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Adventure I Silver Blaze

"I ao," said Hol

"Go! Where to?"

"To Dart's Pyland"

I was not surprised Indeed, my only wonder was that he had not alreadybeen mixed up in this extraordinary case, which was the one topic ofconversation through the length and breadth of England For a whole daymy companion had rambled about the roo and recharging his pipe with the strongestblack tobacco, and absolutely deaf to any of my questions or remarksFresh editions of every paper had been sent up by our news agent, onlyto be glanced over and tossed down into a corner Yet, silent as he was,I knew perfectly hat it was over which he was brooding There wasbut one problee his powers ofanalysis, and that was the singular disappearance of the favorite forthe Wessex Cup, and the tragic murder of its trainer When, therefore,he suddenly announced his intention of setting out for the scene of thedrama it was only what I had both expected and hoped for

"I should be o doith you if I should not be in theway," said I

"My dear Watson, you would confer a great favor uponAndI think that your time will not be misspent, for there are points aboutthe case which promise to make it an absolutely unique one We have, Ithink, just tio furtherinto thewithyou your very excellent field-glass"

And so it happened that an hour or so later I founden route for Exeter, whileSherlock Holer face fra-cap, dipped rapidly into the bundle of fresh papers which hehad procured at Paddington We had left Reading far behind us beforehe thrust the last one of thear-case

"We are going well," said he, looking out theand glancing at hiswatch "Our rate at present is fifty-three and a half miles an hour"

"I have not observed the quarter-mile posts," said I

"Nor have I But the telegraph posts upon this line are sixty yardsapart, and the calculation is a simple one I presume that youhave looked into this matter of the murder of John Straker and thedisappearance of Silver Blaze?"

"I have seen what the Telegraph and the Chronicle have to say"

"It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should beused rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of freshevidence The tragedy has been so uncommon, so complete and of suchpersonal i from aplethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis The difficulty is todetach the framework of fact--of absolute undeniable fact--fro establishedourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferencesmay be drawn and what are the special points upon which the wholerams from both ColonelRoss, the owner of the horse, and fro my cooperation"

"Tuesday evening!" I exclaio down yesterday?"