“Mydearfellow，“saidSherlockHolmesaswesatoneithersideof
thefireinhislodgingsatBakerStreet，“lifeisinfinitely
strangerthananythingwhichthemindofmancouldinvent。We
wouldnotdaretoconceivethethingswhicharereallymere
commonplacesofexistence。Ifwecouldflyoutofthatwindow
handinhand，hoveroverthisgreatcity，gentlyremovetheroofs，
andpeepinatthequeerthingswhicharegoingon，thestrange
coincidences，theplannings，thecross-purposes，thewonderful
chainsofevents，workingthroughgenerations，andleadingtothe
mostoutreresults，itwouldmakeallfictionwithits
conventionalitiesandforeseenconclusionsmoststaleand
unprofitable。”
“AndyetIamnotconvincedofit，“Ianswered。“Thecases
whichcometolightinthepapersare，asarule，baldenough，and
vulgarenough。Wehaveinourpolicereportsrealismpushedto
itsextremelimits，andyettheresultis，itmustbeconfessed，
neitherfascinatingnorartistic。”
“Acertainselectionanddiscretionmustbeusedinproducing
arealisticeffect，“remarkedHolmes。“Thisiswantinginthe
policereport，wheremorestressislaid，perhaps，uponthe
platitudesofthemagistratethanuponthedetails，whichtoan
observercontainthevitalessenceofthewholematter。Depend
uponit，thereisnothingsounnaturalasthecommonplace。”
Ismiledandshookmyhead。“Icanquiteunderstandyour
thinkingso，“Isaid。“Ofcourse，inyourpositionofunofficial
adviserandhelpertoeverybodywhoisabsolutelypuzzled，
throughoutthreecontinents，youarebroughtincontactwithall
thatisstrangeandbizarre。Buthere“——Ipickedupthemorning
paperfromtheground”letusputittoapracticaltest。Here
isthefirstheadinguponwhichIcome。`Ahusband”scrueltyto
hiswife。”Thereishalfacolumnofprint，butIknowwithout
readingitthatitisallperfectlyfamiliartome。Thereis，of
course，theotherwoman，thedrink，thepush，theblow，the
bruise，thesympatheticsisterorlandlady。Thecrudestof
writerscouldinventnothingmorecrude。”
“Indeed，yourexampleisanunfortunateoneforyour
argument，“saidHolmes，takingthepaperandglancinghiseyedown
it。“ThisistheDundasseparationcase，and，asithappens，I
wasengagedinclearingupsomesmallpointsinconnectionwith
it。Thehusbandwasateetotaler，therewasnootherwoman，and
theconductcomplainedofwasthathehaddriftedintothehabit
ofwindingupeverymealbytakingouthisfalseteethandhurling
themathiswife，which，youwillallow，isnotanactionlikely
tooccurtotheimaginationoftheaveragestory-teller。Takea
pinchofsnuff，Doctor，andacknowledgethatIhavescoredover
youinyourexample。”
Heheldouthissnuffboxofoldgold，withagreatamethystin
thecentreofthelid。Itssplendourwasinsuchcontrasttohis
homelywaysandsimplelifethatIcouldnothelpcommentingupon
it。
“Ah，“saidhe，“IforgotthatIhadnotseenyouforsome
weeks。ItisalittlesouvenirfromtheKingofBohemiainreturn
formyassistanceinthecaseoftheIreneAdlerpapers。”
“Andthering？“Iasked，glancingataremarkablebrilliant
whichsparkleduponhisfinger。
“ItwasfromthereigningfamilyofHolland，thoughthematter
inwhichIservedthemwasofsuchdelicacythatIcannotconfide
iteventoyou，whohavebeengoodenoughtochronicleoneortwo
ofmylittleproblems。”“Andhaveyouanyonhandjustnow？“Iaskedwithinterest。
“Sometenortwelve，butnonewhichpresentanyfeatureof
interest。Theyareimportant，youunderstand，withoutbeing
interesting。Indeed，Ihavefoundthatitisusuallyin
unimportantmattersthatthereisafieldfortheobservation，and
forthequickanalysisofcauseandeffectwhichgivesthecharm
toaninvestigation。Thelargercrimesareapttobethesimpler，
forthebiggerthecrimethemoreobvious，asarule，isthe
motive。Inthesecases，saveforoneratherintricatematter
whichhasbeenreferredtomefromMarseilles，thereisnothing
whichpresentsanyfeaturesofinterest。Itispossible，however，
thatImayhavesomethingbetterbeforeverymanyminutesare
over，forthisisoneofmyclients，orIammuchmistaken。”
Hehadrisenfromhischairandwasstandingbetweenthe
partedblinds，gazingdownintothedullneutral-tintedLondon
street。Lookingoverhisshoulder，Isawthatonthepavement
oppositetherestoodalargewomanwithaheavyfurboaroundher
neck，andalargecurlingredfeatherinabroad-brimmedhatwhich
wastiltedinacoquettishDuchessofDevonshirefashionoverher
ear。Fromunderthisgreatpanoplyshepeepedupinanervous，
hesitatingfashionatourwindows，whileherbodyoscillated
backwardandforward，andherfingersfidgetedwithherglove
buttons。Suddenly，withaplunge，asoftheswimmerwholeaves
thebank，shehurriedacrosstheroad，andweheardthesharp
clangofthebell。
“Ihaveseenthosesymptomsbefore，“saidHolmes，throwinghis
cigaretteintothefire。“Oscillationuponthepavementalways
meansanaffairedecoeur。Shewouldlikeadvice，butisnotsure
thatthematterisnottoodelicateforcommunication。Andyet
evenherewemaydiscriminate。Whenawomanhasbeenseriously
wrongedbyamanshenolongeroscillates，andtheusualsymptom
isabrokenbellwire。Herewemaytakeitthatthereisalove
matter，butthatthemaidenisnotsomuchangryasperplexed，or
grieved。Buthereshecomesinpersontoresolveourdoubts。”
Ashespoketherewasatapatthedoor，andtheboyin
buttonsenteredtoannounceMissMarySutherland，whilethelady
herselfloomedbehindhissmallblackfigurelikeafull-sailed
merchant-manbehindatinypilotboat。SherlockHolmeswelcomed
herwiththeeasycourtesyforwhichhewasremarkable，and，
havingclosedthedoorandbowedherintoanarmchair，helooked
heroverintheminuteandyetabstractedfashionwhichwas
peculiartohim。
“Doyounotfind，“hesaid，“thatwithyourshortsightitis
alittletryingtodosomuchtypewriting？“
“Ididatfirst，“sheanswered，“butnowIknowwherethe
lettersarewithoutlooking。”Then，suddenlyrealizingthefull
purportofhiswords，shegaveaviolentstartandlookedup，with
fearandastonishmentuponherbroad，good-humouredface。“You”ve
heardaboutme，Mr。Holmes，“shecried，“elsehowcouldyouknow
allthat？“
“Nevermind，“saidHolmes，laughing；“itismybusinessto
knowthings。PerhapsIhavetrainedmyselftoseewhatothers
overlook。Ifnot，whyshouldyoucometoconsultme？“
“Icametoyou，sir，becauseIheardofyoufromMrs。
Etherege，whosehusbandyoufoundsoeasywhenthepoliceand
everyonehadgivenhimupfordead。Oh，Mr。Holmes，Iwishyou
woulddoasmuchforme。I”mnotrich，butstillIhaveahundred
ayearinmyownright，besidesthelittlethatImakebythe
