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47 



"Oh, that! I thought of the salt that I have been working upon. There was 
never any mystery in the matter, though, as I said yesterday, some of the details 
are of interest. The only drawback is that there is no law, I fear, that can touch the 
scoundrel." 

"Who was he, then, and what was his object in deserting Miss Sutherland?" 

The question was hardly out of my mouth, and Holmes had not yet opened his 
lips to reply, when we heard a heavy footfall in the passage and a tap at the door. 

"This is the girl's stepfather, Mr. James Windibank," said Holmes. "He has 
written to me to say that he would be here at six. Come in!" 

The man who entered was a sturdy, middle-sized fellow, some thirty years of 
age, clean-shaven, and sallow-skinned, with a bland, insinuating manner, and a pair 
of wonderfully sharp and penetrating grey eyes. He shot a questioning glance at 
each of us, placed his shiny top-hat upon the sideboard, and with a slight bow 
sidled down into the nearest chair. 

"Good-evening, Mr. James Windibank," said Holmes. "I think that this type- 
written letter is from you, in which you made an appointment with me for six 
o'clock?" 

"Yes, sir. I am afraid that I am a little late, but I am not quite my own master, 
you know. I am sorry that Miss Sutherland has troubled you about this little matter, 
for I think it is far better not to wash linen of the sort in public. It was quite 
against my wishes that she came, but she is a very excitable, impulsive girl, as 
you may have noticed, and she is not easily controlled when she has made up her 
mind on a point. Of course, I did not mind you so much, as you are not connected 
with the official police, but it is not pleasant to have a family misfortune like this 
noised abroad. Besides, it is a useless expense, for how could you possibly find 
this Hosmer Angel?" 

"On the contrary," said Holmes quietly; "I have every reason to believe that 
I will succeed in discovering Mr. Hosmer Angel." 

Mr. Windibank gave a violent start and dropped his gloves. "I am delighted to 
hear it," he said. 

"It is a curious thing," remarked Holmes, "that a typewriter has really quite as 
much individuality as a man's handwriting. Unless they are quite new, no two of 
them write exactly alike. Some letters get more worn than others, and some wear 
only on one side. Now, you remark in this note of yours, Mr. Windibank, that in 
every case there is some little slurring over of the 'e,' and a slight defect in the tail 
of the 'r.' There are fourteen other characteristics, but those are the more obvious." 

"We do all our correspondence with this machine at the office, and no doubt it 
is a little worn," our visitor answered, glancing keenly at Holmes with his bright 
little eyes. 

"And now I will show you what is really a very interesting study, Mr. Win- 
dibank," Holmes continued. "I think of writing another little monograph some of 
these days on the typewriter and its relation to crime. It is a subject to which I have 
devoted some little attention. I have here four letters which purport to come from 
the missing man. They are all typewritten. In each case, not only are the 'e's' 



ADVENTURE III. A CASE OF IDENTITY