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Show 1 TWElETMl OF MOUMOES BY L C BOYLE" t I "The Adventure of the Missing I Three-Quarter" iV IT A tE were fnirly accustomed to rocoivo weird ff telegrams at Baker street, lint I have a f V particular recollection of ono which reached us on a gloomy February morning, some seen or eight .years ago. and gave !Mr. Sherlock Holmes a puzzled quarter of an hour. It was addressed ad-dressed to him, and ran thus: "Please- await me. Terrible misfortune. Night wing three-quarter missing, indispensable tomorrow. "Strand postmark, and dispatched tcn-thirty-six," said Holmes, reading it over and over. "Mr. Overton Over-ton was evidently considerably excited when ho sent it, and somewhat incoherent in consequence. Well, well, he will be here, I dare say, by the time I havo looked through the Times, and then wo shall know all about it. Even tho most insignificant problem would be welcome in these stagnant days." Things had indeod been very slow with us, and 1 had learned to dread such periods of inaction, for I knew by experience that my companion's brain was so abnormally active that it was dnngorous to leave it. without, material upon which to work. For j'oars T had gradually weaned him from that drug mania which had threatened once to check his remarkable career. Now I knew that under ordinary conditions ho no louger craved for this artificial stimulus, but T was well aware that the fiend was not dead but sleeping, and I have known that: the sleep was a light one and the waking near when in periods of idleness I have seen the drawn look upon Holmes's ascetic face, and the brooding of his deep-set and inscrutable in-scrutable oyos. Therefore I blessed this Mr. Overton, whoever ho might be, since he had come with his cuigmatic message to break that dangerous calm which brought more peri to my friend than nil the storms of his tempestuous life. As wo had expected, the telegram was soon followed fol-lowed by its sender, and tho card of Lr. Cjiril Overton, Over-ton, Trinity college Cambridge, announced tho arrival ar-rival of an enormous young man, sixteen stone of solid bone and muscle, who spanned tho doorway with his broad shoulders, and looked from ono of us to the other with a comcl.y face which was haggard IM with anxiety. "Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" m Mj- companion bowed. 9 "I've been down to Scotland Yard, Mr. Holmes. 1 I saw Inspector Stanley Hopkins. He advised mo to k como to you. Ho said tho case, so far as he could 8 see, was more in your line than in that of the regular N "Pray sit. down and tell me what is the matter.' M "It's awful, Mr. Holmes simplv, awful! 1 won- h cr my hair isn't, graj. Godfrey Staunton you've 0 hoard -yof him, of course? He's simply tho hinge that. the whole team turns ou. I'd rather spare two from H the pack, and have Godfrey for my three-quarter S line. Whether it's passing, or tackling, or dribbling, K there's no one lo touch him. and then, he's got the n head, and can hold us all together. What am I to do? That's what T. ask. you, Mr. Holmes. There's 1 Moorhouse, first reserve,, but he is trained as a half, H and he always edges right, in on to tho. scrum in- B stead of keeping out on tho tonchline. He's a fine I place-kick, it's true, but then he lias no judgment, and he can't sprint for nuts. "Why, Morton or .Tohn- 1 son, the Oxford fliers, could romp round him. Slcven- 3 sou is fast enough, but he couldn't, drop from the w twenty-five line, and a three-quarter who can't cither U punt or drop isn't worth a place for pace alone. No, lUr. Holmes, we arc done unless you can help mo to S fiud Godfrey Staunton." I! My friend had listened with amused surprise to H this long speech, which was poured forth with cx- traordinary vigor and earnestness, every point being I driven home by the slapping of a brawny hand upon 1 the speaker's knee. When our visitor was silent. Holmes stretched out his hand and took down letter, "S" , of his- commonplace book. For once he dug in vain h into that mine of varied information. "Thero is Arthur Staunton, the rising young 1 forger," said he, "and thero was Henry Staunton, jjj whom I helped to hang, but Godfrey Staunton is a I new name to me." I It was our visitor's turn to look surprised. "Why, Mr. Holmes, I thought you knew things," 5 said he. "I suppose, then, if you have never hoard I of Godfrey Staunton, you don't know Cyril Overton ft Holmes shook his head good humorodlv. 