machine，andIwouldgiveitalltoknowwhathasbecomeofMr。
HosmerAngel。”
“Whydidyoucomeawaytoconsultmeinsuchahurry？“asked
SherlockHolmes，withhisfinger-tipstogetherandhiseyestothe
ceiling。
Againastartledlookcameoverthesomewhatvacuousfaceof
MissMarySutherland。“Yes，Ididbangoutofthehouse，“she
said，“foritmademeangrytoseetheeasywayinwhichMr。
Windibank——thatis，myfather——tookitall。Hewouldnotgoto
thepolice，andhewouldnotgotoyou，andsoatlast，ashe
woulddonothingandkeptonsayingthattherewasnoharmdone，
itmadememad，andIjustonwithmythingsandcamerightaway
toyou。”
“Yourfather，“saidHolmes，“yourstepfather，surely，since
thenameisdifferent。”
“Yes，mystepfather。Icallhimfather，thoughitsounds
funny，too，forheisonlyfiveyearsandtwomonthsolderthan
myself。”“Andyourmotherisalive？“
“Oh，yes，motherisaliveandwell。Iwasn”tbestpleased，
Mr。Holmes，whenshemarriedagainsosoonafterfather”sdeath，
andamanwhowasnearlyfifteenyearsyoungerthanherself。
FatherwasaplumberintheTottenhamCourtRoad，andhelefta
tidybusinessbehindhim，whichmothercarriedonwithMr。Hardy，
theforeman；butwhenMr。Windibankcamehemadehersellthe
business，forhewasverysuperior，beingatravellerinwines。
Theygot4700poundsforthegoodwillandinterest，whichwasn”tnearas
muchasfathercouldhavegotifhehadbeenalive。”
IhadexpectedtoseeSherlockHolmesimpatientunderthis
ramblingandinconsequentialnarrative，but，onthecontrary，he
hadlistenedwiththegreatestconcentrationofattention。
“Yourownlittleincome，“heasked，“doesitcomeoutofthe
business？“
“Oh，no，sir。Itisquiteseparateandwasleftmebymy
uncleNedinAuckland。ItisinNewZealandstock，paying41/2per
cent。Twothousandfivehundredpoundswastheamount，butIcan
onlytouchtheinterest。”
“Youinterestmeextremely，“saidHolmes。“Andsinceyoudraw
solargeasumasahundredayear，withwhatyouearnintothe
bargain，younodoubttravelalittleandindulgeyourselfin
everyway。Ibelievethatasingleladycangetonverynicely
uponanincomeofabout60pounds。”
“Icoulddowithmuchlessthanthat，Mr。Holmes，butyou
understandthataslongasIliveathomeIdon”twishtobea
burdentothem，andsotheyhavetheuseofthemoneyjustwhileI
amstayingwiththem。Ofcourse，thatisonlyjustforthetime。
Mr。Windibankdrawsmyinteresteveryquarterandpaysitoverto
mother，andIfindthatIcandoprettywellwithwhatIearnat
typewriting。Itbringsmetwopenceasheet，andIcanoftendo
fromfifteentotwentysheetsinaday。”
“Youhavemadeyourpositionverycleartome，“saidHolmes。
“Thisismyfriend，Dr。Watson，beforewhomyoucanspeakas
freelyasbeforemyself。Kindlytellusnowallaboutyour
connectionwithMr。HosmerAngel。”
AflushstoleoverMissSutherland”sface，andshepicked
nervouslyatthefringeofherjacket。“Imethimfirstatthe
gasfitters”ball，“shesaid。“Theyusedtosendfathertickets
whenhewasalive，andthenafterwardstheyrememberedus，and
sentthemtomother。Mr。Windibankdidnotwishustogo。He
neverdidwishustogoanywhere。HewouldgetquitemadifI
wantedsomuchastojoinaSunday-schooltreat。ButthistimeI
wassetongoing，andIwouldgo；forwhatrighthadheto
prevent？Hesaidthefolkwerenotfitforustoknow，whenall
father”sfriendsweretobethere。AndhesaidthatIhadnothing
fittowear，whenIhadmypurpleplushthatIhadneversomuch
astakenoutofthedrawer。Atlast，whennothingelsewoulddo，
hewentofftoFranceuponthebusinessofthefirm，butwewent，
mohtherandI，withMr。Hardy，whousedtobeourforeman，andit
wasthereImetMr。HosmerAngel。”
“Isuppose，“saidHolmes，“thatwhenMr。Windibankcameback
fromFrancehewasveryannoyedatyourhavinggonetotheball。”
“Oh，well，hewasverygoodaboutit。Helaughed，Iremember，
andshruggedhisshoulders，andsaidtherewasnousedenying
anythingtoawoman，forshewouldhaveherway。”
“Isee。Thenatthegasfitters”ballyoumet，asI
understand，agentlemancalledMr。HosmerAngel。”
“Yes，sir。Imethimthatnight，andhecallednextdayto
askifwehadgothomeallsafe，andafterthatwemethim——that
istosay，Mr。Holmes，Imethimtwiceforwalks，butafterthat
fathercamebackagain，andMr。HosmerAngelcouldnotcometothe
houseanymore。”“No？“
“Well，youknow，fatherdidn”tlikeanythingofthesort。He
wouldn”thaveanyvisitorsifhecouldhelpit，andheusedtosay
thatawomanshouldbehappyinherownfamilycircle。Butthen，
asIusedtosaytomother，awomanwantsherowncircletobegin
with，andIhadnotgotmineyet。”
“ButhowaboutMr。HosmerAngel？Didhemakenoattemptto
seeyou？“
“Well，fatherwasgoingofftoFranceagaininaweek，and
Hosmerwroteandsaidthatitwouldbesaferandbetternottosee
eachotheruntilhehadgone。Wecouldwriteinthemeantime，and
heusedtowriteeveryday。Itookthelettersininthemorning，
sotherewasnoneedforfathertoknow。”“Wereyouengagedtothegentlemanatthistime？“
“Oh，yes，Mr。Holmes。Wewereengagedafterthefirstwalk
thatwetook。Hosmer——Mr。Angel——wasacashierinanofficein
LeadenhallStreet——and”“Whatoffice？““That”stheworstofit，Mr。Holmes，Idon”tknow。”“Wheredidhelive，then？““Hesleptonthepremises。”“Andyoudon”tknowhisaddress？““No——exceptthatitwasLeadenhallStreet。”“Wheredidyouaddressyourletters，then？“
“TotheLeadenhallStreetPost-Office，tobelefttillcalled
for。Hesaidthatiftheyweresenttotheofficehewouldbe
chaffedbyalltheotherclerksabouthavinglettersfromalady，
soIofferedtotypewritethem，likehedidhis，buthewouldn”t
havethat，forhesaidthatwhenIwrotethemtheyseemedtocome
fromme，butwhentheyweretypewrittenhealwaysfeltthatthe
machinehadcomebetweenus。Thatwilljustshowyouhowfondhe
wasofme，Mr。Holmes，andthelittlethingsthathewouldthink
of。”
“Itwasmostsuggestive，“saidHolmes。“Ithaslongbeenan
axiomofminethatthelittlethingsareinfinitleythemost
important。CanyourememberanyotherlittlethingsaboutMr。
HosmerAngel？“
“Hewasaveryshyman，Mr。Holmes。Hewouldratherwalkwith
meintheeveningthaninthedaylight，forhesaidthathehated
tobeconspicuous。Veryretiringandgentelmanlyhewas。Even
hisvoicewasgentle。He”dhadthequinsyandswollenglandswhen
hewasyoung，hetoldme，andithadlefthimwithaweakthroat，
andahesitating，whisperingfashionofspeech。Hewasalways
welldressed，veryneatandplain，buthiseyeswereweak，justas
mineare，andheworetintedglassesagainsttheglare。”
“Well，andwhathappenedwhenMr。Windibank，yourstepfather，
returnedtoFrance？“
