“Has any one looked in the card table?” asked the young Princess. And as no one had looked there, a leaf of the card table was raised, and there lay a small green book--the skat scoring book. At that moment the butler entered the room endeavouring to master convulsions of laughter, and said that the village police-inspector, the Stanovoi, was outside saying he had received orders from St. Petersburg to arrest Prince Alexander and to send him immediately to the town of O---- for being implicated in an “expropriation” plot to rob the train. The whole family burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter, and the old Prince explained to Holmes that the police-inspector had probably made this idiotic mistake on purpose, since he had twice been found poaching in their woods and that they had complained and asked for his removal. Then together with his son he went and interviewed the police-inspector. They came back presently saying that the matter was an idiotic and inexplicable mistake connected with the affair of the station, but that the police-inspector, although he was well aware of this, owing to the grudge he bore the family insisted on carrying out his orders. So the young Prince had to leave for O---- that afternoon, amidst universal merriment, and he exhorted Holmes as he departed to obtain his release. We also left for Moscow the next day, whither Holmes said he had suddenly been summoned upon urgent business. When we arrived at Moscow we received a telegram saying that Prince Alexander had been immediately released with many apologies for the mistake, that the police-inspector had been dismissed from his post, and that the merchant and the stationmaster had been arrested. Holmes never referred to the matter again, nor does he like any mention made of the game of skat. But it seems to me that this comparative failure only serves to heighten the brilliance of his many successes, and it is for this reason I have recorded it. _Printed by_ MORRISON & GIBB LIMITED _Edinburgh_ Transcriber's Note Errors in punctuation have been corrected. Inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been retained, except as noted below. 1. Page xii: "the government of Karkov" has been changed to "the government of Kharkov". 2. Page 80: "as Virgil lead Dante" has been changed to "as Virgil leads Dante". 3. Page 114: "and was the poineer of a movement" has been changed to "and was the pioneer of a movement". 4. Page 122: "which appear to Count Tolstoy" has been changed to "which appear to Count Tolstoi". 5. Page 182: "which acccompanied similar conditions" has been changed to "which accompanied similar conditions". 6. Page 226: "sing and play on the Babalaika" has been changed to "sing and play on the Balalaika". 7. Page 238: "hot and cold _zabouski_" has been changed to "hot and cold _zakouski_".