“ItwasasiftheairofItalyhadgotintohisbloodandbrought
withittheoldcruelItalianspirit。Hewrotetomeandsentmea
copyofhisbookthatImighthavethetortureofanticipation。
Thereweretwocopies，hesaid-oneforme，oneforhispublisher。”
“Howdidyouknowthepublisher”shadnotreachedhim？“
“Iknewwhohispublisherwas。Itisnothisonlynovel，youknow。I
foundoutthathehadnotheardfromItaly。ThencameDouglas”ssudden
death。Solongasthatothermanuscriptwasintheworldtherewas
nosafetyforme。Ofcourse，itmustbeamonghiseffects，andthese
wouldbereturnedtohismother。Isetthegangatwork。Oneofthem
gotintothehouseasservant。Iwantedtodothethinghonestly。I
reallyandtrulydid。Iwasreadytobuythehouseandeverythingin
it。Iofferedanypriceshecaredtoask。Ionlytriedtheotherway
wheneverythingelsehadfailed。Now，Mr。Holmes，grantingthatI
wastoohardonDouglas-and，Godknows，Iamsorryforit！-whatelse
couldIdowithmywholefutureatstake？“
SherlockHolmesshruggedhisshoulders。
“Well，well，“saidhe，“IsupposeIshallhavetocompounda
felonyasusual。Howmuchdoesitcosttogoroundtheworldin
first-classstyle？“
Theladystaredinamazement。
“Coulditbedoneonfivethousandpounds？“
“Well，Ishouldthinkso，indeed！“
“Verygood。Ithinkyouwillsignmeacheckforthat，andIwill
seethatitcomestoMrs。Maberley。Youoweheralittlechangeof
air。Meantime，lady“-hewaggedacautionaryforefinger-“haveacare！
Haveacare！Youcan”tplaywithedgedtoolsforeverwithoutcutting
thosedaintyhands。”-
THEEND。
1925
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEADVENTUREOFTHETHREEGARRIDEBS
bySirArthurConanDoyle
Itmayhavebeenacomedy，oritmayhavebeenatragedy。Itcost
onemanhisreason，itcostmeablood-letting，anditcostyet
anothermanthepenaltiesofthelaw。Yettherewascertainlyan
elementofcomedy。Well，youshalljudgeforyourselves。
Irememberthedateverywell，foritwasinthesamemonththat
Holmesrefusedaknighthoodforserviceswhichmayperhapssomedaybe
described。Ionlyrefertothematterinpassing，forinmyposition
ofpartnerandconfidantIamobligedtobeparticularlycarefulto
avoidanyindiscretion。Irepeat，however，thatthisenablesmetofix
thedate，whichwasthelatterendofJune，1902，shortlyafterthe
conclusionoftheSouthAfricanWar。Holmeshadspentseveraldays
inbed，aswashishabitfromtimetotime，butheemergedthat
morningwithalongfoolscapdocumentinhishandandatwinkleof
amusementinhisausteregrayeyes。
“Thereisachanceforyoutomakesomemoney，friendWatson，“
saidhe。“HaveyoueverheardthenameofGarrideb？“
IadmittedthatIhadnot。
“Well，ifyoucanlayyourhanduponaGarrideb，there”smoneyin
it。”
“Why？“
“Ah，that”salongstory-ratherawhimsicalone，too。Idon”tthink
inallourexplorationsofhumancomplexitieswehaveevercomeupon
anythingmoresingular。Thefellowwillbeherepresentlyfor
cross-examination，soIwon”topenthematteruptillhecomes。But，
meanwhile，that”sthenamewewant。”
Thetelephonedirectorylayonthetablebesideme，andIturned
overthepagesinaratherhopelessquest。Buttomyamazementthere
wasthisstrangenameinitsdueplace。Igaveacryoftriumph。
“Hereyouare，Holmes！Hereitis！“
Holmestookthebookfrommyhand。
“”Garrideb，N。”“heread，136LittleRyderStreet，W。”Sorryto
disappointyou，mydearWatson，butthisisthemanhimself。Thatis
theaddressuponhisletter。Wewantanothertomatchhim。”
Mrs。Hudsonhadcomeinwithacarduponatray。Itookitupand
glancedatit。
“Why，hereitis！“Icriedinamazement。“Thisisadifferent
initial。JohnGarrideb，CounselloratLaw，Moorville，Kansas，U。S。A。”
Holmessmiledashelookedatthecard。“Iamafraidyoumustmake
yetanothereffort，Watson，“saidhe。“Thisgentlemanisalsointhe
plotalready，thoughIcertainlydidnotexpecttoseehimthis
morning。However，heisinapositiontotellusagooddealwhichI
wanttoknow。”
Amomentlaterhewasintheroom。Mr。JohnGarrideb，Counsellor
atLaw，wasashort，powerfulmanwiththeround，fresh，
clean-shavenfacecharacteristicofsomanyAmericanmenofaffairs。
Thegeneraleffectwaschubbyandratherchildlike，sothatone
receivedtheimpressionofquiteayoungmanwithabroadsetsmile
uponhisface。Hiseyes，however，werearresting。Seldominany
humanheadhaveIseenapairwhichbespokeamoreintenseinward
life，sobrightwerethey，soalert，soresponsivetoeverychange
ofthought。HisaccentwasAmerican，butwasnotaccompaniedbyany
eccentricityofspeech。
“Mr。Holmes？“heasked，glancingfromonetotheother。“Ah，yes！
Yourpicturesarenotunlikeyou，sir，ifImaysayso。Ibelieve
youhavehadaletterfrommynamesake，Mr。NathanGarrideb，have
younot？“
“Praysitdown，“saidSherlockHolmes。“Weshall，Ifancy，havea
gooddealtodiscuss。”Hetookuphissheetsoffoolscap。“Youare，of
course，theMr。JohnGarridebmentionedinthisdocument。Butsurely
youhavebeeninEnglandsometime？“
“Whydoyousaythat，Mr。Holmes？“Iseemedtoreadsuddensuspicion
inthoseexpressiveeyes。
“YourwholeoutfitisEnglish。”
Mr。Garridebforcedalaugh。“I”vereadofyourtricks，Mr。
Holmes，butIneverthoughtIwouldbethesubjectofthem。Wheredo
youreadthat？“
“Theshouldercutofyourcoat，thetoesofyourboots-couldanyone
doubtit？“
“Well，well，IhadnoideaIwassoobviousaBritisher。But
businessbroughtmeoverwheresometimeago，andso，asyousay，my
outfitisnearlyallLondon。However，Iguessyourtimeisofvalue，
andwedidnotmeettotalkaboutthecutofmysocks。Whatabout
gettingdowntothatpaperyouholdinyourhand？“
Holmeshadinsomewayruffledourvisitor，whosechubbyfacehad
assumedafarlessamiableexpression。
“Patience！Patience，Mr。Garrideb！“saidmyfriendinasoothing
voice。“Dr。Watsonwouldtellyouthattheselittledigressionsof
minesometimesproveintheendtohavesomebearingonthematter。
ButwhydidMr。NathanGarridebnotcomewithyou？“
“Whydidheeverdragyouintoitatall？“askedourvisitorwith
