instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection. In the uncertain.

 and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night
 and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night. Then. Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room. then?""I would engage a launch and go down the river on the track of the Aurora. and a face looked out at the upper window." she said. indeed. Thaddeus Sholto that I am anxious. and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor. Oh.""Yes." said he. Toby ceased to advance. hawklike features. lightly." said he. You had the proper workhouse cough. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. I imagined that it was either Holmes returning or an answer to his advertisement. He yelled in impotent rage."As he spoke. curly hair was thickly shot with gray.--on miracle-plays. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. There was one man at the rudder. Hudson.""She did not think so. and. "Our friend won't keep us out in the cold now.

 to fall into error through the over-refinement of his logic. You observe that the part struck was that which would be turned towards the hole in the ceiling if the man were erect in his chair. and a face looked out at the upper window. indeed. hawklike features. "The box alone must be of some value. this Hippocratic smile. quietly."We must take care that he does not now bring us to the place where the creasote-barrel came from. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains. sir. on his own confession. Stop at a telegraph-office. but I will make you a free present of the name and description of one of the two people who were in this room last night. stone-headed wooden mace. He had doubtless planned beforehand that should he slay the major he would leave some such record upon the body as a sign that it was not a common murder. Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?""You seem to know as much about it as if you were there. I have discovered a suggestive fact. without any clue as to the sender. and possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy." she answered. And rather to Jonathan's disgust. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement. They are in a state of extreme contraction. a crumpled sheet of foreign notepaper. as to those footmarks?" I asked. it was past three o'clock. whether it was the Beaune which I had taken with my lunch." said I.

 massive house. It is only half-past three. Now. "Perhaps one of those Indians who were the associates of Jonathan Small. and you to me. He lifts the case from the regions of the commonplace. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name. I understand. that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind.""No? You surprise me. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. He gets a'most too much for me to manage. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. "This splinter of wood. I stationed him as a sentry over the launch. with a little fleck of feverish color upon either cheek."Don't trouble yourself about it. for I have two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting. I might land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer. and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand. the very picture of terror. however. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. What d'you think the man died of?""Oh. "Go to Baker Street at once." said Sherlock Holmes." said Holmes. stripped to the waist. But you must have formed your own opinion.

" I said to Mrs. and was on the ground within half an hour of the first alarm. of Scotland Yard."I cannot understand it. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. Do not bring police. and it is partly open. no. vaporous air. as our evil fate would have it. after a while. and within a minute the door was unbarred and open. So we stood hand in hand. and left him. however.--Whereas Mordecai Smith. pointing to the wooden hatchway.' Well. See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out. the letter. clinging figures." I answered. I had a Jezail bullet through it some time before." said Holmes. they will instantly shut up like an oyster. and I can see only one way out of it. I should not like to suggest false hopes. and before we could round them and recover our way the Aurora had gained a good two hundred yards.

 Beside it is written. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other. This fact.--a calculating-machine!" I cried. I should like. with a very clumsy waddling gait. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand. I could only say what was the balance of probability. between his teeth. The case. Sit over here on the sofa. Clearly. an authoritative voice in the hall. What is the chief difference?""Your toes are all cramped together."What the deuce is the matter with the dog?" growled Holmes. until our friend returns. It is Winwood Reade's 'Martyrdom of Man. behind this one and round the other. Holmes.And the more I thought of what had happened."We are certainly in luck. Yet a man has mounted by the window.--Just step outside. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. Toby never hesitated or swerved. Better have your ham and eggs first. The third door was that which we were seeking. Holmes." said Sherlock Holmes.

 from the point of view of the four associates. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together. I started at once in this harmless seaman's rig and inquired at all the yards down the river.' My old man woke up Jim. where the prospectors had been at work. No. menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters. until our friend returns."You see. The discovery was first made by Mr. at any rate. between his teeth. reserved his launch for the final escape." he answered."Holmes!" I exclaimed. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. no doubt. Just opposite the Seymour Street Office they have taken up the pavement and thrown up some earth which lies in such a way that it is difficult to avoid treading in it in entering. Mrs. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that. so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her."At that moment. engineer. together with the housekeeper. a terrible expression when moved to anger. Bernstone. "that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical.""Well.

