Wehadalllistenedintentlytothisremarkablestatement。Itwas
Holmeswhobrokethesilence。
“Ourdifficultiesarenotover，“heremarked，shakinghishead。“Our
policeworkends，butourlegalworkbegins。”
“Exactly，“saidI。“Aplausiblelawyercouldmakeitoutasanact
ofself-defence。Theremaybeahundredcrimesinthebackground，
butitisonlyonthisonethattheycanbetried。”
“Come，come，“saidBaynescheerily，“Ithinkbetterofthelaw
thanthat。Self-defenceisonething。Toenticeamanincoldblood
withtheobjectofmurderinghimisanother，whateverdangeryoumay
fearfromhim。No，no，weshallallbejustifiedwhenweseethe
tenantsofHighGableatthenextGuildfordAssizes。”
Itisamatterofhistory，however，thatalittletimewasstill
toelapsebeforetheTigerofSanPedroshouldmeetwithhis
deserts。Wilyandbold，heandhiscompanionthrewtheirpursueroff
theirtrackbyenteringalodging-houseinEdmontonStreetandleaving
bytheback-gateintoCurzonSquare。Fromthatdaytheywereseenno
moreinEngland。SomesixmonthsafterwardstheMarquessofMontalva
andSignorRulli，hissecretary，werebothmurderedintheirrooms
attheHotelEscurialatMadrid。ThecrimewasascribedtoNihilism，
andthemurdererswereneverarrested。InspectorBaynesvisitedus
atBakerStreetwithaprinteddescriptionofthedarkfaceofthe
secretary，andofthemasterfulfeatures，themagneticblackeyes，and
thetuftedbrowsofhismaster。Wecouldnotdoubtthatjustice，if
belated，hadcomeatlast。
“Achaoticcase，mydearWatson，“saidHolmesoveranevening
pipe。“Itwillnotbepossibleforyoutopresentitinthatcompact
formwhichisdeartoyourheart。Itcoverstwocontinents，concerns
twogroupsofmysteriouspersons，andisfurthercomplicatedbythe
highlyrespectablepresenceofourfriend，ScottEccles，whose
inclusionshowsmethatthedeceasedGarciahadaschemingmindand
awell-developedinstinctofself-preservation。Itisremarkable
onlyforthefactthatamidaperfectjungleofpossibilitieswe，with
ourworthycollaborator，theinspector，havekeptourcloseholdon
theessentialsandsobeenguidedalongthecrookedandwinding
path。Isthereanypointwhichisnotquitecleartoyou？“
“Theobjectofthemulattocook”sreturn？“
“Ithinkthatthestrangecreatureinthekitchenmayaccountfor
it。ThemanwasaprimitivesavagefromthebackwoodsofSanPedro，
andthiswashisfetish。Whenhiscompanionandhehadfledtosome
prearrangedretreat-alreadyoccupied，nodoubtbyaconfederate-
thecompanionhadpersuadedhimtoleavesocompromisinganarticleof
furniture。Butthemulatto”sheartwaswithit，andhewasdrivenback
toitnextday，when，onreconnoitringthroughthewindow，hefound
policemanWaltersinpossession。Hewaitedthreedayslonger，andthen
hispietyorhissuperstitiondrovehimtotryoncemore。Inspector
Baynes，who，withhisusualastuteness，hadminimizedtheincident
beforeme，hadreallyrecognizeditsimportanceandhadleftatrap
intowhichthecreaturewalked。Anyotherpoint，Watson？“
“Thetornbird，thepailofblood，thecharredbones，allthe
mysteryofthatweirdkitchen？“
Holmessmiledasheturnedupanentryinhisnotebook。
“IspentamorningintheBritishMuseumreadinguponthatand
otherpoints。HereisaquotationfromEckermann”sVoodooismandthe
NegroidReligions：
Thetruevoodoo-worshipperattemptsnothingofimportancewithout
certainsacrificeswhichareintendedtopropitiatehisunclean
gods。Inextremecasestheseritestaketheformofhumansacrifices
followedbycannibalism。Themoreusualvictimsareawhitecock，
whichispluckedinpiecesalive，orablackgoat，whosethroatiscut
andbodyburned。
“Soyouseeoursavagefriendwasveryorthodoxinhisritual。Itis
grotesque，Watson，“Holmesadded，asheslowlyfastenedhis
notebook，“but，asIhavehadoccasiontoremark，thereisbutone
stepfromthegrotesquetothehorrible。”-
THEEND。
1891
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEBOSCOMBEVALLEYMYSTERY
bySirArthurConanDoyle
Wewereseatedatbreakfastonemorning，mywifeandI，whenthe
maidbroughtinatelegram。ItwasfromSherlockHolmesandranin
thisway：
Haveyouacoupleofdaystospare？Havejustbeenwiredforfrom
thewestofEnglandinconnectionwithBoscombeValleytragedy。
Shallbegladifyouwillcomewithme。Airandsceneryperfect。Leave
Paddingtonbythe11：15。
“Whatdoyousay，dear？“saidmywife，lookingacrossatme。“Will
yougo？“
“Ireallydon”tknowwhattosay。Ihaveafairlylonglistat
present。”
“Oh，Anstrutherwoulddoyourworkforyou。Youhavebeenlooking
alittlepalelately。Ithinkthatthechangewoulddoyougood，and
youarealwayssointerestedinMr。SherlockHolmes”scases。”
“IshouldbeungratefulifIwerenot，seeingwhatIgained
throughoneofthem，“Ianswered。“ButifIamtogo，Imustpackat
once，forIhaveonlyhalfanhour。”
MyexperienceofcamplifeinAfghanistanhadatleasthadthe
effectofmakingmeapromptandreadytraveller。Mywantswerefew
andsimple，sothatinlessthanthetimestatedIwasinacabwith
myvalise，rattlingawaytoPaddingtonStation。SherlockHolmeswas
pacingupanddowntheplatform，histall，gauntfiguremadeeven
gaunterandtallerbyhislonggraytravelling-cloakandclosefitting
clothcap。
“Itisreallyverygoodofyoutocome，Watson，“saidhe。“It
makesaconsiderabledifferencetome，havingsomeonewithmeon
whomIcanthoroughlyrely。Localaidisalwayseitherworthlessor
elsebiassed。IfyouwillkeepthetwocornerseatsIshallgetthe
tickets。”
Wehadthecarriagetoourselvessaveforanimmenselitterof
paperswhichHolmeshadbroughtwithhim。Amongtheseherummaged
andread，withintervalsofnote-takingandofmeditation，untilwe
werepastReading。Thenhesuddenlyrolledthemallintoagigantic
ballandtossedthemupontotherack。
