ould desire to clear up before i go,'said he. 'your absence, mr. phelps, will in some ways rather assist me. watson, whenyou reach london you would oblige me by driving at once to baker street with ourfriend here, and remaining with him until i see you again. it is fortunate that you areold schoolfellows, as you must have much to talk over. mr. phelps can have the sparebedroom to-night, and i shall be with you in time for breakfast, for there is a trainwhich will take me into waterloo at eight.'

'but how about our investigation in london?' asked phelps, ruefully.

'we can do that to-morrow. i think that just at present i can be of more immediateuse here.'

'you might tell them at briarbrae that i hope to be back to-morrow night,' criedphelps, as we began to move from the platform.

'i hardly expect to go back to briarbrae,' answered holmes, and waved his hand tous cheerily as we shot out from the station.

phelps and i talked it over on our journey, but neither of us could devise asatisfactory reason for this new development.

'i suppose he wants to find out some clue as to the burglary last night, if a burglar itwas. for myself, i don't believe it was an ordinary thief.'

'what is your idea, then?'

'upon my word, you may put it down to my weak nerves or not, but i believe thereis some deep political intrigue going on around me, and that, for some reason thatpasses my understanding, my life is aimed at by the conspirators. it soundshigh-flown and absurd, but consider the facts! why should a thief try to break in at abedroom window, where there could be no hope of any plunder, and why should hecome with a long knife in his hand?'

'you are sure it was not a housebreaker's jemmy?'

'oh, no; it was a knife. i saw the flash of the blade quite distinctly.'

'but why on earth should you be pursued with such animosity?'

'ah! that is the question.'

'well, if holmes takes the same view, that would account for his action, would itnot? presuming that your theory is correct, if he can lay his hands upon the man whothreatened you last night, he will have gone a long way towards finding who took thenaval treaty. it is absurd to suppose that you have two enemies, one of whom robs youwhile the other threatens your life.'

'but mr. holmes said that he was not going to briarbrae.'

'i have known him for some time,' said i, 'but i never knew him do anything yetwithout a very good reason,' and with that our conversation drifted off into othertopics.

but it was a weary day for me. phelps was still weak after his long illness, and hismisfortunes made him querulous and nervous. in vain i endeavoured to interest him inafghanistan, in india, in social questions, in anything which might take his mind outof the groove. he would always come back to his lost treaty; wondering, guessing,speculating, as to what holmes was doing, what steps lord holdhurst was taking, whatnews we should have in the morning. as the evening wore on his excitement becamequite painful.

'you have implicit faith in holmes?' he asked.

'i have seen him do some remarkable things.'

'but he never brought light into anything quite so dark as this?'

'oh, yes; i have known him solve questions which presented fewer clues thanyours.'

'but not where such large interests are at stake?'

'i don't know that. to my certain knowledge he has acted on behalf of three of thereigning houses of europe in very vital matters.'

'but you know him well, watson. he is such an inscrutable fellow, that i neverquite know what to make of him. do you think he is hopeful? do you think he expectsto make a success of it?'

'he has said nothing.'

'that is a bad sign.'

'on the contrary, i have noticed that when he is off the trail he generally says so. itis when he is on a scent, and is not quite absolutely sure yet that it is the right one,that he is most taciturn. now, my dear fellow, we can't help matters by makingourselves nervous about them, so let me implore you to go to bed, and so be fresh forwhatever may await us to-morrow.

i was able at last to persuade my companion to take my advice, though i knew fromhis excited manner that there was not much hope of sleep for him. indeed, his moodwas infectious, for i lay tossing half the night myself, brooding over this strangeproblem, and inventing a hundred theories, each of which was more impossible thanthe last. why had holmes remained at woking? why had he asked miss harrison tostay in the sick-room all day? why had he been so careful not to inform the people atbriarbrae that he intended to remain near them? i cudgelled my brains until i fellasleep in the endeavour to find some explanation which would cover all these facts.

it was seven o'clock when i awoke, and i set off at once for phelps' room, to findhim haggard and spent after a sleepless night. his first question was whether holmeshad arrived yet.

'he'll be here when he promised,' said i,