r t Yr i I 1 r 1
r 117 h i 1
y I 1 A p v t i a l u I J t I l o t p I y I s t f l 1 a I h
I d t led
I rim
Y I I r ray + THE WOULD SATURDAY EVENING 1 FEBRUARY li HMls + v r i v pM
I if b knoll to have an enemy and no attempt had beun made to
l t lrnoney or valuables In the room
rlCe
irI turned these facts over In my mind endeavoring to hit upon I
gory 4rlilch could reconcile them all and to find tint nno of least
cwklek my poor friend had declared to be the starting point ol
lt
N > hvesUgfttltin I confess that I made little progress In the evening
lacrcxs tha kntt found myself about oclock at tho Oxford
J oJ Pork hubs A group of loafers upon the pavements nil Htarlng
1 l8Ulcular window dlrorUd me to the houso which I had come to
l tall thin man with colored glasses whom I strongly suspected of
t tlotheSdetoCtlvo was pointing out some theory of his own
Mf ie berri crowded round to listen to what bo said I got al near
ifjeettd Hut his observations seemed to me to bo absurd so I with
uln in sumo disgust As I did so T struck against an elderly de
Van who had been behind me and I knocked down several books
a i
wim carrying remember that as 1 picked them up I observed
i f olio of them The Origin of Tree Worship and It struck me
hlowmuet bo some poor bibliophile who either as a trade or as
ti1gea collector obscure volumes I endeavored to apologize for
eats but It was evident that these books which I had so unfortu
ilnairjreated were very predoua 0bJe tslntbe eyea ot heir owner
Ir snarl of contempt turned upon his heel and I saw his curved
whitsalde whiskers disappear among throng
r 1bsslratieaaof No 427 Park lane did little to clear up the problem
I + was Interested The house was separated from the street by a
rt irid railing the whole not more than five feet high It was per
therefore for any one to get into the garden but the window
i trey M accessible since there was no WBterplpe or anything which
lp the most active mans to climb it More puzzled than ever I
lnI steps to Kensington I had not been In my study five minute
r ewald entered to say that a person desired to see me T1 my
c
W i
hrnent it was none other than my strange old book collector hki
iwlzesed face peering out from a frame of white hair and hla
4 yrpluRses a dozen of them at least wedged under his right arm
i fcftjYe Surprised see me sir said he In a strange croaking voice
fiMpitknowledged that I was
UiL lre h conscience air and when I chanced to see you go into
jiae ae l came hobbling nft r ysu I bought to myself Ill just step
that kind gentleman and tell him that I was a bit gruff ia
tier there was not any harm meant and that I am much obliged to
fe picking up my books w
r w
I i make too much of a trlfie Isald I May I atft how you knew
X ro i 8T
oIJWeJrUlt Isnt too greate liberty I am n neighbor of yours tot
i 4 ijf my little bookshop at the corner of Church street and err
see jrou lam sure Maybe you collect yourself air heres Brit
f and Catullus and Tho Holy Warn bargain every one ol
1 iJ i fiyA vrjuraej you con Jugt flH that gap on that second ehalt
tpntIdyt doeeIt not slrt
d
iIy
1 yea my heed to lock at the cabinet behind me When I turned
> iIN
i Verlttck Holmes was standing smiling at me across my study table
r 1tyifcd shined at him for some seconds in utter amazement and
appears that 1 must have fainted for the first and last tlnio ia
Hom ee was bendlne over my chair his flask In his hand
Myteeilarendslundope and the tingling aftertaste of brandy upon
Jq
ff
< detr Watson said the well mberedYol I owe you ft
ajirpjegiea J had no idea that you would be so wetted
P1t11 him by the arm
sseti tr re Llrfllt rel Yyollt Can It Indeed be that yoa era
ji11 peeaiblo that you succeeded in climbing out of that awtal
tl
w Y
tftf f entalcJhe Arc you sure that you are really fit to
0 Bin IM i 1 have given you a serious shock by my unnecesawHj
eapprarattcee
q
i r
I S
d Jk Ash rtaitt but Indeed Holmes 1 can hardly believe lIIeyH Goon
t to think that u3oU of all men should be etagdtntIn ray study
iv1ted him by tha slegve and felt tho thin staewi am bu eatb It
tire Rnt a spirit anyhow eald I Md M ctefe Im owiored to
Lj awn and tell me how you came ailve oat ot bat drcadta ou m
it0 eli0 to we and lit a cigarette In his old aechataat manner He
I l1 e edy frockcoat of the book merchant tot the rest ot that
Jtfi i a plln qf white hair and old book upon tile table ltomt
Ii iitI crlarii keener than ot old bst than deadRhits dugs
1wp face which
1 tt fAkl hog recently
r
ur4rr
<
I aleaitJtx one
1e 1M stretch myaetl
I It is no
tt tf 3M has to
le stature for
Jlltnd Now < my
r c 1her matter of
bat eewe have If
your cooptrn
ar A nod dangerous I
tt lq front of us
ltoilldtbs bents If I
a rul account ot the
lion when that work
j ISL
t
r full ot curiosity i
