第3章

"Howdidyouwordyourinquiries?"

"Wesimplydetailedthecircumstances，andsaidthatweshouldbegladofanyinformationwhichcouldhelpus。"

"Youdidnotaskforparticularsonanypointwhichappearedtoyoutobecrucial?"

"IaskedaboutStangerson。"

"Nothingelse?Istherenocircumstanceonwhichthiswholecaseappearstohinge?Willyounottelegraphagain?"

"IhavesaidallIhavetosay，"saidGregson，inanoffendedvoice。

SherlockHolmeschuckledtohimself，andappearedtobeabouttomakesomeremark，whenLestrade，whohadbeeninthefrontroomwhilewewereholdingthisconversationinthehall，reappeareduponthescene，rubbinghishandsinapompousandself-satisfiedmanner。

"Mr。Gregson，"hesaid，"Ihavejustmadeadiscoveryofthehighestimportance，andonewhichwouldhavebeenoverlookedhadInotmadeacarefulexaminationofthewalls。"

Thelittleman\'seyessparkledashespoke，andhewasevidentlyinastateofsuppressedexultationathavingscoredapointagainsthiscolleague。

"Comehere，"hesaid，bustlingbackintotheroom，theatmosphereofwhichfeltclearersincetheremovalofitsghastlyinmate。"Now，standthere!"

Hestruckamatchonhisbootandhelditupagainstthewall。

"Lookatthat!"hesaid，triumphantly。

Ihaveremarkedthatthepaperhadfallenawayinparts。

Inthisparticularcorneroftheroomalargepiecehadpeeledoff，leavingayellowsquareofcoarseplastering。Acrossthisbarespacetherewasscrawledinblood-redlettersasingleword——

RACHE。

"Whatdoyouthinkofthat?"criedthedetective，withtheairofashowmanexhibitinghisshow。"Thiswasoverlookedbecauseitwasinthedarkestcorneroftheroom，andnoonethoughtoflookingthere。Themurdererhaswrittenitwithhisorherownblood。Seethissmearwhereithastrickleddownthewall!Thatdisposesoftheideaofsuicideanyhow。

Whywasthatcornerchosentowriteiton?Iwilltellyou。

Seethatcandleonthemantelpiece。Itwaslitatthetime，andifitwaslitthiscornerwouldbethebrightestinsteadofthedarkestportionofthewall。"

"Andwhatdoesitmeannowthatyou_have_foundit?"askedGregsoninadepreciatoryvoice。

"Mean?Why，itmeansthatthewriterwasgoingtoputthefemalenameRachel，butwasdisturbedbeforeheorshehadtimetofinish。Youmarkmywords，whenthiscasecomestobeclearedupyouwillfindthatawomannamedRachelhassomethingtodowithit。It\'sallverywellforyoutolaugh，Mr。SherlockHolmes。Youmaybeverysmartandclever，buttheoldhoundisthebest，whenallissaidanddone。"

"Ireallybegyourpardon!"saidmycompanion，whohadruffledthelittleman\'stemperbyburstingintoanexplosionoflaughter。"Youcertainlyhavethecreditofbeingthefirstofustofindthisout，and，asyousay，itbearseverymarkofhavingbeenwrittenbytheotherparticipantinlastnight\'smystery。Ihavenothadtimetoexaminethisroomyet，butwithyourpermissionIshalldosonow。"

Ashespoke，hewhippedatapemeasureandalargeroundmagnifyingglassfromhispocket。Withthesetwoimplementshetrottednoiselesslyabouttheroom，sometimesstopping，occasionallykneeling，andoncelyingflatuponhisface。

