1922
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEPROBLEMOFTHORBRIDGE
bySirArthurConanDoyle
SomewhereinthevaultsofthebankofCoxandCo。，atCharing
Cross，thereisatravel-wornandbatteredtindispatch-boxwithmy
name，JohnH。Watson，M。D。，LateIndianArmy，painteduponthelid。
Itiscrammedwithpapers，nearlyallofwhicharerecordsofcasesto
illustratethecuriousproblemswhichMr。SherlockHolmeshadat
varioustimestoexamine。Some，andnottheleastinteresting，were
completefailures，andassuchwillhardlybearnarrating，sinceno
finalexplanationisforthcoming。Aproblemwithoutasolutionmay
interestthestudent，butcanhardlyfailtoannoythecasual
reader。AmongtheseunfinishedtalesisthatofMr。James
Phillimore，who，steppingbackintohisownhousetogethisumbrella，
wasnevermoreseeninthisworld。Nolessremarkableisthatofthe
cutterAlicia，whichsailedonespringmorningintoasmallpatchof
mistfromwheresheneveragainemerged，norwasanythingfurtherever
heardofherselfandhercrew。Athirdcaseworthyofnoteisthat
ofIsadoraPersano，thewell-knownjournalistandduellist，whowas
foundstarkstaringmadwithamatchboxinfrontofhimwhich
containedaremarkablewormsaidtobeunknowntoscience。Apart
fromtheseunfathomedcases，therearesomewhichinvolvethe
secretsofprivatefamiliestoanextentwhichwouldmean
consternationinmanyexaltedquartersifitwerethoughtpossible
thattheymightfindtheirwayintoprint。Ineednotsaythatsuch
abreachofconfidenceisunthinkable，andthattheserecordswill
beseparatedanddestroyednowthatmyfriendhastimetoturnhis
energiestothematter。Thereremainaconsiderableresidueofcases
ofgreaterorlessinterestwhichImighthaveeditedbeforehadInot
fearedtogivethepublicasurfeitwhichmightreactuponthe
reputationofthemanwhomaboveallothersIrevere。InsomeIwas
myselfconcernedandcanspeakasaneye-witness，whileinothersI
waseithernotpresentorplayedsosmallapartthattheycould
onlybetoldasbyathirdperson。Thefollowingnarrativeisdrawn
frommyownexperience。
ItwasawildmorninginOctober，andIobservedasIwasdressing
howthelastremainingleaveswerebeingwhirledfromthesolitary
planetreewhichgracestheyardbehindourhouse。Idescendedto
breakfastpreparedtofindmycompanionindepressedspirits，for，
likeallgreatartists，hewaseasilyimpressedbyhissurroundings。
Onthecontrary，Ifoundthathehadnearlyfinishedhismeal，and
thathismoodwasparticularlybrightandjoyous，withthatsomewhat
sinistercheerfulnesswhichwascharacteristicofhislightermoments。
“Youhaveacase，Holmes？“Iremarked。
“Thefacultyofdeductioniscertainlycontagious，Watson，“he
answered。“Ithasenabledyoutoprobemysecret。Yes，Ihavea
case。Afteramonthoftrivialitiesandstagnationthewheelsmove
oncemore。”
“MightIshareit？“
“Thereislittletoshare，butwemaydiscussitwhenyouhave
consumedthetwohard-boiledeggswithwhichournewcookhasfavoured
us。TheirconditionmaynotbeunconnectedwiththecopyoftheFamily
HeraldwhichIobservedyesterdayuponthehall-table。Evensotrivial
amatterascookinganeggdemandsanattentionwhichisconscious
ofthepassageoftimeandincompatiblewiththeloveromancein
thatexcellentperiodical。”
Aquarterofanhourlaterthetablehadbeenclearedandwewere
facetoface。Hehaddrawnaletterfromhispocket。
“YouhaveheardofNeilGibson，theGoldKing？“hesaid。
“YoumeantheAmericanSenator？“
“Well，hewasonceSenatorforsomeWesternstate，butisbetter
knownasthegreatestgold-miningmagnateintheworld。”
“Yes，Iknowofhim。hehassurelylivedinEnglandforsometime。
Hisnameisveryfamiliar。”
“Yes，heboughtaconsiderableestateinHampshiresomefiveyears
ago。Possiblyyouhavealreadyheardofthetragicendofhiswife？“
“Ofcourse。Irememberitnow。Thatiswhythenameisfamiliar。But
Ireallyknownothingofthedetails。”
Holmeswavedhishandtowardssomepapersonachair。“Ihadnoidea
thatthecasewascomingmywayorIshouldhavehadmyextracts
ready，“saidhe。“Thefactisthattheproblem，thoughexceedingly
sensational，appearedtopresentnodifficulty。Theinteresting
personalityoftheaccuseddoesnotobscuretheclearnessofthe
evidence。Thatwastheviewtakenbythecoroner”sjuryandalsoin
thepolice-courtproceedings。ItisnowreferredtotheAssizesat
Winchester。Ifearitisathanklessbusiness。Icandiscoverfacts，
Watson，butIcannotchangethem。Unlesssomeentirelynewand
unexpectedonescometolightIdonotseewhatmyclientcanhope
for。”
“Yourclient？“
“Ah，IforgotIhadnottoldyou。Iamgettingintoyourinvolved
habit，Watson，oftellingthestorybackward。Youhadbestreadthis
first。”
Theletterwhichhehandedtome，writteninabold，masterfulhand，
ranasfollows：
CLARIDGE”SHOTEL，
October3rd。
DearMr。SherlockHolmes：
Ican”tseethebestwomanGodevermadegotoherdeathwithout
doingallthatispossibletosaveher。Ican”texplainthings-I
can”teventrytoexplainthem，butIknowbeyondalldoubtthat
MissDunbarisinnocent。Youknowthefacts-whodoesn”t？Ithas
beenthegossipofthecountry。Andneveravoiceraisedforher！It”s
thedamnedinjusticeofitallthatmakesmecrazy。Thatwomanhasa
heartthatwouldn”tletherkillafly。Well，I”llcomeateleven
to-morrowandseeifyoucangetsomerayoflightinthedark。
MaybeIhaveaclueanddon”tknowit。Anyhow，allIknowandallI
haveandallIamareforyouruseifonlyyoucansaveher。Ifever
inyourlifeyoushowedyourpowers，putthemnowintothiscase。
Yoursfaithfully，
J。NEILGIBSON。
“Thereyouhaveit，“saidSherlockHolmes，knockingouttheashesof
