Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes - Study in Scarlet

8/11/2019 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes - Study in Scarlet

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PART I

Bei ng a Repr i nt f r omt he Remi ni scences ofJ ohn H. Wat son, M. D. , Lat e of t he Ar my

Medi cal Depar t ment

Chapt er 1Mr . Sher l ock Hol mes

I n t he year 1878 I t ook my degr ee of Doctor of Medi ci ne of t heUni ver si t y of London, and pr oceeded t o Net l ey t o go through t hecour se pr escr i bed f or surgeons i n the Ar my. Havi ng compl etedmy st udi es t her e, I was dul y at t ached t o t he Fi f t h Nor t humber l andFusi l i er s as assi st ant sur geon. The regi ment was st at i oned i nI ndi a at t he t i me, and bef or e I coul d j oi n i t , t he second Af ghanwar had br oken out . On l andi ng at Bombay, I l ear ned that mycor ps had advanced t hrough t he passes, and was al r eady deep i nt he enemy' s count r y. I f ol l owed, however , wi t h many ot herof f i cers who were i n the same si t uat i on as mysel f , and succeededi n reachi ng Candahar i n saf ety, wher e I f ound my r egi ment , and

at once ent ered upon my new dut i es.The campai gn brought honours and promot i on t o many, but

f or me i t had not hi ng but mi sf or t une and di sast er . I was removedf r ommy br i gade and at t ached t o the Ber kshi r es, wi t h whomIserved at t he f at al bat t l e of Mai wand. Ther e I was st r uck on t heshoul der by a J ezai l bul l et , whi ch shat t er ed t he bone and gr azedt he subcl avi an ar t er y. I shoul d have f al l en i nt o the hands of t hemurder ous Ghazi s had i t not been f or t he devot i on and courageshown by Mur r ay, my or der l y, who threw me acr oss a pack-hor se, and succeeded i n br i ngi ng me saf el y to t he Br i t i sh l i nes.

Worn wi t h pai n, and weak f r om t he pr ol onged hardshi pswhi ch I had under gone, I was r emoved, wi t h a gr eat t r ai n ofwounded suf f er ers , t o the base hospi t al at Peshawar . Her e Ir al l i ed, and had al r eady i mpr oved so f ar as t o be abl e to wal kabout t he wards, and even to bask a l i t t l e upon t he verandawhen I was st r uck down by ent eri c f ever , t hat cur se of our I ndi anpossessi ons. For mont hs my l i f e was despai r ed of , and when atl ast I came t o mysel f and became conval escent , I was so weakand emaci at ed t hat a medi cal board determi ned t hat not a dayshoul d be l ost i n sendi ng me back t o Engl and. I was despat chedaccor di ngl y, i n t he t r oopshi p Or ont es, and l anded a mont h l at eron Por t smout h j et t y, wi t h my heal t h i r r et r i evabl y r ui ned, butwi t h per mi ssi on f r om a paternal government t o spend t he nextni ne mont hs i n at t empt i ng to i mpr ove i t .

I had nei t her ki t h nor ki n i n Engl and, and was t her ef or e as f r eeas ai r - - or as f r ee as an i ncome of el even shi l l i ngs and si xpence aday wi l l per mi t a man t o be. Under such ci r cumst ances I natu-

r al l y gr avi t at ed t o London, t hat gr eat cesspool i nt o whi ch al l t hel ounger s and i dl er s of t he Empi r e ar e i r r esi st i bl y dr ai ned. Ther e Ist ayed f or some t i me at a pr i vat e hotel i n t he St r and, l eadi ng acomf or t l ess, meani ngl ess exi st ence, and spendi ng such money asI had, consi der abl y more f r eel y than I ought . So al ar mi ng di d t hest at e of my f i nances become, t hat I soon r eal i zed t hat I mustei t her l eave t he met r opol i s and rust i cat e somewhere i n t he coun-t r y, or t hat I must make a compl et e al t er at i on i n my st yl e ofl i vi ng. Choosi ng t he l at t er al t er nat i ve, I began by maki ng up mymi nd t o l eave t he hot el , and t ake up my quar t ers i n some l ess


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pr et ent i ous and l ess expensi ve domi ci l e.On t he ver y day t hat I had come to thi s concl usi on, I was

st andi ng at t he Cr i t er i on Bar , when someone t apped me on t heshoul der , and tur ni ng r ound I r ecogni zed young St amf ord, whohad been a dr esser under me at Bar t ' s. The si ght of a f r i endl yf ace i n t he gr eat wi l der ness of London i s a pl easant t hi ng i ndeedt o a l onel y man. I n ol d days St amf ord had never been a par t i cu-l ar cr ony of mi ne, but now I hai l ed hi m wi t h ent husi asm, and he,i n hi s t ur n, appear ed t o be del i ghted t o see me. I n t he exuberanceof my j oy, I asked hi m t o l unch wi t h me at t he Hol born, and west ar t ed of f t oget her i n a hansom.

"What ever have you been doi ng wi t h your sel f , Wat son?" heasked i n undi sgui sed wonder , as we r at t l ed t hr ough t he cr owdedLondon st r eet s. "You ar e as t hi n as a l ath and as br own as anut . "

I gave hi m a shor t sketch of my adventur es, and had hardl yconcl uded i t by t he t i me that we reached our dest i nat i on.

"Poor devi l ! " he sai d, commi ser at i ngl y, af t er he had l i st enedt o my mi sf or t unes. "What are you up t o now?"

"Looki ng f or l odgi ngs, " I answer ed. "Tr yi ng t o sol ve t he

pr obl em as t o whet her i t i s possi bl e to get comf ort abl e rooms at ar easonabl e pr i ce. "

"That ' s a st r ange t hi ng, " r emarked my compani on; "you ar et he second man t oday that has used that expressi on t o me. "

"And who was t he f i r st ?" I asked."A f el l ow who i s worki ng at t he chemi cal l aborat ory up at t he

hospi t al . He was bemoani ng hi msel f t hi s morni ng because hecoul d not get someone t o go hal ves wi t h hi m i n some ni ce r oomswhi ch he had f ound, and whi ch were t oo much f or hi s pur se. "

"By J ove! " I cr i ed; "i f he r eal l y want s someone to shar e ther ooms and t he expense, I amt he ver y man f or hi m. I shoul dpr ef er havi ng a par t ner t o bei ng al one. "

Young St amf or d l ooked r at her st r angel y at me over hi s wi ne-gl ass. "You don' t know Sher l ock Hol mes yet , " he sai d; "per -haps you woul d not care f or hi m as a const ant compani on. "

"Why, what i s t here agai nst hi m?""Oh, I di dn' t say t her e was anyt hi ng agai nst hi m. He i s a l i t t l e

queer i n hi s i deas - - an ent husi ast i n some br anches of sci ence.As f ar as I know he i s a decent f el l ow enough. "

"A medi cal st udent , I suppose?" sai d I ."No - - I have no i dea what he i nt ends t o go i n f or . I bel i eve he

i s wel l up i n anat omy, and he i s a f i r st - cl ass chemi st ; but , as f aras I know, he has never t aken out any syst emat i c medi calcl asses. Hi s st udi es are ver y desul t or y and eccent r i c, but he hasamassed a l ot of out - of - t he- way knowl edge whi ch woul d ast on-i sh hi s pr of essor s. "

"Di d you never ask hi m what he was goi ng i n f or?" I asked.

"No; he i s not a man t hat i t i s easy t o dr aw out , t hough he canbe communi cat i ve enough when t he f ancy sei zes hi m. "

"I shoul d l i ke t o meet hi m, " I sai d. "I f I am t o l odge wi t hanyone, I shoul d pr ef er a man of st udi ous and qui et habi t s. I amnot st r ong enough yet t o st and much noi se or exci t ement . I hadenough of both i n Af ghani st an t o l ast me f or t he remai nder of mynat ur al exi st ence. How coul d I meet t hi s f r i end of your s?"

"He i s sure t o be at t he l aboratory, " r eturned my compani on."He ei t her avoi ds t he pl ace f or weeks, or el se he works t her ef r om mor ni ng t i l l ni ght . I f you l i ke, we wi l l dr i ve r ound t oget her


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af t er l uncheon. ""Cer t ai nl y, " I answer ed, and the conver sat i on dr i f t ed away

i nt o ot her channel s.As we made our way t o t he hospi t al af t er l eavi ng t he Hol born,

St amf or d gave me a f ew mor e par t i cul ar s about t he gent l emanwhom I pr oposed to t ake as a f el l ow- l odger .

"You must n' t bl ame me i f you don' t get on wi t h hi m, " hesai d; " I know nothi ng more of hi m t han I have l earned f r ommeet i ng hi m occasi onal l y i n t he l abor at or y. You pr oposed t hi sar r angement , so you must not hol d me r esponsi bl e. "

"I f we don' t get on i t wi l l be easy to par t company, " Ianswered. " I t seems t o me, St amf ord, " I added, l ooki ng hard atmy compani on, " t hat you have some r eason f or washi ng yourhands of t he mat t er . I s t hi s f el l ow' s t emper so f or mi dabl e, orwhat i s i t ? Don' t be meal ymout hed about i t . "

"I t i s not easy t o expr ess t he i nexpr essi bl e, " he answer edwi t h a l augh. "Hol mes i s a l i t t l e t oo sci ent i f i c f or my t ast es - - i tappr oaches t o col d- bl oodedness. I coul d i magi ne hi s gi vi ng af r i end a l i t t l e pi nch of t he l at est veget abl e al kal oi d, not out ofmal evol ence, you under st and, but si mpl y out of a spi r i t of

i nqui r y i n or der t o have an accur at e i dea of t he ef f ect s. To dohi m j ust i ce, I t hi nk t hat he woul d t ake i t hi msel f wi t h t he samer eadi ness. He appear s t o have a passi on f or def i ni t e and exactknowl edge. "

"Ver y r i ght t oo. ""Yes, but i t may be pushed t o excess. When i t comes t o

beat i ng t he subj ect s i n t he di ssect i ng- r ooms wi t h a st i ck, i t i scer t ai nl y taki ng r at her a bi zar r e shape. "

"Beat i ng t he subj ect s! ""Yes, t o ver i f y how f ar br ui ses may be pr oduced af t er deat h. I

saw hi m at i t wi t h my own eyes. ""And yet you say he i s not a medi cal st udent ?""No. Heaven knows what t he obj ects of hi s st udi es ar e. But

her e we ar e, and you must f orm your own i mpressi ons abouthi m. " As he spoke, we t urned down a nar r ow l ane and passedt hr ough a smal l si de- door , whi ch opened i nt o a wi ng of t he gr eathospi t al . I t was f ami l i ar gr ound t o me, and I needed no gui di ngas we ascended t he bl eak st one st ai r case and made our way downt he l ong cor r i dor wi t h i t s vi st a of whi t ewashed wal l and dun-col our ed doors. Near t he f ar t her end a l ow arched passagebr anched away f r omi t and l ed t o t he chemi cal l aborat ory.

Thi s was a l of t y chamber , l i ned and l i t t er ed wi t h count l essbot t l es. Br oad, l ow t abl es wer e scat t er ed about , whi ch br i st l edwi t h r et or t s, t est - t ubes, and l i t t l e Bunsen l amps, wi t h t hei r bl uef l i cker i ng f l ames. Ther e was onl y one st udent i n t he r oom, whowas bendi ng over a di st ant t abl e absorbed i n hi s work. At t hesound of our st eps he gl anced r ound and spr ang to hi s f eet wi t h a

cr y of pl easur e. "I ' ve f ound i t ! I ' ve f ound i t , " he shout ed t o mycompani on, r unni ng t owar ds us wi t h a t est - t ube i n hi s hand. " Ihave f ound a r e- agent whi ch i s preci pi t ated by haemogl obi n, andby nothi ng el se. " Had he di scover ed a gol d mi ne, gr eat er del i ghtcoul d not have shone upon hi s f eat ur es.

"Dr . Wat son, Mr . Sher l ock Hol mes, " sai d St amf or d, i nt r o-duci ng us.

