第17章

"Haveyouanyreasontosuspectanyoneofthemmorethantheothers？"

Soameshesitated。

"Itisaverydelicatequestion，"saidhe。"Onehardlylikestothrowsuspicionwheretherearenoproofs。"

"Letushearthesuspicions。Iwilllookaftertheproofs。"

"Iwilltellyou，then，inafewwordsthecharacterofthethreemenwhoinhabittheserooms。ThelowerofthethreeisGilchrist，afinescholarandathlete；playsintheRugbyteamandthecricketteamforthecollege，andgothisBlueforthehurdlesandthelongjump。Heisafine，manlyfellow。HisfatherwasthenotoriousSirJabezGilchrist，whoruinedhimselfontheturf。Myscholarhasbeenleftverypoor，butheishard—workingandindustrious。Hewilldowell。

"ThesecondfloorisinhabitedbyDaulatRas，theIndian。

Heisaquiet，inscrutablefellow，asmostofthoseIndiansare。

Heiswellupinhiswork，thoughhisGreekishisweaksubject。

Heissteadyandmethodical。

"ThetopfloorbelongstoMilesMcLaren。Heisabrilliantfellowwhenhechoosestowork——oneofthebrightestintellectsoftheUniversity，butheiswayward，dissipated，andunprincipled。Hewasnearlyexpelledoveracardscandalinhisfirstyear。Hehasbeenidlingallthisterm，andhemustlookforwardwithdreadtotheexamination。"

"Thenitishewhomyoususpect？"

"Idarenotgosofarasthat。Butofthethreeheisperhapstheleastunlikely。"

"Exactly。Now，Mr。Soames，letushavealookatyourservant，Bannister。"

Hewasalittle，white—faced，clean—shaven，grizzly—hairedfellowoffifty。Hewasstillsufferingfromthissuddendisturbanceofthequietroutineofhislife。Hisplumpfacewastwitchingwithhisnervousness，andhisfingerscouldnotkeepstill。

"Weareinvestigatingthisunhappybusiness，Bannister，"

saidhismaster。

"Yes，sir。"

"Iunderstand，"saidHolmes，"thatyouleftyourkeyinthedoor？"

"Yes，sir。"

"Wasitnotveryextraordinarythatyoushoulddothisontheverydaywhentherewerethesepapersinside？"

"Itwasmostunfortunate，sir。ButIhaveoccasionallydonethesamethingatothertimes。"

"Whendidyouentertheroom？"

"Itwasabouthalf—pastfour。ThatisMr。Soames’steatime。"

"Howlongdidyoustay？"

"WhenIsawthathewasabsentIwithdrewatonce。"

"Didyoulookatthesepapersonthetable？"

"No，sir；certainlynot。"

"Howcameyoutoleavethekeyinthedoor？"

"Ihadthetea—trayinmyhand。IthoughtIwouldcomebackforthekey。ThenIforgot。"

"Hastheouterdooraspringlock？"

"No，sir。"

"Thenitwasopenallthetime？"

"Yes，sir。"

"Anyoneintheroomcouldgetout？"

"Yes，sir。"

"WhenMr。Soamesreturnedandcalledforyou，youwereverymuchdisturbed？"

"Yes，sir。SuchathinghasneverhappenedduringthemanyyearsthatIhavebeenhere。Inearlyfainted，sir。"

"SoIunderstand。Wherewereyouwhenyoubegantofeelbad？"

"WherewasI，sir？Why，here，nearthedoor。"

"Thatissingular，becauseyousatdowninthatchairoveryondernearthecorner。Whydidyoupasstheseotherchairs？"

"Idon’tknow，sir。Itdidn’tmattertomewhereIsat。"

"Ireallydon’tthinkheknewmuchaboutit，Mr。Holmes。

Hewaslookingverybad——quiteghastly。"

"Youstayedherewhenyourmasterleft？"

"Onlyforaminuteorso。ThenIlockedthedoorandwenttomyroom。"

"Whomdoyoususpect？"

"Oh，Iwouldnotventuretosay，sir。Idon’tbelievethereisanygentlemaninthisUniversitywhoiscapableofprofitingbysuchanaction。No，sir，I’llnotbelieveit。"

"Thankyou；thatwilldo，"saidHolmes。"Oh，onemoreword。

Youhavenotmentionedtoanyofthethreegentlemenwhomyouattendthatanythingisamiss？"

"No，sir；notaword。"