“Mr。HosmerAngelcametothehouseagainandproposedthatwe
shouldmarrybeforefathercameback。Hewasindreadfulearnest
andmademeswear，withmyhandsontheTestament，thatwhatever
happenedIwouldalwaysbetruetohim。Mothersaidhewasquite
righttomakemeswear，andthatitwasasignofhispassion。
Motherwasallinhisfavourfromthefirstandwasevenfonderof
himthanIwas。Then，whentheytalkedofmarryingwithinthe
week，Ibegantoaskaboutfather；buttheybothsaidneverto
mindaboutfather，butjusttotellhimafterwards，andmother
saidshewouldmakeitallrightwithhim。Ididn”tquitelike
that，Mr。Holmes。ItseemedfunnythatIshouldaskhisleave，as
hewasonlyafewyearsolderthanme；butIdidn”twanttodo
anythingonthesly，soIwrotetofatheratBordeaux，wherethe
companyhasitsFrenchoffices，butthelettercamebacktomeon
theverymorningofthewedding。”“Itmissedhim，then？“
“Yes，sir；forhehadstartedtoEnglandjustbeforeit
arrived。”
“Ha！thatwasunfortunate。Yourweddingwasarranged，then，
fortheFriday。Wasittobeinchurch？“
“Yes，sir，butveryquietly。ItwastobeatSt。Saviour”s，
nearKing”sCross，andweweretohavebreakfastafterwardsatthe
St。PancrasHotel。Hosmercameforusinahansom，butasthere
weretwoofusheputusbothintoitandsteppedhimselfintoa
four-wheeler，whichhappenedtobetheonlyothercabinthe
street。Wegottothechurchfirst，andwhenthefour-wheeler
droveupwewaitedforhimtostepout，butheneverdid，andwhen
thecabmangotdownfromtheboxandlookedtherewasnoone
there！Thecabmansaidthathecouldnotimaginewhathadbecome
ofhim，forhehadseenhimgetinwithhisowneyes。Thatwas
lastFriday，Mr。Holmes，andIhaveneverseenorheardanything
sincethentothrowanylightuponwhatbecameofhim。”
“Itseemstomethatyouhavebeenveryshamefullytreated，“
saidHolmes。
“Oh，no，sir！Hewastoogoodandkindtoleavemeso。Why，
allthemorninghewassayingtomethat，whateverhappened，Iwas
tobetrue；andthatevenifsomethingquiteunforeseenoccurred
toseparateus，IwasalwaystorememberthatIwaspledgedto
him，andthathewouldclaimhispledgesoonerorlater。It
seemedstrangetalkforawedding-morning，butwhathashappened
sincegivesameaningtoit。”
“Mostcertainlyitdoes。Yourownopinionis，then，thatsome
unforeseencatastrophehasoccurredtohim？“
“Yes，sir。Ibelievethatheforesawsomedanger，orelsehe
wouldnothavetalkedso。AndthenIthinkthatwhatheforesaw
happened。”“Butyouhavenonotionastowhatitcouldhavebeen？““None。”“Onemorequestion。Howdidyourmothertakethematter？“
“Shewasangry，andsaidthatIwasnevertospeakofthe
matteragain。”“Andyourfather？Didyoutellhim？“
“Yes；andheseemedtothink，withme，thatsomethinghad
happened，andthatIshouldhearofHosmeragain。Ashesaid，
whatinterestcouldanyonehaveinbringingmetothedoorsofthe
church，andthenleavingme？Now，ifhehadborrowedmymoney，or
ifhehadmarriedmeandgotmymoneysettledonhim，theremight
besomereason，butHosmerwasveryindependentaboutmoneyand
neverwouldlookatashillingofmine。Andyet，whatcouldhave
happened？Andwhycouldhenotwrite？Oh，itdrivesmehalf-mad
tothinkofit，andIcan”tsleepawinkatnight。”Shepulleda
littlehandkerchiefoutofhermuffandbegantosobheavilyinto
it。
“Ishallglanceintothecaseforyou，“saidHolmes，rising，
“andIhavenodoubtthatweshallreachsomedefiniteresult。
Lettheweightofthematterrestuponmenow，anddonotletyour
minddwelluponitfurther。Aboveall，trytoletMr。Hosmer
Angelvanishfromyourmemory，ashehasdonefromyourlife。”“Thenyoudon”tthinkI”llseehimagain？““Ifearnot。”“Thenwhathashappenedtohim？“
“Youwillleavethatquestioninmyhands。Ishouldlikean
accuratedescriptionofhimandanylettersofhiswhichyoucan
spare。”
“IadvertisedforhiminlastSaturday”sChronicle，“saidshe。
“Hereistheslipandherearefourlettersfromhim。”“Thankyou。Andyouraddress？““No。31LyonPlace，Camberwell。”
“Mr。Angel”saddressyouneverhad，Iunderstand。Whereis
yourfather”splaceofbusiness？“
“HetravelsforWesthouse&Marbank，thegreatclaret
importersofFenchurchStreet。”
“Thankyou。Youhavemadeyourstatementveryclearly。You
willleavethepapershere，andremembertheadvicewhichIhave
givenyou。Letthewholeincidentbeasealedbook，anddonot
allowittoaffectyourlife。”
“Youareverykind，Mr。Holmes，butIcannotdothat。Ishall
betruetoHosmer。Heshallfindmereadywhenhecomesback。”
Forallthepreposteroushatandthevacuousface，therewas
somethingnobleinthesimplefaithofourvisitorwhichcompelled
ourrespect。Shelaidherlittlebundleofpapersuponthetable
andwentherway，withapromisetocomeagainwhenevershemight
besummoned。
SherlockHolmessatsilentforafewminuteswithhis
finger-tipsstillpressedtogether，hislegsstretchedoutin
frontofhim，andhisgazedirectedupwardtotheceiling。Then
hetookdownfromtheracktheoldandoilyclaypipe，whichwas
tohimasacounsellor，and，havinglitit，heleanedbackinhis
chair，withthethickbluecloud-wreathsspinningupfromhim，and
alookofinfinitelanguorinhisface。
“Quiteaninterestingstudy，thatmaiden，“heobserved。“I
foundhermoreinterestingthanherlittleproblem，which，bythe
way，isratheratriteone。Youwillfindparallelcases，ifyou
consultmyindex，inAndoverin`77，andtherewassomethingof
thesortatTheHaguelastyear。Oldasistheidea，however，
therewereoneortwodetailswhichwerenewtome。Butthe
maidenherselfwasmostinstructive。”
“Youappearedtoreadagooddealuponherwhichwasquite
invisibletome，“Iremarked。
“Notinvisiblebutunnoticed，Watson。Youdidnotknowwhere
tolook，andsoyoumissedallthatwasimportant。Icannever
bringyoutorealizetheimportanceofsleeves，thesuggestiveness
ofthumails，orthegreatissuesthatmayhangfromaboot-lace。
Now，whatdidyougatherfromthatwoman”sappearance？Describe
it。”
“Well，shehadaslate-coloured，broad-brimmedstrawhat，with
afeatherofabrickishred。Herjacketwasblack，withblack
beadssewnuponit，andafringeoflittleblackjetornaments。
Herdresswasbrown，ratherdarkerthancoffeecolour，witha
littlepurpleplushattheneckandsleeves。Hergloveswere
grayishandwerewornthroughattherightforefinger。Herboots
Ididn”tobserve。Shehadsmallround，hanginggoldearrings，and
ageneralairofbeingfairlywell-to-doinavulgar，comfortable，
easy-goingway。”
SherlockHolmesclappedhishandssoftlytogetherand
chuckled。
“”Ponmyword，Watson，youarecomingalongwonderfully。You
havereallydoneverywellindeed。Itistruethatyouhave
