"'Excuse me, Captain,' I replied, ' but there is no five hundred pounds due, as there has been no burglary committed.' "'Sir,' he returned, 'I offered that sum to the man who restored the brooch, and you have returned it between you.' "'You obtained our services by false representations,' I said, in pretended anger; 'you got us here by saying there had been a burglary committed, and instead of that it isn't even a case of housebreaking, nor of kleptomania, nor of petty larceny. Your servant would have found the brooch when dusting the table. For my own part I am not usually disturbed during breakfast by such simple cases as this, — and I gave Holmes a look — and I daresay my partner has missed a pleasant day on the river. Not a farthing. Mr. McDonald!' "To say that both he and Holmes were I astonished would but faintly describe their condition; they were, in the phraseology of our Yankee cousins, 'flabbergasted.' "'But how did you find it. Mr. Anderson? It is so — so — bless my soul!! I can't understand it. How did you do it?' enquired the Captain. "'Pardon me, sir, but we never disclose our modus operandi, do we, Mr. Holmes?' And I beamed a meaning smile upon the latter, which went home. 'You see, Mr. McDonald, if we detectives and conjurors were to show the public how we did our tricks we should have the profession crowded in no time, and then-?' "'But this discovery was made by no trick.' "'Well, well, we have all sorts of little birds telling us things — oh, Mr. Holmes?' But Holmes did not take me for a wonder. 'Just I one question, Captain, before we go. Did you ever road 'Sylvester Sound, the Somnambulist," by Honey Cocktou?' A light broke upon them both. "'I have read the book, Mr. Anderson,' replied the Captain, with a smile of anticipation. "'Well, the next time-you think of going in for a little sleep-walking I would advise you to take the same precaution Silvester did by attaching himself to his bedfellow,' and we all laughed heartily at the recollection of the somnambulist's ruse and its result. "And," concluded Anderson, "that charming landscape by David Cox, hung in my den at home, was a present from the Captain .... What did Holmes say? I'll tell you. Ah it was rich the way I rubbed it in." "'Anderson,' said he, I'm obliged by your kindness; the way you did it was fine. But how the devil did you find out about the old fellow walking in his sleep?' "'Perhaps Mr. Sherlock Holmes,' said I, you noticed there was a parrot in the room we were in, or possibly so small a thing escaped your attention.' "'Go on, old sword of Damocles,' said he. "'Holmes old chap,' said I, 'that parrot was, as you remarked, an intelligent bird, a very intelligent bird.' And I roared at sight of his perplexity as he made for a passing tramcar." I joined my friend in the boisterous laugh he was seized with at the memory of it all. But while subsequently acknowledging his smartness in taking such ready advantage of so rare an accident, I would not alter my previously expressed estimate of the reception posterity would accord the chronicled exploits of Sherlock Holmes.