The adventures of Sherlock Holmes

e and I, when the maid brought in a telegram. I

of England in connection with Boscombe Valley tragedy. Shall be glad if yo

said my wife, looking acr

t to say. I have a fairl

a little pale lately. I think that the change would do you good,

ined through one of them," I answered. "But if I am to

ple, so that in less than the time stated I was in a cab with my valise, rattling away to Paddington Station. Sherlock Holmes was pacing u

nce to me, having someone with me on whom I can thoroughly rely. Local aid is always eithe

im. Among these he rummaged and read, with intervals of note-taking and of meditation, until we were

anything of the

ve not seen a pap

ugh all the recent papers in order to master the particulars. It seems, from wh

s a little

ss and commonplace a crime is, the more difficult it is to bring it home. In this case,

a murde

ve the opportunity of looking personally into it. I will explain the state of

ot unnatural that when they came to settle down they should do so as near each other as possible. Turner was apparently the richer man, so McCarthy became his tenant but still remained, it seems, upon terms of perfect equality, as they were frequently together. McCarthy had one son, a lad of eighteen, and Turner had an only daughter of the same age, but neither of them had wives living. They appear t

a small lake formed by the spreading out of the stream which runs down the Boscombe Valley. He had been out with his serving-man in the morning at Ros

the employ of Mr. Turner. Both these witnesses depose that Mr. McCarthy was walking alone. The game-keeper adds that within a few minutes of his seeing Mr. McCarthy pass he had seen his son, Mr. James McCarthy, going the same w

up his hand as if to strike his father. She was so frightened by their violence that she ran away and told her mother when she reached home that she had left the two McCarthys quarrelling near Boscombe Pool, and that she was afraid that they were going to fight. She had hardly said the words when young Mr. McCarthy came running up to the lodge to say that he had found his father dead in the wood, and to ask for the help of the lodge-keeper. He was much excited, without either his gun or his hat, and his right hand and sleeve were observed to be stained with fresh blood. On following him they found the dead body stretche

," I remarked. "If ever circumstantial evid

hat the case looks exceedingly grave against the young man, and it is very possible that he is indeed the culprit. There are several people in the neighbourhood, however, and among them Miss Turner, the daughter of the neighbouring landowner, who believe in his innocence, and who have retained Lestrade, w

are so obvious that you will find littl

u know me too well to think that I am boasting when I say that I shall either confirm or destroy his theory by means which he is quite incapable of employing, or even of understanding. To take the fi

on ea

ively slovenly as we get round the angle of the jaw, it is surely very clear that that side is less illuminated than the other. I could not imagine a man of your habits looking at himself in an equal light and being satisfied with such a result. I only quote this as a tr

are

rming him that he was a prisoner, he remarked that he was not surprised to hear it, and that it was no more than his deserts. This ob

nfession," I

lowed by a protesta

ning series of events, it was at

urprise or anger would not be natural under the circumstances, and yet might appear to be the best policy to a scheming man. His frank acceptance of the situation marks him as either an innocent man, or else as a man of considerable self-restraint and firmness. As to his remark about his deserts, it was also not unnatural if you consider that he stood beside the dead body of

have been hanged on far sli

many men have been

g man's own accou

, though there are one or two points in it which are sugges

e pointed out the paragraph in which the unfortunate young man had given his own statement of what had oc

and I was informed by the maid that he had driven over to Ross with John Cobb, the groom. Shortly after my return I heard the wheels of his trap in the yard, and, looking out of my window, I saw him get out and walk rapidly out of the yard, though I was not aware in which direc

ost to blows, for my father was a man of a very violent temper. Seeing that his passion was becoming ungovernable, I left him and returned towards Hatherley Farm. I had not gone more than 150 yards, however, when I heard a hideous outcry behind me, which caused me to run back again. I found my father expiring upon the ground, with his head terribly injured. I dropped my gun and held him in my arms, but he almost

father make any stateme

words, but I could only c

hat did you und

meaning to me. I though

int upon which you and your f

hould prefer

am afraid that

tell you. I can assure you that it has nothi

nt out to you that your refusal to answer will prejudice your

I must sti

he cry of 'Cooee' was a common si

ess:

ered it before he saw you, and before he ev

siderable confusio

your suspicions when you returned on hearing

Nothing

er: What d

I have a vague impression that as I ran forward something lay upon the ground to the left of me. It seemed to me to be someth

t disappeared before

it wa

ot say wha

feeling someth

r from t

en yard

from the edg

t the

it was while you were wit

ith my back

the examination

ntion, and with reason, to the discrepancy about his father having signalled to him before seeing him, also to his refusal to give details of

oo little? Too little, if he could not invent a cause of quarrel which would give him the sympathy of the jury; too much, if he evolved from his own inner consciousness anything so outré as a dying reference to a rat, and the incident of the vanishing cloth. No, sir, I shall approach this case from t

