THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

with all that was going on at the police headquarters. In return for the news which Lestrade would bring, Holmes was always ready to listen with attention to the details of any

r and the newspapers. Then he had fallen silent, puffin

arkable on ha

lmes-nothing ve

ll me ab

ade l

I hesitated to bother you about it. On the other hand, although it is trivial, it is undoubtedly queer, and I know

se?" s

anyone living at this time of day who had such a hatred of Napoleon

k back in

usiness of m

rglary in order to break images which are not his own, th

sat u

ore interesting. Let

al notebook and refreshed hi

on, which stood with several other works of art upon the counter, lying shivered into fragments. He rushed out into the road, but, although several passers-by declared that they had noticed a man run out of the shop, he could neither see anyone nor could he find any means of identifying the ra

e serious, and also more singular.

is Dr. Barnicot is an enthusiastic admirer of Napoleon, and his house is full of books, pictures, and relics of the French Emperor. Some little time ago he purchased from Morse Hudson two duplicate plaster casts of the famous head of Napoleon by the French sculptor, Devine. One of these he placed in his hall in the house at Kennington Road, and the other on the ma

ubbed hi

ainly very no

here, he found that the window had been opened in the night and that the broken pieces of his second bust were strewn all over the room. It had been smashed to atoms where it

her the two busts smashed in Dr. Barnicot's rooms were the exact

aken from th

on. Considering how many hundreds of statues of the great Emperor must exist in London, it is too much to supp

were the only ones which had been in his shop for years. So, although, as you say, there are many hundreds of statues in London, it is very p

which may be trifling in character, and accompanied by complete sanity in every other way. A man who had read deeply about Napoleon, or who had possibly recei

"for no amount of IDEE FIXE would enable your interestin

do YOU ex

er of an alarm, it was smashed where it stood. The affair seems absurdly trifling, and yet I dare call nothing trivial when I reflect that some of my most classic cases have had the least promising commencement. You will remember, Watson, how the dreadful business of the Abernetty family was f

gic form than he could have imagined. I was still dressing in my bedroom next morning, whe

, 131 Pitt Stre

STR

it, then?

tues. In that case our friend the image-breaker has begun operations in another qua

ts of London life. No. 131 was one of a row, all flat-chested, respectable, and most unromantic dwellings.

ted in that fellow's round shoulders and outstretched neck. What's this, Watson? The top steps swilled down and the other

gly unkempt and agitated elderly man, clad in a flannel dressing-gown, was pacing up and down. He wa

interested last night, Mr. Holmes, so I thought perhaps you would be glad

it turned

you tell these gentlemen exac

gown turned upon us with

together. If I had come in here as a journalist, I should have interviewed myself and had two columns in every evening paper. As it is, I am giving away valuable copy by telling my story over and over to a string of

t down an

of the top of the house, about three o'clock, when I was convinced that I heard some sounds downstairs. I listened, but they were not repeated, and I concluded that they came from outside. Then suddenly, about five minutes later, there came a most horrible yell-the most dreadful sound, Mr. Holmes, that ever I heard. It will ring in my ears as long a

into the dark, I nearly fell over a dead man, who was lying there. I ran back for a light and there was the poor fellow, a great gash in his throat and the whole place swimming in blood. He lay on his back, his knees draw

the murdered ma

rty. He is poorly dressed, and yet does not appear to be a labourer. A horn-handled clasp knife was lying in a pool of blood beside him. Whether it was the weapon which did the deed, or wheth

an alert, sharp-featured simian man, with thick eyebrows and a very pecul

" asked Holmes, after a caref

nt garden of an empty house in Campden House Road. It was broke

s or was a most active man," said he. "With an area beneath, it was no mean feat to reach that window ledge and ope

alist had seated himse

details. It's like my luck! You remember when the stand fell at Doncaster? Well, I was the only journalist in the stand, and my journal

rd his pen travelling shril

eat emperor, which seemed to raise such frantic and destructive hatred in the mind of the unknown. It lay scattered, in splintered shards, upon the grass. Ho

asked

ugged his

trifling bust was worth more, in the eyes of this strange criminal, than a human life. That is one point. Then there is th

