The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-16


 drawers, with central cupboard be- tween them. The drawers were open, the cupboard locked. The drawers, it seems, were always open, and nothing of value was kept in them. There were some. papers of importance in the cupboard, but there were no signs that this had been tempered with. and the professor assures me that nothing was missing, It Is certain that no robbery has been committed.
 T come now to the body of the young man. It was found near the young man. It was found near the marked upon that chart The stab was on the right side of the neck and from behind forwards, so that 1t is almost impossible that it could have been sef-inflicted '
 Unless he fell upon the knife said Holmes.
 Exactly. The idea crossed my mind. But we found the knife some feet away from the body, so that seems impossible. Then, of course, there are the mans own dying words And, finally, there was this very inn portant piece of evidence which was found clasped in the dead mans right hand.'
 From his pocket Stanley Hopkins drew a small paper packet. He un- lpl0tu ll anu NiSNipStu Il kDlot0 DlIlCe- neg, with two broken ends of black silk cord dangling from the end of it. "Willoughby Smith had excellent sight" he added. There can be no question that this was snatched from the face or the person of the assas- sin"
 Sherlock Holmes took the glasses into his hand, and examined them with the utmost attention and inter- H.
 deavored to read through them, went to the window and stared up the street with them, looked at them most minutely in the full light of the lamp. and finally, with a chuckle, seated himself at the table and wrote a few lines upon sheet of paper, which he tossed across to Stanley Hopkins.
 That's the best 1 can do for you" said he. Tt may prove to be of some use."
 The astonished detective read the note aloud. It ran as follows:
 "Wanted,a woman of good address, attired like a lady. She has a remark ably thick nose with eyes which are set close upon either side of 1t. She has a puckered forehead. a peefing expression, and probably rounded shoulders. There are indications that she has had recourse to an optieian at least twaee during the last few months As her glasses are of re- markable strength. and as opticians are not very numerous, there should be no difficulty in tracing her.
 Holmes smiled at the astonishment of Hopkins, which must have been reflected upon my features.
 Surely my deductions are simplicity itself" said he Ut would be diff cult to name any articles which afford a finer field for inference than a pair of glasses. especially so remarkable a pair of these. That they belong to a woman I infer from their delicacy, and also, of course, from the last words of the dying man. As to her being a person of refinement and well dressed. they are as you perceive, handsomely mounted in solid gold, and 1t is incon- ceivable that anyone who wore such glasses could be slatternly in other re- spects. You will find that the clips are too wide for your nose, showing that the lady's nose was very broad at the base. This sort of nose is usually a short and coarse one. but there is a sufficient number of exceptions to pre- vent me from being dogmatic or from insisting upon this point in my de- scription. My own face Is a narrow one and yet find that l cannot get my eyes into the center nor near the center of these glasses. There fore the lady's eyes are set very near to the sides of the nose. You will perceive, Watson, that the glasses are concaVe and of unusual strength. A lady whose vision has been so ex- tremely contracted all her life is sure to have the physical characteristics of such vision, which are seen in the forehead, the eyelids and the shoul- ders'
 Yes" l said T can follow each of your arguments l confess, how ever, that l am unable to understand how you arrive at the double visit to the optician."
 Holmes took the glasses In his hand. You will perceive" said he, that the clips are lined with tiny bands of cork to soften the pressure upon the nose. One of those is dscolored and. worn to some extent, but the other is new. Evidently one has fallen off and been replaced. l should judge that the older of them has not been there more than a few months. They exactly correspond so I gather that the lady went back to the same estab- lishment for the second'
 "Ry George, It's marvelousi" cried Hopkins. in an ecstasy of admira- ton '"Fo think that I had all that evidence in my hand and never knew 1t! I had intended, however to go the round of the London opticians
 "Of course you would Meanwhile, have you anything more to tell us about the case?"
 Nothing, MT. Holmes. I think that you know as much as I do now probably more. We have had in