"Well, to come to an end of the matter, Mr. Holmes, and not to
abuse your patience, there came a night when he made one of those
drunken sallies from which he never came back. We found him, when
we went to search for him, face downward in a little green-scummed
pool, which lay at the foot of the garden. There was no sign of any
violence, and the water was but two feet deep, so that the jury,
having regard to his known eccentricity, brought in a verdict of
'suicide.' But I, who knew how he winced from the very thought of
death, had much ado to persuade myself that he had gone out of his
way to meet it. The matter passed, however, and my father entered
into possession of the estate, and of some 14,000 pounds, which lay
to his credit at the bank."
"One moment," Holmes interposed,