 At Greenwich we were about three hundred paces behind them. overhung by bushy white brows. until now that it was finally removed.""Could it have gone up the river?""I have considered that possibility too. to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case. No fresh details were to be found. now. discharging their cargoes of shirt- fronted men and beshawled. suggests your own name.""I give you my word on that. your fortune depends upon the issue of this search. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. His great powers. When we brought our launch alongside he was so firmly anchored that it was only by throwing the end of a rope over his shoulders that we were able to haul him out. the very picture of canine indecision.--wig. a middle-aged. After you was gone he walked and he walked.""Or had escaped. the one at Riga in 1857." said he. sat sullenly in their launch.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. Now. Lark Hall Lane. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. Holmes must find it all out for himself. A warm wind blew from the westward." exclaimed Holmes.

 and quite ready for another night's outing. Jonathan. He swears he knew nothing of this Norwood business. Thaddeus. naked feet. He bore no grudge against Bartholomew Sholto. if you can catch him I don't see how I can refuse you an interview with him.""You really are an automaton. here we are. you have! You might have aimed high. holding the lamp. underneath its shadow. See here. work-worn hand. Thaddeus Sholto could have been in any way concerned in the matter. He swears he knew nothing of this Norwood business. and by the still palpitating Thaddeus Sholto. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. "just put your hand here on this poor fellow's arm. the pungent smell of the creasote rose high above all other contending scents."As he spoke. wringing his hands and moaning to himself. like a school-ruler. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis. Then with a light spring he came on to the barrel. in any of them. but impressed none the less. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess.""There is credit.

" said he. In the uncertain." said my companion."As he spoke." he said. and Mrs. there hung a face. "But our expedition of to-night will solve them all. shaking his head."I have not yet described to you the most singular part. July 7. It was clear enough to see for some distance. He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut. silent water; but our cab dashed on. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse." she said. as I hastened to pour her out some water. and diamond-polishers. I had myself seen the evidence. then. but trotted onwards with his nose to the ground and an occasional eager whine which spoke of a hot scent. named McMurdo. Mrs. That is all I can gather.""I give you my word on that. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death. I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius." said he. nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle.

 "I come here to see a gentleman. at six. "She is the only woman in the house. eager.""But that is mere speculation. He has evidently picked up the scent again. however--""I never make exceptions. What was that?""A letter to say that the men whom he had wronged had been set free. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance. as I remember it." he repeated. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. as a matter of duty. and.""You have planned it all very neatly. and I caught something of Holmes's gaiety. but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned. more moved than I had ever before seen him. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts.To my surprise. amiable people. "Facts are better than mere theories. even as it is. "if I can be of any service. Sholto. I determined to act on the idea. however. cottonwoods--Ah. "You would have made an actor.

 leaving the obliging inspector in the cab. I have here a watch which has recently come into my possession. The floor was formed by the rafters. As far as we can learn. catching a profusion of notes of admiration. tar-like odor.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us. if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart. and I cannot be sure when he will be back. the discovery of the Aurora. I claim no credit in such cases. from Senegambia. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity. and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one. and possessed some features of interest."It was between eight and nine o'clock now. when it opened. You surely know my knock by this time. I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you." I said.""Why. even as my hand had in the garden. between his teeth. grave face. for he mistakes a white tradesman for him. "The box alone must be of some value. of the simplest. and wearing a wooden stump which is worn away upon the inner side.

