INtheyear1878ItookmydegreeofDoctorofMedicineoftheUniversityofLondon，andproceededtoNetleytogothroughthecourseprescribedforsurgeonsinthearmy。
Havingcompletedmystudiesthere，IwasdulyattachedtotheFifthNorthumberlandFusiliersasAssistantSurgeon。
TheregimentwasstationedinIndiaatthetime，andbeforeIcouldjoinit，thesecondAfghanwarhadbrokenout。
OnlandingatBombay，Ilearnedthatmycorpshadadvancedthroughthepasses，andwasalreadydeepintheenemy\'scountry。Ifollowed，however，withmanyotherofficerswhowereinthesamesituationasmyself，andsucceededinreachingCandaharinsafety，whereIfoundmyregiment，andatonceentereduponmynewduties。
Thecampaignbroughthonoursandpromotiontomany，butformeithadnothingbutmisfortuneanddisaster。IwasremovedfrommybrigadeandattachedtotheBerkshires，withwhomI
servedatthefatalbattleofMaiwand。ThereIwasstruckontheshoulderbyaJezailbullet，whichshatteredtheboneandgrazedthesubclavianartery。IshouldhavefallenintothehandsofthemurderousGhazishaditnotbeenforthedevotionandcourageshownbyMurray，myorderly，whothrewmeacrossapack-horse，andsucceededinbringingmesafelytotheBritishlines。
Wornwithpain，andweakfromtheprolongedhardshipswhichIhadundergone，Iwasremoved，withagreattrainofwoundedsufferers，tothebasehospitalatPeshawar。HereIrallied，andhadalreadyimprovedsofarastobeabletowalkaboutthewards，andeventobaskalittleupontheverandah，whenIwasstruckdownbyentericfever，thatcurseofourIndianpossessions。Formonthsmylifewasdespairedof，andwhenatlastIcametomyselfandbecameconvalescent，IwassoweakandemaciatedthatamedicalboarddeterminedthatnotadayshouldbelostinsendingmebacktoEngland。
Iwasdispatched，accordingly，inthetroopship\"Orontes，\"
andlandedamonthlateronPortsmouthjetty，withmyhealthirretrievablyruined，butwithpermissionfromapaternalgovernmenttospendthenextninemonthsinattemptingtoimproveit。
IhadneitherkithnorkininEngland，andwasthereforeasfreeasair——orasfreeasanincomeofelevenshillingsandsixpenceadaywillpermitamantobe。Undersuchcircumstances，InaturallygravitatedtoLondon，thatgreatcesspoolintowhichalltheloungersandidlersoftheEmpireareirresistiblydrained。ThereIstayedforsometimeataprivatehotelintheStrand，leadingacomfortless，meaninglessexistence，andspendingsuchmoneyasIhad，considerablymorefreelythanIought。Soalarmingdidthestateofmyfinancesbecome，thatIsoonrealizedthatImusteitherleavethemetropolisandrusticatesomewhereinthecountry，orthatImustmakeacompletealterationinmystyleofliving。Choosingthelatteralternative，Ibeganbymakingupmymindtoleavethehotel，andtotakeupmyquartersinsomelesspretentiousandlessexpensivedomicile。
OntheverydaythatIhadcometothisconclusion，IwasstandingattheCriterionBar，whensomeonetappedmeontheshoulder，andturningroundIrecognizedyoungStamford，whohadbeenadresserundermeatBarts。ThesightofafriendlyfaceinthegreatwildernessofLondonisapleasantthingindeedtoalonelyman。InolddaysStamfordhadneverbeenaparticularcronyofmine，butnowIhailedhimwithenthusiasm，andhe，inhisturn，appearedtobedelightedtoseeme。Intheexuberanceofmyjoy，IaskedhimtolunchwithmeattheHolborn，andwestartedofftogetherinahansom。
