第18章

"Comeup，mydearsir，"saidHolmes’svoicefromabove。

"Ihopeyouhavenodesignsuponusonsuchanightasthis。"

Thedetectivemountedthestairs，andourlampgleameduponhisshiningwaterproof。IhelpedhimoutofitwhileHolmesknockedablazeoutofthelogsinthegrate。

"Now，mydearHopkins，drawupandwarmyourtoes，"saidhe。

"Here’sacigar，andthedoctorhasaprescriptioncontaininghotwaterandalemonwhichisgoodmedicineonanightlikethis。

Itmustbesomethingimportantwhichhasbroughtyououtinsuchagale。"

"Itisindeed，Mr。Holmes。I’vehadabustlingafternoon，Ipromiseyou。DidyouseeanythingoftheYoxleycaseinthelatesteditions？"

"I’veseennothinglaterthanthefifteenthcenturyto—day。"

"Well，itwasonlyaparagraph，andallwrongatthat，soyouhavenotmissedanything。Ihaven’tletthegrassgrowundermyfeet。It’sdowninKent，sevenmilesfromChathamandthreefromtherailwayline。Iwaswiredforatthree—fifteen，reachedYoxleyOldPlaceatfive，conductedmyinvestigation，wasbackatCharingCrossbythelasttrain，andstraighttoyoubycab。"

"Whichmeans，Isuppose，thatyouarenotquiteclearaboutyourcase？"

"ItmeansthatIcanmakeneitherheadnortailofit。

SofarasIcanseeitisjustastangledabusinessaseverI

handled，andyetatfirstitseemedsosimplethatonecouldn’tgowrong。There’snomotive，Mr。Holmes。That’swhatbothersme——Ican’tputmyhandonamotive。Here’samandead——

there’snodenyingthat——but，sofarasIcansee，noreasononearthwhyanyoneshouldwishhimharm。"

Holmeslithiscigarandleanedbackinhischair。

"Letushearaboutit，"saidhe。

"I’vegotmyfactsprettyclear，"saidStanleyHopkins。

"AllIwantnowistoknowwhattheyallmean。Thestory，sofarasIcanmakeitout，islikethis。Someyearsagothiscountryhouse，YoxleyOldPlace，wastakenbyanelderlyman，whogavethenameofProfessorCoram。Hewasaninvalid，keepinghisbedhalfthetime，andtheotherhalfhobblingroundthehousewithastickorbeingpushedaboutthegroundsbythegardenerinabath—chair。Hewaswelllikedbythefewneighbourswhocalleduponhim，andhehasthereputationdownthereofbeingaverylearnedman。Hishouseholdusedtoconsistofanelderlyhousekeeper，Mrs。Marker，andofamaid，SusanTarlton。

Thesehavebothbeenwithhimsincehisarrival，andtheyseemtobewomenofexcellentcharacter。TheProfessoriswritingalearnedbook，andhefounditnecessaryaboutayearagotoengageasecretary。Thefirsttwothathetriedwerenotsuccesses；butthethird，Mr。WilloughbySmith，averyyoungmanstraightfromtheUniversity，seemstohavebeenjustwhathisemployerwanted。HisworkconsistedinwritingallthemorningtotheProfessor’sdictation，andheusuallyspenttheeveninginhuntingupreferencesandpassageswhichboreuponthenextday’swork。ThisWilloughbySmithhasnothingagainsthimeitherasaboyatUppinghamorasayoungmanatCambridge。

Ihaveseenhistestimonials，andfromthefirsthewasadecent，quiet，hardworkingfellow，withnoweakspotinhimatall。

AndyetthisistheladwhohasmethisdeaththismorningintheProfessor’sstudyundercircumstanceswhichcanpointonlytomurder。"

Thewindhowledandscreamedatthewindows。HolmesandIdrewclosertothefirewhiletheyounginspectorslowlyandpointbypointdevelopedhissingularnarrative。

