Morris tribune., 1905-09-02


/ dy enters this room, and what does she
do? She goes over to the writing table,
What for? Not for anything in the
/ drawers If there had been anything
worth her taking it would surely have
been locked up. No, it was for some
thing in that wooden bureau. Hello!
What is that scratch upon the face Of
/ it? Just hold match, Watson. Why
did you not tell me of this, Hopkins?"
/ The mark which he was examining
began upon the brasswork on the right
hand side of the keyhole and extended
for about four inches, where it had
scratched the varnish from the surface.
II noticed it, Mr.. Holmes, but youth
always find scratches round a key
hole"
'"This is recent, quite recent, See how
the brass shines where it is cut An
| old scratch would be the same color as
the surface. Look at it through my
lens There's the varnish, too, like
| earth on each side Of furrow. Is Mrs.
Marker thereY
A sad faced elderly woman came in
to the room.
did you dust this bureau yesterday
morning."
eyes. SIR
did you notice this scratch?'
"No, sir; did not"
81 am sure you did not, for buster
would have swept away these shreds
Of varnish Who has the key Of this
bureau?'
'"The professor keeps it on his watch
; chain"
"Is it a simple keyw
"No. sir; it is a Chubb's key
every good. Mrs. Marker, you can
| go. Now we are making little prog
ress. Our lady enters the room. ad-
vances to the bureau and either opens
| it or tries to do so. While she is thus
engaged young Willoughby Smith en-
! tiers the room. In her hurry to with
draw the key she makes this scratch
upon the door. He seizes her. and she.
snatching up the nearest object, which
, happens to be this knife, strikes at him
In ,rder to make him let go his hold.
Tie blow is a fatal one. He falls, and
she escapes. either with or without the
object for which she has come. Is Su-
san, the maid, there? Could any one
have got away through that door after
the time that you heard the cry, Su-
SAM"
mo, sir; it is impossible. Before I
got down the stair I'd have seen any
one in the passage. Besides, the door
never opened or l would have heard
it,
'"Ehat settles this exit. Then no
doubt the lady went out the way she
came. l understand that this other
passage leads only to the professors
room There is no exit that way?'
mo, SIR
eve shall go down it and make the
acquaintance Of the professor. Hello,
Hopkins, this is very important-very
important indeed The professors cor
ridor is also lined with cocoanut mat
ting"
s'Well, sir, what Of that"
''Don't you see any bearing upon the
case? Well, we'll, 1 don't insist upon
it. No doubt am wrong. And yet it
seems to me to be suggestive. Come
with me and introduce me-"
We passed down the passage, which
was of the same length as that which
led to the garden. At the end was a
short flight of steps ending in a door.
Our guide knocked and then ushered
us into the professors bedroom.
1t was a very large chamber lined
MI inn hi 1yvhir oh
overlooked from the shelves and lay in
piles in the c0rnors Or were stacked all
rc.2I at the base o. the cases. The
bed was in the center of the rOom and
in it, propped up with pillows was the
owner of the house. | have seldom
seen more remarkable looking person.
It was gaunt aquiline face which
was turned toward us, with pierre
ing dark eyes which lurked in deep
hollows under overhung and tuft-
ed brows. His hair and beard were
white save the latter was curiously
stained with yellow around his mouth.
A cigarette glowed amid the tangle Of
white hair, and the air of the room
was fetid with stale tobacco smoke.
perceived that it was also stained with
yellow nicotine.
"a smoker, Mr. Holmes?" said he,
speaking in well chosen English, with
a curious little mincing accent. 'Pray
take a cigarette. And you, sir? can
recommend them, for have them espe-
cialIy prepared by Ionides of Alexan-
dria. He sends me a thousand at a
time, and I grieve to say that have to
arrange for fresh supply every fort
night. Bad, sir, very bad, but an old
man has few pleasures. Tobacco and
my work-that is all that is left to me-"
Holmes had lit a cigarette and was
little darling glances all over
the room.
Tobacco and my work, but now on
" tobacco" the old man exclaimed.
ALAS, what a fatal Interruption! Who
could have foreseen such a terrible ca
tastrophe? So estimable young man!