missedeverythingofimportance，butyouhavehituponthemethod，
andyouhaveaquickeyeforcolour。Nevertrusttogeneral
impressions，myboy，butconcentrateyourselfupondetails。My
firstglanceisalwaysatawoman”ssleeve。Inamanitis
perhapsbetterfirsttotakethekneeofthetrouser。Asyou
observe，thiswomanhadplushuponhersleeves，whichisamost
usefulmaterialforshowingtraces。Thedoublelinealittle
abovethewrist，wherethetypewritistpressesagainstthetable，
wasbeautifullydefined。Thesewing-machine，ofthehandtype，
leavesasimilarmark，butonlyontheleftarm，andontheside
ofitfarthestfromthethumb，insteadofbeingrightacrossthe
broadestpart，asthiswas。Ithenglancedatherface，and，
observingthedintofapince-nezateithersideofhernose，I
venturedaremarkuponshortsightandtypewriting，whichseemed
tosurpriseher。”“Itsurprisedme。”
“But，surely，itwasobvious。Iwasthenmuchsurprisedand
interestedonglancingdowntoobservethat，thoughtheboots
whichshewaswearingwerenotunlikeeachother，theywerereally
oddones；theonehavingaslightlydecoratedtoe-cap，andthe
otheraplainone。Onewasbuttonedonlyinthetwolowerbuttons
outoffive，andtheotheratthefirst，third，andfifth。Now，
whenyouseethatayounglady，otherwiseneatlydressed，hascome
awayfromhomewithoddboots，half-buttoned，itisnogreat
deductiontosaythatshecameawayinahurry。”
“Andwhatelse？“Iasked，keenlyinterested，asIalwayswas，
bymyfriend”sincisivereasoning。
“Inoted，inpassing，thatshehadwrittenanotebefore
leavinghomebutafterbeingfullydressed。Youobservedthather
rightglovewastornattheforefinger，butyoudidnotapparently
seethatbothgloveandfingerwerestainedwithvioletink。She
hadwritteninahurryanddippedherpentoodeep。Itmusthave
beenthismorning，orthemarkwouldnotremainclearuponthe
finger。Allthisisamusing，thoughratherelementary，butImust
gobacktobusiness，Watson。Wouldyoumindreadingmethe
advertiseddescriptionofMr。HosmerAngel？“Iheldthelittleprintedsliptothelight。
“Missing[itsaid]onthemorningofthefourteenth，a
gentlemannamedHosmerAngel。Aboutfivefeetseveninchesin
height；stronglybuilt，sallowcomplexion，blackhair，a
littlebaldinthecentre，bushy，blackside-whiskersand
moustache；tintedglasses，slightinfirmityofspeech。Was
dressed，whenlastseen，inblackfrock-coatfacedwithsilk，
blackwaistcoat，goldAlbertchain，andgrayHarristweed
trousers，withbrowngaitersoverelastic-sidedboots。Known
tohavebeenemployedinanofficeinLeadenhallStreet。
Anybodybringing”
“Thatwilldo，“saidHolmes。“Astotheletters，“he
continued，glancingoverthem，“theyareverycommonplace。
AbsolutelynoclueinthemtoMr。Angel，savethathequotes
Balzaconce。Thereisoneremarkablepoint，however，whichwill
nodoubtstrikeyou。”“Theyaretypewritten，“Iremarked。
“Notonlythat，butthesignatureistypewritten。Lookatthe
neatlittle`HosmerAngel”atthebottom。Thereisadate，you
see，butnosuperscriptionexceptLeadenhallStreet，whichis
rathervague。Thepointaboutthesignatureisvery
suggestive——infact，wemaycallitconclusive。”“Ofwhat？“
“Mydearfellow，isitpossibleyoudonotseehowstronglyit
bearsuponthecase？“
“IcannotsaythatIdounlessitwerethathewishedtobe
abletodenyhissignatureifanactionforbreachofpromisewere
instituted。”
“No，thatwasnotthepoint。However，Ishallwritetwo
letters，whichshouldsettlethematter。Oneistoafirminthe
City，theotheristotheyounglady”sstepfather，Mr。Windibank，
askinghimwhetherhecouldmeetushereatsixo”clockto-morrow
evening。Itisjustaswellthatweshoulddobusinesswiththe
malerelatives。Andnow，Doctor，wecandonothinguntilthe
answerstothoseletterscome，sowemayputourlittleproblem
upontheshelffortheinterim。”
Ihadhadsomanyreasonstobelieveinmyfriend”ssubtle
powersofreasoningandextraordinaryenergyinactionthatIfelt
thathemusthavesomesolidgroundsfortheassuredandeasy
demeanourwithwhichhetreatedthesingularmysterywhichhehad
beencalledupontofathom。OnceonlyhadIknownhimtofail，in
thecaseoftheKingofBohemiaandoftheIreneAdlerphotograph；
butwhenIlookedbacktotheweirdbusinessof`TheSignof
Four”，andtheextraordinarycircumstancesconnectedwith`AStudy
inScarlet”，Ifeltthatitwouldbeastrangetangleindeedwhich
hecouldnotunravel。
Ilefthimthen，stillpuffingathisblackclaypipe，with
theconvictionthatwhenIcameagainonthenexteveningIwould
findthatheheldinhishandsalltheclueswhichwouldleadup
totheidentityofthedisappearingbridegroomofMissMary
Sutherland。
Aprofessionalcaseofgreatgravitywasengagingmyown
attentionatthetime，andthewholeofnextdayIwasbusyatthe
bedsideofthesufferer。Itwasnotuntilcloseuponsixo”clock
thatIfoundmyselffreeandwasabletospringintoahansomand
drivetoBakerStreet，halfafraidthatImightbetoolateto
assistatthedenouementofthelittlemystery。IfoundSherlock
Holmesalone，however，halfasleep，withhislong，thinform
curledupintherecessesofhisarmchair。Aformidablearrayof
bottlesandtest-tubes，withthepungentcleanlysmellof
hydrochloricacid，toldmethathehadspenthisdayinthe
chemicalworkwhichwassodeartohim。“Well，haveyousolvedit？“IaskedasIentered。“Yes。Itwasthebisulphateofbaryta。”“No，no，themystery！“Icried。
“Oh，that！IthoughtofthesaltthatIhavebeenworking
upon。Therewasneveranymysteryinthematter，though，asI
saidyesterday，someofthedetailsareofinterest。Theonly
drawbackisthatthereisnolaw，Ifear，thatcantouchthe
scoundrel。”
“Whowashe，then，andwhatwashisobjectindesertingMiss
Sutherland？“
Thequestionwashardlyoutofmymouth，andHolmeshadnot
yetopenedhislipstoreply，whenweheardaheavyfootfallin
thepassageandatapatthedoor。
“Thisisthegirl”sstepfather，Mr。JamesWindibank，“said
Holmes。“Hehaswrittentometosaythathewouldbehereat
six。Comein！“
Themanwhoenteredwasasturdy，middle-sizedfellow，some
thirtyyearsofage，clean-shaven，andsallow-skinned，witha
bland，insinuatingmanner，andapairofwonderfullysharpand
penetratinggrayeyes。Heshotaquestioningglanceateachof
us，placedhisshinytop-hatuponthesideboard，andwithaslight
bowsidleddownintothenearestchair。
“Good-evening，Mr。JamesWindibank，“saidHolmes。“Ithink
thatthistypewrittenletterisfromyou，inwhichyoumadean
appointmentwithmeforsixo”clock？“
“Yes，sir。IamafraidthatIamalittlelate，butIamnot
quitemyownmaster，youknow。IamsorrythatMissSutherland
