seen Holmes for some days and had no idea of the new channel into which his activities had been directed. He was in a chatty mood that morning, however, and had just se

ad arrived it would give a clea

fic, for he was dressed in a very loud gray check suit with a flowing salmon-coloured tie. His broad face and flattened nose

'l'men is Masser

his pipe with

und the angle of the table. "See here, Masser Holmes, you keep your hands out of oth

ng," said Holm

have to trim you up a bit. I've handled your kind before now, and they di

nder my friend's nose. Holmes examined i

he asked. "Or did

e been the slight clatter which I made as I picked up the pok

ou know what I'm meaning - and he don't intend to have no buttin' in by you. Got that? You ain't

"I won't ask you to sit down, for I don't like the s

and you'll get put through it

g at our visitor's hideous mouth. "But it was the killing of y

alk," said he. "What have I to do with this 'ere Perkins, Masser Holmes? I was t

t it, Steve," said Holmes. "I've been

the Lord! Ma

ut of it. I'll pick y

I hope there ain't no hard f

nless you tell m

Masser Holmes. It was that same gen'l'ma

set him o

f he go down Harrow way.' That's the whole truth." Without waiting for any further questioning, our visitor bolted out

tering baby, and easily cowed, as you have seen. He is one of the Spencer John gang and has taken part in some dirty work of late which I may clear up when I have time. His immediate

hey want to i

into the matter, for if it is worth anyone's while to

what

erlude. Here is Mrs. Maberley's note. If you care t

ERLOCK HOLM

uch value your advice. You would find me at home any time to-morrow. The house is within a short walk

hfully, MA

"The Three Gable

d now, if you can spare the time,

above the upper windows made a feeble attempt to justify its name. Behind was a grove of melancholy, half-grown pines, and the whole aspect of the place was poor and depres

d Holmes, "though it is some years since h

more familiar with the

at her with

new him slightly. But of course all London knew him.

s attache at Rome, and he died

uch a man. I have never known anyone so vitally

splendid. You did not see the moody, morose, brooding creature into which he developed. His hear

affair -

to talk of my poor lad that I

nd I are at y

money would be no object. It seemed to me very strange as there are several empty houses on the market which appear to be equally eligible, but naturally I was interested in what he said. I therefore named a price which was five hundred pounds more than I gave. He at once closed with the offer, but added that his client desired to buy th

me, 'This is a very strange document. Are you aware that if you sign it you could not legally take anything out of the house - not even yo

everythin

clothes? M

ng shall go out of the house unchecked. My client is a very liberal man, but he h

e the matter was left, but the whole thing se

ery extraordina

r, and dragged in a great gaunt woman whom he had seized by the shoulder. She entered

at are you a-doin'

an, what

k if the visitors was stayin' for l

wish to interrupt your most interesting narrative. Just a little whee

er captor. "Who be you, anyhow, and what ri

ur presence. Did you, Mrs. Maberley, mention to anyo

Holmes, I

ted your

an d

you wrote or sent a message to say that

e. I sent

ive long, you know. It's a wicked th

e a bad, treacherous woman. I remember now tha

business," said t

was Barney Stockdale to wh

ow, what do you

san, it will be worth ten pounds to you if yo

a thousand pounds for every

woman. Now we have got so far, you may as

you in h

san! La

nough of you all. I'll send for my box

Look how close they play the game. Your letter to me had the 10 P.M. postmark. And yet Susan passes the word to Barney. Barney has time to go to his employer and get instructions; he or she - I i

t do the

estion. Who had the

a captain cal

remarkable

ever I h

ank. But there are always some lunatics about. It would be a dull world without them. At first I thought of some buried valuable. But

ve anything rarer than

vet your tea-set, they can surely offer a price for it without buying you out, lock, stock, and barrel. No, as I

ow I read

grees, so tha

Holmes, wha

al analysis we can get it to a finer po

rly

ything from you. Now suddenly within three or four days

the object, whatever it may be,

olmes. "Now, Mrs. Maberley h

ught nothing n

best let matters develop a little further until we ha

o is most

the fair Susan, who has just

a youn

ight or two in the house. You m

nst w

ey are after, I must approach the matter from the other end and try

upation. Haines-Johnson,

ceal their place of business. Well, you will let me know any fresh development.

ed nothing, lighted upon several trunks and cases which

cerne.' These a

oor Douglas

ked them? How long

rived la

be the missing link. How do we know tha

. Poor Douglas had only his pay and a sm

s lost in

s taken upstairs to your bedroom. Examine them as soon as possible a

edge at the end of the lane there was the negro prize-fighter standing in the shadow. We came on him quite su

your gun, M

scent-bott

, Masser Holme

ve, if I get after you. I gave

d, and I don't want no more talk about that affair of Mas

me who is behind

d you the truth before. I don't know. My b

y in that house, and everything under that ro

sser Holmes. I

his employer if he knew who he was. It was lucky I had some knowledge of the Spencer John crowd, and that Steve was one of them

