'BUT why Turidsh?' asked Mr Sherlock Holmes, gazing
fixedly at my boots. I was reclining in a cane-backed
chair at the moment, and my protruded feet had attracted
his ever-active attention.

'English,' I answered, in some surprise. 'I got them at
Latimer's, in Oxford Street.'^*

Holmes smiled with an expression of weary patience.

'The bath!' he said; 'the bath! Why the relaxing and
expensive Turkish rather than the invigorating home-made
article?'

'Because for the last few days I have been feeling rheum-
atic and old. A Turkish bath is what we call an alterative in
medicine--a fresh starting-point, a cleanser of the system.

'By the way, Holmes,' I added, 'I have no doubt the
connection between my boots and a Turkish bath is a perfectly
self-evident one to a logical mind, and yet I should be
obliged to you if you would indicate it.'

'The train of reasoning is not very obscure, Watson,' said
Hohnes, with a mischievous twinkle. 'It belongs to the same
elementary class of deduction which I should illustrate if I
were to ask you who shared your cab in your drive this
morning.'

'I don't admit that a fresh illustration is an explanation,'
said I, with some asperity.

' Bravo, Watson! A very dignified and logical remon-
strance. Let me see, what were the points? Take the last one
first--the cab. You observe that you have some splashes on
the left sleeve and shoulder of your coat. Had you sat in the
centre of a hansom you would probably have had no
splashes, and if you had they would certainly have been
symmetrical. Therefore it is clear that you sat at the side.
Therefore it is equally clear that you had a companion.'^*

'That is very evident.'

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