“It”sallclear，“hewhispered。“Haveyouthechiselandthe
bags？GreatScott！Jump，Archie，jump，andI”llswingforit！“
SherlockHolmeshadsprungoutandseizedtheintruderbythe
collar。Theotherdiveddownthehole，andIheardthesoundof
rendingclothasJonesclutchedathisskirts。Thelightflashed
uponthebarrelofarevolver，butHolmes”shuntingcropcamedown
ontheman”swrist，andthepistolclinkeduponthestonefloor。
“It”snouse，JohnClay，“saidHolmesblandly。“Youhaveno
chanceatall。”
“SoIsee，“theotheransweredwiththeutmostcoolness。“I
fancythatmypalisallright，thoughIseeyouhavegothis
coat-tails。”
“Therearethreemenwaitingforhimatthedoor，“said
Holmes。
“Oh，indeed！Youseemtohavedonethethingverycompletely。
Imustcomplimentyou。”
“AndIyou，“Holmesanswered。“Yourred-headedideawasvery
newandeffective。”
“You”llseeyourpalagainpresently，“saidJones。“He”s
quickeratclimbingdownholesthanIam。JustholdoutwhileI
fixthederbies。”
“Ibegthatyouwillnottouchmewithyourfilthyhands，“
remarkedourprisonerasthehandcuffsclattereduponhiswrists。
“YoumaynotbeawarethatIhaveroyalbloodinmyveins。Have
thegoodness，also，whenyouaddressmealwaystosay`sir”and
`please。”“
“Allright，“saidJoneswithastareandasnigger。“Well，
wouldyouplease，sir，marchupstairs，wherewecangetacabto
carryyourHighnesstothepolice-station？“
“Thatisbetter，“saidJohnClayserenely。Hemadeasweeping
bowtothethreeofusandwalkedquietlyoffinthecustodyof
thedetective。
“Really，Mr。Holmes，“saidMr。Merryweatheraswefollowed
themfromthecellar，“Idonotknowhowthebankcanthankyouor
repayyou。Thereisnodoubtthatyouhavedetectedanddefeated
inthemostcompletemanneroneofthemostdeterminedattemptsat
bankrobberythathaveevercomewithinmyexperience。”
“Ihavehadoneortwolittlescoresofmyowntosettlewith
Mr。JohnClay，“saidHolmes。“Ihavebeenatsomesmallexpense
overthismatter，whichIshallexpectthebanktorefund，but
beyondthatIamamplyrepaidbyhavinghadanexperiencewhichis
inmanywaysunique，andbyhearingtheveryremarkablenarrative
oftheRed-headedLeague。”
“Yousee，Watson，“heexplainedintheearlyhoursofthe
morningaswesatoveraglassofwhiskyandsodainBakerStreet，
“itwasperfectlyobviousfromthefirstthattheonlypossible
objectofthisratherfantasticbusinessoftheadvertisementof
theLeague，andthecopyingoftheEncyclopaedia，mustbetoget
thisnotover-brightpawnbrokeroutofthewayforanumberof
hourseveryday。Itwasacuriouswayofmanagingit，but，
really，itwouldbedifficulttosuggestabetter。Themethodwas
nodoubtsuggestedtoClay”singeniousmindbythecolourofhis
accomplice”shair。The4poundaweekwasalurewhichmustdrawhim，
andwhatwasittothem，whowereplayingforthousands？Theyput
intheadvertisement，oneroguehasthetemporaryoffice，the
otherrogueincitesthemantoapplyforit，andtogetherthey
managetosecurehisabsenceeverymorningintheweek。Fromthe
timethatIheardoftheassistanthavingcomeforhalfwages，it
wasobvioustomethathehadsomestrongmotiveforsecuringthe
situation。”“Buthowcouldyouguesswhatthemotivewas？“
“Hadtherebeenwomeninthehouse，Ishouldhavesuspecteda
merevulgarintrigue。That，however，wasoutofthequestion。
Theman”sbusinesswasasmallone，andtherewasnothinginhis
housewhichcouldaccountforsuchelaboratepreparations，and
suchanexpenditureastheywereat。Itmust，then，besomething
outofthehouse。Whatcoulditbe？Ithoughtoftheassistant”s
fondnessforphotography，andhistrickofvanishingintothe
cellar。Thecellar！Therewastheendofthistangledclue。
ThenImadeinquiriesastothismysteriousassistantandfound
thatIhadtodealwithoneofthecoolestandmostdaring
criminalsinLondon。Hewasdoingsomethinginthe
cellar——somethingwhichtookmanyhoursadayformonthsonend。
Whatcoulditbe，oncemore？Icouldthinkofnothingsavethat
hewasrunningatunneltosomeotherbuilding。
“SofarIhadgotwhenwewenttovisitthesceneofaction。
Isurprisedyoubybeatinguponthepavementwithmystick。Iwas
ascertainingwhetherthecellarstretchedoutinfrontorbehind。
Itwasnotinfront。ThenIrangthebell，and，asIhoped，the
assistantansweredit。Wehavehadsomeskirmishes，butwehad
neverseteyesuponeachotherbefore。Ihardlylookedathis
face。HiskneeswerewhatIwishedtosee。Youmustyourself
haveremarkedhowworn，wrinkled，andstainedtheywere。They
spokeofthosehoursofburrowing。Theonlyremainingpointwas
whattheywereburrowingfor。Iwalkedroundthecorner，sawthe
CityandSuburbanBankabuttedonourfriend”spremises，andfelt
thatIhadsolvedmyproblem。Whenyoudrovehomeafterthe
concertIcalleduponScotlandYardanduponthechairmanofthe
bankdirectors，withtheresultthatyouhaveseen。”
“Andhowcouldyoutellthattheywouldmaketheirattempt
to-night？“Iasked。
“Well，whentheyclosedtheirLeagueofficesthatwasasign
thattheycarednolongeraboutMr。JabezWilson”spresence——in
otherwords，thattheyhadcompletedtheirtunnel。Butitwas
essentialthattheyshoulduseitsoon，asitmightbediscovered，
orthebullionmightberemoved。Saturdaywouldsuitthembetter
thananyotherday，asitwouldgivethemtwodaysfortheir
escape。ForallthesereasonsIexpectedthemtocometo-night。”
“Youreasoneditoutbeautifully，“Iexclaimedinunfeigned
admiration。“Itissolongachain，andyeteverylinkrings
true。”
“Itsavedmefromennui，“heanswered，yawning。“Alas！I
alreadyfeelitclosinginuponme。Mylifeisspentinonelong
efforttoescapefromthecommonplacesofexistence。Theselittle
problemshelpmetodoso。”“Andyouareabenefactoroftherace，“saidI。