“Haveyouheardanythingofthecase？“heasked。
“Notaword。Ihavenotseenapaperforsomedays。”
“TheLondonpresshasnothadveryfullaccounts。Ihavejustbeen
lookingthroughalltherecentpapersinordertomasterthe
particulars。Itseems，fromwhatIgather，tobeoneofthosesimple
caseswhicharesoextremelydifficult。”
“Thatsoundsalittleparadoxical。”
“Butitisprofoundlytrue。Singularityisalmostinvariablyaclue。
Themorefeaturelessandcommonplaceacrimeis，themoredifficultit
istobringithome。Inthiscase，however，theyhaveestablisheda
veryseriouscaseagainstthesonofthemurderedman。”
“Itisamurder，then？“
“Well，itisconjecturedtobeso。Ishalltakenothingfor
granteduntilIhavetheopportunityoflookingpersonallyintoit。
Iwillexplainthestateofthingstoyou，asfarasIhavebeen
abletounderstandit，inaveryfewwords。
“BoscombeValleyisacountrydistrictnotveryfarfromRoss，in
Herefordshire。ThelargestlandedproprietorinthatpartisaMr。
JohnTurner，whomadehismoneyinAustraliaandreturnedsomeyears
agototheoldcountry。Oneofthefarmswhichheheld，thatof
Hatherley，waslettoMr。CharlesMcCarthy，whowasalsoan
ex-Australian。Themenhadknowneachotherinthecolonies，sothat
itwasnotunnaturalthatwhentheycametosettledowntheyshoulddo
soasneareachotheraspossible。Turnerwasapparentlythericher
man，soMcCarthybecamehistenantbutstillremained，itseems，
upontermsofperfectequality，astheywerefrequentlytogether。
McCarthyhadoneson，aladofeighteen，andTurnerhadanonly
daughterofthesameage，butneitherofthemhadwivesliving。They
appeartohaveavoidedthesocietyoftheneighbouringEnglish
familiesandtohaveledretiredlives，thoughboththeMcCarthyswere
fondofsportandwerefrequentlyseenattherace-meetingsofthe
neighbourhood。McCarthykepttwoservants-amanandagirl。Turnerhad
aconsiderablehousehold，somehalf-dozenattheleast。Thatisas
muchasIhavebeenabletogatheraboutthefamilies。Nowforthe
facts。
“OnJune3rd，thatis，onMondaylastMcCarthylefthishouseat
HatherleyaboutthreeintheafternoonandwalkeddowntotheBoscombe
Pool，whichisasmalllakeformedbythespreadingoutofthe
streamwhichrunsdowntheBoscombeValley。Hehadbeenoutwithhis
serving-maninthemorningatRoss，andhehadtoldthemanthathe
musthurry，ashehadanappointmentofimportancetokeepatthree。
Fromthatappointmenthenevercamebackalive。
“FromHatherleyFarmhousetotheBoscombePoolisaquarterofa
mile，andtwopeoplesawhimashepassedoverthisground。Onewasan
oldwoman，whosenameisnotmentioned，andtheotherwasWilliam
Crowder，agame-keeperintheemployofMr。Turner。Boththese
witnessesdeposethatMr。McCarthywaswalkingalone。The
game-keeperaddsthatwithinafewminutesofhisseeingMr。
McCarthypasshehadseenhisson，Mr。JamesMcCarthy，goingthe
samewaywithagununderhisarm。Tothebestofhisbelief，the
fatherwasactuallyinsightatthetime，andthesonwasfollowing
him。Hethoughtnomoreofthematteruntilheheardintheeveningof
thetragedythathadoccurred。
“ThetwoMcCarthyswereseenafterthetimewhenWilliamCrowder，
thegame-keeper，lostsightofthem。TheBoscombePoolisthickly
woodedround，withjustafringeofgrassandofreedsroundtheedge。
Agirloffourteen，PatienceMoran，whoisthedaughterofthe
lodge-keeperoftheBoscombeValleyestate，wasinoneofthewoods
pickingflowers。Shestatesthatwhileshewasthereshesaw，atthe
borderofthewoodandclosebythelake，Mr。McCarthyandhisson，
andthattheyappearedtobehavingaviolentquarrel。SheheardMr。
McCarthytheelderusingverystronglanguagetohisson，andshe
sawthelatterraiseuphishandasiftostrikehisfather。Shewas
sofrightenedbytheirviolencethatsheranawayandtoldher
motherwhenshereachedhomethatshehadleftthetwoMcCarthys
quarrellingnearBoscombePool，andthatshewasafraidthattheywere
goingtofight。ShehadhardlysaidthewordswhenyoungMr。
McCarthycamerunninguptothelodgetosaythathehadfoundhis
fatherdeadinthewood，andtoaskforthehelpofthe
lodge-keeper。Hewasmuchexcited，withouteitherhisgunorhis
hat，andhisrighthandandsleevewereobservedtobestainedwith
freshblood。Onfollowinghimtheyfoundthedeadbodystretchedout
uponthegrassbesidethepool。Theheadhadbeenbeateninby
repeatedblowsofsomeheavyandbluntweapon。Theinjurieswere
suchasmightverywellhavebeeninflictedbythebutt-endofhis
son”sgun，whichwasfoundlyingonthegrasswithinafewpacesof
thebody。Underthesecircumstancestheyoungmanwasinstantly
arrested，andaverdictof”wilfulmurder”havingbeenreturnedatthe
inquestonTuesday，hewasonWednesdaybroughtbeforethemagistrates
atRoss，whohavereferredthecasetothenextAssizes。Thosearethe
mainfactsofthecaseastheycameoutbeforethecoronerandthe
police-court。”
“Icouldhardlyimagineamoredamningcase，“Iremarked。“Ifever
circumstantialevidencepointedtoacriminalitdoessohere。”
“Circumstantialevidenceisaverytrickything，“answeredHolmes
thoughtfully。“Itmayseemtopointverystraighttoonething，butif
youshiftyourownpointofviewalittle，youmayfinditpointingin
anequallyuncompromisingmannertosomethingentirelydifferent。It
mustbeconfessed，however，thatthecaselooksexceedinglygrave
againsttheyoungman，anditisverypossiblethatheisindeedthe
culprit。Thereareseveralpeopleintheneighbourhood，however，and
amongthemMissTurner，thedaughteroftheneighbouringland-owner，
whobelieveinhisinnocence，andwhohaveretainedLestrade，whomyou
mayrecollectinconnectionwith”AStudyinScarlet”，toworkoutthe
caseinhisinterest。Lestrade，beingratherpuzzled，hasreferredthe
casetome，andhenceitisthattwomiddleagedgentlemenareflying
