\"Becauseinfiveminutesyouwillsaythatitisallsoabsurdlysimple。\"
\"IamsurethatIshallsaynothingofthekind。\"
\"Yousee,mydearWatson\"——heproppedhistest—tubeintherackandbegantolecturewiththeairofaprofessoraddressinghisclass——\"itisnotreallydifficulttoconstructaseriesofinferences,eachdependentuponitspredecessorandeachsimpleinitself。If,afterdoingso,onesimplyknocksoutallthecentralinferencesandpresentsone’saudiencewiththestarting—pointandtheconclusion,onemayproduceastartling,thoughpossiblyameretricious,effect。Now,itwasnotreallydifficult,byaninspectionofthegroovebetweenyourleftforefingerandthumb,tofeelsurethatyoudidNOTproposetoinvestyoursmallcapitalinthegoldfields。\"
\"Iseenoconnection。\"
\"Verylikelynot;butIcanquicklyshowyouacloseconnection。
Herearethemissinglinksoftheverysimplechain:1。Youhadchalkbetweenyourleftfingerandthumbwhenyoureturnedfromtheclublastnight。2。Youputchalktherewhenyouplaybilliardstosteadythecue。3。YouneverplaybilliardsexceptwithThurston。
4。YoutoldmefourweeksagothatThurstonhadanoptiononsomeSouthAfricanpropertywhichwouldexpireinamonth,andwhichhedesiredyoutosharewithhim。5。Yourcheque—bookislockedinmydrawer,andyouhavenotaskedforthekey。6。Youdonotproposetoinvestyourmoneyinthismanner。\"
\"Howabsurdlysimple!\"Icried。
\"Quiteso!\"saidhe,alittlenettled。\"Everyproblembecomesverychildishwhenonceitisexplainedtoyou。Hereisanunexplainedone。Seewhatyoucanmakeofthat,friendWatson。\"
Hetossedasheetofpaperuponthetableandturnedoncemoretohischemicalanalysis。
Ilookedwithamazementattheabsurdhieroglyphicsuponthepaper。
\"Why,Holmes,itisachild’sdrawing,\"Icried。
\"Oh,that’syouridea!\"
\"Whatelseshoulditbe?\"
\"ThatiswhatMr。HiltonCubitt,ofRidingThorpeManor,Norfolk,isveryanxioustoknow。Thislittleconundrumcamebythefirstpost,andhewastofollowbythenexttrain。There’saringatthebell,Watson。Ishouldnotbeverymuchsurprisedifthiswerehe。\"
Aheavystepwashearduponthestairs,andaninstantlaterthereenteredatall,ruddy,clean—shavengentleman,whosecleareyesandfloridcheekstoldofalifeledfarfromthefogsofBakerStreet。Heseemedtobringawhiffofhisstrong,fresh,bracing,east—coastairwithhimasheentered。Havingshakenhandswitheachofus,hewasabouttositdownwhenhiseyeresteduponthepaperwiththecuriousmarkings,whichIhadjustexaminedandleftuponthetable。
\"Well,Mr。Holmes,whatdoyoumakeofthese?\"hecried。
\"Theytoldmethatyouwerefondofqueermysteries,andIdon’tthinkyoucanfindaqueereronethanthat。IsentthepaperonaheadsothatyoumighthavetimetostudyitbeforeIcame。\"
\"Itiscertainlyratheracuriousproduction,\"saidHolmes。
\"Atfirstsightitwouldappeartobesomechildishprank。
Itconsistsofanumberofabsurdlittlefiguresdancingacrossthepaperuponwhichtheyaredrawn。Whyshouldyouattributeanyimportancetosogrotesqueanobject?\"
\"Inevershould,Mr。Holmes。Butmywifedoes。Itisfrighteninghertodeath。Shesaysnothing,butIcanseeterrorinhereyes。
That’swhyIwanttosiftthemattertothebottom。\"
Holmesheldupthepapersothatthesunlightshonefulluponit。
Itwasapagetornfromanote—book。Themarkingsweredoneinpencil,andraninthisway:——
GRAPHIC
Holmesexamineditforsometime,andthen,foldingitcarefullyup,heplaceditinhispocket—book。
\"Thispromisestobeamostinterestingandunusualcase,\"saidhe。
\"Yougavemeafewparticularsinyourletter,Mr。HiltonCubitt,butIshouldbeverymuchobligedifyouwouldkindlygooveritallagainforthebenefitofmyfriend,Dr。Watson。\"
