*III.*
*THE ADVENTURE OF TWO AND TWO*
Keys was giving way to one of those orgies of spring onions andLimburger cheese to which he occasionally succumbed--for even thegreatest of men have failings--and the atmosphere of our dining room wasvery unpleasant to one with my delicate olfactory nerves, so that it waswith a feeling of positive relief that I welcomed the pungent odor ofthe smoke from a strong black cigar that was wafted in on us as the dooropened to admit a stranger.
A tall, nervous looking man, he commenced to apologize for havinginterrupted us at supper, but Keys waved aside his explanations and saidabruptly. "You are a married man, sir, and very fond of your wife."
Wonderingly our visitor pleaded guilty to both indictments, and Keysresumed:
"Of course any one could tell that your wife has given you a Christmaspresent, a man with your intelligence would never buy a cigar like that,and only love for her would induce you to smoke it."
"Sir, I can see you are just the man to solve the mystery that is makingmy life a hideous nightmare, if I am fortunate enough to interest you inmy case.
"My name is Humphrey Drake, and I am a country squire living in apeaceful village, and up to a week ago I was as placid as one of my owncows, but alas all is changed and I know not what dreadful fate ishanging over my head. I once read a wonderful book called '_The Sign ofthe Four_,' (I am a modest man, so I blushed at this unconscious praise,you, dear reader, will know why), and now I fear that the terrible endof Bartholemew Sholto will be mine."
Mr. Drake turned very pale, whether from fear, or from the strong cigar,I do not know, but after a few minutes he recovered himself, and atKeys' request continued his story.
"Last week I had occasion to go to the stable immediately behind thehouse and on one of the walls saw in figures made with a piece of whitechalk, this sign," and drawing his fountain pen from his pocket, hemarked on our white table cloth
2 2 . -- 4 .
"I haven't been able to sleep since, and now I have come to you forhelp."
"Why did you visit the stable, Mr. Drake?" asked Keys.
"Well, lately the carriage and harness have not been properly cleaned,or the horse well groomed, and I went to speak to the stable-man aboutit."
Hastily consulting a time-table, Keys disappeared into his bed room,returning the next moment disguised as a stable-boy, even to a straw,which he was chewing assiduously.
"Whenson will put you up, Mr. Drake, and I will report to you atbreakfast tomorrow morning. Meanwhile you can sleep in peace."
Coming down to breakfast the next morning, we found Keys seated by thefire reading the paper.
"Good morning, all is well, but breakfast first and businessafterwards," he said.
It was not until our pipes were well alight that Keys deigned to satisfyour curiosity.
"The mystery was a very harmless one, Mr. Drake, as I expected it wouldbe after the clue you gave me. I went round to the back of your houseand looked in at the stable window, and there was the culprit, youryoung stable-man, with a laudable desire to improve his mind, thoughrather at the expense of his duty to you, I am afraid, was pouring overthe arithmetic section of Barmsbirth's Universal Educator, and with apiece of white chalk was endeavoring to work out a simple sum on yourstable wall, and, my dear sir, the answer to his sum, and theexplanation of your mystery, is that two and two make four."