asuddenoutflameofanger。“Whatinthunderhadyoutodowithit？
Herewasabitofprofessionalbusinessbetweentwogentlemen，andone
ofthemmustneedscallinadetective！Isawhimthismorning，andhe
toldmethisfool-trickhehadplayedme，andthat”swhyIamhere。
ButIfeelbadaboutit，allthesame。”
“Therewasnoreflectionuponyou，Mr。Garrideb。Itwassimply
zealuponhisparttogainyourend-anendwhichis，Iunderstand，
equallyvitalforbothofyou。HeknewthatIhadmeansofgetting
information，and，therefore，itwasverynaturalthatheshould
applytome。”
Ourvisitor”sangryfacegraduallycleared。
“Well，thatputsitdifferent，“saidhe。“WhenIwenttoseehim
thismorningandhetoldmehehadsenttoadetective，Ijustasked
foryouraddressandcamerightaway。Idon”twantpolicebuttinginto
aprivatematter。Butifyouarecontentjusttohelpusfindtheman，
therecanbenoharminthat。”
“Well，thatisjusthowitstands，“saidHolmes。“Andnow，sir，
sinceyouarehere，wehadbesthaveaclearaccountfromyourown
lips。Myfriendhereknowsnothingofthedetails。”
Mr。Garridebsurveyedmewithnottoofriendlyagaze。
“Needheknow？“beasked。
“Weusuallyworktogether。”
“Well，there”snoreasonitshouldbekeptasecret。I”llgiveyou
thefactsasshortasIcanmakethem。IfyoucamefromKansasIwould
notneedtoexplaintoyouwhoAlexanderHamiltonGarridebwas。He
madehismoneyinrealestate，andafterwardsinthewheatpitat
Chicago，buthespentitinbuyingupasmuchlandaswouldmakeone
ofyourcounties，lyingalongtheArkansasRiver，westofFort
Dodge。It”sgrazing-landandlumber-landandarable-landand
mineralizedland，andjusteverysortoflandthatbringsdollarsto
themanthatownsit。
Hehadnokithnorkin-or，ifhehad，Ineverheardofit。Buthe
tookakindofprideinthequeernessofhisname。Thatwaswhat
broughtustogether。IwasinthelawatTopeka，andonedayIhada
visitfromtheoldman，andhewastickledtodeathtomeetanother
manwithhisownname。Itwashispetfad，andhewasdeadsettofind
outiftherewereanymoreGarridebsintheworld。”Findme
another！”saidhe。ItoldhimIwasabusymanandcouldnotspend
mylifehikingroundtheworldinsearchofGarridebs。”Nonethe
less”saidhe，”thatisjustwhatyouwilldoifthingspanoutas
Iplannedthem。”Ithoughthewasjoking，buttherewasapowerfullot
ofmeaninginthewords，asIwassoontodiscover。
“Forhediedwithinayearofsayingthem，andheleftawillbehind
him。ItwasthequeerestwillthathaseverbeenfiledintheStateof
Kansas。Hispropertywasdividedintothreeparts，andIwastohave
oneonconditionthatIfoundtwoGarridebswhowouldsharethe
remainder。It”sfivemilliondollarsforeachifitisacent，but
wecan”tlayafingeronituntilweallthreestandinarow。
“ItwassobigachancethatIjustletmylegalpracticeslide
andIsetforthlookingforGarridebs。Thereisnotoneinthe
UnitedStates。Iwentthroughit，sir，withafine-toothedcomband
neveraGarridebcouldIcatch。ThenItriedtheoldcountry。Sure
enoughtherewasthenameintheLondontelephonedirectory。Iwent
afterhimtwodaysagoandexplainedthewholemattertohim。Buthe
isaloneman，likemyself，withsomewomenrelations，butnomen。
Itsaysthreeadultmeninthewill。Soyouseewestillhavea
vacancy，andifyoucanhelptofillitwewillbeveryreadytopay
yourcharges。”
“Well，Watson，“saidHolmeswithasmile，“Isaiditwasrather
whimsical，didInot？Ishouldhavethought，sir，thatyourobvious
waywastoadvertiseintheagonycolumnsofthepapers。”
“Ihavedonethat，Mr。Holmes。Noreplies。”
“Dearme！Well，itiscertainlyamostcuriouslittleproblem。Imay
takeaglanceatitinmyleisure。Bytheway，itiscuriousthat
youshouldhavecomefromTopeka。Iusedtohaveacorrespondent-he
isdeadnow-oldDr。LysanderStarr，whowasmayorin1890。”
“GoodoldDr。Starr！“saidourvisitor。“Hisnameisstillhonoured。
Well，Mr。Holmes，Isupposeallwecandoistoreporttoyouand
letyouknowhowweprogress。Ireckonyouwillhearwithinadayor
two。”WiththisassuranceourAmericanbowedanddeparted。
Holmeshadlithispipe，andhesatforsometimewithacurious
smileuponhisface。
“Well？“Iaskedatlast。
“Iawondering，Watson-justwondering！“
“Atwhat？“
Holmestookhispipefromhislips。
“Iwaswondering，Watson，whatonearthcouldbetheobjectof
thismanintellingussucharigmaroleoflies。Inearlyaskedhim
so-fortherearetimeswhenabrutalfrontalattackisthebest
policy-butIjudgeditbettertolethimthinkhehadfooledus。Here
isamanwithanEnglishcoatfrayedattheelbowandtrousers
baggedatthekneewithayear”swear，andyetbythisdocumentandby
hisownaccountheisaprovincialAmericanlatelylandedinLondon。
Therehave，beennoadvertisementsintheagonycolumns。Youknowthat
Imissnothingthere。Theyaremyfavouritecovertforputtingupa
bird，andIwouldneverhaveoverlookedsuchacockpheasantas
that。IneverknewaDr。LysanderStarr，ofTopeka。Touchhimwhere
youwouldhewasfalse。IthinkthefellowisreallyanAmerican，
buthehaswornhisaccentsmoothwithyearsofLondon。Whatishis
game，then，andwhatmotiveliesbehindthispreposteroussearchfor
Garridebs？It”sworthourattention，for，grantingthatthemanisa
rascal，heiscertainlyacomplexandingeniousone。Wemustnow
findoutifourothercorrespondentisafraudalso。Justringhimup，
Watson。”
Ididso，andheardathin，quaveringvoiceattheotherendof
theline。
“Yes，yes，IamMr。NathanGarrideb。IsMr。Holmesthere？Ishould
verymuchliketohaveawordwithMr。Holmes。”
MyfriendtooktheinstrumentandIheardtheusualsyncopated
dialogue。
“Yes，hehasbeenhere。Iunderstandthatyoudon”tknowhim……How
long？……Onlytwodays！……Yes，yes，ofcourse，itisamost
captivatingprospect。Willyoubeathomethisevening？Isupposeyour
namesakewillnotbethere？……Verygood，wewillcomethen，forI
wouldratherhaveachatwithouthim……Dr。Watsonwillcomewith
me……Iunderstandfromyournotethatyoudidnotgooutoften……
Well，weshallberoundaboutsix。Youneednotmentionittothe
Americanlawyer……Verygood。Good-bye！“
