“Yes, sir.  I am afraid that I am a little late, but I am not quite my own master, you know.  I am sorry that Miss Sutherland has troubled you about this little matter, for I think it is far better not to wash linen of the sort in public.  It was quite against my wishes that she came, but she is a very excitable, impulsive girl, as you may have noticed, and she is not easily controlled when she has made up her mind on a point.  Of course, I did not mind you so much, as you are not connected with the official police, but it is not pleasant to have a family misfortune like this noised abroad.  Besides, it is a useless expense, for how could you possibly find this Hosmer Angel?”

“On the contrary,” said Holmes, quietly, “I have every reason to believe that I will succeed in discovering Mr. Hosmer Angel.”

Mr. Windibank gave a violent start, and dropped his gloves.  “I am delighted to hear it,” he said.

“It is a curious thing,” remarked Holmes, “that a typewriter has really quite as much individuality as a man’s handwriting.  Unless they are quite new no two of them write exactly alike.  Some letters get more worn than others, and some wear only on one side.  Now, you remark in this note of yours, Mr. Windibank, that in every case there is some little slurring over the e, and a slight defect in the tail of the r.  There are fourteen other characteristics, but those are the more obvious.”

“We do all our correspondence with this machine at the office, and no doubt it is a little worn,” our visitor answered, glancing keenly at Holmes with his bright little eyes.

“And now I will show you what is really a very interesting study, Mr. Windibank,” Holmes continued.  “I think of writing another little monograph some of these days on the typewriter and its relation to crime.  It is a subject to which I have devoted some little attention.  I have here four letters which purport to come from the missing man.  They are all typewritten.  In each case, not only are the e’s slurred and the r’s tailless, but you will observe, if you care to use my magnifying lens, that the fourteen other characteristics to which I have alluded are there as well.”

Mr. Windibank sprung out of his chair, and picked up his hat.  “I cannot waste time over this sort of fantastic talk, Mr. Holmes,” he said.  “If you can catch the man, catch him, and let me know when you have done it.”

“Certainly,” said Holmes, stepping over and turning the key in the door.  “I let you know, then, that I have caught him!”

“What! where?” shouted Mr. Windibank, turning white to his lips, and glancing about him like a rat in a trap.

“Oh, it won’t do—­really it won’t,” said Holmes, suavely.  “There is no possible getting out of it, Mr. Windibank.  It is quite too transparent, and it was a very bad compliment when you said that it was impossible for me to solve so simple a question.  That’s right!  Sit down, and let us talk it over.”