\"I’mnotmuchofastory—teller,\"saidourvisitor,nervouslyclaspingandunclaspinghisgreat,stronghands。\"You’lljustaskmeanythingthatIdon’tmakeclear。I’llbeginatthetimeofmymarriagelastyear;butIwanttosayfirstofallthat,thoughI’mnotarichman,mypeoplehavebeenatRidlingThorpeforamatteroffivecenturies,andthereisnobetterknownfamilyintheCountyofNorfolk。LastyearIcameuptoLondonfortheJubilee,andIstoppedataboarding—houseinRussellSquare,becauseParker,thevicarofourparish,wasstayinginit。TherewasanAmericanyoungladythere——Patrickwasthename——ElsiePatrick。Insomewaywebecamefriends,untilbeforemymonthwasupIwasasmuchinloveasamancouldbe。
Wewerequietlymarriedataregistryoffice,andwereturnedtoNorfolkaweddedcouple。You’llthinkitverymad,Mr。Holmes,thatamanofagoodoldfamilyshouldmarryawifeinthisfashion,knowingnothingofherpastorofherpeople;butifyousawherandknewheritwouldhelpyoutounderstand。
\"Shewasverystraightaboutit,wasElsie。Ican’tsaythatshedidnotgivemeeverychanceofgettingoutofitifIwishedtodoso。`Ihavehadsomeverydisagreeableassociationsinmylife,’saidshe;`Iwishtoforgetallaboutthem。Iwouldratherneveralludetothepast,foritisverypainfultome。Ifyoutakeme,Hilton,youwilltakeawomanwhohasnothingthatsheneedbepersonallyashamedof;butyouwillhavetobecontentwithmywordforit,andtoallowmetobesilentastoallthatpasseduptothetimewhenIbecameyours。
Iftheseconditionsaretoohard,thengobacktoNorfolkandleavemetothelonelylifeinwhichyoufoundme。’Itwasonlythedaybeforeourweddingthatshesaidthoseverywordstome。
ItoldherthatIwascontenttotakeheronherownterms,andIhavebeenasgoodasmyword。
\"Well,wehavebeenmarriednowforayear,andveryhappywehavebeen。Butaboutamonthago,attheendofJune,Isawforthefirsttimesignsoftrouble。OnedaymywifereceivedaletterfromAmerica。IsawtheAmericanstamp。Sheturneddeadlywhite,readtheletter,andthrewitintothefire。
Shemadenoallusiontoitafterwards,andImadenone,forapromiseisapromise;butshehasneverknownaneasyhourfromthatmoment。Thereisalwaysalookoffearuponherface——
alookasifshewerewaitingandexpecting。Shewoulddobettertotrustme。ShewouldfindthatIwasherbestfriend。
ButuntilshespeaksIcansaynothing。Mindyou,sheisatruthfulwoman,Mr。Holmes,andwhatevertroubletheremayhavebeeninherpastlifeithasbeennofaultofhers。IamonlyasimpleNorfolksquire,butthereisnotamaninEnglandwhorankshisfamilyhonourmorehighlythanIdo。Sheknowsitwell,andsheknewitwellbeforeshemarriedme。Shewouldneverbringanystainuponit——ofthatIamsure。
\"Well,nowIcometothequeerpartofmystory。Aboutaweekago——itwastheTuesdayoflastweek——Ifoundononeofthewindow—sillsanumberofabsurdlittledancingfigures,liketheseuponthepaper。Theywerescrawledwithchalk。Ithoughtthatitwasthestable—boywhohaddrawnthem,buttheladsworeheknewnothingaboutit。Anyhow,theyhadcomethereduringthenight。Ihadthemwashedout,andIonlymentionedthemattertomywifeafterwards。Tomysurpriseshetookitveryseriously,andbeggedmeifanymorecametoletherseethem。
Nonedidcomeforaweek,andthenyesterdaymorningIfoundthispaperlyingonthesun—dialinthegarden。IshowedittoElsie,anddownshedroppedinadeadfaint。Sincethenshehaslookedlikeawomaninadream,halfdazed,andwithterroralwayslurkinginhereyes。ItwasthenthatIwroteandsentthepapertoyou,Mr。Holmes。ItwasnotathingthatIcouldtaketothepolice,fortheywouldhavelaughedatme,butyouwilltellmewhattodo。Iamnotarichman;butifthereisanydangerthreateningmylittlewomanIwouldspendmylastcoppertoshieldher。\"
