第12章

Thisseemedtoestablishthatthecrimehadbeendoneinamomentoffury，andthatthemurdererhadseizedthefirstweaponwhichcameinhisway。Thefactthatthecrimewascommittedattwointhemorning，andyetPeterCareywasfullydressed，suggestedthathehadanappointmentwiththemurderer，whichisborneoutbythefactthatabottleofrumandtwodirtyglassesstooduponthetable。"

"Yes，"saidHolmes；"Ithinkthatbothinferencesarepermissible。

Wasthereanyotherspiritbutrumintheroom？"

"Yes；therewasatantaluscontainingbrandyandwhiskyonthesea—chest。Itisofnoimportancetous，however，sincethedecanterswerefull，andithadthereforenotbeenused。"

"Forallthatitspresencehassomesignificance，"saidHolmes。

"However，letushearsomemoreabouttheobjectswhichdoseemtoyoutobearuponthecase。"

"Therewasthistobacco—pouchuponthetable。"

"Whatpartofthetable？"

"Itlayinthemiddle。Itwasofcoarseseal—skin——

thestraight—hairedskin，withaleatherthongtobindit。

Insidewas`P。C。’ontheflap。Therewashalfanounceofstrongship’stobaccoinit。"

"Excellent！Whatmore？"

StanleyHopkinsdrewfromhispocketadrab—coverednote—book。

Theoutsidewasroughandworn，theleavesdiscoloured。

Onthefirstpagewerewrittentheinitials"J。H。N。"andthedate"1883。"Holmeslaiditonthetableandexamineditinhisminuteway，whileHopkinsandIgazedovereachshoulder。

Onthesecondpageweretheprintedletters"C。P。R。，"andthencameseveralsheetsofnumbers。AnotherheadingwasArgentine，anotherCostaRica，andanotherSanPaulo，eachwithpagesofsignsandfiguresafterit。

"Whatdoyoumakeofthese？"askedHolmes。

"TheyappeartobelistsofStockExchangesecurities。

Ithoughtthat`J。H。N。’weretheinitialsofabroker，andthat`C。P。R。’mayhavebeenhisclient。"

"TryCanadianPacificRailway，"saidHolmes。

StanleyHopkinssworebetweenhisteethandstruckhisthighwithhisclenchedhand。

"WhatafoolIhavebeen！"hecried。"Ofcourse，itisasyousay。Then`J。H。N。’aretheonlyinitialswehavetosolve。

IhavealreadyexaminedtheoldStockExchangelists，andIcanfindnoonein1883eitherintheHouseoramongtheoutsidebrokerswhoseinitialscorrespondwiththese。YetIfeelthattheclueisthemostimportantonethatIhold。Youwilladmit，Mr。Holmes，thatthereisapossibilitythattheseinitialsarethoseofthesecondpersonwhowaspresent——inotherwords，ofthemurderer。Iwouldalsourgethattheintroductionintothecaseofadocumentrelatingtolargemassesofvaluablesecuritiesgivesusforthefirsttimesomeindicationofamotiveforthecrime。"

SherlockHolmes’sfaceshowedthathewasthoroughlytakenabackbythisnewdevelopment。

"Imustadmitbothyourpoints，"saidhe。"Iconfessthatthisnote—book，whichdidnotappearattheinquest，modifiesanyviewswhichImayhaveformed。IhadcometoatheoryofthecrimeinwhichIcanfindnoplaceforthis。Haveyouendeavouredtotraceanyofthesecuritiesherementioned？"

"Inquiriesarenowbeingmadeattheoffices，butIfearthatthecompleteregisterofthestockholdersoftheseSouthAmericanconcernsisinSouthAmerica，andthatsomeweeksmustelapsebeforewecantracetheshares。"

Holmeshadbeenexaminingthecoverofthenote—bookwithhismagnifyinglens。

"Surelythereissomediscolourationhere，"saidhe。

"Yes，sir，itisablood—stain。ItoldyouthatIpickedthebookoffthefloor。"

"Wastheblood—stainaboveorbelow？"

"Onthesidenexttheboards。"

"Whichproves，ofcourse，thatthebookwasdroppedafterthecrimewascommitted。"

"Exactly，Mr。Holmes。Iappreciatedthatpoint，andIconjecturedthatitwasdroppedbythemurdererinhishurriedflight。Itlaynearthedoor。"

"Isupposethatnoneofthesesecuritieshavebeenfoundamongthepropertyofthedeadman？"

"No，sir。"