1 "Great Scot!" cried the athlete. "Why, I was 1 first, reserve for England against. Wales, and I've 1 skippered the varsity this year. But Hint's nothing! I 1 didn't, think there was a soul in England who i didn't know Godfroy Staunton, the crack three- i quarter, Cambridge. " Blackhcath, and five Intcrua- jj liouals. Good Lord, Mr. Holmes, where have you Holmes laughed at the young giant's naive i astonishment. "You live in a different world to me, Mr. Overton a sweeter and healthier one. My ramifications m I stretch out into many sections of society, but never, Hi A 1 am happy to say, into amateur sport, which is J the best and soundest thing in England. Ifow- I ever, your expected visit this morning shows me that H I cvcn t,iat worM f fresh air and fair play, k 1 Ihere may be work for mo to do. So nov;, my good Ml i sir, r beg you to sit down and to tell me, slowly and g fl quietly, oxactly what it is that has occurred, and how jj f you desire that I should help you." HN Young Overton's face assumed the bothered look 9 id f the man who is more accustomed to using his Hly muscles than his wits, but by degrees, with many Hi repetitions and obscurities which I may omit from jl hi3 narrative, he laid his strange story before us. II "Tt's this way, Mr. Holmes. As 'l have' said, 1 I ain the skippor of the Rugger team of Cambridge I arsity and Godfrey Staunton is my best man. To- 1 morrow we play Oxford. Yesterday we all came Hi "I',, nd we settled at Bcntlcy's private hotel. At JO Hi ? c;,ock 1 ,w!nt rouml "nd that all the fellows HI had gone to must, for 1 bolicvo in strict trainin" and mm plenty or sleep to keep a team fit. T had a "word I or tw with Godfrey before he turned in. He seemed mil t0 me to be pale and bothered. T asked him what mtj was the matter, ire said he was all riht iusr. a II touch of headache, I bade him good-night and left I him. Half an hour later, the porter tells mo that a HI rough-looking .y( hcfml H for Godfrey. He. had not gone to bod, and tho note Hi vnK, takcn to .UIS room- Goflfrey read it, and foil Hi T ln a cnair aB if he 1,a(1 bee11 pole-axed The HI 7? S0Jeare he was goin'g to fetch me. HI it Godfrey stopped him, had a drink of watc-. and I pulled himself together. Then ho went downstairs HI fi'Ud a few words to the man who wa5 waiting in H i iii 'l1.3 thc t,wo of them went off together. The m last that the porter saw of them they were almost H cll"11113 thc 5trcct in tho direction of (he H Tm? mornZ Godfrey's room was Pinnty. m his bed Jiad never been slept in. and his "things H )Yr0r.:l 1 'll,Hfc as 1 seen them the night before mU He had gone off at a moment's notice with this mn stranger, and no word has come from him since f don't believe ho will cvor oomo back. Fie was a sportsman, was Godfrey, down to hia marrow, and ho wouldn't havo stopped his training and let ir. his skippor if it. were not for somo cause that .was too strong for him. No; I feel as if ho w-ero gouo for good, and we should never see him again." Sherlock Holmes listened with the deopesfc attention atten-tion to this singular narrative. "What did yon do?" ho asked. "T. wired to Cambridgo to learn if anything had been heard of him there. J havo had an answer. No one has seen him." "Could he havo got back to Cambridge?" "Yes. there is a lato train quaTtcr past cloven." "But, so far as you can ascertain, ho did not tako it." "No, ho has not been seen." "What did you do next!" "T. wired to Lord Mount-James." "Why to Lord Mount-James?" "Godfrey is an orphan, and Lord Mount-James is his nearest relative his uncle, I believe." "Indeed. This throws now light upon tho matter. Lord Mount-James is one of tho richest men in England." Eng-land." "So T'vo heard Godfrey sa'." "And your friend was closely related?" "Yes, he was his heir, and tho old boy is noarly eighty cram full of gout, too. They sny ho could chalk his billiard cuo with his knuckles. He never allowed Godfrey a shilling in hia life, for ho is an absolute miser, but it will all come to him right onongh." "Havo 3'ou heard from Lord Mount-James? " "No." "What motive could your friond havo in going to Lord Mount-James." "Well, something was worrying him tho nicht before, be-fore, and if it wns to do with money it is possible that ho would, mnko for his nearest relative who had so much of it, though from all I have heard ho would not havo much chance of gotting it. Godfrey wns not fond of the old man. He would not go if he could holp it." . . ""Well, wo can soon determine- that. Jf your tnena was going to his relative, Lord Mount-.lames, you have then to explain the visit of this Tough-looking follow at so