THE ADVENTURES ,OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Facsimile from the Strand Magazine, Volumes IV, V and VI; . December 1892' - ~ecember 1893. "} I _. '._ ',' \ The A;c/ventures of Sherlock Holmes., By A. CONAN' DoY~E. XXJV.-THE ADVENTURE OF THE FINAL PROBLEM. GiiS'~~i:A!i;;rr is with a heavy heart that I from Narbon~e and from Ntmes, from which , take up my pen to write :these I gathered that his ,stay in, France was likely ~~~5 the last words. in, which I shall ~o be a long one. It was with sOme .'surprise, I~~ ever record~' ~he singUlar gifts therefore, that I saw him wa~ into my con..: by which my', friend" Mr. sulting-:room, upori the evening of the 24th ~~=S~ Sherlock Holmes was dis- of April. It 'struck 'me ~hat ,'he. was looking tinguished. In an incoherent and" 'as,' I even paler and· thinner than usu~l. ' deeply feel,' an entirely inadequate fashion" I "Yes, I ,have been 'using triy~elf up r.ather have endeavoured. t9 giye sqme 'account of too freely," he remarked, in answer to'my my strange experiences in his company: from look. rather' than to my words; "I have 'been the chance ,which first brought us together at a little pressed of l~te. Have you any the period of the '~Study in Scarlet,", uP. to . objection to my closing' your shutters?" the tinle of his interference -in, the matter of The only light in the room came from the the "Naval Treaty "-an interference which lamp upon' the table at wh!ch,l had been had the unquestionable effect of preventing a reading. 'Holmes ",ed~d : his way round the serious international, complication. It was wall, ,and flinging the' shutters together, he' my intention to have stopped there, and to bolted tJlem .securely. , have said nothing .of that event which has " You are afraid of $oniething? " I asked. created a void in my life which the lapse of, "Well, I am.'" two years has done little to fill. Myhand "Of what? ", has been forced, however, ~y the recent " Of,0 air-O"uns~" ' letters in which Colonel James Moriarty " 1\1 y dear :Holmes, ''What do Y9U mean? " defends the memory of his brother, and I . "I think that you know me well enough, have no choice but to lay the facts before the Watson, to understand that·: I am by no public exactly as they occurred. '~alone means a nervous man. , At. the same time" it know the absolute truth of the matter, and I i~ stupidity rather than courage to refuse to am satisfied that the time has coine when no recognise danger when it is close upon goodFPose is to be served 9yits suppression. 'you. Might I trouble you for a match? " ")As far 'as I know;'there have been only three ac­ He drew in the snloke of his cigarette counts m the public .Press : tliat in the Journal as if the soothing influence was grateful to de Geneve, upon May 6th, I~9I, the Reuter's him. despatch in the, English "papers upon May "I nlust apologize for c~.lling so late," said· 'lth, and ~naUy the recent letters to which I he, "and I must further 'beg yo~ to be so have alluded. Of these the first and second unconventional as to allow nle to leave your were extremely condensed, while the last is, house presently by scrambling oyer your back as I shall now show, an absolute perversion garden wall." of the facts. I t lies with me to' tell for the , "But what does it all mean?" I asked.. ~t time what· really took place between . He held out his ~~d, and I saw in the Professor Moriarty and Mr. Sherlock l:Iolmes. light of the lamp that two of his knuckles It may be remembered that after IlJY mar­ were burst and bleed~ng~ . riage, and iny subsequent start in private "It's not an airy nothing, you see," said practice, the very intimate relations which he, slniling,. '~On the contrary, it is solid had existed between Holmes and myself enough for a man to break his hand over. Is becallle to some extent modified. He still Mrs. Watson in ? '~ came to me, from time to tim.e when he de­ " She is away upon a visit." sired a companion in, his investigations, but " Indeed ! You ate"alorte ? " ~hese occasions grew more and .more seldom, ." Quite." " , until I find that in t~e year 189'0 there were "'rhen it makes it the easier ·.for ~e to only three cases of which I ret~in an'y record. , propose that you,sht>uld come away with me During the winter of that yea~ and the early' for a, week on to the ~Continent." , spring of 18~I, I saw in the papers that he "Where? " ~d been engaged by the French G~vern­ "Oh, anywhere. It's all the same to me." ment upon a, matter of I supreme importance, , There 'was something very strange. in all and I receive5i. tw.o~ not~s. fr.Qm. Holmes. dated this. It was, Dot Holmes's. nature to take aD . 