“Herosealsoandlookedatmeinsilence，shakinghisheadsadly。
“”Well，well”saidheatlast。”Itseemsapity，butIhavedone
whatIcould。Iknoweverymoveofyourgame。Youcandonothing
beforeMonday。Ithasbeenaduelbetweenyouandme，Mr。Holmes。
Youhopetoplacemeinthedock。ItellyouthatIwillneverstand
inthedock。Youhopetobeatme。Itellyouthatyouwillnever
beatme。Ifyouarecleverenoughtobringdestructionuponme，rest
assuredthatIshalldoasmuchtoyou。”
“”Youhavepaidmeseveralcompliments，Mr。Moriarty”saidI。”LetmepayyouoneinreturnwhenIsaythatifIwereassuredofthe
formereventualityIwould，intheinterestsofthepublic，cheerfully
acceptthelatter。”
“”Icanpromiseyoutheone，butnottheother”hesnarled，and
soturnedhisroundedbackuponmeandwentpeeringandblinkingout
oftheroom。
“ThatwasmysingularinterviewwithProfessorMoriarty。Iconfess
thatitleftanunpleasanteffectuponmymind。Hissoft，precise
fashionofspeechleavesaconvictionofsinceritywhichamere
bullycouldnotproduce。Ofcourse，youwillsay：”Whynottakepolice
precautionsagainsthim？”ThereasonisthatIamwellconvinced
thatitisfromhisagentstheblowwouldfall。Ihavethebestof
proofsthatitwouldbeso。”
“Youhavealreadybeenassaulted？“
“MydearWatson，ProfessorMoriartyisnotamanwholetsthe
grassgrowunderhisfeet。Iwentoutaboutmiddaytotransactsome
businessinOxfordStreet。AsIpassedthecornerwhichleadsfrom
BentinckStreetontotheWelbeckStreetcrossingatwo-horsevan
furiouslydrivenwhizzedroundandwasonmelikeaflash。Isprang
forthefoot-pathandsavedmyselfbythefractionofasecond。The
vandashedroundbyMaryleboneLaneandwasgoneinaninstant。Ikept
tothepavementafterthat，Watson，butasIwalkeddownVereStreeta
brickcamedownfromtheroofofoneofthehousesandwasshattered
tofragmentsatmyfeet。Icalledthepoliceandhadtheplace
examined。Therewereslatesandbrickspiledupontheroof
preparatorytosomerepairs，andtheywouldhavemebelievethatthe
windhadtoppledoveroneofthese。OfcourseIknewbetter，butI
couldprovenothing。Itookacabafterthatandreachedmy
brother”sroomsinPallMall，whereIspenttheday。NowIhavecome
roundtoyou，andonmywayIwasattackedbyaroughwithabludgeon。
Iknockedhimdown，andthepolicehavehimincustody；butIcantell
youwiththemostabsoluteconfidencethatnopossibleconnectionwill
everbetracedbetweenthegentlemanuponwhosefrontteethIhave
barkedmyknucklesandtheretiringmathematicalcoach，whois，I
daresay，workingoutproblemsuponablack-boardtenmilesaway。You
willnotwonder，Watson，thatmyfirstactonenteringyourrooms
wastocloseyourshutters，andthatIhavebeencompelledtoaskyour
permissiontoleavethehousebysomelessconspicuousexitthanthe
frontdoor。”
Ihadoftenadmiredmyfriend”scourage，butnevermorethannow，as
hesatquietlycheckingoffaseriesofincidentswhichmusthave
combinedtomakeupadayofhorror。
“Youwillspendthenighthere？“Isaid。
“No，myfriend，youmightfindmeadangerousguest。Ihavemyplans
laid，andallwillbewell。Mattershavegonesofarnowthattheycan
movewithoutmyhelpasfarasthearrestgoes，thoughmypresence
isnecessaryforaconviction。Itisobvious，therefore，thatIcannot
dobetterthangetawayforthefewdayswhichremainbeforethe
policeareatlibertytoact。Itwouldbeagreatpleasuretome，
therefore，ifyoucouldcomeontotheContinentwithme。”
“Thepracticeisquiet，“saidI，“andIhaveanaccommodating
neighbour。Ishouldbegladtocome。”
“Andtostartto-morrowmorning？“
“Ifnecessary。”
“Oh，yes，itismostnecessary。Thentheseareyourinstructions，
andIbeg，mydearWatson，thatyouwillobeythemtotheletter，
foryouarenowplayingadouble-handedgamewithmeagainstthe
cleverestrogueandthemostpowerfulsyndicateofcriminalsin
Europe。Nowlisten！Youwilldispatchwhateverluggageyouintendto
takebyatrustymessengerunaddressedtoVictoriato-night。Inthe
morningyouwillsendforahansom，desiringyourmantotake
neitherthefirstnorthesecondwhichmaypresentitself。Intothis
hansomyouwilljump，andyouwilldrivetotheStrandendofthe
LowtherArcade，handingtheaddresstothecabmanuponaslipof
paper，witharequestthathewillnotthrowitaway。Haveyourfare
ready，andtheinstantthatyourcabstops，dashthroughtheArcade，
timingyourselftoreachtheothersideataquarter-pastnine。You
willfindasmallbroughamwaitingclosetothecurb，drivenbya
fellowwithaheavyblackcloaktippedatthecollarwithred。Into
thisyouwillstep，andyouwillreachVictoriaintimeforthe
Continentalexpress。”
“WhereshallImeetyou？“
“Atthestation。Thesecondfirst-classcarriagefromthefrontwill
bereservedforus。”
“Thecarriageisourrendezvous，then？“
“Yes。”
ItwasinvainthatIaskedHolmestoremainfortheevening。Itwas
evidenttomethathethoughthemightbringtroubletotheroofhe
wasunder，andthatthatwasthemotivewhichimpelledhimtogo。With
afewhurriedwordsastoourplansforthemorrowheroseandcame
outwithmeintothegarden，clamberingoverthewallwhichleadsinto
MortimerStreet，andimmediatelywhistlingforahansom，inwhichI
heardhimdriveaway。
InthemorningIobeyedHolmes”sinjunctionstotheletter。Ahansom
wasprocuredwithsuchprecautionsaswouldpreventitsbeingone
whichwasplacedreadyforus，andIdroveimmediatelyafterbreakfast
totheLowtherArcade，throughwhichIhurriedatthetopofmyspeed。
Abroughamwaswaitingwithaverymassivedriverwrappedinadark
cloak，who，theinstantthatIhadsteppedin，whippedupthehorse
andrattledofftoVictoriaStation。Onmyalightingthereheturned