hastroubledyouaboutthislittlematter，forIthinkitisfar
betternottowashlinenofthesortinpublic。Itwasquite
againstmywishesthatshecame，butsheisaveryexcitable，
impulsivegirl，asyoumayhavenoticed，andsheisnoteasily
controlledwhenshehasmadeuphermindonapoint。Ofcourse，I
didnotmindyousomuch，asyouarenotconnectedwiththe
officialpolice，butitisnotpleasanttohaveafamily
misfortunelikethisnoisedabroad。Besides，itisauseless
expense，forhowcouldyoupossiblyfindthisHosmerAngel？“
“Onthecontrary，“saidHolmesquietly；“Ihaveeveryreason
tobelievethatIwillsucceedindiscoveringMr。HosmerAngel。”
Mr。Windibankgaveaviolentstartanddroppedhisgloves。“I
amdelightedtohearit，“hesaid。
“Itisacuriousthing，“remarkedHolmes，“thatatypewriter
hasreallyquiteasmuchindividualityasaman”shandwriting。
Unlesstheyarequitenew，notwoofthemwriteexactlyalike。
Somelettersgetmorewornthanothers，andsomewearonlyonone
side。Now，youremarkinthisnoteofyours，Mr。Windibank，that
ineverycasethereissomelittleslurringoverofthe`e”anda
slightdefectinthetailofthe`r。”Therearefourteenother
characteristics，butthosearethemoreobvious。”
“Wedoallourcorrespondencewiththismachineattheoffice，
andnodoubtitisalittleworn，“ourvisitoranswered，glancing
keenlyatHolmeswithhisbrightlittleeyes。
“AndnowIwillshowyouwhatisreallyaveryinteresting
study，Mr。Windibank，“Holmescontinued。“Ithinkofwriting
anotherlittlemonographsomeofthesedaysonthetypewriterand
itsrelationtocrime。ItisasubjecttowhichIhavedevoted
somelittleattention。Ihaveherefourletterswhichpurportto
comefromthemissingman。Theyarealltypewritten。Ineach
case，notonlyarethe`e”s”slurredandthe`r”s”tailless，but
youwillobserve，ifyoucaretousemymagnifyinglens，thatthe
fourteenothercharacteristicstowhichIhavealludedarethere
aswell。”
Mr。Windibanksprangoutofhischairandpickeduphishat。
“Icannotwastetimeoverthissortoffantastictalk，Mr。
Holmes，“hesaid。“Ifyoucancatchtheman，catchhim，andlet
meknowwhenyouhavedoneit。”
“Certainly，“saidHolmes，steppingoverandturningthekeyin
thedoor。“Iletyouknow，then，thatIhavecaughthim！“
“What！where？“shoutedMr。Windibank，turningwhitetohis
lipsandglancingabouthimlikearatinatrap。
“Oh，itwon”tdo——reallyitwon”t，“saidHolmessuavely。
“Thereisnopossiblegettingoutofit，Mr。Windibank。Itis
quitetootransparent，anditwasaverybadcomplimentwhenyou
saidthatitwasimpossibleformetosolvesosimpleaquestion。
That”sright！Sitdownandletustalkitover。”
Ourvisitorcollapsedintoachair，withaghastlyfaceanda
glitterofmoistureonhisbrow。“It——it”snotactionable，“he
stammered。
“Iamverymuchafraidthatitisnot。Butbetweenourselves，
Windibank，itwasascruelandselfishandheartlessatrickina
pettywayasevercamebeforeme。Now，letmejustrunoverthe
courseofevents，andyouwillcontradictmeifIgowrong。”
Themansathuddledupinhischair，withhisheadsunkupon
hisbreast，likeonewhoisutterlycrushed。Holmesstuckhis
feetuponthecornerofthemantelpieceand，leaningbackwith
hishandsinhispockets，begantalking，rathertohimself，asit
seemed，thantous。
“Themanmarriedawomanverymucholderthanhimselfforher
money，“saidhe，“andheenjoyedtheuseofthemoneyofthe
daughteraslongasshelivedwiththem。Itwasaconsiderable
sum，forpeopleintheirposition，andthelossofitwouldhave
madeaseriousdifference。Itwasworthanefforttopreserveit。
Thedaughterwasofagood，amiabledisposition，butaffectionate
andwarm-heartedinherways，sothatitwasevidentthatwithher
fairpersonaladvantages，andherlittleincome，shewouldnotbe
allowedtoremainsinglelong。Nowhermarriagewouldmean，of
course，thelossofahundredayear，sowhatdoesherstepfather
dotopreventit？Hetakestheobviouscourseofkeepingherat
homeandforbiddinghertoseekthecompanyofpeopleofherown
age。Butsoonhefoundthatthatwouldnotanswerforever。She
becamerestive，insisteduponherrights，andfinallyannounced
herpositiveintentionofgoingtoacertainball。Whatdoesher
cleverstepfatherdothen？Heconceivesanideamorecreditable
tohisheadthantohisheart。Withtheconnivanceandassistance
ofhiswifehedisguisedhimself，coveredthosekeeneyeswith
tintedglasses，maskedthefacewithamoustacheandapairof
bushywhiskers，sunkthatclearvoiceintoaninsinuatingwhisper，
anddoublysecureonaccountofthegirl”sshortsight，heappears
asMr。HosmerAngel，andkeepsoffotherloversbymakinglove
himself。”
“Itwasonlyajokeatfirst，“groanedourvisitor。“Wenever
thoughtthatshewouldhavebeensocarriedaway。”
“Verylikelynot。Howeverthatmaybe，theyoungladywas
verydecidedlycarriedaway，and，havingquitemadeuphermind
thatherstepfatherwasinFrance，thesuspicionoftreachery
neverforaninstantenteredhermind。Shewasflatteredbythe
gentleman”sattentions，andtheeffectwasincreasedbytheloudly
expressedadmirationofhermother。ThenMr。Angelbegantocall，
foritwasobviousthatthemattershouldbepushedasfarasit
wouldgoifarealeffectweretobeproduced。Therewere
meetings，andanengagement，whichwouldfinallysecurethegirl”s
affectionsfromturningtowardsanyoneelse。Butthedeception
couldnotbekeptupforever。ThesepretendedjourneystoFrance
wererathercumbrous。Thethingtodowasclearlytobringthe
businesstoanendinsuchadramaticmannerthatitwouldleavea
permanentimpressionupontheyounglady”smindandpreventher
fromlookinguponanyothersuitorforsometimetocome。Hence
thosevowsoffidelityexacteduponaTestament，andhencealso
theallusionstoapossibilityofsomethinghappeningonthevery
morningofthewedding。JamesWindibankwishedMissSutherlandto
besoboundtoHosmerAngel，andsouncertainastohisfate，that
fortenyearstocome，atanyrate，shewouldnotlistento
anotherman。Asfarasthechurchdoorhebroughther，andthen，
ashecouldgonofarther，heconvenientlyvanishedawaybythe
oldtrickofsteppinginatonedoorofafour-wheelerandoutat
theother。Ithinkthatthatwasthechainofevents，Mr。
Windibank！“
Ourvisitorhadrecoveredsomethingofhisassurancewhile
Holmeshadbeentalking，andherosefromhischairnowwitha
coldsneeruponhispaleface。
“Itmaybeso，oritmaynot，Mr。Holmes，“saidhe，“butif
youaresoverysharpyououghttobesharpenoughtoknowthatit
isyouwhoarebreakingthelawnow，andnotme。Ihavedone
