The Press., 1895-05-09
"Simple!" I ejaculated.

to his casss. Just sit in the corner there, that ytAIr footprints may not com, plicate matters Now to work. In the first place. how did these folks come, a Id how did they go? Tho door has not been opened since last night. How of the win dow?" He carried the lamp across to it., muttering his observations aloud the while, but addressing them to himself rather than to me. Window is snibbcd on the inner side. Framework is solid. No hinges at the side Let us open it. No water pipe near. Roof quite out of reach Yet man has mounted by the window. It rained little last night. Here is the print of foot in mold upon the sill And here is a circular muddy mark, and here again upon the floor, and here again by the table. See here, Watson. This is | really a very pretty demonstration. " I looked at the round, we'll defined muddy disks. This is not footmark, '' said I.
 Ut is something much more valuable to us. It is the impression of a wooden stump. You see here on the sill is the boot mark-a heavy boot, with a broad metal heel-and beside it is the mark of the timber toe "
 ''It is the wooden legged man."
 "Quite so. But there has been some
 
 Could you scale that wall doctor?" looked out of the open window. The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house. We were a good 60 feet from the ground, and look where 1 would could see no foothold nor as much as a crevice in the patchwork.
 'It is absolutely impossible" an swered.
 ''Without aid it is so. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner, securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall. Then I think, if you were an active man, you might swarm up, wooden leg and all. You would depart, of course, in the same fashion, and your ally would draw up the rope, unite it from the hook, shut the window, snib it on the in side and get a,'ay in the way that he originally came. As a minor point it may be noted," he continued lingering the | rope, 'that our wooden legged friend, though fair climber, was not a profes- sional sailor. His hands were far from horny. My lens disciosos more than one blood mark, especially toward tho end of the rope, from which I gather that he slip ped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hands,"
 ''This is all very we'll" said l, but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. How about this mysterious ally? How came he into the room?"
 Yes, the ally" repeated Holmes pen sively. "There are features of interest about this ally. He lifts the case from I the regions of the commonplace. l fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country, though parallel cases suggest themselves from In | ! T | Senegambia. "
 "How came he then?" I reiterated. 1 ''The door is locked, tho window is inac- cessible. Was it through the chimney?"
 ''The grate is much too small" he an swered had already considered that possibility
 'How then?" persisted.
 "You will not apply my precept," he said, shaking his head. How often have said to you that when you have elimi- 1 natCd the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth: | We know that he did not como through the door, the window or the chimney. We also know that he could not have been concealed in tho room, as there is no con- cealmcnt possible. Whence, then did he come?'
 He came through the hole in the roof, '' l cried.
 "Of course he did He must have done so. If you will have the kindness to hold | the lamp for me, VIC shall now extend ouI researches to the room above-the secret room in which the treasure was found." He mounted the steps, and seizing a rafter with either hand he swung himself up into tho garrett. Then, lying on his face he reached down for the lamp and eeld it while followed him. 1 The chamber in which we found our selves was about ten feet one way and six the other. The floor was formed by raf- ters, with thin lath and plaster between, so that in walking one had to step from beam to beam. The roof ran to an apex and was evidently the inner shell of the true roof of the house. There was no fur niture of any sort, and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor.
 Here you are you sec" said Sherlock Holmes, putting his hand against the sloping wall. "This is trapdoor which leads out onto the roof. l can press it back, and here is the roof itself, sloping at a gentle angle. This, then, is the way 1 by which No. l entered. Let us see ii 1 we can find some other traces of his indi- ] viduality."
 He held down the lamp to the floor, and l | i that night a startled, surprised look come over his face. For myself, as I followed his gaze my skin was cold under my clothes. The floor was covered thickly with the prints of a naked foot-cloar, we'll defined, perfectly formed, but scarce half tho size of those of an ordinary man.
 "Holmcs," said in whisper, "a child has done this horrid thing"
 He had recovered his self possession in an instant Twas staggered for the mo- ment, he said, but the thing is quite natural. My memory failed me, or should have been ablo to foreGell it. There is nothing more to be learned here. Let us go down."
 What is your theory, then, as to those footmarks?" I asked eagerly when we had regained the lower room once more.
 My dear Watson, try little analysis yourself" said he, with touch of impa tience. 'You know my methods. Apply them, and it will be instructive to com pare results.
 1T cannot conceive anything which will | cover the faCts,' 1 answered.
 ''It will be clear enough to you soon, J he said in an OfThand way. II think that there is not hin.r else of imDOrtanCe herC