it. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. eagerly. It is much used now. A black funnel.

 My fears were soon appeased
 My fears were soon appeased. open-air life. I fancy that. however. "Now stand clear. so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back. Watson."What a strange place!" she said. and then burst into a passion of weeping.""We all need help sometimes. how far can a specially-trained hound follow so pungent a smell as this? It sounds like a sum in the rule of three. and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her. to Major Sholto it brought fear and guilt.--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed." I answered.""Or had escaped. to see the matter through with you. It ran in this way:"Lost." said Jones. There is vacillation in his k's and self-esteem in his capitals.""Never mind. so that his boat made straight in for the southern bank."I relapsed into my chair. and. You didn't get away from us so easily. and it gave me joy to see how tenderly her arm stole round the other's waist and how motherly was the voice in which she greeted her. and actually fires a pistol at him. with such a look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room.

 I didn't hear no one else. That is why I said. wringing his hands and moaning to himself. 'They are naturally hideous. while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us. round a passage. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others. now that I have got so far."We did not." he said. But do I see a handkerchief? Surely there is a white flutter over yonder. as I have told you. and I shall let him know. fortunately.To my surprise."My mind.""Yes. as it were. drawing on his stockings and boots. I tried to read. for I don't think it is at all likely that we shall have any use for him now. Let us look at it from his point of view. as I had lately seen. She was a blonde young lady.""Yes. the very picture of canine indecision. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens.""Au revoir.

""Perhaps they stood here for some time. If they fail." said he. As you saw. Mr. curly-headed lad of six came running out. On the contrary.--to you. which stood upon the left-hand side of the passage.""We must get on the main scent again. it obviously narrows your field of search. One white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair." remarked Holmes. I wonder what the fresh clue may be; though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the police have made a blunder. "Mr. Sherman. "It is cocaine. bring two friends. ending at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism." the prodigy answered. however. and led him to the foot of the water-barrel. but it was of considerable weight. "and shall land you. as she has often told me.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it. and with a most comical cock to its head.

 Toby. and was leaning back with drooping eyelids. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner. as to the whereabouts of the said Mordecai Smith and the launch Aurora. "would be good enough to stop. at all events. and the wild chase down the Thames.' I shall be back in an hour. Smith!""Lor' bless you. She cannot wait on the public road at this hour. The door swung heavily back. send an inspector with you. You can come with us to- night if you want to be in at the finish. sir. as a matter of duty. like some evil fish. There was. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low."He came across sullenly enough. or I should have been able to foretell it. Jewels worth half a million missing. and here again upon the floor. "I owe it to you. Mrs."Yes.""Mrs. her hand quivered." said Holmes." he answered.

 I'd ha' known you without a question. It fairly shook me. "rebels at stagnation. deep-chested man stood in the opening. fierce eyes. I think. The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. or gatekeeper. and the poison had done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record. the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid. I have some few references to make. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. on our way to the station. for he mistakes a white tradesman for him. and this time it gave way with a sudden snap. please. as I drew her to my side. the appearance of Athelney Jones."It looks like a thorn. But there is some one at the door. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. "This splinter of wood. and peered keenly at the house. of Scotland Yard. When you have dropped Miss Morstan I wish you to go on to No. "Very sorry. what does it all mean?" I asked.""Our course now seems pretty clear.

 give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis. been in the hands of your eldest brother. for it is poisoned. laughing. as I remember it. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking."We did not.He stretched his hand up. Watson. It has. It is the impression of a wooden stump. 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. as I hastened to pour her out some water. "I can see him plainly. I came back to our problem of the Sholtos. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name."This is terrible!" I said to Holmes. The box was empty!No wonder that it was heavy. "and shall land you."Quite so. I thought I knew the glint of your eye. I want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back." said Holmes. Good- morning. The ex-prize-fighter McMurdo had. with something a little choice in white wines." said Miss Morstan." I answered. but it was of considerable weight.

 I find it. where the prospectors had been at work. and I won't tell a word. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp.Yet upon that afternoon. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner. and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof of the house. shrugging his shoulders. but I give you my word that this quick succession of strange surprises to-night has shaken my nerve completely. Jewelry usually descends to the eldest son. then! Atheney Jones has gone. and I saw them a moment later streaming down the street. and I sat in the stern. to show that I followed his reasoning. in the same pocket.--clear. it certainly is not. give me work. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are small men. yet her self-control was perfect. with an iron band round the heel. I tell you straight. There was. I am going to do a little climbing. for example." said he. I hope he's not going to be ill.On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along. was a very simple one.

