whatever happens, do you hear? Don't speak!
Don't move! Just listen with all your ears." Then in an instant his
sudden access of strength departed, and his masterful, purposeful talk
droned away into the low, vague murmurings of a semi-delirious man.

From the hiding-place into which I had been so swiftly hustled I heard
the footfalls upon the stair, with the opening and the closing of the
bedroom door. Then, to my surprise, there came a long silence, broken
only by the heavy breathings and gaspings of the sick man. I could
imagine that our visitor was standing by the bedside and looking down
at the sufferer. At last that strange hush was broken.

"Holmes!" he cried. "Holmes!" in the insistent tone of one who awakens
a sleeper. "Can't you hear me, Holmes?" There was a rustling, as if
he had shaken the sick man roughly by the shoulder.

"Is that you, Mr. Smith?" Holmes whispered. "I hardly dared hope that
you would come."

The other laughed.

"I should imagine not," he said. "And yet, you see, I am here. Coals
of fire, Holmes--coals of fire!"

"It is very good of you--very noble of you. I appreciate your special
knowledge."

Our visitor sniggered.

"You do. You are, fortunately, the only man in London who does. Do you
know what is the matter with you?"

"The same," said Holmes.

"Ah! You recognize the symptoms?"

"Only too well."

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised, Holmes. I shouldn't be surprised if
it WERE the same. A bad lookout for you if it is. Poor Victor was a
dead man on the fourth day--a strong, hearty young fellow. It was
certainly, as you said, very surprising that he should have contracted
an out-of-the-way Asiatic disease in the heart of London--a disease,
too, of which I had made such a very special study. Singular
coincidence, Holmes. Very smart of you to notice it, but rather
uncharitable to suggest that it was cause and effect."

"I knew that you did it."

"Oh, you did, did you? Well, you couldn't prove it, anyhow. But what
do you think of yourself spreading reports about me like that, and then
crawling to me for help the moment you are in trouble? What sort of a
game is that--eh?"

I heard the rasping, laboured breathing of the sick man. "Give me the
water!" he gasped.

"You're precious near your end, my friend, but I don't want you to go
till I have had a word with you. That's why I give you water. There,
don't slop it about! That's right. Can you underst