"Haveyouanyreasontosuspectrobbery？"

"No，sir。Nothingseemedtohavebeentouched。"

"Dearme，itiscertainlyaveryinterestingcase。

Thentherewasaknife，wastherenot？"

"Asheath—knife，stillinitssheath。Itlayatthefeetofthedeadman。Mrs。Careyhasidentifieditasbeingherhusband’sproperty。"

Holmeswaslostinthoughtforsometime。

"Well，"saidhe，atlast，"IsupposeIshallhavetocomeoutandhavealookatit。"

StanleyHopkinsgaveacryofjoy。

"Thankyou，sir。Thatwillindeedbeaweightoffmymind。"

Holmesshookhisfingerattheinspector。

"Itwouldhavebeenaneasiertaskaweekago，"saidhe。

"Butevennowmyvisitmaynotbeentirelyfruitless。Watson，ifyoucansparethetimeIshouldbeverygladofyourcompany。

Ifyouwillcallafour—wheeler，Hopkins，weshallbereadytostartforForestRowinaquarterofanhour。"

Alightingatthesmallwaysidestation，wedroveforsomemilesthroughtheremainsofwidespreadwoods，whichwereoncepartofthatgreatforestwhichforsolongheldtheSaxoninvadersatbay——theimpenetrable"weald，"forsixtyyearsthebulwarkofBritain。Vastsectionsofithavebeencleared，forthisistheseatofthefirstiron—worksofthecountry，andthetreeshavebeenfelledtosmelttheore。NowthericherfieldsoftheNorthhaveabsorbedthetrade，andnothingsavetheseravagedgrovesandgreatscarsintheearthshowtheworkofthepast。

Hereinaclearinguponthegreenslopeofahillstoodalong，lowstonehouse，approachedbyacurvingdriverunningthroughthefields。Nearertheroad，andsurroundedonthreesidesbybushes，wasasmallouthouse，onewindowandthedoorfacinginourdirection。Itwasthesceneofthemurder！

StanleyHopkinsledusfirsttothehouse，whereheintroducedustoahaggard，grey—hairedwoman，thewidowofthemurderedman，whosegauntanddeep—linedface，withthefurtivelookofterrorinthedepthsofherred—rimmedeyes，toldoftheyearsofhardshipandill—usagewhichshehadendured。Withherwasherdaughter，apale，fair—hairedgirl，whoseeyesblazeddefiantlyatusasshetoldusthatshewasgladthatherfatherwasdead，andthatsheblessedthehandwhichhadstruckhimdown。ItwasaterriblehouseholdthatBlackPeterCareyhadmadeforhimself，anditwaswithasenseofreliefthatwefoundourselvesinthesunlightagainandmakingourwayalongapathwhichhadbeenwornacrossthefieldsbythefeetofthedeadman。

Theouthousewasthesimplestofdwellings，wooden—walled，shingle—roofed，onewindowbesidethedoorandoneonthefartherside。StanleyHopkinsdrewthekeyfromhispocket，andhadstoopedtothelock，whenhepausedwithalookofattentionandsurpriseuponhisface。

"Someonehasbeentamperingwithit，"hesaid。

Therecouldbenodoubtofthefact。Thewoodworkwascutandthescratchesshowedwhitethroughthepaint，asiftheyhadbeenthatinstantdone。Holmeshadbeenexaminingthewindow。

"Someonehastriedtoforcethisalso。Whoeveritwashasfailedtomakehiswayin。Hemusthavebeenaverypoorburglar。"

"Thisisamostextraordinarything，"saidtheinspector；

"Icouldswearthatthesemarkswerenothereyesterdayevening。"

"Somecuriouspersonfromthevillage，perhaps，"Isuggested。

"Veryunlikely。Fewofthemwoulddaretosetfootinthegrounds，farlesstrytoforcetheirwayintothecabin。

Whatdoyouthinkofit，Mr。Holmes？"

"Ithinkthatfortuneisverykindtous。"

"Youmeanthatthepersonwillcomeagain？"

"Itisveryprobable。Hecameexpectingtofindthedooropen。

Hetriedtogetinwiththebladeofaverysmallpenknife。

Hecouldnotmanageit。Whatwouldhedo？"

"Comeagainnextnightwithamoreusefultool。"

"SoIshouldsay。Itwillbeourfaultifwearenottheretoreceivehim。Meanwhile，letmeseetheinsideofthecabin。"