"IfyouweretosearchallEngland，"saidhe，"Idon’tsupposeyoucouldfindahouseholdmoreself—containedorfreefromoutsideinfluences。Wholeweekswouldpassandnotoneofthemgopastthegardengate。TheProfessorwasburiedinhisworkandexistedfornothingelse。YoungSmithknewnobodyintheneighbourhood，andlivedverymuchashisemployerdid。Thetwowomenhadnothingtotakethemfromthehouse。Mortimerthegardener，whowheelsthebath—chair，isanArmypensioner——anoldCrimeanmanofexcellentcharacter。Hedoesnotliveinthehouse，butinathree—roomedcottageattheotherendofthegarden。ThosearetheonlypeoplethatyouwouldfindwithinthegroundsofYoxleyOldPlace。Atthesametime，thegateofthegardenisahundredyardsfromthemainLondontoChathamroad。Itopenswithalatch，andthereisnothingtopreventanyonefromwalkingin。

"NowIwillgiveyoutheevidenceofSusanTarlton，whoistheonlypersonwhocansayanythingpositiveaboutthematter。

Itwasintheforenoon，betweenelevenandtwelve。

Shewasengagedatthemomentinhangingsomecurtainsintheupstairsfrontbedroom。ProfessorCoramwasstillinbed，forwhentheweatherisbadheseldomrisesbeforemidday。

Thehousekeeperwasbusiedwithsomeworkinthebackofthehouse。

WilloughbySmithhadbeeninhisbedroom，whichheusesasasitting—room；butthemaidheardhimatthatmomentpassalongthepassageanddescendtothestudyimmediatelybelowher。

Shedidnotseehim，butshesaysthatshecouldnotbemistakeninhisquick，firmtread。Shedidnothearthestudydoorclose，butaminuteorsolatertherewasadreadfulcryintheroombelow。

Itwasawild，hoarsescream，sostrangeandunnaturalthatitmighthavecomeeitherfromamanorawoman。Atthesameinstanttherewasaheavythud，whichshooktheoldhouse，andthenallwassilence。Themaidstoodpetrifiedforamoment，andthen，recoveringhercourage，sherandownstairs。Thestudydoorwasshut，andsheopenedit。InsideyoungMr。WilloughbySmithwasstretcheduponthefloor。Atfirstshecouldseenoinjury，butasshetriedtoraisehimshesawthatbloodwaspouringfromtheundersideofhisneck。Itwaspiercedbyaverysmallbutverydeepwound，whichhaddividedthecarotidartery。Theinstrumentwithwhichtheinjuryhadbeeninflictedlayuponthecarpetbesidehim。

Itwasoneofthosesmallsealing—waxknivestobefoundonold—fashionedwriting—tables，withanivoryhandleandastiffblade。ItwaspartofthefittingsoftheProfessor’sowndesk。

"AtfirstthemaidthoughtthatyoungSmithwasalreadydead，butonpouringsomewaterfromthecarafeoverhisforeheadheopenedhiseyesforaninstant。`TheProfessor，’hemurmured——

`itwasshe。’Themaidispreparedtoswearthatthoseweretheexactwords。Hetrieddesperatelytosaysomethingelse，andheheldhisrighthandupintheair。Thenhefellbackdead。

"Inthemeantimethehousekeeperhadalsoarriveduponthescene，butshewasjusttoolatetocatchtheyoungman’sdyingwords。

LeavingSusanwiththebody，shehurriedtotheProfessor’sroom。

Hewassittingupinbedhorriblyagitated，forhehadheardenoughtoconvincehimthatsomethingterriblehadoccurred。

