THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

iversity towns, and it was during this time that the small but instructive adventure which I am about to relate befell us. It will be obvious that any details whi

those qualities for which my friend was remarkable. I will endeavour, in my statement, to avoid such t

subject of one of my future narratives. Here it was that one evening we received a visit from an acquaintance, Mr. Hilton Soames, tutor and lecturer at the College of St. Luke's. Mr. Soames was a tall, spare man, of a ne

. We have had a very painful incident at St. Luke's, and really, but for the

tions," my friend answered. "I should much

st one of those cases where, for the credit of the college, it is most essential to avoid scandal. Your discretion is as w

scrapbooks, his chemicals, and his homely untidiness, he was an uncomfortable man. He shrugged his shoulders in ungr

reek, and the first of the papers consists of a large passage of Greek translation which the candidate has not seen. This passage is printed on the examination

des. I had to read it over carefully, as the text must be absolutely correct. At four-thirty my task was not yet completed. I

e only duplicate which existed, so far as I knew, was that which belonged to my servant, Bannister-a man who has looked after my room for ten years, and whose honesty is absolutely above suspicion. I found that the key was indeed his, that he had entered my room to know if I wanted tea, and that

of was in three long slips. I had left them all together. Now, I found that one of them was lyin

red for the

second in the window, the third

ou amaze me. How could

our very interes

t he was speaking the truth. The alternative was that someone passing had observed the key in the door, had known that I was out, and had entered to look at the papers. A larg

ade a most careful examination of the room. I soon saw that the intruder had left other traces of his presence besides the rumpled papers. On the table in the window were several shreds from a pencil w

d-humour as his attention became more engrosse

ich looks like sawdust in it. I am convinced that these marks were left by the man who rifled the papers. There were no footmarks and no other evidence as to his identity. I was at my wit's end, when suddenly the happy thought occurred to me that you were in the town, and I came straight round to put the matter into your hands. Do help me, Mr. Holmes.

Holmes, rising and putting on his overcoat. "The case is not entirely devoid o

o lives on the same stair, came in to a

h he was

es

ers were on

my belief, they

e recognized

ssi

lse in yo

N

that these proofs

save the

man Bannis

nly not. No

s Bannis

t him collapsed in the chair. I was

t your d

up the pap

recognized the roll as being proofs, the man who tampered with them

seems

e an enigm

s, Watson-mental, not physical. All right; come i

orn stone staircase. On the ground floor was the tutor's room. Above were three students, one on each story. It was already twilight when we reached the scene

r. There is no opening except the one

as he glanced at our companion. "Well, if there is

us into his room. We stood at the entranc

ope for any upon so dry a day. Your servant seems to have qui

window

, what has happened is very clear. The man entered and took the papers, sheet by sheet, from the central table. He carried th

d not," said Soames, "for I e

at, using every possible contraction? A quarter of an hour, not less. Then he tossed it down and seized the next. He was in the midst of that when your return caused him to make a very hurried r

an't say

s above the usual size, with a soft lead, the outer colour was dark blue, the maker's name was printed in silver lettering, and the piece remaining is only about an inch a

nformation. "I can follow the other points," sai

ith the letters NN and a space

u s

ar that e

t. "I was hoping that if the paper on which he wrote was thin, some trace of it might come through upon this polished surface. No, I see nothing. I don't think there is anything more to be learned here. Now for the central table. This small pellet is, I presume, the black, doughy mass you spoke of. Roughly pyramidal in shape

y bed

in it since y

straight a

amined the floor. No, I see nothing. What about this curtain? You hang your clothes behind it. If anyone were forced to conc

was prepared for an emergency. As a matter of fact, the drawn curtain disclosed nothing but three or four

hat's this

ke the one upon the table of the study. Holmes held it

aces in your bedroom as well as in

he have wa

o warning until you were at the very door. What could he do? He caught up everyt

all the time I was talking to Bannister in this roo

read

, Mr. Holmes. I don't know whether y

eparate windows, one swinging on

sible. The man might have effected his entrance there, left traces as he passed

k his head

ay that there are three students who use this st

ther

all in for thi

es

suspect any one of the

s hes

d he. "One hardly likes to throw

spicions. I will lo

, plays in the Rugby team and the cricket team for the college, and got his Blue for the hurdles and the long jump. He is a fine, manly fellow. His father was

inscrutable fellow; as most of those Indians are. He is well up in his

lects of the university; but he is wayward, dissipated, and unprincipled. He was nearly expelled over a card s

he whom yo

But, of the three, he is perh

s, let us have a look at

still suffering from this sudden disturbance of the quiet routine of his life. His

