that these marks were left by the man who rifled the papers. There
were no footmarks and no other evidence as to his identity. I was at
my wits' ends, when suddenly the happy thought occurred to me that
you were in the town, and I came straight round to put the matter
into your hands. Do help me, Mr. Holmes! You see my dilemma. Either I
must find the man or else the examination must be postponed until
fresh papers are prepared, and since this cannot be done without
explanation there will ensue a hideous scandal, which will throw a
cloud not only on the college, but on the University. Above all
things I desire to settle the matter quietly and discreetly."
"I shall be happy to look into it and to give you such advice as I
can," said Holmes, rising and putting on his overcoat. "The case is
not entirely devoid of interest. Had anyone visited you in your room
after the papers came to you?"
"Yes; young Daulat Ras, an Indian student who lives on the same
stair, came in to ask me some particulars about the examination."
"For which he was entered?"
"Yes."
"And the papers were on your table?"
"To the best of my belief they were rolled up."
"But might be recognised as proofs?"
"Possibly."
"No one else in your room?"
"No."
"Did anyone know that these proofs would be there?"
"No one save the printer."
"Did this man Bannister know?"
"No, certainly not. No one knew."
"Where is Bannister now?"
"He was very ill, poor fellow. I left him collapsed in the chair. I
was in such a hurry to come to you."
"You left your door open?"
"I locked up the papers first."
"Then it amounts to this, Mr. Soames, that unless the Indian student
recognised the roll as being proofs, the man who tampered with them
came upon them accidentally without knowing that they were there."
"So it seems to me."
Holmes gave an enigmatic smile.
"Well," said he, "let us go round. Not one of your cases,
Watson--mental, not physical. All right; come if you want to. Now,
Mr. Soames--at your disposal!"
The sitting-room of our client opened by a long, low, latticed
window on to the ancient lichen-tinted court of the old college. A
Gothic arched door led to a worn stone staircase. On the ground floor
was the tutor's room. Above were three students, one on each story.
It was already twilight when we reached the scene of our problem.
Holmes halted and looked earnestly at the window. Then he approached
it, and, standing on tiptoe with his neck craned, he looked into the
room.
"He must have entered through the door. There is no opening except
the one pane," said our learned guide.
"Dear me!" said Holmes, and he smiled in a singular way as he glanced
at our companion. "Well, if there is nothing to be learned here we
had best go inside."
The lecturer unlocked the outer door and ushered us into his room. We
stood at the entrance while Holmes made an examination of the carpet.
"I am afraid there are no signs here," said he. "One could hardly
hope for any upon so dry a day. Your servant seems to have quite
recovered. You left him in a chair, you say; which chair?"
"By the window there."
"I see. Near this little table. You can come in now. I have finished
with the carpet. Let us take the little table first. Of course, what
has happened is very clear. The man entered and took the papers,
sheet by sheet, from the central table. He carried them over to the
window table, because from there he could see if you came across the
courtyard, and so could effect an escape."
"As a matter of fact he could not," said Soames, "for I entered by
the side door."
"Ah, that's good! Well, anyhow, that was in his mind. Let me see the
three strips. No finger impressions--no! Well, he carried over this
one first and he copied it. How long would it take him to do that,
using every possible contraction? A quarter of an hour, not less.
Then he tossed it down and seized the next. He was in the midst of
that when your return caused him to make a very hurried retreat--very
hurried, since he had not time to replace the papers which would tell
you that he had been there. You were not aware of any hurrying feet
on the stair as you entered the outer door?"
"No, I can't say I was."
"Well, he wrote so furiously that he broke his pencil, and had, as
you observe, to sharpen it again. This is of interest, Watson. The
pencil was not an ordinary one. It was above the usual size, with a
soft lead; the outer colour was dark blue, the maker's name was
printed in silver lettering, and the piece remaining is only about an
inch and a half long. Look for such a pencil, Mr. Soames, and you
have got your man. When I add that he possesses a large and very
blunt knife, you have an additional aid."
Mr. Soames was somewhat overwhelmed by this flood of information. "I
can follow the other points," said he, "but really, in this matter of
the length--"
Holmes held out a small chip with the letters NN and a space of clear
wood after them.
"You see?"
"No, I fear that even now--"
"Watson, I have always done you an injustice. There are others. What
could this NN be? It is at the end of a word. You are aware that
Johann Faber is the most common maker's name. Is it not clear that
there is just as much of the pencil left as usually follows the
Johann?" He held the small table sideways to the electric light. "I
was hoping that if the paper on which he wrote was thin some trace of
it might come through upon this polished surface. No, I see nothing.
I don't think there is anything more to be learned here. Now for the
central table. This small pellet is, I presume, the black, doughy
mass you spoke of. Roughly pyramidal in shape and hollowed out, I
perceive. As you say, there appear to be grains of sawdust in it.
Dear me, this is very interesting. And the cut--a positive tear, I
see. It began with a thin scratch and ended in a jagged hole. I am
much indebted to you for directing my attention to this case, Mr.
Soames. Where does that door lead to?"
"To my bedroom."
"Have you been in it since your adventure?"
"No; I came straight away for you."