n of Ross. A lean, ferret-like man, furtive and sly-looking, was waiting for us upon the platform. In spite of the light brown dustcoat and leather-leggings which he wore in defer

cup of tea. "I knew your energetic nature, and that you woul

f you," Holmes answered. "It is entir

rtled. "I do not qu

f cigarettes here which need smoking, and the sofa is very much superior to the usual country

e one goes into it the plainer it becomes. Still, of course, one can't refuse a lady, and such a very positive one, too. She has heard of you, and would have your

t I have ever seen in my life. Her violet eyes shining, her lips parted, a pink flush upon he

have driven down to tell you so. I know that James didn't do it. I know it, and I want you to start upon your work knowing it, too. Never let yourself doubt upon that point. We have know

er," said Sherlock Holmes. "You may

me conclusion? Do you not see some loophole, some f

at it is ve

k her head and looking defiantly at L

raid that my colleague has been a little

about his quarrel with his father, I am sure that the reason why he wou

way?" ask

be a marriage between us. James and I have always loved each other as brother and sister; but of course he is young and has seen very little o

ed Holmes. "Was he in

favour of it." A quick blush passed over her fresh young fac

on," said he. "May I see your

the doctor wo

doc

wn completely. He has taken to his bed, and Dr. Willows says that he is a wreck and that his nervous s

oria! That i

at the

s, where, as I understand,

cert

. You have been of mate

bt you will go to the prison to see James. Oh, if you do

, Miss

e, and God help you in your undertaking." She hurried from the room as impulsively as

w minutes' silence. "Why should you raise up hopes which you are bou

ng James McCarthy," said Holmes. "Ha

only for y

out going out. We have still time to take

mp

at you will find it very slow, but I

could it be? Might not the nature of the injuries reveal something to my medical instincts? I rang the bell and called for the weekly county paper, which contained a verbatim account of the inquest. In the surgeon's deposition it was stated that the posterior third of the left parietal bone and the left half of the occipital bone had been shattered by a heavy blow from a blunt weapon. I marked the spot upon my own head. Clearly such a blow must have been struck from behind. That was to some extent in favour of the accused, as when seen quarrelling he was face to face with his father. Still, it did not go for very much, for the older man might have turned his back before the blow fell. Still, it might be worth while to call Holmes' attention to it. Then there was the peculiar dying reference to a rat. What could that mean? It could not

urned. He came back alone, for Lestrad

efore we are able to go over the ground. On the other hand, a man should be at his very best and keenest for

id you lear

thi

e throw

eening him or her, but I am convinced now that he is as puzzled as everyone else. He is no

s indeed a fact that he was averse to a marriage

s very eyes to do, but what he knows to be absolutely impossible. It was sheer frenzy of this sort which made him throw his hands up into the air when his father, at their last interview, was goading him on to propose to Miss Turner. On the other hand, he had no means of supporting himself, and his father, who was by all accounts a very hard man, would have thrown him over utterly had he known the truth. It was with his barmaid wife that he had spent the last three day

innocent, wh

ave been his son, for his son was away, and he did not know when he would return. The second is that the murdered man was heard to cry 'Cooee!' before he knew that his son had r

ight and cloudless. At nine o'clock Lestrade called for us with the

observed. "It is said that Mr. Turner, of the

an, I presume

lth for some time. This business has had a very bad effect upon him. He was an old friend of McCarthy's,

is interesting

e has helped him. Everybody about h

ll talk of marrying his son to Turner's daughter, who is, presumably, heiress to the estate, and that in such a very cocksure manner, as if it were merely a case of a proposal a

strade, winking at me. "I find it hard enough to tackle fac

demurely; "you do find it v

ou seem to find it difficult to get hold

tha

McCarthy junior and that all theories t

said Holmes, laughing. "But I am very much mista

look, as though the weight of this horror still lay heavy upon it. We called at the door, when the maid, at Holmes' request, showed us the boots which her master wore at the time of his death, and also a pair of the son's, thoug

ewy neck. His nostrils seemed to dilate with a purely animal lust for the chase, and his mind was so absolutely concentrated upon the matter before him that a question or remark fell unheeded upon his ears, or, at the most, only provoked a quick, impatient snarl in reply. Swiftly and silently he made his way along the track which ran through the meadows, and so by way of the woods to the Boscombe Pool. It was damp, marshy ground, as is all that d

rich landowner's dwelling. On the Hatherley side of the pool the woods grew very thick, and there was a narrow belt of sodden grass twenty paces across between the edge of the trees and the reeds which lined the lake. Lestrade showed us the exact spot at which the body had been found, and, indeed, so moist was

o into the pool

ought there might be some weapon

it, and there it vanishes among the reeds. Oh, how simple it would all have been had I been here before they came like