The evening world. Newspaper, April 15, 1905, Page 13

4 THE WORLD: SATURDAY im left to me, - Holmes Had it @ clasrette, and was shooting little darting glanceg al) er the room, “Tobacco aid my work, but now ohly tobacco,” the old man ex¢lain'.d, “Alos! what a fatal interruption! Who could have foreseen such a ter- ible catastrophe? So estimable a young man! I sssure you that ifte: a few months’ training he was an admirable assistant, What do you think of the matter, Mr. Holmes?” "T have not yet made up my mind,” “I snall indoed be indebted to you if you can throw a light where all {8 290 dark to us, To a poor hookworm and invalid like myself, stich a blow is Paraly.ing. 1 seem to have lost the facility of thought. But you are a mai of action—you are a man of affairs. It is patt of the everyday Hiutine o| your life You cun preserve your balance in every emergency. We ite fortt- hate, Indeed, in having you at our side.” Holmes was pacing up and down one side of the room whilst the old Professor was talking. 1 observed that he was smoking with @xtraordinary rapidity. 1t was evident that he shared our host's Itking for the fresh Alex- andrian cigarettes, “Yes, sir, {tia a cruehing blow,” sald the old man, “That is my mag- nun opus—the pile of papers on the aide table yonder. Tt 1 my anaiysis of the dociments found In the Coptic monasteries of Syria and Egypt, a work which will cut deep at the very foundation of revealed religion, With my enfeebied health | do not know whether I shall ever be able to complete It, now that my assistant has been taken from me, Dear me, Mr. Holmes; why, you are even a quicker smoker than [am myself.” smiled, wack connoisseur," said he, taking another cigarette from ihe Dea his fourth—and lighting it from the stub of that which he bed finis ie 5 will not trouble you with any lengthy cross-examination, Prctessor Coram, 2 | in bed at the time of the crime, and could know since | gather (hat you were nothing about it. I would only ask this. What do you imagine that this poor fellow meant by his last worae: The Professor--It was she? Professor shook nis head. fi Mean GOUSERY girl,” said he, “and you know the incredible stup de ity of that class. I fancy that the poor fellow murmured some incoherent, delirious words, and that she twisted them into this meaningless message. “T gee, You have no explanation yourself of the tragedy?” “Possibly an accident; possibly—I only breathe tt among ourselves—a suicide. Young men have their hidden troubles—some affalr of the heart, per haps, which we have never known. It 18 a more probable supposition than murder,” “Tut the eye-glasses?"’ “ah! | am only a student—a man of dreams. I cannot explain the practical things of life. But still, we are aware, my friend, that love-gages may take strange shapes. By all means take another cigarette. It ts a pleasure to see any one appreciate them so, A fan, a glove, glasses—who knows what article may be carried as a token or treasured when a man puts an end to his Hfe? This gentleman speaks of footsteps in the grass; but, after all, it 1s easy to be mistaken on such a point. As to the knife, it might well |e thrown far froin the unfortunate man as he fell. It is possible that { speak as a child, but to me it seems that Willoughby Smith has met h's fate by his own hand.” Holmes seemed struck by the theory thus put forward, and he continued to walk up and down for some time, lost in thought and consuming elairette after cigarette, “Yell me, Professor Coram," he said at last, ‘what is in that cupboard in the bureau?! “Nothing that would help a thief. Family papers, letters from my poor wis, diplowas of universities which have done me honor, Here is the key. You can look for yourself,” Holmes pleked up the key, and looked at it for an Instant; then he handed ijt back. “No, I hardly think that it would help me,” said he. “I should prefer to go quietly down to your garden and turn tho whoie matter over in my head, There is something to be rald for the theory of suicide which you have put forward. We must Apologize for having intruded upon you, Prof, Coram, and T promise that we won't disturb you until after lunch. At 2 o'clock we will come again and report to you anything which may have happened in the Interval.” Holmes was curlously distrait, and we walked up and down the garden path for some time in silence. ' “Have you a clue?” I asked at last. “It depends upon those cigarettes that I smoked." said he. “It is possible that [am utterly mistaken, The