The Press., 1895-05-02

had another and a moro striking proof
 that there were secret agencies at work all
 round us. The window of my father S
 room was found open in the morning, his l cupboards and boxes had been rified, and | upon his chest was fixed a torn piece of | paper with the words, The sign of the
 four,' scrawled across it. What the phrase
 meant or who our secret visitor may have | been we never knew As far as we can | judge, none of my fathers property had
 been actually stolen, though everything
 had been turned out. My brother and
 naturally associated this peculiar incident
 with the fear which haunted my father
 during his life, but it is still a complete | mystery to us.
 The little man stopped to relight his
 hookah and putfsd thoughtfully for few
 moments. We had all sat absorbed, liston-
 ing to his extraordinary narrative. At | the short accUunt of her fathers death | Miss Morstan Lad turned deadly white, | and for a moment 1 feared that she was | about to faint. She rallied, h rwevCr on | drinking a glass of water which l quietly | poured out for hCr from a Venetian Car!fc | upon the side tubn Sherlock Holmes | leaned back i'll his c!rair with an abs 'rnct- | ed expression and the lids drawn low over | his glitterinG eyes As 1 glanced at him | could not but think how on that very day | he had complained bitterly of the common | placeness of life. Here at least was prob
 lem which would tax his sagacity to the
 utmost. Mir. Thaddeus Sholto looked from
 one to the other of us with an obvious | pride at the effect which his story had pro- duced and then continued between the | puffs of his Overgrown pipe.
 My brother and l, :" said be- were, as | you may imagine, much excited as to the | treasure which my father had spoken of. | For weeks and for months we dug and delvcd in every part of the garden with l out discovering it's whereabouts. It was | maddening to think that the hiding place
 was Cn his very lips at the moment that he died. We could judge the splendor of the missing riches by the chaplet which | he had taken out Over this chaplet my
 brother Bartholomew and had some lit | tie discussion The pearls were evidently
 of great value, and he was averse to part
 with them, for between friends my brother
 was himself a little inclined to my fathers fault. He thought, too, that if we parted
 with the chapIet it might give rise to gos | sip and finally bring us into trouble. It
 was all that could do to persuade him to
 let me find out Miss Morstan's address
 and send her detached pearl at fixed in | tervalS. so that at least she might never | feel destitute"
 It was a kindly thought" said our l companion earnestly. It was extremely
 good of you,
 The little man waved his hand depre-
 cating'y. We were your trustees ' he said. That was the view which 1 took of it,
 though Brother Bartholomew could not
 altogether sec it ill that light We had
 plenty of money ourselves. desired no
 more. Besides it would have been such 1 bad taste to have treated a young lady ill
 so scurvy fashion. Le mauvais gOut
 meme au crime. The French have a very
 neat way of putting these things. Our | ditforrnG" of opinion on this subject went | SC far that 1 thought it best to set up
 rooms for myself So l left Pondichcrry
 Lodge, taking the old khitmutgar and Will | Hams with me. Yesterday, however, | learned that an event of extreme impOr.
 tancc had oc .urrrd The tre sure has been discovered. instantly cUnInunicted with | Miss MOrstan and it only remains for us i to drive out to NOrWOud and demand our l share. 1 explained my views last night to
 Brother RarthOl mew. SU we shall Dc eX
 pected if not welcome visitors.
 Mir. Thaddeus ShotO ceased and sat | twitching un his luxurious sGttee. We all
 remained silent. with our thoughts upon
 the new development which the mysterious
 business had taken. Holmes was the first
 'n s"ring to his feet,
 You have done well, sir, from first to
 Iast," said he. It k pos iblo that we
 may be able to make you some small re- | turn by throwing some licSt rp3n that i which is still dark to you. But, as Miss 1 MOrstan remarked inst now, it is late,
 and we had best put the matter through | without delay
 Our new RcQuaintanGo very deliberately coilcd un the tube uf lis hnoIah and pro- | duCetl from !" hind ;t curtain very long bofrOgged D%uat with Astrakhan collar and cuffs. This he huttoned tightly up l in spite of the cxtr ;un closencss of the
 night and finished Lis attire by putting on a rabbit skin cap irh hanging lappets l which covered the ears, su that no part of
 him was visible save his mobile and peaky
 face. My health iS somewhat fragile" he remarked as he led the way down the
 passage Il am compelled to be valetu- | dinarian."
 [COnt1nued next weekly