Mrs。MarkerispreparedtoswearthattheProfessorwasstillinhisnight—clothes，and，indeed，itwasimpossibleforhimtodresswithoutthehelpofMortimer，whoseordersweretocomeattwelveo’clock。TheProfessordeclaresthatheheardthedistantcry，butthatheknowsnothingmore。Hecangivenoexplanationoftheyoungman’slastwords，`TheProfessor——

itwasshe，’butimaginesthattheyweretheoutcomeofdelirium。

HebelievesthatWilloughbySmithhadnotanenemyintheworld，andcangivenoreasonforthecrime。HisfirstactionwastosendMortimerthegardenerforthelocalpolice。Alittlelaterthechiefconstablesentforme。NothingwasmovedbeforeI

gotthere，andstrictordersweregiventhatnooneshouldwalkuponthepathsleadingtothehouse。Itwasasplendidchanceofputtingyourtheoriesintopractice，Mr。SherlockHolmes。

Therewasreallynothingwanting。"

"ExceptMr。SherlockHolmes，"saidmycompanion，withasomewhatbittersmile。"Well，letushearaboutit。Whatsortofjobdidyoumakeofit？"

"Imustaskyoufirst，Mr。Holmes，toglanceatthisroughplan，whichwillgiveyouageneralideaofthepositionoftheProfessor’sstudyandthevariouspointsofthecase。

Itwillhelpyouinfollowingmyinvestigation。"

Heunfoldedtheroughchart，whichIherereproduce，andhelaiditacrossHolmes’sknee。Irose，and，standingbehindHolmes，Istudieditoverhisshoulder。

GRAPHIC

"Itisveryrough，ofcourse，anditonlydealswiththepointswhichseemtometobeessential。Alltherestyouwillseelaterforyourself。Now，firstofall，presumingthattheassassinenteredthehouse，howdidheorshecomein？

Undoubtedlybythegardenpathandthebackdoor，fromwhichthereisdirectaccesstothestudy。Anyotherwaywouldhavebeenexceedinglycomplicated。Theescapemusthavealsobeenmadealongthatline，forofthetwootherexitsfromtheroomonewasblockedbySusanassherandownstairsandtheotherleadsstraighttotheProfessor’sbedroom。Ithereforedirectedmyattentionatoncetothegardenpath，whichwassaturatedwithrecentrainandwouldcertainlyshowanyfootmarks。

"MyexaminationshowedmethatIwasdealingwithacautiousandexpertcriminal。Nofootmarksweretobefoundonthepath。

Therecouldbenoquestion，however，thatsomeonehadpassedalongthegrassborderwhichlinesthepath，andthathehaddonesoinordertoavoidleavingatrack。Icouldnotfindanythinginthenatureofadistinctimpression，butthegrasswastroddendownandsomeonehadundoubtedlypassed。Itcouldonlyhavebeenthemurderer，sinceneitherthegardenernoranyoneelsehadbeentherethatmorningandtherainhadonlybegunduringthenight。"

"Onemoment，"saidHolmes。"Wheredoesthispathleadto？"

"Totheroad。"

"Howlongisit？"

"Ahundredyardsorso。"

"Atthepointwherethepathpassesthroughthegateyoucouldsurelypickupthetracks？"

"Unfortunately，thepathwastiledatthatpoint。"

"Well，ontheroaditself？"

"No；itwasalltroddenintomire。"

"Tut—tut！Well，then，thesetracksuponthegrass，weretheycomingorgoing？"

"Itwasimpossibletosay。Therewasneveranyoutline。"

"Alargefootorasmall？"

"Youcouldnotdistinguish。"

Holmesgaveanejaculationofimpatience。

"Ithasbeenpouringrainandblowingahurricaneeversince，"

saidhe。"Itwillbehardertoreadnowthanthatpalimpsest。

Well，well，itcan’tbehelped。Whatdidyoudo，Hopkins，afteryouhadmadecertainthatyouhadmadecertainofnothing？"

"IthinkImadecertainofagooddeal，Mr。Holmes。

Iknewthatsomeonehadenteredthehousecautiouslyfromwithout。

Inextexaminedthecorridor。Itislinedwithcocoanutmattingandhadtakennoimpressionofanykind。Thisbroughtmeintothestudyitself。Itisascantily—furnishedroom。Themainarticleisalargewriting—tablewithafixedbureau。Thisbureauconsistsofadoublecolumnofdrawerswithacentralsmallcupboardbetweenthem。Thedrawerswereopen，thecupboardlocked。

