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LAND - ARGUS. VOL. L.IV. XO. 232. THE ARGUS, SATURDAY, JULY 15, 190.3. PAGES 9 TO 12. THE RETURN OF SHERLOCEC. HOLMES. By A. Conarv Doyle Illustrated by F. D. Steele EOCK v- The Adventure of ihe Second Stain - No. 13 of the Series rCffrighl, 10. hj A. Cmmsm Dyl., CMlin, WmU 1M JMLiar. Fkilllf m HAD intended 'The Ad venture o 'the Abbey Grange"' to be the last of those exploits of my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, which I should ever communicate to the public. Thi resolution of mine wan not due to any lack of material, since I have notes of many hundreds of cases to which I have never alluded, nor was It caused by anj waning interest on the part of my readers In the singular lersonality and unique methods of this remarkable man. The real reason lay lu the reluctance which Mr. Holmes Lag shown to the continued publication of his experiences. So long as he was In actual professional practice the ree orus or ius successes were or some practical value to him, but since he has definitely retired from Loudon and be taken himself to study and bee farm ing on the Sussex downs notoriety has liecome hateful to him, and he has per emptorlly requested that his wishes In this matter should be strictly observed. It was only upon my representing to him that I had given a promise that "The Adventure of the Second Stain" should be published when the times were ripe and pointing out to him that It is only appropriate that this long neries of episodes should culminate in the most important international case which he bus ever been called upon to handle that I at last succeeded in ob taining his consent that a carefully guarded account of the incident should ut last he laid before the public. It was, then, in a year, eveu In a dec ade that shall be nameless, that upon one Tuesday morning in autumn we found two visitors of European fame within the walls of our humble room In Baker str-et. The one, austere, high nosed, eagle eyed and dominant, was none oth er than the Illustrious Lord Bellinger, twice premier of Britain. The other, dark, clean cut and elegant, hardly yet of middle age aud endowed with ev ery beauty of body and of mind, was the Bight Hon. Trelawney Hope, sec retary for European affairs, and the most rising statesman in the country. They sat side by side upon our paper littered settee, and it was easy to see from their worn and anxious faces that It was business of the most pressing Importance which had brought them. The premier's thin, blue veined hands were Hasped tightly over the ivorj head of his umbrella, aud his gaunt, ascetic face looked gloomily from Holmes to me. The European secre tary pulled nervously at his mustache and fidgeted with the seals of his watch chain. 'When I discovered my loss, Mr. Holmes, which was at ft o'clock this morning, I at once Informed the prime minister. It was at his suggestion that we have loth come to you." "Have you Informed the police?" "No, sir," naid the prime minister, with the quick, decisive manner for which he was famous. "We have not done no, nor is it jossible that we should do so. To Inform the police must, in the long run, mean to Inform the public. This Ik what we particular ly eb-sirc to avoid." "Aud why, sir?" "Because the document in question is of such Immense importance that Its publication might very easily I might almost say probably -lead to European complications of the utmost moment. It Is not too much to say that peace or war may haug upon the issue. T'nless Its recovery cati be attended with the utmost secrecy then It may as well not le recovered at all. for all that Is aim ed at by those who have taken It is that Its contents should be generally known." "I understand. Now. Mr. Trelawney Hope. I should l much obliged if you would tell me exactly the circum stances under which this document disap eared." "That can le done In a very few words. Mr. Holmes. The letter for it was a letter from a foreign potentate was received six days ago. It was of such Importance that I have never left It in my safe, but I tiave taken It across each evening to my house ia Whitehall terra-e and kept it in my bedroom in a locked disiwtch box. It was there last night. Of that I am certain. I actually opened the box while I was dressing for dinner and saw the document Inside. This merit ing it was gone. The dispatch box had stood beside the glass upon my dress log table all night. I am a light sleep er, and so Is my wife. We are both prepared to swear that no one could have entered the room during the night, and yet I repeat that the paper is gone " "What time did you diner Half past 7." How long was it before you went to lHd?" "My wife had