thecarriage，anddashedawayagainwithoutsomuchasalookinmy
direction。
Sofarallhadgoneadmirably。Myluggagewaswaitingforme，and
IhadnodifficultyinfindingthecarriagewhichHolmeshad
indicated，thelesssoasitwastheonlyoneinthetrainwhichwas
marked“Engaged。”Myonlysourceofanxietynowwasthenon-appearance
ofHolmes。Thestationclockmarkedonlysevenminutesfromthetime
whenwewereduetostart。InvainIsearchedamongthegroupsof
travellersandleave-takersforthelithefigureofmyfriend。There
wasnosignofhim。Ispentafewminutesinassistingavenerable
Italianpriest，whowasendeavouringtomakeaporterunderstand，in
hisbrokenEnglish，thathisluggagewastobebookedthroughto
Paris。Then，havingtakenanotherlookround，Ireturnedtomy
carriage，whereIfoundthattheporter，inspiteoftheticket，had
givenmemydecrepitItalianfriendasatravellingcompanion。It
wasuselessformetoexplaintohimthathispresencewasan
intrusion，formyItalianwasevenmorelimitedthanhisEnglish，soI
shruggedmyshouldersresignedly，andcontinuedtolookout
anxiouslyformyfriend。Achilloffearhadcomeoverme，asI
thoughtthathisabsencemightmeanthatsomeblowhadfallenduring
thenight。Alreadythedoorshadallbeenshutandthewhistle
blown，when-
“MydearWatson，“saidavoice，“youhavenotevencondescendedto
saygood-morning。”
Iturnedinuncontrollableastonishment。Theagedecclesiastichad
turnedhisfacetowardsme。Foraninstantthewrinkleswere
smoothedaway，thenosedrewawayfromthechin，thelowerlip
ceasedtoprotrudeandthemouthtomumble，thedulleyesregained
theirfire，thedroopingfigureexpanded。Thenextthewholeframe
collapsedagain，andHolmeshadgoneasquicklyashehadcome。
“Goodheavens！“Icried，“howyoustartledme！“
“Everyprecautionisstillnecessary，“hewhispered。“Ihave
reasontothinkthattheyarehotuponourtrail。Ah，thereis
Moriartyhimself。”
ThetrainhadalreadybeguntomoveasHolmesspoke。Glancing
back，Isawatallmanpushinghiswayfuriouslythroughthecrowd，
andwavinghishandasifhedesiredtohavethetrainstopped。Itwas
toolate，however，forwewererapidlygatheringmomentum，andan
instantlaterhadshotclearofthestation。
“Withallourprecautions，youseethatwehavecutitratherfine，“
saidHolmes，laughing。Herose，andthrowingofftheblackcassockand
hatwhichhadformedhisdisguise，hepackedthemawayinahand-bag。
“Haveyouseenthemorningpaper，Watson？“
“No。”
“Youhaven”tseenaboutBakerStreet，then？“
“BakerStreet？“
“Theysetfiretoourroomslastnight。Nogreatharmwasdone。”
“Goodheavens，Holmes，thisisintolerable！“
“Theymusthavelostmytrackcompletelyaftertheirbludgeonmanwas
arrested。OtherwisetheycouldnothaveimaginedthatIhadreturned
tomyrooms。Theyhaveevidentlytakentheprecautionofwatchingyou，
however，andthatiswhathasbroughtMoriartytoVictoria。You
couldnothavemadeanyslipincoming？“
“Ididexactlywhatyouadvised。”
“Didyoufindyourbrougham？“
“Yes，itwaswaiting。”
“Didyourecognizeyourcoachman？“
“No。”
“ItwasmybrotherMycroft。Itisanadvantagetogetaboutin
suchacasewithouttakingamercenaryintoyourconfidence。Butwe
mustplanwhatwearetodoaboutMoriartynow。”
“Asthisisanexpress，andastheboatrunsinconnectionwith
it，Ishouldthinkwehaveshakenhimoffveryeffectively。”
“MydearWatson，youevidentlydidnotrealizemymeaningwhenI
saidthatthismanmaybetakenasbeingquiteonthesame
intellectualplaneasmyself。YoudonotimaginethatifIwerethe
pursuerIshouldallowmyselftobebaffledbysoslightan
obstacle。Why，then，shouldyouthinksomeanlyofhim？“
“Whatwillhedo？“
“WhatIshoulddo。”
“Whatwouldyoudo，then？“
“Engageaspecial。”
“Butitmustbelate。”
“Bynomeans。ThistrainstopsatCanterbury；andthereisalwaysat
leastaquarterofanhour”sdelayattheboat。Hewillcatchus
there。”
“Onewouldthinkthatwewerethecriminals。Letushavehim
arrestedonhisarrival。”
“Itwouldbetoruintheworkofthreemonths。Weshouldgetthebig
fish，butthesmallerwoulddartrightandleftoutofthenet。On
Mondayweshouldhavethemall。No，anarrestisinadmissible。”
“Whatthen？“
“WeshallgetoutatCanterbury。”
“Andthen？“
“Well，thenwemustmakeacross-countryjourneytoNewhaven，andso
overtoDieppe。MoriartywillagaindowhatIshoulddo。Hewillget
ontoParis，markdownourluggage，andwaitfortwodaysatthe
depot。Inthemeantimeweshalltreatourselvestoacoupleof
carpet-bags，encouragethemanufacturesofthecountriesthroughwhich
wetravel，andmakeourwayatourleisureintoSwitzerland，via
LuxembourgandBasle。”
AtCanterbury，therefore，wealighted，onlytofindthatweshould
havetowaitanhourbeforewecouldgetatraintoNewhaven。
Iwasstilllookingratherruefullyaftertherapidlydisappearing
luggage-vanwhichcontainedmywardrobe，whenHolmespulledmy
sleeveandpointeduptheline。
“Already，yousee，“saidhe。
Faraway，fromamongtheKentishwoodsthereroseathinsprayof
smoke。Aminutelateracarriageandenginecouldbeseenflyingalong
theopencurvewhichleadstothestation。Wehadhardlytimeto
takeourplacebehindapileofluggagewhenitpassedwitharattle
andaroar，beatingablastofhotairintoourfaces。
“Therehegoes，“saidHolmes，aswewatchedthecarriageswingand
rockoverthepoints。“Therearelimits，yousee，toourfriend”s
intelligence。Itwouldhavebeenacoup-mattrehadhededucedwhatI
woulddeduceandactedaccordingly。”
“Andwhatwouldhehavedonehadheovertakenus？“
“Therecannotbetheleastdoubtthathewouldhavemadeamurderous
attackuponme。Itis，however，agameatwhichtwomayplay。The
questionnowiswhetherweshouldtakeaprematurelunchhere，or