late an hour, and tho agitation that was caused by his coming." "Cyril Overton pressed his hands to his head. "I. can make nothing of it." said he. "Well, well, 1 havo a clear day, and X shall be happy to look into tho matter," said Holmes. "I should Btrongly recommend you to mako your preparations prepa-rations for your match without reference to this young gentleman. It must, as you say, have been an overpowering necessity which tore him nway in such a fashion, and thc 'same necessity is likely to . hold him away. Let us step round toecthor to the hotel, and seo'if thc porter can throw any fresh light upon the matter." Sherlock Holmes was a paet-mastcr in tho art. of putting a humble witness at his ease, and vory soon, in tho privacy of Godfroy Staunton's abandoned room, he had extracted all that the porter had to tell. The visitor of thc night before was not a gentleman, neither was he a workingman. He was simply what the porter described as a "medium-looking chap," a man of fift'. beard grizzled, palo face, quietly dressed. He seemed himself to bo agitated. The porter had observod his hand trombling when ho had held out tho note. Godfroy Staunton had orammed the note into his pocket. Staunton had not nhaken hands with the man in the hall. They had exchanged a few sentences, of which the porter had only distinguished dis-tinguished the one word "time." Then they had hurried off in tho manner described. It was just half-past ten by the hall clock. "Lot me see,'' said Holmes, seating himself on Staunton 's bed. Yon are thc da' porter, are you not?" "Ycsj sir, I go off duty at eleven." "The night porter saw nothing, I suppose?" "No, sir, ono theater party came in late. No ono else. " "Were vou oil duty all day vestcrdav?" "Yes, sir." ' ' "Did you take any mcssnges to Mr. Staunton?" "Yes, sir. one telegram." "Ah! that's interesting. What o'clock was this?" "About six." "Where was Mr. Staunton when he received it?" "More in his room." "Were yon present when ho opened it?" "Yes. sir, I waited to seo if there was an answer." "Well, was there?" "Yes, sir, he wrote an answer." "Did you take it?" "No, he took it himself." "But he wrote it in 3'our presence?" 'Yes. sir. "I was standing by the door, and he with his back turned at that table. When he had written it, he said: 'All right, porter, T will take this myself." "What did he write it with?" "A pen, sir." t tho tc,cphic form one of these on the table "Yes, sir, it was the (op one." Holmes i rose. Taking the forms, he carried them over to the window and carefully examined that which was uppermost. "H is a pity he did not write in pencil," said he. throwing them down again with a shrug of disappointment. disap-pointment. "As you have no doubt fromicntlv ob- SCw AVn,,.S0,n', ""Pession sHy goes through a tact winch has dissolved many a happy ma mac However, I can find no trace here, r rejoice, noV" ever, to perceive that he wrote with a broad-pointed quill pen, and r can hardly doubt that we will find some impression upon this bloltinj: pad. Mi V surely this is the very thing!" ' 3 ' Cyril Overton was much excited. "Hold it to tho glass." lie criod. "That is unnecessary," said Holmes, "Tho paper is thin, -and tho reverse- will give tho message. Hero it is." He turned it over, and "we read: "So that is tho tail end of tho telegram which Godfrey Staunton dispatched within a few hours of his disappearance There are at least six words of the message which have escaped us; but vwhat remains re-mains 'Stand by us for God's sake! '-proves that this young man saw a formidable danger which approached him. and from which someone else could protect him. 'Us,' mark you! Another person was invoked. Who should it be but the palo-faced, bearded man, who seemed himself in so nervous a stnto? What, then, is the connection botween Godfroy God-froy Staunton and tho bearded man? And what is the third, source from which each of them sought holp against pressing danger? Our inquirv has already narrowed down to that." "We havo only to find to whom that telegram is addressed," suggosted. "Exactly, my dear Watson. Your reflection, though profound, had already crossed my mind. .But. I daro say it may have como to your notice that, if j-ou walk into a postoffice and demand to see the counterfoil counter-foil of anothor man's mossago, thero may bo somo disinclination on tho part of the olllcials to obligo you. Thero is so much red tape in these matters. However, I havo no doubt that with a little delicacy and fincs&o tho end may be attained. Meanwhile, I should like in your presence, Mr. Overton, to go through theso papers which have been left upon thc table." Thero wore a number of lottcrs, hills and note books, which Holmes turned over and examined with quick, nervous fingers and darting, penetrating oyes. "Nothing here," ho said, at last. ''By tho way, I. supposo your friend was a healthy young fellow nothiug amiss with him?" "Sound as a boll." "Havo you over known him ill?" "Not. a day. He has been laid up with a hack, and once ho slipped his knee cap, but that was nothing." noth-ing." 