wo, a substantial block of
print dealing, I perceive, with the trade and resources of British
India. Jot down the words, Watson! Number thirteen is 'Mahratta.' Not,
I fear, a very auspicious beginning. Number one hundred and twenty-seven
is 'Government'; which at least makes sense, though somewhat irrelevant
to ourselves and Professor Moriarty. Now let us try again. What does the
Mahratta government do? Alas! the next word is 'pig's-bristles.' We are
undone, my good Watson! It is finished!"

He had spoken in jesting vein, but the twitching of his bushy eyebrows
bespoke his disappointment and irritation. I sat helpless and unhappy,
staring into the fire. A long silence was broken by a sudden exclamation
from Holmes, who dashed at a cupboard, from which he emerged with a
second yellow-covered volume in his hand.

"We pay the price, Watson, for being too up-to-date!" he cried. "We are
before our time, and suffer the usual penalties. Being the seventh of
January, we have very properly laid in the new almanac. It is more than
likely that Porlock took his message from the old one. No doubt he would
have told us so had his letter of explanation been written. Now let us
see what page 534 has in store for us. Number thirteen is 'There,'
which is much more promising. Number one hundred and twenty-seven is
'is'--'There is' "--Holmes's eyes were gleaming with excitement, and his
thin, nervous fingers twitched as he counted the words--"'danger.' Ha!
Ha! Capital! Put that down, Watson. 'There is danger--may--come--very
soon--one.' Then we have the name 'Douglas'--'rich--country--now--at
Birlstone--House--Birlstone--confidence--is--pressing.' There, Watson!
What do you think of pure reason and its fruit? If the green-grocer had
such a thing as a laurel wreath, I should send Billy round for it."

I was staring at the strange message which I had scrawled, as he
deciphered it, upon a sheet of foolscap on my knee.

"What a queer, scrambling way of expressing his meaning!" said I.

"On the contrary, he has done quite remarkably well," said Holmes. "When
you search a single column for words with which to express your meaning,
you can hardly expect to get everything you want. You are bound to leave
something to the intelligence of your correspondent. The purport is
perfectly clear. Some deviltry is intended against one Douglas,
whoever he may be, residing as stated, a rich country gentleman. He is
sure--'confidence' was as near as he cou