hisafterbreakfastpipeandslowlyrefillingit。“Thatisthe
gentlemanIawait。Astothestory，youhavehardlytimetomasterall
thesepapers，soImustgiveittoyouinanutshellifyouareto
takeanintelligentinterestintheproceedings。Thismanisthe
greatestfinancialpowerintheworld，andaman，asIunderstand，
ofmostviolentandformidablecharacter。Hemarriedawife，the
victimofthistragedy，ofwhomIknownothingsavethatshewas
pastherprime，whichwasthemoreunfortunateasaveryattractive
governesssuperintendedtheeducationoftwoyoungchildren。Theseare
thethreepeopleconcerned，andthesceneisagrandoldmanor
house，thecentreofahistoricalEnglishstate。Thenastothe
tragedy。Thewifewasfoundinthegroundsnearlyhalfamilefromthe
house，lateatnight，cladinherdinnerdress，withashawlover
hershouldersandarevolverbulletthroughherbrain。Noweaponwas
foundnearherandtherewasnolocalclueastothemurder。Noweapon
nearher，Watson-markthat！Thecrimeseemstohavebeencommitted
lateintheevening，andthebodywasfoundbyagamekeeperabout
eleveno”clock，whenitwasexaminedbythepoliceandbyadoctor
beforebeingcarrieduptothehouse。Isthistoocondensed，orcan
youfollowitclearly？“
“Itisallveryclear。Butwhysuspectthegoverness？“
“Well，inthefirstplacethereissomeverydirectevidence。A
revolverwithonedischargedchamberandacalibrewhich
correspondedwiththebulletwasfoundonthefloorofher
wardrobe。”Hiseyesfixedandherepeatedinbrokenwords，“On-the-
floor-of-her-wardrobe。”Thenhesankintosilence，andIsawthat
sometrainofthoughthadbeensetmovingwhichIshouldbefoolishto
interrupt。Suddenlywithastartheemergedintobrisklifeoncemore。
“Yes，Watson，itwasfound。Prettydamning，eh？Sothetwojuries
thought。Thenthedeadwomanhadanoteuponhermakinganappointment
atthatveryplaceandsignedbythegoverness。How”sthat？Finally
thereisthemotive。SenatorGibsonisanattractiveperson。Ifhis
wifedies，whomorelikelytosucceedherthantheyoungladywho
hadalreadybyallaccountsreceivedpressingattentionsfromher
employer？Love，fortune，power，alldependingupononemiddle-aged
life。Ugly，Watson-veryugly！“
“Yes，indeed，Holmes。”
“Norcouldsheproveanalibi。Onthecontrary，shehadtoadmit
thatshewasdownnearThorBridge-thatwasthesceneofthetragedy-
aboutthathour。Shecouldn”tdenyit，forsomepassingvillagerhad
seenherthere。”
“Thatreallyseemsfinal。”
“Andyet，Watson-andyet！Thisbridge-asinglebroadspanofstone
withbalustradedsides-carriesthedriveoverthenarrowestpartofa
long，deep，reedgirtsheetofwater。ThorMereitiscalled。Inthe
mouthofthebridgelaythedeadwoman。Sucharethemainfacts。But
here，ifImistakenot，isourclient，considerablybeforehistime。”
Billyhadopenedthedoor，butthenamewhichheannouncedwasan
unexpectedone。Mr。MarlowBateswasastrangertobothofus。He
wasathin，nervouswispofamanwithfrightenedeyesanda
twitching，hesitatingmanner-amanwhommyownprofessionaleyewould
judgetobeonthebrinkofanabsolutenervousbreakdown。
“Youseemagitated，Mr。Bates，“saidHolmes。“Praysitdown。I
fearIcanonlygiveyouashorttime，forIhaveanappointmentat
eleven。”
“Iknowyouhave，“ourvisitorgasped，shootingoutshort
sentenceslikeamanwhoisoutofbreath，“Mr。Gibsoniscoming。
Mr。Gibsonismyemployer。Iammanagerofhisestate。Mr。Holmes，
heisavillain-aninfernalvillain。”
“Stronglanguage，Mr。Bates。”
“Ihavetobeemphatic，Mr。Holmes，forthetimeissolimited。I
wouldnothavehimfindmeherefortheworld。Heisalmostduenow。
ButIwassosituatedthatIcouldnotcomeearlier。Hissecretary，
Mr。Ferguson，onlytoldmethismorningofhisappointmentwithyou。”
“Andyouarehismanager？“
“Ihavegivenhimnotice。InacoupleofweeksIshallhaveshaken
offhisaccursedslavery。Ahardman，Mr。Holmes，hardtoallabout
him。Thosepubliccharitiesareascreentocoverhisprivate
iniquities。Buthiswifewashischiefvictim。Hewasbrutaltoher-
yes，sir，brutal！HowshecamebyherdeathIdonotknow，butIam
surethathehadmadeherlifeamiserytoher。Shewasacreature
ofthetropics，aBrazilianbybirth，asnodoubtyouknow。”
“No，ithadescapedme。”
“Tropicalbybirthandtropicalbynature。Achildofthesunandof
passion。Shehadlovedhimassuchwomencanlove，butwhenherown
physicalcharmshadfaded-Iamtoldthattheyonceweregreat-
therewasnothingtoholdhim。Wealllikedherandfeltforherand
hatedhimforthewaythathetreatedher。Butheisplausibleand
cunning。ThatisallIhavetosaytoyou。Don”ttakehimathis
facevalue。Thereismorebehind。NowI”llgo。No，no，don”tdetain
me！Heisalmostdue。”
Withafrightenedlookattheclockourstrangevisitorliterally
rantothedooranddisappeared。
“Well！Well！“saidHolmesafteranintervalofsilence。“Mr。
Gibsonseemstohaveaniceloyalhousehold。Butthewarningisa
usefulone，andnowwecanonlywaittillthemanhimselfappears。”
Sharpatthehourweheardaheavystepuponthestairs，andthe
famousmillionairewasshownintotheroom。AsIlookeduponhimI
understoodnotonlythefearsanddislikeofhismanagerbutalso
theexecrationswhichsomanybusinessrivalshaveheapeduponhis
head。IfIwereasculptoranddesiredtoidealizethesuccessful
manofaffairs，ironofnerveandleatheryofconscience，Ishould
chooseMr。NeilGibsonasmymodel。Histall，gaunt，craggyfigurehad
asuggestionofhungerandrapacity。AnAbrahamLincolnkeyedto
baseusesinsteadofhighoneswouldgivesomeideaoftheman。His
facemighthavebeenchiselledingranite，hard-set，craggy，
remorseless，withdeeplinesuponit，thesearsofmanyacrisis。Cold
grayeyes，lookingshrewdlyoutfromunderbristlingbrows，surveyed
