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[In publishing these short sketches based upon the “How long did he wait?”
numerous cases in which my companion’s singular “Half an hour, sir. He was a very restless gentle-gifts have made us the listeners to, and eventually the man, sir, a-walkin’ and a-stampin’ all the time he was actors in, some strange drama, it is only natural that here. I was waitin’ outside the door, sir, and I could I should dwell rather upon his successes than upon hear him. At last he outs into the passage, and he his failures. And this not so much for the sake of his cries, ‘Is that man never goin’ to come?’ Those were reputations—for, indeed, it was when he was at his his very words, sir. ‘You’ll only need to wait a little wits’ end that his energy and his versatility were most longer,’ says I. ‘Then I’ll wait in the open air, for I admirable—but because where he failed it happened feel half choked,’ says he. ‘I’ll be back before long.’
too often that no one else succeeded, and that the And with that he ups and he outs, and all I could say tale was left forever without a conclusion. Now and wouldn’t hold him back.” again, however, it chanced that even when he erred, “Well, well, you did your best,” said Holmes, as
the truth was still discovered. I have noted of some
we walked into our room. “It’s very annoying, though,
half-dozen cases of the kind of which “The Adventure
Watson. I was badly in need of a case, and this looks,
of the Musgrave Ritual” and that which I am about
from the man’s impatience, as if it were of importance.
to recount are the two which present the strongest
Hullo! That’s not your pipe on the table. He must
features of interest.]
have left his behind him. A nice old brier with a
S herlock Holmes was a man who seldom good long stem of what the tobacconists call amber. took exercise for exercise’s sake. Few men I wonder how many real amber mouthpieces there were capable of greater muscular effort, and are in London? Some people think that a fly in it is a he was undoubtedly one of the finest boxers sign. Well, he must have been disturbed in his mind of his weight that I have ever seen; but he looked upon to leave a pipe behind him which he evidently values aimless bodily exertion as a waste of energy, and he highly.” seldom bestirred himself save when there was some “How do you know that he values it highly?” I
professional object to be served. Then he was abso-
asked.
lutely untiring and indefatigable. That he should have
kept himself in training under such circumstances is “Well, I should put the original cost of the pipe at remarkable, but his diet was usually of the sparest, seven and sixpence. Now it has, you see, been twice and his habits were simple to the verge of austerity. mended, once in the wooden stem and once in the Save for the occasional use of cocaine, he had no vices, amber. Each of these mends, done, as you observe, and he only turned to the drug as a protest against with silver bands, must have cost more than the pipe the monotony of existence when cases were scanty did originally. The man must value the pipe highly and the papers uninteresting. when he prefers to patch it up rather than buy a new one with the same money.”
One day in early spring he had so far relaxed as
“Anything else?” I asked, for Holmes was turning
to go for a walk with me in the Park, where the first
the pipe about in his hand, and staring at it in his
faint shoots of green were breaking out upon the elms,
peculiar pensive way.
and the sticky spear-heads of the chestnuts were just
beginning to burst into their five-fold leaves. For two He held it up and tapped on it with his long, thin hours we rambled about together, in silence for the fore-finger, as a professor might who was lecturing most part, as befits two men who know each other on a bone. intimately. It was nearly five before we were back in “Pipes are occasionally of extraordinary interest,”
Baker Street once more. said he. “Nothing has more individuality, save per-
“Beg pardon, sir,” said our page-boy, as he opened haps watches and bootlaces. The indications here, the door. “There’s been a gentleman here asking for however, are neither very marked nor very important.
you, sir.” The owner is obviously a muscular man, left-handed,
with an excellent set of teeth, careless in his habits,
Holmes glanced reproachfully at me. “So much
and with no need to practise economy.”
for afternoon walks!” said he. “Has this gentleman
gone, then?” My friend threw out the information in a very
offhand way, but I saw that he cocked his eye at me
“Yes, sir.” to see if I had followed his reasoning.
“Didn’t you ask him in?” “You think a man must be well-to-do if he smokes “Yes, sir; he came in.” a seven-shilling pipe,” said I.