第19章

"Susanisacountrygirl，"saidhe，"andyouknowtheincrediblestupidityofthatclass。Ifancythatthepoorfellowmurmuredsomeincoherentdeliriouswords，andthatshetwistedthemintothismeaninglessmessage。"

"Isee。Youhavenoexplanationyourselfofthetragedy？"

"Possiblyanaccident；possibly——Ionlybreatheitamongourselves——asuicide。Youngmenhavetheirhiddentroubles——

someaffairoftheheart，perhaps，whichwehaveneverknown。

Itisamoreprobablesuppositionthanmurder。"

"Buttheeye—glasses？"

"Ah！Iamonlyastudent——amanofdreams。Icannotexplainthepracticalthingsoflife。Butstill，weareaware，myfriend，thatlove—gagesmaytakestrangeshapes。Byallmeanstakeanothercigarette。Itisapleasuretoseeanyoneappreciatethemso。Afan，aglove，glasses——whoknowswhatarticlemaybecarriedasatokenortreasuredwhenamanputsanendtohislife？Thisgentlemanspeaksoffootstepsinthegrass；but，afterall，itiseasytobemistakenonsuchapoint。Astotheknife，itmightwellbethrownfarfromtheunfortunatemanashefell。

ItispossiblethatIspeakasachild，buttomeitseemsthatWilloughbySmithhasmethisfatebyhisownhand。"

Holmesseemedstruckbythetheorythusputforward，andhecontinuedtowalkupanddownforsometime，lostinthoughtandconsumingcigaretteaftercigarette。

"Tellme，ProfessorCoram，"hesaid，atlast，"whatisinthatcupboardinthebureau？"

"Nothingthatwouldhelpathief。Familypapers，lettersfrommypoorwife，diplomasofUniversitieswhichhavedonemehonour。

Hereisthekey。Youcanlookforyourself。"

Holmespickedupthekeyandlookedatitforaninstant；

thenhehandeditback。

"No；Ihardlythinkthatitwouldhelpme，"saidhe。"Ishouldprefertogoquietlydowntoyourgardenandturnthewholematteroverinmyhead。Thereissomethingtobesaidforthetheoryofsuicidewhichyouhaveputforward。Wemustapologizeforhavingintrudeduponyou，ProfessorCoram，andIpromisethatwewon’tdisturbyouuntilafterlunch。Attwoo’clockwewillcomeagainandreporttoyouanythingwhichmayhavehappenedintheinterval。"

Holmeswascuriouslydistrait，andwewalkedupanddownthegardenpathforsometimeinsilence。

"Haveyouaclue？"Iasked，atlast。

"ItdependsuponthosecigarettesthatIsmoked，"saidhe。

"ItispossiblethatIamutterlymistaken。Thecigaretteswillshowme。"

"MydearHolmes，"Iexclaimed，"howonearth————"

"Well，well，youmayseeforyourself。Ifnot，there’snoharmdone。Ofcourse，wealwayshavetheopticiancluetofallbackupon，butItakeashortcutwhenIcangetit。Ah，hereisthegoodMrs。Marker！Letusenjoyfiveminutesofinstructiveconversationwithher。"

ImayhaveremarkedbeforethatHolmeshad，whenheliked，apeculiarlyingratiatingwaywithwomen，andthatheveryreadilyestablishedtermsofconfidencewiththem。Inhalfthetimewhichhehadnamedhehadcapturedthehousekeeper’sgoodwill，andwaschattingwithherasifhehadknownherforyears。

"Yes，Mr。Holmes，itisasyousay，sir。Hedoessmokesomethingterrible。Alldayandsometimesallnight，sir。

I’veseenthatroomofamorning——well，sir，you’dhavethoughtitwasaLondonfog。PooryoungMr。Smith，hewasasmokeralso，butnotasbadastheProfessor。Hishealth——well，Idon’tknowthatit’sbetternorworseforthesmoking。"

"Ah！"saidHolmes，"butitkillstheappetite。"

"Well，Idon’tknowaboutthat，sir。"

"IsupposetheProfessoreatshardlyanything？"

"Well，heisvariable。I’llsaythatforhim。"

"I’llwagerhetooknobreakfastthismorning，andwon’tfacehislunchafterallthecigarettesIsawhimconsume。"

"Well，you’reoutthere，sir，asithappens，forheatearemarkablebigbreakfastthismorning。Idon’tknowwhenI’veknownhimmakeabetterone，andhe’sorderedagooddishofcutletsforhislunch。