Itwastwilightofalovelyspringevening，andevenLittleRyder
Street，oneofthesmalleroffshootsfromtheEdgwareRoad，withina
stone-castofoldTyburnTreeofevilmemory，lookedgoldenand
wonderfulintheslantingraysofthesettingsun。Theparticular
housetowhichweweredirectedwasalarge，old-fashioned，Early
Georgianedifice，withaflatbrickfacebrokenonlybytwodeepbay
windowsonthegroundfloor。Itwasonthisgroundfloorthatour
clientlived，and，indeed，thelowwindowsprovedtobethefrontof
thehugeroominwhichhespenthiswakinghours。Holmespointedaswe
passedtothesmallbrassplatewhichborethecuriousname。
“Upsomeyears，Watson，“heremarked，indicatingitsdiscoloured
surface。“It”shisrealname，anyhow，andthatissomethingtonote。”
Thehousehadacommonstair，andtherewereanumberofnames
paintedinthehall，someindicatingofficesandsomeprivate
chambers。Itwasnotacollectionofresidentialflats，butratherthe
abodeofBohemianbachelors。Ourclientopenedthedoorforushimself
andapologizedbysayingthatthewomaninchargeleftatfour
o”clock。Mr。NathanGarridebprovedtobeaverytall，
loose-jointed，round-backedperson，gauntandbald，somesixty-odd
yearsofage。Hehadacadaverousface，withthedulldeadskinofa
mantowhomexercisewasunknown。Largeroundspectaclesandasmall
projectinggoat”sbeardcombinedwithhisstoopingattitudetogive
himanexpressionofpeeringcuriosity。Thegeneraleffect，however，
wasamiable，thougheccentric。
Theroomwasascuriousasitsoccupant。Itlookedlikeasmall
museum。Itwasbothbroadanddeep，withcupboardsandcabinetsall
round，crowdedwithspecimens，geologicalandanatomical。Casesof
butterfliesandmothsflankedeachsideoftheentrance。Alargetable
inthecentrewaslitteredwithallsortsofdebris，whilethetall
brasstubeofapowerfulmicroscopebristledupamongthem。AsI
glancedroundIwassurprisedattheuniversalityoftheman”s
interests。Herewasacaseofancientcoins。Therewasacabinetof
flintinstruments。Behindhiscentraltablewasalargecupboardof
fossilbones。Abovewasalineofplasterskullswithsuchnamesas
“Neanderthal，““Heidelberg，““Cro-Magnon“printedbeneaththem。Itwas
clearthathewasastudentofmanysubjects。Ashestoodinfront
ofusnow，heheldapieceofchamoisleatherinhisrighthandwith
whichhewaspolishingacoin。
“Syracusan-ofthebestperiod，“heexplained，boldingitup。
“Theydegeneratedgreatlytowardstheend。AttheirbestIholdthem
supreme，thoughsomeprefertheAlexandrianschool。Youwillfinda
chairhere，Mr。Holmes。Prayallowmetoclearthesebones。Andyou，
sir-ah，yes，Dr。Watson-ifyouwouldhavethegoodnesstoputthe
japanesevasetooneside。Youseeroundmemylittleinterestsin
life。Mydoctorlecturesmeaboutnevergoingout，butwhyshouldIgo
outwhenIhavesomuchtoholdmehere？Icanassureyouthatthe
adequatecataloguingofoneofthosecabinetswouldtakemethreegood
months。”
Holmeslookedroundhimwithcuriosity。
“Butdoyoutellmethatyounevergoout？“hesaid。
“NowandagainIdrivedowntoSotheby”sorChristie”s。Otherwise
Iveryseldomleavemyroom。Iamnottoostrong，andmyresearches
areveryabsorbing。Butyoucanimagine，Mr。Holmes，whataterrific
shock-pleasantbutterrific-itwasformewhenIheardofthis
unparalleledgoodfortune。ItonlyneedsonemoreGarridebtocomplete
thematter，andsurelywecanfindone。Ihadabrother，buthiis
dead，andfemalerelativesaredisqualified。Buttheremustsurely
beothersintheworld。Ihadheardthatyouhandledstrangecases，
andthatwaswhyIsenttoyou。Ofcourse，thisAmericangentleman
isquiteright，andIshouldhavetakenhisadvicefirst，butI
actedforthebest。”
“Ithinkyouactedverywiselyindeed，“saidHolmes。“Butareyou
reallyanxioustoacquireanestateinAmerica？“
“Certainlynot，sir。Nothingwouldinducemetoleavemycollection。
Butthisgentlemanhasassuredmethathewillbuymeoutassoonas
wehaveestablishedourclaim。Fivemilliondollarswasthesumnamed。
Thereareadozenspecimensinthemarketatthepresentmoment
whichfillgapsinmycollection，andwhichIamunabletopurchase
forwantofafewhundredpounds。JustthinkwhatIcoulddowithfive
milliondollars。Why，Ihavethenucleusofanationalcollection。I
shallbetheHansSloaneofmyage。”
Hiseyesgleamedbehindhisgreatspectacles。Itwasveryclearthat
nopainswouldbesparedbyMr。NathanGarridebinfindinganamesake。
“Imerelycalledtomakeyouracquaintance，andthereisnoreason
whyIshouldinterruptyourstudies，“saidHolmes。“Ipreferto
establishpersonaltouchwiththosewithwhomIdobusiness。Thereare
fewquestionsIneedask，forIhaveyourveryclearnarrativeinmy
pocket，andIfilleduptheblankswhenthisAmericangentleman
called。Iunderstandthatuptothisweekyouwereunawareofhis
existence。”
“Thatisso。HecalledlastTuesday。”
“Didhetellyouofourinterviewto-day？“
“Yes，hecamestraightbacktome。Hehadbeenveryangry。”
“Whyshouldhebeangry？“
“Heseemedtothinkitwassomereflectiononhishonour。Buthewas
quitecheerfulagainwhenhereturned。”
“Didhesuggestanycourseofaction？“
“No，sir，hedidnot。”
“Hashehad，oraskedfor，anymoneyfromyou？“
“No，sir，never！“
“Youseenopossibleobjecthehasinview？“
“None，exceptwhathestates。”
“Didyoutellhimofourtelephoneappointment？“
“Yes，sir，Idid。”
Holmeswaslostinthought。Icouldseethathewaspuzzled。
“Haveyouanyarticlesofgreatvalueinyourcollection？“
“No，sir。Iamnotarichman。Itisagoodcollection，butnota
veryvaluableone。”
“Youhavenofearofburglars？“
“Nottheleast。”
“Howlonghaveyoubeenintheserooms？“
“Nearlyfiveyears。”
Holmes”scross-examinationwasinterruptedbyanimperativeknocking
atthedoor。NosoonerhadourclientunlatcheditthantheAmerican
lawyerburstexcitedlyintotheroom。
“Hereyouare！“hecried，wavingapaperoverhishead。“IthoughtI
shouldbeintimetogetyou。Mr。NathanGarrideb，mycongratulations！
Youarearichman，sir。Ourbusinessishappilyfinishedandallis