s e e prefer to hear
fi
li
u h
Ii with me lo
a
ilr p u like and where
C t latdoed + like the oi
4 hi1bavotime for
i il ofdinner before we
tft1iiniubout the With a Snarl He Turned
r jfhftd no serious dim Upon ills Heel
y Urg out ot It lor
i pie reason that 1 never WILl In U
verwtredn Itf I
iison t never was In It My note to you wns absolutely genuine I
upet
doubt that I had come to the end of my career when I perceived the
ill lztCr flcuro of tho Into Prof Morlnrty standing upon the narrow
r u hitJJed to safety I read an Inexorable purpose In hli cray ayes I
4t n i 80Hi remarks with him therefore and obtained his courteous permission
t lie efiorL note which you afterward received I left It with my cigarette
j I my stick and l walked alms the pathway Morlnrty still at my heels
jeked the end I stood nt bay Ho drew no wenpon but he rushed at
n
rewhislong arms around meolfo knew that his own game was up
ribr anxious l to revenge himself upon me We tottered together upon
a n r
etfthetall1 have some knowledge however of barltsu or the Jap
of nrestllntJ which us more than onco been very useful to me I
rugh his grip and ho with a horrible scream kicked madly for a few
h r 1
clawed the air with both hands But for all his eflorts ho could not
ace and over he went With my face over tho brink I saw him fall
I way Then lie struck a rock bounded off and splashed Into the water
Ll with amazement to this explanation which Holmes delivered be <
1 outfaaofhis4lcaretlo
tradtfll I icrled 1 SAW with my own eyes that two went toot
1t > none returned
1 I 3
nttibout In this way The Instant that the professor had dlsappearet
j Jpolwlnata really extraordinarily lucky chance fate had placed In my
tirtilttlltoriartY was not the only man who had sworn my death
<
> at least three others whoso desire for vengeance upon me would
+ tl1
rwucd by tho death of tnclr leader They wore all moat dangerous
I
r s other would certainly trot me On the other hand If all the wnr1
tjat I was dead they would toko liberties these men they
i tigmeel a olxiand sooner or + latea I could destroy them
s t f i t I
iP k
I I > M
If I
Mrt
rtic Mi YiII1 rt ti I
II1
t t I
II I
Afl ih
f it rr k Nh j M t Itf
e
Sl erlOck Hofatto St od Smiling at M Over My Study Table
TIMe It wouM be Utao foe tan to announce that I wu etlll In the Ian4 of tb
Uylni nQl4li dc e the brain act that t believe l a4t thought thAi aU out
before Prat MotlartT bad reached 1M Mat of the Htlchenbach Full
I stood UR awl exABaiAMl the rocky wall behind me In your picturesque nu >
count th waiter which I read wlthi great Intern some months later you
assert that the wall waa sheer This was not literally true A few footholds
presented themselves and there wan soma Indication of a ledge The cUfl ° Is w >
ncb lpat to climb It all was an obvluiw Impossibility and It was equally < Impos
JNe to make ray way alone the wet path wltbo leavtnt some tracks I might
It Is true have reversed my boolsns I have dohe on similar occasions t the
sight ot three sets ot tracks In one direction would certainly have suf tested a
deception On the whole then It was best thai i should risk the climb Ik wan
not a pleasant business WmUoa rho fall roared beneath me I am not a faacK
fut person bvtl ctv you mr word that I seemedta hear Moriartys voice
creaming to me out of the abyss A mistake would bare been fatal More
man once ue tutu ot cram cam mi to my hand or my foot slipped In the wet
notches of r the rock I thongbt tbat I was lone nut I struggled upward and at
lost l reached a ledge uvtral feet deep and covered with soft green mos where
1 could Ha unseen In the moM perfect comfort There I was stretched when GU
m dear Watson and all you foltowln were Inveltl tin < < In the mow sympa
thetic and inefficientmanner the circumstances of my death
At lasl1 when you hnd all formed jour inevitable and totally erroneous con
clusions you departed for the hotel and I wag left alone I had Imagined that
1 had reached the end of my adventures but a very unexpected occurrence
rhowed me that there were surprises still In store for me A huge rock falling
from above boomed past me struck the path and bounded over Into the chasm
For an Instant 1 thought that It was tin nccldcnt but a moment later looking
up I saw a mans head against the darkening sky and another stone struck the
very ledge upon vsMch was stretched within a foot of my head Of course the
meaning of this was obvious Morlarty had not been alone A confederate
and even that one glance had told me how dangerous a man that confederate
washad kept guard while the Professor hnd attacked me From a distance
unseen by me he had been a vkntes of his frlsnds death and of my escape He
had waited and then making his way round to the top of the cliff he had en
