The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-13

reasoning from an arm chair, my
brother would be the greatest criminal
agent that ever lived. But he has no
ambition and no energy. He will not
even go out of mis- way to verify his own
solutions, and would ather be consid-
cred wrong than take the trouble TO
prove himself right, Again and again
| have taken a problem to him. and 8
have received an explanation which
has afterwards proved to be the cor
rect one. And yet he was absolutely
incapable of working out the practical
points which must be gone into before
a case could be laid before q judge or
jury"
1T is not his profession. then?@
by no means. What is to me =
means of livelihood is to BIN the nlerest
hobby of a dilettante. He has an ex-
traordinary faculty for figures, and
audits the books in some of the gov
eminent departments. Mycroft lodges
in Pail Mall, and he walks round the
corner into Whitehall every morning
and back every evening. From years
end to years end he takes no other S
exercise, and is seen nowhere else, ex-
cept only in the Diogenes Club, which
is just opposite his rooms
Il cannot recall the name.'
Very likely not. There are many
men in London, you know, who, some
from shyness, some from misanthropy.
have no wish for the of their
fellows. Yet they are not ayerse to
comfortable chairs and the latest PEI
riodicals. 1t is for the convenience OF
these that the Diogenes Club was
started, and it now contains the most
~unsociable and u~nclubable men in town,
No member is permitted TO take The
| looet saAffaNF af a rtr p4har. n.4a Gave 4f
the strangers room, no talking is, un-4
der any circumstances. allowed. and
three offences, if brought to the no.
tice of the committee, render the
talker liable to expulsion. My brother
was one of the founders, and l have
myself found it a very soothing atmos-
phere."
We had reached Pail Mall as we
talked, and were walking down it from
the st. James's end. Sherlock Holmes
stopped at a door some little distance
from the Carlton, and. cautioning me
not to speak, he led the way into the
hall. Through the glass paneling
caught a glimpse of a large and luxu-
rious room, in which q considerable
number of men were sitting about and
reading papers, each in his own little
nook. Holmes showed me into a small
/ SAlEAilAJII WAliRh OhC W. 4 4AAA
Mall, and then. leaving me for a min
ute, he came back with a companion
whom l knew could only be his
brother.
Mycroft Holmes was a much larger
and stouter man than Sherlock. His
body was absolutely corpulent, but his
face, though massive, had preserved
something of the sharpness OF express
sion which was so remarkable in that
of his brother. His eyes, which we're
of a peculiarly light, watery gray,
seemed to always retain that far-away.
interpretive look which l had only
observed in Sllerlock's when he was
exerting his full powers.
81 am glad to meet you. SIR said he,
putting out a broad. fat hand like the
fiipper of a seal. 81 hear of Sherlock
everywhere since you became his chron-
%icler. By the way, Sherlock, | expected
to see you round last week to consult
nae over that manor house case. /
thought you might be a little out OF
your depth"
mo, / solved it." said my friend.
smiling.
1T was Adams, of course"
Yes, it was Adams
II was sure of it from the irst.p The
, two sat dow together in the bow
window of the club. ITO any one who
wishes to study mankind this is the
spot" said Mycroft. "LoolS at the mag
~nifeent types! Look at these two men
who are coming towards us, for ex-
ample
"The- biIliard-marker and the other?7
Precisely. What do you make of
the other?"
The two men had stopped opposite
the window. Some chalk marks over
the waistcoat pocket We're the only
signs of billiards which ] could see
in one of them. The other was a very
ismall, dark fellow. with his hat pushed
back and several packages in his arms.
A old soldier, l perceive said
Sherlock.
"And very recently discharged" re-
marked the brother.
Served in India, 1 see"
And a non-commissioned officer
Royal Artillery, l fancy" said Sher-
lock.
And o widower." /.
But with a child"
"Children, my dear boy, Children"
Come said !, laughing. this is a
little too much
Surely answered Holmes, ut Is
not hard to say that a maj with that
bearing, expressive of authority. and
sunbaked skin, is a soldier, Is mora
than q private, and is not long from
India"
Tina. he has not left the service
,ong is shown by his still wearing his
ammunition boots, as they are called
observed MNcroft.
"He mad not the cavalry stride, yet
10 wore his hat on n side, as Is
shown by the lighter skin on that side
Of his brow. His weight is against his
being a sapper. He is in the artillery"
"Then. of course, his complete mourn-
lag shows that he has lost some one
very dear. The fact that he is doing
his own shopping looks as though il
We're his wife. He las been buying
things for children. you perceive. There
is "a rattle, which shows that one Of
them IS very young. The wife prob-
ably died in childbed. The fact that he
has a picturebook under his arm shows
that there is another child to be
thought off,
tTo Re Continued TomOrr0yy.)