house is my tree, and you are my tiger. You have possibly had
other guns in reserve in case there should be several tigers, or in
the unlikely supposition of your own aim failing you. These,"
he pointed around, "are my other guns. The parallel is exact."

  Colonel Moran sprang forward with a snarl of rage, but the
constables dragged him back. The fury upon his face was terrible
to look at.

  "I confess that you had one small surprise for me," said
Holmes. "I did not anticipate that you would yourself make use
of this empty house and this convenient front window. I had
imagined you as operating from the street, where my friend
Lestrade and his merry men were awaiting you. With that excep-
tion, all has gone as I expected."

  Colonel Moran turned to the official detective.

  "You may or may not have just cause for arresting me," said
he, "but at least there can be no reason why I should submit to
the gibes of this person. If I am in the hands of the law, let
things be done in a legal way."

  "Well, that's reasonable enough," said Lestrade. "Nothing
further you have to say, Mr. Holmes, before we go?"

  Holmes had picked up the powerful air-gun from the floor,
and was examining its mechanism.

  "An admirable and unique weapon," said he, "noiseless and
of tremendous power: I knew Von Herder, the blind German
mechanic, who constructed it to the order of the late Professor
Moriarty. For years I have been aware of its existence, though I
have never before had the opportunity of handling it. I commend
it very specially to your attention, Lestrade, and also the bullets
which fit it."

  "You can trust us to look after that, Mr. Holmes," said
Lestrade, as the whole party moved towards the door. "Any-
thing further to say?"

  "Only to ask what charge you intend to prefer?"

  "What charge, sir? Why, of course, the attempted murder of
Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

  "Not so, Lestrade. I do not propose to appear in the matter at
all. To you, and to you only, belongs the credit of the remark-
able arrest which you have effected. Yes, Lestrade, I congratu-
late you! With your usual happy mixture of cunning and audacity,
you have got him."

  "Got him! Got whom, Mr. Holmes?"

  "The man that the whole force has been seeking in vain --
Colonel Sebastian Moran, who shot the Honourable Ronald Adair
with an expanding bullet from an air-gun through the open
window of the second-floor front of No. 427 Park Lane, upon
the thirtieth of last month. That's the charge, Lestrade. And
now, Watson, if you can endure the draught from a broken
window, I think that half an hour in my study over a cigar may
afford you some profitable amusement."

  Our old chambers had been left unchanged through the super-
vision of Mycroft Holmes and the immediate care of Mrs. Hud-
son. As I entered I saw, it is true, an unwonted tidiness, but the
old landmarks were all in their place. There were the chemical
corner and the acid-stained, deal-topped table. There upon a
shelf was the row of formidable scrap-books and books of refer-
ence which many of our fellow-citizens would have been so glad
to burn. The diagrams, the violin-case, and the pipe-rack -- even
the Persian slipper which contained the tobacco -- all met my
eyes as I glanced round me. There were two occupants of the
room -- one, Mrs. Hudson, who beamed upon us both as we
entered -- the other, the strange dummy which had played so
important a part in the evening's adventures. It was a wax-
coloured model of my friend, so admirably done that it was a
perfect facsimile. It stood on a small pedestal table with an old
dressing-gown of Holmes's so draped round it that the illusion
from the street was absolutely perfect.

  "I hope you observed all precautions, Mrs. Hudson?" said
Holmes.

  "I went to it on my knees, sir, just as you told me."

  "Excellent. You carried the thing out very well. Did you
observe where the bullet went?"

  "Yes, sir. I'm afraid it has spoilt your beautiful bust, for it
passed right through the head and flattened itself on the wall. I
picked it up from the carpet. Here it is!"

  Holmes held it out to me. "A soft revolver bullet, as you
perceive, Watson. There's genius in that, for who would expect
to find such a thing fired from an air-gun? All right, Mrs. Hudson.
I am much obliged for your assistance. And now. Watson, let me
see you in your old seat once more, for there are several points
which I should like to discuss with you."