THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES(福尔摩斯探案集)2

1926
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE RETIRED COLOURMAN
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes was in a melancholy and philosophic mood that
morning. His alert practical nature was subject to such reactions.
"Did you see him?" he asked.
"You mean the old fellow who has just gone out?"
"Precisely."
"Yes, I met him at the door."
"What did you think of him?"
"A pathetic, futile, broken creature."
"Exactly, Watson. Pathetic and futile. But is not all life
pathetic and futile? Is not his story a microcosm of the whole? We
reach. We grasp. And what is left in our hands at the end? A shadow.
Or worse than a shadow- misery."
"Is he one of your clients?"
"Well, I suppose I may call him so. He has been sent on by the Yard.
Just as medical men occasionally send their incurables to a quack.
They argue that they can do nothing more, and that whatever happens
the patient can be no worse than he is."
"What is the matter?"
Holmes took a rather soiled card from the table. "Josiah Amberley.
He says he was junior partner of Brickfall and Amberley, who are
manufacturers of artistic materials. You will see their names upon
paint-boxes. He made his little pile, retired from business at the age
of sixty-one, bought a house at Lewisham, and settled down to rest
after a life of ceaseless grind. One would think his future was
tolerably assured."
"Yes, indeed."
Holmes glanced over some notes which he had scribbled upon the
back of an envelope.
"Retired in 1896, Watson. Early in 1897 he married a woman twenty
years younger than himself- a good-looking woman, too, if the
photograph does not flatter. A competence, a wife, leisure- it
seemed a straight road which lay before him. And yet within two
years he is, as you have seen, as broken and miserable a creature as
crawls beneath the sun."
"But what has happened?"
"The old story, Watson. A treacherous friend and a fickle wife. It
would appear that Amberley has one hobby in life, and it is chess. Not
far from him at Lewisham there lives a young doctor who is also a
chess-player. I have noted his name as Dr. Ray Ernest. Ernest was
frequently in the house, and an intimacy between him and Mrs. Amberley
was a natural sequence, for you must admit that our unfortunate client
has few outward graces, whatever his inner virtues may be. The
couple went off together last week- destination untraced. What is
more, the faithless spouse carried off the old man's deed-box as her
personal luggage with a good part of his life's savings within. Can we
find the lady? Can we save the money? A commonplace problem so far
as it has developed, and yet a vital one for Josiah Amberley."
"What will you do about it?"
"Well, the immediate question, my dear Watson, happens to be, what
will you do?- if you will be good enough to understudy me. You know
that I am preoccupied with this case of the two Coptic Patriarchs,
which should come to a head to-day. I really have not time to go out
to Lewisham, and yet evidence taken on the spot has a special value.
The old fellow was quite insistent that I should go, but I explained
my difficulty. He is prepared to meet a representative."
"By all means," I answered. "I confess I don't see that I can be
of much service, but I am willing to do my best." And so it was that
on a summer afternoon I set forth to Lewisham, little dreaming that
within a week the affair in which I was engaging would be the eager
debate of all England.
It was late that evening before I returned to Baker Street and
gave an account of my mission. Holmes lay with his gaunt figure
stretched in his deep chair, his pipe curling forth slow wreaths of
acrid tobacco, while his eyelids drooped over his eyes so lazily
that he might almost have been asleep were it not that at any halt
or questionable passage of my narrative they half lifted, and two gray
eyes, as bright and keen as rapiers, transfixed me with their
searching glance.
"The Haven is the name of Mr. Josiah Amberley's house," I explained.
"I think it would interest you, Holmes. It is like some penurious
patrician who has sunk into the company of his inferiors. You know
that particular quarter, the monotonous brick streets, the weary
suburban highways. Right in the middle of them, a little island of
ancient culture and comfort, lies this old home, surrounded by a
high sun-baked wall mottled with lichens and topped with moss, the
sort of wall-"
"Cut out the poetry, Watson," said Holmes severely. "I note that
it was a high brick wall."
"Exactly. I should not have known which was The Haven had I not
asked a lounger who was smoking in the street. I have a reason for
mentioning him. He was a tall, dark, heavily moustached, rather
military-looking man. He nodded in answer to my inquiry and gave me
a curiously questioning glance, which came back to my memory a
little later.
