The Press., 1895-05-02
man, still jerking ana smlIIng. :'That is

man, still jerking ana smnIng. ''That is my name, You are Miss Morstan. of course, And these gentlemen"-
 ''This is MT Sherlock Holmes and this Dr. Watson. ,"
 "A doctor, ehP' cried he, much excited Have you your stethoscopep Might ask you-would you have the kindness! l have grave doubts as to my mitral valve, if you would be so very good. The aortic may rely upon but 1 should value your opinion upon the mitral.'
 listened to his heart as requested but was unable to find anything amiss, save indeed that he was in an cost asy of fear, for he shivered from head to foot. 1t ap pears to be normal" I said You have no cause for uneasiness
 You will excuse my anxiety, Miss Morstan, " he remarked airily. II am a great sufferer, and have long had suspi cions as to that valve, l am delighted to hear that they are unwarranted Had your father, Miss Morstan, refrained from throwing a strain upon his heart he might have been alive now.
 could have struck the man across the face, so hot was 1 at this callous and off hand reference to so delicate 8 matter Miss MOrSCan sat down, and her face grew white to the lips II knew in my heart that he was dead" said she
 II can give you every information, ," said he, and, what is more, 1 can do you justice, and I will, too, whatever Brother Bartholomew may say l am so glad to have your friends here, not only as an escort to you, but also as witnesses to what am about to do and say. The three of us can show 8 bold front l. ALo1r D,1&1 lot h,a1yo no outsiders, no police or officials. We can settle everything satisfactorily among ourselves without any interference. Moth ing would annoy Brother Bartholomew more than any publicity" He sat down upon low settco and blinked at us in quiringly with his weak, watery blue eyes
 For my part, said Holmes, what ever you may choose to say will go no furthGr.'
 l nodded to show my agreement.
 That is well That is well!'' said he. May offer you a glass of Chianti, Miss Morstan? Or of Tokay? I keep no other wines. Shall l open flask? No? Well, then, trust that yOu have no objection to tobacco smOke-tO the mild, balsamic Odor of the eastern tobacco am little nerv ous, and find my h0okah an invaluable sedative." He applied a taper to the great bowl, and the smoke bubbed merrily through the rOsewater. We sat all three in semicircle, with our heads advanced and our chins upon our hands, while the strange, jerky little fellow, with his high, shining head, putfed uneasily in the center.
 When l first determined to make this communication to you, " said he, II might have given out my address, but 1 feared that you might disregard my request and bring unpleasant people with you took the liberty, therefore, of making an ap- pointment in such way that my man Williams might be able to see you first. I have complete confidence in his discretion, and he had orders, if he were dissatisfied, to proceed no further in the matter. You will excuse these precautions, but am a man of somewhat retiring, and I might even say refined, tastes, and there is noth- ing more unWsthctic than a policeman. have a natural shrinking from all form of rough materialism. I seldom come in con tact with the rough crowd live, as you see, with some little atmosphere of ele- ganCe around me. l may call myself a patron of the arts. It is my weakness. The landscape is a genuine Corot, and though cOnnOisseur might perhaps throw a doubt upon that Salvador Rosa there cannot be the least question about the Bouguereau. am partial to the modern French school"
 You will excuse me, MT. Sholto, said Miss Morstan, but am here at your re- quest to learn something which you desire to tell me. It is very late, and l should desire the interview to be as short as pos sible''
 At the best it must take some time, " he answered. for we shall certainly have to go to Norwood and see Brother Bar tholomew. Wo shall all go and try if we can get the better of Brother Bartholomew. He is very angry with me for taking the course which has seemed right to me. had quite high words with him last night. You cannot imagine what terrible fellow he is when he is angry.'
 If we are to go to Norwood, it would perhaps be as well to start at once,'' ventured to remark.
 He laughed until his ears wore quite red. That would hardly do, he cried. II don't know what he would say if brought you in that sudden way. No, must prepare you by showing you how we all stand to each other In the first place, 1 must tell you that there are several points in the story of which l am myself ignorant. I can only lay the facts before you as far as I know them myself.
 My father was, as you may have guessed, Major John Sholto, once of the Indian army. He retired some II years ago and came to live at Pondicherry Lodge, in Upper Nurwood He had prospered in India and brought back with him a con siderable sum of money, a large collection of valuable curiosities and staff of native servants. With these advantages he bought himself house and lived in great luxury. My twin brother Bartholomew and were the only children.
 II very well remember the sensation which was caused by the disappearance of Captain Morstan. We read the details in the papers, and knowing that he had been a friend of our fathers we discussed the case freely in his presence. He used to