"How are you?" he sai d cordi al l y, gr i ppi ng my hand wi t h ast r engt h f or whi ch I shoul d har dl y have gi ven hi m cr edi t . "Youhave been i n Af ghani st an, I per cei ve. "


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"How on ear t h di d you know t hat?" I asked i n ast oni shment ."Never mi nd, " sai d he, chuckl i ng to hi msel f l "The quest i on

now i s about haemogl obi n. No doubt you see t he si gni f i cance oft hi s di scover y of mi ne?"

"I t i s i nt er est i ng, chemi cal l y, no doubt , " I answer ed, "butpract i cal l y

"Why, man, i t i s t he most pr act i cal medi co- l egal di scover yf or year s. Don' t you see t hat i t gi ves us an i nf al l i bl e t est f orbl ood st ai ns? Come over her e now! " He sei zed me by t hecoat - sl eeve i n hi s eagerness, and dr ew me over t o the t abl e atwhi ch he had been wor ki ng. "Let us have some f r esh bl ood, "he sai d, di ggi ng a l ong bodki n i nt o hi s f i nger , and dr awi ng of ft he resul t i ng dr op of bl ood i n a chemi cal pi pet t e. "Now, I addt hi s smal l quant i t y of bl ood t o a l i t r e of wat er . You per cei ve t hatt he r esul t i ng mi xt ur e has t he appear ance of pur e water . Thepr opor t i on of bl ood cannot be more t han one i n a mi l l i on. I haveno doubt , however , t hat we shal l be abl e t o obt ai n t he charact er-i st i c r eact i on. " As he spoke, he t hr ew i nt o the vessel a f ewwhi t e cr yst al s, and t hen added some dr ops of a t r ansparent f l ui d.I n an i nst ant t he cont ent s assumed a dul l mahogahy col our , and a

br owni sh dust was pr eci pi t at ed t o t he bot t om of t he gl ass j ar ."Ha! ha! " he cri ed, cl appi ng hi s hands, and l ooki ng as del i ght ed

as a chi l d wi t h a new t oy. "What do you t hi nk of t hat ?""I t seems t o be a ver y del i cat e t est , " I r emar ked."Beaut i f ul ! beaut i f ul ! The ol d guai acum t est was ver y cl umsy

and uncer t ai n. So i s t he mi cr oscopi c exami nat i on f or bl oodcor puscl es. The l at t er i s val uel ess i f t he st ai ns ar e a f ew hour sol d. Now, t hi s appears t o act as wel l whet her t he bl ood i s ol d ornew. Had t hi s t est been i nvent ed, t her e ar e hundreds of men nowwal ki ng t he ear t h who woul d l ong ago have pai d t he penal t y oft hei r cr i mes. "

" I ndeed! " I mur mur ed."Cr i mi nal cases are cont i nual l y hi ngi ng upon t hat one poi nt .

A man i s suspect ed of a cr i me mont hs perhaps af t er i t has beencommi t t ed. Hi s l i nen or cl othes are exami ned and br owni shst ai ns di scover ed upon t hem. Ar e they bl ood st ai ns, or mudst ai ns, or r ust st ai ns, or f r ui t st ai ns, or what ar e t hey? That i s aquest i on whi ch has puzzl ed many an exper t , and why? Becauset here was no rel i abl e test . Now we have t he Sher l ock Hol mes' st est , and t her e wi l l no l onger be any di f f i cul t y. "

Hi s eyes f ai r l y gl i t t er ed as he spoke, and he put hi s hand overhi s hear t and bowed as i f t o some appl audi ng cr owd conj ured upby hl s i magi nat i on.

"You ar e t o be congr at ul at ed, " I r emarked, consi der abl ysur pr i sed at hi s ent husi asm.

"Ther e was t he case of Von Bi schof f at Frankf or t l ast year .He woul d cer t ai nl y have been hung had t hi s t est been i n exi s-

t ence. Then t here was Mason of Br adf ord, and the notor i ousMul l er , and Lef evr e of Mont pel l i er , and Samson of New Or -l eans. I coul d name a scor e of cases i n whi ch i t woul d have beendeci si ve. "_"You seem t o be a wal ki ng cal endar of cr i me, " sai d St amf or dwi t h a l augh. "You mi ght st ar t a paper on t hose l i nes. Cal l i t t he' Pol i ce News of t he Past . ' "

"Ver y i nt er est i ng readi ng i t mi ght be made, t oo, " r emar kedSher l ock Hol mes, st i cki ng a smal l pi ece of pl ast er over t he pr i ckon hi s f i nger . "I have t o be car ef ul , " he cont i nued, t ur ni ng t o


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me wi t h a smi l e, " f or I dabbl e wi t h poi sons a good deal . " Hehel d out hi s hand as he spoke, and I not i ced t hat i t was al lmot t l ed over wi t h si mi l ar pi eces of pl ast er , and di scol our ed wi t hst r ong aci ds.

"We came here on busi ness, " sai d Stamf ord, si t t i ng down ona hi gh thr ee- l egged st ool , and pushi ng another one i n my di r ec-t i on wi t h hi s f oot . "My f r i end her e want s t o take di ggi ngs; andas you were compl ai ni ng t hat you coul d get no one t o go hal veswi t h you, I t hought t hat I had bet t er br i ng you t oget her . "

Sher l ock Hol mes seemed del i ght ed at t he i dea of shar i ng hi sr ooms wi t h me. " I have my eye on a sui t e i n Baker St r eet , " hesai d, "whi ch woul d sui t us down to t he gr ound. You don' t mi ndt he smel l of st r ong tobacco, I hope?"

"I al ways smoke ' shi p' s' mysel f , " I answer ed."That ' s good enough. I general l y have chemi cal s about , and

occasi onal l y do exper i ment s. Woul d that annoy you?""By no means. ""Let me see - - what are my other shor t comi ngs? I get i n the

dumps at t i mes, and don' t open my mouth f or days on end. Youmust not t hi nk I am sul ky when I do t hat . J ust l et me al one, and

I ' l l soon be r i ght . What have you t o conf ess now? I t ' s j ust aswel l f or t wo f el l ows t o know t he wors t of one another bef oret hey begi n t o l i ve t oget her . "

I l aughed at t hi s cr oss- exami nat i on. "I keep a bul l pup, " Isai d, "and I obj ect t o r ows because my nerves ar e shaken, and Iget up at al l sor t s of ungodl y hour s, and I am extr emel y l azy. Ihave anot her set of vi ces when I ' m wel l , but t hose ar e thepr i nci pal ones at pr esent . "

"Do you i ncl ude vi ol i n pl ayi ng i n your cat egory of r ows?" heasked, anxi ousl y.

" I t depends on t he pl ayer , " I answer ed. "A wel l - pl ayedvi ol i n i s a t r eat f or t he gods - - a badl y pl ayed one - - "

"Oh, t hat ' s al l r i ght , " he cri ed, wi t h a mer r y l augh. "I t hi nkwe may consi der t he thi ng as set t l ed - - t hat i s i f t he rooms areagr eeabl e to you. "

"When shal l we see t hem?""Cal l f or me her e at noon to- morr ow, and we' l l go t oget her

and set t l e ever ythi ng, " he answer ed."Al l r i ght - - noon exactl y, " sai d I , shaki ng hi s hand.We l ef t hi m worki ng among hi s chemi cal s, and we wal ked

t ogether t owards my hotel ."By t he way, " I asked suddenl y, st oppi ng and turni ng upon

St amf or d, "how t he deuce di d he know t hat I had come f r omAf ghani st an?"

My compani on smi l ed an eni gmat i cal smi l e. "That ' s j ust hi sl i t t l e pecul i ar i t y, " he sai d. "A good many peopl e have want edt o know how he f i nds t hi ngs out . "

"Oh! a myster y i s i t ?" I cr i ed, r ubbi ng my hands. "Thi s i sver y pi quant . I am much obl i ged t o you f or br i ngi ng us t oget her .' The pr oper st udy of manki nd i s man, ' you know. "

"You must st udy hi m, t hen, " Stamf ord sai d, as he bade megood- bye. "You' l l f i nd hi m a knot t y pr obl em, t hough. I ' l l wagerhe l earns mor e about you t han you about hi m. Good- bye. "

"Good- bye, " I answer ed, and st r ol l ed on t o my hotel , consi d-erabl y i nt erest ed i n my new acquai nt ance.

Chapter 2


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The Sci ence of Deduct i on

We met next day as he had ar r anged, and i nspect ed the rooms atNo. 22l B, Baker St r eet , of whi ch he had spoken at our meet i ng.

They consi st ed of a coupl e of comf or t abl e bedr ooms and a si ngl el ar ge ai r y si t t i ng- r oom, cheer f ul l y f ur ni shed, and i l l umi nat ed byt wo br oad wi ndows. So desi r abl e i n every way were the apar t -ment s, and so moderat e di d t he terms seemwhen di vi ded be-t ween us, t hat t he bar gai n was concl uded upon t he spot , and weat once entered i nto possessi on. That very eveni ng I moved myt hi ngs r ound f r om t he hot el , and on the f ol l owi ng mor ni ngSher l ock Hol mes f ol l owed me wi t h several boxes and por t man-t eaus. For a day or t wo we were busi l y empl oyed i n unpacki ngand l ayi ng out our proper t y t o t he best advant age. That done, wegradual l y began t o set t l e down and t o accommodate our sel ves t oour new sur r oundi ngs.

Hol mes was cer t ai nl y not a di f f i cul t man t o l i ve wi t h. He wasqui et i n hi s ways, and hi s habi t s wer e regul ar . I t was r ar e f or hi mt o be up af t er t en at ni ght , and he had i nvar i abl y br eakf asted andgone out bef ore I r ose i n t he morni ng. Somet i mes he spent hi s

day at t he chemi cal l aborat ory, somet i mes i n t he di ssect i ng-r ooms, and occasi onal l y i n l ong wal ks, whi ch appear ed t o t akehi m i nt o t he l owest por t i ons of t he ci t y. Nothi ng coul d exceedhi s ener gy when the wor ki ng f i t was upon hi m; but now andagai n a r eact i on woul d sei ze hi m, and f or days on end he woul dl i e upon t he sof a i n t he si t t i ng- r oom, har dl y ut t er i ng a wor d ormovi ng a muscl e f r om morni ng t o ni ght . On t hese occasi ons Ihave not i ced such a dr eamy, vacant expr essi on i n hi s eyes, t hat Imi ght have suspect ed hi m of bei ng addi ct ed t o t he use of somenar cot i c, had not t he temper ance and cl eanl i ness of hi s whol e l i f ef orbi dden such a not i on.

As t he weeks went by, my i nt erest i n hi m and my cur i osi t y ast o hi s ai ms i n l i f e gr adual l y deepened and i ncr eased. Hi s ver yper son and appear ance were such as t o st r i ke t he at t ent i on of t hemost casual observer . I n hei ght he was r at her over si x f eet , andso excessi vel y l ean t hat he seemed t o be consi der abl y tal l er . Hi seyes wer e shar p and pi er ci ng, save dur i ng t hose i nt er val s oft orpor t o whi ch I have al l uded; and hi s t hi n, hawk- l i ke nose gavehi s whol e expr essi on an ai r of al er t ness and deci si on. Hi s chi n,t oo, had t he pr omi nence and squar eness whi ch mark t he man ofdet er mi nat i on. Hi s hands wer e i nvar i abl y bl ot t ed wi t h i nk andst ai ned wi t h chemi cal s, yet he was possessed of ext r aordi nar ydel i cacy of t ouch, as I f r equent l y had occasi on t o observe when Iwat ched hi m mani pul at i ng hi s f r agi l e phi l osophi cal i nst r ument s.

The r eader may set me down as a hopel ess busybody, when Iconf ess how much thi s man st i mul at ed my cur i osi t y, and howof t en I endeavour ed t o br eak t hr ough t he r et i cence whi ch he

showed on al l t hat concer ned hi msel f . Bef ore pronounci ng j udg-ment , however , be i t r emember ed how obj ect l ess was my l i f e,and how l i t t l e there was t o engage my at t ent i on. My heal t hf orbade me f r om vent ur i ng out unl ess t he weat her was except i on-al l y geni al , and I had no f r i ends who woul d cal l upon me andbreak t he monot ony of my dai l y exi st ence. Under t hese ci r cum-st ances, I eagerl y hai l ed the l i t t l e myst er y whi ch hung ar ound mycompani on, and spent much of my t i me i n endeavour i ng t ounravel i t .