"I had hardly entered the gateway before I saw Mr. Amberley coming
down the drive. I only had a glimpse of him this morning, and he
certainly gave me the impression of a strange creature, but when I saw
him in full light his appearance was even more abnormal."
"I have, of course, studied it, and yet I should be interested to
have your impression," said Holmes.
"He seemed to me like a man who was literally bowed down by care.
His back was curved as though he carried a heavy burden. Yet he was
not the weakling that I had at first imagined, for his shoulders and
chest have the framework of a giant, though his figure tapers away
into a pair of spindled legs."
"Left shoe wrinkled, right one smooth."
"I did not observe that."
"No, you wouldn't. I spotted his artificial limb. But proceed."
"I was struck by the snaky locks of grizzled hair which curled
from under his old straw hat, and his face with its fierce, eager
expression and the deeply lined features."
"Very good, Watson. What did he say?"
"He began pouring out the story of his grievances. We walked down
the drive together, and of course I took a good look round. I have
never seen a worse-kept place. The garden was all running to seed,
giving me an impression of wild neglect in which the plants had been
allowed to find the way of Nature rather than of art. How any decent
woman could have tolerated such a state of things, I don't know. The
house, too, was slatternly to the last degree, but the poor man seemed
himself to be aware of it and to be trying to remedy it, for a great
pot of green paint stood in the centre of the hall, and he was
carrying a thick brush in his left hand. He had been working on the
woodwork.
"He took me into his dingy sanctum, and we had a long chat. Of
course, he was disappointed that you had not come yourself. 'I
hardly expected,' he said, 'that so humble all individual as myself,
especially after my heavy financial loss, could obtain the complete
attention of so famous a man as Mr. Sherlock Holmes.'
"I assured him that the financial question did not arise. 'No, of
course, it is art for art's sake with him,' said he, 'but even on
the artistic side of crime he might have found something here to
study. And human nature, Dr. Watson- the black ingratitude of it
all! When did I ever refuse one of her requests? Was ever a woman so
pampered? And that young man- he might have been my own son. He had
the run of my house. And yet see how they have treated me! Oh, Dr.
Watson, it is a dreadful, dreadful world!'
"That was the burden of his song for an hour or more. He had, it
seems, no suspicion of an intrigue. They lived alone save for a
woman who comes in by the day and leaves every evening at six. On that
particular evening old Amberley, wishing to give his wife a treat, had
taken two upper circle seats at the Haymarket Theatre. At the last
moment she had complained of a headache and had refused to go. He
had gone alone. There seemed to be no doubt about the fact, for he
produced the unused ticket which he had taken for his wife."
"That is remarkable- most remarkable," said Holmes, whose interest
in the case seemed to be rising. "Pray continue, Watson. I find your
narrative most arresting. Did you personally examine this ticket?
You did not, perchance, take the number?"
"It so happens that I did," I answered with some pride. "It
chanced to be my old school number, thirty-one, and so is stuck in
my head."
"Excellent, Watson! His seat, then, was either thirty or
thirty-two."
"Quite so," I answered with some mystification. "And on B row."
"That is most satisfactory. What else did he tell you?"
"He showed me his strong-room, as he called it. It really is a
strong-room- like a bank- with iron door and shutter- burglar-proof,
as he claimed. Whoever, the woman seems to have had a duplicate key,
and between them they had carried off some seven thousand pounds worth
of cash and securities."
"Securities! How could they dispose of those?"
"He said that he had given the police a list and that he hoped
they would be unsaleable. He had got back from the theatre about
midnight and found the place plundered, the door and window open,
and the fugitives gone. There was no letter or message, nor has he
heard a word since. He at once gave the alarm to the police."
Holmes brooded for some minutes.
"You say he was painting. What was he painting?"
"Well, he was painting the passage. But he had already painted the
floor and woodwork of this room I spoke of."
"Does it not strike you as a strange occupation in the
circumstances?"
"'One must do something to ease an aching heart.' That was his own
explanation. It was eccentric, no doubt, but he is clearly an
eccentric man. He tore up one of his wife's photographs in my
presence- tore it up furiously in a tempest of passion. 'I never
wish to see her damned face again,' he shrieked."