westwardatfiftymilesanhourinsteadofquietlydigestingtheir
breakfastsathome。”
“Iamafraid，“saidI，“thatthefactsaresoobviousthatyou
willfindlittlecredittobegainedoutofthiscase。”
“Thereisnothingmoredeceptivethananobviousfact，“heanswered，
laughing。“Besides，wemaychancetohituponsomeotherobviousfacts
whichmayhavebeenbynomeansobvioustoMr。Lestrade。Youknowme
toowelltothinkthatIamboastingwhenIsaythatIshalleither
confirmordestroyhistheorybymeanswhichheisquiteincapable
ofemploying，orevenofunderstanding。Totakethefirstexampleto
hand，Iveryclearlyperceivethatinyourbedroomthewindowis
upontheright-handside，andyetIquestionwhetherMr。Lestrade
wouldhavenotedevensoself-evidentathingasthat。”
“Howonearth-“
“Mydearfellow，Iknowyouwell。Iknowthemilitaryneatnesswhich
characterizesyou。Youshaveeverymorning，andinthisseasonyou
shavebythesunlight，butsinceyourshavingislessandless
completeaswegetfartherbackontheleftside，untilitbecomes
positivelyslovenlyaswegetroundtheangleofthejaw，itissurely
veryclearthatthatislessilluminatedthantheother。Icouldnot
imagineamanofyourhabitslookingathimselfinanequallight
andbeingsatisfiedwithsucharesult。Ionlyquotethisasatrivial
exampleofobservationandinference。Thereinliesmymetier，andit
isjustpossiblethatitmaybeofsomeserviceintheinvestigation
whichliesbeforeus。Thereareoneortwominorpointswhichwere
broughtoutintheinquest，andwhichareworthconsidering。”
“Whatarethey？“
“Itappearsthathisarrestdidnottakeplaceatonce，butafter
thereturntoHatherleyFarm。Ontheinspectorofconstabulary
informinghimthathewasaprisoner，heremarkedthathewasnot
surprisedtohearit，andthatitwasnomorethanhisdeserts。His
observationofhishadthenaturaleffectofremovinganytracesof
doubtwhichmighthaveremainedinthemindsofthecoroner”sjury。”
“Itwasaconfession，“Iejaculated。
“No，foritwasfollowedbyaprotestationofinnocence。”
“Comingonthetopofsuchadamningseriesofevents，itwasat
leastamostsuspiciousremark。”
“Onthecontrary，“saidHolmes，“itisthebrightestriftwhichI
canatpresentseeintheclouds。Howeverinnocenthemightbe，he
couldnotbesuchanabsoluteimbecileasnottoseethatthe
circumstanceswereveryblackagainsthim。Hadheappearedsurprised
athisownarrestorfeignedindignationatit，Ishouldhavelooked
uponitashighlysuspicious，becausesuchsurpriseorangerwouldnot
benaturalunderthecircumstances，andyetmightappeartobethe
bestpolicytoaschemingman。Hisfrankacceptanceofthesituation
markshimaseitheraninnocentman，orelseasamanof
considerableself-restraintandfirmness。Astohisremarkabouthis
deserts，itwasalsonotunnaturalifyouconsiderthathestood
besidethedeadbodyofhisfather，andthatthereisnodoubtthathe
hadthatverydaysofarforgottenhisfilialdutyastobandywords
withhim，andeven，accordingtothelittlegirlwhoseevidenceis
soimportant，toraisehishandasiftostrikehim。Theself-reproach
andcontritionwhicharedisplayedinhisremarkappeartometobe
thesignsofahealthymindratherthanofaguiltyone。”
Ishookmyhead。“Manymenhavebeenhangedonfarslighter
evidence，“Iremarked。
“Sotheyhave。Andmanymenhavebeenwrongfullyhanged。”
“Whatistheyoungman”sownaccountofthematter？“
“Itis，Iamafraid，notveryencouragingtohissupporters，
thoughthereareoneortwopointsinitwhicharesuggestive。You
willfindithere，andmayreaditforyourself。”
HepickedoutfromhisbundleacopyofthelocalHerefordshire
paper，andhavingturneddownthesheethepointedouttheparagraph
inwhichtheunfortunateyoungmanhadgivenhisownstatementofwhat
hadoccurred。Isettledmyselfdowninthecornerofthecarriage
andreaditverycarefully。Itraninthisway：
Mr。JamesMcCarthy，theonlysonofthedeceased，wasthencalled
andgaveevidenceasfollows：“Ihadbeenawayfromhomeforthree
daysatBristol，andhadonlyjustreturneduponthemorningoflast
Monday，the3rd。Myfatherwasabsentfromhomeatthetimeofmy
arrival，andIwasinformedbythemaidthathehaddrivenoverto
RosswithJohnCobb，thegroom。ShortlyaftermyreturnIheardthe
wheelsofhistrapintheyard，and，lookingoutofmywindow，Isaw
himgetoutandwalkrapidlyoutoftheyard，thoughIwasnotaware
inwhichdirectionhewasgoing。Ithentookmygunandstrolledout
inthedirectionoftheBoscombePool，withtheintentionof
visitingtherabbit-warrenwhichisupontheotherside。OnmywayI
sawWilliamCrowder，thegame-keeper，ashehadstatedinhis
evidence；butheismistakeninthinkingthatIwasfollowingmy
father。Ihadnoideathathewasinfrontofme。Whenaboutahundred
yardsfromthepoolIheardacryof”Cooee！”whichwasausualsignal
betweenmyfatherandmyself。Ithenhurriedforward，andfoundhim
standingbythepool。Heappearedtobemuchsurprisedatseeingme
andaskedmeratherroughlywhatIwasdoingthere。Aconversation
ensuedwhichledtohighwordsandalmosttoblows，formyfather
wasamanofaveryviolenttemper。Seeingthathispassionwas
becomingungovernable，IlefthimandreturnedtowardsHatherleyFarm。
Ihadnotgonemorethan150yards，however，whenIheardahideous
outcrybehindme，whichcausedmetorunbackagain。Ifoundmyfather
expiringupontheground，withhisheadterriblyinjured。Idroppedmy
gunandheldhiminmyarms，buthealmostinstantlyexpired。I
kneltbesidehimforsomeminutes，andthenmademywaytoMr。
Turner”slodge-keeper，hishousebeingthenearest，toaskfor
assistance。IsawnoonenearmyfatherwhenIreturned，andIhaveno
ideahowhecamebyhisinjuries。Hewasnotapopularman，being
somewhatcoldandforbiddinginhismanners；buthehad，asfarasI
know，noactiveenemies。Iknownothingfurtherofthematter。”
