? ? ? ? "But what does it all mean?" I asked.
? ? ? ? He held out his hand, and I saw in the light of the lamp that two of his knuckles were burst and bleeding.
? ? ? ? "It's not an airy nothing, you see," said he. smiling. "On the contrary, it is solid enough for a man to break his hand over. Is Mrs. Watson in?"
? ? ? ? "She is away upon a visit."
? ? ? ? "Indeed! You are alone?"
? ? ? ? "Quite."
? ? ? ? "Then it makes it the easier for me to propose that you should come away with me for a week to the Continent."
? ? ? ? "Where?"
? ? ? ? "Oh, anywhere. It's all the same to me."
? ? ? ? There was something very strange in all this. It was not Holmes's nature to take an aimless holiday, and something about his pale, worn face told me that his nerves were at their highest tension. He saw the question in my eyes, and, putting his finger-tips together and his elbows upon his knees, he explained the situation.
? ? ? ? "You have probably never heard of Professor Moriarty?" said he.
? ? ? ? "Never."
? ? ? ? "Ay, there's the genius and the wonder of the thing!" he cried.
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