A Study in Scarlet (Serial Edition Cover) — page 176: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

108 wl STUDY IN SCARLE:. sip done? Never mind,” he continued, more brightly, after a pause, “I would not have missed the investigation for anything. ‘There has been no better case within my recollection. Simple as it was, there were several most instructive points about it.” “Simple!” I ejaculated. “Well, really, it can hardly be described as otherwise,” said Sherlock Holmes, smiling at my surprise. “The proof of its intrinsic simplicity is that without any help, save a few very ordinary deductions, I was able to lay my hand upon the criminal within three days.” “That is true,” said I. “T have already explained to you that what is out of the common is usually a guide rather than a hindrance. In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backward. ‘That is a very useful ace complishment and a very easy one, but people do not practice it much. In the every-day affairs of life it is more useful to reason forward, and so the other comes to be neglected. There arc fifty who can reason syn- thetically for one who can reasou: analytically.” “I confess,” said I, “that I do not quite follow you.” “¥ hardly expected that you would. Let me see if I can make it clear. Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the result would be. They can put those events together in their minds, and argue from them that something will come to pass. Gomicbooks:com.