第15章

"Comeinstantly，131，PittStreet，Kensington。——Lestrade。"

"Whatisit，then？"Iasked。

"Don’tknow——maybeanything。ButIsuspectitisthesequelofthestoryofthestatues。Inthatcaseourfriend，theimage—breaker，hasbegunoperationsinanotherquarterofLondon。There’scoffeeonthetable，Watson，andIhaveacabatthedoor。"

InhalfanhourwehadreachedPittStreet，aquietlittlebackwaterjustbesideoneofthebriskestcurrentsofLondonlife。No。131wasoneofarow，allflat—chested，respectable，andmostunromanticdwellings。Aswedroveupwefoundtherailingsinfrontofthehouselinedbyacuriouscrowd。

Holmeswhistled。

"ByGeorge！it’sattemptedmurderattheleast。NothinglesswillholdtheLondonmessage—boy。There’sadeedofviolenceindicatedinthatfellow’sroundshouldersandoutstretchedneck。What’sthis，Watson？Thetopstepsswilleddownandtheotheronesdry。Footstepsenough，anyhow！Well，well，there’sLestradeatthefrontwindow，andweshallsoonknowallaboutit。"

Theofficialreceiveduswithaverygravefaceandshowedusintoasitting—room，whereanexceedinglyunkemptandagitatedelderlyman，cladinaflanneldressing—gown，waspacingupanddown。Hewasintroducedtousastheownerofthehouse——

Mr。HoraceHarker，oftheCentralPressSyndicate。

"It’stheNapoleonbustbusinessagain，"saidLestrade。

"Youseemedinterestedlastnight，Mr。Holmes，soIthoughtperhapsyouwouldbegladtobepresentnowthattheaffairhastakenaverymuchgraverturn。"

"Whathasitturnedto，then？"

"Tomurder。Mr。Harker，willyoutellthesegentlemenexactlywhathasoccurred？"

Themaninthedressing—gownturneduponuswithamostmelancholyface。

"It’sanextraordinarything，"saidhe，"thatallmylifeIhavebeencollectingotherpeople’snews，andnowthatarealpieceofnewshascomemyownwayIamsoconfusedandbotheredthatIcan’tputtwowordstogether。IfIhadcomeinhereasajournalistIshouldhaveinterviewedmyselfandhadtwocolumnsineveryeveningpaper。AsitisIamgivingawayvaluablecopybytellingmystoryoverandovertoastringofdifferentpeople，andIcanmakenouseofitmyself。However，I’veheardyourname，Mr。SherlockHolmes，andifyou’llonlyexplainthisqueerbusinessIshallbepaidformytroubleintellingyouthestory。"

Holmessatdownandlistened。

"ItallseemstocentreroundthatbustofNapoleonwhichI

boughtforthisveryroomaboutfourmonthsago。IpickeditupcheapfromHardingBrothers，twodoorsfromtheHighStreetStation。Agreatdealofmyjournalisticworkisdoneatnight，andIoftenwriteuntiltheearlymorning。Soitwasto—day。

Iwassittinginmyden，whichisatthebackofthetopofthehouse，aboutthreeo’clock，whenIwasconvincedthatIheardsomesoundsdownstairs。Ilistened，buttheywerenotrepeated，andIconcludedthattheycamefromoutside。Thensuddenly，aboutfiveminuteslater，therecameamosthorribleyell——themostdreadfulsound，Mr。Holmes，thateverIheard。ItwillringinmyearsaslongasIlive。Isatfrozenwithhorrorforaminuteortwo。ThenIseizedthepokerandwentdownstairs。

WhenIenteredthisroomIfoundthewindowwideopen，andIatonceobservedthatthebustwasgonefromthemantelpiece。

Whyanyburglarshouldtakesuchathingpassesmyunderstanding，foritwasonlyaplastercastandofnorealvaluewhatever。

"Youcanseeforyourselfthatanyonegoingoutthroughthatopenwindowcouldreachthefrontdoorstepbytakingalongstride。Thiswasclearlywhattheburglarhaddone，soIwentroundandopenedthedoor。SteppingoutintothedarkInearlyfelloveradeadmanwhowaslyingthere。Iranbackforalight，andtherewasthepoorfellow，agreatgashinhisthroatandthewholeplaceswimminginblood。Helayonhisback，hiskneesdrawnup，andhismouthhorriblyopen。Ishallseehiminmydreams。Ihadjusttimetoblowonmypolice—whistle，andthenImusthavefainted，forIknewnothingmoreuntilIfoundthepolicemanstandingovermeinthehall。"

