“Yes, I saw him at his work. But I will tell you everything inorder. When I got back after my visit to you, the very first thing Isaw next morning was a fresh crop of dancing men. They had beendrawn in chalk upon the black wooden door of the tool-house,which stands beside the lawn in full view of the front windows. Itook an exact copy, and here it is.” He unfolded a paper and laid itupon the table. Here is a copy of the hieroglyphics:
“Excellent!” said Holmes. “Excellent! Pray continue.”
“When I had taken the copy, I rubbed out the marks, but, twomornings later, a fresh inion had appeared. I have a copy ofhere:”
Holmes rubbed his hands and chuckled with delight.
“Our material is rapidly accumulating,” said he.
“Three days later a message was left scrawled upon paper, andplaced under a pebble upon the sundial. Here it is. The charactersare, as you see, exactly the same as the last one. After that Idetermined to lie in wait, so I got out my revolver and I sat up inThe Return of Sherlock Holmes 893
my study, which overlooks the lawn and garden. About two in themorning I was seated by the window, all being dark save for themoonlight outside, when I heard steps behind me, and there wasmy wife in her dressing-gown. She implored me to come to bed. Itold her frankly that I wished to see who it was who played suchabsurd tricks upon us. She answered that it was some senselesspractical joke, and that I should not take any notice of it.
“ ‘If it really annoys you, Hilton, we might go and travel, you andI, and so avoid this nuisance.’
“ ‘What, be driven out of our own house by a practical joker?’
said I. ‘Why, we should have the whole county laughing at us.’
“ ‘Well, come to bed,’ said she, ‘and we can discuss it in themorning.’
“Suddenly, as she spoke, I saw her white face grow whiter yetin the moonlight, and her hand tightened upon my shoulder.
Something was moving in the shadow of the tool-house. I sawa dark, creeping figure which crawled round the corner andsquatted in front of the door. Seizing my pistol, I was rushingout, when my wife threw her arms round me and held me withconvulsive strength. I tried to throw her off, but she clung to memost desperately. At last I got clear, but by the time I had openedthe door and reached the house the creature was gone. He hadleft a trace of his presence, however, for there on the door wasthe very same arrangement of dancing men which had alreadytwice appeared, and which I have copied on that paper. Therewas no other sign of the fellow anywhere, though I ran all overthe grounds. And yet the amazing thing is that he must have beenthere all the time, for when I examined the door again in themorning, he had scrawled some more of his pictures under the linewhich I had already seen.”
“Have you that fresh drawing?”
“Yes, it is very short, but I made a copy of it, and here it is.”
Again he produced a paper. The new dance was in this form:
“Tell me,” said Holmes—and I could see by his eyes that he wasmuch excited— “was this a mere addition to the first or did itappear to be entirely separate?”
“It was on a different panel of the door.”
“Excellent! This is far the most important of all for our purpose.
It fills me with hopes. Now, Mr. Hilton Cubitt, please continueyour most interesting statement.”
“I have nothing more to say, Mr. Holmes, except that I was894 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
angry with my wife that night for having held me back when Imight have caught the skulking rascal. She said that she fearedthat I might come to harm. For an instant it had crossed my mindthat perhaps what she really feared was that HE might come toharm, for I could not doubt that she knew who this man was,and what he meant by these strange signals. But there is a tone inmy wife’s voice, Mr. Holmes, and a look in her eyes which forbiddoubt, and I am sure that it was indeed my own safety that was inher mind. There’s the whole case, and now I want your advice asto what I ought to do. My own inclination is to put half a dozen ofmy farm lads in the shrubbery, and when this fellow comes againto give him such a hiding that he will leave us in peace for thefuture.”
“I fear it is too deep a case for such simple remedies,” said Holmes.
How long can you stay in London?”
“I must go back to-day. I would not leave my wife alone all nightfor anything. She is very nervous, and begged me to come back.”
“I daresay you are right. But if you could have stopped, Imight possibly have been able to return with you in a day or two.
Meanwhile you will leave me these papers, and I think that it isvery likely that I shall be able to pay you a visit shortly and tothrow some light upon your case.”
Sherlock Holmes preserved his calm professional manner untilour visitor had left us, although it was easy for me, who knew himso well, to see that he was profoundly excited. The moment thatHilton Cubitt’s broad back had disappeared through the doormy comrade rushed to the table, laid out all the slips of papercontaining dancing men in front of him, and threw himself into anintricate and elaborate calculation. For two hours I watched himas he covered sheet after sheet of paper with figures and letters,so completely absorbed in his task that he had evidently forgottenmy presence. Sometimes he was making progress and whistledand sang at his work; sometimes he was puzzled, and would sitfor long spells with a furrowed brow and a vacant eye. Finally hesprang from his chair with a cry of satisfaction, and walked up anddown the room rubbing his hands together. Then he wrote a longtelegram upon a cable form. “If my answer to this is as I hope, youwill have a very pretty case to add to your collection, Watson,”
said he. “I expect that we shall be able to go down to Norfolktomorrow, and to take our friend some very definite news as to thesecret of his annoyance.”
I confess that I was filled with curiosity, but I was aware thatHolmes liked to make his disclosures at his own time and in hisown way, so I waited until it should suit him to take me into hisconfidence.