Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-31

and watched tho hurrying figures who /
paaned and repassed in front OF US. |
Holmes WAS silent and motionless
bat l could tell that he was kccnly |
alert, and that his eyes were fixed IN
tently upon the stream of passers-by.
IL was = bleak and boisterous night,
and the wind whistled shrilly down
the long street. Many people were
moving 10 and fro, most Of them muf-
fled in their coats and cravats. Once
or twice II seemed to me that had
seen the same figure before, and l
especially noticed two men who APP
pcared 20 bc sheltering themselves from
the wind in the doorway OF a house
some distance up the street. l tried
10 draw my companions attention TO
them; but he gave a little ejaculation
of Impotence, and continued TO stare
into the street. More than once he
hdgcted with his feet and tapped rap
idly with his fingers upon the wall. Ii
was evident TO me that he was becom-
ing uneasy, and that his plans were
not working out altogether as he had
hoped. At last, as midnight approached
and the street gradually cleared, he
paced up and down the room IN uncon-
trolable agitation. / was about TO
make some remark to him, when l
raised my eyes to the lighted window,
and again experienced almost as great
a surprise as before, clutched Holmes
arm, and pointed upwards.
The shadow has movedp ! cried.
IL was indeed no longer the profile,
but the back, which was turned toward
US.
Three years had certainly not smooth
ed the aspcrities of his temper or his
impatlence with less active intelligence
than his own.
"Of course i. has moved" said he.
Am | such farcial bungler, Watson,
that ! should erect an obvious rummy,
and expect that some of the sharpest
men in Europe would be deceived by
az We have been in this room two
hours, and Mrs. Hudson has made some
change in that figure eight times, or
once IN every quarter of an hour. She
works II from the front, so that her
shadow may never be seen. Ahv' He
drew in his breath with a shrill, excited
intake. In the dinlhght ! saw his head
thrown forward, his whole attitude
ngid with attention. Outside the street
] Ns.o alSt.NNNlN iOSt w
men might still be crouching in the
doorway, but | could no longer see
them. All was still and dark, save
only that brilliant yellow screen in
front OF us with the black figure out
lined upon Its center. Again in The
utter silence | heard that thin, sibilan
note which spoke of intense suppressed
excitement. An instant later he pulled
me back into the blacklist corner o
the room, and i felt his warning hspC
upon my lips. The fingers whicl
clutched me were quivering. Never
bad ! known my friend more moved
and yet the dark street still stretched
lonely and motionless before us.
But suddenly l was aware of tina
which his keener senses had alread,
distinguished. A low, stealthy SCUM,
came 10 my ears, not from the direc
ton Of Baker street, but from the bacl
Of the very house in which we lay con
oealed. A door opened and shut. Al
instant later steps crept down the pas
sage-steps which were meant 10 bt
silent, but which reverberated harshlN
through the empty house. Holme
crouched back against the wall and
did the same. my hand closing upoI
the handle of my revolver. Peerinl
through the gloom, saw the vagu,
outline OF a man, a shade blacker thar
the blackness OF the open door. H
stood for an instant, and then he crep
forward, crouching. menacing into tn
room. He was within three yards c
US, this sinister figure, and had brace,
myself TO meet his spring, before
realized that he had no idea of on
presence. He passed close beside us
stole over 10 the window, and yer,
softly and noiselessly raised it for hal
foot As he sank TO the level of TIL
opening, the light of the street, n
longer dimmed by the dusty glass, fe
iull upon his face. The man SCENE
20 be beside himself with excitement
, His two eyes shone like stars, and h
features were working convulsively
/, He was an elderly man, with thin
/, projecting nose, a high, bald forehead
! and huge grizzled moustache. A
i opera hat was pushed 10 the back
], his head, and an evening dress shir
front cleaned out through his ope
overcoat. His face was gaunt an
4 swarthy, scored with deep, savage line
: In his hand he carried what appeare
, 10 be a stick, but as he laid il dow
upon the floor IL gave a metallic clan
I Then from the pocket Of his overco;
! he drew a bulky object, and he busie
= himself in some task which ended wi,
4 loud, sharp click, as if spring
. bolt had fallen into its place. ST
= kneelng upon the floor he bent forwal
: and threw all his weight and strengt
: upon some lever, with the result TIL
! there came a long, whirling grindir
= noise, ending once more in a powerf
click He Strengthened himself the
and saw that what he held in his har
was a sort, of gun, with curious
! misshapen butt. He opened it at Il
breech, put something in, and snappe
: the breech-block. Then, crouchir
: down, he rested the end OF the barr
!. upon the ledge of the open windo,
: and saw his long moustache droo
over the stock and his eye CLEAN as