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shadow would fall when the sun was just clear of the
oak."

"That must have been difficult, Holmes, when the elm
was no longer there."

"Well, at least I knew that if Brunton could do it, I
could also. Besides, there was no real difficulty. I
went with Musgrave to his study and whittled myself
this peg, to which I tied this long string with a knot
at each yard. Then I took two lengths of a
fishing-rod, which came to just six feet, and I went
back with my client to where the elm had been. The
sun was just grazing the top of the oak. I fastened
the rod on end, marked out the direction of the
shadow, and measured it. It was nine feet in length.

"Of course the calculation now was a simple one. If a
rod of six feet threw a shadow of nine, a tree of
sixty-four feet would throw one of ninety-six, and the
line of the one would of course be the line of the other.
I measured out the distance, which brought me almost
to the wall of the house, and I thrust a peg into the
spot. You can imagine my exultation, Watson, when
within two inches of my peg I saw a conical depression
in the ground. I knew that it was the mark made by
Brunton in his measurements, and that I was still upon
his trail.

"From this starting-point I proceeded to step, having
first taken the cardinal points by my pocket-compass.
Ten steps with each foot took me along parallel with
the wall of the house, and again I marked my spot with
a peg. Then I carefully paced off five to the east
and two to the south. It brought me to the very
threshold of the old door. Two steps to the west
meant now that I was to go two paces down the
stone-flagged passage, and this was the place
indicated by the Ritual.

"Never have I felt such a cold chill of
disappointment, Watson. For a moment is seemed to me
that there must be some radical mistake in my
calculations. The setting sun shone full upon the
passage floor, and I could see that the old, foot-worn
gray stones with which it was paved were firmly
cemented together, and had certainly not been moved
for many a long year. Brunton had not been at work
here. I tapped upon the floor, but it sounded the
same all over, and there was no sign of any crack or
crevice. But, fortunately, Musgrave, who had begun to
appreciate the meaning of my proceedings, and who was
now as excited as myself, took out his manuscript to
check my calculation.

"'And under,' he cried. 'You have omitted the "and
under."'

"I had thought that it meant that we were to dig, but
now, of course, I saw at once that I was wrong.
'There is a cellar under this then?' I cried.

"'Yes, and as old as the house. Down here, through
this door.'

"We went down a winding stone stair, and my companion,
striking a match, lit a large lantern which stood on a
barrel in the corner. In an instant it was obvious
that we had at last come upon the true place, and that
we had not been the only people to visit the spot
recently.

"It had been used for the storage of wood, but the

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