Street club and was the receivingstation as well as the transmitter for all the gossip of the metropolis. He made, it was said, a four-figure income by the paragraphs which he contributed every week to the garbage papers which cater to an inquisitive publ

rom his bearing that all was well, but none the less a most unpleasant

ient's house burgled in the

TR

, Watson, which does not surprise me after what I have heard. This Sutro, of course, is her lawyer. I made a mistake, I fear, in not asking yo

assembled at the garden gate, while a couple of constables were examining the windows and the geranium beds. Within we met a gray o

raid. Just a common, ordinary burglary, and well within t

good hands," said Holmes. "Mere

e to find them. It is that gang of Barney Stockdale, wi

! What did

Mrs. Maberley was chloroformed and the

y pale and ill, had entered the room

ling ruefully. "Alas, I did not take it! I did not w

t this morning," t

friend in the house. I neglected h

olmes. "Perhaps you are hardly eq

d the inspector, tapp

lady is not t

ment of the chloroform rag which was thrust over my mouth, but I have no notion how long I may have been senseless. When I woke, one man was at the bedside and another was

g risk," said

r I can remember no more. Mary the maid heard the noise and began screamin

id they

ing of value missing. I am sure the

men leave

n from the man that I grasped. It was lying all cr

ch use," said the inspector. "Now

gged common sense! None the less

olded sheet of foolsca

at is my advice to you, Mr. Holmes. In twentyfive years' experience I have

cted the she

make of it,

of some queer novel,

"You have noticed the number on the top of the page. It is two hundre

urglars got those. Muc

se in order to steal such papers as that. D

the rascals just grabbed at what came first

to my son's things?"

so they tried their luck upstairs. That is how

." Then, as we stood together, he read over the fragment of

crifice his very life, looking out at his agony and humiliation. She smiled - yes, by Heaven! she smiled, like the heartless fiend she was, as he looked up at her. It was at tha

or. "Did you notice how the 'he' suddenly changed to 'my'? The writer was so carried

he inspector as he replaced it in his

ow that the case is in such capable hands. By the wa

been my dream

ke to go - Cairo, M

money I would go

passed the window I caught a glimpse of the inspector's smile and shake of the head. "These c

entral London once more. "I think we had best clear the matter up at once, and it would be well that you sh

ddress in Grosvenor Square. Holmes had been su

n, I suppose you s

ather that we are going to see the l

ar king, Klein, and presently found herself the richest as well as the most lovely widow upon earth. Then there was an interval of adventure when she pleased her own tastes. She had several lovers, and Douglas Maberley, one of the most striking men in London, was one of them. It was by all accounts more than

was his o

ke of Lomond, who might almost be her son. His Grace's ma might overlook the age, bu

e footman took up our cards and returned with word that the lady was

hine br

not at home to you,

that we shall not have to wait. Kin

upon a sheet of his notebook, fol

u say, Holme

be the police, then?' I thi

sional pink electric light. The lady had come, I felt, to that time of life when even the proudest beauty finds the half light more welcome. She rose

his insulting message?" she ask

for your intelligence to do so - though I confess tha

so,

ly no man would take up my profession if it were not that danger attracts

e talking about. What have

rned away

d your intelligence. W

ere are y

otland

had overtaken us and was holding his arm. Sh

may be frank with you, Mr. Holmes. You have the feelings of a gentleman. Ho

but I represent justice so far as my feeble powers go. I a

h of me to threaten a b

have placed yourself in the power of a band

e Barney Stockdale and Susan, his wife, have the least idea who their employer is. As to t

've tested

od hounds wh

the hand that feeds them. They will be arrested fo

. That is what they are paid for.

bring yo

You are a gentleman. I

, you must give bac

Shall I give this back?" she asked. So roguish and exquisite did she look as she stood before us with a challenging smile that

u are very prompt in your actions, madame,

poker down w

he cried. "May I tell

could tell

he point of view of a woman who sees all her life's ambition about to be ruin

inal sin

- marriage, Mr. Holmes - with a penniless commoner. Nothing less would serve him. Then he became pertinacious. Because I ha

s to beat him unde

e do then? Could I have believed that a gentleman would do such an act? He wrote a book in which he described his own story. I, of course, was the wolf; he

as within h

Italian spirit. He wrote to me and sent me a copy of his book that I might have the tort

the publisher's ha

be among his effects, and these would be returned to his mother. I set the gang at work. One of them got into the house as servant. I wanted to do the thing honestly. I really and truly did. I was ready to buy the house and everything in it. I

es shrugged h

o compound a felony as usual. How much does it c

stared in

one on five th

ould think

ey. You owe her a little change of air. Meantime, lady" - he wagged a cautionary forefinger - "hav