The San Francisco call., 1905-03-12
The wrstched creature began

tical joke"
.sOh! a joke. was it? You won't find
the laugh on your side, I promise YOU
Take him down, and keep him In the
sftting-room until T come Mr..
Holmes" he continued, when they had
gone. IT could not speak before the
constables, but / don't mind saying,
in the presence OF DR. Watson, that
this is the brightest thing that you
have done vet though il is a mystery
to me how YOU did it. You have saved
an innocent mans life, and you nave
prevented a very grave scandal Wnlcn
would have ruined my reputation IN
the Force"
Holmes smiled. and cIapped Lestrads
upon the shoulder.
= INSTEAD of being ruined, my good
sir, you viii find that your reputation
has been enormously enhanced Just
make a few alterations in that report
which you We're writing, and they
will understand how hard it Is to
throw dust in the eyes OF Inspector
Lestrade''
And you don't want your name to
mot at all. The work is It's own
reward. Perhaps shall get the credit
also at some distant day, when l per-
nit my jealous historian to lay out his
foolscap once more-eh, Watson? Well.
now, let US see where this rat has
been lurking"
Al lath-and-plaster partition had
been run across the passage six feet
from the end, with q door cunningly
concealed In It 1t was lit within BY
OF furniture and a supply OF food and
water were within, together with
number OF books and papers.
There's the advantage OF being a
builder" said Holmes, as we came out
HE was able to fix up his own little
hiding place without any confederate
save of course, that precious house
keener of his. whom I should lose no
time in adding to your bag, Lestrade.
s.I'Il take your advice But how did
you know OF this place, Mr. Holmes?
sI made UP my mind that the fellow
was in hiding in the house Wnen 1
paced ODE corridor and found 1t six
feet shorter than the corresponding one
below. ii was pretty clear where ne
was. I thought he had not the nerve
to lie quiet before an alarm OF nre.
We could, OF course, have gone IN and
taken him, but 1t amused me 70 MAKE
him reveal himself, besides. owed you
a little mystihcation, Lestrade, Tor
your chaff IN the morning.
well, sir, you certainly got eQua1
with me on that. But how In tina
world did you know that he was In the
house at all?"
"The thumb-mark. Lestrade. You
said 1t was final; and 50
was. in a very different sense.
knew 1t had not been there
the day before. pay a good deal OF
attention to matters OF detail, as you
have observed. and had examined
the hall and was sure that the wall
was clear. Therefore 1t had been put
on during the night"
But how?"
Very simply. When those packets
were sealed up Jonas Oldacre got Nc
Farlane to secure one Of the seals by
putting his thumb upon the soft wax
1t would be done so quickly and so
naturally that / dare say the young
man himself has no recollection Of 1t.
Very likely it just so happened, and
Oldacre had himself no notion OF the
use he would put it to. Brooding over
the case in that den Of his. 1t suddenly
struck him what absolutely damning
evidence he could make against Nc
Farlane by using that thumb-mark.
1t was the simplest thing in the world
for him to take a wax impression
from the seal, to moisten it in as much
blood as he could get from a pin
prick, and to put the mark upon the
wall during the night either with his
own hand or with that OF bis house
keeper. If you examine among those
documents which he took with him to
his retreat viii lay you a wager that
you find the seal with the thumb
mark upon it,
sWonderfuly' said Lestrade. WON
derfuH It's all as clear as crystal. as
you put IT,. But what is the object OF
this deep deception. Mr.. HoImes?"
1T was amusing to see how the de-
tective's Overbearfng manner had
changed suddenly to that of a child
asking questions OF its teacher.
well. I don't think that is very
hard to explain. A very deep, ma
to41 L.
tIeman who is now waiting US down
stairs. You know that he was once
refused by McFarlane's mother? You
don'tI / told you that you should
go to Blackheath first and Norwood
afterward. Well, this injury, as he
would consider 1t. has ranked in his
wicked, scheming brain, and all his
life he has longed for vengeance, but
never seen his chance. During the last
year or two, things have gone against
him-secret speculation, / think-and
he finds himself in bad way. He de-
termines to swindle his creditors. and
for this purpose he pays large checks
imagine, himself under, another name
have not traced these checks yet.
but I have no doubt that they were
banked under that name at some pro-
vincial town where Oldacre from time
to time led a double existence. He
luLcuQSQ 10 Cudu5C Ills AdAI1c d4LO~
gether. draw this money and vanish.
starting life again elsewhere
well. that's likely enough"
@-It would strike him that in disap-
pearing he might throw all pursuit or
his track and at the same time have
an ample and crushing revenge upon
his old sweetheart if he could give the
impression that he had been mur-
dered by her only child. 1t was a mas
nf vi nd he oYrfn
out like a master The idea OF the will
which would give an obvious motive
for the crime, the secret visit un-
known to his own parents. the reten-
ton OF the stick. the blood and the
animal remains and buttons IN the
wood pile, all were admirable. 1t was
net from which 1t seemed TO me. q
few hours ago. that there was no pos
sible escape. But he had not that su-
prene gift Of the artist. the knowledge
of when to stop. He wished to I'M
prove that which was already perfect