicalinstruments。

Thereadermaysetmedownasahopelessbusybody，whenIconfesshowmuchthismanstimulatedmycuriosity，andhowoftenIendeavouredtobreakthroughthereticencewhichheshowedonallthatconcernedhimself。Beforepronouncingjudgment，however，beitremembered，howobjectlesswasmylife，andhowlittletherewastoengagemyattention。

Myhealthforbademefromventuringoutunlesstheweatherwasexceptionallygenial，andIhadnofriendswhowouldcalluponmeandbreakthemonotonyofmydailyexistence。

Underthesecircumstances，Ieagerlyhailedthelittlemysterywhichhungaroundmycompanion，andspentmuchofmytimeinendeavouringtounravelit。

Hewasnotstudyingmedicine。Hehadhimself，inreplytoaquestion，confirmedStamford"sopinionuponthatpoint。

Neitherdidheappeartohavepursuedanycourseofreadingwhichmightfithimforadegreeinscienceoranyotherrecognizedportalwhichwouldgivehimanentranceintothelearnedworld。Yethiszealforcertainstudieswasremarkable，andwithineccentriclimitshisknowledgewassoextraordinarilyampleandminutethathisobservationshavefairlyastoundedme。Surelynomanwouldworksohardorattainsuchpreciseinformationunlesshehadsomedefiniteendinview。Desultoryreadersareseldomremarkablefortheexactnessoftheirlearning。Nomanburdenshismindwithsmallmattersunlesshehassomeverygoodreasonfordoingso。

Hisignorancewasasremarkableashisknowledge。

Ofcontemporaryliterature，philosophyandpoliticsheappearedtoknownexttonothing。UponmyquotingThomasCarlyle，heinquiredinthenaivestwaywhohemightbeandwhathehaddone。Mysurprisereachedaclimax，however，whenIfoundincidentallythathewasignorantoftheCopernicanTheoryandofthecompositionoftheSolarSystem。ThatanycivilizedhumanbeinginthisnineteenthcenturyshouldnotbeawarethattheearthtravelledroundthesunappearedtobetomesuchanextraordinaryfactthatIcouldhardlyrealizeit。

"Youappeartobeastonished，"hesaid，smilingatmyexpressionofsurprise。"NowthatIdoknowitIshalldomybesttoforgetit。"

"Toforgetit!"

"Yousee，"heexplained，"Iconsiderthataman"sbrainoriginallyislikealittleemptyattic，andyouhavetostockitwithsuchfurnitureasyouchoose。Afooltakesinallthelumberofeverysortthathecomesacross，sothattheknowledgewhichmightbeusefultohimgetscrowdedout，oratbestisjumbledupwithalotofotherthingssothathehasadifficultyinlayinghishandsuponit。Nowtheskilfulworkmanisverycarefulindeedastowhathetakesintohisbrain-attic。Hewillhavenothingbutthetoolswhichmayhelphimindoinghiswork，butofthesehehasalargeassortment，andallinthemostperfectorder。

Itisamistaketothinkthatthatlittleroomhaselasticwallsandcandistendtoanyextent。Dependuponittherecomesatimewhenforeveryadditionofknowledgeyouforgetsomethingthatyouknewbefore。Itisofthehighestimportance，therefore，nottohaveuselessfactselbowingouttheusefulones。"

"ButtheSolarSystem!"Iprotested。

"Whatthedeuceisittome?"heinterruptedimpatiently；

"yousaythatwegoroundthesun。Ifwewentroundthemoonitwouldnotmakeapennyworthofdifferencetomeortomywork。"

Iwasonthepointofaskinghimwhatthatworkmightbe，butsomethinginhismannershowedmethatthequestionwouldbeanunwelcomeone。Iponderedoverourshortconversation，however，andendeavouredtodrawmydeductionsfromit。

Hesaidthathewouldacquirenoknowledgewhichdidnotbearuponhisobject。Thereforealltheknowledgewhichhepossessedwassuchaswouldbeusefultohim。Ienumeratedinmyownmindallthevariouspointsuponwhichhehadshownmethathewasexceptionallywell-informed。Ieventookapencilandjottedthemdown。IcouldnothelpsmilingatthedocumentwhenIhadcompletedit。Itraninthisway——

SHERLOCKHOLMES——hislimits。

1。KnowledgeofLiterature——Nil。

2。Philosophy——Nil。

3。Astronomy——Nil。

4。Politics——Feeble。

5。Botany——Variable。Wellupinbelladonna，opium，andpoisonsgenerally。

Knowsnothingofpracticalgardening。

6。Geology——Practical，butlimited。

Tellsataglancedifferentsoilsfromeachother。Afterwalkshasshownmesplashesuponhistrousers，andtoldmebytheircolourandconsistenceinwhatpartofLondonhehadreceivedthem。

7。Chemistry——Profound。

8。Anatomy——Accurate，butunsystematic。

9。SensationalLiterature——Immense。Heappearstoknoweverydetailofeveryhorrorperpetratedinthecentury。

10。Playstheviolinwell。

11。Isanexpertsinglestickplayer，boxer，andswordsman。

12。HasagoodpracticalknowledgeofBritishlaw。

WhenIhadgotsofarinmylistIthrewitintothefireindespair。"IfIcanonlyfindwhatthefellowisdrivingatbyreconcilingalltheseaccomplishments，anddiscoveringacallingwhichneedsthemall，"Isaidtomyself，"Imayaswellgiveuptheattemptatonce。"

IseethatIhavealludedabovetohispowersupontheviolin。

Thesewereveryremarkable，butaseccentricasallhisotheraccomplishments。Thathecouldplaypieces，anddifficultpieces，Iknewwell，becauseatmyrequesthehasplayedmesomeofMendelssohn"sLieder，andotherfavourites。

Whenlefttohimself，however，hewouldseldomproduceanymusicorattemptanyrecognizedair。Leaningbackinhisarm-chairofanevening，hewouldclosehiseyesandscrapecarelesslyatthefiddlewhichwasthrownacrosshisknee。

Sometimesthechordsweresonorousandmelancholy。

Occasionallytheywerefantasticandcheerful。Clearlytheyreflectedthethoughtswhichpossessedhim，butwhetherthemusicaidedthosethoughts，orwhethertheplayingwassimplytheresultofawhimorfancywasmorethanIcoulddetermine。

Imighthaverebelledagainsttheseexasperatingsoloshaditnotbeenthatheusuallyterminatedthembyplayinginquicksuccessionawholeseriesofmyfavouriteairsasaslightcompensationforthetrialuponmypatience。