useachinturn。HebowedinperfunctoryfashionasHolmesmentioned
myname，andthenwithamasterfulairofpossessionhedrewachair
uptomycompanionandseatedhimselfwithhisbonykneesalmost
touchinghim。
“Letmesayrighthere，Mr。Holmes，“hebegan，“thatmoneyis
nothingtomeinthiscase。Youcanburnitifit”sanyusein
lightingyoutothetruth。Thiswomanisinnocentandthiswomanhas
tobecleared，andit”suptoyoutodoit。Nameyourfigure！“
“Myprofessionalchargesareuponafixedscale，“saidHolmes
coldly。“Idonotvarythem，savewhenIremitthemaltogether。”
“Well，ifdollarsmakenodifferencetoyou，thinkofthe
reputation。IfyoupullthisoffeverypaperinEnglandandAmerica
willbeboomingyou。You”llbethetalkoftwocontinents。”
“Thankyou，Mr。Gibson，IdonotthinkthatIaminneedofbooming。
ItmaysurpriseyoutoknowthatIprefertoworkanonymously，and
thatitistheproblemitselfwhichattractsme。Butwearewasting
time。Letusgetdowntothefacts。”
“Ithinkthatyouwillfindallthemainonesinthepress
reports。Idon”tknowthatIcanaddanythingwhichwillhelpyou。But
ifthereisanythingyouwouldwishmorelightupon-well，Iamhere
togiveit。”
“Well，thereisjustonepoint。”
“Whatisit？“
“WhatweretheexactrelationsbetweenyouandMissDunbar？“
TheGoldKinggaveaviolentstartandhalfrosefromhischair。
Thenhismassivecalmcamebacktohim。
“Isupposeyouarewithinyourrights-andmaybedoingyourduty-in
askingsuchaquestion，Mr。Holmes。”
“Wewillagreetosupposeso，“saidHolmes。
“ThenIcanassureyouthatourrelationswereentirelyandalways
thoseofanemployertowardsayoungladywhomheneverconversed
with，oreversaw，savewhenshewasinthecompanyofhischildren。”
Holmesrosefromhischair。
“Iamaratherbusyman，Mr。Gibson，“saidhe，“andIhavenotime
ortasteforaimlessconversations。Iwishyougood-morning。”
Ourvisitorhadrisenalso，andhisgreatloosefiguretoweredabove
Holmes。Therewasanangrygleamfromunderthosebristlingbrows
andatingeofcolourinthesallowcheeks。
“Whatthedevildoyoumeanbythis，Mr。Holmes？Doyoudismissmy
case？“
“Well，Mr。Gibson，atleastIdismissyou。Ishouldhavethought
mywordswereplain。”
“Plainenough，butwhat”satthebackofit？Raisingthepriceon
me，orafraidtotackleit，orwhat？I”vearighttoaplainanswer。”
“Well，perhapsyouhave，“saidHolmes。“I”llgiveyouone。Thiscase
isquitesufficientlycomplicatedtostartwithwithoutthefurther
difficultyoffalseinformation。”
“MeaningthatIlie。”
“Well，IwastryingtoexpressitasdelicatelyasIcould，butif
youinsistuponthewordIwillnotcontradictyou。”
Isprangtomyfeet，fortheexpressionuponthemillionaire”s
facewasfiendishinitsintensity，andhehadraisedhisgreat
knottedfist。Holmessmiledlanguidlyandreachedhishandoutforhis
pipe。
“Don”tbenoisy，Mr。Gibson。Ifindthatafterbreakfasteventhe
smallestargumentisunsettling。Isuggestthatastrollinthe
morningairandalittlequietthoughtwillbegreatlytoyour
advantage。”
WithanefforttheGoldKingmasteredhisfury。Icouldnotbut
admirehim，forbyasupremeself-commandhehadturnedinaminute
fromahotflameofangertoafrigidandcontemptuousindifference。
“Well，it”syourchoice。Iguessyouknowhowtorunyourown
business。Ican”tmakeyoutouchthecaseagainstyourwill。You”ve
doneyourselfnogoodthismorning，Mr。Holmes，forIhavebroken
strongermenthanyou。Nomanevercrossedmeandwasthebetterfor
it。”
“Somanyhavesaidso，andyethereIam，“saidHolmes，smiling。
“Well，goodmorning，Mr。Gibson。Youhaveagooddealyettolearn。”
Ourvisitormadeanoisyexit，butHolmessmokedinimperturbable
silencewithdreamyeyesfixedupontheceiling。
“Anyviews，Watson？“heaskedatlast。
“Well，Holmes，ImustconfessthatwhenIconsiderthatthisisa
manwhowouldcertainlybrushanyobstaclefromhispath，andwhenI
rememberthathiswifemayhavebeenanobstacleandanobjectof
dislike，asthatmanBatesplainlytoldus，itseemstome-“
“Exactly。Andtomealso。”
“Butwhatwerehisrelationswiththegoverness，andhowdidyou
discoverthem？“
“Bluff，Watson，bluff！WhenIconsideredthepassionate，
unconventional，unbusinessliketoneofhisletterandcontrastedit
withhisself-containedmannerandappearance，itwasprettyclear
thattherewassomedeepemotionwhichcentredupontheaccused
womanratherthanuponthevictim。We”vegottounderstandtheexact
relationsofthosethreepeopleifwearetoreachthetruth。You
sawthefrontalattackwhichImadeuponhim，andhowimperturbablyhe
receivedit。ThenIbluffedhimbygivinghimtheimpressionthatI
wasabsolutelycertain，wheninrealityIwasonlyextremely
suspicious。”
“Perhapshewillcomeback？“
“Heissuretocomeback。Hemustcomeback。Hecan”tleaveitwhere
itis。Ha！isn”tthataring？Yes，thereishisfootstep。Well，Mr。
Gibson，IwasjustsayingtoDr。Watsonthatyouweresomewhat
overdue。”
TheGoldKinghadreenteredtheroominamorechastenedmoodthan
hehadleftit。Hiswoundedpridestillshowedinhisresentful
eyes，buthiscommonsensehadshownhimthathemustyieldifhe
wouldattainhisend。
“I”vebeenthinkingitover，Mr。Holmes，andIfeelthatIhavebeen
hastyintakingyourremarksamiss。Youarejustifiedingetting
downtothefacts，whatevertheymaybe，andIthinkthemoreofyou
forit。Icanassureyou，however，thattherelationsbetweenMiss
Dunbarandmedon”treallytouchthiscase。”
“Thatisformetodecide，isitnot？“
“Yes，Iguessthatisso。You”relikeasurgeonwhowantsevery
symptombeforehecangivehisdiagnosis。”
“Exactly。Thatexpressesit。Anditisonlyapatientwhohasan
objectindeceivinghissurgeonwhowouldconcealthefactsofhis
case。”