cigarettes will show me." “My dear Holmes,” I exclaimed, “how on earth"—— “Well, well, you may see for yourself, If not, there's no harm done, Of course we always have the optician clue to fall back upon, but I take a short cut when I can get it. Ah, here is the good Mrs. Marker! Let us en- Joy five minutes of instructive conversation with her.” I may have remarked before that Holmes had, when he liked, a pecu- larly ingratiating way with women, and that he very readily established terms of confidence with them, In half the time which he had named he had captured the housekeeper’s goodwill and was chatting with her as if he had known her for years, “Yes, Mr. Holmes, It is as you say, sir. rible. All day and sometimes all night, sir. I've seen that room of a morn- {ng—well, sir, you'd have thought it was a London fog. Poor young Mr Smith, he was a smoker also, but not as bad as the Professor, His health— well, I don't know that it’s better for the smoking.” “Ah!” sald Holmes, ‘but It kills the appetite.” “Well, I don’t know about that, sir.” “J suppose the Professor eats hardly anything?” “Well, he {s variable. I'll say that for him.” “I'll wager he took no breakfast this morning, ap@ won't face his lunch after all the cigarettes I saw him consume,” “Well, you're out there, sir, as it happens, for he ate a remarkable big breakfast this morning. I don’t know when I've known him to make a better one, and he's ordered a good dish of cutlets for his lunch, I'm sur- He does smoke something ter- prised myself, for since I came into that room yesterday and saw young Mr. Smith lying there on the floor 1 couldn't bear to look at food. Well, it takes au sorts to make a world, and the Professor hasn't let it take his appetite away.” We lvitered the morning away in the garden, Stanley Hopkins had gone down to the village ty look into some rumors of a strange woman who had been seen by some children on the Chatham road the previous morning. As to my friend, all his usual energy seemed to have deserted him, [ had never known him to handle a case in such a half-hearted fashion, Pven the news brought back by Hopkins that he had found the children, @nd that they had undoubtedly seen a Woman exactly corresponding with Holmes's description, and wearing either spectacles or eye-glasses, failed to rouse any sign of keen interest. He Was more attentive when Susan, who waited tipon ts at lunch, volunteered the information that she believed Mr. Snilth had been out for a walk yesterday morning, and that he had only re- turnéd hal? an hour before the tragedy occurred. I could not myself see the bearing on this jncident, but I clearly perceived that Holmes was weaving it into the general scheme which he had formed !n his brain. Suddenly he Sprang from his chair and glanced @t his watch. “Two o'clock, gentlemen,” said he. “We must go up and have it out with our friend, the Professor,” The old man had just finished his lunch, and certainly his empty dish bore evidence to the good appetite with which his housekeeper had cred- ited him, lie was, indeed, a weird ficure as he turned his white mane and his glowing eyes toward us. The eternal cigarette smouldered in hiv mouth, He had been dressed and was seated In an armehair by the fire. Il, Mr. Holmes, have you solved this mystery yet?” He shoved he large tin of cigarettes which stood on a table beside him toward my com- yanion, Holmes stretched out his hand at the same moment, and between them they tipned the box over the edge, For a minute or two we were all on our knees retrieving stray cig- Areties from impossible places, When we arose aguin I observed Holines's eyes wore shining and his cheeks tinged with color. Only at a crisis have 1 seen those battle-signals flying “Yes,” said he, "I have solved it.” Stanley Hopkins and | stared in amazement, Something like a sneer qulvered over the gaunt features of the old Professor. “Indeed! In the garden?” “No, here," “Here! When?” “This instant.” “Yon are surely joking, Mr. Sher: lock Holmes, Yoii compel me to tell you that this 1@ too serfous a matter to bo treated in such a fashion.” “I have forged and tested every link of my chain, Professor Coram, and I am sure that it 1s sound. What your motives are, or what exact patt you play in this strange business, I am not yet able to say. In a few minutes I shall probably hear it from your own lips. Meanwhile I will re- constrict what is past for your bene- fit, so that you tay know the infor- mation which I atill require. “A