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“This is Grosvenor mixture at eightpence an seems dreadful to discuss the conduct of one’s wife ounce,” Holmes answered, knocking a little out on with two men whom I have never seen before. It’s his palm. “As he might get an excellent smoke for horrible to have to do it. But I’ve got to the end of my half the price, he has no need to practise economy.” tether, and I must have advice.”

“And the other points?” “My dear Mr. Grant Munro—” began Holmes.

“He has been in the habit of lighting his pipe at Our visitor sprang from his chair. “What!” he lamps and gas-jets. You can see that it is quite charred cried, “you know my name?”

all down one side. Of course a match could not have “If you wish to preserve your incognito,” said done that. Why should a man hold a match to the Holmes, smiling, “I would suggest that you cease to side of his pipe? But you cannot light it at a lamp write your name upon the lining of your hat, or else without getting the bowl charred. And it is all on the that you turn the crown towards the person whom right side of the pipe. From that I gather that he is you are addressing. I was about to say that my friend a left-handed man. You hold your own pipe to the and I have listened to a good many strange secrets in lamp, and see how naturally you, being right-handed, this room, and that we have had the good fortune to hold the left side to the flame. You might do it once bring peace to many troubled souls. I trust that we the other way, but not as a constancy. This has always may do as much for you. Might I beg you, as time been held so. Then he has bitten through his amber. may prove to be of importance, to furnish me with It takes a muscular, energetic fellow, and one with a the facts of your case without further delay?” good set of teeth, to do that. But if I am not mistaken I hear him upon the stair, so we shall have something Our visitor again passed his hand over his fore-more interesting than his pipe to study.” head, as if he found it bitterly hard. From every

man entered the room. He was well but quietly An instant later our door opened, and a tall young served, self-contained man, with a dash of pride in gesture and expression I could see that he was a re-his nature, more likely to hide his wounds than to dressed in a dark-gray suit, and carried a brown wide-

expose them. Then suddenly, with a fierce gesture of

awake in his hand. I should have put him at about

his closed hand, like one who throws reserve to the

thirty, though he was really some years older.

winds, he began.

“I beg your pardon,” said he, with some embar-

“The facts are these, Mr. Holmes,” said he. “I am

rassment; “I suppose I should have knocked. Yes, of

a married man, and have been so for three years. Dur-

course I should have knocked. The fact is that I am a

ing that time my wife and I have loved each other

little upset, and you must put it all down to that.” He

as fondly and lived as happily as any two that ever

passed his hand over his forehead like a man who is

were joined. We have not had a difference, not one, in

half dazed, and then fell rather than sat down upon a

thought or word or deed. And now, since last Mon-

chair.

day, there has suddenly sprung up a barrier between

“I can see that you have not slept for a night or us, and I find that there is something in her life and two,” said Holmes, in his easy, genial way. “That tries in her thought of which I know as little as if she were a man’s nerves more than work, and more even than the woman who brushes by me in the street. We are pleasure. May I ask how I can help you?” estranged, and I want to know why.

“I wanted your advice, sir. I don’t know what to “Now there is one thing that I want to impress do and my whole life seems to have gone to pieces.” upon you before I go any further, Mr. Holmes. Effie “You wish to employ me as a consulting detec- loves me. Don’t let there be any mistake about that.

tive?” She loves me with her whole heart and soul, and

“Not that only. I want your opinion as a judicious never more than now. I know it. I feel it. I don’t want man—as a man of the world. I want to know what I to argue about that. A man can tell easily enough ought to do next. I hope to God you’ll be able to tell when a woman loves him. But there’s this secret be-me.” tween us, and we can never be the same until it is He spoke in little, sharp, jerky outbursts, and it cleared.” seemed to me that to speak at all was very painful to “Kindly let me have the facts, Mr. Munro,” said him, and that his will all through was overriding his Holmes, with some impatience.

inclinations. “I’ll tell you what I know about Effie’s history.

“It’s a very delicate thing,” said he. “One does not She was a widow when I met her first, though quite like to speak of one’s domestic affairs to strangers. It young—only twenty-five. Her name then was Mrs.