"Howdidyouwordyourinquiries?"
"Wesimplydetailedthecircumstances，andsaidthatweshouldbegladofanyinformationwhichcouldhelpus。"
"Youdidnotaskforparticularsonanypointwhichappearedtoyoutobecrucial?"
"IaskedaboutStangerson。"
"Nothingelse?Istherenocircumstanceonwhichthiswholecaseappearstohinge?Willyounottelegraphagain?"
"IhavesaidallIhavetosay，"saidGregson，inanoffendedvoice。
SherlockHolmeschuckledtohimself，andappearedtobeabouttomakesomeremark，whenLestrade，whohadbeeninthefrontroomwhilewewereholdingthisconversationinthehall，reappeareduponthescene，rubbinghishandsinapompousandself-satisfiedmanner。
"Mr。Gregson，"hesaid，"Ihavejustmadeadiscoveryofthehighestimportance，andonewhichwouldhavebeenoverlookedhadInotmadeacarefulexaminationofthewalls。"
Thelittleman'seyessparkledashespoke，andhewasevidentlyinastateofsuppressedexultationathavingscoredapointagainsthiscolleague。
"Comehere，"hesaid，bustlingbackintotheroom，theatmosphereofwhichfeltclearersincetheremovalofitsghastlyinmate。"Now，standthere!"
Hestruckamatchonhisbootandhelditupagainstthewall。
"Lookatthat!"hesaid，triumphantly。
Ihaveremarkedthatthepaperhadfallenawayinparts。
Inthisparticularcorneroftheroomalargepiecehadpeeledoff，leavingayellowsquareofcoarseplastering。Acrossthisbarespacetherewasscrawledinblood-redlettersasingleword——
RACHE。
"Whatdoyouthinkofthat?"criedthedetective，withtheairofashowmanexhibitinghisshow。"Thiswasoverlookedbecauseitwasinthedarkestcorneroftheroom，andnoonethoughtoflookingthere。Themurdererhaswrittenitwithhisorherownblood。Seethissmearwhereithastrickleddownthewall!Thatdisposesoftheideaofsuicideanyhow。
Whywasthatcornerchosentowriteiton?Iwilltellyou。
Seethatcandleonthemantelpiece。Itwaslitatthetime，andifitwaslitthiscornerwouldbethebrightestinsteadofthedarkestportionofthewall。"
"Andwhatdoesitmeannowthatyou_have_foundit?"askedGregsoninadepreciatoryvoice。
"Mean?Why，itmeansthatthewriterwasgoingtoputthefemalenameRachel，butwasdisturbedbeforeheorshehadtimetofinish。Youmarkmywords，whenthiscasecomestobeclearedupyouwillfindthatawomannamedRachelhassomethingtodowithit。It'sallverywellforyoutolaugh，Mr。SherlockHolmes。Youmaybeverysmartandclever，buttheoldhoundisthebest，whenallissaidanddone。"
"Ireallybegyourpardon!"saidmycompanion，whohadruffledthelittleman'stemperbyburstingintoanexplosionoflaughter。"Youcertainlyhavethecreditofbeingthefirstofustofindthisout，and，asyousay，itbearseverymarkofhavingbeenwrittenbytheotherparticipantinlastnight'smystery。Ihavenothadtimetoexaminethisroomyet，butwithyourpermissionIshalldosonow。"
Ashespoke，hewhippedatapemeasureandalargeroundmagnifyingglassfromhispocket。Withthesetwoimplementshetrottednoiselesslyabouttheroom，sometimesstopping，occasionallykneeling，andoncelyingflatuponhisface。
Soengrossedwashewithhisoccupationthatheappearedtohaveforgottenourpresence，forhechatteredawaytohimselfunderhisbreaththewholetime，keepinguparunningfireofexclamations，groans，whistles，andlittlecriessuggestiveofencouragementandofhope。AsIwatchedhimIwasirresistiblyremindedofapure-bloodedwell-trainedfoxhoundasitdashesbackwardsandforwardsthroughthecovert，whininginitseagerness，untilitcomesacrossthelostscent。Fortwentyminutesormorehecontinuedhisresearches，measuringwiththemostexactcarethedistancebetweenmarkswhichwereentirelyinvisibletome，andoccasionallyapplyinghistapetothewallsinanequallyincomprehensiblemanner。Inoneplacehegatheredupverycarefullyalittlepileofgreydustfromthefloor，andpackeditawayinanenvelope。Finally，heexaminedwithhisglasstheworduponthewall，goingovereveryletterofitwiththemostminuteexactness。Thisdone，heappearedtobesatisfied，forhereplacedhistapeandhisglassinhispocket。