Heshruggedhisshoulders。“Well，perhaps，afterall，itis
ofsomelittleuse，“heremarked。“`L”hommec”estrien——l”oeuvre
c”esttout”asGustaveFlaubertwrotetoGeorgeSand。”。
1893
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEREIGATEPUZZLE
bySirArthurConanDoyle
ItwassometimebeforethehealthofmyfriendMr。Sherlock
Holmesrecoveredfromthestraincausedbyhisimmenseexertionsin
thespringof”87。ThewholequestionoftheNetherland-Sumatra
CompanyandofthecolossalschemesofBaronMaupertuisaretoorecent
inthemindsofthepublic，andaretoointimatelyconcernedwith
politicsandfinancetobefittingsubjectsforthisseriesof
sketches。Theyled，however，inanindirectfashiontoasingular
andcomplexproblemwhichgavemyfriendanopportunityof
demonstratingthevalueofafreshweaponamongthemanywithwhichhe
wagedhislifelongbattleagainstcrime。
OnreferringtomynotesIseethatitwasuponthefourteenthof
AprilthatIreceivedatelegramfromLyonswhichinformedmethat
HolmeswaslyingillintheHotelDulong。Withintwenty-fourhoursI
wasinhissick-roomandwasrelievedtofindthattherewasnothing
formidableinhissymptoms。Evenhisironconstitution，however，had
brokendownunderthestrainofaninvestigationwhichhadextended
overtwomonths，duringwhichperiodhehadneverworkedlessthan
fifteenhoursadayandhadmorethanonce，asheassuredme，kept
tohistaskforfivedaysatastretch。Eventhetriumphantissueof
hislabourscouldnotsavehimfromreactionaftersoterriblean
exertion，andatatimewhenEuropewasringingwithhisnameandwhen
hisroomwasliterallyankle-deepwithcongratulatorytelegramsI
foundhimapreytotheblackestdepression。Eventheknowledgethat
hehadsucceededwherethepoliceofthreecountrieshadfailed，and
thathehadoutmaneuveredateverypointthemostaccomplished
swindlerinEurope，wasinsufficienttorousehimfromhisnervous
prostration。
ThreedayslaterwewerebackinBakerStreettogether；butitwas
evidentthatmyfriendwouldbemuchthebetterforachange，and
thethoughtofaweekofspringtimeinthecountrywasfullof
attractionstomealso。Myoldfriend，ColonelHayter，whohadcome
undermyprofessionalcareinAfghanistan，hadnowtakenahouse
nearReigateinSurreyandhadfrequentlyaskedmetocomedowntohim
uponavisit。Onthelastoccasionhehadremarkedthatifmyfriend
wouldonlycomewithmehewouldbegladtoextendhishospitality
tohimalso。Alittlediplomacywasneeded，butwhenHolmesunderstood
thattheestablishmentwasabachelorone，andthathewouldbe
allowedthefullestfreedom，hefellinwithmyplansandaweekafter
ourreturnfromLyonswewereunderthecolonel”sroof。Hayterwasa
fineoldsoldierwhohadseenmuchoftheworld，andhesoonfound，as
Ihadexpected，thatHolmesandhehadmuchincommon。
Ontheeveningofourarrivalweweresittinginthecolonel”s
gun-roomafterdinner，Holmesstretcheduponthesofa，whileHayter
andIlookedoverhislittlearmoryofEasternweapons。
“Bytheway，“saidhesuddenly，“IthinkI”lltakeoneofthese
pistolsupstairswithmeincasewehaveanalarm。”
“Analarm！“saidI。
“Yes，we”vehadascareinthispartlately。OldActon，whoisone
ofourcountymagnates，hadhishousebrokenintolastMonday。No
greatdamagedone，butthefellowsarestillatlarge。”
“Noclue？“askedHolmes，cockinghiseyeatthecolonel。
“Noneasyet。Buttheaffairisapettyone，oneofourlittle
countrycrimes，whichmustseemtoosmallforyourattention，Mr。
Holmes，afterthisgreatinternationalaffair。”
Holmeswavedawaythecompliment，thoughhissmileshowedthatit
hadpleasedhim。
“Wasthereanyfeatureofinterest？“
“Ifancynot。Thethievesransackedthelibraryandgotvery
littlefortheirpains。Thewholeplacewasturnedupsidedown，
drawersburstopen，andpressesransacked，withtheresultthatanodd
volumeofPope”sHomer，twoplatedcandlesticks，anivory
letter-weight，asmalloakbarometer，andaballoftwineareallthat
havevanished。”
“Whatanextraordinaryassortment！“Iexclaimed。
“Oh，thefellowsevidentlygrabbedholdofeverythingtheycould
get。”
Holmesgruntedfromthesofa。
“Thecountypoliceoughttomakesomethingofthat“saidhe；“why，
itissurelyobviousthat-“
Butiheldupawarningfinger。
“Youarehereforarest，mydearfellow。Forheaven”ssakedon”t
getstartedonanewproblemwhenyournervesareallinshreds。”
Holmesshruggedhisshoulderswithaglanceofcomicresignation
towardsthecolonel，andthetalkdriftedawayintolessdangerous
channels。
Itwasdestined，however，thatallmyprofessionalcautionshouldbe
wasted，fornextmorningtheproblemobtrudeditselfuponusinsucha
waythatitwasimpossibletoignoreit，andourcountryvisittook
aturnwhichneitherofuscouldhaveanticipated。Wewereat
breakfastwhenthecolonel”sbutlerrushedinwithallhispropriety
shakenoutofhim。
“Haveyouheardthenews，sir？“hegasped。“AttheCunningham”s，
sir！“
“Burglary！“criedthecolonel，withhiscoffee-cupinmid-air。
“Murder！“
Thecolonelwhistled。“ByJove！“saidhe。“Who”skilled，then？The
J。P。orhisson？“
“Neither，sir。ItwasWilliamthecoachman。Shotthroughthe
heart，sir，andneverspokeagain。”
“Whoshothim，then？“
“Theburglar，sir。Hewasofflikeashotandgotcleanaway。He”d
justbrokeinatthepantrywindowwhenWilliamcameonhimandmet
hisendinsavinghismaster”sproperty。”
“Whattime？“
“Itwaslastnight，sir，somewhereabouttwelve。”
“Ah，then，we”llstepoverafterwards，“saidthecolonel，coolly
settlingdowntohisbreakfastagain。“It”sabaddishbusiness，“he
addedwhenthebutlerhadgone；“he”sourleadingmanabouthere，is
oldCunningham，andaverydecentfellowtoo。He”llbecutupover