"Youhaven’tseenanyofthem？"

"No，sir。"

"Verygood。Now，Mr。Soames，wewilltakeawalkinthequadrangle，ifyouplease。"

Threeyellowsquaresoflightshoneaboveusinthegatheringgloom。"

"Yourthreebirdsareallintheirnests，"saidHolmes，lookingup。

"Halloa！What’sthat？Oneofthemseemsrestlessenough。"

ItwastheIndian，whosedarksilhouetteappearedsuddenlyuponhisblind。Hewaspacingswiftlyupanddownhisroom。

"Ishouldliketohaveapeepateachofthem，"saidHolmes。

"Isitpossible？"

"Nodifficultyintheworld，"Soamesanswered。"Thissetofroomsisquitetheoldestinthecollege，anditisnotunusualforvisitorstogooverthem。Comealong，andIwillpersonallyconductyou。"

"Nonames，please！"saidHolmes，asweknockedatGilchrist’sdoor。Atall，flaxen—haired，slimyoungfellowopenedit，andmadeuswelcomewhenheunderstoodourerrand。Thereweresomereallycuriouspiecesofmediaevaldomesticarchitecturewithin。

Holmeswassocharmedwithoneofthemthatheinsistedondrawingitonhisnote—book，brokehispencil，hadtoborrowonefromourhost，andfinallyborrowedaknifetosharpenhisown。

ThesamecuriousaccidenthappenedtohimintheroomsoftheIndian——asilent，little，hook—nosedfellow，whoeyedusaskanceandwasobviouslygladwhenHolmes’sarchitecturalstudieshadcometoanend。IcouldnotseethatineithercaseHolmeshadcomeupontheclueforwhichhewassearching。

Onlyatthethirddidourvisitproveabortive。Theouterdoorwouldnotopentoourknock，andnothingmoresubstantialthanatorrentofbadlanguagecamefrombehindit。"Idon’tcarewhoyouare。Youcangotoblazes！"roaredtheangryvoice。

"To—morrow’stheexam，andIwon’tbedrawnbyanyone。"

"Arudefellow，"saidourguide，flushingwithangeraswewithdrewdownthestair。"Ofcourse，hedidnotrealizethatitwasIwhowasknocking，butnonethelesshisconductwasveryuncourteous，and，indeed，underthecircumstancesrathersuspicious。"

Holmes’sresponsewasacuriousone。

"Canyoutellmehisexactheight？"heasked。

"Really，Mr。Holmes，Icannotundertaketosay。HeistallerthantheIndian，notsotallasGilchrist。Isupposefivefootsixwouldbeaboutit。"

"Thatisveryimportant，"saidHolmes。"Andnow，Mr。Soames，Iwishyougood—night。"

Ourguidecriedaloudinhisastonishmentanddismay。"Goodgracious，Mr。Holmes，youaresurelynotgoingtoleavemeinthisabruptfashion！Youdon’tseemtorealizetheposition。

To—morrowistheexamination。Imusttakesomedefiniteactionto—night。Icannotallowtheexaminationtobeheldifoneofthepapershasbeentamperedwith。Thesituationmustbefaced。"

"Youmustleaveitasitis。Ishalldroproundearlyto—morrowmorningandchatthematterover。ItispossiblethatImaybeinapositionthentoindicatesomecourseofaction。

Meanwhileyouchangenothing——nothingatall。"

"Verygood，Mr。Holmes。"

"Youcanbeperfectlyeasyinyourmind。Weshallcertainlyfindsomewayoutofyourdifficulties。Iwilltaketheblackclaywithme，alsothepencilcuttings。Good—bye。"

Whenwewereoutinthedarknessofthequadrangleweagainlookedupatthewindows。TheIndianstillpacedhisroom。

Theotherswereinvisible。

"Well，Watson，whatdoyouthinkofit？"Holmesasked，aswecameoutintothemainstreet。"Quitealittleparlourgame——

sortofthree—cardtrick，isitnot？Thereareyourthreemen。

Itmustbeoneofthem。Youtakeyourchoice。Whichisyours？"

"Thefoul—mouthedfellowatthetop。Heistheonewiththeworstrecord。AndyetthatIndianwasaslyfellowalso。

Whyshouldhebepacinghisroomallthetime？"

"Thereisnothinginthat。Manymendoitwhentheyaretryingtolearnanythingbyheart。"

"Helookedatusinaqueerway。"

