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10 THE BTJRI TNGTON FREE PRESS; THURS DAY, JULY 27, 191)5. Gf Return of SHERLOCK HOLMES By A. CONAN DOYLE, Author of "The Adventure! of Sherlock Holmes." "The Hound of the Bukervlllet," "The Sign of the Four." "A Study In Seirlet." Etc. The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez No. 10 of the Series (CtttrtcU, fil, hj A Ctntn Dr( imi Ctllltr'l U'ttU,) (CtwftiiU, if os, h HtCiurf, rhiutv t r..) IlIIl'N I look at tlio throe massive manuscript vol umes which rontnln oir work for tbe your 1SIM, I confess that It Is very difficult for iup out of Miirli a wealth of mate rial to select the cases which uro most Interesting in themselves und at Ui game time most conducive to a display of those peculiar powers for which my friend whs famous. As I turn over the pages I see iuy notes upon the repulsive Btory of the red leech and the terribk death of Crosby, the banker. Here al Bo I find un account of the Addlelon (tragedy nud the singular contests of the ancient British barrow. The fa mous Smith-Mortimer succession case ,cotnes also wltlilu thta period, and so lo tbo tracking nod arrest of Hurct. Jhe boulevard assastiln, an explol' whlchwon for Holmes an autograph letter,of thanks from tot French pros! dent and the 'order of the 'Legion of Donor. nueh of 'those would furnish B narrative, but on the whole I am of opInlonMhat none of them unites sc pi any singular points of interest as the episode, of Yoxley Old' Place, which In eludes not ou'lyXtbe lamentable death of young Willoughby Smith, but also those subsequent developments which threw so curious a light upon the causes of the crime. It was a wild, tempestuous Bight, to ward the'close of November. Holmes nndJI sat together In silence all the evening, he engaged with a powerful lens deciphering the remains of the original inscription upon a palimpsest, I deep In a recent treatise upon sur gery. Outside the wind howled down Baker street, while the rain beat fierce ly against the windows. It was Strange there, in the very depths of the town, with ten miles of man's handi work on every side of us, to feel tho Iron grip of Nature and to bo conscious that to tho huge elemental forces all ILondon was no more than the molehills that dot the fields. I walked to the (Window and looked out on the deserted Btrect. The occasional lamps gleamed fin the expanse of muddy road and shin ing pavement. A single cab was splashing its way from tho Oxford treet end. "WeAl, 'Watson, it's as well we have pot to turn out tonight," said Holmes, laying aside his lens and rolling up the palimpsest. "I've done enough for one fitting. It Is tryiug work for the eyes. Bo far as I can make out it is nothing more exciting than an abbe's accounts dating from the second half of the fif teenth century. Hello, hello, hello! What's this?" Amid the droning of the wind there had come the stamping of n horse's hoofs and the long grind of a wheel as It rasped against tbo curb. The cab which I had seen had pulled tip at our door. "What can be want?" I ejaculated as man stopped out of It. "Want? Ho wants us. And we, my poor Wateon, want overcoats nnd era rats and galoches and every aid that man ever Invented to fight the weather. Walt a bit though! There's the cab off again! There's hope yet. He'd have kept It if he bad wanted us to come. Jtun down, my dear fellow, and open the door, for all virtuous folk havo been long In bed." When the light of tho ball lamp fell upon our midnight visitor I had no dlf Eeuity in recognising him. It was roung Stanley Hopkins, a promising uetectlve, in whose career Holme had several times shown a very practical Interest. "Is he In?" he asked eagerly. 'Come up, my dear sir," said Holmes' (voice from above. " hope you have no designs upon us such a night as this." The detective mounted tho stairs, and our lamp gleamed upon his shining wa terproof. I hejped hlni out. of It. whllo Holmes knocked a blaee out of the logs In tho grate. "Now, ray dear Hopkins, draw up Hnd warm your toes," said he. "Here's u cigar, and the doctor has n prescrlp tloa containing hot water nnd a lemon Which to good medicine on a night like this. It must be something important Written has brought you out In such a fcale." "It Is indeed, Mr. Holmes. I've had B bustling afternoon, I promise you. Did you sec anything of the Yoxley case In the latent editions?" "I've seen notbiug'lator than the lit teeiitb century today." "Well, it wus'only a paragraph nnd 11 wrong nt that, so you huve not miss ed anything. I haven't let tho grass grow under my feet. It's down In Kent bcyen miles from Chatham and three from the rufway line. 1 was wired for at 8:10, reached Yoxley Old Place at 5, Conducted uiy. investigation, was back at Charing Cross by the last train, and Straight to you by cab." "Which means, I suppose, that you Bra not quite olear about your case?" "It mesas that I can make neither head nor tail of It. Bo far as I east a It la lust as tabled aibusanass aa