第5章

"Becauseinfiveminutesyouwillsaythatitisallsoabsurdlysimple。"

"IamsurethatIshallsaynothingofthekind。"

"Yousee，mydearWatson"——heproppedhistest—tubeintherackandbegantolecturewiththeairofaprofessoraddressinghisclass——"itisnotreallydifficulttoconstructaseriesofinferences，eachdependentuponitspredecessorandeachsimpleinitself。If，afterdoingso，onesimplyknocksoutallthecentralinferencesandpresentsone’saudiencewiththestarting—pointandtheconclusion，onemayproduceastartling，thoughpossiblyameretricious，effect。Now，itwasnotreallydifficult，byaninspectionofthegroovebetweenyourleftforefingerandthumb，tofeelsurethatyoudidNOTproposetoinvestyoursmallcapitalinthegoldfields。"

"Iseenoconnection。"

"Verylikelynot；butIcanquicklyshowyouacloseconnection。

Herearethemissinglinksoftheverysimplechain：1。Youhadchalkbetweenyourleftfingerandthumbwhenyoureturnedfromtheclublastnight。2。Youputchalktherewhenyouplaybilliardstosteadythecue。3。YouneverplaybilliardsexceptwithThurston。

4。YoutoldmefourweeksagothatThurstonhadanoptiononsomeSouthAfricanpropertywhichwouldexpireinamonth，andwhichhedesiredyoutosharewithhim。5。Yourcheque—bookislockedinmydrawer，andyouhavenotaskedforthekey。6。Youdonotproposetoinvestyourmoneyinthismanner。"

"Howabsurdlysimple！"Icried。

"Quiteso！"saidhe，alittlenettled。"Everyproblembecomesverychildishwhenonceitisexplainedtoyou。Hereisanunexplainedone。Seewhatyoucanmakeofthat，friendWatson。"

Hetossedasheetofpaperuponthetableandturnedoncemoretohischemicalanalysis。

Ilookedwithamazementattheabsurdhieroglyphicsuponthepaper。

"Why，Holmes，itisachild’sdrawing，"Icried。

"Oh，that’syouridea！"

"Whatelseshoulditbe？"

"ThatiswhatMr。HiltonCubitt，ofRidingThorpeManor，Norfolk，isveryanxioustoknow。Thislittleconundrumcamebythefirstpost，andhewastofollowbythenexttrain。There’saringatthebell，Watson。Ishouldnotbeverymuchsurprisedifthiswerehe。"

Aheavystepwashearduponthestairs，andaninstantlaterthereenteredatall，ruddy，clean—shavengentleman，whosecleareyesandfloridcheekstoldofalifeledfarfromthefogsofBakerStreet。Heseemedtobringawhiffofhisstrong，fresh，bracing，east—coastairwithhimasheentered。Havingshakenhandswitheachofus，hewasabouttositdownwhenhiseyeresteduponthepaperwiththecuriousmarkings，whichIhadjustexaminedandleftuponthetable。

"Well，Mr。Holmes，whatdoyoumakeofthese？"hecried。

"Theytoldmethatyouwerefondofqueermysteries，andIdon’tthinkyoucanfindaqueereronethanthat。IsentthepaperonaheadsothatyoumighthavetimetostudyitbeforeIcame。"

"Itiscertainlyratheracuriousproduction，"saidHolmes。

"Atfirstsightitwouldappeartobesomechildishprank。

Itconsistsofanumberofabsurdlittlefiguresdancingacrossthepaperuponwhichtheyaredrawn。Whyshouldyouattributeanyimportancetosogrotesqueanobject？"

"Inevershould，Mr。Holmes。Butmywifedoes。Itisfrighteninghertodeath。Shesaysnothing，butIcanseeterrorinhereyes。

That’swhyIwanttosiftthemattertothebottom。"

Holmesheldupthepapersothatthesunlightshonefulluponit。

Itwasapagetornfromanote—book。Themarkingsweredoneinpencil，andraninthisway：——

GRAPHIC

Holmesexamineditforsometime，andthen，foldingitcarefullyup，heplaceditinhispocket—book。

"Thispromisestobeamostinterestingandunusualcase，"saidhe。

"Yougavemeafewparticularsinyourletter，Mr。HiltonCubitt，butIshouldbeverymuchobligedifyouwouldkindlygooveritallagainforthebenefitofmyfriend，Dr。Watson。"

