Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-09-08
'i'hc Adventure @!
the Golden
Pince-Nez
No. 10 Of the Series
Continued from Satur 5ay)

an NIOhk III uiut- 80 YOU HHNp nDl HISS
ed anything. haven't let the grass
grow under my feet It's down In Kent,
seven miles from Chatham and three
from the railway line. was wired for
at 8:l5, reached Yoxley Old Place ut 3,
conducted my investigation, was back
at Charing Cross by the last train, and
straight to you by cab"
(Which means, | suppose, that you
are not quite clear about your case?"
1T means that | can make neither
head nor tail of II. SO far as can see.
1t Is just as tangled business as ever
handled. and yet ut first Il seemed so
simple that one couldn't 20 wrong.
There's no motive, Mr.. Holmes That's
what bothers me. I can't put my hand
on a motive. Here's man dead
there's no denying that-but. so far as
can see, no reason on earth why any
one should wish him HARM
Holmes lit his cigar and leaned back
In his chair.
let us hear about It." said he.
1--WE got my facts pretty clear" said
Stanley Hopkins. "All want now Is
TO know what they all mean. The sto
ry, SO far as can make II out, is like
this: Some years ago this country
house, Yoxley Old Place, was taken
by an elderly man, who gave the name
Of Professor Coram. He was an In.
valid. keeping his bed half the time
and the other half hobbling round the
house with a stick or being pushed
about the grounds by the gardener in
bath chair. lie was well liked by
the few neighbors who called upon
him, and he has the reputation down
there Of being n very learned man.
His household used to consist of an
elderly housekeeper, Mrs. Marker, and
Of maid, Susan Tarlton. These have
both been with him since his arrival,
ana they seem to be women of excel.
lent character. The professor Is writ.
ing learned book, and lie found II
necessary about year ago TO engage
n secretary. The first two that he tried
We're not successes. but the third, Mr..
Willoughby Smith. very young man
straight from the university, seems to
have been just what his employer
wanted. His work consisted In writ.
ing all the morning to the professors
dictatlon, ana he usually spent the
evening In hunting up references and
passages which bore upon the next
days work. This Wllloughby Smith
has nothing against him, either as a
boy at Uppingham or rs n young man
at Cambridge. have seen his tcsti-
monials, and from the first he was a
decent quiet, hardworklng fellow, with
no weak spot In him ut all And yet
this is the lad who has met his death
this morning In the professors study
under circumstances which can point
only to murder"
The wind howled and screamed at
the windows. Holmes and | drew
closer to the fire, while the young In.
spector slowly and point by point de.
veloped his singular narrative.
III you We're to search all England"
said he, II don't suppose you could
find household more self contained or
freer from outside Influences. Whole
weeks would pass and not one Of them
go past the garden gate. The pro.
fessor was buried In his work and ex-
listed for nothing else. Young Smith
knew nobody In the neighborhood and
lived very much as his employer did.
The two women had nothing to take
them from the house. Mortimer the
gardener, who wheels the bath chair,
Is an army pensioner, an old Crimean
man Of excellent character. lie does
not live In the house, but In three
roomed cottage at the other end of
the garden. Those are the only PEG.
pie that you would find within the
grounds Of Yoxley Old Place. At the
same time the gate Of the garden Is II
hundred yards from the main Lon.
don to Chatham road. 1t opens with
a latch, and there is nothing to pre-
vent any one from walking in.
"Now l will give you the evidence
Of Susan Tarlton, who IL the only per-
son who can say anything positive
about the matter. 1t was In the fore
neon, between II and -. She was en-
gagged at the moment In hanging some
curtains In the upstairs front bed.
room. Professor Coram was still In
bed, for when the weather is bad he
seldom rises before midday. The house.
keeper was busted with some work in
the back Of the house. Willoughby
Smith had been in his bedroom, which
he uses as a sitting room but the maid