lady V Aish ited entered your study, Bhe Ciitie with the intention of po fhetself of certain docu- ents which were in your bureau. Shoe ad 4 key of her owh. I have had an opportunity to éxaminé yours, and I do not find that slight discoloration which the scratch made upon the var- nish would have produced, You were not an accessory, therefore, and she came, 80 far a8 I can read the evidence, without your knowledge to rob you.” ; The Professor blew a oloud from his lips. ‘This {s most interesting and instructive,” sald he, “Have you no more to add? Surely, having traved this lady so far, you can also say what has become of her.” “I will endeavor to do so. In the first place, she was seized by your secretary, and atabhed him in order to escape. This catastrophe Iyam In- clined to regard as an unhappy aceident, for I am convinced that the lady had no intention of inflicting so grievous an injury, An assassin does not come unarmed, Horrifled by What she had done, she rushed wildly from the scene of the tragedy. Unfortunately for her, she had lost her glasses in the sevffle, and as she was extremely shortsighted, she was really helpless with- out them. She ran own a corridor, which she imagined to be that by which she had come—both were lined with cocoanut matting—and it was only when {t was too late that she understood that she had taken the wrong passage and that her fétrent was cut off cehind her. What was she to do? She could not go b&ek, She could not remain where she was, She must go on. She went on, SHé mounted a stair, pushed open a door and found herself i your room.” The old man sat with his mouth open, staring wildly at Holmes, Amaze- ment and fear were stamped upon his expressive features. Now, with an effort, he shrugged his shoulders and burst into Insincere !aughter, “AN very fine, Mr, Holmes,” sald he. “But there is one little flaw in your splendid theory, I was thyself in my room and I never left it during vhe day.” “Tam aware of that, Professor Coram.” AN EVENING, APRIL 15, 1905. “And you mean to say that I could ie upon that bed and not be aware that a woman had entered my room?” “I never said so, You were aware of It, recognized her, You aided her to estpe,” Again the Professor burst into high-keyed laughter. his feet, and his eyes glowed like embers, “You are mad!” he cried, “You are talking insanely, escape? Where is she now?” i, “She is there,” sald Holmes, and he pointed to a high bookcase In thé corner of the room, I saw the old man throw up his arms, a terfible convulsion passed over his grim face, and he fell back in his chair, At the same instant the book- case at which Hoimcs poi.ted swung rouna upon a hinge, and a woman rushed out Into the room, “You are right!" she cried, in a strange, foreign voice, “You are right! [| am here.” She was brown with the dust and draped with the cobwebs which had come from the walls of her hidihg-place. Her face, too, was streaked with grime, and at best se could never have been handsome, for she had the exact physical characteristics which Holmes had diyined, with, in addition, a long and obstinate chin, What with her natural blindness, and You spoke with her, You He had risen to T helped her to what with the citange from dark to light, she stood as one dazed, biluking about ‘her to see where and who we were. And yet, In spite of all these disadvantages, there was a certain nobility In the woman's hearing—a gallantry in the deflant chin and tr the upraised head whieh compelled something of respect and admiration, Stanley Hopkins liad laid his hand upon her arm and claimed her as his prisoner, but the waved him aside gently, und yet with an overmaster- ing Menity which compelled obedi- ence, The old man lay bick in his chair with a twitching face and stared at her with brooding eyes. “Yes, sir, 1am your prisoner,” she sald, “From where I stood T could hear éyerything, and I know that you have Jearned the truth, T confess {1 all, {twas T who killed the younz man, But you are right—you who say it was an accident. 1 did not even know that it was a knife which held in my hand, for in my despair 1 snatched anything from the table and struck at him to make him let me go, It is the truth that 1 tell.” “Madam,” said Holmes, sure that ft is the truth, you are far from well" She had turned a dreadful color, the more ghastly under the dark dust streaks upon her face, She seated herself on the side of the bed; then she resumed: ‘T have only a little time here,” she sald, “but T would have you to know the whole truth, I am this man’s wife, He is not an English- man. He is a Russian, His name I will not tell.’ For the first time the old man stirred, ‘God bless you, Anna!” he cried. “God bless you!” She cast a look of the deepest disdain in his direction, ‘Why should you cling so hard to that wretched life of yours, Sergius?” said she, ‘It has done harm to many, and good to none—not even to youreelf, However, it Is not for me to cause the frail T have enough already upon my But I must, speak “Tam I fear that qf. Seated by the Fire. thread to be snapped before God's time. soul since I crossed the threshold of this cursed house. or I shall be too late, “T have sald, gentlemen, that 1 am this man’s wife. He was fifty and I.a foolish girl of twenty when we married, It was in a city of Russia, a university-—I will not name the place,” “God bless you, Anna!" murmured the old man again, “We were reformers—revolutionists, Nihilists, you understand. He and J and many more. Then there came & time of trouble, a police officer was killed, many were arrested, evidence was wanted, and in order to save his own life and to earn a great reward, my husband betrayed his own wife and his companions, ‘Yes, we were all arrested upon his confession, Some of us fdund our way to the gallows, and some to Siberia, I was among theso last, but my term was not for life. My husband came to England with all his ill-gotten gains, and has lived in quiet ever sincé, knowing well tnat ii t)e Brotherhood knew where he was not a week would pass before justlve would be done.” The old man reached out a trembling hand and helped himself to a cigarette, “I am in your hands, Anna,” sald he, “You were always good to me.” “T have not yet told you the height of his villainy,” sald she. ‘Among our comrades of the Order there was one who was the friend of my heart. He was noble, unselfish, loving—all that my husband was not. He hated violence. We were all gullty—if that is guilt—but he was not. He wrote forever dissuading us from such a course, These letters would have saved him, So would my diary, In which, from day to day, I had entered both my feelings toward him and the view which each of us had taken, My husband fouhd and kept both diary and letters, He hid them, and he Yeo 22k AEH HT HGS a 9 93 HH AEH I aH HHH HTL tried nard to swear away the young man’s life, In this } Alexis was sent a convict to Siberia, where now, at ei moment, in a salt mine, Think of that, you villain, you villain!—now, now, very moment, Alexis, a fiin Whose name you are not Wht Works and lives like a slave, and yet 1 have your life {h ds, let you go.” 4 i skid the old than, puing wh “You were always a noblé woman, Annd,” his cigarette, ‘ Sie had tleen, but stié fail back again With a litte cry Sf pain. “I must. finiah,” she said. “When my term was over I set m: get the diary and letters which, if sent to the Russian Goverment; would — procure my friend's release. I knew that my husband had come to Bng= land, Atter months of searching I discovered where he was. 1 be at he still had-the diary, for when I wis in Sibetia I had a letter fom i once, reprodching me and quoting some pdsBagkes from its pages. Yé 1 was sure that, with his revengeful nature, he would never give it to me of his own free will. 1 must get it for myself, With this object I engaged an agent from a private detective firm, who entered my husband's house as @ sccrclary—it was your second secretary, Sergius, the one who left you so hurriedly, He found that papers were kept in the cupboard, and he got an impression of the key, He would not go further. He furnished me with a plan of the house and he told me that in the forenoon the study was ale Ways empty, as the secretary was employed up here, So at last I took my courage In both hands, and I came down to get the papers for myself, I succeeded; but at what a cost. “I had just taken the papers and was locking the cupboard when young man seized me, I had seen him already that morning. He had me on the road, and 1 had asked him to tell me where Professor O lived, not knowing that he was in his employ.” i “Exactly! exactly! sald Holmes “The secretary came back, and ah his employer of the woman he had met, Then, in his last breath, he tri 10 rene 4 messige that it was she—the she whom he had just discussed “You must let me speak,” sald the woman in an imperative voice, and her face contracted as if in pain, “When he had fallen I rushed from the room, chose the wrong door and found myself {n