“ThenextIheardofFrankwasthathewasinMontana，andthenhe
wentprospectinginArizona，andthenIheardofhimfromNew
Mexico。Afterthatcamealongnewspaperstoryabouthowaminers”
camphadbeenattackedbyApacheIndians，andtherewasmyFrank”s
nameamongthekilled。Ifainteddeadaway，andIwasverysickfor
monthsafter。PathoughtIhadadeclineandtookmetohalfthe
doctorsin”Frisco。Notawordofnewscameforayearandmore，so
thatIneverdoubtedthatFrankwasreallydead。ThenLordSt。Simon
cameto”Frisco，andwecametoLondon，andamarriagewasarranged，
andpawasverypleased，butIfeltallthetimethatnomanonthis
earthwouldevertaketheplaceinmyheartthathadbeengivento
mypoorFrank。
“Still，ifIhadmarriedLordSt。Simon，ofcourseI”dhavedone
mydutybyhim。Wecan”tcommandourlove，butwecanouractions。I
wenttothealtarwithhimwiththeintentiontomakehimjustasgood
awifeasitwasinmetobe。ButyoumayimaginewhatIfeltwhen，
justasIcametothealtarrails，IglancedbackandsawFrank
standingandlookingatmeoutofthefirstpew。Ithoughtitwas
hisghostatfirst；butwhenIlookedagaintherehewasstill，witha
kindofquestioninhiseyes，asiftoaskmewhetherIwereglador
sorrytoseehim。IwonderIdidn”tdrop。Iknowthateverythingwas
turninground，andthewordsoftheclergymanwerejustlikethe
buzzofabeeinmyear。Ididn”tknowwhattodo。ShouldIstopthe
serviceandmakeasceneinthechurch？Iglancedathimagain，andhe
seemedtoknowwhatIwasthinking，forheraisedhisfingertohis
lipstotellmetobestill。ThenIsawhimscribbleonapieceof
paper，andIknewthathewaswritingmeanote。AsIpassedhispew
onthewayoutIdroppedmybouquetovertohim，andheslippedthe
noteintomyhandwhenhereturnedmetheflowers。Itwasonlya
lineaskingmetojoinhimwhenhemadethesigntometodoso。Of
courseIneverdoubtedforamomentthatmyfirstdutywasnowtohim，
andIdeterminedtodojustwhateverhemightdirect。
“WhenIgotbackItoldmymaid，whohadknownhiminCalifornia，
andhadalwaysbeenhisfriend。Iorderedhertosaynothing，butto
getafewthingspackedandmyulsterready。IknowIoughttohave
spokentoLordSt。Simon，butitwasdreadfulhardbeforehismother
andallthosegreatpeople。Ijustmadeupmymindtorunawayand
explainafterwards。Ihadn”tbeenatthetabletenminutesbeforeI
sawFrankoutofthewindowattheothersideoftheroad。Hebeckoned
tomeandthenbeganwalkingintothePark。Islippedout，putonmy
things，andfollowedhim。Somewomancametalkingsomethingorother
aboutLordSt。Simontome-seemedtomefromthelittleIheardas
ifhehadalittlesecretofhisownbeforemarriagealso-butI
managedtogetawayfromherandsoonovertookFrank。Wegotintoa
cabtogether，andawaywedrovetosomelodgingshehadtakenin
GordonSquare，andthatwasmytrueweddingafterallthoseyearsof
waiting。FrankhadbeenaprisoneramongtheApaches，hadescaped，
cameonto”Frisco，foundthatIhadgivenhimupfordeadandhad
gonetoEngland，followedmethere，andhadcomeuponmeatlaston
theverymorningofmysecondwedding。”
“Isawitinapaper，“explainedtheAmerican。“Itgavethenameand
thechurchbutnotwheretheladylived。”
“Thenwehadatalkastowhatweshoulddo，andFrankwasallfor
openness，butIwassoashamedofitallthatIfeltasifIshould
liketovanishawayandneverseeanyofthemagain-justsendinga
linetopa，perhaps，toshowhimthatIwasalive。Itwasawfulto
metothinkofallthoselordsandladiessittingroundthat
breakfast-tableandwaitingformetocomeback。SoFranktookmy
weddingclothesandthingsandmadeabundleofthem，sothatIshould
notbetraced，anddroppedthemawaysomewherewherenoonecouldfind
