There were few people about at this hour-it was now after nine o'clock-for all the town's life seemed confined to the clamorous saloons that could be found on almost every block. Still, it was not an unpleasant walk. The smoke and heat of the afternoon had subsided, and the dark dome of the sky was aglitter with stars. Never in the murky atmosphere of London had I seen such a display of nature's infinite majesty, but when I remarked upon this fact to Holmes, he was unmoved.
"Our business is not with the stars," he said brusquely