well。Astoyou，Mr。Holmes，wecanonlysaywearesorryifwehave
givenyouanyuselesstrouble。”
Hehandedoverthepapertoourclient，whostoodstaringata
markedadvertisement。HolmesandIleanedforwardandreaditoverhis
shoulder。Thisishowitran：
HOWARDGARRIDEB
ConstructorofAgriculturalMachinery
Binders，reapers，steamandhandplows，drills，harrows，farmers”
carts，buckboards，andallotherappliances。
EstimatesforArtesianWells
ApplyGrosvenorBuildings，Aston
“Glorious！“gaspedourhost。“Thatmakesourthirdman。”
“IhadopenedupinquiriesinBirmingham，“saidtheAmerican，“and
myagenttherehassentmethisadvertisementfromalocalpaper。We
mustbustleandputthethingthrough。Ihavewrittentothisman
andtoldhimthatyouwillseehiminhisofficeto-morrowafternoon
atfouro”clock。”
“Youwantmetoseehim？“
“Whatdoyousay，Mr。Holmes？Don”tyouthinkitwouldbewiser？
HereamI，awanderingAmericanwithawonderfultale。Whyshouldhe
believewhatItellhim？ButyouareaBritisherwithsolid
references，andheisboundtotakenoticeofwhatyousay。Iwouldgo
withyouifyouwished，butIhaveaverybusydayto-morrow，andI
couldalwaysfollowyouifyouareinanytrouble。”
“Well，Ihavenotmadesuchajourneyforyears。”
“Itisnothing，Mr。Garrideb。Ihavefiguredoutourconnections。
Youleaveattwelveandshouldbetheresoonaftertwo。Thenyoucan
bebackthesamenight。Allyouhavetodoistoseethisman，explain
thematter，andgetanaffidavitofhisexistence。BytheLord！“he
addedhotly，“consideringI”vecomeallthewayfromthecentreof
America，itissurelylittleenoughifyougoahundredmilesinorder
toputthismatterthrough。”
“Quiteso，“saidHolmes。“Ithinkwhatthisgentlemansaysisvery
true。”
Mr。NathanGarridebshruggedhisshoulderswithadisconsolate
air。“Well，ifyouinsistIshallgo，“saidhe。“Itiscertainly
hardformetorefuseyouanything，consideringthegloryofhopethat
youhavebroughtintomylife。”
“Thenthatisagreed，“saidHolmes，“andnodoubtyouwillletme
haveareportassoonasyoucan。”
“I”llseetothat，“saidtheAmerican。“Well，“headded，looking
athiswatch，“I”llhavetogeton。I”llcallto-morrow，Mr。Nathan，
andseeyouofftoBirmingham。Comingmyway，Mr。Holmes？Well，
then，good-bye，andwemayhavegoodnewsforyouto-morrownight。”
Inoticedthatmyfriend”sfaceclearedwhentheAmericanleftthe
room，andthelookofthoughtfulperplexityhadvanished。
“IwishIcouldlookoveryourcollection，Mr。Garrideb，“saidhe。
“Inmyprofessionallsortsofoddknowledgecomesuseful，andthis
roomofyoursisastorehouseofit。”
Ourclientshonewithpleasureandhiseyesgleamedfrombehind
hisbigglasses。
“Ihadalwaysheard，sir，thatyouwereaveryintelligentman，“
saidhe。“Icouldtakeyouroundnowifyouhavethetime。”
“Unfortunately，Ihavenot。Butthesespecimensaresowelllabelled
andclassifiedthattheyhardlyneedyourpersonalexplanation。IfI
shouldbeabletolookinto-morrow，Ipresumethattherewouldbe
noobjectiontomyglancingoverthem？“
“Noneatall。Youaremostwelcome。Theplacewill，ofcourse，he
shutup，butMrs。Saundersisinthebasementuptofouro”clockand
wouldletyouinwithherkey。”
“Well，Ihappentobeclearto-morrowafternoon。Ifyouwouldsay
awordtoMrs。Saundersitwouldbequiteinorder。Bytheway，whois
yourhouse-agent？“
Ourclientwasamazedatthesuddenquestion。
“HollowayandSteele，intheEdgwareRoad。Butwhy？“
“Iamabitofanarchaeologistmyselfwhenitcomestohouses，“
saidHolmes，laughing。“IwaswonderingifthiswasQueenAnneor
Georgian。”
“Georgian，beyonddoubt。”
“Really。Ishouldhavethoughtalittleearlier。However，itis
easilyascertained。Well，good-bye，Mr。Garrideb，andmayyouhave
everysuccessinyourBirminghamjourney。”
Thehouse-agent”swascloseby，butwefoundthatitwasclosed
fortheday，sowemadeourwaybacktoBakerStreet。Itwasnot
tillafterdinnerthatHolmesrevertedtothesubject。
“Ourlittleproblemdrawstoaclose，“saidhe。“Nodoubtyouhave
outlinedthesolutioninyourownmind。”
“Icanmakeneitherheadnortailofit。”
“Theheadissurelyclearenoughandthetailweshouldsee
to-morrow。Didyounoticenothingcuriousaboutthatadvertisement？“
“Isawthattheword”plough”wasmisspelt。”
“Oh，youdidnoticethat，didyou？Come，Watson，youimproveallthe
time。Yes，itwasbadEnglishbutgoodAmerican。Theprinterhadset
itupasreceived。Thenthebuckboards。ThatisAmericanalso。And
artesianwellsarecommonerwiththemthanwithus。Itwasatypical
Americanadvertisement，butpurportingtobefromanEnglishfirm。
Whatdoyoumakeofthat？“
“IcanonlysupposethatthisAmericanlawyerputitinhimself。
WhathisobjectwasIfailtounderstand。”
“Well，therearealternativeexplanations。Anyhow，hewantedto
getthisgoodoldfossiluptoBirmingham。Thatisveryclear。Imight
havetoldhimthathewasclearlygoingonawild-goosechase，but，on
secondthoughts，itseemedbettertoclearthestagebylettinghim
go。To-morrow，Watson-well，to-morrowwillspeakforitself。”
Holmeswasupandoutearly。WhenhereturnedatlunchtimeInoticed
thathisfacewasverygrave。
“ThisisamoreseriousmatterthanIhadexpected，Watson，“said
he。“Itisfairtotellyouso，thoughIknowitwillonlybean
additionalreasontoyouforrunningyourheadintodanger。Ishould
knowmyWatsonbynow。Butthereisdanger，andyoushouldknowit。”
“Well，itisnotthefirstwehaveshared，Holmes。Ihopeitmaynot
bethelast。Whatistheparticulardangerthistime？“
“Weareupagainstaveryhardcase。IhaveidentifiedMr。John
Garrideb，CounselloratLaw。Heisnoneotherthan”Killer”Evans，
ofsinisterandmurderousreputation。”
“IfearIamnonethewiser。”
“Ah，itisnotpartof，yourprofessiontocarryaboutaportable
NewgateCalendarinyourmemory。Ihavebeendowntoseefriend
LestradeattheYard。Theremaybeanoccasionalwantofimaginative
intuitiondownthere，buttheyleadtheworldforthoroughnessand
method。IhadanideathatwemightgetonthetrackofourAmerican
friendintheirrecords。Sureenough，Ifoundhischubbyface