them。ItislikelythatweshouldhavegoneontoParisto-morrow，
onlythatthisgoodgentleman，Mr。Holmes，cameroundtousthis
evening，thoughhowhefoundusismorethanIcanthink，andhe
showedusveryclearlyandkindlythatIwaswrongandthatFrank
wasright，andthatweshouldbeputtingourselvesinthewrongif
weweresosecret。Thenheofferedtogiveusachanceoftalkingto
LordSt。Simonalone，andsowecamerightawayroundtohisrooms
atonce。Now，Robert，youhavehearditall，andIamverysorryif
Ihavegivenyoupain，andIhopethatyoudonotthinkverymeanlyof
me。”
LordSt。Simonhadbynomeansrelaxedhisrigidattitude，buthad
listenedwithafrowningbrowandacompressedliptothislong
narrative。
“Excuseme，“besaid，“butitisnotmycustomtodiscussmymost
intimatepersonalaffairsinthispublicmanner。”
“Thenyouwon”tforgiveme？Youwon”tshakehandsbeforeIgo？“
“Oh，certainly，ifitwouldgiveyouanypleasure。”Heputouthis
handandcoldlygraspedthatwhichsheattendedtohim。
“Ihadhoped，“suggestedHolmes，“thatyouwouldhavejoinedusina
friendlysupper。”
“Ithinkthatthereyouaskalittletoomuch，“respondedhis
Lordship。“Imaybeforcedtoacquiesceintheserecent
developments，butIcanhardlybeexpectedtomakemerryoverthem。
IthinkthatwithyourpermissionIwillnowwishyouallavery
good-night。”Heincludedusallinasweepingbowandstalkedoutof
theroom。
“ThenItrustthatyouatleastwillhonourmewithyourcompany，“
saidSherlockHolmes。“ItisalwaysajoytomeetanAmerican，Mr。
Moulton，forIamoneofthosewhobelievethatthefollyofamonarch
andtheblunderingofaministerinfar-goneyearswillnotprevent
ourchildrenfrombeingsomedaycitizensofthesameworld-wide
countryunderaflagwhichshallbeaquarteringoftheUnionJack
withtheStarsandStripes。”
“Thecasehasbeenaninterestingone，“remarkedHolmeswhenour
visitorshadleftus，“becauseitservestoshowveryclearlyhow
simpletheexplanationmaybeofanaffairwhichatfirstsight
seemstobealmostinexplicable。Nothingcouldbemorenaturalthan
thesequenceofeventsasnarratedbythislady，andnothing
strangerthantheresultwhenviewed，forinstance，byMr。Lestrade，
ofScotlandYard。”
“Youwerenotyourselfatfaultatall，then？“
“Fromthefirst，twofactswereveryobvioustome，theonethatthe
ladyhadbeenquitewillingtoundergotheweddingceremony，theother
thatshehadrepentedofitwithinafewminutesofreturninghome。
Obviouslysomethinghadoccurredduringthemorning，then，tocause
hertochangehermind。Whatcouldthatsomethingbe？Shecouldnot
havespokentoanyonewhenshewasout，forshehadbeeninthe
companyofthebridegroom。Hadsheseensomeone，then？Ifshehad，
itmustbesomeonefromAmericabecauseshehadspentsoshorta
timeinthiscountrythatshecouldhardlyhaveallowedanyoneto
acquiresodeepaninfluenceoverherthatthemeresightofhimwould
inducehertochangeherplanssocompletely。Youseewehave
alreadyarrived，byaprocessofexclusion，attheideathatshemight
haveseenanAmerican。ThenwhocouldthisAmericanbe，andwhyshould
hepossesssomuchinfluenceoverher？Itmightbealover；itmight
beahusband。Heryoungwomanhoodhad，Iknew，beenspentinrough
scenesandunderstrangeconditions。SofarIhadgotbeforeIever
heardLordSt。Simon”snarrative。Whenhetoldusofamaninapew，
ofthechangeinthebride”smanner，ofsotransparentadevicefor
obtaininganoteasthedroppingofabouquet，ofherresorttoher
confidentialmaid，andofherverysignificantallusionto
claim-jumping-whichinminers”parlancemeanstakingpossessionof
thatwhichanotherpersonhasapriorclaimto-thewholesituation
becameabsolutelyclear。Shehadgoneoffwithaman，andtheman
