Km
i
iUL MJM JMPOLEOSQ
IT was net very unusual thine for
Mr. Leatrade. of Scotland Tard. to
look ta upon ua of an evening, and
Mi visit were welcome to Sherlock
Holme, for they enabled him to keep
n touch with all that was going on at
he police headquarter. In return for
the new which Lestrade would bring.
Holme was always ready to listen with
ttentton to the detail of any cae upon
jrhtch the detective wa engaged, and
as able occasionally, without any ac
lv Interference, to give some hint or
tuggestlon drawn from his own vast
tnowledge and experience.
On this particular evening. Lestrade
aid spoken of the weather and the
newspapers. Then he had fallen
tlent. putting thoughtfully at his cl
jsr. Holmes looked keenly at htm.
"Anything remarkable on band?" he
asked.
"Oh. no. Mr. Holmes nothing very
particular."
"Then tell me about it.
Lestrade laughed.
"Well. Mr. Holmes, there is no use
denying that there is something on
my mind. And yet It Is such an absurd
business that I hesitated to bother
you about It. On the other hand, al
though It is trivial. It is undoubtedly
queer, and I know that you have a
tsste for all that la out of the common.
Rut. In my opinion. It comes more In
Dr. Wtuon'i line than ours.
"Disease?" said I.
"Madness. anyhow. And a queer
nadneia. too. You wouldn't think there
was anyone living at this time of day
who had such a hatred of Napoleon
the First that he would break any
Image of him that he could see."
Holmes sank back In his chair.
"That's no business of mine." said
he.
"Exactly. That's what I said. But
then, when the man commits burglary
In order to break Images which are not
his own. that brings it away from the
doctor and on to the policeman."
Holmes sat up again.
"Burglary! This is more Interesting.
Let me hear the details."
Lestrade took out his official note
book and refreshed his memory from
Its pages.
"The first case reported was four
days ago." said he. "It was at the shop
of Morse Hudson, who has a place for
the sale of pictures and statues in the
Kennlngton road. The assistant had
left the front shop for an Instant, when
he heard a crash, and hurrying In he
found a plaster bust of Napoleon, which
stood with several other works of art
upon the counter, lying shivered Into
fragments. He rushed out tnto the
road. but. although several passers-by
declared that they had noticed a man
run out of the shop, be could neither
sea anyone nor could he find any
means of Identifying the rascal. It
seemed to be one of those senseless
acta of hooliganism which occur from
time to time, and It was reported to
the constable on the beat as such. The
plaster rut waa not worth more than
a few shillings, and the whole affair
appeared to be too childish for any
particular Investigation.
The second case, however, was
more serious, and also more singular.
It occurred only last night.
"In Kennlngton road, and within a
few hundred yards of Morse Hudson's
hop. there lives a well-known medl
;al practitioner, named Dr. Barnlcot.
who has one of the largest practlcea
upon the south side of the Thames. His
residence and principal consulting
room Is at Kennlngton road, but he
las a branch surgery and dispensary at
I)wer Brixton road, two miles away.
This Dr. Barnlcot Is an enthusiastic
idmlrer of Napoleon, and his house Is
Tull of books, pictures, and relics of
:he French emperor. Some little time
Ko he purchased from Morse Hudson
two duplicate plaster cssts of the fa
mous head of N ?clcn by the French
tculptor. Ievlne. Or. of these he
placed in Ms hall in the nonce at Ken
nlngton road, and the other on the
manteiplee of the surgery at Lower
Brixton. Well, when Dr. Barnlcot came
down this morning he was astonished
ta ftnd that his house had been bur
ied during the night, but that noth
ing had been taku save the plaster
need from the halL It had been car
ried out and had been dashed savage
ly asainst the garden wall. tinder
which its splintered fragments were
discovered."
Holmes rubbed his hands.
"This Is certainly very novel." ssld
he.
"I thought It would please you. But
I have not got to the end yet. Dr.
Barnlcot was due at his surgery at It
o'clock and you can Imagine his amase
nent when, on arriving there, he found
that the window had been opened In
the eight, and that the broken pieces
of his second bust were strewn all
aver the room. It had been smashed
to atoms where it stood. In neither
rase were there any signs which could
give us a clue as to the criminal op
lunatic who had done the mischief.
