The Return of Sherlock Holmes Part 6 (1/2)

I re-place, and it ell that I did so, for presently theslowly back He turned in at the Hall gates, and dismounted fro the trees His hands were raised, and he see his necktie Then he mounted his cycle, and rode away from me down the drive towards the Hall I ran across the heath and peered through the trees Far away I could catch gli Tudor chih a dense shrubbery, and I saw no more of my ood h spirits to Farnhaton Hall, and referred me to a well known firm in Pall Mall There I halted on my way home, and met with courtesy froton Hall for the suo Mr Williamson was the naentleent was afraid he could say no more, as the affairs of his clients were not matters which he could discuss

Mr Sherlock Hol report which I was able to present to hi, but it did not elicit that word of curt praise which I had hoped for and should have valued On the contrary, his austere face was even s that I had done and the things that I had not

”Your hiding-place, my dear Watson, was very faulty You should have been behind the hedge, then you would have had a close view of this interesting person As it is, you were some hundreds of yards away and can tell me even less than Miss Smith She thinks she does not know the man; I am convinced she does Why, otherwise, should he be so desperately anxious that she should not get so near hi over the handle-bar Concealain, you see You really have done remarkably badly He returns to the house, and you want to find out who he is You coent!”

”What should I have done?” I cried, with some heat

”Gone to the nearest public-house That is the centre of country gossip They would have told you every name, from theto my mind If he is an elderly man he is not this active cyclist who sprints away froained by your expedition? The knowledge that the girl's story is true I never doubted it That there is a connection between the cyclist and the Hall I never doubted that either That the Hall is tenanted by Williamson Who's the better for that? Well, well, my dear sir, don't look so depressed We can do little more until next Saturday, and in the meanti, we had a note fro shortly and accurately the very incidents which I had seen, but the pith of the letter lay in the postscript: I am sure that you will respect my confidence, Mr Holmes, when I tell you thatto the fact that e to s are most deep and iven He took ently You can understand, however, that the situation is a little strained ”Our young friend seehtfully, as he finished the letter ”The case certainly presents more features of interest and ht I should be none the worse for a quiet, peaceful day in the country, and I am inclined to run down this afternoon and test one or two theories which I have forular ter, with a cut lip and a discoloured lueneral air of dissipation which would haveobject of a Scotland Yard investigation He was ihed heartily as he recounted theet so little active exercise that it is always a treat” said he ”You are aware that I have so Occasionally, it is of service, to-day, for exarief without it”

I begged him to tell me what had occurred

”I found that country pub which I had already recommended to your notice, and there I arrulous landlord was giving me all that I wanted Williamson is a white-bearded man, and he lives alone with a small staff of servants at the Hall There is soyman, but one or two incidents of his short residence at the Hall struck me as peculiarly unecclesiastical I have already ency, and they tell me that there WAS a ularly dark one The landlord further informed me that there are usually week-end visitors--`a warentleman with a red ot as far as this, ho should walk in but the gentle his beer in the tap-room and had heard the whole conversation Who was I? What did I want? What did I e, and his adjectives were very vigorous He ended a string of abuse by a vicious backhander, which I failed to entirely avoid The next few ing ruffian I eed as you see me Mr Woodley went home in a cart So ended my country trip, and it must be confessed that, however enjoyable, my day on the Surrey border has not been ht us another letter from our client

You will not be surprised, Mr Hol Mr Carruthers's eh pay cannot reconcile me to the discomforts of my situation On Saturday I come up to town, and I do not intend to return Mr Carruthers has got a trap, and so the dangers of the lonely road, if there ever were any dangers, are now over

As to the special cause of , it is not merely the strained situation with Mr Carruthers, but it is the reappearance of that odious man, Mr Woodley He was always hideous, but he looks more awful than ever now, for he appears to have had an accident and he is lad to say I did nottalk with Mr Carruthers, who see in the neighbourhood, for he did not sleep here, and yet I caught a gli about in the shrubbery I would sooner have a savage wild animal loose about the place I loathe and fear him more than I can say How CAN Mr Carruthers endure such a creature for a moment? However, all my troubles will be over on Saturday

”So I trust, Watson, so I trust,” said Hol on round that little woman, and it is our duty to see that no one molests her upon that last journey I think, Watson, that weand ation has no untoward ending”

I confess that I had not up to now taken a very serious view of the case, which had seeerous That a man should lie in wait for and follow a very handso, and if he has so little audacity that he not only dared not address her, but even fled from her approach, he was not a very formidable assailant The ruffian Woodley was a very different person, but, except on one occasion, he had not molested our client, and now he visited the house of Carruthers without intruding upon her presence The man on the bicycle was doubtless a member of those week-end parties at the Hall of which the publican had spoken, but who he was, or what he wanted, was as obscure as ever It was the severity of Holmes's manner and the fact that he slipped a revolver into his pocket before leaving our rooht prove to lurk behind this curious train of events