"Theysaythatgeniusisaninfinitecapacityfortakingpains，"heremarkedwithasmile。"It'saverybaddefinition，butitdoesapplytodetectivework。"
GregsonandLestradehadwatchedthemanoeuvres{9}oftheiramateurcompanionwithconsiderablecuriosityandsomecontempt。Theyevidentlyfailedtoappreciatethefact，whichIhadbeguntorealize，thatSherlockHolmes'smallestactionswerealldirectedtowardssomedefiniteandpracticalend。
"Whatdoyouthinkofit，sir?"theybothasked。
"ItwouldberobbingyouofthecreditofthecaseifIwastopresumetohelpyou，"remarkedmyfriend。"Youaredoingsowellnowthatitwouldbeapityforanyonetointerfere。"
Therewasaworldofsarcasminhisvoiceashespoke。
"Ifyouwillletmeknowhowyourinvestigationsgo，"
hecontinued，"IshallbehappytogiveyouanyhelpIcan。
InthemeantimeIshouldliketospeaktotheconstablewhofoundthebody。Canyougivemehisnameandaddress?"
Lestradeglancedathisnote-book。"JohnRance，"hesaid。
"Heisoffdutynow。Youwillfindhimat46，AudleyCourt，KenningtonParkGate。"
Holmestookanoteoftheaddress。
"Comealong，Doctor，"hesaid；"weshallgoandlookhimup。
I'lltellyouonethingwhichmayhelpyouinthecase，"
hecontinued，turningtothetwodetectives。"Therehasbeenmurderdone，andthemurdererwasaman。Hewasmorethansixfeethigh，wasintheprimeoflife，hadsmallfeetforhisheight，worecoarse，square-toedbootsandsmokedaTrichinopolycigar。Hecameherewithhisvictiminafour-wheeledcab，whichwasdrawnbyahorsewiththreeoldshoesandonenewoneonhisoffforeleg。Inallprobabilitythemurdererhadafloridface，andthefinger-nailsofhisrighthandwereremarkablylong。Theseareonlyafewindications，buttheymayassistyou。"
LestradeandGregsonglancedateachotherwithanincreduloussmile。
"Ifthismanwasmurdered，howwasitdone?"askedtheformer。
"Poison，"saidSherlockHolmescurtly，andstrodeoff。
"Oneotherthing，Lestrade，"headded，turningroundatthedoor:
"`Rache，'istheGermanfor`revenge；'sodon'tloseyourtimelookingforMissRachel。"
WithwhichParthianshothewalkedaway，leavingthetworivalsopen-mouthedbehindhim。
CHAPTERIV。
WHATJOHNRANCEHADTOTELL。
ITwasoneo'clockwhenweleftNo。3，LauristonGardens。
SherlockHolmesledmetothenearesttelegraphoffice，whencehedispatchedalongtelegram。Hethenhailedacab，andorderedthedrivertotakeustotheaddressgivenusbyLestrade。
"Thereisnothinglikefirsthandevidence，"heremarked；
"asamatteroffact，mymindisentirelymadeupuponthecase，butstillwemayaswelllearnallthatistobelearned。"
"Youamazeme，Holmes，"saidI。"Surelyyouarenotassureasyoupretendtobeofallthoseparticularswhichyougave。"
"There'snoroomforamistake，"heanswered。"TheveryfirstthingwhichIobservedonarrivingtherewasthatacabhadmadetworutswithitswheelsclosetothecurb。Now，uptolastnight，wehavehadnorainforaweek，sothatthosewheelswhichleftsuchadeepimpressionmusthavebeenthereduringthenight。Therewerethemarksofthehorse'shoofs，too，theoutlineofoneofwhichwasfarmoreclearlycutthanthatoftheotherthree，showingthatthatwasanewshoe。Sincethecabwasthereaftertherainbegan，andwasnotthereatanytimeduringthemorning——IhaveGregson'swordforthat——itfollowsthatitmusthavebeenthereduringthenight，and，therefore，thatitbroughtthosetwoindividualstothehouse。"
"Thatseemssimpleenough，"saidI；"buthowabouttheotherman'sheight?"
