matter, mr. holmes?"

"i have not yet made up my mind."

"i shall indeed be indebted to you if you can throw a light

where all is so dark to us. to a poor bookworm and invalid

like myself such a blow is paralyzing. i seem to have lost

the faculty of thought. but you are a man of action -- you

are a man of affairs. it is part of the everyday routine of

your life. you can preserve your balance in every

emergency. we are fortunate indeed in having you at our

side."

holmes was pacing up and down one side of the room whilst

the old professor was talking. i observed that he was

smoking with extraordinary rapidity. it was evident that he

shared our host's liking for the fresh alexandrian

cigarettes.

"yes, sir, it is a crushing blow," said the old man. "that

is my _magnum opus_ -- the pile of papers on the side table

yonder. it is my analysis of the documents found in the

coptic monasteries of syria and egypt, a work which will cut

deep at the very foundations of revealed religion. with my

enfeebled health i do not know whether i shall ever be able

to complete it now that my assistant has been taken from me.

dear me, mr. holmes; why, you are even a quicker smoker than

i am myself."

holmes smiled.

"i am a connoisseur," said he, taking another cigarette from

the box -- his fourth -- and lighting it from the stub of

that which he had finished. "i will not trouble you with

any lengthy cross-examination, professor coram, since i

gather that you were in bed at the time of the crime and

could know nothing about it. i would only ask this. what

do you imagine that this poor fellow meant by his last

words: 'the professor -- it was she'?"

the professor shook his head.

"susan is a country girl," said he, "and you know the

incredible stupidity of that class. i fancy that the poor

fellow murmured some incoherent delirious words, and that

she twisted them into this meaningless message."

"i see. you have no explanation yourself of the tragedy?"

"possibly an accident; possibly -- i only breathe it among

ourselves -- a suicide. young men have their hidden

troubles -- some affair of the heart, perhaps, which we have

never known. it is a more probable supposition than

murder."

"but the eye-glasses?"

"ah! i am only a student -- a man of dreams. i cannot

explain the practical things of life. but still, we are

aware, my friend, that love-gages may take strange shapes.

by all means take another cigarette. it is a pleasure to

see anyone appreciate them so. a fan, a glove, glasses --

who knows what article may be carried as a token or

treasured when a man puts an end to his life? this

gentleman speaks of footsteps in the grass; but, after all,

it is easy to be mistaken on such a point. as to the knife,

it might well be thrown far from the unfortunate man as he

fell. it is possible that i speak as a child, but to me it

seems that willoughby smith has met his fate by his own

hand."

holmes seemed struck by the theory thus put forward, and he

continued to walk up and down for some time, lost in thought

and consuming cigarette after cigarette.

"tell me, professor coram," he said, at last, "what is in

that cupboard in the bureau?"

"nothing that would help a thief. family papers, letters

from my poor wife, diplomas of universities which have done

me honour. here is the key. you can look for yourself."

holmes picked up the key and looked at it for an instant;

then he handed it back.

"no; i hardly think that it would help me," said he. "i

should prefer to go quietly down to your garden and turn the

whole matter over in my head. there is something to be said

for the theory of suicide which you have put forward. we

must apologize for having intruded upon you, professor

coram, and i promise that we won't disturb you until after

lunch. at two o'clock we will come again and report to you

anything which may have happened in the interval."

holmes was curiously distrait, and we walked up and down the

garden path for some time in silence.

"have you a clue?" i asked, at last.

"it depends upon those cigarettes that i smoked," said he.

"it is possible that i am utterly mistaken. the cigarettes

will show me."

"my dear holmes," i exclaimed, "how on earth ----"

"well, well, you may see for yourself. if not, there's no

harm done. of course, we always have the optician clue to

fall back upon, but i take a short cut when i can get it.

ah, here is the good mrs. marker! let us enjoy five minutes

of instructive conversation with her."

i may have remarked before that holmes had, when he liked, a

peculiarly ingratiating way with women, and that he very

readily established terms of confidence with them. in half

the time which he had named he had captured the

housekeeper's goodwill, and was chatting with her as if he

had known h