Thedrawers，itseems，werealwaysopen，andnothingofvaluewaskeptinthem。Thereweresomepapersofimportanceinthecupboard，buttherewerenosignsthatthishadbeentamperedwith，andtheProfessorassuresmethatnothingwasmissing。Itiscertainthatnorobberyhasbeencommitted。

"Icomenowtothebodyoftheyoungman。

Itwasfoundnearthebureau，andjusttotheleftofit，asmarkeduponthatchart。Thestabwasontherightsideoftheneckandfrombehindforwards，sothatitisalmostimpossiblethatitcouldhavebeenself—inflicted。"

"Unlesshefellupontheknife，"saidHolmes。

"Exactly。Theideacrossedmymind。Butwefoundtheknifesomefeetawayfromthebody，sothatseemsimpossible。Then，ofcourse，therearetheman’sowndyingwords。And，finally，therewasthisveryimportantpieceofevidencewhichwasfoundclaspedinthedeadman’srighthand。"

FromhispocketStanleyHopkinsdrewasmallpaperpacket。

Heunfoldeditanddisclosedagoldenpince—nez，withtwobrokenendsofblacksilkcorddanglingfromtheendofit。

"WilloughbySmithhadexcellentsight，"headded。"Therecanbenoquestionthatthiswassnatchedfromthefaceorthepersonoftheassassin。"

SherlockHolmestooktheglassesintohishandandexaminedthemwiththeutmostattentionandinterest。Heheldthemonhisnose，endeavouredtoreadthroughthem，wenttothewindowandstaredupthestreetwiththem，lookedatthemmostminutelyinthefulllightofthelamp，andfinally，withachuckle，seatedhimselfatthetableandwroteafewlinesuponasheetofpaper，whichhetossedacrosstoStanleyHopkins。

"That’sthebestIcandoforyou，"saidhe。

"Itmayprovetobeofsomeuse。"

Theastonisheddetectivereadthenotealoud。Itranasfollows：——

"Wanted，awomanofgoodaddress，attiredlikealady。

Shehasaremarkablythicknose，witheyeswhicharesetcloseuponeithersideofit。Shehasapuckeredforehead，apeeringexpression，andprobablyroundedshoulders。Thereareindicationsthatshehashadrecoursetoanopticianatleasttwiceduringthelastfewmonths。Asherglassesareofremarkablestrengthandasopticiansarenotverynumerous，thereshouldbenodifficultyintracingher。"

HolmessmiledattheastonishmentofHopkins，whichmusthavebeenreflecteduponmyfeatures。

"Surelymydeductionsaresimplicityitself，"saidhe。

"Itwouldbedifficulttonameanyarticleswhichaffordafinerfieldforinferencethanapairofglasses，especiallysoremarkableapairasthese。ThattheybelongtoawomanI

inferfromtheirdelicacy，andalso，ofcourse，fromthelastwordsofthedyingman。Astoherbeingapersonofrefinementandwelldressed，theyare，asyouperceive，handsomelymountedinsolidgold，anditisinconceivablethatanyonewhoworesuchglassescouldbeslatternlyinotherrespects。Youwillfindthattheclipsaretoowideforyournose，showingthatthelady’snosewasverybroadatthebase。Thissortofnoseisusuallyashortandcoarseone，butthereareasufficientnumberofexceptionstopreventmefrombeingdogmaticorfrominsistinguponthispointinmydescription。Myownfaceisanarrowone，andyetIfindthatIcannotgetmyeyesintothecentre，ornearthecentre，oftheseglasses。Thereforethelady’seyesaresetveryneartothesidesofthenose。Youwillperceive，Watson，thattheglassesareconcaveandofunusualstrength。

Aladywhosevisionhasbeensoextremelycontractedallherlifeissuretohavethephysicalcharacteristicsofsuchvision，whichareseenintheforehead，theeyelids，andtheshoulders。"