"Anything more, Watson?"
"Yes, one thing which struck me more than anything else. I had
driven to the Blackheath Station and had caught my train there when,
just as it was starting, I saw a man dart into the carriage next to my
own. You know that I have a quick eye for faces, Holmes. It was
undoubtedly the tall, dark man whom I had addressed in the street. I
saw him once more at London Bridge, and then I lost him in the
crowd. But I am convinced that he was following me."
"No doubt! No doubt!" said Holmes. "A tall, dark, heavily moustached
man, you say, with gray-tinted sun-glasses?"
"Holmes, you are a wizard. I did not say so, but he had
gray-tinted sun-glasses."
"And a Masonic tie-pin?"
"Holmes!"
"Quite simple, my dear Watson. But let us get down to what is
practical. I must admit to you that the case, which seemed to me to be
so absurdly simple as to be hardly worth my notice, is rapidly
assuming a very different aspect. It is true that though in your
mission you have missed everything of importance, yet even those
things which have obtruded themselves upon your notice give rise to
serious thought."
"What have I missed?"
"Don't be hurt, my dear fellow. You know that I am quite impersonal.
No one else would have done better. Some possibly not so well. But
clearly you have missed some vital points. What is the opinion of
the neighbours about this man Amberley and his wife? That surely is of
importance. What of Dr. Ernest? Was he the gay Lothario one would
expect? With your natural advantages, Watson, every lady is your
helper and accomplice. What about the girl at the post-office, or
the wife of the greengrocer? I can picture you whispering soft
nothings with the young lady at the Blue Anchor, and receiving hard
somethings in exchange. All this you have left undone."
"It can still be done."
"It has been done. Thanks to the telephone and the help of the Yard,
I can usually get my essentials without leaving this room. As a matter
of fact, my information confirms the man's story. He has the local
repute of being a miser as well as a harsh and exacting husband.
That he had a large sum of money in that strongroom of his is certain.
So also is it that young Dr. Ernest, an unmarried man, played chess
with Amberley, and probably played the fool with his wife. All this
seems plain sailing, and one would think that there was no more to
be said- and yet!- and yet!"
"Where lies the difficulty?"
"In my imagination, perhaps. Well, leave it there, Watson. Let us
escape from this weary workaday world by the side door of music.
Carina sings to-night at the Albert Hall, and we still have time to
dress, dine, and enjoy."
In the morning I was up betimes, but some toast crumbs and two empty
eggshells told me that my companion was earlier still. I found a
scribbled note upon the table.
Dear Watson:
There are one or two points of contact which I should wish to
establish with Mr. Josiah Amberley. When I have done so we can dismiss
the case- or not. I would only ask you to be on hand about three
o'clock, as I conceive it possible that I may want you.
S.H.
I saw nothing of Holmes all day, but at the hour named he
returned, grave, preoccupied, and aloof. At such times it was wiser to
leave him to himself.
"Has Amberley been here yet?"
"No."
"Ah! I am expecting him."
He was not disappointed, for presently the old fellow arrived with a
very worried and puzzled expression upon his austere face.
"I've had a telegram, Mr. Holmes. I can make nothing of it." He
handed it over, and Holmes read it aloud.
"Come at once without fail. Can give you information as to your
recent loss.
"ELMAN.
"The Vicarage.
"Dispatched at 2:10 from Little Purlington," said Holmes. "Little
Purlington is in Essex, I believe, not far from Frinton. Well, of
course you will start at once. This is evidently from a responsible
person, the vicar of the place. Where is my Crockford? Yes, here we
have him: J.C. Elman, M.A., Living of Moosmoor cum Little Purlington.'
Look up the trains, Watson."
"There is one at 5:20 from Liverpool Street."
"Excellent. You had best go with him, Watson. He may need help or
advice. Clearly we have come to a crisis in this affair."
But our client seemed by no means eager to start.
"It's perfectly absurd, Mr. Holmes," he said. "What can this man
possibly know of what has occurred? It is waste of time and money."