runourchanceofstarvingbeforewereachthebuffetatNewhaven。”
WemadeourwaytoBrusselsthatnightandspenttwodaysthere，
movingonuponthethirddayasfarasStrasbourg。OntheMonday
morningHolmeshadtelegraphedtotheLondonpolice，andinthe
eveningwefoundareplywaitingforusatourhotel。Holmestoreit
open，andthenwithabittercursehurleditintothegrate。
“Imighthaveknownit！“hegroaned。“Hehasescaped！“
“Moriarty？“
“Theyhavesecuredthewholegangwiththeexceptionofhim。He
hasgiventhemtheslip。Ofcourse，whenIhadleftthecountry
therewasnoonetocopewithhim。ButIdidthinkthatIhadput
thegameintheirhands。Ithinkthatyouhadbetterreturnto
England，Watson。”
“Why？“
“Becauseyouwillfindmeadangerouscompanionnow。Thisman”s
occupationisgone。HeislostifhereturnstoLondon。IfIread
hischaracterrighthewilldevotehiswholeenergiestorevenging
himselfuponme。Hesaidasmuchinourshortinterview，andIfancy
thathemeantit。Ishouldcertainlyrecommendyoutoreturntoyour
practice。”
Itwashardlyanappealtobesuccessfulwithonewhowasanold
campaigneraswellasanoldfriend。WesatintheStrasbourg
salle-a-mangerarguingthequestionforhalfanhour，butthesame
nightwehadresumedourjourneyandwerewellonourwaytoGeneva。
ForacharmingweekwewanderedupthevalleyoftheRhone，and
then，branchingoffatLeuk，wemadeourwayovertheGemmiPass，
stilldeepinsnow，andso，bywayofInterlaken，toMeiringen。Itwas
alovelytrip，thedaintygreenofthespringbelow，thevirgin
whiteofthewinterabove；butitwascleartomethatneverforone
instantdidHolmesforgettheshadowwhichlayacrosshim。Inthe
homelyAlpinevillagesorinthelonelymountainpasses，Icouldstill
tellbyhisquickglancingeyesandhissharpscrutinyofeveryface
thatpassedus，thathewaswellconvincedthat，walkwherewe
would，wecouldnotwalkourselvesclearofthedangerwhichwas
doggingourfootsteps。
Once，Iremember，aswepassedovertheGemmi，andwalkedalong
theborderofthemelancholyDaubensee，alargerockwhichhadbeen
dislodgedfromtheridgeuponourrightclattereddownandroaredinto
thelakebehindus。InaninstantHolmeshadracedupontotheridge，
and，standinguponaloftypinnacle，cranedhisneckinevery
direction。Itwasinvainthatourguideassuredhimthatafallof
stoneswasacommonchanceinthespringtimeatthatspot。Hesaid
nothing，buthesmiledatmewiththeairofamanwhoseesthe
fulfillmentofthatwhichhehadexpected。
Andyetforallhiswatchfulnesshewasneverdepressed。Onthe
contrary，Icanneverrecollecthavingseenhiminsuchexuberant
spirits。Againandagainherecurredtothefactthatifhecouldbe
assuredthatsocietywasfreedfromProfessorMoriartyhewould
cheerfullybringhisowncareertoaconclusion。
“IthinkthatImaygosofarastosay，Watson，thatIhavenot
livedwhollyinvain，“heremarked。“Ifmyrecordwereclosedto-night
Icouldstillsurveyitwithequanimity。TheairofLondonisthe
sweeterformypresence。InoverathousandcasesIamnotaware
thatIhaveeverusedmypowersuponthewrongside。OflateIhave
beentemptedtolookintotheproblemsfurnishedbynatureratherthan
thosemoresuperficialonesforwhichourartificialstateof
societyisresponsible。Yourmemoirswilldrawtoanend，Watson，upon
thedaythatIcrownmycareerbythecaptureorextinctionofthe
mostdangerousandcapablecriminalinEurope。”
Ishallbebrief，andyetexact，inthelittlewhichremainsfor
metotell。ItisnotasubjectonwhichIwouldwillinglydwell，
andyetIamconsciousthatadutydevolvesuponmetoomitnodetail。
ItwasonthethirdofMaythatwereachedthelittlevillageof
Meiringen，whereweputupattheEnglischerHof，thenkeptbyPeter
Steilertheelder。Ourlandlordwasanintelligentmanandspoke
excellentEnglish，havingservedforthreeyearsaswaiteratthe
GrosvenorHotelinLondon。Athisadvice，ontheafternoonofthe
fourthwesetofftogether，withtheintentionofcrossingthehills
andspendingthenightatthehamletofRosenlaui。Wehadstrict
injunctions，however，onnoaccounttopassthefallsof
Reichenbach，whichareabouthalfwayupthehills，withoutmakinga
smalldetourtoseethem。
Itis，indeed，afearfulplace。Thetorrent，swollenthemelting
snow，plungesintoatremendousabyss，fromwhichthesprayrollsup
likethesmokefromaburninghouse。Theshaftintowhichtheriver
hurlsitselfisanimmensechasm，linedbyglisteningcoal-blackrock，
andnarrowingintoacreaming，boilingpitofincalculabledepth，
whichbrimsoverandshootsthestreamonwardoveritsjaggedlip。The
longsweepofgreenwaterroaringforeverdown，andthethick
flickeringcurtainofsprayhissingforeverupward，turnamangiddy
withtheirconstantwhirlandclamour。Westoodneartheedge
peeringdownatthegleamofthebreakingwaterfarbelowusagainst
theblackrocks，andlisteningtothehalf-humanshoutwhichcame
boomingupwiththesprayoutoftheabyss。
Thepathhasbeencuthalfwayroundthefalltoaffordacomplete
view，butitendsabruptly，andthetravellerhastoreturnashe
came。Wehadturnedtodoso，whenwesawaSwissladcomerunning
alongitwithaletterinhishand。Itborethemarkofthehotel
whichwehadjustleftandwasaddressedtomebythelandlord。It
appearedthatwithinaveryfewminutesofourleaving，anEnglish
ladyhadarrivedwhowasinthelaststageofconsumption。Shehad
winteredatDavosPlatzandwasjourneyingnowtojoinherfriends
atLucerne，whenasuddenhemorrhagehadovertakenher。Itwasthought
thatshecouldhardlyliveafewhours，butitwouldbeagreat
consolationtohertoseeanEnglishdoctor，and，ifIwouldonly
return，etc。ThegoodSteilerassuredmeinapostscriptthathewould