my husband's room, He, Spoke of giving ne up, I showed him that {f he did so his life was In my hands, If he gave me to the law 1 could give him to the Brotherhood. It was not that I wished to Ive for my own sake, but it was that I desired to accomplish my purpose, He knew thats! would do what T sald-—that bis own fate was involved In mine, For that reason and for no cther he shleld- ed me, He thrust me into that dark hiding place—a relic of old days—known onty to himself, He took his meals in his own room, and so was able to give me part of his food. It was agreed that when the police left the house IT should slip away by night and come }ack no more, But in some way you have read our plans." She tore frem the boson of her dress a small packet, “These are my last words,” sald she: “here is the packet which will save Alexis. I confide it to your honor and to your love of justice, Take it? eau will deliver it at the Russian Embassy, Now, I have done my duty, and"— “Stop her!" cried Holmes, He had hounded across the room, and had wrenched a small phia: from her hand, “Too late!" she sald, sinking back on the bed. !'Too late} I took the poison before I left my hiding place, My head swims! 1 am going! © charge you, sir, to remember the packet,” “A simple case, and yet, In some ways, an instructive one,” Holmes’ re- marked, as we travelled back to town, “it hinged from the outset upon ‘he pince-nez, But for the fortunate chance of the dying man having seized these, I am not sure that we could ever have reached our solution. It was “lear to me, from the strength of the glasses, that the wearer must have been very blind and helpleas when deprived of them. When you asked me to bejeve that she walked along a narrow strip of grass without once making a false atep, I remarked, a8 you may remember, that {t was a notes worthy performance, In my mind I set {t down as an Impossible perform+ ance, save In the unlikely case that she had a second pair of glanses, I was forced, therefore, to seriously consider the hypothesis that she had re- mained within the house, On percelying the similarity of the two corrie dors, it became clear that she might very easily have made such a mistake; and, in that case, ft was evident that she must have entered the Professor's room. I! was keenly on the alert, therefore, for whatever would bear out this supposition, and I examined the room narrowly for anything in the shape of a hiding-place, The carpet seemed continuous and firmly nailed, | so I dismissed the Idea of a trap-door, There might well be a recess bée- hind the books, As you are aware, such devices are common in old libraries. I observed that books were piled on the floor at all other points, but that one bookcase was left clear, This, then, might be the door, I could see na mark to guide me; but the carpet was of a dun color, which lends itself very well to examination, I therefore smoked a great number of those ex+ cellent cigarettes, and I dropped the ash all over the space in front of the suspected bookcase, It was a simple trick, but exceedingly effective, I then went down stairs, and I ascertained, in your presence, Watson, without your percelving the drift of my remarks, that Professor Coram’s consumption of tood had increased—as one would expect when he is supplying a second per son. We then ascended to the room again, when, by upsetting the cigar- ette-box, I obtained a very excellent view of the floor, and was able to see quite clearly, from the traces upon the cigarette ash, that the prisoner had in our absence come out trom her retreat, Well, Hopk{ns, here we are at Charing Cross, and I congratulate you on having brought your case to & successful conclusion, You are going to headquarters, no doubt. I think, Watson, you and I will drive together to the Russian Embassy.” (THE BND.) This is the Tenth Story of the Series of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, The Eleventh—"'Thé Mystery of the Missing Three-Quarter’’—will be published in a Special Color Supplement with THE {EVENING WORLD of next Saturday, April 22. $0) UFR PRY WM I Oe The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. By SIR A. CONAN DOYLE. Author of ‘‘A Study in Scarlet,’? ‘‘TH6 Houtid of the Baskervilles,’’ ete. —_——~———— No, 1.