The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-03-20

ing a complete asccndcncy over tha
Of Ita'y in the Mediterranean. The
questions treated in it were purely IA
Val. At the end were the signature
of the high dignitaries who had sign
Cd it. ] glanced my eve over II and
then settled dow to the task Of copy
ing.
1t was a long write
il the French language. aud contain
ing tWcnty-siX separate articles. ]
copied a. quickly as | couid. but a;
nine o'clock | had only nine articles.
and it seemed hopeless for me to catch
my train. | was feeling drowsy ana
stupid. partly from my dinner and a.
80 from the effects Of the long DAYS
work. y cup Of coffee would clear nv
brain. ~ commissionaire remains all
night in a little lodge at the DOT of
the stairs. ana is in the habit Of max
ing coffee at his spirit lamp for any
Of the officials who may be working
overtime. ! rang the bell. thercfore.
IL ummo him.
ITO my surprise il was a woman
who answered the summons. q large
CoarSc-faccd clGcrlN woman. in an
apron. She explained that she was
the commiSsionaire'S wife. wnO oil
The charring. and | gave her the or
der for the coffee.
Il wrote two more articles and then
feeling more drOWsy than ever, | rose
and walked up and down the room TO
stretch my legs. My coffee had aot
yet come, and ! wondered what The
cause Of the delay could bc. Opcnin.
the door. L started down the cor
ridor to find out. There was It straight
passage, dimely lighted, which led
from the room in which / had been
working and was the onIy exit from
It. 1t ended in a curvlne staircase.
With the commissionaire's lodge IN
the passage at The bottom. Half Wav
down this stair case is a small land
nG, with another passage running into.
Il at right angles. h second one
eads by means of a second small
stair to a side door. used by servants,
md also as a short cut by clerks wnen
coming from Charles street. Here is
| rough chart of the place
Thank YOU. | think that | quite
follow YOU said Sherlock Holmes.
1T is of the utmost Importance that
>ou should notice this point. l went
Town the stairs and into the hal, where
L found the cOmmiSSiOndire fast
tsleep in his box, with the kettle boil
ng furiously upon the spirit-lamp.sl
oOk off the kettle and blew out the
amp, for the water was squirting over
he floor. hen l put out my hand
and was about to shake the man.
/. Who was still sleeping s%oundly. when
| bell over his head rang loudly, and
lie woke with a start.
M. Phelps, sir!' said he. looking
1t me in beWildermcnt.
u came down to see if my cof-
fee was ready
u was boiling the kettle when l
Tell asleep sir He looked at me and
hen uD at the still quivering bell with
an e~Ver-groWing establishment upon
his face.
eff YOU were here, sir. then who
rang the bell?' he asked.
THE bell.' | cried. What bell is
| Its tho bell of the room you
were working in
"A cold hand seemed to close ound
my heart. Some one, then. was in chat
room where my precious treaty nav
Ipon the table. ] ran frantically up
the stair and along the passage. There
was nc one in he Corridors. 1Ir.
Holmes. There was no one in tho
room. AL was exactly as |
left it, save only that the papers which
lad been committed to my care had
,een aiken from the desk on which
hey lay. The copy was there, and the
original was gone
Holmes sat up in his chair and
dubbed his hands. / could see that
he problem was entirely TO his heart.
Pray, what did you do then?" he
murmLred.
Il recognized in an instant that
The thief must have come up the
stairs from the side door. OF course
| must have met hin if he had come
the other way"
You were satisfied that he could
not have been concealed iii the room
Ill the time, or in the corridor which
YOU have just described as dimly light
ed?"
at is absolutely impossible. 4 rat
could not conceal himself either in
The room or the corridors. There is no
cover at alt"
THANH you. Pray proceed"
Inc commisSionaire seeing by
my pale face that something WAS to
&c feared. had followed me upstairs.
Now we both rushed along the CORR
J 1or ANA down the steep steps which
ell to Charles street. The door at
he bottom was closed. but unlocked.
Ne lung it open and rushcd out. |
IAN distinctly remember that as we
lid so there came three chimes from
| n~ciShborinS clock. 1t was a quarter
! to ten"
THAT is Of enormous Importance"
said Holmes, making ii note upon his
shirt-cuff.
The night was very dark. ana !
thin. warm rain was falling. There was
no one IN Charles street, but q great
traffic vas going on, as usual il
Nhltehall. at the extremity. We
rushed along the pavement. bare
headed rs we were, and at the far
corner we found a policeman stand
ing.
~ robbery has been committed.- :
SdSpcd. n document Of immense yalnc
has been stolen from the Foreign
Once. Has Il ono passed this wav2'
u have been standing here for i
quarter Of an hour, sir said he. only
pn@ person has passed during that
tinic-a omar tall and elderly. with
! Paisley shawl
All. that is only my wife. crfs.I
the commissionairc has no one ri.e
passed? p
mo one
Then it must bc the other vav
mat the thief took. cried the fellow.
Juggling ut my sleeve.
But | was not satisfied. ana .n.
attempts winch he made To draw me
away increased my suspicious.
Which way did the woman cop.
/ cried.
Il don't know, sir. | noticed her
pass. but | had no special reason for
watching her. She seemed to be in i
n hlrlN-