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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1911)
4 3 TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 22, 1911 iCTVf '4 U .. i a- 1 s? Hns ft) WO L irtw a it ia DCRINO my long and Intimate ac quaintance with Mr. Sherlock Holme I had ur heard him refer to hla relations, and hardly ever to hla own early life. Thla reticence upon hla part had tncreaaed the some wnat Inhuman effect which he pro duced upon me. until aometlmea I found myself regarding him aa an iso lated phenomenon, a brain without a heart, aa deficient In human sympathy as he waa pre-eminent in Intelligence. Hla arerslon to women end hla disin clination to form new friendship were both typical of his unemotional char acter, but not more ao than hla com plete suppression of every reference to hi own people. I had come to be lieve that he was an orphan with no relatives livlns:: but one day. to my very great surprise, he began to talk to me about his brother. It waa after tea on a Summer even In;, and the conversation, which had roamed In a desultory, spasmodic fash Ion from golf clubs to the causes of the rhansre In the obliquity of the ecliptic, came round at last to the question of atavism and hereditary ap titudes. The rlnt under discussion was. how far any singular gift in an individual was due to his ancestry and how far to hla own early training. "In your own case." aald I. "from all that you have told me. It seema obvious that your faculty of observa tion and your peculiar facility for de duction are due to your own syste matic training." "To some extent" ho anawered thoughtfully. "My ancestors were country squires, who appear to have led much the same life as is natural to their class. But. none the less, my turn that way Is In my veins, and may have come with my grandmother. wtr was the sister of Verne-, the French artist Art In the blood Is liable to take the strangest forma." "But how do you know that It la hereditary 7" "Because my brother Mycroft pos sesses It In a larger degree than I do." This was news to me Indeed. If there .were another man with such singular powers in England, how was It that neither the police nor public had heard of him? I put the ques tion, with a hint that It waa my com panion's modesty which made him ac knowledge hla brother aa hla supe rior, liolmea laughed at my sugges tion. "My dear WtUon." anld he. "I can not agree with those who rank mod esty among the virtues. To the logi cian all thinga should be eeen exactly as they are. and to underestimate one's self is as much a departure from truth aa to exaggerate one'a own pow ers. When I say, therefore, that My croft haa better powers of observa tion than L you may take It that I am speaking the exact and literal truth." "Is he your Junior?" "Seven years my senior." "How comes It that he la unknown?" "Oh. he la very well known In his own circle." TChre, thaaT" - - "Welt. In the Diogenes Club, for ex ample." I had never heard of the Institu tion, and my face must have pro claimed aa much, for Sherlock Holmes pulled out his watch. "The Diogenes Club Is the queerest club In London, and Mycroft one of the queerest men. He's always there from quarter to five to twenty to eight. It's ( now. so tf you care for a stroll this beautiful evening I shall be very happy to Introduce you to two curios ities." Flve minutes later we were In the street, walking towarda Regent's Cir rus. Tou wonder," said my companion, why It Is that Mycroft does not use Ms powers for detective work. He Is Incapable of It." "But I thought you said " "I aald that he was my superior In observation and deduction. If th art of the detective began and ended In reasoning from an arm-chair. my brother would bei the greatest criminal agent that ever lived. But he haa no ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his way to verify his own solutions, and would rather be considered wrong than take the trouble to prove himself right. Again and again I have, taken a problem to him. and have received an explanation which has afterwards proved to be the cor rect one. And yet he waa absolutely Incapable of working out the practi cal potnta which must be gone Into be fore a case could be laid before a Judge or Jury." -It la not his profession, then?" "By no mean. What Is to me a means of livelihood Is to him the merest hob by of a dilettante He haa an extra ordinary faculty for figures, and audits the books In some of the government departments. Mycroft lodges In Pall Mall, and he walks round the corner Into Whitehall every morning and back every evening. From year's end to year's end he taKea no other exercise and la seen nowhere else, except only In the Ptnene Club, which Is Jut opposite his rooms " "I cannot recall the nam." "Ve-ry llkeiv not. There are many men In London, you know. who. some from shyness, some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company of their fellow. Yet they r not averse to comfortable chairs and the. latest pe riodicals. It Is for the convenience) of these that the Diogenes Club was start ed, ard It now contains the most un sociable and unclubable men In town. No member Is permitted to take, the least notice of any other one. Save In the Stranger's Room, bo talking Is. under any circumstances, allowed, and three offenses. If brought to the notice of the committee, render the talker liable to expuMon. My brother was one of the founders, and I have myself found It a very soothing atmosphere." We had reached Tall Mall as we ttlked. 