The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-05
The Return Of Sherlock Hol-
mes.
CONTINUED From Page one.)
mes.

in the hedge, disappearing from my
view.
A quarter of an hour passed, and
then second cyclist appeared. This
time it was the young lady coming
from the station. l saw her look
about her as she came to the Char
lington hedge. An instant later the
man emerged from his hiding place,
sprang upon his cycle, and followed
her. In all the broad landscape
those were the only moving figures,
the graceful girl sitting very straight
upon her machine, and the man be-
hind her bending low over his handle
bar with a curiously furtive sugges-
ton in every movement. She looked
back at him and slowed her pace. He
slowed also. She stopped. He at
once stopped, too, keeping two hun
dred yards behind her. Her next
movement was as unexpected as it
was spirited. She SUDDENLY whisked
her wheels round and dashed straight
at him. He was as quick as she, how
ever, and darted off in desperate
flight. Presently she came back up
the road again, her head haughtily
in the air, not deigning to take any
further notice of her silent attend
ant. He had turned also, and still
kept his distance until the curve OF
the road hid them from my sight.
l remained in my hiding place, and
it was well that / did so, for presently
the man reappeared, cycling slowly
back. He turned in at the Hall gates,
and dismounted from his machine.
For some minutes l could see him
standing among the trees. Ills hands
were raised, and he seemed to be
settling his necktie. Then he mount
ed his cycle, and rode away from me
down the drive towards the hall. /
ran across the heath and peered
through the trees. Far away ] could
catch glimpses of the old grey build
ing with its bristling Tudor chimneys,
but the drive ran through a dense
shrubbery, and 1 saw no more of my
man.
However, it seemed to me that l
had done a fairly good mornings
work, and / walked back in high
spirits to Farnham. The local house
agent could tell me nothing about
Charlington Hail. and referred me to
a well-known firm in Pail Mall. There
l halted on my way home, and met
with courtesy from the representative.
No, / could not have Charlington Hall
for the summer. l was just too late.
1t had been let about a month ago.
Mr.. Williamson was the name of the
tenant. He was a respectable, eld-
erly gentleman. The polite agent was
afraid he could say no more. as the
affairs of his clients were not matters
which he could discuss.
Mr.. Sherlock Holmes listened with
attention to the long report which l
was able to present to him that even
ing, but it did not elicit that word
of curt praise which l had hoped for,
and should have valued. On the con-
trary, his austere face was even more
severe than usual as he commented
upon the things that / had done and
the things that l had not
Your hiding-place, my dear Wat
son, was very faulty. You should
have been behind the hedge. then
you would have had a (close view Of
this interesting person. AS itsis, you
were some hundreds of yards away,
and can tell me even less than Miss
Smith. She thinks she does not know
the man: / am convinced she does.
Why, otherwise. should he be SO
desperately anxious that she should
not get so near him as to see his
features? You describe him as bend
ing over the handle-ba Conceal
ment again, you see. You really have
done remarkably badly. He returns
to the house, and you want TO find out
who he is. You come to London
house-agent!"
what should 1 have done ?"
cried, with some heat.
"Gone to the nearest public house.
That is the centre of country gossip.
They would have told you every name,
from the master to the scullery- maid.
Williamson? 1t conveys nothing TO
my mind. If he is an elderly man he
is not this active cyclist. who sprints
away from that young lady's athletic
pursuit. What have we gained by
your expedition? The knowledge that
the girls story is true. / never doubt
ed it. That there is a connection be-
tween the cyclist and the Hall. |
never doubted that either. That tn
ssE