—A Seandal in Bohemia, oa (COPYRIGHT, 1892, BY HARPER & BROTHERS.) I have seldom heard hbm mention her under any other name, In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her eex. It was not that ho felt atiy emotion akin to love for Irene Adler, All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhor- rent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind, Hoe was, I take It, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen; but, asa lover, he would have placed himeelf in a fal! porition, Ie never spoke of the softer passions with a gibe and a sneer, le Sherlock Holmes she’ {s always "the" woman, ve They were admirable things for the observer—excollent for drawing the yell frui men’s motives and actions, But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to Introduce a distracting faétor which might throw @ doubt upon all/is mental results, Grit in a sensitive instrument or a crack in one of his own hi#h-power lenses would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his, And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory, One night—it was on the 2th of March, 1888—~1 was returning from a journey to a patient (for 1 thad now returned to civil practice, when my way led me through Baker /street. As I passed the well- remembered goor, which must always be associated in my mind with my wooing, and with the dark incidents of the Study in Scarlet, I Was seized with @ keen desire to see Holmes again, and to know how he wes employing his extraordinary powers, Hia manner was not effusive, It seldom was; but he was glad, I think, to see me, With hardly ‘& word spoken, but with a kindly eye he waved me to an armehair, threw across his case of cigars, and indicated a spirit case and a gasogene in the corner, Then he stood before the fire. and looked me over in his singubir introspective fashion. 'Wedlock sults you," he remarked, ‘1 think, ‘Watson, that you have put on even and a halt pounds wince I saw you.’ “even,” I answered, ~ “Indeed, I should have thought a little more, it, a. trifle mage, I fancy, Watson, And in tite aguin, I observe, You did not tell me that Intended to, harness," v "My dear Holmes,” said I, ‘“‘thid is too much, You would certainly have been burtied had you lived a few centurles ago, It is true that 1 had a country walk on Thursday dnd c@iale home in a dreadful mess; bul, as I have changed my clothes, I can't imagine how you Aeduce ft. As to Mary Jane, she ts incorrigible, and my wife has piven her notice; bat theré»iigalh, 1 fall to see how you work it out,” He chuckled to himself and rubbed his long, her- vous hands together, " “It ts simplicity itsett,” said he; "my eyen tell me that on the inside of your left shoe, just where the firelight strikes it, the leather fs scofed by six almost parallel cuts. Obviously they Have been caused by some one who has very carcledaly acriped round the edges of the sole in order to remove the crusted noud fron It, Hence, you se), my double deduction that you hud been out in vile weather and that you had a particularly malignant boot- slitting specimen of the London sldvey, As to your practice, If a gentleman walks into my rooms Smolling of fodoform, with a bleak mark of nitrate of silver upon his Heht fofefinger, and a bulge \an the side of his top-hat to show where he has #e- creted his stethoscope, f must be dull, indeed, if I do not pronounce him to be an active member ‘of the Medical profession.” I could not help laughing at the ease with whien he explained his process of deduction. "When I hear you give your reasons,” I remarked, ‘the thing always appears to me to be fo ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each suc. cessive instance of your reasoning 1 am bailed until you explain your process, And yet I bellove that my eyes are as good as yours.” “Quite 80," he answered, lighting u cigarette afd throwing hitneelf down fmts an armehair, “You ace, tut you’ do nét obsetve, The distinotion ts clear, For example, you have frequently sé66h the steps "which lead up from the hall to this tom,” “Frequently,” : “How often?" \ “Well, some hundreds of times," You have not observed. a weet atm a" vet sheet of thick, pink-tinted note-paper whtoh had been lying open upon the table, “It came by the last post," said he, “Read it aloud," ‘The note was undated, ind without either signature or address “phere will call upon you to-night, at a quarter to elght o'clock,” {t said, “a gentleman who de- sires to consult you upon a matter of the very deepest moment, Your recent services to one of the royal houses of Europe have shown that you are one who may safaly be trusted with matters which are of an Importance which can hardly be exageer- ated, This account of you we have from