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How our hydraulic engineer had been conveyed from the garden to

the spot where he recovered his senses might have remained

forever a mystery were it not for the soft mould, which told us a

very plain tale. He had evidently been carried down by two

persons, one of whom had remarkably small feet and the other

unusually large ones. On the whole, it was most probable that the

silent Englishman, being less bold or less murderous than his

companion, had assisted the woman to bear the unconscious man out

of the way of danger.

"Well," said our engineer ruefully as we took our seats to return

once more to London, "it has been a pretty business for me! I

have lost my thumb and I have lost a fifty-guinea fee, and what

have I gained?"

"Experience," said Holmes, laughing. "Indirectly it may be of

value, you know; you have only to put it into words to gain the

reputation of being excellent company for the remainder of your

existence."

X. THE ADVENTURE OF THE NOBLE BACHELOR