Soengrossedwashewithhisoccupationthatheappearedtohaveforgottenourpresence，forhechatteredawaytohimselfunderhisbreaththewholetime，keepinguparunningfireofexclamations，groans，whistles，andlittlecriessuggestiveofencouragementandofhope。AsIwatchedhimIwasirresistiblyremindedofapure-bloodedwell-trainedfoxhoundasitdashesbackwardsandforwardsthroughthecovert，whininginitseagerness，untilitcomesacrossthelostscent。Fortwentyminutesormorehecontinuedhisresearches，measuringwiththemostexactcarethedistancebetweenmarkswhichwereentirelyinvisibletome，andoccasionallyapplyinghistapetothewallsinanequallyincomprehensiblemanner。Inoneplacehegatheredupverycarefullyalittlepileofgreydustfromthefloor，andpackeditawayinanenvelope。Finally，heexaminedwithhisglasstheworduponthewall，goingovereveryletterofitwiththemostminuteexactness。Thisdone，heappearedtobesatisfied，forhereplacedhistapeandhisglassinhispocket。

"Theysaythatgeniusisaninfinitecapacityfortakingpains，"heremarkedwithasmile。"It\'saverybaddefinition，butitdoesapplytodetectivework。"

GregsonandLestradehadwatchedthemanoeuvres{9}oftheiramateurcompanionwithconsiderablecuriosityandsomecontempt。Theyevidentlyfailedtoappreciatethefact，whichIhadbeguntorealize，thatSherlockHolmes\'smallestactionswerealldirectedtowardssomedefiniteandpracticalend。

"Whatdoyouthinkofit，sir?"theybothasked。

"ItwouldberobbingyouofthecreditofthecaseifIwastopresumetohelpyou，"remarkedmyfriend。"Youaredoingsowellnowthatitwouldbeapityforanyonetointerfere。"

Therewasaworldofsarcasminhisvoiceashespoke。

"Ifyouwillletmeknowhowyourinvestigationsgo，"

hecontinued，"IshallbehappytogiveyouanyhelpIcan。

InthemeantimeIshouldliketospeaktotheconstablewhofoundthebody。Canyougivemehisnameandaddress?"

Lestradeglancedathisnote-book。"JohnRance，"hesaid。

"Heisoffdutynow。Youwillfindhimat46，AudleyCourt，KenningtonParkGate。"

Holmestookanoteoftheaddress。

"Comealong，Doctor，"hesaid；"weshallgoandlookhimup。

I\'lltellyouonethingwhichmayhelpyouinthecase，"

hecontinued，turningtothetwodetectives。"Therehasbeenmurderdone，andthemurdererwasaman。Hewasmorethansixfeethigh，wasintheprimeoflife，hadsmallfeetforhisheight，worecoarse，square-toedbootsandsmokedaTrichinopolycigar。Hecameherewithhisvictiminafour-wheeledcab，whichwasdrawnbyahorsewiththreeoldshoesandonenewoneonhisoffforeleg。Inallprobabilitythemurdererhadafloridface，andthefinger-nailsofhisrighthandwereremarkablylong。Theseareonlyafewindications，buttheymayassistyou。"

LestradeandGregsonglancedateachotherwithanincreduloussmile。

"Ifthismanwasmurdered，howwasitdone?"askedtheformer。

"Poison，"saidSherlockHolmescurtly，andstrodeoff。

"Oneotherthing，Lestrade，"headded，turningroundatthedoor:

"`Rache，\'istheGermanfor`revenge；\'sodon\'tloseyourtimelookingforMissRachel。"

WithwhichParthianshothewalkedaway，leavingthetworivalsopen-mouthedbehindhim。

CHAPTERIV。

WHATJOHNRANCEHADTOTELL。

ITwasoneo\'clockwhenweleftNo。3，LauristonGardens。

SherlockHolmesledmetothenearesttelegraphoffice，whencehedispatchedalongtelegram。Hethenhailedacab，andorderedthedrivertotakeustotheaddressgivenusbyLestrade。

"Thereisnothinglikefirsthandevidence，"heremarked；

"asamatteroffact，mymindisentirelymadeupuponthecase，butstillwemayaswelllearnallthatistobelearned。"

"Youamazeme，Holmes，"saidI。"Surelyyouarenotassureasyoupretendtobeofallthoseparticularswhichyougave。"

