The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Valley of Fear, by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Title: The Valley of Fear

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Posting Date: May 15, 2009 [EBook #3776]
Release Date: February, 2003
First Posted: September 3, 2001
Last Updated: February 10, 2005

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VALLEY OF FEAR ***

Produced by Toby F. Charkin. HTML version by Al Haines.

The Valley Of Fear

by

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

CONTENTS

PART 1--The Tragedy of Birlstone

Chapter

1 The Warning
2 Sherlock Holmes Discourses
3 The Tragedy of Birlstone
4 Darkness
5 The People Of the Drama
6 A Dawning Light
7 The Solution

PART 2--The Scowrers

1 The Man
2 The Bodymaster
3 Lodge 341, Vermissa
4 The Valley of Fear
5 The Darkest Hour
6 Danger
7 The Trapping of Birdy Edwards

PART 1

The Tragedy of Birlstone

Chapter 1

The Warning

"I am inclined to think--" said I.

"I should do so," Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently.

I believe that I am one of the most long-suffering of mortals; but I'll
admit that I was annoyed at the sardonic interruption.

"Really, Holmes," said I severely, "you are a little trying at times."

He was too much absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate
answer to my remonstrance. He leaned upon his hand, with his untasted
breakfast before him, and he stared at the slip of paper which he had
just drawn from its envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it
up to the light, and very carefully studied both the exterior and the
flap.

"It is Porlock's writing," said he thoughtfully. "I can hardly doubt
that it is Porlock's writing, though I have seen it only twice before.
The Greek e with the peculiar top flourish is distinctive. But if it is
Porlock, then it must be something of the very first importance."

He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my vexation
disappeared in the interest which the words awakened.

"Who then is Porlock?" I asked.

"Porlock, Watson, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; but
behind it lies a shifty and evasi