Meanwhileyouwillleavemethesepapers，andIthinkthatitis
verylikelythatIshallbeabletopayyouavisitshortlyandto
throwsomelightuponyourcase。”
SherlockHolmespreservedhiscalmprofessionalmanneruntilour
visitorhadleftus，althoughitwaseasyforme，whoknewhimso
well，toseethathewasprofoundlyexcited。ThemomentthatHilton
Cubitt”sbroadbackhaddisappearedthroughthedoormycomraderushed
tothetable，laidoutalltheslipsofpapercontainingdancingmen
infrontofhim，andthrewhimselfintoanintricateandelaborate
calculation。FortwohoursIwatchedhimashecoveredsheetafter
sheetofpaperwithfiguresandletters，socompletelyabsorbedinhis
taskthathehadevidentlyforgottenmypresence。Sometimeshewas
makingprogressandwhistledandsangathiswork；sometimeshewas
puzzled，andwouldsitforlongspellswithafurrowedbrowanda
vacanteye。Finallyhesprangfromhischairwithacryof
satisfaction，andwalkedupanddowntheroomrubbinghishands
together。Thenhewrotealongtelegramuponacableform。“Ifmy
answertothisisasIhope，youwillhaveaveryprettycasetoadd
toyourcollection，Watson，“saidhe。“Iexpectthatweshallbe
abletogodowntoNorfolktomorrow，andtotakeourfriendsome
verydefinitenewsastothesecretofhisannoyance。”
IconfessthatIwasfilledwithcuriosity，butIwasawarethat
Holmeslikedtomakehisdisclosuresathisowntimeandinhisown
way，soIwaiteduntilitshouldsuithimtotakemeintohis
confidence。
Buttherewasadelayinthatansweringtelegram，andtwodaysof
impatiencefollowed，duringwhichHolmesprickeduphisearsat
everyringofthebell。theeveningofthesecondtherecamea
letterfromHiltonCubitt。Allwasquietwithhim，savethatalong
inscriptionhadappearedthatmorninguponthepedestalofthe
sundial。Heinclosedacopyofit，whichisherereproduced：Seeillustration。
Holmesbentoverthisgrotesquefriezeforsomeminutes，andthen
suddenlysprangtohisfeetwithanexclamationofsurpriseand
dismay。Hisfacewashaggardwithanxiety。
“Wehaveletthisaffairgofarenough，“saidhe。“Istherea
traintoNorthWalshamto-night？“
Iturnedupthetime-table。Thelasthadjustgone。
“Thenweshallbreakfastearlyandtaketheveryfirstinthe
morning，“saidHolmes。“Ourpresenceismosturgentlyneeded。Ah！here
isourexpectedcablegram。Onemoment，Mrs。Hudson，theremaybean
answer。No，thatisquiteasIexpected。Thismessagemakesiteven
moreessentialthatweshouldnotloseanhourinlettingHilton
Cubittknowhowmattersstand，foritisasingularandadangerous
webinwhichoursimpleNorfolksquireisentangled。”
So，indeed，itproved，andasIcometothedarkconclusionofa
storywhichhadseemedtometobeonlychildishandbizarre，I
experienceonceagainthedismayandhorrorwithwhichIwasfilled。
WouldthatIhadsomebrighterendingtocommunicatetomyreaders，
butthesearethechroniclesoffact，andImustfollowtotheir
darkcrisisthestrangechainofeventswhichforsomedaysmade
RidingThorpeManorahouseholdwordthroughthelengthandbreadthof
England。
WehadhardlyalightedatNorthWalsham，andmentionedthenameof
ourdestination，whenthestationmasterhurriedtowardsus。“Isuppose
thatyouarethedetectivesfromLondon？“saidhe。
AlookofannoyancepassedoverHolmes”sface。
“Whatmakesyouthinksuchathing？“
“BecauseInspectorMartinfromNorwichhasjustpassedthrough。
Butmaybeyouarethesurgeons。She”snotdead-orwasn”tbylast
accounts。Youmaybeintimetosaveheryet-thoughitbeforthe
gallows。”
Holmes”sbrowwasdarkwithanxiety。
“WearegoingtoRidingThorpeManor，“saidhe，“butwehaveheard
nothingofwhathaspassedthere。”
“It”saterriblebusiness，“saidthestationmaster。“Theyareshot
bothMr。HiltonCubittandhiswife。Sheshothimandthenherself-so
theservantssay。He”sdeadandherlifeisdespairedof。Dear，
dear，oneoftheoldestfamiliesinthecountyofNorfolk，andone
ofthemosthonoured。”
WithoutawordHolmeshurriedtoacarriage，andduringthelong
sevenmiles”driveheneveropenedhismouth。SeldomhaveIseenhim
soutterlydespondent。Hehadbeenuneasyduringallourjourney
fromtown，andIhadobservedthathehadturnedoverthemorning
paperswithanxiousattention，butnowthissuddenrealizationof
hisworstfearslefthiminablankmelancholy。Heleanedbackin
hisseat，lostingloomyspeculation。Yettherewasmucharoundto
interestus，forwewerepassingthroughassingularacountryside
asanyinEngland，whereafewscatteredcottagesrepresentedthe
populationofto-day，whileoneveryhandenormoussquare-towered
churchesbristledupfromtheflatgreenlandscapeandtoldofthe
gloryandprosperityofoldEastAnglia。Atlastthevioletrimofthe
GermanOceanappearedoverthegreenedgeoftheNorfolkcoast，and
thedriverpointedwithhiswhiptotwooldbrickandtimbergables
whichprojectedfromagroveoftrees。“That”sRidingThorpeManor，“
saidhe。
Aswedroveuptotheporticoedfrontdoor，Iobservedinfrontof
it，besidethetennislawn，theblacktool-houseandthepedestalled
sundialwithwhichwehadsuchstrangeassociations。Adapperlittle
man，withaquick，alertmannerandawaxedmoustache，hadjust
descendedfromahighdog-cart。HeintroducedhimselfasInspector
Martin，oftheNorfolkConstabulary，andhewasconsiderably
astonishedwhenheheardthenameofmycompanion。
“Why，Mr。Holmes，thecrimewasonlycommittedatthreethis
morning。HowcouldyouhearofitinLondonandgettothespotas
soonasI？“
“Ianticipatedit。Icameinthehopeofpreventingit。”
“Thenyoumusthaveimportantevidence，ofwhichweareignorant，
fortheyweresaidtobeamostunitedcouple。”
“Ihaveonlytheevidenceofthedancingmen，“saidHolmes。“I
willexplainthemattertoyoulater。Meanwhile，sinceitistoo
latetopreventthistragedy，IamveryanxiousthatIshoulduse
theknowledgewhichIpossessinordertoinsurethatjusticebedone。
Willyouassociatemeinyourinvestigation，orwillyoupreferthatI
shouldactindependently？“
“Ishouldbeproudtofeelthatwewereactingtogether，Mr。
Holmes，“saidtheinspector，earnestly。
“InthatcaseIshouldbegladtoheartheevidenceandtoexamine
thepremiseswithoutaninstantofunnecessarydelay。”
InspectorMartinhadthegoodsensetoallowmyfriendtodo
thingsinhisownfashion，andcontentedhimselfwithcarefullynoting