all quar- ters received, Bo in your chamber, then, at that hour, and do not take It amiss if your visitor wear & mask.” “This Is indeed a mystery.” do you,imagine that It means?” “[ have no data yet, It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist tacts to sult theories, instead of theories to sult tadts. But the note {tself—what do you deduce thom It?!" I farefully examined the writing and the paper upon which it was written, “The man who wrote It was presumably well-to- do," I remarked, endeavoring to imitate my com- panion’s processes "Such paper could not be bought under hal’ a clown a packet. It Is pecitllarly sirong etd Atif." ‘Poculide—that ts the very word,” sald Holmes. “It ts not an Eh@lish paper at all, Hold it up to the Wiht." T dla 80, afd saw a large © with a small g,a P find a lars G With a small t woven into the texture of the puper. ' hat do you hake of that?” asked Holmes, “The name of the maker, no doubt; or his mono- Bram, rather.” “Not at all, The G with the small t stands for ‘Gesellachast,’ which i@ the German for ‘Company.’ It t# 4 custothaty contraction, lke our ‘Co.! P, of omnes, stind® for ‘Papier.’ Now for the Bg. Let I remarked, ‘What us glance at our Continental Gagetteer, He took dawn @ heavy brown volume from his shelves Elonite—here we are. erin, It fs in a German-speaking country—in Bohemia, not far from Carlebad, ‘RethaFkable as being the scene of the death of Wallenstelfi and tor ita numerous glass factories and paper mills’ Ha, HA! thy boy, what do you make of that?” His éyes aptrkled and he sent Up a Gredt blue tHamphant cloud from his cigarette, “The paper waa Made ih Botiemid,” 1 said, “Precisely, And the Fidn who wrote the note isa kp Dd you, note the peculme construc tion Of be ehtehoe— foodunt of you we have from all QudhOs received’ A Frenchmah ot Rus- sian could not nave hat. It is) the Ger- man who is so uncourtedlid bo his vedbe, It only fore, to discover what Aare upon the stairs and in the passige, patised mme- diately outside the door, Then there was a loud and authoritative tap, “como tn," sald Holmes, A man, entered who could hardly Nave been less than six feet six Inches In height, with the cheat And limbs of a Hercules, His dress was rich with arichness which would, in England, be looked upon ag akin to bad taste, Heavy bands of Astrakhan were slashed across the sleeves and fronts of his double-breasted coat, while the deep blue k which was thrown oyer his shoulders was lined with flame-colored stik, and secured at the neck with a brooch which consisted of a single flaming beryl. Roots which extendéd half way up his calves and which were ttimmed at the tops with rich brown fur, completed the Impression of barbaric omiténce which was suggested, by his whole appear: ance, He carried a broad-britmed hat in his hand, while he wore across the upper part of his face, e&- tending down past the cheek-bones, a black vizard mask, which he had apparently adjusted that vers moment, for his hand was stil! raised to It as he entered, rom the lower part of the face he ap- peared to be a man of strong character, with a thick, hanging lip, and a long, straight ohin, sug: gestive of resolution pushed to the length of ob- stinacy, “You had my note?” he asked, with a deop, harsh voice aad a strongly marked German aceént. "f told you that 1 would call.” “Whom have L the honor to address’ “Count Von Kramm, a Bohemian nobleman, "You will excuse this mask.’ continued otir strange visitor, ‘The august person who employs me wishes, his agent to be unknown to you, and T may confess at once that the title by which T have just called myself is not exactly my own.” “1 was aware of it! sald Holmes, dryly “The circumstances are of gteat delicacy, and every precaution has to be taken to quench What might grow to be an Immense scandal and seriously compromise one of the reigning families of Rurope, To sbeak plainly, the matter bmplicites the great House of Ormstein, hereditary kings of Bohemia “LE was also agra o of that," murmurel Holmes settling himself down fn his armehair and closing his eyes, Our visitor glanced with some apparent surprise at the languld, lounging figure of the man, who had beer no doubt depicted to him as the most_in- cisive reasoner and most energetic agent in Burope. Holmes slowly reapened his eyes and lookéd Ifipa- Hently at his gigantic client “If Your Majesty would condedoend to state your |, “TE should be bettst able to sprang from his ocf&ir and pac and down the room in