"
"No, I think that may be dismissed. I had inquiries made, and
there is a launch of that description."
"Could it have gone up the river?"
"I have considered that possibility too, and there is a search-
party who will work up as far as Richmond. If no news comes to-
day, I shall start off myself to-morrow, and go for the men
rather than the boat. But surely, surely, we shall hear
something."
We did not, however. Not a word came to us either from Wiggins
or from the other agencies. There were articles in most of the
papers upon the Norwood tragedy. They all appeared to be rather
hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus Sholto. No fresh details
were to be found, however, in any of them, save that an inquest
was to be held upon the following day. I walked over to
Camberwell in the evening to report our ill success to the
ladies, and on my return I found Holmes dejected and somewhat
morose. He would hardly reply to my questions, and busied
himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which
involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors, ending
at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment.
Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of
his test-tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his
malodorous experiment.
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