Page:The Dial (Volume 75).djvu/116

92 grapher, who gave the same irrelevant report. I had the identical experience with a third photographer. Desirous of learning the truth at all costs, I searched the United Kingdom, and my scientific spirit was finally rewarded. I discovered an out-of-the-way photographer named Snelling who pronounced the photos genuine! The evidence was thus irrefutable."

Holmes nodded, and then said, "One of these girls, I believe, worked in a Christmas card factory. And the other was assistant to a photographer. Am I correct in my deductions?"

"Yes," said Sir Arthur, astonished. "You are perfectly right. I included those facts in my book to prove that the girls had no training which would fit them for making fraudulent photographs."

"If you will leave the pictures with me till to-morrow," said Holmes, "I will then have a complete report ready for you."

As soon as Sir Arthur had gone, Holmes turned to me and said, "Watson, go to the Sharpe Christmas Card Company and get one sample of every card they manufacture." I did as he ordered, and soon returned with a hundred or more cards. Holmes spread them on the table and began examining them feverishly. After ten minutes he had pulled four or five from the group.

"Look!" said he. "There are your fairies!" I looked at them, and great was my amazement to see that the little figures on the cards were exact facsimiles of the fairies on the photographs!

"But—!" I cried. "But—!"

"I could tell from the photographs," said Holmes, "that the fairies had been pasted onto ordinary prints, which were then re-photographed. You will see that in comparison with the human figure in the pictures, the fairies are flat. Furthermore, the fairies are anatomically incorrect. I could tell at once that they were drawings, and were drawn by an artist without much knowledge of anatomy. So I knew they had been cut from Christmas cards. Evidently the girls made them for their own amusement, or for a joke on their friends, and when they obtained so much publicity, they were afraid to tell the truth. It’s perfectly simple."

"Marvellous!" said I. "But what will you tell Sir Arthur? His heart will be broken."

In answer Holmes took all the cards and threw them into the fire. "I will tell him nothing," he said. "After all, I owe him a great deal."