TheCoroner：Didyourfathermakeanystatementtoyoubeforehe
died？
Witness：Hemumbledafewwords，butIcouldonlycatchsome
allusiontoarat。
TheCoroner：Whatdidyouunderstandbythat？
Witness：Itconveyednomeaningtome。Ithoughtthathewas
delirious。
TheCoroner：Whatwasthepointuponwhichyouandyourfatherhad
thisfinalquarrel？
Witness：Ishouldprefernottoanswer。
TheCoroner：IamafraidthatImustpressit。
Witness：Itisreallyimpossibleformetotellyou。Icanassure
youthatithasnothingtodowiththesadtragedywhichfollowed。
TheCoroner：Thatisforthecourttodecide。Ineednotpointout
toyouthatyourrefusaltoanswerwillprejudiceyourcase
considerablyinanyfutureproceedingswhichmayarise。
Witness：Imuststillrefuse。
TheCoroner：Iunderstandthatthecryof”Cooee”wasacommon
signalbetweenyouandyourfather？
Witness：Itwas。
TheCoroner：Howwasit，then，thatheuttereditbeforehesawyou，
andbeforeheevenknewthatyouhadreturnedfromBristol？
Witnesswithconsiderableconfusion：Idonotknow。
AJuryman：Didyouseenothingwhicharousedyoursuspicionswhen
youreturnedonhearingthecryandfoundyourfatherfatallyinjured？
Witness：Nothingdefinite。
TheCoroner：Whatdoyoumean？
Witness：IwassodisturbedandexcitedasIrushedoutintothe
open，thatIcouldthinkofnothingexceptofmyfather。YetIhave
avagueimpressionthatasIranforwardsomethinglayupontheground
totheleftofme。Itseemedtometobesomethinggrayincolour，a
coatofsomesort，oraplaidperhaps。WhenIrosefrommyfatherI
lookedroundforit，butitwasgone。
“Doyoumeanthatitdisappearedbeforeyouwentforhelp？“
“Yes，itwasgone。”
“Youcannotsaywhatitwas？“
“No，Ihadafeelingsomethingwasthere。”
“Howfarfromthebody？“
“Adozenyardsorso。”
“Andhowfarfromtheedgeofthewood？“
“Aboutthesame。”
“Thenifitwasremoveditwaswhileyouwerewithinadozenyards
ofit？“
“Yes，butwithmybacktowardsit。”
Thisconcludedtheexaminationofthewitness。
“Isee，“saidIasIglanceddownthecolumn，“thatthecoronerin
hisconcludingremarkswasrathersevereuponyoungMcCarthy。Hecalls
attention，andwithreason，tothediscrepancyabouthisfatherhaving
signalledtohimbeforeseeinghim，alsotohisrefusaltogive
detailsofhisconversationwithhisfather，andhissingular
accountofhisfather”sdyingwords。Theyareall，asheremarks，very
muchagainsttheson。”
Holmeslaughedsoftlytohimselfandstretchedhimselfoutupon
thecushionedseat。“Bothyouandthecoronerhavebeenatsome
pains，“saidhe，“tosingleouttheverystrongestpointsintheyoung
man”sfavour。Don”tyouseethatyoualternatelygivehimcreditfor
havingtoomuchimaginationandtoolittle？Toolittle，ifhecould
notinventacauseofquarrelwhichwouldgivehimthesympathyofthe
jury；toomuch，ifheevolvedfromhisowninnerconsciousness
anythingsooutreasadyingreferencetoarat，andtheincidentof
thevanishingcloth。No，sir，Ishallapproachthiscasefromthe
pointofviewthatwhatthisyoungmansaysistrue，andweshall
seewhitherthathypothesiswillleadus。Andnowhereismypocket
Petrarch，andnotanotherwordshallIsayofthiscaseuntilweare
onthesceneofaction。WelunchatSwindon，andIseethatweshall
bethereintwentyminutes。”
Itwasnearlyfouro”clockwhenweatlast，afterpassingthrough
thebeautifulStroudValley，andoverthebroadgleamingSevern，found
ourselvesattheprettylittlecountry-townofRoss。Alean
ferret-likeman，furtiveandsly-looking，waswaitingforusupon
theplatform。Inspiteofthelightbrowndustcoatandleather
leggingswhichheworeindeferencetohisrusticsurroundings，I
hadnodifficultyinrecognizingLestrade，ofScotlandYard。With
himwedrovetotheHerefordArmswherearoomhadalreadybeen
engagedforus。
“Ihaveorderedacarriage，“saidLestradeaswesatoveracupof
tea。“Iknewyourenergeticnature，andthatyouwouldnotbehappy
untilyouhadbeenonthesceneofthecrime。”
“Itwasveryniceandcomplimentaryofyou，“Holmesanswered。“Itis
entirelyaquestionofbarometricpressure。”
Lestradelookedstartled。“Idonotquitefollow，“hesaid。
“Howistheglass？Twenty-nine，Isee。Nowind，andnotacloudin
thesky。Ihaveacasefulofcigarettesherewhichneedsmoking，and
thesofaisverymuchsuperiortotheusualcountryhotelabomination。
IdonotthinkthatitisprobablethatIshallusethecarriage
to-night。”
Lestradelaughedindulgently。“Youhave，nodoubt，alreadyformed
yourconclusionsfromthenewspapers，“hesaid。“Thecaseisas
plainasapikestaff，andthemoreonegoesintoittheplainerit
becomes。Still，ofcourse，onecan”trefusealady，andsuchavery
positiveone，too。Shehadheardofyou，andwouldhaveyour
opinion，thoughIrepeatedlytoldherthattherewasnothingwhichyou
coulddowhichIhadnotalreadydone。Why，blessmysoul！hereisher
carriageatthedoor。”
Hehadhardlyspokenbeforethererushedintotheroomoneofthe
mostlovelyyoungwomenthatIhaveeverseeninmylife。Herviolet
eyesshining，herlipsparted，apinkflushuponhercheeks，all
thoughtofhernaturalreservelostinheroverpoweringexcitementand
concern。
“Oh，Mr。SherlockHolmes！“shecried，glancingfromonetotheother
ofus，andfinally，withawoman”squickintuition，fasteningupon
mycompanion，“Iamsogladthatyouhavecome。Ihavedrivendown
totellyouso。IknowthatJamesdidn”tdoit。Iknowit，andI
wantyoutostartuponyourworkknowingit，too。Neverletyourself
doubtuponthatpoint。Wehaveknowneachothersincewewerelittle
children，andIknowhisfaultsasnooneelsedoes；butheistoo
tenderheartedtohurtafly。Suchachargeisabsurdtoanyonewho
reallyknowshim。”
“Ihopewemayclearhim，MissTurner，“saidSherlockHolmes。“You
mayrelyuponmydoingallthatIcan。”
“Butyouhavereadtheevidence，Youhaveformedsomeconclusion？Do
