The Return of Sherlock Holmes

'I could tell you roughly by the pay-list,' the manager answered. 'Yes,' he continued, after turning over some pages, 'the last time he was paid was on May 20th.'

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

It was late in the afternoon before we were able to snatch a hasty lunch at a restaurant. A news-bill at the entrance announced 'Kensington Outrage. Murder by a Madman'. Looking at the paper told us that Mr. Horace Harker had got his story into print after all. Two columns were filled with a highly sensational and flowery version of what had happened at Mr Harker's house. Holmes propped the newspaper against the cruet-stand and read it while he ate. Once or twice he laughed.

'This is all right, Watson,' said he. 'Listen to this: "It is satisfactory to know that everyone agrees about this case. Mr. Lestrade, one of the most experienced members of the police force, and Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the well-known consulting expert, have each decided that the grotesque series of events, which have ended so sadly, were caused by madness rather than deliberate crime. Nothing but mental illness can explain everything".'

Vocabulary:

Roughly: Here it means 'approximately'
Snatch: Take quickly
Hasty: In a hurry
Outrage: Something that causes anger and offence
Columns: The writing in a newspaper is in columns, not right across the page
Sensational: Dramatic
Flowery: Using very elegant language with too many words
Propped: Leaned against
Cruet: Oil and/or vinegar
Grotesque: Strange and ugly