is unhappy business, Ban

s,

olmes, "that you left

s,

u should do this on the very day

ut I have occasionally done the

you enter

ast four. That is Mr

g did yo

he was absent, I

at these paper

-certain

to leave the k

I thought I would come back fo

ter door a

, s

as open al

s,

the room co

s,

nd called for you, you were

ned during the many years that I

ere were you when yo

ir? Why, here,

that chair over yonder near the cor

, it didn't matter

about it, Mr. Holmes. He was look

ere when your

o. Then I locked the do

o you s

s any gentleman in this university who is capable of pr

ord. You have not mentioned to any of the three g

r-not a

't seen an

, s

we will take a walk in the qu

f light shone above us

said Holmes, looking up. "Halloa! Wha

appeared suddenly upon his blind. H

p at each of them," said Hol

ite the oldest in the college, and it is not unusual for visitors

encil, had to borrow one from our host and finally borrowed a knife to sharpen his own. The same curious accident happened to him in the rooms of the Indian-a silent, little, hook-nosed fellow, who eyed us askance, and was obviously glad when Holmes's architectural studies had come to an end. I could not see that in either case Holmes had com

Of course, he did not realize that it was I who was knocking, but none the less his c

ponse was a

e his exact hei

taller than the Indian, not so tall as Gilchri

Holmes. "And now, Mr. Soames,

brupt fashion! You don't seem to realize the position. To-morrow is the examination. I must take some definite action to-n

chat the matter over. It is possible that I may be in a position then to i

od, Mr.

ind some way out of your difficulties. I will take the

, we again looked up at the windows. The Ind

n street. "Quite a little parlour game-sort of three-card trick, is it not? There

e worst record. And yet that Indian was a sly fellow

men do it when they are trying t

at us in a

an examination next day, and every moment was of value. No, I see nothing in tha

ho

servant. What's his

as being a perf

a perfectly honest man-Well, well, here's a la

duplicate. All were agreed that one could be ordered, but that it was not a usual size of pencil and that it was seldom kept

ellow, it is nearly nine, and the landlady babbled of green peas at seven-thirty. What with your eternal tobacco, Watson, and your irregularity at meals, I expect that you will g

ost in thought for a long time after our belated dinner. At eight

ime we went down to St. Luke's. C

tain

idget until we are able to tell

thing positiv

hink

formed a c

tson, I have sol

evidence could

untimely hour of six. I have put in two hours' hard work and covered

palm were three little pyrami

you had only t

o. 3 came from is also the source of Nos. 1 and 2. Eh, Wats

ld commence, and he was still in the dilemma between making the facts public and allowing the culprit to compete for the valuable sc

hat you had given it up in despair. Wh

proceed, by

his ra

ll not

know

a small private court-martial. You there, if you please, Soames! Watson you here! I'll take the armchair in th

ck in evident surprise and fear

s. "Now, Bannister, will you please te

white to the ro

d you every

ing t

g at al

n on that chair yesterday, did you do so in order to conceal

's face w

, certai

nable to prove it. But it seems probable enough, since the moment that Mr. So

licked his

as no ma

now you may have spoken the truth,

ce set in su

as no ma

ome, Ban

there wa

Stand over there near the bedroom door. Now, Soames, I am going to ask you to have the gre

lithe, and agile, with a springy step and a pleasant, open face. His troubled blue eyes glanced at each

er know one word of what passes between us. We can be perfectly frank with each other. We want to know,

back, and cast a look full of horr

never said a word-never one w

that after Bannister's words your position is hopeless,

atures. The next he had thrown himself on his knees beside the table, and bu

minal. Perhaps it would be easier for you if I were to tell Mr. Soames what occurred, and you can check me

course, dismiss. He could examine the papers in his own office. The Indian I also thought nothing of. If the proofs were in a roll, he could not possibly know what they were. On the other hand, it seemed an unthink

himself through it. Such an idea was absurd. I was measuring how tall a man would need to be in order to see, as he passed, what papers were on the central table. I am six feet high, and I could do it wi

make nothing, until in your description of Gilchrist you mentioned that he was a long-distance jumper. Then t

spikes. As he passed your window he saw, by means of his great height, these proofs upon your table, and conjectured what they were. No harm would have been done had it not been that, as he passed your door, he perceived the key which h

n that he yielded to temptation. He put his shoes on the

said the

his shoes and darted into the bedroom. You observe that the scratch on that table is slight at one side, but deepens in the direction of the bedroom door. That in itself is enough to show us that the shoe had been drawn in that direction, and that the culprit had taken refuge there. The earth round the spike had been left on the table, and a second

had drawn hi

it is tru

e you nothing to a

orning in the middle of a restless night. It was before I knew that my sin had found me out. Here it is, sir. You will see that I have said, 'I have

end to profit by your unfair advantage," sa

pointed to

ho set me in the ri

g man out, since you were left in the room, and must have locked the door when you went out. As to his escaping by th

uld for the sake of the old days. Well, sir, when I came into this room yesterday, when the alarm was given, the very first thing I saw was Mr. Gilchrist's tan gloves a-lying in that chair. I knew those gloves well, and I understood their message. If Mr. Soames saw them, the game was up. I flopped down into that chair, and nothing would budge me until M

e problem up, and our breakfast awaits us at home. Come, Watson! As to you, sir, I trust that a bright future