“Thiscasegrowsuponme，Watson，“saidhe。“Therearedecidedly
somepointsofinterestinconnectionwithit。Inthisearlystage，
Iwantyoutorealizethosegeographicalfeatureswhichmayhavea
gooddealtodowithourinvestigation。
“Lookatthismap。ThisdarksquareisthePriorySchool。I”llputa
pininit。Now，thislineisthemainroad。Youseethatitruns
eastandwestpasttheschool，andyouseealsothatthereisno
sideroadforamileeitherway。Ifthesetwofolkpassedawayby
road，itwasthisroad。”Seeillustration。
“Exactly。”
“Byasingularandhappychance，weareabletosomeextenttocheck
whatpassedalongthisroadduringthenightinquestion。Atthis
point，wheremypipeisnowresting，acountyconstablewasonduty
fromtwelvetosix。Itis，asyouperceive，thefirstcross-roadon
theeastside。Thismandeclaresthathewasnotabsentfromhis
postforaninstant，andheispositivethatneitherboynormancould
havegonethatwayunseen。Ihavespokenwiththispoliceman
to-nightandheappearstometobeaperfectlyreliableperson。
Thatblocksthisend。Wehavenowtodealwiththeother。Thereis
aninnhere，theRedBull，thelandladyofwhichwasill。Shehadsent
toMackletonforadoctor，buthedidnotarriveuntilmorning，
beingabsentatanothercase。Thepeopleattheinnwerealertall
night，awaitinghiscoming，andoneorotherofthemseemstohave
continuallyhadaneyeupontheroad。Theydeclarethatnoonepassed。
Iftheirevidenceisgood，thenwearefortunateenoughtobeable
toblockthewest，andalsotobeabletosaythatthefugitivesdid
notusetheroadatall。”
“Butthebicycle？“Iobjected。
“Quiteso。Wewillcometothebicyclepresently。Tocontinueour
reasoning：ifthesepeopledidnotgobytheroad，theymusthave
traversedthecountrytothenorthofthehouseortothesouthofthe
house。Thatiscertain。Letusweightheoneagainsttheother。Onthe
southofthehouseis，asyouperceive，alargedistrictofamble
land，cutupintosmallfields，withstonewallsbetweenthem。
There，Iadmitthatabicycleisimpossible。Wecandismissthe
idea。Weturntothecountryonthenorth。Herethereliesagrove
oftrees，markedasthe”RaggedShaw”andonthefartherside
stretchesagreatrollingmoor，LowerGillMoor，extendingforten
milesandslopinggraduallyupward。Here，atonesideofthis
wilderness，isHoldernesseHall，tenmilesbyroad，butonlysix
acrossthemoor。Itisapeculiarlydesolateplain。Afewmoorfarmers
havesmallholdings，wheretheyrearsheepandcattle。Exceptthese，
theploverandthecurlewaretheonlyinhabitantsuntilyoucometo
theChesterfieldhighroad。Thereisachurchthere，yousee，afew
cottages，andaninn。Beyondthatthehillsbecomeprecipitous。Surely
itisheretothenorththatourquestmustlie。”
“Butthebicycle？“Ipersisted。
“Well，well！“saidHolmes，impatiently。“Agoodcyclistdoesnot
needahighroad。Themoorisintersectedwithpaths，andthemoonwas
atthefull。Halloa！whatisthis？“
Therewasanagitatedknockatthedoor，andaninstantafterwards
Dr。Huxtablewasintheroom。Inhishandheheldabluecricket-cap
withawhitechevrononthepeak。
“Atlastwehaveaclue！“hecried。“Thankheaven！atlastweareon
thedearboy”strack！Itishiscap。”
“Wherewasitfound？“
“Inthevanofthegipsieswhocampedonthemoor。Theylefton
Tuesday。To-daythepolicetracedthemdownandexaminedtheir
caravan。Thiswasfound。”
“Howdotheyaccountforit？“
“Theyshuffledandlied-saidthattheyfounditonthemooron
Tuesdaymorning。Theyknowwhereheis，therascals！Thankgoodness，
theyareallsafeunderlockandkey。Eitherthefearofthelawor
theDuke”spursewillcertainlygetoutofthemallthattheyknow。”
“Sofar，sogood，“saidHolmes，whenthedoctorhadatlastleftthe
room。“Itatleastbearsoutthetheorythatitisonthesideof
theLowerGillMoorthatwemusthopeforresults。Thepolicehave
reallydonenothinglocally，savethearrestofthesegipsies。Look
here，Watson！Thereisawatercourseacrossthemoor。Youseeit
markedhereinthemap。Insomepartsitwidensintoamorass。Thisis
particularlysointheregionbetweenHoldernesseHallandtheschool。
Itisvaintolookelsewherefortracksinthisdryweather，butat
thatpointthereiscertainlyachanceofsomerecordbeingleft。I
willcallyouearlyto-morrowmorning，andyouandIwilltryifwe
canthrowsomelittlelightuponthemystery。”
ThedaywasjustbreakingwhenIwoketofindthelong，thinformof
Holmesbymybedside。Hewasfullydressed，andhadapparentlyalready
beenout。
“Ihavedonethelawnandthebicycleshed，“said，he。“Ihave
alsohadarumblethroughtheRaggedShaw。Now，Watson，thereiscocoa
readyinthenextroom。Imustbegyoutohurry，forwehaveagreat
daybeforeus。”
Hiseyesshone，andhischeekwasflushedwiththeexhilarationof
themasterworkmanwhoseeshisworkliereadybeforehim。Avery
differentHolmes，thisactive，alertman，fromtheintrospectiveand
palliddreamerofBakerStreet。Ifelt，asIlookeduponthat
supple，figure，alivewithnervousenergy，thatitwasindeeda
strenuousdaythatawaitedus。
Andyetitopenedintheblackestdisappointment。Withhighhopeswe
struckacrossthepeaty，russetmoor，intersectedwithathousand
sheeppaths，untilwecametothebroad，light-greenbeltwhichmarked
themorassbetweenusandHoldernesse。Certainly，iftheladhad
gonehomeward，hemusthavepassedthis，andhecouldnotpassit
withoutleavinghistraces。ButnosignofhimortheGermancould
beseen。Withadarkeningfacemyfriendstrodealongthemargin，
eagerlyobservantofeverymuddystainuponthemossysurface。
Sheep-markstherewereinprofusion，andatoneplace，somemiles
down，cowshadlefttheirtracks。Nothingmore。
“Checknumberone，“saidHolmes，lookinggloomilyovertherolling
expanseofthemoor。“Thereisanothermorassdownyonder，anda
narrowneckbetween。Halloa！halloa！halloa！whathavewehere？“
Wehadcomeonasmallblackribbonofpathway。Inthemiddleofit，
clearlymarkedonthesoddensoil，wasthetrackofabicycle。
“Hurrah！“Icried。“Wehaveit。”
ButHolmeswasshakinghishead，andhisfacewaspuzzledand
expectantratherthanjoyous。
“Abicycle，certainly，butnotthebicycle，“saidhe。“Iamfamiliar
withforty-twodifferentimpressionsleftbytyres。This，asyou
perceive，isaDunlop，withapatchupontheoutercover。
Heidegger”styreswerePalmer”s，leavinglongitudinalstripes。
Aveling，themathematicalmaster，wassureuponthepoint。
Therefore，itisnotHeidegger”strack。”
“Theboy”s，then？“
“Possibly，ifwecouldproveabicycletohavebeeninhis
possession。Butthiswehaveutterlyfailedtodo。Thistrack，as
youperceive，wasmadebyariderwhowasgoingfromthedirection
oftheschool。”
“Ortowardsit？“
“No，no，mydearWatson。Themoredeeplysunkimpressionis，of
course，thehindwheel，uponwhichtheweightrests。Youperceive
severalplaceswhereithaspassedacrossandobliteratedthemore
shallowmarkofthefrontone。Itwasundoubtedlyheadingawayfrom
theschool。Itmayormaynotbeconnectedwithourinquiry，butwe
willfollowitbackwardsbeforewegoanyfarther。”