theresults。Thelocalsurgeon，anold，white-hairedman，hadjust
comedownfromMrs。HiltonCubitt”sroom，andhereportedthather
injurieswereserious，butnotnecessarilyfatal。Thebullethad
passedthroughthefrontofherbrain，anditwouldprobablybesome
timebeforeshecouldregainconsciousness。Onthequestionofwhether
shehadbeenshotorhadshotherself，hewouldnotventuretoexpress
anydecidedopinion。Certainlythebullethadbeendischargedat
veryclosequarters。Therewasonlytheonepistolfoundinthe
room，twobarrelsofwhichhadbeenemptied。Mr。HiltonCubitthad
beenshotthroughtheheart。Itwasequallyconceivablethathehad
shotherandthenhimself，orthatshehadbeenthecriminal，for
therevolverlayuponthefloormidwaybetweenthem。
“Hashebeenmoved？“askedHolmes。
“Wehavemovednothingexceptthelady。Wecouldnotleaveherlying
woundeduponthefloor。”
“Howlonghaveyoubeenhere，Doctor？“
“Sincefouro”clock。”
“Anyoneelse？“
“Yes，theconstablehere。”
“Andyouhavetouchednothing？“
“Nothing。”
“Youhaveactedwithgreatdiscretion。Whosentforyou？“
“Thehousemaid，Saunders。”
“Wasitshewhogavethealarm？“
“SheandMrs。King，thecook。”
“Wherearetheynow？“
“Inthekitchen，Ibelieve。”
“ThenIthinkwehadbetterheartheirstoryatonce。”
Theoldhall，oak-panelledandhigh-windowed，hadbeenturnedintoa
courtofinvestigation。Holmessatinagreat，old-fashionedchair，
hisinexorableeyesgleamingoutofhishaggardface。Icouldread
inthemasetpurposetodevotehislifetothisquestuntilthe
clientwhomhehadfailedtosaveshouldatlastbeavenged。The
trimInspectorMartin，theold，gray-headedcountrydoctor，myself，
andastolidvillagepolicemanmadeuptherestofthatstrange
company。
Thetwowomentoldtheirstoryclearlyenough。Theyhadbeenaroused
fromtheirsleepbythesoundofanexplosion，whichhadbeenfollowed
aminutelaterbyasecondone。Theysleptinadjoiningrooms，and
Mrs。KinghadrushedintoSaunders。Togethertheyhaddescendedthe
stairs。Thedoorofthestudywasopen，andacandlewasburning
uponthetable。Theirmasterlayuponhisfaceinthecentreofthe
room。Hewasquitedead。Nearthewindowhiswifewascrouching，her
headleaningagainstthewall。Shewashorriblywounded，andthe
sideofherfacewasredwithblood。Shebreathedheavily，butwas
incapableofsayinganything。Thepassage，aswellastheroom，was
fullofsmokeandthesmellofpowder。Thewindowwascertainlyshut
andfastenedupontheinside。Bothwomenwerepositiveuponthepoint。
Theyhadatoncesentforthedoctorandfortheconstable。Then，with
theaidofthegroomandthestable-boy，theyhadconveyedtheir
injuredmistresstoherroom。Bothsheandherhusbandhadoccupied
thebed。Shewascladinherdress-heinhisdressing-gown，over
hisnight-clothes。Nothinghadbeenmovedinthestudy。Sofarasthey
knew，therehadneverbeenanyquarrelbetweenhusbandandwife。
Theyhadalwayslookeduponthemasaveryunitedcouple。
Thesewerethemainpointsoftheservants”evidence。Inanswerto
InspectorMartin，theywereclearthateverydoorwasfastenedupon
theinside，andthatnoonecouldhaveescapedfromthehouse。In
answertoHolmes，theybothrememberedthattheywereconsciousofthe
smellofpowderfromthemomentthattheyranoutoftheirrooms
uponthetopfloor。“Icommendthatfactverycarefullytoyour
attention，“saidHolmestohisprofessionalcolleague。“AndnowI
thinkthatweareinapositiontoundertakeathoroughexaminationof
theroom。”
Thestudyprovedtobeasmallchamber，linedonthreesideswith
books，andwithawriting-tablefacinganordinarywindow，which
lookedoutuponthegarden。Ourfirstattentionwasgiventothe
bodyoftheunfortunatesquire，whosehugeframelaystretched
acrosstheroom。Hisdisordereddressshowedthathehadbeen
hastilyarousedfromsleep。Thebullethadbeenfiredathimfrom
thefront，andhadremainedinhisbody，afterpenetratingthe
heart。Hisdeathhadcertainlybeeninstantaneousandpainless。
Therewasnopowder-markingeitheruponhisdressing-gownoronhis
hands。Accordingtothecountrysurgeon，theladyhadstainsupon
herface，butnoneuponherhand。
“Theabsenceofthelattermeansnothing，thoughitspresencemay
meaneverything，“saidHolmes。“Unlessthepowderfromabadlyfitting
cartridgehappenstospurtbackward，onemayfiremanyshotswithout
leavingasign。IwouldsuggestthatMr。Cubitt”sbodymaynowbe
removed。Isuppose，Doctor，youhavenotrecoveredthebulletwhich
woundedthelady？“
“Aseriousoperationwillbenecessarybeforethatcanbedone。
Buttherearestillfourcartridgesintherevolver。Twohavebeen
firedandtwowoundsinflicted，sothateachbulletcanbeaccounted
for。”
“Soitwouldseem，“saidHolmes。“Perhapsyoucanaccountalsofor
thebulletwhichhassoobviouslystrucktheedgeofthewindow？“
Hehadturnedsuddenly，andhislong，thinfingerwaspointingto
aholewhichhadbeendrilledrightthroughthelowerwindow-sash，
aboutaninchabovethebottom。
“ByGeorge！“criedtheinspector。“Howeverdidyouseethat？“
“BecauseIlookedforit。”
“Wonderful！“saidthecountrydoctor。“Youarecertainlyright，sir。
Thenathirdshothasbeenfired，andthereforeathirdpersonmust
havebeenpresent。Butwhocouldthathavebeen，andhowcouldhehave
gotaway？“
“Thatistheproblemwhichwearenowabouttosolve，“saidSherlock
Holmes。“Youremember，InspectorMartin，whentheservantssaidthat
onleavingtheirroomtheywereatonceconsciousofasmellof
powder，Iremarkedthatthepointwasanextremelyimportantone？“
“Yes，sir；butIconfessIdidnotquitefollowyou。”
“Itsuggestedthatatthetimeofthefiring，thewindowaswell
asthedooroftheroomhadbeenopen。Otherwisethefumesofpowder
couldnothavebeenblownsorapidlythroughthehouse。Adraughtin
theroomwasnecessaryforthat。Bothdoorandwindowwereonlyopen
foraveryshorttime，however。”
“Howdoyouprovethat？“
“Becausethecandlewasnotguttered。”
“Capital！“criedtheinspector。“Capital！
“Feelingsurethatthewindowhadbeenopenatthetimeofthe
tragedy，Iconceivedthattheremighthavebeenathirdpersonin
theaffair，whostoodoutsidethisopeningandfiredthroughit。Any
shotdirectedatthispersonmighthitthesash。Ilooked，and
there，sureenough，wasthebulletmark！“
“Buthowcamethewindowtobeshutandfastened？“