Hewasafinecreature,thismanoftheoldEnglishsoil,simple,straight,andgentle,withhisgreat,earnestblueeyesandbroad,comelyface。Hisloveforhiswifeandhistrustinhershoneinhisfeatures。Holmeshadlistenedtohisstorywiththeutmostattention,andnowhesatforsometimeinsilentthought。
\"Don’tyouthink,Mr。Cubitt,\"saidhe,atlast,\"thatyourbestplanwouldbetomakeadirectappealtoyourwife,andtoaskhertosharehersecretwithyou?\"
HiltonCubittshookhismassivehead。
\"Apromiseisapromise,Mr。Holmes。IfElsiewishedtotellmeshewould。Ifnot,itisnotformetoforceherconfidence。
ButIamjustifiedintakingmyownline——andIwill。\"
\"ThenIwillhelpyouwithallmyheart。Inthefirstplace,haveyouheardofanystrangersbeingseeninyourneighbourhood?\"
\"No。\"
\"Ipresumethatitisaveryquietplace。Anyfreshfacewouldcausecomment?\"
\"Intheimmediateneighbourhood,yes。Butwehaveseveralsmallwatering—placesnotveryfaraway。Andthefarmerstakeinlodgers。\"
\"Thesehieroglyphicshaveevidentlyameaning。Ifitisapurelyarbitraryoneitmaybeimpossibleforustosolveit。
If,ontheotherhand,itissystematic,Ihavenodoubtthatweshallgettothebottomofit。ButthisparticularsampleissoshortthatIcandonothing,andthefactswhichyouhavebroughtmearesoindefinitethatwehavenobasisforaninvestigation。IwouldsuggestthatyoureturntoNorfolk,thatyoukeepakeenlook—out,andthatyoutakeanexactcopyofanyfreshdancingmenwhichmayappear。Itisathousandpitiesthatwehavenotareproductionofthosewhichweredoneinchalkuponthewindow—sill。Makeadiscreetinquiryalsoastoanystrangersintheneighbourhood。Whenyouhavecollectedsomefreshevidencecometomeagain。ThatisthebestadvicewhichIcangiveyou,Mr。HiltonCubitt。IfthereareanypressingfreshdevelopmentsIshallbealwaysreadytorundownandseeyouinyourNorfolkhome。\"
TheinterviewleftSherlockHolmesverythoughtful,andseveraltimesinthenextfewdaysIsawhimtakehisslipofpaperfromhisnote—bookandlooklongandearnestlyatthecuriousfiguresinscribeduponit。Hemadenoallusiontotheaffair,however,untiloneafternoonafortnightorsolater。Iwasgoingoutwhenhecalledmeback。
\"Youhadbetterstayhere,Watson。\"
\"Why?\"
\"BecauseIhadawirefromHiltonCubittthismorning——yourememberHiltonCubitt,ofthedancingmen?HewastoreachLiverpoolStreetatone—twenty。Hemaybehereatanymoment。
Igatherfromhiswirethattherehavebeensomenewincidentsofimportance。\"
Wehadnotlongtowait,forourNorfolksquirecamestraightfromthestationasfastasahansomcouldbringhim。Hewaslookingworriedanddepressed,withtiredeyesandalinedforehead。
\"It’sgettingonmynerves,thisbusiness,Mr。Holmes,\"saidhe,ashesank,likeaweariedman,intoanarm—chair。\"It’sbadenoughtofeelthatyouaresurroundedbyunseen,unknownfolk,whohavesomekindofdesignuponyou;butwhen,inadditiontothat,youknowthatitisjustkillingyourwifebyinches,thenitbecomesasmuchasfleshandbloodcanendure。She’swearingawayunderit——justwearingawaybeforemyeyes。\"
\"Hasshesaidanythingyet?\"
\"No,Mr。Holmes,shehasnot。Andyettherehavebeentimeswhenthepoorgirlhaswantedtospeak,andyetcouldnotquitebringherselftotaketheplunge。Ihavetriedtohelpher;
butIdaresayIdiditclumsily,andscaredherofffromit。
Shehasspokenaboutmyoldfamily,andourreputationinthecounty,andourprideinourunsulliedhonour,andIalwaysfeltitwasleadingtothepoint;butsomehowitturnedoffbeforewegotthere。\"
\"Butyouhavefoundoutsomethingforyourself?\"
\"Agooddeal,Mr。Holmes。Ihaveseveralfreshdancingmenpicturesforyoutoexamine,and,whatismoreimportant,Ihaveseenthefellow。\"
\"What,themanwhodrawsthem?\"
\"Yes,Isawhimathiswork。ButIwilltellyoueverythinginorder。WhenIgotbackaftermyvisittoyou,theveryfirstthingIsawnextmorningwasafreshcropofdancingmen。