"I’mnotmuchofastory—teller，"saidourvisitor，nervouslyclaspingandunclaspinghisgreat，stronghands。"You’lljustaskmeanythingthatIdon’tmakeclear。I’llbeginatthetimeofmymarriagelastyear；butIwanttosayfirstofallthat，thoughI’mnotarichman，mypeoplehavebeenatRidlingThorpeforamatteroffivecenturies，andthereisnobetterknownfamilyintheCountyofNorfolk。LastyearIcameuptoLondonfortheJubilee，andIstoppedataboarding—houseinRussellSquare，becauseParker，thevicarofourparish，wasstayinginit。TherewasanAmericanyoungladythere——Patrickwasthename——ElsiePatrick。Insomewaywebecamefriends，untilbeforemymonthwasupIwasasmuchinloveasamancouldbe。

Wewerequietlymarriedataregistryoffice，andwereturnedtoNorfolkaweddedcouple。You’llthinkitverymad，Mr。Holmes，thatamanofagoodoldfamilyshouldmarryawifeinthisfashion，knowingnothingofherpastorofherpeople；butifyousawherandknewheritwouldhelpyoutounderstand。

"Shewasverystraightaboutit，wasElsie。Ican’tsaythatshedidnotgivemeeverychanceofgettingoutofitifIwishedtodoso。`Ihavehadsomeverydisagreeableassociationsinmylife，’saidshe；`Iwishtoforgetallaboutthem。Iwouldratherneveralludetothepast，foritisverypainfultome。Ifyoutakeme，Hilton，youwilltakeawomanwhohasnothingthatsheneedbepersonallyashamedof；butyouwillhavetobecontentwithmywordforit，andtoallowmetobesilentastoallthatpasseduptothetimewhenIbecameyours。

Iftheseconditionsaretoohard，thengobacktoNorfolkandleavemetothelonelylifeinwhichyoufoundme。’Itwasonlythedaybeforeourweddingthatshesaidthoseverywordstome。

ItoldherthatIwascontenttotakeheronherownterms，andIhavebeenasgoodasmyword。

"Well，wehavebeenmarriednowforayear，andveryhappywehavebeen。Butaboutamonthago，attheendofJune，Isawforthefirsttimesignsoftrouble。OnedaymywifereceivedaletterfromAmerica。IsawtheAmericanstamp。Sheturneddeadlywhite，readtheletter，andthrewitintothefire。

Shemadenoallusiontoitafterwards，andImadenone，forapromiseisapromise；butshehasneverknownaneasyhourfromthatmoment。Thereisalwaysalookoffearuponherface——

alookasifshewerewaitingandexpecting。Shewoulddobettertotrustme。ShewouldfindthatIwasherbestfriend。

ButuntilshespeaksIcansaynothing。Mindyou，sheisatruthfulwoman，Mr。Holmes，andwhatevertroubletheremayhavebeeninherpastlifeithasbeennofaultofhers。IamonlyasimpleNorfolksquire，butthereisnotamaninEnglandwhorankshisfamilyhonourmorehighlythanIdo。Sheknowsitwell，andsheknewitwellbeforeshemarriedme。Shewouldneverbringanystainuponit——ofthatIamsure。

"Well，nowIcometothequeerpartofmystory。Aboutaweekago——itwastheTuesdayoflastweek——Ifoundononeofthewindow—sillsanumberofabsurdlittledancingfigures，liketheseuponthepaper。Theywerescrawledwithchalk。Ithoughtthatitwasthestable—boywhohaddrawnthem，buttheladsworeheknewnothingaboutit。Anyhow，theyhadcomethereduringthenight。Ihadthemwashedout，andIonlymentionedthemattertomywifeafterwards。Tomysurpriseshetookitveryseriously，andbeggedmeifanymorecametoletherseethem。

Nonedidcomeforaweek，andthenyesterdaymorningIfoundthispaperlyingonthesun—dialinthegarden。IshowedittoElsie，anddownshedroppedinadeadfaint。Sincethenshehaslookedlikeawomaninadream，halfdazed，andwithterroralwayslurkinginhereyes。ItwasthenthatIwroteandsentthepapertoyou，Mr。Holmes。ItwasnotathingthatIcouldtaketothepolice，fortheywouldhavelaughedatme，butyouwilltellmewhattodo。Iamnotarichman；butifthereisanydangerthreateningmylittlewomanIwouldspendmylastcoppertoshieldher。"