I’msurprisedmyself，forsinceIcameintothatroomyesterdayandsawyoungMr。SmithlyingthereonthefloorIcouldn’tbeartolookatfood。Well，ittakesallsortstomakeaworld，andtheProfessorhasn’tletittakehisappetiteaway。"

Weloiteredthemorningawayinthegarden。StanleyHopkinshadgonedowntothevillagetolookintosomerumoursofastrangewomanwhohadbeenseenbysomechildrenontheChathamRoadthepreviousmorning。Astomyfriend，allhisusualenergyseemedtohavedesertedhim。Ihadneverknownhimhandleacaseinsuchahalf—heartedfashion。EventhenewsbroughtbackbyHopkinsthathehadfoundthechildrenandthattheyhadundoubtedlyseenawomanexactlycorrespondingwithHolmes’sdescription，andwearingeitherspectaclesoreye—glasses，failedtorouseanysignofkeeninterest。HewasmoreattentivewhenSusan，whowaiteduponusatlunch，volunteeredtheinformationthatshebelievedMr。Smithhadbeenoutforawalkyesterdaymorning，andthathehadonlyreturnedhalfanhourbeforethetragedyoccurred。Icouldnotmyselfseethebearingofthisincident，butIclearlyperceivedthatHolmeswasweavingitintothegeneralschemewhichhehadformedinhisbrain。

Suddenlyhesprangfromhischairandglancedathiswatch。

"Twoo’clock，gentlemen，"saidhe。"WemustgoupandhaveitoutwithourfriendtheProfessor。"

Theoldmanhadjustfinishedhislunch，andcertainlyhisemptydishboreevidencetothegoodappetitewithwhichhishousekeeperhadcreditedhim。Hewas，indeed，aweirdfigureasheturnedhiswhitemaneandhisglowingeyestowardsus。

Theeternalcigarettesmoulderedinhismouth。Hehadbeendressedandwasseatedinanarm—chairbythefire。

"Well，Mr。Holmes，haveyousolvedthismysteryyet？"Heshovedthelargetinofcigaretteswhichstoodonatablebesidehimtowardsmycompanion。Holmesstretchedouthishandatthesamemoment，andbetweenthemtheytippedtheboxovertheedge。

Foraminuteortwowewereallonourkneesretrievingstraycigarettesfromimpossibleplaces。WhenweroseagainIobservedthatHolmes’seyeswereshiningandhischeekstingedwithcolour。

OnlyatacrisishaveIseenthosebattle—signalsflying。

"Yes，"saidhe，"Ihavesolvedit。"

StanleyHopkinsandIstaredinamazement。SomethinglikeasneerquiveredoverthegauntfeaturesoftheoldProfessor。

"Indeed！Inthegarden？"

"No，here。"

"Here！When？"

"Thisinstant。"

"Youaresurelyjoking，Mr。SherlockHolmes。Youcompelmetotellyouthatthisistooseriousamattertobetreatedinsuchafashion。"

"Ihaveforgedandtestedeverylinkofmychain，ProfessorCoram，andIamsurethatitissound。WhatyourmotivesareorwhatexactpartyouplayinthisstrangebusinessIamnotyetabletosay。InafewminutesIshallprobablyhearitfromyourownlips。

MeanwhileIwillreconstructwhatispastforyourbenefit，sothatyoumayknowtheinformationwhichIstillrequire。

"Aladyyesterdayenteredyourstudy。Shecamewiththeintentionofpossessingherselfofcertaindocumentswhichwereinyourbureau。Shehadakeyofherown。Ihavehadanopportunityofexaminingyours，andIdonotfindthatslightdiscolourationwhichthescratchmadeuponthevarnishwouldhaveproduced。

Youwerenotanaccessory，therefore，andshecame，sofarasIcanreadtheevidence，withoutyourknowledgetorobyou。"

TheProfessorblewacloudfromhislips。"Thisismostinterestingandinstructive，"saidhe。"Haveyounomoretoadd？

Surely，havingtracedthisladysofar，youcanalsosaywhathasbecomeofher。"

"Iwillendeavourtodoso。Inthefirstplaceshewasseizedbyyoursecretary，andstabbedhiminordertoescape。

ThiscatastropheIaminclinedtoregardasanunhappyaccident，forIamconvincedthattheladyhadnointentionofinflictingsogrievousaninjury。Anassassindoesnotcomeunarmed。