"Well，whowasthemurderedman？"askedHolmes。

"There’snothingtoshowwhohewas，"saidLestrade。"Youshallseethebodyatthemortuary，butwehavemadenothingofituptonow。Heisatallman，sunburned，verypowerful，notmorethanthirty。Heispoorlydressed，andyetdoesnotappeartobealabourer。Ahorn—handledclaspknifewaslyinginapoolofbloodbesidehim。Whetheritwastheweaponwhichdidthedeed，orwhetheritbelongedtothedeadman，Idonotknow。

Therewasnonameonhisclothing，andnothinginhispocketssaveanapple，somestring，ashillingmapofLondon，andaphotograph。Hereitis。"

Itwasevidentlytakenbyasnap—shotfromasmallcamera。

Itrepresentedanalert，sharp—featuredsimianmanwiththickeyebrows，andaverypeculiarprojectionofthelowerpartofthefacelikethemuzzleofababoon。

"Andwhatbecameofthebust？"askedHolmes，afteracarefulstudyofthispicture。

"Wehadnewsofitjustbeforeyoucame。IthasbeenfoundinthefrontgardenofanemptyhouseinCampdenHouseRoad。

Itwasbrokenintofragments。Iamgoingroundnowtoseeit。

Willyoucome？"

"Certainly。Imustjusttakeonelookround。"Heexaminedthecarpetandthewindow。"Thefellowhadeitherverylonglegsorwasamostactiveman，"saidhe。"Withanareabeneath，itwasnomeanfeattoreachthatwindow—ledgeandopenthatwindow。

Gettingbackwascomparativelysimple。Areyoucomingwithustoseetheremainsofyourbust，Mr。Harker？"

Thedisconsolatejournalisthadseatedhimselfatawriting—table。

"Imusttryandmakesomethingofit，"saidhe，"thoughIhavenodoubtthatthefirsteditionsoftheeveningpapersareoutalreadywithfulldetails。It’slikemyluck！YourememberwhenthestandfellatDoncaster？Well，Iwastheonlyjournalistinthestand，andmyjournaltheonlyonethathadnoaccountofit，forIwastooshakentowriteit。AndnowI’llbetoolatewithamurderdoneonmyowndoorstep。"

Aswelefttheroomweheardhispentravellingshrillyoverthefoolscap。

Thespotwherethefragmentsofthebusthadbeenfoundwasonlyafewhundredyardsaway。ForthefirsttimeoureyesresteduponthispresentmentofthegreatEmperor，whichseemedtoraisesuchfranticanddestructivehatredinthemindoftheunknown。Itlayscatteredinsplinteredshardsuponthegrass。Holmespickedupseveralofthemandexaminedthemcarefully。Iwasconvincedfromhisintentfaceandhispurposefulmannerthatatlasthewasuponaclue。

"Well？"askedLestrade。

Holmesshruggedhisshoulders。

"Wehavealongwaytogoyet，"saidhe。"Andyet——andyet——

well，wehavesomesuggestivefactstoactupon。Thepossessionofthistriflingbustwasworthmoreintheeyesofthisstrangecriminalthanahumanlife。Thatisonepoint。

Thenthereisthesingularfactthathedidnotbreakitinthehouse，orimmediatelyoutsidethehouse，iftobreakitwashissoleobject。"

"Hewasrattledandbustledbymeetingthisotherfellow。

Hehardlyknewwhathewasdoing。"

"Well，that’slikelyenough。ButIwishtocallyourattentionveryparticularlytothepositionofthishouseinthegardenofwhichthebustwasdestroyed。"

Lestradelookedabouthim。

"Itwasanemptyhouse，andsoheknewthathewouldnotbedisturbedinthegarden。"

"Yes，butthereisanotheremptyhousefartherupthestreetwhichhemusthavepassedbeforehecametothisone。Whydidhenotbreakitthere，sinceitisevidentthateveryyardthathecarrieditincreasedtheriskofsomeonemeetinghim？"