\"Whateverhaveyoubeendoingwithyourself，Watson?\"
heaskedinundisguisedwonder，aswerattledthroughthecrowdedLondonstreets。\"Youareasthinasalathandasbrownasanut。\"
Igavehimashortsketchofmyadventures，andhadhardlyconcludeditbythetimethatwereachedourdestination。
\"Poordevil!\"hesaid，commiseratingly，afterhehadlistenedtomymisfortunes。\"Whatareyouuptonow?\"
\"Lookingforlodgings。\"{3}Ianswered。\"Tryingtosolvetheproblemastowhetheritispossibletogetcomfortableroomsatareasonableprice。\"
\"That\'sastrangething，\"remarkedmycompanion；\"youarethesecondmanto-daythathasusedthatexpressiontome。\"
\"Andwhowasthefirst?\"Iasked。
\"Afellowwhoisworkingatthechemicallaboratoryupatthehospital。Hewasbemoaninghimselfthismorningbecausehecouldnotgetsomeonetogohalveswithhiminsomeniceroomswhichhehadfound，andwhichweretoomuchforhispurse。\"
\"ByJove!\"Icried，\"ifhereallywantssomeonetosharetheroomsandtheexpense，Iamtheverymanforhim。Ishouldpreferhavingapartnertobeingalone。\"
YoungStamfordlookedratherstrangelyatmeoverhiswine-glass。
\"Youdon\'tknowSherlockHolmesyet，\"hesaid；\"perhapsyouwouldnotcareforhimasaconstantcompanion。\"
\"Why，whatisthereagainsthim?\"
\"Oh，Ididn\'tsaytherewasanythingagainsthim。Heisalittlequeerinhisideas——anenthusiastinsomebranchesofscience。AsfarasIknowheisadecentfellowenough。\"
\"Amedicalstudent，Isuppose?\"saidI。
\"No——Ihavenoideawhatheintendstogoinfor。
Ibelieveheiswellupinanatomy，andheisafirst-classchemist；but，asfarasIknow，hehasnevertakenoutanysystematicmedicalclasses。Hisstudiesareverydesultoryandeccentric，buthehasamassedalotofout-of-thewayknowledgewhichwouldastonishhisprofessors。\"
\"Didyouneveraskhimwhathewasgoinginfor?\"Iasked。
\"No；heisnotamanthatitiseasytodrawout，thoughhecanbecommunicativeenoughwhenthefancyseizeshim。\"
\"Ishouldliketomeethim，\"Isaid。\"IfIamtolodgewithanyone，Ishouldpreferamanofstudiousandquiethabits。
Iamnotstrongenoughyettostandmuchnoiseorexcitement。
IhadenoughofbothinAfghanistantolastmefortheremainderofmynaturalexistence。HowcouldImeetthisfriendofyours?\"
\"Heissuretobeatthelaboratory，\"returnedmycompanion。
\"Heeitheravoidstheplaceforweeks，orelseheworkstherefrommorningtonight。Ifyoulike，weshalldriveroundtogetherafterluncheon。\"
\"Certainly，\"Ianswered，andtheconversationdriftedawayintootherchannels。
AswemadeourwaytothehospitalafterleavingtheHolborn，StamfordgavemeafewmoreparticularsaboutthegentlemanwhomIproposedtotakeasafellow-lodger。
\"Youmustn\'tblamemeifyoudon\'tgetonwithhim，\"hesaid；
\"IknownothingmoreofhimthanIhavelearnedfrommeetinghimoccasionallyinthelaboratory。Youproposedthisarrangement，soyoumustnotholdmeresponsible。\"
\"Ifwedon\'tgetonitwillbeeasytopartcompany，\"Ianswered。
\"Itseemstome，Stamford，\"Iadded，lookinghardatmycompanion，\"thatyouhavesomereasonforwashingyourhandsofthematter。
Isthisfellow\'stempersoformidable，orwhatisit?