"There\'snoroomforamistake，"heanswered。"TheveryfirstthingwhichIobservedonarrivingtherewasthatacabhadmadetworutswithitswheelsclosetothecurb。Now，uptolastnight，wehavehadnorainforaweek，sothatthosewheelswhichleftsuchadeepimpressionmusthavebeenthereduringthenight。Therewerethemarksofthehorse\'shoofs，too，theoutlineofoneofwhichwasfarmoreclearlycutthanthatoftheotherthree，showingthatthatwasanewshoe。Sincethecabwasthereaftertherainbegan，andwasnotthereatanytimeduringthemorning——IhaveGregson\'swordforthat——itfollowsthatitmusthavebeenthereduringthenight，and，therefore，thatitbroughtthosetwoindividualstothehouse。"

"Thatseemssimpleenough，"saidI；"buthowabouttheotherman\'sheight?"

"Why，theheightofaman，inninecasesoutoften，canbetoldfromthelengthofhisstride。Itisasimplecalculationenough，thoughthereisnousemyboringyouwithfigures。Ihadthisfellow\'sstridebothontheclayoutsideandonthedustwithin。ThenIhadawayofcheckingmycalculation。Whenamanwritesonawall，hisinstinctleadshimtowriteaboutthelevelofhisowneyes。Nowthatwritingwasjustoversixfeetfromtheground。Itwaschild\'splay。"

"Andhisage?"Iasked。

"Well，ifamancanstridefouranda-halffeetwithoutthesmallesteffort，hecan\'tbequiteinthesereandyellow。

Thatwasthebreadthofapuddleonthegardenwalkwhichhehadevidentlywalkedacross。Patent-leatherbootshadgoneround，andSquare-toeshadhoppedover。Thereisnomysteryaboutitatall。IamsimplyapplyingtoordinarylifeafewofthosepreceptsofobservationanddeductionwhichI

advocatedinthatarticle。Isthereanythingelsethatpuzzlesyou?"

"ThefingernailsandtheTrichinopoly，"Isuggested。

"Thewritingonthewallwasdonewithaman\'sforefingerdippedinblood。Myglassallowedmetoobservethattheplasterwasslightlyscratchedindoingit，whichwouldnothavebeenthecaseiftheman\'snailhadbeentrimmed。

Igatheredupsomescatteredashfromthefloor。Itwasdarkincolourandflakey——suchanashasisonlymadebyaTrichinopoly。Ihavemadeaspecialstudyofcigarashes——

infact，Ihavewrittenamonographuponthesubject。

IflattermyselfthatIcandistinguishataglancetheashofanyknownbrand，eitherofcigaroroftobacco。ItisjustinsuchdetailsthattheskilleddetectivediffersfromtheGregsonandLestradetype。"

"Andthefloridface?"Iasked。

"Ah，thatwasamoredaringshot，thoughIhavenodoubtthatIwasright。Youmustnotaskmethatatthepresentstateoftheaffair。"

Ipassedmyhandovermybrow。"Myheadisinawhirl，"

Iremarked；"themoreonethinksofitthemoremysteriousitgrows。Howcamethesetwomen——ifthereweretwomen——

intoanemptyhouse?Whathasbecomeofthecabmanwhodrovethem?Howcouldonemancompelanothertotakepoison?

Wheredidthebloodcomefrom?Whatwastheobjectofthemurderer，sincerobberyhadnopartinit?Howcamethewoman\'sringthere?Aboveall，whyshouldthesecondmanwriteuptheGermanwordRACHEbeforedecamping?IconfessthatI

cannotseeanypossiblewayofreconcilingallthesefacts。"

Mycompanionsmiledapprovingly。

"Yousumupthedifficultiesofthesituationsuccinctlyandwell，"hesaid。"Thereismuchthatisstillobscure，thoughIhavequitemadeupmymindonthemainfacts。AstopoorLestrade\'sdiscoveryitwassimplyablindintendedtoputthepoliceuponawrongtrack，bysuggestingSocialismandsecretsocieties。ItwasnotdonebyaGerman。TheA，ifyounoticed，wasprintedsomewhataftertheGermanfashion。

