The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle Page A

o’clock that I found myself free, and was able to spring into a hansom and drive to Baker Street, half afraid that I might be too late to assist at the
dénouement
of the little mystery. I found Sherlock Holmes alone, however, half asleep, with his long, thin form curled up in the recesses of his armchair. A formidable array of bottles and test-tubes, with the pungent cleanly smell of hydrochloric acid, told me that he had spent his day in the chemical work which was so dear to him.
    â€˜Well, have you solved it?’ I asked as I entered.
    â€˜Yes. It was the bisulphate of baryta.’
    â€˜No, no, the mystery!’ I cried.
    â€˜Oh, that! I thought of the salt that I have been working upon. There was never any mystery in the matter, though, as I said yesterday, some of the details are of interest. The only drawback is that there is no law, I fear, that can touch the scoundrel.’
    â€˜Who was he, then, and what was his object in deserting Miss Sutherland?’
    The question was hardly out of my mouth, and Holmes had not yet opened his lips to reply, when we heard a heavy footfall in the passage, and a tap at the door.
    â€˜This is the girl’s stepfather, Mr James Windibank,’ said Holmes. ‘He has written to me to say that he would be here at six. Come in!’
    The man who entered was a sturdy middle-sized fellow, some thirty years of age, clean-shaven, and sallow-skinned, with a bland, insinuating manner, and a pair of wonderfully sharp and penetrating grey eyes. He shot a questioning glance at each of us, placed his shiny top-hat upon the sideboard, and with a slight bow, sidled down into the nearest chair.
    â€˜Good evening, Mr James Windibank,’ said Holmes. ‘I think thatthis typewritten letter is from you, in which you made an appointment with me for six o’clock!’
    â€˜Yes, sir. I am afraid that I am a little late, but I am not quite my own master, you know. I am sorry that Miss Sutherland has troubled you about this little matter, for I think it is far better not to wash linen of this sort in public. It was quite against my wishes that she came, but she is a very excitable, impulsive girl, as you may have noticed, and she is not easily controlled when she has made up her mind on a point. Of course, I do not mind you so much, as you are not connected with the official police, but it is not pleasant to have a family misfortune like this noised abroad. Besides, it is a useless expense, for how could you possibly find this Hosmer Angel?’
    â€˜On the contrary,’ said Holmes quietly; ‘I have every reason to believe that I will succeed in discovering Mr Hosmer Angel.’
    Mr Windibank gave a violent start, and dropped his gloves. ‘I am delighted to hear it,’ he said.
    â€˜It is a curious thing,’ remarked Holmes, ‘that a typewriter has really quite as much individuality as a man’s handwriting. Unless they are quite new, no two of them write exactly alike. Some letters get more worn than others, and some wear only on one side. Now, you remark in this note of yours, Mr Windibank, that in every case there is some little slurring over of the
e
, and a slight defect in the tail of the
r
. There are fourteen other characteristics, but those are the more obvious.’
    â€˜We do all our correspondence with this machine at the office, and no doubt it is a little worn,’ our visitor answered, glancing keenly at Homes with his bright little eyes.
    â€˜And now I will show you what is really a very interesting study, Mr Windibank,’ Holmes continued. ‘I think of writing another little monograph some of these days on the typewriter and its relation to crime. It is a subject to which I have devoted some little attention. I have here four letters which purport to come from the missing man. They are all typewritten. In each case, not only are the
e
’s slurred and the
r
’s tailless, but you will observe, if