smilingupatmefromtherogues”portraitgallery。”JamesWinter，
aliasMorecroft，aliasKillerEvans”wastheinscriptionbelow。”
Holmesdrewanenvelopefromhispocket。“Iscribbleddownafew
pointsfromhisdossier：Agedforty-four。NativeofChicago。Known
tohaveshotthreemenintheStates。Escapedfrompenitentiary
throughpoliticalinfluence。CametoLondonin1893。Shotamanover
cardsinanight-clubintheWaterlooRoadinJanuary，1895。Mandied，
buthewasshowntohavebeentheaggressorintherow。Deadmanwas
identifiedasRodgerPrescott，famousasforgerandcoinerinChicago。
KillerEvansreleasedin1901。Hasbeenunderpolicesupervision
since，butsofarasknownhasledanhonestlife。Verydangerousman，
usuallycarriesarmsandispreparedtousethem。Thatisourbird，
Watson-asportingbird，asyoumustadmit。”
“Butwhatishisgame？“
“Well，itbeginstodefineitself。Ihavebeentothehouse-agent”s。
Ourclient，ashetoldus，hasbeentherefiveyears。Itwasunletfor
ayearbeforethen。Theprevioustenantwasagentlemanatlargenamed
Waldron。Waldron”sappearancewaswellrememberedattheoffice。He
hadsuddenlyvanishedandnothingmorebeenheardofhim。Hewasa
tall，beardedmanwithverydarkfeatures。Now，Prescott，themanwhom
KillerEvanshadshot，was，accordingtoScotlandYard，atall，dark
manwithabeard。Asaworkinghypothesis，Ithinkwemaytakeitthat
Prescott，theAmericancriminal，usedtoliveintheveryroomwhich
ourinnocentfriendnowdevotestohismuseum。Soatlastwegeta
link，yousee。”
“Andthenextlink？“
“Well，wemustgonowandlookforthat。”
Hetookarevolverfromthedrawerandhandedittome。
“Ihavemyoldfavouritewithme。IfourWildWestfriendtriesto
liveuptohisnickname，wemustbereadyforhim。I”llgiveyouan
hourforasiesta，Watson，andthenIthinkitwillbetimeforour
RyderStreetadventure。”
Itwasjustfouro”clockwhenwereachedthecuriousapartmentof
NathanGarrideb。Mrs。Saunders，thecaretaker，wasabouttoleave，but
shehadnohesitationinadmittingus，forthedoorshutwithaspring
lock，andHolmespromisedtoseethatallwassafebeforeweleft。
Shortlyafterwardstheouterdoorclosed，herbonnetpassedthebow
window，andweknewthatwewerealoneinthelowerfloorofthe
house。Holmesmadearapidexaminationofthepremises。Therewas
onecupboardinadarkcornerwhichstoodoutalittlefromthe
wall。ItwasbehindthisthatweeventuallycrouchedwhileHolmesina
whisperoutlinedhisintentions。
“Hewantedtogetouramiablefriendoutofhisroom-thatisvery
clear，and，asthecollectorneverwentout，ittooksomeplanning
todoit。ThewholeofthisGarridebinventionwasapparentlyforno
otherend。Imustsay，Watson，thatthereisacertaindevilish
ingenuityaboutit，evenifthequeernameofthetenantdidgive
himanopeningwhichhecouldhardlyhaveexpected。Hewovehisplot
withremarkablecunning。”
“Butwhatdidhewant？“
“Well，thatiswhatweareheretofindout。Ithasnothingwhatever
todowithourclient，sofarasIcanreadthesituation。Itis
somethingconnectedwiththemanhemurdered-themanwhomayhave
beenhisconfederateincrime。Thereissomeguiltysecretinthe
room。ThatishowIreadit。AtfirstIthoughtourfriendmight
havesomethinginhiscollectionmorevaluablethanheknew-something
worththeattentionofabigcriminal。ButthefactthatRodger
Prescottofevilmemoryinhabitedtheseroomspointstosomedeeper
reason。Well，Watson，wecanbutpossessoursoulsinpatienceandsee
whatthehourmaybring。”
Thathourwasnotlonginstriking。Wecrouchedcloserintheshadow
asweheardtheouterdooropenandshut。Thencamethesharp，
metallicsnapofakey，andtheAmericanwasintheroom。Heclosed
thedoorsoftlybehindhim，tookasharpglancearoundhimtoseethat
allwassafe，threwoffhisovercoat，andwalkeduptothecentral
tablewiththebriskmannerofonewhoknowsexactlywhathehastodo
andhowtodoit。Hepushedthetabletooneside，toreupthe
squareofcarpetonwhichitrested，rolleditcompletelyback，and
then，drawingajemmyfromhisinsidepocket，hekneltdownandworked
vigorouslyuponthefloor。Presentlyweheardthesoundofsliding
boards，andaninstantlaterasquarehadopenedintheplanks。Killer
Evansstruckamatch，litastumpofcandle，andvanishedfromour
view。
Clearlyourmomenthadcome。Holmestouchedmywristasasignal，
andtogetherwestoleacrosstotheopentrap-door。Gentlyaswe
moved，however，theoldfloormusthavecreakedunderourfeet，for
theheadofourAmerican，peeringanxiouslyround，emergedsuddenly
fromtheopenspace。Hisfaceturneduponuswithaglareofbaffled
rage，whichgraduallysoftenedintoarathershamefacedgrinashe
realizedthattwopistolswerepointedathishead。
“Well，well！“saidhecoollyashescrambledtothesurface。“I
guessyouhavebeenonetoomanyforme，Mr。Holmes。Sawthroughmy
game，Isuppose，andplayedmeforasuckerfromthefirst。Well，sir，
Ihandittoyou；youhavemebeatand-“
Inaninstanthehadwhiskedoutarevolverfromhisbreastand
hadfiredtwoshots。Ifeltasuddenhotsearasifared-hotironhad
beenpressedtomythigh。TherewasacrashasHolmes”spistolcame
downontheman”shead。Ihadavisionofhimsprawlinguponthefloor
withbloodrunningdownhisfacewhileHolmesrummagedhimfor
weapons。Thenmyfriend”swiryarmswereroundme，andhewas
leadingmetoachair。
“You”renothurt，Watson？ForGod”ssake，saythatyouarenot
hurt！“
Itwasworthawound-itwasworthmanywounds-toknowthedepthof
loyaltyandlovewhichlaybehindthatcoldmask。Theclear，hardeyes
weredimmedforamoment，andthefirmlipswereshaking。Forthe
oneandonlytimeIcaughtaglimpseofagreatheartaswellasof
agreatbrain。Allmyyearsofhumblebutsingle-mindedservice
culminatedinthatmomentofrevelation。
“It”snothing，Holmes。It”samerescratch。”
Hehadrippedupmytrouserswithhispocket-knife。
“Youareright，“fiec：riedwithanimmensesighofrelief。“Itis
quitesuperficial。”Hisfacesetlikeflintasheglaredatour
prisoner，whowassittingupwithadazedface。“BytheLord，itisas