waseitheraloverorwasaprevioushusband-thechancesbeingin
favourofthelatter。”
“Andhowintheworlddidyoufindthem？“
“Itmighthavebeendifficult，butfriendLestradeheld
informationinhishandsthevalueofwhichhedidnothimselfknow。
Theinitialswere，ofcourse，ofthehighestimportance，butmore
valuablestillwasittoknowthatwithinaweekhehadsettledhis
billatoneofthemostselectLondonhotels。”
“Howdidyoudeducetheselect？“
“Bytheselectprices。Eightshillingsforabedandeightpence
foraglassofsherrypointedtooneofthemostexpensivehotels。
TherearenotmanyinLondonwhichchargeatthatrate。Inthe
secondonewhichIvisitedinNorthumberlandAvenue，Ilearnedbyan
inspectionofthebookthatFrancisH。Moulton，anAmericangentleman，
hadleftonlythedaybefore，andonlookingovertheentries
againsthim，IcameupontheveryitemswhichIhadseeninthe
duplicatebill。Hislettersweretobeforwardedto226GordonSquare；
sothitherItravelled，andbeingfortunateenoughtofindthe
lovingcoupleathome，Iventuredtogivethemsomepaternaladvice
andtopointouttothemthatitwouldbebetterineverywaythat
theyshouldmaketheirpositionalittleclearerbothtothegeneral
publicandtoLordSt。Simoninparticular。Iinvitedthemtomeethim
here，and，asyousee，Imadehimkeeptheappointment。”
“Butwithnoverygoodresult，“Iremarked。“Hisconductwas
certainlynotverygracious。”
“Ah。Watson，“saidHolmes，smiling，“perhapsyouwouldnotbevery
graciouseither，if，afterallthetroubleofwooingandwedding，
youfoundyourselfdeprivedinaninstantofwifeandoffortune。I
thinkthatwemayjudgeLordSt。Simonverymercifullyandthankour
starsthatweareneverlikelytofindourselvesinthesameposition。
Drawyourchairupandhandmemyviolin，fortheonlyproblemwehave
stilltosolveishowtowhileawaythesebleakautumnalevenings。”-
THEEND。
1903
SHERLOCKHOMES
THEADVENTUREOFTHENORWOODBUILDER
bySirArthurConanDoyle
THEADVENTUREOFTHENORWOODBUILDER
“Fromthepointofviewofthecriminal“saidMr。SherlockHolmes，
“Londonhasbecomeasingularlyuninterestingcitysincethedeath
ofthelatelamentedProfessorMoriarty。”
“Icanhardlythinkthatyouwouldfindmanydecentcitizensto
agreewithyou，“Ianswered。
“Well，well，Imustnotbeselfish，“saidhe，withasmile，asbe
pushedbackhischairfromthebreakfast-table。“Thecommunityis
certainlythegainer，andnoonetheloser，savethepoor
out-of-workspecialist，whoseoccupationhasgone。Withthatmanin
thefield，one”smorningpaperpresentedinfinitepossibilities。Often
itwasonlythesmallesttrace，Watson，thefaintestindication，and
yetitwasenoughtotellmethatthegreatmalignantbrainwasthere，
asthegentlesttremorsoftheedgesofthewebremindoneofthefoul
spiderwhichlurksinthecentre。Pettythefts，wantonassaults，
purposelessoutrage-tothemanwhoheldtheclueallcouldbe
workedintooneconnectedwhole。Tothescientificstudentofthe
highercriminalworld，nocapitalinEuropeofferedtheadvantages
whichLondonthenpossessed。Butnow-“Heshruggedhisshouldersin
humorousdeprecationofthestateofthingswhichhehadhimself
donesomuchtoproduce。
AtthetimeofwhichIspeak，Holmeshadbeenbackforsome
months，andIathisrequesthadsoldmypracticeandreturnedto
sharetheoldquartersinBakerStreet。Ayoungdoctor，named
Verner，hadpurchasedmysmallKensingtonpractice，andgivenwith
astonishinglylittledemurthehighestpricethatIventuredtoask-
anincidentwhichonlyexplaineditselfsomeyearslater，whenIfound
thatVernerwasadistantrelationofHolmes，andthatitwasmy
friendwhohadreallyfoundthemoney。