"Why，theheightofaman，inninecasesoutoften，canbetoldfromthelengthofhisstride。Itisasimplecalculationenough，thoughthereisnousemyboringyouwithfigures。Ihadthisfellow'sstridebothontheclayoutsideandonthedustwithin。ThenIhadawayofcheckingmycalculation。Whenamanwritesonawall，hisinstinctleadshimtowriteaboutthelevelofhisowneyes。Nowthatwritingwasjustoversixfeetfromtheground。Itwaschild'splay。"
"Andhisage?"Iasked。
"Well，ifamancanstridefouranda-halffeetwithoutthesmallesteffort，hecan'tbequiteinthesereandyellow。
Thatwasthebreadthofapuddleonthegardenwalkwhichhehadevidentlywalkedacross。Patent-leatherbootshadgoneround，andSquare-toeshadhoppedover。Thereisnomysteryaboutitatall。IamsimplyapplyingtoordinarylifeafewofthosepreceptsofobservationanddeductionwhichI
advocatedinthatarticle。Isthereanythingelsethatpuzzlesyou?"
"ThefingernailsandtheTrichinopoly，"Isuggested。
"Thewritingonthewallwasdonewithaman'sforefingerdippedinblood。Myglassallowedmetoobservethattheplasterwasslightlyscratchedindoingit，whichwouldnothavebeenthecaseiftheman'snailhadbeentrimmed。
Igatheredupsomescatteredashfromthefloor。Itwasdarkincolourandflakey——suchanashasisonlymadebyaTrichinopoly。Ihavemadeaspecialstudyofcigarashes——
infact，Ihavewrittenamonographuponthesubject。
IflattermyselfthatIcandistinguishataglancetheashofanyknownbrand，eitherofcigaroroftobacco。ItisjustinsuchdetailsthattheskilleddetectivediffersfromtheGregsonandLestradetype。"
"Andthefloridface?"Iasked。
"Ah，thatwasamoredaringshot，thoughIhavenodoubtthatIwasright。Youmustnotaskmethatatthepresentstateoftheaffair。"
Ipassedmyhandovermybrow。"Myheadisinawhirl，"
Iremarked；"themoreonethinksofitthemoremysteriousitgrows。Howcamethesetwomen——ifthereweretwomen——
intoanemptyhouse?Whathasbecomeofthecabmanwhodrovethem?Howcouldonemancompelanothertotakepoison?
