The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-12-03
ILLUSTRATED
BY F. D. STEELE

for explanations" said Holmes. BE
sides. there are one or two details
which are not finished of, and it is
one Of those cases which are worth
working out to the very end. If you
will come round once more to my
rooms at @ o'clock tomorrow I think
shall be able to show you that even
now YOU have rot grasped the entire
meaning OF this business. which pre-
sents some features which make 1t
absolutely original in the history of
crime. If ever / permit you to chron-
icle any more of my little problems,
Watson, I foresee that you will enliv-
en- your pages by an account Of the
singular adventure Of the Napoleonic
busts."
When we met again next eEenihg LIE
strade was furnished with much In
formation concerning our prisoner. His
name, it appeared, was Beppo, second
name unknown. He was a well known
ne'er-do-well among the Italian col
ony. He had once been a skillful sculp-
tor and had earned an honest living,
but he had taken to evil courses and
had twice already been in jail-once for
a petty theft and once, as we had al
! ready heard, for stabbing a fellow
+ countryman. He could talk English
perfectly we'll His reasons for de
( strOying the busts were still unknown,
I and be refused to answer any ques-
( lions upon the subject, but the police
had discovered that these same busts
! might very well have been made by
I his own hands, since he was engaged
81 this class or work at the establish
ment Of Gelder & Co.
/ To all this Information, much Of
which we already knew, Holmes lis
tened with polite attention, but 1, who
knew him so well, could clearly see
that his thoughts were elsewhere, and
1 detected a mixture Of mingled I'M
easiness and expectation beneath that
I mask which he was wont to assume.
At last he started in his chair, and his
eyes frightened. There had been a
ring at the bell A minute later we
heard steps upon the stairs, and an
elderly, red faced man with grizzled
side whiskers was ushered IN. In bis
right hand he carried an old fashioned
carpetbag. which he placed upon the
/ table.
els Mr.. Sherlock Holmes hereT"
Ny friend bowed and smiled "AIr.
Sandeford Of Reading, supposed"
said he.
''Yes. sir; fear that I am q little
! late, but the trains were awkward
You wrote to me about a bust that is
in my possession"
Exactly
Il have your letter here. You said,
Z desire to possess a copy Of Devine's
Napoleon and am prepared to pay you
E10 for the one which is in your pos
session. Is that rightY
Certainly"
Il was very much surprised at your
letter, for I could not imagine how you
knew that 1 owned such a thing"
of course you must have been sur
crised, but the explanation is very sim
c.e. Mr. Harding Of Harding Bros.
said that they had sold you their last
:cpy, and be gave me your address"
"Oh, that was It, was it2 Did be tell
ySu what I paid for itY'
mo, be did not"
''WeIl. I am an honest man, though
rot a very rich one. 1 only gave 10
shillings for the bust, and think you
ought to know that before I take flo
from you"
Il am sure the scruple does you hon
OF. Mr.. Sandeford. But I have named
that price, so intend to stick to it,
'Well. it is very handsome Of you,
Mr.. Holmes. I brought the bust up
with me, as you asked me to do. Here
it isr He opened his bag. and at last
we saw placed upon our table a com
plete specimen Of that bust which we
bad already seen more than once in
fragments.
Holmes took a paper from his pocket
and laid a ten pound note upon the Ia
bic.
You viii kindly sign that paper. Mr..
SandefOrd, in the presence Of these wit
nesses. It is simply to say that you
transfer every possible right that you
ever had in the bust to me. I am a
methOdical man, you see, and you new
er know what turn events might take
afterward. Thank you, Mr.. SandefOrd.
Here is your money. and / wish you a
/ very good evening"
When our visitor had disappeared
Sherlock Holmes movements were
such as TO rivet our attention. he be
gan by taking a clean white cloth from
a drawer and laying it over the table.
Then he placed his newly acquired bust
in the center Of the cloth. Finally he
picked up his hunting crop and struck
Napoleon. a sharp blow on the top Of
the head. The figure broke into frag-
ments, and Holmes bent eagerly over
the shattered remains. Next instant.
with a S0ud snour OF triumph, be held
up one splinter, in which a round, dark
object was fixed ike plum in a pud-
ding.
Gentlemen" he cried, "let me intro
iuce you to the famous black pearl Of
the Borgias."
Lestrade and I sat silent for a mo
ment and then, with a spontaneous