younotseesomeloophole，someflaw？Doyounotyourselfthinkthat
heisinnocent？“
“Ithinkthatitisveryprobable。”
“There，now！“shecried，throwingbackherheadandlooking
defiantlyatLestrade。“Youhear！Hegivesmehopes。”
Lestradeshruggedhisshoulders。“Iamafraidthatmycolleague
hasbeenalittlequickinforminghisconclusions，“hesaid。
“Butheisright。Oh！Iknowthatheisright。Jamesneverdidit。
Andabouthisquarrelwithhisfather，Iamsurethatthereasonwhy
hewouldnotspeakaboutittothecoronerwasbecauseIwasconcerned
init。”
“Inwhatway？“askedHolmes。
“Itisnotimeformetohideanything。Jamesandhisfatherhad
manydisagreementsaboutme。Mr。McCarthywasveryanxiousthat
thereshouldbeamarriagebetweenus。JamesandIhavealwaysloved
eachotherasbrotherandsister；butofcourseheisyoungandhas
seenverylittleoflifeyet，and-and-well，henaturallydidnot
wishtodoanythinglikethatyet。Sotherewerequarrels，andthis，I
amsure，wasoneofthem。”
“Andyourfather？“askedHolmes。“Washeinfavourofsuchaunion？“
“No，hewasaversetoitalso。NoonebutMr。McCarthywasinfavour
ofit。”AquickblushpassedoverherfreshyoungfaceasHolmes
shotoneofhiskeen，questioningglancesather。
“Thankyouforthisinformation，“saidhe。“MayIseeyourfatherif
Icalltomorrow？“
“Iamafraidthedoctorwon”tallowit。”
“Thedoctor？“
“Yes，haveyounotheard？Poorfatherhasneverbeenstrongfor
yearsback，butthishasbrokenhimdowncompletely。Hehastakento
hisbed，andDr。Willowssaysthatheisawreckandthathis
nervoussystemisshattered。Mr。McCarthywastheonlymanalivewho
hadknowndadintheolddaysinVictoria。”
“Ha！InVictoria！Thatisimportant。”
“Yes，atthemines。”
“Quiteso；atthegold-mines，where，asIunderstand，Mr。Turner
madehismoney。”
“Yes，certainly。”
“Thankyou，MissTurner。Youhavebeenofmaterialassistanceto
me。”
“Youwilltellmeifyouhaveanynewsto-morrow。Nodoubtyou
willgototheprisontoseeJames。Oh，ifyoudo，Mr。Holmes，dotell
himthatIknowhimtobeinnocent。”
“Iwill，MissTurner。”
“Imustgohomenow，fordadisveryill，andhemissesmesoifI
leavehim。Good-bye，andGodhelpyouinyourundertaking。”She
hurriedfromtheroomasimpulsivelyasshehadentered，andwe
heardthewheelsofhercarriagerattleoffdownthestreet。
“Iamashamedofyou，Holmes，“saidLestradewithdignityaftera
fewminutes”silence。“Whyshouldyouraiseuphopeswhichyouare
boundtodisappoint？Iamnotover-tenderofheart，butIcallit
cruel。”
“IthinkthatIseemywaytoclearingJamesMcCarthy，“saidHolmes。
“Haveyouanordertoseehiminprison？“
“Yes，butonlyforyouandme。”
“ThenIshallreconsidermyresolutionaboutgoingout。Wehave
stilltimetotakeatraintoHerefordandseehimto-night？“
“Ample。”
“Thenletusdoso。Watson，Ifearthatyouwillfinditvery
slow，butIshallonlybeawayacoupleofhours。”
Iwalkeddowntothestationwiththem，andthenwanderedthrough
thestreetsofthelittletown，finallyreturningtothehotel，
whereIlayuponthesofaandtriedtointerestmyselfina
yellow-backednovel。Thepunyplotofthestorywassothin，
however，whencomparedtothedeepmysterythroughwhichwewere
groping，andIfoundmyattentionwandersocontinuallyfromthe
fictiontothefact，thatIatlastflungitacrosstheroomand
gavemyselfupentirelytoaconsiderationoftheeventsoftheday。
Supposingthatthisunhappyyoungman”sstorywereabsolutelytrue，
thenwhathellishthing，whatabsolutelyunforeseenand
extraordinarycalamitycouldhaveoccurredbetweenthetimewhenhe
partedfromhisfather，andthemomentwhen，drawnbackbyhis
screams，herushedintotheglade？Itwassomethingterribleand
deadly。Whatcoulditbe？Mightnotthenatureoftheinjuries
revealsomethingtomymedicalinstincts？Irangthebellandcalled
fortheweeklycountypaper，whichcontainedaverbatimaccountofthe
inquest。Inthesurgeon”sdepositionitwasstatedthatthe
posteriorthirdoftheleftparietalboneandthelefthalfofthe
occipitalbonehadbeenshatteredbyaheavyblowfromabluntweapon。
Imarkedthespotuponmyownhead。Clearlysuchablowmusthavebeen
struckfrombehind。Thatwastosomeextentinfavourofthe
accused，aswhenseenquarrellinghewasfacetofacewithhisfather。
Still，itdidnotgoforverymuch，fortheoldermanmighthave
turnedhisbackbeforetheblowfell。Still，itmightbeworthwhile
tocallHolmes”sattentiontoit。Thentherewasthepeculiardying
referencetoarat。Whatcouldthatmean？Itcouldnotbedelirium。
Amandyingfromasuddenblowdoesnotcommonlybecomedelirious。No，
itwasmorelikelytobeanattempttoexplainhowhemethisfate。
Butwhatcoulditindicate？Icudgelledmybrainstofindsome
possibleexplanation。Andthentheincidentofthegrayclothseen
byyoungMcCarthy。Ifthatweretruethemurderermusthavedropped
somepartofhisdress，presumablyhisovercoat，inhisflightand
musthavehadthehardihoodtoreturnandtocarryitawayatthe
instantwhenthesonwaskneelingwithhisbackturnednotadozen
pacesoff。Whatatissueofmysteriesandimprobabilitiesthewhole
thingwas！IdidnotwonderatLestrade”sopinion，andyetIhadso
muchfaithinSherlockHolmes”sinsightthatIcouldnotlosehope
aslongaseveryfreshfactseemedtostrengthenhisconvictionof
youngMcCarthy”sinnocence。
ItwaslatebeforeSherlockHolmesreturned。Hecamebackalone，for
Lestradewasstayinginlodgingsinthetown。
“Theglassstillkeepsveryhigh，“heremarkedashesatdown。“It
isofimportancethatitshouldnotrainbeforeweareabletogoover
theground。Ontheotherhand，amanshouldbeathisverybestand
keenestforsuchniceworkasthat，andIdidnotwishtodoitwhen
faggedbyalongjourney。IhaveseenyoungMcCarthy。”
“Andwhatdidyoulearnfromhim？“
“Nothing。”
“Couldhethrownolight？“
“Noneatall。Iwasinclinedtothinkatonetimethatheknewwho