He was not st udyi ng medi ci ne. He had hi msel f , i n r epl y t o a


7/75

quest i on, conf i r med St amf or d' s opi ni on upon that poi nt . Nei t herdi d he appear t o have pur sued any course of r eadi ng whi ch mi ghtf i t hi m f or a degr ee, i n sci ence or any ot her r ecogni zed por t alwhi ch woul d gi ve hi m an ent r ance i nt o the l ear ned worl d. Yethi s zeal f or cer t ai n st udi es was r emar kabl e, and wi t hi n eccent r i cl i mi t s hi s knowl edge was so ext r aor di nar i l y ampl e and mi nutet hat hi s observat i ons have f ai r l y ast ounded me. Sur el y no manwoul d work so har d or at t ai n such pr eci se i nf ormat i on unl ess hehad some def i ni t e end i n vi ew. Desul t ory r eader s ar e sel domr emarkabl e f or t he exactness of t hei r l ear ni ng. No man bur denshi s mi nd wi t h smal l mat t er s unl ess he has some ver y good r easonf or doi ng so.

Hi s i gnor ance was as r emarkabl e as hi s knowl edge. Of con-t emporar y l i t er at ur e, phi l osophy and pol i t i cs he appeared t o knownext t o not hi ng. Upon my quot i ng Thomas Car l yl e, he i nqui r edi n t he nai vest way who he mi ght be and what he had done. Mysurpr i se reached a cl i max, however , when I f ound i nci dent al l yt hat he was i gnorant of t he Coperni can Theor y and of t he compo-si t i on of t he Sol ar System. That any ci vi l i zed human bei ng i nt hi s ni net eent h cent ur y shoul d not be awar e t hat t he ear t h t r av-

el l ed r ound t he sun appeared t o me to be such an ext r aor di nar yf act t hat I coul d har dl y r eal i ze i t .

"You appear t o be ast oni shed, " he sai d, smi l i ng at my ex-pr essi on of sur pr i se. "Now t hat I do know i t I shal l do my bestt o f orget i t . "

"To f orget i t !""You see, " he expl ai ned, " I consi der t hat a man' s br ai n

or i gi nal l y i s l i ke a l i t t l e empt y at t i c, and you have t o st ock i twi t h such f ur ni t ur e as you choose. A f ool t akes i n al l t he l umberof every sor t t hat he comes acr oss, so t hat t he knowl edge whi chmi ght be usef ul t o hi m gets cr owded out , or at best i s j umbl ed upwi t h a l ot of ot her t hi ngs, so t hat he has a di f f i cul t y i n l ayi ng hi shands upon i t . Now t he ski l f ul workman i s ver y car ef ul i ndeed ast o what he t akes i nt o hi s br ai n- at t i c. He wi l l have nothi ng but t het ool s whi ch may hel p hi m i n doi ng hi s work, but of t hese he hasa l ar ge assor t ment , and al l i n t he most per f ect or der . I t i s ami st ake t o t hi nk t hat t hat l i t t l e r oom has el ast i c wal l s and candi st end t o any extent . Depend upon i t t her e comes a t i me whenf or ever y addi t i on of knowl edge you f orget somethi ng t hat youknew bef or e. I t i s of t he hi ghest i mpor t ance, t her ef or e, not t ohave usel ess f act s el bowi ng out t he usef ul ones. "

"But t he Sol ar System! " I pr ot est ed."What t he deuce i s i t t o me?" he i nt err upt ed i mpat i ent l y:

"you say t hat we go r ound t he sun. I f we went r ound t he moon i twoul d not make a pennywor t h of di f f erence t o me or t o mywor k. "

I was on the poi nt of aski ng hi m what t hat work mi ght be, but

somet hi ng i n hi s manner showed me t hat t he quest i on woul d bean unwel come one. I pondered over our shor t conversat i onhowever , and endeavour ed t o dr aw my deduct i ons f r om i t . Hesai d t hat he woul d acqui r e no knowl edge whi ch di d not bearupon hi s obj ect . Theref ore al l t he knowl edge whi ch he possessedwas such as woul d be usef ul t o hi m. I enumer at ed i n my ownmi nd al l t he var i ous poi nts upon whi ch he had shown me t hat hewas except i onal l y wel l i nf or med. I even took a penci l and j ot t edt hemdown. I coul d not hel p smi l i ng at t he document when I hadcompl et ed i t . I t r an i n t hi s way:


8/75

Sher l ock Hol mes - - hi s l i mi t s

1. Knowl edge of Li t er at ur e. - - Ni l .2. " " Phi l osophy. - - Ni l .3. " " Ast r onomy. - - Ni l .4. " " Pol i t i cs . - - Feebl e.5. " " Bot any. - - Var i abl e.

Wel l up i n bel l adonna, opi um, and poi sons gener al l y.Knows nothi ng of pr act i cal gardeni ng.

6. Knowl edge of Geol ogy. - - Pr act i cal , but l i mi t ed.Tel l s at a gl ance di f f er ent soi l s f r om each ot her .Af t er wal ks has shown me spl ashes upon hi s t r ou-sers , and t ol d me by thei r col our and consi st ence i nwhat par t of London he had r ecei ved t hem.

7. Knowl edge of Chemi st r y. - - Prof ound.8. " " Anat omy. - - Accur ate, but unsyst emat i c9. " " Sensat i onal Li t er at ur e. - - I mmense.

He appear s t o know every detai l of every hor r orper pet r at ed i n t he cent ur y.

10. Pl ays t he vi ol i n wel l .

11. I s an exper t si ngl est i ck pl ayer , boxer , and swordsman.12. Has a good pr act i cal knowl edge of Br i t i sh l aw.

When I had got so f ar i n my l i st I t hr ew i t i nt o t he f i r e i ndespai r . "I f I can onl y f i nd what t he f el l ow i s dr i vi ng at byr econci l i ng al l t hese accompl i shment s, and di scover i ng a cal l i ngwhi ch needs t hem al l , " I sai d t o mysel f , "I may as wel l gi ve upt he at t empt at once. "

I see t hat I have al l uded above t o hi s power s upon t he vi ol i n.These wer e ver y r emar kabl e, but as eccent r i c as al l hi s ot heraccompl i shment s. That he coul d pl ay pi eces, and di f f i cul t pi eces,I knew wel l , because at my r equest he has pl ayed me some ofMendel ssohn' s Li eder , and other f avour i t es. When l ef t t o hi m-sel f , however , he woul d sel dom pr oduce any musi c or at t emptany recogni zed ai r . Leani ng back i n hi s armchai r of an eveni ng,he woul d cl ose hi s eyes and scr ape car el essl y at t he f i ddl e whi chwas t hrown across hi s knee. Somet i mes t he chor ds were sono-r ous and mel anchol y. Occasi onal l y t hey wer e f ant ast i c and cheer -f ul . Cl ear l y t hey r ef l ect ed the t hought s whi ch possessed hi m, butwhether t he musi c ai ded t hose thought s, or whether t he pl ayi ngwas si mpl y t he resul t of a whi m or f ancy, was more than I coul ddet er mi ne. I mi ght have r ebel l ed agai nst t hese exasper at i ng sol oshad i t not been t hat he usual l y termi nated t hem by pl ayi ng i nqui ck successi on a whol e ser i es of my f avour i t e ai r s as a sl i ghtcompensat i on f or t he t r i al upon my pat i ence.

Dur i ng t he f i r st week or so we had no cal l ers, and I had begunt o t hi nk that my compani on was as f r i endl ess a man as I was

mysel f . Present l y, however , I f ound t hat he had many acquai nt -ances, and t hose i n t he most di f f er ent cl asses of soci et y. Ther ewas one l i t t l e sal l ow, r at - f aced, dar k- eyed f el l ow, who wasi nt r oduced to me as Mr . Lest r ade, and who came three or f ourt i mes i n a si ngl e week. One morni ng a young gi r l cal l ed, f ash-i onabl y dr essed, and st ayed f or hal f an hour or more. The sameaf t er noon br ought a gr ay- headed, seedy vi si t or , l ooki ng l i ke a

J ew peddl er , who appeared t o me t o be much exci t ed, and whowas cl osel y f ol l owed by a sl i pshod el der l y woman. On anotheroccasi on an ol d whi t e- hai r ed gent l eman had an i nt ervi ew wi t h


9/75

my compani on; and on anot her , a rai l way por t er i n hi s vel vet eenuni f orm. When any of t hese nondescr i pt i ndi vi dual s put i n anappearance, Sher l ock Hol mes used t o beg f or t he use of t hesi t t i ng- r oom, and I woul d r et i r e t o my bedr oom. He al waysapol ogi zed t o me f or put t i ng me to t hi s i nconveni ence. " I havet o use thi s r oomas a pl ace of busi ness, " he sai d, "and t hesepeopl e ar e my cl i ent s. " Agai n I had an oppor t uni t y of aski nghi m a poi nt - bl ank quest i on, and agai n my del i cacy pr event ed mef r omf orci ng another man t o conf i de i n me. I i magi ned at t het i me t hat he had some st r ong r eason f or not al l udi ng t o i t , but hesoon di spel l ed the i dea by comi ng round to t he subj ect of hi sown accord.

I t was upon t he 4t h of March, as I have good reason tor emember , t hat I r ose somewhat ear l i er t han usual , and f oundt hat Sher l ock Hol mes had not yet f i ni shed hi s br eakf ast . Thel andl ady had become so accust omed to my l at e habi t s t hat mypl ace had not been l ai d nor my cof f ee prepared. Wi t h the unr ea-sonabl e petul ance of manki nd I r ang t he bel l and gave a curti nt i mat i on t hat I was r eady. Then I pi cked up a magazi ne f r omt he tabl e and at t empted t o whi l e away t he t i me wi t h i t , whi l e my

compani on munched si l ent l y at hi s t oast . One of t he ar t i cl es hada penci l mark at t he headi ng, and I natur al l y began t o r un my eyet hr ough i t .

I t s somewhat ambi t i ous t i t l e was " The Book of Li f e, " and i tat t empt ed t o show how much an obser vant man mi ght l earn byan accur ate and syst emat i c exami nat i on of al l t hat came i n hi sway. I t st r uck me as bei ng a remarkabl e mi xt ure of shr ewdnessand of absurdi t y. The reasoni ng was cl ose and i nt ense, but t hededuct i ons appeared t o me to be f ar f et ched and exaggerated.

The wr i t er cl ai med by a momentar y express i on, a t wi t ch of amuscl e or a gl ance of an eye, t o f athom a man' s i nmost t hought s.Decei t , accor di ng to hi m, was an i mpossi bi l i t y i n the case of onet r ai ned to obser vat i on and anal ysi s. Hi s concl usi ons wer e asi nf al l i bl e as so many pr oposi t i ons of Eucl i d. So st ar t l i ng woul dhi s r esul t s appear t o t he uni ni t i at ed t hat unt i l t hey l ear ned t heprocesses by whi ch he had arr i ved at t hem t hey mi ght wel lconsi der hi m as a necr omancer .