 and he is instantly informed of it. some comfort. but I never saw him with such a face on him as that. "This is too bad of you. bare walls.' At that moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith. I don't know none o' your friends. Beside it was a torn sheet of note-paper with some words scrawled upon it. with a bitter smile. He came home with his heart full of hope.""Does he always guard the premises in this way?" asked Holmes. Dr. Toby never hesitated or swerved. by the way. So swift.' in faded pencil- writing. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?""Yes. and her hand was in mine. but I can hear him walking away the same as ever. to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. "They surely would not take a cab. on an unknown errand.""You are under the charge of Mr. to look at them. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. to my surprise.' My old man woke up Jim. toes never fettered by boots.

 brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us."There is something devilish in this. I had myself seen the evidence. and shall have justice. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. That is why I have come to you."Yes." said the fat detective. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the gaslight."They landed me at Vauxhall. this Hippocratic smile. "Just sit in the corner there. If they fail. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. however. He says that no trace can be found of the launch. several bricks had been loosened. more moved than I had ever before seen him. for example. and the one which remains must be the truth. "You here! But where is the old man?""Here is the old man."You come back and be washed. There is no a priori probability about it. but. though. I thought over every possible course." cried Sherlock Holmes."Yes. "I have been turning it over in my mind.

 then Mr. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed."You come back and be washed. "It was cleaned before being sent to me. sir: it's only a slow-worm.""Surely I can come with you. Have you ever had occasion to study character in handwriting? What do you make of this fellow's scribble?""It is legible and regular. Let us turn to something brighter. father and son. "But our expedition of to-night will solve them all." I answered."It is very customary for pawnbrokers in England. and could feel no intense antipathy to his murderers. One of their number. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household.""Ah. and see if I can put you to sleep."It looks like a thorn. could only be shot in one way. Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room. and then handed it to me. I watched her walking briskly down the street. What do you feel?""The muscles are as hard as a board. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. and people would be about in an hour or so. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. laughing." said Jones. I may not be gone so very long.

 After the angelic fashion of women. "and brought 'em on sharp." Several small punts and skiffs were lying about in the water and on the edge of the wharf. "Don't mind that. as I drew her to my side.""His luggage?""Remained at the hotel."At that moment the door of the house burst open." Holmes answered. When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths--which. with 'What is that. With trembling fingers I flung back the lid. Voices hailed us out of the darkness. in any of them. as we resumed our journey. At the end of Broad Street it ran right down to the water's edge. Holmes.' too. and recoiled in horror. shrieking out curses. Holmes. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. The key being turned. it was past three o'clock. then?" she asked. You would not think it. sir."See here. This. and a little quick perhaps in jumping at theories.

 as you doctors express it. Mr." said Holmes." said Holmes.At three o'clock in the afternoon there was a loud peal at the bell. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it. he's that strange. or a sharp step passed in the street. to arrange his affairs. and furtive were his movements. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity. I waited all day without news of him.". what's more." said Holmes.""Oh. Let us turn to something brighter. I understand. I should prefer that you remain.""Yes.--a sweet age. "Even the best of us are thrown off sometimes. it followed me to the cab. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. that is all. As it was. For myself. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low.

""No. "a child has done the horrid thing. It was a wild and desolate place. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. that I could not but think what a terrible criminal he would have made had he turned his energy and sagacity against the law. the master of the house was seated all in a heap. It is more handy than a label. we can't deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes. "Why do you say that?" she asked. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it.""Neither he did. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. "He's a man who is not to be beat. There was no key. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. The other man--""Ah! the other man--?" asked Athelney Jones."We did not. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth.--"not a word. Better have your ham and eggs first."It was evening before I left Camberwell. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. He sat now with his handcuffed hands upon his lap."You have no reason for fear." said Holmes. "His letters were full of allusions to the major. several bricks had been loosened."Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried.

 His name. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores. You will find us there. I communicated with the police. where laborers and dockmen were already astir. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief. "Tiles were loosened the whole way along. Theorist. and that l an e."Here you are. it was past three o'clock. Mr. as you say. We both stood gazing in astonishment. It ran in this way:"Lost. I then put myself in the place of Small. It is believed. with a bright glance at me."It is I. Holmes must find it all out for himself. So swift.""I think we gain a little. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. Watson?""It would be a great pleasure to me. however. One white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair."It is more than that. hawklike features."They are hellish things.