gone to the theater. I waited up for her. It was half past 11 lefore we went to our room." "Then for four hours the dispatch box had lain unguarded?" "No one is ever permitted to enter that room save the housemaid lu the morning and my valet or my wife's maid during the rest of the day. Tfcey are both trusty servants and have been ill n t with us for some time. Besides, neither of them could possibly have known that there was anything more valua ble than the ordinary departmental papers in my dispatch box." "Who did know of the existence of that letter?" "No one in the house." "Surely your wife knew?" "No, sir. I had said nothing to my wife until I missed the paper this morning." The premier nodded approvingly. "1 have long known, sir. how high Is your sense of public duty," said he. The European secretary bowed. "You do me no more than justice. sir. I'util this morning I have never breathe! one word to my wife upon this matter." Could she have guessed?" "No, Mr. Holmes, she could not have guessed, nor could any one have guess ed." "Have you lost any documents be fore?"' ".No. sir." "Who is there iu England who did kuow of the existence of this letter?" "Each member of the cabinet was in formed of it yesterday, but the pledge of secrecy which attends every cabinet meeting was increased by the solemn warning which was given by the prime minister, Oood heavens, to think that within a few hours I should myself have lost It! Besides the members of the cabinet there are two or possibly three departmental officials who know of the letter. No one else iu England, Mr. Holmes, I assure you." "But abroad?" "I believe that no one abroad has seen it save the mau who wrote it. I am well couviuced that his ministers that the usual official channels have not been employed." Holmes considered for some little time. "Now, sir. I must ask you more par ticularly what this document is. and why its disappearance should have such momentous consequences?" The two statesmen exchanged a quick glance, aud the premier's shaggy eyebrows gathered In a frown. "Mr. Holmes, the envelope i a long, thin one of pale blue color. There is a seal of red wax stamped with a crouch ing lion. It is addressed in large, bold handwriting to" "I fear, sir," said Holmes, "that, in teresting and. indeed, essential as these details are. my inquiries must go more to the root of thing. What was the letter?" "That is a state secret of the utmost lmjKirtaix-e, and I fear that I cannot tell you. nor do I see that it is neces sary. If by the aid of the powers which you are said to possess you can find such an envelope as I describe, with its iuclosure, you will have de served well of your country and earned any reward which it lies in our power to lestow." Sherlock Holmes rose with a smile. "You are two of the most busy men in the country." said he, "and iu my own small way I have also a g'xsl many calls upow me. I regret exceed ingly that I cannot help you in this matter, and auy continuation of this Interview would be a waste of time." The premier sprung to his feet with that quick, fierce gleam of his deep set eyes Iwfore which a cabinet has cow ered. "I am not acc ustomed, sir" he lcgan. but mastered his anger and re sumed his seat. Then the old states-1 man shrugged his shoulders. "We must accept your terms. Mr. Holmes. No doubt you are right, and it is unreasonable for tis to expect you to act unless we give you our entire confidence." "I agree with you." said the younger statesman. "Then I will tell you. relying entirely upon your honor and that of your col league. Ir. Watson. I may apjieal to your patriotism also, for 1 could not imagine a greater misfortune for the country than that this affair should come out." "You may safely trust us." "The letter, then, is from a certain foreigu toteutate who has leen ruf fled by some recent colouial develop ments of this country. It has been written hurriedly and upon his own resMnsiliility entirely. Inquiries have shown that his ministers know nothing of the matter. At the same time it is couched in so unfortunate a manner and certain phrases in it are of so provocative a character that its pub lication would undoubtedly lead to a most daugerous state of feeling in this country. There would le such a fer ment, sir. that I do not hesitate to say that within a week of the publication of that letter this country would be Involved In a great war." Holmes wrote a name upon a slip of paper and handed it to the premier. -Exactly. It was he. And it is this letter this letter which may well mean the expenditure of a thousand millions and the lives of a buudred thousand men whi. h has become lost in this uu accountable fashion." "Have you informed the sender?" "Yes, ir; a