The Adventure of the Three Students It was in the year '95 that a combination of events, into which 1 need not enter, caused Mr. Shcrlock Holmes and myself to spend some weeks in one of our great university towns, and it was during this time that the small but instructive adventure which I am about to relate befell us. It will be obvious that any details which would help the reader exactly to identify the college or the criminal would be injudicious and offensive. So painful a scandal may well be al-lowed to die out. With due discretion the incident itself may, how-ever, be described, since it serves to illustrate some of those quali-ties for which my friend was remarkable. I will endeavour, in mystatement, to avoid such terms as would serve to limit the events to any particular place, or give a clue as to the people concerned. We were residing at the time in furnished lodgings close to a library where Sherlock Holmes was pursuing some laborious re-searches in early English charters - researches which led to results so striking that they may be the subject of one of my future narra-tives. Here it was that one evening we received a visit from an ac-quaintance, Mr. Hilton Soames, tutor and lecturer at the College of St. Luke's. Mr. Soames was a tall, spare man, of a nervous and excitable temperament. I had always known him to be restless in his manner, but on this particular occasion he was in such a state of uncontrollable agitation that it was clear something very unusual had occurred. "I trust, Mr. Holmes, that you can spare me a few hours of your valuable time. We have had a very painful incident at St. Luke's, and really, but for the happy chance of your being in town, I should have been at a loss what to do." "I am very busy just now, and I desire no distractions," m; friend answered. "I should much prefer that you called in the aid î the police." "No, no, my dear sir; such a course is utterly impossible. Whei once the law is evoked it cannot be stayed again, and this is just on of those cases where, for me credit of the college, it is most essentiE to avoid scandal. Your discretion is as well known as your powers and you are the one man in the world who can help me. I beg yoi Mr. Holmes, to do what you can." My friend's temper had not improved since he had been d< prived of the congenial surroundings of Baker Street. Without h scrapbooks, his chemicals, and his homely untidiness, he was ã uncomfortable man. He shrugged bis shoulders in ungracious aquiescence, while our visitor in hurried words and with much excit-able gesticulation poured forth Us story. "I must explain to you. Mr. Holmes, that to-morrow is the first day of the examination for the Fortescue Scholarship. I am one of the examiners. My subject is Greek, and the first of the papers con-sists of a large passage of Greek translation which the candidate has not seen. This passage is printed on the examination paper, and it would naturally be an immense advantage if the candidate could prepare it in advance. For this reason, great care is taken to keep the paper secret. 'To-day, about three o'clock, the proofs of this paper arrived from the printers. The exercise consists of half a chapter of Thucydides. I had to read it over carefully, as the text must be abso-lutely correct. At four-thirty my task was not yet completed. I had. however, promised to take tea in a friend's rooms, so I left the proof upon my desk. I was absent rather more than an hour.