wellforyou。IfyouhadkilledWatson，youwouldnothavegotout
ofthisroomalive。Now，sir，whathaveyoutosayforyourself？“
Hehadnothingtosayforhimself。Heonlysatandscowled。Ileaned
onHolmes”sarm，andtogetherwelookeddownintothesmallcellar
whichhadbeendisclosedbythesecretflap。itwasstill
illuminatedbythecandlewhichEvanshadtakendownwithhim。Our
eyesfelluponamassofrustedmachinery，greatrollsofpaper，a
litterofbottles，and，neatlyarrangeduponasmalltable，anumber
ofneatlittlebundies。
“Aprintingpress-acounterfeiter”soutfit，“saidHolmes。
“Yes，sir，“saidourprisoner，staggeringslowlytohisfeetand
thensinkingintothechair。“ThegreatestcounterfeiterLondonever
saw。That”sPrescott”smachine，andthosebundlesonthetablearetwo
thousandofPrescott”snotesworthahundredeachandfittopass
anywhere。Helpyourselves，gentlemen。Callitadealandletmebeat
it。”
Holmeslaughed。
“Wedon”tdothingslikethat，Mr。Evans。Thereisnobolt-hole
foryouinthiscountry。YoushotthismanPrescott，didyounot？“
“Yes，sir，andgotfiveyearsforit，thoughitwashewhopulledon
me。Fiveyears-whenIshouldhavehadamedalthesizeofasoup
plate。NolivingmancouldtellaPrescottfromaBankofEngland，and
ifIhadn”tputhimouthewouldhavefloodedLondonwiththem。I
wastheonlyoneintheworldwhoknewwherehemadethem。Canyou
wonderthatIwantedtogettotheplace？Andcanyouwonderthatwhen
Ifoundthiscrazyboobofabug-hunterwiththequeername
squattingrightonthetopofit，andneverquittinghisroom，Ihad
todothebestIcouldtoshifthim？MaybeIwouldhavebeenwiser
ifIhadputhimaway。Itwouldhavebeeneasyenough，butI”ma
soft-heartedguythatcan”tbeginshootingunlesstheothermanhas
agunalso。Butsay，Mr。Holmes，whathaveIdonewrong，anyhow？
I”venotusedthisplant。I”venothurtthisoldstiff。Wheredoyou
getme？“
“Onlyattemptedmurder，sofarasIcansee，“saidHolmes。“But
that”snotourjob。Theytakethatatthenextstage。Whatwewanted
atpresentwasjustyoursweetself。PleasegivetheYardacall，
Watson。Itwon”tbeentirelyunexpected。”
SothosewerethefactsaboutKillerEvansandhisremarkable
inventionofthethreeGarridebs。Weheardlaterthatourpoorold
friendnevergotovertheshockofhisdissipateddreams。Whenhis
castleintheairfelldown，itburiedhimbeneaththeruins。Hewas
lastheardofatanursing-homeinBrixton。Itwasagladdayatthe
YardwhenthePrescottoutfitwasdiscovered，for，thoughtheyknew
thatitexisted，theyhadneverbeenable，afterthedeathoftheman，
tofindoutwhereitwas。Evanshadindeeddonegreatserviceand
causedseveralworthyC。I。D。mentosleepthesounder，forthe
counterfeiterstandsinaclassbyhimselfasapublicdanger。They
wouldwillinglyhavesubscribedtothatsoup-platemedalofwhich
thecriminalhadspoken，butanunappreciativebenchtookaless
favourableview，indtheKillerreturnedtothoseshadesfromwhichhe
hadjustemerged。
THEEND。
1904
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEADVENTUREOFTHETHREESTUDENTS
bySirArthurConanDoyle
Itwasintheyear”95thatacombinationofevents，intowhichI
neednotenter，causedMr。SherlockHolmesandmyselftospendsome
weeksinoneofourgreatuniversitytowns，anditwasduringthis
timethatthesmallbutinstructiveadventurewhichIamaboutto
relatebefellus。Itwillbeobviousthatanydetailswhichwouldhelp
thereaderexactlytoidentifythecollegeorthecriminalwouldbe
injudiciousandoffensive。Sopainfulascandalmaywellbeallowedto
dieout。Withduediscretiontheincidentitselfmay，however，be
described，sinceitservestoillustratesomeofthosequalitiesfor
whichmyfriendwasremarkable。Iwillendeavour，inmystatement，
toavoidsuchtermsaswouldservetolimittheeventstoany
particularplace，orgiveaclueastothepeopleconcerned。
Wewereresidingatthetimeinfurnishedlodgingsclosetoa
librarywhereSherlockHolmeswaspursuingsomelaboriousresearches
inearlyEnglishcharters-researcheswhichledtoresultssostriking
thattheymaybethesubjectofoneofmyfuturenarratives。Hereit
wasthatoneeveningwereceivedavisitfromanacquaintance，Mr。
HiltonSoames，tutorandlecturerattheCollegeofSt。Luke”s。Mr。
Soameswasatall，spareman，ofanervousandexcitable
temperament。Ihadalwaysknownhimtoberestlessinhismanner，
butonthisparticularoccasionhewasinsuchastateof
uncontrollableagitationthatitwasclearsomethingveryunusual
hadoccurred。
“Itrust，Mr。Holmes，thatyoucansparemeafewhoursofyour
valuabletime。WehavehadaverypainfulincidentatSt。Luke”s，
andreally，butforthehappychanceofyourbeingintown，Ishould
havebeenatalosswhattodo。”
“Iamverybusyjustnow，andIdesirenodistractions，“myfriend
answered。“Ishouldmuchpreferthatyoucalledintheaidofthe
police。”
“No，no，mydearsir；suchacourseisutterlyimpossible。Whenonce
thelawisevokeditcannotbestayedagain，andthisisjustoneof
thosecaseswhere，forthecreditofthecollege，itismostessential
toavoidscandal。Yourdiscretionisaswellknownasyourpowers，and
youaretheonemanintheworldwhocanhelpme。Ibegyou，Mr。
Holmes，todowhatyoucan。”
Myfriend”stemperhadnotimprovedsincehehadbeendeprivedof
thecongenialsurroundingsofBakerStreet。Withouthisscrapbooks，
hischemicals，andhishomelyuntidiness，hewasanuncomfortableman。
Heshruggedhisshouldersinungraciousacquiescence，whileour
visitorinhurriedwordsandwithmuchexcitablegesticulation
pouredforthhisstory。
“Imustexplaintoyou，Mr。Holmes，thatto-morrowisthefirst
dayoftheexaminationfortheFortescueScholarship。Iamoneof
theexaminers。MysubjectisGreek，andthefirstofthepapers
consistsofalargepassageofGreektranslationwhichthecandidate
hasnotseen。Thispassageisprintedontheexaminationpaper，andit
wouldnaturallybeanimmenseadvantageifthecandidatecouldprepare
itinadvance。Forthisreason，greatcareistakentokeepthe
