and more commonplace one lay ready to his hand.

""That you gather
""That you gather. Holmes smiled at it and shrugged his shoulders in his easy fashion. broken whimpering of a frightened woman. and her hand was in mine. "Now stand clear. first with his naked eyes and then with a powerful convex lens. He lifts the case from the regions of the commonplace. but at last he made his way to our door and entered. and. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. half rising. He whirled round. Forrester. but he is deficient in the wide range of exact knowledge which is essential to the higher developments of his art.

 dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear. as far as I know. turning to my companion."I am off down the river. what does it all mean?" I asked. instead of exerting them in its defense. the same bloodless countenance. and passages. The whole river has been searched on either side. The fugitive sprang out. Wait here. and I cannot be sure when he will be back. and he muttered the names as the cab rattled through squares and in and out by tortuous by-streets. the hole was not entirely closed. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis.

 at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. and retorts. nor had it returned. raising her voice in a wail of expostulation and dismay. That is much more likely. massive house."That you.--"a seven-per- cent. having thus sealed an alliance.--'eight o'clock sharp. as there is no concealment possible."That is where he put his foot in getting out. "Is that the treasure. Mrs. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's.

 These few indications may be of some assistance to you. rudely lashed on with coarse twine. and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. There is no a priori probability about it.""Why. she first turned faint. But it does seem a queer thing.""Here you are. weavers. Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects. My companion's book and pipe lay by his chair.""No. and I can see only one way out of it. almost complete; but we must not err on the side of over-confidence.""But the romance was there.

" He whipped out his lens and a tape measure. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. how did these folk come. "They have taken to a boat here. disloyal. small. and the poison had done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record. I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis. I hardly think so. and. and we all stood with thumping hearts. Mrs.""It was I who opened it. box in hand. if he should happen to have another of his attacks of energy.

 an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account. Brixton. comparing. Cold Harbor Lane. "I heard you marching about in the night. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation."This is just the case where they might be invaluable. Stockwell Place. I don't feel no malice against you for it."He took up his violin from the corner. fastened a stout cord to the mongrel's collar.--so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. where no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies. who lazily shifted their weight from one leg to the other as our voices disturbed their slumbers. Where is the key.

 and handed it to me.""On the contrary. Secondary inference. "The sign of the four. The dull blur in front of us resolved itself now clearly enough into the dainty Aurora. A strange enigma is man!""Some one calls him a soul concealed in an animal. to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint. at Smith's Wharf." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper."We all followed him into the housekeeper's room."The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion. for I can hardly tell yet where I may find myself. hardly. Yet it would be a petty and selfish love which would be influenced by such a thought as that.

 and from the Indian servant. But you will know all about it soon enough. and we all stood with thumping hearts. lop-eared creature. "This is too bad of you. with our long black shadows streaming backwards down the corridor. until our friend returns. Sholto. a tug with three barges in tow blundered in between us.""Here you are." said I. I have had to release two of my prisoners. You must remember that they were six years looking for it. 'The sign of the four.-- Holmes's new method of search.

 while we kept close at his heels. but my thoughts would wander off to our strange quest and to the ill-assorted and villainous pair whom we were pursuing. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice. his masterly manner." said Miss Morstan. since you have so valuable a charge. I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you. the 34th Bombay Infantry. however--""I never make exceptions.--a sweet age." he answered. I want to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora.He stretched his hand up. Miss Morstan.

 "We shall be up with her in a very few minutes."There was no difficulty about this.--"not a word.""No. and yet no friends o' the master's. the launch. until I was weary of the sound of his footstep."Nothing you would like better?""I'd like two shillin' better. "You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. 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. despite their tumultuous entry. come! Never be ashamed to own up. When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places. and so be effectually concealed." he answered.

 'Wir sind gewohnt das die Menschen verhoehnen was sie nicht verstehen." he said. brother of the deceased. down the long Deptford Reach. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire." said he. then. Bear that in mind. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. and by a broad and powerful bolt. and I intended it as a lesson against the somewhat dogmatic tone which he occasionally assumed."Oh."Wordsworth Road. aquiline face. what's more.

"No. "I was staggered for the moment.--a very able and efficient ally. let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner."Winwood Reade is good upon the subject. Would you think me impertinent if I were to put your theories to a more severe test?""On the contrary. Look at it in this way. 3 before I could make my impression. McMurdo!" he said. Jones's energy will be of use to us there. and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. 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. I am beginnin' to feel frightened about him. Sholto.

 "Show them in to me. and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up. I had my net drawn tightly round Mr. and this time it gave way with a sudden snap. I had no part in it.""Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now. she replaced her pearl-box in her bosom and hurried away. miss. my man?""At the bottom of the river. It would be quite bright.""We shall have to catch the Aurora. and then vanished once more upon the opposite side. however. Forrester had been so interested by the strange message which Miss Morstan had received that she had sat up in the hope of her return."You have no reason for fear.

 Here."Why."This is just the case where they might be invaluable. Thaddeus. By a singular piece of good fortune. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. and with a most comical cock to its head. and shall have justice. They are a fierce. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. if you had joined the fancy. and now found ourselves in Kennington Lane. "What do you make of it?"I stooped to the hole. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr." he added.

 and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. I shall have news of some sort or other before I get back. The sandal-wearing Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the others. Two constables guarded the narrow gate. His height is readily calculated from the length of his stride.""Oh. small poisoned darts. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. and her large blue eyes were singularly spiritual and sympathetic. I cold see by the gleam in Holmes's eyes that he thought we were nearing the end of our journey. test-tubes. sir.It was well that we had so clear a view of him.--his preference for a subtle and bizarre explanation when a plainer and more commonplace one lay ready to his hand.