THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

in which he was brewing a particularly malodorous product. His head was sunk upon his breast, and he l

"you do not propose to invest i

lmes's curious faculties, this sudden intrusion int

do you know

teaming test-tube in his hand, and

s yourself utterly t

a

you sign a pape

hy

you will say that it is

I shall say noth

ts predecessor and each simple in itself. If, after doing so, one simply knocks out all the central inferences and presents one's audience with the starting-point and the conclusion, one may produce a startling, though po

no conn

. You put chalk there when you play billiards, to steady the cue. 3. You never play billiards except with Thurston. 4. You told me, four weeks ago, that Thurston had an option on some South African property wh

dly simple

explained to you. Here is an unexplained one. See what you can make of that, friend Watson

t at the absurd hierog

is a child's dr

at's yo

se shoul

w. This little conundrum came by the first post, and he was to follow by the next train.

life led far from the fogs of Baker Street. He seemed to bring a whiff of his strong, fresh, bracing, east-coast air with him as he entered. Having shaken ha

re fond of queer mysteries, and I don't think you can find a queerer one than that

be some childish prank. It consists of a number of absurd little figures dancing across the pap

her to death. She says nothing, but I can see terror in her

upon it. It was a page torn from a notebook. The ma

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nd then, folding it carefully up, h

few particulars in your letter, Mr. Hilton Cubitt, but I should be very much oblige

re is no better known family in the County of Norfolk. Last year I came up to London for the Jubilee, and I stopped at a boarding-house in Russell Square, because Parker, the vicar of our parish, was staying in it. There was an American young lady there-Patrick was the name-Elsie Patrick. In some way we became friends, until before my month was u

or it is very painful to me. If you take me, Hilton, you will take a woman who has nothing that she need be personally ashamed of, but you will have to be content with my word for it, and to allow me to be silent as to all that passed up to the time when I became yours. If thes

I made none, for a promise is a promise, but she has never known an easy hour from that moment. There is always a look of fear upon her face-a look as if she were waiting and expecting. She would do better to trust me. She would find that I was her best friend. But until she speaks, I can say nothing. Mind you, she is a truthful woman, M

. I had them washed out, and I only mentioned the matter to my wife afterwards. To my surprise, she took it very seriously, and begged me if any more came to let her see them. None did come for a week, and then yesterday morning I found this paper lying on the sundial in the garden. I showed it to Elsie, and down she dropped in a dead faint. Since then she has looked like a w

st blue eyes and broad, comely face. His love for his wife and his trust in her shone in his features.

r best plan would be to make a direct appeal to your

t shook his

she would. If not, it is not for me to force her confide

the first place, have you heard of any

N

quiet place. Any fresh face

ave several small watering-places not ve

e so indefinite that we have no basis for an investigation. I would suggest that you return to Norfolk, that you keep a keen lookout, and that you take an exact copy of any fresh dancing men which may appear. It is a thousand pities that we have not a reproduction of those which were done in chalk upon the window-sill.

of paper from his notebook and look long and earnestly at the curious figures inscribed upon it. He made no a

tter stay h

hy

the dancing men? He was to reach Liverpool Street at one-twenty. He may be here at any

the station as fast as a hansom could bring him. He was looki

you are surrounded by unseen, unknown folk, who have some kind of design upon you, but when, in addition to that, you know that it is just killing

said anyt

the plunge. I have tried to help her, but I daresay I did it clumsily, and scared her from it. She has spoken about my old family, and our reputation

und out somethin

ncing-men pictures for you to examine, and,

man who d

was a fresh crop of dancing men. They had been drawn in chalk upon the black wooden door of the tool-house, which stands beside the lawn in full view

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Holmes. "Excelle

s, but, two mornings later, a fresh inscrip

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s hands and chuc

rapidly accumul

y revolver and I sat up in my study, which overlooks the lawn and garden. About two in the morning I was seated by the window, all being dark save for the moonlight outside, when I heard steps behind me, and there was my wife in her d

we might go and travel, you and I

practical joker?' said I. 'Why, we s

aid she, 'and we can di

and held me with convulsive strength. I tried to throw her off, but she clung to me most desperately. At last I got clear, but by the time I had opened the door and reached the house the creature was gone. He had left a trace of his presence, however, for there on the door was the very same arrangement of dancing men which had already twi

that fresh

t, but I made a copy

aper. The new dance w

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he was much excited-"was this a mere addition to t

ifferent panel

purpose. It fills me with hopes. Now, Mr. Hilton Cub

d was that HE might come to harm, for I could not doubt that she knew who this man was, and what he meant by these strange signals. But there is a tone in my wife's voice, Mr. Holmes, and a look in her eyes which forbid doubt, and I am sure that it was indeed my own safety tha

ch simple remedies," said Holmes. "H

wife alone all night for anything. She

rn with you in a day or two. Meanwhile you will leave me these papers, and I think that it is ve

laborate calculation. For two hours I watched him as he covered sheet after sheet of paper with figures and letters, so completely absorbed in his task that he had evidently forgotten my presence. Sometimes he was making progress and whistled and sang at his work; sometimes he was puzzled, and would sit for long spells with a furrowed brow and a vacant eye. Finally he sprang from his chair

liked to make his disclosures at his own time and in his own way,

y ring of the bell. On the evening of the second there came a letter from Hilton Cubitt. All was quiet with him, save that a lon