aver I handled, and yet at Ant It soosaod so simple that one 1 cawta't go wrong CThere'B no motive, air. Holmes. That's arbat bothers me. I can't put my band on a motive. "-Here's a man dead there's no denying that but, so far aa I ess see, no reason on earth why any ame should wish hiss Barm." Helenas lltisHHMkB 4aoed back 4vbjf chair. rwj ft ILLUSTRATED BY F. D. STEELE "Let us hear about It," said ho. "I've got my facts pretty clear," said Stanley Hopkins. "Ail I want now is to know what they all mean. The sto ry, so far as I can make It out, Is like this: Rome years ngo this country house, Yoxley Old Place, was taken by an elderly man, who gave the name of Professor Coram. He wa an in valid, kceplii bis bed half the time and the other half hobbling round the house with a stick or being pushed about the grounds by the gardener In a bath chair. He was well liked by the few neighbors who called upon liliu, nnd be lias the reputation down there of being a very leBrncd man. His household used to consist of an elderly housekeeper, Mrs. Marker, nnd of a maid, Susan Tarlton. These have both been with him since his arrivnl, and they seem to be women of excel lent character. The professor is writ lug a learned look, and he found it necessary about a year ago to engage a secretary. The flrfct two that he tried were not successes, but tho third, Mr. WUIougnby .Smith, n very young man strulgbt from tho university, seems to have been Just what his employer wanted. His work consisted In writ ing all the morning to the professor's dictation, and lie usually spent the evening In hunting up references and passages which bore upon the next day' work. This Willoughby Smith has nothing against hi m, either as u boy at T.'pplngbam or as n young man at Cambridge. I have seen Ills testi monials, and from the first he was a decent, quiet, hardworking fellow, with no weak spot in him at nil. And yet this Is the lad who has met his death this morning in the professor's study tiuder circumstances which can point only to murder." The wind howled and screamed nt the windows. Holmes and I drew closer to the fire, while the young In spector slowly and point by point de veloped his singular narrative. "If you were to search all England," said he, "I don't suppose you could find n household more self contained or freer from outside influences. Whole weeks would pass and not one of them go past the garden gate. The pro fessor was buried in bis work and ex isted for nothing else. Young Smith knew nobody in the neighborhood and lived very much as his employer did. The two women had nothing to take them from the house. Mortimer, the gardener, who wheels the bath chair, is an army pensioner, an old Crimean man of excellent character He does not live In the house, but In a three roomed cottage at the other end of the garden. Those are the only peo ple that you would find within the grounds of Yoxley Old Place. At the same time the gate of the garden Is a hundred yards from the main Lon don to Chatham road. It opens with u latch, and thore is nothing to pre vent any one from walking in. "Now I will give you the evidence of Suan Tarlton, who is the only per son who can say anything positive about the matter. It was in the fore noon, between 11 nnd 12. She wns en gaged nt the moment in hanging somi curtains in the upstairs front bed room. Professor Coram was stil! In bed, for when (lie weather is bad lie seldom rises lieforr midday. The house keeper was busied with some work lu the back of the house. Willoughby S nil tli had been in his bedroom, which bo uses ns a sitting room, but the maid heard him ut that moment pass along the passage and descend to the study immediately below her. She did not see him, but sho says that she could not be mistaken in his quick, firm tread. She did not bear the study door close, but a minute or so later there was a dreadful cry in the room below, it was a wlW, hoarse scream, so strange nud unnatural that it might have come either from a man or a woman. At the same instant there was a heavy thud which shook the old house, and then all was silence. The maid stood petrified for a moment, and then, recovering her courage, she ran downstairs. The study door was shut, and she opened it Inside young Mr. Willoughby Smith was stretched upon the floor. At first she could see no Injury, but as she tried to raise blm she saw that blood wa pouring from the underside of his neck. It wa pierced by a very small but very deep wound, which had divided the carotid artery. The instrument with which the Injury had been Inflicted lay upon the carpet beside him. It wns one of those small sealing wax knives to be found on old fashioned writing tables, witli an Ivory handle and stiff blade. It was part of the fittings of the professor's own desk "At first the maid thought that young Smith was already dead, but on pour Ing soma water from the, carafe over his forehead he opened bis eyes for an Instant. The professor,' he murmur ed 'it was she.' The maid Is