“Thatmaybeso，butyouwilladmit，Mr。Holmes，thatmostmenwould
shyoffabitwhentheyareaskedpoint-blankwhattheirrelations
withawomanmaybe-ifthereisreallysomeseriousfeelinginthe
case。Iguessmostmenhavealittleprivatereserveoftheirownin
somecorneroftheirsoulswheretheydon”twelcomeintruders。Andyou
burstsuddenlyintoit。Buttheobjectexcusesyou，sinceitwasto
tryandsaveher。Well，thestakesaredownandthereserveopen，
andyoucanexplorewhereyouwill。Whatisityouwant？“
“Thetruth。”
TheGoldKingpausedforamomentasonewhomarshalshis
thoughts。Hisgrim，deep-linedfacehadbecomeevensadderandmore
grave。
“Icangiveittoyouinaveryfewwords，Mr。Holmes，“saidheat
last。“Therearesomethingsthatarepainfulaswellasdifficult
tosay，soIwon”tgodeeperthanisneedful。ImetmywifewhenIwas
gold-huntinginBrazil。MariaPintowasthedaughterofagovernment
officialatManaos，andshewasverybeautiful。Iwasyoungandardent
inthosedays，butevennow，asIlookbackwithcolderbloodanda
morecriticaleye，Icanseethatshewasrareandwonderfulinher
beauty。Itwasadeeprichnature，too，passionate，whole-hearted，
tropical，ill-balanced，verydifferentfromtheAmericanwomenwhom
Ihadknown。Well，tomakealongstoryshort，IlovedherandI
marriedher。Itwasonlywhentheromancehadpassed-andit
lingeredforyears-thatIrealizedthatwehadnothing-absolutely
nothing-incommon。Mylovefaded。Ifhershadfadedalsoitmight
havebeeneasier。Butyouknowthewonderfulwayofwomen！DowhatI
might，nothingcouldturnherfromme。IfIhavebeenharshtoher，
evenbrutalassomehavesaid，ithasbeenbecauseIknewthatifI
couldkillherlove，orifitturnedtohate，itwouldbeeasierfor
bothofus。Butnothingchangedher。SheadoredmeinthoseEnglish
woodsasshehadadoredmetwentyyearsagoonthebanksofthe
Amazon。DowhatImight，shewasasdevotedasever。
“ThencameMissGraceDunbar。Sheansweredouradvertisementand
becamegovernesstoourtwochildren。Perhapsyouhaveseenher
portraitinthepapers。Thewholeworldhasproclaimedthatshealso
isaverybeautifulwoman。Now，Imakenopretencetobemoremoral
thanmyneighbours，andIwilladmittoyouthatIcouldnotlive
underthesameroofwithsuchawomanandindailycontactwithher
withoutfeelingapassionateregardforher。Doyoublameme，Mr。
Holmes？“
“Idonotblameyouforfeelingit。Ishouldblameyouifyou
expressedit，sincethisyoungladywasinasenseunderyour
protection。”
“Well，maybeso，“saidthemillionaire，thoughforamomentthe
reproofhadbroughttheoldangrygleamintohiseyes。“I”mnot
pretendingtobeanybetterthanIam。IguessallmylifeI”vebeena
manthatreachedouthishandforwhathewanted，andIneverwanted
anythingmorethantheloveandpossessionofthatwoman。Itoldher
so。”
“Oh，youdid，didyou？“
Holmescouldlookveryformidablewhenhewasmoved。
“IsaidtoherthatifIcouldmarryherIwould，butthatitwas
outofmypower。IsaidthatmoneywasnoobjectandthatallI
coulddotomakeherhappyandcomfortablewouldbedone。”
“Verygenerous，Iamsure，“saidHolmeswithasneer。
“Seehere，Mr。Holmes。Icametoyouonaquestionofevidence，
notonaquestionofmorals。I”mnotaskingforyourcriticism。”
“Itisonlyfortheyounglady”ssakethatItouchyourcaseat
all，“saidHolmessternly。“Idon”tknowthatanythingsheis
accusedofisreallyworsethanwhatyouhaveyourselfadmitted，
thatyouhavetriedtoruinadefencelessgirlwhowasunderyour
roof。Someofyourichmenhavetobetaughtthatalltheworldcannot
bebribedintocondoningyouroffences。”
TomysurprisetheColdKingtookthereproofwithequanimity。
“That”showIfeelmyselfaboutitnow。IthankGodthatmyplains
didnotworkoutasIintended。Shewouldhavenoneofit，andshe
wantedtoleavethehouseinstantly。”
“Whydidshenot？“
“Well，inthefirstplace，othersweredependentuponher，andit
wasnolightmatterforhertoletthemalldownbysacrificingher
living。WhenIhadsworn-asIdid-thatsheshouldneverbe
molestedagain，sheconsentedtoremain。Buttherewasanotherreason。
Sheknewtheinfluenceshehadoverme，andthatitwasstronger
thananyotherinfluenceintheworld。Shewantedtouseitforgood。”
“How？“
“Well，sheknewsomethingofmyaffairs。Theyarelarge，Mr。Holmes-
largebeyondthebeliefofanordinaryman。Icanmakeorbreak-and
itisusuallybreak。Itwasn”tindividualsonly。Itwascommunities，
cities，evennations。Businessisahardgame，andtheweakgoto
thewall。Iplayedthegameforallitwasworth。Ineversquealed
myself，andInevercarediftheotherfellowsquealed。Butshesawit
different。Iguessshewasright。Shebelievedandsaidthatafortune
foronemanthatwasmorethanheneededshouldnotbebuiltonten
thousandruinedmenwhowereleftwithoutthemeansoflife。That
washowshesawit，andIguessshecouldseepastthedollarsto
somethingthatwasmorelasting。ShefoundthatIlistenedtowhatshe
said，andshebelievedshewasservingtheworldbyinfluencingmy
actions。Soshestayed-andthenthiscamealong。”
“Canyouthrowanylightuponthat？“
TheGoldKingpausedforaminuteormore，hisheadsunkinhis
hands，lostindeepthought。
“It”sveryblackagainsther。Ican”tdenythat。Andwomenleadan
inwardlifeandmaydothingsbeyondthejudgmentofaman。AtfirstI
wassorattledandtakenabackthatIwasreadytothinkshehad
beenledawayinsomeextraordinaryfashionthatwascleanagainsther
usualnature。Oneexplanationcameintomyhead。Igiveittoyou，Mr。
Holmes，forwhatitisworth。Thereisnodoubtthatmywifewas
bitterlyjealous。Thereisasoul-jealousythatcanbeasfranticas
anybody-jealousy，andthoughmywifehadnocause-andIthinkshe
understoodthis-forthelatter，shewasawarethatthisEnglish