Theyhadbeendrawninchalkupontheblackwoodendoorofthetool—house,whichstandsbesidethelawninfullviewofthefrontwindows。Itookanexactcopy,andhereitis。\"
Heunfoldedapaperandlaidituponthetable。Hereisacopyofthehieroglyphics:——
GRAPHIC
\"Excellent!\"saidHolmes。\"Excellent!Praycontinue。\"
\"WhenIhadtakenthecopyIrubbedoutthemarks;
buttwomorningslaterafreshinscriptionhadappeared。
Ihaveacopyofithere\":——
GRAPHIC
Holmesrubbedhishandsandchuckledwithdelight。
\"Ourmaterialisrapidlyaccumulating,\"saidhe。
\"Threedayslateramessagewasleftscrawleduponpaper,andplacedunderapebbleuponthesun—dial。Hereitis。
Thecharactersare,asyousee,exactlythesameasthelastone。
AfterthatIdeterminedtolieinwait;soIgotoutmyrevolverandIsatupinmystudy,whichoverlooksthelawnandgarden。
AbouttwointhemorningIwasseatedbythewindow,allbeingdarksaveforthemoonlightoutside,whenIheardstepsbehindme,andtherewasmywifeinherdressing—gown。Sheimploredmetocometobed。ItoldherfranklythatIwishedtoseewhoitwaswhoplayedsuchabsurdtricksuponus。Sheansweredthatitwassomesenselesspracticaljoke,andthatIshouldnottakeanynoticeofit。
\"`Ifitreallyannoysyou,Hilton,wemightgoandtravel,youandI,andsoavoidthisnuisance。’
\"`What,bedrivenoutofourownhousebyapracticaljoker?’
saidI。`Why,weshouldhavethewholecountylaughingatus。’
\"`Well,cometobed,’saidshe,`andwecandiscussitinthemorning。’
\"Suddenly,asshespoke,Isawherwhitefacegrowwhiteryetinthemoonlight,andherhandtighteneduponmyshoulder。
Somethingwasmovingintheshadowofthetool—house。Isawadark,creepingfigurewhichcrawledroundthecornerandsquattedinfrontofthedoor。SeizingmypistolIwasrushingout,whenmywifethrewherarmsroundmeandheldmewithconvulsivestrength。Itriedtothrowheroff,butsheclungtomemostdesperately。AtlastIgotclear,butbythetimeIhadopenedthedoorandreachedthehousethecreaturewasgone。
Hehadleftatraceofhispresence,however,forthereonthedoorwastheverysamearrangementofdancingmenwhichhadalreadytwiceappeared,andwhichIhavecopiedonthatpaper。
Therewasnoothersignofthefellowanywhere,thoughIranalloverthegrounds。Andyettheamazingthingisthathemusthavebeenthereallthetime,forwhenIexaminedthedooragaininthemorninghehadscrawledsomemoreofhispicturesunderthelinewhichIhadalreadyseen。\"
\"Haveyouthatfreshdrawing?\"
\"Yes;itisveryshort,butImadeacopyofit,andhereitis。\"
Againheproducedapaper。Thenewdancewasinthisform:——
GRAPHIC
\"Tellme,\"saidHolmes——andIcouldseebyhiseyesthathewasmuchexcited——\"wasthisamereadditiontothefirst,ordiditappeartobeentirelyseparate?\"
\"Itwasonadifferentpanelofthedoor。\"
\"Excellent!Thisisfarthemostimportantofallforourpurpose。Itfillsmewithhopes。Now,Mr。HiltonCubitt,pleasecontinueyourmostinterestingstatement。\"
\"Ihavenothingmoretosay,Mr。Holmes,exceptthatIwasangrywithmywifethatnightforhavingheldmebackwhenImighthavecaughttheskulkingrascal。ShesaidthatshefearedthatImightcometoharm。ForaninstantithadcrossedmymindthatperhapswhatshereallyfearedwasthatHEmightcometoharm,forIcouldnotdoubtthatsheknewwhothismanwasandwhathemeantbythesestrangesignals。Butthereisatoneinmywife’svoice,Mr。Holmes,andalookinhereyeswhichforbiddoubt,andIamsurethatitwasindeedmyownsafetythatwasinhermind。There’sthewholecase,andnowIwantyouradviceastowhatIoughttodo。Myowninclinationistoputhalf—a—dozenofmyfarmladsintheshrubbery,andwhenthisfellowcomesagaintogivehimsuchahidingthathewillleaveusinpeaceforthefuture。\"