prepared to swear that those were tho exact words. Ho tried desperately to sny sometblng else, und bo held bis right band up In the air. Thou be fell buck dead "In the meantlmo the housekeeper bad also arrived upon tho scone, but she was Just too late to catch the youug man's dying words. Leaving Susan with the body, she hurried to the pro fesaor's room. He was sitting up In bed horribly agitated, for be bad beard enoofb to convince blm that aometblng ttriMne bad occurred. Mrs. Marker Is prepared to swear that tbo professor was still la Ms Bigot -clothes, and, In dead, It was .Imp ta stole for blm to dress wMbout tt kelp of -Mortimer, whose orders were to come at 12 o'clock. Tbe professor declares that be beard the distant cry, but that be knows nothing more. He can give no explanation of the youug man's last words, The professor It' was she,' but Imagines that they were the outcome by Smith had not an enemy In tho world, nnd can give no reason for the crime. Ills first action was to send Mortimer, tho gardener, for the local police. A little later the chief con stable sent for me. Nothing was mov ed before I got there, nnd strict orders were given that no one should walk up on the paths leading to the bouse. It wns n splendid chnuce of putting your theories Into practice, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. There was really nothing wanting." "Kxcept Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said my companion, with n somewhat bitter smile. "Well, let us hesr about it. What sort of n Job did you mnko of It?" "I must, ask you first. Mr. Holmes, to glanco nt this rough plan, which will give you n genernl Idea of tho position of the professor' 'study and the vari ous points of the case. It will help you In following my investigation." He unfolded the rough chart, which I here reproduce, nnd ho laid It across Holmes' knee. I rose and, standing be hind Holmes, studied It over his shoul der. "It Is very rough, of course, and It on ly deals with the points which seem to mo to be essential. Alt the rest you will sec later for yourself. Now, first of all, presuming that the assassin en tered the house, how did he or she come in? Undoubtedly by the garden path nnd the back door, from which there Is direct access to tho study. Any other way would have been exceeding ly complicated. The escape must have also been made along that line, for of the two other exits from the room one was blocked by Susan as she ran downstairs and the other leads straight to the professor's bedroom. I therefore directed my attention at once to the garden path, which was saturated with recent rain and would certainly show any footmarks. "My examination showed me that I wns dealing with a cautions and ex pert criminal. No footmark were to be found on the path. There could be no question, however, that some one had passed along the grass border which lines the path and thnt ho had done so In order to avoid leaving a track. I could not find anything In the nomsoien vie noon xspmfi e6AKIMAWSTAIia BACKDOOR 0 llopkln' plan of Ynxlev Old Place. nature of a distinct Impression, but the grass was trodden down and some one had undoubtedly passed. It could only have been the murderer, since neither the gardener nor any one else bad been there that morning and the rain had only begun during the night." "One moment," said Holmes. "Where does this path lead to?" "To the road." "How long is It?" "A hundred yards or so." "At the point where the path passes through the gate you could surely pick up the tracks?" "Unfortunately the path was tiled at that point." "Well, on the road itself?" "No, it was all trodden into mire." "Tut tut! Well, then, these tracks upon the grass, were they coming or going?" "It was impossible to say. There was never any outliue." "A large foot or a smnll?" "You could not distinguish." Holmes gave au ejaculation of im patience. "It has been pouring rain nud blow- lug a hurricane ever siuce," said he. It will be harder to read now than tbut palimpsest. Well, well, it can't be helped. What did you do, Hop kins, ufter you had made certain that you bad made certain of nothing?" I think I made certain of a good deal, Mr. Holmes. I knew that some one had entered the house cautiously from without. I next examined the corridor. It is lined with cocoa nut matting and had taken no impression of nny kind. This brought ine into the study Itself. It Is a scantily fur nished room. The main article is a large writing table with a fixed bureau. This bureau consists of a double column of drawers, with a cen tral small cupboard betweeu them. The drawers were open, the cupboard locked. The drawers, It seems, were always open, and nothing of value was kept in them. There were some papers of importance in the cupboard, but there were no signs that this bad been tampered with, nnd the professor assures mo that nothing was missing. It Is certain that no robbery has been committed. "I come now to the body of the young man. It was found near the bureau, and just to the left of it, as marked upon that chart. The stab was on the right side of the neck and from behind forward, so that it is almost impossl ble that it could have been self in flletcd." "Unless he fell upon the knife," said Holmes. "Exactly. The idea crossed my mind. Iiut we fonnd the knife some feet away from the body, so that seems impossible. Then, of course, there aro the man's own dying words And, finally, there was this very iuv portant piece of evidence which was found clasped in the dead mau's right band." From his pocket Stanley Hopkins drew a small paper packet. Ho un folded it and disclosed a golden plnco nez, with two broken ends of black silk cord dangling from tbo end of it. 