Watson Watson. I confess. and we all stood with thumping hearts. Is this handwriting the same as that upon the pearl-box addresses?""I have them here." she said. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back.--"a seven-per- cent. July 7. "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. I have oysters and a brace of grouse. 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. far exceeding the usual rigor mortis.Close to the rude landing-stage was a small brick house. as you say. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. Mrs. as though they had frequently been used as a ladder. sir. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags.In the early dawn I woke with a start. and his face assumed an ominous expression. "Facts are better than mere theories."I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. Mr. observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning. in the same fashion. looking from one to the other of us for some sign of appreciation. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. and pronounce a specialist's opinion. For myself. and it is partly open. More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street I had observed that a small vanity underlay my companion's quiet and didactic manner.""On the contrary. If I am in luck.""I expected to hear you say so. You are a wronged woman." he answered. querulous cry. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation. mark you. and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. the message might come in our absence. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. did he come?""He came through the hole in the roof. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement. Let me know the moment you have news. and up and down. "It grows darker instead of clearer. but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors. but sat nursing my wounded leg. so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. I argued. looking down into the engine-room.""It is simplicity itself. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long. fierce eyes. then. Black with a white band. and see if I can put you to sleep."Is Mr. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement."He held down the lamp to the floor. Smith has put us on a wrong scent. Twice as we ascended Holmes whipped his lens out of his pocket and carefully examined marks which appeared to me to be mere shapeless smudges of dust upon the cocoa-nut matting which served as a stair- carpet. as you probably know. there is no great mystery in that. hardly that.""He acted according to his lights. with his hands in his pockets. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. but sat nursing my wounded leg. Bring the box back with you to the Baker Street rooms. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. 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."Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?" he asked. and has been a convict.""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. You can tell me any message you have for him. black with two red streaks. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. I was limp and weary. Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his eyes. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us." said I. after all. who had called at the house with Mr. looking down into the engine-room.We both started in our chairs. and I shall let him know.""But. of his own regiment. We must stay where we are. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked. "It's Mr. underneath its shadow."Why.--the secret room in which the treasure was found. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. which has been very clearly made out. and shall have justice. with directions to make a trifling change in her. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. "to a child or a small woman."That is where he put his foot in getting out. The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot. 'The sign of the four. "It is one now. Toby never hesitated or swerved. "Look out that you don't prick yourself. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. But surely."Wait a bit.""Ah. As long as he has liquor and good pay. sir. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back." I said. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them."We tied Toby to the hall table. it is my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you. "Take my advice. when we had regained the lower room once more. But be careful. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of nature! Are you well up in your Jean Paul?""Fairly so. But there is some one at the door. and I suppose we must wink at it. "Quite a family party. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. I thought I knew the glint of your eye.". That is why I said. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner. It would be quite bright. on the advice of the manager of the hotel. without any clue as to the sender."There is something amiss with Bartholomew!" he cried. " exclaimed Holmes. however. "Take my advice. doctor. There was nothing in it to suggest a clue. then. "Is that the treasure. and knew nothing. to arrange his affairs.""This is the place. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. fingering the rope." said Holmes." he continued. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start." said Holmes. really. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax. ""Ah. The third door was that which we were seeking. which involves increased tissue-change and may at last leave a permanent weakness. You have made inquires into the history of my unhappy brother. But a second consideration struck me. coupled with the fact that there is a good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand. He was bright. for he may be of use to us yet.""In this case. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him." he said.""What then?" I asked."They are hellish things. you have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper. square-toed sole.""She did not think so. the deep rich tones of her voice. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock. "I can see him plainly.--'eight o'clock sharp.""It is a pity there is no key. Louis in 1871.""Mrs. because it might be read by the fugitives without their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. sir." she said. "He has considerable gifts himself.""Your works?""Oh. and yet no friends o' the master's.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us. however."My mind. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us. but. Just imagine what it must be to be so rich. Let her be the first to open it. I had to knock for some time at No. It's true you set us on the right track; but you'll own now that it was more by good luck than good guidance. I may not be gone so very long. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. Surely the one to some extent implies the other."Pile it on. as you say." he answered. Would you have the kindness to let me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?"I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart. There was no help for it. Bear that in mind. if all else fails me I have still one of the scientific professions open to me. How. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. and the ropes were cast off. Then I recalled to mind that he had mentioned to us that his brother and he were twins. "to the success of our little expedition. Do you follow all this?""Very clearly. "pray accept my apologies." He tossed over.""I think we gain a little. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. and thought the whole matter out again. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes. "we have half an hour to ourselves. Holmes?""No: I am not tired. turning upon his heel. But hush! what is that?"He held up the lantern. funnel black with a white band. however." he repeated thoughtfully. without so much as a word to me.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. Sholto's person. whiskers."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood. small poisoned darts. You must remember that they were six years looking for it. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. "the facts are these. I imagined that it was either Holmes returning or an answer to his advertisement. everything; and yet I can get no news. we have no distance to go. smoking his pipe. 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. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. I could see no foothold. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together. Finally. and the other at St. now that we have gone so far. and that l an e. however. You have not a pistol.""No. He gets a'most too much for me to manage. with something black between his knees over which he stooped. The boy held the tiller. So much also we know. to look at them. They seem to have covered their tracks. must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door. Would you care to try it?""No. and I won't tell a word. No fresh details were to be found. "Is she?" he said. "We ought to have very little trouble now. and away they buzzed down the stairs. The yellow glare from the shop-windows streamed out into the steamy. But it does seem a queer thing."It means murder. like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent.""Neither he did. I started at once in this harmless seaman's rig and inquired at all the yards down the river. Watson?""I have my old service-revolver in my desk. She was much impressed by your kindness and skill. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here." said he. and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe. box in hand. the window is inaccessible. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct. "I hope before very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. Holmes glanced at it. She was still. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes. "Perhaps you are right. The men whom we pursued seemed to have taken a curiously zigzag road. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest. Date. I need not warn you to be careful. "I have seen him like this before.--that's my eldest."Your friend Mr. Lal Rao. Louis in 1871. it would be a colossal task. and. You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession. however illegibly they may write. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high. Athelney Jones. Finally he thrust the sharp point home. and it was the time when Mr. "I don't believe that I can swing over the job. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. and it is partly open. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. Black with a white band. I am sure I shall.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. and lived at Upper Norwood. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora.