Wedidso，andattheendofafewhundredyardslostthetracks
asweemergedfromtheboggyportionofthemoor。Followingthepath
backwards，wepickedoutanotherspot，whereaspringtrickled
acrossit。Here，onceagain，wasthemarkofthebicycle，though
nearlyobliteratedbythehoofsofcows。Afterthattherewasnosign，
butthepathranrightonintoRaggedShaw，thewoodwhichbackedon
totheschool。Fromthiswoodthecyclemusthaveemerged。Holmes
satdownonaboulderandrestedhischininhishands。Ihadsmoked
twocigarettesbeforehemoved。
“Well，well，“saidhe，atlast。“Itis，ofcourse，possiblethata
cunningmanmightchangethetyresofhisbicycleinordertoleave
unfamiliartracks。Acriminalwhowascapableofsuchathoughtisa
manwhomIshouldbeproudtodobusinesswith。Wewillleavethis
questionundecidedandharkbacktoourmorassagain，forwehaveleft
agooddealunexplored。”
Wecontinuedoursystematicsurveyoftheedgeofthesoddenportion
ofthemoor，andsoonourperseverancewasgloriouslyrewarded。
Rightacrossthelowerpartoftheboglayamirypath。Holmesgave
acryofdelightasheapproachedit。Animpressionlikeafinebundle
oftelegraphwiresrandownthecentreofit。ItwasthePalmertyres。
“HereisHerrHeidegger，sureenough！“criedHolmes，exultantly。“My
reasoningseemstohavebeenprettysound，Watson。”
“Icongratulateyou。”
“Butwehavealongwaystilltogo。Kindlywalkclearofthe
path。Nowletusfollowthetrail。Ifearthatitwillnotleadvery
far。”
Wefound，however，asweadvancedthatthisportionofthemooris
intersectedwithsoftpatches，and，thoughwefrequentlylostsightof
thetrack，wealwayssucceededinpickingituponcemore。
“Doyouobserve，“saidHolmes，“thattheriderisnowundoubtedly
forcingthepace？Therecanbenodoubtofit。Lookatthis
impression，whereyougetbothtiresclear。Theoneisasdeepas
theother。Thatcanonlymeanthattherideristhrowinghisweighton
tothehandle-bar，asamandoeswhenheissprinting。ByJove！hehas
hadafall。”
Therewasabroad，irregularsmudgecoveringsomeyardsofthe
track。Thentherewereafewfootmarks，andthetyresreappeared
oncemore。
“Aside-slip，“Isuggested。
Holmesheldupacrumpledbranchoffloweringgorse。Tomyhorror
Iperceivedthattheyellowblossomswerealldabbledwithcrimson。On
thepath，too，andamongtheheatherweredarkstainsofclotted
blood。
“Bad！“saidHolmes。“Bad！Standclear，Watson！Notanunnecessary
footstep！WhatdoIreadhere？Hefellwounded-hestoodup-he
remounted-heproceeded。Butthereisnoothertrack。Cattleonthis
sidepath。Hewassurelynotgoredbyabull？Impossible！ButIseeno
tracesofanyoneelse。Wemustpushon，Watson。Surely，withstainsas
wellasthetracktoguideus，hecannotescapeusnow。”
Oursearchwasnotaverylongone。Thetracksofthetyrebegan
tocurvefantasticallyuponthewetandshiningpath。Suddenly，asI
lookedahead，thegleamofcaughtmyeyefromamidthethick
gorse-bushes。Outofthemwedraggedabicycle，Palmer-tyred，one
pedalbent，andthewholefrontofithorriblysmearedandslobbered
withblood。Ontheothersideofthebushesashoewasprojecting。
Weranround，andtherelaytheunfortunaterider。Hewasatall
man，full-bearded，withspectacles，oneglassofwhichhadbeen
knockedout。Thecauseofhisdeathwasafrightfulblowuponthe
head，whichhadcrushedinpartofhisskull。Thathecouldhave
goneonafterreceivingsuchaninjurysaidmuchforthevitality
andcourageoftheman。Heworeshoes，butnosocks，andhisopencoat
disclosedanightshirtbeneathit。ItwasundoubtedlytheGerman
master。
Holmesturnedthebodyoverreverently，andexamineditwithgreat
attention。Hethensatindeepthoughtforatime，andIcouldsee
byhisruffiedbrowthatthisgrimdiscoveryhadnot，inhis
opinion，advancedusmuchinourinquiry。
“Itisalittledifficulttoknowwhattodo，Watson，“saidhe，at
last。“Myowninclinationsaretopushthisinquiryon，forwehave
alreadylostsomuchtimethatwecannotaffordtowasteanotherhour。
Ontheotherhand，weareboundtoinformthepoliceofthediscovery，
andtoseethatthispoorfellow”sbodyislookedafter。”
“Icouldtakeanoteback。”
“ButIneedyourcompanyandassistance。Waitabit！Thereisa
fellowcuttingpeatupyonder。Bringhimoverhere，andhewill
guidethepolice。”
Ibroughtthepeasantacross，andHolmesdispatchedthefrightened
manwithanotetoDr。Huxtable。
“Now，Watson，“saidhe，“wehavepickeduptwocluesthismorning。
OneisthebicyclewiththePalmertyre，andweseewhatthathas
ledto。TheotheristhebicyclewiththepatchedDunlop。Beforewe
starttoinvestigatethat，letustrytorealizewhatwedoknow，so
astomakethemostofit，andtoseparatetheessentialfromthe
accidental。”
“Firstofall，Iwishtoimpressuponyouthattheboycertainly
leftofhisownfree-will。Hegotdownfromhiswindowandhewent
off，eitheraloneorwithsomeone。Thatissure。”
Iassented。
“Well，now，letusturntothisunfortunateGermanmaster。Theboy
wasfullydressedwhenhefled。Therefore，heforesawwhathewould
do。ButtheGermanwentwithouthissocks。Hecertainlyactedon
veryshortnotice。”
“Undoubtedly。”
“Whydidhego？Because，fromhisbedroomwindow，hesawthe
flightoftheboy，becausehewishedtoovertakehimandbringhim
back。Heseizedhisbicycle，pursuedthelad，andinpursuinghim
methisdeath。”
“Soitwouldseem。”
“NowIcometothecriticalpartofmyargument。Thenatural
actionofamaninpursuingalittleboywouldbetorunafterhim。He
wouldknowthathecouldovertakehim。ButtheGermandoesnotdo
so。Heturnstohisbicycle。Iamtoldthathewasanexcellent
cyclist。Hewouldnotdothis，ifhedidnotseethattheboyhadsome
swiftmeansofescape。”
“Theotherbicycle。”
“Letuscontinueourreconstruction。Hemeetshisdeathfivemiles
fromtheschool-notbyabullet，markyou，whichevenaladmight
conceivablydischarge，butbyasavageblowdealtbyavigorousarm。
Thelad，then，hadacompanionhisflight。Andtheflightwasa
swiftone，sinceittookfivemilesbeforeanexpertcyclistcould
overtakethem。Yetwesurveythegroundroundthesceneofthe
tragedy。Whatdowefind？Afewcattle-tracks，nothingmore。Itook
awidesweepround，andthereisnopathwithinfiftyyards。Another
cyclistcouldhavehadnothingtodowiththeactualmurder，nor
werethereanyhumanfootmarks。”
“Holmes，“Icried，“thisisimpossible。”
“Admirable！“hesaid。“Amostilluminatingremark。Itis
impossibleasIstateit，andthereforeImustinsomerespecthave
stateditwrong。Yetyousawforyourself。Canyousuggestany
fallacy？“
“Hecouldnothavefracturedhisskullinafall？“
“Inamorass，Watson？“
“Iamatmywit”send。”
“Tut，tut，wehavesolvedsomeworseproblems。Atleastwehave
plentyofmaterial，ifwecanonlyuseit。Come，then，and，having
exhaustedthePalmer，letusseewhattheDunlopwiththepatched
coverhastoofferus。”
Wepickedupthetrackandfolloweditonwardforsomedistance，but
soonthemoorroseintoalong，heather-tuftedcurve，andweleft
thewatercoursebehindus。Nofurtherhelpfromtrackscouldbe