Now. Mr. Holmes, you have got the
"acts."
They are etnsoilar. not to say grot
esque." said Holmes. "May I ask
whether the two busts smashed In Dr.
Barnlcot's rooms were the exsct dupli
cates of the one which was destroyed
:n Morse Hudson's shop?"
They were taken from the same
asould."
-Such a fact must tell against the
theory that the man who breaks them
Is Influenced by any general hatred of
Napoleon. Considering how many
hundreds of statue of the great em
peror must exlet In London. It Is too
much to suppose such a coincidence as
that a promiscuous Iconoclast should
chance to begin upon three specimens
3t the same bust."
"Well; I thought as you do." said
Lestrade. "On the other hand, this
Morse Hudson Is the purveyor of busts
In that part of London, and these three
were the only ones which had been In
his shop for years. So. although, a
you say. there are many hundreds of
statues In London. It Is very probable
that these three were the only ones
In that district. Therefore, a local
fanatic would begin with them. What
do you think. Dr. Watson?"
"There are no limits to the possibili
ties of monomania." I answered. "There
la the condition which the modern
French psychologists have called the
Idee fixe.- which may be trifling In
character, and accompanied by complete
ssnlty In every other way. A man who
had read deeply about Napoleon, or
who had possibly received some hered
itary family Injury through the great
war. might conceivably form euch an
Idee fixe and under Its influence be
capable of any fantaatla outrage."
"That won't do, my dear Watson." said
Holmes, shaking his head, "for no
amount of "idee fixe' would enable your
Interesting monomaniac I to find out
where these busts were situated."
"Well, how do you explain It?"
1 don't attempt to do so. I would
only oheerve thst there Is a certain
method in the gentleman's eccentric pro
ceeding. For example. In Dr. Barnlcot'!
fcaU. where a. aouo4 mal areuaa
family, the bust was taken outside be
fore being broken, whereas la tha sur
gery, where there was less danger of an
alarm. It was smashed where It stood.
The affair eeema absurdly trifling, and
yet I dare call nothing trivial when I
reflect that some of my moet clssslo
cases have had the least promising com
mencement. You will remember. Wat
son, how the dreadful business of the
Abemetty family waa first brought to
my notice by the depth which the parsley
hsd sunk Into the butter upon a hot day.
I can't afffford. therefore, to smile at
your three broken busts. Lestrade. and
I shall be very much obliged to you 1f
you will let me hear of any fresh de
velopment of so singular a chain of
events."
The development for which my friend
had asked came in a quicker and an
infinitely more tragic form than he could
have imagined. I was (till dressing in
my bedroom next morning when there
was a tap at the door and Holmea en-
llli
' ii
I
tered. a telegram in his hand. He read
it aloud:
Tome Instantly, in Pitt atreet, Ken
sington. Lestrade."
"What Is It. then?" I asked.
"Don't know may be anything. But I
suspect It la the sequel of the story of
tha statue. In that case our friend, the
Image-breaker, has begun operation In
another quarter of London. There'a cof
fee on the table. Wataon. and I have a
cab at the door."
I half an hour we had reached Pitt
street, a quiet little backwater Just be
side one of the briskest currents of
London life. No. HI was one of a row.
all flat-chested, respectable and most nn
romantlc dwellings. As we drove up. w
found the railings In front of the house
lined by a curious crowd. Holmes
whistled.
By George It's attempted murder. at
the least. Nothing le will bold the
London msag-boy. There's a deed of
violence Indicated In that fellowe round
shoulders and outstretched neck. What's
thla. Watson? The top steps swilled
down and the other or.ee-dry? Footsteps
enough, anyhow! Well. well, there's
Lestrade at the front window, and wa
shall soon know all about lt.
Tha official -ecelved us with a very
grave face and showed us Into a sitting
room, where an exceedingly unkempt
and agitated elderly man. clad In a flan
nel dressing gown, was pacing up and
down. He wa Introduced to us as the
owner of the house Mr. Horace Harker.
of the Central Press Syndicate.
"Ife the Napoleon bust business
again."" said Lestrade. "You seemed In
terestsd last night. Mr. Holmes, so I
thought perhspa you would be glad to
be present, now that the affair has taken
a very much graver turn."