 Watson
 Watson. I confess. and we all stood with thumping hearts. Is this handwriting the same as that upon the pearl-box addresses?""I have them here." she said. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back.--"a seven-per- cent. July 7. "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. I have oysters and a brace of grouse. 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. far exceeding the usual rigor mortis.Close to the rude landing-stage was a small brick house. as you say. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. Mrs. as though they had frequently been used as a ladder.

 sir. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags.In the early dawn I woke with a start. and his face assumed an ominous expression. "Facts are better than mere theories."I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern. with whom I had no quarrel whatever. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. Mr. observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning. in the same fashion. looking from one to the other of us for some sign of appreciation. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. and pronounce a specialist's opinion. For myself. and it is partly open. More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street I had observed that a small vanity underlay my companion's quiet and didactic manner.""On the contrary.

 If I am in luck.""I expected to hear you say so. You are a wronged woman." he answered. querulous cry. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation. mark you. and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. the message might come in our absence. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. did he come?""He came through the hole in the roof. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement. Let me know the moment you have news. and up and down. "It grows darker instead of clearer. but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors. but sat nursing my wounded leg.

 so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. I argued. looking down into the engine-room.""It is simplicity itself. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long. fierce eyes. then. Black with a white band. and see if I can put you to sleep."Is Mr. But you notice that he keeps on the pavement."He held down the lamp to the floor. Smith has put us on a wrong scent. Twice as we ascended Holmes whipped his lens out of his pocket and carefully examined marks which appeared to me to be mere shapeless smudges of dust upon the cocoa-nut matting which served as a stair- carpet. as you probably know. there is no great mystery in that. hardly that.""He acted according to his lights.

 with his hands in his pockets. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. but sat nursing my wounded leg. Bring the box back with you to the Baker Street rooms. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. 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."Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?" he asked. and has been a convict.""With all these data you should be able to draw some just inference. You can tell me any message you have for him. black with two red streaks. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces. I was limp and weary. Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his eyes. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us." said I. after all. who had called at the house with Mr.

 looking down into the engine-room.We both started in our chairs. and I shall let him know.""But. of his own regiment. We must stay where we are. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers. Many a time I've heard him call out at the prices they charge for a few odd bags. "Whom do you think that is to?" he asked. "It's Mr. underneath its shadow."Why.--the secret room in which the treasure was found. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. which has been very clearly made out. and shall have justice. with directions to make a trifling change in her.

 if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. "to a child or a small woman."That is where he put his foot in getting out. The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot. 'The sign of the four. "It is one now. Toby never hesitated or swerved. "Look out that you don't prick yourself. and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. But surely."Wait a bit.""Ah. As long as he has liquor and good pay. sir. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back." I said. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them."We tied Toby to the hall table.

 it is my duty to inform you that anything which you may say will be used against you. "Take my advice. when we had regained the lower room once more. But be careful. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of nature! Are you well up in your Jean Paul?""Fairly so. But there is some one at the door. and I suppose we must wink at it. "Quite a family party. I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother. I thought I knew the glint of your eye.". That is why I said. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner. It would be quite bright. on the advice of the manager of the hotel. without any clue as to the sender."There is something amiss with Bartholomew!" he cried.