Hewasafinecreature，thismanoftheoldEnglishsoil，simple，straight，andgentle，withhisgreat，earnestblueeyesandbroad，comelyface。Hisloveforhiswifeandhistrustinhershoneinhisfeatures。Holmeshadlistenedtohisstorywiththeutmostattention，andnowhesatforsometimeinsilentthought。

"Don’tyouthink，Mr。Cubitt，"saidhe，atlast，"thatyourbestplanwouldbetomakeadirectappealtoyourwife，andtoaskhertosharehersecretwithyou？"

HiltonCubittshookhismassivehead。

"Apromiseisapromise，Mr。Holmes。IfElsiewishedtotellmeshewould。Ifnot，itisnotformetoforceherconfidence。

ButIamjustifiedintakingmyownline——andIwill。"

"ThenIwillhelpyouwithallmyheart。Inthefirstplace，haveyouheardofanystrangersbeingseeninyourneighbourhood？"

"No。"

"Ipresumethatitisaveryquietplace。Anyfreshfacewouldcausecomment？"

"Intheimmediateneighbourhood，yes。Butwehaveseveralsmallwatering—placesnotveryfaraway。Andthefarmerstakeinlodgers。"

"Thesehieroglyphicshaveevidentlyameaning。Ifitisapurelyarbitraryoneitmaybeimpossibleforustosolveit。

If，ontheotherhand，itissystematic，Ihavenodoubtthatweshallgettothebottomofit。ButthisparticularsampleissoshortthatIcandonothing，andthefactswhichyouhavebroughtmearesoindefinitethatwehavenobasisforaninvestigation。IwouldsuggestthatyoureturntoNorfolk，thatyoukeepakeenlook—out，andthatyoutakeanexactcopyofanyfreshdancingmenwhichmayappear。Itisathousandpitiesthatwehavenotareproductionofthosewhichweredoneinchalkuponthewindow—sill。Makeadiscreetinquiryalsoastoanystrangersintheneighbourhood。Whenyouhavecollectedsomefreshevidencecometomeagain。ThatisthebestadvicewhichIcangiveyou，Mr。HiltonCubitt。IfthereareanypressingfreshdevelopmentsIshallbealwaysreadytorundownandseeyouinyourNorfolkhome。"

TheinterviewleftSherlockHolmesverythoughtful，andseveraltimesinthenextfewdaysIsawhimtakehisslipofpaperfromhisnote—bookandlooklongandearnestlyatthecuriousfiguresinscribeduponit。Hemadenoallusiontotheaffair，however，untiloneafternoonafortnightorsolater。Iwasgoingoutwhenhecalledmeback。

"Youhadbetterstayhere，Watson。"

"Why？"

"BecauseIhadawirefromHiltonCubittthismorning——yourememberHiltonCubitt，ofthedancingmen？HewastoreachLiverpoolStreetatone—twenty。Hemaybehereatanymoment。

Igatherfromhiswirethattherehavebeensomenewincidentsofimportance。"

Wehadnotlongtowait，forourNorfolksquirecamestraightfromthestationasfastasahansomcouldbringhim。Hewaslookingworriedanddepressed，withtiredeyesandalinedforehead。

"It’sgettingonmynerves，thisbusiness，Mr。Holmes，"saidhe，ashesank，likeaweariedman，intoanarm—chair。"It’sbadenoughtofeelthatyouaresurroundedbyunseen，unknownfolk，whohavesomekindofdesignuponyou；butwhen，inadditiontothat，youknowthatitisjustkillingyourwifebyinches，thenitbecomesasmuchasfleshandbloodcanendure。She’swearingawayunderit——justwearingawaybeforemyeyes。"

"Hasshesaidanythingyet？"

"No，Mr。Holmes，shehasnot。Andyettherehavebeentimeswhenthepoorgirlhaswantedtospeak，andyetcouldnotquitebringherselftotaketheplunge。Ihavetriedtohelpher；

butIdaresayIdiditclumsily，andscaredherofffromit。

Shehasspokenaboutmyoldfamily，andourreputationinthecounty，andourprideinourunsulliedhonour，andIalwaysfeltitwasleadingtothepoint；butsomehowitturnedoffbeforewegotthere。"

"Butyouhavefoundoutsomethingforyourself？"

"Agooddeal，Mr。Holmes。Ihaveseveralfreshdancingmenpicturesforyoutoexamine，and，whatismoreimportant，Ihaveseenthefellow。"

"What，themanwhodrawsthem？"