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 I caucht a glimpse of a large and luxu rious room. In which a considerable number of men were sitting about reading papers, each In his own little nook. Holmes showed me Into a small chamber which looked out Into Tall Mall, and then, leaving me for a min ute, he came bark with a companion w hom I knew could only be his brother. Mycroft Holmes was a much larrer and etoutor man that Sherlock. Hla body was absolutely corpulent, but his face, though massive, had pre rvd something of the sharpness of expression which was so remarkable In that or his orotner. m . " were of a peculiarly light, watery gray, seemed to always retain that far-away, introspective look which I had only obswved In Sherlock's when he was exerting his full powers. "1 am glad to meet you. sir. said he. nutting out a broad, fat hand like the flipper of a seal. "I bear of Sherlock everywhere since you became hl chronicler. J3y the way. Sherlock. I expected to see you round last week, to consult me over that Manor House case. I thought you might be a little out of your depth." No. I solved It." said my friend, smiling. -it waa Adams, of course. "Yes, It was Adams." "I was aure of It from the first. The two sat down together In the bow window of the club. "To any one who wishes to study mankind this la the spot." said Mycroft. "Look at the mag nificent types! Look at these two men who are coming towards us, for exam ple." "The billiard-marker and the other?" "Precisely. What do you make of the other T' The two men had stopred opposite the window. Some chalk marka over the waistcoat pocket were the only sings of billiards which I could see In one of them. The other was a very u small, dark fellow, with his bast pushed back and several packagea under his arm. "An old soldier, I perceive," said Sherlock. -And very recently discharged," re marked the .brother. "Served in India, I see." "And a non-commlssloned officer." "Koyal Artillery. I fancy." said Sher lock. "And a widower." "But with a child." "Children, my dear boy. children." "Come," said I. laughing, "this fc a little too much." "Surely," answered Holmes. "It Is not hard to say that a man with that bearing, expression of authority and sunbaked skin. Is a aoldler, is more than a private, and is not long from India." "That he haa not left the service long Is shown by his still wearing his am munition boots, aa they are called."- ob served Mycroft. -He had not the cavalry stride, yet he wore his hat on one side, aa Is shown by the lighter skin on that aide of his brow. Ills weight Is against hts being a sapper. He la In the artillery." -Then, of course, hla complete mourning shows that he has lost some one very dear. The fact that he la do ing bis own shopping looks aa though It were his wife. He has 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 picture-book under his arm shows that there Is another child to be thought of." I began to understand what my friend meant when he said that hla brother possessed even keener faculties than he did himself. He glanced across at me and smiled. Mycroft took snuff from a tortoise-shell box. and brushed away the wandering grains from his coat front with a large red silk hand kerchief. ... "By the way. Sherlock, said he, I have had something quite after youn own heart a most singular problem submitted to my Judgment. I really had not the energy to follow It tip save In a very Incomplete fashion, but It gave me a basis for some pleasing speculation. If you would care to hear the facts " "My dear Mycroft. I should he de lighted." The brother scribbled a note upon a leaf of his pocketbook and. ringing the bell, he handed It to the waiter. "I have asked Mr. Melas to etep across." said he. "He lodges on the floor above me. and I have some slight acquaintance with him, which led hlra to come to me In his perplexity. Mr. Melas Is a Greek by extraction, as I understand, and he Is a remarkable linguist He earns his living partly as Interpreter In the law courts and partly by acting as guide to any wealthy Orientals who rosy visit the Northumberland avenue hotels. I think I will leave him to tell his very re markable experience In his own fash Ion." A few minutes later we were Joined by a short stout