'Willoughby Smith had excellent sight," be added. "There can be no question that this was snatched from the face or the person of the assassin." Sherlock Holmes took the glasses In to bis bsnd and examined them with the utmost attention and Interest. He beld them on bis noso, endeavored to read through them, went to tbe win dow and stared up tbe street with them, looked at-tbera most minutely in tbe full light of tbe lamp and finally, with a chuckle, seated himself at tbe table and wrote a few lines upon a sheet of paper, which be tossed across to Stanley Hopkins. "That's tho best I can do for you," ssld be. "It may povo to bo of soas J25I use." Tho astonished detective read tbo note aloud. It ran as follows: Wonted, a woman of good address, at tired like a. lady. She tins a remarkably thick nose, with eyes which are sot elo-o upon either side of It. Hho has a. pucker ed forehead, n peering expression nnd probably 'rounded shoulders. There nro Indications that she (has had recourse to an optician at least twice during the Inst few months. An her glasses are of re markable etrength and ns opticians are not very numerous, there should bo no difficulty In tracmsr hr. Holmes smiled at the astonishment of Hopkins, which must have been reflected upon my features. "Sorely my deductions nro simplicity Itself," said he. "It would be difficult to name any article which nfford n finer field for Inference than n pair of glasses, especially so remarkable a pair as these. That they belong to a woman I infer from their delicacy and nlso of course from the last words of the dying man. As to her being a person of re finement and well dressed, they ore, as you perceive, handsomely mounted in solid gold, nnd It Is Inconceivable thnt nny one who wore such glasses could bo slatternly In other respects. You will find that tho clips are too wide for your nose, showing that the lady's noso was very brond nt the base. Th's snrt of nose Is usually a short and coarse one, but there Is a sufficient number of exceptions to prevent me from being dogmatic or from Insisting upon tills point In my description. My own faco Is n nnrrow one, and yet I find that I cannot get my eyes Into the center nor near the center of these glasses. Therefore the lady's eyes are set very near to the sides of the nose. You will perceive, Watson, thnt the glasses are concave nnd of unusual strength. A lady whoso vision has been so extreme ly contracted all her life is sure to have the physical characteristics of such vision, which are seen In the forehead, the eyelids nnd the shoulders." "Yes." I said. "I can follow each of your arguments. I confess, however, that I am unable to understand how you arrive at the double visit to tho optician." Holmes took the glasses In his hand. "You will perceive," he said, "that the clips are lined with tiny bands of cork to soften tho pressure upon the nose. One of these Is discolored nnd worn to some slight extent, but tho other Is new. Kvldently one has fallen off and been replaced. I should judge that the older of them has not been there more than a few months. They exactly correspond, so I gather that tho lady went back to the same establish ment for the second." "By George, It's marvelous!" cried Hopkins, In an ecstasy of admiration. To think that I had all that evidence In ray hand and never knew it! I had intended, however, to go the round of the London opticians." Of course you would. Meanwhile, have you anything more to tell us nbout the case?" "Nothing, Mr. Holmes. I think that you know as much us I do now prob ably more. Wo have had inquiries made as to any stranger seen on the country roads or at the railway sta tion. We have heard of none. What beats me is the utter want of all object In the crime. Not a ghost of n motive ran any one suggest." "Ah, there I nin not in a position to help you! Hut 1 suppose you want us to come out tomorrow?" "If It is not asking too much, Mr. Holmes. There's a train from Charing Crass to Chatham at (i in the morning, and we should lie nt Yoxley Old Place between 8 and 0." "Then we shall take it. Your case has certainly some features of great Interest, and I shall lie delighted to look into it. Well, It's nearly 1, and we had best get a few hours' sleep. I dare say you can manage all right on the