'Perhaps ho wns not so strong as you suppose I should think ho may have had some secret trouble. With your aEsent I will put one or two of these pa pors in in3' pocket, in caso they should bear upon our futnro inquiry." ''Ouo moment. ono moment!" cried a querulous voice, and wo looked up to find a quoor little old man, .lorking and twitching in tho doorwav. Ho wan dressed in rusty black, with a very broad brimmed top hat and a loose white necktie the whole offoct boing that of a very rustic parson or of an undertakers under-takers mute. Yet, in spito of his shabbv and even absurd appearance, his voice had a sharp'cacklo. and his niatmor a quick intensity which commanded attention. at-tention. "Who are you, sir, and by what right do vou touch this gontlcman's papers?" he asked. 1 am n private detective, 3nd I am endeavoring tocxplain his disappearance" chV" 3 011 arc' aic 'you An(l 5n5tn,ctcd J"0" "This gentleman, Mr. Staunton's friend, was referred re-ferred to me by Scotland Yard." "Who are vou, sir?" "1 am Cyril Overton." Then it is you who sent mc a telegram. My name is Lord Mount-James. I came round as quickly as the BavMvatcr 'bus would bring me So vou have instructed a detective?" ''(Yes. sir." And are you prcpB.red to meet the cost?" l have no doubt, sir, that my friend Godfrey, when we find him, will be prepared to do that." Kill if ho if never found, eh? Answer mo that!" v At" case' no rlo,,bt his family " ,,,lc sort' 5ir!" screamed tho little man. Don t ook to me for a penn- not a pounv! ?,,n n!,.nM6r?la,?-1 that Mr Selective! T am all the imm that this young man has cot. and T toll vnn Miai j nm not responsible. Tf ho has any expecta- n'Vr00 f,V faot that 1 ,iave ner wasted mono and do not propose to begin to do so now. As to those papers with which you are making so free, T may toli you that in caso thero should be anv-thing anv-thing of value among them, you will bo held strictly to account for what you do with them." pry good, sir," said Sherlock Holmes. "Mav T ask, in the meanwhile, whether you havo voursolf ilSarancnen?r)V' aCC"nt fr ,his yUnfT man' lisaP' Z l.J?9k afterv,Uni5f.e,Y and lf 1,0 5s -foolish rLi ,Wtlum5ef' . entirely refuse to accept thc responsibility of hunting for him." I quite understand your position," gaid Holmes, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes "ParEtiH Jl t "dCrRtaml Godfrey SUu'SSi kE0 P,avc ben a Poor man. Tf he has been kidnaped Jt could not have been for anythinc which he himself possesses. The fame of ymir wealtf firili?!! mT"3' ?i0rd M-nat-James, an Z entirely en-tirely possible that a ganjr of thieves have secured on1" BPhCto" '"v ,0 R"in from him oCinfo?mad-t oCinfo?mad-t reasuPe " ' U8e 7Ur ,mbits' an(1 3'our ns'wSit'rarTecKfe33"' "tH6 U 8urh7IvilS'SirvS?L-nS idcn! T UGVer t,,out of ti c world! 3iL S'lr ,nh.lIn,a" mics there nro in vm i .o(lfre.v is a fine lad a staunch lad lo mo r CV" " tCUUCr P0S you cHHlVayook and with a copy of this in his hand Holmes set forth .pit with the oLhor .naSbcr, of ' fi, ;tMg?JTi? rawfortone which had bcfallon tbim. AVt.j l short s Wrth tr.'ln Watson," snid Holmes "nf "l am sorry to trouble you." said he in In uua fear that I must have o nitted to mit ml 3'?,ry V'li,h end Could you tell me if this wast afc thc foils y0UDff Wman tUrnei1 ovcr 3 of counter- 'Tmn,clflck was,jt7" she asked. A little after six.'-' "Whom was it to?" Holmes put his finger to his lips ana danced at nif pc i t"ifi7c?t1.ih T? 'for Gofl,s.'afe,'H''?ta!vhn : nSswen" 3' am very anx,ous at getting no "TVf s?Paratcfl one of j ho forms. " is iFimirssH? &v;rnjd n? mc to be sure! Good morning, miss, and many ' hank lor hav ng relieved my m nd." He chuckled anrl rubbed his hands when 'we found ourselves ii tho st?cc? once more uect. "Well?" 7 asked. "We progress, my dear Watson, we progress. I had seven different schemes for gotting a glimpso of that firsufine" 1 ,,ard,- ll0i'c 0 succeed the ve.rv "And what have you gained?' 