The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-20

you, you scoundrel! I have heard of you
 before. You are Holmes. the meddler."
 My friend smiled.
 Holmes the busybody!"
 Ills smile broadened
 Holmes, the Scotland-Yard Jack-in-
 onicew
 Holmes ehuckled heartily Your con
 versation is most entertaining" said he.
 When you go out close the door, for
 there is decided draught."
 q will go when I have said my say i Don't you dare to meddle with my af-
 fairs. I know that Miss Stoner has been here. I traced her l am a dangerous man to fall foul of See here" He stepped swiftly forward seized the poker. and bent 1t into a curve with his huge brown hands
 See that you keep yourself out of my | grip" he snarled. and hurling the twisted { pok< into the fireplace. he strode out of l the room.
 He seems very amiable person. said Holmes. laughing "I am not quite
 so bulky. but if he had remained I might nave shown him that my grip was not
 much more feeble than his own" As he l spoke he picked up the steel poker and with a sudden effort strengthened it out
 again.
 | Fancy his having the insolenee to con | found me with the official detective forcel 1 This incident gives zest to our inyestiga- l l little friend will not suffer from her inn l pudenee in allowing this brute to trace ' her And now, Watson. we shall order | breakfast and afterward I shall walk | down to Doctors Commons. where hope | to get some data which may help us in 1 this matter"
 | It was nearly 1 o'clock when Sherlock Holmes returned from his excursion. He | held in his hand a sheet of blue paper, | scrawled over with notes and figures | T have seen the will of the decea sed ] wife, said he. 'To determine it's exact
 meaning have been obliged to work out | the present prices of the investments l with which it is concerned. The total in- | come which at the time of his wifes
 ceath was little short of e1100 is now. | through the fall in agricultural prices | not more than E750 Each daughter can
 claim an income of f250, in case of mar
 riage lt is evident therefore. that if | both girls had married, this beauty would | have had a mere pittance. while even
 one of them would cripple him 10 very
 serious extent. My mornings work has not been wasted, since it has proved that | he has the very strongest motives for standing In the way of anything of the l sort
 | And now, Watson, this is too serious 1 Tor dawdling. especially as the old man | IS aware that we are interesting ourselves I snail call cab and drive to Waterloo | should be very much obliged If you l would slip your revolver into your pocket 1 AZ Ely's No. is an excellent argument 1 "l'h gentlemen who can twist steel po-
 Ners into knots That and a tooth brush | are l think. all that we need" l At Waterloo we were fortunate in catch 1 ing train for Leatherhead, where we hired trap at the station inn, and drove | Tor four or five miles through the lovely | Surrey lanes It was a perfect day. l with bright sun and few fieeey clouds l Tn the heavens The trees and waysdo l hedges were just throwing out their first | green shoots, and the air was full of the | pleasant smell of the moist earth To | me at least there was a strange contrast | between the sweet promise of the spring
 and this sinister quest upon which we | were engaged My companion sat in the | front of the trap, his arms folded his | hat pulled down over his eyes, and his ! chin sunk upon his breast, buried in the l deepest thought. Suddenly, however, he | started, tapped me on the shoulder and | pointed over the meadows 1 Look there said be-
 | heavily timbered park stretched up | in gentle slope, thickening into a grove | at the highest point. From amid the
 branches there jutted out the gray gables l and high roof tree of very old ma | sion.
 l Stoke Moran said he.
 Yes sir, that be the house of Dr. | Grimesby Roylott." remarked the driver There Is some building going on there.''
 said Holmes; "that is where we are go- ] ing"
 There's the village" said the driver, l pointing to cluster of roofs some dis l tance to the left but if you want to 1 get to the house. you'll find 1t shorter to get over this stile, and so by the foot | path over the fields. There 1t is, where the | lady Is walking"
 | And the lady, fancy, is Miss Stoner," observed Holmes, shading his eyes. 'eYes, l l think we had better do as you sug- | gest.'
 | We got off, paid our fare, and the trap | rattled back on it's way to Leatherhead | 'I thought it as we'll" said Holmes as l we climbed the stile. that this fellow l should think we had come here as archi- 1 tects. or on some definite business It 1 may stop his gossip. Good afternoon Miss l Stoner. You see that we have been as | good as our word'
 1 Our client of the morning had hurried | forward to meet us with a face which i spoke her joy. 'I have been waiting so i eagerly for youn she cried shaking 1 hands with warmly. "All has turned out splendidly. Dr. Roylott has gone to | town, and 1t Is unlikely that he will be back before evening"
 | We have had the pleasure of making | the doctors acquaintance,' said Holmes, l and in few words he sketched out | what had occurred. Miss Stoner turned | white to the lips as she listened Good heavens' she cried, he has fol- 1 lowed me, then?' 50 1t appears" 'He Is so cunning that I never know when I safe from him. What will he say when he returns?" 'He must guard himself. for he may find that there is some one more cunning than himself upon his track. You must lock yourself up from him tonight If he is violent we shall take you away to your aunt's at Harrow. Now. we must make the best of our time. so kindly take us at once to the rooms which we are to examine" The building was of gray, nchen- botched stone, with a high central DOT ton, and two curving wings like the claws of a crab. thrown out on each side. 1 In one of these wings the windows were l broken. and blocked with wooden boards, 1 while the roof partly caved in. | picture of ruin. The central portion was | in little better repair. but the right hand , block was comparatively modern and | the blinds in the windows. with the blue l smoke. curling up from the chimneys. l showed that this where the family l resided. Some scaffoding had been erect 1 ed against the end wall, and the stone l
 work had been broken into, but there |
 were no signs of any workmen at the !,
 moment of our visit. Holmes walked slow |