sofa In front of the lire. I'll light my spirit lamp and give you a cup of coffee before we start " The gale had blown itself out next dny, but it wns a bitter morning when we started upon our journey. We snw the cold winter sun rise over the dreary marshes of the Thames and the long, sullen reaches of the river, which I shall ever associate with our pursuit of the Andaman Islander in the earlier days of our career. After n long and weary Journey we alighted ut n small station some miles from Chatham. While n horse was being put into n trap at the local Inn we snatched n hur ried breakfast, and so wo were all ready for business wheu wo at last ar rived at Yoxley Old Place. A coustublo met us at the garden gate-. "Well, Wilson, any news?" "No, slr-nothlug." "No reports of any strnnger seen?" "No, sir. Down at the station they are certain thnt no stranger either came or went yesterday." "Havo you had inquiries mado at inns and lodgings?" "Yes, sir. There is no one that wo cannot nccount for." "Well, It's only a reasonable walk to Chatham. Any one might stny thero or take a train without being observed. This Is tho garden path of which I spoke, Mr. Holmes. I'll (pledge my word there was no mark on It yester day." "On which side were the marks on the grass?" "This side, sir this narrow margin of grass between the path and tho flower bed. I can't see the traces now, but they were clear to me then." "Yes, yes; some one has passed along," said noltnes, stooping over tho grass border. "Our lady must havo picked her steps carefully, must sho not, since on the one side she would leave a track on the path nnd ou tbo other an even clearer otic on the soft bed?" "Yes, sir; she must have been a cool hand." I saw an Intent look pass over Holmes' faco. "You say that sho must have come back this way?" "Yes, sir; thero is no other." "On thl strip of grass?" "Certainly, Mr. Holmes." "Hum! It was n very remarkable performance very remarkable. Well, I think we have exhausted tbo path. Let us go farther. Tills garden door is usually kept open, I suppose. Then thl visitor bad nothing to do but to walk In. The Idea of murder was not in ber mind or sho would have provid ed herself with some sort of weapon Instead of having to pick this knife off the writing table, she advanced along this corridor, leaving no traces upon K&cKB&ma herself In this study. How long was sho there? We have no means of Judg ing." "Not more than ft few minutes, sir. I forgot to tell you thnt Mrs. Murker, the housekeeper, hnd been In there tidy ing not very long before about a quar ter of an hour, she says." "Well, that gives uh n limit, bur la dy enters this room, nnd what does she do? She goes over to the writing table. What for? Not for anything In the drawers. If there had been anything worth her taking it would surely hnvn been locked up. No, it was for some thing in that wooden bureau. Hello! What Is that scratch upon the face of It? Just hold n match, Wntson. Why did you not tell me of this, Hopkins?" Tho mnrk which he was examining began upon the brasswork on the right hand side of the keyholo nnd extended for about four Inches, where It had scratched tho varnish from the surface. "I noticed it. Mr. Holmes, but you'll always find scratches round a key hole." "This Is recent, qtike recent, See how tho brass shines where It Is cut. An old scratch would be the same color ns the surface. Look ut It through my lens. There's the vnrnlsh, too, like earth on each side of n furrow. Is Mrs. Marker there?" A sad faced elderly woman camo In to tlie room. "Did yon dust this bureau yesterday morning?" "Yes. sir." "Did yo;i notice this scratch?" "No, sir; I did not." ' "I nni sure you did not, for a duster would have swept away these shreds of vnrnlsh. Who has the key of this bureau?" "The professor keeps It on his watch chain." "Is it a simple key?" "No, sir; It Is u Chubb's key." "Very good. Mrs. Murker, you enn go. Now we are making n little prog ress. Our lady enters the room, ad vances to the bureau and either opens It or tries to do so. While she Is thus . engaged young Willoughby Smith en ters the room. In her hurry to with draw the key she makes this scratch upon the door. He seizes her. nnd she, snatching up the nearest object, which happens to be this knife, strikes at him in order to make him let go his hold. The blow Is a fatal one. He falls, and she escapes, either with or without the object for which she has come. Is Su san, the maid, there? Could any one have got away through that door after the time that you heard the cry, Su san?" "No, sir; It is impossible. Ileforc I got down the stnlr I'd havo seen any one in the passage. Besides, the door never opened or I would have heard It." "That settles tills exit. Then no doubt the lady went out the way she came. I understand that this other passage leads only to the professor's room. There is no exit that way?" "No. sir." "We shull go down It and make the acquaintance of the professor. Hello, Hopkins, this Is very Important