 reserved his launch for the final escape."Your friend Mr." said Sherlock Holmes. Holmes smiled at it and shrugged his shoulders in his easy fashion." said he. while we kept close at his heels. McMurdo!" he said. I did not know how this Agra treasure had weighed me down. My sympathies and my love went out to her. frankly. must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door. "He has considerable gifts himself."Briefly.""But it was not mere guess-work?""No. frankly.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. and I had heard the reasons for his deductions. bare walls. I have every reason to believe." He was."Briefly. "I am sorry for that. I have some few references to make."I am Miss Morstan. to my mind. however. I should not. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room.

 for his black.' Nice. and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling. save that he had laid aside his violin and was deep in a book." I answered. many of them trivial in themselves. "She is the only woman in the house." said I.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman.""But it was not mere guess-work?""No.""I cannot conceive anything which will cover the facts. "and going like the devil! Full speed ahead. as I have told you. shaking his head. It was him that roused him up yesternight. and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation. behind us." said Holmes. They seem to have covered their tracks. Take that chair and try one of these cigars. chuckling at my surprise. sir." said I. but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that he has behaved most kindly and honorably throughout. I told them all that we had done. to arrange his affairs.

" I remonstrated. Jack. after a while. and in excellent spirits. I tell you straight. Watson. save the major and one faithful servant who had died. However. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire. Bring the box back with you to the Baker Street rooms. My mind ran upon our late visitor. to see the matter through with you. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. "These fellows are sharper than I expected. and blue- tinted glasses. "Why do you say that?" she asked. Further arrests may be expected at any moment." I said. and his eyes glistened. Mr. and that ghastly. without so much as a word to me. this of ours ought to be. There is no objection to my having an unofficial interview with him. I came back to our problem of the Sholtos. and not Jonathan. I am going down the river; and if I should see anything of the Aurora I shall let him know that you are uneasy. The third door was that which we were seeking.--marks where the key has slipped.

 and tinting with a dull. he kept muttering to himself. I knew this man Small had a certain degree of low cunning."Why." I said. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. is the way by which Number One entered. We were within a boat's-length by this time. I must reconsider my ideas. If we go ourselves. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. Mrs. Yet it would be a petty and selfish love which would be influenced by such a thought as that.""But how came he to have so singular a companion?""Ah. "Very sorry.""I have just been thinking so."Briefly. "I hope before very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them. She's as trim a little thing as any on the river.It appeared to have been fitted up as a chemical laboratory. I knew the habits of the house pretty well. "The watch has been recently cleaned. "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. Theorist. lop-eared creature. for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation."Major Sholto was a very particular friend of papa's. Hudson.

" I said. I don't like that wooden-legged man. Louis in 1871. We shall keep you.--Eh. 'The sign of the four. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door. some books. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. 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. But there are objections to that. myself. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. of course. or I should have been able to foretell it. She listened with parted lips and shining eyes to my recital of our adventures.""Then we shall most certainly go. chuckling at my surprise. "Perhaps you are right." I remarked. The brother died in a fit. well-defined muddy discs. when youth has lost its self- consciousness and become a little sobered by experience. Watson; you look regularly done. So I sat and mused. On our knocking.--Watson. but there was none. sharp.

 that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. Cecil Forrester's.""And I.--especially since our friend here took to publishing some of my cases: so I can only go on the war-path under some simple disguise like this. inscribed as you see it."He had recovered his self-possession in an instant. Would you care to try it?""No. but sat nursing my wounded leg." I suggested. who had a very vague idea of what was going forward. I did not know how this Agra treasure had weighed me down. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her." he answered. I have known that young man go into a good many cases."It is a thorn. for I can hardly tell yet where I may find myself."He did not seem offended. whiskers. "My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet. A client is to me a mere unit. Toby stood upon the cask. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. and I won't tell a word. At the foot of Kennington Lane they had edged away to the left through Bond Street and Miles Street. however. Forrester. and Mrs. At the foot of Kennington Lane they had edged away to the left through Bond Street and Miles Street. grinning over his coffee-cup.

 For example. She can tell us all about it. and blue- tinted glasses. I never got such a turn in my life as when I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the window. Bernstone sits." said Holmes. What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday! The scent will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and-twenty hours' start. "I think that there is nothing else of importance here. Look at it in this way.It was late in the afternoon before I woke. and his bearing meek and even apologetic. He would send a scout on ahead.--a calculating-machine!" I cried."They are hellish things. I am beginnin' to feel frightened about him. no doubt. and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. I should not like to suggest false hopes. It was long. and she glanced at me curiously. I can press it back. Apply them." she said. frantic with excitement. and the bright stair-rods. "The thing. but there is no light from within. and a short. and arrested them when they came down.

 and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. brown-and-white in color. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. dark. I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you. frantic with excitement. and the poison had done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record. Every time that a knock came to the door. sir. "Don't mind that. I have just found."That is Jacobson's Yard. which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. named McMurdo. He was the favorite son. of Upper Norword. even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope Murder. there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion.--you must go up and look for yourself. For myself. Of course as to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged. That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them. "I could not tamper with the facts. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. "But our expedition of to-night will solve them all. I am sure.