himselflookuponmycomplianceasaverygreatfavour，sincethelady
absolutelyrefusedtoseeaSwissphysician，andhecouldnotbutfeel
thathewasincurringagreatresponsibility。
Theappealwasonewhichcouldnotbeignored。Itwasimpossible
torefusetherequestofafellow-countrywomandyinginastrange
land。YetIhadmyscruplesaboutleavingHolmes。Itwasfinally
agreed，however，thatheshouldretaintheyoungSwissmessenger
withhimasguideandcompanionwhileIreturnedtoMeiringen。My
friendwouldstaysomelittletimeatthefall，hesaid，andwould
thenwalkslowlyoverthehilltoRosenlaui，whereIwastorejoinhim
intheevening。AsIturnedawayIsawHolmes，withhisbackagainsta
rockandhisarmsfolded，gazingdownattherushofthewaters。It
wasthelastthatIwaseverdestinedtoseeofhiminthisworld。
WhenIwasnearthebottomofthedescentIlookedback。Itwas
impossible，fromthatposition，toseethefall，butIcouldseethe
curvingpathwhichwindsovertheshoulderofthehillsandleadsto
it。Alongthisamanwas，Iremember，walkingveryrapidly。
Icouldseehisblackfigureclearlyoutlinedagainstthegreen
behindhim。Inotedhim，andtheenergywithwhichhewalked，buthe
passedfrommymindagainasIhurriedonuponmyerrand。
ItmayhavebeenalittleoveranhourbeforeIreachedMeiringen。
OldSteilerwasstandingattheporchofhishotel。
“Well，“saidI，asIcamehurryingup，“Itrustthatsheisno
worse？“
Alookofsurprisepassedoverhisface，andatthefirstquiver
ofhiseyebrowsmyheartturnedtoleadinmybreast。
“Youdidnotwritethis？“Isaid，pullingtheletterfrommypocket。
“ThereisnosickEnglishwomaninthehotel？“
“Certainlynot！“hecried。“Butithasthehotelmarkuponit！Ha，
itmusthavebeenwrittenbythattallEnglishmanwhocameinafter
youhadgone。Hesaid-“
ButIwaitedfornoneofthelandlord”sexplanation。Inatingle
offearIwasalreadyrunningdownthevillagestreet，andmaking
forthepathwhichIhadsolatelydescended。Ithadtakenmean
hourtocomedown。ForallmyeffortstwomorehadpassedbeforeI
foundmyselfatthefallofReichenbachoncemore。Therewas
Holmes”sAlpine-stockstillleaningagainsttherockbywhichIhad
lefthim。Buttherewasnosignofhim，anditwasinvainthatI
shouted。Myonlyanswerwasmyownvoicereverberatinginarolling
echofromthecliffsaroundme。
ItwasthesightofthatAlpine-stockwhichturnedmecoldandsick。
HehadnotgonetoRosenlaui，then。Hehadremainedonthatthree-foot
path，withsheerwallononesideandsheerdropontheother，until
hisenemyhadovertakenhim。TheyoungSwisshadgonetoo。Hehad
probablybeeninthepayofMoriartyandhadleftthetwomen
together。Andthenwhathadhappened？Whowastotelluswhathad
happenedthen？
Istoodforaminuteortwotocollectmyself，forIwasdazed
withthehorrorofthething。ThenIbegantothinkofHolmes”sown
methodsandtotrytopractisetheminreadingthistragedy。Itwas，
alas，onlytooeasytodo。Duringourconversationwehadnotgone
totheendofthepath，andtheAlpine-stockmarkedtheplacewherewe
hadstood。Theblackishsoiliskeptforeversoftbytheincessant
driftofspray，andabirdwouldleaveitstreaduponit。Twolinesof
footmarkswereclearlymarkedalongthefartherendofthepath，
bothleadingawayfromme。Therewerenonereturning。Afewyardsfrom
theendthesoilwasallploughedupintoapatchofmud，andthe
bramblesandfernswhichfringedthechasmweretornandbedraggled。I
layuponmyfaceandpeeredoverwiththesprayspoutingupallaround
me。IthaddarkenedsinceIleft，andnowIcouldonlyseehereand
theretheglisteningofmoistureupontheblackwalls，andfaraway
downattheendoftheshaftthegleamofthebrokenwater。Ishouted；
butonlythatsamehalf-humancryofthefallwasbornebacktomy
cars。
ButitwasdestinedthatIshould，afterall，havealastwordof
greetingfrommyfriendandcomrade。IhavesaidthathisAlpine-stock
hadbeenleftleaningagainstarockwhichjuttedontothepath。From
thetopofthisboulderthegleamofsomethingbrightcaughtmyeye，
andraisingmyhandIfoundthatitcamefromthesilver
cigarette-casewhichheusedtocarry。AsItookitupasmall
squareofpaperuponwhichithadlainfluttereddownontothe
ground。Unfoldingit，Ifoundthatitconsistedofthreepagestorn
fromhisnotebookandaddressedtome。Itwascharacteristicofthe
manthatthedirectionwasasprecise，andthewritingasfirmand
clear，asthoughithadbeenwritteninhisstudy。
MYDEARWATSON[itsaid]：
IwritethesefewlinesthroughthecourtesyofMr。Moriarty，
whoawaitsmyconvenienceforthefinaldiscussionofthose
questionswhichliebetweenus。Hehasbeengivingmeasketchof
themethodsbywhichheavoidedtheEnglishpoliceandkepthimself
informedofourmovements。Theycertainlyconfirmtheveryhigh
opinionwhichIhadformedofhisabilities。Iampleasedtothink
thatIshallbeabletofreesocietyfromanyfurthereffectsofhis
presence，thoughIfearthatitisatacostwhichwillgivepainto
myfriends，andespecially，mydearWatson，toyou。Ihavealready
explainedtoyou，however，thatmycareerhadinanycasereached
itscrisis，andthatnopossibleconclusiontoitcouldbemore
congenialtomethanthis。Indeed，ifImaymakeafullconfession
toyou，IwasquiteconvincedthattheletterfromMeiringenwasa
hoax，andIallowedyoutodepartonthaterrandunderthe
persuasionthatsomedevelopmentofthissortwouldfollow。Tell
InspectorPattersonthatthepaperswhichheneedstoconvictthegang
areinpigeonholeM。，doneupinablueenvelopeandinscribed
“Moriarty。”Imadeeverydispositionofmypropertybeforeleaving
EnglandandhandedittomybrotherMycroft。Praygivemygreetingsto
Mrs。Watson，andbelievemetobe，mydearfellow，
Verysincerelyyours，