"Sowouldyouifaflockofstrangerscameinonyouwhenyouwerepreparingforanexaminationnextday，andeverymomentwasofvalue。No，Iseenothinginthat。Pencils，too，andknives——allwassatisfactory。ButthatfellowDOESpuzzleme。"

"Who？"

"Why，Bannister，theservant。What’shisgameinthematter？"

"Heimpressedmeasbeingaperfectlyhonestman。"

"Sohedidme。That’sthepuzzlingpart。Whyshouldaperfectlyhonestman——well，well，here’salargestationer’s。

Weshallbeginourresearcheshere。"

Therewereonlyfourstationersofanyconsequenceinthetown，andateachHolmesproducedhispencilchipsandbidhighforaduplicate。Allwereagreedthatonecouldbeordered，butthatitwasnotausualsizeofpencilandthatitwasseldomkeptinstock。Myfrienddidnotappeartobedepressedbyhisfailure，butshruggedhisshouldersinhalf—humorousresignation。

"Nogood，mydearWatson。This，thebestandonlyfinalclue，hasruntonothing。But，indeed，Ihavelittledoubtthatwecanbuildupasufficientcasewithoutit。ByJove！mydearfellow，itisnearlynine，andthelandladybabbledofgreenpeasatseven—thirty。Whatwithyoureternaltobacco，Watson，andyourirregularityatmeals，IexpectthatyouwillgetnoticetoquitandthatIshallshareyourdownfall——not，however，beforewehavesolvedtheproblemofthenervoustutor，thecarelessservant，andthethreeenterprisingstudents。"

Holmesmadenofurtherallusiontothematterthatday，thoughhesatlostinthoughtforalongtimeafterourbelateddinner。

AteightinthemorninghecameintomyroomjustasIfinishedmytoilet。

"Well，Watson，"saidhe，"itistimewewentdowntoSt。Luke’s。

Canyoudowithoutbreakfast？"

"Certainly。"

"Soameswillbeinadreadfulfidgetuntilweareabletotellhimsomethingpositive。"

"Haveyouanythingpositivetotellhim？"

"Ithinkso。"

"Youhaveformedaconclusion？"

"Yes，mydearWatson；Ihavesolvedthemystery。"

"Butwhatfreshevidencecouldyouhavegot？"

"Aha！ItisnotfornothingthatIhaveturnedmyselfoutofbedattheuntimelyhourofsix。Ihaveputintwohours’

hardworkandcoveredatleastfivemiles，withsomethingtoshowforit。Lookatthat！"

Heheldouthishand。Onthepalmwerethreelittlepyramidsofblack，doughyclay。

"Why，Holmes，youhadonlytwoyesterday！"

"Andonemorethismorning。ItisafairargumentthatwhereverNo。3camefromisalsothesourceofNos。1and2。Eh，Watson？

Well，comealongandputfriendSoamesoutofhispain。"

Theunfortunatetutorwascertainlyinastateofpitiableagitationwhenwefoundhiminhischambers。Inafewhourstheexaminationwouldcommence，andhewasstillinthedilemmabetweenmakingthefactspublicandallowingtheculprittocompeteforthevaluablescholarship。Hecouldhardlystandstill，sogreatwashismentalagitation，andherantowardsHolmeswithtwoeagerhandsoutstretched。

"ThankHeaventhatyouhavecome！Ifearedthatyouhadgivenitupindespair。WhatamItodo？Shalltheexaminationproceed？"

"Yes；letitproceedbyallmeans。"

"Butthisrascal————？"

"Heshallnotcompete。"

"Youknowhim？"

"Ithinkso。Ifthismatterisnottobecomepublicwemustgiveourselvescertainpowers，andresolveourselvesintoasmallprivatecourt—martial。Youthere，ifyouplease，Soames！Watson，youhere！I’lltakethearm—chairinthemiddle。Ithinkthatwearenowsufficientlyimposingtostriketerrorintoaguiltybreast。Kindlyringthebell！"

Bannisterentered，andshrunkbackinevidentsurpriseandfearatourjudicialappearance。

"Youwillkindlyclosethedoor，"saidHolmes。"Now，Bannister，willyoupleasetellusthetruthaboutyesterday’sincident？"

Themanturnedwhitetotherootsofhishair。

"Ihavetoldyoueverything，sir。"

"Nothingtoadd？"

"Nothingatall，sir。"