"What haa it turned to. then?"
To murder. Mr. Harkr. will you tell
these gentlemen exactly waht ha oc
curred T" .
The man in the dressing gown turned
upon us with a most melancholy face.
"It's an extraordinary thing." said he.
"that all my life I've been collecting
other people's new, and now that a
real piece of news has come my own
way I am so confuted and bothered
that I can't put two words together.
If I had come in here a a Journalist, I
should have Interviewed myself and
had two columns In every evening pa
per. A It is. I am giving away valu
able copy by telling my etory over and
over to a string of different people,
and I can make no use of It myself.
However. I've heard your nsme. Mr.
Sherlock Holmes, and If you'll only
explain thla queer business. I ehall be
paid for my trouble In telling you the
story."
Holmes sst down and listened.
'It all seems to center round that
bust of Napoleon which I bought for
this very room about four month ago.
I picked It up cheap from Harding
Brothers, two doors from the High
street station, A great deal of my
Journalistic work I done at night, and
I often write until the early morning.
So It wa today. I wa sitting in my
den. which is at the back of the top of
the house, about I o'clock, when I was
convinced that I heard some sounds
downstair. I listened, but they were
not repeated, and I concluded that they
came from outside. Then suddenly,
about five minutes later, there came a
moat horrible yell the mot dreadful
ound. Mr. Holme, that ever I heard.
It will ring In my ear aa long as I
live. I sat frosen with horror for a
minute or two. Then I seised the
poker and went downstairs. When I
entered this room I found tha window
wide open, end I at once observed that
the bust wa gone from the mantel
piece. Why any burglar enouia tag
tile pastes ua. undemanding
for It was only a plaster east, and of
no real value whatever.
You can see for yourself that any
one going out through that open win
low could reach the front doorstep by
taking a long stride. This waa clearly
what the burglar had done, so I went
round and opened the door. Stepping
out Into the dark. I nearly fell over a
dead man, who waa lying there. I ran
back for a light, and ther was the
poor fellow, a great gash in hie throat
and the whole place swimming In
blond. He lay on his back, his knees
drawn up. "and his mouth- horribly
open. I shall see him in my dreams.
I had Just time to blow on my police
whistle, and then I must have fainted,
for I knew nothing more until I found
the policeman standing over me in the
hall."
"Well, who was the murdered man?
asked Holmes.
There's nothing to show who he
waa." said Lestrade. "Tou shall see the
body at the mortuary, but 'we have
made nothing of it up to now. He Is
a tall man. sunburned, very powerful,
not more than SO. He Is poorly dressed,
and yet doea not appear to be a laborer.
A horn-handled clasp knife was lying
In a pool of blood beelde him. Whether
It waa tha weapon which did the deed,
or whether It belonged to tha dead
man, I do not know. There waa no
name on his clothing, and nothing In
his pockets save an apple, some string,
a. shilling map of London, and a pho
tograph. Here It le."
It was evidently taken by a snsp
shot from a small camera. It repre
sented an alert, sharp-featured simian
man. with thick eyebrow and a very
peculiar projection of tha lower part
of the face, like the muxsla of a ba
bopn. "And what became of tha but?"
aaked Holmes, after a careful study
of this picture.
-We had news of It Just before you
came. It ha been found In the front
garden of an empty house In Campden
House road. It wa broken into frag
ments, i am going round now to see
It. Will you come?"
"Certainly. I must take one look
round." He examined the carpet and
the window. "Tha fellow had either
very long leg or wa a most active
man." said he. "With an area, beneath.
It was no mean feat to reach that window-ledge
and open that window. Get
ting back wa comparatively simple.
Are you coming with us to see the re
mains of your bust, Mr. Harker?"
The disconsolate Journalist hk'I
seated himself at a writing-table.
"I must try and make aomethlng of
It." aaid he. "though I have no doubt
that tha first editions of the evening
papers are out already with full de
tails. It's like my luck! You remem
ber when the stand fell at Doncaster?
Well. I was the only Journalist in the
stand, and my Journal the only one
that "had no account of it. for I was
too shsken to write It, And now I'll
b too late with a murder dona on my
own doorstep."