this，forthemanhasbeeninhisserviceforyearsandwasagood
servant。It”sevidentlythesamevillainswhobrokeintoActon”s。”
“Andstolethatverysingularcollection，“saidHolmesthoughtfully。
“Precisely。”
“Hum！Itmayprovethesimplestmatterintheworld，butallthe
sameatfirstglancethisisjustalittlecurious，isitnot？A
gangofburglaractinginthecountrymightbeexpectedtovarythe
sceneoftheiroperations，andnottocracktwocribsinthesame
districtwithinafewdays。Whenyouspokelastnightoftaking
precautionsIrememberthatitpassedthroughmymindthatthiswas
probablythelastparishinEnglandtowhichthethieforthieves
wouldbelikelytoturntheirattention-whichshowsthatIhave
stillmuchtolearn。”
“Ifancyit”ssomelocalpractitioner，“saidthecolonel。“Inthat
case，ofcourse，Acton”sandCunningham”sarejusttheplaceshewould
gofor，sincetheyarefarthelargestabouthere。”
“Andrichest？“
“Well，theyoughttobe，butthey”vehadalawsuitforsomeyears
whichhassuckedthebloodoutofbothofthem，Ifancy。OldActonhas
someclaimonhalfCunningham”sestate，andthelawyershavebeenat
itwithbothhands。”
“Ifit”salocalvillainthereshouldnotbemuchdifficultyin
runninghimdown，“saidHolmeswithayawn。“Allright，Watson，I
don”tintendtomeddle。”
“InspectorForrester，sir，“saidthebutler，throwingopenthedoor。
Theofficial，asmart，keen-facedyoungfellow，steppedintothe
room。“Goodmorning，Colonel，“saidhe。“IhopeIdon”tintrude，but
wehearthatMr。HolmesofBakerStreetishere。”
Thecolonelwavedhishandtowardsmyfriend，andtheinspector
bowed。
“Wethoughtthatperhapsyouwouldcaretostepacross，Mr。Holmes。”
“Thefatesareagainstyou，Watson，“saidhe，laughing。“Wewere
chattingaboutthematterwhenyoucamein，Inspector。Perhapsyoucan
letushaveafewdetails。”Asheleanedbackinhischairinthe
familiarattitudeIknewthatthecasewashopeless。
“WehadnoclueintheActonaffair。Butherewehaveplentytogo
on，andthere”snodoubtitisthesamepartyineachcase。Theman
wasseen。”
“Ah！“
“Yes，sir。Buthewasofflikeadeeraftertheshotthatkilled
poorWilliamKirwanwasfired。Mr。Cunninghamsawhimfromthebedroom
window，andMr。AlecCunninghamsawhimfromthebackpassage。It
wasquartertotwelvewhenthealarmbrokeout。Mr。Cunninghamhad
justgotintobed，andMr。Alecwassmokingapipeinhis
dressing-gown。TheybothheardWilliam，thecoachman，callingfor
help，andMr。Alecrandowntoseewhatwasthematter。Theback
doorwasopen，andashecametothefootofthestairshesawtwomen
wrestlingtogetheroutside。Oneofthemfiredashot，theother
dropped，andthemurdererrushedacrossthegardenandoverthehedge。
Mr。Cunningham，lookingoutofhisbedroom，sawthefellowashe
gainedtheroad，butlostsightofhimatonce。Mr。Alecstoppedto
seeifhecouldhelpthedyingman，andsothevillaingotcleanaway。
Beyondthefactthathewasamiddle-sizedmananddressedinsome
darkstuff，wehavenopersonalclue，butwearemakingenergetic
inquiries，andifheisastrangerweshallsoonfindhimout。”
“WhatwasthisWilliamdoingthere？Didhesayanythingbeforehe
died？“
“Notaword。Helivesatthelodgewithhismother，andashewas
averyfaithfulfellowweimaginethathewalkeduptothehouse
withtheintentionofseeingthatallwasrightthere。Ofcourse
thisActonbusinesshasputeveryoneontheirguard。Therobbermust
havejustburstopenthedoor-thelockhasbeenforced-whenWilliam
cameuponhim。”
“DidWilliamsayanythingtohismotherbeforegoingout？“
“Sheisveryoldanddeaf，andwecangetnoinformationfromher。
Theshockhasmadeherhalf-witted，butIunderstandthatshewas
neververybright。Thereisoneveryimportantcircumstance，
however。Lookatthis！“
Hetookasmallpieceoftornpaperfromanotebookandspreadit
outuponhisknee。
“Thiswasfoundbetweenthefingerandthumbofthedeadman。It
appearstobeafragmenttornfromalargersheet。Youwillobserve
thatthehourmentioneduponitistheverytimeatwhichthepoor
fellowmethisfate。Youseethathismurderermighthavetornthe
restofthesheetfromhimorhemighthavetakenthisfragmentfrom
themurderer。Itreadsalmostasthoughitwereanappointment。”
Holmestookupthescrapofpaper，afacsimileofwhichishere
reproduced。
Seeillustration。
“Presumingthatitisanappointment，“continuedtheinspector，
“itisofcourseaconceivabletheorythatthisWilliamKirwan，though
hehadthereputationofbeinganhonestman，mayhavebeenin
leaguewiththethief。Hemayhavemethimthere，mayevenhavehelped
himtobreakinthedoor，andthentheymayhavefallenoutbetween
themselves。”
“Thiswritingisofextraordinaryinterest，“saidHolmes，whohad
beenexaminingitwithintenseconcentration。“Thesearemuchdeeper
watersthanIhadthought。”Hesankhisheaduponhishands，whilethe
inspectorsmiledattheeffectwhichhiscasehadhaduponthe
famousLondonspecialist。
“Yourlastremark，“saidHolmespresently，“astothepossibilityof
therebeinganunderstandingbetweentheburglarandtheservant，
andthisbeinganoteofappointmentfromonetotheother，isan
ingeniousandnotentirelyimpossiblesupposition。Butthiswriting
opensup-“Hesankhisheadintohishandsagainandremainedforsome
minutesinthedeepestthought。WhenheraisedhisfaceagainIwas
surprisedtoseethathischeekwastingedwithcolour，andhiseyes
asbrightasbeforehisillness。Hesprangtohisfeetwithallhis
oldenergy。
“I”lltellyouwhat，“saidhe，“Ishouldliketohaveaquietlittle
glanceintothedetailsofthiscase。Thereissomethinginitwhich
fascinatesmeextremely。Ifyouwillpermitme，Colonel，Iwill
leavemyfriendWatsonandyou，andIwillsteproundwiththe
inspectortotestthetruthofoneortwolittlefanciesofmine。I