Don\'tbemealy-mouthedaboutit。\"
\"Itisnoteasytoexpresstheinexpressible，\"heansweredwithalaugh。\"Holmesisalittletooscientificformytastes——itapproachestocold-bloodedness。Icouldimaginehisgivingafriendalittlepinchofthelatestvegetablealkaloid，notoutofmalevolence，youunderstand，butsimplyoutofaspiritofinquiryinordertohaveanaccurateideaoftheeffects。Todohimjustice，Ithinkthathewouldtakeithimselfwiththesamereadiness。Heappearstohaveapassionfordefiniteandexactknowledge。\"
\"Veryrighttoo。\"
\"Yes，butitmaybepushedtoexcess。Whenitcomestobeatingthesubjectsinthedissecting-roomswithastick，itiscertainlytakingratherabizarreshape。\"
\"Beatingthesubjects!\"
\"Yes，toverifyhowfarbruisesmaybeproducedafterdeath。
Isawhimatitwithmyowneyes。\"
\"Andyetyousayheisnotamedicalstudent?\"
\"No。Heavenknowswhattheobjectsofhisstudiesare。
Buthereweare，andyoumustformyourownimpressionsabouthim。\"Ashespoke，weturneddownanarrowlaneandpassedthroughasmallside-door，whichopenedintoawingofthegreathospital。Itwasfamiliargroundtome，andIneedednoguidingasweascendedthebleakstonestaircaseandmadeourwaydownthelongcorridorwithitsvistaofwhitewashedwallanddun-coloureddoors。Nearthefurtherendalowarchedpassagebranchedawayfromitandledtothechemicallaboratory。
Thiswasaloftychamber，linedandlitteredwithcountlessbottles。Broad，lowtableswerescatteredabout，whichbristledwithretorts，test-tubes，andlittleBunsenlamps，withtheirblueflickeringflames。Therewasonlyonestudentintheroom，whowasbendingoveradistanttableabsorbedinhiswork。Atthesoundofourstepsheglancedroundandsprangtohisfeetwithacryofpleasure。
\"I\'vefoundit!I\'vefoundit，\"heshoutedtomycompanion，runningtowardsuswithatest-tubeinhishand。\"Ihavefoundare-agentwhichisprecipitatedbyhoemoglobin，{4}
andbynothingelse。\"Hadhediscoveredagoldmine，greaterdelightcouldnothaveshoneuponhisfeatures。
\"Dr。Watson，Mr。SherlockHolmes，\"saidStamford，introducingus。
\"Howareyou?\"hesaidcordially，grippingmyhandwithastrengthforwhichIshouldhardlyhavegivenhimcredit。
\"YouhavebeeninAfghanistan，Iperceive。\"
\"Howonearthdidyouknowthat?\"Iaskedinastonishment。
\"Nevermind，\"saidhe，chucklingtohimself。\"Thequestionnowisabouthoemoglobin。Nodoubtyouseethesignificanceofthisdiscoveryofmine?\"
\"Itisinteresting，chemically，nodoubt，\"Ianswered，\"butpractically——\"
\"Why，man，itisthemostpracticalmedico-legaldiscoveryforyears。Don\'tyouseethatitgivesusaninfallibletestforbloodstains。Comeoverherenow!\"Heseizedmebythecoat-sleeveinhiseagerness，anddrewmeovertothetableatwhichhehadbeenworking。\"Letushavesomefreshblood，\"
hesaid，diggingalongbodkinintohisfinger，anddrawingofftheresultingdropofbloodinachemicalpipette。\"Now，Iaddthissmallquantityofbloodtoalitreofwater。Youperceivethattheresultingmixturehastheappearanceofpurewater。
Theproportionofbloodcannotbemorethanoneinamillion。
Ihavenodoubt，however，thatweshallbeabletoobtainthecharacteristicreaction。\"Ashespoke，hethrewintothevesselafewwhitecrystals，andthenaddedsomedropsofatransparentfluid。Inaninstantthecontentsassumedadullmahoganycolour，andabrownishdustwasprecipitatedtothebottomoftheglassjar。
\"Ha!ha!\"hecried，clappinghishands，andlookingasdelightedasachildwithanewtoy。\"Whatdoyouthinkofthat?\"
\"Itseemstobeaverydelicatetest，\"Iremarked。
\"Beautiful!beautiful!TheoldGuiacumtestwasveryclumsyanduncertain。Soisthemicroscopicexaminationforbloodcorpuscles。Thelatterisvaluelessifthestainsareafewhoursold。Now，thisappearstoactaswellwhetherthebloodisoldornew。Hadthistestbeeninvented，therearehundredsofmennowwalkingtheearthwhowouldlongagohavepaidthepenaltyoftheircrimes。\"
\"Indeed!\"Imurmured。
\"Criminalcasesarecontinuallyhinginguponthatonepoint。