SHERLOCKHOLMES。
Afewwordsmaysufficetotellthelittlethatremains。An
examinationbyexpertsleaveslittledoubtthatapersonalcontest
betweenthetwomenended，asitcouldhardlyfailtoendinsucha
situation，intheirreelingover，lockedineachother”sarms。Any
attemptatrecoveringthebodieswasabsolutelyhopeless，andthere，
deepdowninthatdreadfulcauldronofswirlingwaterandseething
foam，willlieforalltimethemostdangerouscriminalandthe
foremostchampionofthelawoftheirgeneration。TheSwissyouth
wasneverfoundagain，andtherecanbenodoubtthathewasoneof
thenumerousagentswhomMoriartykeptinhisemploy。Astothe
gang，itwillbewithinthememoryofthepublichowcompletelythe
evidencewhichHolmeshadaccumulatedexposedtheirorganization，
andhowheavilythehandofthedeadmanweigheduponthem。Oftheir
terriblechieffewdetailscameoutduringtheproceedings，andifI
havenowbeencompelledtomakeaclearstatementofhiscareer，itis
duetothoseinjudiciouschampionswhohaveendeavouredtoclearhis
memorybyattacksuponhimwhomIshalleverregardasthebestand
thewisestmanwhomIhaveeverknown。
THEEND。
THEADVENTURESOFSHERLOCKHOLMES
TheFiveOrangePips
WhenIglanceovermynotesandrecordsoftheSherlockHolmes
casesbetweentheyears”82and”90，Iamfacedbysomanywhich
presentstrangeandinterestingfeaturesthatitisnoeasymatter
toknowwhichtochooseandwhichtoleave。Some，however，have
alreadygainedpublicitythroughthepapers，andothershavenot
offeredafieldforthosepeculiarqualitieswhichmyfriend
possessedinsohighadegree，andwhichitistheobjectofthese
paperstoillustrate。Some，too，havebaffledhisanalytical
skill，andwouldbe，asnarratives，beginningswithoutanending，
whileothershavebeenbutpartiallyclearedup，andhavetheir
explanationsfoundedratheruponconjectureandsurmisethanon
thatabsolutelogicalproofwhichwassodeartohim。Thereis，
however，oneoftheselastwhichwassoremarkableinitsdetails
andsostartlinginitsresultsthatIamtemptedtogivesome
accountofitinspiteofthefactthattherearepointsin
connectionwithitwhichneverhavebeen，andprobablyneverwill
be，entirelyclearedup。
Theyear”87furnisheduswithalongseriesofcasesof
greaterorlessinterest，ofwhichIretaintherecords。Amongmy
headingsunderthisonetwelvemonthsIfindanaccountofthe
adventureoftheParadolChamber，oftheAmateurMendicant
Society，whoheldaluxuriousclubinthelowervaultofa
furniturewarehouse，ofthefactsconnectedwiththelossofthe
BritishbarkSophyAnderson，ofthesingularadventuresofthe
GricePatersonsintheislandofUffa，andfinallyofthe
Camberwellpoisoningcase。Inthelatter，asmayberemembered，
SherlockHolmeswasable，bywindingupthedeadman”swatch，to
provethatithadbeenwounduptwohoursbefore，andthat
thereforethedeceasedhadgonetobedwithinthattime——a
deductionwhichwasofthegreatestimportanceinclearingupthe
case。AlltheseImaysketchoutatsomefuturedate，butnoneof
thempresentsuchsingularfeaturesasthestrangetrainof
circumstanceswhichIhavenowtakenupmypentodescribe。
ItwasinthelatterdaysofSeptember，andtheequinoctial
galeshadsetinwithexceptionalviolence。Alldaythewindhad
screamedandtherainhadbeatenagainstthewindows，sothateven
hereintheheartofgreat，hand-madeLondonwewereforcedto
raiseourmindsfortheinstantfromtheroutineoflife，andto
recognizethepresenceofthosegreatelementalforceswhich
shriekatmankindthroughthebarsofhiscivilization，like
untamedbeastsinacage。Aseveningdrewin，thestormgrew
higherandlouder，andthewindcriedandsobbedlikeachildin
thechimney。SherlockHolmessatmoodilyatonesideofthe
fireplacecross-indexinghisrecordsofcrime，whileIatthe
otherwasdeepinoneofClarkRussell”sfinesea-storiesuntil
thehowlofthegalefromwithoutseemedtoblendwiththetext，
andthesplashoftheraintolengthenoutintothelongswashof
theseawaves。Mywifewasonavisittohermother”s，andfora
fewdaysIwasadwelleroncemoreinmyoldquartersatBaker
Street。
“Why，“saidI，glancingupatmycompanion，“thatwassurely
thebell。Whocouldcometo-night？Somefriendofyours，
perhaps？“
“ExceptyourselfIhavenone，“heanswered。“Idonot
encouragevisitors。”“Aclient，then？“
“Ifso，itisaseriouscase。Nothinglesswouldbringaman
outonsuchadayandatsuchanhour。ButItakeitthatitis
morelikelytobesomecronyofthelandlady”s。”
SherlockHolmeswaswronginhisconjecture，however，for
therecameastepinthepassageandatappingatthedoor。He
stretchedouthislongarmtoturnthelampawayfromhimselfand
towardsthevacantchairuponwhichanewcomermustsit。“Come
in！“saidhe。
Themanwhoenteredwasyoung，sometwo-and-twentyatthe
outside，well-groomedandtrimlyclad，withsomethingof
refinementanddelicacyinhisbearing。Thestreamingumbrella
whichheheldinhishand，andhislongshiningwaterprooftoldof
thefierceweatherthroughwhichhehadcome。Helookedabouthim
anxiouslyintheglareofthelamp，andIcouldseethathisface
waspaleandhiseyesheavy，likethoseofamanwhoisweighed
downwithsomegreatanxiety。
“Ioweyouanapology，“hesaid，raisinghisgoldenpince-nez
tohiseyes。“ItrustthatIamnotintruding。IfearthatI
havebroughtsometracesofthestormandrainintoyoursnug
chamber。”
“Givemeyourcoatandumbrella，“saidHolmes。“Theymayrest
hereonthehookandwillbedrypresently。Youhavecomeupfrom
thesouth-west，Isee。”“Yes，fromHorsham。”
“ThatclayandchalkmixturewhichIseeuponyourtoecapsis
quitedistinctive。”“Ihavecomeforadvice。”“Thatiseasilygot。”“Andhelp。”“Thatisnotalwayssoeasy。”