girlexertedaninfluenceuponmymindandmyactsthatsheherself
neverhad。Itwasaninfluenceforgood，butthatdidnotmendthe
matter。Shewascrazywithhatred，andthebeatoftheAmazonwas
alwaysinherblood。ShemighthaveplannedtomurderMissDunbar-
orwewillsaytothreatenherwithagunandsofrightenherinto
leavingus。Thentheremighthavebeenascuffleandthegungone
offandshotthewomanwhoheldit。”
“Thatpossibilityhadalreadyoccurredtome，“saidHolmes。“Indeed，
itistheonlyobviousalternativetodeliberateintruder。”
“Butsheutterlydeniesit。”
“Well，thatisnotfinal-isit？Onecanunderstandthatawoman
placedinsoawfulapositionmighthurryhomestillinher
bewildermentholdingtherevolver。Shemighteventhrowitdown
amongherclothes，hardlyknowingwhatshewasdoing，andwhenit
wasfoundshemighttrytolieherwayoutbyatotaldenial，since
allexplanationwasimpossible。Whatisagainstsuchasupposition？“
“MissDunbarherself。”
“Well，perhaps。”
Holmeslookedathiswatch。“Ihavenodoubtwecangetthe
necessarypermitsthismorningandreachWinchesterbytheevening
train。WhenIhaveseenthisyoungladyitisverypossiblethatImay
beofmoreusetoyouinthematter，thoughIcannotpromisethatmy
conclusionswillnecessarilybesuchasyoudesire。”
Therewassomedelayintheofficialpass，andinsteadofreaching
WinchesterthatdaywewentdowntoThorPlace，theHampshireestate
ofMr。NeilGibson。Hedidnotaccompanyushimself，butwehadthe
addressofSergeantCoventry，ofthelocalpolice，whohadfirst
examinedintotheaffair。Hewasatall，thin，cadaverousman，with
asecretiveandmysteriousmannerwhichconveyedtheideathatheknew
orsuspectedaverygreatdealmorethanhedaredsay。Hehadatrick，
too，ofsuddenlysinkinghisvoicetoawhisperasifhehadcomeupon
somethingofvitalimportance，thoughtheinformationwasusually
commonplaceenough。Behindthesetricksofmannerhesoonshowed
himselftobeadecent，honestfellowwhowasnottooproudtoadmit
thathewasoutofhisdepthandwouldwelcomeanyhelp。
“Anyhow，I”dratherhaveyouthanScotlandYard，Mr。Holmes，“said
he。“IftheYardgetscalledintoacase，thenthelocallosesall
creditforsuccessandmaybeblamedforfailure。Now，youplay
straight，soI”veheard。”
“Ineednotappearinthematteratall，“saidHolmestotheevident
reliefofourmelancholyacquaintance。“IfIcanclearitupIdon”t
asktohavemynamementioned。”
“Well，it”sveryhandsomeofyou，Iamsure。Andyourfriend，Dr。
Watson，canhetrusted，Iknow。Now，Mr。Holmes，aswewalkdownto
theplacethereisonequestionIshouldliketoaskyou。I”d
breatheittonosoulbutyou。”Helookedroundasthoroughhe
hardlydareutterthewords。“Don”tyouthinktheremightbeacase
againstMr。NeilGibsonhimself？“
“Ihavebeenconsideringthat。”
“You”venotseenMissDunbar。Sheisawonderfulfinewomaninevery
way。Hemaywellhavewishedhiswifeoutoftheroad。Andthese
Americansarereadierwithpistolsthanourfolkare。Itwashis
pistol，youknow。”
“Wasthatclearlymadeout？“
“Yes，sir。Itwasoneofapairthathehad。”
“Oneofapair？Whereistheother？“
“Well，thegentlemanhasalotoffirearmsofonesortand
another。Weneverquitematchedthatparticularpistol-butthebox
wasmadefortwo。”
“Ifitwasoneofapairyoushouldsurelybeabletomatchit。”
“Well，wehavethemalllaidoutatthehouseifyouwouldcareto
lookthemover。”
“Later，perhaps。Ithinkwewillwalkdowntogetherandhavea
lookatthesceneofthetragedy。”
Thisconversationhadtakenplaceinthelittlefrontroomof
SergeantCoventry”shorriblecottagewhichservedasthelocal
police-station。Awalkofhalfamileorsoacrossawind-sweptheath，
allgoldandbronzewiththefadingferns，broughtustoaside-gate
openingintothegroundsoftheThorPlaceestate。Apathledus
throughthepheasantpreserves，andthenfromaclearingwesawthe
widespread，half-timberedhouse，halfTudorandhalfGeorgian，upon
thecrestofthehill。Besideustherewasalong，reedypool，
constrictedinthecentrewherethemaincarriagedrivepassedover
astonebridge，butswellingintosmalllakesoneitherside。Our
guidepausedatthemouthofthisbridge，andhepointedtothe
ground。
“ThatwaswhereMrs。Gibson”sbodylay。Imarkeditbythatstone。”
“Iunderstandthatyouweretherebeforeitwasmoved？“
“Yes，theysentformeatonce。”
“Whodid？“
“Mr。Gibsonhimself。Themomentthealarmwasgivenandhehad
rusheddownwithothersfromthehouse，heinsistedthatnothing
shouldbemoveduntilthepoliceshouldarrive。”
“Thatwassensible。Igatheredfromthenewspaperreportthatthe
shotwasfiredfromclosequarters。”
“Yes，sir，veryclose。”
“Neartherighttemple？“
“JustBehindit，sir。”
“Howdidthebodylie？“
“Ontheback，sir。Notraceofastruggle。Nomarks。Noweapon。
TheshortnotefromMissDunbarwasclutchedinherlefthand。”
“Clutched，yousay？“
“Yes，sir，wecouldhardlyopenthefingers。”
“Thatisofgreatimportance。Itexcludestheideathatanyonecould
haveplacedthenotethereafterdeathinordertofurnishafalse
clue。Dearme！Thenote，asIremember，wasquiteshort：
“IwillbeatThorBridgeatnineo”clock。
“G。DUNBAR。
Wasthatnotso？“
“Yes，sir。”
“DidMissDunbaradmitwritingit？“
“Yes，sir。”
“Whatwasherexplanation？“
“HerdefencewasreservedfortheAssizes。Shewouldsaynothing。”
“Theproblemiscertainlyaveryinterestingone。Thepointofthe
letterisveryobscure，isitnot？“
“Well，sir，“saidtheguide，“itseemed，ifImaybesoboldasto
sayso，theonlyreallyclearpointinthewholecase。”
Holmesshookhishead。
“Grantingthattheletterisgenuineandwasreallywritten，it
wascertainlyreceivedsometimebefore-sayonehourortwo。Why，