'A starting-point for our investigation." He hailed a cab. -King's Cross Station," said he "e have a .lourney, then?" !!VS' liiH1!"1'-- m-lst run flown to Cambridge to-nether. to-nether. All the indications seem to mc to point in that direction. "Tell me," 1 asked, as we rattled up Gray's Inn road, "have you any suspicion yet as to the cause of the disappearance? 1 don't think that among all our cuties I have known one where tho motives are more ob-Bcure ob-Bcure Surely you don 't really .imagine that he may be kidnapped in order to give, information against ' his wenlthy uncle?" h " I confess, my dear Watson, that that, doos not appeal ap-peal to mo as a very probable explanation. Tt struck me, however, as being tho one which was most, likolv to interest that exceedingly unpleasant old person." " "It certainly did that; but what are vour alternatives alterna-tives I" "T could mention several. You must admit that it is curious and suggestive that this incident should occur on tho eve ol this important match, aud should involve thc only man whose presence seems essential to tho success suc-cess of tho side It may, of courso, he a coincidence, hut it is interesting. Amateur sport is freo from betting, bet-ting, but a good deal of outside betting goes on among tho public, and it is possible that it might be worth someone'? while to got at a player as thc ruffians of tho turf get at a race horse. There is one explanation. A nocond very obvious one is that thin young man really is the heir of a great property, however modest Ins i means may at prosont be, and it is not impossible that a plot to hold him for ransom might "bo concocted." "Theso thoorion tako no account of the lolegrnm." "Quito true, Watson, Tho telegram still remains the only solid thing with which wo havo to deal, and wo must not permit our attention to wnndor away from it. ft is to gain light upon the purpose of this telegram that wo aro now upon our way to Cambridge The path of our investigation is at present obscure, but I shall bo very much surprised if before ovoning wo have not cleared it up, or made a considerable advance along it.'' It was alroadv dark when wo reached the old University Uni-versity City. Holmes took a cab at the station, and ordered tho man lo drive to thc house of Dr. Leslie Armstrong. x fow minutes later, we had stopped at a largo mansion in the busiest thoroughfare. Wo were shown in, and after a long wait wore at last admitted into tho consulting room, where wo found the doctor soatod bohind his table It argues the degree in which I had lost touch with my protession that tho name of Leslie Armstrong was unknown to me Now 1 am aware that he is not onl' one of tho heads of tho medical school of the university, univer-sity, but a thinker of Kuropcnu reputation in more than one branch of science Yet oven without knowing know-ing his brilliant record one could not fail to bo impressed im-pressed by a mere glance at the man, the square, massive mas-sive face, tho brooding oyos under tho thatched brows, and the granito moulding of tho inflcxiblo jaw. A man of doop character, a man with an alert mind, grim, ascetic, self-contained, formidable so E read Dr. Leslie Armstrong. He held my friend's card in his hand, and he looked up with no very p!oascd expression ex-pression upon his dour features. "I have heard your name Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and I am aware of 3rour profession ono of which I by no means approve" "Tn that, doctor, you will find yourself in agreement agree-ment with over' criminal in the country," said my triend, quietly. "So lar as your efforts aro directed towards the suppression of crime, 6ir. they must have tho support of every reasonable member of tho community, though I cannot doubt that thc oilicial machinery "is amply sufficient for the purpose. Whoro your calling is more open to criticism is when you pry into tho secrets se-crets of private individuals, when you rake up family matters which arc better hidden, and when you incidentally inci-dentally wasto thc time of men who are more busy than yourself. At the present moment, for example I should be writing a treatise instead of convorsing with yon." "No doubt, doctor; and vet tho conversation may prove more important than the troatiso. Incidentally, 1 may tell you that we are doing the revcrso of what you very justly blame, and that we arc endeavoring to prevent anything liko public exposure of private matters which must necessarily follow whon once tho case is fnirly in the hands of 'the official police. You may look upon mc simplv as an irregulnr pioneer, who goes in front of