cipher telegram has been dispatched." "I'erhars he desires the publication of the letter." "No. sir; we have strong reason to believe that he already understands that be has acted in an indiscreet and hot headed manner. It would be a greater blow to him and to his coun try than to us if this letter were to come out." "If this Is s. whose interest Is it that the letter should come out? Why should any one desire to steal it or to publish it?" "There, Mr. Holmes, you take me into regions of high international pol itics. But if you consider the Euro pean situation you will have no diffi culty in perceiving the motive. The whole of Europe is an armed camp. There is a double league which makes a fair balance of military power. Great Britain holds the scales. If Britain were driven into war with one confederacy it would assure the su premacy of the other confederacy, whether they joined in the war or not. Do you follow ?" "Very clearly. It is then the Interest of the enemies of this potentate to se cure aud publish this letter, so as to make a breach between his country and ours?" "Yes. sir." "And to whom would this document be sent if it fell into the hands of an enemy .' "To any of the great chancelleries of Europe. It is probably speeding on its way thither at the present Instant as fast as steam can take it. Now, Mr. Holmes, you are in full possession of the facts. What course do you recom mend?" Holmes shook his head mournfully. "You think, sir. that unless this doc ument is recovered there will lie war?" "I think It is very probable." "Then, sir, prepare for war." "That ia a hard saying. Mr. Holmes." "Consider the facts, sir. It is incon ceivable that it was taken after 11:30 at night, since I understand that Mr. Hope and his wife were both in the room from that hour until the loss was found out. It was taken, then, yester day evening between T:'M and 11:30, probably near the earlier hour, since whoever took it evidently knew that it was there, and would naturally secure It as early as Kssible. Now, sir. if a document of this Importance were tak en at that hour, where can it be now? No one has any reason to retain it. It has been passed rapidly on to those who need It. What chance have we now to overtake or even to trace it? It is beyond our reach." "What you say is perfectly logical, Mr. Holmes. I feel that the matter Is Indeed out of our bands." "Iet us presume, for argument's sake, that the document was taken by the maid or by the valet" i "They are both old and tried serv ants." . "I understand you to say that your room Is on the second floor, that there is no entrance from without and that from within no one could go up unol- served. It must, then, be someliody in the house who has taken it. To whom would the thief take It? To one of sev eral international spies and secret agents whose names are tolerably fa miliar to me. There are three who may be said to le the heads of their profes sion. I will begin my research by go ing round and finding If each of them is at his post. If one Is missing espe cially if he has disappeared since lust night we will have some Indication as to where the document has gone." "Why should he be misaing?'" asked the European secretary. "He would take the letter to an embassy in Lon don, as likely as not." "I fancy not. These agents work In dependently, and their relations with the embassies are often strained." The prime minister nodded his ac quiescence. "I believe you are right. Mr. Holmes. He would take so valuable u prize to headquarters with his own hands. I think that your course of action is an excellent one. Meanwhile. Hope, we cannot neglect ail our other duties on account of this one misfortune. Should there be any fresh developments dur ing the day we shall communicate with you, and you will no doubt let us kuow the results of your own in quiries." The two statesmen bowed aud walk ed gravely from the room. Wheu our illustrious visitors had de parted Holmes lit his pipe in silence and sat for some time lost in the deep est thought. I was reading the morn ing paper when my friend gave an ex clamation, sprang to his feet and laid bis pipe down upon the mautelpiece. "Yes." said he. "there is no better way of approaching it. The situation is desperate, but not hopeless. Even now, if we could be sure which of them has taken it, it is just possible that it has not yet passed out of his hands. After all, it is a question of money with these fellows, and I have the British treasury behind me. It Is con ceivable that the fellow might hold It back to see what bids come from this side before be tries his luck on the other. There are only those three capable of playing so bold a game there are Oberstein, La