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then suddenly sprang to his feet with an exclamation of

nough," said he. "Is there a trai

ime-table. The la

blegram. One moment, Mrs. Hudson, there may be an answer. No, that is quite as I expected. This message makes it even more essential that we should not

may and horror with which I was filled. Would that I had some brighter ending to communicate to my readers, but these are the chronicles of fact, and I must f

our destination, when the station-master hurried towards us.

ance passed ove

you think su

e you are the surgeons. She's not dead-or wasn't by last accounts.

w was dark w

r," said he, "but we have heard not

wife. She shot him and then herself-so the servants say. He's dead and her life is despaired of. De

ears left him in a blank melancholy. He leaned back in his seat, lost in gloomy speculation. Yet there was much around to interest us, for we were passing through as singular a countryside as any in England, where a few scattered cottages represented the population of to-day, while on every hand enormous square-towered churches bristl

which we had such strange associations. A dapper little man, with a quick, alert manner and a waxed moustache, had just descended from a high dog-car

t three this morning. How could you hear o

I came in the hop

of which we are ignorant, for they

too late to prevent this tragedy, I am very anxious that I should use the knowledge which I possess in order to insure

were acting together, Mr. Holmes,"

evidence and to examine the premise

fatal. The bullet had passed through the front of her brain, and it would probably be some time before she could regain consciousness. On the question of whether she had been shot or had shot herself, he would not venture to express any decided opinion. Certainly the bullet had been discharged at very clos

n moved?" a

lady. We could not leave her lyi

ve you been

four o'

one

e consta

ave touche

thi

h great discretion.

semaid,

e who gave

rs. King,

are the

itchen, I

ad better hear the

leaming out of his haggard face. I could read in them a set purpose to devote his life to this quest until the client whom he had failed to save should at las

ad. Near the window his wife was crouching, her head leaning against the wall. She was horribly wounded, and the side of her face was red with blood. She breathed heavily, but was incapable of saying anything. The passage, as well as the room, was full of smoke and the smell of powder. The window was certainly shut and fastened upon the inside. Both women were positive upon the point. They had at once sent for the doctor

om the house. In answer to Holmes, they both remembered that they were conscious of the smell of powder from the moment that they ran out of their rooms upon the top floor. "I co

whose huge frame lay stretched across the room. His disordered dress showed that he had been hastily aroused from sleep. The bullet had been fired at him from the front, and had remained in his body, after penetrating the hear

badly fitting cartridge happens to spurt backward, one may fire many shots without leaving a sign. I would suggest th

e are still four cartridges in the revolver. Two have been fired a

can account also for the bullet which ha

ting to a hole which had been drilled right through

he inspector. "How e

I looke

a third shot has been fired, and therefore a third person must have been

r, Inspector Martin, when the servants said that on leaving their room they were at once

confess I did not

Otherwise the fumes of powder could not have been blown so rapidly through the house. A draught in the

you prov

candle was

ied the inspe

ave been a third person in the affair, who stood outside this opening and fired through it. Any shot d

e window to be s

be to shut and fasten the window

ile-skin and silver. Holmes opened it and turned the contents out. There were twenty fift

y to throw some light upon this third bullet, which has clearly, from the splintering of the wood, been fired from inside the room. I should like to see Mrs. King, the

y sleep, so it is hard to judge.

have been two shots fired alm

I couldn'

t we have now exhausted all that this room can teach us. If you will kindly

soft soil was imprinted all over with footmarks. Large, masculine feet they were, with peculiarly long, sharp toes. Holmes hunted about among the

nd here is the third cartridge. I really think, In

of Holmes's investigation. At first he had shown some disposition to assert his own position, b

ou suspect

e not been able to explain to you yet. Now that I have got so far, I had best

Mr. Holmes, so long

eads of this affair all in my hand. Even if this lady should never recover consciousness, we can still reconstruct the events of last n

place. The stable-boy threw a light upon the matter by remembering that a

a lonel

lonely

d yet of all that happened

e not

, and then a curious smile

he. "I shall wish you to take

directions to put it into the hands of the person to whom it was addressed, and especially to answer no questions of any sort which might be put to him. I saw the outside of