papersecret。
“To-day，aboutthreeo”clock，theproofsofthispaperarrived
fromtheprinters。Theexerciseconsistsofhalfachapterof
Thucydides。Ihadtoreaditovercarefully，asthetextmustbe
absolutelycorrect。Atfour-thirtymytaskwasnotyetcompleted。I
had，however，promisedtotaketeainafriend”srooms，soIleft
theproofuponmydesk。Iwasabsentrathermorethananhour。
“Youareaware，Mr。Holmes，thatourcollegedoorsaredouble-a
greenbaizeonewithinandaheavyoakonewithout。AsIapproachedmy
outerdoor，Iwasamazedtoseeakeyinit。ForaninstantIimagined
thatIhadleftmyownthere，butonfeelinginmypocketIfoundthat
itwasallright。Theonlyduplicatewhichexisted，sofarasI
knew，wasthatwhichbelongedtomyservant，Bannister-amanwho
haslookedaftermyroomfortenyears，andwhosehonestyis
absolutelyabovesuspicion。Ifoundthatthekeywasindeedhis，
thathehadenteredmyroomtoknowifIwantedtea，andthathehad
verycarelesslyleftthekeyinthedoorwhenhecameout。Hisvisit
tomyroommusthavebeenwithinaveryfewminutesofmyleaving
it。Hisforgetfulnessaboutthekeywouldhavematteredlittleupon
anyotheroccasion，butonthisonedayithasproducedthemost
deplorableconsequences。
“ThemomentIlookedatmytable，Iwasawarethatsomeonehad
rummagedamongmypapers。Theproofwasinthreelongslips。Ihad
leftthemalltogether。Now，Ifoundthatoneofthemwaslyingonthe
floor，onewasonthesidetablenearthewindow，andthethirdwas
whereIhadleftit。”
Holmesstirredforthefirsttime。
“Thefirstpageonthefloor，thesecondinthewindow，thethird
whereyouleftit，“saidhe。
“Exactly，Mr。Holmes。Youamazeme。Howcouldyoupossiblyknow
that？“
“Praycontinueyourveryinterestingstatement。”
“ForaninstantIimaginedthatBannisterhadtakentheunpardonable
libertyofexaminingmypapers。Hedeniedit，however，withtheutmost
earnestness，andIamconvincedthathewasspeakingthetruth。The
alternativewasthatsomeonepassinghadobservedthekeyinthedoor，
hadknownthatIwasout，andhadenteredtolookatthepapers。A
largesumofmoneyisatstake，forthescholarshipisaveryvaluable
one，andanunscrupulousmanmightverywellrunariskinorderto
gainanadvantageoverhisfellows。
“Bannisterwasverymuchupsetbytheincident。Hehadnearly
faintedwhenwefoundthatthepapershadundoubtedlybeentampered
with。Igavehimalittlebrandyandlefthimcollapsedinachair，
whileImadeamostcarefulexaminationoftheroom。Isoonsawthat
theintruderhadleftothertracesofhispresencebesidestherumpled
papers。Onthetableinthewindowwereseveralshredsfromapencil
whichhadbeensharpened。Abrokentipofleadwaslyingtherealso。
Evidentlytherascalhadcopiedthepaperinagreathurry，hadbroken
hispencil，andhadbeencompelledtoputafreshpointtoit。”
“Excellent！“saidHolmes，whowasrecoveringhisgood-humouras
hisattentionbecamemoreengrossedbythecase。“Fortunehasbeen
yourfriend。”
“Thiswasnotall。Ihaveanewwriting-tablewithafinesurfaceof
redleather。Iampreparedtoswear，andsoisBannister，thatit
wassmoothandunstained。NowIfoundacleancutinitaboutthree
incheslong-notamerescratch，butapositivecut。Notonlythis，
butonthetableIfoundasmallballofblackdoughorclay，with
specksofsomethingwhichlookslikesawdustinit。Iamconvinced
thatthesemarkswereleftbythemanwhorifledthepapers。There
werenofootmarksandnootherevidenceastohisidentity。Iwasat
mywit”send，whensuddenlythehappythoughtoccurredtomethat
youwereinthetown，andIcamestraightroundtoputthematterinto
yourhands。Dohelpme，Mr。Holmes。Youseemydilemma。EitherI
mustfindthemanorelsetheexaminationmustbepostponeduntil
freshpapersareprepared，andsincethiscannotbedonewithout
explanation，therewillensueahideousscandal，whichwillthrowa
cloudnotonlyonthecollege，butontheuniversity。Aboveall
things，Idesiretosettlethematterquietlyanddiscreetly。”
“IshallbehappytolookintoitandtogiveyousuchadviceasI
can，“saidHolmes，risingandputtingonhisovercoat。“Thecaseis
notentirelydevoidofinterest。Hadanyonevisitedyouinyourroom
afterthepaperscametoyou？“
“Yes，youngDaulatRas，anIndianstudent，wholivesonthesame
stair，cameintoaskmesomeparticularsabouttheexamination。”
“Forwhichhewasentered？“
“Yes。”
“Andthepaperswereonyourtable？“
“Tothebestofmybelief，theywererolledup。”
“Butmightberecognizedasproofs？“
“Possibly。”
“Nooneelseinyourroom？“
“No。”
“Didanyoneknowthattheseproofswouldbethere？“
“Noonesavetheprinter。”
“DidthismanBannisterknow？“
“No，certainlynot。Nooneknew。”
“WhereisBannisternow？“
“Hewasveryill，poorfellow。Ilefthimcollapsedinthechair。
Iwasinsuchahurrytocometoyou。”
“Youleftyourdooropen？“
“Ilockedupthepapersfirst。”
“Thenitamountstothis，Mr。Soames：that，unlesstheIndian
studentrecognizedtherollasbeingproofs，themanwhotamperedwith
themcameuponthemaccidentallywithoutknowingthattheywere
there。”
“Soitseemstome。”
Holmesgaveanenigmaticsmile。
“Well，“saidhe，“letusgoround。Notoneofyourcases，Watson-
mental，notphysical。Allright；comeifyouwantto。Now，Mr。Soames-
atyourdisposal！“
Thesitting-roomofourclientopenedbyalong，low，latticed
windowontotheancientlichen-tintedcourtoftheoldcollege。A
GothicarcheddoorledtoawornstoneStaircase。Ontheground
floorwasthetutor”sroom。Abovewerethreestudents，oneoneach
story。Itwasalreadytwilightwhenwereachedthesceneofour
problem。Holmeshaltedandlookedearnestlyatthewindow。Thenhe
approachedit，and，standingontiptoewithhisneckcraned，helooked
intotheroom。
“Hemusthaveenteredthroughthedoor。Thereisnoopeningexcept
theonepane，“saidourlearnedguide。
“Dearme！“saidHolmes，andhesmiledinasingularwayashe
glancedatourcompanion。“Well，ifthereisnothingtobelearned
here，wehadbestgoinside。”
Thelecturerunlockedtheouterdoorandusheredusintohisroom。
