A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
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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 strolled on to my hotel, considerably interested in my new acquaintance .

chapter II .

the science of deduction .

we met next_day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at no .221B, {5} baker street, of_which he had spoken at our meeting . they consisted of a couple of comfortable bed-rooms and a single large airy sitting- room, cheerfully furnished, and illuminated by two broad windows . so desirable in every way were the apartments, and so moderate did the terms seem when divided between_us, that_the bargain was concluded upon_the spot, and we at once entered into possession . that very evening I moved my things round from_the hotel, and on_the following morning Sherlock Holmes followed me with several boxes and portmanteaus . for a day_or_two we were busily employed in unpacking and laying out our property to_the best advantage . that done, we gradually began to settle down and to accommodate ourselves to our new surroundings .

Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with . he_was quiet in_his ways, and_his habits were regular . it_was rare for him to_be up after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in_the morning .Sometimes he spent his day at_the chemical laboratory, sometimes in_the dissecting-rooms, and occasionally in long walks, which appeared to_take him into_the lowest portions of_the city . nothing could exceed his energy when_the working fit was upon him; but now and again a reaction would seize him, and for days on end he_would lie upon_the sofa in_the sitting- room, hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night . on_these occasions I_have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in_his eyes, that I_might_have suspected him of being addicted to_the use of some narcotic, had_not the temperance and cleanliness of_his whole life forbidden such a notion .

as_the weeks went by, my interest in him and my curiosity as to_his aims in life, gradually deepened and increased . his very person and appearance were such as_to strike the attention of_the most casual observer . in height he_was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he_seemed to_be considerably taller . his eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to_which I_have alluded; and_his thin, hawk- like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision . his chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination . his hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he_was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments .

the reader may set me down as a hopeless busybody, when I confess how_much this man stimulated my curiosity, and how often I endeavoured to break through_the reticence which he showed on all that concerned himself . before pronouncing judgment, however, be it remembered, how objectless was my life, and how little there_was to engage my attention . my health forbade me from venturing out unless the weather was exceptionally genial, and I had no friends who_would call upon me and break the monotony of_my daily existence . under these circumstances, I eagerly hailed the little mystery which hung around my companion, and spent much of my_time in endeavouring to unravel it .

he_was not studying medicine . he had himself, in reply to a question, confirmed Stamford's opinion upon that point . neither did he appear to_have pursued any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in science or any_other recognized portal which would give him an entrance into_the learned world . yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable, and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me . surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view . desultory readers are seldom remarkable for_the exactness of_their learning . no man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very_good reason for doing_so .

his ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge . of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to_know next to nothing . upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in_the naivest way who he_might_be and what he had done . my surprise reached a climax, however, when I_found incidentally that he_was ignorant of_the Copernican theory and of_the composition of_the solar system . that any civilized human being in_this nineteenth century should_not_be aware that_the earth travelled round the sun appeared to_be to_me such an extraordinary fact that I_could hardly realize it .

" you appear to_be astonished," he_said, smiling at my expression of surprise ." now that I_do know it I_shall do my best to forget it ."

" to forget it ! "

" you_see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you_have to stock it with_such furniture as_you choose .a fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that_the knowledge which might_be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with alot of other things so_that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it . now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as_to what he takes into his brain- attic . he_will_have nothing but the tools which_may help him in doing his work, but of_these he has a large assortment, and all in_the most perfect order . it_is a mistake to_think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent . depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you_knew before . it_is of_the highest importance, therefore, not to_have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones ."

" but the solar system ! " I protested .

" what the deuce is_it to_me ? " he interrupted impatiently; " you say that we go round the sun . if_we went round the moon it would_not make apennyworth of difference to_me or to my work ."

i_was on_the point of asking him what that work might_be, but something in_his manner showed me that_the question would_be an unwelcome one .I pondered over our short conversation, however, and endeavoured to draw my deductions from_it . he_said that he_would acquire no knowledge which did_not bear upon his object . therefore all the knowledge which he possessed was such as would_be useful to him .I enumerated in my own mind all the various points upon_which he had shown me that he_was exceptionally well- informed .I even took a pencil and jotted them down . I_could_not help smiling at_the document when I had completed it . it ran in_this_way --

SHERLOCK HOLMES -- his limits .

1 . knowledge of literature .-- Nil .2 . philosophy .-- Nil .3 . astronomy .-- Nil .4 . politics .-- feeble .5 . botany .-- variable . well up in belladonna, opium, and poisons generally .Knows nothing of practical gardening .6 . geology .-- practical, but limited .Tells at a glance different soils from each_other . after walks has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them .7 .Chemistry .-- profound .8 . anatomy .-- accurate, but unsystematic .9 . sensational literature .-- immense . he appears to_know every detail of every horror perpetrated in_the century .10 .Plays the violin well .11 . is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman .12 . has a good practical knowledge of British law .

when I had got so_far in my list I threw it into_the fire in despair ." if I_can only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling all these accomplishments, and discovering acalling which needs them all," I_said to myself, " I_may as_well give up the attempt at once ."

I_see that I_have alluded above to_his powers upon_the violin . these were very remarkable, but as eccentric as all his other accomplishments . that he_could play pieces, and difficult pieces, I_knew well, because at my request he has played me some of Mendelssohn's Lieder, and other favourites . when left to himself, however, he_would seldom produce any music or attempt any recognized air .Leaning back in_his arm- chair of an evening, he_would close his eyes and scrape carelessly at_the fiddle which_was thrown across his knee .Sometimes the chords were sonorous and melancholy . occasionally they were fantastic and cheerful . clearly they reflected the thoughts which possessed him, but whether the music aided those thoughts, or whether the playing was simply the result of a whim or fancy was more than I_could determine . I_might_have rebelled against these exasperating solos had it not been that he usually terminated them by playing in quick succession a whole series of_my favourite airs as a slight compensation for_the trial upon my patience .

during the first week or so we had no callers, and I had begun to_think that my companion was as friendless a man as i_was myself . presently, however, I_found that he had many acquaintances, and those in_the most different classes of society . there_was one little sallow rat- faced, dark- eyed fellow who was introduced to_me as Mr Lestrade, and who came three or four times in a single week . one morning a young girl called, fashionably dressed, and stayed for half an hour or more . the same afternoon brought agrey- headed, seedy visitor, looking like aJew pedlar, who appeared to_me to_be much excited, and who was closely followed by a slip- shod elderly woman . on another occasion an old white-haired gentleman had an interview with my companion; and on another a railway porter in_his velveteen uniform . when any of_these nondescript individuals put in an appearance, Sherlock Holmes used to beg for_the use of_the sitting- room, and i_would retire to my bed- room . he always apologized to_me for putting me to_this inconvenience ." I_have to use this room as a place of business," he_said, " and these people are my clients ." again I had an opportunity of asking him a point blank question, and again my delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to confide in me .I imagined at_the_time that he had some strong reason for not alluding to_it, but he soon dispelled the idea by coming round to_the subject of_his own accord .

it_was upon_the 4th of march, as I_have good reason to remember, that I rose somewhat earlier than usual, and found that Sherlock Holmes had_not yet finished his breakfast . the landlady had become so accustomed to my late habits that my place had_not_been laid nor my coffee prepared . with_the unreasonable petulance of mankind I rang the bell and gave a curt intimation that i_was ready . then I picked up a magazine from_the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast . one_of_the articles had a pencil mark at_the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it .

its somewhat ambitious title was " the book of life," and it attempted to show how_much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in_his way . it struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity . the reasoning was close and intense, but the deductions appeared to_me to_be far-fetched and exaggerated . the writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man's inmost thoughts . deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in_the case of one trained to

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