man, whose olive face and coal black hair proclaimed his Southern origin, though his speech was thai of an educated Englishman. He shook hands eagerly with Sherlock Holme, and his dark eyes sparkled with pleasure when he understood that the specialist was anxloua to hear his story. I do not believe that the police cred it me on ray word. I do not" said he In a walling voice. "Just because they have never heard of It before, they think that such a thing cannot be. But I know that I shall never be easy In my mind until I know what has be come of my poor man with the sticking plaster upon his face." "I am all attention." eald Sherlock Holmes. "This is Wednesday evening." said Mr. Me!. "Well. then. It was Mon day night only two days ago, you un derstand that all this happened. I am an Interpreter, as perhaps my neighbor there haa told you. I Interpret all lan guages or nearly alr--bist as I am a Greek by birth and with a Grecian name. It Is with that particular tongue that I am principally associated. For many years I have been the chief Greek Interpreter In London, and my name is very well known In the hotels.- "It happena not unfrequently that I am sent for at strange hours by for eigners who get Into difficulties, or by travelers who arrive late and wish my sen-Ices. I was not surprised, there fore, on Monday night when a Mr. Lat imer, a very fashionably dressed young man. came up to my rooms and asked me to accompany him In a cab which was waiting at the door. A Greek friend had come to see him upon busi ness, he aald. and as he could speak nothing but his own tongue, the ser vices of an Interpreter were Indispen sable. He gave me to understand that his house waa some little distance off, . . nH Vi a aeAtnaii to he in a great hurry, bustling me rapidly Into the cab when we had descended to the street. "I say Into the cab, but I soon be came doubtful as to whether It was not a carriage In which I found myself. It was certainly more roomy than the or dinary four-wheeled disgrace to Lon don, and the fittings, though frayed, were of rich quality. Mr. Latimer seated himself opposite to me and we started off through Charing Cross and up the Shaftesbury avenue. We had come out upon Oxford street and I had ventured some remark as to this being a round about way to Kensington, when my words were arrested by the extraor dinary conduct of my companion. "He began by drawing a most formidable-looking bludgeon loaded with lead from his pocket and switching It backward and forward several times, as If to test its weight and strength. Then he placed it without a word upon the seat beside him. Having done this, he drew up the windows on each side, and I found to my astonishment that they were covered with paper so as to prevent my seeing through them. - I am sorry to cut off your view. Mr. Melas.' said he. "The fact Is that I have no intention that you should see what the place Is to which we are driv ing. It might possibly be inconvenient to me tf you could find your way there again.' "As you can Imagine, I was utterly taken aback by such an address. My companion was a powerful, broad shouldered young fellow, and. apart from the weapon. I should not have had the slightest chance In a struggle with him. "This Is very extraordinary conduct Mr. Latimer.' I stammered. 'You must be aware that what you are doing Is quite Illegal.' "'It Is somewhat of a liberty, no doubt' said he, 'but we'll make It up to you. I must warn you, however, Mr. Melas. that If at any time tonight you attempt to raise an alarm or do any thing which is against my Interests, you will find it a very serious thing. I beg you to remember that no one knows where you are. and that, whether you are In thla carriage or in my house, you are equally In my power.' , -His words were quiet, but he had a rasping way of saying them which was very menacing. I sat In silence won dering what on earth could be his rea son for kidnapping me In thia extraor dinary fashion. Whatever It might be. It was perfectly clear that there was . iifpjiiyyglfl ft m i'W no possible use in my resisting, and r .. ..... ... - v.. . th" c?u..a nly W"" " " mlo-ht hafnlt. "For nearly two hours we drove with out my having the least clue as to where we were going. Sometimes the rattle of the atones told of a paved causeway, and at others our smooth, silent course suggested asphalt; but save by this variation in sound, there was nothing at all which could In the remotest way help me to form a guess as to where we were. The paper over each window was impene trable to light and a blue curtain was drawn across the glass work In front It was a quarter-past seven we left Fall Mall, and my watch showed . V. , I. , in n.lmi.aa n O W h.n VTa at last came to a standstill. My com panion let flown the window, and I caught a glimpse of a low, arched door way wim a lamp ourning e-oove iu j.m T was hiif-elA frnm the rarriaere