"Yes，Isawhimathiswork。ButIwilltellyoueverythinginorder。WhenIgotbackaftermyvisittoyou，theveryfirstthingIsawnextmorningwasafreshcropofdancingmen。

Theyhadbeendrawninchalkupontheblackwoodendoorofthetool—house，whichstandsbesidethelawninfullviewofthefrontwindows。Itookanexactcopy，andhereitis。"

Heunfoldedapaperandlaidituponthetable。Hereisacopyofthehieroglyphics：——

GRAPHIC

"Excellent！"saidHolmes。"Excellent！Praycontinue。"

"WhenIhadtakenthecopyIrubbedoutthemarks；

buttwomorningslaterafreshinscriptionhadappeared。

Ihaveacopyofithere"：——

GRAPHIC

Holmesrubbedhishandsandchuckledwithdelight。

"Ourmaterialisrapidlyaccumulating，"saidhe。

"Threedayslateramessagewasleftscrawleduponpaper，andplacedunderapebbleuponthesun—dial。Hereitis。

Thecharactersare，asyousee，exactlythesameasthelastone。

AfterthatIdeterminedtolieinwait；soIgotoutmyrevolverandIsatupinmystudy，whichoverlooksthelawnandgarden。

AbouttwointhemorningIwasseatedbythewindow，allbeingdarksaveforthemoonlightoutside，whenIheardstepsbehindme，andtherewasmywifeinherdressing—gown。Sheimploredmetocometobed。ItoldherfranklythatIwishedtoseewhoitwaswhoplayedsuchabsurdtricksuponus。Sheansweredthatitwassomesenselesspracticaljoke，andthatIshouldnottakeanynoticeofit。

"`Ifitreallyannoysyou，Hilton，wemightgoandtravel，youandI，andsoavoidthisnuisance。’

"`What，bedrivenoutofourownhousebyapracticaljoker？’

saidI。`Why，weshouldhavethewholecountylaughingatus。’

"`Well，cometobed，’saidshe，`andwecandiscussitinthemorning。’

"Suddenly，asshespoke，Isawherwhitefacegrowwhiteryetinthemoonlight，andherhandtighteneduponmyshoulder。

Somethingwasmovingintheshadowofthetool—house。Isawadark，creepingfigurewhichcrawledroundthecornerandsquattedinfrontofthedoor。SeizingmypistolIwasrushingout，whenmywifethrewherarmsroundmeandheldmewithconvulsivestrength。Itriedtothrowheroff，butsheclungtomemostdesperately。AtlastIgotclear，butbythetimeIhadopenedthedoorandreachedthehousethecreaturewasgone。

Hehadleftatraceofhispresence，however，forthereonthedoorwastheverysamearrangementofdancingmenwhichhadalreadytwiceappeared，andwhichIhavecopiedonthatpaper。

Therewasnoothersignofthefellowanywhere，thoughIranalloverthegrounds。Andyettheamazingthingisthathemusthavebeenthereallthetime，forwhenIexaminedthedooragaininthemorninghehadscrawledsomemoreofhispicturesunderthelinewhichIhadalreadyseen。"

"Haveyouthatfreshdrawing？"

"Yes；itisveryshort，butImadeacopyofit，andhereitis。"

Againheproducedapaper。Thenewdancewasinthisform：——

GRAPHIC

"Tellme，"saidHolmes——andIcouldseebyhiseyesthathewasmuchexcited——"wasthisamereadditiontothefirst，ordiditappeartobeentirelyseparate？"

"Itwasonadifferentpanelofthedoor。"

"Excellent！Thisisfarthemostimportantofallforourpurpose。Itfillsmewithhopes。Now，Mr。HiltonCubitt，pleasecontinueyourmostinterestingstatement。"

"Ihavenothingmoretosay，Mr。Holmes，exceptthatIwasangrywithmywifethatnightforhavingheldmebackwhenImighthavecaughttheskulkingrascal。ShesaidthatshefearedthatImightcometoharm。ForaninstantithadcrossedmymindthatperhapswhatshereallyfearedwasthatHEmightcometoharm，forIcouldnotdoubtthatsheknewwhothismanwasandwhathemeantbythesestrangesignals。Butthereisatoneinmywife’svoice，Mr。Holmes，andalookinhereyeswhichforbiddoubt，andIamsurethatitwasindeedmyownsafetythatwasinhermind。There’sthewholecase，andnowIwantyouradviceastowhatIoughttodo。Myowninclinationistoputhalf—a—dozenofmyfarmladsintheshrubbery，andwhenthisfellowcomesagaintogivehimsuchahidingthathewillleaveusinpeaceforthefuture。"