As we left the room, we heard his
pen traveling shrilly over tha fools
cap. Tha spot where tha fragments of tha
bust had -been found was only a few
hundreds yards away. For the first time
our eyea rested upon this presentment
of tha great Emperor, which seemed to
raise such frantic and destructive ha
tred In tha mind of the unknown. It lay
acattered. in splintered shards, upon the
grass. Holmea picked up several of
them and examined them carefully. I
was convinced, from his intent face and
his purposeful manner, that at last he
was upon a clue.
"Well." asked Lestrade.
Holme shrugged hla shoulders.
"W have a long way to go yet," said
he. "And yet and yet well, we have
soma suggestive facts to act upon. The
possession of this trifling bust was
worth more, in the eyes of this strange
criminal, than a rAiman life .That is one
point. Then there is the singular fact
that be did not break it In tha house,
or immediately outside tha house. If
to break It wa his sole object."
"He was rattled and bustled by meet
ing this other fellow. He hardly knew
what ha was doing."
"Well, that's likely enough. But I
wish to call your attention very partic
ularly to tha position of this house In
the garden of which tha bust waa de
stroyed." . .
Lestrade looked about him.
"It was an empty house, and so he
knew that he would not be disturbed
in tha garden."
"Yes. but there Is another empty
house farther up the street which ha
must have passed" before ha came to
this on. .Wbjr. did be not broalt It
there, since It is evident that every
yard that he carried it Increased the
risk of someone meeting him?"
"I give It up." said Lestrade.
Holmes pointed to the street lamp
above our heads.
He could see what he was doing here,
and he could not there. That was his
reason."
"By Jove! that's true," said the de
tectlva. "Now that I come to think
of it. Dr. Barnlcot's bust was broken
not far from his red lamp. Well. Mr.
Holmes, what are we to do with that
fact?" "
"To remember it to docket it. We
may come on something later which
will bear upon it. What steps do you
propose to take now, Lestrade?"
"The most practical way of get
ting at it. In my opinion, is to Iden
tify tha doad man. There should be
no difficulty about that. When we
have found who he is and who his
associates are. we should, have a good
start in learning what ne was doing
in Pitt street last night, and who It
was who met and killed him on the
doorstep of Mr. Horace Harker. Don't
you think so?"
"No doubt; and yet It Is not quite
the way In which I should approach
the case."
What would you do then?"
"Oh. you must not let me influence
you in any way. I suggeet that you
go on your line and I on. mine. We
can compare notes afterwards, and
each will supplement the other."
"Very good." said Lestrade.
"If you are going back to Pitt street,
you might see Mr. Horace Harker.
Tell him from me that I have quita
made up my mind, and that It Is cer
tain that a dangerous homicidal luna
tic, with Napoleon delusions, was in
his house last night. It will be useful
for his article."
Lestrade stared.
"You don't seriously believe that?"
Holme smiled.
"Don't L Well, perhaps I don't. But
I am ure that it will Interest Mr.
Horace Harker and the- subscribers of
the Central Press syndicate. Now,
Watson. I think we shall find that we
have a long and rather complex day's
work .before us. I should be glad,
Lee trade. If you could make It con
venient to meet us at Baker street at
o'clock this evening. Until then I
should like to keep this photograph,
found in the dead man's pocket. It is
possible that I may have to ask your
company and assistance upon a small
expedition which will have to be under
taken tonight, if my chain .of reasoning
should prove to be correct. Until then,
good-bye and good luck!"
Sherlock Holmes and I walked to
gether to the High street, where we
topped at the shop of Harding Broth
ers, whence the bust had been pur
chased. A young assistant informed
us that Mr. Harding would be absent
until after -noon, and that he was him
self a newcomer, who could give us no
Information. Holmes' face showed his
disappointment and annoyance.
"Well, well, we can't expect to have
It all our own way, Watson," he said,
at last. "We muet come back In the
afternoon. If Mr. Harding will not be
here until then. I am. as you have no
doubt surmised, endeavoring to trace
these busts to their soyrce. in order to
find If there is not something peculiar
which may account for their remark
able fate.' Let us make for Mr. Morse
Hudson, of the Kennlngton road, and
see if he can throw any light upon the
problem."