Now，arealGermaninvariablyprintsintheLatincharacter，sothatwemaysafelysaythatthiswasnotwrittenbyone，butbyaclumsyimitatorwhooverdidhispart。Itwassimplyarusetodivertinquiryintoawrongchannel。I\'mnotgoingtotellyoumuchmoreofthecase，Doctor。Youknowaconjurorgetsnocreditwhenoncehehasexplainedhistrick，andifIshowyoutoomuchofmymethodofworking，youwillcometotheconclusionthatIamaveryordinaryindividualafterall。"

"Ishallneverdothat，"Ianswered；"youhavebroughtdetectionasnearanexactscienceasiteverwillbebroughtinthisworld。"

Mycompanionflushedupwithpleasureatmywords，andtheearnestwayinwhichIutteredthem。Ihadalreadyobservedthathewasassensitivetoflatteryonthescoreofhisartasanygirlcouldbeofherbeauty。

"I\'lltellyouoneotherthing，"hesaid。"Patentleathers{10}

andSquare-toescameinthesamecab，andtheywalkeddownthepathwaytogetherasfriendlyaspossible——arm-in-arm，inallprobability。Whentheygotinsidetheywalkedupanddowntheroom——orrather，Patent-leathersstoodstillwhileSquare-toeswalkedupanddown。Icouldreadallthatinthedust；andIcouldreadthatashewalkedhegrewmoreandmoreexcited。Thatisshownbytheincreasedlengthofhisstrides。Hewastalkingallthewhile，andworkinghimselfup，nodoubt，intoafury。Thenthetragedyoccurred。

I\'vetoldyouallIknowmyselfnow，fortherestismeresurmiseandconjecture。Wehaveagoodworkingbasis，however，onwhichtostart。Wemusthurryup，forIwanttogotoHalle\'sconcerttohearNormanNerudathisafternoon。"

Thisconversationhadoccurredwhileourcabhadbeenthreadingitswaythroughalongsuccessionofdingystreetsanddrearyby-ways。Inthedingiestanddreariestofthemourdriversuddenlycametoastand。"That\'sAudleyCourtinthere，"hesaid，pointingtoanarrowslitinthelineofdead-colouredbrick。"You\'llfindmeherewhenyoucomeback。"

AudleyCourtwasnotanattractivelocality。Thenarrowpassageledusintoaquadranglepavedwithflagsandlinedbysordiddwellings。Wepickedourwayamonggroupsofdirtychildren，andthroughlinesofdiscolouredlinen，untilwecametoNumber46，thedoorofwhichwasdecoratedwithasmallslipofbrassonwhichthenameRancewasengraved。

Onenquirywefoundthattheconstablewasinbed，andwewereshownintoalittlefrontparlourtoawaithiscoming。

Heappearedpresently，lookingalittleirritableatbeingdisturbedinhisslumbers。"Imademyreportattheoffice，"

hesaid。

Holmestookahalf-sovereignfromhispocketandplayedwithitpensively。"Wethoughtthatweshouldliketohearitallfromyourownlips，"hesaid。

"IshallbemosthappytotellyouanythingIcan，"theconstableansweredwithhiseyesuponthelittlegoldendisk。

"Justletushearitallinyourownwayasitoccurred。"

Rancesatdownonthehorsehairsofa，andknittedhisbrowsasthoughdeterminednottoomitanythinginhisnarrative。

"I\'lltellityefromthebeginning，"hesaid。"Mytimeisfromtenatnighttosixinthemorning。Ateleventherewasafightatthe`WhiteHart\'；butbarthatallwasquietenoughonthebeat。Atoneo\'clockitbegantorain，andI

metHarryMurcher——himwhohastheHollandGrovebeat——

andwestoodtogetheratthecornerofHenriettaStreeta-talkin\'。

Presently——maybeabouttwooralittleafter——IthoughtIwouldtakealookroundandseethatallwasrightdowntheBrixtonRoad。Itwaspreciousdirtyandlonely。

NotasouldidImeetallthewaydown，thoughacabortwowentpastme。Iwasastrollin\'down，thinkin\'betweenourselveshowuncommonhandyafourofginhotwouldbe，whensuddenlytheglintofalightcaughtmyeyeinthewindowofthatsamehouse。Now，IknewthatthemtwohousesinLauristonGardenswasemptyonaccountofhimthatownsthemwhowon\'thavethedrainsseedto，thoughtheverylasttenantwhatlivedinoneofthemdiedo\'typhoidfever。

Iwasknockedallinaheapthereforeatseeingalightinthewindow，andIsuspectedassomethingwaswrong。

WhenIgottothedoor——"

"Youstopped，andthenwalkedbacktothegardengate，"

mycompanioninterrupted。"Whatdidyoudothatfor?"

