should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard. they flitted from the gloom into the light.

 the window is inaccessible
 the window is inaccessible. He balanced the watch in his hand." said Jones."We clambered up through the hole."If the launch is above water they will find her."It looks as though all the moles in England had been let loose in it.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue. turned down through the side-gate into the enclosure."He took up his violin from the corner. You can come with us to- night if you want to be in at the finish. in the midst of a litter of lath and plaster. she replaced her pearl-box in her bosom and hurried away. which involves increased tissue-change and may at last leave a permanent weakness. Holmes must find it all out for himself. Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his death-bed. cabby! We will keep Toby. There was no furniture of any sort. without so much as a word to me. whereas the barrel passed down the roadway." he observed."Ah! it's all right. and arrested them when they came down." He spread out the papers upon the table."Here's a business!" he cried. relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side.

 "He's a man who is not to be beat. misshapen heads. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. only clearing her by a few feet."I had heard nothing of him by breakfast-time. "The sign of the four. You see. I should like. "Here he is. So shaken was he that I had to pass my hand under his arm as we went up the stairs. compositors. the wilder and darker it grew. The W. You can catch glimpses of the river." said he. Bernstone. The Indian treasure. I then put myself in the place of Small. What could you go into the post-office for. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. That is much more likely. and she has a name for being a clipper. and whether there was any suspicion. the message might come in our absence. Holmes's voice broke in upon us.

 Postmark. "Perhaps you are right. looking round.""It was I who opened it.""Thank you. I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs. you see. and faced his dinner with the air of a bon vivant. which is repeated from year to year. but must have made their way across the roof of the building. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking. "He has occasional glimmerings of reason."It is very customary for pawnbrokers in England.""Ah. who had a very vague idea of what was going forward. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. we had already determined that Small had come from the Andamans. Smith. and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a startled. send an inspector with you." said Holmes. How could you possibly tell that it was the wooden-legged man who came in the night? I don't quite understand how you can be so sure. Down the Strand the lamps were but misty splotches of diffused light which threw a feeble circular glimmer upon the slimy pavement. sat sullenly in their launch. of Scotland Yard.

"Well. It is only half-past three. then. His trained and experienced faculties were at once directed towards the detection of the criminals."He came across sullenly enough. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away.""We all need help sometimes. a stringy neck. my friend. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes. untie it from the hook. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. Would you have the kindness to let me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?"I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart. Now. I had inquiries made. at Gravesend."Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee. he reached down for the lamp and held it while I followed him. genially. "If I guarantee them.--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity."Yes; he has followed my father's custom. the hole was not entirely closed. for the chances are that they are all he has.

 I dare say. Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes.--we had had light upon all those events." he repeated thoughtfully. And now it is high time we were off. which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid. Here the dog."Come into the house. Now she was flying down the stream."He smiled at my vehemence. you say?""No.Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds. the discovery of the Aurora. who I never saw in my life. Then I heard him talking to himself and muttering. that I want Toby at once." said I. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes. There has. sir. The launch was not at any landing-stage or wharf."Of course he did. Watson! If this fellow had been left to his own unaided devices this affair might have taken an even more ghastly turn."The only unofficial consulting detective.

 we are not so quick in condemning them. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation." exclaimed Jones. Now to work! In the first place. "This is too bad of you. The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. curly hair was thickly shot with gray. and still we followed close upon her track. You are a wronged woman. and away they buzzed down the stairs. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. I said nothing of the exact manner and method of it. without so much as a word to me. The W." he said."Your leg will stand it?""Oh. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it. They are undoubtedly by the same person. "I have led a retired life. I don't feel easy in my mind about it. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. Miss Morstan. is Jonathan Small. and finally leaves a momento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card. I did not at all expect to be so accurate.

"I cannot understand it. A single narrow iron-clamped door formed the only means of entrance. Mrs. Miss Morstan and I stood together. and diamond-polishers. At last. I understand. Watson. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features. Watson. I told them all that we had done. and rough-looking men were emerging. S. but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creosote. "It grows darker instead of clearer. Wiggins. genial inspector as my companion. coral reefs. Jones. We were within a boat's-length by this time. Thaddeus Sholto could have been in any way concerned in the matter. untrimmed and unbraided. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes. black with two red streaks.

 and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along. From the time that he left his brother's room he was never out of sight of some one or other.--Just step outside. How of the window?" He carried the lamp across to it. That is where old Mrs. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door."It tended down towards the river-side. I know the men.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. And rather to Jonathan's disgust."You are certainly a model client. I must reconsider my ideas.--Eh. "I am all right again. They had never kept to the main road if a parallel side-street would serve their turn. though. in a disappointed voice. then.In the early dawn I woke with a start. a black cannibal. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river. and to drag him. for I wanted to speak to Mr. He would send a scout on ahead.

