purpose?"

Gilchrist pointed to Bannister.

"There is the man who set me in the right path," said he.

"Come now, Bannister," said Holmes. "It will be clear to you, from what
I have said, that only you could have let this young man out, since you
were left in the room, and must have locked the door when you went out.
As to his escaping by that window, it was incredible. Can you not clear
up the last point in this mystery, and tell us the reasons for your
action?"

"It was simple enough, sir, if you only had known, but, with all your
cleverness, it was impossible that you could know. Time was, sir, when
I was butler to old Sir Jabez Gilchrist, this young gentleman's father.
When he was ruined I came to the college as servant, but I never forgot
my old employer because he was down in the world. I watched his son all
I could for the sake of the old days. Well, sir, when I came into this
room yesterday, when the alarm was given, the very first thing I saw was
Mr. Gilchrist's tan gloves a-lying in that chair. I knew those gloves
well, and I understood their message. If Mr. Soames saw them, the game
was up. I flopped down into that chair, and nothing would budge me until
Mr. Soames he went for you. Then out came my poor young master, whom I
had dandled on my knee, and confessed it all to me. Wasn't it natural,
sir, that I should save him, and wasn't it natural also that I should
try to speak to him as his dead father would have done, and make him
understand that he could not profit by such a deed? Could you blame me,
sir?"

"No, indeed," said Holmes, heartily, springing to his feet. "Well,
Soames, I think we have cleared your little problem up, and our
breakfast awaits us at home. Come, Watson! As to you, sir, I trust that
a bright future awaits you in Rhodesia. For once you have fallen low.
Let us see, in the future, how high you can rise."

THE ADVENTURE OF THE GOLDEN PINCE-NEZ

When I look at the three massive manuscript volumes which contain our
work for the year 1894, I confess that it is very difficult for me,
out of such a wealth of material, to select the cases which are most
interesting in themselves, and at the same time most conducive to a
display of those peculiar powers for which my friend was famous. As I
turn over the pages, I see my notes upon the repulsive story of the red
leech and the terrible death of Crosby, the banker. Here also I find
an account of the Addleton tragedy, and the singula