then，wasthisladystillclaspingitinherlefthand？Whyshouldshe
carryitsocarefully？Shedidnotneedtorefertoitinthe
interview。Doesitnotseemremarkable？“
“Well，sir，asyouputit，perhapsitdoes。”
“IthinkIshouldliketositquietlyforafewminutesandthinkit
out。”Heseatedhimselfuponthestoneledgeofthebridge，andI
couldseehisquickgrayeyesdartingtheirquestioningglancesin
everydirection。Suddenlyhesprangupagainandranacrosstothe
oppositeparapet，whippedhislensfromhispocket，andbeganto
examinethestonework。
“Thisiscurious，“saidhe。
“Yes，sir，wesawthechipontheledge。Iexpectit”sbeendone
bysomepasser-by。”
Thestoneworkwasgray，Butatthisonepointitshowedwhitefor
aspacenotlargerthanasixpence。Whenexaminedcloselyonecould
seethatthesurfacewaschippedasbyasharpblow。
Ittooksomeviolencetodothat，“saidHolmesthoughtfully。With
hiscanehestrucktheledgeseveraltimeswithoutleavingamark。
“Yes，itwasahardknock。Inacuriousplace，too。Itwasnotfrom
abovebutfrombelow，foryouseethatitisontheloweredgeof
theparapet。”
“Butitisatleastfifteenfeetfromthebody。”
“Yes，itisfifteenfeetfromthebody。Itmayhavenothingtodo
withthematter，Butitisapointworthnoting。Idonotthinkthat
wehaveanythingmoretolearnwhere。Therewerenofootsteps，you
say？“
Thegroundwasironhard，sir。Therewerenotracesatall。”
“Thenwecango。Wewillgouptothehousefirstandlookover
theseweaponsofwhichyouspeak。Thenweshallgetonto
Winchester，forIshoulddesiretoseeMissDunbarbeforewego
farther。”
Mr。NeilGibsonhadnotreturnedfromtown，butwesawinthe
housetheneuroticMr。Bateswhohadcalleduponusinthemorning。He
showeduswithasinisterrelishtheformidablearrayoffirearmsof
variousshapesandsizeswhichhisemployerhadaccumulatedinthe
courseofanadventurouslife。
“Mr。Gibsonhashisenemies，asanyonewouldexpectwhoknewhimand
hismethods，“saidhe。“Hesleepswithaloadedrevolverinthedrawer
besidehisbed。Heisamanofviolence，sir，andtherearetimeswhen
allofusareafraidofhim。Iamsurethatthepoorladywhohas
passedwasoftenterrified。”
“Didyoueverwitnessphysicalviolencetowardsher？“
“No，Icannotsaythat。ButIhaveheardwordswhichwerenearly
asbad-wordsofcold，cuttingcontempt，evenbeforetheservants。”
“Ourmillionairedoesnotseemtoshineinprivatelife，“remarked
Holmesaswemadeourwaytothestation。“Well，Watson，wehave
comeonagoodmanyfacts，someofthemnewones，andyetIseem
somewayfrommyconclusion。InspiteoftheevidentdislikewhichMr。
Bateshastohisemployer，Igatherfromhimthatwhenthealarm
camehewasundoubtedlyinhislibrary。Dinnerwasoverat8：30and
allwasnormaluptothen。Itistruethatthealarmwassomewhatlate
intheevening，butthetragedycertainlyoccurredaboutthehour
namedinthenote。ThereisnoevidenceatallthatMr。Gibsonhad
beenoutofdoorssincehisreturnfromtownatfiveo”clock。Onthe
otherhand，MissDunbar，asIunderstandit，admitsthatshehad
madeanappointmenttomeetMrs。Gibsonatthebridge。Beyondthisshe
wouldsaynothing，asherlawyer，hadadvisedhertoreserveher
defence。Wehaveseveralveryvitalquestionstoaskthatyoung
lady，andmymindwillnotbeeasyuntilwehaveseenher。Imust
confessthatthecasewouldseemtometobeveryblackagainstherif
itwerenotforonething。”
“Andwhatisthat，Holmes？“
“Thefindingofthepistolinherwardrobe。”
“Dearme，Holmes！“Icried，“thatseemedtometobethemost
damningincidentofall。”
“Notso，Watson。Ithadstruckmeevenatmyfirstperfunctory
readingasverystrange，andnowthatIaminclosertouchwiththe
caseitismyonlyfirmgroundforhope。Wemustlookforconsistency。
Wherethereisawantofitwemustsuspectdeception。”
“Ihardlyfollowyou。”
“Wellnow，Watson，supposeforamomentthatwevisualizeyouinthe
characterofawomanwho，inacold，premeditatedfashion，isaboutto
getridofarival。Youhaveplannedit。Anotehasbeenwritten。
Thevictimhascome。Youhaveyourweapon。Thecrimeisdone。Ithas
beenworkmanlikeandcomplete。Doyoutellmethataftercarrying
outsocraftyacrimeyouwouldnowruinyourreputationasacriminal
byforgettingtoflingyourweaponintothoseadjacentreed-bedswhich
wouldforevercoverit，butyoumustneedscarryitcarefullyhomeand
putitinyourownwardrobe，theveryfirstplacethatwouldbe
searched？Yourbestfriendswouldhardlycallyouaschemer，Watson，
andyetIcouldnotpictureyoudoinganythingsocrudeasthat。”
“Intheexcitementofthemoment-“
“No，no，Watson，Iwillnotadmitthatitispossible。Whereacrime
iscoollypremeditated，thenthemeansofcoveringitarecoolly
premeditatedalso。Ihope，therefore，thatweareinthepresenceofa
seriousmisconception。”
“Butthereissomuchtoexplain。”
“Well，weshallsetaboutexplainingit。Whenonceyourpointof
viewischanged，theverythingwhichwassodamningbecomesaclueto
thetruth。Forexample，thereisthisrevolver。MissDunbar
disclaimsallknowledgeofit。Onournewtheorysheisspeakingtruth
whenshesaysso。Therefore，itwasplacedinherwardrobe。Whoplaced
itthere？Someonewhowishedtoincriminateher。Wasnotthatperson
theactualcriminal？Youseehowwecomeatonceuponamost
fruitfullineofinquiry。”
WewerecompelledtospendthenightatWinchester，asthe
formalitieshadnotyetbeencompleted，butnextmorning，inthe
companyofMr。JoyceCummings，therisingbarristerwhowas
entrustedwiththedefence，wewereallowedtoseetheyoungladyin
hercell。Ihadexpectedfromallthatwehadheardtoseeabeautiful
woman，butIcanneverforgettheeffectwhichMissDunbarproduced
uponme。Itwasnowonderthateventhemasterfulmillionairehad