Thetracesofthetragedyhadbeenremoved，butthefurniturewithinthelittleroomstillstoodasithadbeenonthenightofthecrime。Fortwohours，withmostintenseconcentration，Holmesexaminedeveryobjectinturn，buthisfaceshowedthathisquestwasnotasuccessfulone。Onceonlyhepausedinhispatientinvestigation。

"Haveyoutakenanythingoffthisshelf，Hopkins？"

"No；Ihavemovednothing。"

"Somethinghasbeentaken。Thereislessdustinthiscorneroftheshelfthanelsewhere。Itmayhavebeenabooklyingonitsside。Itmayhavebeenabox。Well，well，Icandonothingmore。Letuswalkinthesebeautifulwoods，Watson，andgiveafewhourstothebirdsandtheflowers。Weshallmeetyouherelater，Hopkins，andseeifwecancometocloserquarterswiththegentlemanwhohaspaidthisvisitinthenight。"

Itwaspasteleveno’clockwhenweformedourlittleambuscade。

Hopkinswasforleavingthedoorofthehutopen，butHolmeswasoftheopinionthatthiswouldrousethesuspicionsofthestranger。Thelockwasaperfectlysimpleone，andonlyastrongbladewasneededtopushitback。Holmesalsosuggestedthatweshouldwait，notinsidethehut，butoutsideitamongthebusheswhichgrewroundthefartherwindow。Inthiswayweshouldbeabletowatchourmanifhestruckalight，andseewhathisobjectwasinthisstealthynocturnalvisit。

Itwasalongandmelancholyvigil，andyetbroughtwithitsomethingofthethrillwhichthehunterfeelswhenheliesbesidethewaterpoolandwaitsforthecomingofthethirstybeastofprey。Whatsavagecreaturewasitwhichmightstealuponusoutofthedarkness？Wasitafiercetigerofcrime，whichcouldonlybetakenfightinghardwithflashingfangandclaw，orwoulditprovetobesomeskulkingjackal，dangerousonlytotheweakandunguarded？

Inabsolutesilencewecrouchedamongstthebushes，waitingforwhatevermightcome。Atfirstthestepsofafewbelatedvillagers，orthesoundofvoicesfromthevillage，lightenedourvigil；butonebyonetheseinterruptionsdiedawayandanabsolutestillnessfelluponus，saveforthechimesofthedistantchurch，whichtoldusoftheprogressofthenight，andfortherustleandwhisperofafinerainfallingamidthefoliagewhichroofedusin。

Half—pasttwohadchimed，anditwasthedarkesthourwhichprecedesthedawn，whenweallstartedasalowbutsharpclickcamefromthedirectionofthegate。Someonehadenteredthedrive。Againtherewasalongsilence，andIhadbeguntofearthatitwasafalsealarm，whenastealthystepwasheardupontheothersideofthehut，andamomentlaterametallicscrapingandclinking。Themanwastryingtoforcethelock！

Thistimehisskillwasgreaterorhistoolwasbetter，fortherewasasuddensnapandthecreakofthehinges。

Thenamatchwasstruck，andnextinstantthesteadylightfromacandlefilledtheinteriorofthehut。Throughthegauzecurtainoureyeswereallriveteduponthescenewithin。

Thenocturnalvisitorwasayoungman，frailandthin，withablackmoustachewhichintensifiedthedeadlypallorofhisface。

Hecouldnothavebeenmuchabovetwentyyearsofage。Ihaveneverseenanyhumanbeingwhoappearedtobeinsuchapitiablefright，forhisteethwerevisiblychatteringandhewasshakingineverylimb。Hewasdressedlikeagentleman，inNorfolkjacketandknickerbockers，withaclothcapuponhishead。

Wewatchedhimstaringroundwithfrightenedeyes。Thenhelaidthecandle—enduponthetableanddisappearedfromourviewintooneofthecorners。Hereturnedwithalargebook，oneofthelog—bookswhichformedalineupontheshelves。Leaningonthetableherapidlyturnedovertheleavesofthisvolumeuntilhecametotheentrywhichhesought。Then，withanangrygestureofhisclenchedhand，heclosedthebook，replaceditinthecorner，andputoutthelight。HehadhardlyturnedtoleavethehutwhenHopkins’shandwasonthefellow’scollar，andI

heardhisloudgaspofterrorasheunderstoodthathewastaken。Thecandlewasre—lit，andtherewasourwretchedcaptiveshiveringandcoweringinthegraspofthedetective。