deavored to succeed where his comrailo had failed
I did not take long to think about It Watson Again I aw that grim face
look over the cliff and I knew that It was the precursor of another stone I
scrambled down on to the path I dont think I could have done it In cold blood
It was a hundred times more difficult than gutting up But I had no time to
think of the danger for another Mono cane past me as I hung by my hands
from the edge of tho ledge Half way down I slipped but by tho blessing of
God I landed torn and bleeding upon till path I took to my heels did ten
miles over the mountains In the Darkness and u week later I found myself In
Florence with the certainty that no one In the worlj knew wlitit had become
of mo
1 had only one confidant my brother Mycroft I owe you many apologies
ray dear Watson but It was all Important that It should be thought I was dead
and It Is quite certain that you would not hitvn written so convincing an account
of my unhappy end had you not yourself thought It was true Severn times
during the last three years I have In ken up mj pen to wrlto to you but alnaya
I feared lest your affectionate regard for me should tempt you to some Indiscre
tion which would betray my secret For that reason I turned away from you
this evening when you upset my books for I was In danger nt the time and uny
show of surprise and emotion upon your part might have drawn attention to my
Identity and led to the most deplorable and Irreparable results As to Mycroft I
had to confide In hlnr In order to ulitiln the mOM which I needed The iourae
of events In London did not run so well as I had hoped for the trial of the
Moriarty gang left two of its most lanaerous members my own most vindicative
enemies nt Illierlj I Irnuled for wo years In Tibet therefore and aimuwl my
self by visiting Miassa and spending some days with the head Llama You may
have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian named Slgerson but I
am sure that It never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your
friend I then pawed through Persia looked In nt Mecca and paid a short but
Interesting visit to the Khalifa at Khartum J results of whloh I have cqm
I jW
I it
tQAYI Yi1N4 R M ft > > dfll j
MIr 1
punlcated to the foreign yrnce Upturning to France I spent some months In a
research Into the coaltur derlvaUycs which I conducted In a laboratory at Mout
relllcr In tho south of Franco Having concluded this to my satisfaction itvJ
learning that only one ot my enemlca was now left In London I was about tq re
turn when my movement were hastened by tho news of tbia very ramaikahlo
Park LaM mystery which not only appealed tq me by its own merit but whl h
seemed to offer some most peculiar personal opportunists I camo over at once
to London called In my own person at Baker strut threw Mr l dson inO
violent hysterics and found that Mycroft had preserved my room and ray papers
exactly aa they had always been So It was my dear Watson that at oclock
today I found myself In my oH armchair In my own old room and only wish
ng that I could have seen my old friend Watson in the other chair which he baa
to often adorned
Such was the remarkable narrative to which listened on that April evening
a narrative which would have been utterly Incredible to me had It not been con
firmed by the actual eight of the tall spare figure and the keen eager face
which I had never thought to Me again In some manner he had learned of my
own tad bereavement and his sympathy was shown In his manner rather than In
his word Work la the beat antidote to sorrow my dear WMaon said he and
9 have a piece of work for us both tonight which If we can bring It to4ttAit
ctdsful conclusion will In Itself justify a mans life on this planet In valrl
begged him to tell me more Yon hear und see enough nwrntnk t hc
answered We liava three years of Ihs past to discuss Let that suffice until
halfpaa nine when we start upon the notable adventure of the empty house
It was indeed like old times when at that hour I found myself seated bee
F
aid him In a hansom my revolver my pneket and the thrill adventure
In mj heart Holmes was cold and stern and silent As the gleam of the street
lamps bashed upon his austere features I saw that his brows were drawn down
In thought and his thin Ups comprestnd 1 knew not what wild beast we were
about tcr hunt down In tho dark Jungli of criminal London but I was well nssurel
from tho bearing of this master huntsium that the adventure Was a most grave
one while the sardonic smite which occiulonally broke through his ascetic loom
boded little good for the object of our quettt
V
I hud imagined that we were bound fur linker street but Holmco stopped the
tub ut the corner of Cavendish Square I observed that as he stepped out he