“Ihaveheardofyou，Mr。Holmes。IheardfromMajor
PrendergasthowyousavedhimintheTankervilleClubscandal。”
“Ah，ofcourse。Hewaswrongfullyaccusedofcheatingat
cards。”“Hesaidthatyoucouldsolveanything。”“Hesaidtoomuch。”“Thatyouareneverbeaten。”
“Ihavebeenbeatenfourtimes——threetimesbymen，andonce
byawoman。”“Butwhatisthatcomparedwiththenumberofyoursuccesses？““ItistruethatIhavebeengenerallysuccessful。”“Thenyoumaybesowithme。”
“Ibegthatyouwilldrawyourchairuptothefireandfavour
mewithsomedetailsastoyourcase。”“Itisnoordinaryone。”
“Noneofthosewhichcometomeare。Iamthelastcourtof
appeal。”
“AndyetIquestion，sir，whether，inallyourexperience，you
haveeverlistenedtoamoremysteriousandinexplicablechainof
eventsthanthosewhichhavehappenedinmyownfamily。”
“Youfillmewithinterest，“saidHolmes。“Praygiveusthe
essentialfactsfromthecommencement，andIcanafterwards
questionyouastothosedetailswhichseemtometobemost
important。”
Theyoungmanpulledhischairupandpushedhiswetfeetout
towardstheblaze。
“Myname，“saidhe，“isJohnOpenshaw，butmyownaffairs
have，asfarasIcanunderstand，littletodowiththisawful
business。Itisahereditarymatter；soinordertogiveyouan
ideaofthefacts，Imustgobacktothecommencementofthe
affair。
“Youmustknowthatmygrandfatherhadtwosons——myuncle
EliasandmyfatherJoseph。Myfatherhadasmallfactoryat
Coventry，whichheenlargedatthetimeoftheinventionof
bicycling。HewasapatenteeoftheOpenshawunbreakabletire，
andhisbusinessmetwithsuchsuccessthathewasabletosellit
andtoretireuponahandsomecompetence。
“MyuncleEliasemigratedtoAmericawhenhewasayoungman
andbecameaplanterinFlorida，wherehewasreportedtohave
doneverywell。AtthetimeofthewarhefoughtinJackson”s
army，andafterwardsunderHood，whereherosetobeacolonel。
WhenLeelaiddownhisarmsmyunclereturnedtohisplantation，
whereheremainedforthreeorfouryears。About1869or1870he
camebacktoEuropeandtookasmallestateinSussex，near
Horsham。HehadmadeaveryconsiderablefortuneintheStates，
andhisreasonforleavingthemwashisaversiontothenegroes，
andhisdislikeoftheRepublicanpolicyinextendingthe
franchisetothem。Hewasasingularman，fierceand
quick-tempered，veryfoul-mouthedwhenhewasangry，andofamost
retiringdisposition。Duringalltheyearsthathelivedat
Horsham，Idoubtifeverhesetfootinthetown。Hehadagarden
andtwoorthreefieldsroundhishouse，andtherehewouldtake
hisexercise，thoughveryoftenforweeksonendhewouldnever
leavehisroom。Hedrankagreatdealofbrandyandsmokedvery
heavily，buthewouldseenosocietyanddidnotwantanyfriends，
notevenhisownbrother。
“Hedidn”tmindme；infact，hetookafancytome，foratthe
timewhenhesawmefirstIwasayoungsteroftwelveorso。This
wouldbeintheyear1878，afterhehadbeeneightornineyears
inEngland。Hebeggedmyfathertoletmelivewithhim，andhe
wasverykindtomeinhisway。Whenhewassoberheusedtobe
fondofplayingbackgammonanddraughtswithme，andhewouldmake
mehisrepresentativebothwiththeservantsandwiththe
tradespeople，sothatbythetimethatIwassixteenIwasquite
masterofthehouse。IkeptallthekeysandcouldgowhereI
likedanddowhatIliked，solongasIdidnotdisturbhiminhis
privacy。Therewasonesingularexception，however，forhehada
singleroom，alumber-roomupamongtheattics，whichwas
invariablylocked，andwhichhewouldneverpermiteithermeor
anyoneelsetoenter。Withaboy”scuriosityIhavepeeped
throughthekeyhole，butIwasneverabletoseemorethansucha
collectionofoldtrunksandbundlesaswouldbeexpectedinsuch
aroom。
“Oneday——itwasinMarch，1883——aletterwithaforeignstamp
layuponthetableinfrontofthecolonel”splate。Itwasnota
commonthingforhimtoreceiveletters，forhisbillswereall
paidinreadymoney，andhehadnofriendsofanysort。`From
India！”saidheashetookitup，`Pondicherrypostmark！Whatcan
thisbe？”Openingithurriedly，outtherejumpedfivelittledried
orangepips，whichpattereddownuponhisplate。Ibegantolaugh
atthis，butthelaughwasstruckfrommylipsatthesightofhis
face。Hisliphadfallen，hiseyeswereprotruding，hisskinthe
colourofputty，andheglaredattheenvelopewhichhestillheld
inhistremblinghand，`K。K。K。！”heshrieked，andthen，`MyGod，
myGod，mysinshaveovertakenme！”“`Whatisit，uncle？”Icried。
“`Death”saidhe，andrisingfromthetableheretiredtohis
room，leavingmepalpitatingwithhorror。Itookuptheenvelope
andsawscrawledinredinkupontheinnerflap，justabovethe
gum，theletterKthreetimesrepeated。Therewasnothingelse
savethefivedriedpips。Whatcouldbethereasonofhis
overpoweringterror？Ileftthebreakfast-table，andasI
ascendedthestairImethimcomingdownwithanoldrustykey，
whichmusthavebelongedtotheattic，inonehand，andasmall
brassbox，likeacashbox，intheother。
“`Theymaydowhattheylike，butI”llcheckmatethemstill”
saidhewithanoath。`TellMarythatIshallwantafireinmy
roomto-day，andsenddowntoFordham，theHorshamlawyer。”
“Ididasheordered，andwhenthelawyerarrivedIwasasked
tostepuptotheroom。Thefirewasburningbrightly，andinthe
gratetherewasamassofblack，fluffyashes，asofburnedpaper，
whilethebrassboxstoodopenandemptybesideit。AsIglanced
attheboxInoticed，withastart，thatuponthelidwasprinted
thetrebleKwhichIhadreadinthemorningupontheenvelope。
“`Iwishyou，John”saidmyuncle，`towitnessmywill。I
leavemyestate，withallitsadvantagesandallits
disadvantages，tomybrother，yourfather，whenceitwill，no