Hesankdownuponthesea—chest，andlookedhelplesslyfromoneofustotheother。

"Now，myfinefellow，"saidStanleyHopkins，"whoareyou，andwhatdoyouwanthere？"

Themanpulledhimselftogetherandfaceduswithaneffortatself—composure。

"Youaredetectives，Isuppose？"saidhe。"YouimagineIamconnectedwiththedeathofCaptainPeterCarey。IassureyouthatIaminnocent。"

"We’llseeaboutthat，"saidHopkins。

"Firstofall，whatisyourname？"

"ItisJohnHopleyNeligan。"

IsawHolmesandHopkinsexchangeaquickglance。

"Whatareyoudoinghere？"

"CanIspeakconfidentially？"

"No，certainlynot。"

"WhyshouldItellyou？"

"Ifyouhavenoansweritmaygobadlywithyouatthetrial。"

Theyoungmanwinced。

"Well，Iwilltellyou，"hesaid。"WhyshouldInot？AndyetIhatetothinkofthisoldscandalgaininganewleaseoflife。

DidyoueverhearofDawsonandNeligan？"

IcouldseefromHopkins’sfacethatheneverhad；butHolmeswaskeenlyinterested。

"YoumeantheWest—countrybankers，"saidhe。"Theyfailedforamillion，ruinedhalfthecountyfamiliesofCornwall，andNeligandisappeared。"

"Exactly。Neliganwasmyfather。"

Atlastweweregettingsomethingpositive，andyetitseemedalonggapbetweenanabscondingbankerandCaptainPeterCareypinnedagainstthewallwithoneofhisownharpoons。Wealllistenedintentlytotheyoungman’swords。

"Itwasmyfatherwhowasreallyconcerned。Dawsonhadretired。

Iwasonlytenyearsofageatthetime，butIwasoldenoughtofeeltheshameandhorrorofitall。Ithasalwaysbeensaidthatmyfatherstoleallthesecuritiesandfled。Itisnottrue。Itwashisbeliefthatifheweregiventimeinwhichtorealizethemallwouldbewellandeverycreditorpaidinfull。

HestartedinhislittleyachtforNorwayjustbeforethewarrantwasissuedforhisarrest。Icanrememberthatlastnightwhenhebadefarewelltomymother。Heleftusalistofthesecuritieshewastaking，andhesworethathewouldcomebackwithhishonourcleared，andthatnonewhohadtrustedhimwouldsuffer。Well，nowordwaseverheardfromhimagain。

Boththeyachtandhevanishedutterly。Webelieved，mymotherandI，thatheandit，withthesecuritiesthathehadtakenwithhim，wereatthebottomofthesea。Wehadafaithfulfriend，however，whoisabusinessman，anditwashewhodiscoveredsometimeagothatsomeofthesecuritieswhichmyfatherhadwithhimhavereappearedontheLondonmarket。

Youcanimagineouramazement。Ispentmonthsintryingtotracethem，andatlast，aftermanydoublingsanddifficulties，IdiscoveredthattheoriginalsellerhadbeenCaptainPeterCarey，theownerofthishut。

"Naturally，Imadesomeinquiriesabouttheman。IfoundthathehadbeenincommandofawhalerwhichwasduetoreturnfromtheArcticseasattheverytimewhenmyfatherwascrossingtoNorway。Theautumnofthatyearwasastormyone，andtherewasalongsuccessionofsoutherlygales。Myfather’syachtmaywellhavebeenblowntothenorth，andtheremetbyCaptainPeterCarey’sship。Ifthatwereso，whathadbecomeofmyfather？Inanycase，ifIcouldprovefromPeterCarey’sevidencehowthesesecuritiescameonthemarketitwouldbeaproofthatmyfatherhadnotsoldthem，andthathehadnoviewtopersonalprofitwhenhetookthem。

"IcamedowntoSussexwiththeintentionofseeingthecaptain，butitwasatthismomentthathisterribledeathoccurred。

Ireadattheinquestadescriptionofhiscabin，inwhichitstatedthattheoldlog—booksofhisvesselwerepreservedinit。

ItstruckmethatifIcouldseewhatoccurredinthemonthofAugust，1883，onboardtheSEAUNICORN，Imightsettlethemysteryofmyfather’sfate。Itriedlastnighttogetattheselog—books，butwasunabletoopenthedoor。To—nightItriedagain，andsucceeded；butIfindthatthepageswhichdealwiththatmonthhavebeentornfromthebook。ItwasatthatmomentIfoundmyselfaprisonerinyourhands。"