willbewithyouagaininhalfanhour。”
Anhourandahalfhadelapsedbeforetheinspectorreturnedalone。
“Mr。Holmesiswalkingupanddowninthefieldoutside，“saidhe。
“Hewantsusallfourtogouptothehousetogether。”
“ToMr。Cunningham”s？“
“Yes，sir。”
“Whatfor？“
Theinspectorshruggedhisshoulders。“Idon”tquiteknow，sir。
Betweenourselves，IthinkMr。Holmeshasnotquitegotoverhis
illnessyet。He”sbeenbehavingveryqueerly，andheisverymuch
excited。”
“Idon”tthinkyouneedalarmyourself，“saidI。“Ihaveusually
foundthattherewasmethodinhismadness。”
“Somefolkmightsaytherewasmadnessinhismethod，“muttered
theinspector。“Buthe”sallonfiretostart，Colonel，sowehadbest
gooutifyouareready。”
WefoundHolmespacingupanddowninthefield，hischinsunk
uponhisbreast，andhishandsthrustintohistrouserspockets。
“Themattergrowsininterest，“saidhe。“Watson，yourcountry
triphasbeenadistinctsuccess。Ihavehadacharmingmorning。”
“Youhavebeenuptothesceneofthecrime，Iunderstand，“saidthe
colonel。
“Yes，theinspectorandIhavemadequitealittlereconnaissance
together。”
“Anysuccess？”
“Well，wehaveseensomeveryinterestingthings。I”lltellyouwhat
wedidaswewalk。Firstofall，wesawthebodyofthisunfortunate
man。Hecertainlydiedfromarevolverwoundasreported。”
“Hadyoudoubteditthen？“
“Oh，itisaswelltotesteverything。Ourinspectionwasnot
wasted。WethenhadaninterviewwithMr。Cunninghamandhisson，
whowereabletopointouttheexactspotwherethemurdererhad
brokenthroughthegarden-hedgeinhisflight。Thatwasofgreat
interest。”
“Naturally。”
“Thenwehadalookatthispoorfellow”smother。Wecouldgetno
informationfromher，however，assheisveryoldandfeeble。”
“Andwhatistheresultofyourinvestigations？“
“Theconvictionthatthecrimeisaverypeculiarone。Perhapsour
visitnowmaydosomethingtomakeitlessobscure。Ithinkthatwe
arebothagreed，Inspector，thatthefragmentofpaperinthedead
man”shand，bearing，asitdoes，theveryhourofhisdeathwritten
uponitisofextremeimportance。”
“Itshouldgiveaclue，Mr。Holmes。”
“Itdoesgiveaclue。Whoeverwrotethatnotewasthemanwho
broughtWilliamKirwanoutofhisbedatthathour。Butwhereisthe
restofthatsheetofpaper？“
“Iexaminedthegroundcarefullyinthehopeoffindingit，“saidthe
inspector。
“Itwastornoutofthedeadman”shand。Whywassomeonesoanxious
togetpossessionofit？Becauseitincriminatedhim。Andwhatwould
hedowithit？Thrustitintohispocket，mostlikely，never
noticingthatacornerofithadbeenleftinthegripofthe
corpse。Ifwecouldgettherestofthatsheetitisobviousthatwe
shouldhavegonealongwaytowardssolvingthemystery。”
“Yes，buthowcanwegetatthecriminal”spocketbeforewecatch
thecriminal？“
“Well，well，itwasworththinkingover。Thenthereisanother
obviouspoint。ThenotewassenttoWilliam。Themanwhowroteit
couldnothavetakenit；otherwise，ofcourse，hemighthavedelivered
hisownmessagebywordofmouth。Whobroughtthenote，then？Ordid
itcomethroughthepost？“
“Ihavemadeinquiries，“saidtheinspector。“Williamreceiveda
letterbytheafternoonpostyesterday。Theenvelopewasdestroyed
byhim。”
“Excellent！“criedHolmes，clappingtheinspectorontheback。
“You”veseenthepostman。Itisapleasuretoworkwithyou。Well，
hereisthelodge，andifyouwillcomeup，Colonel，Iwillshowyou
thesceneofthecrime。”
Wepassedtheprettycottagewherethemurderedmanhadlivedand
walkedupanoak-linedavenuetothefineoldQueenAnnehouse，
whichbearsthedateofMalplaquetuponthelintelofthedoor。Holmes
andtheinspectorledusroundituntilwecametothesidegate，
whichisseparatedbyastretchofgardenfromthehedgewhichlines
theroad。Aconstablewasstandingatthekitchendoor。
“Throwthedooropen，officer，“saidHolmes。“Now，itwasonthose
stairsthatYoungMr。Cunninghamstoodandsawthetwomen
strugglingjustwhereweare。OldMr。Cunninghamwasatthat
window-thesecondontheleft-andhesawthefellowgetawayjustto
theleftofthatbush。Sodidtheson。Theyarebothsureofiton
accountofthebush。ThenMr。Alecranoutandkneltbesidethe
woundedman。Thegroundisveryhard，yousee，andthereareno
markstoguideus。”Ashespoketwomencamedownthegardenpath，
fromroundtheangleofthehouse。Theonewasanelderlyman，with
astrong，deep-lined，heavy-eyedface；theotheradashingyoung
fellow，whosebright，smilingexpressionandshowydresswerein
strangecontrastwiththebusinesswhichhadbroughtusthere。
“Stillatit，then？“saidhetoHolmes。“IthoughtyouLondoners
wereneveratfault。Youdon”tseemtobesoveryquick，afterall。”
“Ah，youmustgiveusalittletime，“saidHolmesgood-humouredly。
“You”llwantit，“saidyoungAlecCunningham。“Why，Idon”tseethat
wehaveanyclueatall。”
“There”sonlyone，“answeredtheinspector。“Wethoughtthatifwe
couldonlyfind-Goodheavens，Mr。Holmes！whatisthematter？“
Mypoorfriend”sfacehadsuddenlyassumedthemostdreadful
expression。Hiseyesrolledupward，hisfeatureswrithedinagony，and
withasuppressedgroanhedroppedonhisfaceupontheground。
Horrifiedatthesuddennessandseverityoftheattack，wecarriedhim
intothekitchen，wherehelaybackinalargechairandbreathed
heavilyforsomeminutes。Finally，withashamefacedapologyforhis
weakness，heroseoncemore。
“WatsonwouldtellyouthatIhaveonlyjustrecoveredfromasevere
illness，“heexplained。“Iamliabletothesesuddennervousattacks。”
“ShallIsendyouhomeinmytrap？“askedoldCunningham。
“Well，sinceIamhere，thereisonepointonwhichIshouldliketo
feelsure。Wecanveryeasilyverifyit。”
“Whatisit？“
“Well，itseemstomethatitisjustpossiblethatthearrivalof