Ourmonthsofpartnershiphadnotbeensouneventfulashehad
stated，forIfind，onlookingovermynotes，thatthisperiod
includesthecaseofthepapersofex-PresidentMurillo，andalso
theshockingaffairoftheDutchsteamshipFriesland，whichso
nearlycostusbothourlives。Hiscoldandproudnaturewasalways
averse，however，fromanythingintheshapeofpublicapplause，andhe
boundmeinthemoststringenttermstosaynofurtherwordof
himself，hismethods，orhissuccesses-aprohibitionwhich，asIhave
explained，hasonlynowbeenremoved。
Mr。SherlockHolmeswasleaningbackinhischairafterhis
whimsicalprotest，andwasunfoldinghismorningpaperina
leisurelyfashion，whenourattentionwasarrestedbyatremendous
ringatthebell，followedimmediatelybyahollowdrummingsound，
asifsomeonewerebeatingontheouterdoorwithhisfist。Asit
openedtherecameatumultuousrushintothehall，rapidfeet
clatteredupthestair，andaninstantlaterawild-eyedandfrantic
youngman，pale，disheveled，andpalpitating，burstintotheroom。
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus，andunderourgazeofinquiry
hebecameconsciousthatsomeapologywasneededforthis
unceremoniousentry。
“I”msorry，Mr。Holmes，“hecried。“Youmustn”tblameme。Iam
nearlymad。Mr。Holmes，IamtheunhappyJohnHectorMcFarlane。”
Hemadetheannouncementasifthenamealonewouldexplainbothhis
visitanditsmanner，butIcouldsee，bymycompanion”s
unresponsiveface，thatitmeantnomoretohimthantome。
“Haveacigarette，Mr。McFarlane，“saidhe，pushinghiscaseacross。
“Iamsurethat，withyoursymptoms，myfriendDr。Watsonherewould
prescribeasedative。Theweatherhasbeensoverywarmtheselastfew
days。Now，ifyoufeelalittlemorecomposed，Ishouldbegladifyou
wouldsitdowninthatchair，andtellusveryslowlyandquietly
whoyouare，andwhatitisthatyouwant。Youmentionedyourname，as
ifIshouldrecognizeit，butIassureyouthat，beyondtheobvious
factsthatyouareabachelor，asolicitor，aFreemason，andan
asthmatic，Iknownothingwhateveraboutyou。”
FamiliarasIwaswithmyfriend”smethods，itwasnotdifficultfor
metofollowhisdeductions，andtoobservetheuntidinessof
attire，thesheafoflegalpapers，thewatch-charm，andthe
breathingwhichhadpromptedthem。Ourclient，however，staredin
amazement。
“Yes，Iamallthat，Mr。Holmes；and，inaddition，Iamthemost
unfortunatemanatthismomentinLondon。Forheaven”ssake，don”t
abandonme，Mr。Holmes！IftheycometoarrestmebeforeIhave
finishedmystory，makethemgivemetime，sothatImaytellyou
thewholetruth。IcouldgotojailhappyifIknewthatyouwere
workingformeoutside。”
“Arrestyou！“saidHolmes。“Thisisreallymostgrati-most
interesting。Onwhatchargedoyouexpecttobearrested？“
“UponthechargeofmurderingMr。JonasOldacre，ofLowerNorwood。”
Mycompanion”sexpressivefaceshowedasympathywhichwasnot，Iam
afraid，entirelyunmixedwithsatisfaction。
“Dearme，“saidhe，“itwasonlythismomentatbreakfastthatIwas
sayingtomyfriend，Dr。Watson，thatsensationalcaseshad
disappearedoutofourpapers。”
Ourvisitorstretchedforwardaquiveringhandandpickedupthe
DailyTelegraph，whichstilllayuponHolmes”sknee。
“Ifyouhadlookedatit，sir，youwouldhaveseenataglance
whattheerrandisonwhichIhavecometoyouthismorning。Ifeelas
ifmynameandmymisfortunemustbeineveryman”smouth。”He
turneditovertoexposethecentralpage。“Hereitis，andwith
yourpermissionIwillreadittoyou。Listentothis，Mr。Holmes。The
headlinesare：`MysteriousAffairatLowerNorwood。Disappearanceofa
WellKnownBuilder。SuspicionofMurderandArson。ACluetothe
