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"Really, Hol at times"

He was too ive any immediateanswer to my remonstrance He leaned upon his hand, with his untastedbreakfast before him, and he stared at the slip of paper which he hadjust drawn from its envelope Then he took the envelope itself, held itup to the light, and very carefully studied both the exterior and theflap

"It is Porlock's writing," said he thoughtfully "I can hardly doubtthat it is Porlock's writing, though I have seen it only twice beforeThe Greek e with the peculiar top flourish is distinctive But if it isPorlock, then itof the very first importance"

He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my vexationdisappeared in the interest which the words awakened

"Who then is Porlock?" I asked

"Porlock, Watson, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; butbehind it lies a shifty and evasive personality In a former letter hefrankly informed me that the na the teereat city Porlock isireat man hom he is intouch Picture to yourself the pilot fish with the shark, the jackalwith the lion--anything that is insignificant in companionship hat is forhest degree sinister That is where he comes within my purview Youhave heard me speak of Professor Moriarty?"

"The fa crooks as--"

"My blushes, Watson!" Hol voice

"I was about to say, as he is unknown to the public"

"A touch! A distinct touch!" cried Hol acertain unexpected vein of pawky huuardlibel in the eyes of the law--and there lie the glory and thewonder of it! The greatest scheanizer of everydeviltry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which hthave made or marred the destiny of nations--that's the eneral suspicion, so iement and self-effacement, that for those verywords that you have uttered he could hale you to a court and eewith your year's pension as a solatium for his wounded character Is henot the celebrated author of The Dynahts of pure mathematics that it is saidthat there was no it? Is this a man to traduce? Foul-mouthed doctor and slanderedprofessor--such would be your respective roles! That's genius, WatsonBut if I am spared by lesser men, our day will surely come"

"May I be there to see!" I exclaiof this man Porlock"

"Ah, yes--the so-called Porlock is a link in the chain soreat attachment Porlock is not quite a sound link--betweenourselves He is the only flaw in that chain so far as I have been ableto test it"

"But no chain is stronger than its weakest link"