doubt，descendtoyou。Ifyoucanenjoyitinpeace，welland
good！Ifyoufindyoucannot，takemyadvice，myboy，andleave
ittoyourdeadliestenemy。Iamsorrytogiveyousucha
two-edgedthing，butIcan”tsaywhatturnthingsaregoingto
take。KindlysignthepaperwhereMr。Fordhamshowsyou。”
“Isignedthepaperasdirected，andthelawyertookitaway
withhim。Thesingularincidentmade，asyoumaythink，the
deepestimpressionuponme，andIponderedoveritandturnedit
everywayinmymindwithoutbeingabletomakeanythingofit。
YetIcouldnotshakeoffthevaguefeelingofdreadwhichitleft
behind，thoughthesensationgrewlesskeenastheweekspassed，
andnothinghappenedtodisturbtheusualroutineofourlives。I
couldseeachangeinmyuncle，however。Hedrankmorethanever，
andhewaslessinclinedforanysortofsociety。Mostofhis
timehewouldspendinhisroom，withthedoorlockeduponthe
inside，butsometimeshewouldemergeinasortofdrunkenfrenzy
andwouldburstoutofthehouseandtearaboutthegardenwitha
revolverinhishand，screamingoutthathewasafraidofnoman，
andthathewasnottobecoopedup，likeasheepinapen，byman
ordevil。Whenthesehotfitswereover，however，hewouldrush
tumultuouslyinatthedoorandlockandbaritbehindhim，likea
manwhocanbrazenitoutnolongeragainsttheterrorwhichlies
attherootsofhissoul。AtsuchtimesIhaveseenhisface，
evenonacoldday，glistenwithmoisture，asthoughitwerenew
raisedfromabasin。
“Well，tocometoanendofthematter，Mr。Holmes，andnotto
abuseyourpatience，therecameanightwhenhemadeoneofthose
drunkensalliesfromwhichhenevercameback。Wefoundhim，when
wewenttosearchforhim，facedownwardinalittlegreen-scummed
pool，whichlayatthefootofthegarden。Therewasnosignof
anyviolence，andthewaterwasbuttwofeetdeep，sothatthe
jury，havingregardtohisknowneccentricity，broughtina
verdictof`suicide。”ButI，whoknewhowhewincedfromthevery
thoughtofdeath，hadmuchadotopersuademyselfthathehadgone
outofhiswaytomeetit。Thematterpassed，however，andmy
fatherenteredintopossessionoftheestate，andofsome14，000pounds，
whichlaytohiscreditatthebank。”
“Onemoment，“Holmesinterposed，“yourstatementis，I
foresee，oneofthemostremarkabletowhichIhaveeverlistened。
Letmehavethedateofthereceptionbyyouruncleoftheletter，
andthedateofhissupposedsuicide。”
“TheletterarrivedonMarch10，1883。Hisdeathwasseven
weekslater，uponthenightofMay2d。”“Thankyou。Prayproceed。”
“WhenmyfathertookovertheHorshamproperty，he，atmy
request，madeacarefulexaminationoftheattic，whichhadbeen
alwayslockedup。Wefoundthebrassboxthere，althoughits
contentshadbeendestroyed。Ontheinsideofthecoverwasa
paperlabel，withtheinitialsofK。K。K。repeateduponit，and
`Letters，memoranda，receipts，andaregister”writtenbeneath。
These，wepresume，indicatedthenatureofthepaperswhichhad
beendestroyedbyColonelOpenshaw。Fortherest，therewas
nothingofmuchimportanceintheatticsaveagreatmany
scatteredpapersandnote-booksbearinguponmyuncle”slifein
America。Someofthemwereofthewartimeandshowedthathehad
donehisdutywellandhadbornethereputeofabravesoldier。
OtherswereofadateduringthereconstructionoftheSouthern
states，andweremostlyconcernedwithpolitics，forhehad
evidentlytakenastrongpartinopposingthecarpet-bag
politicianswhohadbeensentdownfromtheNorth。
“Well，itwasthebeginningof”84whenmyfathercametolive
atHorsham，andallwentaswellaspossiblewithusuntilthe
Januaryof”85。OnthefourthdayafterthenewyearIheardmy
fathergiveasharpcryofsurpriseaswesattogetheratthe
breakfast-table。Therehewas，sittingwithanewlyopened
envelopeinonehandandfivedriedorangepipsinthe
outstretchedpalmoftheotherone。Hehadalwayslaughedatwhat
hecalledmycock-and-bullstoryaboutthecolonel，buthelooked
veryscaredandpuzzlednowthatthesamethinghadcomeupon
himself。“`Why，whatonearthdoesthismean，John？”hestammered。“Myhearthadturnedtolead。`ItisK。K。K。”saidI。
“Helookedinsidetheenvelope。`Soitis”hecried。`Here
aretheveryletters。Butwhatisthiswrittenabovethem？”
“`Putthepapersonthesundial”Iread，peepingoverhis
shoulder。“`Whatpapers？Whatsundial？”heasked。
“`Thesundialinthegarden。Thereisnoother”saidI；`but
thepapersmustbethosethataredestroyed。”
“`Pooh！”saidhe，grippinghardathiscourage。`Weareina
civilizedlandhere，andwecan”thavetomfooleryofthiskind。
Wheredoesthethingcomefrom？”“`FromDundee”Ianswered，glancingatthepostmark。
“`Somepreposterouspracticaljoke”saidhe。`WhathaveIto
dowithsundialsandpapers？Ishalltakenonoticeofsuch
nonsense。”“`Ishouldcertainlyspeaktothepolice”Isaid。“`Andbelaughedatformypains。Nothingofthesort。”“`Thenletmedoso？”
“`No，Iforbidyou。Iwon”thaveafussmadeaboutsuch
nonsense。”
“Itwasinvaintoarguewithhim，forhewasaveryobstinate
man。Iwentabout，however，withaheartwhichwasfullof
forebodings。
“Onthethirddayafterthecomingofthelettermyfather
wentfromhometovisitanoldfriendofhis，MajorFreebody，who
isincommandofoneofthefortsuponPortsdownHill。Iwasglad
thatheshouldgo，foritseemedtomethathewasfartherfrom
dangerwhenhewasawayfromhome。Inthat，however，Iwasin
error。UpontheseconddayofhisabsenceIreceivedatelegram
fromthemajor，imploringmetocomeatonce。Myfatherhad
fallenoveroneofthedeepchalk-pitswhichaboundinthe
neighbourhood，andwaslyingsenseless，withashatteredskull。I
hurriedtohim，buthepassedawaywithouthavingeverrecovered
hisconsciousness。Hehad，asitappears，beenreturningfrom