Wheredidthebloodcomefrom?Whatwastheobjectofthemurderer，sincerobberyhadnopartinit?Howcamethewoman'sringthere?Aboveall，whyshouldthesecondmanwriteuptheGermanwordRACHEbeforedecamping?IconfessthatI
cannotseeanypossiblewayofreconcilingallthesefacts。"
Mycompanionsmiledapprovingly。
"Yousumupthedifficultiesofthesituationsuccinctlyandwell，"hesaid。"Thereismuchthatisstillobscure，thoughIhavequitemadeupmymindonthemainfacts。AstopoorLestrade'sdiscoveryitwassimplyablindintendedtoputthepoliceuponawrongtrack，bysuggestingSocialismandsecretsocieties。ItwasnotdonebyaGerman。TheA，ifyounoticed，wasprintedsomewhataftertheGermanfashion。
Now，arealGermaninvariablyprintsintheLatincharacter，sothatwemaysafelysaythatthiswasnotwrittenbyone，butbyaclumsyimitatorwhooverdidhispart。Itwassimplyarusetodivertinquiryintoawrongchannel。I'mnotgoingtotellyoumuchmoreofthecase，Doctor。Youknowaconjurorgetsnocreditwhenoncehehasexplainedhistrick，andifIshowyoutoomuchofmymethodofworking，youwillcometotheconclusionthatIamaveryordinaryindividualafterall。"
"Ishallneverdothat，"Ianswered；"youhavebroughtdetectionasnearanexactscienceasiteverwillbebroughtinthisworld。"
Mycompanionflushedupwithpleasureatmywords，andtheearnestwayinwhichIutteredthem。Ihadalreadyobservedthathewasassensitivetoflatteryonthescoreofhisartasanygirlcouldbeofherbeauty。
"I'lltellyouoneotherthing，"hesaid。"Patentleathers{10}
andSquare-toescameinthesamecab，andtheywalkeddownthepathwaytogetherasfriendlyaspossible——arm-in-arm，inallprobability。Whentheygotinsidetheywalkedupanddowntheroom——orrather，Patent-leathersstoodstillwhileSquare-toeswalkedupanddown。Icouldreadallthatinthedust；andIcouldreadthatashewalkedhegrewmoreandmoreexcited。Thatisshownbytheincreasedlengthofhisstrides。Hewastalkingallthewhile，andworkinghimselfup，nodoubt，intoafury。Thenthetragedyoccurred。
I'vetoldyouallIknowmyselfnow，fortherestismeresurmiseandconjecture。Wehaveagoodworkingbasis，however，onwhichtostart。Wemusthurryup，forIwanttogotoHalle'sconcerttohearNormanNerudathisafternoon。"
Thisconversationhadoccurredwhileourcabhadbeenthreadingitswaythroughalongsuccessionofdingystreetsanddrearyby-ways。Inthedingiestanddreariestofthemourdriversuddenlycametoastand。"That'sAudleyCourtinthere，"hesaid，pointingtoanarrowslitinthelineofdead-colouredbrick。"You'llfindmeherewhenyoucomeback。"
AudleyCourtwasnotanattractivelocality。Thenarrowpassageledusintoaquadranglepavedwithflagsandlinedbysordiddwellings。Wepickedourwayamonggroupsofdirtychildren，andthroughlinesofdiscolouredlinen，untilwecametoNumber46，thedoorofwhichwasdecoratedwithasmallslipofbrassonwhichthenameRancewasengraved。
Onenquirywefoundthattheconstablewasinbed，andwewereshownintoalittlefrontparlourtoawaithiscoming。
Heappearedpresently，lookingalittleirritableatbeingdisturbedinhisslumbers。"Imademyreportattheoffice，"
hesaid。
Holmestookahalf-sovereignfromhispocketandplayedwithitpensively。"Wethoughtthatweshouldliketohearitallfromyourownlips，"hesaid。
"IshallbemosthappytotellyouanythingIcan，"theconstableansweredwithhiseyesuponthelittlegoldendisk。
"Justletushearitallinyourownwayasitoccurred。"
Rancesatdownonthehorsehairsofa，andknittedhisbrowsasthoughdeterminednottoomitanythinginhisnarrative。
"I'lltellityefromthebeginning，"hesaid。"Mytimeisfromtenatnighttosixinthemorning。Ateleventherewasafightatthe`WhiteHart'；butbarthatallwasquietenoughonthebeat。Atoneo'clockitbegantorain，andI
metHarryMurcher——himwhohastheHollandGrovebeat——
andwestoodtogetheratthecornerofHenriettaStreeta-talkin'。
Presently——maybeabouttwooralittleafter——IthoughtIwouldtakealookroundandseethatallwasrightdowntheBrixtonRoad。Itwaspreciousdirtyandlonely。
NotasouldidImeetallthewaydown，thoughacabortwowentpastme。Iwasastrollin'down，thinkin'betweenourselveshowuncommonhandyafourofginhotwouldbe，whensuddenlytheglintofalightcaughtmyeyeinthewindowofthatsamehouse。Now，IknewthatthemtwohousesinLauristonGardenswasemptyonaccountofhimthatownsthemwhowon'thavethedrainsseedto，thoughtheverylasttenantwhatlivedinoneofthemdiedo'typhoidfever。
Iwasknockedallinaheapthereforeatseeingalightinthewindow，andIsuspectedassomethingwaswrong。
WhenIgottothedoor——"
"Youstopped，andthenwalkedbacktothegardengate，"
mycompanioninterrupted。"Whatdidyoudothatfor?"