"Igiveitup，"saidLestrade。

Holmespointedtothestreetlampaboveourheads。

"Hecouldseewhathewasdoinghereandhecouldnotthere。

Thatwashisreason。"

"ByJove！that’strue，"saidthedetective。"NowthatIcometothinkofit，Dr。Barnicot’sbustwasbrokennotfarfromhisredlamp。Well，Mr。Holmes，whatarewetodowiththatfact？"

"Torememberit——todocketit。Wemaycomeonsomethinglaterwhichwillbearuponit。Whatstepsdoyouproposetotakenow，Lestrade？"

"Themostpracticalwayofgettingatit，inmyopinion，istoidentifythedeadman。Thereshouldbenodifficultyaboutthat。Whenwehavefoundwhoheisandwhohisassociatesare，weshouldhaveagoodstartinlearningwhathewasdoinginPittStreetlastnight，andwhoitwaswhomethimandkilledhimonthedoorstepofMr。HoraceHarker。Don’tyouthinkso？"

"Nodoubt；andyetitisnotquitethewayinwhichIshouldapproachthecase。"

"Whatwouldyoudo，then？"

"Oh，youmustnotletmeinfluenceyouinanyway！IsuggestthatyougoonyourlineandIonmine。Wecancomparenotesafterwards，andeachwillsupplementtheother。"

"Verygood，"saidLestrade。

"IfyouaregoingbacktoPittStreetyoumightseeMr。HoraceHarker。TellhimfrommethatIhavequitemadeupmymind，andthatitiscertainthatadangeroushomicidallunaticwithNapoleonicdelusionswasinhishouselastnight。Itwillbeusefulforhisarticle。"

Lestradestared。

"Youdon’tseriouslybelievethat？"

Holmessmiled。

"Don’tI？Well，perhapsIdon’t。ButIamsurethatitwillinterestMr。HoraceHarkerandthesubscribersoftheCentralPressSyndicate。Now，Watson，Ithinkthatweshallfindthatwehavealongandrathercomplexday’sworkbeforeus。

Ishouldbeglad，Lestrade，ifyoucouldmakeitconvenienttomeetusatBakerStreetatsixo’clockthisevening。UntilthenIshouldliketokeepthisphotographfoundinthedeadman’spocket。ItispossiblethatImayhavetoaskyourcompanyandassistanceuponasmallexpeditionwhichwillhavebeundertakento—night，ifmychainofreasoningshouldprovetobecorrect。

Untilthen，good—byeandgoodluck！"

SherlockHolmesandIwalkedtogethertotheHighStreet，wherehestoppedattheshopofHardingBrothers，whencethebusthadbeenpurchased。AyoungassistantinformedusthatMr。Hardingwouldbeabsentuntilafternoon，andthathewashimselfanewcomerwhocouldgiveusnoinformation。Holmes’sfaceshowedhisdisappointmentandannoyance。

"Well，well，wecan’texpecttohaveitallourownway，Watson，"hesaid，atlast。"WemustcomebackintheafternoonifMr。Hardingwillnotbehereuntilthen。Iam，asyouhavenodoubtsurmised，endeavouringtotracethesebuststotheirsource，inordertofindifthereisnotsomethingpeculiarwhichmayaccountfortheirremarkablefate。LetusmakeforMr。MorseHudson，oftheKenningtonRoad，andseeifhecanthrowanylightupontheproblem。"

Adriveofanhourbroughtustothepicture—dealer’sestablishment。Hewasasmall，stoutmanwitharedfaceandapepperymanner。

"Yes，sir。Onmyverycounter，sir，"saidhe。"WhatwepayratesandtaxesforIdon’tknow，whenanyruffiancancomeinandbreakone’sgoods。Yes，sir，itwasIwhosoldDr。Barnicothistwostatues。Disgraceful，sir！ANihilistplot，that’swhatImakeit。NoonebutanAnarchistwouldgoaboutbreakingstatues。Redrepublicans，that’swhatIcall’em。WhodidI

getthestatuesfrom？Idon’tseewhatthathastodowithit。

Well，ifyoureallywanttoknow，IgotthemfromGelderandCo。，inChurchStreet，Stepney。Theyareawell—knownhouseinthetrade，andhavebeenthistwentyyears。HowmanyhadI？