"Isthatall？"askedHopkins。

"Yes，thatisall。"Hiseyesshiftedashesaidit。

"Youhavenothingelsetotellus？"

Hehesitated。

"No；thereisnothing。"

"Youhavenotbeenherebeforelastnight？"

"No。"

"ThenhowdoyouaccountforTHAT？"criedHopkins，asheheldupthedamningnote—book，withtheinitialsofourprisoneronthefirstleafandtheblood—stainonthecover。

Thewretchedmancollapsed。Hesankhisfaceinhishandsandtrembledallover。

"Wheredidyougetit？"hegroaned。"Ididnotknow。

IthoughtIhadlostitatthehotel。"

"Thatisenough，"saidHopkins，sternly。"Whateverelseyouhavetosayyoumustsayincourt。Youwillwalkdownwithmenowtothepolice—station。Well，Mr。Holmes，Iamverymuchobligedtoyouandtoyourfriendforcomingdowntohelpme。

Asitturnsoutyourpresencewasunnecessary，andIwouldhavebroughtthecasetothissuccessfulissuewithoutyou；butnonethelessIamverygrateful。RoomshavebeenreservedforyouattheBrambletyeHotel，sowecanallwalkdowntothevillagetogether。"

"Well，Watson，whatdoyouthinkofit？"askedHolmes，aswetravelledbacknextmorning。

"Icanseethatyouarenotsatisfied。"

"Oh，yes，mydearWatson，Iamperfectlysatisfied。AtthesametimeStanleyHopkins’smethodsdonotcommendthemselvestome。

IamdisappointedinStanleyHopkins。Ihadhopedforbetterthingsfromhim。Oneshouldalwayslookforapossiblealternativeandprovideagainstit。Itisthefirstruleofcriminalinvestigation。"

"What，then，isthealternative？"

"ThelineofinvestigationwhichIhavemyselfbeenpursuing。

Itmaygiveusnothing。Icannottell。ButatleastIshallfollowittotheend。"

SeveralletterswerewaitingforHolmesatBakerStreet。

Hesnatchedoneofthemup，openedit，andburstoutintoatriumphantchuckleoflaughter。

"Excellent，Watson。Thealternativedevelops。Haveyoutelegraphforms？Justwriteacoupleofmessagesforme：

`Sumner，ShippingAgent，RatcliffHighway。Sendthreemenon，toarrivetento—morrowmorning。——Basil。’That’smynameinthoseparts。Theotheris：`InspectorStanleyHopkins，46，LordStreet，Brixton。Comebreakfastto—morrowatnine—thirty。

Important。Wireifunabletocome。——SherlockHolmes。’

There，Watson，thisinfernalcasehashauntedmefortendays。

Iherebybanishitcompletelyfrommypresence。To—morrowItrustthatweshallhearthelastofitforever。"

SharpatthehournamedInspectorStanleyHopkinsappeared，andwesatdowntogethertotheexcellentbreakfastwhichMrs。Hudsonhadprepared。Theyoungdetectivewasinhighspiritsathissuccess。

"Youreallythinkthatyoursolutionmustbecorrect？"askedHolmes。

"Icouldnotimagineamorecompletecase。"

"Itdidnotseemtomeconclusive。"

"Youastonishme，Mr。Holmes。Whatmorecouldoneaskfor？"

"Doesyourexplanationcovereverypoint？"

"Undoubtedly。IfindthatyoungNeliganarrivedattheBrambletyeHotelontheverydayofthecrime。Hecameonthepretenceofplayinggolf。Hisroomwasontheground—floor，andhecouldgetoutwhenheliked。ThatverynighthewentdowntoWoodman’sLee，sawPeterCareyatthehut，quarrelledwithhim，andkilledhimwiththeharpoon。Then，horrifiedbywhathehaddone，hefledoutofthehut，droppingthenote—bookwhichhehadbroughtwithhiminordertoquestionPeterCareyaboutthesedifferentsecurities。Youmayhaveobservedthatsomeofthemweremarkedwithticks，andtheothers——thegreatmajority——werenot。ThosewhicharetickedhavebeentracedontheLondonmarket；buttheotherspresumablywerestillinthepossessionofCarey，andyoungNeligan，accordingtohisownaccount，wasanxioustorecovertheminordertodotherightthingbyhisfather’screditors。Afterhisflighthedidnotdaretoapproachthehutagainforsometime；butatlastheforcedhimselftodosoinordertoobtaintheinformationwhichheneeded。Surelythatisallsimpleandobvious？"