Farehaminthetwilight，andasthecountrywasunknowntohim，
andthechalk-pitunfenced，thejuryhadnohesitationinbringing
inaverdictof`deathfromaccidentalcauses。”CarefullyasI
examinedeveryfactconnectedwithhisdeath，Iwasunabletofind
anythingwhichcouldsuggesttheideaofmurder。Therewereno
signsofviolence，nofootmarks，norobbery，norecordof
strangershavingbeenseenupontheroads。AndyetIneednot
tellyouthatmymindwasfarfromatease，andthatIwas
well-nighcertainthatsomefoulplothadbeenwovenroundhim。
“InthissinisterwayIcameintomyinheritance。Youwill
askmewhyIdidnotdisposeofit？Ianswer，becauseIwaswell
convincedthatourtroubleswereinsomewaydependentuponan
incidentinmyuncle”slife，andthatthedangerwouldbeas
pressinginonehouseasinanother。
“ItwasinJanuary，”85，thatmypoorfathermethisend，and
twoyearsandeightmonthshaveelapsedsincethen。Duringthat
timeIhavelivedhappilyatHorsham，andIhadbeguntohopethat
thiscursehadpassedawayfromthefamily，andthatithadended
withthelastgeneration。Ihadbeguntotakecomforttoosoon，
however；yesterdaymorningtheblowfellintheveryshapein
whichithadcomeuponmyfather。”
Theyoungmantookfromhiswaistcoatacrumpledenvelope，and
turningtothetableheshookoutuponitfivelittledriedorange
pips。
“Thisistheenvelope，“hecontinued。“Thepostmarkis
London——easterndivision。Withinaretheverywordswhichwere
uponmyfather”slastmessage：`K。K。K。”；andthen`Putthe
papersonthesundial。”““Whathaveyoudone？“askedHolmes。“Nothing。”“Nothing？“
“Totellthetruth“——hesankhisfaceintohisthin，white
hands”Ihavefelthelpless。Ihavefeltlikeoneofthosepoor
rabbitswhenthesnakeiswrithingtowardsit。Iseemtobein
thegraspofsomeresistless，inexorableevil，whichnoforesight
andnoprecautionscanguardagainst。”
“Tut！tut！“criedSherlockHolmes。“Youmustact，man，oryou
arelost。Nothingbutenergycansaveyou。Thisisnotimefor
despair。”“Ihaveseenthepolice。”“Ah！“
“Buttheylistenedtomystorywithasmile。Iamconvinced
thattheinspectorhasformedtheopinionthatthelettersareall
practicaljokes，andthatthedeathsofmyrelationswerereally
accidents，asthejurystated，andwerenottobeconnectedwith
thewarnings。”
Holmesshookhisclenchedhandsintheair。“Incredible
imbecility！“hecried。
“Theyhave，however，allowedmeapoliceman，whomayremainin
thehousewithme。”“Hashecomewithyouto-night？““No。Hisordersweretostayinthehouse。”AgainHolmesravedintheair。
“Whydidyoucometome，“hecried，“and，aboveall，whydid
younotcomeatonce？“
“Ididnotknow。Itwasonlyto-daythatIspoketoMajor
Prendergastaboutmytroublesandwasadvisedbyhimtocometo
you。”
“Itisreallytwodayssinceyouhadtheletter。Weshould
haveactedbeforethis。Youhavenofurtherevidence，Isuppose，
thanthatwhichyouhaveplacedbeforeus——nosuggestivedetail
whichmighthelpus？“
“Thereisonething，“saidJohnOpenshaw。Herummagedinhis
coatpocket，and，drawingoutapieceofdiscoloured，blue-tinted
paper，helaiditoutuponthetable。“Ihavesomeremembrance，“
saidhe，“thatonthedaywhenmyuncleburnedthepapersI
observedthatthesmall，unburnedmarginswhichlayamidtheashes
wereofthisparticularcolour。Ifoundthissinglesheetupon
thefloorofhisroom，andIaminclinedtothinkthatitmaybe
oneofthepaperswhichhas，perhaps，flutteredoutfromamongthe
others，andinthatwayhasescapeddestruction。Beyondthe
mentionofpips，Idonotseethatithelpsusmuch。Ithink
myselfthatitisapagefromsomeprivatediary。Thewritingis
undoubtedlymyuncle”s。”
Holmesmovedthelamp，andwebothbentoverthesheetof
paper，whichshowedbyitsraggededgethatithadindeedbeen
tornfromabook。Itwasheaded，“March，1869，“andbeneathwere
thefollowingenigmaticalnotices：4th。Hudsoncame。Sameoldplatform。
7th。SetthepipsonMcCauley，Paramore，andJohn
Swain，ofSt。Augustine。9th。McCauleycleared。10th。JohnSwaincleared。12th。VisitedParamore。Allwell。
“Thankyou！“saidHolmes，foldingupthepaperandreturning
ittoourvisitor。“Andnowyoumustonnoaccountloseanother
instant。Wecannotsparetimeeventodiscusswhatyouhavetold
me。Youmustgethomeinstantlyandact。”“WhatshallIdo？“
“Thereisbutonethingtodo。Itmustbedoneatonce。You
mustputthispieceofpaperwhichyouhaveshownusintothe
brassboxwhichyouhavedescribed。Youmustalsoputinanote
tosaythatalltheotherpaperswereburnedbyyouruncle，and
thatthisistheonlyonewhichremains。Youmustassertthatin
suchwordsaswillcarryconvictionwiththem。Havingdonethis，
youmustatonceputtheboxoutuponthesundial，asdirected。
Doyouunderstand？““Entirely。”
“Donotthinkofrevenge，oranythingofthesort，atpresent。
Ithinkthatwemaygainthatbymeansofthelaw；butwehaveour
webtoweave，whiletheirsisalreadywoven。Thefirst
considerationistoremovethepressingdangerwhichthreatens
you。Thesecondistoclearupthemysteryandtopunishthe
guiltyparties。”
“Ithankyou，“saidtheyoungman，risingandpullingonhis
overcoat。“Youhavegivenmefreshlifeandhope。Ishall
certainlydoasyouadvise。”
“Donotloseaninstant。And，aboveall，takecareof
yourselfinthemeanwhile，forIdonotthinkthattherecanbea
doubtthatyouarethreatenedbyaveryrealandimminentdanger。
Howdoyougoback？““BytrainfromWaterloo。”
“Itisnotyetnine。Thestreetswillbecrowded，soItrust
thatyoumaybeinsafety。Andyetyoucannotguardyourselftoo
closely。”“Iamarmed。”“Thatiswell。To-morrowIshallsettoworkuponyourcase。”“IshallseeyouatHorsham，then？“
“No，yoursecretliesinLondon。ItistherethatIshall
seekit。”