nothingactionablefromthefirst，butaslongasyoukeep，that
doorlockedyoulayyourselfopentoanactionforassaultand
illegalconstraint。
“Thelawcannot，asyousay，touchyou，“saidHolmes，
unlockingandthrowingopenthedoor，“yetthereneverwasaman
whodeservedpunishmentmore。Iftheyoungladyhasabrotheror
afriend，heoughttolayawhipacrossyourshoulders。ByJove！“
hecontinued，flushingupatthesightofthebittersneerupon
theman”sface，“itisnotpartofmydutiestomyclient，but
here”sahuntingcrophandy，andIthinkIshalljusttreatmyself
to”Hetooktwoswiftstepstothewhip，butbeforehecould
graspittherewasawildclatterofstepsuponthestairs，the
heavyhalldoorbanged，andfromthewindowwecouldseeMr。
JamesWindibankrunningatthetopofhisspeeddowntheroad。
“There”sacold-bloodedscoundrel！“saidHolmes，laughing，as
hethrewhimselfdownintohischaironcemore。“Thatfellowwill
risefromcrimetocrimeuntilhedoessomethingverybad，and
endsonagallows。Thecasehas，insomerespects，beennot
entirelydevoidofinterest。”
“Icannotnowentirelyseeallthestepsofyourreasoning，“I
remarked。
“Well，ofcourseitwasobviousfromthefirstthatthisMr。
HosmerAngelmusthavesomestrongobjectforhiscuriousconduct，
anditwasequallyclearthattheonlymanwhoreallyprofitedby
theincident，asfaraswecouldsee，wasthestepfather。Then
thefactthatthetwomenwerenevertogether，butthattheone
alwaysappearedwhentheotherwasaway，wassuggestive。Sowere
thetintedspectaclesandthecuriousvoice，whichbothhintedat
adisguise，asdidthebushywhiskers。Mysuspicionswereall
confirmedbyhispeculiaractionintypewritinghissignature，
which，ofcourse，inferredthathishandwritingwassofamiliarto
herthatshewouldrecognizeeventhesmallestsampleofit。You
seealltheseisolatedfacts，togetherwithmanyminorones，all
pointedinthesamedirection。”“Andhowdidyouverifythem？“
“Havingoncespottedmyman，itwaseasytogetcorroboration。
Iknewthefirmforwhichthismanworked。Havingtakenthe
printeddescription，Ieliminatedeverythingfromitwhichcould
betheresultofadisguise——thewhiskers，theglasses，thevoice，
andIsentittothefirm，witharequestthattheywouldinform
mewhetheritansweredtothedescriptionofanyoftheir
travellers。Ihadalreadynoticedthepeculiaritiesofthe
typewriter，andIwrotetothemanhimselfathisbusiness
address，askinghimifhewouldcomehere。AsIexpected，his
replywastypewrittenandrevealedthesametrivialbut
characteristicdefects。Thesamepostbroughtmealetterfrom
Westhouse&Marbank，ofFenchurchStreet，tosaythatthe
descriptiontalliedineveryrespectwiththatoftheiremployee，
JamesWindibank。Voilatout！““AndMissSutherland？“
“IfItellhershewillnotbelieveme。Youmayrememberthe
oldPersiansaying，`Thereisdangerforhimwhotakeththetiger
cub，anddangeralsoforwhososnatchesadelusionfromawoman。”
ThereisasmuchsenseinHafizasinHorace，andasmuch
knowledgeoftheworld。”。
1891
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THESCANDALINBOHEMIA
bySirArthurConanDoyle
1
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman。Ihaveseldomheard
himmentionherunderanyothername。Inhiseyessheeclipsesand
predominatesthewholeofhersex。Itwasnotthathefeltanyemotion
akintoloveforIreneAdler。Allemotions，andthatoneparticularly，
wereabhorrenttohiscold，precisebutadmirablybalancedmind。He
was，Itakeit，themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachine
thattheworldhasseen，butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimself
inafalseposition。Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions，save
withagibeandasneer。Theywereadmirablethingsforthe
observer-excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen”smotivesand
actions。Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsinto
hisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroducea
distractingfactorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismental
results。Gritinasensitiveinstrument，oracrackinoneofhis
ownhigh-powerlenses，wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrong
emotioninanaturesuchashis。Andyettherewasbutonewomanto
him，andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler，ofdubiousand
questionablememory。
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately。Mymarriagehaddriftedus
awayfromeachother。Myowncompletehappiness，andthe
home-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfinds
himselfmasterofhisownestablishment，weresufficienttoabsorball
myattention，whileHolmes，wholoathedeveryformofsocietywithhis
wholeBohemiansoul，remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet，
buriedamonghisoldbooks，andalternatingfromweektoweek
betweencocaineandambition，thedrowsinessofthedrug，andthe
fierceenergyofhisownkeennature。Hewasstill，asever，deeply
attractedbythestudyofcrime，andoccupiedhisimmensefaculties
andextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthose
clues，andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedas
hopelessbytheofficialpolice。FromtimetotimeIheardsome
vagueaccountofhisdoings：ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseof
theTrepoffmurder，ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyof
theAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee，andfinallyofthemissionwhich
hehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigning
familyofHolland。Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity，however，
whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress，I
knewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion。
Onenight-itwasonthetwentiethofMarch，1888-Iwasreturning
fromajourneytoapatientforIhadnowreturnedtocivil
practice，whenmywayledmethroughBakerStreet。AsIpassedthe
well-remembereddoor，whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymind
withmywooing，andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyinScarlet，I
wasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain，andtoknowhow
hewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers。Hisroomswere
brilliantlylit，and，evenasIlookedup，Isawhistall，spare
figurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind。Hewas