"Yes，"Isaid，"Icanfolloweachofyourarguments。Iconfess，however，thatIamunabletounderstandhowyouarriveatthedoublevisittotheoptician。"

Holmestooktheglassesinhishand。

"Youwillperceive，"hesaid，"thattheclipsarelinedwithtinybandsofcorktosoftenthepressureuponthenose。Oneoftheseisdiscolouredandworntosomeslightextent，buttheotherisnew。Evidentlyonehasfallenoffandbeenreplaced。

Ishouldjudgethattheolderofthemhasnotbeentheremorethanafewmonths。Theyexactlycorrespond，soIgatherthattheladywentbacktothesameestablishmentforthesecond。"

"ByGeorge，it’smarvellous！"criedHopkins，inanecstasyofadmiration。"TothinkthatIhadallthatevidenceinmyhandandneverknewit！Ihadintended，however，togotheroundoftheLondonopticians。"

"Ofcourseyouwould。Meanwhile，haveyouanythingmoretotellusaboutthecase？"

"Nothing，Mr。Holmes。IthinkthatyouknowasmuchasIdonow——probablymore。Wehavehadinquiriesmadeastoanystrangerseenonthecountryroadsorattherailwaystation。

Wehaveheardofnone。Whatbeatsmeistheutterwantofallobjectinthecrime。Notaghostofamotivecananyonesuggest。"

"Ah！thereIamnotinapositiontohelpyou。ButIsupposeyouwantustocomeoutto—morrow？"

"Ifitisnotaskingtoomuch，Mr。Holmes。There’satrainfromCharingCrosstoChathamatsixinthemorning，andweshouldbeatYoxleyOldPlacebetweeneightandnine。"

"Thenweshalltakeit。Yourcasehascertainlysomefeaturesofgreatinterest，andIshallbedelightedtolookintoit。

Well，it’snearlyone，andwehadbestgetafewhours’sleep。

Idaresayyoucanmanageallrightonthesofainfrontofthefire。I’lllightmyspirit—lampandgiveyouacupofcoffeebeforewestart。"

Thegalehadblownitselfoutnextday，butitwasabittermorningwhenwestarteduponourjourney。WesawthecoldwintersunriseoverthedrearymarshesoftheThamesandthelong，sullenreachesoftheriver，whichIshalleverassociatewithourpursuitoftheAndamanIslanderintheearlierdaysofourcareer。AfteralongandwearyjourneywealightedatasmallstationsomemilesfromChatham。Whileahorsewasbeingputintoatrapatthelocalinnwesnatchedahurriedbreakfast，andsowewereallreadyforbusinesswhenweatlastarrivedatYoxleyOldPlace。Aconstablemetusatthegardengate。

"Well，Wilson，anynews？"

"No，sir，nothing。"

"Noreportsofanystrangerseen？"

"No，sir。Downatthestationtheyarecertainthatnostrangereithercameorwentyesterday。"

"Haveyouhadinquiriesmadeatinnsandlodgings？"

"Yes，sir；thereisnoonethatwecannotaccountfor。"

"Well，it’sonlyareasonablewalktoChatham。Anyonemightstaythere，ortakeatrainwithoutbeingobserved。ThisisthegardenpathofwhichIspoke，Mr。Holmes。I’llpledgemywordtherewasnomarkonityesterday。"

"Onwhichsidewerethemarksonthegrass？"

"Thisside，sir。Thisnarrowmarginofgrassbetweenthepathandtheflower—bed。Ican’tseethetracesnow，buttheywerecleartomethen。"

"Yes，yes；someonehaspassedalong，"saidHolmes，stoopingoverthegrassborder。"Ourladymusthavepickedherstepscarefully，mustshenot，sinceontheonesideshewouldleaveatrackonthepath，andontheotheranevencleareroneonthesoftbed？"

"Yes，sir，shemusthavebeenacoolhand。"

IsawanintentlookpassoverHolmes’sface。

"Yousaythatshemusthavecomebackthisway？"