Rancegaveaviolentjump，andstaredatSherlockHolmeswiththeutmostamazementuponhisfeatures。
"Why，that'strue，sir，"hesaid；"thoughhowyoucometoknowit，Heavenonlyknows。Yesee，whenIgotuptothedooritwassostillandsolonesome，thatIthoughtI'dbenonetheworseforsomeonewithme。Iain'tafearedofanythingonthissideo'thegrave；butIthoughtthatmaybeitwashimthatdiedo'thetyphoidinspectingthedrainswhatkilledhim。
Thethoughtgavemeakindo'turn，andIwalkedbacktothegatetoseeifIcouldseeMurcher'slantern，buttherewasn'tnosignofhimnorofanyoneelse。"
"Therewasnooneinthestreet?"
"Notalivin'soul，sir，norasmuchasadog。ThenIpulledmyselftogetherandwentbackandpushedthedooropen。Allwasquietinside，soIwentintotheroomwherethelightwasa-burnin'。Therewasacandleflickerin'onthemantelpiece——aredwaxone——andbyitslightIsaw——"
"Yes，Iknowallthatyousaw。Youwalkedroundtheroomseveraltimes，andyoukneltdownbythebody，andthenyouwalkedthroughandtriedthekitchendoor，andthen——"
JohnRancesprangtohisfeetwithafrightenedfaceandsuspicioninhiseyes。"Wherewasyouhidtoseeallthat?"
hecried。"Itseemstomethatyouknowsadealmorethanyoushould。"
Holmeslaughedandthrewhiscardacrossthetabletotheconstable。"Don'tgetarrestingmeforthemurder，"hesaid。
"Iamoneofthehoundsandnotthewolf；Mr。GregsonorMr。Lestradewillanswerforthat。Goon，though。Whatdidyoudonext?"
Ranceresumedhisseat，withouthoweverlosinghismystifiedexpression。"Iwentbacktothegateandsoundedmywhistle。
ThatbroughtMurcherandtwomoretothespot。"
"Wasthestreetemptythen?"
"Well，itwas，asfarasanybodythatcouldbeofanygoodgoes。"
"Whatdoyoumean?"
Theconstable'sfeaturesbroadenedintoagrin。"I'veseenmanyadrunkchapinmytime，"hesaid，"butneveranyonesocryin'drunkasthatcove。HewasatthegatewhenIcameout，a-leanin'upagintherailings，anda-singin'atthepitcho'hislungsaboutColumbine'sNew-fangledBanner，orsomesuchstuff。Hecouldn'tstand，farlesshelp。"
"Whatsortofamanwashe?"askedSherlockHolmes。
JohnRanceappearedtobesomewhatirritatedatthisdigression。
"Hewasanuncommondrunksorto'man，"hesaid。"He'dha'
foundhisselfinthestationifwehadn'tbeensotookup。"
"Hisface——hisdress——didn'tyounoticethem?"Holmesbrokeinimpatiently。
"IshouldthinkIdidnoticethem，seeingthatIhadtoprophimup——meandMurcherbetweenus。Hewasalongchap，witharedface，thelowerpartmuffledround——"
"Thatwilldo，"criedHolmes。"Whatbecameofhim?"
"We'denoughtodowithoutlookin'afterhim，"thepolicemansaid，inanaggrievedvoice。"I'llwagerhefoundhiswayhomeallright。"
"Howwashedressed?"
"Abrownovercoat。"
"Hadheawhipinhishand?"