thispoorfellowWilliamwasnotbefore，butafter，theentranceof
theburglarintothehouse。Youappeartotakeitforgrantedthat
althoughthedoorwasforcedtherobbernevergotin。”
“Ifancythatisquiteobvious，“saidMr。Cunninghamgravely。
“Why，mysonAlechadnotyetgonetobed，andhewouldcertainlyhave
heardanyonemovingabout。”
“Wherewashesitting？“
“Iwassmokinginmydressing-room。”
“Whichwindowisthat？“
“Thelastontheleft，nextmyfather”s。”
“Bothofyourlampswerelit，ofcourse？“
“Undoubtedly。”
“Therearesomeverysingularpointshere，“saidHolmes，smiling。
“Isitnotextraordinarythataburglar-andaburglarwhohadsome
previousexperience-shoulddeliberatelybreakintoahouseata
timewhenhecouldseefromthelightsthattwoofthefamilywere
stillafoot？“
“Hemusthavebeenacoolhand。”
“Well，ofcourse，ifthecasewerenotanoddoneweshouldnothave
beendriventoaskyouforanexplanation，“saidyoungMr。Alec。
“ButastoyourideasthatthemanhadrobbedthehousebeforeWilliam
tackledhim，Ithinkitamostabsurdnotion。Wouldn”twehavefound
theplacedisarrangedandmissedthethingswhichhehadtaken？“
“Itdependsonwhatthethingswere，“saidHolmes。“Youmust
rememberthatwearedealingwithaburglarwhoisaverypeculiar
fellow，andwhoappearstoworkonlinesofhisown。Look，for
example，atthequeerlotofthingswhichhetookfromActon”s-what
wasit？-aballofstring，aletter-weight，andIdon”tknowwhatother
oddsandends。”
“Well，wearequiteinyourhands，Mr。Holmes，“saidoldCunningham。
“Anythingwhichyouortheinspectormaysuggestwillmostcertainly
bedone。”
“Inthefirstplace，“saidHolmes，“Ishouldlikeyoutooffera
reward-comingfromyourself，fortheofficialsmaytakealittle
timebeforetheywouldagreeuponthesum，andthesethingscannot
bedonetoopromptly。Ihavejotteddowntheformhere，ifyouwould
notmindsigningit。Fiftypoundswasquiteenough，Ithought。”
“Iwouldwillinglygivefivehundred，“saidtheJ。P。，takingthe
slipofpaperandthepencilwhichHolmeshandedtohim。“Thisis
notquitecorrecthowever，“headded，glancingoverthedocument。
“Iwroteitratherhurriedly。”
“Youseeyoubegin，”Whereas，ataboutaquartertooneonTuesday
morninganattemptwasmade”andsoon。Itwasataquarterto
twelve，asamatteroffact。”
Iwaspainedatthemistake，forIknewhowkeenlyHolmeswouldfeel
anyslipofthekind。Itwashisspecialtytobeaccurateasto
fact，buthisrecentillnesshadshakenhim，andthisonelittle
incidentwasenoughtoshowmethathewasstillfarfrombeing
himself。Hewasobviouslyembarrassedforaninstant，whilethe
inspectorraisedhiseyebrows，andAlecCunninghamburstintoalaugh。
Theoldgentlemancorrectedthemistake，however，andhandedthepaper
backtoHolmes。
“Getitprintedassoonaspossible，“hesaid；“Ithinkyourideais
anexcellentone。”
Holmesputtheslipofpapercarefullyawayintohispocketbook。
“Andnow，“saidhe，“itreallywouldbeagoodthingthatwe
shouldallgooverthehousetogetherandmakecertainthatthis
rathererraticburglardidnot，afterall，carryanythingawaywith
him。”
Beforeentering，Holmesmadeanexaminationofthedoorwhichhad
beenforced。Itwasevidentthatachiselorstrongknifehadbeen
thrustin，andthelockforcedbackwithit。Wecouldseethemarksin
thewoodwhereithadbeenpushedin。
“Youdon”tusebars，then？“heasked。
“Wehaveneverfounditnecessary。”
“Youdon”tkeepadog？“
“Yes，butheischainedontheothersideofthehouse。”
“Whendotheservantsgotobed？“
“Aboutten。”
“IunderstandthatWilliamwasusuallyinbedalsoatthathour？“
“Yes。”
“Itissingularthatonthisparticularnightheshouldhavebeen
up。Now，Ishouldbeverygladifyouwouldhavethekindnessto
showusoverthehouse，Mr。Cunningham。”
Astone-flaggedpassage，withthekitchensbranchingawayfromit，
ledbyawoodenstaircasedirectlytothefirstfloorofthehouse。It
cameoutuponthelandingoppositetoasecondmoreornamentalstair
whichcameupfromthefronthall。Outofthislandingopenedthe
drawing-roomandseveralbedrooms，includingthoseofMr。Cunningham
andhisson。Holmeswalkedslowly，takingkeennoteofthe
architectureofthehouse。Icouldtellfromhisexpressionthathe
wasonahotscentandyetIcouldnotintheleastimagineinwhat
directionhisinferenceswereleadinghim。
“Mygoodsir，“saidMr。Cunningham，withsomeimpatience，“thisis
surelyveryunnecessary。Thatismyroomattheendofthestairs，and
myson”sistheonebeyondit。Ileaveittoyourjudgmentwhether
itwaspossibleforthethieftohavecomeupherewithout
disturbingus。”
“Youmusttryroundandgetonafreshscent，Ifancy，“saidtheson
witharathermalicioussmile。
“Still，Imustaskyoutohumourmealittlefurther。Ishouldlike，
forexample，toseehowfarthewindowsofthebedroomscommandthe
front。This，Iunderstand，isyourson”sroom“-hepushedopenthe
door-“andthat，Ipresumeisthedressing-roominwhichhesatsmoking
whenthealarmwasgiven。Wheredoesthewindowofthatlookout
to？“Hesteppedacrossthebedroom，pushedopenthedoor，and
glancedroundtheotherchamber。
“Ihopethatyouaresatisfiednow？“saidMr。Cunninghamtartly。
“Thankyou，IthinkIhaveseenallthatIwished。”
“Thenifitisreallynecessarywecangointomyroom。”
“Ifitisnottoomuchtrouble。”
TheJ。P。shruggedhisshouldersandledthewayintohisown
chamber，whichwasaplainlyfurnishedandcommonplaceroom。Aswe
movedacrossitinthedirectionofthewindow，Holmesfellbackuntil
heandIwerethelastofthegroup。Nearthefootofthebedstood
adishoforangesandacarafeofwater。AswepasseditHolmes，tomy
unutterableastonishment，leanedoverinfrontofmeand
deliberatelyknockedthewholethingover。Theglasssmashedintoa