\"Ifearitistoodeepacaseforsuchsimpleremedies,\"
saidHolmes。\"HowlongcanyoustayinLondon?\"
\"Imustgobackto—day。Iwouldnotleavemywifealoneallnightforanything。Sheisverynervousandbeggedmetocomeback。\"
\"Idaresayyouareright。ButifyoucouldhavestoppedI
mightpossiblyhavebeenabletoreturnwithyouinadayortwo。Meanwhileyouwillleavemethesepapers,andIthinkthatitisverylikelythatIshallbeabletopayyouavisitshortlyandtothrowsomelightuponyourcase。\"
SherlockHolmespreservedhiscalmprofessionalmanneruntilourvisitorhadleftus,althoughitwaseasyforme,whoknewhimsowell,toseethathewasprofoundlyexcited。ThemomentthatHiltonCubitt’sbroadbackhaddisappearedthroughthedoormycomraderushedtothetable,laidoutalltheslipsofpapercontainingdancingmeninfrontofhim,andthrewhimselfintoanintricateandelaboratecalculation。FortwohoursIwatchedhimashecoveredsheetaftersheetofpaperwithfiguresandletters,socompletelyabsorbedinhistaskthathehadevidentlyforgottenmypresence。Sometimeshewasmakingprogressandwhistledandsangathiswork;sometimeshewaspuzzled,andwouldsitforlongspellswithafurrowedbrowandavacanteye。Finallyhesprangfromhischairwithacryofsatisfaction,andwalkedupanddowntheroomrubbinghishandstogether。Thenhewrotealongtelegramuponacableform。\"IfmyanswertothisisasIhope,youwillhaveaveryprettycasetoaddtoyourcollection,Watson,\"saidhe。\"IexpectthatweshallbeabletogodowntoNorfolkto—morrow,andtotakeourfriendsomeverydefinitenewsastothesecretofhisannoyance。\"
IconfessthatIwasfilledwithcuriosity,butIwasawarethatHolmeslikedtomakehisdisclosuresathisowntimeandinhisownway;soIwaiteduntilitshouldsuithimtotakemeintohisconfidence。
Buttherewasadelayinthatansweringtelegram,andtwodaysofimpatiencefollowed,duringwhichHolmesprickeduphisearsateveryringofthebell。OntheeveningofthesecondtherecamealetterfromHiltonCubitt。Allwasquietwithhim,savethatalonginscriptionhadappearedthatmorninguponthepedestalofthesun—dial。Heinclosedacopyofit,whichisherereproduced:——
GRAPHIC
Holmesbentoverthisgrotesquefriezeforsomeminutes,andthensuddenlysprangtohisfeetwithanexclamationofsurpriseanddismay。Hisfacewashaggardwithanxiety。
\"Wehaveletthisaffairgofarenough,\"saidhe。
\"IsthereatraintoNorthWalshamto—night?\"
Iturnedupthetime—table。Thelasthadjustgone。
\"Thenweshallbreakfastearlyandtaketheveryfirstinthemorning,\"saidHolmes。\"Ourpresenceismosturgentlyneeded。
Ah!hereisourexpectedcablegram。Onemoment,Mrs。Hudson;
theremaybeananswer。No,thatisquiteasIexpected。
ThismessagemakesitevenmoreessentialthatweshouldnotloseanhourinlettingHiltonCubittknowhowmattersstand,foritisasingularandadangerouswebinwhichoursimpleNorfolksquireisentangled。\"
So,indeed,itproved,andasIcometothedarkconclusionofastorywhichhadseemedtometobeonlychildishandbizarreIexperienceonceagainthedismayandhorrorwithwhichIwasfilled。WouldthatIhadsomebrighterendingtocommunicatetomyreaders,butthesearethechroniclesoffact,andImustfollowtotheirdarkcrisisthestrangechainofeventswhichforsomedaysmadeRidlingThorpeManorahouseholdwordthroughthelengthandbreadthofEngland。
WehadhardlyalightedatNorthWalsham,andmentionedthenameofourdestination,whenthestation—masterhurriedtowardsus。
\"IsupposethatyouarethedetectivesfromLondon?\"saidhe。
AlookofannoyancepassedoverHolmes’sface。
\"Whatmakesyouthinksuchathing?\"
\"BecauseInspectorMartinfromNorwichhasjustpassedthrough。