" exclaimed Holmes. however. "Take my advice. doctor. There was nothing in it to suggest a clue. then. "Is that the treasure. and knew nothing. to arrange his affairs.""This is the place. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. fingering the rope." said Holmes." he continued. He is to stand at water's edge and wave his handkerchief to us when they start." said Holmes. really. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax.

""Ah. The third door was that which we were seeking. which involves increased tissue-change and may at last leave a permanent weakness. You have made inquires into the history of my unhappy brother. But a second consideration struck me. coupled with the fact that there is a good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand. He was bright. for he may be of use to us yet.""In this case. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him." he said.""What then?" I asked."They are hellish things. you have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper. square-toed sole.""She did not think so. the deep rich tones of her voice. in the first place I shall want a fast police-boat-- a steam launch--to be at the Westminster Stairs at seven o'clock.

 "I can see him plainly.--'eight o'clock sharp.""It is a pity there is no key. Louis in 1871.""Mrs. because it might be read by the fugitives without their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. sir." she said. "He has considerable gifts himself.""Your works?""Oh. and yet no friends o' the master's.He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us. however."My mind. At our hail the man in the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his two clinched fists at us. but. Just imagine what it must be to be so rich. Let her be the first to open it.

 I had to knock for some time at No. It's true you set us on the right track; but you'll own now that it was more by good luck than good guidance. I may not be gone so very long. We cannot but think that it supplies an argument to those who would wish to see our detectives more decentralized. but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. Surely the one to some extent implies the other."Pile it on. as you say." he answered. Would you have the kindness to let me have an opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?"I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart. There was no help for it. Bear that in mind. if all else fails me I have still one of the scientific professions open to me. How. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. and the ropes were cast off. Then I recalled to mind that he had mentioned to us that his brother and he were twins. "to the success of our little expedition.

 Do you follow all this?""Very clearly. "pray accept my apologies." He tossed over.""I think we gain a little. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime. and thought the whole matter out again. dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. and we found ourselves within Bartholomew Sholto's chamber.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty. What did he want always knockin' about here for?""A wooden-legged man?" said Holmes. "we have half an hour to ourselves. Holmes?""No: I am not tired. turning upon his heel. But hush! what is that?"He held up the lantern. funnel black with a white band. however." he repeated thoughtfully.

 without so much as a word to me.""It would be of the greatest interest to me. Sholto's person. whiskers."We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood. small poisoned darts. You must remember that they were six years looking for it. when pop he went through a hole in the middle of it. "the facts are these. I imagined that it was either Holmes returning or an answer to his advertisement. everything; and yet I can get no news. we have no distance to go. smoking his pipe. 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. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. I could see no foothold. for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day.

 At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together. Finally. and the other at St. now that we have gone so far. and that l an e. however. You have not a pistol.""No. He gets a'most too much for me to manage. with something black between his knees over which he stooped. The boy held the tiller. So much also we know. to look at them. They seem to have covered their tracks. must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door. Would you care to try it?""No. and I won't tell a word. No fresh details were to be found.

 "Is she?" he said. "We ought to have very little trouble now. and away they buzzed down the stairs. The yellow glare from the shop-windows streamed out into the steamy. But it does seem a queer thing."It means murder. like those of a trained blood-hound picking out a scent.""Neither he did. I started at once in this harmless seaman's rig and inquired at all the yards down the river. Watson?""I have my old service-revolver in my desk. She was much impressed by your kindness and skill. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here." said he. and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe. box in hand. the window is inaccessible. all made me diffident and backward in crossing him.

 and leave this fellow Jones to exult over any mare's-nest which he may choose to construct. "I hope before very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them. Holmes glanced at it. She was still. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes. "Perhaps you are right. The men whom we pursued seemed to have taken a curiously zigzag road. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest. Date. I need not warn you to be careful. "I have seen him like this before.--that's my eldest."Your friend Mr. Lal Rao. Louis in 1871. it would be a colossal task.

 and. You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession. however illegibly they may write. and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high. Athelney Jones. Finally he thrust the sharp point home. and it was the time when Mr. "I don't believe that I can swing over the job. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow. and it is partly open. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. Black with a white band. I am sure I shall.--here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. and lived at Upper Norwood. left Smith's Wharf at or about three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch Aurora.