No 7 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

by Arthur Conan Doyle

I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holrnes second morning after Christmas, intention of wishing him the compliments season lounging sofa in purple dressing-gown, pipe-rack within his reach right, and pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at hand Beside the couch was wooden chair, and angle back hung very seedy and disreputable hard-felt hat, much the worse for wear, and cracked in several places lens and forceps lying seat chair suggested hat suspended manner of examination

" engaged," said l; "perhaps I interrupt you "

"Not at all friend discuss my results The matter is perfectly trivial one" -- he jerked his thumb direction old hat -- "but points in connection with it which entirely devoid of interest and even of instruction "

I seated myself armchair and warmed my hands before his crackling fire, for sharp frost had set in, windows were thick ice crystals "I suppose," I remarked, "that, homely as it looks, this thing has some deadly story linked on -- the clue which will guide you solution of some mystery punishment of some crime "

"No, no No crime," said Sherlock Holmes, laughing " whimsical little incidents which will happen have four million human beings all jostling space of few square miles Amid the action and reaction of so dense swarm of humanity, every possible combination of events expected place, and many little problem presented striking and bizarre without being criminal already had experience "

" so," l remarked, "that last six cases which added to my notes, three entirely free of any legal crime "

"Precisely You allude to my attempt to recover the Irene Adler papers, singular case of Miss Mary Sutherland, and adventure man twisted lip Well, small matter will fall same innocent category Peterson, the commissionaire ? "

"Yes "

" to him trophy belongs "

" his hat "

"No, no, it Its owner is unknown I beg that look upon it not as battered billycock but as an intellectual problem And, first, how it came here It arrived upon Christmas morning, in company with good fat goose, , , roasting moment in front of Peterson's fire The facts are these: about four o'clock on Christmas morn- ing, Peterson, who, , is very honest fellow, was returning from some small jollification and was making his way homeward down Tottenham Court Road In front of him , gaslight, tallish man, walking with slight stagger, and carrying white goose slung over his shoulder As he reached the corner of Goodge Street, row broke out between this stranger and little knot of roughs latter knocked off the man's hat, he raised his stick to defend himself and, swinging it over his head, smashed the shop window behind him Peterson had rushed forward to protect the stranger assailants; but the man, shocked at having broken the window, and seeing an official-looking person in uniform rushing towards him, dropped his goose, took heels, and vanished amid the labyrinth of small streets which lie back of Tottenham Court Road The roughs had also fled appearance of Peterson, left in possession field of battle, and also spoils of victory shape battered hat and most unimpeachable Christmas goose "

"Which surely he restored owner ? "

"My dear fellow, there lies the problem true that ' Henry Baker' was printed upon small card tied bird's left leg, and also true initials 'H B ' are legible lining hat, but as some thousands of Bakers, and some hundreds of Henry Bakers city of ours, easy to restore lost property to "

"What, then, did Peterson do ? "

"He brought round both hat and goose on Christmas morning, knowing that even the smallest problems are of interest The goose we retained until , when there were signs that, slight frost, it well eaten without unnecessary delay Its finder has carried it off, therefore, to fulfil the ultimate destiny of goose, while I continue to retain the hat unknown gentleman who lost his Christmas dinner "

"Did he not advertise ? "

"No "

"Then, what clue could as identity ? "

"Only deduce "

" hat ? "

"Precisely "

"But joking What gather old battered felt ? "

" my lens my methods What gather yourself individuality man who has worn this article ? "

the tattered object in my hands and turned it over rather ruefully very ordinary black hat usual round shape, hard and much the worse for wear The lining of red silk, but was discoloured no maker's name; but, as Holmes had remarked, the initials "H B " were scrawled upon one side pierced brim for hat- securer, but the elastic was missing rest, cracked, exceedingly dusty, and spotted in several places, although there seemed some attempt to hide the discoloured patches by smearing them with ink

" nothing," said I, handing it back to my friend

" contrary, Watson, you everything You fail, however, to reason from what too timid in drawing your inferences "

"Then, pray tell me what it infer hat ? "

He picked it up and gazed at it peculiar introspective fashion characteristic of him " perhaps less suggestive than it ," he remarked, "and yet few inferences which are very distinct, and few others which represent strong balance of probability man was highly intellectual is obvious face of it, and also that fairly well-to-do last three years, although he has now fallen upon evil days He had foresight, but has less now than formerly, pointing to moral retrogression, which, when taken decline fortunes, seems to indicate some evil influence, probably drink, at work upon him account also obvious fact that his wife has ceased to love him "

"My dear Holmes ! "

"He has, however, retained some degree of self-respect," he continued, disregarding my remonstrance " man who leads sedentary life, goes out little, is out of training entirely, is middle-aged, has grizzled hair which he has had cut last , and which he anoints with lime-cream These are the more patent facts which are deduced hat Also, , extremely improbable that he has gas laid on house "

" certainly joking, Holmes "

"Not least possible that even now, when I these results, unable how attained ? "

" that very stupid, but confess that unable you For example, how did you deduce man was intellectual ? "

For answer Holmes clapped the hat upon his head It came right over the forehead and settled bridge nose " question of cubic capacity," said he; "a man with so large brain something "

"The decline fortunes, then ? "

"This hat is three years old These flat brims curled edge came in then hat very best quality Look band of ribbed silk excellent lining man could afford so expensive hat three , and has had no hat since, then he has assuredly gone down "

"Well, clear enough, certainly But how foresight moral retrogression ? "