Horrifiedbywhatshehaddonesherushedwildlyawayfromthesceneofthetragedy。Unfortunatelyforhershehadlostherglassesinthescuffle，andasshewasextremelyshort—sightedshewasreallyhelplesswithoutthem。Sherandownacorridor，whichsheimaginedtobethatbywhichshehadcome——bothwerelinedwithcocoanutmatting——anditwasonlywhenitwastoolatethatsheunderstoodthatshehadtakenthewrongpassageandthatherretreatwascutoffbehindher。Whatwasshetodo？

Shecouldnotgoback。Shecouldnotremainwhereshewas。

Shemustgoon。Shewenton。Shemountedastair，pushedopenadoor，andfoundherselfinyourroom。"

TheoldmansatwithhismouthopenstaringwildlyatHolmes。

Amazementandfearwerestampeduponhisexpressivefeatures。

Now，withaneffort，heshruggedhisshouldersandburstintoinsincerelaughter。

"Allveryfine，Mr。Holmes，"saidhe。"Butthereisonelittleflawinyoursplendidtheory。Iwasmyselfinmyroom，andIneverleftitduringtheday。"

"Iamawareofthat，ProfessorCoram。"

"AndyoumeantosaythatIcouldlieuponthatbedandnotbeawarethatawomanhadenteredmyroom？"

"Ineversaidso。YouWEREawareofit。Youspokewithher。

Yourecognisedher。Youaidedhertoescape。"

AgaintheProfessorburstintohigh—keyedlaughter。

Hehadrisentohisfeetandhiseyesglowedlikeembers。

"Youaremad！"hecried。"Youaretalkinginsanely。

Ihelpedhertoescape？Whereisshenow？"

"Sheisthere，"saidHolmes，andhepointedtoahighbookcaseinthecorneroftheroom。

Isawtheoldmanthrowuphisarms，aterribleconvulsionpassedoverhisgrimface，andhefellbackinhischair。

AtthesameinstantthebookcaseatwhichHolmespointedswungrounduponahinge，andawomanrushedoutintotheroom。

"Youareright！"shecried，inastrangeforeignvoice。

"Youareright！Iamhere。"

Shewasbrownwiththedustanddrapedwiththecobwebswhichhadcomefromthewallsofherhiding—place。Herface，too，wasstreakedwithgrime，andatthebestshecouldneverhavebeenhandsome，forshehadtheexactphysicalcharacteristicswhichHolmeshaddivined，with，inaddition，alongandobstinatechin。

Whatwithhernaturalblindness，andwhatwiththechangefromdarktolight，shestoodasonedazed，blinkingabouthertoseewhereandwhowewere。Andyet，inspiteofallthesedisadvantages，therewasacertainnobilityinthewoman’sbearing，agallantryinthedefiantchinandintheupraisedhead，whichcompelledsomethingofrespectandadmiration。StanleyHopkinshadlaidhishanduponherarmandclaimedherashisprisoner，butshewavedhimasidegently，andyetwithanovermasteringdignitywhichcompelledobedience。Theoldmanlaybackinhischair，withatwitchingface，andstaredatherwithbroodingeyes。

"Yes，sir，Iamyourprisoner，"shesaid。"FromwhereIstoodIcouldheareverything，andIknowthatyouhavelearnedthetruth。Iconfessitall。ItwasIwhokilledtheyoungman。

Butyouareright，youwhosayitwasanaccident。IdidnotevenknowthatitwasaknifewhichIheldinmyhand，forinmydespairIsnatchedanythingfromthetableandstruckathimtomakehimletmego。ItisthetruththatItell。"

"Madam，"saidHolmes，"Iamsurethatitisthetruth。

Ifearthatyouarefarfromwell。"

Shehadturnedadreadfulcolour，themoreghastlyunderthedarkdust—streaksuponherface。Sheseatedherselfonthesideofthebed；thensheresumed。

"Ihaveonlyalittletimehere，"shesaid，"butIwouldhaveyoutoknowthewholetruth。Iamthisman’swife。HeisnotanEnglishman。HeisaRussian。HisnameIwillnottell。"

Forthefirsttimetheoldmanstirred。"Godblessyou，Anna！"

hecried。"Godblessyou！"