"Fr om a dr op of wat er , " sai d t he wr i t er , "a l ogi ci an coul di nf er t he possi bi l i t y of an At l ant i c or a Ni agar a wi t hout havi ngseen or hear d of one or t he ot her . So al l l i f e i s a gr eat chai n, t henat ure of whi ch i s known whenever we ar e shown a si ngl e l i nkof i t . Li ke al l ot her ar t s, t he Sci ence of Deduct i on and Anal ysi si s one whi ch can onl y be acqui r ed by l ong and pat i ent st udy, nori s l i f e l ong enough t o al l ow any mor t al t o at t ai n t he hi ghestpossi bl e per f ect i on i n i t . Bef or e turni ng t o t hose mor al andment al aspect s of t he mat t er whi ch pr esent t he gr eat est di f f i cul -t i es, l et t he i nqui r er begi n by master i ng more el ement ar y pr ob-

l ems. Let hi m, on meet i ng a f el l ow- mort al , l ear n at a gl ance t odi st i ngui sh t he hi st or y of t he man, and t he t r ade or pr of essi on t owhi ch he bel ongs. Puer i l e as such an exer ci se may seem, i tshar pens t he f acul t i es of observat i on, and teaches one where t ol ook and what t o l ook f or . By a man' s f i nger - nai l s, by hi scoat - sl eeve, by hi s boot s, by hi s t r ouser - knees, by t he cal l osi t i esof hi s f or ef i nger and t humb, by hi s expr essi on, by hi s shi r t -cuf f s - - by each of t hese t hi ngs a man' s cal l i ng i s pl ai nl y r e-veal ed. That al l uni t ed shoul d f ai l t o enl i ght en t he compet enti nqui r er i n any case i s al most i nconcei vabl e. "


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"What i nef f abl e t waddl e!" I cr i ed, sl appi ng t he magazi nedown on t he t abl e; " I never r ead such r ubbi sh i n my l i f e. "

"What i s i t ?" asked Sherl ock Hol mes."Why, t hi s ar t i cl e, " I sai d, poi nt i ng at i t wi t h my eggspoon as

I sat down t o my br eakf ast . " I see t hat you have r ead i t si nceyou have mar ked i t . I don' t deny t hat i t i s smar t l y wr i t t en. I ti r r i t at es me, t hough. I t i s evi dent l y t he t heor y of some ar mchai rl ounger who evol ves al l t hese neat l i t t l e par adoxes i n t he secl u-si on of hi s own st udy. I t i s not pr acti cal . I shoul d l i ke t o see hi mcl apped down i n a t hi r d- cl ass car r i age on t he Under gr ound, andasked t o gi ve t he t r ades of al l hi s f el l ow- t r avel l er s. I woul d l ay at housand to one agai nst hi m. "

"You woul d l ose your money, " Hol mes r emarked cal ml y."As f or t he ar t i c l e, I wr ot e i t mysel f . "

"You!""Yes; I have a tur n bot h f or obser vat i on and f or deduct i on.

The t heor i es whi ch I have expressed t here, and whi ch appear t oyou t o be so chi mer i cal , ar e r eal l y ext r emel y pr act i cal - - so pr ac-t i cal t hat I depend upon t hemf or my br ead and cheese. "

"And how?" I asked i nvol unt ar i l y.

"Wel l , I have a t r ade of my own. I suppose I amt he onl y onei n t he wor l d. I ' m a consul t i ng det ect i ve, i f you can under st andwhat t hat i s. Here i n London we have l ot s of government detec-t i ves and l ot s of pr i vat e ones. When t hese f el l ows ar e at f aul t ,t hey come to me, and I manage to put t hem on t he r i ght scent .

They l ay al l t he evi dence bef or e me, and I am gener al l y abl e, byt he hel p of my knowl edge of t he hi st ory of cr i me, t o set t hemst r ai ght . Ther e i s a st r ong f ami l y r esembl ance about mi sdeeds,and i f you have al l t he det ai l s of a t housand at your f i nger ends,i t i s odd i f you can' t unr avel t he t housand and f i r st . Lest r ade i s awel l - known det ect i ve. He got hi msel f i nt o a f og r ecent l y over af orger y case, and that was what br ought hi m her e. "

"And these ot her peopl e?""They ar e most l y sent on by pr i vat e i nqui r y agenci es. They

are al l peopl e who are i n t r oubl e about somet hi ng and want al i t t l e enl i ght eni ng. I l i sten t o t hei r st or y, t hey l i sten t o mycomment s, and then I pocket my f ee. "

"But do you mean t o say, " I sai d, " t hat wi t hout l eavi ng yourr oom you can unr avel some knot whi ch ot her men can makenothi ng of , al t hough they have seen ever y detai l f or t hemsel ves?"

"Qui t e so. l have a ki nd of i nt ui t i on t hat way. Now and agai na case t ur ns up whi ch i s a l i t t l e more compl ex. Then I have t obust l e about and see thi ngs wi t h my own eyes. You see I have al ot of speci al knowl edge whi ch I appl y t o the pr obl em, andwhi ch f aci l i t at es mat t er s wonder f ul l y. Those r ul es of deduct i onl ai d down i n that ar t i cl e whi ch ar oused your scor n ar e i nval uabl et o me i n pr act i cal work. Observat i on wi t h me i s second nat ur e.

You appeared t o be surpr i sed when I t ol d you, on our f i r stmeet i ng, t hat you had come f r om Af ghani st an. "

"You wer e t ol d, no doubt . ""Nothi ng of t he sor t . I knew you came f r omAf ghani st an.

From l ong habi t t he tr ai n of t hought s r an so swi f t l y t hr ough mymi nd t hat I ar r i ved at t he concl usi on wi t hout bei ng consci ous ofi nt er medi ate st eps. Ther e wer e such steps, however . The t r ai n ofr easoni ng ran, ' Her e i s a gent l eman of a medi cal t ype, but wi t ht he ai r of a mi l i t ar y man. Cl ear l y an army doct or , t hen. He has

j ust come f r om t he t r opi cs , f or hi s f ace i s dark, and t hat i s not


11/75

t he nat ur al t i nt of hi s ski n, f or hi s wr i sts ar e f ai r . He hasunder gone har dshi p and si ckness, as hi s haggar d f ace says cl ear l y.Hi s l ef t ar m has been i nj ur ed. He hol ds i t i n a st i f f and unnat ur almanner . Wher e i n t he t r opi cs coul d an Engl i sh ar my doct or haveseen much hardshi p and got hi s ar m wounded? Cl ear l y i n Af -ghani st an. ' The whol e t r ai n of t hought di d not occupy a second.I t hen remarked t hat you came f r om Af ghani st an, and you wereast oni shed. "

"I t i s si mpl e enough as you expl ai n i t , " I sai d, smi l i ng. "Your emi nd me of Edgar Al l an Poe' s Dupi n. I had no i dea that suchi ndi vi dual s di d exi st out si de of stor i es. "

Sher l ock Hol mes r ose and l i t hi s pi pe. "No doubt you thi nkt hat you ar e compl i ment i ng me i n compar i ng me to Dupi n, " heobserved. "Now, i n my opi ni on, Dupi n was a ver y i nf er i orf el l ow. That t r i ck of hi s of br eaki ng i n on hi s f r i ends' t hought swi t h an apr opos remark af t er a quart er of an hour ' s si l ence i sr eal l y ver y showy and super f i ci al . He had some anal yt i cal ge-ni us, no doubt ; but he was by no means such a phenomenon asPoe appeared t o i magi ne. "

"Have you r ead Gabor i au' s wor ks?" I asked. "Does Lecoq

come up t o your i dea of a detect i ve?"Sher l ock Hol mes sni f f ed sardoni cal l y. "Lecoq was a mi sera-

bl e bungl er, " he sai d, i n an angr y voi ce; "he had onl y one t hi ngt o r ecommend hi m, and that was hi s ener gy. That book made meposi t i vel y i l l . The quest i on was how t o i dent i f y an unknownpr i soner . I coul d have done i t i n t went y- f our hour s. Lecoq t ooksi x mont hs or so. I t mi ght be made a t ext book f or det ect i ves t ot each t hem what t o avoi d. "

I f el t r at her i ndi gnant at havi ng t wo char act er s whomI hadadmi r ed t r eat ed i n t hi s caval i er st yl e. I wal ked over t o thewi ndow and st ood l ooki ng out i nt o t he busy st r eet . "Thi s f el l owmay be ver y cl ever , " I sai d t o mysel f , "but he i s cer t ai nl y ver yconcei t ed. "

"There are no cr i mes and no cr i mi nal s i n t hese days, " hesai d, quer ul ousl y. "What i s t he use of havi ng br ai ns i n ourprof essi on? I know wel l t hat I have i t i n me t o make my namef amous. No man l i ves or has ever l i ved who has br ought t hesame amount of st udy and of natur al t al ent t o t he detect i on ofcr i me whi ch I have done. And what i s t he r esul t ? There i s nocr i me t o det ect , or , at most , some bungl i ng vi l l ai ny wi t h amot i ve so t r anspar ent t hat even a Scot l and Yar d of f i ci al can seet hr ough i t . "

I was st i l l annoyed at hi s bumpt i ous st yl e of conver sat i on. It hought i t best t o change the t opi c.

"I wonder what t hat f el l ow i s l ooki ng f or ?" I asked, poi nt i ngt o a st al war t , pl ai nl y dr essed i ndi vi dual who was wal ki ng sl owl ydown t he other si de of t he st r eet , l ooki ng anxi ousl y at t he

number s. He had a l arge bl ue envel ope i n hi s hand, and wasevi dent l y t he bearer of a message.

"You mean t he ret i r ed sergeant of Mar i nes, " sai d Sherl ockHol mes.

"Br ag and bounce!" t hought I t o mysel f . "He knows t hat Icannot ver i f y hi s guess. "

The t hought had hardl y passed t hr ough my mi nd when t heman whom we wer e wat chi ng caught si ght of t he number on ourdoor , and ran r api dl y acr oss t he r oadway. We hear d a l oudknock, a deep voi ce bel ow, and heavy st eps ascendi ng t he st ai r .


12/75

"For Mr . Sher l ock Hol mes, " he sai d, st eppi ng i nt o t he r oomand handi ng my f r i end t he l et t er .

Here was an oppor t uni t y of t aki ng t he concei t out of hi m. Hel i t t l e t hought of t hi s when he made t hat r andomshot . "May Iask, my l ad, " I sai d, i n t he bl andest voi ce, "what your t r ademay be?"

"Commi ssi onai r e, si r , " he sai d, gr uf f l y. "Uni f or m away f orr epai r s . "

"And you wer e?" I asked, wi t h a sl i ght l y mal i ci ous gl ance atmy compani on.

"A ser geant , si r , Royal Mar i ne Li ght I nf ant r y, si r . No an-swer ? Ri ght , s i r . "

He cl i cked hi s heel s t oget her , r ai sed hi s hand i n sal ut e, andwas gone.

Chapt er 3The Laur i st on Gar den Myst er y

I conf ess t hat I was consi der abl y st ar t l ed by t hi s f r esh pr oof oft he pr act i cal nat ur e of my compani on' s t heor i es. My respect f or

hi s power s of anal ysi s i ncreased wondr ousl y. Ther e st i l l r e-mai ned some l urki ng suspi ci on i n my mi nd, however , t hat t hewhol e t hi ng was a pr ear r anged epi sode, i nt ended t o dazzl e me,t hough what ear t hl y obj ect he coul d have i n t aki ng me i n waspast my comprehensi on. When I l ooked at hi m, he had f i ni shedr eadi ng t he not e, and hi s eyes had assumed t he vacant , l ack-l ust r e expr essi on whi ch showed ment al abst r act i on.

"How i n the wor l d di d you deduce that?" I asked."Deduce what ?" sai d he, pet ul ant l y."Why, t hat he was a r et i r ed ser geant of Mari nes. ""I have no t i me f or t r i f l es, " he answer ed, br usquel y, t hen

wi t h a smi l e, "Excuse my r udeness. You br oke t he t hread of myt hought s; but per haps i t i s as wel l . So you act ual l y wer e not abl et o see t hat t hat man was a ser geant of Mar i nes?"

"No, i ndeed. ""I t was easi er t o know i t t han t o expl ai n why I know i t . I f you

were asked t o prove t hat t wo and t wo made f our , you mi ght f i ndsome di f f i cul t y, and yet you ar e qui t e sur e of t he f act . Evenacr oss t he st r eet I coul d see a gr eat bl ue anchor t at t ooed on t heback of t he f el l ow' s hand. That smacked of t he sea. He had ami l i t ar y car r i age, however , and r egul at i on si de whi sker s. Ther ewe have t he mar i ne. He was a man wi t h some amount ofsel f - i mpor t ance and a cer t ai n ai r of command. You must haveobserved t he way i n whi ch he hel d hi s head and swung hi s cane.A st eady, r espect abl e, mi ddl e- aged man, t oo, on t he f ace ofhi m - - al l f act s whi ch l ed me t o bel i eve t hat he had been aser geant . "

"Wonder f ul ! " I ej acul at ed."Commonpl ace, " sai d Hol mes, t hough I t hought f r omhi s

expr essi on t hat he was pl eased at my evi dent surpr i se and admi -r at i on. "I sai d j ust now t hat t her e wer e no cr i mi nal s. I t appear st hat I am wr ong - - l ook at t hi s! " He t hr ew me over t he notewhi ch t he commi ssi onai r e had brought .