Amanissuspectedofacrimemonthsperhapsafterithasbeencommitted。Hislinenorclothesareexamined，andbrownishstainsdiscovereduponthem。Aretheybloodstains，ormudstains，orruststains，orfruitstains，orwhatarethey?Thatisaquestionwhichhaspuzzledmanyanexpert，andwhy?Becausetherewasnoreliabletest。NowwehavetheSherlockHolmes\'test，andtherewillnolongerbeanydifficulty。\"
Hiseyesfairlyglitteredashespoke，andheputhishandoverhisheartandbowedasiftosomeapplaudingcrowdconjuredupbyhisimagination。
\"Youaretobecongratulated，\"Iremarked，considerablysurprisedathisenthusiasm。
\"TherewasthecaseofVonBischoffatFrankfortlastyear。
Hewouldcertainlyhavebeenhunghadthistestbeeninexistence。ThentherewasMasonofBradford，andthenotoriousMuller，andLefevreofMontpellier，andSamsonofnewOrleans。Icouldnameascoreofcasesinwhichitwouldhavebeendecisive。\"
\"Youseemtobeawalkingcalendarofcrime，\"saidStamfordwithalaugh。\"Youmightstartapaperonthoselines。
Callitthe`PoliceNewsofthePast。\'\"
\"Veryinterestingreadingitmightbemade，too，\"remarkedSherlockHolmes，stickingasmallpieceofplasterovertheprickonhisfinger。\"Ihavetobecareful，\"hecontinued，turningtomewithasmile，\"forIdabblewithpoisonsagooddeal。\"Heheldouthishandashespoke，andInoticedthatitwasallmottledoverwithsimilarpiecesofplaster，anddiscolouredwithstrongacids。
\"Wecamehereonbusiness，\"saidStamford，sittingdownonahighthree-leggedstool，andpushinganotheroneinmydirectionwithhisfoot。\"Myfriendherewantstotakediggings，andasyouwerecomplainingthatyoucouldgetnoonetogohalveswithyou，IthoughtthatIhadbetterbringyoutogether。\"
SherlockHolmesseemeddelightedattheideaofsharinghisroomswithme。\"IhavemyeyeonasuiteinBakerStreet，\"
hesaid，\"whichwouldsuitusdowntotheground。Youdon\'tmindthesmellofstrongtobacco，Ihope?\"
\"Ialwayssmoke`ship\'s\'myself，\"Ianswered。
\"That\'sgoodenough。Igenerallyhavechemicalsabout，andoccasionallydoexperiments。Wouldthatannoyyou?\"
\"Bynomeans。\"
\"Letmesee——whataremyothershortcomings。Igetinthedumpsattimes，anddon\'topenmymouthfordaysonend。
YoumustnotthinkIamsulkywhenIdothat。Justletmealone，andI\'llsoonberight。Whathaveyoutoconfessnow?It\'sjustaswellfortwofellowstoknowtheworstofoneanotherbeforetheybegintolivetogether。\"
Ilaughedatthiscross-examination。\"Ikeepabullpup，\"
Isaid，\"andIobjecttorowsbecausemynervesareshaken，andIgetupatallsortsofungodlyhours，andIamextremelylazy。IhaveanothersetofviceswhenI\'mwell，butthosearetheprincipalonesatpresent。\"
\"Doyouincludeviolin-playinginyourcategoryofrows?\"
heasked，anxiously。
\"Itdependsontheplayer，\"Ianswered。\"Awell-playedviolinisatreatforthegods——abadly-playedone——\"
\"Oh，that\'sallright，\"hecried，withamerrylaugh。
\"Ithinkwemayconsiderthethingassettled——thatis，iftheroomsareagreeabletoyou。\"
\"Whenshallweseethem?\"
\"Callformehereatnoonto-morrow，andwe\'llgotogetherandsettleeverything，\"heanswered。
\"Allright——noonexactly，\"saidI，shakinghishand。
Welefthimworkingamonghischemicals，andwewalkedtogethertowardsmyhotel。
\"Bytheway，\"Iaskedsuddenly，stoppingandturninguponStamford，\"howthedeucedidheknowthatIhadcomefromAfghanistan?\"
Mycompanionsmiledanenigmaticalsmile。\"That\'sjusthislittlepeculiarity，\"hesaid。\"Agoodmanypeoplehavewantedtoknowhowhefindsthingsout。\"
\"Oh!amysteryisit?\"Icried，rubbingmyhands。
\"Thisisverypiquant。Iammuchobligedtoyouforbringingustogether。`Theproperstudyofmankindisman，\'youknow。\"
\"Youmuststudyhim，then，\"Stamfordsaid，ashebademegood-bye。
\"You\'llfindhimaknottyproblem，though。I\'llwagerhelearnsmoreaboutyouthanyouabouthim。Good-bye。\"
\"Good-bye，\"Ianswered，andstrolledontomyhotel，considerablyinterestedinmynewacquaintance。
CHAPTERII。
THESCIENCEOFDEDUCTION。