bopedfor。AtthespotwherewesawthelastoftheDunloptyreit
mightequallyhaveledtoHoldernesseHall，thestatelytowersof
whichrosesomemilestoourleft，ortoalow，grayvillagewhichlay
infrontofusandmarkedthepositionoftheChesterfieldhighroad。
Asweapproachedtheforbiddingandsqualidinn，withthesignof
agame-cockabovethedoor，Holmesgaveasuddengroan，andclutched
mebytheshouldertosavehimselffromfalling。Hehadhadoneof
thoseviolentstrainsoftheanklewhichleaveamanhelpless。With
difficultyhelimpeduptothedoor，whereasquat，dark，elderly
manwassmokingablackclaypipe。
“Howareyou，Mr。ReubenHayes？“saidHolmes。
“Whoareyou，andhowdoyougetmynamesopat？“thecountryman
answered，withasuspiciousflashofapairofcunningeyes。
“Well，it”sprintedontheboardaboveyourhead。It”seasytoseea
manwhoismasterofhisownhouse。Isupposeyouhaven”tsuchathing
asacarriageinyourstables？“
“No，Ihavenot。”
“Icanhardlyputmyfoottotheground。”
“Don”tputittotheground。”
“ButIcan”twalk。”
“Well，thenhop。”
Mr。ReubenHayes”smannerwasfarfromgracious，butHolmestook
itwithadmirablegood-humour。
“Lookhere，myman，“saidhe。“Thisisreallyratheranawkward
fixforme。Idon”tmindhowIgeton。”
“NeitherdoI，“saidthemoroselandlord。
“Thematterisveryimportant。Iwouldofferyouasovereignforthe
useofabicycle。”
Thelandlordprickeduphisears。
“Wheredoyouwanttogo？“
“ToHoldernesseHall。”
“PalsoftheDook，Isuppose？“saidthelandlord，surveyingour
mud-stainedgarmentswithironicaleyes。
Holmeslaughedgood-naturedly。
“He”llbegladtoseeus，anyhow。”
“Why？“
“Becausewebringhimnewsofhislostson。”
Thelandlordgaveaveryvisiblestart。
“What，you”reonhistrack？“
“HehasbeenheardofinLiverpool。Theyexpecttogethimevery
hour。”
Againaswiftchangepassedovertheheavy，unshavenface。His
mannerwassuddenlygenial。
“I”velessreasontowishtheDookwellthanmostmen，“saidhe，
“forIwasheadcoachmanonce，andcruelbadhetreatedme。Itwashim
thatsackedmewithoutacharacteronthewordofalying
corn-chandler。ButI”mgladtohearthattheyounglordwasheardof
inLiverpool，andI”llhelpyoutotakethenewstotheHall。”
“Thankyou，“saidHolmes。“Wellhavesomefoodfirst。thenyoucan
bringroundthebicycle。”
“Ihaven”tgotabicycle。”
Holmesheldupasovereign。
“Itellyou，man，thatIhaven”tgotone。I”llletyouhavetwo
horsesasfarastheHall。”
“Well，well，“saidHolmes，“welltalkaboutitwhenwe”vehad
somethingtoeat。”
Whenwewereleftaloneinthestone-flaggedkitchen，itwas
astonishinghowrapidlythatsprainedanklerecovered。Itwasnearly
nightfall，andwehadeatennothingsinceearlymorning，sothatwe
spentsometimeoverourmeal。Holmeswaslostinthought，andonceor
twicehewalkedovertothewindowandstaredearnestlyout。Itopened
ontoasqualidcourtyard。Inthefarcornerwasasmithy，wherea
grimyladwasatwork。Ontheothersidewerethestables。Holmes
hadsatdownagainafteroneoftheseexcursions，whenhesuddenly
sprangoutofhischairwithaloudexclamation。
“Byheaven，Watson，IbelievethatI”vegotit！“hecried。“Yes，
yes，itmustbeso。Watson，doyourememberseeinganycow-tracks
to-day？“
“Yes，several。”
“Were？“
“Well，everywhere。Theywereatthemorass，andagainonthepath，
andagainnearwherepoorHeideggermethisdeath。”
“Exactly。Well，now，Watson，howmanycowsdidyouseeonthemoor？“
“Idon”trememberseeingany。”
“Strange，Watson，thatweshouldseetracksallalongourline，
butneveracowonthewholemoor。Verystrange，Watson，eh？“
“Yes，itisstrange。”
“Now，Watson，makeaneffort，throwyourmindback。Canyousee
thosetracksuponthepath？“
“Yes，Ican。”
“Canyourecallthatthetracksweresometimeslikethat，Watson“-
hearrangedanumberofbread-crumbsinthisfashion-：：：：-“and
sometimeslikethis“-：。：。：。：-“andoccasionallylikethis“……”。”。”。“Canyourememberthat？“
“No，Icannot。”
“ButIcan。Icouldsweartoit。However，wewillgobackatour
leisureandverifyit。WhatablindbeetleIhavebeen，nottodrawmy
conclusion。”
“Andwhatisyourconclusion？“
“Onlythatitisaremarkablecowwhichwalks，canters，andgallops。
ByGeorge！Watson，itwasnobrainofacountrypublicanthat
thoughtoutsuchablindasthat。Thecoastseemstobeclear，save
forthatladinthesmithy。Letusslipoutandseewhatwecansee。”
Thereweretworough-haired，unkempthorsesinthetumble-down
stable。Holmesraisedthehindlegofoneofthemandlaughedaloud。
“Oldshoes，butnewlyshod-oldshoes，butnewnails。Thiscase
deservestobeaclassic。Letusgoacrosstothesmithy。”
Theladcontinuedhisworkwithoutregardingus。IsawHolmes”s
eyedartingtorightandleftamongthelitterofironandwood
whichwasscatteredaboutthefloor。Suddenly，however，wehearda
stepbehindus，andtherewasthelandlord，hisheavyeyebrowsdrawn
overhissavageeyes，hisswarthyfeaturesconvulsedwithpassion。
Heheldashort，metal-headedstickinhishand，andheadvancedinso
menacingafashionthatIwasrightgladtofeeltherevolverinmy
pocket。
“Youinfernalspies！“themancried。“Whatareyoudoingthere？“
“Why，Mr。ReubenHayes，“saidHolmes，coolly，“onemightthink
thatyouwereafraidofourfindingsomethingout。”
Themanmasteredhimselfwithaviolenteffort，andhisgrimmouth
loosenedintoafalselaugh，whichwasmoremenacingthanhisfrown。
“You”rewelcometoallyoucanfindoutinmysmithy，“saidhe。“But
lookhere，mister，Idon”tcareforfolkpokingaboutmyplacewithout
myleave，sothesooneryoupayyourscoreandgetoutofthisthe
betterIshallbepleased。”
“Allright，Mr。Hayes，noharmmeant，“saidHolmes。“Wehavebeen
havingalookatyourhorses，butIthinkI”llwalk，afterall。It”s
notfar，Ibelieve。”
“NotmorethantwomilestotheHallgates。That”stheroadtothe
left。”Hewatcheduswithsulleneyesuntilwehadlefthispremises。
Wedidnotgoveryfaralongtheroad，forHolmesstoppedthe
instantthatthecurvehidusfromthelandlord”sview。
“Wewerewarm，asthechildrensay，atthatinn，“saidhe。“Iseem
togrowcoldereverystepthatItakeawayfromit。No，no，Ican”t
possiblyleaveit。”
“Iamconvinced，“saidI，“thatthisReubenHayesknowsallabout
it。Amoreself-evidentvillainIneversaw。”
“Oh！heimpressedyouinthatway，didhe？Therearethehorses，
thereisthesmithy。Yes，itisaninterestingplace，thisFighting
Cock。Ithinkweshallhaveanotherlookatitinanunobtrusiveway。”
Along，slopinghillside，dottedwithgraylimestoneboulders，
stretchedbehindus。Wehadturnedofftheroad，andweremakingour
wayupthehill，when，lookinginthedirectionofHoldernesseHall，I
sawacyclistcomingswiftlyalong。
“Getdown，Watson！“criedHolmes，withaheavyhanduponmy
shoulder。Wehadhardlysunkfromviewwhenthemanflewpastuson
theroad。Amidarollingcloudofdust，Icaughtaglimpseofa
pale，agitatedface-afacewithhorrorineverylineament，the
mouthopen，theeyesstaringwildlyinfront。Itwaslikesomestrange