Criminal。”Thatisthecluewhichtheyarealreadyfollowing，Mr。
Holmes，andIknowthatitleadsinfalliblytome。Ihavebeen
followedfromLondonBridgeStation，andIamsurethattheyare
onlywaitingforthewarranttoarrestme。Itwillbreakmymother”s
heart-itwillbreakherheart！“Hewrunghishandsinanagonyof
apprehension，andswayedbackwardandforwardinhischair。
Ilookedwithinterestuponthisman，whowasaccusedofbeingthe
perpetratorofacrimeofviolence。Hewasflaxen-hairedandhandsome，
inawashed-outnegativefashion，withfrightenedblueeyes，anda
clean-shavenface，withaweak，sensitivemouth。Hisagemayhavebeen
abouttwenty-seven，hisdressandbearingthatofagentleman。From
thepocketofhislightsummerovercoatprotrudedthebundleof
indorsedpaperswhichproclaimedhisprofession。
“Wemustusewhattimewehave，“saidHolmes“Watson，wouldyouhave
thekindnesstotakethepaperandtoreadtheparagraphinquestion？“
Underneaththevigorousheadlineswhichourclienthadquoted，I
readthefollowingsuggestivenarrative：
“Latelastnight，orearlythismorning，anincidentoccurredat
LowerNorwoodwhichpoints，itisfeared，toaseriouscrime。Mr。
JonasOldacreisawellknownresidentofthatsuburb，wherehehas
carriedonhisbusinessasabuilderformanyyears。Mr。Oldacreis
abachelor，fifty-twoyearsofage，andlivesinDeepDeneHouse，at
theSydenhamendoftheroadofthatname。Hehashadthereputation
ofbeingamanofeccentrichabits，secretiveandretiring。Forsome
yearshehaspracticallywithdrawnfromthebusiness，inwhichheis
saidtohavemassedconsiderablewealth。Asmalltimber-yardstill
exists，however，atthebackofthehouse，andlastnight，about
twelveo”clock，analarmwasgiventhatoneofthestackswasonfire。
Theenginesweresoonuponthespot，butthedrywoodburnedwith
greatfury，anditwasimpossibletoarresttheconflagrationuntil
thestackhadbeenentirelyconsumed。Uptothispointtheincident
boretheappearanceofanordinaryaccident，butfreshindications
seemtopointtoseriouscrime。Surprisewasexpressedatthe
absenceofthemasteroftheestablishmentfromthesceneofthefire，
andaninquiryfollowed，whichshowedthathehaddisappearedfromthe
house。Anexaminationofhisroomrevealedthatthebedhadnotbeen
sleptin，thatasafewhichstoodinitwasopen，thatanumberof
importantpaperswerescatteredabouttheroom，andfinally，that
thereweresignsofamurderousstruggle，slighttracesofbloodbeing
foundwithintheroom，andanoakenwalking-stick，whichalsoshowed
stainsofblooduponthehandle。ItisknownthatMr。JonasOldacre
hadreceivedalatevisitorinhisbedroomuponthatnight，andthe
stickfoundhasbeenidentifiedasthepropertyofthisperson，whois
ayoungLondonsolicitornamedJohnHectorMcFarlane，juniorpartner
ofGrahamandMcFarlane，of426GreshamBuildings，E。C。Thepolice
believethattheyhaveevidenceintheirpossessionwhichsuppliesa
veryconvincingmotiveforthecrime，andaltogetheritcannotbe
doubtedthatsensationaldevelopmentswillfollow。
“LATER-ItisrumouredaswegotopressthatMr。JohnHector
McFarlanehasactuallybeenarrestedonthechargeofthemurderof
Mr。JonasOldacre。Itisatleastcertainthatawarranthasbeen
issued。Therehavebeenfurtherandsinisterdevelopmentsinthe
investigationatNorwood。Besidesthesignsofastruggleinthe
roomoftheunfortunatebuilderitisnowknownthattheFrench
windowsofhisbedroomwhichisonthegroundfloorwerefoundtobe
open，thatthereweremarksasifsomebulkyobjecthadbeendragged
acrosstothewood-pile，and，finally，itisassertedthatcharred