Rancegaveaviolentjump，andstaredatSherlockHolmeswiththeutmostamazementuponhisfeatures。

"Why，that\'strue，sir，"hesaid；"thoughhowyoucometoknowit，Heavenonlyknows。Yesee，whenIgotuptothedooritwassostillandsolonesome，thatIthoughtI\'dbenonetheworseforsomeonewithme。Iain\'tafearedofanythingonthissideo\'thegrave；butIthoughtthatmaybeitwashimthatdiedo\'thetyphoidinspectingthedrainswhatkilledhim。

Thethoughtgavemeakindo\'turn，andIwalkedbacktothegatetoseeifIcouldseeMurcher\'slantern，buttherewasn\'tnosignofhimnorofanyoneelse。"

"Therewasnooneinthestreet?"

"Notalivin\'soul，sir，norasmuchasadog。ThenIpulledmyselftogetherandwentbackandpushedthedooropen。Allwasquietinside，soIwentintotheroomwherethelightwasa-burnin\'。Therewasacandleflickerin\'onthemantelpiece——aredwaxone——andbyitslightIsaw——"

"Yes，Iknowallthatyousaw。Youwalkedroundtheroomseveraltimes，andyoukneltdownbythebody，andthenyouwalkedthroughandtriedthekitchendoor，andthen——"

JohnRancesprangtohisfeetwithafrightenedfaceandsuspicioninhiseyes。"Wherewasyouhidtoseeallthat?"

hecried。"Itseemstomethatyouknowsadealmorethanyoushould。"

Holmeslaughedandthrewhiscardacrossthetabletotheconstable。"Don\'tgetarrestingmeforthemurder，"hesaid。

"Iamoneofthehoundsandnotthewolf；Mr。GregsonorMr。Lestradewillanswerforthat。Goon，though。Whatdidyoudonext?"

Ranceresumedhisseat，withouthoweverlosinghismystifiedexpression。"Iwentbacktothegateandsoundedmywhistle。

ThatbroughtMurcherandtwomoretothespot。"

"Wasthestreetemptythen?"

"Well，itwas，asfarasanybodythatcouldbeofanygoodgoes。"

"Whatdoyoumean?"

Theconstable\'sfeaturesbroadenedintoagrin。"I\'veseenmanyadrunkchapinmytime，"hesaid，"butneveranyonesocryin\'drunkasthatcove。HewasatthegatewhenIcameout，a-leanin\'upagintherailings，anda-singin\'atthepitcho\'hislungsaboutColumbine\'sNew-fangledBanner，orsomesuchstuff。Hecouldn\'tstand，farlesshelp。"

"Whatsortofamanwashe?"askedSherlockHolmes。

JohnRanceappearedtobesomewhatirritatedatthisdigression。

"Hewasanuncommondrunksorto\'man，"hesaid。"He\'dha\'

foundhisselfinthestationifwehadn\'tbeensotookup。"

"Hisface——hisdress——didn\'tyounoticethem?"Holmesbrokeinimpatiently。

"IshouldthinkIdidnoticethem，seeingthatIhadtoprophimup——meandMurcherbetweenus。Hewasalongchap，witharedface，thelowerpartmuffledround——"

"Thatwilldo，"criedHolmes。"Whatbecameofhim?"

"We\'denoughtodowithoutlookin\'afterhim，"thepolicemansaid，inanaggrievedvoice。"I\'llwagerhefoundhiswayhomeallright。"

"Howwashedressed?"