haddoneitandwasscreeninghimorher，butIamconvincednow
thatheisaspuzzledaseveryoneelse。Heisnotavery
quick-wittedyouth，thoughcomelytolookatand，Ishouldthink，
soundatheart。”
“Icannotadmirehistaste，“Iremarked，“ifitisindeedafact
thathewasaversetoamarriagewithsocharmingayoungladyasthis
MissTurner。”
“Ah，therebyhangsaratherpainfultale。Thisfellowismadly，
insanely，inlovewithher，butsometwoyearsago，whenhewasonlya
lad，andbeforehereallyknewher，forshehadbeenawayfiveyears
ataboarding-school，whatdoestheidiotdobutgetintotheclutches
ofabarmaidinBristolandmarryherataregistryoffice？Noone
knowsawordofthematter，butyoucanimaginehowmaddeningit
mustbetohimtobeupbraidedfornotdoingwhathewouldgivehis
veryeyestodo，butwhatheknowstobeabsolutelyimpossible。Itwas
sheerfrenzyofthissortwhichmadehimthrowhishandsupintothe
airwhenhisfather，attheirlastinterview，wasgoadinghimonto
proposetoMissTurner。Ontheotherhand，hehadnomeansof
supportinghimself，andhisfather，whowasbyallaccountsavery
hardman，wouldhavethrownhimoverutterlyhadheknownthetruth。
Itwaswithhisbarmaidwifethathehadspentthelastthreedays
inBristol，andhisfatherdidnotknowwherehewas。Markthatpoint。
Itisofimportance。Goodhascomeoutofevil，however，forthe
barmaid，findingfromthepapersthatheisinserioustroubleand
likelytobehanged，hasthrownhimoverutterlyandhaswrittento
himtosaythatshehasahusbandalreadyintheBermudaDockyard，
sothatthereisreallynotiebetweenthem。Ithinkthatofnews
hasconsoledyoungMcCarthyforallthathehassuffered。”
“Butifheisinnocent，whohasdoneit？“
“Ah！who？Iwouldcallyourattentionveryparticularlytotwo
points。Oneisthatthemurderedmanhadanappointmentwithsomeone
atthepool，andthatthesomeonecouldnothavebeenhisson，forhis
sonwasaway，andhedidnotknowwhenhewouldreturn。Thesecond
isthatthemurderedmanwasheardtocry”Cooee！”beforeheknewthat
hissonhadreturned。Thosearethecrucialpointsuponwhichthecase
depends。AndnowletustalkaboutGeorgeMeredith，ifyouplease，and
weshallleaveallminormattersuntilto-morrow。”
Therewasnorain，asHolmeshadforetold，andthemorningbroke
brightandcloudless。Atnineo”clockLestradecalledforuswith
thecarriage，andwesetoffforHatherleyFarmandtheBoscombePool。
“Thereisseriousnewsthismorning，“Lestradeobserved。“Itissaid
thatMr。Turner，oftheHall，issoillthathislifeisdespaired
of。”
“Anelderlyman，Ipresume？“saidHolmes。
“Aboutsixty；buthisconstitutionhasbeenshatteredbyhislife
abroad，andhehasbeeninfailinghealthforsometime。Thisbusiness
hashadaverybadeffectuponhim。Hewasanoldfriendof
McCarthy”s，and，Imayadd，agreatbenefactortohim，forIhave
learnedthathegavehimHatherleyFarmrentfree。”
“Indeed！Thatisinteresting，“saidHolmes。
“Oh，yes！Inahundredotherwayshehashelpedhim。Everybodyabout
herespeaksofhiskindnesstohim。”
“Really！Doesitnotstrikeyouasalittlesingularthatthis
McCarthy，whoappearstohavehadlittleofhisown，andtohave
beenundersuchobligationstoTurner，shouldstilltalkofmarrying
hissontoTurner”sdaughter，whois，presumably，heiresstothe
estate，andthatinsuchaverycocksuremanner，asifitwere
merelyacaseofaproposalandallelsewouldfollow？Itisthe
morestrange，sinceweknowthatTurnerhimselfwasaversetothe
idea。Thedaughtertoldusasmuch。Doyounotdeducesomethingfrom
that？“
“Wehavegottothedeductionsandtheinferences，“saidLestrade，
winkingatme。“Ifindithardenoughtotacklefacts，Holmes，without
flyingawayaftertheoriesandfancies。”
“Youareright，“saidHolmesdemurely，“youdofinditveryhard
totacklethefacts。”
“Anyhow，Ihavegraspedonefactwhichyouseemtofinditdifficult
togetholdof，“repliedLestradewithsomewarmth。
“Andthatis-“
“ThatMcCarthyseniormethisdeathfromMcCarthyjuniorandthat
alltheoriestothecontraryarethemerestmoonshine。”
“Well，moonshineisabrighterthingthanfog，“saidHolmes，
laughing。“ButIamverymuchmistakenifthisisnotHatherleyFarm
upontheleft。”
“Yes，thatisit。”Itwasawidespread，comfortable-looking
building，two-storied，slate-roofed，withgreatyellowblotchesof
lichenuponthegraywalls。Thedrawnblindsandthesmokeless
chimneys，however，gaveitastrickenlook，asthoughtheweightof
thishorrorstilllayheavyuponit。Wecalledatthedoor，whenthe
maid，atHolmes”srequest，showedusthebootswhichhermasterwore
atthetimeofhisdeath，andalsoapairoftheson”s，thoughnotthe
pairwhichhehadthenhad。Havingmeasuredtheseverycarefully
fromsevenoreightdifferentpoints，Holmesdesiredtobeledto
thecourt-yard，fromwhichweallfollowedthewindingtrackwhichled
toBoscombePool。
SherlockHolmeswastransformedwhenhewashotuponsuchascentas
this。MenwhohadonlyknownthequietthinkerandlogicianofBaker
Streetwouldhavefailedtorecognizehim。Hisfaceflushedand
darkened。Hisbrowsweredrawnintotwohardblacklines，whilehis
eyesshoneoutfrombeneaththemwithasteelyglitter。Hisfacewas
bentdownward，hisshouldersbowed，hislipscompressed，andtheveins
stoodoutlikewhipcordinhislong，sinewyneck。Hisnostrils
seemedtodilatewithapurelyanimallustforthechase，andhismind
wassoabsolutelyconcentrateduponthematterbeforehimthata
questionorremarkfellunheededuponhisears，or，atthemost，
onlyprovokedaquick，impatientsnarlinreply。Swiftlyand
silentlyhemadehiswayalongthetrackwhichranthroughthe
meadows，andsobywayofthewoodstotheBoscombePool。Itwasdamp，
marshyground，asisallthatdistrict，andthereweremarksofmany
feet，bothuponthepathandamidtheshortgrasswhichboundedit