remainshavebeenfoundamongthecharcoalashesofthefire。The
policetheoryisthatamostsensationalcrimehasbeencommitted，
thatthevictimwasclubbedtodeathinhisownbedroom，hispapers
rifled，andhisdeadbodydraggedacrosstothewood-stack，which
wasthenignitedsoastohidealltracesofthecrime。Theconductof
thecriminalinvestigationhasbeenleftintheexperiencedhandsof
InspectorLestrade，ofScotlandYard，whoisfollowinguptheclues
withhisaccustomedenergyandsagacity。”
SherlockHolmeslistenedwithclosedeyesandfingertipstogetherto
thisremarkableaccount。
“Thecasehascertainlysomepointsofinterest，“saidhe，inhis
languidfashion。“MayIask，inthefirstplace，Mr。McFarlane，howit
isthatyouarestillatliberty，sincethereappearstobeenough
evidencetojustifyyourarrest？“
“IliveatTorringtonLodge，Blackheath，withmyparents，Mr。
Holmes，butlastnight，havingtodobusinessverylatewithMr。Jonas
Oldacre，IstayedatanhotelinNorwood，andcametomybusinessfrom
there。IknewnothingofthisaffairuntilIwasinthetrain，when
Ireadwhatyouhavejustheard。Iatoncesawthehorribledanger
ofmyposition，andIhurriedtoputthecaseintoyourhands。I
havenodoubtthatIshouldhavebeenarrestedeitheratmycity
officeoratmyhome。AmanfollowedmefromLondonBridgeStation，
andIhavenodoubt-Greatheaven！whatisthat？“
Itwasaclangofthebell，followedinstantlybyheavystepsupon
thestair。Amomentlater，ouroldfriendLestradeappearedinthe
doorway。OverhisshoulderIcaughtaglimpseofoneortwo
uniformedpolicemenoutside。
“Mr。JohnHectorMcFarlane？“saidLestrade。
Ourunfortunateclientrosewithaghastlyface。
“IarrestyouforthewilfulmurderofMr。JonasOldacre，ofLower
Norwood。”
McFarlaneturnedtouswithagestureofdespair，andsankinto
hischaironcemorelikeonewhoiscrushed。
“Onemoment，Lestrade，“saidHolmes。“Halfanhourmoreorless
canmakenodifferencetoyou，andthegentlemanwasabouttogive
usanaccountofthisveryinterestingaffair，whichmightaidusin
clearingitup。”
“Ithinktherewillbenodifficultyinclearingitup，“said
Lestrade，grimly。
“Nonetheless，withyourpermission，Ishouldbemuchinterestedto
hearhisaccount。”
“Well，Mr。Holmes，itisdifficultformetorefuseyouanything，
foryouhavebeenofusetotheforceonceortwiceinthepast，and
weoweyouagoodturnatScotlandYard，“saidLestrade。“Atthe
sametimeImustremainwithmyprisoner，andIamboundtowarnhim
thatanythinghemaysaywillappearinevidenceagainsthim。”
“Iwishnothingbetter，“saidourclient。“AllIaskisthatyou
shouldhearandtheabsolutetruth。”
Lestradelookedathiswatch。“I”llgiveyouhalfanhour，“saidhe。
“Imustexplainfirst，“saidMcFarlane，“thatIknewnothingof
Mr。JonasOldacre。Hisnamewasfamiliartome，formanyyearsago
myparentswereacquaintedwithhim，buttheydriftedapart。Iwas
verymuchsurprisedtherefore，whenyesterday，aboutthreeo”clock
intheafternoon，hewalkedintomyofficeinthecity。ButIwas
stillmoreastonishedwhenhetoldmetheobjectofhisvisit。He
hadinhishandseveralsheetsofanotebook，coveredwithscribbled
writing-heretheyare-andhelaidthemonmytable。
“`Hereismywill”saidhe。`Iwantyou，Mr。McFarlane，tocast
itintoproperlegalshape。Iwillsitherewhileyoudoso。”
“Isetmyselftocopyit，andyoucanimaginemyastonishmentwhenI
foundthat，withsomereservations，hehadleftallhispropertyto
me。Hewasastrangelittleferret-likeman，withwhiteeyelashes，and
whenIlookedupathimIfoundhiskeengrayeyesfixeduponme
withanamusedexpression。IcouldhardlybelievemyownasIreadthe
termsofthewill；butheexplainedthathewasabachelorwithhardly