caricatureofthedapperJamesWilderwhomwehadseenthenight
before。
“TheDuke”ssecretary！“criedHolmes。“Come，Watson，letusseewhat
hedoes。”
Wescrambledfromrocktorock，untilinafewmomentswehadmade
ourwaytoapointfromwhichwecouldseethefrontdoorofthe
inn。Wilder”sbicyclewasleaningagainstthewallbesideit。Noone
wasmovingaboutthehouse，norcouldwecatchaglimpseofany
facesatthewindows。Slowlythetwilightcreptdownasthesunsank
behindthehightowersofHoldernesseHall。Then，inthegloom，wesaw
thetwoside-lampsofatraplightupinthestable-yardoftheinn，
andshortlyafterwardsheardtherattleofhoofs，asitwheeledout
intotheroadandtoreoffatafuriouspaceinthedirectionof
Chesterfield。
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat，Watson？“Holmeswhispered。
“Itlookslikeaflight。”
“Asinglemaninadog-cart，sofarasIcouldsee。Well，it
certainlywasnotMr。JamesWilder，forthereheisatthedoor。”
Aredsquareoflighthadsprungoutofthedarkness。Inthe
middleofitwastheblackfigureofthesecretary，hisheadadvanced，
peeringoutintothenight。Itwasevidentthathewasexpecting
someone。Thenatlasttherewerestepsintheroad，asecondfigure
wasvisibleforaninstantagainstthelight，thedoorshut，andall
wasblackoncemore。Fiveminuteslateralampwaslitinaroom
uponthefirstfloor。
“Itseemstobeacuriousclassofcustomthatisdonebythe
FightingCock，“saidHolmes。
“Thebarisontheotherside。”
“Quiteso。Thesearewhatonemaycalltheprivateguests。Now，what
intheworldisMr。JamesWilderdoinginthatdenatthishourof
night，andwhoisthecompanionwhocomestomeethimthere？Come，
Watson，wemustreallytakeariskandtrytoinvestigatethisa
littlemoreclosely。”
Togetherwestoledowntotheroadandcreptacrosstothedoorof
theinn。Thebicyclestillleanedagainstthewall。Holmesstrucka
matchandheldittothebackwheel，andIheardhimchuckleasthe
lightfelluponapatchedDunloptyre。Upaboveuswasthelighted
window。
“Imusthaveapeepthroughthat，Watson。Ifyoubendyourback
andsupportyourselfuponthewall，IthinkthatIcanmanage。”
Aninstantlater，hisfeetwereonmyshoulders，buthewashardly
upbeforehewasdownagain。
“Come，myfriend，“saidhe，“ourday”sworkhasbeenquitelong
enough。Ithinkthatwehavegatheredallthatwecan。It”salong
walktotheschool，andthesoonerwegetstartedthebetter。”
Hehardlyopenedhislipsduringthatwearytrudgeacrossthe
moor，norwouldheentertheschoolwhenhereachedit，butwentonto
MackletonStation，whencehecouldsendsometelegrams。Lateat
nightIheardhimconsolingDr。Huxtable，prostratedbythetragedyof
hismaster”sdeath，andlaterstillheenteredmyroomasalertand
vigorousashehadbeenwhenhestartedinthemorning。“Allgoes
well，myfriend，“saidhe。“Ipromisethatbeforeto-morroweveningwe
shallhavereachedthesolutionofthemystery。”
Ateleveno”clocknextmorningmyfriendandIwerewalkingupthe
famousyewavenueofHoldernesseHall。Wewereusheredthroughthe
magnificentElizabethandoorwayandintohisGrace”sstudy。Therewe
foundMr。JamesWilder，demureandcourtly，butwithsometraceof
thatwildterrorofthenightbeforestilllurkinginhisfurtiveeyes
andinhistwitchingfeatures。
“YouhavecometoseehisGrace？Iamsorry，butthefactisthat
theDukeisfarfromwell。Hehasbeenverymuchupsetbythetragic
news。WereceivedatelegramfromDr。Huxtableyesterdayafternoon，
whichtoldusofyourdiscovery。”
“ImustseetheDuke，Mr。Wilder。”
“Butheisinhisroom。”
“ThenImustgotohisroom。”
“Ibelieveheisinhisbed。”
“Iwillseehimthere。”
Holmes”scoldandinexorablemannershowedthesecretarythatitwas
uselesstoarguewithhim。
“Verygood，Mr。Holmes，Iwilltellhimthatyouarehere。”
Afteranhour”sdelay，thegreatnoblemanappeared。Hisfacewas
morecadaverousthanever，hisshouldershadrounded，andheseemedto
metobeanaltogetheroldermanthanhehadbeenthemorning
before。Hegreeteduswithastatelycourtesyandseatedhimselfat
hisdesk，hisredbeardstreamingdownonthetable。
“Well，Mr。Holmes？“saidhe。
Butmyfriend”seyeswerefixeduponthesecretary，whostoodbyhis
master”schair。
“Ithink，yourGrace，thatIcouldspeakmorefreelyinMr。Wilder”s
absence。”
ThemanturnedashadepalerandcastamalignantglanceatHolmes。
“IfyourGracewishes-“
“Yes，yes，youhadbettergo。Now，Mr。Holmes，whathaveyouto
say？“
Myfriendwaiteduntilthedoorhadclosedbehindtheretreating
secretary。
“Thefactis，yourGrace，“saidhe，“thatmycolleague，Dr。
Watson，andmyselfhadanassurancefromDr。Huxtablethatareward
hadbeenofferedinthiscase。Ishouldliketohavethisconfirmed
fromyourownlips。”
“Certainly，Mr。Holmes。”
“Itamounted，ifIamcorrectlyinformed，tofivethousandpoundsto
anyonewhowilltellyouwhereyoursonis？“
“Exactly。”
“Andanotherthousandtothemanwhowillnamethepersonorpersons
whokeephimincustody？“
“Exactly。”
“Underthelatterheadingisincluded，nodoubt，notonlythose
whomayhavetakenhimaway，butalsothosewhoconspiretokeephim
inhispresentposition？“
“Yes，yes，“criedtheDuke，impatiently。“Ifyoudoyourwork
well，Mr。SherlockHolmes，youwillhavenoreasontocomplainof
niggardlytreatment。”
Myfriendrubbedhisthinhandstogetherwithanappearanceof
aviditywhichwasasurprisetome，whoknewhisfrugaltastes。
“IfancythatIseeyourGrace”scheck-bookuponthetable，“said
he。“Ishouldbegladifyouwouldmakemeoutacheckforsix
thousandpounds。Itwouldbeaswell，perhaps，foryoutocrossit。
TheCapitalandCountiesBank，OxfordStreetbrancharemyagents。”
HisGracesatverysternanduprightinhischairandlookedstonily
atmyfriend。
“Isthisajoke，Mr。Holmes？Itishardlyasubjectforpleasantry。”
“Notatall，yourGrace。Iwasnevermoreearnestinmylife。”
“Whatdoyoumean，then？“
“ImeanthatIhaveearnedthereward。Iknowwhereyoursonis，and
Iknowsome，atleast，ofthosewhoareholdinghim。”
TheDuke”sbeardhadturnedmoreaggressivelyredthanever
againsthisghastlywhiteface。
“Whereishe？“hegasped。
“Heis，orwaslastnight，attheFightingCockInn，abouttwomiles
fromyourparkgate。”
TheDukefellbackinhischair。
“Andwhomdoyouaccuse？“
SherlockHolmes”sanswerwasanastoundingone。Hesteppedswiftly
forwardandtouchedtheDukeupontheshoulder。
“Iaccuseyou，“saidhe。“Andnow，yourGrace，I”lltroubleyou
forthatcheck。”
NevershallIforgettheDuke”sappearanceashesprangupand
clawedwithhishands，likeonewhoissinkingintoanabyss。Then，
withanextraordinaryeffortofaristocraticself-command，hesatdown
andsankhisfaceinhishands。Itsomeminutesbeforehespoke。
“Howmuchdoyouknow？“heaskedatlast，withoutraisinghishead。
“Isawyoutogetherlastnight。”
“Doesanyoneelsebesideyourfriendknow？“
“Ihavespokentonoone。”
TheDuketookapeninhisquiveringfingersandopenedhis
check-book。
“Ishallbeasgoodasmyword，Mr。Holmes。Iamabouttowriteyour
check，howeverunwelcometheinformationwhichyouhavegainedmay