"Well，then，Imustmakesomesuggestionstoyou。Whenyousatdownonthatchairyesterday，didyoudosoinordertoconcealsomeobjectwhichwouldhaveshownwhohadbeenintheroom？"

Bannister’sfacewasghastly。

"No，sir；certainlynot。"

"Itisonlyasuggestion，"saidHolmes，suavely。"IfranklyadmitthatIamunabletoproveit。Butitseemsprobableenough，sincethemomentthatMr。Soames’sbackwasturnedyoureleasedthemanwhowashidinginthatbedroom。"

Bannisterlickedhisdrylips。

"Therewasnoman，sir。"

"Ah，that’sapity，Bannister。Uptonowyoumayhavespokenthetruth，butnowIknowthatyouhavelied。"

Theman’sfacesetinsullendefiance。

"Therewasnoman，sir。"

"Come，come，Bannister！"

"No，sir；therewasnoone。"

"Inthatcaseyoucangiveusnofurtherinformation。

Wouldyoupleaseremainintheroom？Standovertherenearthebedroomdoor。Now，Soames，IamgoingtoaskyoutohavethegreatkindnesstogouptotheroomofyoungGilchrist，andtoaskhimtostepdownintoyours。"

Aninstantlaterthetutorreturned，bringingwithhimthestudent。Hewasafinefigureofaman，tall，lithe，andagile，withaspringystepandapleasant，openface。Histroubledblueeyesglancedateachofus，andfinallyrestedwithanexpressionofblankdismayuponBannisterinthefarthercorner。

"Justclosethedoor，"saidHolmes。"Now，Mr。Gilchrist，weareallquitealonehere，andnooneneedeverknowonewordofwhatpassesbetweenus。Wecanbeperfectlyfrankwitheachother。Wewanttoknow，Mr。Gilchrist，howyou，anhonourableman，evercametocommitsuchanactionasthatofyesterday？"

TheunfortunateyoungmanstaggeredbackandcastalookfullofhorrorandreproachatBannister。

"No，no，Mr。Gilchrist，sir；Ineversaidaword——neveroneword！"criedtheservant。

"No，butyouhavenow，"saidHolmes。"Now，sir，youmustseethatafterBannister’swordsyourpositionishopeless，andthatyouronlychanceliesinafrankconfession。"

ForamomentGilchrist，withupraisedhand，triedtocontrolhiswrithingfeatures。Thenexthehadthrownhimselfonhiskneesbesidethetableand，buryinghisfaceinhishands，hehadburstintoastormofpassionatesobbing。

"Come，come，"saidHolmes，kindly；"itishumantoerr，andatleastnoonecanaccuseyouofbeingacallouscriminal。

PerhapsitwouldbeeasierforyouifIweretotellMr。Soameswhatoccurred，andyoucancheckmewhereIamwrong。ShallI

doso？Well，well，don’ttroubletoanswer。Listen，andseethatIdoyounoinjustice。

"Fromthemoment，Mr。Soames，thatyousaidtomethatnoone，notevenBannister，couldhavetoldthatthepaperswereinyourroom，thecasebegantotakeadefiniteshapeinmymind。

Theprinteronecould，ofcourse，dismiss。Hecouldexaminethepapersinhisownoffice。TheIndianIalsothoughtnothingof。

Iftheproofswereinarollhecouldnotpossiblyknowwhattheywere。Ontheotherhand，itseemedanunthinkablecoincidencethatamanshoulddaretoentertheroom，andthatbychanceonthatverydaythepaperswereonthetable。Idismissedthat。

Themanwhoenteredknewthatthepaperswerethere。Howdidheknow？

"WhenIapproachedyourroomIexaminedthewindow。YouamusedmebysupposingthatIwascontemplatingthepossibilityofsomeonehavinginbroaddaylight，undertheeyesofalltheseoppositerooms，forcedhimselfthroughit。Suchanideawasabsurd。Iwasmeasuringhowtallamanwouldneedtobeinordertoseeashepassedwhatpaperswereonthecentraltable。Iamsixfeethigh，andIcoulddoitwithaneffort。Noonelessthanthatwouldhaveachance。AlreadyyouseeIhadreasontothinkthatifoneofyourthreestudentswasamanofunusualheighthewasthemostworthwatchingofthethree。