it swung open, and I found myself inside . V. h mi with v a cm a. ImnrMfllnil of a lawn and trees on each side of me as x entered, wnetner inese were pri- . tr-r- rn r A tifWAVAr fit bnnil-ftrfe country was more than I could possl- ."T" V. ... r. , n A.ilnM&it 0-B 1 U m T1 In. side which was turned so low that I could see little save that the hall waa of some sixe and hung with pictures. In the dim light I could make out that the person who had opened the door was - small, mean-looking, middle aged man with rounded shoulders. As ho turned towards us the glint of the Ugni snoweu hi a mat ij t.o ci ... o glasses. "'Is this Mr. Melas, Harold?" said he. "'Yes.' J 'Well done, well done! No Ill-will, Mr. Melas, I hope, but we could not get on without you.If you deal fair with us you'll not regret It but if you try any UKHD, VJ W I. wv. I nervous. Jerky fashion, and with little giggling jaugns in daiwkii, out some how he Impressed me with fear more than the other. "What do you want with me? I asked. "'Only to ask a few questions of a Greek gentleman who Is visiting us, and let us have the answers. But say no more than you are told to say. or ' hero came the nervous giggle again you had better never have been born." "As he spoke he opened a door and showed the way Into a room which ap peared to be very richly furnished, but again the only light wae afforded by a single lamp half-turned down. The chamber was certainly large, and the way In which my feet sank into the carpet as I stepped across It told me of Its richness. I caught glimpses of velvet chairs, a high white marble man telpiece, and what seemed to be a suit of Japanese armor at one side of It There was a chair Just under the lamp, and the elderly man motioned that I should sit in It The younger had left us, but he suddenly .returned through another door, leading with him a gen tleman clad In some sort of loose dressing-gown who moved slowly towards us. As he came Into the circle of dim lleht which enabled me to see 'Sorlel I was thrilled with nurrur fc i . deadly pale and terribly emaciated. with the protruding, brilliant eyes i man whose spirit was greater than.hls . .. ..., h,w.k,ri mA. more strength. But what shocked me- more than any signs of physical weaKness waa that- his face was grotesquely i i.x .tiirins-.nlaster. and Clinn-lJI Ufl.ir"! ntui " ' n . -. i .1 nf it was fastened over hi. mouth. . " "'Have you the slate, Harold r cni .1.1.. man ui this stransre being fell rather than sat down Into a chair 'Are his hands loose: jnow, men, - n vnn r to ask the ha. will write IV- A.ir him first of all the answers. Ask him first or an w bother he is prepared to sign the pa pers?" "The man's eyes flashed fire. " 'Never!' he wrote in Greek upon the slate. . " On no conditions? I asked, at the bidding of our tyrant " 'Only If I see her married In my presence, by a Greek priest whom I know.' "'The man giggled In his venemous way. "'You know what awaits you, then?" "I care nothing for myself.'' "These are samples of the questions and answers which made up our strange half-spoken, half-written conversation. Again and again I had to ask him whether he would give In and sign the documents. Again and again I bad the same Indignant reply. But soon a hap py thought came to me. I took to add ing on little sentences of my own to each question. Innocent ones' at first to test whether either of our companions knew , anything of the matter, and then, as I found that they showed no sign I played a more dangerous game. Our conversa tion ran somethlngike this: - 'You can do no good by thla ob stinacy. Who are your " 'I care not I am a stranger In Lon don "Your fate will be on your own head. How long have you been here? "Let U be so. Three weeks.' "'The property can never be yours. What alls you?' " 'It shall not go to villains. They are starving me.' "You shall go free if you sign. What house Is this? "I will never sign. I do not know. "'You are not doing her any service. What is your name? - 'Let me hear her say so. Kratldes. " Tou shall see her if you sign. Where are you from? " Then I shall never see her. Athens. "Another five minutes. Mr. Holmes, and I should have wormed out the whole story under their very noses. My very next question might have cleared the matter up, but at that Instant the door opened and a woman stepped into the room. I could not see her clearly enough to know more than that she was tall and graceful, with black hair, and clad in some sort of loose white KW-Harold. said she, speaking English with a broken accent, "I could not stay awar longer.' It is so lonely up there with only Oh. my God, it is Paul!' "These last words were In Greek, and at the same instant the man with a convulsive effort tore the plaster from his Hps and screaming out Sophy! Sophy" rushed into the woman's arms. Their embrace was but for an instant, however, for the younger man seised the woman