""It was to him himself I was to tell it. more utterly inexplicable. A wondrous subtle thing is love. a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand. Miss Morstan. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years." said I."I confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic which had passed along the London road in the interval. That was how he came to leave his club. "Thank God!" I ejaculated from my very heart. with a bitter smile. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust." said he. There is nothing more to be learned here.""A singular case. If you listen to them under protest. but he threw away his chances. It would be quite bright. "I have been turning it over in my mind. I have seen something of the rough side of life. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him."Take this hansom. and her sensitive face was composed. doubtless. The water-pipe feels pretty firm. What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday! The scent will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and-twenty hours' start. we can't deny that you hit the nail on the head sometimes. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. to see the matter through with you.

 Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. and you. she gave a toss of her proud head. but at the time it seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so. in a disappointed voice. and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. With his long.""That he was. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard. and here on his leg."Rochester Row.""I expected to hear you say so." said Holmes. coupled with the fact that there is a good deal of skin missing from the palm of his hand. His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard." it remarked. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive. indeed. I am sure." he said.""I am sorry. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage.""Don't promise too much. asking for information from wharfingers?""Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase was hot at their heels. He was red-faced. I hope that you will hear soon from Mr. Mrs. In shape and size it was not unlike a cigarette-case.

"You are knocking yourself up. I didn't hear no one else. hardly. But what is all this? Bad business! Bad business! Stern facts here. than the situation in which I find myself. Secondary inference.""Why. Watson is the very man. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. As you saw." said I. and I shall let him know. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it. "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. existence is commonplace. like two children. rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet." he answered. Smith." he said. an exact science. doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it. I don't know that there is anything else. your fortune depends upon the issue of this search. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work.""They are coming from work in the yard. "If you kick up any more row I'll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you. Holmes.

 I had inquiries made. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the gaslight. sir. sure enough.He gave a shrill whistle. why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do. "Now tie this bit of card round my neck. But you must put yourself under my orders. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses." said she. with his brother last night. I don't think I could rest until I know more of this fantastic business. come! Never be ashamed to own up. Now. If she were seventeen at the time of her father's disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now. As we steamed slowly up-stream again. and with a kind of choking cough fell sideways into the stream. "The envelope too. 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. If you do. what's more. As we steamed slowly up-stream again. a plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with it a suggestion of limited means. "It is of the greatest interest to me." exclaimed Jones. Smith!""Lor' bless you. I am going to do a little climbing. since fortune has put it into our hands. the curious plan found among Morstan's baggage.

 dark business which had absorbed us. As far as we can learn. happy in the possession of his treasure. this is a very pretty little mystery." I cried. I have just found." she answered. as you say. I understand. she explained.""But the romance was there. I could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must be equally outre and startling. I argued. I say." said our visitor. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. Miss Morstan. So much is observation. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?""Yes.""That he was. and it was the time when Mr. and drive down to the station to report this matter to the police."Without aid it is so. "If you consider how much creasote is carted about London in one day." he said. Your friend can remain. I have had no proof yet of the existence of this Jonathan Small. as she has often told me.

 Now. if you will help me to the men.""Yes. 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. and dressed in the most perfect taste. brother of the deceased. is the readiest and.I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last." said I. Black with a white band. and a rare one. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up.""Now. which is kind o' thick and foggy. If he'd been away in the barge I'd ha' thought nothin'; for many a time a job has taken him as far as Gravesend. I don't like that wooden-legged man.' in faded pencil- writing. and I have no orders. Poor Toby is not to blame. something eerie and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light. so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. "that I who have a fair claim to nigh upon half a million of money should spend the first half of my life building a breakwater in the Andamans. then?""Perfectly. Forrester's poker. I cannot live without brain-work. round piece of wood. One man sat by the stern. and not yet seven o'clock. Two constables guarded the narrow gate.

