Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-05-24

. wooden gate into deserted yard and then opened with key the back door of house. We entered together. and he closed 1t behind us.
 The place was pitch dark, but 1t vas evident 10 me that 1t was an empty house. Our feet creaked and cracked over the bare planking. and my out stretched hand touched a wall from which the paper was hanging in rib bons. Holmes cold. thin fingers closed around my wrist and led me forward down long hall until I dimly saw the murky fan light over the door. Here Holmes turned suddenly to the right, and we found ourselves in a large, square, empty room, heavily shadowed in the corners. but faintly lit in the center from the lights of the street be- yond. There was no lamp near, and the window was thick with dust. so that we could only just discern each others figures within. My companion put his hand upon my shoulder and his lips close to my ear
 Do you know where we are7" he whispered
 Surely that is Baker street" I an- swered. staring through the dim win dow.
 Exactly. We are in Camden House, which stands opposite to our own old quarters"
 "But why are we here?'
 Because it commands so excellent a view of that picturesque pile Might trouble you, my dear Watson, to draw a little nearer to the window. taking every precaution not to show yourself, and then to look up at our old rooms-the starting point of so many of your little fairy tales? We will see if my three years of absence have entirely taken away my power to surprise you"
 I crept forward and looked across at the familiar window. AS my eyes fell upon 1t I gave a gasp and cry of amazenlent The blind was down, and a strong light was burning in the room. The shadow of man who was seated In chair within was thrown in hard. black outline upon the lumi- nous screen of the window. There was no mistaking the boise of the head. the squareness of the shoulders, the sharp ness of the features. The face was turned half around. and the effect was that of one of those black silhouettes which our grandparents loved to frame. It was perfect reproduction of Holmes. So amazed was I that 1 threw out my hand to make sure that the man himself was standing beside me. He was quivering with silent laughter.
 "WeHT' said he.
 Good heavens"t I cried. 'Tt is mar veloUs!'
 'T trust that age doth not wither nor custom stale my infinite variety" said he. And I recognized in his voice the joy and pride which the artist takes in his own creation. 'It really is rather like me. is 1t not!"
 q should be prepared to swear that it was you"
 "The credit of the execution is due to NJ. Oscar Mennier of Grenoble. who spent some days in doing the holding. It Is a bust in wax. The rest I ar ranged myself during my visit to Ba- ker street this afternoon"
 But whyT'
 Because. my dear Watson. I had the strongest possible reason for wishing certain people to think that was there when I was really elsewhere"
 And you thought the rooms were watchedT
 "T knew that they were watched"
 "Ry whom?"
 'By my old enemies. Watson. By the charming society whose lender lies in the Reichenbach fall You must re- member that they knew, and only they knew. that I was still alive. Sooner or later they believed that should come back to my rooms. They watched them continuously. and this morning they saw me arrive"
 How do you knowT
 Because I recognized their sentinel when I glanced out of my window. He is a harmless enough fellow. Parker by name. a garroter by trade and re-