Pagina 301 van 657

"What!" he roared.

"Yes, to-day." She stood smiling, holding up a little slip of

paper in the air.

"May I see it?"

"Certainly."

He snatched it from her in his eagerness, and smoothing it out

upon the table he drew over the lamp and examined it intently. I

had left my chair and was gazing at it over his shoulder. The

envelope was a very coarse one and was stamped with the Gravesend

postmark and with the date of that very day, or rather of the day

before, for it was considerably after midnight.

"Coarse writing," murmured Holmes. "Surely this is not your

husband's writing, madam."

"No, but the enclosure is."

"I perceive also that whoever addressed the envelope had to go

and inquire as to the address."

"How can you tell that?"