“Thewoman”sfirstinstinctwouldbetoshutandfastenthe
window。But，halloa！Whatisthis？“
Itwasalady”shand-bagwhichstooduponthestudytable-atrim
littlehandbagofcrocodile-skinandsilver。Holmesopeneditand
turnedthecontentsout。Thereweretwentyfifty-poundnotesofthe
BankofEngland，heldtogetherbyanindia-rubberband-nothingelse。
“Thismustbepreserved，foritwillfigureinthetrial“said
Holmes，ashehandedthebagwithitscontentstotheinspector。“It
isnownecessarythatweshouldtrytothrowsomelightuponthis
thirdbullet，whichhasclearly，fromthesplinteringofthewood，
beenfiredfrominsidetheroom。IshouldliketoseeMrs。King，the
cook，again。Yousaid，Mrs。King，thatyouwereawakenedbyaloud
explosion。Whenyousaidthat，didyoumeanthatitseemedtoyouto
belouderthanthesecondone？“
“Well，sir，itwakenedmefrommysleep，soitishardtojudge。But
itdidseemveryloud。”
“Youdon”tthinkthatitmighthavebeentwoshotsfiredalmostat
thesameinstant？“
“IamsureIcouldn”tsay，sir。”
“Ibelievethatitwasundoubtedlyso。Iratherthink，Inspector
Martin，thatwehavenowexhaustedallthatthisroomcanteachus。If
youwillkindlysteproundwithme，weshallseewhatfreshevidence
thegardenhastooffer。”
Aflower-bedextendeduptothestudywindow，andweallbroke
intoanexclamationasweapproachedit。Theflowersweretrampled
down，andthesoftsoilwasimprintedalloverwithfootmarks。
Large，masculinefeettheywere，withpeculiarlylong，sharptoes。
Holmeshuntedaboutamongthegrassandleaveslikearetriever
afterawoundedbird。Then，withacryofsatisfaction，hebent
forwardandpickedupalittlebrazencylinder。
“Ithoughtso，“saidhe，“therevolverhadanejector，andhereis
thethirdcartridge。Ireallythink，InspectorMartin，thatourcase
isalmostcomplete。”
Thecountryinspector”sfacehadshownhisintenseamazementat
therapidandmasterfulprogressofHolmes”sinvestigation。Atfirst
hehadshownsomedispositiontoasserthisownposition，butnowhe
wasovercomewithadmiration，andreadytofollowwithoutquestion
whereverHolmesled。
“Whomdoyoususpect？“heasked。
“I”llgointothatlater。Thereareseveralpointsinthisproblem
whichIhavenotbeenabletoexplaintoyouyet。NowthatIhave
gotsofar，Ihadbestproceedonmyownlines，andthenclearthe
wholematteruponceandforall。”
“Justasyouwish，Mr。Holmes，solongaswegetourman。”
“Ihavenodesiretomakemysteries，butitisimpossibleatthe
momentofactiontoenterintolongandcomplexexplanations。Ihave
thethreadsofthisaffairallinmyhand。Evenifthisladyshould
neverrecoverconsciousness，wecanstillreconstructtheeventsof
lastnightandinsurethatjusticebedone。Firstofall，Iwishto
knowwhetherthereisanyinninthisneighbourhoodknownas
`Elrige”s”？“
Theservantswerecross-questioned，butnoneofthemhadheardof
suchaplace。Thestable-boythrewalightuponthematterby
rememberingthatafarmerofthatnamelivedsomemilesoff，inthe
directionofEastRuston。
“Isitalonelyfarm？“
“Verylonely，sir。”
“Perhapstheyhavenotheardyetofallthathappenedhereduring
thenight？“
“Maybenot，sir。”
Holmesthoughtforalittle，andthenacurioussmileplayedover
hisface。
“Saddleahorse，mylad，“saidhe。“Ishallwishyoutotakea
notetoElrige”sFarm。”
Hetookfromhispocketthevariousslipsofthedancingmen。With
theseinfrontofhim，heworkedforsometimeatthestudy-table。
Finallyhehandedanotetotheboy，withdirectionstoputitinto
thehandsofthepersontowhomitwasaddressed，andespeciallyto
answernoquestionsofanysortwhichmightbeputtohim。Isawthe
outsideofthenote，addressedinstraggling，irregularcharacters，
veryunlikeHolmes”susualprecisehand。ItwasconsignedtoMr。Abe
Slaney，ElrigesFarm，EastRuston，Norfolk。
“Ithink，Inspector，“Holmesremarked，“thatyouwoulddowellto
telegraphforanescort，as，ifmycalculationsprovetobecorrect，
youmayhaveaparticularlydangerousprisonertoconveytothecounty
jail。Theboywhotakesthisnotecouldnodoubtforwardyour
telegram。Ifthereisanafternoontraintotown，Watson，Ithinkwe
shoulddowelltotakeit，asIhaveachemicalanalysisofsome
interesttofinish，andthisinvestigationdrawsrapidlytoaclose。”
Whentheyouthhadbeendispatchedwiththenote，SherlockHolmes
gavehisinstructionstotheservants。Ifanyvisitorweretocall
askingforMrs。HiltonCubitt，noinformationshouldbegivenasto
hercondition，buthewastobeshownatonceintothedrawing-room。
Heimpressedthesepointsuponthemwiththeutmostearnestness。
Finallyheledthewayintothedrawing-room，withtheremarkthatthe
businesswasnowoutofourhands，andthatwemustwhileawaythe
timeasbestwemightuntilwecouldseewhatwasinstoreforus。The
doctorhaddepartedtohispatients，andonlytheinspectorandmyself
remained。
“IthinkthatIcanhelpyoutopassanhourinaninterestingand
profitablemanner，“saidHolmes，drawinghischairuptothetable，
andspreadingoutinfrontofhimthevariouspapersuponwhichwere
recordedtheanticsofthedancingmen。“Astoyou，friendWatson，I
oweyoueveryatonementforhavingallowedyournaturalcuriosityto
remainsolongunsatisfied。Toyou，Inspector，thewholeincident
mayappealasaremarkableprofessionalstudy。Imusttellyou，
firstofall，theinterestingcircumstancesconnectedwiththe
previousconsultationswhichMr。HiltonCubitthashadwithmein
BakerStreet。”Hethenshortlyrecapitulatedthefactswhichhave
alreadybeenrecorded。“Ihavehereinfrontofmethesesingular
productions，atwhichonemightsmile，hadtheynotproved
themselvestobetheforerunnersofsoterribleatragedy。Iamfairly
familiarwithallformsofsecretwritings，andammyselftheauthor
ofatriflingmonographuponthesubject，inwhichIanalyzeone
hundredandsixtyseparateciphers，butIconfessthatthisis
entirelynewtome。Theobjectofthosewhoinventedthesystemhas
apparentlybeentoconcealthatthesecharactersconveyamessage，and
togivetheideathattheyarethemererandomsketchesofchildren。
“Havingoncerecognized，however，thatthesymbolsstoodfor
letters，andhavingappliedtheruleswhichguideusinallformsof
secretwritings，thesolutionwaseasyenough。Thefirstmessage
submittedtomewassoshortthatitwasimpossibleformetodo
