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diff --git a/nikola/data/samplesite/stories/a-study-in-scarlet.txt b/nikola/data/samplesite/stories/a-study-in-scarlet.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2dfee52..0000000 --- a/nikola/data/samplesite/stories/a-study-in-scarlet.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5139 +0,0 @@ -.. link: -.. description: -.. tags: -.. date: 2013-08-27 18:20:55 UTC-03:00 -.. title: A STUDY IN SCARLET. -.. slug: a-study-in-scarlet - -=================== -A STUDY IN SCARLET. -=================== - -By A. Conan Doyle [1]_ -====================== - - -:Title: A Study In Scarlet -:Author: Arthur Conan Doyle -:Posting Date: July 12, 2008 [EBook #244] -:Release Date: April, 1995 [Last updated: February 17, 2013] -:Language: English -:Produced by: Roger Squires - -.. class:: alert alert-info pull-right - -.. contents:: - ------------------- - -.. class:: pull-right - -.. note:: The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Study In Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle - - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or - re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included - with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - Original Transcriber's Note: This etext is prepared directly - from an 1887 edition, and care has been taken to duplicate the - original exactly, including typographical and punctuation - vagaries. - - Additions to the text include adding the underscore character to - indicate italics, and textual end-notes in square braces. - - Project Gutenberg Editor's Note: In reproofing and moving old PG - files such as this to the present PG directory system it is the - policy to reformat the text to conform to present PG Standards. - In this case however, in consideration of the note above of the - original transcriber describing his care to try to duplicate the - original 1887 edition as to typography and punctuation vagaries, - no changes have been made in this ascii text file. However, in - the Latin-1 file and this html file, present standards are - followed and the several French and Spanish words have been - given their proper accents. - - Part II, The Country of the Saints, deals much with the Mormon Church. - - -PART I. -------- - -(Being a reprint from the reminiscences of JOHN H. WATSON, M.D., late of the Army Medical Department.) [2]_ - - -CHAPTER I. MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -IN the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the -University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course -prescribed for surgeons in the army. Having completed my studies there, -I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as Assistant -Surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before -I could join it, the second Afghan war had broken out. On landing at -Bombay, I learned that my corps had advanced through the passes, and -was already deep in the enemy's country. I followed, however, with many -other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and succeeded -in reaching Candahar in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once -entered upon my new duties. - -The campaign brought honours and promotion to many, but for me it had -nothing but misfortune and disaster. I was removed from my brigade and -attached to the Berkshires, with whom I served at the fatal battle of -Maiwand. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which -shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have -fallen into the hands of the murderous Ghazis had it not been for the -devotion and courage shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a -pack-horse, and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines. - -Worn with pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had -undergone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to -the base hospital at Peshawar. Here I rallied, and had already improved -so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little -upon the verandah, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse -of our Indian possessions. For months my life was despaired of, and -when at last I came to myself and became convalescent, I was so weak and -emaciated that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost -in sending me back to England. I was dispatched, accordingly, in the -troopship "Orontes," and landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with -my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal -government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve it. - -I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as -air--or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will -permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to -London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of -the Empire are irresistibly drained. There I stayed for some time at -a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortless, meaningless -existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more freely -than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that -I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate -somewhere in the country, or that I must make a complete alteration in -my style of living. Choosing the latter alternative, I began by making -up my mind to leave the hotel, and to take up my quarters in some less -pretentious and less expensive domicile. - -On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at -the Criterion Bar, when some one tapped me on the shoulder, and turning -round I recognized young Stamford, who had been a dresser under me at -Barts. The sight of a friendly face in the great wilderness of London is -a pleasant thing indeed to a lonely man. In old days Stamford had never -been a particular crony of mine, but now I hailed him with enthusiasm, -and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted to see me. In the -exuberance of my joy, I asked him to lunch with me at the Holborn, and -we started off together in a hansom. - -"Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson?" he asked in -undisguised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets. -"You are as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut." - -I gave him a short sketch of my adventures, and had hardly concluded it -by the time that we reached our destination. - -"Poor devil!" he said, commiseratingly, after he had listened to my -misfortunes. "What are you up to now?" - -"Looking for lodgings." [3]_ I answered. "Trying to solve the problem -as to whether it is possible to get comfortable rooms at a reasonable -price." - -"That's a strange thing," remarked my companion; "you are the second man -to-day that has used that expression to me." - -"And who was the first?" I asked. - -"A fellow who is working at the chemical laboratory up at the hospital. -He was bemoaning himself this morning because he could not get someone -to go halves with him in some nice rooms which he had found, and which -were too much for his purse." - -"By Jove!" I cried, "if he really wants someone to share the rooms and -the expense, I am the very man for him. I should prefer having a partner -to being alone." - -Young Stamford looked rather strangely at me over his wine-glass. "You -don't know Sherlock Holmes yet," he said; "perhaps you would not care -for him as a constant companion." - -"Why, what is there against him?" - -"Oh, I didn't say there was anything against him. He is a little queer -in his ideas--an enthusiast in some branches of science. As far as I -know he is a decent fellow enough." - -"A medical student, I suppose?" said I. - -"No--I have no idea what he intends to go in for. I believe he is well -up in anatomy, and he is a first-class chemist; but, as far as I know, -he has never taken out any systematic medical classes. His studies are -very desultory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot of out-of-the way -knowledge which would astonish his professors." - -"Did you never ask him what he was going in for?" I asked. - -"No; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be -communicative enough when the fancy seizes him." - -"I should like to meet him," I said. "If I am to lodge with anyone, I -should prefer a man of studious and quiet habits. I am not strong -enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in -Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence. How -could I meet this friend of yours?" - -"He is sure to be at the laboratory," returned my companion. "He either -avoids the place for weeks, or else he works there from morning to -night. If you like, we shall drive round together after luncheon." - -"Certainly," I answered, and the conversation drifted away into other -channels. - -As we made our way to the hospital after leaving the Holborn, Stamford -gave me a few more particulars about the gentleman whom I proposed to -take as a fellow-lodger. - -"You mustn't blame me if you don't get on with him," he said; "I know -nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in -the laboratory. You proposed this arrangement, so you must not hold me -responsible." - -"If we don't get on it will be easy to part company," I answered. "It -seems to me, Stamford," I added, looking hard at my companion, "that you -have some reason for washing your hands of the matter. Is this fellow's -temper so formidable, or what is it? Don't be mealy-mouthed about it." - -"It is not easy to express the inexpressible," he answered with a laugh. -"Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes--it approaches to -cold-bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of -the latest vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, -but simply out of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea -of the effects. To do him justice, I think that he would take it himself -with the same readiness. He appears to have a passion for definite and -exact knowledge." - -"Very right too." - -"Yes, but it may be pushed to excess. When it comes to beating the -subjects in the dissecting-rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking -rather a bizarre shape." - -"Beating the subjects!" - -"Yes, to verify how far bruises may be produced after death. I saw him -at it with my own eyes." - -"And yet you say he is not a medical student?" - -"No. Heaven knows what the objects of his studies are. But here we -are, and you must form your own impressions about him." As he spoke, we -turned down a narrow lane and passed through a small side-door, which -opened into a wing of the great hospital. It was familiar ground to me, -and I needed no guiding as we ascended the bleak stone staircase and -made our way down the long corridor with its vista of whitewashed -wall and dun-coloured doors. Near the further end a low arched passage -branched away from it and led to the chemical laboratory. - -This was a lofty chamber, lined and littered with countless bottles. -Broad, low tables were scattered about, which bristled with retorts, -test-tubes, and little Bunsen lamps, with their blue flickering flames. -There was only one student in the room, who was bending over a distant -table absorbed in his work. At the sound of our steps he glanced round -and sprang to his feet with a cry of pleasure. "I've found it! I've -found it," he shouted to my companion, running towards us with a -test-tube in his hand. "I have found a re-agent which is precipitated -by hoemoglobin, [4]_ and by nothing else." Had he discovered a gold mine, -greater delight could not have shone upon his features. - -"Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said Stamford, introducing us. - -"How are you?" he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength -for which I should hardly have given him credit. "You have been in -Afghanistan, I perceive." - -"How on earth did you know that?" I asked in astonishment. - -"Never mind," said he, chuckling to himself. "The question now is about -hoemoglobin. No doubt you see the significance of this discovery of -mine?" - -"It is interesting, chemically, no doubt," I answered, "but -practically----" - -"Why, man, it is the most practical medico-legal discovery for years. -Don't you see that it gives us an infallible test for blood stains. Come -over here now!" He seized me by the coat-sleeve in his eagerness, and -drew me over to the table at which he had been working. "Let us have -some fresh blood," he said, digging a long bodkin into his finger, and -drawing off the resulting drop of blood in a chemical pipette. "Now, I -add this small quantity of blood to a litre of water. You perceive that -the resulting mixture has the appearance of pure water. The proportion -of blood cannot be more than one in a million. I have no doubt, however, -that we shall be able to obtain the characteristic reaction." As he -spoke, he threw into the vessel a few white crystals, and then added -some drops of a transparent fluid. In an instant the contents assumed a -dull mahogany colour, and a brownish dust was precipitated to the bottom -of the glass jar. - -"Ha! ha!" he cried, clapping his hands, and looking as delighted as a -child with a new toy. "What do you think of that?" - -"It seems to be a very delicate test," I remarked. - -"Beautiful! beautiful! The old Guiacum test was very clumsy and -uncertain. So is the microscopic examination for blood corpuscles. The -latter is valueless if the stains are a few hours old. Now, this appears -to act as well whether the blood is old or new. Had this test been -invented, there are hundreds of men now walking the earth who would long -ago have paid the penalty of their crimes." - -"Indeed!" I murmured. - -"Criminal cases are continually hinging upon that one point. A man is -suspected of a crime months perhaps after it has been committed. His -linen or clothes are examined, and brownish stains discovered upon them. -Are they blood stains, or mud stains, or rust stains, or fruit stains, -or what are they? That is a question which has puzzled many an expert, -and why? Because there was no reliable test. Now we have the Sherlock -Holmes' test, and there will no longer be any difficulty." - -His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his -heart and bowed as if to some applauding crowd conjured up by his -imagination. - -"You are to be congratulated," I remarked, considerably surprised at his -enthusiasm. - -"There was the case of Von Bischoff at Frankfort last year. He would -certainly have been hung had this test been in existence. Then there was -Mason of Bradford, and the notorious Muller, and Lefevre of Montpellier, -and Samson of New Orleans. I could name a score of cases in which it -would have been decisive." - -"You seem to be a walking calendar of crime," said Stamford with a -laugh. "You might start a paper on those lines. Call it the 'Police News -of the Past.'" - -"Very interesting reading it might be made, too," remarked Sherlock -Holmes, sticking a small piece of plaster over the prick on his finger. -"I have to be careful," he continued, turning to me with a smile, "for I -dabble with poisons a good deal." He held out his hand as he spoke, and -I noticed that it was all mottled over with similar pieces of plaster, -and discoloured with strong acids. - -"We came here on business," said Stamford, sitting down on a high -three-legged stool, and pushing another one in my direction with -his foot. "My friend here wants to take diggings, and as you were -complaining that you could get no one to go halves with you, I thought -that I had better bring you together." - -Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with -me. "I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street," he said, "which would -suit us down to the ground. You don't mind the smell of strong tobacco, -I hope?" - -"I always smoke 'ship's' myself," I answered. - -"That's good enough. I generally have chemicals about, and occasionally -do experiments. Would that annoy you?" - -"By no means." - -"Let me see--what are my other shortcomings. I get in the dumps at -times, and don't open my mouth for days on end. You must not think I am -sulky when I do that. Just let me alone, and I'll soon be right. What -have you to confess now? It's just as well for two fellows to know the -worst of one another before they begin to live together." - -I laughed at this cross-examination. "I keep a bull pup," I said, "and -I object to rows because my nerves are shaken, and I get up at all sorts -of ungodly hours, and I am extremely lazy. I have another set of vices -when I'm well, but those are the principal ones at present." - -"Do you include violin-playing in your category of rows?" he asked, -anxiously. - -"It depends on the player," I answered. "A well-played violin is a treat -for the gods--a badly-played one----" - -"Oh, that's all right," he cried, with a merry laugh. "I think we may -consider the thing as settled--that is, if the rooms are agreeable to -you." - -"When shall we see them?" - -"Call for me here at noon to-morrow, and we'll go together and settle -everything," he answered. - -"All right--noon exactly," said I, shaking his hand. - -We left him working among his chemicals, and we walked together towards -my hotel. - -"By the way," I asked suddenly, stopping and turning upon Stamford, "how -the deuce did he know that I had come from Afghanistan?" - -My companion smiled an enigmatical smile. "That's just his little -peculiarity," he said. "A good many people have wanted to know how he -finds things out." - -"Oh! a mystery is it?" I cried, rubbing my hands. "This is very piquant. -I am much obliged to you for bringing us together. 'The proper study of -mankind is man,' you know." - -"You must study him, then," Stamford said, as he bade me good-bye. -"You'll find him a knotty problem, though. I'll wager he learns more -about you than you about him. Good-bye." - -"Good-bye," I answered, and strolled on to my hotel, considerably -interested in my new acquaintance. - - - - -CHAPTER II. THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -WE met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at No. 221B, -[5]_ Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They -consisted of a couple of comfortable bed-rooms and a single large -airy sitting-room, cheerfully furnished, and illuminated by two broad -windows. So desirable in every way were the apartments, and so moderate -did the terms seem when divided between us, that the bargain was -concluded upon the spot, and we at once entered into possession. -That very evening I moved my things round from the hotel, and on the -following morning Sherlock Holmes followed me with several boxes and -portmanteaus. For a day or two we were busily employed in unpacking and -laying out our property to the best advantage. That done, we -gradually began to settle down and to accommodate ourselves to our new -surroundings. - -Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with. He was quiet -in his ways, and his habits were regular. It was rare for him to be -up after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out -before I rose in the morning. Sometimes he spent his day at the chemical -laboratory, sometimes in the dissecting-rooms, and occasionally in long -walks, which appeared to take him into the lowest portions of the City. -Nothing could exceed his energy when the working fit was upon him; but -now and again a reaction would seize him, and for days on end he would -lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room, hardly uttering a word or moving -a muscle from morning to night. On these occasions I have noticed such -a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes, that I might have suspected him -of being addicted to the use of some narcotic, had not the temperance -and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion. - -As the weeks went by, my interest in him and my curiosity as to his -aims in life, gradually deepened and increased. His very person and -appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual -observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively -lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and -piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; -and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of -alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness -which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably -blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of -extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe -when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments. - -The reader may set me down as a hopeless busybody, when I confess how -much this man stimulated my curiosity, and how often I endeavoured -to break through the reticence which he showed on all that concerned -himself. Before pronouncing judgment, however, be it remembered, how -objectless was my life, and how little there was to engage my attention. -My health forbade me from venturing out unless the weather was -exceptionally genial, and I had no friends who would call upon me and -break the monotony of my daily existence. Under these circumstances, I -eagerly hailed the little mystery which hung around my companion, and -spent much of my time in endeavouring to unravel it. - -He was not studying medicine. He had himself, in reply to a question, -confirmed Stamford's opinion upon that point. Neither did he appear to -have pursued any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in -science or any other recognized portal which would give him an entrance -into the learned world. Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable, -and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample -and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me. Surely no man -would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some -definite end in view. Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the -exactness of their learning. No man burdens his mind with small matters -unless he has some very good reason for doing so. - -His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary -literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. -Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he -might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, -when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory -and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human -being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth -travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact -that I could hardly realize it. - -"You appear to be astonished," he said, smiling at my expression of -surprise. "Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it." - -"To forget it!" - -"You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is -like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture -as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he -comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets -crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that -he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman -is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will -have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of -these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It -is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can -distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every -addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is -of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing -out the useful ones." - -"But the Solar System!" I protested. - -"What the deuce is it to me?" he interrupted impatiently; "you say -that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a -pennyworth of difference to me or to my work." - -I was on the point of asking him what that work might be, but something -in his manner showed me that the question would be an unwelcome one. I -pondered over our short conversation, however, and endeavoured to draw -my deductions from it. He said that he would acquire no knowledge which -did not bear upon his object. Therefore all the knowledge which he -possessed was such as would be useful to him. I enumerated in my own -mind all the various points upon which he had shown me that he was -exceptionally well-informed. I even took a pencil and jotted them down. -I could not help smiling at the document when I had completed it. It ran -in this way-- - - -SHERLOCK HOLMES--his limits. - -1. Knowledge of Literature.--Nil. -2. Philosophy.--Nil. -3. Astronomy.--Nil. -4. Politics.--Feeble. -5. Botany.--Variable. - Well up in belladonna, - opium, and poisons generally. - Knows nothing of practical gardening. -6. Geology.--Practical, but limited. - Tells at a glance different soils - from each other. After walks has - shown me splashes upon his trousers, - and told me by their colour and - consistence in what part of London - he had received them. -7. Chemistry.--Profound. -8. Anatomy.--Accurate, but unsystematic. -9. Sensational Literature.--Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century. -10. Plays the violin well. -11. Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman. -12. Has a good practical knowledge of British law. - - -When I had got so far in my list I threw it into the fire in despair. -"If I can only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling all -these accomplishments, and discovering a calling which needs them all," -I said to myself, "I may as well give up the attempt at once." - -I see that I have alluded above to his powers upon the violin. These -were very remarkable, but as eccentric as all his other accomplishments. -That he could play pieces, and difficult pieces, I knew well, because -at my request he has played me some of Mendelssohn's Lieder, and other -favourites. When left to himself, however, he would seldom produce any -music or attempt any recognized air. Leaning back in his arm-chair of -an evening, he would close his eyes and scrape carelessly at the fiddle -which was thrown across his knee. Sometimes the chords were sonorous and -melancholy. Occasionally they were fantastic and cheerful. Clearly they -reflected the thoughts which possessed him, but whether the music aided -those thoughts, or whether the playing was simply the result of a whim -or fancy was more than I could determine. I might have rebelled against -these exasperating solos had it not been that he usually terminated them -by playing in quick succession a whole series of my favourite airs as a -slight compensation for the trial upon my patience. - -During the first week or so we had no callers, and I had begun to think -that my companion was as friendless a man as I was myself. Presently, -however, I found that he had many acquaintances, and those in the most -different classes of society. There was one little sallow rat-faced, -dark-eyed fellow who was introduced to me as Mr. Lestrade, and who came -three or four times in a single week. One morning a young girl called, -fashionably dressed, and stayed for half an hour or more. The same -afternoon brought a grey-headed, seedy visitor, looking like a Jew -pedlar, who appeared to me to be much excited, and who was closely -followed by a slip-shod elderly woman. On another occasion an old -white-haired gentleman had an interview with my companion; and on -another a railway porter in his velveteen uniform. When any of these -nondescript individuals put in an appearance, Sherlock Holmes used to -beg for the use of the sitting-room, and I would retire to my bed-room. -He always apologized to me for putting me to this inconvenience. "I have -to use this room as a place of business," he said, "and these people -are my clients." Again I had an opportunity of asking him a point blank -question, and again my delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to -confide in me. I imagined at the time that he had some strong reason for -not alluding to it, but he soon dispelled the idea by coming round to -the subject of his own accord. - -It was upon the 4th of March, as I have good reason to remember, that I -rose somewhat earlier than usual, and found that Sherlock Holmes had not -yet finished his breakfast. The landlady had become so accustomed to my -late habits that my place had not been laid nor my coffee prepared. With -the unreasonable petulance of mankind I rang the bell and gave a curt -intimation that I was ready. Then I picked up a magazine from the table -and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched -silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the -heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it. - -Its somewhat ambitious title was "The Book of Life," and it attempted to -show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic -examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a -remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was -close and intense, but the deductions appeared to me to be far-fetched -and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch -of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man's inmost thoughts. -Deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in the case of one -trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible -as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear -to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had -arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer. - -"From a drop of water," said the writer, "a logician could infer the -possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of -one or the other. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is -known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, -the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired -by long and patient study nor is life long enough to allow any mortal -to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to -those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest -difficulties, let the enquirer begin by mastering more elementary -problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to -distinguish the history of the man, and the trade or profession to -which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the -faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look -for. By a man's finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his -trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his -expression, by his shirt cuffs--by each of these things a man's calling -is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the -competent enquirer in any case is almost inconceivable." - -"What ineffable twaddle!" I cried, slapping the magazine down on the -table, "I never read such rubbish in my life." - -"What is it?" asked Sherlock Holmes. - -"Why, this article," I said, pointing at it with my egg spoon as I sat -down to my breakfast. "I see that you have read it since you have marked -it. I don't deny that it is smartly written. It irritates me though. It -is evidently the theory of some arm-chair lounger who evolves all these -neat little paradoxes in the seclusion of his own study. It is not -practical. I should like to see him clapped down in a third class -carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his -fellow-travellers. I would lay a thousand to one against him." - -"You would lose your money," Sherlock Holmes remarked calmly. "As for -the article I wrote it myself." - -"You!" - -"Yes, I have a turn both for observation and for deduction. The -theories which I have expressed there, and which appear to you to be so -chimerical are really extremely practical--so practical that I depend -upon them for my bread and cheese." - -"And how?" I asked involuntarily. - -"Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the -world. I'm a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is. -Here in London we have lots of Government detectives and lots of private -ones. When these fellows are at fault they come to me, and I manage to -put them on the right scent. They lay all the evidence before me, and I -am generally able, by the help of my knowledge of the history of -crime, to set them straight. There is a strong family resemblance about -misdeeds, and if you have all the details of a thousand at your finger -ends, it is odd if you can't unravel the thousand and first. Lestrade -is a well-known detective. He got himself into a fog recently over a -forgery case, and that was what brought him here." - -"And these other people?" - -"They are mostly sent on by private inquiry agencies. They are -all people who are in trouble about something, and want a little -enlightening. I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and -then I pocket my fee." - -"But do you mean to say," I said, "that without leaving your room you -can unravel some knot which other men can make nothing of, although they -have seen every detail for themselves?" - -"Quite so. I have a kind of intuition that way. Now and again a case -turns up which is a little more complex. Then I have to bustle about and -see things with my own eyes. You see I have a lot of special knowledge -which I apply to the problem, and which facilitates matters wonderfully. -Those rules of deduction laid down in that article which aroused your -scorn, are invaluable to me in practical work. Observation with me is -second nature. You appeared to be surprised when I told you, on our -first meeting, that you had come from Afghanistan." - -"You were told, no doubt." - -"Nothing of the sort. I _knew_ you came from Afghanistan. From long -habit the train of thoughts ran so swiftly through my mind, that I -arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps. -There were such steps, however. The train of reasoning ran, 'Here is a -gentleman of a medical type, but with the air of a military man. Clearly -an army doctor, then. He has just come from the tropics, for his face is -dark, and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are -fair. He has undergone hardship and sickness, as his haggard face says -clearly. His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and -unnatural manner. Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have -seen much hardship and got his arm wounded? Clearly in Afghanistan.' The -whole train of thought did not occupy a second. I then remarked that you -came from Afghanistan, and you were astonished." - -"It is simple enough as you explain it," I said, smiling. "You remind -me of Edgar Allen Poe's Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals did -exist outside of stories." - -Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. "No doubt you think that you are -complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin," he observed. "Now, in my -opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow. That trick of his of breaking -in on his friends' thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of -an hour's silence is really very showy and superficial. He had some -analytical genius, no doubt; but he was by no means such a phenomenon as -Poe appeared to imagine." - -"Have you read Gaboriau's works?" I asked. "Does Lecoq come up to your -idea of a detective?" - -Sherlock Holmes sniffed sardonically. "Lecoq was a miserable bungler," -he said, in an angry voice; "he had only one thing to recommend him, and -that was his energy. That book made me positively ill. The question was -how to identify an unknown prisoner. I could have done it in twenty-four -hours. Lecoq took six months or so. It might be made a text-book for -detectives to teach them what to avoid." - -I felt rather indignant at having two characters whom I had admired -treated in this cavalier style. I walked over to the window, and stood -looking out into the busy street. "This fellow may be very clever," I -said to myself, "but he is certainly very conceited." - -"There are no crimes and no criminals in these days," he said, -querulously. "What is the use of having brains in our profession. I know -well that I have it in me to make my name famous. No man lives or has -ever lived who has brought the same amount of study and of natural -talent to the detection of crime which I have done. And what is the -result? There is no crime to detect, or, at most, some bungling villainy -with a motive so transparent that even a Scotland Yard official can see -through it." - -I was still annoyed at his bumptious style of conversation. I thought it -best to change the topic. - -"I wonder what that fellow is looking for?" I asked, pointing to a -stalwart, plainly-dressed individual who was walking slowly down the -other side of the street, looking anxiously at the numbers. He had -a large blue envelope in his hand, and was evidently the bearer of a -message. - -"You mean the retired sergeant of Marines," said Sherlock Holmes. - -"Brag and bounce!" thought I to myself. "He knows that I cannot verify -his guess." - -The thought had hardly passed through my mind when the man whom we were -watching caught sight of the number on our door, and ran rapidly across -the roadway. We heard a loud knock, a deep voice below, and heavy steps -ascending the stair. - -"For Mr. Sherlock Holmes," he said, stepping into the room and handing -my friend the letter. - -Here was an opportunity of taking the conceit out of him. He little -thought of this when he made that random shot. "May I ask, my lad," I -said, in the blandest voice, "what your trade may be?" - -"Commissionaire, sir," he said, gruffly. "Uniform away for repairs." - -"And you were?" I asked, with a slightly malicious glance at my -companion. - -"A sergeant, sir, Royal Marine Light Infantry, sir. No answer? Right, -sir." - -He clicked his heels together, raised his hand in a salute, and was -gone. - - - - -CHAPTER III. THE LAURISTON GARDEN MYSTERY [6]_ -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -I CONFESS that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the -practical nature of my companion's theories. My respect for his powers -of analysis increased wondrously. There still remained some lurking -suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged -episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have -in taking me in was past my comprehension. When I looked at him he -had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, -lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction. - -"How in the world did you deduce that?" I asked. - -"Deduce what?" said he, petulantly. - -"Why, that he was a retired sergeant of Marines." - -"I have no time for trifles," he answered, brusquely; then with a smile, -"Excuse my rudeness. You broke the thread of my thoughts; but perhaps -it is as well. So you actually were not able to see that that man was a -sergeant of Marines?" - -"No, indeed." - -"It was easier to know it than to explain why I knew it. If you -were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some -difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact. Even across the -street I could see a great blue anchor tattooed on the back of the -fellow's hand. That smacked of the sea. He had a military carriage, -however, and regulation side whiskers. There we have the marine. He was -a man with some amount of self-importance and a certain air of command. -You must have observed the way in which he held his head and swung -his cane. A steady, respectable, middle-aged man, too, on the face of -him--all facts which led me to believe that he had been a sergeant." - -"Wonderful!" I ejaculated. - -"Commonplace," said Holmes, though I thought from his expression that he -was pleased at my evident surprise and admiration. "I said just now that -there were no criminals. It appears that I am wrong--look at this!" He -threw me over the note which the commissionaire had brought. [7]_ - -"Why," I cried, as I cast my eye over it, "this is terrible!" - -"It does seem to be a little out of the common," he remarked, calmly. -"Would you mind reading it to me aloud?" - -This is the letter which I read to him---- - - -"MY DEAR MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES,-- - -"There has been a bad business during the night at 3, Lauriston Gardens, -off the Brixton Road. Our man on the beat saw a light there about two in -the morning, and as the house was an empty one, suspected that something -was amiss. He found the door open, and in the front room, which is bare -of furniture, discovered the body of a gentleman, well dressed, and -having cards in his pocket bearing the name of 'Enoch J. Drebber, -Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.' There had been no robbery, nor is there any -evidence as to how the man met his death. There are marks of blood in -the room, but there is no wound upon his person. We are at a loss as to -how he came into the empty house; indeed, the whole affair is a puzzler. -If you can come round to the house any time before twelve, you will find -me there. I have left everything *in statu quo* until I hear from you. -If you are unable to come I shall give you fuller details, and would -esteem it a great kindness if you would favour me with your opinion. -Yours faithfully, - -"TOBIAS GREGSON." - - -"Gregson is the smartest of the Scotland Yarders," my friend remarked; -"he and Lestrade are the pick of a bad lot. They are both quick and -energetic, but conventional--shockingly so. They have their knives -into one another, too. They are as jealous as a pair of professional -beauties. There will be some fun over this case if they are both put -upon the scent." - -I was amazed at the calm way in which he rippled on. "Surely there is -not a moment to be lost," I cried, "shall I go and order you a cab?" - -"I'm not sure about whether I shall go. I am the most incurably lazy -devil that ever stood in shoe leather--that is, when the fit is on me, -for I can be spry enough at times." - -"Why, it is just such a chance as you have been longing for." - -"My dear fellow, what does it matter to me. Supposing I unravel the -whole matter, you may be sure that Gregson, Lestrade, and Co. will -pocket all the credit. That comes of being an unofficial personage." - -"But he begs you to help him." - -"Yes. He knows that I am his superior, and acknowledges it to me; but -he would cut his tongue out before he would own it to any third person. -However, we may as well go and have a look. I shall work it out on my -own hook. I may have a laugh at them if I have nothing else. Come on!" - -He hustled on his overcoat, and bustled about in a way that showed that -an energetic fit had superseded the apathetic one. - -"Get your hat," he said. - -"You wish me to come?" - -"Yes, if you have nothing better to do." A minute later we were both in -a hansom, driving furiously for the Brixton Road. - -It was a foggy, cloudy morning, and a dun-coloured veil hung over the -house-tops, looking like the reflection of the mud-coloured streets -beneath. My companion was in the best of spirits, and prattled away -about Cremona fiddles, and the difference between a Stradivarius and -an Amati. As for myself, I was silent, for the dull weather and the -melancholy business upon which we were engaged, depressed my spirits. - -"You don't seem to give much thought to the matter in hand," I said at -last, interrupting Holmes' musical disquisition. - -"No data yet," he answered. "It is a capital mistake to theorize before -you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment." - -"You will have your data soon," I remarked, pointing with my finger; -"this is the Brixton Road, and that is the house, if I am not very much -mistaken." - -"So it is. Stop, driver, stop!" We were still a hundred yards or so from -it, but he insisted upon our alighting, and we finished our journey upon -foot. - -Number 3, Lauriston Gardens wore an ill-omened and minatory look. It was -one of four which stood back some little way from the street, two being -occupied and two empty. The latter looked out with three tiers of vacant -melancholy windows, which were blank and dreary, save that here and -there a "To Let" card had developed like a cataract upon the bleared -panes. A small garden sprinkled over with a scattered eruption of sickly -plants separated each of these houses from the street, and was traversed -by a narrow pathway, yellowish in colour, and consisting apparently of a -mixture of clay and of gravel. The whole place was very sloppy from the -rain which had fallen through the night. The garden was bounded by a -three-foot brick wall with a fringe of wood rails upon the top, and -against this wall was leaning a stalwart police constable, surrounded by -a small knot of loafers, who craned their necks and strained their eyes -in the vain hope of catching some glimpse of the proceedings within. - -I had imagined that Sherlock Holmes would at once have hurried into the -house and plunged into a study of the mystery. Nothing appeared to be -further from his intention. With an air of nonchalance which, under the -circumstances, seemed to me to border upon affectation, he lounged up -and down the pavement, and gazed vacantly at the ground, the sky, the -opposite houses and the line of railings. Having finished his scrutiny, -he proceeded slowly down the path, or rather down the fringe of grass -which flanked the path, keeping his eyes riveted upon the ground. Twice -he stopped, and once I saw him smile, and heard him utter an exclamation -of satisfaction. There were many marks of footsteps upon the wet clayey -soil, but since the police had been coming and going over it, I was -unable to see how my companion could hope to learn anything from it. -Still I had had such extraordinary evidence of the quickness of his -perceptive faculties, that I had no doubt that he could see a great deal -which was hidden from me. - -At the door of the house we were met by a tall, white-faced, -flaxen-haired man, with a notebook in his hand, who rushed forward and -wrung my companion's hand with effusion. "It is indeed kind of you to -come," he said, "I have had everything left untouched." - -"Except that!" my friend answered, pointing at the pathway. "If a herd -of buffaloes had passed along there could not be a greater mess. No -doubt, however, you had drawn your own conclusions, Gregson, before you -permitted this." - -"I have had so much to do inside the house," the detective said -evasively. "My colleague, Mr. Lestrade, is here. I had relied upon him -to look after this." - -Holmes glanced at me and raised his eyebrows sardonically. "With two -such men as yourself and Lestrade upon the ground, there will not be -much for a third party to find out," he said. - -Gregson rubbed his hands in a self-satisfied way. "I think we have done -all that can be done," he answered; "it's a queer case though, and I -knew your taste for such things." - -"You did not come here in a cab?" asked Sherlock Holmes. - -"No, sir." - -"Nor Lestrade?" - -"No, sir." - -"Then let us go and look at the room." With which inconsequent remark he -strode on into the house, followed by Gregson, whose features expressed -his astonishment. - -A short passage, bare planked and dusty, led to the kitchen and offices. -Two doors opened out of it to the left and to the right. One of these -had obviously been closed for many weeks. The other belonged to the -dining-room, which was the apartment in which the mysterious affair had -occurred. Holmes walked in, and I followed him with that subdued feeling -at my heart which the presence of death inspires. - -It was a large square room, looking all the larger from the absence -of all furniture. A vulgar flaring paper adorned the walls, but it was -blotched in places with mildew, and here and there great strips had -become detached and hung down, exposing the yellow plaster beneath. -Opposite the door was a showy fireplace, surmounted by a mantelpiece of -imitation white marble. On one corner of this was stuck the stump of a -red wax candle. The solitary window was so dirty that the light was -hazy and uncertain, giving a dull grey tinge to everything, which was -intensified by the thick layer of dust which coated the whole apartment. - -All these details I observed afterwards. At present my attention was -centred upon the single grim motionless figure which lay stretched upon -the boards, with vacant sightless eyes staring up at the discoloured -ceiling. It was that of a man about forty-three or forty-four years of -age, middle-sized, broad shouldered, with crisp curling black hair, and -a short stubbly beard. He was dressed in a heavy broadcloth frock coat -and waistcoat, with light-coloured trousers, and immaculate collar -and cuffs. A top hat, well brushed and trim, was placed upon the floor -beside him. His hands were clenched and his arms thrown abroad, while -his lower limbs were interlocked as though his death struggle had been a -grievous one. On his rigid face there stood an expression of horror, -and as it seemed to me, of hatred, such as I have never seen upon human -features. This malignant and terrible contortion, combined with the low -forehead, blunt nose, and prognathous jaw gave the dead man a singularly -simious and ape-like appearance, which was increased by his writhing, -unnatural posture. I have seen death in many forms, but never has -it appeared to me in a more fearsome aspect than in that dark grimy -apartment, which looked out upon one of the main arteries of suburban -London. - -Lestrade, lean and ferret-like as ever, was standing by the doorway, and -greeted my companion and myself. - -"This case will make a stir, sir," he remarked. "It beats anything I -have seen, and I am no chicken." - -"There is no clue?" said Gregson. - -"None at all," chimed in Lestrade. - -Sherlock Holmes approached the body, and, kneeling down, examined it -intently. "You are sure that there is no wound?" he asked, pointing to -numerous gouts and splashes of blood which lay all round. - -"Positive!" cried both detectives. - -"Then, of course, this blood belongs to a second individual--[8]_ -presumably the murderer, if murder has been committed. It reminds me of -the circumstances attendant on the death of Van Jansen, in Utrecht, in -the year '34. Do you remember the case, Gregson?" - -"No, sir." - -"Read it up--you really should. There is nothing new under the sun. It -has all been done before." - -As he spoke, his nimble fingers were flying here, there, and everywhere, -feeling, pressing, unbuttoning, examining, while his eyes wore the same -far-away expression which I have already remarked upon. So swiftly was -the examination made, that one would hardly have guessed the minuteness -with which it was conducted. Finally, he sniffed the dead man's lips, -and then glanced at the soles of his patent leather boots. - -"He has not been moved at all?" he asked. - -"No more than was necessary for the purposes of our examination." - -"You can take him to the mortuary now," he said. "There is nothing more -to be learned." - -Gregson had a stretcher and four men at hand. At his call they entered -the room, and the stranger was lifted and carried out. As they raised -him, a ring tinkled down and rolled across the floor. Lestrade grabbed -it up and stared at it with mystified eyes. - -"There's been a woman here," he cried. "It's a woman's wedding-ring." - -He held it out, as he spoke, upon the palm of his hand. We all gathered -round him and gazed at it. There could be no doubt that that circlet of -plain gold had once adorned the finger of a bride. - -"This complicates matters," said Gregson. "Heaven knows, they were -complicated enough before." - -"You're sure it doesn't simplify them?" observed Holmes. "There's -nothing to be learned by staring at it. What did you find in his -pockets?" - -"We have it all here," said Gregson, pointing to a litter of objects -upon one of the bottom steps of the stairs. "A gold watch, No. 97163, by -Barraud, of London. Gold Albert chain, very heavy and solid. Gold ring, -with masonic device. Gold pin--bull-dog's head, with rubies as eyes. -Russian leather card-case, with cards of Enoch J. Drebber of Cleveland, -corresponding with the E. J. D. upon the linen. No purse, but loose -money to the extent of seven pounds thirteen. Pocket edition of -Boccaccio's 'Decameron,' with name of Joseph Stangerson upon the -fly-leaf. Two letters--one addressed to E. J. Drebber and one to Joseph -Stangerson." - -"At what address?" - -"American Exchange, Strand--to be left till called for. They are both -from the Guion Steamship Company, and refer to the sailing of their -boats from Liverpool. It is clear that this unfortunate man was about to -return to New York." - -"Have you made any inquiries as to this man, Stangerson?" - -"I did it at once, sir," said Gregson. "I have had advertisements -sent to all the newspapers, and one of my men has gone to the American -Exchange, but he has not returned yet." - -"Have you sent to Cleveland?" - -"We telegraphed this morning." - -"How did you word your inquiries?" - -"We simply detailed the circumstances, and said that we should be glad -of any information which could help us." - -"You did not ask for particulars on any point which appeared to you to -be crucial?" - -"I asked about Stangerson." - -"Nothing else? Is there no circumstance on which this whole case appears -to hinge? Will you not telegraph again?" - -"I have said all I have to say," said Gregson, in an offended voice. - -Sherlock Holmes chuckled to himself, and appeared to be about to make -some remark, when Lestrade, who had been in the front room while we -were holding this conversation in the hall, reappeared upon the scene, -rubbing his hands in a pompous and self-satisfied manner. - -"Mr. Gregson," he said, "I have just made a discovery of the highest -importance, and one which would have been overlooked had I not made a -careful examination of the walls." - -The little man's eyes sparkled as he spoke, and he was evidently in -a state of suppressed exultation at having scored a point against his -colleague. - -"Come here," he said, bustling back into the room, the atmosphere of -which felt clearer since the removal of its ghastly inmate. "Now, stand -there!" - -He struck a match on his boot and held it up against the wall. - -"Look at that!" he said, triumphantly. - -I have remarked that the paper had fallen away in parts. In this -particular corner of the room a large piece had peeled off, leaving a -yellow square of coarse plastering. Across this bare space there was -scrawled in blood-red letters a single word-- - - RACHE. - - -"What do you think of that?" cried the detective, with the air of a -showman exhibiting his show. "This was overlooked because it was in the -darkest corner of the room, and no one thought of looking there. The -murderer has written it with his or her own blood. See this smear where -it has trickled down the wall! That disposes of the idea of suicide -anyhow. Why was that corner chosen to write it on? I will tell you. See -that candle on the mantelpiece. It was lit at the time, and if it was -lit this corner would be the brightest instead of the darkest portion of -the wall." - -"And what does it mean now that you _have_ found it?" asked Gregson in a -depreciatory voice. - -"Mean? Why, it means that the writer was going to put the female name -Rachel, but was disturbed before he or she had time to finish. You mark -my words, when this case comes to be cleared up you will find that a -woman named Rachel has something to do with it. It's all very well for -you to laugh, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. You may be very smart and clever, but -the old hound is the best, when all is said and done." - -"I really beg your pardon!" said my companion, who had ruffled the -little man's temper by bursting into an explosion of laughter. "You -certainly have the credit of being the first of us to find this out, -and, as you say, it bears every mark of having been written by the other -participant in last night's mystery. I have not had time to examine this -room yet, but with your permission I shall do so now." - -As he spoke, he whipped a tape measure and a large round magnifying -glass from his pocket. With these two implements he trotted noiselessly -about the room, sometimes stopping, occasionally kneeling, and once -lying flat upon his face. So engrossed was he with his occupation that -he appeared to have forgotten our presence, for he chattered away to -himself under his breath the whole time, keeping up a running fire -of exclamations, groans, whistles, and little cries suggestive of -encouragement and of hope. As I watched him I was irresistibly reminded -of a pure-blooded well-trained foxhound as it dashes backwards and -forwards through the covert, whining in its eagerness, until it comes -across the lost scent. For twenty minutes or more he continued his -researches, measuring with the most exact care the distance between -marks which were entirely invisible to me, and occasionally applying his -tape to the walls in an equally incomprehensible manner. In one place -he gathered up very carefully a little pile of grey dust from the floor, -and packed it away in an envelope. Finally, he examined with his glass -the word upon the wall, going over every letter of it with the most -minute exactness. This done, he appeared to be satisfied, for he -replaced his tape and his glass in his pocket. - -"They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," he -remarked with a smile. "It's a very bad definition, but it does apply to -detective work." - -Gregson and Lestrade had watched the manoeuvres [9]_ of their amateur -companion with considerable curiosity and some contempt. They evidently -failed to appreciate the fact, which I had begun to realize, that -Sherlock Holmes' smallest actions were all directed towards some -definite and practical end. - -"What do you think of it, sir?" they both asked. - -"It would be robbing you of the credit of the case if I was to presume -to help you," remarked my friend. "You are doing so well now that it -would be a pity for anyone to interfere." There was a world of -sarcasm in his voice as he spoke. "If you will let me know how your -investigations go," he continued, "I shall be happy to give you any help -I can. In the meantime I should like to speak to the constable who found -the body. Can you give me his name and address?" - -Lestrade glanced at his note-book. "John Rance," he said. "He is off -duty now. You will find him at 46, Audley Court, Kennington Park Gate." - -Holmes took a note of the address. - -"Come along, Doctor," he said; "we shall go and look him up. I'll tell -you one thing which may help you in the case," he continued, turning to -the two detectives. "There has been murder done, and the murderer was a -man. He was more than six feet high, was in the prime of life, had -small feet for his height, wore coarse, square-toed boots and smoked a -Trichinopoly cigar. He came here with his victim in a four-wheeled cab, -which was drawn by a horse with three old shoes and one new one on his -off fore leg. In all probability the murderer had a florid face, and the -finger-nails of his right hand were remarkably long. These are only a -few indications, but they may assist you." - -Lestrade and Gregson glanced at each other with an incredulous smile. - -"If this man was murdered, how was it done?" asked the former. - -"Poison," said Sherlock Holmes curtly, and strode off. "One other thing, -Lestrade," he added, turning round at the door: "'Rache,' is the German -for 'revenge;' so don't lose your time looking for Miss Rachel." - -With which Parthian shot he walked away, leaving the two rivals -open-mouthed behind him. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. WHAT JOHN RANCE HAD TO TELL. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -IT was one o'clock when we left No. 3, Lauriston Gardens. Sherlock -Holmes led me to the nearest telegraph office, whence he dispatched a -long telegram. He then hailed a cab, and ordered the driver to take us -to the address given us by Lestrade. - -"There is nothing like first hand evidence," he remarked; "as a matter -of fact, my mind is entirely made up upon the case, but still we may as -well learn all that is to be learned." - -"You amaze me, Holmes," said I. "Surely you are not as sure as you -pretend to be of all those particulars which you gave." - -"There's no room for a mistake," he answered. "The very first thing -which I observed on arriving there was that a cab had made two ruts with -its wheels close to the curb. Now, up to last night, we have had no rain -for a week, so that those wheels which left such a deep impression must -have been there during the night. There were the marks of the horse's -hoofs, too, the outline of one of which was far more clearly cut than -that of the other three, showing that that was a new shoe. Since the cab -was there after the rain began, and was not there at any time during the -morning--I have Gregson's word for that--it follows that it must have -been there during the night, and, therefore, that it brought those two -individuals to the house." - -"That seems simple enough," said I; "but how about the other man's -height?" - -"Why, the height of a man, in nine cases out of ten, can be told from -the length of his stride. It is a simple calculation enough, though -there is no use my boring you with figures. I had this fellow's stride -both on the clay outside and on the dust within. Then I had a way of -checking my calculation. When a man writes on a wall, his instinct leads -him to write about the level of his own eyes. Now that writing was just -over six feet from the ground. It was child's play." - -"And his age?" I asked. - -"Well, if a man can stride four and a-half feet without the smallest -effort, he can't be quite in the sere and yellow. That was the breadth -of a puddle on the garden walk which he had evidently walked across. -Patent-leather boots had gone round, and Square-toes had hopped over. -There is no mystery about it at all. I am simply applying to ordinary -life a few of those precepts of observation and deduction which I -advocated in that article. Is there anything else that puzzles you?" - -"The finger nails and the Trichinopoly," I suggested. - -"The writing on the wall was done with a man's forefinger dipped in -blood. My glass allowed me to observe that the plaster was slightly -scratched in doing it, which would not have been the case if the man's -nail had been trimmed. I gathered up some scattered ash from the floor. -It was dark in colour and flakey--such an ash as is only made by a -Trichinopoly. I have made a special study of cigar ashes--in fact, I -have written a monograph upon the subject. I flatter myself that I can -distinguish at a glance the ash of any known brand, either of cigar -or of tobacco. It is just in such details that the skilled detective -differs from the Gregson and Lestrade type." - -"And the florid face?" I asked. - -"Ah, that was a more daring shot, though I have no doubt that I was -right. You must not ask me that at the present state of the affair." - -I passed my hand over my brow. "My head is in a whirl," I remarked; "the -more one thinks of it the more mysterious it grows. How came these two -men--if there were two men--into an empty house? What has become of the -cabman who drove them? How could one man compel another to take poison? -Where did the blood come from? What was the object of the murderer, -since robbery had no part in it? How came the woman's ring there? Above -all, why should the second man write up the German word RACHE before -decamping? I confess that I cannot see any possible way of reconciling -all these facts." - -My companion smiled approvingly. - -"You sum up the difficulties of the situation succinctly and well," he -said. "There is much that is still obscure, though I have quite made up -my mind on the main facts. As to poor Lestrade's discovery it was simply -a blind intended to put the police upon a wrong track, by suggesting -Socialism and secret societies. It was not done by a German. The A, if -you noticed, was printed somewhat after the German fashion. Now, a real -German invariably prints in the Latin character, so that we may safely -say that this was not written by one, but by a clumsy imitator who -overdid his part. It was simply a ruse to divert inquiry into a wrong -channel. I'm not going to tell you much more of the case, Doctor. You -know a conjuror gets no credit when once he has explained his trick, -and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the -conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all." - -"I shall never do that," I answered; "you have brought detection as near -an exact science as it ever will be brought in this world." - -My companion flushed up with pleasure at my words, and the earnest way -in which I uttered them. I had already observed that he was as sensitive -to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty. - -"I'll tell you one other thing," he said. "Patent leathers [10]_ and -Square-toes came in the same cab, and they walked down the pathway -together as friendly as possible--arm-in-arm, in all probability. -When they got inside they walked up and down the room--or rather, -Patent-leathers stood still while Square-toes walked up and down. I -could read all that in the dust; and I could read that as he walked he -grew more and more excited. That is shown by the increased length of his -strides. He was talking all the while, and working himself up, no doubt, -into a fury. Then the tragedy occurred. I've told you all I know myself -now, for the rest is mere surmise and conjecture. We have a good working -basis, however, on which to start. We must hurry up, for I want to go to -Halle's concert to hear Norman Neruda this afternoon." - -This conversation had occurred while our cab had been threading its way -through a long succession of dingy streets and dreary by-ways. In the -dingiest and dreariest of them our driver suddenly came to a stand. -"That's Audley Court in there," he said, pointing to a narrow slit in -the line of dead-coloured brick. "You'll find me here when you come -back." - -Audley Court was not an attractive locality. The narrow passage led us -into a quadrangle paved with flags and lined by sordid dwellings. We -picked our way among groups of dirty children, and through lines of -discoloured linen, until we came to Number 46, the door of which -was decorated with a small slip of brass on which the name Rance was -engraved. On enquiry we found that the constable was in bed, and we were -shown into a little front parlour to await his coming. - -He appeared presently, looking a little irritable at being disturbed in -his slumbers. "I made my report at the office," he said. - -Holmes took a half-sovereign from his pocket and played with it -pensively. "We thought that we should like to hear it all from your own -lips," he said. - -"I shall be most happy to tell you anything I can," the constable -answered with his eyes upon the little golden disk. - -"Just let us hear it all in your own way as it occurred." - -Rance sat down on the horsehair sofa, and knitted his brows as though -determined not to omit anything in his narrative. - -"I'll tell it ye from the beginning," he said. "My time is from ten at -night to six in the morning. At eleven there was a fight at the 'White -Hart'; but bar that all was quiet enough on the beat. At one o'clock it -began to rain, and I met Harry Murcher--him who has the Holland Grove -beat--and we stood together at the corner of Henrietta Street a-talkin'. -Presently--maybe about two or a little after--I thought I would take -a look round and see that all was right down the Brixton Road. It was -precious dirty and lonely. Not a soul did I meet all the way down, -though a cab or two went past me. I was a strollin' down, thinkin' -between ourselves how uncommon handy a four of gin hot would be, when -suddenly the glint of a light caught my eye in the window of that same -house. Now, I knew that them two houses in Lauriston Gardens was empty -on account of him that owns them who won't have the drains seen to, -though the very last tenant what lived in one of them died o' typhoid -fever. I was knocked all in a heap therefore at seeing a light in -the window, and I suspected as something was wrong. When I got to the -door----" - -"You stopped, and then walked back to the garden gate," my companion -interrupted. "What did you do that for?" - -Rance gave a violent jump, and stared at Sherlock Holmes with the utmost -amazement upon his features. - -"Why, that's true, sir," he said; "though how you come to know it, -Heaven only knows. Ye see, when I got up to the door it was so still and -so lonesome, that I thought I'd be none the worse for some one with me. -I ain't afeared of anything on this side o' the grave; but I thought -that maybe it was him that died o' the typhoid inspecting the drains -what killed him. The thought gave me a kind o' turn, and I walked back -to the gate to see if I could see Murcher's lantern, but there wasn't no -sign of him nor of anyone else." - -"There was no one in the street?" - -"Not a livin' soul, sir, nor as much as a dog. Then I pulled myself -together and went back and pushed the door open. All was quiet inside, -so I went into the room where the light was a-burnin'. There was a -candle flickerin' on the mantelpiece--a red wax one--and by its light I -saw----" - -"Yes, I know all that you saw. You walked round the room several times, -and you knelt down by the body, and then you walked through and tried -the kitchen door, and then----" - -John Rance sprang to his feet with a frightened face and suspicion in -his eyes. "Where was you hid to see all that?" he cried. "It seems to me -that you knows a deal more than you should." - -Holmes laughed and threw his card across the table to the constable. -"Don't get arresting me for the murder," he said. "I am one of the -hounds and not the wolf; Mr. Gregson or Mr. Lestrade will answer for -that. Go on, though. What did you do next?" - -Rance resumed his seat, without however losing his mystified expression. -"I went back to the gate and sounded my whistle. That brought Murcher -and two more to the spot." - -"Was the street empty then?" - -"Well, it was, as far as anybody that could be of any good goes." - -"What do you mean?" - -The constable's features broadened into a grin. "I've seen many a drunk -chap in my time," he said, "but never anyone so cryin' drunk as -that cove. He was at the gate when I came out, a-leanin' up agin the -railings, and a-singin' at the pitch o' his lungs about Columbine's -New-fangled Banner, or some such stuff. He couldn't stand, far less -help." - -"What sort of a man was he?" asked Sherlock Holmes. - -John Rance appeared to be somewhat irritated at this digression. "He was -an uncommon drunk sort o' man," he said. "He'd ha' found hisself in the -station if we hadn't been so took up." - -"His face--his dress--didn't you notice them?" Holmes broke in -impatiently. - -"I should think I did notice them, seeing that I had to prop him up--me -and Murcher between us. He was a long chap, with a red face, the lower -part muffled round----" - -"That will do," cried Holmes. "What became of him?" - -"We'd enough to do without lookin' after him," the policeman said, in an -aggrieved voice. "I'll wager he found his way home all right." - -"How was he dressed?" - -"A brown overcoat." - -"Had he a whip in his hand?" - -"A whip--no." - -"He must have left it behind," muttered my companion. "You didn't happen -to see or hear a cab after that?" - -"No." - -"There's a half-sovereign for you," my companion said, standing up and -taking his hat. "I am afraid, Rance, that you will never rise in the -force. That head of yours should be for use as well as ornament. You -might have gained your sergeant's stripes last night. The man whom you -held in your hands is the man who holds the clue of this mystery, and -whom we are seeking. There is no use of arguing about it now; I tell you -that it is so. Come along, Doctor." - -We started off for the cab together, leaving our informant incredulous, -but obviously uncomfortable. - -"The blundering fool," Holmes said, bitterly, as we drove back to our -lodgings. "Just to think of his having such an incomparable bit of good -luck, and not taking advantage of it." - -"I am rather in the dark still. It is true that the description of this -man tallies with your idea of the second party in this mystery. But why -should he come back to the house after leaving it? That is not the way -of criminals." - -"The ring, man, the ring: that was what he came back for. If we have no -other way of catching him, we can always bait our line with the ring. I -shall have him, Doctor--I'll lay you two to one that I have him. I must -thank you for it all. I might not have gone but for you, and so have -missed the finest study I ever came across: a study in scarlet, eh? -Why shouldn't we use a little art jargon. There's the scarlet thread of -murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is -to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it. And now -for lunch, and then for Norman Neruda. Her attack and her bowing -are splendid. What's that little thing of Chopin's she plays so -magnificently: Tra-la-la-lira-lira-lay." - -Leaning back in the cab, this amateur bloodhound carolled away like a -lark while I meditated upon the many-sidedness of the human mind. - - - - -CHAPTER V. OUR ADVERTISEMENT BRINGS A VISITOR. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -OUR morning's exertions had been too much for my weak health, and I was -tired out in the afternoon. After Holmes' departure for the concert, I -lay down upon the sofa and endeavoured to get a couple of hours' sleep. -It was a useless attempt. My mind had been too much excited by all that -had occurred, and the strangest fancies and surmises crowded into -it. Every time that I closed my eyes I saw before me the distorted -baboon-like countenance of the murdered man. So sinister was the -impression which that face had produced upon me that I found it -difficult to feel anything but gratitude for him who had removed its -owner from the world. If ever human features bespoke vice of the most -malignant type, they were certainly those of Enoch J. Drebber, of -Cleveland. Still I recognized that justice must be done, and that the -depravity of the victim was no condonment [11]_ in the eyes of the law. - -The more I thought of it the more extraordinary did my companion's -hypothesis, that the man had been poisoned, appear. I remembered how he -had sniffed his lips, and had no doubt that he had detected something -which had given rise to the idea. Then, again, if not poison, what -had caused the man's death, since there was neither wound nor marks of -strangulation? But, on the other hand, whose blood was that which lay so -thickly upon the floor? There were no signs of a struggle, nor had the -victim any weapon with which he might have wounded an antagonist. As -long as all these questions were unsolved, I felt that sleep would be -no easy matter, either for Holmes or myself. His quiet self-confident -manner convinced me that he had already formed a theory which explained -all the facts, though what it was I could not for an instant conjecture. - -He was very late in returning--so late, that I knew that the concert -could not have detained him all the time. Dinner was on the table before -he appeared. - -"It was magnificent," he said, as he took his seat. "Do you remember -what Darwin says about music? He claims that the power of producing and -appreciating it existed among the human race long before the power of -speech was arrived at. Perhaps that is why we are so subtly influenced -by it. There are vague memories in our souls of those misty centuries -when the world was in its childhood." - -"That's rather a broad idea," I remarked. - -"One's ideas must be as broad as Nature if they are to interpret -Nature," he answered. "What's the matter? You're not looking quite -yourself. This Brixton Road affair has upset you." - -"To tell the truth, it has," I said. "I ought to be more case-hardened -after my Afghan experiences. I saw my own comrades hacked to pieces at -Maiwand without losing my nerve." - -"I can understand. There is a mystery about this which stimulates the -imagination; where there is no imagination there is no horror. Have you -seen the evening paper?" - -"No." - -"It gives a fairly good account of the affair. It does not mention the -fact that when the man was raised up, a woman's wedding ring fell upon -the floor. It is just as well it does not." - -"Why?" - -"Look at this advertisement," he answered. "I had one sent to every -paper this morning immediately after the affair." - -He threw the paper across to me and I glanced at the place indicated. It -was the first announcement in the "Found" column. "In Brixton Road, -this morning," it ran, "a plain gold wedding ring, found in the roadway -between the 'White Hart' Tavern and Holland Grove. Apply Dr. Watson, -221B, Baker Street, between eight and nine this evening." - -"Excuse my using your name," he said. "If I used my own some of these -dunderheads would recognize it, and want to meddle in the affair." - -"That is all right," I answered. "But supposing anyone applies, I have -no ring." - -"Oh yes, you have," said he, handing me one. "This will do very well. It -is almost a facsimile." - -"And who do you expect will answer this advertisement." - -"Why, the man in the brown coat--our florid friend with the square toes. -If he does not come himself he will send an accomplice." - -"Would he not consider it as too dangerous?" - -"Not at all. If my view of the case is correct, and I have every reason -to believe that it is, this man would rather risk anything than lose the -ring. According to my notion he dropped it while stooping over Drebber's -body, and did not miss it at the time. After leaving the house he -discovered his loss and hurried back, but found the police already in -possession, owing to his own folly in leaving the candle burning. He had -to pretend to be drunk in order to allay the suspicions which might have -been aroused by his appearance at the gate. Now put yourself in that -man's place. On thinking the matter over, it must have occurred to him -that it was possible that he had lost the ring in the road after leaving -the house. What would he do, then? He would eagerly look out for the -evening papers in the hope of seeing it among the articles found. His -eye, of course, would light upon this. He would be overjoyed. Why should -he fear a trap? There would be no reason in his eyes why the finding -of the ring should be connected with the murder. He would come. He will -come. You shall see him within an hour?" - -"And then?" I asked. - -"Oh, you can leave me to deal with him then. Have you any arms?" - -"I have my old service revolver and a few cartridges." - -"You had better clean it and load it. He will be a desperate man, -and though I shall take him unawares, it is as well to be ready for -anything." - -I went to my bedroom and followed his advice. When I returned with -the pistol the table had been cleared, and Holmes was engaged in his -favourite occupation of scraping upon his violin. - -"The plot thickens," he said, as I entered; "I have just had an answer -to my American telegram. My view of the case is the correct one." - -"And that is?" I asked eagerly. - -"My fiddle would be the better for new strings," he remarked. "Put your -pistol in your pocket. When the fellow comes speak to him in an ordinary -way. Leave the rest to me. Don't frighten him by looking at him too -hard." - -"It is eight o'clock now," I said, glancing at my watch. - -"Yes. He will probably be here in a few minutes. Open the door slightly. -That will do. Now put the key on the inside. Thank you! This is a -queer old book I picked up at a stall yesterday--'De Jure inter -Gentes'--published in Latin at Liege in the Lowlands, in 1642. Charles' -head was still firm on his shoulders when this little brown-backed -volume was struck off." - -"Who is the printer?" - -"Philippe de Croy, whoever he may have been. On the fly-leaf, in very -faded ink, is written 'Ex libris Guliolmi Whyte.' I wonder who William -Whyte was. Some pragmatical seventeenth century lawyer, I suppose. His -writing has a legal twist about it. Here comes our man, I think." - -As he spoke there was a sharp ring at the bell. Sherlock Holmes rose -softly and moved his chair in the direction of the door. We heard the -servant pass along the hall, and the sharp click of the latch as she -opened it. - -"Does Dr. Watson live here?" asked a clear but rather harsh voice. We -could not hear the servant's reply, but the door closed, and some one -began to ascend the stairs. The footfall was an uncertain and shuffling -one. A look of surprise passed over the face of my companion as he -listened to it. It came slowly along the passage, and there was a feeble -tap at the door. - -"Come in," I cried. - -At my summons, instead of the man of violence whom we expected, a very -old and wrinkled woman hobbled into the apartment. She appeared to be -dazzled by the sudden blaze of light, and after dropping a curtsey, she -stood blinking at us with her bleared eyes and fumbling in her pocket -with nervous, shaky fingers. I glanced at my companion, and his face -had assumed such a disconsolate expression that it was all I could do to -keep my countenance. - -The old crone drew out an evening paper, and pointed at our -advertisement. "It's this as has brought me, good gentlemen," she said, -dropping another curtsey; "a gold wedding ring in the Brixton Road. It -belongs to my girl Sally, as was married only this time twelvemonth, -which her husband is steward aboard a Union boat, and what he'd say if -he come 'ome and found her without her ring is more than I can think, he -being short enough at the best o' times, but more especially when he -has the drink. If it please you, she went to the circus last night along -with----" - -"Is that her ring?" I asked. - -"The Lord be thanked!" cried the old woman; "Sally will be a glad woman -this night. That's the ring." - -"And what may your address be?" I inquired, taking up a pencil. - -"13, Duncan Street, Houndsditch. A weary way from here." - -"The Brixton Road does not lie between any circus and Houndsditch," said -Sherlock Holmes sharply. - -The old woman faced round and looked keenly at him from her little -red-rimmed eyes. "The gentleman asked me for _my_ address," she said. -"Sally lives in lodgings at 3, Mayfield Place, Peckham." - -"And your name is----?" - -"My name is Sawyer--her's is Dennis, which Tom Dennis married her--and -a smart, clean lad, too, as long as he's at sea, and no steward in the -company more thought of; but when on shore, what with the women and what -with liquor shops----" - -"Here is your ring, Mrs. Sawyer," I interrupted, in obedience to a sign -from my companion; "it clearly belongs to your daughter, and I am glad -to be able to restore it to the rightful owner." - -With many mumbled blessings and protestations of gratitude the old crone -packed it away in her pocket, and shuffled off down the stairs. Sherlock -Holmes sprang to his feet the moment that she was gone and rushed into -his room. He returned in a few seconds enveloped in an ulster and -a cravat. "I'll follow her," he said, hurriedly; "she must be an -accomplice, and will lead me to him. Wait up for me." The hall door had -hardly slammed behind our visitor before Holmes had descended the stair. -Looking through the window I could see her walking feebly along the -other side, while her pursuer dogged her some little distance behind. -"Either his whole theory is incorrect," I thought to myself, "or else he -will be led now to the heart of the mystery." There was no need for him -to ask me to wait up for him, for I felt that sleep was impossible until -I heard the result of his adventure. - -It was close upon nine when he set out. I had no idea how long he might -be, but I sat stolidly puffing at my pipe and skipping over the pages -of Henri Murger's "Vie de Bohème." Ten o'clock passed, and I heard the -footsteps of the maid as they pattered off to bed. Eleven, and the -more stately tread of the landlady passed my door, bound for the same -destination. It was close upon twelve before I heard the sharp sound of -his latch-key. The instant he entered I saw by his face that he had not -been successful. Amusement and chagrin seemed to be struggling for the -mastery, until the former suddenly carried the day, and he burst into a -hearty laugh. - -"I wouldn't have the Scotland Yarders know it for the world," he cried, -dropping into his chair; "I have chaffed them so much that they would -never have let me hear the end of it. I can afford to laugh, because I -know that I will be even with them in the long run." - -"What is it then?" I asked. - -"Oh, I don't mind telling a story against myself. That creature had -gone a little way when she began to limp and show every sign of being -foot-sore. Presently she came to a halt, and hailed a four-wheeler which -was passing. I managed to be close to her so as to hear the address, but -I need not have been so anxious, for she sang it out loud enough to -be heard at the other side of the street, 'Drive to 13, Duncan Street, -Houndsditch,' she cried. This begins to look genuine, I thought, and -having seen her safely inside, I perched myself behind. That's an art -which every detective should be an expert at. Well, away we rattled, and -never drew rein until we reached the street in question. I hopped off -before we came to the door, and strolled down the street in an easy, -lounging way. I saw the cab pull up. The driver jumped down, and I saw -him open the door and stand expectantly. Nothing came out though. When -I reached him he was groping about frantically in the empty cab, and -giving vent to the finest assorted collection of oaths that ever I -listened to. There was no sign or trace of his passenger, and I fear it -will be some time before he gets his fare. On inquiring at Number 13 -we found that the house belonged to a respectable paperhanger, named -Keswick, and that no one of the name either of Sawyer or Dennis had ever -been heard of there." - -"You don't mean to say," I cried, in amazement, "that that tottering, -feeble old woman was able to get out of the cab while it was in motion, -without either you or the driver seeing her?" - -"Old woman be damned!" said Sherlock Holmes, sharply. "We were the old -women to be so taken in. It must have been a young man, and an -active one, too, besides being an incomparable actor. The get-up was -inimitable. He saw that he was followed, no doubt, and used this means -of giving me the slip. It shows that the man we are after is not as -lonely as I imagined he was, but has friends who are ready to risk -something for him. Now, Doctor, you are looking done-up. Take my advice -and turn in." - -I was certainly feeling very weary, so I obeyed his injunction. I -left Holmes seated in front of the smouldering fire, and long into the -watches of the night I heard the low, melancholy wailings of his violin, -and knew that he was still pondering over the strange problem which he -had set himself to unravel. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. TOBIAS GREGSON SHOWS WHAT HE CAN DO. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -THE papers next day were full of the "Brixton Mystery," as they termed -it. Each had a long account of the affair, and some had leaders upon it -in addition. There was some information in them which was new to me. I -still retain in my scrap-book numerous clippings and extracts bearing -upon the case. Here is a condensation of a few of them:-- - -The *Daily Telegraph* remarked that in the history of crime there had -seldom been a tragedy which presented stranger features. The German -name of the victim, the absence of all other motive, and the sinister -inscription on the wall, all pointed to its perpetration by political -refugees and revolutionists. The Socialists had many branches in -America, and the deceased had, no doubt, infringed their unwritten laws, -and been tracked down by them. After alluding airily to the Vehmgericht, -aqua tofana, Carbonari, the Marchioness de Brinvilliers, the Darwinian -theory, the principles of Malthus, and the Ratcliff Highway murders, the -article concluded by admonishing the Government and advocating a closer -watch over foreigners in England. - -The _Standard_ commented upon the fact that lawless outrages of the sort -usually occurred under a Liberal Administration. They arose from the -unsettling of the minds of the masses, and the consequent weakening -of all authority. The deceased was an American gentleman who had -been residing for some weeks in the Metropolis. He had stayed at the -boarding-house of Madame Charpentier, in Torquay Terrace, Camberwell. -He was accompanied in his travels by his private secretary, Mr. Joseph -Stangerson. The two bade adieu to their landlady upon Tuesday, the -4th inst., and departed to Euston Station with the avowed intention of -catching the Liverpool express. They were afterwards seen together upon -the platform. Nothing more is known of them until Mr. Drebber's body -was, as recorded, discovered in an empty house in the Brixton Road, -many miles from Euston. How he came there, or how he met his fate, are -questions which are still involved in mystery. Nothing is known of the -whereabouts of Stangerson. We are glad to learn that Mr. Lestrade and -Mr. Gregson, of Scotland Yard, are both engaged upon the case, and it -is confidently anticipated that these well-known officers will speedily -throw light upon the matter. - -The *Daily News* observed that there was no doubt as to the crime being -a political one. The despotism and hatred of Liberalism which animated -the Continental Governments had had the effect of driving to our shores -a number of men who might have made excellent citizens were they not -soured by the recollection of all that they had undergone. Among these -men there was a stringent code of honour, any infringement of which was -punished by death. Every effort should be made to find the secretary, -Stangerson, and to ascertain some particulars of the habits of the -deceased. A great step had been gained by the discovery of the address -of the house at which he had boarded--a result which was entirely due to -the acuteness and energy of Mr. Gregson of Scotland Yard. - -Sherlock Holmes and I read these notices over together at breakfast, and -they appeared to afford him considerable amusement. - -"I told you that, whatever happened, Lestrade and Gregson would be sure -to score." - -"That depends on how it turns out." - -"Oh, bless you, it doesn't matter in the least. If the man is caught, it -will be *on account* of their exertions; if he escapes, it will be *in -spite* of their exertions. It's heads I win and tails you lose. Whatever -they do, they will have followers. 