"Awhip——no。"
"Hemusthaveleftitbehind，"mutteredmycompanion。
"Youdidn'thappentoseeorhearacabafterthat?"
"No。"
"There'sahalf-sovereignforyou，"mycompanionsaid，standingupandtakinghishat。"Iamafraid，Rance，thatyouwillneverriseintheforce。Thatheadofyoursshouldbeforuseaswellasornament。Youmighthavegainedyoursergeant'sstripeslastnight。Themanwhomyouheldinyourhandsisthemanwhoholdstheclueofthismystery，andwhomweareseeking。Thereisnouseofarguingaboutitnow；
Itellyouthatitisso。Comealong，Doctor。"
Westartedoffforthecabtogether，leavingourinformantincredulous，butobviouslyuncomfortable。
"Theblunderingfool，"Holmessaid，bitterly，aswedrovebacktoourlodgings。"Justtothinkofhishavingsuchanincomparablebitofgoodluck，andnottakingadvantageofit。"
"Iamratherinthedarkstill。Itistruethatthedescriptionofthismantallieswithyourideaofthesecondpartyinthismystery。Butwhyshouldhecomebacktothehouseafterleavingit?Thatisnotthewayofcriminals。"
"Thering，man，thering:thatwaswhathecamebackfor。
Ifwehavenootherwayofcatchinghim，wecanalwaysbaitourlinewiththering。Ishallhavehim，Doctor——I'lllayyoutwotoonethatIhavehim。Imustthankyouforitall。
Imightnothavegonebutforyou，andsohavemissedthefineststudyIevercameacross:astudyinscarlet，eh?
Whyshouldn'tweusealittleartjargon。There'sthescarletthreadofmurderrunningthroughthecolourlessskeinoflife，andourdutyistounravelit，andisolateit，andexposeeveryinchofit。Andnowforlunch，andthenforNormanNeruda。Herattackandherbowingaresplendid。
What'sthatlittlethingofChopin'ssheplayssomagnificently:Tra-la-la-lira-lira-lay。"
Leaningbackinthecab，thisamateurbloodhoundcarolledawaylikealarkwhileImeditateduponthemany-sidednessofthehumanmind。
CHAPTERV。
OURADVERTISEMENTBRINGSAVISITOR。
OURmorning'sexertionshadbeentoomuchformyweakhealth，andIwastiredoutintheafternoon。AfterHolmes'
departurefortheconcert，Ilaydownuponthesofaandendeavouredtogetacoupleofhours'sleep。Itwasauselessattempt。Mymindhadbeentoomuchexcitedbyallthathadoccurred，andthestrangestfanciesandsurmisescrowdedintoit。EverytimethatIclosedmyeyesIsawbeforemethedistortedbaboon-likecountenanceofthemurderedman。SosinisterwastheimpressionwhichthatfacehadproduceduponmethatIfounditdifficulttofeelanythingbutgratitudeforhimwhohadremoveditsownerfromtheworld。Ifeverhumanfeaturesbespokeviceofthemostmalignanttype，theywerecertainlythoseofEnochJ。Drebber，ofCleveland。StillIrecognizedthatjusticemustbedone，andthatthedepravityofthevictimwasnocondonment{11}intheeyesofthelaw。
ThemoreIthoughtofitthemoreextraordinarydidmycompanion'shypothesis，thatthemanhadbeenpoisoned，appear。Irememberedhowhehadsniffedhislips，andhadnodoubtthathehaddetectedsomethingwhichhadgivenrisetotheidea。Then，again，ifnotpoison，whathadcausedtheman'sdeath，sincetherewasneitherwoundnormarksofstrangulation?But，ontheotherhand，whosebloodwasthatwhichlaysothicklyuponthefloor?Therewerenosignsofastruggle，norhadthevictimanyweaponwithwhichhemighthavewoundedanantagonist。Aslongasallthesequestionswereunsolved，Ifeltthatsleepwouldbenoeasymatter，eitherforHolmesormyself。Hisquietself-confidentmannerconvincedmethathehadalreadyformedatheorywhichexplainedallthefacts，thoughwhatitwasIcouldnotforaninstantconjecture。
Hewasverylateinreturning——solate，thatIknewthattheconcertcouldnothavedetainedhimallthetime。
Dinnerwasonthetablebeforeheappeared。
"Itwasmagnificent，"hesaid，ashetookhisseat。"DoyourememberwhatDarwinsaysaboutmusic?Heclaimsthatthepowerofproducingandappreciatingitexistedamongthehumanracelongbeforethepowerofspeechwasarrivedat。
Perhapsthatiswhywearesosubtlyinfluencedbyit。
Therearevaguememoriesinoursoulsofthosemistycenturieswhentheworldwasinitschildhood。"
"That'sratherabroadidea，"Iremarked。
"One'sideasmustbeasbroadasNatureiftheyaretointerpretNature，"heanswered。"What'sthematter?