morethantosay，withsomeconfidence，thatthesymbol[ofthestickman
withbotharmsextendedupintheair]
stoodforE。Asyouareaware，Eisthemostcommonletterinthe
Englishalphabet，anditpredominatestosomarkedanextentthateven
inashortsentenceonewouldexpecttofinditmostoften。Outof
fifteensymbolsinthefirstmessage，fourwerethesame，soitwas
reasonabletosetthisdownasE。Itistruethatinsomecasesthe
figurewasbearingaflag，andinsomecasesnotbutitwas
probable，fromthewayinwhichtheflagsweredistributed，that
theywereusedtobreakthesentenceupintowords。Iacceptedthisas
ahypothesis，andnotedthatEwasrepresentedby[thestickmanwith
botharmsextendedupintheair]
“Butnowcametherealdifficultyoftheinquiry。Theorderofthe
EnglishlettersafterEisbynomeanswellmarked，andany
preponderancewhichmaybeshowninanaverageofaprintedsheet
maybereversedinasingleshortsentence。Speakingroughly，T，A，O，
I，N，S，H，R，D，andLarethenumericalorderinwhichletters
occur，butT，A，O，andIareverynearlyabreastofeachother，and
itwouldbeanendlesstasktotryeachcombinationuntilameaning
wasarrivedatIthereforewaitedforfreshmaterial。Inmysecond
interviewwithMr。HiltonCubitthewasabletogivemetwoother
shortsentencesandonemessage，whichappeared-sincetherewasno
flag-tobeasingleword。Herearethesymbols。Now，inthesingle
wordIhavealreadygotthetwoE”scomingsecondandfourthinaword
offiveletters。Itmightbe`sever”or`lever”or`never。”There
canbenoquestionthatthelatterasareplytoanappealisfar
themostprobable，andthecircumstancespointedtoitsbeinga
replywrittenbythelady。Acceptingitascorrect，wearenowableto
saythatthesymbols[ofthestickmanwithrighthandonhiship，left
armraisedandkneesbent，stickmanwithlegextendedtotheleft，and
stickmanwithbotharmsraisedintheairandleftlegextended。]
standrespectivelyforN，V，andR。
“EvennowIwasinconsiderabledifficulty，butahappythought
putmeinpossessionofseveralotherletters。Itoccurredtome
thatiftheseappealscame，asIexpected，fromsomeonewhohadbeen
intimatewiththeladyinherearlylife，acombinationwhich
containedtwoE”swiththreelettersbetweenmightverywellstandfor
thename`ELSIE。”OnexaminationIfoundthatsuchacombination
formedtheterminationofthemessagewhichwasthreetimes
repeated。Itwascertainlysomeappealto`Elsie。”InthiswayIhad
gotmyL，S，andI。Butwhatappealcoulditbe？Therewereonly
fourlettersinthewordwhichpreceded`Elsie”anditendedinE。
Surelythewordmustbe`COME。”Itriedallotherfourletters
endinginE，butcouldfindnonetofitthecase。SonowIwasin
possessionofC，O，andM，andIwasinapositiontoattackthefirst
messageoncemore，dividingitintowordsandputtingdotsforeach
symbolwhichwasstillunknown。Sotreated，itworkedoutinthis
fashion：。M。ERE……ESL。NE。
“NowthefirstlettercanonlybeA，whichisamostuseful
discovery，sinceitoccursnofewerthanthreetimesinthisshort
sentence，andtheHisalsoapparentinthesecondword。Nowit
becomes：AMHEREA。ESLANE。Or，fillingintheobviousvacanciesinthename：AMHEREABESLANEY。
IhadsomanylettersnowthatIcouldproceedwithconsiderable
confidencetothesecondmessage，whichworkedoutinthisfashion：A。ELRI。ES。
HereIcouldonlymakesensebyputtingTandGforthemissing
letters，andsupposingthatthenamewasthatofsomehouseorinn
atwhichthewriterwasstaying。”
InspectorMartinandIhadlistenedwiththeutmostinterestto
thefullandclearaccountofhowmyfriendhadproducedresultswhich
hadledtosocompleteacommandoverourdifficulties。
“Whatdidyoudothen，sir？“askedtheinspector。
“IhadeveryreasontosupposethatthisAbeSlaneywasanAmerican，
sinceAbeisanAmericancontraction，andsincealetterfrom
Americahadbeenthestarting-pointofallthetrouble。Ihadalso
everycausetothinkthattherewassomecriminalsecretinthe
matter。Thelady”sallusionstoherpast，andherrefusaltotake
herhusbandintoherconfidence，bothpointedinthatdirection。I
thereforecabledtomyfriend，WilsonHargreave，oftheNewYork
PoliceBureau，whohasmorethanoncemadeuseofmyknowledgeof
Londoncrime。IaskedhimwhetherthenameofAbeSlaneywasknown
tohim。Hereishisreply：`ThemostdangerouscrookinChicago。”On
theveryeveninguponwhichIhadhisanswer，HiltonCubittsentme
thelastmessagefromSlaney。Workingwithknownletters，ittookthis
form：ELSIE。RE。ARETOMEETTHYGO。
TheadditionofaPandaDcompletedamessagewhichshowedmethat
therascalwasproceedingfrompersuasiontothreats，andmyknowledge
ofthecrooksofChicagopreparedmetofindthathemightvery
rapidlyputhiswordsintoaction。IatoncecametoNorfolkwithmy
friendandcolleague，Dr。Watson，but，unhappily，onlyintimetofind
thattheworsthadalreadyoccurred。”
“Itisaprivilegetobeassociatedwithyouinthehandlingofa
case，“saidtheinspector，warmly。“Youwillexcuseme，however，if
Ispeakfranklytoyou。Youareonlyanswerabletoyourself，butI
havetoanswertomysuperiors。IfthisAbeSlaney，livingat
Elrige”s，isindeedthemurderer，andifhehasmadehisescape
whileIamseatedhere，Ishouldcertainlygetintoserioustrouble。”
“Youneednotbeuneasy。Hewillnottrytoescape。”
“Howdoyouknow？“
“Toflywouldbeaconfessionofguilt。”
“Thenletusgoarresthim。”
“Iexpecthimhereeveryinstant。”
“Butwhyshouldhecome。”
“BecauseIhavewrittenandaskedhim。”
“Butthisisincredible，Mr。Holmes！Whyshouldhecomebecause
youhaveaskedhim？Wouldnotsucharequestratherrousehis
suspicionsandcausehimtofly？“
“IthinkIhaveknownhowtoframetheletter，“saidSherlock
Holmes。“Infact，ifIamnotverymuchmistaken，hereisthe
gentlemanhimselfcomingupthedrive。”
Amanstridingupthepathwhichledtothedoor。Hewasatall，
handsome，swarthyfellow，cladinasuitofflannel，withaPanama
hat，abristlingblackbeard，andagreat，aggressivehookednose，and
flourishingacaneashewalked。Heswaggeredupapathasifasif
theplacebelongedtohim，andweheardhisloud，confidentpealat
thebell。
“Ithink，gentlemen，“saidHolmes，quietly，“thatwehadbesttake
upourpositionbehindthedoor。Everyprecautionisnecessarywhen
dealingwithsuchafellow。Youwillneedyourhandcuffs，Inspector。
Youcanleavethetalkingtome。”
