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successful outcome of which anyone must recognise would be little short
of miraculous； I can only say that I felt impelled to do so。 Perhaps the
impulse was due to my habit of testing patiently and thoroughly each new
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theory which impresses me as having any degree of probability； and
perhaps it was due to something else … Cleopatra； perhaps； eh； Doctor？ … I
don't know。 I determined； however； to thoroughly satisfy myself
regarding these ten men。 I made a careful list； with the assistance of an
attendant； of ten books taken by each man； five taken just prior to 'The
Sign of the Four；' and the other five just following it。 I made no
deductions until the list was completed； although I began to see certain
things of interest as we worked upon it。 At length the whole hundred
titles were spread before me； and I sat down to see what I could make of
them。 I purposely reserved consideration of the books borrowed by
Weltz and Rizzi until the last； because I had been able to learn nothing of
them； and considered； therefore； that they were the most difficult persons
in the list about whom to satisfy myself。 I found the other eight exhibited
no system in their reading。 One had read … I think I can remember the
books in the order in which they were borrowed … 'Thelma；' 'Under Two
Flags；' 'David Copperfield；' 'The Story of an African Farm；' 'A Study in
Scarlet；' 'The Sign of the Four；' 'The Prisoner of Zenda；' 'The Dolly
Dialogues；' 'The Yellow Aster；' 'The Superfluous Woman；' and 'Ideala。'
This is a fair sample of the other seven。 Not so； however； with Messrs。
Weltz and Rizzi。 The reading of these men at once impressed me as having
a purpose behind it。
〃I will read you a list of the books taken by Weltz and Rizzi； just to see
what you will make out of it：
WELTZ RIZZI
I。〃Lecons de Toxicologic；〃 1。〃Traite de Toxicologic；〃 par M。
Orifia。 par C。 P。 Galtier。
2。〃The Poisons of Asps and 2。〃The Poisons of Asps and Other
Stories；〃 by Florence Other Stories；〃 by Florence Marryat。
Marryat。
3。〃A Practical Essay on3。〃A Practical Essay on Cancer；〃 by C。 T。
Johnson。 Cancer；〃 by C。 T。 Johnson。
4。〃The Sharper Detected4。〃The Sharper Detected and Exposed；〃
by R。 Houdin。 and Exposed；〃 by R。 Houdin。
5。〃The Sign of the Four；〃 5。〃The Sign of the Four；〃 by A。
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The Darrow Enigma
Conan Doyle。 by A。 Conan Doyle。
6。〃Cancer； a New Method of 6。〃Legal Chemistry： A
Treatment；〃 by W。 H。 Guide to the Detection of Broadbent。
Poisons； Examinations of Stains； etc。； as Applied to=20
Chemical Jurisprudence。〃 From the French of A。 Naquet=20 by
J。 P。 Battershall； Nat。Sc。D。
7。〃Reports of Trials for 7。〃Traite Pratique des =20 Murder by
Poisoning；〃Maladies Cancerences；〃 by G。 L。 Browne and C。 par H。
Lebert。 G。Stewart。 =20
8。〃A Practical Treatise on 8。〃A Practical Treatise on Poisons；〃 by 0。
H。 Costill。 Poisons；〃 by 0。 H。 Costill。
9。〃Poisons； Their Effects 9。〃A Treatise on Poisons in and
Detection；〃 by Alexander Relation to Medical=20 Wynter Blyth。
Jurisprudence； Physiology； and the Practice of Physic；〃=20 by
R。 Christison；M。D。； F。R。S。E。
10。〃Poisons； Their Effects 10。〃Poisons； Their Effects and
Detection；〃 by Alexander and Detection；〃 by Alexander =20 Wynter
Blyth。 Wynter Blyth。
〃There； do you wonder that the perusal of that list excited me？ Come；
now； before I go any further； tell me what you make of it； Doc；〃 and he
passed it to me。
〃There seems to me to be a singular unanimity of purpose existing
between these two men；〃 I said； 〃not only as regards the subject…matter of
their reading； but in no less than six cases they have both perused the same
volume。 This never happened by chance。 Clearly； they are acquaintances；
and are working together toward some common end。 I should think it
very likely； judging from their interest in cancers and toxicology； that they
were medical students。 Numbers four and five don't exactly seem to
strengthen my medical hypothesis； but they are only two out of the ten。
That's about all I can make out of it；〃 and I returned the list to him。
〃Your views in the matter；〃 replied Maitland； 〃are precisely those
which first occurred to me； and I am not sure but I should still hold them；
had I been obliged to decide solely from the evidence I have submitted to
you。 It was clear to my mind from the first that some common purpose
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The Darrow Enigma
actuated both Weltz and Rizzi。 With a view to ascertaining where they
lived as a preparatory step toward learning more of them； I consulted a
Boston directory； only to learn that it contained no such names。 I was
about to examine some of the directories of neighbouring towns when it
occurred to me that the easiest way to find their places of residence would
be to consult the green slips upon which they had procured their books；
and I accordingly asked the attendant to kindly let me look at them。 While
she was collecting the slips I re…examined the list of books taken by Weltz
and Rizzi； especially those which had been taken by both men。 One
thing at once struck my attention； and that was that most of these latter
were large books which would take a long time to peruse and would
require to be borrowed several times for hall use； were they to be
examined with any care。 I put this fact down for future reference and
gave my attention to the green slips； the whole twenty of which the
attendant now placed before me。 The residence of Weltz was given as
No。 15 Staniford Place； Boston； while that of Rizzi was No。 5 Oak Street；
Boston。 I was about to walk over to Oak Street to see if Rizzi were still
there when； in returning the slips to the attendant； I noticed a peculiarity in
Weltz's 'z' which I had thought I had seen in Rizzi's signature。 I
immediately compared the slips。 There was the same oddly shaped 'z' in
both。 It was made like this〃 … and he handed us a slip of paper with this
z* upon it。
〃You see；〃 he continued； 〃it is so unusual a way of making the letter
that it at once attracted my attention； notwithstanding the fact that Rizzi
wrote with his left hand。 Closer examination revealed other peculiarities；
as in the r*'s； common to both hands。 Well； to make a long story short； I
satisfied myself