"He took me into his dingy sanctum, and we had a long chat. Ofcourse, he was disappointed that you had not come yourself. 'Ihardly expected,' he said, 'that so humble all individual as myself,especially after my heavy financial loss, could obtain the completeattention of so famous a man as Mr. Sherlock Holmes.'

　　"I assured him that the financial question did not arise. 'No, ofcourse, it is art for art's sake with him,' said he, 'but even onthe artistic side of crime he might have found something here tostudy. And human nature, Dr. Watson- the black ingratitude of itall! When did I ever refuse one of her requests? Was ever a woman sopampered? And that young man- he might have been my own son. He hadthe run of my house. And yet see how they have treated me! Oh, Dr.Watson, it is a dreadful, dreadful world!'

　　"That was the burden of his song for an hour or more. He had, itseems, no suspicion of an intrigue. They lived alone save for awoman who comes in by the day and leaves every evening at six. On thatparticular evening old Amberley, wishing to give his wife a treat, hadtaken two upper circle seats at the Haymarket Theatre. At the lastmoment she had complained of a headache and had refused to go. Hehad gone alone. There seemed to be no doubt about the fact, for heproduced the unused ticket which he had taken for his wife.""That is remarkable- most remarkable," said Holmes, whose interestin the case seemed to be rising. "Pray continue, Watson. I find yournarrative most arresting. Did you personally examine this ticket?You did not, perchance, take the number?"

　　"It so happens that I did," I answered with some pride. "Itchanced to be my old school number, thirty-one, and so is stuck inmy head."

　　"Excellent, Watson! His seat, then, was either thirty orthirty-two."

　　"Quite so," I answered with some mystification. "And on B row.""That is most satisfactory. What else did he tell you?""He showed me his strong-room, as he called it. It really is astrong-room- like a bank- with iron door and shutter- burglar-proof,as he claimed. Whoever, the woman seems to have had a duplicate key,and between them they had carried off some seven thousand pounds worthof cash and securities."

　　"Securities! How could they dispose of those?"

　　"He said that he had given the police a list and that he hopedthey would be unsaleable. He had got back from the theatre aboutmidnight and found the place plundered, the door and window open,and the fugitives gone. There was no letter or message, nor has heheard a word since. He at once gave the alarm to the police."Holmes brooded for some minutes.