Wewaitedinsilenceforaminute-oneofthoseminuteswhichone
canneverforget。Thenthedooropenedandthemansteppedin。Inan
instantHolmesclappedapistoltohishead，andMartinslippedthe
handcuffsoverhiswrists。Itwasalldonesoswiftlyanddeftly
thatthefellowwashelplessbeforeheknewthathewasattacked。He
glaredfromonetotheotherofuswithapairofblazingblack
eyes。Thenheburstintoabitterlaugh。
“Well，gentlemen，youhavethedroponmethistime。Iseemto
haveknockedupagainstsomethinghard。ButIcamehereinanswertoa
letterfromMrs。HiltonCubitt。Don”ttellmethatsheisinthis？
Don”ttellmethatshehelpedtosetatrapforme？“
“Mrs。HiltonCubittwasseriouslyinjured，andisatdeath”sdoor。”
Themangaveahoarsecryofgrief，whichrangthroughthehouse。
“You”recrazy！“hecried，fiercely。“Itwashethatwashurt，not
she。WhowouldhavehurtlittleElsie？Imayhavethreatenedher-
Godforgiveme！-butIwouldnothavetouchedahairofherpretty
head。Takeitback-you！Saythatsheisnothurt！“
“Shewasfoundbadlywounded，bythesideofherdeadhusband。”
Hesankwithadeepgroanonthesetteeandburiedhisfaceinhis
manacledhands。Forfiveminuteshewassilent。Thenheraisedhis
faceoncemore，andspokewiththecoldcomposureofdespair。
“Ihavenothingtohidefromyou，gentlemen，“saidhe。“IfIshot
themanhehadhisshotatme，andthere”snomurderinthat。Butif
youthinkIcouldhavehurtthatwoman，thenyoudon”tknoweither
meorher。Itellyou，therewasneveramaninthisworldloveda
womanmorethanIlovedher。Ihadarighttoher。Shewaspledged
tomeyearsago。WhowasthisEnglishmanthatheshouldcomebetween
us？ItellyouthatIhadthefirstrighttoher，andthatIwas
onlyclaimingmyown。
“Shebrokeawayfromyourinfluencewhenshefoundthemanthat
youare，“saidHolmes，sternly。“ShefledfromAmericatoavoidyou，
andshemarriedanhonourablegentlemaninEngland。Youdoggedherand
followedherandmadeherlifeamiserytoher，inordertoinduceher
toabandonthehusbandwhomshelovedandrespectedinordertofly
withyou，whomshefearedandhated。Youhaveendedbybringing
aboutthedeathofanoblemananddrivinghiswifetosuicide。That
isyourrecordinthisbusiness，Mr。AbeSlaney，andyouwillanswer
forittothelaw。”
“IfElsiedies，Icarenothingwhatbecomesofme，“saidthe
American。Heopenedoneofhishands，andlookedatanotecrumpledup
inhispalm。“Seehere，mister！hecried，withagleamofsuspicionin
hiseyes，“you”renottryingtoscaremeoverthis，areyou？Ifthe
ladyishurtasbadasyousay，whowasitthatwrotethisnote？“He
tosseditforwardontothetable。
“Iwroteit，tobringyouhere。”
“Youwroteit？TherewasnooneonearthoutsidetheJointwho
knewthesecretofthedancingmen。Howcameyoutowriteit？“
“Whatonemancaninventanothercandiscover，“saidHolmes。There
isacabcomingtoconveyyoutoNorwich，Mr。Slaney。Butmeanwhile，
youhavetimetomakesomesmallreparationfortheinjuryyouhave
wrought。AreyouawarethatMrs。HiltonCubitthasherselflain
undergravesuspicionofthemurderofherhusband，andthatitwas
onlymypresencehere，andtheknowledgewhichIhappenedto
possess，whichhassavedherfromtheaccusation？Theleastthatyou
oweheristomakeitcleartothewholeworldthatshewasinnoway，
directlyorindirectly，responsibleforhistragicend。”
“Iasknothingbetter，“saidtheAmerican。“Iguesstheverybest
caseIcanmakeformyselfistheabsolutenakedtruth。”
“Itismydutytowarnyouthatitwillbeusedagainstyou，“
criedtheinspector，withthemagnificentfairplayoftheBritish
criminallaw。
Slaneyshruggedhisshoulders。
“I”llchancethat，“saidhe。“Firstofall，Iwantyougentlemen
tounderstandthatIhaveknownthisladysinceshewasachild。There
weresevenofusinaganginChicago，andElsie”sfatherwastheboss
oftheJoint。Hewasacleverman，wasoldPatrick。Itwashewho
inventedthatwriting，whichwouldpassasachild”sscrawlunlessyou
justhappenedtohavethekeytoit。Well，Elsielearnedsomeofour
ways，butshecouldn”tstandthebusiness，andshehadabitofhonest
moneyofherown，soshegaveusalltheslipandgotawayto
London。Shehadbeenengagedtome，andshewouldhavemarriedme，I
believe，ifIhadtakenoveranotherprofession，butshewouldhave
nothingtodowithanythingonthecross。Itwasonlyafterher
marriagetothisEnglishmanthatIwasabletofindoutwhereshewas。
Iwrotetoher，butgotnoanswer。AfterthatIcameover，and，as
letterswerenouse，Iputmymessageswhereshecouldreadthem。
“Well，Ihavebeenhereamonthnow。Ilivedinthatfarm，whereI
hadaroomdownbelow，andcouldgetinandouteverynight，andno
onethewiser。ItriedallIcouldtocoaxElsieaway。Iknewthatshe
readthemessages，foronceshewroteananswerunderoneofthem。
Thenmytempergotthebetterofme，andIbegantothreatenher。
Shesentmealetterthen，imploringmetogoaway，andsayingthatit
wouldbreakherheartifanyscandalshouldcomeuponherhusband。She
saidthatshewouldcomedownwhenherhusbandwasasleepatthree
inthemorning，andspeakwithmethroughtheendwindow，ifIwould
goawayafterwardsandleaveherinpeace。Shecamedownandbrought
moneywithher，tryingtobribemetogo。Thismadememad，andI
caughtherarmandtriedtopullherthroughthewindow。Atthat
momentinrushedthehusbandwithhisrevolverinhishand。Elsie
hadsunkdownuponthefloor，andwewerefacetoface。Iwasheeled
also，andIheldupmyguntoscarehimoffandletmegetaway。He
firedandmissedme。Ipulledoffalmostatthesameinstant，anddown
hedropped。Imadeawayacrossthegarden，andasIwentIheardthe
windowshutbehindme。That”sGod”struth，gentlemen，everywordof
it，andIheardnomoreaboutituntilthatladcameridingupwith
anotewhichmademewalkinhere，likeajay，andgivemyselfinto
yourhands。”
AcabhaddrivenupwhilsttheAmericanhadbeentalking。Two
uniformedpolicemensatinside。InspectorMartinroseandtouched
hisprisonerontheshoulder。
“Itistimeforustogo。”
“CanIseeherfirst？“
“No，sheisnotconscious。Mr。SherlockHolmes，Ionlyhopethat
ifeveragainIhaveanimportantcase，Ishallhavethegood
fortunetohaveyoubymyside。”
Westoodatthewindowandwatchedthecabdriveaway。AsIturned
back，myeyecaughtthepelletofpaperwhichtheprisonerhad
tosseduponthetable。ItwasthenotewithwhichHolmeshaddecoyed
him。
“Seeifyoucanreadit，Watson，“saidhe，withasmile。
