Sherlock Holmes Investigates

'I could give you some idea by looking at the pay-list,' the manager answered. 'After looking at the list and turning over some pages, he said 'the last time Beppo was paid was on May 20th.'

'Thank you,' said Holmes. 'I don't think that I need to use up any more of your time and patience.' Once again Holmes asked the manager to say nothing about the investigation. Then we left the house and went west, back to central London.

It was late in the afternoon. However, we had not had the chance before, so now we had a hasty lunch at a restaurant. An announcement at a news-stand at the entrance announced 'Kensington Outrage. Murder by a Madman'. When we looked at the paper we saw that Mr. Horace Harker had got his story into it after all. A large part of one page was filled with a very dramatic story of what had happened at Mr Harker's house. Holmes leaned the newspaper against the cruet-stand and read it while he was eating. Once or twice he laughed.

'This is rather good, Watson,' he said. 'Listen to this: "It is satisfactory to know that everyone agrees about this case. Mr. Lestrade, a very experienced policeman, and Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the well-known detective, have each decided that the strange and horrible crimes, which have ended with a man's death, were caused by a madman rather than a criminal. Nothing but mental illness can explain everything that has happened".'