"He would not have telegraphed to you if he did not know
something. Wire at once that you are coming."
"I don't think I shall go."
Holmes assumed his sternest aspect.
"It would make the worst possible impression both on the police
and upon myself, Mr. Amberley, if when so obvious a clue arose you
should refuse to follow it up. We should feel that you were not really
in earnest in this investigation."
Our client seemed horrified at the suggestion.
"Why, of course I shall go if you look at it in that way," said
he. "On the face of it, it seems absurd to suppose that this parson
knows anything, but if you think-"
"I do think," said Holmes with emphasis, and so we were launched
upon our journey. Holmes took me aside before we left the room and
gave me one word of counsel, which showed that he considered the
matter to be of importance. "Whatever you do, see that he really
does go," said he. "Should he break away or return, get to the nearest
telephone exchange and send the single word 'Bolted.' I will arrange
here that it shall reach me wherever I am."
Little Purlington is not an easy place to reach, for it is on a
branch line. My remembrance of the journey is not a pleasant one,
for the weather was hot, the train slow, and my companion sullen and
silent, hardly talking at all save to make an occasional sardonic
remark as to the futility of our proceedings. When we at last
reached the little station it was a two-mile drive before we came to
the Vicarage, where a big, solemn, rather pompous clergyman received
us in his study. Our telegram lay before him.
"Well, gentlemen," he asked, "what can I do for you?"
"We came," I explained, "in answer to your wire."
"My wire! I sent no wire."
"I mean the wire which you sent to Mr. Josiah Amberley about his
wife and his money."
"If this is a joke, sir, it is a very questionable one," said the
vicar angrily. "I have never heard of the gentleman you name, and I
have not sent a wire to anyone."
Our client and I looked at each other in amazement.
"Perhaps there is some mistake," said I; "are there perhaps two
vicarages? Here is the wire itself, signed Elman and dated from the
Vicarage."
"There is only one vicarage, sir, and only one vicar, and this
wire is a scandalous forgery, the origin of which shall certainly be
investigated by the police. Meanwhile, I can see no possible object in
prolonging this interview."
So Mr. Amberley and I found ourselves on the roadside in what seemed
to me to be the most primitive village in England. We made for the
telegraph office, but it was already closed. There was a telephone,
however, at the little Railway Arms, and by it I got into touch with
Holmes, who shared in our amazement at the result of our journey.
"Most singular!" said the distant voice. "Most remarkable! I much
fear, my dear Watson, that there is no return train to-night. I have
unwittingly condemned you to the horrors of a country inn. However,
there is always Nature, Watson- Nature and Josiah Amberley- you can be
in close commune with both." I heard his dry chuckle as he turned
away.
It was soon apparent to me that my companion's reputation as a miser
was not undeserved. he had grumbled at the expense of the journey, had
insisted upon travelling third-class, and was now clamorous in his
objections to the hotel bill. Next morning, when we did at last arrive
in London, it was hard to say which of us was in the worse humour.
"You had best take Baker Street as we pass," said I. "Mr. Holmes may
have some fresh instructions."
"If they are not worth more than the last ones they are not of
much use," said Amberley with a malevolent scowl. None the less, he
kept me company. I had already warned Holmes by telegram of the hour
of our arrival, but we found a message waiting that he was at Lewisham
and would expect us there. That was a surprise, but an even greater
one was to find that he was not alone in the sittingroom of our
client. A stern-looking, impassive man sat beside him, a dark man with
gray-tinted glasses and a large Masonic plan projecting from his tie.
"This is my friend Mr. Barker," said Holmes. "He has been
interesting himself also in your business, Mr. Josiah Amberley, though
we have been working independently. But we both have the same question
to ask you!"
Mr. Amberley sat down heavily. He sensed impending danger. I read it
in his straining eyes and his twitching features.
"What is the question, Mr. Holmes?"
"Only this: What did you do with the bodies?"
The man sprang to his feet with a hoarse scream. He clawed into
the air with his bony hands. His mouth was open, and for the instant
he looked like some horrible bird of prey. In a flash we got a glimpse
of the real Josiah Amberley, a misshapen demon with a soul as
distorted as his body. As he fell back into his chair he clapped his
hand to his lips as if to stifle a cough. Holmes sprang at his
throat like a tiger and twisted his face towards the ground. A white
pellet fell from between his gasping lips.
