The Adventure of the Devil's Foot* by Arthur Conan Doyle
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a dog- cart coming at a gallop down the road . it pulled up at our door, and_our friend, the vicar, sprang from_it and rushed up our garden path .Holmes was already dressed, and we hastened down to meet him .

our visitor was so excited that he_could hardly articulate, but at last in gasps and bursts his tragic story came out of him .

" we_are devil- ridden, Mr Holmes ! my poor parish is devil- ridden ! " he cried ." Satan himself is loose in_it ! we_are given over into his hands ! " he danced about in_his agitation, a ludicrous object if_it were_not for_his ashy face and startled eyes . finally he shot out his terrible news .

" Mr Mortimer Tregennis died during the night, and with exactly the same symptoms as_the rest of_his family ."

Holmes sprang to_his feet, all energy in an instant .

" can_you fit us both into your dog- cart ? "

" yes, I_can ."

" then, Watson, we_will postpone our breakfast .Mr Roundhay, we_are entirely at your disposal . hurry- hurry, before things get disarranged ."

the lodger occupied two rooms at_the vicarage, which were in an angle by_themselves, the one above the other . below was a large sitting- room; above, his bedroom . they looked out upon a croquet lawn which came up_to_the windows . we had arrived before_the doctor or the police, so_that everything was absolutely undisturbed . let me describe exactly the scene as_we saw it upon that misty march morning . it left an impression which can never be effaced from my mind .

the atmosphere of_the room was of a horrible and depressing stuffiness . the servant who had first entered had thrown up the window, or it would_have_been even more intolerable . this might partly be due to_the fact that a lamp stood flaring and smoking on_the centre table . beside it sat the dead man, leaning back in_his chair, his thin beard projecting, his spectacles pushed up on to_his forehead, and_his lean dark face turned towards the window and twisted into_the same distortion of terror which had marked the features of_his dead sister . his limbs were convulsed and_his fingers contorted as_though he had died in a very paroxysm of fear . he_was fully clothed, though there were signs that his dressing had_been done in a hurry . we had already learned that his bed had_been slept in, and_that the tragic end had come to him in_the early morning .

one realized the red- hot energy which underlay Holmes's phlegmatic exterior when one saw the sudden change which came over him from_the moment that he entered the fatal apartment . in an instant he_was tense and alert, his eves shining, his face set, his limbs quivering with eager activity . he_was out on_the lawn, in through_the window, round the room, and up into_the bedroom, for all the world like adashing foxhound drawing a cover . in_the bedroom he_made a rapid cast around and ended by throwing open the window, which appeared to_give him some fresh cause for excitement, for he leaned out of it with loud ejaculations of interest and delight . then he rushed down the stairs, out through_the open window, threw himself upon his face on_the lawn, sprang up and into_the room once more, all with_the energy of_the hunter who_is at_the very heels of_his quarry . the lamp, which_was an ordinary standard, he examined with minute care, making certain measurements upon its bowl . he carefully scrutinized with_his lens the tale shield which covered the top of_the chimney and scraped off some ashes which adhered to its upper surface, putting some_of_them into an envelope, which he placed in_his pocketbook . finally, just as_the doctor and_the official police put in an appearance, he beckoned to_the vicar and we all three went out upon_the lawn .

" I_am glad_to_say that my investigation has_not_been entirely barren," he remarked ." I_cannot remain to discuss the matter with_the police, but i_should_be exceedingly obliged, Mr Roundhay, if_you_would give the inspector my compliments and direct his attention to_the bedroom window and to_the sitting- room lamp . each is suggestive, and together they_are almost conclusive . if_the police would desire further information I_shall_be happy to_see any of_them at_the cottage . and now, Watson, i_think that, perhaps, we_shall_be better employed elsewhere ."

it may_be that_the police resented the intrusion of an amateur, or that_they imagined themselves to_be upon some hopeful line of investigation; but it_is certain that we heard nothing from_them for_the next two days . during this_time Holmes spent some of_his time smoking and dreaming in_the cottage; but a greater portion in country walks which he undertook alone, returning after many hours without remark as_to where he had_been . one experiment served to show me the line of_his investigation . he had bought a lamp which_was the duplicate of_the one which had burned in_the room of Mortimer Tregennis on_the morning of_the tragedy . this he filled with_the same oil as_that used at_the vicarage, and he carefully timed the period which it would take to_be exhausted . another experiment which he_made was of a more unpleasant nature, and one which I_am not likely ever to forget .

