You must remember that
they knew, and only they knew, that I was still alive. Sooner or
later they believed that I should come back to my rooms. They
watched them continuously, and this morning they saw me arrive."
"How do you know?"
"Because I recognized their sentinel when I glanced out of my
window. He is a harmless enough fellow, Parker by name, a
garroter by trade, and a remarkable performer upon the jew's-
harp. I cared nothing for him. But I cared a great deal for the
much more formidable person who was behind him, the bosom
friend of Moriarty, the man who dropped the rocks over the cliff
the most cunning and dangerous criminal in London. That is the
man who is after me to-night, Watson, and that is the man who
is quite unaware that we are after him."
My friend's plans were gradually revealing themselvcs. From
this convenient retreat, the watchers were being watched and the
trackers tracked. That angular shadow up yonder was the bait.
and we were the hunters. In silence we stood together in the
darkness and watched the hurrying figures who passed and re-
passed in front of us.
Pages:
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37