You'renotlookingquiteyourself。ThisBrixtonRoadaffairhasupsetyou。"
"Totellthetruth，ithas，"Isaid。"Ioughttobemorecase-hardenedaftermyAfghanexperiences。IsawmyowncomradeshackedtopiecesatMaiwandwithoutlosingmynerve。"
"Icanunderstand。Thereisamysteryaboutthiswhichstimulatestheimagination；wherethereisnoimaginationthereisnohorror。Haveyouseentheeveningpaper?"
"No。"
"Itgivesafairlygoodaccountoftheaffair。Itdoesnotmentionthefactthatwhenthemanwasraisedup，awoman'sweddingringfelluponthefloor。Itisjustaswellitdoesnot。"
"Why?"
"Lookatthisadvertisement，"heanswered。"Ihadonesenttoeverypaperthismorningimmediatelyaftertheaffair。"
HethrewthepaperacrosstomeandIglancedattheplaceindicated。Itwasthefirstannouncementinthe"Found"column。
"InBrixtonRoad，thismorning，"itran，"aplaingoldweddingring，foundintheroadwaybetweenthe`WhiteHart'TavernandHollandGrove。ApplyDr。Watson，221B，BakerStreet，betweeneightandninethisevening。"
"Excusemyusingyourname，"hesaid。"IfIusedmyownsomeofthesedunderheadswouldrecognizeit，andwanttomeddleintheaffair。"
"Thatisallright，"Ianswered。"Butsupposinganyoneapplies，Ihavenoring。"
"Ohyes，youhave，"saidhe，handingmeone。"Thiswilldoverywell。Itisalmostafacsimile。"
"Andwhodoyouexpectwillanswerthisadvertisement。"
"Why，themaninthebrowncoat——ourfloridfriendwiththesquaretoes。Ifhedoesnotcomehimselfhewillsendanaccomplice。"
"Wouldhenotconsideritastoodangerous?"
"Notatall。Ifmyviewofthecaseiscorrect，andIhaveeveryreasontobelievethatitis，thismanwouldratherriskanythingthanlosethering。AccordingtomynotionhedroppeditwhilestoopingoverDrebber'sbody，anddidnotmissitatthetime。Afterleavingthehousehediscoveredhislossandhurriedback，butfoundthepolicealreadyinpossession，owingtohisownfollyinleavingthecandleburning。Hehadtopretendtobedrunkinordertoallaythesuspicionswhichmighthavebeenarousedbyhisappearanceatthegate。Nowputyourselfinthatman'splace。Onthinkingthematterover，itmusthaveoccurredtohimthatitwaspossiblethathehadlosttheringintheroadafterleavingthehouse。Whatwouldhedo，then?Hewouldeagerlylookoutfortheeveningpapersinthehopeofseeingitamongthearticlesfound。Hiseye，ofcourse，wouldlightuponthis。
Hewouldbeoverjoyed。Whyshouldhefearatrap?
Therewouldbenoreasoninhiseyeswhythefindingoftheringshouldbeconnectedwiththemurder。Hewouldcome。
Hewillcome。Youshallseehimwithinanhour?"
