Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-16
THE SIGN OF THE FOUR.
By A. CONAN DOYLE.
CHAPTER VI.

overconfidcncc. Simple as the case seems now, there may be something deeper un- deriving it.''
 ''Simplc!'' cjaculated.
 Surely" saiu he, with something of the air of a clinical professor cxpoundine to his claSss. Just sit in the corner there, that your footprints may not com plicate matters Now to work. In the first place, how did these folks come, and how did they go' The door has not been opened since last night. How of the win dow?' He carried tho lamp across to it, muttering his observations aloud the while, but addressing them to himself rather than to me Window is snibbcSl 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 a 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.
 looked at the round, we'll defined muddy disks, This is not fOotmark, " said l.
 1t is something much more valuable to us. It is the impression 0f d wooden stump. GOI sec hcrC on the sill is the boot mark-a heavy boot, with n broad, metal hCCl-and beside it Is the mark of the timber toe. -
 1t is the wooden legged man.
 Quite SC. But there has been some one clsc-a very able and efficient ally. Could you scale that wall, doctor?''
 looked cut of the open window The moon still sh1ne brightly on that angle of the house. We were good GO feet from the ground, and look where I would l could see no foothold nor as much as a Crevice in the patchwork.
 1t is absolutely impossible" l an swCrcd.
 "WithouU aid it is so. But suppose you had friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I sec in the corner, securing one end of it to this great hook in tho wall. Then, 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 lp the rope, unite it from the hook, shut the window, snib it on the in side and get away in the way that he originally came. As minor point it may bo notcd," he cantinn l ~..g the rope, that our ~ 5,; .-, friend, though a fair climber Wae nut a prufes- sional sailor His hand; We're fur from horny. My lens dis loses more than one blood mark, especially toward the end of the rope, from which 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 roOn?"
 Yes, the ally, " repeated Holmes pen sivcly. There arc fcaturc~ ot interest about this ally. Ho lifts tho ease from the regions of the commonplace fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country, though parallel cases suggest themselves from In- dia, and. if mr memory serves mo, from Scnc2ambia. "
 "Huw came he thcn?" l reiterated "Thc door is locked, tho window is inac- cessihlc. Was it through the chimney"
 Tho grHtr iS much too small, he an swcrcd. I, h~l already considered that possibili5y.''
 "Iow thpi.' persisted,
 You will nut apply my prcccpt," he said, shaking lis head. How often have l said to you tha5 when you havc climi mated tho Impossible whatever remains, however imprbatle, must Dc the truth? We know that he did not como through the door, the window or tee chimney. We als1 know that ho could not havo been concealed in the room, Gs there is no con- Ccalmvnt possible. Whence, then, did be comr:"
 He canc through tho hole in tho roof, 1" cried
 "Of course ho did. He must have done so. If you will have the kindness to hold the lamp fer me, wc shall HOW extend our 1 researches tp tine room abOve-the secret room in which the treasure was found" He mounted tho steps, and seizing a raftCr With either hand he swung himself up into the garrett Then, lying on his face, he reached down for tho lamp and held it while followed him. The chamber in which we found our selves was ahnut ten feet one way and six the other. The floor was formed by raf- ters, with thin latA and plaster betwecn so that ill walking ono had to step from 1 Ecdm to bVum. The roof ran to an apex | and was evidently tho inner shell of the true roof Of the house. There was no fur | nituro of any sort, and the accumulated dust of years lay thick upon the floor. Hero you arc, you sec" said Sherlock ! Holmes, putting his hand against the sIoping wall. This is a trapdoor which leads out onto tho roof. 1 can press it back, and here is the roof itself, sloping at a gentle angle. This, then, is the way l by which No. entered Let us SIC if l wc can lind s0mc other traces of his indi- viduality."
 He held down the lamp to the floor, and | as he did so l saw for the second time | that night q startled, surprised look come over his face. For myself, as l followed | his Gaze my skin was cold under my l rod ly- with the prints of a naked foot-clear, | well defined, perfectly formed, but scarce 1 half tho size of thuso of an ordinary man. Holmes" I said in whisper, "a child has done this horrid thing"
 He had recovered his self possession in an instant. "Iwas staggered for the mo. ment," he said, but the thing Is quite natural. My memory failed me, or ? should have been able to foreUen it. There Is nothing moro to be learned here. Let us go down.
 What is your theory, then, as to those footmarks?" I asked eagerly when we had regaincd the lower room once more.
 My dear Watson. try a little analysis yourself" said he, with a touch of impa I ticncc. You know my methods. Apply them, and it will be instructive to com pare results. ."
 II cannot conceive anything Hhich will | cover the facts, v 1 answered.
 ''It will be clear enough to you soon, he said in an Uffhand way. II think that there is nothing else of importance here but 1 will look" He whipped out hi. lens and tape measure and hurried about the room on his knees, measuring, com pairing, examining, with his long, thiI nose only a few inches from the planki and his bcady eyes gIeaming and deep sci liko those of bird. So swift. silent anG l furtivc were his movements, like those O a trained bloodhound picking out a scent that l could not but think what terrible criminal he would have made had h. turned his energy and sGgacity against thu law instead of exerting them in its de fense, As he hunted about he kept nut tering to himself and finally he brokt l out into loud crow of delight