When father died, we
were left very poor, but one day we were told that there was an
advertisement in the Times, inquiring for our whereabouts. You
can imagine how excited we were, for we thought that someone
had left us a fortune. We went at once to the lawyer whose name
was given in the paper. There we met two gentlemen, Mr.
Carruthers and Mr. Woodley, who were home on a visit from
South Africa. They said that my uncle was a friend of theirs
that he had died some months before in great poverty in Johan-
nesburg, and that he had asked them with his last breath to hunt
up his relations, and see that they were in no want. It seemed
strange to us that Uncle Ralph, who took no notice of us when
he was alive should be so careful to look after us when he was
dead, but Mr. Carruthers explained that the reason was that my
uncle had just heard of the death of his brother, and so felt
responsible for our fate."
"Excuse me." said Holmes. "When was this interview?"
"Last December -- four months ago."
"Pray proceed."
"Mr. Woodley seemed to me to be a most odious person.
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