Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17

portant and lowliest manifestations tnat 'ie
keenest pleasure is to be derived 1t is
pleasant to me to observe, Watson that you
have so far grasped this truth that In these
little records of our cases which you have
been good enough to draw up. and. am
bound to say. occasionally to embeilish, you
have given prominence not so much to the
many causes celebres and sensational trials
IN which have figured. but rather to those
Incidents which may have been trivial In
themselves but which have given room Tor
those faculties of deduction and Of logical
syn;hesis which / have made my special
province"
And yet" said l. smiling. Il cannot
quite hold myself absolved from the charge
of sensationalism which has been urged
against my records.
You have erred. perhaps" he observed
taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs
and lighting with II the long cherry-wood
pipe which wont to replace ms cia!
when he was In disputatious rather imam
n meditative mood-"you have erred per
haps In attempting to put color and Ire
into each of your statements instead OF con-
fning yourself to the task OF placing upon
record that severe reasoning from cause 10
cfrec: which is really the only notable lea
ture about the thing
1T seems to me that have done you fun
Justice in the 1natter." / remarked, Win
sone coldness for I was repealed by the
d egotism which I had more than once op-
served to be a strong factor In my frieno
singular character.
NO n IL not selfisrness or conceit." said
he answering. as HIS wont. my
thoughts rather than my words III
claim full justice for my art. ii is because
q IS rn impersonal thing-a thing beyond
myself Crime is common. Logic is rare.
Therefore II is uron the logic rather than
upon the crime that YOU should dwell You
have degraded what should have heen
Ccursa OF lectures into a series of tales.
II WIS q cold morning of the early spring,
and we sat after breakfast on either side
OF q chcery fire in the old room at Baker
strret \ Trick fog rolled down between
the lines Of dun-rolored houses. and the OPP
posing windows doomed like dark. shapeless
blurs through the heavy yellow w"eaths.
Our E1s WIS 1T, and shone on the whi1e
cloth and glimmsr of china and metal. Tor
the Ia HE had not been cleared yet. Sher-
lock Holmes had been silent all the morn
ing dinping continuously into the adver-
tIscrreut columns of n succession OF p1pers,
until Ut last, having apra rently given up
his search. he had emerged In no very sweet
temper TO lecture me upon my literary
shortcomings.
AT the same tirr,or he rn-narked after
pause during which ne had sat putting at
his long pipe and gazing down into the fire,
''you can hardly Re open to q charge of sen
sationaIism for ont of these cases which
you have been 50 kind to interest your
self in n fair proportion do not treat OF
crime. in its legal sense. at all. The small
matter in which I enGeavored to help the
AL
OF Miss Mary Sutherland. the problem con-
nected with the man with the twisted HIP.
and the incident of the noble bachelor were
all matters which outside the pale OF
the law. But in avoiding the sensational. l
fear that you may have bordered on the
trivial
THE end may have been So" answered
but the methods hold to have been mover
and of interest
"Pshaw. my dear fellow what do the
public. the great unobservant public who
could hardly tell weaver by his tooth or
a compositor by his left thumb. care about
the finer shades of analysis and deduction!
But. indeed, II you are trivial. I cannot
blame you. for the days OF the great cases
are past. Man. at least criminal man.
has lost all enterprise and originality. AS
TO my own little practice. It seems to be
degenerating into an agency for recovering
lost lead pencils and giving advice to young
ladies from boarding schools. think that
have touched bottom at last. however.
This note I had this morning marks my
zero-point ! fancy. Read IT. He tossed
a crumpled letter across to me.
1t was dated from Montague place upon
the preceding evening. and ran thus:
Dear Mr.. Holmes-I am very anxious to
should not accept a situation which has
been offered to me as governess- shall
call at 1920 tomorrow, II I do not fncon-
venience you Yours 1aith 1fr ;,,>,rr,,
do YOU know the young LADY," asked.
Not l."
1T Is 1920 now.
Yes. and 1 have no doubt that is her
ring"
at may turn out 10 be of more interest
than you think. You remember that the af-
fair OF the blue carbuncle, which appeared
20 be a mere whim at first. developed into
a serious investigation. It may be so IN
this case. also"
Well let us hope So IT our doubts will
very soon be solved. for here, unless am
muc'. mistaken. Is the person In question.
As 10 spoke the door ooened and young
lady entered the room. She was plainly but
neatly dressed. with a bright quick face.
treckled like plover's egg, and with the
brisk manner of woman who has had her
own way to make in the world.
You Will excuse my troubling you. I am
sure" said she. my companion rose to
greet her. but have had very strange
experience, and as / have no parents or
relations of any sort from whom I could
ask advice. I thought that perhaps you
would be kind enough to tell me what !
should do"
pray. take a seat. Miss Hunter I shall
be happy to do anything I can to serve
you"
1 could see that Holmes was favorably
impressed by the manner and speech OF
his new client He looked her over in his
searching fashion. and then composed him
self, with his lids dropping and his finger
tips together, to listen to her story.
II have been a governess for 1--WE years"
said she. I'm the family of Col. Spence
Munro, but two months ago the colonel re-
ceived an appointment at Halifax In Nova
Scotia. and took his children over to
America with him. that 1 found myself
without a situation. I advertised. and !
answered advertisements, but without sue
cess. At last the little money which had
saved began to run short, and was at my
wits end as to what should do.
There Is a wellknown agency for gov
ernesses In the West End called West
away's. and there used to call about once
week In order to see whether anything
had turned UP which might suit me. West
away was the name of the founder of the
business. but II Is really managed by Miss
Stopper. She sits In her own little Office
and the ladies who are seeking employment
wait In an ante-room. and are then shown
in one by enc. when she consults her ledg-
ers and sees whether she has anything
which would suit them.
We'll. when / called last week l was
shown into the little office as usual. but /
found that Miss STOPPER not alone. A
prod!giously stout man with a very smiling
face and great heavy chin. which rolled
down In fold upon fold over his throat. sat
at her elbow with a pair of glasses on his
nose. looking very earnestly at the ladies
who entered. AS l came in he gave quite
jump in his chair. and turned quickly