Three——twoandonearethree——twoofDr。Barnicot’sandonesmashedinbroaddaylightonmyowncounter。DoIknowthatphotograph？No，Idon’t。Yes，Ido，though。Why，it’sBeppo。

HewasakindofItalianpiece—workman，whomadehimselfusefulintheshop。Hecouldcarveabitandgildandframe，anddooddjobs。Thefellowleftmelastweek，andI’veheardnothingofhimsince。No，Idon’tknowwherehecamefromnorwherehewentto。Ihavenothingagainsthimwhilehewashere。Hewasgonetwodaysbeforethebustwassmashed。"

"Well，that’sallwecouldreasonablyexpecttogetfromMorseHudson，"saidHolmes，asweemergedfromtheshop。"WehavethisBeppoasacommonfactor，bothinKenningtonandinKensington，sothatisworthaten—miledrive。Now，Watson，letusmakeforGelderandCo。，ofStepney，thesourceandoriginofbusts。

Ishallbesurprisedifwedon’tgetsomehelpdownthere。"

InrapidsuccessionwepassedthroughthefringeoffashionableLondon，hotelLondon，theatricalLondon，literaryLondon，commercialLondon，and，finally，maritimeLondon，tillwecametoariversidecityofahundredthousandsouls，wherethetenementhousesswelterandreekwiththeoutcastsofEurope。

Here，inabroadthoroughfare，oncetheabodeofwealthyCitymerchants，wefoundthesculptureworksforwhichwesearched。

Outsidewasaconsiderableyardfullofmonumentalmasonry。

Insidewasalargeroominwhichfiftyworkerswerecarvingormoulding。Themanager，abigblondGerman，receiveduscivilly，andgaveaclearanswertoallHolmes’squestions。AreferencetohisbooksshowedthathundredsofcastshadbeentakenfromamarblecopyofDevine’sheadofNapoleon，butthatthethreewhichhadbeensenttoMorseHudsonayearorsobeforehadbeenhalfofabatchofsix，theotherthreebeingsenttoHardingBrothers，ofKensington。Therewasnoreasonwhythosesixshouldbedifferenttoanyoftheothercasts。Hecouldsuggestnopossiblecausewhyanyoneshouldwishtodestroythem——infact，helaughedattheidea。Theirwholesalepricewassixshillings，buttheretailerwouldgettwelveormore。

Thecastwastakenintwomouldsfromeachsideoftheface，andthenthesetwoprofilesofplasterofPariswerejoinedtogethertomakethecompletebust。TheworkwasusuallydonebyItaliansintheroomwewerein。Whenfinishedthebustswereputonatableinthepassagetodry，andafterwardsstored。

Thatwasallhecouldtellus。

Buttheproductionofthephotographhadaremarkableeffectuponthemanager。Hisfaceflushedwithanger，andhisbrowsknottedoverhisblueTeutoniceyes。

"Ah，therascal！"hecried。"Yes，indeed，Iknowhimverywell。

Thishasalwaysbeenarespectableestablishment，andtheonlytimethatwehaveeverhadthepoliceinitwasoverthisveryfellow。Itwasmorethanayearagonow。HeknifedanotherItalianinthestreet，andthenhecametotheworkswiththepoliceonhisheels，andhewastakenhere。Beppowashisname——hissecondnameIneverknew。Servemerightforengagingamanwithsuchaface。Buthewasagoodworkman，oneofthebest。"

"Whatdidheget？"

"Themanlivedandhegotoffwithayear。Ihavenodoubtheisoutnow；buthehasnotdaredtoshowhisnosehere。Wehaveacousinofhishere，andIdaresayhecouldtellyouwhereheis。"

"No，no，"criedHolmes，"notawordtothecousin——notaword，Ibegyou。Thematterisveryimportant，andthefartherIgowithitthemoreimportantitseemstogrow。WhenyoureferredinyourledgertothesaleofthosecastsIobservedthatthedatewasJune3rdoflastyear。CouldyougivemethedatewhenBeppowasarrested？"

"Icouldtellyouroughlybythepay—list，"themanageranswered。"Yes，"hecontinued，aftersometurningoverofpages，"hewaspaidlastonMay20th。"