"IenteredandItookyouintomyconfidenceastothesuggestionsofthesidetable。OfthecentretableIcouldmakenothing，untilinyourdescriptionofGilchristyoumentionedthathewasalong—distancejumper。Thenthewholethingcametomeinaninstant，andIonlyneededcertaincorroborativeproofs，whichIspeedilyobtained。

"Whathappenedwasthis。Thisyoungfellowhademployedhisafternoonattheathleticgrounds，wherehehadbeenpractisingthejump。Hereturnedcarryinghisjumpingshoes，whichareprovided，asyouareaware，withseveralsharpspikes。Ashepassedyourwindowhesaw，bymeansofhisgreatheight，theseproofsuponyourtable，andconjecturedwhattheywere。Noharmwouldhavebeendonehaditnotbeenthatashepassedyourdoorheperceivedthekeywhichhadbeenleftbythecarelessnessofyourservant。Asuddenimpulsecameoverhimtoenterandseeiftheywereindeedtheproofs。Itwasnotadangerousexploit，forhecouldalwayspretendthathehadsimplylookedintoaskaquestion。

"Well，whenhesawthattheywereindeedtheproofs，itwasthenthatheyieldedtotemptation。Heputhisshoesonthetable。Whatwasityouputonthatchairnearthewindow？"

"Gloves，"saidtheyoungman。

HolmeslookedtriumphantlyatBannister。"Heputhisglovesonthechair，andhetooktheproofs，sheetbysheet，tocopythem。

Hethoughtthetutormustreturnbythemaingate，andthathewouldseehim。Asweknow，hecamebackbythesidegate。

Suddenlyheheardhimattheverydoor。Therewasnopossibleescape。Heforgothisgloves，buthecaughtuphisshoesanddartedintothebedroom。Youobservethatthescratchonthattableisslightatoneside，butdeepensinthedirectionofthebedroomdoor。Thatinitselfisenoughtoshowusthattheshoehadbeendrawninthatdirectionandthattheculprithadtakenrefugethere。Theearthroundthespikehadbeenleftonthetable，andasecondsamplewasloosenedandfellinthebedroom。

ImayaddthatIwalkedouttotheathleticgroundsthismorning，sawthattenaciousblackclayisusedinthejumping—pit，andcarriedawayaspecimenofit，togetherwithsomeofthefinetanorsawdustwhichisstrewnoverittopreventtheathletefromslipping。HaveItoldthetruth，Mr。Gilchrist？"

Thestudenthaddrawnhimselferect。

"Yes，sir，itistrue，"saidhe。

"Goodheavens，haveyounothingtoadd？"criedSoames。

"Yes，sir，Ihave，buttheshockofthisdisgracefulexposurehasbewilderedme。Ihavealetterhere，Mr。Soames，whichIwrotetoyouearlythismorninginthemiddleofarestlessnight。

ItwasbeforeIknewthatmysinhadfoundmeout。Hereitis，sir。YouwillseethatIhavesaid，`Ihavedeterminednottogoinfortheexamination。IhavebeenofferedacommissionintheRhodesianPolice，andIamgoingouttoSouthAfricaatonce。"’

"Iamindeedpleasedtohearthatyoudidnotintendtoprofitbyyourunfairadvantage，"saidSoames。"Butwhydidyouchangeyourpurpose？"

GilchristpointedtoBannister。

"Thereisthemanwhosetmeintherightpath，"saidhe。

"Comenow，Bannister，"saidHolmes。"ItwillbecleartoyoufromwhatIhavesaidthatonlyyoucouldhaveletthisyoungmanout，sinceyouwereleftintheroom，andmusthavelockedthedoorwhenyouwentout。Astohisescapingbythatwindow，itwasincredible。Canyounotclearupthelastpointinthismystery，andtellusthereasonsforyouraction？"

"Itwassimpleenough，sir，ifyouonlyhadknown；butwithallyourclevernessitwasimpossiblethatyoucouldknow。Timewas，sir，whenIwasbutlertooldSirJabezGilchrist，thisyounggentleman’sfather。WhenhewasruinedIcametothecollegeasservant，butIneverforgotmyoldemployerbecausehewasdownintheworld。IwatchedhissonallIcouldforthesakeoftheolddays。Well，sir，whenIcameintothisroomyesterdaywhenthealarmwasgiven，theveryfirstthingIsawwasMr。Gilchrist’stanglovesa—lyinginthatchair。Iknewthosegloveswell，andIunderstoodtheirmessage。IfMr。Soamessawthemthegamewasup。Ifloppeddownintothatchair，andnothingwouldbudgemeuntilMr。Soameshewentforyou。Thenoutcamemypooryoungmaster，whomIhaddandledonmyknee，andconfesseditalltome。