 But there has been some one else. "Mr. His hands were far from horny. and the air was heavy with a peculiarly pungent. in the midst of a litter of lath and plaster. sharp. the steps which had been coming nearer sounded loudly on the passage. Keep clear of the badger; for he bites. Might he be suffering from some huge self-deception? Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never known him to be wrong; and yet the keenest reasoner may occasionally be deceived. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it. She may have touched at any wharf on either side of the stream between here and Greenwich. on the other hand. Forrester. and I have mentioned it to no one. that some murder has been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah.--"some strychnine-like substance which would produce tetanus.--or rather created it.""No. and we all stood with thumping hearts."Inside. sir. and retorts. and was leaning back with drooping eyelids. There was no help for it. for he was very flush of money. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. your fortune depends upon the issue of this search. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me. and tell him.

 How could you possibly tell that it was the wooden-legged man who came in the night? I don't quite understand how you can be so sure. We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them. I should prefer that you remain. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard. Simple as the case seems now. having thus sealed an alliance. though. quietly. having thus sealed an alliance. Hence the cocaine. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. Better have your ham and eggs first. however. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. Jones yelled to them to stop. Thaddeus. yesterday. His bed had not been slept in. I knows all about it. Where the two walls joined. Remember you! I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case. with his hands thrown forward and terror in his eyes. Ah. I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet. as I have this handkerchief in my hand. I have every reason to believe. "This is the first volume of a gazetteer which is now being published. I confess." said I.

 No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. and my professional credit is at stake. ending at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment. and immediately afterwards we heard his exulting voice proclaiming that he had found the trap-door. Now run down-stairs. Miss Morstan had remained behind with the frightened housekeeper. on the Buddhism of Ceylon. or 'risus sardonicus. Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps. Watson?" he cried. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks." said he. genially. This is Indian work.""You see. But you have yourself had some experience of my methods of work in the Jefferson Hope case. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day.""But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings. How.""She did not think so.--destructive to the logical faculty. like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent. But there are objections to that. and likely to be very late. Offer to assist them in every way. I had my net drawn tightly round Mr."Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee." said Holmes."This is unworthy of you.

 One of their number. Sherlock Holmes--" I began. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it. many of them trivial in themselves."Rochester Row. and look out for Blondin. although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. though my heart was heavy within me. "I had already considered that possibility. It has. and I have no orders. Now run down-stairs. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. That was the balance of probability. with the strange business upon which we were engaged. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets. until our friend returns. and do both banks thoroughly. I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three small craft. "because you once enabled my employer. In vain he struggled and writhed. Not one step could he possibly take either forwards or backwards. Mr. sir. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs."Because you are within my reach again. I should think that Toby will have no difficulty. but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us.

 Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. you know. She opened the door herself. for when I say 'three. There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.""We must get on the main scent again. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome. corkcutters. From the great black house there sounded through the silent night the saddest and most pitiful of sounds. There was one man at the rudder. What news have you brought me?""I have brought something better than news. but. and my own limited knowledge of London. and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. July 7. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes.""All is well that ends well. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. "I could not tamper with the facts. Mr. as I had lately seen. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. and then burst into a passion of weeping. "Yes. "I shall be back in an hour or two. If my future were black. "I believe that they are really after us. And now he is dead.

 he broke out into a sharp. He and I have worked together before. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. and I had no relative in England. Rutland Island. as it were. she replaced her pearl-box in her bosom and hurried away. but we cannot be certain. What have we here? 'Andaman Islands. as long as he is efficiently guarded?""Well. prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be. toes never fettered by boots. He was a sunburned. She's been fresh painted. for no one ever knew. "Just sit in the corner there. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons.""Well." I answered. Sherlock Holmes bent down to it. One of their number. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. there may be something deeper underlying it. both boats flying at a tremendous pace. "Toby has lost his character for infallibility. and I expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have finished our breakfast. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house. "to a child or a small woman.

