y he was snooping around in the chaparral, instead of picking
up points out of the P'fessor's game. Looky here--he ain't no fool,
boys."

"No, sir! Why, great Scott--"

But Stillman was resuming:

"While we were out yonder an hour or two ago, the owner of the gimlet
and the trial-candle took them from a place where he had concealed
them--it was not a good place--and carried them to what he probably
thought was a better one, two hundred yards up in the pine woods, and
hid them there, covering them over with pine needles. It was there that
I found them. The gimlet exactly fits the hole in the barrel. And now--"

The Extraordinary Man interrupted him. He said, sarcastically,

"We have had a very pretty fairy tale, gentlemen--very pretty indeed.
Now I would like to ask this young man a question or two."

Some of the boys winced, and Ferguson said,

"I'm afraid Archy's going to catch it now."

The others lost their smiles and sobered down. Mr. Holmes said,

"Let us proceed to examine into this fairy-tale in a consecutive and
orderly way--by geometrical progression, so to speak--linking detail
to detail in a steadily advancing and remorselessly consistent and
unassailable march upon this tinsel toy-fortress of error, the dream
fabric of a callow-imagination. To begin with, young sir, I desire to
ask you but three questions at present--at present. Did I understand you
to say it was your opinion that the supposititious candle was lighted at
about eight o'clock yesterday evening?"

"Yes, sir--about eight."

"Could you say exactly eight?"

"Well, no, I couldn't be that exact."

"Um. If a person had been passing along there just about that time, he
would have been almost sure to encounter that assassin, do you think?"

"Yes, I should think so."

"Thank you, that is all. For the present. I say, all for the present."

"Dern him, he's laying for Archy," said Ferguson.

"It's so," said Ham Sandwich. "I don't like the look of it."

Stillman said, glancing at the guest, "I was along there myself at
half past eight--no, about nine."

"Indeed? This is interesting--this is very interesting. Perhaps you
encountered the assassin?"

"No, I encountered no one."

"Ah. Then--if you will excuse the remark--I do not quite see the
relevancy of the information."

"It has none. At present. I say it has none--at present."

He paused. Presently he resumed: "I did not encounter the assassin, but
I am on his track, I am sure,