Butmaybeyouarethesurgeons。She’snotdead——orwasn’tbylastaccounts。Youmaybeintimetosaveheryet——thoughitbeforthegallows。\"
Holmes’sbrowwasdarkwithanxiety。
\"WearegoingtoRidlingThorpeManor,\"saidhe,\"butwehaveheardnothingofwhathaspassedthere。\"
\"It’saterriblebusiness,\"saidthestation—master。\"Theyareshot,bothMr。HiltonCubittandhiswife。Sheshothimandthenherself——sotheservantssay。He’sdeadandherlifeisdespairedof。Dear,dear,oneoftheoldestfamiliesintheCountyofNorfolk,andoneofthemosthonoured。\"
WithoutawordHolmeshurriedtoacarriage,andduringthelongsevenmiles’driveheneveropenedhismouth。SeldomhaveI
seenhimsoutterlydespondent。Hehadbeenuneasyduringallourjourneyfromtown,andIhadobservedthathehadturnedoverthemorningpaperswithanxiousattention;butnowthissuddenrealizationofhisworstfearslefthiminablankmelancholy。Heleanedbackinhisseat,lostingloomyspeculation。Yettherewasmucharoundtointerestus,forwewerepassingthroughassingularacountry—sideasanyinEngland,whereafewscatteredcottagesrepresentedthepopulationofto—day,whileoneveryhandenormoussquare—toweredchurchesbristledupfromtheflat,greenlandscapeandtoldofthegloryandprosperityofoldEastAnglia。AtlastthevioletrimoftheGermanOceanappearedoverthegreenedgeoftheNorfolkcoast,andthedriverpointedwithhiswhiptotwooldbrickandtimbergableswhichprojectedfromagroveoftrees。\"That’sRidlingThorpeManor,\"saidhe。
AswedroveuptotheporticoedfrontdoorIobservedinfrontofit,besidethetennislawn,theblacktool—houseandthepedestalledsun—dialwithwhichwehadsuchstrangeassociations。
Adapperlittleman,withaquick,alertmannerandawaxedmoustache,hadjustdescendedfromahighdog—cart。
HeintroducedhimselfasInspectorMartin,oftheNorfolkConstabulary,andhewasconsiderablyastonishedwhenheheardthenameofmycompanion。
\"Why,Mr。Holmes,thecrimewasonlycommittedatthreethismorning。HowcouldyouhearofitinLondonandgettothespotassoonasI?\"
\"Ianticipatedit。Icameinthehopeofpreventingit。\"
\"Thenyoumusthaveimportantevidenceofwhichweareignorant,fortheyweresaidtobeamostunitedcouple。\"
\"Ihaveonlytheevidenceofthedancingmen,\"saidHolmes。
\"Iwillexplainthemattertoyoulater。Meanwhile,sinceitistoolatetopreventthistragedy,IamveryanxiousthatI
shouldusetheknowledgewhichIpossessinordertoensurethatjusticebedone。Willyouassociatemeinyourinvestigation,orwillyoupreferthatIshouldactindependently?\"
\"Ishouldbeproudtofeelthatwewereactingtogether,Mr。Holmes,\"saidtheinspector,earnestly。
\"InthatcaseIshouldbegladtoheartheevidenceandtoexaminethepremiseswithoutaninstantofunnecessarydelay。\"
InspectorMartinhadthegoodsensetoallowmyfriendtodothingsinhisownfashion,andcontentedhimselfwithcarefullynotingtheresults。Thelocalsurgeon,anold,white—hairedman,hadjustcomedownfromMrs。HiltonCubitt’sroom,andhereportedthatherinjurieswereserious,butnotnecessarilyfatal。Thebullethadpassedthroughthefrontofherbrain,anditwouldprobablybesometimebeforeshecouldregainconsciousness。Onthequestionofwhethershehadbeenshotorhadshotherselfhewouldnotventuretoexpressanydecidedopinion。Certainlythebullethadbeendischargedatveryclosequarters。Therewasonlytheonepistolfoundintheroom,twobarrelsofwhichhadbeenemptied。Mr。HiltonCubitthadbeenshotthroughtheheart。Itwasequallyconceivablethathehadshotherandthenhimself,orthatshehadbeenthecriminal,fortherevolverlayuponthefloormidwaybetweenthem。
\"Hashebeenmoved?\"askedHolmes。
\"Wehavemovednothingexceptthelady。Wecouldnotleaveherlyingwoundeduponthefloor。\"