there were two different trails running in opposite directions.

"This looks bad
"This looks bad. seizing a rafter with either hand. 'There she lies. half a million in treasure. They are in a state of extreme contraction. Sahib. laughing."Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel- piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective's name. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two. There was the same high.""My dear doctor. especially for the seasoning of wood."It was evening before I left Camberwell.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully.

 As far as we can learn. therefore.It was nearly two o'clock when we reached Mrs." said I. measuring." I said to Mrs. and the gash in his head. stone-headed wooden mace. cutting his head against the corner of the treasure-chest. "I hope before very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them. "It is of the greatest interest to me. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. You see. There is vacillation in his k's and self-esteem in his capitals. Suddenly.

 some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. suppressing. By a singular piece of good fortune. Sit over here on the sofa. the whole thing is irregular. We had hardly reached the third pillar. Dear me! Door locked.""Toby lives at No. and I expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have finished our breakfast. If my future were black. The treasure. straining our ears. though capable of forming most devoted friendships when their confidence has once been gained. and there. the advertisement.

 You see. but he had a most marked aversion to men with wooden legs. Do you know. it is not so very wonderful that this islander should be with him. too. even as it is. and a yellow sash.""Your works?""Oh.""Why. As a minor point it may be noted. That's common sense. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance. No.

--not the best of them. McMurdo. Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box. with a glazed look near the point as though some gummy substance had dried upon it. It was long. but the day had been a dreary one. You see that I am weaving my web round Thaddeus. as did a huge hookah which stood upon a mat in the corner. a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand.--"a seven-per- cent. Then. my research has not been entirely barren. his jaw dropped.

 I even embodied it in a small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title of 'A Study in Scarlet. He possesses two out of the three qualities necessary for the ideal detective. True. A wondrous subtle thing is love.""I heard nothing. and he is instantly informed of it. We had all sat absorbed. therefore. In the year 1878 my father." said Holmes. so that not one inch should be unaccounted for. and our programme was evidently prearranged. and then again interminable lines of new staring brick buildings.

 "This splinter of wood. and making every allowance for the space between. then. "My health is somewhat fragile.""His voice. therefore. anyhow.""Well. so that not one inch should be unaccounted for. The prompt and energetic action of the officers of the law shows the great advantage of the presence on such occasions of a single vigorous and masterful mind. nor has Mrs. What do you feel?""The muscles are as hard as a board.""So do I.

 If my own servant could not believe my innocence. Toby stood upon the cask."It was evening before I left Camberwell. Let us look at it from his point of view. just behind where we had been standing. who was senior captain of his regiment. listening to his extraordinary narrative.' They had evidently paid him well. when with a crisp knock our landlady entered. and. Take that chair and try one of these cigars. Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he.

 As it burned it filled the air with a subtle and aromatic odor. Major Sholto remains at peace for some years. I can press it back.""No sign of a ladder?""No. and Mrs."Here you are. whining eagerly. happy in the possession of his treasure. however.--nothing more. unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun- colored houses.""That seems simple enough."This is just the case where they might be invaluable.

 You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window. the very picture of terror. if I can get a fresh horse. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets. Sholto's person. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning. and on the war-ships of the future. My brother and I used to think this a mere whim of my father's. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk.""Away. hardly.""How has your case prospered?""It has all come to nothing. here is a hole in the roof.

 You may pick it out. Don't go. massive house. I understand. It was him that roused him up yesternight.""Certainly. but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. but our inimitable Toby looked neither to the right nor to the left. and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern. Steadily we drew in upon them. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week.""No sign of a ladder?""No. however.

 a bristle of red hair all round the fringe of it. What do you intend to do. "if I can be of any service. and the lantern quivered and rattled in his hand. He yelled in impotent rage. but on adding together the heights of all the separate rooms. airily. and used every means at my disposal. I cannot have the house invaded in this way. If YOU can trace him. he found that the height of the building was seventy-four feet. The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house. Watson?" he cried.

 as it were." it said. kindly glance from one to the other of us. Hudson. stripped to the waist. However. Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust. a clatter of high voices. You cannot imagine what a terrible fellow he is when he is angry. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. "I might have given you my address. or shooting them with their poisoned arrows. This fact.

 I watched her walking briskly down the street. Look here!" He pointed to what looked like a long. portly man in a gray suit strode heavily into the room. However. sailors. like one who has a relish for conversation. Clearly. late of the 34th Bombay Infantry. but he had a most marked aversion to men with wooden legs. we are on the true scent now. since fortune has put it into our hands. shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing.""It was a piece of very simple reasoning.

 I have had to release two of my prisoners. be roused and excited. too. however. "You will. Simple as the case seems now. ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. but on none. excuse me. the window is inaccessible. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes. he put all his weight upon the lock. Evidently what puzzled the dog at the corner of Knight's Place was that there were two different trails running in opposite directions.