'Un sot trouve toujours un plus sot -qui l'admire.'" - -"What on earth is this?" I cried, for at this moment there came the -pattering of many steps in the hall and on the stairs, accompanied by -audible expressions of disgust upon the part of our landlady. - -"It's the Baker Street division of the detective police force," said my -companion, gravely; and as he spoke there rushed into the room half a -dozen of the dirtiest and most ragged street Arabs that ever I clapped -eyes on. - -"'Tention!" cried Holmes, in a sharp tone, and the six dirty little -scoundrels stood in a line like so many disreputable statuettes. "In -future you shall send up Wiggins alone to report, and the rest of you -must wait in the street. Have you found it, Wiggins?" - -"No, sir, we hain't," said one of the youths. - -"I hardly expected you would. You must keep on until you do. Here are -your wages." [13]_ He handed each of them a shilling. - -"Now, off you go, and come back with a better report next time." - -He waved his hand, and they scampered away downstairs like so many rats, -and we heard their shrill voices next moment in the street. - -"There's more work to be got out of one of those little beggars than -out of a dozen of the force," Holmes remarked. "The mere sight of an -official-looking person seals men's lips. These youngsters, however, go -everywhere and hear everything. They are as sharp as needles, too; all -they want is organisation." - -"Is it on this Brixton case that you are employing them?" I asked. - -"Yes; there is a point which I wish to ascertain. It is merely a matter -of time. Hullo! we are going to hear some news now with a vengeance! -Here is Gregson coming down the road with beatitude written upon every -feature of his face. Bound for us, I know. Yes, he is stopping. There he -is!" - -There was a violent peal at the bell, and in a few seconds the -fair-haired detective came up the stairs, three steps at a time, and -burst into our sitting-room. - -"My dear fellow," he cried, wringing Holmes' unresponsive hand, -"congratulate me! I have made the whole thing as clear as day." - -A shade of anxiety seemed to me to cross my companion's expressive face. - -"Do you mean that you are on the right track?" he asked. - -"The right track! Why, sir, we have the man under lock and key." - -"And his name is?" - -"Arthur Charpentier, sub-lieutenant in Her Majesty's navy," cried -Gregson, pompously, rubbing his fat hands and inflating his chest. - -Sherlock Holmes gave a sigh of relief, and relaxed into a smile. - -"Take a seat, and try one of these cigars," he said. "We are anxious to -know how you managed it. Will you have some whiskey and water?" - -"I don't mind if I do," the detective answered. "The tremendous -exertions which I have gone through during the last day or two have worn -me out. Not so much bodily exertion, you understand, as the strain upon -the mind. You will appreciate that, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, for we are both -brain-workers." - -"You do me too much honour," said Holmes, gravely. "Let us hear how you -arrived at this most gratifying result." - -The detective seated himself in the arm-chair, and puffed complacently -at his cigar. Then suddenly he slapped his thigh in a paroxysm of -amusement. - -"The fun of it is," he cried, "that that fool Lestrade, who thinks -himself so smart, has gone off upon the wrong track altogether. He is -after the secretary Stangerson, who had no more to do with the crime -than the babe unborn. I have no doubt that he has caught him by this -time." - -The idea tickled Gregson so much that he laughed until he choked. - -"And how did you get your clue?" - -"Ah, I'll tell you all about it. Of course, Doctor Watson, this is -strictly between ourselves. The first difficulty which we had to contend -with was the finding of this American's antecedents. Some people would -have waited until their advertisements were answered, or until parties -came forward and volunteered information. That is not Tobias Gregson's -way of going to work. You remember the hat beside the dead man?" - -"Yes," said Holmes; "by John Underwood and Sons, 129, Camberwell Road." - -Gregson looked quite crest-fallen. - -"I had no idea that you noticed that," he said. "Have you been there?" - -"No." - -"Ha!" cried Gregson, in a relieved voice; "you should never neglect a -chance, however small it may seem." - -"To a great mind, nothing is little," remarked Holmes, sententiously. - -"Well, I went to Underwood, and asked him if he had sold a hat of that -size and description. He looked over his books, and came on it at once. -He had sent the hat to a Mr. Drebber, residing at Charpentier's Boarding -Establishment, Torquay Terrace. Thus I got at his address." - -"Smart--very smart!" murmured Sherlock Holmes. - -"I next called upon Madame Charpentier," continued the detective. -"I found her very pale and distressed. Her daughter was in the room, -too--an uncommonly fine girl she is, too; she was looking red about -the eyes and her lips trembled as I spoke to her. That didn't escape -my notice. I began to smell a rat. You know the feeling, Mr. Sherlock -Holmes, when you come upon the right scent--a kind of thrill in your -nerves. 'Have you heard of the mysterious death of your late boarder Mr. -Enoch J. Drebber, of Cleveland?' I asked. - -"The mother nodded. She didn't seem able to get out a word. The daughter -burst into tears. I felt more than ever that these people knew something -of the matter. - -"'At what o'clock did Mr. Drebber leave your house for the train?' I -asked. - -"'At eight o'clock,' she said, gulping in her throat to keep down her -agitation. 'His secretary, Mr. Stangerson, said that there were two -trains--one at 9.15 and one at 11. He was to catch the first. [14]_ - -"'And was that the last which you saw of him?' - -"A terrible change came over the woman's face as I asked the question. -Her features turned perfectly livid. It was some seconds before she -could get out the single word 'Yes'--and when it did come it was in a -husky unnatural tone. - -"There was silence for a moment, and then the daughter spoke in a calm -clear voice. - -"'No good can ever come of falsehood, mother,' she said. 'Let us be -frank with this gentleman. We _did_ see Mr. Drebber again.' - -"'God forgive you!' cried Madame Charpentier, throwing up her hands and -sinking back in her chair. 'You have murdered your brother.' - -"'Arthur would rather that we spoke the truth,' the girl answered -firmly. - -"'You had best tell me all about it now,' I said. 'Half-confidences are -worse than none. Besides, you do not know how much we know of it.' - -"'On your head be it, Alice!' cried her mother; and then, turning to me, -'I will tell you all, sir. Do not imagine that my agitation on behalf -of my son arises from any fear lest he should have had a hand in this -terrible affair. He is utterly innocent of it. My dread is, however, -that in your eyes and in the eyes of others he may appear to be -compromised. That however is surely impossible. His high character, his -profession, his antecedents would all forbid it.' - -"'Your best way is to make a clean breast of the facts,' I answered. -'Depend upon it, if your son is innocent he will be none the worse.' - -"'Perhaps, Alice, you had better leave us together,' she said, and her -daughter withdrew. 'Now, sir,' she continued, 'I had no intention of -telling you all this, but since my poor daughter has disclosed it I -have no alternative. Having once decided to speak, I will tell you all -without omitting any particular.' - -"'It is your wisest course,' said I. - -"'Mr. Drebber has been with us nearly three weeks. He and his secretary, -Mr. Stangerson, had been travelling on the Continent. I noticed a -"Copenhagen" label upon each of their trunks, showing that that had been -their last stopping place. Stangerson was a quiet reserved man, but his -employer, I am sorry to say, was far otherwise. He was coarse in his -habits and brutish in his ways. The very night of his arrival he became -very much the worse for drink, and, indeed, after twelve o'clock in the -day he could hardly ever be said to be sober. His manners towards the -maid-servants were disgustingly free and familiar. Worst of all, he -speedily assumed the same attitude towards my daughter, Alice, and spoke -to her more than once in a way which, fortunately, she is too innocent -to understand. On one occasion he actually seized her in his arms and -embraced her--an outrage which caused his own secretary to reproach him -for his unmanly conduct.' - -"'But why did you stand all this,' I asked. 'I suppose that you can get -rid of your boarders when you wish.' - -"Mrs. Charpentier blushed at my pertinent question. 'Would to God that -I had given him notice on the very day that he came,' she said. 'But -it was a sore temptation. They were paying a pound a day each--fourteen -pounds a week, and this is the slack season. I am a widow, and my boy in -the Navy has cost me much. I grudged to lose the money. I acted for the -best. This last was too much, however, and I gave him notice to leave on -account of it. That was the reason of his going.' - -"'Well?' - -"'My heart grew light when I saw him drive away. My son is on leave -just now, but I did not tell him anything of all this, for his temper -is violent, and he is passionately fond of his sister. When I closed the -door behind them a load seemed to be lifted from my mind. Alas, in -less than an hour there was a ring at the bell, and I learned that Mr. -Drebber had returned. He was much excited, and evidently the worse for -drink. He forced his way into the room, where I was sitting with my -daughter, and made some incoherent remark about having missed his train. -He then turned to Alice, and before my very face, proposed to her that -she should fly with him. "You are of age," he said, "and there is no law -to stop you. I have money enough and to spare. Never mind the old girl -here, but come along with me now straight away. You shall live like a -princess." Poor Alice was so frightened that she shrunk away from him, -but he caught her by the wrist and endeavoured to draw her towards the -door. I screamed, and at that moment my son Arthur came into the room. -What happened then I do not know. I heard oaths and the confused sounds -of a scuffle. I was too terrified to raise my head. When I did look up -I saw Arthur standing in the doorway laughing, with a stick in his hand. -"I don't think that fine fellow will trouble us again," he said. "I will -just go after him and see what he does with himself." With those words -he took his hat and started off down the street. The next morning we -heard of Mr. Drebber's mysterious death.' - -"This statement came from Mrs. Charpentier's lips with many gasps and -pauses. At times she spoke so low that I could hardly catch the words. I -made shorthand notes of all that she said, however, so that there should -be no possibility of a mistake." - -"It's quite exciting," said Sherlock Holmes, with a yawn. "What happened -next?" - -"When Mrs. Charpentier paused," the detective continued, "I saw that the -whole case hung upon one point. Fixing her with my eye in a way which -I always found effective with women, I asked her at what hour her son -returned. - -"'I do not know,' she answered. - -"'Not know?' - -"'No; he has a latch-key, and he let himself in.' - -"'After you went to bed?' - -"'Yes.' - -"'When did you go to bed?' - -"'About eleven.' - -"'So your son was gone at least two hours?' - -"'Yes.' - -"'Possibly four or five?' - -"'Yes.' - -"'What was he doing during that time?' - -"'I do not know,' she answered, turning white to her very lips. - -"Of course after that there was nothing more to be done. I found -out where Lieutenant Charpentier was, took two officers with me, and -arrested him. When I touched him on the shoulder and warned him to come -quietly with us, he answered us as bold as brass, 'I suppose you -are arresting me for being concerned in the death of that scoundrel -Drebber,' he said. We had said nothing to him about it, so that his -alluding to it had a most suspicious aspect." - -"Very," said Holmes. - -"He still carried the heavy stick which the mother described him as -having with him when he followed Drebber. It was a stout oak cudgel." - -"What is your theory, then?" - -"Well, my theory is that he followed Drebber as far as the Brixton Road. -When there, a fresh altercation arose between them, in the course of -which Drebber received a blow from the stick, in the pit of the stomach, -perhaps, which killed him without leaving any mark. The night was so -wet that no one was about, so Charpentier dragged the body of his victim -into the empty house. As to the candle, and the blood, and the writing -on the wall, and the ring, they may all be so many tricks to throw the -police on to the wrong scent." - -"Well done!" said Holmes in an encouraging voice. "Really, Gregson, you -are getting along. We shall make something of you yet." - -"I flatter myself that I have managed it rather neatly," the detective -answered proudly. "The young man volunteered a statement, in which he -said that after following Drebber some time, the latter perceived him, -and took a cab in order to get away from him. On his way home he met an -old shipmate, and took a long walk with him. On being asked where this -old shipmate lived, he was unable to give any satisfactory reply. I -think the whole case fits together uncommonly well. What amuses me is to -think of Lestrade, who had started off upon the wrong scent. I am afraid -he won't make much of [15]_ Why, by Jove, here's the very man himself!" - -It was indeed Lestrade, who had ascended the stairs while we were -talking, and who now entered the room. The assurance and jauntiness -which generally marked his demeanour and dress were, however, wanting. -His face was disturbed and troubled, while his clothes were disarranged -and untidy. He had evidently come with the intention of consulting -with Sherlock Holmes, for on perceiving his colleague he appeared to be -embarrassed and put out. He stood in the centre of the room, fumbling -nervously with his hat and uncertain what to do. "This is a most -extraordinary case," he said at last--"a most incomprehensible affair." - -"Ah, you find it so, Mr. Lestrade!" cried Gregson, triumphantly. "I -thought you would come to that conclusion. Have you managed to find the -Secretary, Mr. Joseph Stangerson?" - -"The Secretary, Mr. Joseph Stangerson," said Lestrade gravely, "was -murdered at Halliday's Private Hotel about six o'clock this morning." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -THE intelligence with which Lestrade greeted us was so momentous and so -unexpected, that we were all three fairly dumfoundered. Gregson sprang -out of his chair and upset the remainder of his whiskey and water. I -stared in silence at Sherlock Holmes, whose lips were compressed and his -brows drawn down over his eyes. - -"Stangerson too!" he muttered. "The plot thickens." - -"It was quite thick enough before," grumbled Lestrade, taking a chair. -"I seem to have dropped into a sort of council of war." - -"Are you--are you sure of this piece of intelligence?" stammered -Gregson. - -"I have just come from his room," said Lestrade. "I was the first to -discover what had occurred." - -"We have been hearing Gregson's view of the matter," Holmes observed. -"Would you mind letting us know what you have seen and done?" - -"I have no objection," Lestrade answered, seating himself. "I freely -confess that I was of the opinion that Stangerson was concerned in -the death of Drebber. This fresh development has shown me that I was -completely mistaken. Full of the one idea, I set myself to find out -what had become of the Secretary. They had been seen together at Euston -Station about half-past eight on the evening of the third. At two in the -morning Drebber had been found in the Brixton Road. The question which -confronted me was to find out how Stangerson had been employed between -8.30 and the time of the crime, and what had become of him afterwards. -I telegraphed to Liverpool, giving a description of the man, and warning -them to keep a watch upon the American boats. I then set to work calling -upon all the hotels and lodging-houses in the vicinity of Euston. You -see, I argued that if Drebber and his companion had become separated, -the natural course for the latter would be to put up somewhere in the -vicinity for the night, and then to hang about the station again next -morning." - -"They would be likely to agree on some meeting-place beforehand," -remarked Holmes. - -"So it proved. I spent the whole of yesterday evening in making -enquiries entirely without avail. This morning I began very early, and -at eight o'clock I reached Halliday's Private Hotel, in Little George -Street. On my enquiry as to whether a Mr. Stangerson was living there, -they at once answered me in the affirmative. - -"'No doubt you are the gentleman whom he was expecting,' they said. 'He -has been waiting for a gentleman for two days.' - -"'Where is he now?' I asked. - -"'He is upstairs in bed. He wished to be called at nine.' - -"'I will go up and see him at once,' I said. - -"It seemed to me that my sudden appearance might shake his nerves and -lead him to say something unguarded. The Boots volunteered to show me -the room: it was on the second floor, and there was a small corridor -leading up to it. The Boots pointed out the door to me, and was about to -go downstairs again when I saw something that made me feel sickish, in -spite of my twenty years' experience. From under the door there curled -a little red ribbon of blood, which had meandered across the passage and -formed a little pool along the skirting at the other side. I gave a cry, -which brought the Boots back. He nearly fainted when he saw it. The door -was locked on the inside, but we put our shoulders to it, and knocked it -in. The window of the room was open, and beside the window, all huddled -up, lay the body of a man in his nightdress. He was quite dead, and had -been for some time, for his limbs were rigid and cold. When we turned -him over, the Boots recognized him at once as being the same gentleman -who had engaged the room under the name of Joseph Stangerson. The cause -of death was a deep stab in the left side, which must have penetrated -the heart. And now comes the strangest part of the affair. What do you -suppose was above the murdered man?" - -I felt a creeping of the flesh, and a presentiment of coming horror, -even before Sherlock Holmes answered. - -"The word RACHE, written in letters of blood," he said. - -"That was it," said Lestrade, in an awe-struck voice; and we were all -silent for a while. - -There was something so methodical and so incomprehensible about the -deeds of this unknown assassin, that it imparted a fresh ghastliness to -his crimes. My nerves, which were steady enough on the field of battle -tingled as I thought of it. - -"The man was seen," continued Lestrade. "A milk boy, passing on his way -to the dairy, happened to walk down the lane which leads from the mews -at the back of the hotel. He noticed that a ladder, which usually lay -there, was raised against one of the windows of the second floor, which -was wide open. After passing, he looked back and saw a man descend the -ladder. He came down so quietly and openly that the boy imagined him to -be some carpenter or joiner at work in the hotel. He took no particular -notice of him, beyond thinking in his own mind that it was early for him -to be at work. He has an impression that the man was tall, had a reddish -face, and was dressed in a long, brownish coat. He must have stayed in -the room some little time after the murder, for we found blood-stained -water in the basin, where he had washed his hands, and marks on the -sheets where he had deliberately wiped his knife." - -I glanced at Holmes on hearing the description of the murderer, which -tallied so exactly with his own. There was, however, no trace of -exultation or satisfaction upon his face. - -"Did you find nothing in the room which could furnish a clue to the -murderer?" he asked. - -"Nothing. Stangerson had Drebber's purse in his pocket, but it seems -that this was usual, as he did all the paying. There was eighty odd -pounds in it, but nothing had been taken. Whatever the motives of these -extraordinary crimes, robbery is certainly not one of them. There were -no papers or memoranda in the murdered man's pocket, except a single -telegram, dated from Cleveland about a month ago, and containing -the words, 'J. H. is in Europe.' There was no name appended to this -message." - -"And there was nothing else?" Holmes asked. - -"Nothing of any importance. The man's novel, with which he had read -himself to sleep was lying upon the bed, and his pipe was on a chair -beside him. There was a glass of water on the table, and on the -window-sill a small chip ointment box containing a couple of pills." - -Sherlock Holmes sprang from his chair with an exclamation of delight. - -"The last link," he cried, exultantly. "My case is complete." - -The two detectives stared at him in amazement. - -"I have now in my hands," my companion said, confidently, "all the -threads which have formed such a tangle. There are, of course, details -to be filled in, but I am as certain of all the main facts, from the -time that Drebber parted from Stangerson at the station, up to the -discovery of the body of the latter, as if I had seen them with my own -eyes. I will give you a proof of my knowledge. Could you lay your hand -upon those pills?" - -"I have them," said Lestrade, producing a small white box; "I took them -and the purse and the telegram, intending to have them put in a place of -safety at the Police Station. It was the merest chance my taking these -pills, for I am bound to say that I do not attach any importance to -them." - -"Give them here," said Holmes. "Now, Doctor," turning to me, "are those -ordinary pills?" - -They certainly were not. They were of a pearly grey colour, small, -round, and almost transparent against the light. "From their lightness -and transparency, I should imagine that they are soluble in water," I -remarked. - -"Precisely so," answered Holmes. "Now would you mind going down and -fetching that poor little devil of a terrier which has been bad so long, -and which the landlady wanted you to put out of its pain yesterday." - -I went downstairs and carried the dog upstair in my arms. It's laboured -breathing and glazing eye showed that it was not far from its end. -Indeed, its snow-white muzzle proclaimed that it had already exceeded -the usual term of canine existence. I placed it upon a cushion on the -rug. - -"I will now cut one of these pills in two," said Holmes, and drawing his -penknife he suited the action to the word. "One half we return into the -box for future purposes. The other half I will place in this wine glass, -in which is a teaspoonful of water. You perceive that our friend, the -Doctor, is right, and that it readily dissolves." - -"This may be very interesting," said Lestrade, in the injured tone of -one who suspects that he is being laughed at, "I cannot see, however, -what it has to do with the death of Mr. Joseph Stangerson." - -"Patience, my friend, patience! You will find in time that it has -everything to do with it. I shall now add a little milk to make the -mixture palatable, and on presenting it to the dog we find that he laps -it up readily enough." - -As he spoke he turned the contents of the wine glass into a saucer and -placed it in front of the terrier, who speedily licked it dry. Sherlock -Holmes' earnest demeanour had so far convinced us that we all sat in -silence, watching the animal intently, and expecting some startling -effect. None such appeared, however. The dog continued to lie stretched -upon tho [16]_ cushion, breathing in a laboured way, but apparently -neither the better nor the worse for its draught. - -Holmes had taken out his watch, and as minute followed minute without -result, an expression of the utmost chagrin and disappointment appeared -upon his features. He gnawed his lip, drummed his fingers upon the -table, and showed every other symptom of acute impatience. So great -was his emotion, that I felt sincerely sorry for him, while the two -detectives smiled derisively, by no means displeased at this check which -he had met. - -"It can't be a coincidence," he cried, at last springing from his chair -and pacing wildly up and down the room; "it is impossible that it should -be a mere coincidence. The very pills which I suspected in the case of -Drebber are actually found after the death of Stangerson. And yet they -are inert. What can it mean? Surely my whole chain of reasoning cannot -have been false. It is impossible! And yet this wretched dog is none the -worse. Ah, I have it! I have it!" With a perfect shriek of delight he -rushed to the box, cut the other pill in two, dissolved it, added milk, -and presented it to the terrier. The unfortunate creature's tongue -seemed hardly to have been moistened in it before it gave a convulsive -shiver in every limb, and lay as rigid and lifeless as if it had been -struck by lightning. - -Sherlock Holmes drew a long breath, and wiped the perspiration from his -forehead. "I should have more faith," he said; "I ought to know by -this time that when a fact appears to be opposed to a long train of -deductions, it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other -interpretation. Of the two pills in that box one was of the most deadly -poison, and the other was entirely harmless. I ought to have known that -before ever I saw the box at all." - -This last statement appeared to me to be so startling, that I could -hardly believe that he was in his sober senses. There was the dead dog, -however, to prove that his conjecture had been correct. It seemed to me -that the mists in my own mind were gradually clearing away, and I began -to have a dim, vague perception of the truth. - -"All this seems strange to you," continued Holmes, "because you failed -at the beginning of the inquiry to grasp the importance of the single -real clue which was presented to you. I had the good fortune to seize -upon that, and everything which has occurred since then has served to -confirm my original supposition, and, indeed, was the logical sequence -of it. Hence things which have perplexed you and made the case more -obscure, have served to enlighten me and to strengthen my conclusions. -It is a mistake to confound strangeness with mystery. The most -commonplace crime is often the most mysterious because it presents no -new or special features from which deductions may be drawn. This murder -would have been infinitely more difficult to unravel had the body of -the victim been simply found lying in the roadway without any of -those _outré_ and sensational accompaniments which have rendered -it remarkable. These strange details, far from making the case more -difficult, have really had the effect of making it less so." - -Mr. Gregson, who had listened to this address with considerable -impatience, could contain himself no longer. "Look here, Mr. Sherlock -Holmes," he said, "we are all ready to acknowledge that you are a smart -man, and that you have your own methods of working. We want something -more than mere theory and preaching now, though. It is a case of taking -the man. I have made my case out, and it seems I was wrong. Young -Charpentier could not have been engaged in this second affair. Lestrade -went after his man, Stangerson, and it appears that he was wrong too. -You have thrown out hints here, and hints there, and seem to know more -than we do, but the time has come when we feel that we have a right to -ask you straight how much you do know of the business. Can you name the -man who did it?" - -"I cannot help feeling that Gregson is right, sir," remarked Lestrade. -"We have both tried, and we have both failed. You have remarked more -than once since I have been in the room that you had all the evidence -which you require. Surely you will not withhold it any longer." - -"Any delay in arresting the assassin," I observed, "might give him time -to perpetrate some fresh atrocity." - -Thus pressed by us all, Holmes showed signs of irresolution. He -continued to walk up and down the room with his head sunk on his chest -and his brows drawn down, as was his habit when lost in thought. - -"There will be no more murders," he said at last, stopping abruptly and -facing us. "You can put that consideration out of the question. You have -asked me if I know the name of the assassin. I do. The mere knowing of -his name is a small thing, however, compared with the power of laying -our hands upon him. This I expect very shortly to do. I have good hopes -of managing it through my own arrangements; but it is a thing which -needs delicate handling, for we have a shrewd and desperate man to deal -with, who is supported, as I have had occasion to prove, by another who -is as clever as himself. As long as this man has no idea that anyone -can have a clue there is some chance of securing him; but if he had the -slightest suspicion, he would change his name, and vanish in an instant -among the four million inhabitants of this great city. Without meaning -to hurt either of your feelings, I am bound to say that I consider these -men to be more than a match for the official force, and that is why I -have not asked your assistance. If I fail I shall, of course, incur all -the blame due to this omission; but that I am prepared for. At present -I am ready to promise that the instant that I can communicate with you -without endangering my own combinations, I shall do so." - -Gregson and Lestrade seemed to be far from satisfied by this assurance, -or by the depreciating allusion to the detective police. The former had -flushed up to the roots of his flaxen hair, while the other's beady eyes -glistened with curiosity and resentment. Neither of them had time to -speak, however, before there was a tap at the door, and the spokesman -of the street Arabs, young Wiggins, introduced his insignificant and -unsavoury person. - -"Please, sir," he said, touching his forelock, "I have the cab -downstairs." - -"Good boy," said Holmes, blandly. "Why don't you introduce this pattern -at Scotland Yard?" he continued, taking a pair of steel handcuffs from -a drawer. "See how beautifully the spring works. They fasten in an -instant." - -"The old pattern is good enough," remarked Lestrade, "if we can only -find the man to put them on." - -"Very good, very good," said Holmes, smiling. "The cabman may as well -help me with my boxes. Just ask him to step up, Wiggins." - -I was surprised to find my companion speaking as though he were about -to set out on a journey, since he had not said anything to me about it. -There was a small portmanteau in the room, and this he pulled out and -began to strap. He was busily engaged at it when the cabman entered the -room. - -"Just give me a help with this buckle, cabman," he said, kneeling over -his task, and never turning his head. - -The fellow came forward with a somewhat sullen, defiant air, and put -down his hands to assist. At that instant there was a sharp click, the -jangling of metal, and Sherlock Holmes sprang to his feet again. - -"Gentlemen," he cried, with flashing eyes, "let me introduce you to Mr. -Jefferson Hope, the murderer of Enoch Drebber and of Joseph Stangerson." - -The whole thing occurred in a moment--so quickly that I had no time -to realize it. I have a vivid recollection of that instant, of Holmes' -triumphant expression and the ring of his voice, of the cabman's -dazed, savage face, as he glared at the glittering handcuffs, which had -appeared as if by magic upon his wrists. For a second or two we might -have been a group of statues. Then, with an inarticulate roar of fury, -the prisoner wrenched himself free from Holmes's grasp, and hurled -himself through the window. Woodwork and glass gave way before him; but -before he got quite through, Gregson, Lestrade, and Holmes sprang upon -him like so many staghounds. He was dragged back into the room, and then -commenced a terrific conflict. So powerful and so fierce was he, that -the four of us were shaken off again and again. He appeared to have the -convulsive strength of a man in an epileptic fit. His face and hands -were terribly mangled by his passage through the glass, but loss of -blood had no effect in diminishing his resistance. It was not until -Lestrade succeeded in getting his hand inside his neckcloth and -half-strangling him that we made him realize that his struggles were of -no avail; and even then we felt no security until we had pinioned his -feet as well as his hands. That done, we rose to our feet breathless and -panting. - -"We have his cab," said Sherlock Holmes. "It will serve to take him to -Scotland Yard. And now, gentlemen," he continued, with a pleasant smile, -"we have reached the end of our little mystery. You are very welcome to -put any questions that you like to me now, and there is no danger that I -will refuse to answer them." - - - - - -PART II. *The Country of the Saints.