Evening star., 1925-03-15

| evening and he tossed IL across to
me. Have visited the Commercial
road and seen Dorak Suave person,
Bohemian, elderly. Keep large gen.
| eral store. Mercer"
| Mercer is since your time said
Holmes. He is my general utility
| man who looks up routine business
1t was important to know something
Of the man with whom our professor
was so secretly corresponding. His
| nationality connected up with the
Prag visit"
/ Thank goodness that something
| connects with something" said l. AT
present we seem to be faced by a
long series of inexplica BILE Incidents
| with no bearing upon each other. For
| example what possible connection
can there be between an angry wolf
| hound and visit to Bohemia, or
either of them with a man crawling
| down a passage at night, As to your
dates, that Is the biggest mystifica-
tion of ALL
| Holmes smiled and rubbed his hands
We were, l may say, seated in the
old sitting room OF the ancient hot ell
with bottle of the famous vintage
| Of which Holmes had spoken on the
| ia BILE.
Well, now, let us take the dates
| first" said he, his finger-tips togeth-
| dressing class. This excellent
| young mans diary shows to have
| been at nine-day intervals, with, so
far as / remember, only one exception.
| Thus the last outbreak upon Friday
| was on September 3, which also falls
into the series, as did August 26
| which preceded it. The thing is
| beyond coincidence"
I was forced to agree
LET u.s. then form the provisional
| theory that every nine days the pro-
| fessor takes some strong drug which
has a passing but highly poisonous
effect. His naturally violent nature
is intensified by it. He learned to
take this drug while he was in Pra que
and is now supplied with it by a
Bohemian Intern ediary in London.
This all hangs together, Watson?"
But the dog, the face Al the win
| dow, the creeping man in the pas
| sage?"
We'll. well. we have made a begin
ming. l should not expect any fresh
| developments until next Tuesday. In
the meantime We can only keep in
| touch with friend Bennett, and en-
| joy this charming town"
In the morning Mr.. Bennett slipped
| round to bring US the latest report.
AS Holmes had imagined times had
| not been easy with him. Without
exactly accusing him of being re-
| sponsible for our presence the pro-
| fessor had been very rough and rude
| in his speech, and evidently felt some
was quite himself again, however,
and had delivered his usual brilliant
| lecture to a crowded class.
| Apart from his queer fits" said
| Bennett, "he has actually more ener-
gy and vitality than 1 can ever re-
member, nor was his brain ever clear
| er- But it's not he-it's never the
man whom we have known"
Il don't think you have anything to
fear now for week at least" Holmes
answered. Il am a busy man and Dr
! Watson has his patients to attend to.
Let us agree that We meet here at
| this hour next Tuesday and / shall be
| surprised If before we leave you
again we are not able to explain even
If we cannot perhaps put an end TO
your troubles. Meanwhile keep us
| posted on what occurs"
1 T SAW nothing of my friend for the
next few days, but on the follow
| ing Monday evening / had a short
note asking me to meet him next day
at the train. From what he told me
| as We travelled up to Camford all was
well. The peace of the professors
house had been unruffied, and his own
conduct perfectly normal. This also
| was the report which was given us by
Mr.. Bennett himself when he called
upon us that evening at our old quar-
ters in the Chequers. He heard often
| from London; each letter with the
cross under the stamp which warned
me not to touch them. There has been
nothing else"
That may prove quite enough
| said Holmes grimly. Now, Mr.. Ben
nett, we shall, I think, come to some
conclusion tonight If my conclusions
are correct we should have an oppor-
tunity of bringing matters to a head
In order to do SO, it is necessary to
hold the professor under observation
I would suggest therefore that you
remain awake and on the lookout
Should you hear him pass your door
do not interrupt him, but follow him
as discreetly as you can. DR.. Watson
and l will not be far off. BY the way
where is the key of that little box of
which you spoke?"
Upon his watch chain.''
| Il fancy our researches must lie in
that direction. At the worst the lock
should not be very formidable. Have
you any other able bodied men on the
premises"
There is the coachman, Macphail.'
Where does he sleep?"
over the stables"
I'VE might possibly want him
Well, we can do no more until we
see how things develop. Goodbye, but
1 expect that we shall see you before
morning"
II was nearly midnight before we
took our station among some bushes
| m n O q W ho ~
the professors house. 1t was a fine
night, but chilly, and We were glad
of our warm overcoatS There was a
breeze and the clouds were scudding
across the sky. obscuring from time
to time the half moon. 1t would have
been a dismal vigil were 1t not foI
the expectation and excitement which
carried US along, and the assurance OF
my comrade that we had probably
reached the end OF the strange Sc
quence of events which had engaged
our attention.
IF the cycle of nine days holds
good then we shall have the professor
at his worst tonight" said Holmes
The fact that these strange symp.
toms began after his visit to Prague
that he is in secret correspondence
with a Bohemian dealer in London
who presumably represents some one
in Prague, and that he received 8
} packet from him this very day, al
point in one direction.
What he takes and why he take.
| 1t Is still beyond our ken, but that II
emanates in some way from Prague
is clear enough. He takes it under
definite directions which regulate this
ninth day system which was the frs
point that attracted my attention
But his symptoms are most remark
able. Did you observe his knuckles p
L had to confess that 1 did not.
"Thick and horny in q WAY w hinh [,