Itcontainednoword，butthislittlelineofdancingmen：Seeillustration。
“IfyouusethecodewhichIhaveexplained，“saidHolmes，“youwill
findthatitsimplymeans`Comehereatonce。”Iwasconvincedthatit
wasaninvitationwhichhewouldnotrefuse，sincehecouldnever
imaginethatitcouldcomefromanyonebutthelady。Andso，mydear
Watson，wehaveendedbyturningthedancingmentogoodwhenthey
havesooftenbeentheagentsofevil，andIthinkthatIhave
fulfilledmypromiseofgivingyousomethingunusualforyour
notebook。Three-fortyisourtrain，andIfancyweshouldbebackin
BakerStreetfordinner。”
Onlyonewordofepilogue。TheAmerican，AbeSlaney，wascondemned
todeathatthewinterassizesatNorwich，buthispenaltywaschanged
topenalservitudeinconsiderationofmitigatingcircumstances，and
thecertaintythatHiltonCubitthadfiredthefirstshot。OfMrs。
HiltonCubittIonlyknowthatIhaveheardsherecoveredentirely，
andthatshestill，remainsawidow，devotingherwholelifetothe
careofthepoorandtotheadministrationofherhusband”sestate-
THEEND。
1910
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEADVENTUREOFTHEDEVIL”SFOOT
bySirArthurConanDoyle
Inrecordingfromtimetotimesomeofthecuriousexperiencesand
interestingrecollectionswhichIassociatewithmylongand
intimatefriendshipwithMr。SherlockHolmes，Ihavecontinually
beenfacedbydifficultiescausedbyhisownaversiontopublicity。To
hissombreandcynicalspiritallpopularapplausewasalways
abhorrent，andnothingamusedhimmoreattheendofasuccessfulcase
thantohandovertheactualexposuretosomeorthodoxofficial，and
tolistenwithamockingsmiletothegeneralchorusofmisplaced
congratulation。Itwasindeedthisattitudeuponthepartofmyfriend
andcertainlynotanylackofinterestingmaterialwhichhascausedme
oflateyearstolayveryfewofmyrecordsbeforethepublic。My
participationinsomeofhisadventureswasalwaysaprivilegewhich
entaileddiscretionandreticenceuponme。
Itwas，then，withconsiderablesurprisethatIreceiveda
telegramfromHolmeslastTuesday-hehasneverbeenknowntowrite
whereatelegramwouldserve-inthefollowingterms：
WhynottellthemoftheCornishhorror-strangestcaseIhave
handled。
Ihavenoideawhatbackwardsweepofmemoryhadbroughtthematter
freshtohismind，orwhatfreakhadcausedhimtodesirethatI
shouldrecountit；butIhasten，beforeanothercancellingtelegram
mayarrive，tohuntoutthenoteswhichgivemetheexactdetailsof
thecaseandtolaythenarrativebeforemyreaders。
Itwas，then，inthespringoftheyear1897thatHolmes”siron
constitutionshowedsomesymptomsofgivingwayinthefaceof
constanthardworkofamostexactingkind，aggravated，perhaps，by
occasionalindiscretionsofhisown。InMarchofthatyearDr。Moore
Agar，ofHarleyStreet，whosedramaticintroductiontoHolmesImay
somedayrecount，gavepositiveinjunctionsthatthefamousprivate
agentlayasideallhiscasesandsurrenderhimselftocompleterest
ifhewishedtoavertanabsolutebreakdown。Thestateofhishealth
wasnotamatterinwhichhehimselftookthefaintestinterest，for
hismentaldetachmentwasabsolute，buthewasinducedatlast，onthe
threatofbeingpermanentlydisqualifiedfromwork，togivehimself
acompletechangeofsceneandair。Thusitwasthatintheearly
springofthatyearwefoundourselvestogetherinasmallcottage
nearPoldhuBay，atthefurtherextremityoftheCornishpeninsula。
Itwasasingularspot，andonepeculiarlywellsuitedtothegrim
humourofmypatient。Fromthewindowsofourlittlewhitewashed
house，whichstoodhighuponagrassyheadland，welookeddownupon
thewholesinistersemicircleofMountsBay，thatolddeathtrapof
sailingvessels，withitsfringeofblackcliffsandsurgesweptreefs
onwhichinnumerableseamenhavemettheirend。Withanortherly
breezeitliesplacidandsheltered，invitingthestorm-tossedcraft
totickintoitforrestandprotection。
Thencomethesuddenswirlroundofthewind，theblusteringgale
fromthesouth-west，thedragginganchor，theleeshore，andthe
lastbattleinthecreamingbreakers。Thewisemarinerstandsfar
outfromthatevilplace。
Onthelandsideoursurroundingswereassombreasonthesea。It
wasacountryofrollingmoors，lonelyanddun-coloured，withan
occasionalchurchtowertomarkthesiteofsomeold-worldvillage。In
everydirectionuponthesemoorsthereweretracesofsomevanished
racewhichhadpassedutterlyaway，andleftasitssolerecord
strangemonumentsofstone，irregularmoundswhichcontainedthe
burnedashesofthedead，andcuriousearthworkswhichhintedat
prehistoricstrife。Theglamourandmysteryoftheplace，withits
sinisteratmosphereofforgottennations，appealedtothe
imaginationofmyfriend，andhespentmuchofhistimeinlong
walksandsolitarymeditationsuponthemoor。TheancientCornish
languagehadalsoarrestedhisattention，andhehad，Iremember，
conceivedtheideathatitwasakintotheChaldean，andhadbeen
largelyderivedfromthePhoeniciantradersintin。Hehadreceived
aconsignmentofbooksuponphilologyandwassettlingdowntodevelop
thisthesiswhensuddenly，tomysorrowandtohisunfeigned
delight，wefoundourselves，eveninthatlandofdreams，plungedinto
aproblematourverydoorswhichwasmoreintense，moreengrossing，
andinfinitelymoremysteriousthananyofthosewhichhaddrivenus
fromLondon。Oursimplelifeandpeaceful，healthyroutinewere
violentlyinterrupted，andwewereprecipitatedintothemidstofa
seriesofeventswhichcausedtheutmostexcitementnotonlyin
CornwallbutthroughoutthewholewestofEngland。Manyofmy
readersmayretainsomerecollectionofwhatwascalledatthetime
“TheCornishHorror，“thoughamostimperfectaccountofthematter
reachedtheLondonpress。Now，afterthirteenyears，Iwillgivethe
truedetailsofthisinconceivableaffairtothepublic。
Ihavesaidthatscatteredtowersmarkedthevillageswhichdotted
thispartofCornwall。Thenearestofthesewasthehamletof
TredannickWollas，wherethecottagesofacoupleofhundred
inhabitantsclusteredroundanancient，moss-grownchurch。Thevicar
oftheparish，Mr。Roundhay，wassomethingofanarchaeologist，andas
suchHolmeshadmadehisacquaintance。Hewasamiddle-agedman，