"Thankyou，"saidHolmes。"Idon’tthinkthatIneedintrudeuponyourtimeandpatienceanymore。"Withalastwordofcautionthatheshouldsaynothingastoourresearchesweturnedourfaceswestwardoncemore。

Theafternoonwasfaradvancedbeforewewereabletosnatchahastyluncheonatarestaurant。Anews—billattheentranceannounced"KensingtonOutrage。MurderbyaMadman，"andthecontentsofthepapershowedthatMr。HoraceHarkerhadgothisaccountintoprintafterall。Twocolumnswereoccupiedwithahighlysensationalandfloweryrenderingofthewholeincident。

Holmesproppeditagainstthecruet—standandreaditwhileheate。

Onceortwicehechuckled。

"Thisisallright，Watson，"saidhe。"Listentothis：

`Itissatisfactorytoknowthattherecanbenodifferenceofopinionuponthiscase，sinceMr。Lestrade，oneofthemostexperiencedmembersoftheofficialforce，andMr。SherlockHolmes，thewell—knownconsultingexpert，haveeachcometotheconclusionthatthegrotesqueseriesofincidents，whichhaveendedinsotragicafashion，arisefromlunacyratherthanfromdeliberatecrime。Noexplanationsavementalaberrationcancoverthefacts。’ThePress，Watson，isamostvaluableinstitutionifyouonlyknowhowtouseit。Andnow，ifyouhavequitefinished，wewillharkbacktoKensingtonandseewhatthemanagerofHardingBrothershastosaytothematter。"

Thefounderofthatgreatemporiumprovedtobeabrisk，crisplittleperson，verydapperandquick，withaclearheadandareadytongue。

"Yes，sir，Ihavealreadyreadtheaccountintheeveningpapers。Mr。HoraceHarkerisacustomerofours。Wesuppliedhimwiththebustsomemonthsago。WeorderedthreebustsofthatsortfromGelderandCo。，ofStepney。Theyareallsoldnow。

Towhom？Oh，Idaresaybyconsultingoursalesbookwecouldveryeasilytellyou。Yes，wehavetheentrieshere。OnetoMr。Harker，yousee，andonetoMr。JosiahBrown，ofLaburnumLodge，LaburnumVale，Chiswick，andonetoMr。Sandeford，ofLowerGroveRoad，Reading。No，Ihaveneverseenthisfacewhichyoushowmeinthephotograph。Youwouldhardlyforgetit，wouldyou，sir，forI’veseldomseenanuglier。HaveweanyItaliansonthestaff？Yes，sir，wehaveseveralamongourworkpeopleandcleaners。Idaresaytheymightgetapeepatthatsalesbookiftheywantedto。Thereisnoparticularreasonforkeepingawatchuponthatbook。Well，well，it’saverystrangebusiness，andIhopethatyou’llletmeknowifanythingcomesofyourinquiries。"

HolmeshadtakenseveralnotesduringMr。Harding’sevidence，andIcouldseethathewasthoroughlysatisfiedbytheturnwhichaffairsweretaking。Hemadenoremark，however，savethat，unlesswehurried，weshouldbelateforourappointmentwithLestrade。Sureenough，whenwereachedBakerStreetthedetectivewasalreadythere，andwefoundhimpacingupanddowninafeverofimpatience。Hislookofimportanceshowedthathisday’sworkhadnotbeeninvain。

"Well？"heasked。"Whatluck，Mr。Holmes？"

"Wehavehadaverybusyday，andnotentirelyawastedone，"

myfriendexplained。"Wehaveseenboththeretailersandalsothewholesalemanufacturers。Icantraceeachofthebustsnowfromthebeginning。"

"Thebusts！"criedLestrade。"Well，well，youhaveyourownmethods，Mr。SherlockHolmes，anditisnotformetosayawordagainstthem，butIthinkIhavedoneabetterday’sworkthanyou。Ihaveidentifiedthedeadman。"

"Youdon’tsayso？"

"Andfoundacauseforthecrime。"

"Splendid！"

"WehaveaninspectorwhomakesaspecialtyofSaffronHillandtheItalianquarter。Well，thisdeadmanhadsomeCatholicemblemroundhisneck，andthat，alongwithhiscolour，mademethinkhewasfromtheSouth。InspectorHillknewhimthemomenthecaughtsightofhim。HisnameisPietroVenucci，fromNaples，andheisoneofthegreatestcut—throatsinLondon。