uncontrollable pend ‘Then, with 4 gesture of on tion, he tore 4 mask from his face and hurled ft the ground. "You are right," he cried; "I ae nine. why should 1 attempt to conceal itt” i P' murmured Holmes. "Y, * avn, eigiemond, val advise you," The man Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felatein and hered- Mary King of Botemla," “But you can understand,” sald our strange visl- tor, sitting down once more and passing his hand over his high, white forehead, “you can understand that T am not accustomed to doing such business in my own person, Yet the matter wis so delicat: that 1 could not confide it to an agent without putting myself in his power, I have come Incog- nito from Prague for the purpose of consulting you.”" Then, pray consult,” said Holmes, shutting his “Phe tacts are briefly these: Some five during a lengthy vialt to Warsaw, | quAlfitince of the well-known adventiress, Adfer, The ndme Is no doubt familiar to yo “inal Look her up in my index, doctor,” mur- mured Holes, without opening his eyes. For many years Hé had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult (0 name a subject or a person on which he could not at once firnish information, In this case t found her blography sandwiched in between that of a Ifobrew Rabbi and that of a staff-com- mandér who had written @ monograph upon the deop-rea fisnea, “Let me see!” wild Holmes, “Htm! Born in New Jérsoy In the year 1858. Contralto—hum! La Seala— hum! Prima donna Imperial Opera of Warsi w—yes! Retited trom operatic stage—ha! Living tn London quite so) Your Majesty, as [ understand, became éntingled with this young person, wrote her some compronhlstig letters, And ix now desirous of getting thoes tetlere back?” “Préoisely #0. But how" —— years ago, je the Ace Trene “Was there a secret niarriage?” “NO legal papers of cettificates?” “None. ¥ “Phen 1 call t8 foiloW Your Majesty, Jf this young Persdn should prodiice hor letters for blackmailing or other purposes, how Js she to prove thelr authen- Ueity ?" ‘Phere is the writing.’ “Pooh, pooh! Forgery!’ “My private notepaper,” “ptéten.” OMY Own seal.” srmpiteted, * “My photograph.” “Bought.” “We were both in (he photomraph,”’ “Oh, dear! That 14 very bad! Your Majésty has indgéd committed an indiscretion,” why mad—insanie.” ‘6u hive compromised yourself seriously,"’ nbd nd 0-0 - The ebtcluiton of this ator "1 was only Crown Prince then, am but thirty now.” "It must be recovered.” e have tried and failed,” ‘our Majesty must pay, It must be bought,” “She will not sell," “Stolen, then,” “Five attempts have been made, In my pay ransacked her house, her luggage when she travelled, Twice she has been Waylaid, There bas been no result.” “No sign of 1t?” “Absolutely none." Holmes laughed, “It is quite a pretty Uttle probe Jom," kald he, 3 “But a very serious one to me," returned the King, reproachfully, “Very, Indeed. And what does she propose to ao with the photograph?” “To ruin me." “But how?" “Iam about to be married,” "So I have heard."' “To Clotilde Lotiman von Saxe-Moningen, seéOhd daughter of the King of Scandinavia. You May know the strict principles of her family, Shé ie herself the very soul of delicacy, A shadow 6f « doubt as to my conduct would bring the mattée to ( an end.” “And Irene Adler?” “Threatens to send them the photograph, And ane will do it, 1 know that she will do tt, You 46 not know her, but she has a soul of steel, She has the face of the most beautifill of women, and the min@ of the most resolute of men, Rather than f showl@ Marry another woman, there are no lengths to which she would not go—none."* “You are sute that she has not sent it yet?” “Lam sure.” “And why?” “Because she Said that she would send it on the @ day when the betrothal was publicly proclaiméd, That will be next Monday." “Oh, then, we have three days yet," sald Holmes, with a yawn. “That {4 very fortunate, as I have one or two mattéra of {ihportance to look into just at present, Your MAJést} will, of course, stay In Lon+ don for the present?” “Certainty, You will find mo at the Langham, undér the fidmé of the Count Von Kramm,” “Then, Food-night, Your Majesty, and I trust that We Bhall soon have some good news for you, And fovd-neht Watson," he added, as the wheels of thé royal brougham rolled down the street. “It You will be good enough to call to-morrow after- ni6on, at three o'clock, I should like to chat this little mattér over with you." . . . ‘ 1 was young, £ ‘Twice burglars Once wo diverted . . . \ ‘ will be 4 i a ines is