" you_will remember, Watson," he remarked one afternoon, " that_there_is a single common point of resemblance in_the varying reports which_have reached us . this concerns the effect of_the atmosphere of_the room in each_case upon those who had first entered it . you_will recollect that Mortimer Tregennis, in describing the episode of_his last visit to_his brother's house, remarked that_the doctor on entering the room fell into a chair ? you had forgotten ? well, I_can answer for_it that_it_was so . now, you_will remember also that Mrs porter, the housekeeper, told us that she herself fainted upon entering the room and had afterwards opened the window . in_the second case- that of Mortimer Tregennis himself- you_cannot_have forgotten the horrible stuffiness of_the room when we arrived, though the servant had thrown open the window . that servant, I_found upon inquiry, was so ill that she had gone to her bed . you_will admit, Watson, that_these facts are very suggestive . in each_case there_is evidence of a poisonous atmosphere . in each_case, also, there_is combustion going on in_the room- in_the one case a fire, in_the other a lamp . the fire was needed, but the lamp was lit- as a comparison of_the oil consumed will show- long after it_was broad daylight . why ? surely because there_is some connection between three things- the burning, the stuffy atmosphere, and, finally, the madness or death of_those unfortunate people . that_is clear, is_it not ? "

" it would appear so ."

" at_least we_may accept it as aworking hypothesis . we_will suppose, then, that something was burned in each_case which produced an atmosphere causing strange toxic effects . very_good . in_the first instance- that of_the Tregennis family- this substance was placed in_the fire . now the window was shut, but the fire would naturally carry fumes to some extent up the chimney . hence one would expect the effects of_the poison to_be less_than in_the second case, where there_was less escape for_the vapour . the result seems to indicate that_it_was so, since in_the first case only the woman, who had presumably the more sensitive organism, was killed, the others exhibiting that temporary or permanent lunacy which_is evidently the first effect of_the drug . in_the second case the result was complete . the facts, therefore, seem to bear out the theory of a poison which worked by combustion .

" with_this train of reasoning in my head I naturally looked about in Mortimer Tregennis's room to_find some remains of_this substance . the obvious place to look was_the talc shield or smoke- guard of_the lamp . there, sure enough, I perceived a number of flaky ashes, and round the edges a fringe of brownish powder, which had_not yet been consumed . half of_this i_took, as_you saw, and I placed it in an envelope ."

" why half, Holmes ? "

" it_is_not for_me, my dear Watson, to stand in_the way of_the official police force .I leave them all the evidence which I_found . the poison still remained upon_the talc had they the wit to_find it . now, Watson, we_will light our lamp; we_will, however, take_the precaution to open our window to avoid the premature decease of two deserving members of society, and you_will seat yourself near that open window in an armchair unless, like a sensible man, you determine to_have nothing to_do with_the affair .Oh, you_will_see it out, will_you ? i_thought I_knew my Watson . this chair i_will place opposite yours, so_that we_may_be the same distance from_the poison and face_to_face . the door we_will leave ajar . each is now in_a_position to watch the other and to bring the experiment to an end should the symptoms seem alarming . is_that all clear ? well, then, I take our powder- or what remains of it- from_the envelope, and I lay it above the burning lamp . so ! now, Watson, let_us sit down and await developments ."