portlyandaffable，withaconsiderablefundoflocallore。Athis
invitationwehadtakenteaatthevicarageandhadcometoknowalso，
Mr。MortimerTregennis，anindependentgentleman，whoincreasedthe
clergyman”sscantyresourcesbytakingroomsinhislarge，
stragglinghouse。Thevicar，beingabachelor，wasgladtocometo
suchanarrangement，thoughhehadlittleincommonwithhislodger，
whowasathin，dark，spectacledman，withastoopwhichgavethe
impressionofactual，physicaldeformity。Irememberthatduringour
shortvisitwefoundthevicargarrulous，buthislodgerstrangely
reticent，asad-faced，introspectiveman，sittingwithavertedeyes，
broodingapparentlyuponhisownaffairs。
Thesewerethetwomenwhoenteredabruptlyintoourlittle
sitting-roomonTuesday，Marchthe16th，shortlyafterourbreakfast
hour，asweweresmokingtogether，preparatorytoourdaily
excursionuponthemoors。
“Mr。Holmes，“saidthevicarinanagitatedvoice，“themost
extraordinaryandtragicaffairhasoccurredduringthenight。Itis
themostunheard-ofbusiness。Wecanonlyregarditasaspecial
providencethatyoushouldchancetobehereatthetime，forinall
Englandyouaretheonemanweneed。”
Iglaredattheintrusivevicarwithnoveryfriendlyeyes；but
Holmestookhispipefromhislipsandsatupinhischairlikeanold
houndwhohearstheview-halloa。Hewavedhishandtothesofa，and
ourpalpitatingvisitorwithhisagitatedcompanionsatsidebyside
uponit。Mr。MortimerTregenniswasmoreself-containedthanthe
clergyman，butthetwitchingofhisthinhandsandthebrightnessof
hisdarkeyesshowedthattheysharedacommonemotion。
“ShallIspeakoryou？“heaskedofthevicar。
“Well，asyouseemtohavemadethediscovery，whateveritmaybe，
andthevicartohavehaditsecond-hand，perhapsyouhadbetterdo
thespeaking，“saidHolmes。
Iglancedatthehastilycladclergyman，withtheformallydressed
lodgerseatedbesidehim，andwasamusedatthesurprisewhich
Holmes”ssimpledeductionhadbroughttotheirfaces。
“PerhapsIhadbestsayafewwordsfirst，“saidthevicar，“and
thenyoucanjudgeifyouwilllistentothedetailsfromMr。
Tregennis，orwhetherweshouldnothastenatoncetothesceneof
thismysteriousaffair。Imayexplain，then，thatourfriendhere
spentlasteveninginthecompanyofhistwobrothers，Owenand
George，andofhissisterBrenda，attheirhouseofTredannickWartha，
whichisneartheoldstonecrossuponthemoor。Heleftthem
shortlyafterteno”clock，playingcardsroundthedining-room
table，inexcellenthealthandspirits。Thismorning，beinganearly
riser，hewalkedinthatdirectionbeforebreakfastandwas
overtakenbythecarriageofDr。Richards，whoexplainedthathehad
justbeensentforonamosturgentcalltoTredannickWartha。Mr。
MortimerTregennisnaturallywentwithhim。Whenhearrivedat
TredannickWarthahefoundanextraordinarystateofthings。Histwo
brothersandhissisterwereseatedroundthetableexactlyashe
hadleftthem，thecardsstillspreadinfrontofthemandthecandles
burneddowntotheirsockets。Thesisterlaybackstone-deadinher
chair，whilethetwobrotherssatoneachsideofherlaughing，
shouting，andsinging，thesensesstrickencleanoutofthem。All
threeofthem，thedeadwomanandthetwodementedmen，retained
upontheirfacesanexpressionoftheutmosthorror-aconvulsionof
terrorwhichwasdreadfultolookupon。Therewasnosignofthe
presenceofanyoneinthehouse，exceptMrs。Porter，theoldcook
andhousekeeper，whodeclaredthatshehadsleptdeeplyandheardno
soundduringthenight。Nothinghadbeenstolenordisarranged，and
thereisabsolutelynoexplanationofwhatthehorrorcanbewhichhas
frightenedawomantodeathandtwostrongmenoutoftheirsenses。
Thereisthesituation，Mr。Holmes，inanutshell，andifyoucanhelp
ustoclearitupyouwillhavedoneagreatwork。”
IhadhopedthatinsomewayIcouldcoaxmycompanionbackintothe
quietwhichhadbeentheobjectofourjourney；butoneglanceat
hisintensefaceandcontractedeyebrowstoldmehowvainwasnow
theexpectation。Hesatforsomelittletimeinsilence，absorbedin
thestrangedramawhichhadbrokeninuponourpeace。
“Iwilllookintothismatter，“hesaidatlast。“Onthefaceofit，
itwouldappeartobeacaseofaveryexceptionalnature。Haveyou
beenthereyourself，Mr。Roundhay？“
“No，Mr。Holmes。Mr。Tregennisbroughtbacktheaccounttothe
vicarage，andIatoncehurriedoverwithhimtoconsultyou。”
“Howfarisittothehousewherethissingulartragedyoccurred？“
“Aboutamileinland。”
“Thenweshallwalkovertogether。ButbeforewestartImustask
youafewquestions，Mr。MortimerTregennis。”
Theotherhadbeensilentallthistime，butIhadobservedthathis
morecontrolledexcitementwasevengreaterthantheobtrusiveemotion
oftheclergyman。Hesatwithapale，drawnface，hisanxiousgaze
fixeduponHolmes，andhisthinhandsclaspedconvulsivelytogether。
Hispalelipsquiveredashelistenedtothedreadfulexperiencewhich
hadbefallenhisfamily，andhisdarkeyesseemedtoreflectsomething
ofthehorrorofthescene。
“Askwhatyoulike，Mr。Holmes，“saidheeagerly。“Itisabadthing
tospeakof，butIwillansweryouthetruth。”
“Tellmeaboutlastnight。”
“Well，Mr。Holmes，Isuppedthere，asthevicarhassaid，andmy
elderbrotherGeorgeproposedagameofwhistafterwards。Wesat
downaboutnineo”clock。Itwasaquarter-pasttenwhenImovedtogo。
Ileftthemallroundthetable，asmerryascouldbe。”
“Wholetyouout？“
“Mrs。Porterhadgonetobed，soIlethimselfout。Ishutthe
halldoorbehindme。Thewindowoftheroominwhichtheysatwas
closed，buttheblindwasnotdrawndown。Therewasnochangein
doororwindowthismorning，noranyreasontothinkthatanystranger
hadbeentothehouse。Yettheretheysat，drivencleanmadwith
terror，andBrendalyingdeadoffright，withherheadhangingover
thearmofthechair。I”llnevergetthesightofthatroomoutof
mymindsolongasIlive。”
“Thefacts，asyoustatethem，arecertainlymostremarkable，“
saidHolmes。“Itakeitthatyouhavenotheoryyourselfwhichcan
inanywayaccountforthem？“
“It”sdevilish，Mr。Holmes，devilish！“criedMortimerTregennis。“It
isnotofthisworld。Somethinghascomeintothatroomwhichhas
dashedthelightofreasonfromtheirminds。Whathumancontrivance
coulddothat？“
“Ifear，“saidHolmes，“thatifthematterisbeyondhumanityit