A drive of an hour brought us to the
picture-dealer's establishment. He wa
a small, stout man with a red face and
a peppery manner.
"Tea, sir. On my very counter, sir."
said he. "What we pay rates and
taxes for I don't know, when any rut
flan can come in and break one's goods.
Yes. sir. It waa I who sold Dr. Barnlcot
his two statues. Disgraceful, sir! A
Nlhillet plot that's what I make it.
No one but an anarchist would go
about breaking statues. Red repub
licans that's what I call 'em. Who did
I get the statues from? I don't see
what that has to do with It. Well, if
you really want to. know. I got them
from Gelder tk Co.. In Church street.
Stepney. They are a well-known
house In the trade, and have been this
20 years. How many had I? Three
two and one are three two of Dr.
Barnlcot'. and one smashed In broad
daylight on my own counter. Do I
know that photograph? No. I 'don't.
Yes, I do, though. Why. It' Beppo. He
wa a kind of Italian piece-work man,
who made himself useful In. the shop.
He could - carve a bit and gild and
frame. and do odd Jobs. Tha
fellow left me last week, and I've
heard nothing of him since. No. I
don't know where he came from nor
where he went to. I had nothing
against him while he was here. He
waa gone two daya before the bust
was smashed."
"Well, that's all we could reasonably
expect from Morse Hudson," aaid
Holmes, as we emerged from the shop.
"We have this Beppo as a common fac
tor, both in Kennlngton and In Ken
sington, so that is worth a ten-mile
drive. Now. Watson, let us make for
Gelder & Company, of Stepney, the
source and origin of the busts. I shall
be surprised if we don't get some help
down there."
In rapid success we passed through
the fringe of fashionable London, Ho
tel London, theatrical London, literary
London, commercial London and. final
ly, maritime London, till we came to a
riverside city of 100,000 souls, where
c
ill
ail
PI I - I
the tenement-houses swelter and reek
with the outcasts of Europe. Here
in a broad thoroughfare, onco the
abode of wealthy city merchants, we
found the sculpture work for which
wa searched. Outside was a consider
able yard full of monumental masonry.
Inside was a large room in which 50
workers were carving or molding. The
manager, a big blonde German, re
ceived us civilly, and gave a clear an
swer to all Holmes' questions. A re
ference to his books showed that hun
dreds of casts had been taken from a
marble copy of Devlne's head of Na
poleon, but that the three which bad
been sent to Morse Hudsoji a year or
so before had been halfof a batch
of six, the other three being sent to
Harding Brothers, of - Kensington.
There waa no reason why those six
should be different to any of the other
.. He could suggest no possible
cause why anyone should wish to de-
stroy them in fact, he laughed at the J
Idea. Their wholesale price was six
shillings, but the retailer would get 12
or. more. The cast was taken in two
molds from each Bide of the face, and
then these two profiles of plaster of
Paris were Joined together to make
the complete bust- The work was usu
ally done by Italians, in the room we
were in. When finished, the busts
were put on a table in the passage to
dry, and afterwards stored. That was
all he could tell us.
But the production of the pnoio
graph had a remarkable effect upon
the manager. His face flushed with
anger, and his brows knotted over his
Teutonic eyes.
"Ah, the rascal !" he cried. "Yes. in
deed, I know him very welL This haa
always been a respectable establish
ment, and the only time that we have
ever had the police in It was over this
very fellow. It was more than a year
ag"o now. He knifed another Italian
in the street, and then he came to the
works with the police on hiB heels, and
he was taken here. Beppo was his
name his second name I never knew.
Serve me right for engaging a man
with auch a face. But he was a good
workman one ofthe best,"
"What did he get?"
The man lived and he got off with
a year. I have no doubt he Is out
now, but he has not dared to show his
nose here. We have a cousin of his
here, and I dare say he could tell you
where he is." .
"No. no." cried Holmes, "not a word
to the cousin not a word. I beg of you.
The matter is very important, and the
farther I go with it. the more import
ant it seems to grow. When you re
ferred in your ledger to the sale of
those casta I observed that the date
waa June S of last year. Could you
give me the date when Beppo was ar
rested T
"I could tell you roughly by the pay
list." the manager answered. "Yes." he
continued, after some turning over of
pagea. "he was paid last on May 20th.
