Part 2 (1/2)

”I thought Itwo, Your Lordshi+p,” he explained

”Sure, Harrigan; hand 'eents,” said the Earl ”'Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof' As long as I've still got the last pair of those blarsted cuff-buttons in my cuffs,”--here he took off his coat and displayed to full view the faleahts,--”we'll wait till to- for the others!”

So they played on, at pool and billiards, for the rest of that Monday afternoon, Heilded loafers, while I sat idly in a chair at one side, s that of an innocent looker-on, trying to figure out as the biggest fool in the place,--the easy-going Earl of Puddingha partner, or Hol away his brilliant talents in such piffle pastimes

At six o'clock ere served a delectable dinner in the great oak-paneled dining-room of the castle, prepared by the Earl's French chef, Louis La Violette; and we passed the evening in the library, sipping away severalto the more or less improbable tales of their adventures in the three faraway realms of the world by Messrs Tooter, Hicks, and Budd, while Holan on the Q T, and found out from him that the Earl was rated at two million pounds, in the form of several thousand acres of valuable land up in Yorkshi+re, including one or two good-sized towns

At half-past ten Holned to one of the spacious guest-rooms on the third floor; and soon rapped in slumber

CHAPTER III

_Thud--thud--thud! Biff! Rattle! Bang!_ caht in bed, and hollered through the pitch-darkness at the top of lars! Robbers! Wake up, Holmes, and catch 'em!”

Despite the racket Ihead-first over a chair, upsetting the latter, the hardened old cuss slept on When I yelled again, and shook him by the shoulder, he half opened his eyes and said:

”Well, what's eating you, Watson? Got the nightht!”

”For Heaven's sake, didn't you hear the noise downstairs, Hol to steal the Earl's last pair of diamond cuff-buttons!”

Holmes yawned lazily, rolled over in bed, and said, as he settled hiain:

”Well, I can't help it, Watson I was hired to work in the daytiuess the excite”

And,--would you believe it?--I couldn't get another word out of hiht, and found that it was thirteen ht of the burglar from our bedroom , I drew the heavy, old-fashi+oned curtains aside, and peered out over the silent landscape thirty feet below But I couldn't see a blarass, and anot being in evidence anywhere

I knelt down by the , put my elbows on the sill, and resolved to wait there awhile, to see if the nocturnal disturber would hike out again

Apparently I fell asleep in this attitude, for the next thing I knew, Holrin on his face, and it was broad daylight

”Well, why don't you wake up yourself, Doc? It's eight o'clock,” he said Then I arose sheepishly, and dressed

After our ablutions in the lavatory next door,--where we helped ourselves to a bottle of whiskey we found in a hts of stairs to the h the different roo evidences of the disturbance the night before

”Say, they evidently don't use alar yet,” said Holhtly ajar

”hello, what's this?” he exclaimed, as we entered the rooed condition! Look at him there!”

I was surprised to see the noble heir of all the Puddingha on the floor of his bedroom, flat on his back, his eyes closed, and with one foot resting on an overturned chair; and horrified, as I cae purple bruise on his forehead, and a heavy iron poker lying on the floor beside hiht cuff, but the rays of the h the east s, shone on the other glittering bauble, still in his left cuff

Holarette out of his pocket and lit it, his eyesabout the room; but I dropped on my knees beside the Earl and placed my ear over his chest To my horror, I could not hear even the faintest heart-beat My face paled as I looked up at my companion

”Holmes,” I said solemnly, ”the Earl is dead! Murder has been added to robbery here!”