foundinhersomethingmorepowerfulthanhimself-somethingwhich
couldcontrolandguidehim。Onefelt，too，asonelookedatthe
strong，clear-cut，andyetsensitiveface，thatevenshouldshebe
capableofsomeimpetuousdeed。Nonethelesstherewasaninnate
nobilityofcharacterwhichwouldmakeherinfluencealwaysforthe
good。Shewasabrunette，tall，withanoblefigureandcommanding
presence，butherdarkeyeshadinthemtheappealing，helpless
expressionofthehuntedcreaturewhofeelsthenetsaroundit，but
canseenowayoutfromthetoils。Now，assherealizedthepresence
andthehelpofmyfamousfriend，therecameatouchofcolourin
herwancheeksandalightofhopebegantoglimmerintheglance
whichsheturneduponus。
“PerhapsMr。NeilGibsonhastoldyousomethingofwhatoccurred
betweenus？“sheaskedinalow，agitatedvoice。
“Yes，“Holmesanswered，“youneednotpainyourselfbyenteringinto
thatpartofthestory。Afterseeingyou，Iampreparedtoaccept
Mr。Gibson”sstatementbothastotheinfluencewhichyouhadoverhim
andastotheinnocenceofyourrelationswithhim。Butwhywasthe
wholesituationnotbroughtoutincourt？“
“Itseemedtomeincrediblethatsuchachargecouldbesustained。I
thoughtthatifwewaitedthewholethingmustclearitselfupwithout
ourbeingcompelledtoenterintopainfuldetailsoftheinnerlifeof
thefamily。ButIunderstandthatfarfromclearingithasbecomeeven
moreserious。”
“Mydearyounglady，“criedHolmesearnestly，“Ibegyoutohave
noillusionsuponthepoint。Mr。Cummingsherewouldassureyouthat
allthecardsareatpresentagainstus，andthatwemustdo
everythingthatispossibleifwearetowinclear。Itwouldbea
crueldeceptiontopretendthatyouarenotinverygreatdanger。Give
meallthehelpyoucan，then，togetatthetruth。”
“Iwillconcealnothing。”
“Tellus，then，ofyourtruerelationswithMr。Gibson”swife。”
“Shehatedme，Mr。Holmes。Shehatedmewithallthefervourof
hertropicalnature。Shewasawomanwhowoulddonothingbyhalves，
andthemeasureofherlovefearherhusbandwasthemeasurealsoof
herhatredforme。Itisprobablethatshemisunderstoodour
relations。Iwouldnotwishtowrongher，butshelovedsovividly
inaphysicalsensethatshecouldhardlyunderstandthemental，and
evenspiritual，tiewhichheldherhusbandtome，orimaginethatit
wasonlymydesiretoinfluencehispowertogoodendswhichkeptme
underhisroof。IcanseenowthatIwaswrong。Nothingcould
justifymeinremainingwhereIwasacauseofunhappiness，andyetit
iscertainthattheunhappinesswouldhaveremainedevenifIhadleft
thehouse。”
“Now，MissDunbar，“saidHolmes，“Ibegyoutotellusexactly
whatoccurredthatevening。”
“IcantellyouthetruthsofarasIknowit，Mr。Holmes，butI
aminapositiontoprovenothing，andtherearepoints-themost
vitalpoints-whichIcanneitherexplainnorcanIimagineany
explanation。”
“Ifyouwillfindthefacts，perhapsothersmayfindthe
explanation。”
“Withregard，then，tomypresenceatThorBridgethatnight，I
receivedanotefromMrs。Gibsoninthemorning。Itlayonthetable
oftheschoolroom，anditmayhavebeenlefttherebyherownhand。It
imploredmetoseeherthereafterdinner，saidshehadsomething
importanttosaytome，andaskedmetoleaveanansweronthesundial
inthegarden，asshedesirednoonetobeinourconfidence，Isawno
reasonforsuchsecrecy，butIdidassheasked，acceptingthe
appointment。SheaskedmetodestroyhernoteandIburneditinthe
schoolroomgrate。Shewasverymuchafraidofherhusband，whotreated
herwithaharshnessforwhichIfrequentlyreproachedhim，andI
couldonlyimaginethatsheactedinthiswayBecauseshedidnotwish
himtoknowofourinterview。”
“Yetshekeptyourreplyverycarefully？“
“Yes。Iwassurprisedtohearthatshehaditinherhandwhenshe
died。”
“Well，whathappenedthen？“
“IwentdownasIhadpromised。WhenIreachedthebridgeshewas
waitingforme。NeverdidIrealizetillthatmomenthowthispoor
creaturehatedme。Shewaslikeamadwoman-indeed，Ithinkshewasa
madwoman，subtlymadwiththedeeppowerofdeceptionwhichinsane
peoplemayhave。Howelsecouldshehavemetmewithunconcernevery
dayandyethadsoragingahatredofmeinherheart？Iwillnot
saywhatshesaid。Shepouredherwholewildfuryoutinburningand
horriblewords。Ididnotevenanswer-Icouldnot。Itwasdreadfulto
seeher。Iputmyhandstomyearsandrushedaway。WhenIlefther
shewasstanding，stillshriekingouthercursesatme，inthemouth
ofthebridge。”
“Whereshewasafterwardsfound？“
“Withinafewyardsfromthespot。”
“Andyet，presumingthatshemetherdeathshortlyafteryouleft
her，youheardnoshot？“
“No，Iheardnothing。But，indeed，Mr。Holmes，Iwassoagitatedand
horrifiedbythisterribleoutbreakthatIrushedtogetbacktothe
peaceofmyownroom，andIwasincapableofnoticinganythingwhich
happened。”
“Yousaythatyoureturnedtoyourroom。Didyouleaveitagain
beforenextmorning。
“Yes，whenthealarmcamethatthepoorcreaturehadmetherdeathI
ranoutwiththeothers。”
“DidyouseeMr。Gibson？“
“Yes，hehadjustreturnedfromthebridgewhenIsawhim。Hehad
sentforthedoctorandthepolice。”
“Didheseemtoyoumuchperturbed？“
“Mr。Gibsonisaverystrong，self-containedman。Idonotthink
thathewouldevershowhisemotionsonthesurface。ButI，whoknew
himsowell，couldseethathewasdeeplyconcerned。”
“Thenwecometotheall-importantpoint。Thispistolthatwasfound
inyourroom。Hadyoueverseenitbefore？“
“Never，Iswearit。”
“Whenwasitfound？“
“Nextmorning，whenthepolicemadetheirsearch。”
“Amongyourclothes？“
“Yes，onthefloorofmywardrobeundermydresses。”
“Youcouldnotguesshowlongithadbeenthere？“
“Ithadnotbeentherethemorningbefore。”
“Howdoyouknow？“