HeisconnectedwiththeMafia，which，asyouknow，isasecretpoliticalsociety，enforcingitsdecreesbymurder。Nowyouseehowtheaffairbeginstoclearup。TheotherfellowisprobablyanItalianalso，andamemberoftheMafia。Hehasbrokentherulesinsomefashion。Pietroissetuponhistrack。

Probablythephotographwefoundinhispocketisthemanhimself，sothathemaynotknifethewrongperson。Hedogsthefellow，heseeshimenterahouse，hewaitsoutsideforhim，andinthescufflehereceiveshisowndeath—wound。Howisthat，Mr。SherlockHolmes？"

Holmesclappedhishandsapprovingly。

"Excellent，Lestrade，excellent！"hecried。"ButIdidn’tquitefollowyourexplanationofthedestructionofthebusts。"

"Thebusts！Younevercangetthosebustsoutofyourhead。

Afterall，thatisnothing；pettylarceny，sixmonthsatthemost。

Itisthemurderthatwearereallyinvestigating，andItellyouthatIamgatheringallthethreadsintomyhands。"

"Andthenextstage？"

"Isaverysimpleone。IshallgodownwithHilltotheItalianquarter，findthemanwhosephotographwehavegot，andarresthimonthechargeofmurder。Willyoucomewithus？"

"Ithinknot。Ifancywecanattainourendinasimplerway。

Ican’tsayforcertain，becauseitalldepends——well，italldependsuponafactorwhichiscompletelyoutsideourcontrol。

ButIhavegreathopes——infact，thebettingisexactlytwotoone——thatifyouwillcomewithusto—nightIshallbeabletohelpyoutolayhimbytheheels。"

"IntheItalianquarter？"

"No；IfancyChiswickisanaddresswhichismorelikelytofindhim。IfyouwillcomewithmetoChiswickto—night，Lestrade，I’llpromisetogototheItalianquarterwithyouto—morrow，andnoharmwillbedonebythedelay。AndnowIthinkthatafewhours’sleepwoulddousallgood，forIdonotproposetoleavebeforeeleveno’clock，anditisunlikelythatweshallbebackbeforemorning。You’lldinewithus，Lestrade，andthenyouarewelcometothesofauntilitistimeforustostart。

Inthemeantime，Watson，Ishouldbegladifyouwouldringforanexpressmessenger，forIhavealettertosend，anditisimportantthatitshouldgoatonce。"

Holmesspenttheeveninginrummagingamongthefilesoftheolddailypaperswithwhichoneofourlumber—roomswaspacked。

Whenatlasthedescendeditwaswithtriumphinhiseyes，buthesaidnothingtoeitherofusastotheresultofhisresearches。Formyownpart，Ihadfollowedstepbystepthemethodsbywhichhehadtracedthevariouswindingsofthiscomplexcase，and，thoughIcouldnotyetperceivethegoalwhichwewouldreach，IunderstoodclearlythatHolmesexpectedthisgrotesquecriminaltomakeanattemptuponthetworemainingbusts，oneofwhich，Iremembered，wasatChiswick。

Nodoubttheobjectofourjourneywastocatchhimintheveryact，andIcouldnotbutadmirethecunningwithwhichmyfriendhadinsertedawrongclueintheeveningpaper，soastogivethefellowtheideathathecouldcontinuehisschemewithimpunity。IwasnotsurprisedwhenHolmessuggestedthatIshouldtakemyrevolverwithme。Hehadhimselfpickeduptheloadedhunting—cropwhichwashisfavouriteweapon。

Afour—wheelerwasatthedoorateleven，andinitwedrovetoaspotattheothersideofHammersmithBridge。Herethecabmanwasdirectedtowait。Ashortwalkbroughtustoasecludedroadfringedwithpleasanthouses，eachstandinginitsowngrounds。Inthelightofastreetlampweread"LaburnumVilla"

uponthegate—postofoneofthem。Theoccupantshadevidentlyretiredtorest，forallwasdarksaveforafanlightoverthehalldoor，whichshedasingleblurredcircleontothegardenpath。Thewoodenfencewhichseparatedthegroundsfromtheroadthrewadenseblackshadowupontheinnerside，andhereitwasthatwecrouched。