they were_not long in coming .I had hardly settled in my chair before i_was conscious of a thick, musky odour, subtle and nauseous . at_the very first whiff of it my brain and my imagination were beyond all control .a thick, black cloud swirled before my eyes, and my mind told me that in_this cloud, unseen as_yet, but about to spring out upon my appalled senses, lurked all that was vaguely horrible, all that was monstrous and inconceivably wicked in_the universe . vague shapes swirled and swam amid the dark cloud- bank, each a menace and awarning of something coming, the advent of some unspeakable dweller upon_the threshold, whose very shadow would blast my soul .afreezing horror took possession of me . I_felt that my hair was rising, that my eyes were protruding, that my mouth was opened, and my tongue like leather . the turmoil within my brain was such that something must surely snap .I tried to scream and was vaguely aware of some hoarse croak which_was my own voice, but distant and detached from myself . at_the same moment, in some effort of escape, I broke through_that cloud of despair and had a glimpse of Holmes's face, white, rigid, and drawn with horror- the very look which I had seen upon_the features of_the dead . it was_that vision which gave_me an instant of sanity and of strength .I dashed from my chair, threw my arms round Holmes, and together we lurched through_the door, and an instant afterwards had thrown ourselves down upon_the grass plot and were lying side by side, conscious only of_the glorious sunshine which_was bursting its way through_the hellish cloud of terror which had girt us in . slowly it rose from_our souls like the mists from a landscape until peace and reason had returned, and we were sitting upon_the grass, wiping our clammy foreheads, and looking with apprehension at each_other to mark the last traces of_that terrific experience which we had undergone .

" upon my word, Watson ! " said Holmes at last with an unsteady voice, "I owe you both my thanks and an apology . it_was an unjustifiable experiment even for_one's self, and doubly so for a friend . I_am really very sorry ."

" you_know," I answered with some emotion, for I had never seen so_much of Holmes's heart before, " that_it_is my greatest joy and privilege to help_you ."

he relapsed at once into_the half- humorous, half- cynical vein which_was his habitual attitude to_those about him ." it would_be superfluous to drive us mad, my dear Watson," said he ."A candid observer would certainly declare that we were so already before we embarked upon so wild an experiment .I confess that I never imagined that_the effect could_be so sudden and so severe ." he dashed into_the cottage, and, reappearing with_the burning lamp held at full arm's length, he threw it among a bank of brambles ." we_must give the room a little time to clear .I take it, Watson, that you_have no longer a shadow of a doubt as_to how these tragedies were produced ? "

" none whatever ."

" but the cause remains as obscure as before . come into_the arbour here and_let_us discuss it together . that villainous stuff seems still to linger round my throat . i_think we_must admit that all the evidence points to_this man, Mortimer Tregennis, having been the criminal in_the first tragedy, though he was_the victim in_the second one . we_must remember, in_the first place, that_there_is some story of a family quarrel, followed by a reconciliation . how bitter that quarrel may have_been, or how hollow the reconciliation we_cannot tell . when i_think of Mortimer Tregennis, with_the foxy face and_the small shrewd, beady eyes behind the spectacles, he_is_not a man whom i_should judge to_be of a particularly forgiving disposition . well, in_the next place, you_will remember that_this idea of someone moving in_the garden, which took our attention for a moment from_the real cause of_the tragedy, emanated from_him . he had a motive in misleading us . finally, if he_did_not throw this substance into_the fire at_the moment of leaving the room, who did do_so ? the affair happened immediately after his departure . had anyone else come in, the family would certainly have risen from_the table . besides, in peaceful Cornwall, visitors do_not arrive after ten o'clock at night . we_may take it then, that all the evidence points to Mortimer Tregennis as_the culprit ."

" then his own death was suicide ! "

" well, Watson, it_is on_the face of it a not impossible supposition . the man who had the guilt upon his soul of having brought such a fate upon his own family might well be driven by remorse to inflict it upon himself . there_are, however, some cogent reasons against it .Fortunately, there_is one man in England who knows all about_it, and I_have_made arrangements by_which we_shall hear

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