* -------------------------------------- - - - -CHAPTER I. ON THE GREAT ALKALI PLAIN. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -IN the central portion of the great North American Continent there lies -an arid and repulsive desert, which for many a long year served as a -barrier against the advance of civilisation. From the Sierra Nevada to -Nebraska, and from the Yellowstone River in the north to the Colorado -upon the south, is a region of desolation and silence. Nor is Nature -always in one mood throughout this grim district. It comprises -snow-capped and lofty mountains, and dark and gloomy valleys. There are -swift-flowing rivers which dash through jagged cañons; and there are -enormous plains, which in winter are white with snow, and in summer are -grey with the saline alkali dust. They all preserve, however, the common -characteristics of barrenness, inhospitality, and misery. - -There are no inhabitants of this land of despair. A band of Pawnees -or of Blackfeet may occasionally traverse it in order to reach other -hunting-grounds, but the hardiest of the braves are glad to lose sight -of those awesome plains, and to find themselves once more upon their -prairies. The coyote skulks among the scrub, the buzzard flaps heavily -through the air, and the clumsy grizzly bear lumbers through the dark -ravines, and picks up such sustenance as it can amongst the rocks. These -are the sole dwellers in the wilderness. - -In the whole world there can be no more dreary view than that from -the northern slope of the Sierra Blanco. As far as the eye can reach -stretches the great flat plain-land, all dusted over with patches of -alkali, and intersected by clumps of the dwarfish chaparral bushes. On -the extreme verge of the horizon lie a long chain of mountain peaks, -with their rugged summits flecked with snow. In this great stretch of -country there is no sign of life, nor of anything appertaining to life. -There is no bird in the steel-blue heaven, no movement upon the dull, -grey earth--above all, there is absolute silence. Listen as one may, -there is no shadow of a sound in all that mighty wilderness; nothing but -silence--complete and heart-subduing silence. - -It has been said there is nothing appertaining to life upon the broad -plain. That is hardly true. Looking down from the Sierra Blanco, one -sees a pathway traced out across the desert, which winds away and is -lost in the extreme distance. It is rutted with wheels and trodden down -by the feet of many adventurers. Here and there there are scattered -white objects which glisten in the sun, and stand out against the dull -deposit of alkali. Approach, and examine them! They are bones: some -large and coarse, others smaller and more delicate. The former have -belonged to oxen, and the latter to men. For fifteen hundred miles one -may trace this ghastly caravan route by these scattered remains of those -who had fallen by the wayside. - -Looking down on this very scene, there stood upon the fourth of May, -eighteen hundred and forty-seven, a solitary traveller. His appearance -was such that he might have been the very genius or demon of the region. -An observer would have found it difficult to say whether he was nearer -to forty or to sixty. His face was lean and haggard, and the brown -parchment-like skin was drawn tightly over the projecting bones; his -long, brown hair and beard were all flecked and dashed with white; his -eyes were sunken in his head, and burned with an unnatural lustre; while -the hand which grasped his rifle was hardly more fleshy than that of a -skeleton. As he stood, he leaned upon his weapon for support, and yet -his tall figure and the massive framework of his bones suggested a wiry -and vigorous constitution. His gaunt face, however, and his clothes, -which hung so baggily over his shrivelled limbs, proclaimed what it -was that gave him that senile and decrepit appearance. The man was -dying--dying from hunger and from thirst. - -He had toiled painfully down the ravine, and on to this little -elevation, in the vain hope of seeing some signs of water. Now the great -salt plain stretched before his eyes, and the distant belt of savage -mountains, without a sign anywhere of plant or tree, which might -indicate the presence of moisture. In all that broad landscape there -was no gleam of hope. North, and east, and west he looked with wild -questioning eyes, and then he realised that his wanderings had come to -an end, and that there, on that barren crag, he was about to die. "Why -not here, as well as in a feather bed, twenty years hence," he muttered, -as he seated himself in the shelter of a boulder. - -Before sitting down, he had deposited upon the ground his useless rifle, -and also a large bundle tied up in a grey shawl, which he had carried -slung over his right shoulder. It appeared to be somewhat too heavy for -his strength, for in lowering it, it came down on the ground with some -little violence. Instantly there broke from the grey parcel a little -moaning cry, and from it there protruded a small, scared face, with very -bright brown eyes, and two little speckled, dimpled fists. - -"You've hurt me!" said a childish voice reproachfully. - -"Have I though," the man answered penitently, "I didn't go for to do -it." As he spoke he unwrapped the grey shawl and extricated a pretty -little girl of about five years of age, whose dainty shoes and smart -pink frock with its little linen apron all bespoke a mother's care. The -child was pale and wan, but her healthy arms and legs showed that she -had suffered less than her companion. - -"How is it now?" he answered anxiously, for she was still rubbing the -towsy golden curls which covered the back of her head. - -"Kiss it and make it well," she said, with perfect gravity, shoving -[19]_ the injured part up to him. "That's what mother used to do. Where's -mother?" - -"Mother's gone. I guess you'll see her before long." - -"Gone, eh!" said the little girl. "Funny, she didn't say good-bye; she -'most always did if she was just goin' over to Auntie's for tea, and now -she's been away three days. Say, it's awful dry, ain't it? Ain't there -no water, nor nothing to eat?" - -"No, there ain't nothing, dearie. You'll just need to be patient awhile, -and then you'll be all right. Put your head up agin me like that, and -then you'll feel bullier. It ain't easy to talk when your lips is like -leather, but I guess I'd best let you know how the cards lie. What's -that you've got?" - -"Pretty things! fine things!" cried the little girl enthusiastically, -holding up two glittering fragments of mica. "When we goes back to home -I'll give them to brother Bob." - -"You'll see prettier things than them soon," said the man confidently. -"You just wait a bit. I was going to tell you though--you remember when -we left the river?" - -"Oh, yes." - -"Well, we reckoned we'd strike another river soon, d'ye see. But there -was somethin' wrong; compasses, or map, or somethin', and it didn't -turn up. Water ran out. Just except a little drop for the likes of you -and--and----" - -"And you couldn't wash yourself," interrupted his companion gravely, -staring up at his grimy visage. - -"No, nor drink. And Mr. Bender, he was the fust to go, and then Indian -Pete, and then Mrs. McGregor, and then Johnny Hones, and then, dearie, -your mother." - -"Then mother's a deader too," cried the little girl dropping her face in -her pinafore and sobbing bitterly. - -"Yes, they all went except you and me. Then I thought there was some -chance of water in this direction, so I heaved you over my shoulder and -we tramped it together. It don't seem as though we've improved matters. -There's an almighty small chance for us now!" - -"Do you mean that we are going to die too?" asked the child, checking -her sobs, and raising her tear-stained face. - -"I guess that's about the size of it." - -"Why didn't you say so before?" she said, laughing gleefully. "You gave -me such a fright. Why, of course, now as long as we die we'll be with -mother again." - -"Yes, you will, dearie." - -"And you too. I'll tell her how awful good you've been. I'll bet she -meets us at the door of Heaven with a big pitcher of water, and a lot -of buckwheat cakes, hot, and toasted on both sides, like Bob and me was -fond of. How long will it be first?" - -"I don't know--not very long." The man's eyes were fixed upon the -northern horizon. In the blue vault of the heaven there had appeared -three little specks which increased in size every moment, so rapidly did -they approach. They speedily resolved themselves into three large brown -birds, which circled over the heads of the two wanderers, and then -settled upon some rocks which overlooked them. They were buzzards, the -vultures of the west, whose coming is the forerunner of death. - -"Cocks and hens," cried the little girl gleefully, pointing at their -ill-omened forms, and clapping her hands to make them rise. "Say, did -God make this country?" - -"In course He did," said her companion, rather startled by this -unexpected question. - -"He made the country down in Illinois, and He made the Missouri," the -little girl continued. "I guess somebody else made the country in these -parts. It's not nearly so well done. They forgot the water and the -trees." - -"What would ye think of offering up prayer?" the man asked diffidently. - -"It ain't night yet," she answered. - -"It don't matter. It ain't quite regular, but He won't mind that, you -bet. You say over them ones that you used to say every night in the -waggon when we was on the Plains." - -"Why don't you say some yourself?" the child asked, with wondering eyes. - -"I disremember them," he answered. "I hain't said none since I was half -the height o' that gun. I guess it's never too late. You say them out, -and I'll stand by and come in on the choruses." - -"Then you'll need to kneel down, and me too," she said, laying the shawl -out for that purpose. "You've got to put your hands up like this. It -makes you feel kind o' good." - -It was a strange sight had there been anything but the buzzards to see -it. Side by side on the narrow shawl knelt the two wanderers, the little -prattling child and the reckless, hardened adventurer. Her chubby face, -and his haggard, angular visage were both turned up to the cloudless -heaven in heartfelt entreaty to that dread being with whom they were -face to face, while the two voices--the one thin and clear, the other -deep and harsh--united in the entreaty for mercy and forgiveness. The -prayer finished, they resumed their seat in the shadow of the boulder -until the child fell asleep, nestling upon the broad breast of her -protector. He watched over her slumber for some time, but Nature proved -to be too strong for him. For three days and three nights he had allowed -himself neither rest nor repose. Slowly the eyelids drooped over the -tired eyes, and the head sunk lower and lower upon the breast, until the -man's grizzled beard was mixed with the gold tresses of his companion, -and both slept the same deep and dreamless slumber. - -Had the wanderer remained awake for another half hour a strange sight -would have met his eyes. Far away on the extreme verge of the alkali -plain there rose up a little spray of dust, very slight at first, and -hardly to be distinguished from the mists of the distance, but gradually -growing higher and broader until it formed a solid, well-defined cloud. -This cloud continued to increase in size until it became evident that it -could only be raised by a great multitude of moving creatures. In more -fertile spots the observer would have come to the conclusion that one -of those great herds of bisons which graze upon the prairie land was -approaching him. This was obviously impossible in these arid wilds. As -the whirl of dust drew nearer to the solitary bluff upon which the two -castaways were reposing, the canvas-covered tilts of waggons and the -figures of armed horsemen began to show up through the haze, and the -apparition revealed itself as being a great caravan upon its journey for -the West. But what a caravan! When the head of it had reached the base -of the mountains, the rear was not yet visible on the horizon. Right -across the enormous plain stretched the straggling array, waggons -and carts, men on horseback, and men on foot. Innumerable women who -staggered along under burdens, and children who toddled beside the -waggons or peeped out from under the white coverings. This was evidently -no ordinary party of immigrants, but rather some nomad people who had -been compelled from stress of circumstances to seek themselves a new -country. There rose through the clear air a confused clattering and -rumbling from this great mass of humanity, with the creaking of wheels -and the neighing of horses. Loud as it was, it was not sufficient to -rouse the two tired wayfarers above them. - -At the head of the column there rode a score or more of grave ironfaced -men, clad in sombre homespun garments and armed with rifles. On reaching -the base of the bluff they halted, and held a short council among -themselves. - -"The wells are to the right, my brothers," said one, a hard-lipped, -clean-shaven man with grizzly hair. - -"To the right of the Sierra Blanco--so we shall reach the Rio Grande," -said another. - -"Fear not for water," cried a third. "He who could draw it from the -rocks will not now abandon His own chosen people." - -"Amen! Amen!" responded the whole party. - -They were about to resume their journey when one of the youngest and -keenest-eyed uttered an exclamation and pointed up at the rugged crag -above them. From its summit there fluttered a little wisp of pink, -showing up hard and bright against the grey rocks behind. At the sight -there was a general reining up of horses and unslinging of guns, while -fresh horsemen came galloping up to reinforce the vanguard. The word -'Redskins' was on every lip. - -"There can't be any number of Injuns here," said the elderly man who -appeared to be in command. "We have passed the Pawnees, and there are no -other tribes until we cross the great mountains." - -"Shall I go forward and see, Brother Stangerson," asked one of the band. - -"And I," "and I," cried a dozen voices. - -"Leave your horses below and we will await you here," the Elder -answered. In a moment the young fellows had dismounted, fastened their -horses, and were ascending the precipitous slope which led up to the -object which had excited their curiosity. They advanced rapidly and -noiselessly, with the confidence and dexterity of practised scouts. -The watchers from the plain below could see them flit from rock to rock -until their figures stood out against the skyline. The young man who had -first given the alarm was leading them. Suddenly his followers saw him -throw up his hands, as though overcome with astonishment, and on joining -him they were affected in the same way by the sight which met their -eyes. - -On the little plateau which crowned the barren hill there stood a -single giant boulder, and against this boulder there lay a tall man, -long-bearded and hard-featured, but of an excessive thinness. His placid -face and regular breathing showed that he was fast asleep. Beside him -lay a little child, with her round white arms encircling his brown -sinewy neck, and her golden haired head resting upon the breast of his -velveteen tunic. Her rosy lips were parted, showing the regular line of -snow-white teeth within, and a playful smile played over her infantile -features. Her plump little white legs terminating in white socks and -neat shoes with shining buckles, offered a strange contrast to the long -shrivelled members of her companion. On the ledge of rock above this -strange couple there stood three solemn buzzards, who, at the sight of -the new comers uttered raucous screams of disappointment and flapped -sullenly away. - -The cries of the foul birds awoke the two sleepers who stared about [20]_ -them in bewilderment. The man staggered to his feet and looked down upon -the plain which had been so desolate when sleep had overtaken him, and -which was now traversed by this enormous body of men and of beasts. His -face assumed an expression of incredulity as he gazed, and he passed his -boney hand over his eyes. "This is what they call delirium, I guess," -he muttered. The child stood beside him, holding on to the skirt of -his coat, and said nothing but looked all round her with the wondering -questioning gaze of childhood. - -The rescuing party were speedily able to convince the two castaways that -their appearance was no delusion. One of them seized the little girl, -and hoisted her upon his shoulder, while two others supported her gaunt -companion, and assisted him towards the waggons. - -"My name is John Ferrier," the wanderer explained; "me and that little -un are all that's left o' twenty-one people. The rest is all dead o' -thirst and hunger away down in the south." - -"Is she your child?" asked someone. - -"I guess she is now," the other cried, defiantly; "she's mine 'cause I -saved her. No man will take her from me. She's Lucy Ferrier from this -day on. Who are you, though?" he continued, glancing with curiosity at -his stalwart, sunburned rescuers; "there seems to be a powerful lot of -ye." - -"Nigh upon ten thousand," said one of the young men; "we are the -persecuted children of God--the chosen of the Angel Merona." - -"I never heard tell on him," said the wanderer. "He appears to have -chosen a fair crowd of ye." - -"Do not jest at that which is sacred," said the other sternly. "We are -of those who believe in those sacred writings, drawn in Egyptian letters -on plates of beaten gold, which were handed unto the holy Joseph Smith -at Palmyra. We have come from Nauvoo, in the State of Illinois, where we -had founded our temple. We have come to seek a refuge from the violent -man and from the godless, even though it be the heart of the desert." - -The name of Nauvoo evidently recalled recollections to John Ferrier. "I -see," he said, "you are the Mormons." - -"We are the Mormons," answered his companions with one voice. - -"And where are you going?" - -"We do not know. The hand of God is leading us under the person of our -Prophet. You must come before him. He shall say what is to be done with -you." - -They had reached the base of the hill by this time, and were surrounded -by crowds of the pilgrims--pale-faced meek-looking women, strong -laughing children, and anxious earnest-eyed men. Many were the cries -of astonishment and of commiseration which arose from them when they -perceived the youth of one of the strangers and the destitution of the -other. Their escort did not halt, however, but pushed on, followed by -a great crowd of Mormons, until they reached a waggon, which was -conspicuous for its great size and for the gaudiness and smartness of -its appearance. Six horses were yoked to it, whereas the others were -furnished with two, or, at most, four a-piece. Beside the driver there -sat a man who could not have been more than thirty years of age, but -whose massive head and resolute expression marked him as a leader. He -was reading a brown-backed volume, but as the crowd approached he laid -it aside, and listened attentively to an account of the episode. Then he -turned to the two castaways. - -"If we take you with us," he said, in solemn words, "it can only be as -believers in our own creed. We shall have no wolves in our fold. Better -far that your bones should bleach in this wilderness than that you -should prove to be that little speck of decay which in time corrupts the -whole fruit. Will you come with us on these terms?" - -"Guess I'll come with you on any terms," said Ferrier, with such -emphasis that the grave Elders could not restrain a smile. The leader -alone retained his stern, impressive expression. - -"Take him, Brother Stangerson," he said, "give him food and drink, -and the child likewise. Let it be your task also to teach him our holy -creed. We have delayed long enough. Forward! On, on to Zion!" - -"On, on to Zion!" cried the crowd of Mormons, and the words rippled down -the long caravan, passing from mouth to mouth until they died away in a -dull murmur in the far distance. With a cracking of whips and a creaking -of wheels the great waggons got into motion, and soon the whole caravan -was winding along once more. The Elder to whose care the two waifs -had been committed, led them to his waggon, where a meal was already -awaiting them. - -"You shall remain here," he said. "In a few days you will have recovered -from your fatigues. In the meantime, remember that now and for ever you -are of our religion. Brigham Young has said it, and he has spoken with -the voice of Joseph Smith, which is the voice of God." - - - - -CHAPTER II. THE FLOWER OF UTAH. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -THIS is not the place to commemorate the trials and privations endured -by the immigrant Mormons before they came to their final haven. From the -shores of the Mississippi to the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains -they had struggled on with a constancy almost unparalleled in history. -The savage man, and the savage beast, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and -disease--every impediment which Nature could place in the way, had all -been overcome with Anglo-Saxon tenacity. Yet the long journey and the -accumulated terrors had shaken the hearts of the stoutest among them. -There was not one who did not sink upon his knees in heartfelt prayer -when they saw the broad valley of Utah bathed in the sunlight beneath -them, and learned from the lips of their leader that this was the -promised land, and that these virgin acres were to be theirs for -evermore. - -Young speedily proved himself to be a skilful administrator as well as a -resolute chief. Maps were drawn and charts prepared, in which the future -city was sketched out. All around farms were apportioned and allotted in -proportion to the standing of each individual. The tradesman was put -to his trade and the artisan to his calling. In the town streets and -squares sprang up, as if by magic. In the country there was draining -and hedging, planting and clearing, until the next summer saw the whole -country golden with the wheat crop. Everything prospered in the strange -settlement. Above all, the great temple which they had erected in the -centre of the city grew ever taller and larger. From the first blush of -dawn until the closing of the twilight, the clatter of the hammer -and the rasp of the saw was never absent from the monument which the -immigrants erected to Him who had led them safe through many dangers. - -The two castaways, John Ferrier and the little girl who had shared his -fortunes and had been adopted as his daughter, accompanied the Mormons -to the end of their great pilgrimage. Little Lucy Ferrier was borne -along pleasantly enough in Elder Stangerson's waggon, a retreat which -she shared with the Mormon's three wives and with his son, a headstrong -forward boy of twelve. Having rallied, with the elasticity of childhood, -from the shock caused by her mother's death, she soon became a pet -with the women, and reconciled herself to this new life in her moving -canvas-covered home. In the meantime Ferrier having recovered from his -privations, distinguished himself as a useful guide and an indefatigable -hunter. So rapidly did he gain the esteem of his new companions, that -when they reached the end of their wanderings, it was unanimously agreed -that he should be provided with as large and as fertile a tract of land -as any of the settlers, with the exception of Young himself, and of -Stangerson, Kemball, Johnston, and Drebber, who were the four principal -Elders. - -On the farm thus acquired John Ferrier built himself a substantial -log-house, which received so many additions in succeeding years that it -grew into a roomy villa. He was a man of a practical turn of mind, -keen in his dealings and skilful with his hands. His iron constitution -enabled him to work morning and evening at improving and tilling his -lands. Hence it came about that his farm and all that belonged to -him prospered exceedingly. In three years he was better off than his -neighbours, in six he was well-to-do, in nine he was rich, and in twelve -there were not half a dozen men in the whole of Salt Lake City who could -compare with him. From the great inland sea to the distant Wahsatch -Mountains there was no name better known than that of John Ferrier. - -There was one way and only one in which he offended the susceptibilities -of his co-religionists. No argument or persuasion could ever induce him -to set up a female establishment after the manner of his companions. He -never gave reasons for this persistent refusal, but contented himself by -resolutely and inflexibly adhering to his determination. There were some -who accused him of lukewarmness in his adopted religion, and others who -put it down to greed of wealth and reluctance to incur expense. Others, -again, spoke of some early love affair, and of a fair-haired girl who -had pined away on the shores of the Atlantic. Whatever the reason, -Ferrier remained strictly celibate. In every other respect he conformed -to the religion of the young settlement, and gained the name of being an -orthodox and straight-walking man. - -Lucy Ferrier grew up within the log-house, and assisted her adopted -father in all his undertakings. The keen air of the mountains and the -balsamic odour of the pine trees took the place of nurse and mother to -the young girl. As year succeeded to year she grew taller and stronger, -her cheek more rudy, and her step more elastic. Many a wayfarer upon -the high road which ran by Ferrier's farm felt long-forgotten thoughts -revive in their mind as they watched her lithe girlish figure tripping -through the wheatfields, or met her mounted upon her father's mustang, -and managing it with all the ease and grace of a true child of the West. -So the bud blossomed into a flower, and the year which saw her father -the richest of the farmers left her as fair a specimen of American -girlhood as could be found in the whole Pacific slope. - -It was not the father, however, who first discovered that the child had -developed into the woman. It seldom is in such cases. That mysterious -change is too subtle and too gradual to be measured by dates. Least of -all does the maiden herself know it until the tone of a voice or the -touch of a hand sets her heart thrilling within her, and she learns, -with a mixture of pride and of fear, that a new and a larger nature has -awoken within her. There are few who cannot recall that day and remember -the one little incident which heralded the dawn of a new life. In the -case of Lucy Ferrier the occasion was serious enough in itself, apart -from its future influence on her destiny and that of many besides. - -It was a warm June morning, and the Latter Day Saints were as busy as -the bees whose hive they have chosen for their emblem. In the fields and -in the streets rose the same hum of human industry. Down the dusty high -roads defiled long streams of heavily-laden mules, all heading to the -west, for the gold fever had broken out in California, and the Overland -Route lay through the City of the Elect. There, too, were droves of -sheep and bullocks coming in from the outlying pasture lands, and trains -of tired immigrants, men and horses equally weary of their interminable -journey. Through all this motley assemblage, threading her way with the -skill of an accomplished rider, there galloped Lucy Ferrier, her fair -face flushed with the exercise and her long chestnut hair floating out -behind her. She had a commission from her father in the City, and was -dashing in as she had done many a time before, with all the fearlessness -of youth, thinking only of her task and how it was to be performed. The -travel-stained adventurers gazed after her in astonishment, and even -the unemotional Indians, journeying in with their pelties, relaxed their -accustomed stoicism as they marvelled at the beauty of the pale-faced -maiden. - -She had reached the outskirts of the city when she found the road -blocked by a great drove of cattle, driven by a half-dozen wild-looking -herdsmen from the plains. In her impatience she endeavoured to pass this -obstacle by pushing her horse into what appeared to be a gap. Scarcely -had she got fairly into it, however, before the beasts closed in behind -her, and she found herself completely imbedded in the moving stream of -fierce-eyed, long-horned bullocks. Accustomed as she was to deal with -cattle, she was not alarmed at her situation, but took advantage of -every opportunity to urge her horse on in the hopes of pushing her way -through the cavalcade. Unfortunately the horns of one of the creatures, -either by accident or design, came in violent contact with the flank of -the mustang, and excited it to madness. In an instant it reared up upon -its hind legs with a snort of rage, and pranced and tossed in a way that -would have unseated any but a most skilful rider. The situation was full -of peril. Every plunge of the excited horse brought it against the horns -again, and goaded it to fresh madness. It was all that the girl could -do to keep herself in the saddle, yet a slip would mean a terrible death -under the hoofs of the unwieldy and terrified animals. Unaccustomed to -sudden emergencies, her head began to swim, and her grip upon the bridle -to relax. Choked by the rising cloud of dust and by the steam from the -struggling creatures, she might have abandoned her efforts in despair, -but for a kindly voice at her elbow which assured her of assistance. At -the same moment a sinewy brown hand caught the frightened horse by -the curb, and forcing a way through the drove, soon brought her to the -outskirts. - -"You're not hurt, I hope, miss," said her preserver, respectfully. - -She looked up at his dark, fierce face, and laughed saucily. "I'm awful -frightened," she said, naively; "whoever would have thought that Poncho -would have been so scared by a lot of cows?" - -"Thank God you kept your seat," the other said earnestly. He was a tall, -savage-looking young fellow, mounted on a powerful roan horse, and -clad in the rough dress of a hunter, with