betome。Whentheofferwasfirstmade，Ilittlethoughttheturn
whicheventsmighttake。Butyouandyourfriendaremenof
discretion，Mr。Holmes？“
“IhardlyunderstandyourGrace。”
“Imustputitplainly，Mr。Holmes。Ifonlyyoutwoknowofthis
incident，thereisnoreasonwhyitshouldgoanyfarther。Ithink
twelvethousandpoundsisthesumthatIoweyou，isitnot？“
ButHolmessmiledandshookhishead。
“Ifear，yourGrace，thatmatterscanhardlybearrangedso
easily。Thereisthedeathofthisschoolmastertobeaccountedfor。”
“ButJamesknewnothingofthat。Youcannotholdhimresponsiblefor
that。Itwastheworkofthisbrutalruffianwhomhehadthe
misfortunetoemploy。”
“Imusttaketheview，yourGrace，thatwhenamanembarksupona
crime，heismorallyguiltyofanyothercrimewhichmayspringfrom
it。”
“Morally，Mr。Holmes。Nodoubtyouareright。Butsurelynotin
theeyesofthelaw。Amancannotbecondemnedforamurderatwhich
hewasnotpresent，andwhichheloathesandabhorsasmuchasyoudo。
Theinstantthatheheardofithemadeacompleteconfessiontome，
sofilledwashewithhorrorandremorse。Helostnotanhourin
breakingentirelywiththemurderer。Oh，Mr。Holmes，youmustsave
him-youmustsavehim！Itellyouthatyoumustsavehim！“TheDuke
haddroppedthelastattemptatself-command，andwaspacingthe
roomwithaconvulsedfaceandwithhisclenchedhandsravinginthe
air。Atlasthemasteredhimselfandsatdownoncemoreathisdesk。
“Iappreciateyourconductincomingherebeforeyouspoketoanyone
else，“saidhe。“Atleast，wemaytakecounselhowfarwecanminimize
thishideousscandal。”
“Exactly，“saidHolmes。“Ithink，yourGrace，thatthiscanonly
bedonebyabsolutefranknessbetweenus。Iamdisposedtohelpyour
Gracetothebestofmyability，but，inordertodoso，Imust
understandtothelastdetailhowthematterstands。Irealizethat
yourwordsappliedtoMr。JamesWilder，andthatheisnotthe
murderer。”
“No，themurdererhasescaped。”
SherlockHolmessmileddemurely。
“YourGracecanhardlyhaveheardofanysmallreputationwhichI
possess，oryouwouldnotimaginethatitissoeasytoescapeme。Mr。
ReubenHayeswasarrestedatChesterfield，onmyinformation，at
eleveno”clocklastnight。Ihadatelegramfromtheheadofthelocal
policebeforeIlefttheschoolthismorning。”
TheDukeleanedbackinhischairandstaredwithamazementatmy
friend。
“Youseemtohavepowersthatarehardlyhuman，“saidhe。“SoReuben
Hayesistaken？Iamrightgladtohearit，ifitwillnotreact
uponthefateofJames。”
“Yoursecretary？“
“No，sir，myson。”
ItwasHolmes”sturntolookastonished。
“Iconfessthatthisisentirelynewtome，yourGrace。Imustbeg
youtobemoreexplicit。”
“Iwillconcealnothingfromyou。Iagreewithyouthatcomplete
frankness，howeverpainfulitmaybetome，isthebestpolicyinthis
desperatesituationtowhichJames”sfollyandjealousyhavereduced
us。WhenIwasaveryyoungman，Mr。Holmes，Ilovedwithsucha
loveascomesonlyonceinalifetime。Iofferedtheladymarriage，
butsherefuseditonthegroundsthatsuchamatchmightmarmy
career。Hadshelived，Iwouldcertainlyneverhavemarriedanyone
else。Shedied，andleftthisonechild，whomforhersakeIhave
cherishedandcaredfor。Icouldnotacknowledgethepaternityto
theworld，butIgavehimthebestofeducations，andsincehecameto
manhoodIhavekepthimnearmyperson。Hesurprisedmysecret，and
haspresumedeversinceupontheclaimwhichhehasuponme，and
uponhispowerofprovokingascandalwhichwouldbeabhorrentto
me。Hispresencehadsomethingtodowiththeunhappyissueofmy
marriage。Aboveall，hehatedmyyounglegitimateheirfromthe
firstwithapersistenthatred。Youmaywellaskmewhy，underthese
circumstances，IstillkeptJamesundermyroof。Ianswerthatit
wasbecauseIcouldseehismother”sfaceinhis，andthatforher
dearsaketherewasnoendtomylong-suffering。Allherprettyways
too-therewasnotoneofthemwhichhecouldnotsuggestandbring
backtomymemory。Icouldnotsendhimaway。ButIfearedsomuch
lestheshoulddoArthur-thatis，LordSaltire-amischief，thatI
dispatchedhimforsafetytoDr。Huxtable”sschool。
“JamescameintocontactwiththisfellowHayes，becausethemanwas
atenantofmine，andJamesactedasagent。Thefellowwasarascal
fromthebeginning，but，insomeextraordinaryway，Jamesbecame
intimatewithhim。Hehadalwaysatasteforlowcompany。WhenJames
determinedtokidnapLordSaltire，itwasofthisman”sservicethat
heavailedhimself。YourememberthatIwrotetoArthuruponthatlast
day。Well，JamesopenedtheletterandinsertedanoteaskingArthur
tomeethiminalittlewoodcalledtheRaggedShaw，whichisnear
totheschool。HeusedtheDuchess”sname，andinthatwaygottheboy
tocome。ThateveningJamesbicycledover-Iamtellingyouwhathe
hashimselfconfessedtome-andhetoldArthur，whomhemetinthe
wood，thathismotherlongedtoseehim，thatshewasawaitinghim
onthemoor，andthatifhewouldcomebackintothewoodat
midnighthewouldfindamanwithahorse，whowouldtakehimto
her。PoorArthurfellintothetrap。Hecametotheappointment，and
foundthisfellowHayeswithaledpony。Arthurmounted，andthey
setofftogether。Itappears-thoughthisJamesonlyheard
yesterday-thattheywerepursued，thatHayesstruckthepursuer
withhisstick，andthatthemandiedofhisinjuries。Hayesbrought
Arthurtohispublic-house，theFightingCock，wherehewasconfined
inanupperroom，underthecareofMrs。Hayes，whoisakindlywoman，
butentirelyunderthecontrolofherbrutalhusband。
“Well，Mr。Holmes，thatwasthestateofaffairswhenIfirstsaw
youtwodaysago。Ihadnomoreideaofthetruththanyou。Youwill
askmewhatwasJames”smotiveindoingsuchadeed。Ianswerthat
therewasagreatdealwhichwasunreasoningandfanaticalinthe
hatredwhichheboremyheir。Inhisviewheshouldhimselfhave
beenheirofallmyestates，andhedeeplyresentedthosesocial
lawswhichmadeitimpossible。Atthesametime，hehadadefinite
motivealso。HewaseagerthatIshouldbreaktheentail，andhewas
ofopinionthatitlayinmypowertodoso。Heintendedtomakea
bargainwithme-torestoreArthurifIwouldbreaktheentail，andso
makeitpossiblefortheestatetobelefttohimbywill。Heknew
wellthatIshouldneverwillinglyinvoketheaidofthepolice
againsthim。Isaythathewouldhaveproposedsuchabargaintome，
buthedidnotactuallydoso，foreventsmovedtooquicklyfor，
him，andhehadnottimetoputhisplansintopractice。
“Whatbroughtallhiswickedschemetowreckwasyourdiscoveryof
thismanHeidegger”sdeadbody。Jameswasseizedwithhorroratthe
news。Itcametousyesterday，aswesattogetherinthisstudy。Dr。
Huxtablehadsentatelegram。Jameswassooverwhelmedwithgrief
andagitationthatmysuspicions，whichhadneverbeenentirelyabsent
roseinstantlytoacertainty，andItaxedhimwiththedeed。He
madeacompletevoluntaryconfession。Thenheimploredmetokeep
hissecretforthreedayslonger，soastogivehiswretched
accompliceachanceofsavinghisguiltylife。Iyielded-asIhave