WestoodattheentrancewhileHolmesmadeanexaminationofthe
carpet。
“Iamafraidtherearenosignshere，“saidhe。“Onecouldhardly
hopeforanyuponsodryaday。Yourservantseemstohavequite
recovered。Youlefthiminachair，yousay。Whichchair？“
“Bythewindowthere。”
“Isee。Nearthislittletable。Youcancomeinnow。Ihavefinished
withthecarpet。Letustakethelittletablefirst。Ofcourse，what
hashappenedisveryclear。Themanenteredandtookthepapers，sheet
bysheet，fromthecentraltable。Hecarriedthemovertothewindow
table，becausefromtherehecouldseeifyoucameacrossthe
courtyard，andsocouldeffectanescape。”
“Asamatteroffact，hecouldnot，“saidSoames，“forIentered
bythesidedoor。”
“Ah，that”sgood！Well，anyhow，thatwasinhismind。Letmeseethe
threestrips。Nofingerimpressions-no！Well，hecarriedoverthis
onefirst，andhecopiedit。Howlongwouldittakehimtodothat，
usingeverypossiblecontraction？Aquarterofanhour，notless。Then
hetosseditdownandseizedthenext。Hewasinthemidstofthat
whenyourreturncausedhimtomakeaveryhurriedretreat-very
hurried，sincehehadnottimetoreplacethepaperswhichwould
tellyouthathehadbeenthere。Youwerenotawareofanyhurrying
feetonthestairasyouenteredtheouterdoor？“
“No，Ican”tsayIwas。”
“Well，hewrotesofuriouslythathebrokehispencil，andhad，as
youobserve，tosharpenitagain。Thisisofinterest，Watson。The
pencilwasnotanordinaryone。Itwasabovetheusualsize，witha
softlead，theoutercolourwasdarkblue，themaker”snamewas
printedinsilverlettering，andthepieceremainingisonlyabout
aninchandahalflong。Lookforsuchapencil，Mr。Soames，andyou
havegotyourman。WhenIaddthathepossessesalargeandveryblunt
knife，youhaveanadditionalaid。”
Mr。Soameswassomewhatoverwhelmedbythisfloodofinformation。“I
canfollowtheotherpoints，“saidhe，“butreally，inthismatter
ofthelength-“
HolmesheldoutasmallchipwiththelettersNNandaspaceof
clearwoodafterthem。
“Yousee？“
“No，Ifearthatevennow-“
“Watson，Ihavealwaysdoneyouaninjustice。Thereareothers。What
couldthisNNbe？Itisattheendofaword。Youareawarethat
JohannFaberisthemostcommonmaker”sname。Isitnotclearthat
thereisjustasmuchofthepencilleftasusuallyfollowsthe
Johann？“Heheldthesmalltablesidewaystotheelectriclight。“I
washopingthatifthepaperonwhichhewrotewasthin，sometraceof
itmightcomethroughuponthispolishedsurface。No，Iseenothing。I
don”tthinkthereisanythingmoretobelearnedhere。Nowforthe
centraltable。Thissmallpelletis，Ipresume，theblack，doughymass
youspokeof。Roughlypyramidalinshapeandhollowedout，Iperceive。
Asyousay，thereappeartobegrainsofsawdustinit。Dearme，
thisisveryinteresting。Andthecut-apositivetear，Isee。It
beganwithathinscratchandendedinajaggedhole。Iammuch
indebtedtoyoufordirectingmyattentiontothiscase，Mr。Soames。
Wheredoesthatdoorleadto？“
“Tomybedroom。”
“Haveyoubeeninitsinceyouradventure？“
“No，Icamestraightawayforyou。”
“Ishouldliketohaveaglanceround。Whatacharming，
old-fashionedroom！Perhapsyouwillkindlywaitaminute，untilI
haveexaminedthefloor。No，Iseenothing。Whataboutthiscurtain？
Youhangyourclothesbehindit。Ifanyonewereforcedtoconceal
himselfinthisroomhemustdoitthere，sincethebedistoolowand
thewardrobetooshallow。Noonethere，Isuppose？“
AsHolmesdrewthecurtainIwasaware，fromsomelittlerigidity
andalertnessofhisattitude，thathewaspreparedforan
emergency。Asamatteroffact，thedrawncurtaindisclosednothing
butthreeorfoursuitsofclotheshangingfromalineofpegs。Holmes
turnedaway，andstoopedsuddenlytothefloor。
“Halloa！What”sthis？“saidhe。
Itwasasmallpyramidofblack，putty-likestuff，exactlylike
theoneuponthetableofthestudy。Holmeshelditoutonhisopen
palmintheglareoftheelectriclight。
“Yourvisitorseemstohavelefttracesinyourbedroomaswellas
inyoursittingroom，Mr。Soames。”
“Whatcouldhehavewantedthere？“
“Ithinkitisclearenough。Youcamebackbyanunexpectedway，and
sohehadnowaminguntilyouwereattheverydoor。Whatcouldhedo？
Hecaughtupeverythingwhichwouldbetrayhim，andherushedinto
yourbedroomtoconcealhimself“
“Goodgracious，Mr。Holmes，doyoumeantotellmethat，allthe
timeIwastalkingtoBannisterinthisroom，wehadtheman
prisonerifwehadonlyknownit？“
“SoIreadit。”
“Surelythereisanotheralternative，Mr。Holmes。Idon”tknow
whetheryouobservedmybedroomwindow？“
“Lattice-paned，leadframework，threeseparatewindows，oneswinging
onhinge，andlargeenoughtoadmitaman。”
“Exactly。Anditlooksoutonanangleofthecourtyardsoasto
bepartlyinvisible。Themanmighthaveeffectedhisentrancethere，
lefttracesashepassedthroughthebedroom，andfinally，findingthe
dooropen，haveescapedthatway。”
Holmesshookhisheadimpatiently。
“Letusbepractical，“saidhe。“Iunderstandyoutosaythat
therearethreestudentswhousethisstair，andareinthehabitof
passingyourdoor？“
“Yes，thereare。”
“Andtheyareallinforthisexamination？“
“Yes。”
“Haveyouanyreasontosuspectanyoneofthemmorethanthe
others？“
Soameshesitated。
“Itisaverydelicatequestion，“saidhe。“Onehardlylikesto
throwsuspicionwheretherearenoproofs。”
“Letushearthesuspicions。Iwilllookaftertheproofs。”
“Iwilltellyou，then，inafewwordsthecharacterofthethree
menwhoinhabittheserooms。ThelowerofthethreeisGilchrist，a
finescholarandathlete，playsintheRugbyteamandthecricketteam
forthecollege，andgothisBlueforthehurdlesandthelongjump。
Heisafine，manlyfellow。HisfatherwasthenotoriousSirJabez
Gilchrist，whoruinedhimselfontheturf。Myscholarhasbeenleft
verypoor，butheishard-workingandindustrious。Hewilldowell。
“ThesecondfloorisinhabitedbyDaulatRas，theIndian。Heisa
quiet，inscrutablefellow；asmostofthoseIndiansare。Heiswellup
inhiswork，thoughhisGreekishisweaksubject。Heissteadyand
methodical。