"Thank you," said Holmes. "I don't
"think that I need intrude upon your
time and patience any more." With a
last word of caution that he should say
nothing as to our researches, we turned
our faces westward once more.
The afternoon was far advanced be
fore we were able to snatch a hasty
luncheon at a restaurant. A news-bill
at the entrance announced "Kensing
ton Outrage. Murder by a Madman,"
and the contents of the paper showed
that Mr. Horace Harker had got his ac
count into print, after all. Two col
umna were occupied with a highly-sensational
and flowery rendering of the
whole incident. Holmes propped it
against the cruet-stand and read it
while he ate. Once or twice he
chuckled.
"This is all right, Watson." said he.
"Listen to this: It Is satisfactory to
know that there can be no difference of,
opinion upon this case, since Mr. Le
strade one of the most experienced
members of the official force, and Mr.
Sherlock Holmes, the well-known con
sulting expert, have each come to the
conclusion that the grotesque series of
incidents, which have ended in so tragic
a fashion, arise from lunacy, rather
than from deliberate crime. No ex
planation, save mental aberration, can
cover the facts.' The Press, Watson, is
a most valuable Institution, if you only
know how to use it. And now. If you
have quite finished, to will hark back
to Kensington, and see what the man
ager of Harding Brothers has to say on
the matter." '
The founder of that great emporium
proved to be a brisk, crisp little per
son, very dapper and quick, with a
clear head and a ready tongue.
"Yes, sir, I have already read the
account in the evening papers. Mr.
Horace Harker is a customer of ours.
We supplied him with the bust some
months ago. We ordered three busts
of that sort from Gelder & Co, of
Stepney. They are all sold now. To
whom? Oh, I dare say by consulting
our salesbooks we could very easily
tell you. Yes. we have the entries
here. One to Mr. Harker, you see, and
one to Mr. Joslah Brown, of Laburnum
Lodge Laburnum Vale. Chiswlck, and
one to Mr. Sandeford. of Lower Grove
Road. Reading. NofT have never seen
this face which you show me In the
photograph. You would hardly for-,
get it, would you, sir, for live seldom
an aA uslier. Ha.va wa any. Jjallana.
Wit- 1
L
on the staff? Yes, sir, we have sev
eral among our workpeople and clean
ers. I dare say they might get a peep
at that salesbook if they wanted to.
There is no particular reason for keep
ing a watch upon that book. Well,
well, it's a very strange business, and
I hope -that you will let me know if
anything comes of your inquires."
Holmes had taken several notes dur
ing Mr. Harding's evidence. And I
could see that he was thoroughly sat
isfied by the turn which affairs were
taking. He, made no remark, however,
save that, unleSB we hurried, we should
be late for our appointment with Les
trade. Sure enough, when we reached
Baker street the detective was already
there, and we found him pacing up and
down in a fever of impatience. Hi's
look of Importance showed that hte
day's work had not been In vain.
"Well?" he asked. "What luck, Mr.
Holmes?"
"We have had a very busy day, and
not entirely a wasted one," my friend
explained. "We have seen both the re
tailers and also the wholesale manu
facturers. I can trace each of the
busts now from the beginning." -
"The busts!" cried Lestrade. "Well,
well, you have your own methods, Mr.
Sherlock Holmes, and It is not for me
to say a word against them, but I
think I have done a better day's work
than you. I have identified the dead
man."
"Yon-don't say so?"
"And found a cause for thJ crime."
"Splendid!"
"We have an inspector who makes
a speciality of Saffron Hill and the
Italian Quarter. Well, this dead man
had some Catholic emblem round his
neck, and that, along with his color,
made me think he was from the South.
Inspector Hill knew him 'the moment
he caught eight of him. His name is
Pietro Venuccl, from Naples, and he
is one of the greatest cut-jthroats in
London. He la connected with the
Mafia, which, as you know. Is a se
cret political society, enforcing Its de
crees by murder. Now, you see how
the affair begins to clear up. The
other . fellow is probably an Italian
also and a member of the Mafia, He
has broken the rules in some fashion.