435 The A;dventures of Sherlock Holmes .. ' .,- By A. CONAN' DOY(E. XXIV.-THE ADVENTURE OF THE FINAL PROBLEM. iiIS'';jj§~~;rr is wIth a heavy heart that.I from N~rbonf:le and from Ntmes, from which .. ,......... -,'_ .. take up my pen to write ~these I gathered that his. stay in France was likely ~)~ the last- wordsjn. which I shall ~o be a long one. It was with sorne.'Strrprise, l,gu'lt'\IJA ....... .1,....... ever record~: ~he singUlar gifts . therefore, that I saw him walk into my con..: by which my', friend.. Mr. sultirig-;room. upori the evenirig of the 24th ~lL:!=~~ Sherlock Holmes was dis­ of April. It 'struck ·me that· he. waS looking tinguished. In an incoherent and,. ·as.· I even paler and· thinner than usu~l.. deeply feel,· an entirely inadequate fashion, I "Yes, I .have be~n 'using niy~elf up tather have endeavoured. t~ give sqme ·account of too freely," he remarked, in answer to' my my strange experiences in his company: from look. rather' than to my words;" I have been the chance ·which first brought us together at a little pressed of l~te. Have you any the period of the "Study in Scarlet,". up_to . objection to my closing' your shutters?" the tinle of his interference -in· the matter of The only light in the room came from the the" Naval Treaty "-ail interferen~e whit:h lamp upon the table at w.hich.1 had been had the unquestionable effect of preventing a reading. ·Holmes·'ed~d : his way round the serious international· complication. It was wall, . and flinging the· shutters together, he my intention to have stopped there, and to bolted them .securely. have said nothing ,of that event which has " You are afraid of $omething?" I asked. created a void in my life which the lapse of "WeU, I am."· two years has done little to\. fill. My hand " Of what? " has been forced, however,. D)1 the recent "Of. air-O'uns~"0 . letters in which Colonel JaiDes Moriarty . ":[\1 Y. dear :Holmes, "\vhat do you me3:D ? " d~fends the memorY of his brother, and I "I think that you know me well enough, have no choice but to lay the facts before the Watson, to understand that. ~ I am. by no public exactly a~ they occurred. .~ alone Ineans a nervous man. At. the same time,. it know the absolute truth of the matter, and I i~ stupidity rather tha~ courage to refuse to am satisfied that the time has coine when no recognise danger when it is close upon goodj>lupose is to be served J;>yits suppression. ·you. Might I trouble you for a match? " As far 'as I know;·there have been only three ac­ He drew in the snloke of his cigarette counts In the public .Press : that in the Journal ns if the soothing influence was grateful to de Geneve. upon May 6th, I~9I, the Reuter's him. despatch .in the. English -papers upon May "I nlust apologize for calling so late," said· '1th, and ~naUy the recent letters to which I he, "and I must further 'beg you to be so llave alluded. Of these the first and second unconventional as to allow nle to leave your were extremely condensed, vmile the last is, house presently by scrambling over your back as I shall now show, an absolute perversion garden. wall." of the facts. I t lies with me to' tell for the . "But what does it all mean?" I asked.. ~t time what· really took place between . He held out his ~and, and I saw in the Professor Moriarty and Mr. Sherlock I:Iolmes. light of the lamp that two of his knuckles It may be remembered that after Il)Y mar­ were burst and bleeding~ . riage, and iny' subsequent start in private "It's not an airy nothing, you see," said practice, the very intimate relations which he, slniling~ '~On the contrary, ·it is solid had existed between· Holmes and myself enough for a man to' break his hand over. Is . be~e to some extent modified: He still Mrs. Watson in ? " .came to me from time to time when he de­ "She is away upon a viSIt." sired a companion in. his' investigations, but " Indeed! You ate"alone ? " these' occasions grew more and .more seldom, .'" Quite.". " . until I find that in the year 1890 .