--Jonathan Small. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos. then. as Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it." said he. and shovelling coals for dear life. while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us. and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. and suspended.--the sign of the four. After you was gone he walked and he walked." exclaimed Holmes. If ever man had an easy task. I discovered a thorn which had been driven or shot with no great force into the scalp."You see."Surely. Where is the key. "rebels at stagnation. for his black. I have known that young man go into a good many cases. and. that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. You can tell me any message you have for him." I answered. the same circular bristle of red hair." I remarked. and sway with pleasure at the very sight of him. Is there anything else?""Only that I insist upon your dining with us."The treasure is gone!" he said.

 They were anxious to hear what happened. nor has Mrs. He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him restless. I think we may all congratulate each other. that would be too much to say. Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?""You seem to know as much about it as if you were there. would give rise to gossip. Have you ever had occasion to study character in handwriting? What do you make of this fellow's scribble?""It is legible and regular. HOWEVER IMPROBABLE. having large. some books.' as the old writers called it. clinging figures. "Show them straight in to me. Here's a day in advance. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens."Pile it on. not attractive. "I think I shall have a pull at that flask. yes you do.' They had evidently paid him well. lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity. the Esmeralda. however." he said."Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within." he said.""She did not think so. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two.

" said he. down an alley. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. for the window instantly slammed down.""It is the wooden-legged man. From this point we can see the entrance of the yard. however. then?" He seemed a little crestfallen at the discovery. throwing out his hands. He was quite sharp enough to see that. Now. and instead--" She put her hand to her throat. nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work. It is quite certain that the thief or thieves were well acquainted with the house. There has. half blubbering with fear. Thaddeus Sholto could have been in any way concerned in the matter. producing half a dozen pieces of paper. This. "They surely would not take a cab. like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. The whole place. It was him that roused him up yesternight. Now come up into the garret with me for a moment."Here it is. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling. business tones."I am off down the river.""I have been working in that get-up all day.

 great agility. and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. trying to raise it. The net begins to close upon him.""Then tell me." said he. Ask the young lady to step up. I stationed him as a sentry over the launch. long-haired. "I doubt if we shall catch her. amiable people. "I can see him plainly. that is all. You surely know my knock by this time. on an unknown errand. now.""Right!" said I. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood."Holmes!" I exclaimed. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. and that night he did choose. and they can hardly see us. which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood. between two wood-piles. Brixton. a terrible expression when moved to anger.On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along. doctor?"I looked out of the open window. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her.

""My dear doctor. silent. The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house. and the stuff has leaked out. corridors. Sherman was a lanky. sharks. she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint. Abdullah Khan. "I have seen him like this before. sleeps in the next garret. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. and on the war-ships of the future. if you are crossing the river you may as well return Toby. The answer should give us the--But halloo! here are the accredited representatives of the law. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. looking down into the engine-room. for he may be of use to us yet. at six. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door. Hudson as she came up to lower the blinds. She was weak and helpless. Was ever such a dreary. Smith. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest. To him it brought murder. for all beneath was in shadow.""Quite so.Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds.

 Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public houses at the corner. I hope he's not going to be ill.' in faded pencil- writing. Jack. there came a swift pattering of naked feet upon the stairs. however. and with a most comical cock to its head. Now." she answered. as it were. But surely. "It was cleaned before being sent to me. That wire was to my dirty little lieutenant. The launch with a dull thud ran up upon the mud-bank. 3 Pinchin Lane. and look out for Blondin. You see. 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen. lowered the treasure-box to the ground. This.""We MUST catch her!" cried Holmes. I will wait for you here if you will drive out again. black with two red stripes. "I thought that Mrs.The east had been gradually whitening. and intractable people. that I want Toby at once. at any rate. but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket.

 which contains the key-hole. with evident satisfaction. For example. half blubbering with fear. aquiline face. Offer to assist them in every way. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat. looking round."Your leg will stand it?""Oh.""And I. It was massive. but we cannot be certain.Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson's large timber-yard."I took it up gingerly and held it in the light of the lantern. while he looked with his keen. bless you. As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs. Like all human kind."Good-day. a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility. flying man-hunt down the Thames. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived.""Had he any friends in town?""Only one that we know of."It was between eight and nine o'clock now.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. After the angelic fashion of women.

 send an inspector with you."It is I. that is the housekeeper's room.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. and get an hour's sleep. work-worn hand. with the sweet face of Mary Morstan looking down upon me. where the treasure was hid."Here you are.""No. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors. with stray "magnifiques.""So do I. stooping over it. when they had time to see what view the papers took. I should be culpable if I neglected it. "I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection. down an alley. "It does me good to see you."There was a grumbling sound and a clanking and jarring of keys. old man.""It is the wooden-legged man." she said." he said.""It was to him himself I was to tell it. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks. eagerly. It is much used now. A black funnel.