thousandpiecesandthefruitrolledaboutintoeverycornerofthe
room。
“You”vedoneitnow，Watson，“saidhecoolly。“Aprettymess
you”vemadeofthecarpet。”
Istoopedinsomeconfusionandbegantopickupthefruit，
understandingforsomereasonmycompaniondesiredmetotakethe
blameuponmyself。Theothersdidthesameandsetthetableonits
legsagain。
“Hullo！“criedtheinspector，“where”shegotto？“
Holmeshaddisappeared。
“Waithereaninstant，“saidyoungAlecCunningham。“Thefellowis
offhishead，inmyopinion。Comewithme，father，andseewherehe
hasgotto！“
Theyrushedoutoftheroom，leavingtheinspector，thecolonel，and
mestaringateachother。
“”Ponmyword，IaminclinedtoagreewithMasterAlec，“saidthe
official。“Itmaybetheeffectofthisillness，butitseemstome
that-“
Hiswordswerecutshortbyasuddenscreamof“Help！Help！Murder！“
WithathrillIrecognizedthevoiceasthatofmyfriend。Irushed
madlyfromtheroomontothelanding。Thecries，whichhadsunk
downintoahoarse，inarticulateshouting，camefromtheroomwhichwe
hadfirstvisited。Idashedin，andonintothedressing-room
beyond。ThetwoCunninghamswerebendingovertheprostratefigure
ofSherlockHolmes，theyoungerclutchinghisthroatwithboth
hands，whiletheelderseemedtobetwistingoneofhiswrists。In
aninstantthethreeofushadtornthemawayfromhim，andHolmes
staggeredtohisfeet，verypaleandevidentlygreatlyexhausted。
“Arrestthesemen，Inspector，“hegasped。
“Onwhatcharge？“
“Thatofmurderingtheircoachman，WilliamKirwan。”
Theinspectorstaredabouthiminbewilderment。“Oh，comenow，Mr。
Holmes，“saidheatlast，“I”msureyoudon”treallymeanto-“
“Tut，man，lookattheirfaces！“criedHolmescurtly。
NevercertainlyhaveIseenaplainerconfessionofguiltuponhuman
countenances。Theoldermanseemednumbedanddazed，withaheavy，
sullenexpressionuponhisstronglymarkedface。Theson，ontheother
hand，haddroppedallthatjaunty，dashingstylewhichhad
characterizedhim，andtheferocityofadangerouswildbeast
gleamedinhisdarkeyesanddistortedhishandsomefeatures。The
inspectorsaidnothing，but，steppingtothedoor，heblewhis
whistle。Twoofhisconstablescameatthecall。
“Ihavenoalternative，Mr。Cunningham，“saidhe。“Itrustthatthis
mayallprovetobeanabsurdmistake，butyoucanseethat-Ah，
wouldyou？Dropit！“Hestruckoutwithhishand，andarevolverwhich
theyoungermanwasintheactofcockingclattereddownuponthe
floor。
“Keepthat，“saidHolmes，quietlyputtinghisfootuponit；“you
willfinditusefulatthetrial。Butthisiswhatwereally
wanted。”Heheldupalittlecrumpledpieceofpaper。
“Theremainderofthesheet！“criedtheinspector。
“Precisely。”
“Andwherewasit？“
“WhereIwassureitmustbe。I”llmakethewholematterclearto
youpresently。Ithink，Colonel，thatyouandWatsonmightreturnnow，
andIwillbewithyouagaininanhouratthefurthest。Theinspector
andImusthaveawordwiththeprisoners，butyouwillcertainly
seemebackatluncheontime。”
SherlockHolmeswasasgoodashisword，foraboutoneo”clockhe
rejoinedusinthecolonel”ssmoking-room。Hewasaccompaniedbya
littleelderlygentleman，whowasintroducedtomeastheMr。Acton
whosehousehadbeenthesceneoftheoriginalburglary。
“IwishedMr。ActontobepresentwhileIdemonstratedthissmall
mattertoyou，“saidHolmes，“foritisnaturalthatheshouldtake
akeeninterestinthedetails。Iamafraid，mydearColonel，thatyou
mustregretthehourthatyoutookinsuchastormypetrelasIam。”
“Onthecontrary，“answeredthecolonelwarmly，“Iconsideritthe
greatestprivilegetohavebeenpermittedtostudyyourmethodsof
working。Iconfessthattheyquitesurpassmyexpectations，andthatI
amutterlyunabletoaccountforyourresult。Ihavenotyetseen
thevestigeofaclue。”
“Iamafraidthatmyexplanationmaydisillusionyou，butithas
alwaysbeenmyhabittohidenoneofmymethods，eitherfrommyfriend
Watsonorfromanyonewhomighttakeanintelligentinterestin
them。But，first，asIamrathershakenbytheknockingaboutwhich
Ihadinthedressing-room，IthinkthatIshallhelpmyselftoadash
ofyourbrandy，Colonel。Mystrengthhasbeenrathertriedoflate。”
“Itrustyouhadnomoreofthosenervousattacks。”
SherlockHolmeslaughedheartily。“Wewillcometothatinits
turn，“saidhe。“Iwilllayanaccountofthecasebeforeyouinits
dueorder，showingyouthevariouspointswhichguidedmeinmy
decision。Prayinterruptmeifthereisanyinferencewhichisnot
perfectlycleartoyou。
“Itisofthehighestimportanceintheartofdetectiontobe
abletorecognize，outofanumberoffacts，whichareincidental
andwhichvital。Otherwiseyourenergyandattentionmustbe
dissipatedinsteadofbeingconcentrated。Now，inthiscasethere
wasnottheslightestdoubtinmymindfromthefirstthatthekey
ofthewholemattermustbelookedforinthescrapofpaperinthe
deadman”shand。
“Beforegoingintothis，Iwoulddrawyourattentiontothefact
that，ifAlecCunningham”snarrativewascorrect，andifthe
assailant，aftershootingWilliamKirwan，hadinstantlyfled，then
itobviouslycouldnotbehewhotorethepaperfromthedeadman”s
hand。Butifitwasnothe，itmusthavebeenAlecCunninghamhimself，
forbythetimethattheoldmanhaddescendedseveralservantswere
uponthescene。Thepointisasimpleone，buttheinspectorhad
overlookeditbecausehehadstartedwiththesuppositionthatthese
countymagnateshadhadnothingtodowiththematter。Now，Imakea
pointofneverhavinganyprejudices，andoffollowingdocilely
whereverfactmayleadme，andso，intheveryfirststageofthe
investigation，Ifoundmyselflookingalittleaskanceatthepart
whichhadbeenplayedbyMr。AlecCunningham。