"Ifearitistoodeepacaseforsuchsimpleremedies，"

saidHolmes。"HowlongcanyoustayinLondon？"

"Imustgobackto—day。Iwouldnotleavemywifealoneallnightforanything。Sheisverynervousandbeggedmetocomeback。"

"Idaresayyouareright。ButifyoucouldhavestoppedI

mightpossiblyhavebeenabletoreturnwithyouinadayortwo。Meanwhileyouwillleavemethesepapers，andIthinkthatitisverylikelythatIshallbeabletopayyouavisitshortlyandtothrowsomelightuponyourcase。"

SherlockHolmespreservedhiscalmprofessionalmanneruntilourvisitorhadleftus，althoughitwaseasyforme，whoknewhimsowell，toseethathewasprofoundlyexcited。ThemomentthatHiltonCubitt’sbroadbackhaddisappearedthroughthedoormycomraderushedtothetable，laidoutalltheslipsofpapercontainingdancingmeninfrontofhim，andthrewhimselfintoanintricateandelaboratecalculation。FortwohoursIwatchedhimashecoveredsheetaftersheetofpaperwithfiguresandletters，socompletelyabsorbedinhistaskthathehadevidentlyforgottenmypresence。Sometimeshewasmakingprogressandwhistledandsangathiswork；sometimeshewaspuzzled，andwouldsitforlongspellswithafurrowedbrowandavacanteye。Finallyhesprangfromhischairwithacryofsatisfaction，andwalkedupanddowntheroomrubbinghishandstogether。Thenhewrotealongtelegramuponacableform。"IfmyanswertothisisasIhope，youwillhaveaveryprettycasetoaddtoyourcollection，Watson，"saidhe。"IexpectthatweshallbeabletogodowntoNorfolkto—morrow，andtotakeourfriendsomeverydefinitenewsastothesecretofhisannoyance。"

IconfessthatIwasfilledwithcuriosity，butIwasawarethatHolmeslikedtomakehisdisclosuresathisowntimeandinhisownway；soIwaiteduntilitshouldsuithimtotakemeintohisconfidence。

Buttherewasadelayinthatansweringtelegram，andtwodaysofimpatiencefollowed，duringwhichHolmesprickeduphisearsateveryringofthebell。OntheeveningofthesecondtherecamealetterfromHiltonCubitt。Allwasquietwithhim，savethatalonginscriptionhadappearedthatmorninguponthepedestalofthesun—dial。Heinclosedacopyofit，whichisherereproduced：——

GRAPHIC

Holmesbentoverthisgrotesquefriezeforsomeminutes，andthensuddenlysprangtohisfeetwithanexclamationofsurpriseanddismay。Hisfacewashaggardwithanxiety。

"Wehaveletthisaffairgofarenough，"saidhe。

"IsthereatraintoNorthWalshamto—night？"

Iturnedupthetime—table。Thelasthadjustgone。

"Thenweshallbreakfastearlyandtaketheveryfirstinthemorning，"saidHolmes。"Ourpresenceismosturgentlyneeded。

Ah！hereisourexpectedcablegram。Onemoment，Mrs。Hudson；

theremaybeananswer。No，thatisquiteasIexpected。

ThismessagemakesitevenmoreessentialthatweshouldnotloseanhourinlettingHiltonCubittknowhowmattersstand，foritisasingularandadangerouswebinwhichoursimpleNorfolksquireisentangled。"

So，indeed，itproved，andasIcometothedarkconclusionofastorywhichhadseemedtometobeonlychildishandbizarreIexperienceonceagainthedismayandhorrorwithwhichIwasfilled。WouldthatIhadsomebrighterendingtocommunicatetomyreaders，butthesearethechroniclesoffact，andImustfollowtotheirdarkcrisisthestrangechainofeventswhichforsomedaysmadeRidlingThorpeManorahouseholdwordthroughthelengthandbreadthofEngland。

WehadhardlyalightedatNorthWalsham，andmentionedthenameofourdestination，whenthestation—masterhurriedtowardsus。

"IsupposethatyouarethedetectivesfromLondon？"saidhe。

AlookofannoyancepassedoverHolmes’sface。

"Whatmakesyouthinksuchathing？"

