lies upon the pavement beside him. I have watched the fellow more than once

before ever I thought of making his professional acquaintance, and I have been

surprised at the harvest which he has reaped in a short time. His appearance,

you see, is so remarkable that no one can pass him without observing him. A

shock of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar, which, by its

contraction, has turned up the outer edge of his upper lip, a bulldog chin, and

a pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which present a singular contrast to the

colour of his hair, all mark him out from amid the common crowd of mendicants

and so, too, does his wit, for he is ever ready with a reply to any piece of

chaff which may be thrown at him by the passers-by. This is the man whom we now

learn to have been the lodger at the opium den, and to have been the last man

to see the gentleman of whom we are in quest.”


“But a cripple!” said I. “What could he have done

single-handed against a man in the prime of life?”


“He is a cripple in the sense that he walks with a limp; but in other

respects he appears to be a powerful and well-nurtured man. Surely your medical

experience would tell you, Watson, that weakness in one limb is often

compensated for by exceptional strength in the others.”


“Pray continue your narrative.”


“Mrs. St. Clair had fainted at the sight of the blood upon the window,

and she was escorted home in a cab by the police, as her presence could be of

no help to them in their investigations. Inspector Barton, who had charge of

the case, made a very careful examination of the premises, but without finding

anything which threw any light upon the matter. One mistake had been made in

not arresting Boone instantly, as he was allowed some few minutes during which

he might have communicated with his friend the Lascar, but this fault was soon

remedied, and he was seized and searched, without anything being found which