WEmetnextdayashehadarranged，andinspectedtheroomsatNo。221B，{5}BakerStreet，ofwhichhehadspokenatourmeeting。Theyconsistedofacoupleofcomfortablebed-roomsandasinglelargeairysitting-room，cheerfullyfurnished，andilluminatedbytwobroadwindows。Sodesirableineverywayweretheapartments，andsomoderatedidthetermsseemwhendividedbetweenus，thatthebargainwasconcludeduponthespot，andweatonceenteredintopossession。ThatveryeveningImovedmythingsroundfromthehotel，andonthefollowingmorningSherlockHolmesfollowedmewithseveralboxesandportmanteaus。Foradayortwowewerebusilyemployedinunpackingandlayingoutourpropertytothebestadvantage。Thatdone，wegraduallybegantosettledownandtoaccommodateourselvestoournewsurroundings。
Holmeswascertainlynotadifficultmantolivewith。
Hewasquietinhisways，andhishabitswereregular。
Itwasrareforhimtobeupaftertenatnight，andhehadinvariablybreakfastedandgoneoutbeforeIroseinthemorning。Sometimeshespenthisdayatthechemicallaboratory，sometimesinthedissecting-rooms，andoccasionallyinlongwalks，whichappearedtotakehimintothelowestportionsoftheCity。Nothingcouldexceedhisenergywhentheworkingfitwasuponhim；butnowandagainareactionwouldseizehim，andfordaysonendhewouldlieuponthesofainthesitting-room，hardlyutteringawordormovingamusclefrommorningtonight。OntheseoccasionsIhavenoticedsuchadreamy，vacantexpressioninhiseyes，thatImighthavesuspectedhimofbeingaddictedtotheuseofsomenarcotic，hadnotthetemperanceandcleanlinessofhiswholelifeforbiddensuchanotion。
Astheweekswentby，myinterestinhimandmycuriosityastohisaimsinlife，graduallydeepenedandincreased。
Hisverypersonandappearanceweresuchastostriketheattentionofthemostcasualobserver。Inheighthewasratheroversixfeet，andsoexcessivelyleanthatheseemedtobeconsiderablytaller。Hiseyesweresharpandpiercing，saveduringthoseintervalsoftorportowhichIhavealluded；
andhisthin，hawk-likenosegavehiswholeexpressionanairofalertnessanddecision。Hischin，too，hadtheprominenceandsquarenesswhichmarkthemanofdetermination。Hishandswereinvariablyblottedwithinkandstainedwithchemicals，yethewaspossessedofextraordinarydelicacyoftouch，asIfrequentlyhadoccasiontoobservewhenIwatchedhimmanipulatinghisfragilephilosophicalinstruments。
Thereadermaysetmedownasahopelessbusybody，whenIconfesshowmuchthismanstimulatedmycuriosity，andhowoftenIendeavouredtobreakthroughthereticencewhichheshowedonallthatconcernedhimself。Beforepronouncingjudgment，however，beitremembered，howobjectlesswasmylife，andhowlittletherewastoengagemyattention。
Myhealthforbademefromventuringoutunlesstheweatherwasexceptionallygenial，andIhadnofriendswhowouldcalluponmeandbreakthemonotonyofmydailyexistence。
Underthesecircumstances，Ieagerlyhailedthelittlemysterywhichhungaroundmycompanion，andspentmuchofmytimeinendeavouringtounravelit。
Hewasnotstudyingmedicine。Hehadhimself，inreplytoaquestion，confirmedStamford\'sopinionuponthatpoint。
Neitherdidheappeartohavepursuedanycourseofreadingwhichmightfithimforadegreeinscienceoranyotherrecognizedportalwhichwouldgivehimanentranceintothelearnedworld。Yethiszealforcertainstudieswasremarkable，andwithineccentriclimitshisknowledgewassoextraordinarilyampleandminutethathisobservationshavefairlyastoundedme。Surelynomanwouldworksohardorattainsuchpreciseinformationunlesshehadsomedefiniteendinview。Desultoryreadersareseldomremarkablefortheexactnessoftheirlearning。Nomanburdenshismindwithsmallmattersunlesshehassomeverygoodreasonfordoingso。
Hisignorancewasasremarkableashisknowledge。
Ofcontemporaryliterature，philosophyandpoliticsheappearedtoknownexttonothing。UponmyquotingThomasCarlyle，heinquiredinthenaivestwaywhohemightbeandwhathehaddone。Mysurprisereachedaclimax，however，whenIfoundincidentallythathewasignorantoftheCopernicanTheoryandofthecompositionoftheSolarSystem。ThatanycivilizedhumanbeinginthisnineteenthcenturyshouldnotbeawarethattheearthtravelledroundthesunappearedtobetomesuchanextraordinaryfactthatIcouldhardlyrealizeit。