"Abrownovercoat。"

"Hadheawhipinhishand?"

"Awhip——no。"

"Hemusthaveleftitbehind，"mutteredmycompanion。

"Youdidn\'thappentoseeorhearacabafterthat?"

"No。"

"There\'sahalf-sovereignforyou，"mycompanionsaid，standingupandtakinghishat。"Iamafraid，Rance，thatyouwillneverriseintheforce。Thatheadofyoursshouldbeforuseaswellasornament。Youmighthavegainedyoursergeant\'sstripeslastnight。Themanwhomyouheldinyourhandsisthemanwhoholdstheclueofthismystery，andwhomweareseeking。Thereisnouseofarguingaboutitnow；

Itellyouthatitisso。Comealong，Doctor。"

Westartedoffforthecabtogether，leavingourinformantincredulous，butobviouslyuncomfortable。

"Theblunderingfool，"Holmessaid，bitterly，aswedrovebacktoourlodgings。"Justtothinkofhishavingsuchanincomparablebitofgoodluck，andnottakingadvantageofit。"

"Iamratherinthedarkstill。Itistruethatthedescriptionofthismantallieswithyourideaofthesecondpartyinthismystery。Butwhyshouldhecomebacktothehouseafterleavingit?Thatisnotthewayofcriminals。"

"Thering，man，thering:thatwaswhathecamebackfor。

Ifwehavenootherwayofcatchinghim，wecanalwaysbaitourlinewiththering。Ishallhavehim，Doctor——I\'lllayyoutwotoonethatIhavehim。Imustthankyouforitall。

Imightnothavegonebutforyou，andsohavemissedthefineststudyIevercameacross:astudyinscarlet，eh?

Whyshouldn\'tweusealittleartjargon。There\'sthescarletthreadofmurderrunningthroughthecolourlessskeinoflife，andourdutyistounravelit，andisolateit，andexposeeveryinchofit。Andnowforlunch，andthenforNormanNeruda。Herattackandherbowingaresplendid。

What\'sthatlittlethingofChopin\'ssheplayssomagnificently:Tra-la-la-lira-lira-lay。"

Leaningbackinthecab，thisamateurbloodhoundcarolledawaylikealarkwhileImeditateduponthemany-sidednessofthehumanmind。

CHAPTERV。

OURADVERTISEMENTBRINGSAVISITOR。

OURmorning\'sexertionshadbeentoomuchformyweakhealth，andIwastiredoutintheafternoon。AfterHolmes\'

departurefortheconcert，Ilaydownuponthesofaandendeavouredtogetacoupleofhours\'sleep。Itwasauselessattempt。Mymindhadbeentoomuchexcitedbyallthathadoccurred，andthestrangestfanciesandsurmisescrowdedintoit。EverytimethatIclosedmyeyesIsawbeforemethedistortedbaboon-likecountenanceofthemurderedman。SosinisterwastheimpressionwhichthatfacehadproduceduponmethatIfounditdifficulttofeelanythingbutgratitudeforhimwhohadremoveditsownerfromtheworld。Ifeverhumanfeaturesbespokeviceofthemostmalignanttype，theywerecertainlythoseofEnochJ。Drebber，ofCleveland。StillIrecognizedthatjusticemustbedone，andthatthedepravityofthevictimwasnocondonment{11}intheeyesofthelaw。

ThemoreIthoughtofitthemoreextraordinarydidmycompanion\'shypothesis，thatthemanhadbeenpoisoned，appear。Irememberedhowhehadsniffedhislips，andhadnodoubtthathehaddetectedsomethingwhichhadgivenrisetotheidea。Then，again，ifnotpoison，whathadcausedtheman\'sdeath，sincetherewasneitherwoundnormarksofstrangulation?But，ontheotherhand，whosebloodwasthatwhichlaysothicklyuponthefloor?Therewerenosignsofastruggle，norhadthevictimanyweaponwithwhichhemighthavewoundedanantagonist。Aslongasallthesequestionswereunsolved，Ifeltthatsleepwouldbenoeasymatter，eitherforHolmesormyself。Hisquietself-confidentmannerconvincedmethathehadalreadyformedatheorywhichexplainedallthefacts，thoughwhatitwasIcouldnotforaninstantconjecture。