"Andthen?"Iasked。
"Oh，youcanleavemetodealwithhimthen。Haveyouanyarms?"
"Ihavemyoldservicerevolverandafewcartridges。"
"Youhadbettercleanitandloadit。Hewillbeadesperateman，andthoughIshalltakehimunawares，itisaswelltobereadyforanything。"
Iwenttomybedroomandfollowedhisadvice。WhenI
returnedwiththepistolthetablehadbeencleared，andHolmeswasengagedinhisfavouriteoccupationofscrapinguponhisviolin。
"Theplotthickens，"hesaid，asIentered；"IhavejusthadananswertomyAmericantelegram。Myviewofthecaseisthecorrectone。"
"Andthatis?"Iaskedeagerly。
"Myfiddlewouldbethebetterfornewstrings，"heremarked。
"Putyourpistolinyourpocket。Whenthefellowcomesspeaktohiminanordinaryway。Leavetheresttome。
Don'tfrightenhimbylookingathimtoohard。"
"Itiseighto'clocknow，"Isaid，glancingatmywatch。
"Yes。Hewillprobablybehereinafewminutes。Openthedoorslightly。Thatwilldo。Nowputthekeyontheinside。
Thankyou!ThisisaqueeroldbookIpickedupatastallyesterday——`DeJureinterGentes'——publishedinLatinatLiegeintheLowlands，in1642。Charles'headwasstillfirmonhisshoulderswhenthislittlebrown-backedvolumewasstruckoff。"
"Whoistheprinter?"
"PhilippedeCroy，whoeverhemayhavebeen。Onthefly-leaf，inveryfadedink，iswritten`ExlibrisGuliolmiWhyte。'
IwonderwhoWilliamWhytewas。Somepragmaticalseventeenthcenturylawyer，Isuppose。Hiswritinghasalegaltwistaboutit。Herecomesourman，Ithink。"
Ashespoketherewasasharpringatthebell。SherlockHolmesrosesoftlyandmovedhischairinthedirectionofthedoor。
Weheardtheservantpassalongthehall，andthesharpclickofthelatchassheopenedit。
"DoesDr。Watsonlivehere?"askedaclearbutratherharshvoice。Wecouldnotheartheservant'sreply，butthedoorclosed，andsomeonebegantoascendthestairs。
Thefootfallwasanuncertainandshufflingone。Alookofsurprisepassedoverthefaceofmycompanionashelistenedtoit。Itcameslowlyalongthepassage，andtherewasafeebletapatthedoor。
"Comein，"Icried。
Atmysummons，insteadofthemanofviolencewhomweexpected，averyoldandwrinkledwomanhobbledintotheapartment。Sheappearedtobedazzledbythesuddenblazeoflight，andafterdroppingacurtsey，shestoodblinkingatuswithherblearedeyesandfumblinginherpocketwithnervous，shakyfingers。Iglancedatmycompanion，andhisfacehadassumedsuchadisconsolateexpressionthatitwasallIcoulddotokeepmycountenance。
Theoldcronedrewoutaneveningpaper，andpointedatouradvertisement。"It'sthisashasbroughtme，goodgentlemen，"
shesaid，droppinganothercurtsey；"agoldweddingringintheBrixtonRoad。ItbelongstomygirlSally，aswasmarriedonlythistimetwelvemonth，whichherhusbandisstewardaboardaUnionboat，andwhathe'dsayifhecome'omeandfoundherwithoutherringismorethanIcanthink，hebeingshortenoughatthebesto'times，butmoreespeciallywhenhehasthedrink。
Ifitpleaseyou，shewenttothecircuslastnightalongwith——"
"Isthatherring?"Iasked。
"TheLordbethanked!"criedtheoldwoman；"Sallywillbeagladwomanthisnight。That'sthering。"
"Andwhatmayyouraddressbe?"Iinquired，takingupapencil。
"13，DuncanStreet，Houndsditch。Awearywayfromhere。"
"TheBrixtonRoaddoesnotliebetweenanycircusandHoundsditch，"saidSherlockHolmessharply。