Pietro is set upon his track. Prob
ably the photograph we found in his
pocket is the man himself, so that he
may not knife the wrong person. He
dogs the fellow, he sees him enter a
house, he waits outside for him, and
In the scuffle he receives his own death
wountL How Is that, Mr. Sherlock
Holmes?"
Holmes clapped his hands approv
ingly. .
"Excellent, Lestrade, excellent!' he
cried. "But I didn't quite follow your
explanation of the destruction of the
busts."
"The busts! You never can get those
busts out of your head. After all, that
Is nothing; petty larceny, six months
at the most. It i the murder that
we are really investigating, and I tell
you that I am gathering all the threads
ato my hands."
"And the next stage?"
"It is a very simple one. I shall go
down with Hill to the Italian Quarter,
find the man whose photograph we
have got and arrest him on the charge
of murder. Will you come with us?"
"I think not. I fancy we can attain
our end in a simpler way. I can't say
for certain, because it all depends
well, it all depends upon a factor wrrich
Is completely outside our control. But
I havo great hopes in fafct, the bet
ting is exactly two to one that if
you will come with us tonight I shall
be able to help you to lay him by the
eels." .
"In the Italian Quarter?" .
"No, I fancy Chiswlck is an address
which is more likely to find him. If
you will come with me to Chiswick
tonight, Lestrade, I'll promise to go
to the Italian Quarter with you tomor
row, and no harm will be done by the
delay. And now I think that a few
hours' Bleep would do us all good, for
I do not propose to leave before 11
o'clock, and it is unlikely that we shall
be back before morning. You'll dine
with us, Lestrade, and then you are
welcome to the sofa until it is time for
us to start. In the meantime. Watson,
I should be glad If you would ring for
an erpress messenger, for I have a
letter to send, and it is important that
it should go at once."
Holmes spent the evening In rum
maging among the files of the old daily
papers with which one of our lumber
rooms was packed. When -at last he
descended It was with triumph in his
eyes but he said nothing to either of
us as to the result of his researches.
For my own part I had followed step
by step the methods by which .he had
traced the various windings of this
complex case, and. though I could not
yet perceive the goal which we would
reach, X understood clearly that
Holmes expected this grotesque crim
inal to make an attempt upon the
two remaining busts, one of which I
remembered, was at Chiswlck. No
doubt the object of our Journey was
to catch him In the very act, ana i
could not but admire the cunning with
which my friend had Inserted a wrong
clow in the evening paper, so as to
give the fellow the idea that he could
continue his scheme with impunity. I
was not surprised when Holmes sug-
uUAd. thjut i jLhould lua my revolver i
with me. He had himself picked up
the loaded hunting-crop, which was his
favorite weapon.
A four-wheeler was at the door at
11, and in it we drove to a spot at
the other side of Hammersmith Bridge.
Here the cabman was directed to wait,
A short walk brought us to a se
cluded road fringed with pleasant
houses, each standing in its own
grounds. In the light of a street lamp
we read "Laburnum Villa" upon the
gatepost of one of them. The occu
pants had evidently retired to rest,
for all was dark save for a fanlight
over the hall door, which shed a single
blurred circle on to the garden path.
The wooden fence which separated the
grounds from the road threw a dense
black shadow upon the inner side, anil
here it was that we crouched.
"I f ear that you'll have a long wait."
Holmes whispered. "Wo may thank
our stars that it is not raining. I don't
think we can even venture to smoke
to pass the time. However. It's a two-to-one
chance that we get something
to pay us for our trouble."
It proved, however, that our vigil
was not to be so long as Holmes had
led us to fear, and it ended in a very
sudden and singular fashion. In an
instant, without the least sound to
warn us of his coming, the garden
gate swung open, and a lithe, dark fig
ure, as swift and active as art. ape,
rushed up the garden path. We saw it
whisk past the light thrown from
over the door and disappear against
the-black shadow of the house. There
was a long pause, during which wa
held our breath, and then a very gen
tle creaking, sound came to our ears.
The window was- being opened. Tha
noise ceased, and again there was a
long silence. The fellow was making
his way into the house. We saw the
sudden flash of a dark lantern inslda
the room. What he sought was evi
dently not there, for again we saw the
flash through another blind, and then
through another.
"Let uns get to tha open window. We
will nab him as he climbs out," Les
trade whispered.
