Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-05-07
CHAPTER II.

We met next day Us he had arranged
and inspected tho rooms at 22lb Baker
street, Of which he had spoken at our
meeting. They consisted of couple Of
comfortable bedrooms and single large,
airy sitting room, cheerfully furnished
and illuminated by two broad windows
So desirable in every way were the
apartments, and so moderate did the
terms seem when divided between u
that the bargain was concluded upon
the spot, and We at once entered into
possession. That very evening / moved
my things round from the hotel, and on
the following morning Sherlock Holmes
followed me with several boxes and port
manteaus. For a day or two we were
busiIy employed in unpacking and lay
ing ont our property to the best adyan-
tage That done, we gradually began to
settle down and TO accommodate our
selves 10 our new surroundings.
Holmes was certainly not difficult
man to live with. he was quiet i'll his
ways, and his habits were regular. Ii
was rare for him TO be up after 10 at
night, and he had invariably breakfast
cd and gone out before i rose in the
morning. Sometimes he spent his day
ut the chemical laboratory. sometimes
IL the dissecting rooms, and occasional
ly in long walks, which appeared to take
him into the lowest portions Of the city.
Nothing could exceed his energy when
the working fit was upon him, but now
and again q reaction would seize him,
and for days OF end he would lie upon
the sofa in the sitting room, hardly ut
tering q word OF moving muscle from
morning to night. On these occasions
have noticed such dreamy, vacant ex-
preston in his eyes that / might have
suspected him Of being addicted TO the
use Of some narcotic had not the tenn
perance and cleanliness of his whole life
forbidden such notion.
As the weeks went by my interest In
him and my curiosity rs to his aims in
la. gradually deepened and increased.
Els sery person and appearance were
d. as TO strike the attention Of the
most casual observer. In height he was
rather over 6 feet, and so excessively
lean that he seemed to be considerably
taller His eyes were sharp and pierc-
ing, save during those intervals Of tor
Dor to which | have alluded, and his
thin, hawklike nose gave his whole ex
preston an air of alertness and decision.
His chin, too, had the prominence and
suuareness which mark the man of de-
termination. His hands were invariably
blotted with ink and stained with chem
icals, yet he was possessed Of extraordi-
nary delicacy of touch, as / frequently
had occasion to observe when watched
him manipulating his fragile philosoph-
ical instruments.
The reader may set me down as o
hopeless busybody when confess how
much this man stimulated my curiosity
and how often / endeavored to break
through the reticence which he showed
on all that concerned himself. Before
pronouncing Judgment, however, be 1t
remembered how objectless was my life
and how little there was to engage my
attention. My health forbade INC from
venturing out unless the weather was
exceptionally genial, and l had no
friends who would call upon me and
break the monotony of my daily exist
ence. Under these circumstances / eager
ly hailed the little mystery which hung
around my companion and spent much
of my time in endeavoring to unravel it.
He was not studying medicine. he
had himself, in reply to question, con-
firmed Stamford's opinion upon that
point. Neither did he appear to have
pursued any course Of reading which
might fit him for degree in science or
any other recognized portal which would
give him an entrance into the learned
world Yet his zeal for certain studies
was remarkable, and within eccentric
limits his knowledge was SO extraordi.
narily ample and minute that his obser-
vations have fairly astounded me. Sure
ly no man would work so hard to attain
such precise information unless he had
some definite end in view. Desultory
readers are seldom remarkable for the
exactness Of their learning. No man
burdens his mind with small matters
unless he has some very good reason for
doing SO.
His ignorance was as remarkable as
his knowledge. OF contemporary litera-
ture. philosophy and politics he appear
ed to know next to nothing. Upon my
quoting Thomas Carlyle he inqrired in
the naivest way who he might be and
what he had done. My surprise reached
climax. however, when found Incl.
dentally that he was ignorant of the
Copernican theory and Of the compost.