Shecastalookofthedeepestdisdaininhisdirection。

"Whyshouldyouclingsohardtothatwretchedlifeofyours，Sergius？"saidshe。"Ithasdoneharmtomanyandgoodtonone——noteventoyourself。However，itisnotformetocausethefrailthreadtobesnappedbeforeGod’stime。

IhaveenoughalreadyuponmysoulsinceIcrossedthethresholdofthiscursedhouse。ButImustspeakorIshallbetoolate。

"Ihavesaid，gentlemen，thatIamthisman’swife。HewasfiftyandIafoolishgirloftwentywhenwemarried。ItwasinacityofRussia，aUniversity——Iwillnotnametheplace。"

"Godblessyou，Anna！"murmuredtheoldmanagain。

"Wewerereformers——revolutionists——Nihilists，youunderstand。

HeandIandmanymore。Thentherecameatimeoftrouble，apoliceofficerwaskilled，manywerearrested，evidencewaswanted，andinordertosavehisownlifeandtoearnagreatrewardmyhusbandbetrayedhisownwifeandhiscompanions。

Yes，wewereallarresteduponhisconfession。SomeofusfoundourwaytothegallowsandsometoSiberia。Iwasamongtheselast，butmytermwasnotforlife。MyhusbandcametoEnglandwithhisill—gottengains，andhaslivedinquieteversince，knowingwellthatiftheBrotherhoodknewwherehewasnotaweekwouldpassbeforejusticewouldbedone。"

Theoldmanreachedoutatremblinghandandhelpedhimselftoacigarette。"Iaminyourhands，Anna，"saidhe。

"Youwerealwaysgoodtome。"

"Ihavenotyettoldyoutheheightofhisvillainy，"saidshe。

"AmongourcomradesoftheOrdertherewasonewhowasthefriendofmyheart。Hewasnoble，unselfish，loving——allthatmyhusbandwasnot。Hehatedviolence。Wewereallguilty——

ifthatisguilt——buthewasnot。Hewroteforeverdissuadingusfromsuchacourse。Theseletterswouldhavesavedhim。

Sowouldmydiary，inwhichfromdaytodayIhadenteredbothmyfeelingstowardshimandtheviewwhicheachofushadtaken。

Myhusbandfoundandkeptbothdiaryandletters。Hehidthem，andhetriedhardtoswearawaytheyoungman’slife。Inthishefailed，butAlexiswassentaconvicttoSiberia，wherenow，atthismoment，heworksinasaltmine。Thinkofthat，youvillain，youvillain；now，now，atthisverymoment，Alexis，amanwhosenameyouarenotworthytospeak，worksandliveslikeaslave，andyetIhaveyourlifeinmyhandsandIletyougo。"

"Youwerealwaysanoblewoman，Anna，"saidtheoldman，puffingathiscigarette。

Shehadrisen，butshefellbackagainwithalittlecryofpain。

"Imustfinish，"shesaid。"WhenmytermwasoverIsetmyselftogetthediaryandletterswhich，ifsenttotheRussianGovernment，wouldprocuremyfriend’srelease。IknewthatmyhusbandhadcometoEngland。AftermonthsofsearchingI

discoveredwherehewas。Iknewthathestillhadthediary，forwhenIwasinSiberiaIhadaletterfromhimoncereproachingmeandquotingsomepassagesfromitspages。

YetIwassurethatwithhisrevengefulnaturehewouldnevergiveittomeofhisownfreewill。Imustgetitformyself。

WiththisobjectIengagedanagentfromaprivatedetectivefirm，whoenteredmyhusband’shouseassecretary——itwasyoursecondsecretary，Sergius，theonewholeftyousohurriedly。

Hefoundthatpaperswerekeptinthecupboard，andhegotanimpressionofthekey。Hewouldnotgofarther。Hefurnishedmewithaplanofthehouse，andhetoldmethatintheforenoonthestudywasalwaysempty，asthesecretarywasemployeduphere。

SoatlastItookmycourageinbothhandsandIcamedowntogetthepapersformyself。Isucceeded，butatwhatacost！

"Ihadjusttakenthepapersandwaslockingthecupboardwhentheyoungmanseizedme。Ihadseenhimalreadythatmorning。

HehadmetmeintheroadandIhadaskedhimtotellmewhereProfessorCoramlived，notknowingthathewasinhisemploy。"

