Short Stories
"Have you anything positive to tell him?"
"I think so."
"You have formed a conclusion?"
"Yes, my dear Watson, I have solved the mystery."
"But what fresh evidence could you have got?"
"Aha! It is not for nothing that I have turned myself out of
bed at the untimely hour of six. I have put in two hours' hard
work and covered at least five miles, with something to show for
it. Look at that!"
He held out his hand. On the palm were three little pyramids
of black, doughy clay.
"Why, Holmes, you had only two yesterday."
"And one more this morning. It is a fair argument that wher-
ever No. 3 came from is also the source of Nos. 1 and 2. Eh, Wat-
son? Well, come along and put friend Soames out of his pain."
The unfortunate tutor was certainly in a state of pitiable agi-
tation when we found him in his chambers. In a few hours the
examination would commence, and he was still in the dilemma
between making the facts public and allowing the culprit to
compete for the valuable scholarship. He could hardly stand still
so great was his mental agitation, and he ran towards Holmes
with two eager hands outstretched.
"Thank heaven that you have come! I feared that you had
given it up in despair. What am I to do? Shall the examination
proceed?"
"Yes, let it proceed, by all means."
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