For many years, Watson shared an apartment in London with his friend, Sherlock Holmes

Watson worked as a doctor in British army for several years

Their address was 221B Baker Street,in the center of London

Sherlock Holmes was the most famous private detective in London

He helped to solve crimes and catch criminals

He enjoyed solving intersting problems

One afternoon,Watson was reading a book and Holmes standing by the window

He turned sadly away from the window .

At the moment,there was a knock at the door.

Their housekeeper came into the room.

She was carrying a small white card on a silver tray.

Holmes picked up the card 

'Miss Mary Morstant' he read aloud

Miss Morstant entered the room

She was young and not very tall,with blonde hair and blue eyes

'My father was a captain in the army

when i was young,he was sent to india

my mother was dead and i had no idea no other relatives in England

so,while my father was away, i was sent to school

When i was 17,i received a letter from my father.

he said that he was leaving India and coming back to England

He gave me the address of a hotel in London

He asked me to meet him there.

I was very happy about seeing my father again.

I went to London and arrived at the hotel.

I asked for Captain Morstan.'

The hotel manager told that her father was not there.

She waited  all day and all night.

Sherlock asked her what was the date that her father disappeared.

She told him it was 3rd December 1878

Captains Mostant luggage contained some books,clothes,paintings and ornaments from the Andaman Islands.

'Did your father have any frieands in London'?asked Holmes.

'Only one-Major Sholto.' she said.

The date 4th May 1882 the advertisement asked for Miss Morstan address

The next day she received a small cardboard box

Inside the box was a pearl.

She said that she has received another 5 pearls since that day.

They went to Bartholomew Sholto House

The house was dark.

They walked up to thwe house.

They knocked the door.

A tall old woman opened it.

They climbed up the stairs.

There was a passage at the top of the stairs.

At the end of the passage was a door.

They hurried forwords.Holmes turned the handle but the door was locked.

Then he bent down and looked through the keyhole.

They threw theirselves at the door and it broke with a sudden crack

They were inside Bartholomew Sholto's room

Bartholomew Sholto was dead

He was sitting in a chair by a table

His body was stiff and cold

They could see that he had been dead forn many hours

There was a horrible smile on his face

There was a piece of paper on the body

Holmes picked it up and read it

The light of the lamp,i read with horror-'The Sign of Four'

They saw something stucking in the dead man's skin near his ear

It looks like a thorn, Watson said

It's a thorn ,said Holmes

'You can take out.But be careful.It is poisone'

Watson looked at it.It was hars and sharp.

'Go to the police station,Mr  Sholto'. said Holmes.

Ask the police to come quickly.Doctor Watson and I will wait here.

Thaddeus Sholto turned away.They heared him going downstairs.

Now they have some work to do before the police arrive.

They must find out how the murderer got into the room

The door was locked.But what about the window?

Look on the floor-here is another footprint and another mark.

Some were footprints,but some were in the shape of small circles.

There were marks mady by someone with a wooden leg.

Two people came into this room

They call them Number 1 and Number 2

Number 2 is the wooden-legged man

But who is Number 1? And how did he get in?

Watson looked the room.He thought quickly.

Then suddenly he knew the answer.

In the ceilling of the room was a hole.

Thaddeus Sholto had told them that his brother had made this hole.

The Agra Treasure had been hidden in this hidden in the secreat room above

The tow Sholto brothers had lowered the treasure chest through this hole the night before

A set of steps was standing beneath the hole.

on the floor by the set of steps was a rope

Number 1 must have looked through the hole in the ceilling.

He saw Bartholomew Sholto sitting on the chair below him.

He kill Sholto with a poisoned thorn

Then he must have taken the rope,opened the window and thrown the end of the rope down into the gardenHis friend, Number 2,the wooden-legged man,must have been waiting below.

Number 2 climbed up the rope with the help of Number 1

The murderes then lowered the treasure chest to the ground with the rope.

Number 2 climbed down the rope

Number 1 got out of the room through the hole in the ceilling.

They climbed the steps and found theirselves in a smoll dark room without any windows

There was thick dust on the floor

It was here that the treasure had been hidden fro so many years.

Look,said Holmes. There is a small door in the roof.

'That is how Number 1 got in'

They were not the footprints of an ordinary man.

They were extremely small.

It is a man's . They are the prints of a tiny man

He is strong and he can climb heights easily.

Just then they heard footsteps and loud voices outside the room

Is the police, said Holmes.

As he spoke,a fat man in a grey suit entered the room.

He was followed by a policeman and by Thaddeus Sholto.

Good evening,Inspector Jones',said Holmes.

This man,Thaddeus Sholto, tells me that he was with his brother lat night.

They discovered the trreasure together.

He was the last person to see his brother alive.

Now i think that Thaddeus Sholto killed his brother.

Then he ran off with the jewels,said Inspector Jones.

Mr Sholto, said Jones.

'I arrest you for the murder of your brother'.

'I didn't do it' Thaddeus said.

'Please ,Mr Holmes, believe me!'

'Don't worry,Mr SHolto' said Holmes.

'The police don;t want my help Watson',said Holmes,as soon as the Inspector had gone 

'He arrested the wrong man'

Watson agreed with Holmes.He was sure that Thaddeus was not the murderer

'We must be quick,Watson' said Holmes.

I want you to do 2 things.

First take Miss Morstan home.

 Second,go to this address-3 Pinchin Lane

ask for Mr Sherman. He has an old dog called Toby

I want you to bring Toby here. Meet me here in 2 hours'

Soon Watson arrived in Pinchin Lane-the adress where Holmes had sent him.

It was a very poor street and the houses were old and dirty.

He found house number 3 andd knocked on the door.

After some time,a face looked out from a window above.

It was not a friendly face.

'Who are you'? said the face angrily.'What do you want'?

'Come down and open the door', said Watson.

'I have something to ask you'.

'Go away at once 'said the face.

'If you don't,i'll let out fifty fogs upon you'

'My friend ,Mr Sherlock Holmes...'I began .

At these words,the window suddenly shut and a few minutes kater the door opened

He saw an old man with grey hall and a beard,holding a candle in his had.

'Come in,sir,he said. I am Mr Sherman

I am sorry that i was rude.

'I didn't know that you were friend of Sherlock Holmes'.

'What  does Mr Holmes want?' asked the old man.

' A dog called Toby' Watson answered.

Several small boats were near the jetty on the bank of the river.

Holmes looked at these boats.I wonder where the stream launch is.'he said.

'I think we must ask a few questions.'

He knocked loudly at the door of the house.

A large woman with a red face opened it.

A child was crying somewhere inside the house.

The saw the woman was very upset about something.

'I want to hire a boat' said Holmes.

'Well,perhaps i can help you' said Mrs Smith.

'Which boat do you want?'

'I wanted to hide the steam launch'

I have heared it is a very good boat.

'Let me see.What the name? The...'

The Aurora,sir,' said Mrs Smith.

'Oh , yes ,that;s right. I remember now.

But where is the Aurora?' said Holmes, looking around.

'I don't see a steam launch anywhere.'

'Oh , sir. My husband has gone in the Aurora.'

Mrs Smith replied and burst into tears.

I don;t trust that wooden-legged man.'