alwaysyielded-tohisprayers，andinstantlyJameshurriedofftothe
FightingCocktowarnHayesandgivehimthemeansofflight。I
couldnotgotherebydaylightwithoutprovokingcomment，butas
soonasnightfellIhurriedofftoseemydearArthur。Ifoundhim
safeandwell，buthorrifiedbeyondexpressionbythedreadfuldeedhe
hadwitnessed。Indeferencetomypromise，andmuchagainstmywill，I
consentedtoleavehimthereforthreedays，underthechargeof
Mrs。Hayes，sinceitwasevidentthatitwasimpossibletoinform
thepolicewherehewaswithouttellingthemalsowhowasthe
murderer，andIcouldnotseehowthatmurderercouldbepunished
withoutruintomyunfortunateJames。Youaskedforfrankness，Mr。
Holmes，andIhavetakenyouatyourword，forIhavenowtoldyou
everythingwithoutanattemptatcircumlocutionorconcealment。Doyou
inturnbeasfrankwithme。”
“Iwill，“saidHolmes。“Inthefirstplace，yourGrace，Iambound
totellyouthatyouhaveplacedyourselfinamostseriousposition
intheeyesofthelaw。Youhavecondonedafelony，andyouhaveaided
theescapeofamurderer，forIcannotdoubtthatanymoneywhich
wastakenbyJamesWildertoaidhisaccompliceinhisflightcame
fromyourGrace”spurse。”
TheDukebowedhisassent。
“Thisis，indeed，amostseriousmatter。Evenmoreculpableinmy
opinion，yourGrace，isyourattitudetowardsyouryoungerson。You
leavehiminthisdenforthreedays。”
“Undersolemnpromises-“
“Whatarepromisestosuchpeopleasthese？Youhavenoguarantee
thathewillnotbespiritedawayagain。Tohumouryourguiltyelder
son，youhaveexposedyourinnocentyoungersontoimminentand
unnecessarydanger。Itwasamostunjustifiableaction。”
TheproudlordofHoldernessewasnotaccustomedtobesoratedin
hisownducalhall。Thebloodflushedintohishighforehead，but
hisconscienceheldhimdumb。
“Iwillhelpyou，butononeconditiononly。Itisthatyouringfor
thefootmanandletmegivesuchordersasIlike。”
Withoutaword，theDukepressedtheelectricbell。Aservant
entered。
“Youwillbegladtohear，“saidHolmes，“thatyouryoungmaster
isfound。ItistheDuke”sdesirethatthecarriageshallgoatonce
totheFightingCockInntobringLordSaltirehome。
“Now，“saidHolmes，whentherejoicinglackeyhaddisappeared，
“havingsecuredthefuture，wecanaffordtobemorelenientwith
thepast。Iamnotinanofficialposition，andthereisnoreason，so
longastheendsofjusticeareserved，whyIshoulddiscloseallthat
Iknow。AstoHayes，Isaynothing。Thegallowsawaitshim，andI
woulddonothingtosavehimfromit。WhathewilldivulgeIcannot
tell，butIhavenodoubtthatyourGracecouldmakehimunderstand
thatitistohisinteresttobesilent。Fromthepolicepointofview
hewillhavekidnappedtheboyforthepurposeofransom。Iftheydo
notthemselvesfinditout，IseenoreasonwhyIshouldpromptthem
totakeabroaderpointofview。IwouldwarnyourGrace，however，
thatthecontinuedpresenceofMr。JamesWilderinyourhousehold
canonlyleadtomisfortune。”
“Iunderstandthat，Mr。Holmes，anditisalreadysettledthathe
shallleavemeforever，andgotoseekhisfortuneinAustralia。”
“Inthatcase，yourGrace，sinceyouhaveyourselfstatedthatany
unhappinessinyourmarriedlifewascausedbyhispresenceIwould
suggestthatyoumakesuchamendsasyoucantotheDuchess，and
thatyoutrytoresumethoserelationswhichhavebeensounhappily
interrupted。”
“ThatalsoIhavearranged，Mr。Holmes。IwrotetotheDuchess
thismorning。”
“Inthatcase，“saidHolmes，rising，“IthinkthatmyfriendandI
cancongratulateourselvesuponseveralmosthappyresultsfromour
littlevisittotheNorth。ThereisoneothersmallpointuponwhichI
desiresomelight。ThisfellowHayeshadshodhishorseswithshoes
whichcounterfeitedthetracksofcows。WasitfromMr。Wilderthathe
learnedsoextraordinaryadevice？“
TheDukestoodinthoughtforamoment，withalookofintense
surpriseonhisface。Thenheopenedadoorandshowedusintoalarge
roomfurnishedasamuseum。Heledthewaytoaglasscaseina
corner，andpointedtotheinscription。
“Theseshoes，“itran，“weredugupinthemoatofHoldernesseHall。
Theyarefortheuseofhorses，buttheyareshapedbelowwitha
clovenfootofiron，soastothrowpursuersoffthetrack。Theyare
supposedtohavebelongedtosomeofthemaraudingBaronsof
HoldernesseintheMiddleAges。”
Holmesopenedthecase，andmoisteninghisfingerhepasseditalong
theshoe。Athinfilmofrecentmudwasleftuponhisskin。
“Thankyou，“saidhe，ashereplacedtheglass。“Itisthesecond
mostinterestingobjectthatIhaveseenintheNorth。”
“Andthefirst？“
Holmesfoldeduphischeckandplaceditcarefullyinhis
notebook。“Iamapoorman，“saidhe，ashepattedit
affectionately，andthrustitintothedepthsofhisinnerpocket-
THEEND。
1911
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEADVENTUREOFTHEREDCIRCLE
bySirArthurConanDoyle
“Well，Mrs。Warren，Icannotseethatyouhaveanyparticular
causeforuneasiness，nordoIunderstandwhyI，whosetimeisofsome
value，shouldinterfereinthematter。Ireallyhaveotherthingsto
engageme。”SospokeSherlockHolmesandturnedbacktothegreat
scrapbookinwhichhewasarrangingandindexingsomeofhisrecent
material。
Butthelandladyhadthepertinacityandalsothecunningofher
sex。Sheheldhergroundfirmly。
“Youarrangedanaffairforalodgerofminelastyear，“shesaid-
“Mr。FairdaleHobbs。”
“Ah，yes-asimplematter。”
“Buthewouldneverceasetalkingofit-yourkindness，sir，andthe
wayinwhichyoubroughtlightintothedarkness。Irememberedhis
wordswhenIwasindoubtanddarknessmyself。Iknowyoucouldifyou
onlywould。”
Holmeswasaccessibleuponthesideofflattery，andalso，todohim
justice，uponthesideofkindliness。Thetwoforcesmadehimlaydown
hisgum-brushwithasighofresignationandpushbackhischair。
“Well，well，Mrs。Warren，letushearaboutitthen。Youdon”t
objecttotobacco，Itakeit？Thankyou，Watson-thematches！You
areuneasy，asIunderstand，becauseyournewlodgerremainsinhis
roomsandyoucannotseehim。Why，blessyou，Mrs。Warren，ifIwere
yourlodgeryouoftenwouldnotseemeforweeksonend。”
“Nodoubt，sir，butthisisdifferent。Itfrightensme，Mr。
Holmes。Ican”tsleepforfright。Tohearhisquickstepmovinghere
andmovingtherefromearlymorningtolateatnight，andyetneverto
catchsomuchasaglimpseofhim-it”smorethanIcanstand。My
husbandisasnervousoveritasIam，butheisoutathisworkall
day，whileIgetnorestfromit。Whatishehidingfor？Whathashe
done？Exceptforthegirl，Iamallaloneinthehousewithhim，and
it”smorethanmynervescanstand。”
Holmesleanedforwardandlaidhislong，thinfingersuponthe
woman”sshoulder。Hehadanalmosthypnoticpowerofsoothingwhen
hewished。Thescaredlookfadedfromhereyes，andheragitated
featuressmoothedintotheirusualcommonplace。Shesatdowninthe
chairwhichhehadindicated。
“IfItakeitupImustunderstandeverydetail，“saidhe。“Take
timetoconsider。Thesmallestpointmaybethemostessential。You