“AndnowImadeaverycarefulexaminationofthecornerofpaper
whichtheinspectorhadsubmittedtous。Itwasatoncecleartome
thatitformedpartofaveryremarkabledocument。Hereitis。Do
younotnowobservesomethingverysuggestiveaboutit？“
“Ithasaveryirregularlook，“saidthecolonel。
“Mydearsir，“criedHolmes，“therecannotbetheleastdoubtinthe
worldthatithasbeenwrittenbytwopersonsdoingalternatewords。
WhenIdrawyourattentiontothestrongt”sof”at”and”to”andask
youtocomparethemwiththeweakonesof”quarter”and”twelve”
youwillinstantlyrecognizethefact。Averybriefanalysisof
thesefourwordswouldenableyoutosaywiththeutmostconfidence
thatthe”learn”andthe”maybe”arewritteninthestrongerhand，and
the”what”intheweaker。”
“ByJove，it”sasclearasday！“criedthecolonel。“Whyonearth
shouldtwomenwritealetterinsuchafashion？“
“Obviouslythebusinesswasabadone，andoneofthemenwho
distrustedtheotherwasdeterminedthat，whateverwasdone，each
shouldhaveanequalhandinit。Now，ofthetwomen，itisclearthat
theonewhowrotethe”at”and”to”wastheringleader。”
“Howdoyougetatthat？“
“Wemightdeduceitfromthemerecharacteroftheonehandas
comparedwiththeother。Butwehavemoreassuredreasonsthanthat
forsupposingit。Ifyouexaminethisscrapwithattentionyouwill
cometotheconclusionthatthemanwiththestrongerhandwroteall
hiswordsfirst，leavingblanksfortheothertofillup。Theseblanks
werenotalwayssufficient%andyoucanseethatthesecondmanhad
asqueezetofithis”quarter”inbetweenthe”at”andthe”to”
showingthatthelatterwerealreadywritten。Themanwhowroteall
hiswordsfirstisundoubtedlythemanwhoplannedtheaffair。”
“Excellent！“criedMr。Acton。
“Butverysuperficial，“saidHolmes。“Wecomenow，however，toa
pointwhichisofimportance。Youmaynotbeawarethatthe
deductionofaman”sagefromhiswritingisonewhichhasbeen
broughttoconsiderableaccuracybyexperts。Innormalcasesonecan
placeamaninhistruedecadewithtolerableconfidence。Isaynormal
cases，becauseill-healthandphysicalweaknessreproducethesignsof
oldage，evenwhentheinvalidisayouth。Inthiscase，lookingat
thebold，stronghandoftheone，andtheratherbroken-backed
appearanceoftheother，whichstillretainsitslegibilityalthough
thet”shavebeguntolosetheircrossing，wecansaythattheonewas
ayoungmanandtheotherwasadvancedinyearswithoutbeing
positivelydecrepit。”
“Excellent！“CriedMr。Actonagain。
“Thereisafurtherpoint，however，whichissubtlerandof
greaterinterest。Thereissomethingincommonbetweenthesehands。
Theybelongtomenwhoareblood-relatives。Itmaybemostobvious
toyouintheGreeke”s，buttometherearemanysmallpointswhich
indicatethesamething。Ihavenodoubtatallthatafamily
mannerismcanbetracedinthesetwospecimensofwriting。Iam
only，ofcourse，givingyoutheleadingresultsnowofmy
examinationofthepaper。Thereweretwenty-threeotherdeductions
whichwouldbeofmoreinteresttoexpertsthantoyou。Theyall
tendtodeepentheimpressionuponmymindthattheCunninghams，
fatherandson，hadwrittenthisletter。
“Havinggotsofar，mynextstepwas，ofcourse，toexamineintothe
detailsofthecrime，andtoseehowfartheywouldhelpus。Iwentup
tothehousewiththeinspectorandsawallthatwastobeseen。The
wounduponthedeadmanwas，asIwasabletodeterminewith
absoluteconfidence，firedfromarevolveratthedistanceof
somethingoverfouryards。Therewasnopowder-blackeningonthe
clothes。Evidently，therefore，AlecCunninghamhadliedwhenhesaid
thatthetwomenwerestrugglingwhentheshotwasfired。Again，
bothfatherandsonagreedastotheplacewherethemanescaped
intotheroad。Atthatpoint，however，asithappens，thereisa
broadishditch，moistatthebottom。Astherewerenoindicationsof
boot-marksaboutthisditch，Iwasabsolutelysurenotonlythatthe
Cunninghamshadagainliedbutthattherehadneverbeenanyunknown
manuponthesceneatall。
“AndnowIhavetoconsiderthemotiveofthissingularcrime。To
getatthis，Iendeavouredfirstofalltosolvethereasonofthe
originalburglaryatMr。Acton”s。Iunderstood，fromsomethingwhich
thecoloneltoldus，thatalawsuithadbeengoingonbetweenyou，Mr。
Acton，andtheCunninghams。Ofcourse，itinstantlyoccurredtome
thattheyhadbrokenintoyourlibrarywiththeintentionofgetting
atsomedocumentwhichmightbeofimportanceinthecase。”
“Preciselyso，“saidMr。Acton。“Therecanbenopossibledoubtas
totheirintentions。Ihavetheclearestclaimuponhalfoftheir
presentestate，andiftheycouldhavefoundasinglepaper-which，
fortunately，wasinthestrong-boxofmysolicitors-theywould
undoubtedlyhavecrippledourcase。”
“Thereyouare，“saidHolmes，smiling。“Itwasadangerous，reckless
attemptinwhichIseemtotracetheinfluenceofyoungAlec。Having
foundnothing，theytriedtodivertsuspicionbymakingitappearto
beanordinaryburglary，towhichendtheycarriedoffwhateverthey
couldlaytheirhandsupon。Thatisallclearenough，buttherewas
muchthatwasstillobscure。WhatIwanted，aboveall，wastoget
themissingpartofthatnote。IwascertainthatAlechadtornitout
ofthedeadman”shand，andalmostcertainthathemusthavethrustit
intothepocketofhisdressing-gown。Whereelsecouldhehaveputit？
Theonlyquestionwaswhetheritwasstillthere。Itwasworthan
efforttofindout，andforthatobjectweallwentuptothehouse。
“TheCunninghamsjoinedus，asyoudoubtlessremember，outsidethe
kitchendoor。Itwas，ofcourse，oftheveryfirstimportancethat
theyshouldnotberemindedoftheexistenceofthispaper，
otherwisetheywouldnaturallydestroyitwithoutdelay。Theinspector