“BecauseItidiedoutthewardrobe。”
“Thatisfinal。Thensomeonecameintoyourroomandplacedthe
pistolthereinordertoinculpateyou。”
“Itmusthavebeenso。”
“Andwhen？“
“Itcouldonlyhavebeenatmeal-time，orelseatthehourswhenI
wouldbeintheschoolroomwiththechildren。”
“Asyouwerewhenyougotthenote？“
“Yes，fromthattimeonwardforthewholemorning。”
“Thankyou，MissDunbar。Isthereanyotherpointwhichcouldhelp
meintheinvestigation？“
“Icanthinkofnone。”
“Therewassomesignofviolenceonthestoneworkofthebridge-a
perfectlyfreshchipjustoppositethebody。Couldyousuggestany
possibleexplanationofthat？“
“Surelyitmustbeamerecoincidence。”
“Curious，MissDunbar，verycurious。Whyshoulditappearatthe
verytimeofthetragedy，andwhyattheveryplace？“
“Butwhatcouldhavecausedit？Onlygreatviolencecouldhave
suchaneffect。”
Holmesdidnotanswer。Hispale，eagerfacehadsuddenlyassumed
thattense，far-awayexpressionwhichIhadlearnedtoassociate
withthesuprememanifestationsofhisgenius。Soevidentwasthe
crisisinhismindthatnoneofusdaredtospeak，andwesat，
barrister，prisoner，andmyself，watchinghiminaconcentratedand
absorbedsilence。Suddenlyhesprangfromhischair，vibratingwith
nervousenergyandthepressingneedforaction。
“Come，Watson，come！“hecried。
“Whatisit，Mr。Holmes？“
“Nevermind，mydearlady。Youwillhearfromme，Mr。Cummings。With
thehelpofthegodofjusticeIwillgiveyouacasewhichwill
makeEnglandring。Youwillgetnewsbyto-morrow，MissDunbar，and
meanwhiletakemyassurancethatthecloudsareliftingandthatI
haveeveryhopethatthelightoftruthisbreakingthrough。”
ItwasnotalongjourneyfromWinchestertoThorPlace，butit
waslongtomeinmyimpatience，whileforHolmesitwasevident
thatitseemedendless；for，inhisnervousrestlessness，hecouldnot
sitstill，butpacedthecarriageordrummedwithhislong，
sensitivefingersuponthecushionsbesidehim。Suddenly，however，
aswenearedourdestinationheseatedhimselfoppositetome-we
hadafirst-classcarriagetoourselves-andlayingahanduponeach
ofmykneeshelookedintomyeyeswiththepeculiarlymischievous
gazewhichwascharacteristicofhismoreimp-likemoods。
“Watson，“saidhe，“Ihavesomerecollectionthatyougoarmed
upontheseexcursionsofours。”
ItwasaswellforhimthatIdidso，forhetooklittlecarefor
hisownsafetywhenhismindwasonceabsorbedbyaproblem，sothat
morethanoncemyrevolverhadbeenagoodfriendinneed。I
remindedhimofthefact。
“Yes，yes，Iamalittleabsent-mindedinsuchmatters。Buthaveyou
yourrevolveronyou？“
Iproduceditfrommyhip-pocket，ashort，handy，butvery
serviceablelittleweapon。Heundidthecatch，shookoutthe
cartridges，andexamineditwithcare。
“It”sheavy-remarkablyheavy，“saidhe。
“Yes，itisasolidbitofwork。”
Hemusedoveritforaminute。
“Doyouknow，Watson，“saidhe，“Ibelieveyourrevolverisgoingto
haveaveryintimateconnectionwiththemysterywhichweare
investigating。”
“MydearHolmes，youarejoking。”
“No，Watson，Iamveryserious。Thereisatestbeforeus。Ifthe
testcomesoffallwillbeclear。Andthetestwilldependuponthe
conductofthislittleweapon。Onecartridgeout。Nowwewill
replacetheotherfiveandputonthesafetycatch。So！That
increasestheweightandmakesitabetterreproduction。”
Ihadnoglimmerofwhatwasinhismind，nordidheenlightenme，
butsatlostinthoughtuntilwepulledupinthelittleHampshire
station，Wesecuredaramshackletrap，andinaquarterofallhour
wereatthehouseofourconfidentialfriend，thesergeant。
“Aclue，Mr。Holmes？Whatisit？“
“ItalldependsuponthebehaviourofDr。Watson”srevolver，“said
myfriend。Hereitis。Now，officer，canyougivemetenyardsof
string？“
Thevillageshopprovidedaballofstouttwine。
“Ithinkthatthisisallwewillneed，“saidHolmes。“Now，ifyou
please，wewillgetoffonwhatIhopeisthelaststageofour
journey。”
ThesunwassettingandturningtherollingHampshiremoorintoa
wonderfulautumnalpanorama。Thesergeant，withmanycriticaland
incredulousglances，whichshowedhisdeepdoubtsofthesanityof
mycompanion，lurchedalongbesideus。Asweapproachedthesceneof
thecrimeIcouldseethatmyfriendunderallhishabitualcoolness
wasintruthdeeplyagitated。
“Yes，“hesaidinanswertomyremark，“youhaveseenmemissmy
markbefore，Watson。Ihaveallinstinctforsuchthings，andyetit
hassometimesplayedmefalse。Itseemedacertaintywhenfirstit
flashedacrossmymindinthecellatWinchester，butonedrawback
ofanactivemindisthatonecanalwaysconceivealternative
explanationswhichwouldmakeourscentafalseone。Andyet-andyet-
Well，Watson，wecanbuttry“
Ashewalkedhehadfirmlytiedoneendofthestringtothe
handleoftherevolver。Wehadnowreachedthesceneofthetragedy。
Withgreatcarehemarkedoutundertheguidanceofthepoliceman
theexactspotwherethebodyhadbeenstretched。Hethenhuntedamong
theheatherandthefernsuntilhefoundaconsiderablestone。Thishe
securedtotheotherendofhislineofstring，andhehungitover
theparapetofthebridgesothatitswungclearabovethewater。He
thenstoodonthefatalspot，somedistancefromtheedgeofthe
bridge，withmyrevolverinhishand，thestringbeingtautbetween
theweaponandtheheavystoneonthefartherside。
“Nowforit！“hecried。
Atthewordsheraisedthepistoltohishead，andthenletgohis
grip。Inaninstantithadbeenwhiskedawaybytheweightofthe
stone，hadstruckwithasharpcrackagainsttheparapet，andhad
vanishedoverthesideintothewater。Ithadhardlygonebefore
Holmeswaskneelingbesidetilestonework，andajoyouscryshowed
thathehadfoundwhatheexpected。