Rothiere and Eduardo Lucas. I will see each of them." I glanced at my morning paper. "Is that Eduardo Lucaa of Godol phin street?" "Yes." "You will not him." Why not?" "He was murdered in his house last n!ght." My friend has so often astonished me In the cours of our adventures that It was with a sense of exultation that I realixed how completely I had aston ished him. He stared in amazement and then. matched the paper from my hands. This was the paragraph which I had been engaged In reading when he rose from his chair: MURDER IN WESTMINSTER. A crime of mysterious character was committed last night at 16 Oodolphin street, one of the old fashioned and se cluded rows of eighteenth century houses which He between the river and the ab bey, almost in the shadow of the gTeat tower of the houses of parliament. This small but select mansion has been Inhabit ed for some years by Mr. KJuardo Lucas, well known In society circles both on ac count of his charming personality and be cause he has the well deserved reputation of betnff one of the best amateur tenors in the country- Mr. Ijiicas is an unmar ried man. thirty-four years of age. and his establishment consists of Mrs. Prin Kle. an elderly housekeeper, and of Mitton, his valet. The former retires early and sleeps at the top of the house. The vnlet was out for the evening-, visiting a friend at Hammersmith. From 10 o'clock onward Mr. Lucas had the house to himself. What occurred .luring that time has not yet transpired, but at a quarter to 13 Police Constable Barrett, passing along Godolphin street, observed that the door of No. 15 was ajar. He knocked, but re ceived no answer. Perceiving a light in the front room, he advanced into the pas sage and again knocked, but without re ply. He then pushed- open the door and entered. The room was in a state of wild disorder, the furniture belns nil swept to one side and one chair lying on its hack In the center. Jteslde this chair and still grasping one of Its legs lay the unfor tunate tenant of the house. He had been stabbed to the heart and must have died instantly. The knife with which the crime had been committed was a curved Indian dagger, plucked down from a trophy of oriental arms which adorned one of the walls. Robbery does not appear to have been the motive of the crime, for there had been no attempt to remove the valu able contents of the room. Mr. Kduardo Lucas was so well known and popular that his violent and mysterious fate will arouse painful Interest and Intense sym pathy In a widespread circle of friends. "Well. Watsou. what do you make of this?" asked Holmes after a long pause. "It is an amazing coincidence." "A coincidence! Here is one of the three men whom we had named as possible actors in this drama, and he meets a violent death during the very hours when we know that that drama was being enacted. The odds are enormous against its lieing coincidence. No figures could express them. No, my dear Watson, the two events were connected must be connected. It Is for us to find the connection." "But now the official police must know all." "Not at all. Their know all they see at Oodolphin street. They know ana shall know nothing of Whitehall ter race. Only we know both events and an trace the relation between them. There is one obvious point which would lu any case have turned my suspicions toward Ijieas. Godolphin street, Westminster, Is only n few min utes' walk from Whitehall terrace. The other secret agents whom I have named live in the extreme west end. It was easier, therefore, for Lucas than for the others to establish a connection or receive a message from the Euro pean secretary's household a small thing, and yet it may prove essential. Hello! What have we here?" Mrs. Hudson hud appeared with a lady's card upon her salver. Holmes glanced at it, raised his eyebrows and handed it over to me. "Ask Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope if she will be kind enough to step up," said he. A moment later our modest apart ment, already so distinguished that morning, was further honored by the entrance of the most lovely woman in London. I had often heard of the beauty of the youngest daughter of the Iuke of Belmiusfer, but no description of it had prepared me for the sub tle, delicate charm and the Ix-autl-ful coloring of that exquisite head. And yet as we saw It that autumn morning it was not its beauty which would be the first thing to impress the observer. The cheek was lovely, but it was paled with emotion: the eyes were bright, but it was the brightness of fever; the sen sitive mouth was tight and drawn In an effort after self command. Terror not leauty was what sprang first to the eye. "Has my husband been here, Mr. Holmes?" "Yes. madam, he has been here." "Mr. Holmes. I implore you not to tell him that I came here." Holmes bowed ad motioned her to a chair. "Your ladyship places me in a very delicate position. 