wasabouttotellthemtheimportancewhichweattachedtoitwhen，by
theluckiestchanceintheworld，Itumbleddowninasortoffit
andsochangedtheconversation。”
“Goodheavens！“criedthecolonel，laughing，“doyoumeantosayall
oursympathywaswastedandyourfitanimposture？“
“Speakingprofessionally，itwasadmirablydone，“criedI，looking
inamazementatthismanwhowasforeverconfoundingmewithsome
newphaseofhisastuteness。
“Itisanartwhichisoftenuseful，“saidhe。“WhenIrecoveredI
managed，byadevicewhichhadperhapssomelittlemeritofingenuity，
togetoldCunninghamtowritetheword”twelve”sothatImight
compareitwiththe”twelve”uponthepaper。“
“Oh，whatanassIhavebeen！“Iexclaimed。
“Icouldseethatyouwerecommiseratingmeovermyweakness，“
saidHolmes，laughing。“Iwassorrytocauseyouthesympathetic
painwhichIknowthatyoufelt。Wethenwentupstairstogether，
and，havingenteredtheroomandseenthedressing-gownhangingup
behindthedoor，Icontrived，byupsettingatable，toengagetheir
attentionforthemomentandslippedbacktoexaminethepockets。I
hadhardlygotthepaper，however-whichwas，asIhadexpected，inone
ofthem-whenthetwoCunninghamswereonme，andwould，Iverily
believe，havemurderedmethenandtherebutforyourpromptand
friendlyaid。Asitis，Ifeelthatyoungman”sgriponmythroatnow，
andthefatherhastwistedmywristroundintheefforttogetthe
paperoutofmyhand。TheysawthatImustknowallaboutit，yousee，
andthesuddenchangefromabsolutesecuritytocompletedespair
madethemperfectlydesperate。
“IhadalittletalkwitholdCunninghamafterwardsastothe
motiveofthecrime。Hewastractableenough，thoughhissonwasa
perfectdemon，readytoblowouthisownoranybodyelse”sbrainsif
hecouldhavegottohisrevolver。WhenCunninghamsawthatthecase
againsthimwassostronghelostallheartandmadeacleanbreastof
everything。ItseemsthatWilliamhadsecretlyfollowedhistwo
mastersonthenightwhentheymadetheirraiduponMr。Acton”sand，
havingthusgotthemintohispower，proceeded，underthreatsof
exposure，tolevyblackmailuponthem。Mr。Alec，however，wasa
dangerousmantoplaygamesofthatsortwith。Itwasastrokeof
positivegeniusonhisparttoseeintheburglaryscarewhichwas
convulsingthecountrysideanopportunityofplausiblygettingrid
ofthemanwhomhefeared。Williamwasdecoyedupandshot，andhad
theyonlygotthewholeofthenoteandpaidalittlemoreattention
todetailintheiraccessories，itisverypossiblethatsuspicion
mightneverhavebeenaroused。
“Andthenote？“Iasked。
SherlockHolmesplacedthesubjoinedpaperbeforeus。
Seeillustration。
“ItisverymuchthesortofthingthatIexpected，“saidhe。“Of
course，wedonotyetknowwhattherelationsmayhavebeenbetween
AlecCunningham，WilliamKirwan，andAnnieMorrison。Theresult
showsthatthetrapwasskilfullybaited。Iamsurethatyoucannot
failtobedelightedwiththetracesofheredityshowninthep”s
andinthetailsoftheg”s。Theabsenceofthei-dotsintheold
man”swritingisalsomostcharacteristic。Watson，Ithinkourquiet
restinthecountryhasbeenadistinctsuccess，andIshallcertainly
returnmuchinvigoratedtoBakerStreetto-morrow。”
THEEND。
1893
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THESTOCK-BROKER”SCLERK
bySirArthurConanDoyle
TheStock-Broker”sClerk
ShortlyaftermymarriageIhadboughtaconnectioninthe
Paddingtondistrict。OldMr。Farquhar，fromwhomIpurchasedit，had
atonetimeanexcellentgeneralpractice；buthisage，andan
afflictionofthenatureofSt。Vitus”sdancefromwhichhe
suffered，hadverymuchthinnedit。Thepublicnotunnaturallygoeson
theprinciplethathewhowouldhealothersmusthimselfbewhole，and
looksaskanceatthecurativepowersofthemanwhoseowncaseis
beyondthereachofhisdrugs。Thusasmypredecessorweakenedhis
practicedeclined，untilwhenIpurchaseditfromhimithadsunkfrom
twelvehundredtolittlemorethanthreehundredayear。Ihad
confidence，however，inmyownyouthandenergyandwasconvincedthat
inaveryfewyearstheconcernwouldbeasflourishingasever。
ForthreemonthsaftertakingoverthepracticeIwaskeptvery
closelyatworkandsawlittleofmyfriendSherlockHolmes，forIwas
toobusytovisitBakerStreetandheseldomwentanywherehimself
saveuponprofessionalbusiness。Iwassurprised，therefore，when，one
morninginJune，asIsatreadingtheBritishMedicalJournalafter
breakfast，Iheardaringatthebell，followedbythehigh，
somewhatstridenttonesofmyoldcompanion”svoice。
“Ah，mydearWatson，“saidhe，stridingintotheroom，“Iamvery
delightedtoseeyou！ItrustthatMrs。Watsonhasentirely
recoveredfromallthelittleexcitementsconnectedwithouradventure
oftheSignofFour。”
“Thankyou，wearebothverywell，“saidI，shakinghimwarmlyby
thehand。
“AndIhope，also，“hecontinued，sittingdownintherocking-chair，
“thatthecaresofmedicalpracticehavenotentirelyobliterated
theinterestwhichyouusedtotakeinourlittledeductiveproblems。”
“Onthecontrary，“Ianswered，“itwasonlylastnightthatIwas
lookingovermyoldnotes，andclassifyingsomeofourpastresults。”
“Itrustthatyoudon”tconsideryourconnectionclosed。”
“Notatall。Ishouldwishnothingbetterthantohavesomemore
ofsuchexperiences。”
“To-day，forexample？“
“Yes，to-day，ifyoulike。”
“AndasfaroffasBirmingham？“
“Certainly，ifyouwishit。”
“Andthepractice？“
“Idomyneighbour”swhenhegoes。Heisalwaysreadytoworkoff
thedebt。”
“Ha！nothingcouldbebetter，“saidHolmes，leaningbackinhis
chairandlookingkeenlyatmefromunderhishalf-closedlids。“I
perceivethatyouhavebeenunwelllately。Summercoldsarealwaysa
littletrying。”