THE ADVENTURE OF THE MOON STONE

I'd rarely seen my friend exhibit excitement while on a case and never did he react with such interestbefore the case even begun. It was a brisk March morning in the first year of the new century when he came tome holding a letter."Our guest will be here within the hour but before he arrives I should like your opinion of his correspondence."I took the letter and examined it carefully all the while knowing that my poor deductionswould only amuse Holmes."Bad handwriting, poor spelling.""Very good, Watson, I believe this gentleman is not used to penmanship and normally I'ddeduce him to be of poor schooling but despite this his words are eloquent and well chosen. Andwhat you call poor spelling is quite accurate in American schools.""Perhaps his hands are afflicted with some malady that makes it difficult for him to write?""I thought of that too. But if you'll note the lines that make up the letters, you'll find that theyare unbroken. Quite unlike those of an invalid's making. Also from this I doubt that the writinginstrument was a quill and ink. There are no stray ink spots and no evidence that the pen waslifted from the paper to redip. Without even seeing him our guest has already proved to be anenigma."With prompt timing we heard the door downstairs open as Mrs. Hudson admitted our guest.With what must have been a very swift ascent up the stairs the fellow was knocking at our door."Come in," said Holmes.

The man entered as we stood, walked over to Holmes shook his hand and then mine. He was severalinches taller than Holmes, who himself is inches above average height, and much heavier. I estimated hisweight at 15 stone but in superb training. Comparing him to other athletes we'd interviewed I'd venture to saythat he was a match for any in strength and quickness."Well what can we do for you, Mr. Smith?""First, call me John. I'd like to thank you for seeing me, Mr. Holmes. You may not be aware of it butwhere I come from you're very highly thought of.""New England?""Yes, does my accent show?""There are some peculiarities. But the New England roots are recognizable."As Holmes impressed the man with his deductions, I noted that our guest was experiencing someanxiety in spite of his calm exterior. I'm sure Holmes realized it as well."There's a certain item that has been stolen from me. And if it isn't recovered within seventy-two hoursI'll never see my home again."Holmes who had been sitting back in his chair with his elbows on the arm rests and his hands folded infront of him suddenly leaned forward."From that statement sir, I can safely deduce that this item is not an ordinary passport or any other typeof transit paperwork.""That is correct. This isn't a simple matter. And I've been rehearsing this conversation many times onmy way over here. I see no alternative but to withhold nothing from you even though it may come as a shock to both of you.""Please continue," prompted Holmes as Mr. Smith hesitated.