Sinclair explains
Turning to the prisoner, Holmes said, 'You should have told your wife the truth,you know.'
'But I did not want my children to be ashamed of their father,' the man replied. 'What can I do?'
'You must now show the police that there was no crime.the matter will then go no further.'
'How can I thank you!' he cried, and then began his story. 'You are the first people to hear my story. When I was a young man, I worked for a newspaper. One day my cheif asked me to write about beggars in London. That was the beginning of my adventures. For it was only by being a beggar myself that I could get the necessary information. Since I had once been an actor, I knew how to disguise my appearance. I painted my face brown, wore orange hair, and poor clothes. I become a beggar in the busiest part of London. In a single day I could earn as much as the newspaper paid me for a week's work. So I decided to give up reporting and spend all my time as a beggar.'