"I should like to have a glance round. What a charming, old-fashioned
room! Perhaps you will kindly wait a minute until I have examined the
floor. No, I see nothing. What about this curtain? You hang your
clothes behind it. If anyone were forced to conceal himself in this
room he must do it there, since the bed is too low and the wardrobe
too shallow. No one there, I suppose?"
As Holmes drew the curtain I was aware, from some little rigidity and
alertness of his attitude, that he was prepared for an emergency. As
a matter of fact the drawn curtain disclosed nothing but three or
four suits of clothes hanging from a line of pegs. Holmes turned away
and stooped suddenly to the floor.
"Halloa! What's this?" said he.
It was a small pyramid of black, putty-like stuff, exactly like the
one upon the table of the study. Holmes held it out on his open palm
in the glare of the electric light.
"Your visitor seems to have left traces in your bedroom as well as in
your sitting-room, Mr. Soames."
"What could he have wanted there?"
"I think it is clear enough. You came back by an unexpected way, and
so he had no warning until you were at the very door. What could he
do? He caught up everything which would betray him and he rushed into
your bedroom to conceal himself."
"Good gracious, Mr. Holmes, do you mean to tell me that all the time
I was talking to Bannister in this room we had the man prisoner if we
had only known it?"
"So I read it."
"Surely there is another alternative, Mr. Holmes. I don't know
whether you observed my bedroom window?"
"Lattice-paned, lead framework, three separate windows, one swinging
on hinge and large enough to admit a man."
"Exactly. And it looks out on an angle of the courtyard so as to be
partly invisible. The man might have effected his entrance there,
left traces as he passed through the bedroom, and, finally, finding
the door open have escaped that way."
Holmes shook his head impatiently.
"Let us be practical," said he. "I understand you to say that there
are three students who use this stair and are in the habit of passing
your door?"
"Yes, there are."
"And they are all in for this examination?"
"Yes."
"Have you any reason to suspect any one of them more than the
others?"
Soames hesitated.
"It is a very delicate question," said he. "One hardly likes to throw
suspicion where there are no proofs."
"Let us hear the suspicions. I will look after the proofs."
"I will tell you, then, in a few words the character of the three men
who inhabit these rooms. The lower of the three is Gilchrist, a fine
scholar and athlete; plays in the Rugby team and the cricket team for
the college, and got his Blue for the hurdles and the long jump. He
is a fine, manly fellow. His father was the notorious Sir Jabez
Gilchrist, who ruined himself on the turf. My scholar has been left
very poor, but he is hard-working and industrious. He will do well.
"The second floor is inhabited by Daulat Ras, the Indian. He is a
quiet, inscrutable fellow, as most of those Indians are. He is well
up in his work, though his Greek is his weak subject. He is steady
and methodical.
"The top floor belongs to Miles McLaren. He is a brilliant fellow
when he chooses to work--one of the brightest intellects of the
University, but he is wayward, dissipated, and unprincipled. He was
nearly expelled over a card scandal in his first year. He has been
idling all this term, and he must look forward with dread to the
examination."
"Then it is he whom you suspect?"
"I dare not go so far as that. But of the three he is perhaps the
least unlikely."
"Exactly. Now, Mr. Soames, let us have a look at your servant,
Bannister."
He was a little, white-faced, clean-shaven, grizzly-haired fellow of
fifty. He was still suffering from this sudden disturbance of the
quiet routine of his life. His plump face was twitching with his
nervousness, and his fingers could not keep still.
"We are investigating this unhappy business, Bannister," said his
master.
"Yes, sir."
"I understand," said Holmes, "that you left your key in the door?"
"Yes, sir."
"Was it not very extraordinary that you should do this on the very
day when there were these papers inside?"
"It was most unfortunate, sir. But I have occasionally done the same
thing at other times."
"When did you enter the room?"
"It was about half-past four. That is Mr. Soames's tea time."
"How long did you stay?"
"When I saw that he was absent I withdrew at once."
"Did you look at these papers on the table?"
"No, sir; certainly not."
"How came you to leave the key in the door?"
"I had the tea-tray in my hand. I thought I would come back for the
key. Then I forgot."
"Has the outer door a spring lock?"
"No, sir."
"Then it was open all the time?"
"Yes, sir."
"Anyone in the room could get out?"
"Yes, sir."
"When Mr. Soames returned and called for you, you were very much
disturbed?"
"Yes, sir. Such a thing has never happened during the many years that
I have been here. I nearly fainted, sir."
"So I understand. Where were you when you began to feel bad?"
"Where was I, sir? Why, here, near the door."
"That is singular, because you sat down in that chair over yonder
near the corner. Why did you pass these other chairs?"
"I don't know, sir. It didn't matter to me where I sat."
"I really don't think he knew much about it, Mr. Holmes. He was
looking very bad--quite ghastly."
"You stayed here when your master left?"
"Only for a minute or so. Then I locked the door and went to my
room."
"Whom do you suspect?"
"Oh, I would not venture to say, sir. I don't believe there is any
gentleman in this University who is capable of profiting by such an
action. No, sir, I'll not believe it."
"Thank you; that will do," said Holmes. "Oh, one more word. You have
not mentioned to any of the three gentlemen whom you attend that