tho regular forces of tho country. I have come to ask vou about Mr. Godfrey Staunton." "What about, him?" "You know him. do you not?" "He is an intimate friend of mine." Iypii arc aware that he has disappeared?" Ah, indeed!" There was no change of expre.'sion in thc rugged features of the doctor. "Ho left his hotel last night he has not been heard of." ao doubt ho will return." ''Tomorrow is the varsity football match." I have no sympathy with these childish games. The young man's late interests me dooply, since T know him and like him. The football niatch doefl not romc within my horizon nt all." " I claim your sympathy, then, in my investigation of Mr. Staunton's fate Do you know where ho is?" "Certainly not." "You have not seen him since yostcrdav?" "No. T have not." "Was Mr, Staunton a healthy man?" "Absolutely." "Did yon over know him ill?" "Never." Holmes popped a sheet of paper before the doctor's eyes. "Then perhaps you will explain this receipted bill for 13 guineas, paid bv Mr. Godfrey Staunton last month to Dr. Leslie Armstrong of Cambridge. I picked it out from among the papers upon his desk." Thc doctor flushed with anger. "I do not feel that there is anv reason why 1 should render an explanation to you, Mr. Holmes. ,J Holmes replaced the bill in his note book. "Tf vou prefer a public explanation, it must come sooner or later," said he "I" have already told you that T can hush up that which others will bo bound to publish, and you would really be wiser to take mo into your complete confidence." "I know nothing about it." "Did you hear from Mr. Staunton in London?" "Certainly not." "Dear me. dear me the postoffice again!" Holmes sighed, wearily. "A most urgent telegram was dispatched dis-patched to vou from London by Godfrev Staunton at 6:15 yesterday evening a telegram which is undoubtedly undoubt-edly associated with his disappearance and yet. you have not had it. It is most culpable I shall ccrtainlv go down to the office here and register a complaint' Dr. Leslie Armstrong sprang up from behind his desk, and his dark faco was crimson with fury. "T'll trouble you to walk out of my house, sir," said he "Yon can tell your employer. Lord Mount-Jamps. Mount-Jamps. that 1 do not wish to have anything to do either with him or with his agents. No, sir not another an-other word!" He rang the bell furioualv, "John, show these gentlemen out." A pompous butler ushered ush-ered us severely to the door, and wo found ourselves in the street. Holmes burst out laughing. "Dr. Loslie Armstrong is certainly a man of encrgv and character," said he "I have not seen a man who. if he turns his talents that way, was more calculated cal-culated to fill the gap left bv the illustrious Moriarity. And now, my poor Watson, here wo arc, stranded and friendless in this inhospitable town, which we cannot leave without abandoning or case This little inn just opposite Armstrong's house is singularly adapted to our needs. If you would engage a front "room and purchase the necessaries for the night, T may have time to make a few inquiries." Those few inquiries proved, however, to be a more lengthy proceeding thau Holmes had imagined, for he did not return to the inn until nearly 9 o'clock. He was pale and dejected, slaiucd with dust, and exhausted ex-hausted with hunger and fatigue A cold supper was ready upon the table and when his needs wore sntis-.fied sntis-.fied and his pipe alight he was ready to take that "Half comic and whollv philosophic view which was natural fo him when his affairs wore going awry. The sound of carriage wheels caused him to rise and glance out of the window. A brougham and pair of greys, under thc glare of a gas lamp, stood before thc doctor's door. "Tt's been out three hours." said Holmes: "started at 6 :.iO and here it is back again. That gives a radius ra-dius of ten or twelve miles, and he docs it once, or sometimes twice, a day." "No unusual thing for a doctor in practice" "But Armstrong is not really a doctor in practice He it? a lecturer and a consultant, but he does not. earo for general practice, which distracts him from Htornr3' work. Why, then, does he make these long journevs, which must be exceedingly irksome to him, and who is it, that he visits?" "His coachman " "My dear Watson, can vou doubt that it was to . him that I first applied? T do uot know whether it came from his own innate depravity or from 'the promptings of his master, but he was rude enough to set a dog at me Neither dog nor mnn liked the look of mv stick, however, and tho matter fell through. Relations