Wasn’titnatural，sir，thatIshouldsavehim，andwasn’titnaturalalsothatIshouldtrytospeaktohimashisdeadfatherwouldhavedone，andmakehimunderstandthathecouldnotprofitbysuchadeed？Couldyoublameme，sir？"

"No，indeed，"saidHolmes，heartily，springingtohisfeet。

"Well，Soames，Ithinkwehaveclearedyourlittleproblemup，andourbreakfastawaitsusathome。Come，Watson！Astoyou，sir，ItrustthatabrightfutureawaitsyouinRhodesia。Foronceyouhavefallenlow。Letusseeinthefuturehowhighyoucanrise。"

X。———TheAdventureoftheGoldenPince—Nez。

WHENIlookatthethreemassivemanuscriptvolumeswhichcontainourworkfortheyear1894Iconfessthatitisverydifficultforme，outofsuchawealthofmaterial，toselectthecaseswhicharemostinterestinginthemselvesandatthesametimemostconducivetoadisplayofthosepeculiarpowersforwhichmyfriendwasfamous。AsIturnoverthepagesIseemynotesupontherepulsivestoryoftheredleechandtheterribledeathofCrosbythebanker。HerealsoIfindanaccountoftheAddletontragedyandthesingularcontentsoftheancientBritishbarrow。ThefamousSmith—Mortimersuccessioncasecomesalsowithinthisperiod，andsodoesthetrackingandarrestofHuret，theBoulevardassassin——

anexploitwhichwonforHolmesanautographletterofthanksfromtheFrenchPresidentandtheOrderoftheLegionofHonour。

Eachofthesewouldfurnishanarrative，butonthewholeIamofopinionthatnoneofthemunitesomanysingularpointsofinterestastheepisodeofYoxleyOldPlace，whichincludesnotonlythelamentabledeathofyoungWilloughbySmith，butalsothosesubsequentdevelopmentswhichthrewsocuriousalightuponthecausesofthecrime。

Itwasawild，tempestuousnighttowardsthecloseofNovember。

HolmesandIsattogetherinsilencealltheevening，heengagedwithapowerfullensdecipheringtheremainsoftheoriginalinscriptionuponapalimpsest，Ideepinarecenttreatiseuponsurgery。OutsidethewindhowleddownBakerStreet，whiletherainbeatfiercelyagainstthewindows。Itwasstrangethereintheverydepthsofthetown，withtenmilesofman’shandiworkoneverysideofus，tofeeltheirongripofNature，andtobeconsciousthattothehugeelementalforcesallLondonwasnomorethanthemolehillsthatdotthefields。

Iwalkedtothewindowandlookedoutonthedesertedstreet。

Theoccasionallampsgleamedontheexpanseofmuddyroadandshiningpavement。AsinglecabwassplashingitswayfromtheOxfordStreetend。

"Well，Watson，it’saswellwehavenottoturnoutto—night，"

saidHolmes，layingasidehislensandrollingupthepalimpsest。

"I’vedoneenoughforonesitting。Itistryingworkfortheeyes。

SofarasIcanmakeoutitisnothingmoreexcitingthananAbbey’saccountsdatingfromthesecondhalfofthefifteenthcentury。

Halloa！halloa！halloa！What’sthis？"

Amidthedroningofthewindtherehadcomethestampingofahorse’shoofsandthelonggrindofawheelasitraspedagainstthekerb。ThecabwhichIhadseenhadpulledupatourdoor。

"Whatcanhewant？"Iejaculated，asamansteppedoutofit。

"Want！Hewantsus。Andwe，mypoorWatson，wantovercoatsandcravatsandgoloshes，andeveryaidthatmaneverinventedtofighttheweather。Waitabit，though！There’sthecaboffagain！

There’shopeyet。He’dhavekeptitifhehadwantedustocome。

Rundown，mydearfellow，andopenthedoor，forallvirtuousfolkhavebeenlonginbed。"

WhenthelightofthehalllampfelluponourmidnightvisitorIhadnodifficultyinrecognisinghim。ItwasyoungStanleyHopkins，apromisingdetective，inwhosecareerHolmeshadseveraltimesshownaverypracticalinterest。

"Ishein？"heasked，eagerly。