however, that a man should possess all knowledge which is likely to be useful

to him in his work, and this I have endeavoured in my case to do. If I remember

rightly, you on one occasion, in the early days of our friendship, defined my

limits in a very precise fashion.”


“Yes,” I answered, laughing. “It was a singular document.

Philosophy, astronomy, and politics were marked at zero, I remember. Botany

variable, geology profound as regards the mud-stains from any region within

fifty miles of town, chemistry eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational

literature and crime records unique, violin-player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer,

and self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco. Those, I think, were the main points

of my analysis.”


Holmes grinned at the last item. “Well,” he said, “I say now,

as I said then, that a man should keep his little brain-attic stocked with all

the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the

lumber-room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it. Now, for such a

case as the one which has been submitted to us to-night, we need certainly to

muster all our resources. Kindly hand me down the letter K of the American

Encyclopædia which stands upon the shelf beside you. Thank you. Now let us

consider the situation and see what may be deduced from it. In the first place,

we may start with a strong presumption that Colonel Openshaw had some very

strong reason for leaving America. Men at his time of life do not change all

their habits and exchange willingly the charming climate of Florida for the

lonely life of an English provincial town. His extreme love of solitude in

England suggests the idea that he was in fear of someone or something, so we

may assume as a working hypothesis that it was fear of someone or something

which drove him from America. As to what it was he feared, we can only deduce

that by considering the formidable letters which were received by himself and