"Why, " I cri ed, as I cast my eye over i t , "t hi s i s t er r i bl e! "" I t does seem t o be a l i t t l e out of t he common, " he remarked,

cal ml y. "Woul d you mi nd readi ng i t t o me al oud?"Thi s i s t he l et t er whi ch I r ead t o hi m, - -


13/75

"MY DEAR MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES:

"There has been a bad busi ness dur i ng the ni ght at 3,Laur i st on Gardens, of f t he Br i xt on Road. Our man on t hebeat saw a l i ght t here about t wo i n the morni ng, and as t hehouse was an empt y one, suspect ed that somet hi ng wasami ss. He f ound the door open, and i n the f r ont r oom,whi ch i s bar e of f ur ni t ur e, di scover ed t he body of a gent l e-man, wel l dr essed, and havi ng cards i n hi s pocket bear i ngt he name of ' Enoch J . Dr ebber , Cl evel and, Ohi o, U. S. A. '

There had been no r obber y, nor i s t here any evi dence as t ohow t he man met hi s deat h. There ar e marks of bl ood i n t her oom, but t her e i s no wound upon hi s person. We ar e at al oss as t o how he came i nto t he empty house; i ndeed, t hewhol e af f ai r i s a puzzl er . I f you can come r ound t o t hehouse any t i me bef ore t wel ve, you wi l l f i nd me ther e. Ihave l ef t ever yt hi ng i n st at u quo unt i l I hear f r om you. I fyou ar e unabl e t o come, I shal l gi ve you f ul l er det ai l s, andwoul d est eem i t a gr eat ki ndness i f you woul d f avour mewi t h your opi ni ons.

"Yours f ai t hf ul l y,"TOBI AS GREGSON.

"Gr egson i s t he smar t est of t he Scot l and Yar der s, " my f r i endr emarked; "he and Lest r ade ar e the pi ck of a bad l ot . They areboth qui ck and ener get i c, but convent i onal - - shocki ngl y so. Theyhave t hei r kni ves i nt o one another , t oo. They ar e as j eal ous as apai r of pr of essi onal beaut i es. Ther e wi l l be some f un over t hi scase i f t hey ar e both put upon t he scent . "

I was amazed at t he cal m way i n whi ch he r i ppl ed on. "Surel yt her e i s not a moment t o be l ost, " I cr i ed, "shal l I go and or deryou a cab?"

"I ' m not sur e about whet her I shal l go. I am t he most i ncur a-bl y l azy devi l t hat ever st ood i n shoe l eat her - - t hat i s, when t hef i t i s on me, f or I can be spr y enough at t i mes. "

"Why, i t i s j ust such a chance as you have been l ongi ng f or. ""My dear f el l ow, what does i t mat t er t o me? Supposi ng I

unr avel t he whol e mat t er , you may be sur e t hat Gr egson, Lest r ade,and Co. wi l l pocket al l t he cr edi t . That comes of bei ng anunof f i ci al per sonage. "

"But he begs you t o hel p hi m. ""Yes. He knows t hat I amhi s super i or , and acknowl edges i t

t o me; but he woul d cut hi s t ongue out bef or e he woul d own i t t oany t hi r d person. However , we may as wel l go and have a l ook.I shal l wor k i t out on my own hook. I may have a l augh at t hemi f I have nothi ng el se. Come on! "

He hust l ed on hi s over coat , and bust l ed about i n a way t hat

showed t hat an energet i c f i t had superseded t he apathet i c one."Get your hat , " he sai d."You wi sh me t o come?""Yes, i f you have nothi ng bet t er t o do. " A mi nut e l ater we

wer e both i n a hansom, dr i vi ng f ur i ousl y f or t he Br i xt on Road.I t was a f oggy, cl oudy morni ng, and a dun- col our ed vei l hung

over t he houset ops, l ooki ng l i ke t he r ef l ect i on of t he mud-col our ed st r eet s beneath. My compani on was i n t he best ofspi r i t s, and pr at t l ed away about Cr emona f i ddl es and t he di f f er -ence between a St r adi var i us and an Amat i . As f or mysel f , I was


14/75

si l ent , f or t he dul l weat her and t he mel anchol y busi ness uponwhi ch we were engaged depressed my spi r i t s.

"You don' t seem t o gi ve much t hought t o the mat t er i nhand, " I sai d at l ast , i nt er r upt i ng Hol mes' s musi cal di squi si t i on.

"No dat a yet , " he answer ed. "I t i s a capi t al mi st ake t ot heor i ze bef or e you have al l t he evi dence. I t bi ases t he j udgment . "

"You wi l l have your dat a soon, " I r emar ked, poi nt i ng wi t hmy f i nger ; "t hi s i s t he Br i xt on Road, and t hat i s t he house, i f Iam not ver y much mi st aken. "

"So i t i s. St op, dr i ver , st op! " We wer e st i l l a hundr ed yar dsor so f r om i t , but he i nsi st ed upon our al i ght i ng, and we f i ni shedour j our ney upon f oot .

Number 3, Laur i st on Gardens wore an i l l - omened and mi na-t ory l ook. I t was one of f our whi ch st ood back some l i t t l e wayf r omt he st r eet , t wo bei ng occupi ed and t wo empt y. The l at t erl ooked out wi t h t hr ee t i ers of vacant mel anchol y wi ndows, whi chwere bl ank and dr ear y, save t hat her e and ther e a "To Let" cardhad devel oped l i ke a cat aract upon t he bl ear ed panes. A smal lgar den spr i nkl ed over wi t h a scat t er ed er upt i on of si ckl y pl ant ssepar ated each of t hese houses f r omt he st r eet , and was t r aver sed

by a nar r ow pat hway, yel l owi sh i n col our , and consi st i ng appar -ent l y of a mi xt ur e of cl ay and of gr avel . The whol e pl ace wasver y sl oppy f r omt he r ai n whi ch had f al l en t hr ough t he ni ght .

The garden was bounded by a t hr ee- f oot br i ck wal l wi t h a f r i ngeof wood r ai l s upon t he t op, and agai nst t hi s wal l was l eani ng ast al war t pol i ce const abl e, sur r ounded by a smal l knot of l oaf er s,who craned t hei r necks and st r ai ned t hei r eyes i n t he vai n hopeof cat chi ng some gl i mpse of t he pr oceedi ngs wi t hi n.

I had i magi ned t hat Sher l ock Hol mes woul d at once havehur r i ed i nt o t he house and pl unged i nt o a st udy of t he myst er y.Not hi ng appear ed t o be f ur t her f r omhi s i nt ent i on. Wi t h an ai r ofnonchal ance whi ch, under t he ci r cumst ances, seemed t o me t obor der upon af f ect at i on, he l ounged up and down t he pavement ,and gazed vacant l y at t he gr ound, t he sky, t he opposi t e housesand t he l i ne of r ai l i ngs. Havi ng f i ni shed hi s scr ut i ny, he pr o-ceeded sl owl y down t he path, or r ather down t he f r i nge of gr asswhi ch f l anked t he path, keepi ng hi s eyes r i vet ed upon t he gr ound.

Twi ce he st opped, and once I saw hi m smi l e, and hear d hi mutt er an excl amat i on of sat i sf act i on. There were many marks off oot st eps upon t he wet cl ayey soi l ; but si nce t he pol i ce had beencomi ng and goi ng over i t , I was unabl e t o see how my compan-i on coul d hope t o l ear n anyt hi ng f r om i t . St i l l I had had suchextr aordi nar y evi dence of t he qui ckness of hi s per cept i ve f acul -t i es, t hat I had no doubt t hat he coul d see a gr eat deal whi ch washi dden f r omme.

At t he door of t he house we were met by a t al l , whi t e- f aced,f l axen- hai r ed man, wi t h a notebook i n hi s hand, who rushed

f orward and wr ung my compani on' s hand wi t h ef f usi on. " I t i si ndeed ki nd of you t o come, " he sai d, " I have had everyt hi ngl ef t unt ouched. "

"Except t hat ! " my f r i end answer ed, poi nt i ng at t he pat hway." I f a her d of buf f al oes had passed al ong, t her e coul d not be agreat er mess. No doubt , however , you had dr awn your ownconcl usi ons, Gr egson, bef or e you per mi t t ed t hi s. "

" I have had so much to do i nsi de the house, " t he detect i vesai d evasi vel y. "My col l eague, Mr . Lest r ade, i s her e. I hadr el i ed upon hi m t o l ook af t er t hi s. "


15/75

Hol mes gl anced at me and r ai sed hi s eyebr ows sardoni cal l y."Wi t h t wo such men as your sel f and Lest r ade upon t he ground

t her e wi l l not be much f or a t hi r d par t y to f i nd out , " he sai d.Gr egson rubbed hi s hands i n a sel f - sat i sf i ed way. "I t hi nk we

have done al l t hat can be done, " he answered; " i t ' s a queercase, t hough, and I knew your t ast e f or such t hi ngs. "

"You di d not come here i n a cab?" asked Sher l ock Hol mes."No, s i r . ""Nor Lest r ade?""No, s i r . ""Then l et us go and l ook at t he room. " Wi t h whi ch i nconse-

quent r emark he st r ode on i nto the house f ol l owed by Gr egson,whose f eat ur es expr essed hi s ast oni shment .

A shor t passage, bar e- pl anked and dust y, l ed to t he ki t chenand of f i ces. Two doors opened out of i t t o t he l ef t and t o t her i ght . One of t hese had obvi ousl y been cl osed f or many weeks.

The ot her bel onged t o t he di ni ng- r oom, whi ch was t he apar t menti n whi ch t he myst er i ous af f ai r had occur r ed. Hol mes wal ked i n,and I f ol l owed hi m wi t h t hat subdued f eel i ng at my heart whi cht he pr esence of deat h i nspi r es.

I t was a l ar ge squar e r oom, l ooki ng al l t he l ar ger f r om t heabsence of al l f ur ni t ur e. A vul gar f l ar i ng paper ador ned t hewal l s, but i t was bl otched i n pl aces wi t h mi l dew, and her e andt her e gr eat st r i ps had become det ached and hung down, exposi ngt he yel l ow pl ast er beneat h. Opposi t e t he door was a showyf i r epl ace, sur mount ed by a mant el pi ece of i mi t at i on whi t e mar -bl e. On one corner of t hi s was st uck the st ump of a r ed waxcandl e. The sol i t ar y wi ndow was so di r t y that t he l i ght was hazyand uncer t ai n, gi vi ng a dul l gr ay t i nge t o ever yt hi ng, whi ch wasi nt ensi f i ed by t he thi ck l ayer of dust whi ch coat ed t he whol eapart ment .

Al l t hese det ai l s I obser ved af t er war ds. At pr esent my at t en-t i on was cent r ed upon t he si ngl e, gr i m, mot i onl ess f i gur e whi chl ay st r et ched upon t he boar ds, wi t h vacant , si ght l ess eyes st ar i ngup at t he di scol our ed cei l i ng. I t was t hat of a man about f or t y-t hr ee or f or t y- f our year s of age, mi ddl e- si zed, br oad- shoul der ed,wi t h cr i sp cur l i ng bl ack hai r , and a shor t , st ubbl y bear d. He wasdr essed i n a heavy br oadcl oth f r ock coat and wai st coat , wi t hl i ght - col our ed t r ouser s, and i mmacul at e col l ar and cuf f s. A t ophat , wel l br ushed and t r i m, was pl aced upon t he f l oor besi dehi m. Hi s hands were cl enched and hi s ar ms t hrown abroad,whi l e hi s l ower l i mbs wer e i nt er l ocked, as t hough hi s deat hst r uggl e had been a gr i evous one. On hi s r i gi d f ace ther e st oodan expr essi on of hor r or, and, as i t seemed t o me, of hat r ed, suchas I have never seen upon human f eat ures. Thi s mal i gnant andt er r i bl e cont or t i on, combi ned wi t h t he l ow f or ehead, bl unt nose,and pr ognat hous j aw, gave the dead man a si ngul ar l y si mi ous

and ape- l i ke appear ance, whi ch was i ncr eased by. hi s wr i t hi ng,unnatural post ure. I have seen deat h i n many f orms, but neverhas i t appeared t o me i n a mor e f ear some aspect t han i n thatdar k, gr i my apar t ment , whi ch l ooked out upon one of t he mai nart er i es of subur ban London.