"Yes，sir；thereisnoother。"

"Onthisstripofgrass？"

"Certainly，Mr。Holmes。"

"Hum！Itwasaveryremarkableperformance——veryremarkable。

Well，Ithinkwehaveexhaustedthepath。Letusgofarther。

Thisgardendoorisusuallykeptopen，Isuppose？Thenthisvisitorhadnothingtodobuttowalkin。Theideaofmurderwasnotinhermind，orshewouldhaveprovidedherselfwithsomesortofweapon，insteadofhavingtopickthisknifeoffthewriting—table。Sheadvancedalongthiscorridor，leavingnotracesuponthecocoanutmatting。Thenshefoundherselfinthisstudy。Howlongwasshethere？Wehavenomeansofjudging。"

"Notmorethanafewminutes，sir。IforgottotellyouthatMrs。Marker，thehousekeeper，hadbeenintheretidyingnotverylongbefore——aboutaquarterofanhour，shesays。"

"Well，thatgivesusalimit。Ourladyentersthisroomandwhatdoesshedo？Shegoesovertothewriting—table。

Whatfor？Notforanythinginthedrawers。Iftherehadbeenanythingworthhertakingitwouldsurelyhavebeenlockedup。

No；itwasforsomethinginthatwoodenbureau。Halloa！whatisthatscratchuponthefaceofit？Justholdamatch，Watson。

Whydidyounottellmeofthis，Hopkins？"

Themarkwhichhewasexaminingbeganuponthebrassworkontheright—handsideofthekeyhole，andextendedforaboutfourinches，whereithadscratchedthevarnishfromthesurface。

"Inoticedit，Mr。Holmes。Butyou’llalwaysfindscratchesroundakeyhole。"

"Thisisrecent，quiterecent。Seehowthebrassshineswhereitiscut。Anoldscratchwouldbethesamecolourasthesurface。

Lookatitthroughmylens。There’sthevarnish，too，likeearthoneachsideofafurrow。IsMrs。Markerthere？"

Asad—faced，elderlywomancameintotheroom。

"Didyoudustthisbureauyesterdaymorning？"

"Yes，sir。"

"Didyounoticethisscratch？"

"No，sir，Ididnot。"

"Iamsureyoudidnot，foradusterwouldhavesweptawaytheseshredsofvarnish。Whohasthekeyofthisbureau？"

"TheProfessorkeepsitonhiswatch—chain。"

"Isitasimplekey？"

"No，sir；itisaChubb’skey。"

"Verygood。Mrs。Marker，youcango。Nowwearemakingalittleprogress。Ourladyenterstheroom，advancestothebureau，andeitheropensitortriestodoso。WhilesheisthusengagedyoungWilloughbySmithenterstheroom。Inherhurrytowithdrawthekeyshemakesthisscratchuponthedoor。

Heseizesher，andshe，snatchingupthenearestobject，whichhappenstobethisknife，strikesathiminordertomakehimletgohishold。Theblowisafatalone。Hefallsandsheescapes，eitherwithorwithouttheobjectforwhichshehascome。IsSusanthemaidthere？Couldanyonehavegotawaythroughthatdoorafterthetimethatyouheardthecry，Susan？"

"Nosir；itisimpossible。BeforeIgotdownthestairI’dhaveseenanyoneinthepassage。Besides，thedoorneveropened，forIwouldhaveheardit。"

"Thatsettlesthisexit。Thennodoubttheladywentoutthewayshecame。IunderstandthatthisotherpassageleadsonlytotheProfessor’sroom。Thereisnoexitthatway？"

"No，sir。"

"WeshallgodownitandmaketheacquaintanceoftheProfessor。

Halloa，Hopkins！thisisveryimportant，veryimportantindeed。

TheProfessor’scorridorisalsolinedwithcocoanutmatting。"

"Well，sir，whatofthat？"

"Don’tyouseeanybearinguponthecase？Well，well，Idon’tinsistuponit。NodoubtIamwrong。Andyetitseemstometobesuggestive。Comewithmeandintroduceme。"