pacingtheroomswiftly，eagerly，withhisheadsunkuponhischest
andhishandsclaspedbehindhim。Tome，whoknewhiseverymoodand
habit，hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory。Hewasatwork
again。Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotupon
thescentofsomenewproblem。Irangthebellandwasshownuptothe
chamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown。
Hismannerwasnoteffusive。Itseldomwas；buthewasglad，I
think，toseeme。Withhardlyawordspoken，butwithakindlyeye，he
wavedmetoanarmchair，threwacrosshiscaseofcigars，and
indicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner。Thenhestood
beforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospective
fashion。
“Wedlocksuitsyou，“heremarked。“Ithink，Watson，thatyouhave
putonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou。”
“Seven！“Ianswered。
“Indeed，Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore。justatriflemore，
Ifancy，Watson。Andinpracticeagain，Iobserve。Youdidnottellme
thatyouintendedtogointoharness。”
“Then，howdoyouknow？”
“Iseeit，Ideduceit。HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengetting
yourselfverywetlately，andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcareless
servantgirl？“
“MydearHolmes，“saidI，“thisistoomuch。Youwouldcertainly
havebeenburned，hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago。ItistruethatI
hadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeinadreadfulmess，but
asIhavechangedmyclothesIcan”timaginehowyoudeduceit。As
toMaryJane，sheisincorrigible，andmywifehasgivenhernotice；
butthere，again，Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout。”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong，nervoushandstogether。
“Itissimplicityitself，“saidhe；“myeyestellmethatonthe
insideofyourleftshoe，justwherethefirelightstrikesit，the
leatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts。Obviouslytheyhave
beencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedges
ofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedmudfromit。Hence，yousee，my
doubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather，andthatyou
hadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondon
slavey。Astoyourpractice，ifagentlemanwalksintomyrooms
smellingofiodoform，withablackmarkofnitrateofsilverupon
hisrightforefinger，andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hat
toshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope，Imustbedull，indeed，
ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactivememberofthemedical
profession。”
Icouldnothelplaughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhis
processofdeduction。“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons，“Iremarked，
“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatI
couldeasilydoitmyself，thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceof
yourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocessAndyetI
believethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours。”
“Quiteso，“heanswered，lightingacigarette，andthrowing
himselfdownintoanarmchair。“Yousee，butyoudonotobserve。The
distinctionisclear。Forexample，youhavefrequentlyseenthe
stepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom。”
“Frequently。”
“Howoften？“
“Well，somehundredsoftimes。”
“Thenhowmanyarethere？“
“Howmany？Idon”tknow。”
“Quiteso！Youhavenotobserved。Andyetyouhaveseen。Thatis
justmypoint。Now，Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps，becauseI
havebothseenandobserved。Bytheway，sinceyouareinterestedin
theselittleproblems，andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicle
oneortwoofmytriflingexperiences，youmaybeinterestedinthis。”
Hethrewoverasheetofthick，pink-tintednote-paperwhichhad
beenlyingopenuponthetable。“Itcamebythelastpost，“saidhe。
“Readitaloud。”
Thenotewasundated，andwithouteithersignatureoraddress。
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night，ataquartertoeighto”clock
[itsaid]，agentlemanwhodesirestoconsultyouuponamatterofthe
verydeepestmoment。Yourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhouses
ofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwith
matterswhichareofanimportancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated。
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived。Beinyour
chamberthenatthathour，anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitor
wearamask。
“Thisisindeedamystery，“Iremarked。“Whatdoyouimaginethatit
means？“
“Ihavenodatayet。Itisacapitalmistaketotheorizebefore
onehasdata。Insensiblyonebeginstotwistfactstosuittheories，
insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts。Butthenoteitself。Whatdoyou
deducefromit？“
Icarefullyexaminedthewriting，andthepaperuponwhichitwas
written。
“Themanwhowroteitwaspresumablywelltodo，“Iremarked，
endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion”sprocesses。“Suchpapercould
notbeboughtunderhalfacrownapacket。Itispeculiarlystrongand
stiff。”
“Peculiar-thatistheveryword，“saidHolmes。“Itisnotan
Englishpaperatall。Holdituptothelight。”
Ididso，andsawalarge`E”withasmall`g”，a`P”andalarge
`G”withasmall`t”wovenintothetextureofthepaper。
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat？“askedHolmes。
“Thenameofthemaker，nodoubt；orhismonogram，rather。”
“Notatall。The`G”withthesmall`t”standsfor`Gesellschaft”
whichistheGermanfor`Company。”Itisacustomarycontraction
likeour`Co。”`P”ofcourse，standsfor`Papier。”Nowforthe
`Eg。”LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer。”Hetookdowna
heavybrownvolumefromhisshelves。“Eglow，Eglonitz-hereweare，
Egria。ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry-inBohemia，notfarfrom
Carlsbad。`Remarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathof
Wallenstein，andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills。”
Ha，ha，myboy，whatdoyoumakeofthat？”Hiseyessparkled，andhe