Lest r ade, l ean and f er r et - l i ke as ever , was st andi ng by t hedoorway, and gr eeted my compani on and mysel f .

"Thi s case wi l l make a st i r , si r , " he r emar ked. "I t beat sanythi ng I have seen, and I am no chi cken. "

"There i s no cl ue?" sai d Gr egson.


16/75

"None at al l , " chi med i n Lest r ade.Sher l ock Hol mes approached t he body, and, kneel i ng down,

exami ned i t i nt ent l y. "You ar e sur e that t here i s no wound?" heasked, poi nt i ng t o numerous gout s and spl ashes of bl ood whi chl ay al l r ound.

"Posi t i ve! " cr i ed bot h det ecti ves."Then, of cour se, t hi s bl ood bel ongs t o a second i ndi vi dual - -

presumabl y t he murder er , i f murder has been commi t t ed. I tr emi nds me of t he ci r cumst ances at t endant on t he death of Van

J ansen, i n Ut r echt , i n t he year ' 34. Do you r emember t he case,Gr egson?"

"No, s i r . ""Read i t up - - you r eal l y shoul d. There i s not hi ng new under

t he sun. I t has al l been done bef ore. "As he spoke, hi s ni mbl e f i nger s wer e f l yi ng her e, t her e, and

ever ywher e, f eel i ng, pr essi ng, unbut t oni ng, exami ni ng, whi l ehi s eyes wore the same f ar - away expr essi on whi ch I have al r eadyr emarked upon. So swi f t l y was t he exami nat i on made, t hat onewoul d hardl y have guessed the mi nut eness wi t h whi ch i t wasconduct ed. Fi nal l y, he sni f f ed the dead man' s l i ps, and t hen

gl anced at t he sol es of hi s pat ent l eat her boot s."He has not been moved at al l ?" he asked."No mor e t han was necessary f or t he pur pose of our exam-

i nat i on. ""You can take hi m t o the mor t uar y now, " he sai d. "Ther e i s

not hi ng more t o be l ear ned. "Gr egson had a st r etcher and f our men at hand. At hi s cal l t hey

ent er ed t he room, and t he st r anger was l i f t ed and car r i ed out . Ast hey r ai sed hi m, a r i ng t i nkl ed down and r ol l ed acr oss t he f l oor.Lest r ade gr abbed i t up and st ar ed at i t wi t h myst i f i ed eyes.

"There' s been a woman her e, " he cr i ed. " I t ' s a woman' sweddi ng r i ng. "

He hel d i t out , as he spoke, upon t he pal m of hi s hand. We al lgat hered r ound hi m and gazed at i t . There coul d be no doubt t hatt hat ci r cl et of pl ai n gol d had once ador ned the f i nger of a br i de.

"Thi s compl i cates matt ers, " sai d Gr egson. "Heaven knows,t hey were compl i cat ed enough bef or e. "

"You' r e sur e i t doesn' t si mpl i f y them?" observed Hol mes."Ther e' s nothi ng t o be l ear ned by star i ng at i t . What di d youf i nd i n hi s pocket s?"

"We have i t al l her e, " sai d Gr egson, poi nt i ng t o a l i t t er ofobj ect s upon one of t he bot t om st eps of t he st ai r s. "A gol dwat ch, No. 97163, by Bar r aud, of London. Gol d Al ber t chai n,ver y heavy and sol i d. Gol d r i ng, wi t h masoni c devi ce. Gol dpi n - - bul l - dog' s head, wi t h r ubi es as eyes. Russi an l eat her car dcase,wi t h car ds of Enoch J . Dr ebber of Cl evel and, cor r espondi ng wi t ht he E. J . D. upon t he l i nen. No pur se, but l oose money t o t he

extent of seven pounds t hi r t een. Pocket edi t i on of Boccacci o' s' Decameron, ' wi t h name of J oseph Stangerson upon t he f l yl eaf .

Two l et t er s - - one addr essed t o E. J . Dr ebber and one t o J osephSt angerson. "

"At what addr ess?""Amer i can Exchange, St r and - - t o be l ef t t i l l cal l ed f or . They

are bot h f r omt he Gui on Steamshi p Company, and ref er t o t hesai l i ng of t hei r boat s f r om Li verpool . I t i s cl ear t hat t hi s unf ort u-nat e man was about t o r et urn t o New Yor k. "

"Have you made any i nqui r i es as t o t hi s man Stanger son?"


17/75

"I di d i t at once, si r , " sai d Gr egson. "I have had adver t i se-ment s sent t o al l t he newspaper s, and one of my men has gone t ot he Amer i can Exchange, but he has not r etur ned yet . "

"Have you sent t o Cl evel and?""We tel egr aphed t hi s morni ng. ""How di d you word your i nqui r i es?""We si mpl y detai l ed t he ci r cumst ances, and sai d that we

shoul d be gl ad of any i nf ormat i on whi ch coul d hel p us. ""You di d not ask f or part i cul ar s on any poi nt whi ch appear ed

t o you t o be cr uci al ?"" I asked about St anger son. ""Nothi ng el se? I s t her e no ci r cumst ance on whi ch thi s whol e

case appears t o hi nge? Wi l l you not t el egr aph agai n?""I have sai d al l I have t o say, " sai d Gr egson, i n an of f ended

voi ce.Sher l ock Hol mes chuckl ed t o hi msel f , and appeared t o be

about t o make some r emar k, when Lest r ade, who had been i n t hef r ont r oom whi l e we wer e hol di ng t hi s conver sat i on i n t he hal l ,r eappeared upon the scene, r ubbi ng hi s hands i n a pompous andsel f - sat i sf i ed manner .

"Mr . Gr egson, " he sai d, " I have j ust made a di scover y of t hehi ghest i mpor t ance, and one whi ch woul d have been over l ookedhad I not made a car ef ul exami nat i on of t he wal l s. "

The l i t t l e man' s eyes sparkl ed as he spoke, and he was evi -dent l y i n a st at e of suppr essed exul t at i on at havi ng scor ed a poi ntagai nst hi s col l eague.

"Come here, " he sai d, bust l i ng back i nt o t he room, t heat mospher e of whi ch f el t cl ear er si nce t he removal of i t s ghast l yi nmat e. "Now, st and t her e!"

He st r uck a mat ch on hi s boot and hel d i t up agai nst t he wal l ."Look at t hat ! " he sai d, t r i umphant l y.I have r emar ked t hat t he paper had f al l en away i n part s. I n t hi s

par t i cul ar cor ner of t he room a l ar ge pi ece had peel ed of f ,l eavi ng a yel l ow squar e of coar se pl ast er i ng. Acr oss t hi s bar espace t her e was scr awl ed i n bl ood- r ed l et t er s a si ngl e wor d - -

RACHE

"What do you t hi nk of t hat ?" cr i ed t he det ect i ve, wi t h t he ai rof a showman exhi bi t i ng hi s show. "Thi s was over l ooked be-cause i t was i n the darkest corner of t he room, and no onet hought of l ooki ng t her e. The mur der er has wr i t t en i t wi t h hi s orher own bl ood. See t hi s smear where i t has t r i ckl ed down thewal l ! That di sposes of t he i dea of sui ci de anyhow. Why was t hatcor ner chosen t o wr i t e i t on? I wi l l t el l you. See t hat candl e ont he mant el pi ece. I t was l i t at t he t i me, and i f i t was l i t t hi s cor nerwoul d be the br i ght est i nst ead of t he dar kest por t i on of t he

wal l . ""And what does i t mean now t hat you have f ound i t ?" asked

Gr egson i n a depr eci at ory voi ce."Mean? Why, i t means t hat t he wr i t er was goi ng t o put t he

f emal e name Rachel , but was di st urbed bef ore he or she had t i met o f i ni sh. You mark my wor ds, when t hi s case comes t o becl ear ed up, you wi l l f i nd t hat a woman named Rachel hassomet hi ng t o do wi t h i t . I t ' s al l ver y wel l f or you t o l augh, Mr .Sher l ock Hol mes. You may be very smar t and cl ever , but t he ol dhound i s t he best , when al l i s sai d and done. "


18/75

" I r eal l y beg your par don!" sai d my compani on, who hadr uf f l ed t he l i t t l e man' s t emper by bur st i ng i nt o an expl osi on ofl aught er . "You cer t ai nl y have t he credi t of bei ng t he f i r st of ust o f i nd t hi s out and, as you say, i t bear s ever y mar k of havi ngbeen wr i t t en by the ot her par t i ci pant i n l ast ni ght ' s myst er y. Ihave not had t i me t o exami ne t hi s r oom yet , but wi t h yourper mi ssi on I shal l do so now. "

As he spoke, he whi pped a tape measur e and a l ar ge roundmagni f yi ng gl ass f r om hi s pocket . Wi t h t hese t wo i mpl ement s het r ot t ed noi sel essl y about t he room, somet i mes st oppi ng, occa-si onal l y kneel i ng, and once l yi ng f l at upon hi s f ace. So en-grossed was he wi t h hi s occupat i on t hat he appeared t o havef orgot t en our pr esence, f or he chat t er ed away t o hi msel f underhi s breat h the whol e t i me, keepi ng up a r unni ng f i r e of excl ama-t i ons, gr oans, whi st l es, and l i t t l e cri es suggest i ve of encour age-ment and of hope. As I watched hi m I was i r r esi st i bl y r emi ndedof a pur e- bl ooded, wel l - t r ai ned f oxhound, as i t dashes backwar dand f orwar d t hr ough t he cover t , whi ni ng i n i t s eager ness, unt i l i tcomes across t he l ost scent . For t went y mi nutes or more hecont i nued hi s r esearches, measur i ng wi t h t he most exact care the

di st ance bet ween marks whi ch were ent i r el y i nvi si bl e t o me, andoccasi onal l y appl yi ng hi s t ape to t he wal l s i n an equal l y i ncom-prehensi bl e manner . I n one pl ace he gathered up ver y car ef ul l y al i t t l e pi l e of gr ay dust f r om t he f l oor , and packed i t away i n anenvel ope. Fi nal l y he exami ned wi t h hi s gl ass t he word upon t hewal l , goi ng over ever y l et t er of i t wi t h t he most mi nut e exact -ness. Thi s done, he appear ed t o be sat i sf i ed, f or he repl aced hi st ape and hi s gl ass i n hi s pocket .

"They say t hat geni us i s an i nf i ni t e capaci t y f or t aki ng pai ns, "he r emar ked wi t h a smi l e. "I t ' s a ver y bad def i ni t i on, but i t doesappl y t o det ect i ve wor k. "

Gr egson and Lest r ade had wat ched t he manoeuvr es of t hei ramateur compani on wi t h consi der abl e cur i osi t y and some con-t empt . They evi dent l y f ai l ed t o appr eci at e t he f act , whi ch I hadbegun t o r eal i ze, t hat Sher l ock Hol mes' s smal l est act i ons wer eal l di r ect ed t owar ds some def i ni t e and pr act i cal end.

"What do you t hi nk of i t , si r ?" t hey bot h asked."I t woul d be r obbi ng you of t he cr edi t of t he case i f I wer e t o

presume to hel p you, " r emarked my f r i end. "You are doi ng sowel l now t hat i t woul d be a pi t y f or anyone to i nt er f er e. " Ther ewas a wor l d of sar casm i n hi s voi ce as he spoke. "I f you wi l l l etme know how your i nvest i gat i ons go, " he cont i nued, " I shal l behappy t o gi ve you any hel p I can. I n t he meant i me I shoul d l i ket o speak t o t he const abl e who f ound t he body. Can you gi ve mehi s name and addr ess?"

