“‘Well, come to bed,’ said she, ‘and we can discuss it in the morning.’

“Suddenly, as she spoke, I saw her white face grow whiter yet in the moonlight, and her hand tightened upon my shoulder.  Something was moving in the shadow of the tool-house.  I saw a dark, creeping figure which crawled round the corner and squatted in front of the door.  Seizing my pistol, I was rushing out, when my wife threw her arms round me and held me with convulsive strength.  I tried to throw her off, but she clung to me most desperately.  At last I got clear, but by the time I had opened the door and reached the house the creature was gone.  He had left a trace of his presence, however, for there on the door was the very same arrangement of dancing men which had already twice appeared, and which I have copied on that paper.  There was no other sign of the fellow anywhere, though I ran all over the grounds.  And yet the amazing thing is that he must have been there all the time, for when I examined the door again in the morning, he had scrawled some more of his pictures under the line which I had already seen.”

“Have you that fresh drawing?”

“Yes, it is very short, but I made a copy of it, and here it is.”

Again he produced a paper.  The new dance was in this form: 

GRAPHIC

“Tell me,” said Holmes—­and I could see by his eyes that he was much excited—­“was this a mere addition to the first or did it appear to be entirely separate?”

“It was on a different panel of the door.”

“Excellent!  This is far the most important of all for our purpose.  It fills me with hopes.  Now, Mr. Hilton Cubitt, please continue your most interesting statement.”

“I have nothing more to say, Mr. Holmes, except that I was angry with my wife that night for having held me back when I might have caught the skulking rascal.  She said that she feared that I might come to harm.  For an instant it had crossed my mind that perhaps what she really feared was that he might come to harm, for I could not doubt that she knew who this man was, and what he meant by these strange signals.  But there is a tone in my wife’s voice, Mr. Holmes, and a look in her eyes which forbid doubt, and I am sure that it was indeed my own safety that was in her mind.  There’s the whole case, and now I want your advice as to what I ought to do.  My own inclination is to put half a dozen of my farm lads in the shrubbery, and when this fellow comes again to give him such a hiding that he will leave us in peace for the future.”

“I fear it is too deep a case for such simple remedies,” said Holmes.  “How long can you stay in London?”

“I must go back to-day.  I would not leave my wife alone all night for anything.  She is very nervous, and begged me to come back.”

“I daresay you are right.  But if you could have stopped, I might possibly have been able to return with you in a day or two.  Meanwhile you will leave me these papers, and I think that it is very likely that I shall be able to pay you a visit shortly and to throw some light upon your case.”