very Important indeed! Tho professor's cor ridor is also lined with cocoanut mat ting." "Well, sir, what of that?" "Don't you see any bearing upon the case? Well, well, I don't Insist upon It. No doubt I am wrong. And yet it seems to me to be suggestive. Come with me and Introduce me." We passed down the passage, which wns of the same length as that which led to the garden. At the end was a short flight of steps ending in a door. Our guide knocked and then ushered us into the professor's bedroom. It wns very large chamber lined with Innumerable volumes, which had overflowed from the shelves and lay In plies in the corners or were stacked all round nt the base of the cases. The lull was In the center of the room, and In It, propped up with pillows, was the owner of the house. I huve seldom seen a more remarkable looking person. It was n gaunt, aquiline face which was turned toward us, with pierc ing dark eye which lurked in deep hollows under overhung nnd tuft ed brows. His hair and beard were white save the latter was curiously stained with yellow around bis mouth. A clgaretto glowed amid the tangle of white hair, and the air of tbe room was fetid with stale tobacco moke. As he held out his hand to Holmes I perceived that It was also stained with yellow nicotine. "A smoker, Mr. Holmes?" said he. speaking in well chosen Kngllsh, with n curious little mlnclug accent. "Pray take a cigarette. And yon, sir? I can recommend them, for I have them espe cially prepared by Ionldes of Alexan dria. He sends me a thousand at n time, and I grlevo to say that I have to nrrango for a fresh supply every fort night. Bad, sir, very bad, but an old man has few pleasures. Tobacco and my work that Is all that Is left to me." Holmes had lit a cigarette nnd was shooting little darting glances all over tho room. "Tobacco and my work, but now on ly tobacco," the old man exclaimed "Alas, whnt n fatal Interruption! Who could have foreseen such a terrible ca tustrophe? So estimable a young manl I assure you that after a few months' training ho was an admirable assist ant. What do you think of the matter, Mr. Holmes?" "I have not yet mado up my mind." "I shall Indeed bo Indebted to you If you can throw a light where nil is so dark to us. To a poor bookworm nnd invalid like myself such n blow Is para lyzing. I seem to have lost the faculty of thought. But you are a man of ac tion you are n man of nffalrs. It Is pnrt of the everyday routine of your life. You can preserve your balance In every emergency. Wo are fortunate Indued In having you at our ship." Holmes was pacing up and down one side of the room while the old professor was talking. I observed that he was smoking with extraordinary rapidity. It was evident that be shared our host's liking for tbe fresh Alexandrian ciga rettes. "Yes, sir, It is a crushing blow," said tho old man. "That Is my magnum opus the pile of papers on the side ta ble yonder. It Is my analysis of the documents found In tbe Coptic monas teries of Syria and Egypt, a work which will cut deep at the very founda tion of revealed religion. With my en feebled health I do not know whether I shall ever be able to complete It, now that my assistant. bisabon,tak.ea,from me. Dear me, Mr. Holmes, why, yon nro even a quicker smoker than I nm myself." Holmes smiled, "I nm n connoisseur," snld he, tak ing another cigarette from the box, his fourth, nnd lighting It from the stub of that which he had finished. "I will not trouble you with nny lengthy cross examination, Professor Coram, since I gather that yon were In bed at the time of the crime and could know noth ing about it. I would only ask this: What do you Imagine that this poor fellow meant by his last words, 'Tho professor -It was she?'" Tile professor shook his head. "Susan is n country girl," snld he, "and you know the incredible stupidity of that class, I fancy that the poor fellow murmured some Incoherent, do llrlous words and that she twisted them into this meaningless message." "I see, You have no explanation yourself of the tragedy?" "Possibly an accident, possibly I only breathe It among ourselves u sui cide. Young men havo their hidden troubles --some nffnlr of the heart, per haps, which we havo never known. It is a more probable supposition thnn murder." "But the eyeglass?" "Ah, 1 am only a student, a man of dreams. I cannot explain the practical things of life. But still we are aware, my friend, that love gages may tako strange shapes. By all means take an other cigarette. It Is n pleasure to see any one appreciate -Uk-iii so. A fan. a glove, glasses who knows what ar ticle may be carried ns a token or treasured when a men puts an end to his life? 