Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-09-09

you could rot distinguish"
Holmes gave an ejaculation Of i'm
patience.
1T has been pouring rain and blow
ing a hurricane ever since" said he.
1T will be harder TO read now than
that palimpsest Wei. we'll il can't
be helped. What did you do, Hop
kins, after you had made certain that
you had made certain Of nothingT'
y think l made certain of a good
deal, Mr.. Holmes. / knew that some
one had entered the house cautiously
from without. / next examined the
corridor. IL is lined with cocoanut
mating and had taken no impression
Of any kind. This brought me into
the study Itself. Ii is a scautily fur
nished room. The main article is a
large writing table with fixed
bureau. This bureau consists of a
double column of drawers. with a cen
tral small cupboard between 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.
II is certain that no robbery has been
committed.
Il come now TO the body Of the young
man. 1t was found near the bureau.
and just to the left of il. as marked
upon that chart. The stab was on the
right side of the neck aud from behind
forward. SO that it is almost impossi-
bic that it could have been self in
hicted."
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 closped ina the dead mans right
hand"
From his pocket Stanley Hopkins
drew a small paper packet. He un-
folded it and disclosed q golden pince-
nez, with two broken ends of black
silk cord dangling from the end of il.
"Nilloughby Smith had excellent
sight De added. There can be no
question that this was snatched from
the face or the person Of the assassin -
sherlock Holmes took the glasses in
10 his hand and examined them with
the utmost attention and interest He
held them on his nose. ondeavored %
read through them. went 10 the win
dow 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 few lines upon q
sheet OF paper. which ne tossed across
70 Stanley Hopkins.
That's the best / can do for YOU
said he. 1t may prove To- Doe OF some
use"
The astonishcd detective read the
note aloud IL ran as follows:
Wanted. a woman Of good address. az.
tired llkc Is lady. She has q remarkably
thick nose. with eyes which are scr ciora
upon either side OF &C.. She has a quicker
4 ed forehead. pstrIu- expression and
probably rounded shoulders There arc
indications that she has had recourse Ca
A. .
Few months. As her glasses arc of rs-
markoble strength and as opticians arc
NOT very numerous. there should Zoe no
difficulty ga tracing hcr
Holmes smiled az the establishment
OF Hopkins. which must have been
reflected upon my features.
surely my deductions arc simplicity
ITSELF said he. 1t would be difficult
to name any articles which afford q
finer field for inference than pair Of
glasses, especially SO remarkable "a pair
as these. That they belong 20 woman
infer from their delic1cy and also of
course from the last words OF the diving
man. As 90 her being a pers of re-
hnement and well dressed they are. as
you perceive. Handsomely mounted i'm
solid gold, and il is iuconceivable that
any one who wore such glasses could
be Slatteruly In other respects. You
VIII ind thar the clips are too Idle for
your nose, showing that the lady's nose
was very broad az the base This sort
OF nose is usually a short ana coarse
one, but there is n sufficient number OF
exceptions 10 prevent me from being
doSmatic or from insisting upon this
point in my description Ny own face
Is narrow one. and Yet 7 find that I
cannot get my eyes into the center nor
near the center of these glasses.
Therefore the lady's eyes are set very
near 10 the sides of the nose. You will
perceive, Watson, that the glasses are
concave and OF unusual strength. \
lady whose vision has been so extreme
ly contracted all her life is sure TO have
the physical characteristics OF such
vision, which are seen I'm the forehead.
the eyelids and the shoulders"
Yes" l said. Il can follow each of
your arguments. I confess, however.
that l am unable to understand how
you arrive at the double visit to the
optician"
Holmes took the glasses in his hand.
You viii perceive" ne said. that
the clips are lined with tiny bands OF
cork 10 soften the pressure upon tile
nose. one Of these is discolored and
worn 10 some slight extent but the
other is new. Evidently one has fallen
Off and been replaced. ! should Judge
that tho oldar Of fTar, boc vot l,,,,