Lest r ade gl anced at hi s not ebook. " J ohn Rance, " he sai d."He i s of f dut y now. You wi l l f i nd hi m at 46, Audl ey Cour t ,

Kenni ngt on Par k Gate. "Hol mes t ook a note of t he addr ess."Come al ong, Doct or , " he sai d: "we shal l go and l ook hi m

up. I ' l l t el l you one t hi ng whi ch may hel p you i n t he case, " hecont i nued, t ur ni ng to t he t wo det ect i ves. "Ther e has been mur -der done, and t he mur derer was a man. He was mor e t han si xf eet hi gh, was i n t he pr i me of l i f e, had smal l f eet f or hi s hei ght ,wore coar se, square- t oed boot s and smoked a Tr i chi nopol y ci gar .He came here wi t h hi s vi ct i m i n a f our - wheel ed cab, whi ch wasdrawn by a hor se wi t h three ol d shoes and one new one on hi s


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of f f or e- l eg. I n al l pr obabi l i t y t he mur der er had a f l or i d f ace, andt he f i nger - nai l s of hi s r i ght hand wer e remar kabl y l ong. Thesear e onl y a f ew i ndi cat i ons, but t hey may assi st you. "

Lest r ade and Gr egson gl anced at each ot her wi t h an i ncr edu-l ous smi l e.

" I f t hi s man was murder ed, how was i t done?" asked t hef or mer .

"Poi son, " sai d Sher l ock Hol mes cur t l y, and st r ode of f . "Oneother t hi ng, Lest r ade, " he added, t ur ni ng r ound at t he door:" ' Rache, ' i s t he Ger man f or ' r evenge' ; so don' t l ose your t i mel ooki ng f or Mi ss Rachel . "

Wi t h whi ch Par t hi an shot he wal ked away, l eavi ng t he t wor i val s open mout hed behi nd hi m.

Chapt er 4What J ohn Rance Had t o Tel l

I t was one o' cl ock when we l ef t No. 3, Laur i st on Gar dens.Sher l ock Hol mes l ed me to t he near est t el egr aph of f i ce, whencehe di spat ched a l ong t el egr am. He t hen hai l ed a cab, and or dered

t he dr i ver t o take us t o the addr ess gi ven us by Lest r ade."Ther e i s not hi ng l i ke f i r st - hand evi dence, " he r emar ked; "as

a matt er of f act , my mi nd i s ent i r el y made up upon t he case, butst i l l we may as wel l l ear n al l t hat i s t o be l ear ned. "

"You amaze me, Hol mes, " sai d I . "Sur el y you ar e not assure as you pr etend t o be of al l t hose par t i cul ar s whi ch yougave. "

"There' s no r oom f or a mi st ake, " he answer ed. "The ver yf i r st t hi ng whi ch I observed on ar r i vi ng t here was that a cab hadmade two rut s wi t h i t s wheel s cl ose t o t he cur b. Now, up t o l astni ght , we have had no r ai n f or a week, so t hat t hose wheel swhi ch l ef t such a deep i mpressi on must have been t her e dur i ngt he ni ght . Ther e wer e t he mar ks of t he horse' s hoof s, t oo, t heout l i ne of one of whi ch was f ar more cl ear l y cut t han t hat of t heot her t hree, showi ng t hat t hat was a new shoe. Si nce t he cab wast here af t er t he r ai n began, and was not t here at any t i me dur i ngt he mor ni ng - - I have Gr egson' s wor d f or t hat - - i t f ol l ows t hat i tmust have been t her e dur i ng t he ni ght , and t her ef ore, t hat i tbr ought t hose t wo i ndi vi dual s t o t he house. "

"That seems s i mpl e enough, " sai d I ; "but how about t heother man' s hei ght ?"

"Why, t he hei ght of a man, i n ni ne cases out of t en, can bet ol d f r om t he l engt h of hi s str i de. I t i s a s i mpl e cal cul at i onenough, t hough there i s no use my bor i ng you wi t h f i gures. I hadt hi s f el l ow' s st r i de bot h on t he cl ay out si de and on t he dustwi t hi n. Then I had a way of checki ng my cal cul at i on. When aman wr i t es on a wal l , hi s i nst i nct l eads hi m t o wr i t e above t he

l evel of hi s own eyes. Now t hat wr i t i ng was j ust over si x f eetf r om t he gr ound. I t was chi l d' s pl ay. "

"And hi s age?" I asked."Wel l , i f a man can st r i de f our and a hal f f eet wi t hout t he

smal l est ef f or t , he can' t be qui t e i n t he ser e and yel l ow. Thatwas t he breadth of a puddl e on t he gar den wal k whi ch he hadevi dent l y wal ked acr oss. Pat ent - l eat her boot s had gone round,and Square- t oes had hopped over . There i s no myst ery about i t atal l . I am si mpl y appl yi ng t o or di nar y l i f e a f ew of t hose pr ecept sof obser vat i on and deduct i on whi ch I advocat ed i n t hat ar t i cl e. I s


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t her e anyt hi ng el se t hat puzzl es you?""The f i nger - nai l s and t he Tr i chi nopol y, " I suggest ed."The wr i t i ng on t he wal l was done wi t h a man' s f oref i nger

di pped i n bl ood. My gl ass al l owed me t o obser ve t hat t he pl ast erwas sl i ght l y scr at ched i n doi ng i t , whi ch woul d not have beent he case i f t he man' s nai l had been t r i mmed. I gat her ed up somescat t er ed ash f r om t he f l oor . I t was dar k i n col our and f l aky - -such an ash i s onl y made by a Tr i chi nopol y. I have made aspeci al st udy of ci gar ashes - - i n f act , I have wr i t t en a monogr aphupon t he subj ect . I f l at t er mysel f t hat I can di st i ngui sh at agl ance the ash of any known br and ei t her of ci gar or of t obacco.I t i s j ust i n such det ai l s that t he ski l l ed det ecti ve di f f er s f r om t heGr egson and Lest r ade t ype. "

"And t he f l or i d f ace?" I asked."Ah, t hat was a more dar i ng shot , t hough I have no doubt t hat

I was r i ght . You must not ask me t hat at t he pr esent st at e of t heaf f ai r . "

I passed my hand over my br ow. "My head i s i n a whi r l , " Ir emarked; " t he more one t hi nks of i t t he more myst er i ous i tgrows. How came t hese t wo men - - i f t her e wer e two men - - i nto

an empt y house? What has become of t he cabman who dr ovet hem? How coul d one man compel another t o t ake poi son?Wher e di d t he bl ood come f r om? What was t he obj ect of t hemurder er , si nce robber y had no par t i n i t ? How came t he wom-an' s r i ng there? Above al l , why shoul d the second man wr i t e upt he Ger man wor d RACHE bef or e decampi ng? I conf ess t hat Icannot see any possi bl e way of r econci l i ng al l t hese f act s. "

My compani on smi l ed approvi ngl y."You sum up t he di f f i cul t i es of t he si t uat i on succi nctl y and

wel l , " he sai d. "Ther e i s much t hat i s st i l l obscur e, t hough Ihave qui t e made up my mi nd on t he mai n f act s. As t o poorLest r ade' s di scover y, i t was si mpl y a bl i nd i nt ended t o put t hepol i ce upon a wr ong t r ack, by suggest i ng Soci al i sm and secretsoci et i es. I t was not done by a German. The A, i f you not i ced,was pr i nted somewhat af t er t he German f ashi on. Now, a r ealGer man i nvar i abl y pr i nt s i n t he Lat i n char act er , so t hat we maysaf el y say t hat t hi s was not wr i t t en by one, but by a cl umsyi mi t at or who over di d hi s par t . I t was si mpl y a r use t o di ver ti nqui r y i nt o a wr ong channel . I ' m not goi ng t o tel l you muchmore of t he case, Doct or . You know a conj ur er gets no cr edi twhen once he has expl ai ned hi s t r i ck and i f I show you toomuch of my method of worki ng, you wi l l come t o t he concl usi ont hat I am a ver y or di nar y i ndi vi dual af t er al l . "

" I shal l never do that , " I answered; "you have br oughtdet ect i on as near an exact sci ence as i t ever wi l l be br ought i nt hi s wor l d. "

My compani on f l ushed up wi t h pl easure at my wor ds, and the

ear nest way i n whi ch I ut t ered t hem. I had al r eady obser ved t hathe was as sensi t i ve t o f l at t er y on t he scor e of hi s ar t as any gi r lcoul d be of her beaut y.

"I ' l l t el l you one ot her t hi ng, " he sai d. "Pat ent - l eat her s andSquar e- t oes came i n t he same cab, and t hey wal ked down t hepat hway t oget her as f r i endl y as possi bl e - - ar m- i n- ar m, i n al lprobabi l i t y. When they got i nsi de, t hey wal ked up and down ther oom - - or r at her , Pat ent - l eat her s stood st i l l whi l e Squar e- t oeswal ked up and down. I coul d r ead al l t hat i n t he dust ; and I coul dr ead t hat as he wal ked he grew mor e and more exci t ed. That i s


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shown by t he i ncr eased l engt h of hi s st r i des. He was t al ki ng al lt he whi l e, and worki ng hi msel f up, no doubt , i nt o a f ur y. Thent he t r agedy occur r ed. I ' ve t ol d you al l I know mysel f now, f ort he r est i s mere sur mi se and conj ect ure. We have a good wor ki ngbasi s, however , on whi ch to st ar t . We must hur r y up, f or I wantt o go to Hal l e' s concer t t o hear Norman Ner uda t hi s af t er noon. "

Thi s conver sat i on had occur r ed whi l e our cab had been t hr ead-i ng i t s way t hr ough a l ong successi on of di ngy st r eet s and dr earybyways. l n t he di ngi est and dr ear i est of t hem our dr i ver suddenl ycame t o a st and. "That ' s Audl ey Cour t i n t here, " he sai d,poi nt i ng t o a nar r ow sl i t i n t he l i ne of dead- col our ed br i ck."You' l l f i nd me here when you come back. "

Audl ey Cour t was not an at t r act i ve l ocal i t y. The nar r ow pas-sage l ed us i nt o a quadr angl e paved wi t h f l ags and l i ned bysor di d dwel l i ngs. We pi cked our way among gr oups of di r t ychi l dr en, and t hr ough l i nes of di scol our ed l i nen, unt i l we camet o Number 46, t he door of whi ch was decor ated wi t h a smal l sl i pof brass on whi ch t he name Rance was engr aved. On i nqui r y wef ound t hat t he const abl e was i n bed, and we were shown i nto al i t t l e f r ont par l our t o awai t hi s comi ng.

He appear ed pr esent l y, l ooki ng a l i t t l e i r r i t abl e at bei ng di s-t ur bed i n hi s sl umbers . " I made my repor t at t he of f i ce, " hesai d.

Hol mes t ook a hal f - soverei gn f r omhi s pocket and pl ayed wi t hi t pensi vel y. "We t hought t hat we shoul d l i ke t o hear i t al l f r omyour own l i ps, " he sai d.

"I shal l be most happy t o tel l you anythi ng I can, " t heconst abl e answer ed, wi t h hi s eyes upon t he l i t t l e gol den di sc.