'Mils gentleman speaks of footsteps in the grass; but, after all, It Is easy to be mistaken on such u point. As to the knife, it might well be thrown far from the unfortunate man as he fell. It is possible that I spoil as a child, but to me It seems that Willoughby Smith has met his fate by his own hand." Holmes seemed struck by the theory thus put forward, and he continued to walk up and down for some time, lost in thought and consuming cigarette after cigarette. "Toll me. Professor Coram," he said at last, "what is in that cupboard in the bureau?" "Nothing that would help a thief family papers, letters from my poor wife, diplomas of universities which have done me honor. Here is the key. You can look for yourself." Holmes picked up the key and look ed at It for an Instant; then he handed it back. "No; I hardly think that it would help me," said he. "I should prefer to go quietly down to your garden and turn the whole matter over in my head. There is something to be said for the theory of suicide which you have put forward. Wo must apologize for having Intruded upon you. Pro fessor Coram, and I promise that we won't disturb you until after lunch. At 2 o'clock wo will come again and report to you anything which may have happened in the intervnl." Holmes was curiously distrait, and wo walked up and down the garden path for some time in silence. '"Have you a clew?" I asked at Inst. "It depends upon those cigarettes that I smoked," said he. "It Is possi ble that I am utterly mistaken. The cigarettes will show me." "My dear Holmes," I exclaimed, "how on earth" "Well, well, you may see for your self. If not, there's no harm done. Of course we always havo the optician clew to fall back upon, but I tako a short cut when I can get it. Ah, here is the good Mrs. Marker! Let us en Joy five minutes of instructive con versation witli her." I may have remarked before that Holmes had, when he liked, a peculiar ly ingratiating way witli women and that ho very readily established terms of confidence with them. In half the time which ho had named ho hnd cap tured the housekeeper's good will and was chatting with her ns If he had known her for years. "Yes, Mr. Holmes. It Is ns you say. sir. lie does smoke something terrible. All day nnd sometimes nil night, sir. I've seen that room of n morning well, sir, you'd have thought It was u London fog. Poor young Mr. Smith, he was a smoker also, but not as bad as the pro fessor. His health well, I don't know thnt It's better nor worse for tho smok ing." "Ah," said Holmes, "but it kills the appetite." "Well, I don't know nbout that, sir." "I suppose the professor cats hardly anything?" "Well, he Is variable. I'll say that for him." "I'll wnger ho took no breakfast this morning and won't face his lunch after all the cigarettes 1 saw blm consume." "Well, you're out there, sir, ns It hap pens, for he ate a remarkably big breakfast tills morning. 1 don't know when I've known him make a better one, nnd he's ordered n good dish of cutlets for his lunch. I'm surprised myself, for since I came Into that room yesterday nnd saw young Mr. Smith lying there on the floor I couldn't bear to look at food. Well, it takes all sorts lo make n world, and the professor hasn't lot It take his appetite away." Wo loitered the morning away in tho garden. .Stanley Hopkins had gone down to tho village to look Into some rumors of n strange woman who had been seen by some children on the Chatham road tho previous morning. As to my friend, nil his usual energy Hooniod to havo deserted hint. I had never known him handle a case In such a half hearted fashion. Even the news brought back by Hopkins that ho had found tho children and that they had undoubtedly seen a woman exact ly corresponding with Holmes' descrip tion nnd wearing either spectacles or eyeglasses failed to rouse any sign of keen Interest, no was more attentive when Susan, who waited upon us nt lunch, volunteered tho Information that she believed Mr. Smith had been out for a walk yesterday morning nnd that ho had only returned half an hour before the tragedy occurred. I could not my self see the bearing of this Incident, but I clearly perceived thnt Holmes was weaving It Into the general scheme which be had formed lu his brain. Suddenly be sprang from bis chair and glanced at his watch. "Two 'clock, fantlemcn," said lie. "Wo must go jf and havo it out with our friend tbt professor." The tut man bad Just finished bis lunch, nnd certainly his empty dish bore evidence to the good appetite with which his housekeeper had credited him. Ho waH Indeed n weird flguro ns he turned hi white mane nnd fil-t glowing eyes toward us. The eternal cigarette smoldered In his mouth. Ha had been dressed and was seated in nn nrmchnlr by the tire, "Well, Mr. Holmes, hnvo you solved this mystery yet?" He shoved the largs tin of clgnrettes which stood on n tabln beside him toward my companion. Holmes stretched out his hand at tha same moment, and between them they tipped the box over tho edge. For a minute or two wn were all on our knees retrieving stray clgnrettes from Impossible places. When we rose again I observed Holmes' eyes were shining and his cheeks tinged with color. Only at a crisis have I scon those buttle sig nals flying. "Yes," snld he. "I have solved It." Stanley Hopkins and I stared In amazement. Something