gave a most searching glance to right nld left and nt every nubseaueiw trM
corner he took the utmost paln to assure that he was not followed Our route
< ns certainly a singular one Ilolmois knowledge of the byways of London was
extraordinary and on this occasion he passed rapidly and with an assured step
through network gf oww and utabUa lbe very exlotenc ot which 1 had nevor
known We emerged at last into A small road lined with old gloomy hotues V
ivnloh led Hit Into MAnchcatir street alto BUndtord street Here ho turned
I swiftly down a narrow pottage pavsrd through a wooden ae Into a dcierte
l lard and then opened with a key the bock dqo ofsa houie We entered to
r getlier and he closed It behind us
I The place was pitch dark but It was evident to me that It was an empty
I house Our feet creaked and crek ed over the kale planking and my out
stretched bund toucheda wall from which the taper waif hanging In ribbon
Holmem cold thin fingers closed round my wrist and led m forward down a
I long tll until I dlnly saw the mutky fanllght over the door Here Holmes
I turned suddenly to < that right and we found ourselves Ina large square empty t
room liciwily nhadcjml hi the Burners but faintly lit In the centre from the
i llslitu arthe street bayous Thrrq was no lamp neat and the window was thick
with test M that xe could only just dlscirn each others ngure within My
companion put his hand upon lIIyshol1l rand hLi lips close to myear
Uo you know where wo alr he whliw H
Hiir ly thut la Baker sttefrt I msw rtd staring through thn dim window
Exactly We are In Camijen Itouat whlcb stand opposite to our own old
quarter
I
Hut why arc re her
Hwnufe It comreundri so fxc llent a vita of that picturesque pile Might I
trouble van my dear Watson to draw q liulj nearer to 119 window taking every
precaution not ta ahoy o ntlt And then to looiup at our old rooms the start
tag point 04 so many ot your little fairy talcit Yo will see If my three ycari of
absence Uv entirely taken away my poser tu nurprUa you
1 crept forward and locked across al thefamiliar window As my e > es fell
upon It I rave a ipijp and a cry IIC amassment The blind was down and n
strong light was burning In the roooi e suidow ot a man who WM et ated In
B Choir within va thrown In bard black outline upon the luminous screen of thu
window There vn3 no mlitaklns the poise ot the head the nqunrencsn of the i
shoulders the shurpnR Qf the feaituks Tho face wqs turned halfround and 1
the cffec wio that ot one of tnoso nclc illhouiUeq which our grandparents laved j
U frame It was a perfect reproduntMn ot Habpo So maxed won I that t t
threw out my hand to make sure that the mat himself wag standing beside me
Ue was auiverms with sheaf laughter
Wells said he
UooU heovens I cried It U mirvellou j
I trust that age doth not wither nor custom fAal my Infinite variety raId
te and 1 recognized In his voice the joy and pride which the artist takes In his
own creation It really Ia rather apes me k It not i
should < l N prepared to i wear that It was you i
The credit of the execution la doe to Boojl ur Oscar Uiunler of Urenoblt 7
Who spent some days In doing the moulding II Is a bust In wax The rest I ar
ranged m7 self during my visit to Baker street this afternoon
lju4 wnyf
hecauee < my dear Witson I had the strongest possible reaion for wishing
srtaln people to think that I was mere when I was really eltowhertt f
And you thought the rooms won watched
t
l knew that they were watched
By whom
By my oH cuenles ttalon IJv the charming society whose leader lies In
the Helchenbich Falls You must remember that they knew and only they knew
that I was still alive Sooner or fates they believed that I should cqme back to
my rooms They winched them continuously and thin morning they saw me
arrive 4
5
How do you know
Becaust recognized their sentinel when I glanced out of my Indow lfe li
a harmless enough fellow Parker by name a garroler by trade and a remark
able performer upon the jewabarix 1 cared nothing for him jut I cared a v
great deal for the much more formidable person who was behind him the bosom
friend of Morlarty toe man who dropped the rocks the
over cliff tbt most CUll 5
ung and dangerous criminal In London That U the man who U alter me In
night Watson and that U the man who U Quit Aware that lVa are after him
My frlend8 plans were gradually revtallng themselves From thus convenient 1
retreat tho watchers were being w tchcd and the trackers tracked What angular
shadow up yonder waa the bill and we were thq hunter l In silence we stood
together In Chi darkncsx and watched the hlirrylns figures who pawed and reo
passed In front of tu Ilolmea was sheet and mottonleu but I could tell that hi
My Collection of Ms II a Pint One1
1
> Y w t 0
r t I e a
J Uj i lr o 1ti 1 ir f u lI4