"J ust l et us hear i t al l i n your own way as i t occur r ed. "Rance sat down on the horsehai r sof a, and kni t t ed hi s br ows

as though det er mi ned not t o omi t anythi ng i n hi s nar r at i ve."I ' l l t el l i t ye f r om t he begi nni ng, " he sai d. "My t i me i s f r om

t en at ni ght t o si x i n t he mor ni ng. At el even t her e was a f i ght att he Whi t e Har t ; but bar t hat al l was qui et enough on the beat . Atone o' cl ock i t began t o r ai n, and I met Har r y Mur cher - - hi m whohas t he Hol l and Gr ove beat - - and we st ood together at t he cor nerof Henr i et t a St r eet a- t al ki n' . Pr esent l y - - maybe about t wo or al i t t l e af t er - - I t hought I woul d t ake a l ook r ound and see t hat al lwas r i ght down the Br i xton Road. I t was preci ous di r t y andl onel y. Not a soul di d I meet al l t he way down, t hough a cab ort wo went past me. I was a- st r ol l i n' down, t hi nki n' bet weenoursel ves how uncommon handy a f our of gi n hot woul d be,when suddenl y t he gl i nt of a l i ght caught my eye i n t he wi ndowof t hat same house. Now, I knew t hat t hem t wo houses i n Laur i st onGardens was empt y on account of hi m t hat owns t hem whowon' t have t he dr ai ns seed t o, t hough t he ver y l ast t enant whatl i ved i n one of t hem di ed o' t yphoi d f ever . I was knocked al l i n a

heap, t her ef ore, at seei ng a l i ght i n t he wi ndow, and I suspect edas somethi ng was wr ong. When I got t o t he door - - "

"You st opped, and t hen wal ked back t o t he gar den gat e, " mycompani on i nt er r upt ed. "What di d you do t hat f or? "

Rance gave a vi ol ent j ump, and st ared at Sher l ock Hol meswi t h t he utmost amazement upon hi s f eat ures.

"Why, t hat ' s t r ue, si r , " he sai d; " t hough how you come t oknow i t , Heaven onl y knows. Ye see when I got up t o t he door ,i t was so st i l l and so l onesome, t hat I t hought I ' d be none t heworse f or someone wi t h me. I ai n' t af eared of anyt hi ng on thi s


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si de o' t he gr ave; but I t hought t hat maybe i t was hi m t hat di edo' t he typhoi d i nspect i ng the dr ai ns what ki l l ed hi m. The thoughtgave me a ki nd o' t ur n, and I wal ked back t o t he gat e to see i f Icoul d see Mur cher ' s l ant er n, but t her e wasn' t no si gn of hi m norof anyone el se. "

"There was no one i n t he st r eet ?""Not a l i vi n' soul , si r , nor as much as a dog. Then I pul l ed

mysel f t ogether and went back and pushed t he door open. Al lwas qui et i nsi de, so I went i nt o t he room wher e the l i ght wasa- bur ni n' . Ther e was a candl e f l i cker i n' on t he mant el pi ece - - ar ed wax one - - and by i t s l i ght I saw - - "

"Yes, I know al l t hat you saw. You wal ked round the roomsever al t i mes, and you knel t down by t he body, and then youwal ked thr ough and t r i ed the ki t chen door , and t hen - - "

J ohn Rance spr ang t o hi s f eet wi t h a f r i ghtened f ace andsuspi ci on i n hi s eyes. "Wher e was you hi d t o see al l t hat ?" hecr i ed. " I t seems t o me t hat you knows a deal more t han youshoul d. "

Hol mes l aughed and t hr ew hi s car d acr oss t he t abl e t o t heconst abl e. "Don' t go ar r est i ng me f or t he mur der , " he sai d. "I

amone of t he hounds and not t he wol f ; Mr . Gr egson or Mr .Lest r ade wi l l answer f or t hat . Go on, t hough. What di d you donext?"

Rance resumed hi s seat , wi t hout , however , l osi ng hi s myst i -f i ed expr essi on. " I went back t o the gat e and sounded mywhi st l e. That brought Mur cher and two more to the spot . "

"Was t he st r eet empty t hen?""Wel l , i t was, as f ar as anybody t hat coul d be of any good

goes. ""What do you mean?"

The const abl e' s f eat ures broadened i nt o a gr i n, " I ' ve seenmany a dr unk chap i n my t i me, " he sai d, "but never anyone socr yi n' dr unk as t hat cove. He was at t he gate when I came out ,a- l eani n' up ag' i n t he r ai l i ngs, and a- si ngi n' at t he pi t ch o' hi sl ungs about Col umbi ne' s New- f angl ed Banner , or some suchst uf f . He coul dn' t st and, f ar l ess hel p. "

"What sor t of a man was he?" asked Sher l ock Hol mes.J ohn Rance appeared t o be somewhat i r r i t at ed at t hi s di gr es-

si on. "He was an uncommon drunk sor t o' man, " he sai d."He' d ha' f ound hi ssel f i n t he st at i on i f we hadn' t been so tookup. "

"Hi s f ace - - hi s dress - - di dn' t you not i ce t hem?" Hol mes br okei n i mpat i ent l y.

"I shoul d t hi nk I di d not i ce t hem, seei ng t hat I had t o pr ophi m up - - me and Murcher bet ween us. He was a l ong chap, wi t ha red f ace, t he l ower par t muf f l ed r ound - - "

"That wi l l do, " cr i ed Hol mes. "What became of hi m?"

"We' d enough t o do wi t hout l ooki n' af t er hi m, " t he pol i ce-man sai d, i n an aggr i eved voi ce. " I ' l l wager he f ound hi s wayhome al l r i ght . "

"How was he dressed?""A brown overcoat . ""Had he a whi p i n hi s hand?""A whi p - - no. ""He must have l ef t i t behi nd, " mutt ered my compani on.

"You di dn' t happen t o see or hear a cab af t er t hat?""No. "


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"There' s a hal f - sover ei gn f or you, " my compani on sai d,st andi ng up and t aki ng hi s hat . "I am af r ai d, Rance, t hat youwi l l never r i se i n t he f orce. That head of your s shoul d be f or useas wel l as ornament . You mi ght have gai ned your ser geant ' sst r i pes l ast ni ght . The man whomyou hel d i n your hands i s t heman who hol ds t he cl ue of t hi s myst ery, and whom we ar eseeki ng. Ther e i s no use of ar gui ng about i t now; I t el l you t hat i ti s so. Come al ong, Doct or . "

We star t ed of f f or r he cab t oget her , l eavi ng our i nf or manti ncr edul ous, but obvi ousl y uncomf ort abl e.

"The bl under i ng f ool ! " Hol mes sai d, bi t t er l y, as we dr oveback t o our l odgi ngs. "J ust t o thi nk of hi s havi ng such ani ncompar abl e bi t of good l uck, and not t aki ng advant age of i t . "

" I am rather i n t he dar k st i l l . I t i s t r ue t hat t he descr i pt i on oft hi s man t al l i es wi t h your i dea of t he second par t y i n t hi smyst er y. But why shoul d he come back t o t he house af t erl eavi ng i t ? That i s not t he way of cri mi nal s. "

"The r i ng, man, t he r i ng: t hat was what he came back f or . I fwe have no ot her way of cat chi ng hi m, we can al ways bai t ourl i ne wi t h t he r i ng. I shal l have hi m, Doctor - - I ' l l l ay you t wo t o

one that I have hi m. I must t hank you f or i t al l . I mi ght not havegone but f or you, and so have mi ssed t he f i nest st udy I evercame acr oss: a st udy i n scarl et , eh? Why shoul dn' t we use a l i t t l ear t j ar gon. Ther e' s t he scar l et t hr ead of mur der r unni ng thr ought he col our l ess skei n of l i f e, and our dut y i s t o unr avel i t , andi sol at e i t , and expose ever y i nch of i t . And now f or l unch, andt hen f or Norman Neruda. Her at t ack and her bowi ng are spl en-di d. What ' s t hat l i t t l e t hi ng of Chopi n' s she pl ays so magni f i -cent l y: Tra- l a- l a- l i r a- l i r a- l ay. "

Leani ng back i n t he cab, t hi s amateur bl oodhound carol l edaway l i ke a l ark whi l e I medi t ated upon t he many- si dedness oft he human mi nd.

Chapter 5Our Adver t i sement Br i ngs a Vi si t or

Our morni ng' s exer t i ons had been t oo much f or my weak heal t h,and I was t i r ed out i n t he af t er noon. Af t er Hol mes' s depar t ur ef or t he concert , I l ay down upon the sof a and endeavour ed t o geta coupl e of hour s' sl eep. I t was a usel ess at t empt . My mi nd hadbeen t oo much exci t ed by al l t hat had occur r ed, and t he st r angestf anci es and sur mi ses cr owded i nt o i t . Ever y t i me t hat I cl osedmy eyes I saw bef ore me t he di st or t ed, baboon- l i ke countenanceof t he mur dered man. So si ni st er was t he i mpressi on whi ch thatf ace had pr oduced upon me t hat I f ound i t di f f i cul t t o f eelanythi ng but gr at i t ude f or hi m who had removed i t s owner f r omt he wor l d. I f ever human f eat ures bespoke vi ce of t he most

mal i gnant t ype, t hey wer e cer t ai nl y those of Enoch J . Dr ebber ,of Cl evel and. St i l l I r ecogni zed t hat j ust i ce must be done, andt hat t he depr avi t y of t he vi ct i m was no condonement i n t he eyesof t he l aw.

The mor e I t hought of i t t he mor e ext r aordi nary di d mycompani on' s hypot hesi s, t hat t he man had been poi soned, ap-pear . I r emember ed how he had sni f f ed hi s l i ps, and had nodoubt t hat he had det ect ed somethi ng whi ch had gi ven r i se t o thei dea. Then, agai n, i f not poi son, what had caused t he man' sdeath, si nce t her e was nei t her wound nor marks of st r angul at i on?


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But , on t he ot ner hand, whose bl ood was t hat whi ch l ay sot hi ckl y upon t he f l oor ? Ther e wer e no si gns of a str uggl e, norhad t he vi ct i m any weapon wi t h whi ch he mi ght have woundedan ant agoni st . As l ong as al l t hese quest i ons wer e unsol ved, If el t t hat sl eep woul d be no easy mat t er , ei t her f or Hol mes ormysel f . Hi s qui et , sel f - conf i dent manner convi nced me that hehad al r eady f ormed a theory whi ch expl ai ned al l t he f act s,t hough what i t was I coul d not f or an i nst ant conj ect ur e.

He was ver y l at e i n r et ur ni ng - - so l at e t hat I knew t hat t heconcer t coul d not have detai ned hi m al l t he t i me. Di nner was ont he t abl e bef ore he appear ed.

" I t was magni f i cent , " he sai d, as he t ook hi s seat . "Do your emember what Darwi n says about musi c? He cl ai ms t hat t hepower of produci ng and appr eci at i ng i t exi st ed among t he humanr ace l ong bef ore t he power of speech was ar r i ved at . Per haps t hati s why we ar e so subt l y i nf l uenced by i t . Ther e ar e vaguememor i es i n our soul s of t hose mi st y cent ur i es when the wor l dwas i n i t s chi l dhood. "

"That ' s r at her a br oad i dea, " I r emar ked."One' s i deas must be as broad as Nature i f t hey are to

i nt er pr et Nat ur e, " he answer ed. "What ' s t he mat t er? You' r e notl ooki ng qui t e your sel f . Thi s Br i xt on Road af f ai r has upset you. "

"To t el l t he t r ut h, i t has, " I sai d. "I ought t o be mor ecase- har dened af t er my Af ghan exper i ences. I saw my owncomr ades hacked t o pi eces at Mai wand wi t hout l osi ng my ner ve. "

" I can under st and. Ther e i s a myst er y about t hi s whi ch st i mu-l at es t he i magi nat i on; wher e t her e i s no i magi nat i on ther e i s nohor r or . Have you seen t he eveni ng paper ?"

"No. ""I t gi ves a f ai r l y good account of t he af f ai r . I t does not

ment i on t he f act t hat when t he man was r ai sed up a woman' sweddi ng r i ng f el l upon t he f l oor . I t i s j ust as wel l i t does not . "

"Why?""Look at t hi s adver t i sement , " he answer ed. " I had one sent

t o ever y paper t hi s mor ni ng i mmedi at el y af t er t he af f ai r . "He t hrew t he paper across t o me and I gl anced at t he pl ace

i ndi cat ed. I t was t he f i r st announcement i n the "Found" col -umn. "I n Br i xt on Road, t hi s mor ni ng, " i t r an, "a pl ai n gol dweddi ng r i ng, f ound i n the r oadway between the Whi t e Har t

Tavern and Hol l and Gr ove. Appl y Dr . Wat son, 221 B, BakerSt r eet , between ei ght and ni ne t hi s eveni ng. "

"Excuse my usi ng your name, " he sai d. " I

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes - Study in Scarlet