and pushed her out of the room, while the elder easily overpow ered ills emaciated victim, and dragged him away through the other door. For a moment I waTs left alone In the room, and I sprang to my feet with some vague Idea that I might in some way -t a clew to what this house was in which I found myself. Fortunately, however, I took no steps, for looking op I saw that the older man waa tnl Ing In the doorway, with his eyes fixed upon me. .... , , , " That will do. Mr. Melas.' said he. You perceive that we have taken you into our confidence over some very pri vate business. We should not have troubled you. only that our friend who speaks Greek and who began these ne- lcltiatlons has ceeu --' ' I the East. It wa. quite necessary for I ns to find someone to take his place. and we were fortunate In hearing of your powers. "I bowed. " 'There are five sovereigns here," said he, walking up to me, 'which will, I hope, be a sufficient fee. But re ember.' he added, tapping me lightly on the chest and giggling, lf you speak to a human soul about this one human soul, mind well, may God have mercy upon your soul!' "I cannot tell you the loathing and horror. with which this insignificant looking man Inspired me. I could see him better now as the lamplight shone upon him. His features were peaky and sallow, and his little pointed beara was thready and ill-nourished. He pushed his face forward as he spoke and his lips and eyelids were contin ually twitching like a man with St Vitus' dance. I could not help think- w . , . . i . AAtnw llttlA IniiB-h - ing m nu. "j was also a. o- ixis eyes nowever, dicci &ia.Jt glistening1 coldly with a maligant, In- gnnieiuiis -" exorable cruelty in their depths "'We shall know If you St ..... . , i ..a., enftalr nf --we snaii uw " inis. saiu ne. " "v'' """ "rr of information. Now you will find the I mrrlaca waiting, and my friend will . - ipa vaii on V 0 1 1 r way. "I was hurried through the hall and into tne venicie, asm . I momentarv sriimpse of trees and a gar- den. Mr. Latimer followed closely at my neeis, ana im - --- I tn ma without a. word. In silence we I -i H,na fnr an interminable dis- I tanca with Hia windows raised, un tance, with the windows raised, until at last Just after midnight tne carria.6o pulled up. " 'You will get down here, Mr. Melas, said my companion. I am sorry to leave you so far from your house, but there Is no alternative. Any attempt upon your part to follow the carriage can only end in injury to yourself." "He opened the door as he spoke, and I had hardly time to spring out when the coachman lashed the horse and the carriage rattled away. I looked around me in astonishment I was on some sort of a heathy common mot tled over with dark clumps of furze bushes. Far away stretched a line of houses, with a light here and there In the upper windows. On the other side I saw the red signal-lamps of a rail way. The carriage which had brought me was already out of sight I stood gaz ing round and wondering where on earth I might be. when I saw some one coming towards me in the darkness. As iie came up to me I made out that he was a railway porter. " -Can you tell me what place this Isr I asked. t "'Wandsworth Common, said he. ""Can I get a train into town? " -if you walk on a mile or so to Clapham Junction." said he, you'll Just be In time for the last to Victoria." "So that was the end of my adven ture. Mr. Holmes. I do not know where I was, nor whom I spoke with nor anything save what I have told you. But I know that there is foul play go ing on, and I want to help that unhappy man If I can. I told the whole story to Mr. Mycroft Holmes next morning, and subsequently to the police." We all sat In silence for some little time after listening to this extraordin ary narrative. Then Sherlock looked across at his brother. "Any steps?" he asked. rL zxpost j. Mycroft picked up the Dally News, which was lying on the side-table. - 'Anybody supplying any informa tion as to the whereabouts of a Greek gentleman named Paul Kratldes, from Athens, who is unable to speak English, will be rewarde A similar reward paid to any one giving Information about' a Greek lady whose first name Is Sophy. X 2473. That was in all the dallies. No answer." "How about the Greek Legation? "I have inquired. They know noth ing." "A wire to the head of the Athens police, then?" "Sherlock, has all the energy of the family," said Mycroft turning to me. "Well, you take the case up by .all means, and let me know if you do any good." "Certainly," answered my friend, rising from his chair. "I'll let you know, and 'Mr. Melas also. In the meantime. Got, j rsa jtctf. Mr. Melas, I should certainly be on my guard. If I were you, for of course they must know through these adver tisements that you have betrayed them." ,, , As we walked home together. Holmes stopped at a telegraph office and sent off several wires. "You see, Watson," he