sentupagreatbluetriumphantcloudfromhiscigarette。
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia，“Isaid。
“Precisely。AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman。Doyou
notethepeculiarconstructionofthesentence-`Thisaccountofyou
wehavefromallquartersreceived。”AFrenchmanorRussiancould
nothavewrittenthat。ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohis
verbs。Itonlyremains，therefore，todiscoverwhatiswantedby
thisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperandpreferswearinga
masktoshowinghisface。Andherehecomes，ifIamnotmistaken，
toresolveallourdoubts。”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses”hoofsandgrating
wheelsagainstthecurb，followedbyasharppullatthebell。
Holmeswhistled。
“Apair，bythesound，“saidhe。“Yes，“hecontinued，glancingout
ofthewindow。“Anicelittlebroughamandapairofbeauties。A
hundredandfiftyguineasapiece。There”smoneyinthiscase，
Watson，ifthereisnothingelse。”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo，Holmes。”
“Notabit，Doctor。Staywhereyouare。Iamlostwithoutmy
Boswell。Andthispromisestobeinteresting。Itwouldbeapityto
missit。”
“Butyourclient-“
“Nevermindhim。Imaywantyourhelp，andsomayhe。Herehecomes。
Sitdowninthatarmchair，Doctor，andgiveusyourbestattention。”
Aslowandheavystep，whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandin
thepassage，pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor。Thentherewasa
loudandauthoritativetap。
“Comein！“saidHolmes。
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsix
inchesinheight，withthechestandlimbsofaHercules。Hisdress
wasrichwitharichnesswhichwould，inEngland，helookeduponas
akintobadtaste。Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthe
sleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat，whilethedeepblue
cloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwith
flame-colouredsilkandsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhich
consistedofasingleflamingberyl。Bootswhichextendedhalfwayup
hiscalves，andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrownfur，
completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedby
hiswholeappearance。Hecarriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand，
whileheworeacrosstheupperpartofhisface，extendingdownpast
thecheekbones，ablackvizardmask，whichhehadapparently
adjustedthatverymoment，forhishandwasstillraisedtoitashe
entered。Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanof
strongcharacter，withathick，hanginglip，andalong，straightchin
suggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy。
“Youhadmynote？“heaskedwithadeepharshvoiceandastrongly
markedGermanaccent。“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall。”Helookedfrom
onetotheotherofus，asifuncertainwhichtoaddress。
“Praytakeaseat，“saidHolmes。“Thisismyfriendandcolleague，
Dr。Watson，whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases。
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress？“
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm，aBohemiannobleman。I
understandthatthisgentleman，yourfriend，isamanofhonourand
discretion，whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextreme
importance。Ifnot，Ishouldmuchprefertocommunicatewithyou
alone。”
Irosetogo，butHolmescaughtmebythewristandpushedmeback
intomychair。“Itisboth，ornone，“saidhe。“Youmaysaybefore
thisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome。”
TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders。“ThenImustbegin，“said
he，“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears；attheend
ofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance。Atpresentitisnot
toomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhaveaninfluence
uponEuropeanhistory。”
“Ipromise，“saidHolmes。
“AndI。”
“Youwillexcusethismask，“continuedourstrangevisitor。“The
augustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobeunknowntoyou，
andImayconfessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalled
myselfisnotexactlymyown。”
“Iwasawareofit，“saidHolmesdrily。
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy，andeveryprecautionhas
tobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandaland
seriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope。To
speakplainly，thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein，
hereditarykingsofBohemia。”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat，“murmuredHolmes，settlinghimselfdown
inhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes。
Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid，
loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimas
themostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope。
Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgigantic
client。
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase，“he
remarked，“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou。”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroomin
uncontrollableagitation。Then，withagestureofdesperation，hetore
themaskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground。“Youareright，“
hecried；“IamtheKing。WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit？“
“Why，indeed？“murmuredHolmes。“YourMajestyhadnotspoken
beforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreich
SigismondvonOrmstein，GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein，and
hereditaryKingofBohemia。”
“Butyoucanunderstand，“saidourstrangevisitor，sittingdown
oncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhiteforehead，“you
canunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmy
ownperson。YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideit
toanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower。Ihavecomeincognito
fromPragueforthepurposeofconsultingyou。”
“Then，prayconsult，“saidHolmes，shuttinghiseyesoncemore。