ants to take diggings, and as you were
complaining that you could get no one to go halves with you, I thought
that I had better bring you together."

Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with
me. "I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street," he said, "which would
suit us down to the ground. You don't mind the smell of strong tobacco,
I hope?"

"I always smoke 'ship's' myself," I answered.

"That's good enough. I generally have chemicals about, and occasionally
do experiments. Would that annoy you?"

"By no means."

"Let me see--what are my other shortcomings. I get in the dumps at
times, and don't open my mouth for days on end. You must not think I am
sulky when I do that. Just let me alone, and I'll soon be right. What
have you to confess now? It's just as well for two fellows to know the
worst of one another before they begin to live together."

I laughed at this cross-examination. "I keep a bull pup," I said, "and
I object to rows because my nerves are shaken, and I get up at all sorts
of ungodly hours, and I am extremely lazy. I have another set of vices
when I'm well, but those are the principal ones at present."

"Do you include violin-playing in your category of rows?" he asked,
anxiously.

"It depends on the player," I answered. "A well-played violin is a treat
for the gods--a badly-played one----"

"Oh, that's all right," he cried, with a merry laugh. "I think we may
consider the thing as settled--that is, if the rooms are agreeable to
you."

"When shall we see them?"

"Call for me here at noon to-morrow, and we'll go together and settle
everything," he answered.

"All right--noon exactly," said I, shaking his hand.

We left him working among his chemicals, and we walked together towards
my hotel.

"By the way," I asked suddenly, stopping and turning upon Stamford, "how
the deuce did he know that I had come from Afghanistan?"

My companion smiled an enigmatical smile. "That's just his little
peculiarity," he said. "A good many people have wanted to know how he
finds things out."

"Oh! a mystery is it?" I cried, rubbing my hands. "This is very piquant.
I am much obliged to you for bringing us together. 'The proper study of
mankind is man,' you know."

"You must study him, then," Stamford said, as he bade me good-bye.
"You'll find him a knotty problem, though. I'll wager he learns more
about you than you about him. Good-bye."

"Good-bye," I answered, and strolle