eeting this other fellow. He har

ntion very particularly to the position of this hou

looked

he knew that he would not be

assed before he came to this one. Why did he not break it there, since it is evid

up," said

o the street lam

ng here, and he could not the

ink of it, Dr. Barnicot's bust was broken not far from his r

mething later which will bear upon it. Wh

When we have found who he is and who his associates are, we should have a good start in learning what he was doing in Pi

quite the way in which I sh

uld you

that you go on your line and I on mine. We can compar

d," said

t I have quite made up my mind, and that it is certain that a dangerous homicidal lunatic,

ade s

seriously b

es s

day's work before us. I should be glad, Lestrade, if you could make it convenient to meet us at Baker Street at six o'clock this evening. Until then I should like to keep this photograph, found in the dead man's pocket

bust had been purchased. A young assistant informed us that Mr. Harding would be absent until afternoon, and th

until then. I am, as you have no doubt surmised, endeavouring to trace these busts to their source, in order to find if there is not something peculiar w

ealer's establishment. He was a small, s

from? I don't see what that has to do with it. Well, if you really want to know, I got them from Gelder & Co., in Church Street, Stepney. They are a well-known house in the trade, and have been this twenty years. How many had I? Three-two and one are three-two of Dr. Barnicot's, and one smashed in broad daylight on my own counter. Do I know that photograph? No, I don't. Yes, I do,

as a common factor, both in Kennington and in Kensington, so that is worth a ten-mile drive. Now, Watson, let us make for

fifty workers were carving or moulding. The manager, a big blond German, received us civilly and gave a clear answer to all Holmes's questions. A reference to his books showed that hundreds of casts had been taken from a marble copy of Devine's head of Napoleon, but that the three which had been sent to Morse Hudson a year or so before had been half of a batch of six, the other three being sent to Harding Brothers, of Kensington. There was no reason why those six should be different from any of the other casts. He coul

fect upon the manager. His face flushed with anger

n it was over this very fellow. It was more than a year ago now. He knifed another Italian in the street, and then he came to the works with the police on his heels,

did he

now, but he has not dared to show his nose here. We have a co

farther I go with it, the more important it seems to grow. When you referred in your ledger to the sale of t

r answered. "Yes," he continued, after some turn

time and patience any more." With a last word of caution that he should

rder by a Madman," and the contents of the paper showed that Mr. Horace Harker had got his account into print after all. Two columns were occupied with a hi

, Watson," said he

official force, and Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the well known consulting expert, have each come to the conclusion that the grotesque series of incidents, wh

o use it. And now, if you have quite finished, we will hark back to Kensin

a brisk, crisp little person, very dapper

ve the entries here. One to Mr. Harker you see, and one to Mr. Josiah Brown, of Laburnum Lodge, Laburnum Vale, Chiswick, and one to Mr. Sandeford, of Lower Grove Road, Reading. No, I have never seen this face which you show me in the photograph. You would hardly forget it, would you, sir, for I've seldom seen an uglier. Have we a

e no remark, however, save that, unless we hurried, we should be late for our appointment with Lestrade. Sure enough, when we reached Baker Street the detec

ed. "What luck

explained. "We have seen both the retailers and also the wholesale

erlock Holmes, and it is not for me to say a word against them, but I think

on't s

a cause for

len

nd he is one of the greatest cut-throats in London. He is connected with the Mafia, which, as you know, is a secret political society, enforcing its decrees by murder. Now, you see how the affair begins to clear up. The other fellow is probably an Italian also, and a member of the Mafia. He has broken the rules in s

ed his hands

. "But I didn't quite follow your ex

thing; petty larceny, six months at the most. It is the murder that we are really

e next

Quarter, find the man whose photograph we have got, and

it all depends upon a factor which is completely outside our control. But I have great hopes-in fact, the bett

Italian

delay. And now I think that a few hours' sleep would do us all good, for I do not propose to leave before eleven o'clock, and it is unlikely that we shall be back before morning. You'll dine with us, Lestrade, and then you

s windings of this complex case, and, though I could not yet perceive the goal which we would reach, I understood clearly that Holmes expected this grotesque criminal to make an attempt upon the two remaining busts, one of which, I remembered, was at Chiswick. No doubt the object of our journey was to catch him in the very act, and I could

houses, each standing in its own grounds. In the light of a street lamp we read "Laburnum Villa" upon the gate-post of one of them. The occupants had evidently retired to rest, for all was dark save for a fanlight ove

at it is not raining. I don't think we can even venture to smoke to pass the time.