But before we could move, the man
had emerged again. As he came out
into the glimmering patch of light,
we saw that he carried something
white under his arm. He looked
stealthily all around him. The silence
of the deserted street reassured him.
Turning his back upon us, he laid down
his burden, and the next Instant there
was the sound of a sharp tap, followed
by a clatter and rattle. The man was
so intent upon what he was doing that
he never heard our steps as we stole
across the grass plot. With the bound
of a tiger Holmes was on his back,
and an Instant later Lestrade and I had
him by either wrist and the handcuffs
had been fastened. As we turned him
over I saw . a hideous, sallow face,
with writhing, furious features, glar
ing up at us, and I knew that it was
Indeed the man of the photograph
whom we had secured.
But it was not our prisoner to whore
Holmes was giving his attention.
Squatted on the doorstep, he was en
gaged in most carefully examining
that which the man had brought from
the house. It was a bust of Napoleon,
like the one which 'we had seen that
morning, and it had been broken into
similar fragments. Carefully Holmes
held each separate shard to the light,
but in no way -did It differ from any
other shattered piece of plaster. He
had Just completed his examination
when the hall lights flew up, the door
opened, and the owner of the house,
a Jovial, rotund figure in shirt and
trousers, presented himself.
"Mr. Joslah Brown, I suppose?" said
Holmes.
"Yes, sir; and you, no doubt, are Mr.
Sherlock Holmes? . I had the , note
which you sent by the express mes
senger, and I did exactly What you
told me. We locked every door on
the inside and awaited developments.
Well, I'm very glad to see that you
have got the rascal. I hope, gentle
men, that you will come in and have
some refreshments."
However, Lestrade was anxious to
get his man into safe quarters, so
within a few minutes our cab had been
summoned Bnd we were all four upon
our way to London. Not a word would
our captive say, but he glared at us
from the shadow of his matted hair,
and once, when my hand seemed within
his reach, he snapped at it like a hun
gry wolf. We stayed long enough at
the police station to learn that a
search of his clothing revealed nothing
save a few shillings and a long sheath
knife, the handle of which bore co
pious traces of recent blood.
"That's all right," said Lestrade, as
we parted. "Hill knows all these gen
try, and he will give name to him.
You'll find that my theory of the
Mafia will work out all right. But I'm
sure I am exceedingly obliged to you,
Mr. Holmes, for the workmanlike way
in which you laid hands upon him. I
don't quite understand it all yet."
"I fear It is rather too late an hour
for explanation," said Holmes. "Be
sides.' there are one or two details
which are not finished off, and it is
one of those case which are worth
working out to the very end. If you
will come round once more to my
rooms at 6 o'clock tomorrow I think
I shall be able to show you that even
now you have not grasped the entire
meaning of this business, which pre
sents some features which make it ab
solutely original in the history of
crime. If ever I permit you to chron
icle any more of my little problem,
Watson, I foresee that you will en
liven your pages by an account of the
singular adventure of the Napoleonic
busts."
When we met again, next evening,
Lestrade was furnished with much in
formation concerning our prisoner. His
name, it appeared, was Beppo; second
name unknown. He was a well-known,
ne'er-do-well among the Ltallan col
ony. He had once been a skilful
sculptor and had earned an honest liv
ing, but he had taken to evil courses
and had twice already been in gaol
once for a petty theft and once, as we
had already lieard, for stabbing a fel
low countryman. He could talk Eng
lish perfectly well. His reasons for de
stroying the busts were still unknown,
and he refused to answer any ques
tions upon the subject, but the police
had discovered that these same busts
might wry well have been made by
his own hands, since he was engaged
in this class of work at the establish
ment of Gelder & Co. To all this in
formation, much of which we already
knew. Holmes listened with polite at- .
tention, but I, who knew him so well,
could clearly see that his thoughts
were elsewhere, and I detected a mix
ture of mingled uneasiness and expec
tation beneath that mask which he was
wont to assume. At last he started
in his chair, and his eyes brightened.
There had been a ring at the bell. A
minute later we heard steps upon the
stairs and an elderly, red-faced man
with grizzled side-whiskers was '
ushered in. In his right hand he car-
.Cnncluilcd oa JP e 74