were strained after that, and further inquiries in-quiries out of the question. All that T have learned 1 got from a friendly native in the yard of our own. inn. Tt was he who told mo of the doctor's habits and of his daily journey. At that instant, to give . point to his words, the carriage camo round to the door." "Could you not follow it?" "Excellent, Watson! You aro scintillating this evening. Thc idea did cross my mind. Thero is, as you may have observod. a bicycle shop next to our inn. Tnto this T rushed, engaged a bicycle, and was able to get startod boforo the carriage 'was quite out of sight. T rapidly overtook it, and then, keeping at a discreet distauco of 100 yards or so followed its lights until wo were clear of the town. We. had got well out ou the conutry road, when a somewhat mortifying mor-tifying incident occurred. The carriago stopped, the doctor alighted, walked swiftly back to where T had als.0 halted, and told mo in an excellent sardonic, fashion fash-ion thnt he feared the road was narrow, and that he hoped his carriage did not impede the passage of my bicycle. Nothing could have been more admirable than his wny of putting it, 7 nt once rodo past tho carnage, and, keoping to the main road, T went on for 1 a fow nulos, and thon halted in a convenient place to Y-Wc sco if tho carriago passed. Thero was no sign of it f-W however, and so it bocame ovidont that it had turnerl iW ' down one of several side roads which I had observed fiEtr-! I rode back, but again saw nothing of the carriago v "' and now, as you perceive, it has returned aftnr nV v9) Ol: course, I had at the outsot no particular reason to J' F 'hl connect these jonrnoyn with the disappearance of God- i K"c froy Staunton, and was only inclined to investigatn J SlVf them on the general grounds that everything which W"n concerns Dr. Armstrong is at presont of interest to u ''ilcou but, now that I hud he keeps so keen a lookout upon -Ire anyone who may follow him on those excursions, the V E'hsd aflair appears more important, and I shall not he sat- ifvc isfiod until T have made the matter clear." f Ktf "We can follow him tomorrow." f'T "Can we? It is not so oasy as you seem to think &lno lou aro not familiar with Cambridgeshire scenery, are t fiuw yon? It does not load itself to concealment. All thio 'IPthr' country that J passed over tonight is as fiat and clean 'Efoi as tho palm of your hand, and the man we aro follow- jRfoi ing is no fool, as ho vory clearly showed tonight. I W have wired to Overton to let us know any fresh Lon- IW1 ! don developments at this address, and in thc mean-time mean-time wo can only concentrate onr attention upon Dr 'Mc-ci Armstrong, whoso namo tho obliging young lady at ' & B the office allowed mc to read upon the counterfoil of 'vlc Staunton's urgent message He knows where tho ipor young man is to that L'll swear, and if ho knows -iff"1' thon it must bo our own fault if we cannot manage ' f1""3 to know also. At present it must be admitted that P'Sli the odd trick is in his possession, and, as you aro I St?3 aware, Watson, it is not my habit to leave the game T ind in that condition." i 3 t And yet tho next day brought us no nearer to the 5'ro solution of the mystery. A note was handed in after l'to breakfast, which Holmes passed across to mc with a f '-'neX smile rclt "Sir," it ran, "T can assure you that you are wast- Iaov ing your timo in dogging my movements. J have, as i f ch you discovered last night, a window at thc back of i j;'af my brougham, and if you desire a twonty-mile ride g eo which will load you to the spot from which you start- lr,lcr ed, you havo only to follow me Meanwhile, 1 can I: fTaT. inform you that no spying upon mo can in any way i; i"" help Mr. Godfrey Staunton, and T am convinced that , K: w tho best service you can do to that gentleman is to . Pter. return at once to London and to report to vyour em- fciruc ployer that you aro unable to trace him. Your time ! r' in Cambridge will certainly bo wasted. Yours faith- M3' fully, LESLIE ARMSTRONG." ; "An outspoken, honest antagonist is the doctor," ( i0 ) snid Holmes. "Well, well, ho excites my curiositv, ' fhow and 1 must really know botoro I leave him." " 'com "His carriage is at his door now," said L "There j snow ho is stepping into it. I saw him glance up at our f fe1"' window as he did so. Suppose 1 try my luck upon the ) : fhe bicycle?" !uW- "No, no, my dear Watson! With all respect for f; your natural acumen, I. do not think that jou arc cjro quite fi match for the worthy doctor. I think