remarked, our evening has been by no means wasted. Some of my most interesting cases have come to me In this way through My croft. The problem which we have Just listened to, although it can admit of but one explanation, has still some distinguishing features." "You have -hopes of solving it?" "Well, knowing as much as we do, it will be singular Indeed if we fall to discover the rest You must yourself have formed some theory which will explain the facts to which we have listened." "In a vague way, yes." "What was your idea, then? "It seemed to me to be obvious that this Greek girl had been carried off by the young Englishman named Harold Latimer." "Carried off from wherer "Athens, perhaps." Sherlock Holmes shook his head. "This young man could not talk a word of Greek. The lady could talk English fairly well. Inference that she had been In England some little time, but he had not been in Greece." "Well then, we will presume that she had come on a visit to England, and that this Harold had persuaded her to fly with him." "That is more probable." "Then the brother for that. I fancy, must be the relationship comes over from Greece to interfere. He impru dently puts himself into the power of the young man and his older associate. They seize him and use violence to wards him In order to make him sign some papers to make over the girls fortune of which he may be trustee to them. This he refuses to do. In or der to negotiate with him they have to get an interpreter, and they pitch upon this Mr. Melas, having used some oth er one before. The girl Is not told of the arrival of her brother, and finds It out by the merest accident." "Excellent Watson!" cried Holmes. "I really fancy that you are not far from the truth. You see we hold all the cards, and we have only to fear some sudden act of violence on their part. If they give us time we must have them." "But how can we find where this house lies?" "Well, If our conjecture is correct and the girl's name Is or was Sophy Kratldes we should have no difficulty in tracing her. That must be our main hope, for the brother is, of course, a complete stranger. It Is clear that some time has elapsed since this Har old established these relations with the girl some weeks, at any rate since the brother In Greece has had time to hear of it and come across. If they have been living In the same place during this time, it is probable that we shall have some answer to My croft's advertisement." We had reached our house in Baker street while we had been talking. Holmes ascended the stair first, and as he opened the door of our room he gave a start of surprise. Looking over his shoulder, I was equally astonished. His brother Mycroft waa sitting smok ing in the armchair. "Come in, Sherlock! Come in, sir," said he, blandly, smiling at our sur prised faces. "You don't expect such energy from me, do you, Sherlock? But somehow this case attracts me." "How did you get here?" "I passed you In a hansom." "There has been -some new develop mentr' "I had an answer to my advertise ment." "Ah!" "Yes. It came within a few minutes of your leaving." "And to what effect?" Mycroft Holmes took out a sheet of paper. "Here It Is," said he, "written with a J pen on royal cream paper by a middle-aged man with a weak consti tution. "Sir," he says, 'in answer to your advertisement of today's date, I beg to Inform you that I know the young lady in question -very well. If you should care to call upon me I could give you some particulars as to her painful history. She is living at pres ent at The Myrtles. Beckenham. Yours faithfully, J. Davenport.' "He writes from Lower Brixton." said Mycroft Holmes. "Dou you not thinV that wa mlsrht drive to him now. Sherlock, and learn these particulars?" "My dear Mycroft the brothers life Is more valuable than the sister's story. I think we should call at Scotland Yard for Inspector Gregson. and go straight to Beckenham. We know that a man is being done to death, and every hour may be vital." "Better pick up Mr. Melas on our way," I suggested. "We may need an interpreter." "Excellent," said Sherlock Holmes. "Send the boy for a four-wheeler, and we shall be off at once." He opened the table drawer as he spoke, and I noticed that he slipped his revolver Into his pocket. "Yes," said he. In answer to my glance; "I should say, from what we have heard, that we are dealing with a particularly dangerous It was almost dark before we found ourselves In Pall Mall, at the rooms of Mr. Melas. A gentleman had Just called for him. and he was gone. "Can jou tell me where?" asked My croft Holmes. "I don't know, sir." answered the) woman who had opened the door; "I only know that he drove away with, the gentleman In a carriage." "Did the gentleman give a namer "No, sir." He wasn't a tall, handsome, darle young man?" "Oh, no, sir. He was a little gentle man, with glasses, thin in the face, but verv pleasant In