larly dangerous prisoner to convey to the county jail. The boy who takes this note could no doubt forward your telegram. If there is an afternoon train to to

on, but he was to be shown at once into the drawing-room. He impressed these points upon them with the utmost earnestness. Finally he led the way into the drawing-room, with the remark that the business was

remarkable professional study. I must tell you, first of all, the interesting circumstances connected with the previous consultations which Mr. Hilton Cubitt has had with me in Baker Street." He then shortly recapitulated the facts which have already been recorded. "I have here in front of me these singular productions, at which one might smile, had they not proved themselves to be the forerunners of so terrible a trag

t the symbol XXX stood for E. As you are aware, E is the most common letter in the English alphabet, and it predominates to so marked an extent that even in a short sentence one would expect to find it most often. Out of fifteen symbols in the first message, four were the same, so it was reasonable to

st of each other, and it would be an endless task to try each combination until a meaning was arrived at. I therefore waited for fresh material. In my second interview with Mr. Hilton Cubitt he was able to give me two other short sentences and one message, which appeared-since there was no flag-to be a single word. Here are the symbols. Now, in the single word I have alread

name 'ELSIE.' On examination I found that such a combination formed the termination of the message which was three times repeated. It was certainly some appeal to 'Elsie.' In this way I had got my L, S, and I. But what appeal could it be? There were only four letters in the word which preceded 'Elsie,' and it ended in E. Surely

E ..E

since it occurs no fewer than three times in this short sentenc

E A.E

he obvious vacan

E ABE

with considerable confidence to the sec

LRI.

ssing letters, and supposing that the name was that

full and clear account of how my friend had produced results

then, sir?" ask

e lady's allusions to her past, and her refusal to take her husband into her confidence, both pointed in that direction. I therefore cabled to my friend, Wilson Hargreave, of the New York Police Bureau, who has more than once made use of my knowledge of London crime

.ARE TO M

nowledge of the crooks of Chicago prepared me to find that he might very rapidly put his words into action. I at once came to

speak frankly to you. You are only answerable to yourself, but I have to answer to my superiors. If this Abe Slaney, living at Elr

uneasy. He will n

o you

be a confess

us go ar

im here eve

should

ve written an

ecause you have asked him? Would not such a request

ock Holmes. "In fact, if I am not very much mistaken

nnel, with a Panama hat, a bristling black beard, and a great, aggressive hooked nose, and flourishing a cane as he

ion behind the door. Every precaution is necessary when dealing with such a fel

es clapped a pistol to his head, and Martin slipped the handcuffs over his wrists. It was all done so swiftly and deftly that the fellow was helpl

st something hard. But I came here in answer to a letter from Mrs. Hilton Cubitt. Do

s seriously injured, a

cry of grief, which

ave hurt little Elsie? I may have threatened her-God forgive me!-but I would not h

wounded, by the side

manacled hands. For five minutes he was silent. Then he raised hi

that woman, then you don't know either me or her. I tell you, there was never a man in this world loved a woman more than I loved her. I had a right to her. She wa

ogged her and followed her and made her life a misery to her, in order to induce her to abandon the husband whom she loved and respected in order to fly with you, whom she feared and h

up in his palm. "See here, mister! he cried, with a gleam of suspicion in his eyes, "you're not trying to scare me over t

t, to brin

tside the Joint who knew the secret o

ve wrought. Are you aware that Mrs. Hilton Cubitt has herself lain under grave suspicion of the murder of her husband, and that it was only my presence here, and the knowledge which I happened to

"I guess the very best case I can m

gainst you," cried the inspector, with the

ugged his

child's scrawl unless you just happened to have the key to it. Well, Elsie learned some of our ways, but she couldn't stand the business, and she had a bit of honest money of her own, so she gave us all the slip and got away to London. She had been engaged to me, and she would have married me, I believe, if I had tak

upon her husband. She said that she would come down when her husband was asleep at three in the morning, and speak with me through the end window, if I would go away afterwards and leave her in peace. She came down and brought money with her, trying to bribe me to go. This made me mad, and I caught her arm and tried to pull her through the window. At that moment in rushed the husband with his revolver in his hand. Elsie had sunk down upon the floor, and

. Two uniformed policemen sat inside. Inspector Ma

ime for

see her

pe that if ever again I have an important case, I s

, my eye caught the pellet of paper which the prisoner had tossed

ad it, Watson," sa

but this little line

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e he could never imagine that it could come from anyone but the lady. And so, my dear Watson, we have ended by turning the dancing men to good when they have so often been the agents

n consideration of mitigating circumstances, and the certainty that Hilton Cubitt had fired the first shot. Of Mrs. Hilton Cubitt I only know that I have hear