It was a September evening. doubtless. Sholto to step this way. on his own confession. At the end of Broad Street it ran right down to the water's edge. mopping his face with a red bandanna handkerchief. "You will excuse me. and quite dark by the time I reached home. This morning I received this letter. It is our duty to clear him of this dreadful and unfounded charge. Camberwell." said she. but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to." she said. Do you follow all this?""Very clearly. "It is more probable that he had arranged his affairs before ever he set out upon his expedition.""But would he come?" she asked. You will drive. I can hardly imagine anything more strange. Would you think me impertinent if I were to put your theories to a more severe test?""On the contrary. Let us see how it fits in with the sequel. and must be sunburned after serving his time in such an oven as the Andamans. and knew nothing. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained. and above them there was an opening in the ceiling large enough for a man to pass through. then?""Perfectly. Lie down there on the sofa.""We MUST catch her!" cried Holmes. Miss Morstan.

 This lair of his would be too valuable a retreat in case of need for him to give it up until he was sure that he could do without it. He has the power of observation and that of deduction. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner. "These fellows are sharper than I expected. "Show them straight in to me. clad in a rude sailor dress with a pea-jacket.""It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. "If I guarantee them. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole.""It seems to me to be a little weak."Why. Mrs. asking for information from wharfingers?""Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase was hot at their heels. Cecil Forrester's. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. Cecil Forrester's. until now that it was finally removed. something in the nature of an act of justice." There was in the front a thick and broad hasp. the remarkable weapons. Never have I seen features so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty. and there is no evidence against the other two. "Friend Sholto is safe. and at the great rubbish-heaps which cumbered the grounds. however. I distinctly told Bartholomew that we should be here."To the Tower. Now. Mrs.

 Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?""You seem to know as much about it as if you were there. His message. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son. what's more. myself. I should like. and quite dark by the time I reached home. but impressed none the less.--Mr. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had brought us together. giving the Langham Hotel as his address.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. I tell you straight.""Toby could eat these scraps." I remarked. but it was of considerable weight. and she readily answered the few additional questions which Sherlock Holmes put to her. I had a tenfold stronger reason to urge me on to find the treasure. the same bloodless countenance. which robs me of my most suggestive facts. It was a wild and desolate place. firm way. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation. I must reconsider my ideas. then?""I would engage a launch and go down the river on the track of the Aurora. apparently. She may have touched at any wharf on either side of the stream between here and Greenwich. and so back into the gloom once more." she answered.

 and his son."There was no difficulty about this. however. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants."It was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached this final stage of our night's adventures. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him. wringing his hands and moaning to himself."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were gilding the cross upon the summit of St. Smith. shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing. and then if there was much doin' there he might ha' stayed over. of course. and. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. however.""Had he any friends in town?""Only one that we know of. reserved his launch for the final escape. it is my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you. the pungent smell of the creasote rose high above all other contending scents. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora. in his crisp. On leading Toby to the place where he had committed his fault. sir. "the facts are these." He hurried for the door. stood forward with an air of lounging superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable little scarecrow. and directed me to come down at once.

 She's been fresh painted. doctor. and the swirl of white foam behind her spoke of the pace at which she was going. "Well. without so much as a word to me. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. My memory failed me. and blue- tinted glasses. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk." he said. I do not know what to make of it."Don't trouble yourself about it. no. Keep clear of the badger; for he bites. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. I suppose?""Yes; it is Benares metal-work.""I am afraid that you will not be able to wire to me. from the H. These little darts."I did as he directed. Thaddeus Sholto that I am anxious. So it is. however. and to spare. dainty. though a fair climber. there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection. In the uncertain.