"No short cuts, Josiah Amberley, Things must be done decently and in
order. What about it, Barker?"
"I have a cab at the door," said our taciturn companion.
"It is only a few hundred yards to the station. We will go together.
You can stay there, Watson. I shall be back within half an hour."
The old colourman had the strength of a lion in that great trunk
of his, but he was helpless in the hands of the two experienced
man-handlers. Wriggling and twisting he was dragged to the waiting
cab, and I was left to my solitary vigil in the ill-omened house. In
less time than he had named, however, Holmes was back, in company with
a smart young police inspector.
"I've left Barker to look after the formalities," said Holmes.
"You had not met Barker, Watson. He is my hated rival upon the
Surrey shore. When you said a tall dark man it was not difficult for
me to complete the picture. He has several good cases to his credit,
has he not, Inspector?"
"He has certainly interfered several times," the inspector
answered with reserve.
"His methods are irregular, no doubt, like my own. The irregulars
are useful sometimes, you know. You, for example, with your compulsory
warning about whatever he said being used against him, could never
have bluffed this rascal into what is virtually a confession."
"Perhaps not. But we get there all the same, Mr. Holmes. Don't
imagine that we had not formed our own views of this case, and that we
would not have laid our hands on our man. You will excuse us for
feeling sore when you jump in with methods which we cannot use, and so
rob us of the credit."
"There shall be no such robbery, MacKinnon. I assure you that I
efface myself from now onward, and as to Barker, he has done nothing
save what I told him."
The inspector seemed considerably relieved.
"That is very handsome of you, Mr. Holmes. Praise or blame can
matter little to you, but it is very different to us when the
newspapers begin to ask questions."
"Quite so. But they are pretty sure to ask questions anyhow, so it
would be as well to have answers. What will you say, for example, when
the intelligent and enterprising reporter asks you what the exact
points were which aroused your suspicion, and finally gave you a
certain conviction as to the real facts?"
The inspector looked puzzled.
"We don't seem to have got any real facts yet, Mr. Holmes. You say
that the prisoner, in the presence of three witnesses, practically
confessed by trying to commit suicide, that he had murdered his wife
and her lover. What other facts have you?"
"Have you arranged for a search?"
"There are three constables on their way."
"Then you will soon get the clearest fact of all. The bodies
cannot be far away.
Try the cellars and the garden. It should not take long to dig up
the likely places. This house is older than the water-pipes. There
must be a disused well somewhere. Try your luck there."
"But how did you know of it, and how was it done?"
"I'll show you first how it was done, and then I will give the
explanation which is due to you, and even more to my long-suffering
friend here, who has been invaluable throughout. But, first, I would
give you an insight into this man's mentality. It is a very unusual
one- so much so that I think his destination is more likely to be
Broadmoor than the scaffold. He has, to a high degree, the sort of
mind which one associates with the mediaeval Italian nature rather
than with the modern Briton. He was a miserable miser who made his
wife so wretched by his niggardly ways that she was a ready prey for
any adventurer. Such a one came upon the scene in the person of this
chess-playing doctor. Amberley excelled at chess- one mark, Watson, of
a scheming mind. Like all misers, he was a jealous man, and his
jealousy became a frantic mania. Rightly or wrongly, he suspected an
intrigue. He determined to have his revenge, and he planned it with
diabolical cleverness. Come here!"
Holmes led us along the passage with as much certainty as if he
had lived in the house and halted at the open door of the strong-room.
"Pooh! What an awful smell of paint!" cried the inspector.
"That was our first clue," said Holmes. "You can thank Dr.
Watson's observation for that, though he failed to draw the inference.