his ways, for he was laughing all the time that he was talking." , "Come along!" cried Sherlock Holmes, abruptly. "This grows seri ous." he observed, as we drove to Scot land Yard. "These men have got hold of Melas again. He is a man of no physical courage, as they are welt aware from their experience the other night. This villain was able to ter rorize him the instant that he got into his presence. No doubt they want his professional services, but having used him, they may be inclined to punish him for what they will regard as hla treachery." Our hope was that, by taking train, we might get to Beckenham as soon as or sooner than the carriage. On reach ing Scotland Yard, however, it waa more than an hour before we could get Inspector Gregson and comply with the legal formalities which would enable us to enter the house. It was a quar ter to 10 before we reached London Bridge, and half past before the four of us alighted on the Beckenham plat form, A drive of half a mile brought us to The Myrtles a large, dark house standing back from the road In Its own grounds. Here we dismissed our cab, and made our way up the drive together. "The windows are all dark.'re marked the inspector. "The house seems deserted." "Our birds are flown and the nest empty," said Holmes. "Why do you say so?" "A carriage heavily loaded with lug gage has passed out during the last hour." The inspector laughed. "I saw tha wheel-tracks in the light of the gate lamp, but where does the luggage coma In?" "You may have observed the same wheel-tracks going the other way. But the outward-bound ones were very, much deeper so much so that we can say for a certainty that there was o very considerable weight on the cari riage." "You get a trifle beyond me there.' said the Inspector, shrugging his shoul-s ders. "It will not be an easy door t force, but we will try if we cannot! make some one hear us." j He hammered loudly at the knocken and pulled at the bell, but without any success. Holmes had slipped away( but he came back in a few minutes. , "I have a window open," said he. I "It is a mercy that you are on the side of the force, and not against it Mr. Holmes." remarked the inspector, as he noted the clever way in whlchj my friend had forced back the catch. "Well, I think that under the clrcum stances we may enter without an invH tation." One after the other we made our way into a large apartment, which was) evidently that in which Mr. Melas hadi found himself. The Inspector had lit his lantern, and by its light we could see the two doors, the curtain, the lamp, and the suit of Japanese mail as he had described them. On the table lay two glasses, an empty brandy bot tle, and the remains of a meal. "What is that?" asked Holmes, sud- denly. We all stood still and listened. A' low moaning sound was coming from somewhere over our heads. Holmes rushed to the door and out into tha hall. The dismal noise came from up stairs. He dashed up, the inspector and I at his heels, while his brother Mycroft followed as quickly as hisj great bulk would permit. Three doors faced us upon the sec ond floor, and it was from the central of these the sinister sounds were issu-i ing, sinking sometimes into a dull mumi ble and rising again into a stfrlll whins. It was locked, but the key had been, left on the outside. Holmes flung open) the door and rushed in, but he was out again in an instant, with his hand tx his throat. "It's charcoal." he' cried. "Give it) time. It will clear." Peering in, we could see that thej only light in the room came from ay dull blue flame which flickered from a, small brass tripod In the center. It threw a livid, unnatural circle upon the floor, while in the shadows beyond! we saw the vague loom of two figures which crouched against the wall. From the open door there reeked a horrible) poisonous exhalation which set us gasp ing and coughing. Holmes rushed to the top of the stairs to draw in tha fresh air, and then, dashing into tha room, he threw up the window andi hurled the brazen tripod out into the? garden. "We can enter in. a minute." ha gasped, darting out again. "Where is si candle? I doubt if we could strike aj match in that atmosphere. Hold tha light at the door and we shall get them out Mycroft now!" I With a rush we got to the poisoned men and dragged them out inio the, well-lit hall. Both of them were blue lipped and Insensible, with swollen, congested faces and protruding eyes. Indeed, so distorted were their features that save for his black beard and stout figure, we might have failed to. recognize in one of them the Greek in terpreter who had parted from us only a few hours before at the Diogenes Club. His hands and feet were secure ly strapped together, and he bore over one eye the marks of. a violent blow The other, who was secured in a simU lar fashion, was a tall man in tha last stage of emaciation, with several (Concluded on Page 7.1 1 1