a long rifle slung over his -shoulders. "I guess you are the daughter of John Ferrier," he remarked, -"I saw you ride down from his house. When you see him, ask him if he -remembers the Jefferson Hopes of St. Louis. If he's the same Ferrier, my -father and he were pretty thick." - -"Hadn't you better come and ask yourself?" she asked, demurely. - -The young fellow seemed pleased at the suggestion, and his dark eyes -sparkled with pleasure. "I'll do so," he said, "we've been in the -mountains for two months, and are not over and above in visiting -condition. He must take us as he finds us." - -"He has a good deal to thank you for, and so have I," she answered, -"he's awful fond of me. If those cows had jumped on me he'd have never -got over it." - -"Neither would I," said her companion. - -"You! Well, I don't see that it would make much matter to you, anyhow. -You ain't even a friend of ours." - -The young hunter's dark face grew so gloomy over this remark that Lucy -Ferrier laughed aloud. - -"There, I didn't mean that," she said; "of course, you are a friend now. -You must come and see us. Now I must push along, or father won't trust -me with his business any more. Good-bye!" - -"Good-bye," he answered, raising his broad sombrero, and bending over -her little hand. She wheeled her mustang round, gave it a cut with her -riding-whip, and darted away down the broad road in a rolling cloud of -dust. - -Young Jefferson Hope rode on with his companions, gloomy and taciturn. -He and they had been among the Nevada Mountains prospecting for silver, -and were returning to Salt Lake City in the hope of raising capital -enough to work some lodes which they had discovered. He had been as keen -as any of them upon the business until this sudden incident had drawn -his thoughts into another channel. The sight of the fair young girl, -as frank and wholesome as the Sierra breezes, had stirred his volcanic, -untamed heart to its very depths. When she had vanished from his sight, -he realized that a crisis had come in his life, and that neither silver -speculations nor any other questions could ever be of such importance to -him as this new and all-absorbing one. The love which had sprung up in -his heart was not the sudden, changeable fancy of a boy, but rather the -wild, fierce passion of a man of strong will and imperious temper. He -had been accustomed to succeed in all that he undertook. He swore in -his heart that he would not fail in this if human effort and human -perseverance could render him successful. - -He called on John Ferrier that night, and many times again, until -his face was a familiar one at the farm-house. John, cooped up in the -valley, and absorbed in his work, had had little chance of learning -the news of the outside world during the last twelve years. All this -Jefferson Hope was able to tell him, and in a style which interested -Lucy as well as her father. He had been a pioneer in California, and -could narrate many a strange tale of fortunes made and fortunes lost -in those wild, halcyon days. He had been a scout too, and a trapper, a -silver explorer, and a ranchman. Wherever stirring adventures were to be -had, Jefferson Hope had been there in search of them. He soon became a -favourite with the old farmer, who spoke eloquently of his virtues. On -such occasions, Lucy was silent, but her blushing cheek and her bright, -happy eyes, showed only too clearly that her young heart was no longer -her own. Her honest father may not have observed these symptoms, -but they were assuredly not thrown away upon the man who had won her -affections. - -It was a summer evening when he came galloping down the road and pulled -up at the gate. She was at the doorway, and came down to meet him. He -threw the bridle over the fence and strode up the pathway. - -"I am off, Lucy," he said, taking her two hands in his, and gazing -tenderly down into her face; "I won't ask you to come with me now, but -will you be ready to come when I am here again?" - -"And when will that be?" she asked, blushing and laughing. - -"A couple of months at the outside. I will come and claim you then, my -darling. There's no one who can stand between us." - -"And how about father?" she asked. - -"He has given his consent, provided we get these mines working all -right. I have no fear on that head." - -"Oh, well; of course, if you and father have arranged it all, there's -no more to be said," she whispered, with her cheek against his broad -breast. - -"Thank God!" he said, hoarsely, stooping and kissing her. "It is -settled, then. The longer I stay, the harder it will be to go. They are -waiting for me at the cañon. Good-bye, my own darling--good-bye. In two -months you shall see me." - -He tore himself from her as he spoke, and, flinging himself upon his -horse, galloped furiously away, never even looking round, as though -afraid that his resolution might fail him if he took one glance at -what he was leaving. She stood at the gate, gazing after him until -he vanished from her sight. Then she walked back into the house, the -happiest girl in all Utah. - - - - -CHAPTER III. JOHN FERRIER TALKS WITH THE PROPHET. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -THREE weeks had passed since Jefferson Hope and his comrades had -departed from Salt Lake City. John Ferrier's heart was sore within him -when he thought of the young man's return, and of the impending loss of -his adopted child. Yet her bright and happy face reconciled him to -the arrangement more than any argument could have done. He had always -determined, deep down in his resolute heart, that nothing would ever -induce him to allow his daughter to wed a Mormon. Such a marriage he -regarded as no marriage at all, but as a shame and a disgrace. Whatever -he might think of the Mormon doctrines, upon that one point he was -inflexible. He had to seal his mouth on the subject, however, for to -express an unorthodox opinion was a dangerous matter in those days in -the Land of the Saints. - -Yes, a dangerous matter--so dangerous that even the most saintly dared -only whisper their religious opinions with bated breath, lest something -which fell from their lips might be misconstrued, and bring down a -swift retribution upon them. The victims of persecution had now turned -persecutors on their own account, and persecutors of the most -terrible description. Not the Inquisition of Seville, nor the German -Vehm-gericht, nor the Secret Societies of Italy, were ever able to put -a more formidable machinery in motion than that which cast a cloud over -the State of Utah. - -Its invisibility, and the mystery which was attached to it, made -this organization doubly terrible. It appeared to be omniscient and -omnipotent, and yet was neither seen nor heard. The man who held out -against the Church vanished away, and none knew whither he had gone or -what had befallen him. His wife and his children awaited him at home, -but no father ever returned to tell them how he had fared at the -hands of his secret judges. A rash word or a hasty act was followed -by annihilation, and yet none knew what the nature might be of this -terrible power which was suspended over them. No wonder that men -went about in fear and trembling, and that even in the heart of the -wilderness they dared not whisper the doubts which oppressed them. - -At first this vague and terrible power was exercised only upon the -recalcitrants who, having embraced the Mormon faith, wished afterwards -to pervert or to abandon it. Soon, however, it took a wider range. The -supply of adult women was running short, and polygamy without a female -population on which to draw was a barren doctrine indeed. Strange -rumours began to be bandied about--rumours of murdered immigrants and -rifled camps in regions where Indians had never been seen. Fresh women -appeared in the harems of the Elders--women who pined and wept, and -bore upon their faces the traces of an unextinguishable horror. Belated -wanderers upon the mountains spoke of gangs of armed men, masked, -stealthy, and noiseless, who flitted by them in the darkness. These -tales and rumours took substance and shape, and were corroborated and -re-corroborated, until they resolved themselves into a definite name. -To this day, in the lonely ranches of the West, the name of the Danite -Band, or the Avenging Angels, is a sinister and an ill-omened one. - -Fuller knowledge of the organization which produced such terrible -results served to increase rather than to lessen the horror which it -inspired in the minds of men. None knew who belonged to this ruthless -society. The names of the participators in the deeds of blood and -violence done under the name of religion were kept profoundly secret. -The very friend to whom you communicated your misgivings as to the -Prophet and his mission, might be one of those who would come forth at -night with fire and sword to exact a terrible reparation. Hence every -man feared his neighbour, and none spoke of the things which were -nearest his heart. - -One fine morning, John Ferrier was about to set out to his wheatfields, -when he heard the click of the latch, and, looking through the window, -saw a stout, sandy-haired, middle-aged man coming up the pathway. His -heart leapt to his mouth, for this was none other than the great Brigham -Young himself. Full of trepidation--for he knew that such a visit boded -him little good--Ferrier ran to the door to greet the Mormon chief. The -latter, however, received his salutations coldly, and followed him with -a stern face into the sitting-room. - -"Brother Ferrier," he said, taking a seat, and eyeing the farmer keenly -from under his light-coloured eyelashes, "the true believers have been -good friends to you. We picked you up when you were starving in the -desert, we shared our food with you, led you safe to the Chosen Valley, -gave you a goodly share of land, and allowed you to wax rich under our -protection. Is not this so?" - -"It is so," answered John Ferrier. - -"In return for all this we asked but one condition: that was, that you -should embrace the true faith, and conform in every way to its usages. -This you promised to do, and this, if common report says truly, you have -neglected." - -"And how have I neglected it?" asked Ferrier, throwing out his hands in -expostulation. "Have I not given to the common fund? Have I not attended -at the Temple? Have I not----?" - -"Where are your wives?" asked Young, looking round him. "Call them in, -that I may greet them." - -"It is true that I have not married," Ferrier answered. "But women -were few, and there were many who had better claims than I. I was not a -lonely man: I had my daughter to attend to my wants." - -"It is of that daughter that I would speak to you," said the leader -of the Mormons. "She has grown to be the flower of Utah, and has found -favour in the eyes of many who are high in the land." - -John Ferrier groaned internally. - -"There are stories of her which I would fain disbelieve--stories that -she is sealed to some Gentile. This must be the gossip of idle tongues. -What is the thirteenth rule in the code of the sainted Joseph Smith? -'Let every maiden of the true faith marry one of the elect; for if -she wed a Gentile, she commits a grievous sin.' This being so, it is -impossible that you, who profess the holy creed, should suffer your -daughter to violate it." - -John Ferrier made no answer, but he played nervously with his -riding-whip. - -"Upon this one point your whole faith shall be tested--so it has been -decided in the Sacred Council of Four. The girl is young, and we would -not have her wed grey hairs, neither would we deprive her of all -choice. We Elders have many heifers, [29]_ but our children must also -be provided. Stangerson has a son, and Drebber has a son, and either of -them would gladly welcome your daughter to their house. Let her choose -between them. They are young and rich, and of the true faith. What say -you to that?" - -Ferrier remained silent for some little time with his brows knitted. - -"You will give us time," he said at last. "My daughter is very -young--she is scarce of an age to marry." - -"She shall have a month to choose," said Young, rising from his seat. -"At the end of that time she shall give her answer." - -He was passing through the door, when he turned, with flushed face and -flashing eyes. "It were better for you, John Ferrier," he thundered, -"that you and she were now lying blanched skeletons upon the Sierra -Blanco, than that you should put your weak wills against the orders of -the Holy Four!" - -With a threatening gesture of his hand, he turned from the door, and -Ferrier heard his heavy step scrunching along the shingly path. - -He was still sitting with his elbows upon his knees, considering how he -should broach the matter to his daughter when a soft hand was laid upon -his, and looking up, he saw her standing beside him. One glance at her -pale, frightened face showed him that she had heard what had passed. - -"I could not help it," she said, in answer to his look. "His voice rang -through the house. Oh, father, father, what shall we do?" - -"Don't you scare yourself," he answered, drawing her to him, and passing -his broad, rough hand caressingly over her chestnut hair. "We'll fix it -up somehow or another. You don't find your fancy kind o' lessening for -this chap, do you?" - -A sob and a squeeze of his hand was her only answer. - -"No; of course not. I shouldn't care to hear you say you did. He's a -likely lad, and he's a Christian, which is more than these folk here, in -spite o' all their praying and preaching. There's a party starting for -Nevada to-morrow, and I'll manage to send him a message letting him know -the hole we are in. If I know anything o' that young man, he'll be back -here with a speed that would whip electro-telegraphs." - -Lucy laughed through her tears at her father's description. - -"When he comes, he will advise us for the best. But it is for you that -I am frightened, dear. One hears--one hears such dreadful stories about -those who oppose the Prophet: something terrible always happens to -them." - -"But we haven't opposed him yet," her father answered. "It will be time -to look out for squalls when we do. We have a clear month before us; at -the end of that, I guess we had best shin out of Utah." - -"Leave Utah!" - -"That's about the size of it." - -"But the farm?" - -"We will raise as much as we can in money, and let the rest go. To tell -the truth, Lucy, it isn't the first time I have thought of doing it. I -don't care about knuckling under to any man, as these folk do to their -darned prophet. I'm a free-born American, and it's all new to me. Guess -I'm too old to learn. If he comes browsing about this farm, he might -chance to run up against a charge of buckshot travelling in the opposite -direction." - -"But they won't let us leave," his daughter objected. - -"Wait till Jefferson comes, and we'll soon manage that. In the meantime, -don't you fret yourself, my dearie, and don't get your eyes swelled up, -else he'll be walking into me when he sees you. There's nothing to be -afeared about, and there's no danger at all." - -John Ferrier uttered these consoling remarks in a very confident tone, -but she could not help observing that he paid unusual care to the -fastening of the doors that night, and that he carefully cleaned and -loaded the rusty old shotgun which hung upon the wall of his bedroom. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. A FLIGHT FOR LIFE. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -ON the morning which followed his interview with the Mormon Prophet, -John Ferrier went in to Salt Lake City, and having found his -acquaintance, who was bound for the Nevada Mountains, he entrusted him -with his message to Jefferson Hope. In it he told the young man of the -imminent danger which threatened them, and how necessary it was that he -should return. Having done thus he felt easier in his mind, and returned -home with a lighter heart. - -As he approached his farm, he was surprised to see a horse hitched to -each of the posts of the gate. Still more surprised was he on entering -to find two young men in possession of his sitting-room. One, with a -long pale face, was leaning back in the rocking-chair, with his feet -cocked up upon the stove. The other, a bull-necked youth with coarse -bloated features, was standing in front of the window with his hands in -his pocket, whistling a popular hymn. Both of them nodded to Ferrier as -he entered, and the one in the rocking-chair commenced the conversation. - -"Maybe you don't know us," he said. "This here is the son of Elder -Drebber, and I'm Joseph Stangerson, who travelled with you in the desert -when the Lord stretched out His hand and gathered you into the true -fold." - -"As He will all the nations in His own good time," said the other in a -nasal voice; "He grindeth slowly but exceeding small." - -John Ferrier bowed coldly. He had guessed who his visitors were. - -"We have come," continued Stangerson, "at the advice of our fathers to -solicit the hand of your daughter for whichever of us may seem good to -you and to her. As I have but four wives and Brother Drebber here has -seven, it appears to me that my claim is the stronger one." - -"Nay, nay, Brother Stangerson," cried the other; "the question is not -how many wives we have, but how many we can keep. My father has now -given over his mills to me, and I am the richer man." - -"But my prospects are better," said the other, warmly. "When the -Lord removes my father, I shall have his tanning yard and his leather -factory. Then I am your elder, and am higher in the Church." - -"It will be for the maiden to decide," rejoined young Drebber, smirking -at his own reflection in the glass. "We will leave it all to her -decision." - -During this dialogue, John Ferrier had stood fuming in the doorway, -hardly able to keep his riding-whip from the backs of his two visitors. - -"Look here," he said at last, striding up to them, "when my daughter -summons you, you can come, but until then I don't want to see your faces -again." - -The two young Mormons stared at him in amazement. In their eyes this -competition between them for the maiden's hand was the highest of -honours both to her and her father. - -"There are two ways out of the room," cried Ferrier; "there is the door, -and there is the window. Which do you care to use?" - -His brown face looked so savage, and his gaunt hands so threatening, -that his visitors sprang to their feet and beat a hurried retreat. The -old farmer followed them to the door. - -"Let me know when you have settled which it is to be," he said, -sardonically. - -"You shall smart for this!" Stangerson cried, white with rage. "You have -defied the Prophet and the Council of Four. You shall rue it to the end -of your days." - -"The hand of the Lord shall be heavy upon you," cried young Drebber; "He -will arise and smite you!" - -"Then I'll start the smiting," exclaimed Ferrier furiously, and would -have rushed upstairs for his gun had not Lucy seized him by the arm and -restrained him. Before he could escape from her, the clatter of horses' -hoofs told him that they were beyond his reach. - -"The young canting rascals!" he exclaimed, wiping the perspiration from -his forehead; "I would sooner see you in your grave, my girl, than the -wife of either of them." - -"And so should I, father," she answered, with spirit; "but Jefferson -will soon be here." - -"Yes. It will not be long before he comes. The sooner the better, for we -do not know what their next move may be." - -It was, indeed, high time that someone capable of giving advice and -help should come to the aid of the sturdy old farmer and his adopted -daughter. In the whole history of the settlement there had never been -such a case of rank disobedience to the authority of the Elders. If -minor errors were punished so sternly, what would be the fate of this -arch rebel. Ferrier knew that his wealth and position would be of no -avail to him. Others as well known and as rich as himself had been -spirited away before now, and their goods given over to the Church. He -was a brave man, but he trembled at the vague, shadowy terrors which -hung over him. Any known danger he could face with a firm lip, but -this suspense was unnerving. He concealed his fears from his daughter, -however, and affected to make light of the whole matter, though she, -with the keen eye of love, saw plainly that he was ill at ease. - -He expected that he would receive some message or remonstrance from -Young as to his conduct, and he was not mistaken, though it came in an -unlooked-for manner. Upon rising next morning he found, to his surprise, -a small square of paper pinned on to the coverlet of his bed just over -his chest. On it was printed, in bold straggling letters:-- - -"Twenty-nine days are given you for amendment, and then----" - -The dash was more fear-inspiring than any threat could have been. How -this warning came into his room puzzled John Ferrier sorely, for his -servants slept in an outhouse, and the doors and windows had all been -secured. He crumpled the paper up and said nothing to his daughter, but -the incident struck a chill into his heart. The twenty-nine days were -evidently the balance of the month which Young had promised. What -strength or courage could avail against an enemy armed with such -mysterious powers? The hand which fastened that pin might have struck -him to the heart, and he could never have known who had slain him. - -Still more shaken was he next morning. They had sat down to their -breakfast when Lucy with a cry of surprise pointed upwards. In the -centre of the ceiling was scrawled, with a burned stick apparently, -the number 28. To his daughter it was unintelligible, and he did not -enlighten her. That night he sat up with his gun and kept watch and -ward. He saw and he heard nothing, and yet in the morning a great 27 had -been painted upon the outside of his door. - -Thus day followed day; and as sure as morning came he found that his -unseen enemies had kept their register, and had marked up in some -conspicuous position how many days were still left to him out of the -month of grace. Sometimes the fatal numbers appeared upon the walls, -sometimes upon the floors, occasionally they were on small placards -stuck upon the garden gate or the railings. With all his vigilance John -Ferrier could not discover whence these daily warnings proceeded. A -horror which was almost superstitious came upon him at the sight of -them. He became haggard and restless, and his eyes had the troubled look -of some hunted creature. He had but one hope in life now, and that was -for the arrival of the young hunter from Nevada. - -Twenty had changed to fifteen and fifteen to ten, but there was no news -of the absentee. One by one the numbers dwindled down, and still there -came no sign of him. Whenever a horseman clattered down the road, or a -driver shouted at his team, the old farmer hurried to the gate thinking -that help had arrived at last. At last, when he saw five give way to -four and that again to three, he lost heart, and abandoned all hope of -escape. Single-handed, and with his limited knowledge of the mountains -which surrounded the settlement, he knew that he was powerless. The -more-frequented roads were strictly watched and guarded, and none could -pass along them without an order from the Council. Turn which way he -would, there appeared to be no avoiding the blow which hung over him. -Yet the old man never wavered in his resolution to part with life itself -before he consented to what he regarded as his daughter's dishonour. - -He was sitting alone one evening pondering deeply over his troubles, and -searching vainly for some way out of them. That morning had shown the -figure 2 upon the wall of his house, and the next day would be the last -of the allotted time. What was to happen then? All manner of vague and -terrible fancies filled his imagination. And his daughter--what was to -become of her after he was gone? Was there no escape from the invisible -network which was drawn all round them. He sank his head upon the table -and sobbed at the thought of his own impotence. - -What was that? In the silence he heard a gentle scratching sound--low, -but very distinct in the quiet of the night. It came from the door of -the house. Ferrier crept into the hall and listened intently. There -was a pause for a few moments, and then the low insidious sound was -repeated. Someone was evidently tapping very gently upon one of the -panels of the door. Was it some midnight assassin who had come to carry -out the murderous orders of the secret tribunal? Or was it some agent -who was marking up that the last day of grace had arrived. John Ferrier -felt that instant death would be better than the suspense which shook -his nerves and chilled his heart. Springing forward he drew the bolt and -threw the door open. - -Outside all was calm and quiet. The night was fine, and the stars were -twinkling brightly overhead. The little front garden lay before the -farmer's eyes bounded by the fence and gate, but neither there nor on -the road was any human being to be seen. With a sigh of relief, Ferrier -looked to right and to left, until happening to glance straight down at -his own feet he saw to his astonishment a man lying flat upon his face -upon the ground, with arms and legs all asprawl. - -So unnerved was he at the sight that he leaned up against the wall with -his hand to his throat to stifle his inclination to call out. His first -thought was that the prostrate figure was that of some wounded or dying -man, but as he watched it he saw it writhe along the ground and into the -hall with the rapidity and noiselessness of a serpent. Once within the -house the man sprang to his feet, closed the door, and revealed to the -astonished farmer the fierce face and resolute expression of Jefferson -Hope. - -"Good God!" gasped John Ferrier. "How you scared me! Whatever made you -come in like that." - -"Give me food," the other said, hoarsely. "I have had no time for bite -or sup for eight-and-forty hours." He flung himself upon the [21]_ cold -meat and bread which were still lying upon the table from his host's -supper, and devoured it voraciously. "Does Lucy bear up well?" he asked, -when he had satisfied his hunger. - -"Yes. She does not know the danger," her father answered. - -"That is well. The house is watched on every side. That is why I crawled -my way up to it. They may be darned sharp, but they're not quite sharp -enough to catch a Washoe hunter." - -John Ferrier felt a different man now that he realized that he had -a devoted ally. He seized the young man's leathery hand and wrung it -cordially. "You're a man to be proud of," he said. "There are not many -who would come to share our danger and our troubles." - -"You've hit it there, pard," the young hunter answered. "I have a -respect for you, but if you were alone in this business I'd think twice -before I put my head into such a hornet's nest. It's Lucy that brings me -here, and before harm comes on her I guess there will be one less o' the -Hope family in Utah." - -"What are we to do?" - -"To-morrow is your last day, and unless you act to-night you are lost. -I have a mule and two horses waiting in the Eagle Ravine. How much money -have you?" - -"Two thousand dollars in gold, and five in notes." - -"That will do. I have as much more to add to it. We must push for Carson -City through the mountains. You had best wake Lucy. It is as well that -the servants do not sleep in the house." - -While Ferrier was absent, preparing his daughter for the approaching -journey, Jefferson Hope packed all the eatables that he could find into -a small parcel, and filled a stoneware jar with water, for he knew by -experience that the mountain wells were few and far between. He had -hardly completed his arrangements before the farmer returned with his -daughter all dressed and ready for a start. The greeting between the -lovers was warm, but brief, for minutes were precious, and there was -much to be done. - -"We must make our start at once," said Jefferson Hope, speaking in a low -but resolute voice, like one who realizes the greatness of the peril, -but has steeled his heart to meet it. "The front and back entrances are -watched, but with caution we may get away through the side window and -across the fields. Once on the road we are only two miles from the -Ravine where the horses are waiting. By daybreak we should be half-way -through the mountains." - -"What if we are stopped," asked Ferrier. - -Hope slapped the revolver butt which protruded from the front of his -tunic. "If they are too many for us we shall take two or three of them -with us," he said with a sinister smile. - -The lights inside the house had all been extinguished, and from the -darkened window Ferrier peered over the fields which had been his own, -and which he was now about to abandon for ever. He had long nerved -himself to the sacrifice, however, and the thought of the honour and -happiness of his daughter outweighed any regret at his ruined fortunes. -All looked so peaceful and happy, the rustling trees and the broad -silent stretch of grain-land, that it was difficult to realize that -the spirit of murder lurked through it all. Yet the white face and set -expression of the young hunter showed that in his approach to the house -he had seen enough to satisfy him upon that head. - -Ferrier carried the bag of gold and notes, Jefferson Hope had the scanty -provisions and water, while Lucy had a small bundle containing a few -of her more valued possessions. Opening the window very slowly and -carefully, they waited until a dark cloud had somewhat obscured the -night, and then one by one passed through into the little garden. With -bated breath and crouching figures they stumbled across it, and gained -the shelter of the hedge, which they skirted until they came to the gap -which opened into the cornfields. They had just reached this point when -the young man seized his two companions and dragged them down into the -shadow, where they lay silent and trembling. - -It was as well that his prairie training had given Jefferson Hope the -ears of a lynx. He and his friends had hardly crouched down before the -melancholy hooting of a mountain owl was heard within a few yards -of them, which was immediately answered by another hoot at a small -distance. At the same moment a vague shadowy figure emerged from the -gap for which they had been making, and uttered the plaintive signal cry -again, on which a second man appeared out of the obscurity. - -"To-morrow at midnight," said the first who appeared to be in authority. -"When the Whip-poor-Will calls three times." - -"It is well," returned the other. "Shall I tell Brother Drebber?" - -"Pass it on to him, and from him to the others. Nine to seven!" - -"Seven to five!" repeated the other, and the two figures flitted away -in different directions. Their concluding words had evidently been some -form of sign and countersign. The instant that their footsteps had died -away in the distance, Jefferson Hope sprang to his feet, and helping his -companions through the gap, led the way across the fields at the top -of his speed, supporting and half-carrying the girl when her strength -appeared to fail her. - -"Hurry on! hurry on!" he gasped from time to time. "We are through the -line of sentinels. Everything depends on speed. Hurry on!" - -Once on the high road they made rapid progress. Only once did they -meet anyone, and then they managed to slip into a field, and so avoid -recognition. Before reaching the town the hunter branched away into a -rugged and narrow footpath which led to the mountains. Two dark jagged -peaks loomed above them through the darkness, and the defile which led -between them was the Eagle Cañon in which the horses were awaiting them. -With unerring instinct Jefferson Hope picked his way among the great -boulders and along the bed of a dried-up watercourse, until he came to -the retired corner, screened with rocks, where the faithful animals had -been picketed. The girl was placed upon the mule, and old Ferrier upon -one of the horses, with his money-bag, while Jefferson Hope led the -other along the precipitous and dangerous path. - -It was a bewildering route for anyone who was not accustomed to face -Nature in her wildest moods. On the one side a great crag towered up a -thousand feet or more, black, stern, and menacing, with long basaltic -columns upon its rugged surface like the ribs of some petrified monster. -On the other hand a wild chaos of boulders and debris made all advance -impossible. Between the two ran the irregular track, so narrow in places -that they had to travel in Indian file, and so rough that only practised -riders could have traversed it at all. Yet in spite of all dangers and -difficulties, the hearts of the fugitives were light within them, -for every step increased the distance between them and the terrible -despotism from which they were flying. - -They soon had a proof, however, that they were still within the -jurisdiction of the Saints. They had reached the very wildest and most -desolate portion of the pass when the girl gave a startled cry, and -pointed upwards. On a rock which overlooked the track, showing out dark -and plain against the sky, there stood a solitary sentinel. He saw them -as soon as they perceived him, and his military challenge of "Who goes -there?" rang through the silent ravine. - -"Travellers for Nevada," said Jefferson Hope, with his hand upon the -rifle which hung by his saddle. - -They could see the lonely watcher fingering his gun, and peering down at -them as if dissatisfied at their reply. - -"By whose permission?" he asked. - -"The Holy Four," answered Ferrier. His Mormon experiences had taught him -that that was the highest authority to which he could refer. - -"Nine from seven," cried the sentinel. - -"Seven from five," returned Jefferson Hope promptly, remembering the -countersign which he had heard in the garden. - -"Pass, and the Lord go with you," said the voice from above. Beyond his -post the path broadened out, and the horses were able to break into a -trot. Looking back, they could see the solitary watcher leaning upon -his gun, and knew that they had passed the outlying post of the chosen -people, and that freedom lay before them. - - - - -CHAPTER V. THE AVENGING ANGELS. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -ALL night their course lay through intricate defiles and over irregular -and rock-strewn paths. More than once they lost their way, but Hope's -intimate knowledge of the mountains enabled them to regain the track -once more. When morning broke, a scene of marvellous though savage -beauty lay before them. In every direction the great snow-capped peaks -hemmed them in, peeping over each other's shoulders to the far horizon. -So steep were the rocky banks on either side of them, that the larch -and the pine seemed to be suspended over their heads, and to need only a -gust of wind to come hurtling down upon them. Nor was the fear entirely -an illusion, for the barren valley was thickly strewn with trees and -boulders which had fallen in a similar manner. Even as they passed, -a great rock came thundering down with a hoarse rattle which woke -the echoes in the silent gorges, and startled the weary horses into a -gallop. - -As the sun rose slowly above the eastern horizon, the caps of the great -mountains lit up one after the other, like lamps at a festival, until -they were all ruddy and glowing. The magnificent spectacle cheered the -hearts of the three fugitives and gave them fresh energy. At a wild -torrent which swept out of a ravine they called a halt and watered their -horses, while they partook of a hasty breakfast. Lucy and her father -would fain have rested longer, but Jefferson Hope was inexorable. "They -will be upon our track by this time," he said. "Everything depends upon -our speed. Once safe in Carson we may rest for the remainder of our -lives." - -During the whole of that day they struggled on through the defiles, and -by evening they calculated that they were more than thirty miles from -their enemies. At night-time they chose the base of a beetling crag, -where the rocks offered some protection from the chill wind, and there -huddled together for warmth, they enjoyed a few hours' sleep. Before -daybreak, however, they were up and on their way once more. They had -seen no signs of any pursuers, and Jefferson Hope began to think that -they were fairly out of the reach of the terrible organization whose -enmity they had incurred. He little knew how far that iron grasp could -reach, or how soon it was to close upon them and crush them. - -About the middle of the second day of their flight their scanty store -of provisions began to run out. This gave the hunter little uneasiness, -however, for there was game to be had among the mountains, and he had -frequently before had to depend upon his rifle for the needs of life. -Choosing a sheltered nook, he piled together a few dried branches and -made a blazing fire, at which his companions might warm themselves, for -they were now nearly five thousand feet above the sea level, and the air -was bitter and keen. Having tethered the horses, and bade Lucy adieu, -he threw his gun over his shoulder, and set out in search of whatever -chance might throw in his way. Looking back he saw the old man and the -young girl crouching over the blazing fire, while the three animals -stood motionless in the back-ground. Then the intervening rocks hid them -from his view. - -He walked for a couple of miles through one ravine after another without -success, though from the marks upon the bark of the trees, and other -indications, he judged that there were numerous bears in the vicinity. -At last, after two or three hours' fruitless search, he was thinking of -turning back in despair, when casting his eyes upwards he saw a sight -which sent a thrill of pleasure through his heart. On the edge of a -jutting pinnacle, three or four hundred feet above him, there stood a -creature somewhat resembling a sheep in appearance, but armed with a -pair of gigantic horns. The big-horn--for so it is called--was acting, -probably, as a guardian over a flock which were invisible to the hunter; -but fortunately it was heading in the opposite direction, and had not -perceived him. Lying on his face, he rested his rifle upon a rock, and -took a long and steady aim before drawing the trigger. The animal sprang -into the air, tottered for a moment upon the edge of the precipice, and -then came crashing down into the valley beneath. - -The creature was too unwieldy to lift, so the hunter contented himself -with cutting away one haunch and part of the flank. With this trophy -over his shoulder, he hastened to retrace his steps, for the evening was -already drawing in. He had hardly started, however, before he realized -the difficulty which faced him. In his eagerness he had wandered far -past the ravines which were known to him, and it was no easy matter -to pick out the path which he had taken. The valley in which he found -himself divided and sub-divided into many gorges, which were so like -each other that it was impossible to distinguish one from the other. -He followed one for a mile or more until he came to a mountain torrent -which he was sure that he had never seen before. Convinced that he had -taken the wrong turn, he tried another, but with the same result. Night -was coming on rapidly, and it was almost dark before he at last found -himself in a defile which was familiar to him. Even then it was no easy -matter to keep to the right track, for the moon had not yet risen, and -the high cliffs on either side made the obscurity more profound. Weighed -down with his burden, and weary from his exertions, he stumbled along, -keeping up his heart by the reflection that every step brought him -nearer to Lucy, and that he carried with him enough to ensure them food -for the remainder of their journey. - -He had now come to the mouth of the very defile in which he had left -them. Even in the darkness he could recognize the outline of the cliffs -which bounded it. They must, he reflected, be awaiting him anxiously, -for he had been absent nearly five hours. In the gladness of his heart -he put his hands to his mouth and made the glen re-echo to a loud halloo -as a signal that he was coming. He paused and listened for an answer. -None came save his own cry, which clattered up the dreary silent -ravines, and was borne back to his ears in countless repetitions. Again -he shouted, even louder than before, and again no whisper came back from -the friends whom he had left such a short time ago. A vague, nameless -dread came over him, and he hurried onwards frantically, dropping the -precious food in his agitation. - -When he turned the corner, he came full in sight of the spot where the -fire had been lit. There was still a glowing pile of wood ashes there, -but it had evidently not been tended since his departure. The same -dead silence still reigned all round. With his fears all changed to -convictions, he hurried on. There was no living creature near the -remains of the fire: animals, man, maiden, all were gone. It was only -too clear that some sudden and terrible disaster had occurred during -his absence--a disaster which had embraced them all, and yet had left no -traces behind it. - -Bewildered and stunned by this blow, Jefferson Hope felt his head spin -round, and had to lean upon his rifle to save himself from falling. He -was essentially a man of action, however, and speedily recovered from -his temporary impotence. Seizing a half-consumed piece of wood from the -smouldering fire, he blew it into a flame, and proceeded with its help -to examine the little camp. The ground was all stamped down by the feet -of horses, showing that a large party of mounted men had overtaken -the fugitives, and the direction of their tracks proved that they had -afterwards turned back to Salt Lake City. Had they carried back both of -his companions with them? Jefferson Hope had almost persuaded himself -that they must have done so, when his eye fell upon an object which made -every nerve of his body tingle within him. A little way on one side of -the camp was a low-lying heap of reddish soil, which had assuredly -not been there before. There was no mistaking it for anything but a -newly-dug grave. As the young hunter approached it, he perceived that a -stick had been planted on it, with a sheet of paper stuck in the cleft -fork of it. The inscription upon the paper was brief, but to the point: - - JOHN FERRIER, - FORMERLY OF SALT LAKE CITY, [22]_ - Died August 4th, 1860. - -The sturdy old man, whom he had left so short a time before, was gone, -then, and this was all his epitaph. Jefferson Hope looked wildly round -to see if there was a second grave, but there was no sign of one. Lucy -had been carried back by their terrible pursuers to fulfil her original -destiny, by becoming one of the harem of the Elder's son. As the young -fellow realized the certainty of her fate, and his own powerlessness to -prevent it, he wished that he, too, was lying with the old farmer in his -last silent resting-place. - -Again, however, his active spirit shook off the lethargy which springs -from despair. If there was nothing else left to him, he could at least -devote his life to revenge. With indomitable patience and perseverance, -Jefferson Hope possessed also a power of sustained vindictiveness, which -he may have learned from the Indians amongst whom he had lived. As he -stood by the desolate fire, he felt that the only one thing which could -assuage his grief would be thorough and complete retribution, brought -by his own hand upon his enemies. His strong will and untiring energy -should, he determined, be devoted to that one end. With a grim, white -face, he retraced his steps to where he had dropped the food, and having -stirred up the smouldering fire, he cooked enough to last him for a -few days. This he made up into a bundle, and, tired as he was, he -set himself to walk back through the mountains upon the track of the -avenging angels. - -For five days he toiled footsore and weary through the defiles which he -had already traversed on horseback. At night he flung himself down among -the rocks, and snatched a few hours of sleep; but before daybreak he was -always well on his way. On the sixth day, he reached the Eagle Cañon, -from which they had commenced their ill-fated flight. Thence he could -look down upon the home of the saints. Worn and exhausted, he leaned -upon his rifle and shook his gaunt hand fiercely at the silent -widespread city beneath him. As he looked at it, he observed that -there were flags in some of the principal streets, and other signs of -festivity. He was still speculating as to what this might mean when he -heard the clatter of horse's hoofs, and saw a mounted man riding towards -him. As he approached, he recognized him as a Mormon named Cowper, to -whom he had rendered services at different times. He therefore accosted -him when he got up to him, with the object of finding out what Lucy -Ferrier's fate had been. - -"I am Jefferson Hope," he said. "You remember me." - -The Mormon looked at him with undisguised astonishment--indeed, it was -difficult to recognize in this tattered, unkempt wanderer, with ghastly -white face and fierce, wild eyes, the spruce young hunter of former -days. Having, however, at last, satisfied himself as to his identity, -the man's surprise changed to consternation. - -"You are mad to come here," he cried. "It is as much as my own life is -worth to be seen talking with you. There is a warrant against you from -the Holy Four for assisting the Ferriers away." - -"I don't fear them, or their warrant," Hope said, earnestly. "You must -know something of this matter, Cowper. I conjure you by everything you -hold dear to answer a few questions. We have always been friends. For -God's sake, don't refuse to answer me." - -"What is it?" the Mormon asked uneasily. "Be quick. The very rocks have -ears and the trees eyes." - -"What has become of Lucy Ferrier?" - -"She was married yesterday to young Drebber. Hold up, man, hold up, you -have no life left in you." - -"Don't mind me," said Hope faintly. He was white to the very lips, and -had sunk down on the stone against which he had been leaning. "Married, -you say?" - -"Married yesterday--that's what those flags are for on the Endowment -House. There was some words between young Drebber and young Stangerson -as to which was to have her. They'd both been in the party that followed -them, and Stangerson had shot her father, which seemed to give him the -best claim; but when they argued it out in council, Drebber's party was -the stronger, so the Prophet gave her over to him. No one won't have -her very long though, for I saw death in her face yesterday. She is more -like a ghost than a woman. Are you off, then?" - -"Yes, I am off," said Jefferson Hope, who had risen from his seat. His -face might have been chiselled out of marble, so hard and set was its -expression, while its eyes glowed with a baleful light. - -"Where are you going?" - -"Never mind," he answered; and, slinging his weapon over his shoulder, -strode off down the gorge and so away into the heart of the mountains to -the haunts of the wild beasts. Amongst them all there was none so fierce -and so dangerous as himself. - -The prediction of the Mormon was only too well fulfilled. Whether it was -the terrible death of her father or the effects of the hateful marriage -into which she had been forced, poor Lucy never held up her head again, -but pined away and died within a month. Her sottish husband, who had -married her principally for the sake of John Ferrier's property, did not -affect any great grief at his bereavement; but his other wives mourned -over her, and sat up with her the night before the burial, as is the -Mormon custom. They were grouped round the bier in the early hours of -the morning, when, to their inexpressible fear and astonishment, -the door was flung open, and a savage-looking, weather-beaten man in -tattered garments strode into the room. Without a glance or a word to -the cowering women, he walked up to the white silent figure which had -once contained the pure soul of Lucy Ferrier. Stooping over her, he -pressed his lips reverently to her cold forehead, and then, snatching -up her hand, he took the wedding-ring from her finger. "She shall not be -buried in that," he cried with a fierce snarl, and before an alarm could -be raised sprang down the stairs and was gone. So strange and so brief -was the episode, that the watchers might have found it hard to believe -it themselves or persuade other people of it, had it not been for the -undeniable fact that the circlet of gold which marked her as having been -a bride had disappeared. - -For some months Jefferson Hope lingered among the mountains, leading -a strange wild life, and nursing in his heart the fierce desire for -vengeance which possessed him. Tales were told in the City of the weird -figure which was seen prowling about the suburbs, and which haunted -the lonely mountain gorges. Once a bullet whistled through Stangerson's -window and flattened itself upon the wall within a foot of him. On -another occasion, as Drebber passed under a cliff a great boulder -crashed down on him, and he only escaped a terrible death by throwing -himself upon his face. The two young Mormons were not long in -discovering the reason of these attempts upon their lives, and led -repeated expeditions into the mountains in the hope of capturing or -killing their enemy, but always without success. Then they adopted the -precaution of never going out alone or after nightfall, and of having -their houses guarded. After a time they were able to relax these -measures, for nothing was either heard or seen of their opponent, and -they hoped that time had cooled his vindictiveness. - -Far from doing so, it had, if anything, augmented it. The hunter's mind -was of a hard, unyielding nature, and the predominant idea of revenge -had taken such complete possession of it that there was no room for -any other emotion. He was, however, above all things practical. He soon -realized that even his iron constitution could not stand the incessant -strain which he was putting upon it. Exposure and want of wholesome food -were wearing him out. If he died like a dog among the mountains, what -was to become of his revenge then? And yet such a death was sure to -overtake him if he persisted. He felt that that was to play his enemy's -game, so he reluctantly returned to the old Nevada mines, there to -recruit his health and to amass money enough to allow him to pursue his -object without privation. - -His intention had been to be absent a year at the most, but a -combination of unforeseen circumstances prevented his leaving the mines -for nearly five. At the end of that time, however, his memory of -his wrongs and his craving for revenge were quite as keen as on that -memorable night when he had stood by John Ferrier's grave. Disguised, -and under an assumed name, he returned to Salt Lake City, careless -what became of his own life, as long as he obtained what he knew to -be justice. There he found evil tidings awaiting him. There had been a -schism among the Chosen People a few months before, some of the younger -members of the Church having rebelled against the authority of the -Elders, and the result had been the secession of a certain number of the -malcontents, who had left Utah and become Gentiles. Among these had been -Drebber and Stangerson; and no one knew whither they had gone. Rumour -reported that Drebber had managed to convert a large part of his -property into money, and that he had departed a wealthy man, while his -companion, Stangerson, was comparatively poor. There was no clue at all, -however, as to their whereabouts. - -Many a man, however vindictive, would have abandoned all thought of -revenge in the face of such a difficulty, but Jefferson Hope never -faltered for a moment. With the small competence he possessed, eked out -by such employment as he could pick up, he travelled from town to town -through the United States in quest of his enemies. Year passed into -year, his black hair turned grizzled, but still he wandered on, a human -bloodhound, with his mind wholly set upon the one object upon which he -had devoted his life. At last his perseverance was rewarded. It was -but a glance of a face in a window, but that one glance told him that -Cleveland in Ohio possessed the men whom he was in pursuit of. He -returned to his miserable lodgings with his plan of vengeance all -arranged. It chanced, however, that Drebber, looking from his window, -had recognized the vagrant in the street, and had read murder in -his eyes. He hurried before a justice of the peace, accompanied by -Stangerson, who had become his private secretary, and represented to him -that they were in danger of their lives from the jealousy and hatred of -an old rival. That evening Jefferson Hope was taken into custody, and -not being able to find sureties, was detained for some weeks. When at -last he was liberated, it was only to find that Drebber's house was -deserted, and that he and his secretary had departed for Europe. - -Again the avenger had been foiled, and again his concentrated hatred -urged him to continue the pursuit. Funds were wanting, however, and -for some time he had to return to work, saving every dollar for his -approaching journey. At last, having collected enough to keep life in -him, he departed for Europe, and tracked his enemies from city to -city, working his way in any menial capacity, but never overtaking the -fugitives. When he reached St. Petersburg they had departed for Paris; -and when he followed them there he learned that they had just set off -for Copenhagen. At the Danish capital he was again a few days late, for -they had journeyed on to London, where he at last succeeded in running -them to earth. As to what occurred there, we cannot do better than quote -the old hunter's own account, as duly recorded in Dr. Watson's Journal, -to which we are already under such obligations. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. A CONTINUATION OF THE REMINISCENCES OF JOHN WATSON, M.D. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -OUR prisoner's furious resistance did not apparently indicate any -ferocity in his disposition towards ourselves, for on finding himself -powerless, he smiled in an affable manner, and expressed his hopes that -he had not hurt any of us in the scuffle. "I guess you're going to take -me to the police-station," he remarked to Sherlock Holmes. "My cab's at -the door. If you'll loose my legs I'll walk down to it. I'm not so light -to lift as I used to be." - -Gregson and Lestrade exchanged glances as if they thought this -proposition rather a bold one; but Holmes at once took the prisoner at -his word, and loosened the towel which we had bound round his ancles. -[23]_ He rose and stretched his legs, as though to assure himself that -they were free once more. I remember that I thought to myself, as I eyed -him, that I had seldom seen a more powerfully built man; and his dark -sunburned face bore an expression of determination and energy which was -as formidable as his personal strength. - -"If there's a vacant place for a chief of the police, I reckon you -are the man for it," he said, gazing with undisguised admiration at my -fellow-lodger. "The way you kept on my trail was a caution." - -"You had better come with me," said Holmes to the two detectives. - -"I can drive you," said Lestrade. - -"Good! and Gregson can come inside with me. You too, Doctor, you have -taken an interest in the case and may as well stick to us." - -I assented gladly, and we all descended together. Our prisoner made no -attempt at escape, but stepped calmly into the cab which had been his, -and we followed him. Lestrade mounted the box, whipped up the horse, and -brought us in a very short time to our destination. We were ushered into -a small chamber where a police Inspector noted down our prisoner's name -and the names of the men with whose murder he had been charged. The -official was a white-faced unemotional man, who went through his -duties in a dull mechanical way. "The prisoner will be put before the -magistrates in the course of the week," he said; "in the mean time, Mr. -Jefferson Hope, have you anything that you wish to say? I must warn you -that your words will be taken down, and may be used against you." - -"I've got a good deal to say," our prisoner said slowly. "I want to tell -you gentlemen all about it." - -"Hadn't you better reserve that for your trial?" asked the Inspector. - -"I may never be tried," he answered. "You needn't look startled. It -isn't suicide I am thinking of. Are you a Doctor?" He turned his fierce -dark eyes upon me as he asked this last question. - -"Yes; I am," I answered. - -"Then put your hand here," he said, with a smile, motioning with his -manacled wrists towards his chest. - -I did so; and became at once conscious of an extraordinary throbbing and -commotion which was going on inside. The walls of his chest seemed to -thrill and quiver as a frail building would do inside when some powerful -engine was at work. In the silence of the room I could hear a dull -humming and buzzing noise which proceeded from the same source. - -"Why," I cried, "you have an aortic aneurism!" - -"That's what they call it," he said, placidly. "I went to a Doctor last -week about it, and he told me that it is bound to burst before many days -passed. It has been getting worse for years. I got it from over-exposure -and under-feeding among the Salt Lake Mountains. I've done my work now, -and I don't care how soon I go, but I should like to leave some account -of the business behind me. I don't want to be remembered as a common -cut-throat." - -The Inspector and the two detectives had a hurried discussion as to the -advisability of allowing him to tell his story. - -"Do you consider, Doctor, that there is immediate danger?" the former -asked, [24]_ - -"Most certainly there is," I answered. - -"In that case it is clearly our duty, in the interests of justice, to -take his statement," said the Inspector. "You are at liberty, sir, to -give your account, which I again warn you will be taken down." - -"I'll sit down, with your leave," the prisoner said, suiting the action -to the word. "This aneurism of mine makes me easily tired, and the -tussle we had half an hour ago has not mended matters. I'm on the brink -of the grave, and I am not likely to lie to you. Every word I say is the -absolute truth, and how you use it is a matter of no consequence to me." - -With these words, Jefferson Hope leaned back in his chair and began -the following remarkable statement. He spoke in a calm and methodical -manner, as though the events which he narrated were commonplace enough. -I can vouch for the accuracy of the subjoined account, for I have had -access to Lestrade's note-book, in which the prisoner's words were taken -down exactly as they were uttered. - -"It don't much matter to you why I hated these men," he said; "it's -enough that they were guilty of the death of two human beings--a father -and a daughter--and that they had, therefore, forfeited their own -lives. After the lapse of time that has passed since their crime, it was -impossible for me to secure a conviction against them in any court. I -knew of their guilt though, and I determined that I should be judge, -jury, and executioner all rolled into one. You'd have done the same, if -you have any manhood in you, if you had been in my place. - -"That girl that I spoke of was to have married me twenty years ago. She -was forced into marrying that same Drebber, and broke her heart over -it. I took the marriage ring from her dead finger, and I vowed that his -dying eyes should rest upon that very ring, and that his last thoughts -should be of the crime for which he was punished. I have carried -it about with me, and have followed him and his accomplice over two -continents until I caught them. They thought to tire me out, but they -could not do it. If I die to-morrow, as is likely enough, I die knowing -that my work in this world is done, and well done. They have perished, -and by my hand. There is nothing left for me to hope for, or to desire. - -"They were rich and I was poor, so that it was no easy matter for me to -follow them. When I got to London my pocket was about empty, and I found -that I must turn my hand to something for my living. Driving and riding -are as natural to me as walking, so I applied at a cabowner's office, -and soon got employment. I was to bring a certain sum a week to the -owner, and whatever was over that I might keep for myself. There was -seldom much over, but I managed to scrape along somehow. The hardest job -was to learn my way about, for I reckon that of all the mazes that ever -were contrived, this city is the most confusing. I had a map beside me -though, and when once I had spotted the principal hotels and stations, I -got on pretty well. - -"It was some time before I found out where my two gentlemen were living; -but I inquired and inquired until at last I dropped across them. They -were at a boarding-house at Camberwell, over on the other side of the -river. When once I found them out I knew that I had them at my mercy. I -had grown my beard, and there was no chance of their recognizing me. -I would dog them and follow them until I saw my opportunity. I was -determined that they should not escape me again. - -"They were very near doing it for all that. Go where they would about -London, I was