iscertainlybeyondme。Yetwemustexhaustallnaturalexplanations
beforewefallbackuponsuchatheoryasthis。Astoyourself，Mr。
Tregennis，Itakeityouweredividedinsomewayfromyourfamily，
sincetheylivedtogetherandyouhadroomsapart？“
“Thatisso，Mr。Holmes，thoughthematterispastanddonewith。We
wereafamilyoftin-minersatRedruth，butwesoldoutourventureto
acompany，andsoretiredwithenoughtokeepus。Iwon”tdenythat
therewassomefeelingaboutthedivisionofthemoneyanditstood
betweenusforatime，butitwasallforgivenandforgotten，andwe
werethebestoffriendstogether。”
“Lookingbackattheeveningwhichyouspenttogether，doesanything
standoutinyourmemoryasthrowinganypossiblelightuponthe
tragedy？Thinkcarefully，Mr。Tregennis，foranycluewhichcanhelp
me。”
“Thereisnothingatall，sir。”
“Yourpeoplewereintheirusualspirits？“
“Neverbetter。”
“Weretheynervouspeople？Didtheyevershowanyapprehensionof
comingdanger？“
“Nothingofthekind。”
“Youhavenothingtoaddthen，whichcouldassistme？“
MortimerTregennisconsideredearnestlyforamoment。
“Thereisonethingoccurstome，“saidheatlast。“Aswesatat
thetablemybackwastothewindow，andmybrotherGeorge，hebeing
mypartneratcards，wasfacingit。Isawhimoncelookhardovermy
shoulder，soIturnedroundandlookedalso。Theblindwasupand
thewindowshut，butIcouldjustmakeoutthebushesonthelawn，and
itseemedtomeforamomentthatIsawsomethingmovingamongthem。I
couldn”tevensayifitwasmanoranimal，butIjustthoughtthere
wassomethingthere。WhenIaskedhimwhathewaslookingat，he
toldmethathehadthesamefeeling。ThatisallthatIcansay。”
“Didyounotinvestigate？“
“No；thematterpassedasunimportant。”
“Youleftthem，then，withoutanypremonitionofevil？“
“Noneatall。”
“Iamnotclearhowyoucametohearthenewssoearlythis
morning。”
“Iamanearlyriserandgenerallytakeawalkbeforebreakfast。
ThismorningIhadhardlystartedwhenthedoctorinhiscarriage
overtookme。HetoldmethatoldMrs。Porterhadsentaboydown
withanurgentmessage。Ispranginbesidehimandwedroveon。When
wegottherewelookedintothatdreadfulroom。Thecandlesandthe
firemusthaveburnedouthoursbefore，andtheyhadbeensitting
thereinthedarkuntildawnhadbroken。ThedoctorsaidBrendamust
havebeendeadatleastsixhours。Therewerenosignsofviolence。
Shejustlayacrossthearmofthechairwiththatlookonherface。
GeorgeandOwenweresingingsnatchesofsongsandgibberinglike
twogreatapes。Oh，itwasawfultosee！Icouldn”tstandit，and
thedoctorwasaswhiteasasheet。Indeed，hefellintoachairin
asortoffaint，andwenearlyhadhimonourhandsaswell。”
“Remarkable-mostremarkable！“saidHolmes，risingandtakinghis
hat。“Ithink，perhaps，wehadbettergodowntoTredannickWartha
withoutfurtherdelay。IconfessthatIhaveseldomknownacasewhich
atfirstsightpresentedamoresingularproblem。”
Ourproceedingsofthatfirstmorningdidlittletoadvancethe
investigation。Itwasmarked，however，attheoutsetbyanincident
whichleftthemostsinisterimpressionuponmymind。Theapproach
tothespotatwhichthetragedyoccurredisdownanarrow，winding，
countrylane，Whilewemadeourwayalongitweheardtherattleof
acarriagecomingtowardsusandstoodasidetoletitpass。Asit
drovebyusIcaughtaglimpsethroughtheclosedwindowofahorribly
contorted，grinningfaceglaringoutatus。Thosestaringeyesand
gnashingteethflashedpastuslikeadreadfulvision。
“Mybrothers！“criedMortimerTregennis，whitetohislips。“They
aretakingthemtoHelston。”
Welookedwithhorroraftertheblackcarriage，lumberinguponits
way。Thenweturnedourstepstowardsthisill-omenedhouseinwhich
theyhadmettheirstrangefate。
Itwasalargeandbrightdwelling，ratheravillathanacottage，
withaconsiderablegardenwhichwasalready，inthatCornishair，
wellfilledwithspringflowers。Towardsthisgardenthewindowofthe
sitting-roomfronted，andfromit，accordingtoMortimerTregennis，
musthavecomethatthingofevilwhichhadbysheerhorrorina
singleinstantblastedtheirminds。Holmeswalkedslowlyand
thoughtfullyamongtheflower-plotsandalongthepathbeforewe
enteredtheporch。Soabsorbedwasheinhisthoughts，Iremember，
thathestumbledoverthewatering-pot，upsetitscontents，and
delugedbothourfeetandthegardenpath。Insidethehousewewere
metbytheelderlyCornishhousekeeper，Mrs，Porter，who，withtheaid
ofayounggirl，lookedafterthewantsofthefamily。Shereadily
answeredallHolmes”squestions。Shehadheardnothinginthenight。
Heremployershadallbeeninexcellentspiritslately，andshehad
neverknownthemmorecheerfulandprosperous。Shehadfaintedwith
horroruponenteringtheroominthemorningandseeingthat
dreadfulcompanyroundthetable。Shehad，whensherecovered，
thrownopenthewindowtoletthemorningairin，andhadrundown
tothelane，whenceshesentafarm-ladforthedoctor。Theladywas
onherbedupstairsifwecaredtoseeher。Ittookfourstrongmento
getthebrothersintotheasylumcarriage。Shewouldnotherself
stayinthehouseanotherdayandwasstartingthatveryafternoon
torejoinherfamilyatSt。Ives。
Weascendedthestairsandviewedthebody。MissBrendaTregennis
hadbeenaverybeautifulgirl，thoughnowverginguponmiddleage。
Herdark，clear-cutfacewashandsome，evenindeath，butthere
stilllingereduponitsomethingofthatconvulsionofhorrorwhich
hadbeenherlasthumanemotion。Fromherbedroomwedescendedto
thesitting-room，wherethisstrangetragedyhadactuallyoccurred。
Thecharredashesoftheovernightfirelayinthegrate。Onthetable
werethefourgutteredandburned-outcandles，withthecards
scatteredoveritssurface。Thechairshadbeenmovedbackagainstthe
walls，butallelsewasasithadbeenthenightbefore。Holmes
pacedwithlight，swiftstepsabouttheroom；hesatinthevarious
chairs，drawingthemupandreconstructingtheirpositions。He
testedhowmuchofthegardenwasvisible；heexaminedthefloor，
theceiling，andthefireplace；butneveroncedidIseethatsudden
brighteningofhiseyesandtighteningofhislipswhichwouldhave
toldmethathesawsomegleamoflightinthisutterdarkness。
“Whyafire？“heaskedonce。“Hadtheyalwaysafireinthissmall
roomonaspringevening？“