ape, rushed up the garden path. We saw it whisk past the light thrown from over the door and disappear against the black shadow of the house. There was a long pause, during which we held our breath, and then a very gentle creaking sound came to our ears. The window was being op

. We will nab him as he climbs

own his burden, and the next instant there was the sound of a sharp tap, followed by a clatter and rattle. The man was so intent upon what he was doing that he never heard our steps as we stole across the grass plot. With the bound of a tiger Holmes was on his back, and a

eon, like the one which we had seen that morning, and it had been broken into similar fragments. Carefully Holmes held each separate shard to the light, but in no way did it differ from any other shatt

own, I suppose

d I did exactly what you told me. We locked every door on the inside and awaited developments. Well, I'm ve

captive say, but he glared at us from the shadow of his matted hair, and once, when my hand seemed within his reach, he snapped at it like a hungry wolf. We stayed long enough at th

You'll find that my theory of the Mafia will work out all right. But I'm sure I am exceedingly obliged to

ll come round once more to my rooms at six o'clock to-morrow, I think I shall be able to show you that even now you have not grasped the entire meaning of this business, which presents some features which make it absolut

lk English perfectly well. His reasons for destroying the busts were still unknown, and he refused to answer any questions upon the subject, but the police had discovered that these same busts might very well have been made by his own hands, since he was engaged in this class of work at the establishment of Gelder & Co. To all this information, much of which we already knew, Holmes listened with polite attention, but I, who knew him so well, could clearl

erlock Hol

"Mr. Sandeford, of Reading

ut the trains were awkward. You wrote

act

of Devine's Napoleon, and am prepared to pay you ten pound

tain

tter, for I could not imagine how you

ery simple. Mr. Harding, of Harding Brothers, said that the

s it? Did he tell yo

he di

y gave fifteen shillings for the bust, and I think you

Mr. Sandeford. But I have named

ked me to do. Here it is!" He opened his bag, and at last we saw placed upon our table

s pocket and laid a ten-pou

er every possible right that you ever had in the bust to me. I am a methodical man, you see, and you never know wh

placed his newly acquired bust in the centre of the cloth. Finally, he picked up his hunting-crop and struck Napoleon a sharp blow on the top of the head. The figure broke into fragm

introduce you to the famous bla

ed to us like the master dramatist who receives the homage of his audience. It was at such moments that for an instant he ceased to be a reasoning machine, and betrayed his human love for admiration a

onsulted upon the case, but I was unable to throw any light upon it. Suspicion fell upon the maid of the Princess, who was an Italian, and it was proved that she had a brother in London, but we failed to trace any connection between them. The maid's name was Lucretia Venucci, and there is no doubt in my mind that this Pietro who was murdered two nights ago was the brother. I have been looking up the dates in the old files of the paper, and I find that the disappearance of the pearl was exactly two days before the arrest of

ouches covered over the aperture once more. It was an admirable hiding-place. No one could possibly find it. But Beppo was condemned to a year's imprisonment, and in the meanwhile his six busts were scattered over London. He could not tell which contained his treasure. Only by breaking them could he see. Even shaking would tell him nothing, for as the plaster was wet it was probable that the pearl would adhere to it-as, in fact, it has done. Beppo did not despair, and he conducted his search with considerable inge

te, why should he carry

concluded for certain that it was the pearl, but it was evident to me that he was looking for something, since he carried the bust past the other houses in order to break it in the garden which had a lamp overlooking it. Since Harker's bust was one in three, the chances were exactly as I told you-two to one against the pearl being inside it. There remained two busts, and it was obvious that he would go for the London one

silence fo

one than that. We're not jealous of you at Scotland Yard. No, sir, we are very proud of you, and if you come down to-morr

en him. A moment later he was the cold and practical thinker once more. "Put the pearl in the safe, Watson," said he, "and get out the papers of the Conk-S