saythatthemancametendaysagoandpaidyouforafortnight”s
boardandlodging？“
“Heaskedmyterms，sir。Isaidfiftyshillingsaweek。Thereisa
smallsittingroomandbedroom，andallcomplete，atthetopofthe
house。”
“Well？“
“Hesaid，”I”llpayyoufivepoundsaweekifIcanhaveitonmy
ownterms。”I”mapoorwoman，sir，andMr。Warrenearnslittle，and
themoneymeantmuchtome。Hetookoutaten-poundnote，andhe
helditouttomethenandthere。”Youcanhavethesameevery
fortnightforalongtimetocomeifyoukeeptheterms”hesaid。”If
not，I”llhavenomoretodowithyou。”“
“Whatweretheterms？“
“Well，sir，theywerethathewastohaveakeyofthehouse。That
wasallright。Lodgersoftenhavethem。Also，thathewastobeleft
entirelytohimselfandnever，uponanyexcuse，tobedisturbed。”
“Nothingwonderfulinthat，surely？“
“Notinreason，sir。Butthisisoutofallreason。Hehasbeen
therefortendays，andneitherMr。Warren，norI，northegirlhas
onceseteyesuponhim。Wecanhearthatquickstepofhispacingup
anddown，upanddown，night，morning，andnoon；butexceptonthat
firstnighthehasneveroncegoneoutofthehouse。”
“Oh，hewentoutthefirstnight，didhe？“
“Yes，sir，andreturnedverylate-afterwewereallinbed。Hetold
meafterhehadtakentheroomsthathewoulddosoandaskedmenot
tobarthedoor。Iheardhimcomeupthestairaftermidnight。”
“Buthismeals？“
“Itwashisparticulardirectionthatweshouldalways，whenhe
rang，leavehismealuponachair，outsidehisdoor。Thenherings
againwhenhehasfinished，andwetakeitdownfromthesamechair。
Ifhewantsanythingelseheprintsitonaslipofpaperandleaves
it。”
“Printsit？“
“Yes，sir，printsitinpencil。justtheword，nothingmore。
Here”soneIbroughttoshowyou-SOAP。Here”sanother-MATCH。Thisis
oneheleftthefirstmorning-DAILYGAZETTE。Ileavethatpaper
withhisbreakfasteverymorning。”
“Dearme，Watson，“saidHolmes，staringwithgreatcuriosityat
theslipsoffoolscapwhichthelandladyhadhandedtohim，“thisis
certainlyalittleunusual。SeclusionIcanunderstand；butwhyprint？
Printingisaclumsyprocess。Whynotwrite？Whatwoulditsuggest
Watson？“
“Thathedesiredtoconcealhishandwriting。”
“Butwhy？Whatcanitmattertohimthathislandladyshouldhave
awordofhiswriting？Still，itmaybeasyousay。Then，again，why
suchlaconicmessages？“
“Icannotimagine。”
“Itopensapleasingfieldforintelligentspeculation。Thewords
arewrittenwithabroad-pointed，violet-tintedpencilofanot
unusualpattern。Youwillobservethatthepaperistornawayatthe
sidehereaftertheprintingwasdone，sothatthe”S”of”SOAP”is
partlygone。Suggestive，Watson，isitnot？“
“Ofcaution？“
“Exactly。Therewasevidentlysomemark，somethumbprint，
somethingwhichmightgiveacluetotheperson”sidentity。Now，
Mrs。Warren，yousaythatthemanwasofmiddlesize，dark，and
bearded。Whatagewouldhebe？“
“Youngish，sir-notoverthirty。”
“Well，canyougivemenofurtherindications？“
“HespokegoodEnglish，sir，andyetIthoughthewasaforeignerby
hisaccent。”
“Andhewaswelldressed？“
“Verysmartlydressed，sir-quitethegentleman。Darkclothes-
nothingyouwouldnote。”
“Hegavenoname？“
“No，sir。”
“Andhashadnolettersorcallers？“
“None。”
“Butsurelyyouorthegirlenterhisroomofamorning？“
“No，sir；helooksafterhimselfentirely。”
“Dearme！thatiscertainlyremarkable。Whatabouthisluggage？“
“Hehadonebigbrownbagwithhim-nothingelse。”
“Well，wedon”tseemtohavemuchmaterialtohelpus。Doyousay
nothinghascomeoutofthatroom-absolutelynothing？“
Thelandladydrewanenvelopefromherbag，fromitsheshookout
twoburntmatchesandacigarette-enduponthetable。
“Theywereonhistraythismorning。IbroughtthembecauseIhad
heardthatyoucanreadgreatthingsoutofsmallones。”
Holmesshruggedhisshoulders。
“Thereisnothinghere，“saidhe。“Thematcheshave，ofcourse，been
usedtolightcigarettes。Thatisobviousfromtheshortnessofthe
burntend。Halfthematchisconsumedinlightingapipeorcigar。But
dearme！thiscigarettestubiscertainlyremarkable。Thegentleman
wasbeardedandmoustached，yousay？“
“Yes，sir。”
“Idon”tunderstandthat。Ishouldsaythatonlyaclean-shaven
mancouldhavesmokedthis。Why，Watson，evenyourmodestmoustache
wouldhavebeensinged。”
“Aholder？“Isuggested。
“No，no；theendismatted。Isupposetherecouldnotbetwo
peopleinyourrooms，Mrs。Warren？“
“No，sir。HeeatssolittlethatIoftenwonderitcankeeplife
inone。”
“Well，Ithinkwemustwaitforalittlemorematerial。Afterall，
youhavenothingtocomplainof。Youhavereceivedyourrentandheis
notatroublesomelodger，thoughheiscertainlyanunusualone。He
paysyouwell。andifhechosestolieconcealeditisnodirect
businessofyours。Wehavenoexcuseforanintrusionuponhisprivacy
untilwehavesomereasontothinkthatthereisaguiltyreasonfor
it。I”vetakenupthematter，andIwon”tlosesightofit。Report
tomeifanythingfreshoccurs，andrelyuponmyassistanceifit
shouldbeneeded。
“Therearecertainlysomepointsofinterestinthiscase，
Watson，“heremarkedwhenthelandladyhadleftus。“Itmay，of
course，betrivial-individualeccentricity；oritmaybeverymuch
deeperthanappearsonthesurface。Thefirstthingthatstrikesone
istheobviouspossibilitythatthepersonnowintheroomsmaybe
entirelydifferentfromtheonewhoengagedthem。”
“Whyshouldyouthinkso？“
“Well，apartfromthiscigarette-end，wasitnotsuggestivethatthe
onlytimethelodgerwentoutwasimmediatelyafterhistakingthe
rooms？Hecameback-orsomeonecameback-whenallwitnesseswereout
oftheway。Wehavenoproofthatthepersonwhocamebackwasthe
personwhowentout。Then，again，themanwhotooktheroomsspoke
Englishwell。Thisother，however，prints”match”whenitshould
havebeen”matches。”Icanimaginethatthewordwastakenoutofa
dictionary，whichwouldgivethenounbutnottheplural。The
laconicstylemaybetoconcealtheabsenceofknowledgeofEnglish。
Yes，Watson，therearegoodreasonstosuspectthattherehasbeena
substitutionoflodgers。”
“Butforwhatpossibleend？“
“Ah！thereliesourproblem。Thereisoneratherobviouslineof
investigation。”Hetookdownthegreatbookinwhich，daybyday，he
filedtheagonycolumnsofthevariousLondonjournals。“Dearme！“
saidhe，turningoverthepages，“whatachorusofgroans，cries，
andbleatings！Whatarag-bagofsingularhappenings！Butsurelythe
mostvaluablehunting-groundthateverwasgiventoastudentofthe
unusual！Thispersonisaloneandcannotbeapproachedbyletter
withoutabreachofthatabsolutesecrecywhichisdesired。Howisany
newsoranymessagetoreachhimfromwithout？Obviouslyby
advertisementthroughanewspaper。Thereseemsnootherway，and
fortunatelyweneedconcernourselveswiththeonepaperonly。Here
aretheDailyGazetteextractsofthelastfortnight。”Ladywitha
blackboaatPrince”sSkatingClub”-thatwemaypass。”SurelyJimmy
willnotbreakhismother”sheart”-thatappearstobeirrelevant。”If