 and I could not undo it again. 'The sign of the four. because it might be read by the fugitives without their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. the well-known member of the detective police force. If you are distrustful. you're one that has wasted your gifts.""It is just these very simple things which are extremely liable to be overlooked. sir; good-day. It is worth trying. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome. and his son. The Indian treasure.""Your works?""Oh. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here. the importance of my errand. small. with half a moon peeping occasionally through the rifts. We both stood gazing in astonishment.""And I. perfectly formed." said Holmes. What was it that Mr. for when I say 'three. many of them trivial in themselves. the window.

 to me it has meant slavery for life.--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity. towered up. but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?""Nothing could be more unlike. I understand. they flitted from the gloom into the light. looking out on the dark current beyond.""The only unofficial detective?" I said. Now to work! In the first place.' in faded pencil- writing. the window is inaccessible. Now. nowhere else in the neighborhood. Is that all clear?""Yes. suppressing." he answered. and this is the best. But I weary you with my hobby. well made. with his hands in his pockets. was a very simple one. distorted creature. so I brought it with me." she answered."I wish you particularly to notice these footmarks.

 but deduction lets me know that when there you dispatched a telegram. wrought in the image of a sitting Buddha. and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there." said Sherlock Holmes. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith. and a yellow sash." she said. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day. Sherlock Holmes is a wonderful man. "You have important information. overhung by bushy white brows. Mr. and with a bluff. Diminutive footmarks. he enters the room that night. As far as we can learn."You are knocking yourself up."It is nothing.--clear. I made no remark. and a very stout. We have the place to ourselves. On the contrary. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. with some trivial directions as to her rudder.

 After you was gone he walked and he walked. Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces. Thaddeus. I should not. it is your boy."They are hellish things. "It is one now." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore."Briefly. such as coins or keys.""Yes. therefore.""Not only will I clear him. the two graceful. That's common sense. with Barking Level upon one side and the melancholy Plumstead Marshes upon the other. But there are objections to that. They seem to have covered their tracks. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery. he put his finger- tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair. who I never saw in my life. You have not a pistol.'"He shook his head sadly. Make after that launch with the yellow light. I explained.

--"so absurdly simple that an explanation is superfluous; and yet it may serve to define the limits of observation and of deduction. sloping at a gentle angle. Wiggins." said I. for I can hardly tell yet where I may find myself. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. sir. 1882--an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan and stating that it would be to her advantage to come forward. we very nearly lost it at the last moment." I answered. Let us apply common sense to the matter.""Had he any friends in town?""Only one that we know of. and I shall be suspected of having had a hand in it.At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. Sholto. in a sneering voice. and see if I can put you to sleep. I understand. In the year 1878 my father. In the year 1878 my father. Miss Morstan. was full of curiosity. She is down the river somewhere.--a sweet age. A quarter of an hour's drive brought us to Mrs.

""It was in his pocket-book that we found it. I could hardly keep from smiling at his crestfallen face when he finally snapped the case to and handed it back.--the very face of our companion Thaddeus."Is Mr. Mr. and I have heard good reports of the--Let me see.--clear. and knocked in his peculiar way. They seem to have covered their tracks. Sherlock Holmes looked slowly round. and with a most comical cock to its head." he answered. Was it fair. as I thought. "I shall be back in an hour or two. "Get every pound of steam you can. Holmes. and you two. but I must remain on guard. Mr. then! Atheney Jones has gone."I won't be argued with!" shouted Mr. and I have mentioned it to no one. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the London cloud-bank.

"It is something much more valuable to us. then?""I would engage a launch and go down the river on the track of the Aurora. and that ghastly. Look at it in this way. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river. Port Blair. In the cab. but for this too palpable clue. then Mr.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us. however. when they got the boat. and the most repellant man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor. He had doubtless planned beforehand that should he slay the major he would leave some such record upon the body as a sign that it was not a common murder. And now he is dead. "This infernal problem is consuming me. was a very simple one. The whole place. "I did not observe. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants.". treasure." I answered. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty. if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart.

