The Washington herald., 1912-03-03

"Well, l don't like Il, but / suppose
il must be-" said J, When do we
startT
You are not coming" ~
Then you are not going" said I II
give you my word Of honor--and
never broke it in my life--that I will
take a cab straight to the police sta
ton and give you away, unless you let
me share this adventure with YOU"
You can't help me-"
'.Hov do you know that1 You can't
tell what may happen. Anyway, my
resolution IS s,taken. Other people beside
you have self-respect, and even reputa-
tons"
Holmes had looked annoyed. but his
shoulder.
"Well, well, my dear fellow, be II 50.
We have shared this same room for
some years, and 1t would be anus
ing II we ended by sharing the same
cell. You know, Watson, / don't mind
confessing to you that | have always
had an idea that P would have made a
highly efficient criminal This is the
chance of my lifetime in that direction
See hereP He took Ia neat little leather
case out OF drawer, and, opening il,
he exhibited a number of shining in
struments. This is frst-class, up-to-
date burgling kit, with nickel-piated
jimmy, diamond-tipped glasscutter,
adaptable keys, and every modern i'm
proyement which the march of civiliza-
tion demands. Here, too, is my dark
lantern. Everything is in order. Have
you a pair of silent shoes!"
Il have rubber-soled tennie shoes"
Excellent And a mask?'
IL can make couple out Of black
Il can see that you have a strong
natural turn for this sort OF thing. Very
good; do you make the masks. We
shall have some cold supper before we
start. 1t IS now nine-thirty At eleven
We. shall drive as far as Church Row.
IL IS quarter of an hours walk from
there to Appledore Towers. We shall
be at work before midnight AIilverton
IS heavy sleeper, and retires punctu-
ally at ten-thirty. With any luck we
should be back here by two, with the
Lady Eva's letters in my pocket"
Holmes and l put on our dress
clothes, so that We might appear to be
two theatergoers homeward bound In
oxford street we picked up hanson
and drove to an address in Hampstead.
Here We paid off our cab, and with our
greatcoats buttoned up, for il was Bit
terly cold and the wind seemed to blow
through us, we walked along the edge
of the heath.
ITS a business that needs delicate
treatment" said Holmes. These docu-
ments are contained in a safe in the
follows study, and the study is the
anteroom Of his bedchamber. On the
other hand, like all these little
men who do themselves WELL he is a
plethoric sleeper Agatha-that's my
hancee-says it is joke in the servants
hall that it's impossible to wake the
master. He has secretary who is de-
voted to his interests, and never budges
from the study all day. That's why we
are going at night. Then he has a
beast of dog which roams the garden.
l met Agatha late the last two evenings,
and she locks the brute up so as to give
me a clear run. This is the house, this
big one in its own grounds. Through
the gate--now TO the right among the
laurels. We might put on our masks
here, j think. You see, there is not a
glimmer of light in any of the win
dows, and everything is working splen-
didly."
With our black silk face-eoverings,
which turned us into two OF the most
truculent figures in London, we stole
up to the silent, gloomy house. A sort
OF tiled yeranda extended along one
side OF it, lined by several windows and
two doors.
That's his bedroom" Holmes whis-
pered. This door opens straight into
the study. 1t would suit US best, but
It is bolted as well as locked, and we
would make too much noise getting in.
Come around here. There's a green