theladywhofaintedintheBrixtonbus”-shedoesnotinterestme。”Everydaymyheartlongs-”Bleat，Watson-unmitigatedbleat！Ah，this
isalittlemorepossible。Listentothis：”Bepatient。Willfindsome
suremeansofcommunication。Meanwhile，thiscolumn。G。”Thatistwo
daysafterMrs。Warren”slodgerarrived。Itsoundsplausible，does
itnot？ThemysteriousonecouldunderstandEnglish，evenifhe
couldnotprintit。Letusseeifwecanpickupthetraceagain。Yes，
hereweare-threedayslater。”Ammakingsuccessfularrangements。
Patienceandprudence。Thecloudswillpass。G。”Nothingforaweek
afterthat。Thencomessomethingmuchmoredefinite：”Thepathis
clearing。IfIfindchancesignalmessageremembercodeagreed-oneA，
twoB，andsoon。Youwillhearsoon。G。”Thatwasinyesterday”s
paper，andthereisnothinginto-day”s。It”sallveryappropriate
toMrs。Warren”slodger。Ifwewaitalittle，Watson，Idon”tdoubt
thattheaffairwillgrowmoreintelligible。”
Soitproved；forinthemorningIfoundmyfriendstandingonthe
hearthrugwithhisbacktothefireandasmileofcomplete
satisfactionuponhisface。
“How”sthis，Watson？“hecried，pickingupthepaperfromthetable。”Highredhousewithwhitestonefacings。Thirdfloor。Secondwindow
left。Afterdusk。G。”Thatisdefiniteenough。Ithinkafterbreakfast
wemustmakealittlereconnaissanceofMrs。Warren”sneighbourhood。
Ah，Mrs。Warren！whatnewsdoyoubringusthismorning？“
Ourclienthadsuddenlyburstintotheroomwithanexplosiveenergy
whichtoldofsomenewandmomentousdevelopment。
“It”sapolicematter，Mr。Holmes“shecried。“I”llhavenomore
ofit。Heshallpackoutoftherewithhisbaggage。Iwouldhave
gonestraightupandtoldhimso，onlyIthoughtitwasbutfairto
youtotakeyouropinionfirst。ButI”mattheendofmypatience，and
whenitcomestoknockingmyoldmanabout-“
“KnockingMr。Warrenabout？“
“Usinghimroughly，anyway。”
“Butwhousedhimroughly？“
“Ah！that”swhatwewanttoknow！Itwasthismorning，sir。Mr。
WarrenisatimekeeperatMortonandWaylight”s，inTottenhamCourt
Road。Hehastobeoutofthehousebeforeseven。Well，thismorning
hehadnotgonetenpacesdowntheroadwhentwomencameupbehind
him，threwacoatoverhishead，andbundledhimintoacabthatwas
besidethecurb。Theydrovehimanhour，andthenopenedthedoor
andshothimout。Helayintheroadwaysoshakeninhiswitsthat
heneversawwhatbecameofthecab。Whenhepickedhimselfuphe
foundhewasonHampsteadHeath；sohetookabushome，andtherehe
liesnowonthesofa，whileIcamestraightroundtotellyouwhathad
happened。”
“Mostinteresting，“saidHolmes。“Didheobservetheappearanceof
thesemen-didhehearthemtalk？“
“No；heiscleandazed。Hejustknowsthathewasliftedupasifby
magicanddroppedasifbymagic。Twoatleastwereinit，andmaybe
three。”
“Andyouconnectthisattackwithyourlodger？“
“Well，we”velivedtherefifteenyearsandnosuchhappeningsever
camebefore。I”vehadenoughofhim。Money”snoteverything。I”llhave
himoutofmyhousebeforethedayisdone。”
“Waitabit，Mrs。Warren。Donothingrash。Ibegintothinkthat
thisaffairmaybeverymuchmoreimportantthanappearedatfirst
sight。Itisclearnowthatsomedangeristhreateningyourlodger。It
isequallyclearthathisenemies，lyinginwaitforhimnearyour
door，mistookyourhusbandforhiminthefoggymorninglight。On
discoveringtheirmistaketheyreleasedhim。Whattheywouldhavedone
haditnotbeenamistake，wecanonlyconjecture。”
“Well，whatamItodo，Mr。Holmes？“
“Ihaveagreatfancytoseethislodgerofyours，Mrs。Warren。”
“Idon”tseehowthatistobemanaged，unlessyoubreakinthe
door。IalwayshearhimunlockitasIgodownthestairafterIleave
thetray。”
“Hehastotakethetrayin。Surelywecouldconcealourselvesand
seehimdoit。”
Thelandladythoughtforamoment。
“Well，sir，there”sthebox-roomopposite。Icouldarrangea
looking-glass，maybe，andifyouwerebehindthedoor-“
“Excellent！“saidHolmes。“Whendoeshelunch？“
“Aboutone，sir。”
“ThenDr。WatsonandIwillcomeroundintime。Forthepresent，
Mrs。Warren，good-bye。”
Athalf-pasttwelvewefoundourselvesuponthestepsofMrs。
Warren”shouse-ahigh，thin，yellow-brickedificeinGreatOrme
Street，anarrowthoroughfareatthenortheastsideoftheBritish
Museum。Standingasitdoesnearthecornerofthestreet，itcommands
aviewdownHoweStreet，withitsmorepretentioushouses。Holmes
pointedwithachuckletooneofthese，arowofresidentialflats，
whichprojectedsothattheycouldnotfailtocatchtheeye。
“See，Watson！“saidhe。“”Highredhousewithstonefacings。”
Thereisthesignalstationallright。Weknowtheplace，andwe
knowthecode；sosurelyourtaskshouldbesimple。There”sa”tolet”
cardinthatwindow。Itisevidentlyanemptyflattowhichthe
confederatehasaccess。Well，Mrs。Warren，whatnow？“
“Ihaveitallreadyforyou。Ifyouwillbothcomeupandleave
yourbootsbelowonthelanding，I”llputyoutherenow。”
Itwasanexcellenthiding-placewhichshehadarranged。The
mirrorwassoplacedthat，seatedinthedark，wecouldveryplainly
seethedooropposite。Wehadhardlysettleddowninit，andMrs。
Warrenleftus，whenadistanttinkleannouncedthatourmysterious
neighbourhadrung。Presentlythelandladyappearedwiththetray，
laiditdownuponachairbesidethecloseddoor，andthen，treading
heavily，departed。Crouchingtogetherintheangleofthedoor，we
keptoureyesfixeduponthemirror。Suddenly，asthelandlady”s
footstepsdiedaway，therewasthecreakofaturningkey，thehandle
revolved，andtwothinhandsdartedoutandliftedthetrayfromthe
chair。Aninstantlateritwashurriedlyreplaced，andIcaughta
glimpseofadark，beautiful，horrifiedfaceglaringatthenarrow
openingofthebox-room。Thenthedoorcrashedto，thekeyturnedonce
more，andallwassilence。Holmestwitchedmysleeve，andtogether
westoledownthestair。
“Iwillcallagainintheevening，“saidhetotheexpectant
landlady。“Ithink，Watson，wecandiscussthisbusinessbetterinour
ownquarters。”
“Mysurmise，asyousaw，provedtobecorrect，“saidhe，speaking
fromthedepthsofhiseasy-chair。“Therehasbeenasubstitutionof
lodgers。WhatIdidnotforeseeisthatweshouldfindawoman，andno
ordinarywoman，Watson。”
“Shesawus。”
“Well，shesawsomethingtoalarmher。Thatiscertain。The
generalsequenceofeventsisprettyclear，isitnot？Acoupleseek
refugeinLondonfromaveryterribleandinstantdanger。The
measureofthatdangeristherigouroftheirprecautions。Theman，
whohassomeworkwhichhemustdo，desirestoleavethewomanin
absolutesafetywhilehedoesit。Itisnotaneasyproblem，buthe
solveditinanoriginalfashion，andsoeffectivelythatherpresence
wasnotevenknowntotilelandladywhosuppliesherwithfood。The
printedmessages，asisnowevident，weretopreventhersexbeing
discoveredbyherwriting。Themancannotcomenearthewoman，orhe
willguidetheirenemiestoher。Sincehecannotcommunicatewith
herdirect，hehasrecoursetotheagonycolumnofapaper。Sofarall
isclear。”