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to what extent the various circumstances and resource may be pledged, that of the unbrought to light in his experiences consti earther of crime ought, by its performance, tute legal evidence of crime. Entering on to gain respect, one would think, for the the treatment of Holmes' deductive process maxim, " Too many cooks spoil the broth." exhibiting the fruit, as he himself makes Our subject nevertheless too often prefers to lean on the contradictory assurance, " In a known, of an observance of trifles, the curi ous may be interested to learn that Zadig, multitude of counsellors there is safety," a an Oriental figuring in the dawn of history, doctrine which placed over against the other was the first to obtain for it secure footing evokes the moral that man should not pin as a system. Many will no doubt remem his faith to proverbs. Among the peculiar ber the tale of the lost dromedary, about shifts to which he resorts is the roping in of which its owners, two prosperous merchants, a group of idlers for the purpose of bringing about a make-believe street quarrel, in order sought information from the expert, un known to them to be such at the time of that upon its reaching its height he may be making their inquiries. Able to convince violently thrown to the ground and suffer to them that if the missing quadruped had one all appearances grave injury — that simu blind eye, was deprived of a tooth, and bore lated issue leading to his being humanely on each flank different commodities — honey carried into the house where his crucial move is afterwards to be made. Would and rice — he had recently visited the neigh borhood, they, to his intense surprise, cite these confederates, it may be inquired, have him before a magistrate as admitting knowl risked their not unlikely arrest by the police edge that would seem to implicate him in for causing a breach of the peace, without its larceny. He is discharged in triumph insisting beforehand that they should, to from the accusation on explaining that, some extent at least, be taken into the mana although he had never seen the animal, its ger's confidence. And, if drawn to the scene, presence not long before was attested by what measure of credence would the guar the facts that grass along its track had been dians of public order attach to a representa cropped from one margin only, and that tion that the whole affair was a sham? Following his prey on this occasion, the every tuft removed showed a gap in the middle, besides the symptom that flies had hunter, as we gather from his own intimation gathered about the leakage from its burden of the result, was unable to keep himself con at one side of the road, while ants lingered cealed behind the stalking-horse called to his aid. At the by no means trifling risk of in the vicinity of that on the other. The self-centered authority whom these some of them revealing the secret, he several comments involve — who betrays, at one times allows three or four in this way to be time, the depth and caution of an adept, at come privy to his intentions, and share in another, the haste and maladroitness of the their putting into effect. tyro — is frequently observed to stray with Having once mapped out the course to out valid excuse from the path in which his be followed — chosen the cards he will professional brothers, controlled by wisely | play — Holmes never sticks at the means ordained laws, feel themselves constrained by which his end shall be accomplished. to walk, habitually ignores landmarks which When he is not pointing a loaded revolver at the regular experimenter is well satisfied to some wrongdoer's head to reduce him to recognize. Now, of all work to which ability! submission, he, without fear of an action of