Holmessmiledandshookhishead。

"Itseemstometohaveonlyonedrawback，Hopkins，andthatisthatitisintrinsicallyimpossible。Haveyoutriedtodriveaharpoonthroughabody？No？Tut，tut，mydearsir，youmustreallypayattentiontothesedetails。MyfriendWatsoncouldtellyouthatIspentawholemorninginthatexercise。

Itisnoeasymatter，andrequiresastrongandpractisedarm。

Butthisblowwasdeliveredwithsuchviolencethattheheadoftheweaponsankdeepintothewall。Doyouimaginethatthisanaemicyouthwascapableofsofrightfulanassault？IshethemanwhohobnobbedinrumandwaterwithBlackPeterinthedeadofthenight？Wasithisprofilethatwasseenontheblindtwonightsbefore？No，no，Hopkins；itisanotherandamoreformidablepersonforwhomwemustseek。"

Thedetective’sfacehadgrownlongerandlongerduringHolmes’sspeech。Hishopesandhisambitionswereallcrumblingabouthim。

Buthewouldnotabandonhispositionwithoutastruggle。

"Youcan’tdenythatNeliganwaspresentthatnight，Mr。Holmes。

Thebookwillprovethat。IfancythatIhaveevidenceenoughtosatisfyajury，evenifyouareabletopickaholeinit。

Besides，Mr。Holmes，IhavelaidmyhanduponMYman。Astothisterriblepersonofyours，whereishe？"

"Iratherfancythatheisonthestair，"saidHolmes，serenely。

"Ithink，Watson，thatyouwoulddowelltoputthatrevolverwhereyoucanreachit。"Herose，andlaidawrittenpaperuponaside—table。"Nowweareready，"saidhe。

Therehadbeensometalkingingruffvoicesoutside，andnowMrs。HudsonopenedthedoortosaythattherewerethreemeninquiringforCaptainBasil。

"Showtheminonebyone，"saidHolmes。

Thefirstwhoenteredwasalittleribston—pippinofaman，withruddycheeksandfluffywhiteside—whiskers。Holmeshaddrawnaletterfromhispocket。

"Whatname？"heasked。

"JamesLancaster。"

"Iamsorry，Lancaster，buttheberthisfull。Hereishalfasovereignforyourtrouble。Juststepintothisroomandwaitthereforafewminutes。"

Thesecondmanwasalong，dried—upcreature，withlankhairandsallowcheeks。HisnamewasHughPattins。Healsoreceivedhisdismissal，hishalf—sovereign，andtheordertowait。

Thethirdapplicantwasamanofremarkableappearance。

Afiercebull—dogfacewasframedinatangleofhairandbeard，andtwobolddarkeyesgleamedbehindthecoverofthick，tufted，overhungeyebrows。Hesalutedandstoodsailor—fashion，turninghiscaproundinhishands。

"Yourname？"askedHolmes。

"PatrickCairns。"

"Harpooner？"

"Yes，sir。Twenty—sixvoyages。"

"Dundee，Isuppose？"

"Yes，sir。"

"Andreadytostartwithanexploringship？"

"Yes，sir。"

"Whatwages？"

"Eightpoundsamonth。"

"Couldyoustartatonce？"

"AssoonasIgetmykit。"

"Haveyouyourpapers？"

"Yes，sir。"Hetookasheafofwornandgreasyformsfromhispocket。Holmesglancedoverthemandreturnedthem。

"YouarejustthemanIwant，"saidhe。"Here’stheagreementontheside—table。Ifyousignitthewholematterwillbesettled。"

Theseamanlurchedacrosstheroomandtookupthepen。

"ShallIsignhere？"heasked，stoopingoverthetable。

Holmesleanedoverhisshoulderandpassedbothhandsoverhisneck。

"Thiswilldo，"saidhe。

Iheardaclickofsteelandabellowlikeanenragedbull。

ThenextinstantHolmesandtheseamanwererollingonthegroundtogether。Hewasamanofsuchgiganticstrengththat，evenwiththehandcuffswhichHolmeshadsodeftlyfasteneduponhiswrists，hewouldhaveveryquicklyoverpoweredmyfriendhadHopkinsandInotrushedtohisrescue。OnlywhenIpressedthecoldmuzzleoftherevolvertohistempledidheatlastunderstandthatresistancewasvain。Welashedhisankleswithcordandrosebreathlessfromthestruggle。