"Ifearthatyou’llhavealongwait，"Holmeswhispered。

"Wemaythankourstarsthatitisnotraining。Idon’tthinkwecanevenventuretosmoketopassthetime。However，it’satwotoonechancethatwegetsomethingtopayusforourtrouble。"

Itproved，however，thatourvigilwasnottobesolongasHolmeshadledustofear，anditendedinaverysuddenandsingularfashion。Inaninstant，withouttheleastsoundtowarnusofhiscoming，thegardengateswungopen，andalithe，darkfigure，asswiftandactiveasanape，rushedupthegardenpath。Wesawitwhiskpastthelightthrownfromoverthedooranddisappearagainsttheblackshadowofthehouse。Therewasalongpause，duringwhichweheldourbreath，andthenaverygentlecreakingsoundcametoourears。Thewindowwasbeingopened。Thenoiseceased，andagaintherewasalongsilence。

Thefellowwasmakinghiswayintothehouse。Wesawthesuddenflashofadarklanterninsidetheroom。Whathesoughtwasevidentlynotthere，foragainwesawtheflashthroughanotherblind，andthenthroughanother。

"Letusgettotheopenwindow。Wewillnabhimasheclimbsout，"

Lestradewhispered。

Butbeforewecouldmovethemanhademergedagain。Ashecameoutintotheglimmeringpatchoflightwesawthathecarriedsomethingwhiteunderhisarm。Helookedstealthilyallroundhim。Thesilenceofthedesertedstreetreassuredhim。Turninghisbackuponushelaiddownhisburden，andthenextinstanttherewasthesoundofasharptap，followedbyaclatterandrattle。Themanwassointentuponwhathewasdoingthatheneverheardourstepsaswestoleacrossthegrassplot。WiththeboundofatigerHolmeswasonhisback，andaninstantlaterLestradeandIhadhimbyeitherwristandthehandcuffshadbeenfastened。AsweturnedhimoverIsawahideous，sallowface，withwrithing，furiousfeatures，glaringupatus，andIknewthatitwasindeedthemanofthephotographwhomwehadsecured。

ButitwasnotourprisonertowhomHolmeswasgivinghisattention。Squattedonthedoorstep，hewasengagedinmostcarefullyexaminingthatwhichthemanhadbroughtfromthehouse。ItwasabustofNapoleonliketheonewhichwehadseenthatmorning，andithadbeenbrokenintosimilarfragments。CarefullyHolmesheldeachseparateshardtothelight，butinnowaydiditdifferfromanyothershatteredpieceofplaster。Hehadjustcompletedhisexaminationwhenthehalllightsflewup，thedooropened，andtheownerofthehouse，ajovial，rotundfigureinshirtandtrousers，presentedhimself。

"Mr。JosiahBrown，Isuppose？"saidHolmes。

"Yes，sir；andyou，nodoubt，areMr。SherlockHolmes？Ihadthenotewhichyousentbytheexpressmessenger，andIdidexactlywhatyoutoldme。Welockedeverydoorontheinsideandawaiteddevelopments。Well，I’mverygladtoseethatyouhavegottherascal。Ihope，gentlemen，thatyouwillcomeinandhavesomerefreshment。"

However，Lestradewasanxioustogethismanintosafequarters，sowithinafewminutesourcabhadbeensummonedandwewereallfouruponourwaytoLondon。Notawordwouldourcaptivesay；butheglaredatusfromtheshadowofhismattedhair，andonce，whenmyhandseemedwithinhisreach，hesnappedatitlikeahungrywolf。Westayedlongenoughatthepolice—stationtolearnthatasearchofhisclothingrevealednothingsaveafewshillingsandalongsheathknife，thehandleofwhichborecopioustracesofrecentblood。

"That’sallright，"saidLestrade，asweparted。"Hillknowsallthesegentry，andhewillgiveanametohim。You’llfindthatmytheoryoftheMafiawillworkoutallright。ButI’msureIamexceedinglyobligedtoyou，Mr。Holmes，fortheworkmanlikewayinwhichyoulaidhandsuponhim。Idon’tquiteunderstanditallyet。"