that ' Rjar possibly T can attain our end by some independent ex- r; rkjiu plorations of my own. T am airaid that T must leavo f Bwc.' you to your own devices, as the appearance of two t'" inquiring straugers upon a sleepy countryside might ' j.er excite more gossip than T care for. No doubt you will ' J find somo sights to amuse you in this venerable city, j t and T hopo to bring back a more favorable report to jl fc. -c you before evening." ! Tcroo Onco more, however, my friend was destined to he I: Ssot disappointed. He came back at night weary and un- 1 py; successful. fa "I havo had a blank day. Watson. Having got thc sIiJ; doctor's general direction, f spent tho day in visiting all the villages upon that side of Cambridge, and com-1 fer paring notes with publicans and other locnl nows ': b "q agencies. T. have covered some ground. Chesterton, mta Histon. "Waterbeach and Oakington have each been 1 1jou explored, and have each proved disappointing. The f ttfl.c. daily appearance of a brougham and pair could hardly ' E'1" have been overlooked in such Sleepy Hollows. The ; l". doctor has scored once more. Is there a telegram for . f)0mi mc?" ; Pfel "Yes, I opened it. Here it is: 'Ask for Pompoy PTh from Jeromy Dixon, Trinity College' I don't uncicr-1 jftro stand it." ;f "Oh, it is clear enough. It is from our friend Over- Vfi. H ton, and is in answer to a question from me I'll just j send round a note to Mr. Jeremy Dixon, and then I i & gj, havo no doubt that our luck will turn. By thc way, i i(f,e is there any news of the match?" , that "Yes, tho local evening paper has an excellent ac- tTher count in its last edition. Oxford won by a goal and j, !a two tries. The last sentences of the description say: ' K1"3 'Tho defeat of the Light Blues may be entirely :it- lfloci tributed to the unfortunate absence of thc crack Tn- ; t ternational, Godfrev Staunton, whoso want was felt ; fiean at every instant of7 the game The lack of combina-, ration ra-tion in 'the three-quarter line and their wqakness both; f- in attack and defense moro than neutralized the ef-, tjjon forts of a heavv and hard-working pack.' " i gthlng "Then our friend Overton's forebodiugs have been jf Bu justified," said Holmes. "Personally 1 am in agree-, a inout with Dr. Armstrong, and football docs not come ifcome within mv horizon. Early to bed tonight, Watson, for ; fjo f. I foresoo that tomorrow may bo an even trul day. ' ' JW9n I was horrified by my first glimpse of Holmes next ; f" morning, for he sat by the tiro holding his tiny hypo-. dermic sj'ringc. I associated that instrument with the:; ,tr t single weakness of his nature, and I feared the wor.it 4 ?haV when I saw it glittering in his hand. He laughed at; "01 mv expression of dismay, and laid it upon thc table. 4 ,? toi ""No, no, mv dear fellow, there, is no cause for, goj alarm. Tt is not upon this occasion the instrument, j ' of evil, but it will rather prove to be, the kev which ; will unlock our mystery. On this syringe I base nil , mv hopes. 1 havo just returned, from a small scout-. -.0h ing expedition, and everything is favorable, hat a . gir. ai good breakfast. Watson, lor I propose to got upon Dr. Japart: 7rmstrong's trail today, and onco on it T will not stop , k -e for rest or food until T run him to his burrow. "v' "In that case,'- said I.."we had best carry our breakfast with us. for he is making an early start. ; r Au His carriage is at the door. 3 - "Never mind: Lot him go. He will b e cl 0 cr it he can drive where I cannot follow him. When jou.ft JT have finished, come downstairs-with mc, and l. will m introduce von to a detective who is a very eminent ; .f specialist in the work that hps before ns. . . 3 When wc descended T followed Holmes into the Htable vard. where ho opened the door of a loose box ,vauw and led out a squat, lop-eared, white-and-tan dog. , lt something between a beagle and a hoiuid. . "Let me introduce you to Pompoy," said ho. Pon , I nov is tho pride of thc local drnghoiinds no ven;. 1 ft reat Vcr, as his build will show, but a staunch. ,Jg Sound on a sceut. Well. Pompoy, yon may not f??t bi? T expect vou will be too last for a conplf of mid c-agcdPLondon gentlemen, so I will take the Shorty of fastening this leather leash to your collar . do'n?,tTyvorWLo. Holmes!" T.nskod. . ,! thiSbarc awl venomhlo device, but Mjin :,DE Miosc vi tasos led U ",rll . and onil ll'trt: tho'corSQuieK. Wtso-nui EviS he : "It osmnot be lone hc-for . " kJ'1!?,.. ; &T .JgJi? 'l'o'e.v"alan'nl,out and vlnne; v. (Continued on Following Page) j t mm |