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Chapter III In Quest of a Solution

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    xpeditionofto-nightwillsolvethemall.Ah,hereisafour-wheeler,andMissMorstanisinside.Areyouallready?Thenwehadbettergodown,foritisalittlepastthehour.” Ipickedupmyhatandmyheavieststick,butIobservedthatHolmestookhisrevolverfromhisdrawerandslippeditintohispocket.Itwasclearthathethoughtthatournight’sworkmightbeaseriousone. MissMorstanwasmuffledinadarkcloak,andhersensitivefacewascomposed,butpale.Shemusthavebeenmorethanwomanifshedidnotfeelsomeuneasinessatthestrangeenterpriseuponwhichwewereembarking,yetherself-controlwasperfect,andshereadilyansweredthefewadditionalquestionswhichSherlockHolmesputtoher. “MajorSholtowasaveryparticularfriendofpapa’s,”shesaid.“Hisletterswerefullofallusionstothemajor.HeandpapawereincommandofthetroopsattheAndamanIslands,sotheywerethrownagreatdealtogether.Bytheway,acuriouspaperwasfoundinpapa’sdeskwhichnoonecouldunderstand.Idon’tsupposethatitisoftheslightestimportance,butIthoughtyoumightcaretoseeit,soIbroughtitwithme.Itishere.” Holmesunfoldedthepapercarefullyandsmootheditoutuponhisknee.Hethenverymethodicallyexamineditalloverwithhisdoublelens. “ItispaperofnativeIndianmanufacture,”heremarked.“Ithasatsometimebeenpinnedtoaboard.Thediagramuponitappearstobeaplanofpartofalargebuildingwithnumeroushalls,corridors,andpassages.Atonepointisasmallcrossdoneinredink,andaboveitis‘3.37fromleft,’infadedpencil-writing.Intheleft-handcornerisacurioushieroglyphiclikefourcrossesinalinewiththeirarmstouching.Besideitiswritten,inveryroughandcoarsecharacters,‘Thesignofthefour,—JonathanSmall,MahometSingh,AbdullahKhan,DostAkbar.’No,IconfessthatIdonotseehowthisbearsuponthematter.Yetitis
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