The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

t. I know because I have tried."-Extract from an un

ny Rye, that I have modelled both my thoughts, my speech and my style very carefully upon those of the master, and that finally I set forth one summer day a

nts whom I met upon the road. One, a tallish man with a freckled face, sidled past me and ran swiftly towards the station. The other, a smaller and older man, stood entranced while I recited to him that passage of the Saxon Chronicle which begins, "Then came Lei

st, and seeing by its appearance and by the sign which hung before it that it was the village inn, I approached it, for indeed I had not broken my fast since I had left L

a crown?" I asked

n's whole appearance was strange. "Why not?

of a kin

hat else should we un

ch king?

me," said he, a

ing?" I

d I know?"

udor," I continued, getting between the stranger and the door of the inn, through which he appeared to be desirous of passing, "was of the same blood as Owen Glendower, the fam

come, since the same means the grove of the hogs." So saying I followed the fellow into the bar parlour, where I perceived him seated in a corner with a large chair in front of him. Four persons of various degrees were drinking beer

said that he

d," said I, "you can

hat the landlord can inform us." On this he rang the bel

d you have

ordered a cold leg of pork to b

a and beer?" as

d

siness," said the landlord, "and never b

king," said the man

d the elderly m

, sir?"

thing very strange in this man in the corner

joking," sai

nd that my master drank tea and beer together. Now it happens that about tea I have read nothing either in the sagas or in the bardic cnylynions, but, whilst the landlord had departed to prepare my meal, I recited to t

small, then let

sed them, and especially the strange man in the corner, upon whom I now fixed my eye.

r the chapel?

rch," he

hurch?"

he clock. "I have never be

his secret. "Rome was not

d the clock-case, and tapped his forehead with his fore-finger. So als

uch a meal had been called "to box Harry" by the master, who had observed it to be in great favour with commercial gentlemen out of Liverpool. With this information and a

hy?" I

be inquiry for you,

uld they enq

or of the Inn of the Rose and Crown, whence came, I observed, a great t

to encourage the venture, I would ask him to strip off his coat and settle any differences which we could find in the old English fashion. I waited, therefore, by a stile for any one who should chance to pass, and it was while I stood there that the screaming horror came upon me, even as it came upon the master in the dingle. I gripped the bar of the stile, which was of good British oak. Oh, who can tell the terrors of the screaming horror! That was what I thought as I grasped the oaken bar o

master has said so much. Looking beyond her, I could see the smoke of a fire from a small dingle, which showed where her tribe were camping. The woman herself was of a moderate height, neither tall nor short, with a face which was much sunburned and freckled. I must confess that she was not beautiful, but I do not think that any one, save the master

aid I. "I doubt not that you have read t

n, may I h

help you on

ushed, but s

re the Romany chals

r head away a

know something of the Romany lil,

coliko

o the fa

and mang

nd mang hi

t she might be one of those who make a living at telling fortunes or "dukkeri

dukker?"

rm. "Well, you are a po

he peerless Belle. "You can use Long Melford," said I

r sauce!" said she,

mind me of Grunelda, the daughter of Hjalmar, who

s. "You keep a civil tong

g you to one of whom the saga says her eyes

for she smiled. "My name ai

is you

riet

a queen," I

" said

he English also have their poets, though in this respect far

Queen was the

ould but endo

the girl. "Ho

hat you are a queen you will surely give me

one on the ear-

ching you the Armenian alphabet-the very word alphabet, as you will perceive, shows us that our letter

somewhat under fifteen hands and of a hairy, ill-kempt variety. As I know less than the master about horses, I will say no more of this horse, save to repeat that its colour was brown-nor indeed had the horse nor the horse's colour anything to do with my narrative. I mi

had come from the dingle, and in a civil fashion he asked me if I could oblige him with a light for his pipe. Then, as I drew a matchbox from my pocket, he threw his reins over the splashboard, and removing his large, iron-shod boots he descended on to the road. He was a burly man, but inclined to fat and scant of breath. It seemed to me that it was a chance for one of those wayside boxing

Long Melfo

rise, and said that any mixt

sors of it, such as the great Gully, have been elected to the highest offices of the State. There were men of the highest character amongst the bruisers of England, of whom I would particularly mention Tom

my words, so that I cannot think that adventures of this so

aid he. "W

m," said I, "by which we may de

g against yo

. It is narrated by Harold Sygvynson that among the Danes it was usual to do so even with battle-axes, as is told

orid than before. "I'm not

this young woman will doubtless do

n balmy," sa

perhaps you will fight me for this," and I held out a s

he thick 'un

to the pocket of his trousers, which were of a corduroy

t," s

ou do it?

ur hands,"

thing further. It seemed to me that if I could make him angry he would do better, so I

he cried, "wha

make you an

am angry,

t," said I, "and afte

the same which I had observed upon the splashboard. Being unable either to rise erect or yet to sit down, I leaned upon the oaken bar of the stile and groaned loudly on account of the pain of the blow which I had received. Even the screaming horror had given me less pain than this blow from the ir

t warn me, Henr

were you such a chump as to tu

ver condescends to dialect, but prefers by a word introduced here and there to show the fashion of a man's speech. I will only say that the man from the dingle spoke as did the A

me, a lean brown face, and an oaken cudgel in his hand. His voice was very hoarse and rough, as is the c

im to," sai

to-asked

o hit him. Gave him

e, guv'nor," said he. "If you're collecti

e unawares

when you bashed his hat?" sa

tile. Having quoted a few lines of the Chinese poet Lo-tun-an to the effect that, however hard a knock mi

d, "what have you

"not so much Henrietta, if it's the same to you. Thi

respect to his wife. "I had thought she was a mort," said

my," said

ou in your camp in the dingle and read y

manys?" as

omanys ar

We ain'

What are

We are

ow did you understand all I h

tta. I

I could not but remark with some surprise that I was followed to the station by many of the villagers, together with the man with the shiny coat, and that other, the strange man, he who had slunk behind the clock-case. From time to time I turned and approached them, hoping to fall into conversation with them; but as I did so they would break and hasten down the road. Only the village constable came on, and he walked by my side and listened while I told him the history of Hunyadi Janos and the events which occurred during the wars between that hero, known also as Corvinus or th

onstable, "and I doubt not that he

," said the station-master, and waving his ha