"BecauseInspectorMartinfromNorwichhasjustpassedthrough。

Butmaybeyouarethesurgeons。She’snotdead——orwasn’tbylastaccounts。Youmaybeintimetosaveheryet——thoughitbeforthegallows。"

Holmes’sbrowwasdarkwithanxiety。

"WearegoingtoRidlingThorpeManor，"saidhe，"butwehaveheardnothingofwhathaspassedthere。"

"It’saterriblebusiness，"saidthestation—master。"Theyareshot，bothMr。HiltonCubittandhiswife。Sheshothimandthenherself——sotheservantssay。He’sdeadandherlifeisdespairedof。Dear，dear，oneoftheoldestfamiliesintheCountyofNorfolk，andoneofthemosthonoured。"

WithoutawordHolmeshurriedtoacarriage，andduringthelongsevenmiles’driveheneveropenedhismouth。SeldomhaveI

seenhimsoutterlydespondent。Hehadbeenuneasyduringallourjourneyfromtown，andIhadobservedthathehadturnedoverthemorningpaperswithanxiousattention；butnowthissuddenrealizationofhisworstfearslefthiminablankmelancholy。Heleanedbackinhisseat，lostingloomyspeculation。Yettherewasmucharoundtointerestus，forwewerepassingthroughassingularacountry—sideasanyinEngland，whereafewscatteredcottagesrepresentedthepopulationofto—day，whileoneveryhandenormoussquare—toweredchurchesbristledupfromtheflat，greenlandscapeandtoldofthegloryandprosperityofoldEastAnglia。AtlastthevioletrimoftheGermanOceanappearedoverthegreenedgeoftheNorfolkcoast，andthedriverpointedwithhiswhiptotwooldbrickandtimbergableswhichprojectedfromagroveoftrees。"That’sRidlingThorpeManor，"saidhe。

AswedroveuptotheporticoedfrontdoorIobservedinfrontofit，besidethetennislawn，theblacktool—houseandthepedestalledsun—dialwithwhichwehadsuchstrangeassociations。

Adapperlittleman，withaquick，alertmannerandawaxedmoustache，hadjustdescendedfromahighdog—cart。

HeintroducedhimselfasInspectorMartin，oftheNorfolkConstabulary，andhewasconsiderablyastonishedwhenheheardthenameofmycompanion。

"Why，Mr。Holmes，thecrimewasonlycommittedatthreethismorning。HowcouldyouhearofitinLondonandgettothespotassoonasI？"

"Ianticipatedit。Icameinthehopeofpreventingit。"

"Thenyoumusthaveimportantevidenceofwhichweareignorant，fortheyweresaidtobeamostunitedcouple。"

"Ihaveonlytheevidenceofthedancingmen，"saidHolmes。

"Iwillexplainthemattertoyoulater。Meanwhile，sinceitistoolatetopreventthistragedy，IamveryanxiousthatI

shouldusetheknowledgewhichIpossessinordertoensurethatjusticebedone。Willyouassociatemeinyourinvestigation，orwillyoupreferthatIshouldactindependently？"

"Ishouldbeproudtofeelthatwewereactingtogether，Mr。Holmes，"saidtheinspector，earnestly。

"InthatcaseIshouldbegladtoheartheevidenceandtoexaminethepremiseswithoutaninstantofunnecessarydelay。"

InspectorMartinhadthegoodsensetoallowmyfriendtodothingsinhisownfashion，andcontentedhimselfwithcarefullynotingtheresults。Thelocalsurgeon，anold，white—hairedman，hadjustcomedownfromMrs。HiltonCubitt’sroom，andhereportedthatherinjurieswereserious，butnotnecessarilyfatal。Thebullethadpassedthroughthefrontofherbrain，anditwouldprobablybesometimebeforeshecouldregainconsciousness。Onthequestionofwhethershehadbeenshotorhadshotherselfhewouldnotventuretoexpressanydecidedopinion。Certainlythebullethadbeendischargedatveryclosequarters。Therewasonlytheonepistolfoundintheroom，twobarrelsofwhichhadbeenemptied。Mr。HiltonCubitthadbeenshotthroughtheheart。Itwasequallyconceivablethathehadshotherandthenhimself，orthatshehadbeenthecriminal，fortherevolverlayuponthefloormidwaybetweenthem。

"Hashebeenmoved？"askedHolmes。

"Wehavemovednothingexceptthelady。Wecouldnotleaveherlyingwoundeduponthefloor。"