It set my foot upon the trail. Why should this man at such a time be
filling his house with strong odours? Obviously, to cover some other
smell which he wished to conceal- some guilty smell which would
suggest suspicions. then came the idea of a room such as you see
here with iron door and shutter- a hermetically sealed room. Put those
two facts together, and whither do they lead? I could only determine
that by examining the house myself. I was already certain that the
case was serious, for I had examined the box-office chart at the
Haymarket Theatre- another of Dr. Watson's bull's-eyes- and
ascertained that neither B thirty nor thirty-two of the upper circle
had been occupied that night. Therefore, Amberley had not been to
the theatre, and his alibi fell to the ground. He made a bad slip when
he allowed my astute friend to notice the number of the seat taken for
his wife. The question now arose how I might be able to examine the
house. I sent an agent to the most impossible village I could think
of, and summoned my man to it at such an hour that he could not
possibly get back. To prevent any miscarriage, Dr. Watson
accompanied him. The good vicar's name I took, of course, out of my
Crockford. Do I make it all clear to you?"
"It is masterly," said the inspector in an awed voice.
"There being no fear of interruption I proceeded to burgle the
house. Burglary has always been an alternative profession had I
cared to adopt it, and I have little doubt that I should have come
to the front. Observe what I found. You see the gas-pipe along the
skirting here. Very good. It rises in the angle of the wall, and there
is a tap here in the corner. The pipe runs out into the strong-room,
as you can see, and ends in that plaster rose in the centre of the
ceiling, where it is concealed by the ornamentation. That end is
wide open. At any moment by turning the outside tap the room could
be flooded with gas. With door and shutter closed and the tap full
on I would not give two minutes of conscious sensation to anyone
shut up in that little chamber. By what devilish device he decoyed
them there I do not know, but once inside the door they were at his
mercy."
The inspector examined the pipe with interest. "One of our
officers mentioned the smell of gas," said he, "but of course the
window and door were open then, and the paint- or some of it- was
already about. He had begun the work of painting the day before,
according to his story. But what next, Mr. Holmes?"
"Well, then came an incident which was rather unexpected to
myself. I was slipping through the pantry window, in the early dawn
when I felt a hand inside my collar, and a voice said: 'Now, you
rascal, what are you doing in there?' When I could twist my head round
I looked into the tinted spectacles of my friend and rival, Mr.
Barker. it was a curious foregathering and set us both smiling. It
seems that he had been engaged by Dr. Ray Ernest's family to make some
investigations and had come to the same conclusion as to foul play. He
had watched the house for some days and had spotted Dr. Watson as
one of the obviously suspicious characters who had called there. He
could hardly arrest Watson, but when he saw a man actually climbing
out of the pantry window there came a limit to his restraint. Of
course, I told him how matters stood and we continued the case
together."
"Why him? Why, not us?"
"Because it was in my mind to put that little test which answered so
admirably. I fear you would not have gone so far."
The inspector smiled.
"Well, maybe not. I understand that I have your word, Mr. Holmes,
that you step right out of the case now and that you turn all your
results over to us."
"Certainly, that is always my custom."
"Well, in the name of the force I thank you. It seems a clear
case, as you put it, and there can't be much difficulty over the
bodies."
"I'll show you a grim little bit of evidence," said Holmes, "and I
am sure Amberley himself never observed it. You'll get results,
Inspector, by always putting yourself in the other fellow's place, and
thinking what you would do yourself. It takes some imagination, but it
pays. Now, we will suppose that you were shut up in this little
room, had not two minutes to live, but wanted to get even with the
fiend who was probably mocking at you from the other side of the door.
What would you do?"
"Write a message."
"Exactly. You would like to tell people how you died. No use writing
on paper. That would be seen. If you wrote on the wall someone might
rest upon it. Now, look here! Just above the skirting is scribbled
with a purple indelible pencil: 'We we-' That's all."
"What do you make of that?"
"Well, it's only a foot above the ground. The poor devil was on
the floor dying when he wrote it. He lost his senses before he could
finish."
"He was writing, 'We were murdered.'"
"That's how I read it. If you find an indelible pencil on the body-"
"We'll look out for it, you may be sure. But those securities?
Clearly there was no robbery at all. And yet he did possess those
bonds. We verified that."
"You may be sure he has them hidden in a safe place. When the
whole elopement had passed into history, he would suddenly discover
them and announce that the guilty couple had relented and sent back
the plunder or had dropped it on the way."