anylivingrelation，thathehadknownmyparentsinhisyouth，and
thathehadalwaysheardofmeasaverydeservingyoungman，and
wasassuredthathismoneywouldbeinworthyhands。Ofcourse，I
couldonlystammeroutmythanks。Thewillwasdulyfinished，
signed，andwitnessedbymyclerk。Thisisitonthebluepaper，and
theseslips，asIhaveexplained，aretheroughdraft。Mr。Jonas
Oldacretheninformedmethattherewereanumberofdocuments-
buildingleases，title-deeds，mortgages，scrip，andsoforth-whichit
wasnecessarythatIshouldseeandunderstand。Hesaidthathis
mindwouldnotbeeasyuntilthewholethingwassettled，andhe
beggedmetocomeouttohishouseatNorwoodthatnight，bringingthe
willwithme，andtoarrangematters。`Remember，myboy，notone
wordtoyourparentsabouttheaffairuntileverythingissettled。
Wewillkeepitasalittlesurpriseforthem。”Hewasvery
insistentuponthispoint，andmademepromiseitfaithfully。
“Youcanimagine，Mr。Holmes，thatIwasnotinahumourtorefuse
himanythingthathemightask。Hewasmybenefactor，andallmy
desirewastocarryouthiswishesineveryparticular。Isenta
telegramhome，therefore，tosaythatIhadimportantbusinesson
hand，andthatitwasimpossibleformetosayhowlateImightbe。
Mr。Oldacrehadtoldmethathewouldlikemetohavesupperwith
himatnine，ashemightnotbehomebeforethathour。Ihadsome
difficultyinfindinghishouse，however，anditwasnearly
half-pastbeforeIreachedit。Ifoundhim-“
“Onemoment！“saidHolmes。“Whoopenedthedoor？“
“Amiddle-agedwoman，whowas，Isuppose，hishousekeeper。”
“Anditwasshe，Ipresume，whomentionedyourname？“
“Exactly，“saidMcFarlane。
“Prayproceed。”
McFarlanewipedhisdampbrow，andthencontinuedhisnarrative：
“Iwasshownbythiswomanintoasitting-room，whereafrugal
supperwaslaidout。Afterwards，Mr。JonasOldacreledmeintohis
bedroom，inwhichtherestoodaheavysafe。Thisheopenedandtook
outamassofdocuments，whichwewentovertogether。Itwasbetween
elevenandtwelvewhenwefinished。Heremarkedthatwemustnot
disturbthehousekeeper。HeshowedmeoutthroughhisownFrench
window，whichhadbeenopenallthistime。”
“Wastheblinddown？“askedHolmes。
“Iwillnotbesure，butIbelievethatitwasonlyhalfdown。
Yes，Irememberhowhepulleditupinordertoswingopenthewindow。
Icouldnotfindmystick，andhesaid，`Nevermind，myboy，Ishall
seeagooddealofyounow，Ihope，andIwillkeepyourstickuntil
youcomebacktoclaimit。”Ilefthimthere，thesafeopen，andthe
papersmadeupinpacketsuponthetable。ItwassolatethatI
couldnotgetbacktoBlackheath，soIspentthenightatthe
AnerleyArms，andIknewnothingmoreuntilIreadofthishorrible
affairinthemorning。”
“Anythingmorethatyouwouldliketoask，Mr。Holmes？“said
Lestrade，whoseeyebrowshadgoneuponceortwiceduringthis
remarkableexplanation。
“NotuntilIhavebeentoBlackheath。”
“YoumeantoNorwood，“saidLestrade。
“Oh，yes，nodoubtthatiswhatImusthavemeant，“saidHolmes，
withhisenigmaticalsmile。Lestradehadlearnedbymoreexperiences
thanhewouldcaretoacknowledgethatthatbraincouldcutthrough
thatwhichwasimpenetrabletohim。Isawhimlookcuriouslyatmy
companion。
“IthinkIshouldliketohaveawordwithyoupresently，Mr。
SherlockHolmes，“saidhe。“Now，Mr。McFarlane，twoofmyconstables
areatthedoor，andthereisafour-wheelerwaiting。”Thewretched
youngmanarose，andwithalastbeseechingglanceatuswalkedfrom
theroom。Theofficersconductedhimtothecab，butLestrade
remained。
Holmeshadpickedupthepageswhichformedtheroughdraftofthe
will，andwaslookingatthemwiththekeenestinterestuponhisface。