1 beg that you will sit down and tell me what you desire, but I fear that I cannot make any un conditional promise." I She swept across the room and seated herself with her "back to the window. It was a queenly presence--tall, grace-! fill and intensely womanly. "Mr Holmes." tihe said, and her white gloved hands clasped and un clasiied as she spoke. "I will speak frankly to you In the hopes that it may j induce you to speak fraukly iu return. There is complete confidence between my husband and me on all matters i save one. That one is politics. On this his lips are sealed. He tells me noth ing. Now. I am aware that there was a most deplorable occurrence in our house last night. I know that a paer has disapjeared. But because the mat- ter is jHjlitical my husband refuses to take me into his complete confidence. Now it is essential essential. I say that I should thoroughly understand it. Y'ou are the only other person, save only these politicians, who knows the true facts. I beg you. then. Mr. Holmes, to tell exactly what has happened and what it will load to. Tell me all. ilr. Holmes. Iet no regard for your client's interests keep you silent, for I assure you that hU interests, if he would only see it, would be best served by taUii.g me into his complete con fidence. What was this paper which was stolen?" "Madam, what you ask me is really Impossible." She groaned and sank her face in her hands. "Y'ou must see that this is so. mad am. If your husband thinks tit to keep you lu the dark over this matter. Is it for me. who have only learned the true facts under the pledge of profes-siotu-1 secrecy, to tell what he has withheld? It is not fair to ask it. It is him whom you must ask." "I have asked him. I come to you as a last resource. But without your telling me anything definite. Mr. Holmes, yon may do a great service if you would enlighten me ou one point." "What is it. madam?" "Is my husband's political career likely to suffer through this incident?" "Well, madam, unless it is set right it may certainly have a very unfortu nate effect." "Ah!" She drew in her breath sharp ly, as one whose doubts are resolved. "One more question, Mr. Holmes. From an expression which my hus band dropped iu the first shook of this disaster I understood that terrible public consequences might arise from the loss of this document." "If he said so I certainly cannot denv it." --,- j -,2i---tJytA-.i' opt i iK lit by I'ollirr's VWckl.v. SHE SKATE I HEBSELF WITH "Of what nature sire they?" "Xay. madam; there again you ask me more than I can possibly answer." "Then 1 will take up no more of your time. cannot blame you. Mr. Holmes, for having ret'uel to speak more free ly, and you on your side xvil! not, I am sure, think the worse of ine lie cause 1 desire, even against his will, to share my husband's anxieties. Once more I lH'g that you will say nothing of my visit. " She looked bai l; lit us from Ihe door, and 1 had a last impression ,,f lhat beautiful, haunted face, the startled eyes and the draxvn mouth. Then she was g (lie. "Now, Watsi.ii. the fair sex is your department." said Holmes, with a smile, xx hen the dwindling froufrou of skirts had end-d in the slam of the front door. "What was the fair lady's game? What did she really want?" "Surely her oxx n statement is clear and her anxiety very natural." "I I ii in ! Think of her appearance. Watson her manner, her suppressed excitement, her restlessness, her tenac ity In asking questions. Bemeinber that she coine.stf n caste who do not lightly show emot ion." "She was c ertainly much moved." "IJcmember also the-c iirioiis earnest ness wi Hi which s!e- assured ns that it was I .est for her husband that she should know ail. What did she mean by that? Abd you must haxe observe.!. Walsoii. mw -lie maneuvered to have the light at l.er hack. y.o did n t wish US to lead V ep:vsii,ii." "Y-s. she clijse t!.e One chair ill the room." "An 1 yr-t the motives of women are SO inscrutable. You len-eil In r the v.-.c man at Margate xvIkcii I s-; j.e, ted f.,r the same reason. .Vi powder on I.,-r nose that plt ed to be the corn t so lution. How cm you build on such a qui. ks.ual? Their most trivial action may n.e.-iii . olaces, nr their ihoM ex traordinary c iii.lir 1 may depend upon a hairpin or a curling tong-. O.od morning, Wlni." "You are off?" ' Yes. I will xvhiie ..way the morning at ;!, ;pl,ia strict with our friends of the regui i- , c t.il.l shn.cui. With Ed uardo I.UC.