The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-02

it all yet"
II fear it is rather too late an hour
for explanations" said Holmes. Be
sides, there are one or two details
which are not finished off, and it is one
of those cases which are worth work
ing out to the very end. If you will
come round once more to my rooms
at six o'clock tomorrow, / think l
shall be able to show you that even
now you have not grasped the entire
meaning of this business, which pre-
sents some features which make it alb
solutely original in the history of
crime. If ever | permit you to
chronicle any more of my little pro-
blems, Watson. / foresee that you
will enliven your pages by an account
of the singular adventure of the Ma
poleonic bustS."
When we met again next evening,
Lestrade was furnished with much in
formation concerning our prisoner. His
name, it appeared was Bepro, second
name unknown. He was a well-known
ne er-do-well among the Italian colony.
He had once been Skillet sculptor
and had earned an honest living, i.Et
he had taken to ey,! courses and had
twice already been in gaoi- once for
a petty theft, and once. as sc had AL
ready heard, for stabbing fellow
countryman. He could tax English
ing the busts was still unknown. and
le. refused IL a:sT..r amy que~ tio,s
upon he subject. bat the police had
disco. Ir- that .'lcsa sane Dus:s ms lit
very wei have been ma e b; n" own
hands, So .e MAS engaged in this
class IF work II. the est )'iSi:'3rnr II
Gelde: Al i u this Informal
ton, much Of which we alre:;dy knew,
Holmes listened with polite attention,
but l. who knew hiri so we'll. could
clearly see that his thoughts were else
where. and l detected mixture of
mingled uneasiness and expectation
beneath that 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
grlzzled side-whiskers was ushered in.
In his right hand he carried an old
fashioned carpet-bag, which he placed
upon the table.
us Mr.. Sherlock Holmes here 2"
My friend bowed and smiled. MIR.
Sanderford of Reading, 1 suppose 2"
said he.
YES, sir. I fear that l am little
late, but the trains were awkward. !
You wrote to me about a bust that is
in my possession
Exactly"
II have your letter here. You said,
L desire to possess a copy of DeVine's !
Napoleon. and am prepared to pay
you ten pounds for the one which is
in your possession Is that right"
Certainly"
Il was very much surprised at your
letter, for l could not imagine how
you knew l owned such a thing
"Of course you must have been sur
prised, but the explanation is very
simple Mr.. Harding, of Harding
Brothers, said that they had sold you
their last copy, and he gave me your
address,
"Oh, that was it, was it? Did he
tell you what | paid for it?''
mo, he did not"
"Well, l am an honest man, though
not a very rich one. l only gave fif-
teen shillings for the bust, and 1 think
you ought to know that before / take
ten pounds from you.
Il am sure the scruple does you
honour, Mr.. Sandeford. But l have
named that price, SO l intend to stick
to it,
We'll. it is very handsome of you.
Mr.. Holmes. | brought the bust up
with me, as you asked me to do. Here
it ISL He opened his bag, and at
last we saw placed upon our table a
complete specimen of that bust which
we had already seen more than once
in fragments.
Holmes took a paper from his pock-
ct and laid a ten-pound note upon the
table.
'You will kindly sign that paper,
Mr.. Sandeford, in the presence of these
witnesses. 1t is simply to say that
you transfer every possible right that
you ever had in the bust to me- / am
q methodical man, you see, and you
never know what turn events might
fol
Sandeford; here is your money and /
wish you very good evening"
When our visitor had disappeared,
Sherlock Holmes movements were
such as to rivet our attention. He be-
gan Nv taking a clean white cloth
from drawer and laying it over the
table. Then he placed his newly ac-
quired bust in the centre of the cloth
Finally, he picked up his hunting-crop
and struck Napoleon sharp blow on
the top of the head. The figure broke
into fragments, and Holmes bent
eagerly over the shattered remains
Next instant, with a loud shout of
triumph he held up one splinter, in
which round. dark object was fixed
like plum in a pudding.
Gentlemen" he cried, '1et me in
troduce you to the famous black pearl
of the BorgiaS."
Lestrade and I sat silent for mo-
ment, and then, with a spontaneous
impulse, we both broke out clapping,
as at the well-wrought crisis of a play.
A flush of colour sprang to Holmes
pale cheeks, and he bowed to us like
the master dramatist who receives the
homage of his audience. 1t was at
such moments that for an instant he
ceased to be a reasoning machine. and
betrayed his human love for admira-
ton and applause. The same singu-
larly proud and reserved nature which
turned away with disdain from popu-
lar notoriety was capable of being
moved to its depths by spontaneous
wonder and praise from friend.
Yes, gentlemen said he, ''it is the
most famous pearl now existing in the
world, and it has been my good for
tune, by connected chain of induc-
tive reasoning, to trace it from the
Prince of Colonna's bedroom at the
Dacre Hotel, where it was lost, to the
interior of this, the last of the six
busts of Napoleon which were manu-
facturPd bV Geldpr and Co Of Stem