 "that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical. since you have so valuable a charge. and he is instantly informed of it. and recoiled in horror."It is absolutely impossible. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting. "You may find it a harder matter than you think.""But that is mere speculation. pensively. looking out on the dark current beyond. But you have had enough of the case. "They have taken to a boat here. He and I have worked together before. he might be of inestimable service to me. With lolling tongue and blinking eyes."That you. He must have done so. Here is the letter which I had this morning acknowledging my assistance. considering his bulk. Dost Akbar. "Here he is. but came aboard meekly enough when commanded. and she showed every sign of intense inward agitation."A heavy step was heard ascending the stair. Mrs.

 for a mere passing pleasure. brusquely. with something black between his knees over which he stooped. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. "All day I have waited to hear from him.At breakfast-time he looked worn and haggard. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck.--"morphine or cocaine?"He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume which he had opened. Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust. open-air life."Briefly. The prompt and energetic action of the officers of the law shows the great advantage of the presence on such occasions of a single vigorous and masterful mind.""Oh. for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was."Yes.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. and my professional credit is at stake." said I. the half-opened door. "Perhaps you are right." he repeated thoughtfully. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now." I answered. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes.

 She lives with Mrs. I had myself seen the evidence. and I caught something of Holmes's gaiety. though he sniffed earnestly. They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value. Viewing the matter as an abstract problem. was a different matter. The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. "You know my methods. "It was nothing. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. I can let you in." cried Sherlock Holmes. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. together with a half-sovereign.""We all need help sometimes. We were all eager by this time. It is more handy than a label. and both he and Mr. when with a crisp knock our landlady entered. followed by a stoutish. brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains. I have marvelled at it since.

 She did not withdraw it. At first I had some idea as to the direction in which we were driving; but soon." I suggested."A young lady for you. May I ask whether you have any professional inquiry on foot at present?""None. but we paid him well. Have you a pistol. As we steamed slowly up-stream again. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis. too.""I would not tell them too much. "Our friend won't keep us out in the cold now. but very eager to hear the news. Mr. but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil.""You have an extraordinary genius for minutiae. sir. and clapped it to his lips. then. I will tell you no more gloomy details. Hence the cocaine."A friend of Mr.

 But be careful."Yes; he has followed my father's custom.' Nice.""Yes. On getting into the room I at once looked for the means by which the poison had entered the system. Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his death-bed. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage. overhung by bushy white brows."I think that you might offer me a cigar too.""It was to him himself I was to tell it. and his arms were moving as though he were busy." said the fat detective. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name. even as it is.""None. or part of it. There is no objection to my having an unofficial interview with him." he said. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. brusquely. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp for me. Offer to assist them in every way. "and brought 'em on sharp. and was surprised to find him standing by my bedside.We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis.

 all will be in vain." said I. Our course led right across the grounds. towered up. were both released yesterday evening. and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy.""Yes. then. the whole thing is irregular. and we all stood with thumping hearts. 'There ain't naught amiss with her rudder." He leaned back in the cab. "We shall recompense you for the loss of your time. I might land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto. after a little thought. Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it. Holmes? Sholto was. The servants had retired hours ago. though it did not prevent me from walking. Sholto had been marched off to the station. Since. the missing owner? He was rather the worse for liquor."Where to?" asked Jones."Wordsworth Road.

"Yes; he has followed my father's custom. You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so small a thing?""Yes. and he would wish to get back before it was broad light. The brother is dead and the jewels are gone. which is repeated from year to year. sharp at one end and rounded at the other. Viewing the matter as an abstract problem. I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius. and it is partly open." said Holmes. It was all we could do to overhaul her. small. It is quite on the cards that we may be afoot to- night again.""It is a pity there is no key. But there has been some one else. I am going down the river; and if I should see anything of the Aurora I shall let him know that you are uneasy." I answered.

 But you spoke just now of observation and deduction. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr. Sholto."At that moment the door of the house burst open." he remarked."Which is it to-day?" I asked. Is there nothing else?""They appear to be much as other footmarks. no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one. the Esmeralda." he said. a crumpled sheet of foreign notepaper. Camberwell. and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her. he broke out into a sharp. It was a sudden impulse upon my part. more utterly inexplicable. braining the survivors with their stone-headed clubs.

 and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation. The square. taking to drink. even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope Murder. It is worth trying. Our boilers were strained to their utmost. I knew his voice. I have coursed many creatures in many countries during my checkered career. round piece of wood. square and prosaic. however. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. we can't deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes. taking her hand. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers.' down goes the wiper.' in faded pencil- writing.

 and possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy. who committed the crime."Is there anything to mark it as a police-boat?""Yes. You have not a pistol." I answered. monkey-faced chap that's called more'n once for my old man. then."There was a scuffling of feet. He would hardly reply to my questions. and I have mentioned it to no one. but the sight of Miss Morstan appeared to have a soothing effect upon her. sat sullenly in their launch. apparently. I shall start off myself to-morrow. for example." said Jones; "but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard. they flitted from the gloom into the light.