rection to that which lestrade imagines.

take your breakfast, watson, and we will go out together

and see what we can do. i feel as if i shall need your

company and your moral support to-day."

my friend had no breakfast himself, for it was one of his

peculiarities that in his more intense moments he would

permit himself no food, and i have known him presume upon

his iron strength until he has fainted from pure inanition.

"at present i cannot spare energy and nerve force for

digestion," he would say, in answer to my medical

remonstrances. i was not surprised, therefore, when this

morning he left his untouched meal behind him and started

with me for norwood. a crowd of morbid sightseers were

still gathered round deep dene house, which was just such

a suburban villa as i had pictured. within the gates

lestrade met us, his face flushed with victory, his manner

grossly triumphant.

"well, mr. holmes, have you proved us to be wrong yet?

have you found your tramp?" he cried.

"i have formed no conclusion whatever," my companion

answered.

"but we formed ours yesterday, and now it proves to be

correct; so you must acknowledge that we have been a little

in front of you this time, mr. holmes."

"you certainly have the air of something unusual having

occurred," said holmes.

lestrade laughed loudly.

"you don't like being beaten any more than the rest of us

do," said he. "a man can't expect always to have it his

own way, can he, dr. watson? step this way, if you please,

gentlemen, and i think i can convince you once for all that

it was john mcfarlane who did this crime."

he led us through the passage and out into a dark hall beyond.

"this is where young mcfarlane must have come out to get

his hat after the crime was done," said he. "now, look at

this." with dramatic suddenness he struck a match and by

its light exposed a stain of blood upon the whitewashed

wall. as he held the match nearer i saw that it was more

than a stain. it was the well-marked print of a thumb.

"look at that with your magnifying glass, mr. holmes."

"yes, i am doing so."

"you are aware that no two thumb marks are alike?"

"i have heard something of the kind."

"well, then, will you please compare that print with this

wax impression of young mcfarlane's right thumb, taken by

my orders this morning?"

as he held the waxen print close to the blood-stain it did

not take a magnifying glass to see that the two were

undoubtedly from the same thumb. it was evident to me that

our unfortunate client was lost.

"that is final," said lestrade.

"yes, that is final," i involuntarily echoed.

"it is final," said holmes.

something in his tone caught my ear, and i turned to look

at him. an extraordinary change had come over his face.

it was writhing with inward merriment. his two eyes were

shining like stars. it seemed to me that he was making

desperate efforts to restrain a convulsive attack of laughter.

"dear me! dear me!" he said at last. "well, now, who

would have thought it? and how deceptive appearances may

be, to be sure! such a nice young man to look at! it is

a lesson to us not to trust our own judgment, is it not,

lestrade?"

"yes, some of us are a little too much inclined to be

cocksure, mr. holmes," said lestrade. the man's insolence

was maddening, but we could not resent it.

"what a providential thing that this young man should press

his right thumb against the wall in taking his hat from the

peg! such a very natural action, too, if you come to think

of it." holmes was outwardly calm, but his whole body gave

a wriggle of suppressed excitement as he spoke. "by the way,

lestrade, who made this remarkable discovery?"

"it was the housekeeper, mrs. lexington, who drew the night

constable's attention to it."

"where was the night constable?"

"he remained on guard in the bedroom where the crime was

committed, so as to see that nothing was touched."

"but why didn't the police see this mark yesterday?"

"well, we had no particular reason to make a careful

examination of the hall. besides, it's not in a very

prominent place, as you see."

"no, no, of course not. i suppose there is no doubt that

the mark was there yesterday?"

lestrade looked at holmes as if he thought he was going out

of his mind. i confess that i was myself surprised both at

his hilarious manner and at his rather wild observation.

"i don't know whether you think that mcfarlane came out of

gaol in the dead of the night in order to strengthen the

evidence against himself," said lestrade. "i leave it to any

expert in the world whether that is not the mark of his thumb."

"it is unquestionably the mark of his thumb."

"there, that's enough," said lestrade. "i am a practical

man, mr. holmes, and when i have got my evidence i come to

my conclusions. if you have anything to s