"You certainly seem to have met every difficulty," said the
inspector. "Of course, he was bound to call us in, but why he should
have gone to you I can't understand."
"Pure swank!" Holmes answered. "He felt so clever and so sure of
himself that he imagined no one could touch him. He could say to any
suspicious neighbour, 'Look at the steps I have taken. I have
consulted not only the police but even Sherlock Holmes.'"
The inspector laughed.
"We must forgive you your 'even,' Mr. Holmes," said he, "It's as
workmanlike a job as I can remember."
A couple of days later my friend tossed across to me a copy of the
bi-weekly North Surrey Observer. Under a series of flaming
headlines, which began with "The Haven Horror" and ended with
"Brilliant Police Investigation," there was a packed column of print
which gave the first consecutive account of the affair. The concluding
paragraph is typical of the whole. It ran thus:
The remarkable acumen by which Inspector MacKinnon deduced from
the smell of paint that some other smell, that of gas, for example,
might be concealed; the bold deduction that the strong-room might also
be the death-chamber, and the subsequent inquiry which led to the
discovery of the bodies in a disused well, cleverly concealed by a
dog-kennel, should live in the history of crime as a standing
example of the intelligence of our professional detectives.
"Well, well, MacKinnon is a good fellow," said Holmes with a
tolerant smile. "You can file it in our archives, Watson. Some day the
true story may be told."
-THE END-
.
1904
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND STAIN
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
THE ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND STAIN
I had intended "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange" to be the last of
those exploits of my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, which I should
ever communicate to the public. This resolution of mine was not due to
any lack of material, since I have notes of many hundreds of cases
to which I have never alluded, nor was it caused by any waning
interest on the part of my readers in the singular personality and
unique methods of this remarkable man. The real reason lay in the
reluctance which Mr. Holmes has shown to the continued publication
of his experiences. So long as he was in actual professional
practice the records of his successes were of some practical value
to him, but since he has definitely retired from London and betaken
himself to study and bee-farming on the Sussex Downs, notoriety has
become hateful to him, and he has peremptorily requested that his
wishes in this matter should be strictly observed. It was only upon my
representing to him that I had given a promise that "The Adventure
of the Second Stain" should be published when the times were ripe, and
pointing out to him that it is only appropriate that this long
series of episodes should culminate in the most important
international case which he has ever been called upon to handle,
that I at last succeeded in obtaining his consent that a carefully
guarded account of the incident should at last be laid before the
public. If in telling the story I seem to be somewhat vague in certain
details, the public will readily understand that there is an excellent
reason for my reticence.
It was, then, in a year, and even in a decade, that shall be
nameless, that upon one Tuesday morning in autumn we found two
visitors of European fame within the walls of our humble room in Baker
Street. The one, austere, high-nosed, eagle-eyed, and dominant, was
none other than the illustrious Lord Bellinger, twice Premier of
Britain. The other, dark, clear-cut, and elegant, hardly yet of middle
age, and endowed with every beauty of body and of mind, was the
Right Honourable Trelawney Hope, Secretary for European Affairs, and
the most rising statesman in the country. They sat side by side upon
our paper-littered settee, and it was easy to see from their worn
and anxious faces that it was business of the most pressing importance
which had brought them. The Premier's thin, blue-veined hands were
clasped tightly over the ivory head of his umbrella, and his gaunt,
ascetic face looked gloomily from Holmes to me. The European Secretary
pulled nervously at his moustache and fidgeted with the seals of his
watch-chain.
"When I discovered my loss, Mr. Holmes, which was at eight o'clock
this morning, I at once informed the Prime Minister. It was at his
suggestion that we have both come to you."
"Have you informed the police?"
"No, sir," said the Prime Minister, with the quick, decisive
manner for which he was famous. "We have not done so, nor is it
possible that we should do so. To inform the police must, in the
long run, mean to inform the public. This is what we particularly
desire to avoid."
"And why, sir?"
"Because the document in question is of such immense importance
that its publication might very easily- I might almost say probably-
lead to European complications of the utmost moment. It is not too
much to say that peace or war may hang upon the issue. Unless its
recovery can be attended with the utmost secrecy, then it may as
well not be recovered at all, for all that is aimed at by those who
have taken it is that its contents should be generally known."