"Exactly！exactly！"saidHolmes。"Thesecretarycamebackandtoldhisemployerofthewomanhehadmet。Theninhislastbreathhetriedtosendamessagethatitwasshe——theshewhomhehadjustdiscussedwithhim。"

"Youmustletmespeak，"saidthewoman，inanimperativevoice，andherfacecontractedasifinpain。"WhenhehadfallenIrushedfromtheroom，chosethewrongdoor，andfoundmyselfinmyhusband’sroom。Hespokeofgivingmeup。Ishowedhimthatifhedidsohislifewasinmyhands。IfhegavemetothelawIcouldgivehimtotheBrotherhood。ItwasnotthatIwishedtoliveformyownsake，butitwasthatIdesiredtoaccomplishmypurpose。HeknewthatIwoulddowhatIsaid——

thathisownfatewasinvolvedinmine。Forthatreasonandfornootherheshieldedme。Hethrustmeintothatdarkhiding—place，arelicofolddays，knownonlytohimself。

Hetookhismealsinhisownroom，andsowasabletogivemepartofhisfood。ItwasagreedthatwhenthepoliceleftthehouseIshouldslipawaybynightandcomebacknomore。

Butinsomewayyouhavereadourplans。"Shetorefromthebosomofherdressasmallpacket。"Thesearemylastwords，"

saidshe；"hereisthepacketwhichwillsaveAlexis。

Iconfideittoyourhonourandtoyourloveofjustice。

Takeit！YouwilldeliveritattheRussianEmbassy。

NowIhavedonemyduty，and————"

"Stopher！"criedHolmes。Hehadboundedacrosstheroomandhadwrenchedasmallphialfromherhand。

"Toolate！"shesaid，sinkingbackonthebed。"Toolate！

ItookthepoisonbeforeIleftmyhiding—place。Myheadswims！

Iamgoing！Ichargeyou，sir，torememberthepacket。"

"Asimplecase，andyetinsomewaysaninstructiveone，"

Holmesremarked，aswetravelledbacktotown。"Ithingedfromtheoutsetuponthepince—nez。ButforthefortunatechanceofthedyingmanhavingseizedtheseIamnotsurethatwecouldeverhavereachedoursolution。Itwascleartomefromthestrengthoftheglassesthatthewearermusthavebeenveryblindandhelplesswhendeprivedofthem。WhenyouaskedmetobelievethatshewalkedalonganarrowstripofgrasswithoutoncemakingafalsestepIremarked，asyoumayremember，thatitwasanoteworthyperformance。InmymindIsetitdownasanimpossibleperformance，saveintheunlikelycasethatshehadasecondpairofglasses。Iwasforced，therefore，toseriouslyconsiderthehypothesisthatshehadremainedwithinthehouse。

Onperceivingthesimilarityofthetwocorridorsitbecameclearthatshemightveryeasilyhavemadesuchamistake，andinthatcaseitwasevidentthatshemusthaveenteredtheProfessor’sroom。Iwaskeenlyonthealert，therefore，forwhateverwouldbearoutthissupposition，andIexaminedtheroomnarrowlyforanythingintheshapeofahiding—place。

Thecarpetseemedcontinuousandfirmlynailed，soIdismissedtheideaofatrap—door。Theremightwellbearecessbehindthebooks。Asyouareaware，suchdevicesarecommoninoldlibraries。Iobservedthatbookswerepiledontheflooratallotherpoints，butthatonebookcasewasleftclear。This，then，mightbethedoor。Icouldseenomarkstoguideme，butthecarpetwasofaduncolour，whichlendsitselfverywelltoexamination。Ithereforesmokedagreatnumberofthoseexcellentcigarettes，andIdroppedtheashalloverthespaceinfrontofthesuspectedbookcase。Itwasasimpletrick，butexceedinglyeffective。IthenwentdownstairsandIascertained，inyourpresence，Watson，withoutyourperceivingthedriftofmyremarks，thatProfessorCoram’sconsumptionoffoodhadincreased——asonewouldexpectwhenheissupplyingasecondperson。

Wethenascendedtotheroomagain，when，byupsettingthecigarette—box，Iobtainedaveryexcellentviewofthefloor，andwasabletoseequiteclearly，fromthetracesuponthecigaretteash，thattheprisonerhad，inourabsence，comeoutfromherretreat。Well，Hopkins，hereweareatCharingCross，andIcongratulateyouonhavingbroughtyourcasetoasuccessfulconclusion。Youaregoingtohead—quarters，nodoubt。Ithink，Watson，youandIwilldrivetogethertotheRussianEmbassy。"