“Therearesomepointsaboutthatdocument，Lestrade，arethere
not？“saidhe，pushingthemover。
Theofficiallookedatthemwithapuzzledexpression。
“Icanreadthefirstfewlinesandtheseinthemiddleofthe
secondpage，andoneortwoattheend。Thoseareasclearas
print，“saidhe，“butthewritinginbetweenisverybad，andthere
arethreeplaceswhereIcannotreaditatall。”
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat？“saidHolmes。
“Well，whatdoyoumakeofit？“
“Thatitwaswritteninatrain。Thegoodwritingrepresents
stations，thebadwritingmovement，andtheverybadwritingpassing
overpoints。Ascientificexpertwouldpronounceatoncethatthiswas
drawnuponasuburbanline，sincenowheresaveintheimmediate
vicinityofagreatcitycouldtherebesoquickasuccessionof
points。Grantingthathiswholejourneywasoccupiedindrawingupthe
will，thenthetrainwasanexpress，onlystoppingoncebetween
NorwoodandLondonBridge。”
Lestradebegantolaugh。
“Youaretoomanyformewhenyoubegintogetonyourtheories，Mr。
Holmes，“saidhe。“Howdoesthisbearonthecase？“
“Well，itcorroboratestheyoungman”sstorytotheextentthat
thewillwasdrawnupbyJonasOldacreinhisjourneyyesterday。Itis
curious-isitnot？-thatamanshoulddrawupsoimportantadocument
insohaphazardafashion。Itsuggeststhathedidnotthinkitwas
goingtobeofmuchpracticalimportance。Ifamandrewupawill
whichhedidnotintendevertobeeffective，hemightdoitso。”
“Well，hedrewuphisowndeathwarrantatthesametime，“said
Lestrade。
“Oh，youthinkso？“
“Don”tyou？“
“Well，itisquitepossible，butthecaseisnotcleartomeyet。”
“Notclear？Well，ifthatisn”tclear，whatcouldbeclear？Here
isayoungmanwholearnssuddenlythat，ifacertainolderman
dies，hewillsucceedtoafortune。Whatdoeshedo？Hesaysnothing
toanyone，buthearrangesthatheshallgooutonsomepretexttosee
hisclientthatnight。Hewaitsuntiltheonlyotherpersoninthe
houseisinbed，andtheninthesolitudeofaman”sroomhemurders
him，burnshisbodyinthewood-pile，anddepartstoaneighbouring
hotel。Theblood-stainsintheroomandalsoonthestickarevery
slight。Itisprobablethatheimaginedhiscrimetobeabloodless
one，andhopedthatifthebodywereconsumeditwouldhidealltraces
ofthemethodofhisdeath-traceswhich，forsomereason，musthave
pointedtohim。Isnotallthisobvious？“
“Itstrikesme，mygoodLestrade，asbeingjustatrifletoo
obvious，“saidHolmes。“Youdonotaddimaginationtoyourothergreat
qualities，butifyoucouldforonemomentputyourselfintheplace
ofthisyoungman，wouldyouchoosetheverynightafterthewill
hadbeenmadetocommityourcrime？Woulditnotseemdangeroustoyou
tomakesoveryclosearelationbetweenthetwoincidents？Again，
wouldyouchooseanoccasionwhenyouareknowntobeinthehouse，
whenaservanthasletyouin？And，finally，wouldyoutakethe
greatpainstoconcealthebody，andyetleaveyourownstickasa
signthatyouwerethecriminal？Confess，Lestrade，thatallthisis
veryunlikely。”
“Astothestick，Mr。Holmes，youknowaswellasIdothata
criminalisoftenflurried，anddoessuchthings，whichacoolman
wouldavoid。Hewasverylikelyafraidtogobacktotheroom。Giveme
anothertheorythatwouldfitthefacts。”
“Icouldveryeasilygiveyouhalfadozen，“saidHolmes。“Here
forexample，isaverypossibleandevenprobableone。Imakeyoua
freepresentofit。Theoldermanisshowingdocumentswhichareof
evidentvalue。Apassingtrampseesthemthroughthewindow，theblind
ofwhichisonlyhalfdown。Exitthesolicitor。Enterthetramp！He
seizesastick，whichheobservesthere，killsOldacre，anddeparts
afterburningthebody。”