A Study in Scarlet (Serial Edition Cover) — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

& &- 34 A STUDY IN SCARLET. take to theorize before you have all the evidence. BR biases the judgment.” “You will have your data soon,” I remarked, point- ing with my finger; “this is the Brixton Road, and that is the house, if I am not very much mistaken.” “So it is. Stop, driver, stop!” We were still a hun- dred yards or so from it, but he insisted upon our alight- ing, and we finished our journey upon foot. No. 3 Lauriston Gardens wore an ill-omened and minatory look. It was one of four which stood back some little way from the street, two being occupied and two empty. The latter looked out with three tiers of vacant, melancholy windows, which were blank and dreary, save that here and there a “To Let” card had developed like a cataract upon the bleared panes. A small garden sprinkled over with a scattered eruption of sickly plants separated each of these houses from the street, and was traversed by a narrow pathway, yellow- ish in color, and consisting apparently of a mixture of clay and gravel. The whole place was very sloppy from the rain which had fallen through the night. The garden was bounded by a three-foot brick wall with a fringe of wood rails upon the top, and against this walt was leaning a stalwart police constable, surrounded by a small knot of loafers, who craned their necks and strained their eyes in the vain hope of catching some glimpse of the proceedings within. I nad imagined that Sherlock Holmes would at once have hurried into the house and plunged into a study of the mystery. Nothing appeared to be further from his intention. With an air of nonchalance which, under the Gomilcboo