“I was confined to the house by a severe chill for three days lastweek. I thought， however， that I had cast off every trace of it.”
“So you have. You look remarkably robust.”
“How， then， did you know of it？”
“My dear fellow， you know my methods.”
“You deduced it， then？”
“Certainly.”
“And from what？”
“From your slippers.”
I glanced down at the new patent-leathers which I was wearing.
How on earth——” I began， but Holmes answered my questionbefore it was asked.
“Your slippers are new，” he said. “You could not have hadthem more than a few weeks. The soles which you are at thismoment presenting to me are slightly scorched. For a moment Ithought they might have got wet and been burned in the drying.
But near the instep there is a small circular wafer of paper withthe shopman’s hieroglyphics upon it. Damp would of courseMemoirs of Sherlock Holmes 701
have removed this. You had， then， been sitting with your feetoutstretched to the fire， which a man would hardly do even in sowet a June as this if he were in his full health.”
Like all Holmes’s reasoning the thing seemed simplicity itselfwhen it was once explained. He read the thought upon myfeatures， and his smile had a tinge of bitterness.
“I am afraid that I rather give myself away when I explain，” saidhe. “Results without causes are much more impressive. You areready to come to Birmingham， then？”
“Certainly. What is the case？”
“You shall hear it all in the train. My client is outside in a fourwheeler.
Can you come at once？”
“In an instant.” I scribbled a note to my neighbor， rushedupstairs to explain the matter to my wife， and joined Holmes uponthe doorstep.
“Your neighbor is a doctor，” said he， nodding at the brass plate.
“Yes， he bought a practice as I did.”
“An old-established one？”
“Just the same as mine. Both have been ever since the houseswere built.”
“Ah！ then you got hold of the best of the two.”
“I think I did. But how do you know？”
“By the steps， my boy. Yours are worn three inches deeper thanhis. But this gentleman in the cab is my client， Mr. Hall Pycroft.
Allow me to introduce you to him. Whip your horse up， cabby， forwe have only just time to catch our train.”
The man whom I found myself facing was a well built， freshcomplexionedyoung fellow， with a frank， honest face and a slight，crisp， yellow mustache. He wore a very shiny top hat and a neatsuit of sober black， which made him look what he was—a smartyoung City man， of the class who have been labeled cockneys， butwho give us our crack volunteer regiments， and who turn out morefine athletes and sportsmen than any body of men in these islands.
His round， ruddy face was naturally full of cheeriness， but thecorners of his mouth seemed to me to be pulled down in a halfcomicaldistress. It was not， however， until we were all in a firstclasscarriage and well started upon our journey to Birminghamthat I was able to learn what the trouble was which had drivenhim to Sherlock Holmes.
“We have a clear run here of seventy minutes，” Holmesremarked. “I want you， Mr. Hall Pycroft， to tell my friend yourvery interesting experience exactly as you have told it to me，or with more detail if possible. It will be of use to me to hearthe succession of events again. It is a case， Watson， which mayprove to have something in it， or may prove to have nothing， but702 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
which， at least， presents those unusual and outré features whichare as dear to you as they are to me. Now， Mr. Pycroft， I shall notinterrupt you again.”
Our young companion looked at me with a twinkle in his eye.
“The worst of the story is，” said he， “that I show myself up assuch a confounded fool. Of course it may work out all right， anddon’t see that I could have done otherwise； but if I have lost mycrib and get nothing in exchange I shall feel what a soft Johnnie Ihave been. I’m not very good at telling a story， Dr. Watson， but itlike this with me：
“I used to have a billet at Coxon &； Woodhouse’s， of Draper’sGardens， but they were let in early in the spring through theVenezuelan loan， as no doubt you remember， and came a nastycropper. I had been with them five years， and old Coxon gave meripping good testimonial when the smash came， but of course weclerks were all turned adrift， the twenty-seven of us. I tried hereand tried there， but there were lots of other chaps on the samelay as myself， and it was a perfect frost for a long time. I had beentaking three pounds a week at Coxon’s， and I had saved aboutseventy of them， but I soon worked my way through that and outat the other end. I was fairly at the end of my tether at last， andcould hardly find the stamps to answer the advertisements or theenvelopes to stick them to. I had worn out my boots paddling upoffice stairs， and I seemed just as far from getting a billet as ever.
“At last I saw a vacancy at Mawson &； Williams’s， the great stockbrokingfirm in Lombard Street. I dare say E. C. is not much inyour line， but I can tell you that this is about the richest house inLondon. The advertisement was to be answered by letter only. Isent in my testimonial and application， but without the least hopeof getting it. Back came an answer by return， saying that if I wouldappear next Monday I might take over my new duties at once，provided that my appearance was satisfactory. No one knows howthese things are worked. Some people say that the manager justplunges his hand into the heap and takes the first that comes.
Anyhow it was my innings that time， and I don’t ever wish to feelbetter pleased. The screw was a pound a week rise， and the dutiesjust about the same as at Coxon’s.