Wepasseddownthepassage，whichwasofthesamelengthasthatwhichledtothegarden。Attheendwasashortflightofstepsendinginadoor。Ourguideknocked，andthenusheredusintotheProfessor’sbedroom。

Itwasaverylargechamber，linedwithinnumerablevolumes，whichhadoverflowedfromtheshelvesandlayinpilesinthecorners，orwerestackedallroundatthebaseofthecases。

Thebedwasinthecentreoftheroom，andinit，proppedupwithpillows，wastheownerofthehouse。Ihaveseldomseenamoreremarkable—lookingperson。Itwasagaunt，aquilinefacewhichwasturnedtowardsus，withpiercingdarkeyes，whichlurkedindeephollowsunderoverhungandtuftedbrows。Hishairandbeardwerewhite，savethatthelatterwascuriouslystainedwithyellowaroundhismouth。Acigaretteglowedamidthetangleofwhitehair，andtheairoftheroomwasfetidwithstaletobacco—smoke。AsheheldouthishandtoHolmesIperceivedthatitalsowasstainedyellowwithnicotine。

"Asmoker，Mr。Holmes？"saidhe，speakingwell—chosenEnglishwithacuriouslittlemincingaccent。"Praytakeacigarette。

Andyou，sir？Icanrecommendthem，forIhavethemespeciallypreparedbyIonidesofAlexandria。Hesendsmeathousandatatime，andIgrievetosaythatIhavetoarrangeforafreshsupplyeveryfortnight。Bad，sir，verybad，butanoldmanhasfewpleasures。Tobaccoandmywork——thatisallthatislefttome。"

Holmeshadlitacigarette，andwasshootinglittledartingglancesallovertheroom。

"Tobaccoandmywork，butnowonlytobacco，"theoldmanexclaimed。

"Alas！whatafatalinterruption！Whocouldhaveforeseensuchaterriblecatastrophe？Soestimableayoungman！Iassureyouthatafterafewmonths’traininghewasanadmirableassistant。

Whatdoyouthinkofthematter，Mr。Holmes？"

"Ihavenotyetmadeupmymind。"

"Ishallindeedbeindebtedtoyouifyoucanthrowalightwhereallissodarktous。Toapoorbookwormandinvalidlikemyselfsuchablowisparalyzing。Iseemtohavelostthefacultyofthought。Butyouareamanofaction——youareamanofaffairs。Itispartoftheeverydayroutineofyourlife。

Youcanpreserveyourbalanceineveryemergency。Wearefortunateindeedinhavingyouatourside。"

HolmeswaspacingupanddownonesideoftheroomwhilsttheoldProfessorwastalking。Iobservedthathewassmokingwithextraordinaryrapidity。Itwasevidentthathesharedourhost’slikingforthefreshAlexandriancigarettes。

"Yes，sir，itisacrushingblow，"saidtheoldman。"ThatismyMAGNUMOPUS——thepileofpapersonthesidetableyonder。

ItismyanalysisofthedocumentsfoundintheCopticmonasteriesofSyriaandEgypt，aworkwhichwillcutdeepattheveryfoundationsofrevealedreligion。WithmyenfeebledhealthIdonotknowwhetherIshalleverbeabletocompleteitnowthatmyassistanthasbeentakenfromme。Dearme，Mr。Holmes；

why，youareevenaquickersmokerthanIammyself。"

Holmessmiled。

"Iamaconnoisseur，"saidhe，takinganothercigarettefromthebox——hisfourth——andlightingitfromthestubofthatwhichhehadfinished。"Iwillnottroubleyouwithanylengthycross—examination，ProfessorCoram，sinceIgatherthatyouwereinbedatthetimeofthecrimeandcouldknownothingaboutit。

Iwouldonlyaskthis。Whatdoyouimaginethatthispoorfellowmeantbyhislastwords：`TheProfessor——itwasshe’？"

TheProfessorshookhishead。