oneitherside。SometimesHolmeswouldhurryon，sometimesstop
dead，andoncehemadequitealittledetourintothemeadow。Lestrade
andIwalkedbehindhim，thedetectiveindifferentandcontemptuous，
whileIwatchedmyfriendwiththeinterestwhichsprangfromthe
convictionthateveryoneofhisactionswasdirectedtowardsa
definiteend。
TheBoscombePool，whichisalittlereed-girtsheetofwatersome
fiftyyardsacross，issituatedattheboundarybetweenthe
HatherleyFarmandtheprivateparkofthewealthyMr。Turner。Above
thewoodswhichlinedituponthefarthersidewecouldseethered，
juttingpinnacleswhichmarkedthesiteoftherichlandowner”s
dwelling。OntheHatherleysideofthepoolthewoodsgrewverythick，
andtherewasanarrowbeltofsoddengrasstwentypacesacross
betweentheedgeofthetreesandthereedswhichlinedthelake。
Lestradeshowedustheexactspotatwhichthebodyhadbeenfound，
and，indeed，somoistwastheground，thatIcouldplainlyseethe
traceswhichhadbeenleftbythefallofthestrickenman。ToHolmes，
asIcouldseebyhiseagerfaceandpeeringeyes，verymanyother
thingsweretobereaduponthetrampledgrass。Heranround，likea
dogwhoispickingupascent，andthenturneduponmycompanion。
“Whatdidyougointothepoolfor？“heasked。
“Ifishedaboutwitharake。Ithoughttheremightbesomeweaponor
othertrace。Buthowonearth-“
“Oh，tut，tut！Ihavenotime！Thatleftfootofyourswithits
inwardtwistisallovertheplace。Amolecouldtraceit，andthere
itvanishesamongthereeds。Oh，howsimpleitwouldallhavebeenhad
Ibeenherebeforetheycamelikeaherdofbuffaloandwallowedall
overit。Hereiswherethepartywiththelodge-keepercame，and
theyhavecoveredalltracksforsixoreightfeetroundthebody。But
herearethreeseparatetracksofthesamefeet。”Hedrewoutalens
andlaydownuponhiswaterprooftohaveabetterview，talkingall
thetimetohimselfratherthantous。“TheseareyoungMcCarthy”s
feet。Twicehewaswalking，andonceheranswiftly，sothatthesoles
aredeeplymarkedandtheheelshardlyvisible。Thatbearsouthis
story。Heranwhenhesawhisfatherontheground。Thenhereare
thefather”sfeetashepacedupanddown。Whatisthis，then？Itis
thebutt-endofthegunasthesonstoodlistening。Andthis？Ha，
ha！Whathavewehere？Tiptoes！tiptoes！Square，too，quiteunusual
boots！Theycome，theygo，theycomeagainofcoursethatwasfor
thecloak。Nowwheredidtheycomefrom？“Heranupanddown，
sometimeslosing，sometimesfindingthetrackuntilwewerewell
withintheedgeofthewoodandundertheshadowofagreatbeech，the
largesttreeintheneighbourhood。Holmestracedhiswaytothe
farthersideofthisandlaydownoncemoreuponhisfacewitha
littlecryofsatisfaction。Foralongtimeheremainedthere，turning
overtheleavesanddriedsticks，gatheringupwhatseemedtometobe
dustintoanenvelopeandexaminingwithhislensnotonlythe
groundbuteventhebarkofthetreeasfarashecouldreach。A
jaggedstonewaslyingamongthemoss，andthisalsohecarefully
examinedandretained。Thenhefollowedapathwaythroughthewood
untilhecametothehighroad，wherealltraceswerelost。
“Ithasbeenacaseofconsiderableinterest，“heremarked，
returningtohisnaturalmanner。“Ifancythatthisgrayhouseon
therightmustbethelodge。IthinkthatIwillgoinandhaveaword
withMoran，andperhapswritealittlenote。Havingdonethat，we
maydrivebacktoourluncheon。Youmaywalktothecab，andIshall
bewithyoupresently。”
Itwasabouttenminutesbeforeweregainedourcabanddroveback
intoRoss，Holmesstillcarvingwithhimthestonewhichhehadpicked
upinthewood。
“Thismayinterestyou，Lestrade，“heremarked，holdingitout。“The
murderwasdonewithit。”
“Iseenomarks。”
“Therearenone。”
“Howdoyouknow，then？“
“Thegrasswasgrowingunderit。Ithadonlylainthereafew
days。Therewasnosignofaplacewhenceithadbeentaken。It
correspondswiththeinjuries。Thereisnosignofanyotherweapon。”
“Andthemurderer？“
“Isatallman，left-handed，limpswiththerightleg，wears
thick-soledshootingbootsandagraycloak，smokesIndiancigars，
usesacigar-holder，andcarriesabluntpen-knifeinhispocket。
Thereareseveralotherindications，butthesemaybeenoughtoaidus
inoursearch。”
Lestradelaughed。“IamafraidthatIamstillasceptic，“he
said。“Theoriesareallverywell，butwehavetodealwitha
hard-headedBritishjury。”
“Nousverrons，“answeredHolmescalmly。“Youworkyourownmethod，
andIshallworkmine。Ishallbebusythisafternoon，andshall
probablyreturntoLondonbytheeveningtrain。”
“Andleaveyourcaseunfinished？“
“No，finished。”
“Butthemystery？“
“Itissolved。”
“Whowasthecriminal，then？“
“ThegentlemanIdescribe。”
“Butwhoishe？“
“Surelyitwouldnotbedifficulttofindout。Thisisnotsucha
populousneighbourhood。”
Lestradeshruggedhisshoulders。“Iamapracticalman，“hesaid，
“andIreallycannotundertaketogoaboutthecountrylookingfora
left-handedgentlemanwithagame-leg。Ishouldbecomethe
laughing-stockofScotlandYard。”
“Allright，“saidHolmesquietly。“Ihavegivenyouthechance。Here
areyourlodgings。Good-bye。IshalldropyoualinebeforeIleave。”
HavingleftLestradeathisrooms，wedrovetoourhotel，wherewe
foundlunchuponthetable。Holmeswassilentandburiedinthought
withapainedexpressionuponhisface，asonewhofindshimselfin
aperplexingposition。
“Lookhere，Watson，“hesaidwhentheclothwascleared；“justsit
downinthischairandletmepreachtoyouforalittle。Idon”tknow
quitewhattodo，andIshouldvalueyouradvice。Lightacigarand
letmeexpound。”
“Praydoso。”
“Well，now，inconsideringthiscasetherearetwopointsabout
youngMcCarthy”snarrativewhichstruckusbothinstantly，although
theyimpressedmeinhisfavourandyouagainsthim。Onewasthe