always at their heels. Sometimes I followed them on my -cab, and sometimes on foot, but the former was the best, for then they -could not get away from me. It was only early in the morning or late -at night that I could earn anything, so that I began to get behind hand -with my employer. I did not mind that, however, as long as I could lay -my hand upon the men I wanted. - -"They were very cunning, though. They must have thought that there was -some chance of their being followed, for they would never go out alone, -and never after nightfall. During two weeks I drove behind them every -day, and never once saw them separate. Drebber himself was drunk half -the time, but Stangerson was not to be caught napping. I watched them -late and early, but never saw the ghost of a chance; but I was not -discouraged, for something told me that the hour had almost come. My -only fear was that this thing in my chest might burst a little too soon -and leave my work undone. - -"At last, one evening I was driving up and down Torquay Terrace, as the -street was called in which they boarded, when I saw a cab drive up to -their door. Presently some luggage was brought out, and after a time -Drebber and Stangerson followed it, and drove off. I whipped up my horse -and kept within sight of them, feeling very ill at ease, for I feared -that they were going to shift their quarters. At Euston Station they -got out, and I left a boy to hold my horse, and followed them on to the -platform. I heard them ask for the Liverpool train, and the guard answer -that one had just gone and there would not be another for some hours. -Stangerson seemed to be put out at that, but Drebber was rather pleased -than otherwise. I got so close to them in the bustle that I could hear -every word that passed between them. Drebber said that he had a little -business of his own to do, and that if the other would wait for him he -would soon rejoin him. His companion remonstrated with him, and reminded -him that they had resolved to stick together. Drebber answered that the -matter was a delicate one, and that he must go alone. I could not catch -what Stangerson said to that, but the other burst out swearing, and -reminded him that he was nothing more than his paid servant, and that he -must not presume to dictate to him. On that the Secretary gave it up -as a bad job, and simply bargained with him that if he missed the last -train he should rejoin him at Halliday's Private Hotel; to which Drebber -answered that he would be back on the platform before eleven, and made -his way out of the station. - -"The moment for which I had waited so long had at last come. I had my -enemies within my power. Together they could protect each other, -but singly they were at my mercy. I did not act, however, with undue -precipitation. My plans were already formed. There is no satisfaction in -vengeance unless the offender has time to realize who it is that strikes -him, and why retribution has come upon him. I had my plans arranged by -which I should have the opportunity of making the man who had wronged me -understand that his old sin had found him out. It chanced that some days -before a gentleman who had been engaged in looking over some houses in -the Brixton Road had dropped the key of one of them in my carriage. It -was claimed that same evening, and returned; but in the interval I had -taken a moulding of it, and had a duplicate constructed. By means of -this I had access to at least one spot in this great city where I could -rely upon being free from interruption. How to get Drebber to that house -was the difficult problem which I had now to solve. - -"He walked down the road and went into one or two liquor shops, staying -for nearly half-an-hour in the last of them. When he came out he -staggered in his walk, and was evidently pretty well on. There was a -hansom just in front of me, and he hailed it. I followed it so close -that the nose of my horse was within a yard of his driver the whole way. -We rattled across Waterloo Bridge and through miles of streets, until, -to my astonishment, we found ourselves back in the Terrace in which he -had boarded. I could not imagine what his intention was in returning -there; but I went on and pulled up my cab a hundred yards or so from -the house. He entered it, and his hansom drove away. Give me a glass of -water, if you please. My mouth gets dry with the talking." - -I handed him the glass, and he drank it down. - -"That's better," he said. "Well, I waited for a quarter of an hour, or -more, when suddenly there came a noise like people struggling inside the -house. Next moment the door was flung open and two men appeared, one of -whom was Drebber, and the other was a young chap whom I had never seen -before. This fellow had Drebber by the collar, and when they came to -the head of the steps he gave him a shove and a kick which sent him half -across the road. 'You hound,' he cried, shaking his stick at him; 'I'll -teach you to insult an honest girl!' He was so hot that I think he would -have thrashed Drebber with his cudgel, only that the cur staggered away -down the road as fast as his legs would carry him. He ran as far as the -corner, and then, seeing my cab, he hailed me and jumped in. 'Drive me -to Halliday's Private Hotel,' said he. - -"When I had him fairly inside my cab, my heart jumped so with joy that -I feared lest at this last moment my aneurism might go wrong. I drove -along slowly, weighing in my own mind what it was best to do. I might -take him right out into the country, and there in some deserted lane -have my last interview with him. I had almost decided upon this, when he -solved the problem for me. The craze for drink had seized him again, and -he ordered me to pull up outside a gin palace. He went in, leaving word -that I should wait for him. There he remained until closing time, and -when he came out he was so far gone that I knew the game was in my own -hands. - -"Don't imagine that I intended to kill him in cold blood. It would only -have been rigid justice if I had done so, but I could not bring myself -to do it. I had long determined that he should have a show for his life -if he chose to take advantage of it. Among the many billets which I -have filled in America during my wandering life, I was once janitor and -sweeper out of the laboratory at York College. One day the professor was -lecturing on poisions, [25]_ and he showed his students some alkaloid, -as he called it, which he had extracted from some South American arrow -poison, and which was so powerful that the least grain meant instant -death. I spotted the bottle in which this preparation was kept, and when -they were all gone, I helped myself to a little of it. I was a fairly -good dispenser, so I worked this alkaloid into small, soluble pills, and -each pill I put in a box with a similar pill made without the poison. -I determined at the time that when I had my chance, my gentlemen should -each have a draw out of one of these boxes, while I ate the pill that -remained. It would be quite as deadly, and a good deal less noisy than -firing across a handkerchief. From that day I had always my pill boxes -about with me, and the time had now come when I was to use them. - -"It was nearer one than twelve, and a wild, bleak night, blowing hard -and raining in torrents. Dismal as it was outside, I was glad within--so -glad that I could have shouted out from pure exultation. If any of you -gentlemen have ever pined for a thing, and longed for it during twenty -long years, and then suddenly found it within your reach, you would -understand my feelings. I lit a cigar, and puffed at it to steady my -nerves, but my hands were trembling, and my temples throbbing with -excitement. As I drove, I could see old John Ferrier and sweet Lucy -looking at me out of the darkness and smiling at me, just as plain as I -see you all in this room. All the way they were ahead of me, one on each -side of the horse until I pulled up at the house in the Brixton Road. - -"There was not a soul to be seen, nor a sound to be heard, except the -dripping of the rain. When I looked in at the window, I found Drebber -all huddled together in a drunken sleep. I shook him by the arm, 'It's -time to get out,' I said. - -"'All right, cabby,' said he. - -"I suppose he thought we had come to the hotel that he had mentioned, -for he got out without another word, and followed me down the garden. -I had to walk beside him to keep him steady, for he was still a little -top-heavy. When we came to the door, I opened it, and led him into the -front room. I give you my word that all the way, the father and the -daughter were walking in front of us. - -"'It's infernally dark,' said he, stamping about. - -"'We'll soon have a light,' I said, striking a match and putting it to -a wax candle which I had brought with me. 'Now, Enoch Drebber,' I -continued, turning to him, and holding the light to my own face, 'who am -I?' - -"He gazed at me with bleared, drunken eyes for a moment, and then I -saw a horror spring up in them, and convulse his whole features, which -showed me that he knew me. He staggered back with a livid face, and I -saw the perspiration break out upon his brow, while his teeth chattered -in his head. At the sight, I leaned my back against the door and laughed -loud and long. I had always known that vengeance would be sweet, but I -had never hoped for the contentment of soul which now possessed me. - -"'You dog!' I said; 'I have hunted you from Salt Lake City to St. -Petersburg, and you have always escaped me. Now, at last your wanderings -have come to an end, for either you or I shall never see to-morrow's sun -rise.' He shrunk still further away as I spoke, and I could see on his -face that he thought I was mad. So I was for the time. The pulses in my -temples beat like sledge-hammers, and I believe I would have had a fit -of some sort if the blood had not gushed from my nose and relieved me. - -"'What do you think of Lucy Ferrier now?' I cried, locking the door, and -shaking the key in his face. 'Punishment has been slow in coming, but it -has overtaken you at last.' I saw his coward lips tremble as I spoke. He -would have begged for his life, but he knew well that it was useless. - -"'Would you murder me?' he stammered. - -"'There is no murder,' I answered. 'Who talks of murdering a mad dog? -What mercy had you upon my poor darling, when you dragged her from her -slaughtered father, and bore her away to your accursed and shameless -harem.' - -"'It was not I who killed her father,' he cried. - -"'But it was you who broke her innocent heart,' I shrieked, thrusting -the box before him. 'Let the high God judge between us. Choose and -eat. There is death in one and life in the other. I shall take what you -leave. Let us see if there is justice upon the earth, or if we are ruled -by chance.' - -"He cowered away with wild cries and prayers for mercy, but I drew my -knife and held it to his throat until he had obeyed me. Then I swallowed -the other, and we stood facing one another in silence for a minute or -more, waiting to see which was to live and which was to die. Shall I -ever forget the look which came over his face when the first warning -pangs told him that the poison was in his system? I laughed as I saw -it, and held Lucy's marriage ring in front of his eyes. It was but for -a moment, for the action of the alkaloid is rapid. A spasm of pain -contorted his features; he threw his hands out in front of him, -staggered, and then, with a hoarse cry, fell heavily upon the floor. I -turned him over with my foot, and placed my hand upon his heart. There -was no movement. He was dead! - -"The blood had been streaming from my nose, but I had taken no notice of -it. I don't know what it was that put it into my head to write upon the -wall with it. Perhaps it was some mischievous idea of setting the police -upon a wrong track, for I felt light-hearted and cheerful. I remembered -a German being found in New York with RACHE written up above him, and it -was argued at the time in the newspapers that the secret societies must -have done it. I guessed that what puzzled the New Yorkers would puzzle -the Londoners, so I dipped my finger in my own blood and printed it on -a convenient place on the wall. Then I walked down to my cab and found -that there was nobody about, and that the night was still very wild. I -had driven some distance when I put my hand into the pocket in which -I usually kept Lucy's ring, and found that it was not there. I was -thunderstruck at this, for it was the only memento that I had of her. -Thinking that I might have dropped it when I stooped over Drebber's -body, I drove back, and leaving my cab in a side street, I went boldly -up to the house--for I was ready to dare anything rather than lose -the ring. When I arrived there, I walked right into the arms of a -police-officer who was coming out, and only managed to disarm his -suspicions by pretending to be hopelessly drunk. - -"That was how Enoch Drebber came to his end. All I had to do then was -to do as much for Stangerson, and so pay off John Ferrier's debt. I knew -that he was staying at Halliday's Private Hotel, and I hung about all -day, but he never came out. [26]_ fancy that he suspected something when -Drebber failed to put in an appearance. He was cunning, was Stangerson, -and always on his guard. If he thought he could keep me off by staying -indoors he was very much mistaken. I soon found out which was the window -of his bedroom, and early next morning I took advantage of some ladders -which were lying in the lane behind the hotel, and so made my way into -his room in the grey of the dawn. I woke him up and told him that the -hour had come when he was to answer for the life he had taken so long -before. I described Drebber's death to him, and I gave him the same -choice of the poisoned pills. Instead of grasping at the chance of -safety which that offered him, he sprang from his bed and flew at my -throat. In self-defence I stabbed him to the heart. It would have been -the same in any case, for Providence would never have allowed his guilty -hand to pick out anything but the poison. - -"I have little more to say, and it's as well, for I am about done up. -I went on cabbing it for a day or so, intending to keep at it until I -could save enough to take me back to America. I was standing in the -yard when a ragged youngster asked if there was a cabby there called -Jefferson Hope, and said that his cab was wanted by a gentleman at 221B, -Baker Street. I went round, suspecting no harm, and the next thing I -knew, this young man here had the bracelets on my wrists, and as neatly -snackled [27]_ as ever I saw in my life. That's the whole of my story, -gentlemen. You may consider me to be a murderer; but I hold that I am -just as much an officer of justice as you are." - -So thrilling had the man's narrative been, and his manner was so -impressive that we had sat silent and absorbed. Even the professional -detectives, _blasé_ as they were in every detail of crime, appeared to -be keenly interested in the man's story. When he finished we sat for -some minutes in a stillness which was only broken by the scratching -of Lestrade's pencil as he gave the finishing touches to his shorthand -account. - -"There is only one point on which I should like a little more -information," Sherlock Holmes said at last. "Who was your accomplice who -came for the ring which I advertised?" - -The prisoner winked at my friend jocosely. "I can tell my own secrets," -he said, "but I don't get other people into trouble. I saw your -advertisement, and I thought it might be a plant, or it might be the -ring which I wanted. My friend volunteered to go and see. I think you'll -own he did it smartly." - -"Not a doubt of that," said Holmes heartily. - -"Now, gentlemen," the Inspector remarked gravely, "the forms of the law -must be complied with. On Thursday the prisoner will be brought before -the magistrates, and your attendance will be required. Until then I will -be responsible for him." He rang the bell as he spoke, and Jefferson -Hope was led off by a couple of warders, while my friend and I made our -way out of the Station and took a cab back to Baker Street. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. THE CONCLUSION. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -WE had all been warned to appear before the magistrates upon the -Thursday; but when the Thursday came there was no occasion for our -testimony. A higher Judge had taken the matter in hand, and Jefferson -Hope had been summoned before a tribunal where strict justice would -be meted out to him. On the very night after his capture the aneurism -burst, and he was found in the morning stretched upon the floor of the -cell, with a placid smile upon his face, as though he had been able -in his dying moments to look back upon a useful life, and on work well -done. - -"Gregson and Lestrade will be wild about his death," Holmes remarked, as -we chatted it over next evening. "Where will their grand advertisement -be now?" - -"I don't see that they had very much to do with his capture," I -answered. - -"What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence," returned my -companion, bitterly. "The question is, what can you make people believe -that you have done. Never mind," he continued, more brightly, after a -pause. "I would not have missed the investigation for anything. There -has been no better case within my recollection. Simple as it was, there -were several most instructive points about it." - -"Simple!" I ejaculated. - -"Well, really, it can hardly be described as otherwise," said Sherlock -Holmes, smiling at my surprise. "The proof of its intrinsic simplicity -is, that without any help save a few very ordinary deductions I was able -to lay my hand upon the criminal within three days." - -"That is true," said I. - -"I have already explained to you that what is out of the common is -usually a guide rather than a hindrance. In solving a problem of this -sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards. That is a very -useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practise -it much. In the every-day affairs of life it is more useful to reason -forwards, and so the other comes to be neglected. There are fifty who -can reason synthetically for one who can reason analytically." - -"I confess," said I, "that I do not quite follow you." - -"I hardly expected that you would. Let me see if I can make it clearer. -Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you -what the result would be. They can put those events together in their -minds, and argue from them that something will come to pass. There are -few people, however, who, if you told them a result, would be able to -evolve from their own inner consciousness what the steps were which led -up to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning -backwards, or analytically." - -"I understand," said I. - -"Now this was a case in which you were given the result and had to -find everything else for yourself. Now let me endeavour to show you the -different steps in my reasoning. To begin at the beginning. I approached -the house, as you know, on foot, and with my mind entirely free from all -impressions. I naturally began by examining the roadway, and there, as I -have already explained to you, I saw clearly the marks of a cab, which, -I ascertained by inquiry, must have been there during the night. I -satisfied myself that it was a cab and not a private carriage by the -narrow gauge of the wheels. The ordinary London growler is considerably -less wide than a gentleman's brougham. - -"This was the first point gained. I then walked slowly down the garden -path, which happened to be composed of a clay soil, peculiarly suitable -for taking impressions. No doubt it appeared to you to be a mere -trampled line of slush, but to my trained eyes every mark upon its -surface had a meaning. There is no branch of detective science which -is so important and so much neglected as the art of tracing footsteps. -Happily, I have always laid great stress upon it, and much practice -has made it second nature to me. I saw the heavy footmarks of the -constables, but I saw also the track of the two men who had first passed -through the garden. It was easy to tell that they had been before the -others, because in places their marks had been entirely obliterated by -the others coming upon the top of them. In this way my second link was -formed, which told me that the nocturnal visitors were two in number, -one remarkable for his height (as I calculated from the length of his -stride), and the other fashionably dressed, to judge from the small and -elegant impression left by his boots. - -"On entering the house this last inference was confirmed. My well-booted -man lay before me. The tall one, then, had done the murder, if murder -there was. There was no wound upon the dead man's person, but the -agitated expression upon his face assured me that he had foreseen his -fate before it came upon him. Men who die from heart disease, or any -sudden natural cause, never by any chance exhibit agitation upon their -features. Having sniffed the dead man's lips I detected a slightly sour -smell, and I came to the conclusion that he had had poison forced upon -him. Again, I argued that it had been forced upon him from the hatred -and fear expressed upon his face. By the method of exclusion, I had -arrived at this result, for no other hypothesis would meet the facts. -Do not imagine that it was a very unheard of idea. The forcible -administration of poison is by no means a new thing in criminal annals. -The cases of Dolsky in Odessa, and of Leturier in Montpellier, will -occur at once to any toxicologist. - -"And now came the great question as to the reason why. Robbery had not -been the object of the murder, for nothing was taken. Was it politics, -then, or was it a woman? That was the question which confronted me. -I was inclined from the first to the latter supposition. Political -assassins are only too glad to do their work and to fly. This murder -had, on the contrary, been done most deliberately, and the perpetrator -had left his tracks all over the room, showing that he had been there -all the time. It must have been a private wrong, and not a political -one, which called for such a methodical revenge. When the inscription -was discovered upon the wall I was more inclined than ever to my -opinion. The thing was too evidently a blind. When the ring was found, -however, it settled the question. Clearly the murderer had used it to -remind his victim of some dead or absent woman. It was at this point -that I asked Gregson whether he had enquired in his telegram to -Cleveland as to any particular point in Mr. Drebber's former career. He -answered, you remember, in the negative. - -"I then proceeded to make a careful examination of the room, which -confirmed me in my opinion as to the murderer's height, and furnished me -with the additional details as to the Trichinopoly cigar and the length -of his nails. I had already come to the conclusion, since there were no -signs of a struggle, that the blood which covered the floor had burst -from the murderer's nose in his excitement. I could perceive that the -track of blood coincided with the track of his feet. It is seldom that -any man, unless he is very full-blooded, breaks out in this way through -emotion, so I hazarded the opinion that the criminal was probably a -robust and ruddy-faced man. Events proved that I had judged correctly. - -"Having left the house, I proceeded to do what Gregson had neglected. I -telegraphed to the head of the police at Cleveland, limiting my enquiry -to the circumstances connected with the marriage of Enoch Drebber. The -answer was conclusive. It told me that Drebber had already applied for -the protection of the law against an old rival in love, named Jefferson -Hope, and that this same Hope was at present in Europe. I knew now that -I held the clue to the mystery in my hand, and all that remained was to -secure the murderer. - -"I had already determined in my own mind that the man who had walked -into the house with Drebber, was none other than the man who had driven -the cab. The marks in the road showed me that the horse had wandered -on in a way which would have been impossible had there been anyone in -charge of it. Where, then, could the driver be, unless he were inside -the house? Again, it is absurd to suppose that any sane man would carry -out a deliberate crime under the very eyes, as it were, of a third -person, who was sure to betray him. Lastly, supposing one man wished -to dog another through London, what better means could he adopt than -to turn cabdriver. All these considerations led me to the irresistible -conclusion that Jefferson Hope was to be found among the jarveys of the -Metropolis. - -"If he had been one there was no reason to believe that he had ceased to -be. On the contrary, from his point of view, any sudden change would be -likely to draw attention to himself. He would, probably, for a time at -least, continue to perform his duties. There was no reason to suppose -that he was going under an assumed name. Why should he change his name -in a country where no one knew his original one? I therefore organized -my Street Arab detective corps, and sent them systematically to every -cab proprietor in London until they ferreted out the man that I wanted. -How well they succeeded, and how quickly I took advantage of it, are -still fresh in your recollection. The murder of Stangerson was an -incident which was entirely unexpected, but which could hardly in -any case have been prevented. Through it, as you know, I came into -possession of the pills, the existence of which I had already surmised. -You see the whole thing is a chain of logical sequences without a break -or flaw." - -"It is wonderful!" I cried. "Your merits should be publicly recognized. -You should publish an account of the case. If you won't, I will for -you." - -"You may do what you like, Doctor," he answered. "See here!" he -continued, handing a paper over to me, "look at this!" - -It was the _Echo_ for the day, and the paragraph to which he pointed was -devoted to the case in question. - -"The public," it said, "have lost a sensational treat through the sudden -death of the man Hope, who was suspected of the murder of Mr. Enoch -Drebber and of Mr. Joseph Stangerson. The details of the case will -probably be never known now, though we are informed upon good authority -that the crime was the result of an old standing and romantic feud, in -which love and Mormonism bore a part. It seems that both the victims -belonged, in their younger days, to the Latter Day Saints, and Hope, the -deceased prisoner, hails also from Salt Lake City. If the case has had -no other effect, it, at least, brings out in the most striking manner -the efficiency of our detective police force, and will serve as a lesson -to all foreigners that they will do wisely to settle their feuds at -home, and not to carry them on to British soil. It is an open secret -that the credit of this smart capture belongs entirely to the well-known -Scotland Yard officials, Messrs. Lestrade and Gregson. The man was -apprehended, it appears, in the rooms of a certain Mr. Sherlock Holmes, -who has himself, as an amateur, shown some talent in the detective -line, and who, with such instructors, may hope in time to attain to some -degree of their skill. It is expected that a testimonial of some sort -will be presented to the two officers as a fitting recognition of their -services." - -"Didn't I tell you so when we started?" cried Sherlock Holmes with a -laugh. "That's the result of all our Study in Scarlet: to get them a -testimonial!" - -"Never mind," I answered, "I have all the facts in my journal, and the -public shall know them. In the meantime you must make yourself contented -by the consciousness of success, like the Roman miser-- - - "'Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo - Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplor in arca.'" - - - - - -ORIGINAL TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: ------------------------------ - -.. [1] Frontispiece, with the caption: "He examined with his glass - the word upon the wall, going over every letter of it with the most - minute exactness." - -.. [2] "JOHN H. WATSON, M.D.": the initial letters in the name are - capitalized, the other letters in small caps. All chapter titles are in - small caps. The initial words of chapters are in small caps with first - letter capitalized. - -.. [3] "lodgings.": the period should be a comma, as in later - editions. - -.. [4] "hoemoglobin": should be haemoglobin. The o&e are - concatenated. - -.. [5] "221B": the B is in small caps - -.. [6] "THE LAURISTON GARDEN MYSTERY": the table-of-contents - lists this chapter as "...GARDENS MYSTERY"--plural, and probably more - correct. - -.. [7] "brought."": the text has an extra double-quote mark - -.. [8] "individual--": illustration this page, with the - caption: "As he spoke, his nimble fingers were flying here, there, and - everywhere." - -.. [9] "manoeuvres": the o&e are concatenated. - -.. [10] "Patent leathers": the hyphen is missing. - -.. [11] "condonment": should be condonement. - -.. [13] "wages.": ending quote is missing. - -.. [14] "the first.": ending quote is missing. - -.. [15] "make much of...": Other editions complete this sentence - with an "it." But there is a gap in the text at this point, and, given - the context, it may have actually been an interjection, a dash. The gap - is just the right size for the characters "it." and the start of a new - sentence, or for a "----" - -.. [16] "tho cushion": "tho" should be "the" - -.. [19] "shoving": later editions have "showing". The original is - clearly superior. - -.. [20] "stared about...": illustration, with the caption: "One of - them seized the little girl, and hoisted her upon his shoulder." - -.. [21] "upon the": illustration, with the caption: "As he watched - it he saw it writhe along the ground." - -.. [22] "FORMERLY...": F,S,L,C in caps, other letters in this line - in small caps. - -.. [23] "ancles": ankles. - -.. [24] "asked,": should be "asked." - -.. [25] "poisions": should be "poisons" - -.. [26] "...fancy": should be "I fancy". There is a gap in the text. - -.. [27] "snackled": "shackled" in later texts. - -.. [29] Heber C. Kemball, in one of his sermons, alludes to his hundred wives under this endearing epithet. - - -END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A STUDY IN SCARLET ------------------------------------------------------- - -***** This file should be named 244-8.txt or 244-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/244/ - -Produced by Roger Squires - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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