A rainy night had been followed by a gloriouscluorse, seemed all the more beautiful to eyes which eary of the duns and drabs and slate grays of London Hol the freshin theFrom a rise of the road on the shoulder of Crooksbury Hill, we could see the gri out from amidst the ancient oaks, which, old as they were, were still younger than the building which they surrounded Hol tract of road which wound, a reddish yellow band, between the brown of the heath and the budding green of the woods Far away, a black dot, we could see a vehicle ave an exclain of half an hour,” said he ”If that is her trap, shefor the earlier train I fear, Watson, that she will be past Charlington before we can possibly meet her”

Froer see the vehicle, but we hastened onward at such a pace that an to tell upon me, and I was compelled to fall behind Hol, for he had inexhaustible stores of nervous energy upon which to draw His springy step never slowed until suddenly, when he was a hundred yards in front of esture of grief and despair At the sa, the reins trailing, appeared round the curve of the road and rattled swiftly towards us

”Too late, Watson, too late!” cried Hol to his side ”Fool that I was not to allow for that earlier train! It's abduction, Watson--abduction! Murder! Heaven knohat! Block the road! Stop the horse! That's right Now, jump in, and let us see if I can repair the consequences of -cart, and Holave it a sharp cut with the whip, and we flew back along the road As we turned the curve, the whole stretch of road between the Hall and the heath was opened up I grasped Holasped A solitary cyclist was co towards us His head was down and his shoulders rounded, as he put every ounce of energy that he possessed on to the pedals He was flying like a racer Suddenly he raised his bearded face, saw us close to hi froular contrast to eyes were as bright as if he had a fever He stared at us and at the dog-cart Then a look of amazement came over his face

”Halloa! Stop there!” he shouted, holding his bicycle to block our road ”Where did you get that dog-cart? Pull up,a pistol froe, I'll put a bullet into your horse”

Hol down from the cart

”You're the man ant to see Where is Miss Violet Smith?” he said, in his quick, clear way

”That's what I'ht to knohere she is”

”We -cart on the road There was no one in it We drove back to help the young lady”

”Good Lord! Good Lord! What shall I do?” cried the stranger, in an ecstasy of despair ”They've got her, that hell-hound Woodley and the blackguard parson Come, man, come, if you really are her friend Stand by me and we'll save her, if I have to leave ton Wood”

He ran distractedly, his pistol in his hand, towards a gap in the hedge Hol beside the road, followed Holh,” said he, pointing to the marks of several feet upon the muddy path ”Halloa! Stop afellow about seventeen, dressed like an ostler, with leather cords and gaiters He lay upon his back, his knees drawn up, a terrible cut upon his head He was insensible, but alive A glance at his wound told me that it had not penetrated the bone

”That's Peter, the grooer ”He drove her The beasts have pulled hiood, but we may save her from the worst fate that can befall a woman”

We ran frantically down the path, which wound a the trees We had reached the shrubbery which surrounded the house when Holo to the house Here are their marks on the left-- here, beside the laurel bushes Ah! I said so”

As he spoke, a woman's shrill scream--a scream which vibrated with a frenzy of horror--burst froreen cluhest note with a choke and a gurgle

”This way! This way! They are in the bowling-alley,” cried the stranger, darting through the bushes ”Ah, the cowardly dogs! Follow o!”

We had broken suddenly into a lovely glade of greensward surrounded by ancient trees On the farther side of it, under the shadow of a roup of three people One was a wo and faint, a handkerchief round her mouth Opposite her stood a brutal, heavy-faced, red-s parted wide, one ar crop, his whole attitude suggestive of triuray-bearded ht tweed suit, had evidently just co service, for he pocketed his prayer-book as we appeared, and slapped the sinister bridegrooratulation

”They're uide, ”colade, Holered against the trunk of the tree for support Williayman, bowed to us with mock politeness, and the bully, Woodley, advanced with a shout of brutal and exultant laughter

”You can take your beard off, Bob,” said he ”I know you, right enough Well, you and your pals have just come in time for uide's ansas a singular one He snatched off the dark beard which had disguised hi, sallow, clean-shaven face below it Then he raised his revolver and covered the young ruffian, as advancing upon hi in his hand

”Yes,” said our ally, ”I ahted, if I have to swing for it I told you what I'd do if you ood as my word”

”You're too late She's my wife”

”No, she's your ”

His revolver cracked, and I saw the blood spurt from the front of Woodley's waistcoat He spun round with a screa suddenly to a dreadful mottled pallor The oldof foul oaths as I have never heard, and pulled out a revolver of his own, but, before he could raise it, he was looking down the barrel of Holh of this,” said my friend, coldly ”Drop that pistol! Watson, pick it up! Hold it to his head Thank you You, Carruthers, give me that revolver We'll have no more violence Come, hand it over!”

”Who are you, then?”

”My name is Sherlock Holmes”

”Good Lord!”

”You have heard of me, I see I will represent the official police until their arrival Here, you!” he shouted to a frightened groolade ”Come here Take this note as hard as you can ride to Farnham” He scribbled a feords upon a leaf from his notebook ”Give it to the superintendent at the police-station Until he comes, I must detain you all under , ic scene, and all were equally puppets in his hands Willia the wounded Woodley into the house, and I gave irl The injured man was laid on his bed, and at Holmes's request I examined him I carried -room with his two prisoners before him

”He will live,” said I