factthathisfathershould，accordingtohisaccount，cry”Cooee！”
beforeseeinghim。Theotherwashissingulardyingreferencetoa
rat。Hemumbledseveralwords，youunderstand，butthatwasallthat
caughttheson”sear。Nowfromthisdoublepointourresearchmust
commence，andwewillbeginitbypresumingthatwhattheladsays
isabsolutelytrue。”
“Whatofthis”Cooee！”then？“
“Well，obviouslyitcouldnothavebeenmeantfortheson。The
son，asfarasheknew，wasinBristol。Itwasmerechancethathewas
withinearshot。The”Cooee！”wasmeanttoattracttheattentionof
whoeveritwasthathehadtheappointmentwith。But”Cooee”isa
distinctlyAustraliancry，andonewhichisusedbetween
Australians。Thereisastrongpresumptionthatthepersonwhom
McCarthyexpectedtomeethimatBoscombePoolwassomeonewhohad
beeninAustralia。”
“Whatoftherat，then？“
SherlockHolmestookafoldedpaperfromhispocketandflattenedit
outonthetable。“ThisisamapoftheColonyofVictoria，“he
said。“IwiredtoBristolforitlastnight。”Heputhishandover
partofthemap。“Whatdoyouread？“
“ARAT，“Iread。
“Andnow？“Heraisedhishand。
“BALLARAT。”
“Quiteso。Thatwasthewordthemanuttered，andofwhichhisson
onlycaughtthelasttwosyllables。Hewastryingtoutterthenameof
hismurderer。Soandso，ofBallarat。”
“Itiswonderful！“Iexclaimed。
“Itisobvious。Andnow，yousee，Ihadnarrowedthefielddown
considerably。Thepossessionofagraygarmentwasathirdpoint
which，grantingtheson”sstatementtobecorrect，wasacertainty。We
havecomenowoutofmerevaguenesstothedefiniteconceptionofan
AustralianfromBallaratwithagraycloak。”
“Certainly。”
“Andonewhowasathomeinthedistrict，forthepoolcanonlybe
approachedbythefarmorbytheestate，wherestrangerscould
hardlywander。”
“Quiteso。”
“Thencomesourexpeditionofto-day。Byanexaminationofthe
groundIgainedthetriflingdetailswhichIgavetothatimbecile
Lestrade，astothepersonalityofthecriminal。”
“Buthowdidyougainthem？“
“Youknowmymethod。Itisfoundedupontheobservationoftrifles。”
“HisheightIknowthatyoumightroughlyjudgefromthelengthof
hisstride。Hisboots，too，mightbetoldfromtheirtraces。”
“Yes，theywerepeculiarboots。”
“Buthislameness？“
“Theimpressionofhisrightfootwasalwayslessdistinctthan
hisleft。Heputlessweightuponit。Why？Becausehelimped-hewas
lame。”
“Buthisleft-handedness。”
“Youwereyourselfstruckbythenatureoftheinjuryasrecordedby
thesurgeonattheinquest。Theblowwasstruckfromimmediately
behind，andyetwasupontheleftside。Now，howcanthatbeunlessit
werebyaleft-handedman？Hehadstoodbehindthattreeduringthe
interviewbetweenthefatherandson。Hehadevensmokedthere。I
foundtheashofacigar，whichmyspecialknowledgeoftobacco
ashesenablesmetopronounceasanIndiancigar。Ihave，asyouknow，
devotedsomeattentiontothis，andwrittenalittlemonographon
theashesof140differentvarietiesofpipe，cigar，andcigarette
tobacco。Havingfoundtheash，Ithenlookedroundanddiscovered
thestumpamongthemosswherehehadtossedit。ItwasanIndian
cigar，ofthevarietywhicharerolledinRotterdam。”
“Andthecigar-holder？“
“Icouldseethattheendhadnotbeeninhismouth。Thereforehe
usedaholder。Thetiphadbeencutoffnotbittenoff，butthecut
wasnotacleanone，soIdeducedabluntpen-knife。”
“Holmes，“Isaid，“youhavedrawnanetroundthismanfromwhichhe
cannotescape，andyouhavesavedaninnocenthumanlifeastrulyas
ifyouhadcutthecordwhichwashanginghim。Iseethedirection
inwhichallthispoints。Theculpritis-“
“Mr。JohnTurner，“criedthehotelwaiter，openingthedoorofour
sitting-room，andusheringinavisitor。
Themanwhoenteredwasastrangeandimpressivefigure。Hisslow，
limpingstepandbowedshouldersgavetheappearanceofdecrepitude，
andyethishard，deep-lined，craggyfeatures，andhisenormous
limbsshowedthathewaspossessedofunusualstrengthofbodyand
ofcharacter。Histangledbeard，grizzledhair，andoutstanding，
droopingeyebrowscombinedtogiveanairofdignityandpowerto
hisappearance，buthisfacewasofanashenwhite，whilehislipsand
thecornersofhisnostrilsweretingedwithashadeofblue。Itwas
cleartomeataglancethathewasinthegripofsomedeadlyand
chronicdisease。
“Praysitdownonthesofa，“saidHolmesgently。“Youhadmynote？“
“Yes，thelodge-keeperbroughtitup。Yousaidthatyouwishedto
seemeheretoavoidscandal。”
“IthoughtpeoplewouldtalkifIwenttotheHall。”
“Andwhydidyouwishtoseeme？“Helookedacrossatmycompanion
withdespairinhiswearyeyes，asthoughhisquestionwasalready
answered。
“Yes，“saidHolmes，answeringthelookratherthanthewords。“Itis
so。IknowallaboutMcCarthy。”
Theoldmansankhisfaceinhishands。“Godhelpme！“hecried。
“ButIwouldnothavelettheyoungmancometoharm。Igiveyoumy
wordthatIwouldhavespokenoutifitwentagainsthimatthe
Assizes。”
“Iamgladtohearyousayso，“saidHolmesgravely。
“Iwouldhavespokennowhaditnotbeenformydeargirl。It
wouldbreakherheart-itwillbreakherheartwhenshehearsthatIam
arrested。”
“Itmaynotcometothat，“saidHolmes。
“What？“
“Iamnoofficialagent。Iunderstandthatitwasyourdaughter
whorequiredmypresencehere，andIamactinginherinterests。Young
McCarthymustbegotoff，however。”
“Iamadyingman，“saidoldTurner。“Ihavehaddiabetesforyears。
MydoctorsaysitisaquestionwhetherIshallliveamonth。YetI
wouldratherdieundermyownroofthaninajail。”
Holmesroseandsatdownatthetablewithhispeninhishandanda
bundleofpaperbeforehim。“Justtellusthetruth，“hesaid。“I
shalljotdownthefacts。Youwillsignit，andWatsonherecan
witnessit。ThenIcouldproduceyourconfessionatthelastextremity
tosaveyoungMcCarthy。IpromiseyouthatIshallnotuseitunless
itisabsolutelyneeded。”