Hewasverylateinreturning——solate，thatIknewthattheconcertcouldnothavedetainedhimallthetime。

Dinnerwasonthetablebeforeheappeared。

"Itwasmagnificent，"hesaid，ashetookhisseat。"DoyourememberwhatDarwinsaysaboutmusic?Heclaimsthatthepowerofproducingandappreciatingitexistedamongthehumanracelongbeforethepowerofspeechwasarrivedat。

Perhapsthatiswhywearesosubtlyinfluencedbyit。

Therearevaguememoriesinoursoulsofthosemistycenturieswhentheworldwasinitschildhood。"

"That\'sratherabroadidea，"Iremarked。

"One\'sideasmustbeasbroadasNatureiftheyaretointerpretNature，"heanswered。"What\'sthematter?

You\'renotlookingquiteyourself。ThisBrixtonRoadaffairhasupsetyou。"

"Totellthetruth，ithas，"Isaid。"Ioughttobemorecase-hardenedaftermyAfghanexperiences。IsawmyowncomradeshackedtopiecesatMaiwandwithoutlosingmynerve。"

"Icanunderstand。Thereisamysteryaboutthiswhichstimulatestheimagination；wherethereisnoimaginationthereisnohorror。Haveyouseentheeveningpaper?"

"No。"

"Itgivesafairlygoodaccountoftheaffair。Itdoesnotmentionthefactthatwhenthemanwasraisedup，awoman\'sweddingringfelluponthefloor。Itisjustaswellitdoesnot。"

"Why?"

"Lookatthisadvertisement，"heanswered。"Ihadonesenttoeverypaperthismorningimmediatelyaftertheaffair。"

HethrewthepaperacrosstomeandIglancedattheplaceindicated。Itwasthefirstannouncementinthe"Found"column。

"InBrixtonRoad，thismorning，"itran，"aplaingoldweddingring，foundintheroadwaybetweenthe`WhiteHart\'TavernandHollandGrove。ApplyDr。Watson，221B，BakerStreet，betweeneightandninethisevening。"

"Excusemyusingyourname，"hesaid。"IfIusedmyownsomeofthesedunderheadswouldrecognizeit，andwanttomeddleintheaffair。"

"Thatisallright，"Ianswered。"Butsupposinganyoneapplies，Ihavenoring。"

"Ohyes，youhave，"saidhe，handingmeone。"Thiswilldoverywell。Itisalmostafacsimile。"

"Andwhodoyouexpectwillanswerthisadvertisement。"

"Why，themaninthebrowncoat——ourfloridfriendwiththesquaretoes。Ifhedoesnotcomehimselfhewillsendanaccomplice。"

"Wouldhenotconsideritastoodangerous?"

"Notatall。Ifmyviewofthecaseiscorrect，andIhaveeveryreasontobelievethatitis，thismanwouldratherriskanythingthanlosethering。AccordingtomynotionhedroppeditwhilestoopingoverDrebber\'sbody，anddidnotmissitatthetime。Afterleavingthehousehediscoveredhislossandhurriedback，butfoundthepolicealreadyinpossession，owingtohisownfollyinleavingthecandleburning。Hehadtopretendtobedrunkinordertoallaythesuspicionswhichmighthavebeenarousedbyhisappearanceatthegate。Nowputyourselfinthatman\'splace。Onthinkingthematterover，itmusthaveoccurredtohimthatitwaspossiblethathehadlosttheringintheroadafterleavingthehouse。Whatwouldhedo，then?Hewouldeagerlylookoutfortheeveningpapersinthehopeofseeingitamongthearticlesfound。Hiseye，ofcourse，wouldlightuponthis。

Hewouldbeoverjoyed。Whyshouldhefearatrap?

Therewouldbenoreasoninhiseyeswhythefindingoftheringshouldbeconnectedwiththemurder。Hewouldcome。

Hewillcome。Youshallseehimwithinanhour?"

