"I had a little talk with old Cunningham afterwards as to the motive of the crime. He was tractable enough, though his son was a perfect demon, ready to blow out his own or anybody else's brains if he could have got to his revolver. When Cunningham saw that the case against him was so strong he lost all heart, and made a clean breast of everything. It seems that William had secretly followed his two masters on the night when they made their raid upon Mr. Acton's, and, having thus got them into his power, proceeded under threats of exposure to levy blackmail upon them. Mister Alec, however, was a dangerous man to play games of that sort with. It was a stroke of positive genius on his part to see in the burglary scare, which was convulsing the country side, an opportunity of plausibly getting rid of the man whom he feared. William was decoyed up and shot; and, had they only got the whole of the note, and paid a little more attention to detail in their accessories, it is very possible that suspicion might never have been aroused." "And the note?" I asked. Sherlock Holmes placed the subjoined paper before us:-- [Illustration] "It is very much the sort of thing that I expected," said he. "Of course, we do not yet know what the relations may have been between Alec Cunningham, William Kirwan, and Annie Morrison. The result shows that the trap was skilfully baited. I am sure that you cannot fail to be delighted with the traces of heredity shown in the p's and in the tails of the g's. The absence of the i-dots in the old man's writing is also most characteristic. Watson, I think our quiet rest in the country has been a distinct success, and I shall certainly return, much invigorated, to Baker Street to-morrow." _Beauties._ [Illustration: _Miss Ella Banister._] [Illustration: _Miss A Hughes_] [Illustration: _Miss Alice Ravenscroft._] _From Photos. by Messrs. Bassano, Old Bond Street._ [Illustration: _Miss Friend._ _From a Photo. by W. & D. Downey._] [Illustration: _Miss C. L. Foote._ _From a Photo. by W. & D. Downey._] [Illustration: _Mrs. Marsh._ _From a Photo. by Messrs. Bassano, Old Bond Street._] [Illustration: _Miss Norah Williams._ _From Photos. by Messrs. Bassano, Old Bond Street._] [Illustration: _Miss L. Harold._] [Illustration: _Lady Aberdeen._ _Photo. by Barraud_] LIEUTENANT GAUTHIER By Jose de Campos FROM THE FRENCH OF JOSE DE CAMPOS. AN EPISODE OF THE CRIMEAN WAR. APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED BY GENERAL SAUSSIER, MILITARY COMMANDER OF PARIS. [Illustration] Nicolas Gauthier, Sergeant-Major in the Foreign Legion, was about twenty-six years of age. He was strikingly handsome, with black hair and moustache and a pale complexion. His dark eyes were perhaps somewhat dreamy and intensely sad, but they had a certain expression of gentleness and candour which won all hearts.