XI。———TheAdventureoftheMissingThree—Quarter。

WEwerefairlyaccustomedtoreceiveweirdtelegramsatBakerStreet，butIhaveaparticularrecollectionofonewhichreachedusonagloomyFebruarymorningsomesevenoreightyearsagoandgaveMr。SherlockHolmesapuzzledquarterofanhour。Itwasaddressedtohim，andranthus：——

"Pleaseawaitme。Terriblemisfortune。Rightwingthree—quartermissing；indispensabletomorrow。——OVERTON。"

"Strandpost—markanddispatchedten—thirty—six，"saidHolmes，readingitoverandover。"Mr。Overtonwasevidentlyconsiderablyexcitedwhenhesentit，andsomewhatincoherentinconsequence。

Well，well，hewillbehere，Idaresay，bythetimeIhavelookedthroughtheTIMES，andthenweshallknowallaboutit。Eventhemostinsignificantproblemwouldbewelcomeinthesestagnantdays。"

Thingshadindeedbeenveryslowwithus，andIhadlearnedtodreadsuchperiodsofinaction，forIknewbyexperiencethatmycompanion’sbrainwassoabnormallyactivethatitwasdangeroustoleaveitwithoutmaterialuponwhichtowork。

ForyearsIhadgraduallyweanedhimfromthatdrugmaniawhichhadthreatenedoncetocheckhisremarkablecareer。NowIknewthatunderordinaryconditionshenolongercravedforthisartificialstimulus，butIwaswellawarethatthefiendwasnotdead，butsleeping；andIhaveknownthatthesleepwasalightoneandthewakingnearwheninperiodsofidlenessIhaveseenthedrawnlookuponHolmes’sasceticface，andthebroodingofhisdeep—setandinscrutableeyes。ThereforeIblessedthisMr。Overton，whoeverhemightbe，sincehehadcomewithhisenigmaticmessagetobreakthatdangerouscalmwhichbroughtmoreperiltomyfriendthanallthestormsofhistempestuouslife。

Aswehadexpected，thetelegramwassoonfollowedbyitssender，andthecardofMr。CyrilOverton，ofTrinityCollege，Cambridge，announcedthearrivalofanenormousyoungman，sixteenstoneofsolidboneandmuscle，whospannedthedoorwaywithhisbroadshouldersandlookedfromoneofustotheotherwithacomelyfacewhichwashaggardwithanxiety。

"Mr。SherlockHolmes？"

Mycompanionbowed。

"I’vebeendowntoScotlandYard，Mr。Holmes。

IsawInspectorStanleyHopkins。Headvisedmetocometoyou。

Hesaidthecase，sofarashecouldsee，wasmoreinyourlinethaninthatoftheregularpolice。"

"Praysitdownandtellmewhatisthematter。"

"It’sawful，Mr。Holmes，simplyawful！Iwondermyhairisn’tgrey。

GodfreyStaunton——you’veheardofhim，ofcourse？He’ssimplythehingethatthewholeteamturnson。I’drathersparetwofromthepackandhaveGodfreyformythree—quarterline。Whetherit’spassing，ortackling，ordribbling，there’snoonetotouchhim；

andthen，he’sgottheheadandcanholdusalltogether。

WhatamItodo？That’swhatIaskyou，Mr。Holmes。

There’sMoorhouse，firstreserve，butheistrainedasahalf，andhealwaysedgesrightinontothescruminsteadofkeepingoutonthetouch—line。He’safineplace—kick，it’strue，but，then，hehasnojudgment，andhecan’tsprintfornuts。

Why，MortonorJohnson，theOxfordfliers，couldromproundhim。

Stevensonisfastenough，buthecouldn’tdropfromthetwenty—fiveline，andathree—quarterwhocan’teitherpuntordropisn’tworthaplaceforpacealone。No，Mr。Holmes，wearedoneunlessyoucanhelpmetofindGodfreyStaunton。"

Myfriendhadlistenedwithamusedsurprisetothislongspeech，whichwaspouredforthwithextraordinaryvigourandearnestness，everypointbeingdrivenhomebytheslappingofabrawnyhanduponthespeaker’sknee。WhenourvisitorwassilentHolmesstretchedouthishandandtookdownletter"S"ofhiscommonplacebook。Foronceheduginvainintothatmineofvariedinformation。