"Andthen?"Iasked。

"Oh，youcanleavemetodealwithhimthen。Haveyouanyarms?"

"Ihavemyoldservicerevolverandafewcartridges。"

"Youhadbettercleanitandloadit。Hewillbeadesperateman，andthoughIshalltakehimunawares，itisaswelltobereadyforanything。"

Iwenttomybedroomandfollowedhisadvice。WhenI

returnedwiththepistolthetablehadbeencleared，andHolmeswasengagedinhisfavouriteoccupationofscrapinguponhisviolin。

"Theplotthickens，"hesaid，asIentered；"IhavejusthadananswertomyAmericantelegram。Myviewofthecaseisthecorrectone。"

"Andthatis?"Iaskedeagerly。

"Myfiddlewouldbethebetterfornewstrings，"heremarked。

"Putyourpistolinyourpocket。Whenthefellowcomesspeaktohiminanordinaryway。Leavetheresttome。

Don\'tfrightenhimbylookingathimtoohard。"

"Itiseighto\'clocknow，"Isaid，glancingatmywatch。

"Yes。Hewillprobablybehereinafewminutes。Openthedoorslightly。Thatwilldo。Nowputthekeyontheinside。

Thankyou!ThisisaqueeroldbookIpickedupatastallyesterday——`DeJureinterGentes\'——publishedinLatinatLiegeintheLowlands，in1642。Charles\'headwasstillfirmonhisshoulderswhenthislittlebrown-backedvolumewasstruckoff。"

"Whoistheprinter?"

"PhilippedeCroy，whoeverhemayhavebeen。Onthefly-leaf，inveryfadedink，iswritten`ExlibrisGuliolmiWhyte。\'

IwonderwhoWilliamWhytewas。Somepragmaticalseventeenthcenturylawyer，Isuppose。Hiswritinghasalegaltwistaboutit。Herecomesourman，Ithink。"

Ashespoketherewasasharpringatthebell。SherlockHolmesrosesoftlyandmovedhischairinthedirectionofthedoor。

Weheardtheservantpassalongthehall，andthesharpclickofthelatchassheopenedit。

"DoesDr。Watsonlivehere?"askedaclearbutratherharshvoice。Wecouldnotheartheservant\'sreply，butthedoorclosed，andsomeonebegantoascendthestairs。

Thefootfallwasanuncertainandshufflingone。Alookofsurprisepassedoverthefaceofmycompanionashelistenedtoit。Itcameslowlyalongthepassage，andtherewasafeebletapatthedoor。

"Comein，"Icried。

Atmysummons，insteadofthemanofviolencewhomweexpected，averyoldandwrinkledwomanhobbledintotheapartment。Sheappearedtobedazzledbythesuddenblazeoflight，andafterdroppingacurtsey，shestoodblinkingatuswithherblearedeyesandfumblinginherpocketwithnervous，shakyfingers。Iglancedatmycompanion，andhisfacehadassumedsuchadisconsolateexpressionthatitwasallIcoulddotokeepmycountenance。

Theoldcronedrewoutaneveningpaper，andpointedatouradvertisement。"It\'sthisashasbroughtme，goodgentlemen，"

shesaid，droppinganothercurtsey；"agoldweddingringintheBrixtonRoad。ItbelongstomygirlSally，aswasmarriedonlythistimetwelvemonth，whichherhusbandisstewardaboardaUnionboat，andwhathe\'dsayifhecome\'omeandfoundherwithoutherringismorethanIcanthink，hebeingshortenoughatthebesto\'times，butmoreespeciallywhenhehasthedrink。

Ifitpleaseyou，shewenttothecircuslastnightalongwith——"

"Isthatherring?"Iasked。

"TheLordbethanked!"criedtheoldwoman；"Sallywillbeagladwomanthisnight。That\'sthering。"

"Andwhatmayyouraddressbe?"Iinquired，takingupapencil。

"13，DuncanStreet，Houndsditch。Awearywayfromhere。"

"TheBrixtonRoaddoesnotliebetweenanycircusandHoundsditch，"saidSherlockHolmessharply。