-..S lies the solution of o;.r pr-.blem. though I mi.t ;:d...d that 1 have i;ot an inkiing ns to what f .rr.i !t m;.y take. It is a capit .l i.i ii :ke to tlMoriy.e in advan. e of the f.ois. I o I yon stay on guard, my go.l W.-.t-on. and if cixe jiny ficdi visitors. I'll join yo'i at lunch ir I ;i:u aide." All tLat day and the next and nest Ilolmc-i vu in u mood which L friends v.ov.M call taciturn and others nn.i- .se. He r:iu oi:t stud rati in. sr.!. li ed incessantly, p'.iycd natch.es ,n his violin, sank into reveres, devoured sandwiches ;:t irregular hours and hardly answered the casual questions which I put t l.im. It was evident to luo tl-at loin.; w .-re net giing well with !u:i or his quest. lie would s.iy nothing of tl.e case, and it was from the papers that I learned the particu lars of the inquest and the arrest. xvth the subsequent release, of John M it ton, the valet of 1 1 1-- deceased. The coroner's Jury brought in the obvious "willful murder." but the pr.rtics re mained ns ui.kii.iwu as ever. No mo tive was si, tested- The room was full of articles of value, but nou- h: d lit en taken. me ;e:ul m.m s paper a had tut becu tampered with. They wire carefully examined ami showed that he was a keen student of iulerua tiouul polities, an indefatigable gossip, a remarkable linguist and an untiring letter writer. lb' had becu on inti mate terms with the loading politicians of sex era I countries, but uothi.ig sen sational xv.es discovered amoug the doc uments which tilled his drawers. As to his relations with women, they appear ed to have been promiscuous, but su Iterflcial. He had many acquaintances umoiig them, but few friends, and no one whom he loved. His habits were regular, bis conduct inoffensive. His death was an absolute mxstery and kill ml i ' l-r"7 "I tf 1 1 -v v; ;i it h ft HEB BAt'K TO THE WINDOW. likely to remain so. As to the arrest of John Mitton. the valet, ii xv as a council of despair as an nltonuiti e to absolute juactitu. But no case could be sustained again--! him. He bad visited friends in Hammer smith that night. The alibi was com plete. II is line that he started home at an hour xvhich should lme brought him to Westminster before the time xx hen the crime was discovered, but his oxx ii expl illation that he had walk ed part of Hie xx iy seemed probable enough in view of the fineness of the ni'.rht. lie had actually ariixed at 12 o'clock and appeared to be overwhelm ed by the unexpected tragedy. He had always been on good terms xviih his master. Several of the dead man's possessions, notably a small ease of ra zors, hul been found in the a let's hoves, but la- explained that they had been presents from the de eased, and the hoii a-keepv r xvns able to -.rrobo rate the sl .. Mitton hail been in Lu cas' employment for three years. It was iiol ice-ild" that Lucas did not fake Mitt. ei on the continent with him. Sometimes ,e visited L'arls for t! ree months on end. bid Mitton was left In charge of the Oodolphin street house.. As to the housekeeper, she heard noth ing on th" n ght ef the clime. If her master had u visitor he had himself admitted him. So for three mornings the mystery re mained, so far as I could r.llo.v it in the papers. If Holmes knew more, he kept bis own counsel, but as he told me that Inspector I .extrude had taken him into his confidence in the rase I I.kcxv that he was in close touch xvith every development. I'pon the fourth day there lippciiied a long telegram from Paris xvlm h seemed to solve the Whole question. "A discovery ha Just been made by th.- I'aris.i.ii poli. c.'' said the Iai!y Telegraph, xxhi h ruises the veil which lu.'.g Jo. .id the tragic fate of Mr. Eduardo l.u xx ho m! bis death by violence, last Monday night in Oodol phin street, Westminster. Our readers xviil retneiiilxir that the dccw.iKed g.-ll-tl- :::.oi was found m.il.lei in bis ro-jia aiid that some s.ispic'.uu attached to his van t. but that the case broke down on :;u aiihi. Yesterday a lady, who has .. en Lhoxvn as Mine. Henri I'our- i. iyc, uc-upx ing a small villa in the line A':s;er;.tz. was iepo:!ed t-j tl.e au thorities by her .servants as being in-(-.ji.e. An examiuutioii bhowed (die bad iii-i.