\"Youappeartobeastonished，\"hesaid，smilingatmyexpressionofsurprise。\"NowthatIdoknowitIshalldomybesttoforgetit。\"
\"Toforgetit!\"
\"Yousee，\"heexplained，\"Iconsiderthataman\'sbrainoriginallyislikealittleemptyattic，andyouhavetostockitwithsuchfurnitureasyouchoose。Afooltakesinallthelumberofeverysortthathecomesacross，sothattheknowledgewhichmightbeusefultohimgetscrowdedout，oratbestisjumbledupwithalotofotherthingssothathehasadifficultyinlayinghishandsuponit。Nowtheskilfulworkmanisverycarefulindeedastowhathetakesintohisbrain-attic。Hewillhavenothingbutthetoolswhichmayhelphimindoinghiswork，butofthesehehasalargeassortment，andallinthemostperfectorder。
Itisamistaketothinkthatthatlittleroomhaselasticwallsandcandistendtoanyextent。Dependuponittherecomesatimewhenforeveryadditionofknowledgeyouforgetsomethingthatyouknewbefore。Itisofthehighestimportance，therefore，nottohaveuselessfactselbowingouttheusefulones。\"
\"ButtheSolarSystem!\"Iprotested。
\"Whatthedeuceisittome?\"heinterruptedimpatiently；
\"yousaythatwegoroundthesun。Ifwewentroundthemoonitwouldnotmakeapennyworthofdifferencetomeortomywork。\"
Iwasonthepointofaskinghimwhatthatworkmightbe，butsomethinginhismannershowedmethatthequestionwouldbeanunwelcomeone。Iponderedoverourshortconversation，however，andendeavouredtodrawmydeductionsfromit。
Hesaidthathewouldacquirenoknowledgewhichdidnotbearuponhisobject。Thereforealltheknowledgewhichhepossessedwassuchaswouldbeusefultohim。Ienumeratedinmyownmindallthevariouspointsuponwhichhehadshownmethathewasexceptionallywell-informed。Ieventookapencilandjottedthemdown。IcouldnothelpsmilingatthedocumentwhenIhadcompletedit。Itraninthisway——
SHERLOCKHOLMES——hislimits。
1。KnowledgeofLiterature——Nil。
2。Philosophy——Nil。
3。Astronomy——Nil。
4。Politics——Feeble。
5。Botany——Variable。Wellupinbelladonna，opium，andpoisonsgenerally。
Knowsnothingofpracticalgardening。
6。Geology——Practical，butlimited。
Tellsataglancedifferentsoilsfromeachother。Afterwalkshasshownmesplashesuponhistrousers，andtoldmebytheircolourandconsistenceinwhatpartofLondonhehadreceivedthem。
7。Chemistry——Profound。
8。Anatomy——Accurate，butunsystematic。
9。SensationalLiterature——Immense。Heappearstoknoweverydetailofeveryhorrorperpetratedinthecentury。
10。Playstheviolinwell。
11。Isanexpertsinglestickplayer，boxer，andswordsman。
12。HasagoodpracticalknowledgeofBritishlaw。
WhenIhadgotsofarinmylistIthrewitintothefireindespair。\"IfIcanonlyfindwhatthefellowisdrivingatbyreconcilingalltheseaccomplishments，anddiscoveringacallingwhichneedsthemall，\"Isaidtomyself，\"Imayaswellgiveuptheattemptatonce。\"
IseethatIhavealludedabovetohispowersupontheviolin。
Thesewereveryremarkable，butaseccentricasallhisotheraccomplishments。Thathecouldplaypieces，anddifficultpieces，Iknewwell，becauseatmyrequesthehasplayedmesomeofMendelssohn\'sLieder，andotherfavourites。
Whenlefttohimself，however，hewouldseldomproduceanymusicorattemptanyrecognizedair。Leaningbackinhisarm-chairofanevening，hewouldclosehiseyesandscrapecarelesslyatthefiddlewhichwasthrownacrosshisknee。
Sometimesthechordsweresonorousandmelancholy。
Occasionallytheywerefantasticandcheerful。Clearlytheyreflectedthethoughtswhichpossessedhim，butwhetherthemusicaidedthosethoughts，orwhethertheplayingwassimplytheresultofawhimorfancywasmorethanIcoulddetermine。
Imighthaverebelledagainsttheseexasperatingsoloshaditnotbeenthatheusuallyterminatedthembyplayinginquicksuccessionawholeseriesofmyfavouriteairsasaslightcompensationforthetrialuponmypatience。