like n sneer quivered over the gaunt features of tho old professor. "Indeed! In tho garden?" "No, here." "Hero! When?" "This Instant." "You nre surely Jolilne, Mr. Phcrlock Holmes. Vou compel mo to tell you that this Is too serious a matter to' be treated In such a fashion. "I have forged and tested every link of my chntn. Professor Coram, and I nm sure that It Is sound. Whit your motives are or what exact part you play In this strange business I am not yet able to say. In a few minutes I shall probably hoar It from your own lips. Meanwhile I will reconstruct what Is pnst for your benefit, so that you may know the information which I still require. "A lady yesterday entered your study She came with the intention of pos sessing herself of certnln documents which wore in your bureau. She had a key of her own. I have had nn op portunity of examining yours, and I do not find that slight discoloration which the scratch made upon the var nish would have produced. Vou were not un uccessory, therefore, nnd sho came, so far as I can read the evi dence, without your knowledge to rob you." The professor blew a cloud from his Hps. "This is most interesting and In structive," said he. "Have you no more to add? Surely, having traced this lady so far, you can also say what lias become of her." "I will endeavor to do so. In tho first place, she wns seized by your sec retary, and stabbed him In order to es cape. This catastrophe I nm inclined to regard ns an unhappy accident, for I nm convinced that the lady had na intention of Indicting so grievous au injury. An assassin does not come un armed. Horrified by what she had done, she rushed wildly away from the scene of the tragedy. Unfortunately for her, she had lost her glasses In the scuffle, and as she was extremely short sighted she was really helpless without them. She ran down a corri dor which sho Imagined to be thnt hy which she had come both were lined with cocoanut matting and it wns only when it wns too late that she un derstood that she had taken the wrong passage and that her retreat was cut off behind her. What was she to dol She could not go back. She could not remain whore she was. She must gc on. She went on. She mounted a stair, pushed open n door and found herself in your room." The old man sat with his mouth open, staring wildly at Holmes. Amazement and fear were stamped upon his ex pressive features. Now with an effort he shrugged his shoulders and burst Into insincere laughter. "All very fine. Mr. Holmes," said he, "but there is one little flaw in your splendid theory. I was myself in my room, nnd I never left it during tho dny." "I am aware of that, Professor Co ram." "And you men to say that I could lie upon that t?d and uot be aware that a woman had entered my room'" "I never said so. You were aware of it. You spoke with her. You recog nized her. You aided her to oionpe." Again the professor burst Into high keyed laughter. He had risen to his feet, and his eyes glowed like embers. "You nre mad!" he cried. "You are talking insanely, I helped her to es cape? Where is she now';" "She is there," said Holmes, and he pointed to u high bookcase lu the corner of the room. I saw the old man throw up his arms; a terrible convulsion passed over Ills grim faco, and ho fell back in liisi cliatr. At tho same instant the book case nt which Holmes pointed swum: round upon a hinge and a woman rushed out into tbe room. "You ara right!" she cried in u strange foreign voice. "You are right! 1 am here." She wasx brown with tho dust ami draped with tho cobwebs, which had come from the walls of her hiding place. Her face, too, was streaked with grime, and at the best she could never havo been handsome, for she had tho exact physical characteristics which Holmes had divined, with, lu addition, a long and obstinate chin, What with her natural blindness, and whnt with the change from dark to light, she stood ns one dazed, blinking about her to see where and who we wore. And yet, in spite of all thosa disadvantages, thero was a certuin no bility in tho woman's bearing, a gal' lantry in the defiant chin nnd in tho upraised head, which compelled some thing of respect nnd admiration. Stanley Hopkins hnd laid his hand upon her arm nud claimed her us his prisoner, but she waved hlni nslda gently nud yet with an overmastering dignity which compelled obedience. The old man lay back In his chair with a twitching face and stared at her with brooding eyes. "Yes, sir, I nm your prisoner." sh said. "From where I stood I could hear everything, and I know that you havo learned the truth. I confess It all. It was I who killed tbe young man. But you are right you who say It was an nccideut. I did not even know that It was n knife which I held In ray hand, for In my despair I snatched anything from tho table nnd struck nt mm to make him let mo go. It la the truth that I tell." "Mndam." said Holmes, "I ara sura that It Is the truth. I fear that you aro far from well." Bhe bad turned a dreadful color, tbft