-e l ib ve! .,j-tl mania of a daugeroua ii. ei jH-riuaiic-nt form. Oa Inquiry the poh'ebuve discoveied that Mine. Henri 1 -jlU lit j C Cmi ly reiiirud from 4 journey to London on TuesTIay last, anil there Is evidence to connect her with the crime at Westminster. A comparUon of photographs has proved conclusive ly that M. Henri Fournaye and Eduar do Lucas were really one and the same person and that the deceased had for some reason lived a double life In Lon don and l'aris. Mme. Fournaye. who Is of creole origin, is of an extremely excitable nature and has suffered In the past from attacks of jealousy which have amounted to frenxy. It la con jectured that it was in one of these that she committed the terrible crime which has caused such a sensation la London. Her movements upon the Monday night have not yet beeu traced, but it is undoubted that a woman an swering to her descrlptiou attracted much attention at Charing Cross sta tion on Tuesday morning by the wild nesst of her apjtearauce and the vio lence of her gestures. It Is probable, therefore, that the crime was either com mitted when Insaue or that Its immedi ate effect was to drive the unhappy womau out of her miud. At present she is unable to give auy coherent ac count of the past, aud the doctors hold out no hopes of the re-establishment of her reasou. There is evidence that a woman, who might have been Mine. Fournaye, was seen for some hours up on Monday night watching the house lu (Godolphin street." "What do you think of that. Holmes?" I had read the account aloud to him while he finished his breakfast. "My dear Watson." said he as he rose from the table and paced up and down the room, "you ate most long suffering, but if I have told you noth ing lu the last three- days it is lecause there is nothing to tell. Even now this report from l'aris does oot help us much." "Surely it Is final as regards the man's death." "The man's death Is a mere Incident, a trivial episode. In comparison with our real task, which Is to trace this' document and save a European catas trophe. Only one important tiling has happened iu the last three days, and that Is that nothing has happened. I get reports almost hourly from the gov ernment, and it is certain that nowhere lu Europe Is there any sign of trouble. f Now. if this letter were loose no, it can't be loose but if It isn't looso where can it be? Who has it? Why in it held back? That's the question that beata In my brain like a hammer. Was It. indeed, a coincidence that Lu cas should mec-t his death on the night when the letter disappeared? Hid the letter ever reach him? If so, why Is it not among hit papers? Did this mad wife of Ids carry it off with her? If no. Is It in her house iu Paris? How could I search for It without the French police having their suspicion aroused? It is a case, my dear Wat sm, where the law is as dangerous to us as the criminals are. Every man's) hand is against us, and yet the inter ests nt stake are colossal. Should I bring it to a successful conclusion It will certainly represent the crowning; glory of my career. Ah, here is my latest from the front!" He glanced hurriedly at the note xvhh-h bad becu haiid.il In. "Hello! Lestrade seem to have observed something of interest. 1'nt on your hat, Watson, and xve will I roll down together to Wcstmluster." It was my first visit to the scene of the crime -a high, dingy, narrow chest ed house, prim, formal and solid, like the century which gave It birth. Mradc's bulldog features gazed out at us from the front window, find ho greeted us warmly when a big consta ble had opened the door and let us in. The room into which we were shown xvas that in which the crime had beeu committed, but no trace of It now re mnlued nave an ugly. Irregular stain upon the carpet. This carpet wtis a small square drugget in the center of the room, surrounded by : broad ex panse of beautiful, old fashioned wood flooring lu square blocks highly polish ed. Over the fireplace was a magnifi cent trophy of weapons, one of which had been used on that tragic night. Iu the windoxv was a sumptuous writing desk, ami ex-ery detail of the apart ment, the pictures, the rugs and tho hangings, all ol!ited to a taste xvhich was luxurious to the verge of effeml- Seen the Faris new?. cd Iah Strade. Holmes n Killed. "Our French friends seem to barn touched the spot this time. No d uht it's Just as they say. She knocked at the door- surprise visit. I guess, for ho kept bis life hi water tight compart mentshe let her iu. couldn't keep hef in the street. She told him how nhe had trae-ed him. reproached him; oue thing led to another, and then with that dagger so bandy the end soon came. It wasn't all done iu an Instant, though, for these chair were all swept over yonder, and le- Lad one in his hand a if he had tried to hold her off with it. We've got it all clear as if we had scea it." Holmes raised his eyertroxvs. "Aud yet you havw sent for me?" " "Ah. es, that's another matfe-r; a mere trifle, but the? sort of thing you take an Interest la -queer, you know, and what you might call freakish. It has nothing to do with the main fuct- can't have, on the face of it." "What is It, then?" "Well, you know, after a crime of this sort we are very careful ti keep things in their po-iitioa. Nothing hul leu moved. Ultlcer lu charge hvre dajj 4