"I understand. Now, Mr. Trelawney Hope, I should be much obliged
if you would tell me exactly the circumstances under which this
document disappeared."
"That can be done in a very few words, Mr. Holmes. The letter- for it
was a letter from a foreign potentate- was received six days ago. It
was of such importance that I have never left it in my safe, but
have taken it across each evening to my house in Whitehall Terrace,
and kept it in my bedroom in a locked despatch-box. It was there
last night. Of that I am certain. I actually opened the box while I
was dressing for dinner and saw the document inside. This morning it
was gone. The despatch-box had stood beside the glass upon my
dressing-table all night. I am a light sleeper, and so is my wife.
We are both prepared to swear that no one could have entered the
room during the night. And yet I repeat that the paper is gone."
"What time did you dine?"
"Half-past seven."
"How long was it before you went to bed?"
"My wife had gone to the theatre. I waited up for her. It was
half-past eleven before we went to our room."
"Then for four hours the despatch-box had lain unguarded?"
"No one is ever permitted to enter that room save the house-maid
in the morning, and my valet, or my wife's maid, during the rest of
the day. They are both trusty servants who have been with us for
some time. Besides, neither of them could possibly have known that
there was anything more valuable than the ordinary departmental papers
in my despatch-box."
"Who did know of the existence of that letter?"
"No one in the house."
"Surely your wife knew?'
"No, sir. I had said nothing to my wife until I missed the paper
this morning."
The Premier nodded approvingly.
"I have long known, sir, how high is your sense of public duty,"
said he. "I am convinced that in the case of a secret of this
importance it would rise superior to the most intimate domestic ties.
The European Secretary bowed.
"You do me no more than justice, sir. Until this morning I have
never breathed one word to my wife upon this matter."
"Could she have guessed?"
"No, Mr. Holmes, she could not have guessed- nor could anyone have
guessed."
"Have you lost any documents before?"
"No, sir."
"Who is there in England who did know of the existence of this
letter?"
"Each member of the Cabinet was informed of it yesterday, but the
pledge of secrecy which attends every Cabinet meeting was increased by
the solemn warning which was given by the Prime Minister. Good
heavens, to think that within a few hours I should myself have lost
it!" His handsome face was distorted with a spasm of despair, and
his hands tore at his hair. For a moment we caught a glimpse of the
natural man, impulsive, ardent, keenly sensitive. The next the
aristocratic mask was replaced, and the gentle voice had returned.
"Besides the members of the Cabinet there are two, or possibly
three, departmental officials who know of the letter. No one else in
England, Mr. Holmes, I assure you."
"But abroad?"
"I believe that no one abroad has seen it save the man who wrote it.
I am well convinced that his Ministers- that the usual official
channels have not been employed."
Holmes considered for some little time.
"Now, sir, I must ask you more particularly what this document is,
and why its disappearance should have such momentous consequences?"
The two statesmen exchanged a quick glance and the Premier's
shaggy eyebrows gathered in a frown.
"Mr. Holmes, the envelope is a long, thin one of pale blue colour.
There is a seal of red wax stamped with a crouching lion. It is
addressed in large, bold handwriting to-"
"I fear, sir," said Holmes, "that, interesting and indeed
essential as these details are, my inquiries must go more to the
root of things. What was the letter?"
"That is a State secret of the utmost importance, and I fear that
I cannot tell you, nor do I see that it is necessary. If by the aid of
the powers which you are said to possess you can find such an envelope
as I describe with its enclosure, you will have deserved well of
your country, and earned any reward which it lies in our power to
bestow."
Sherlock Holmes rose with a smile.
"You are two of the most busy men in the country," said he, "and
in my own small way I have also a good many calls upon me. I regret
exceedingly that I cannot help you in this matter, and any
continuation of this interview would be a waste of time."
The Premier sprang to his feet with that quick, fierce gleam of
his deep-set eyes before which a Cabinet has cowered. "I am not
accustomed, sir," he began, but mastered his anger and resumed his
seat. For a minute or more we all sat in silence. Then the old
statesman shrugged his shoulders.
"We must accept your terms, Mr. Holmes. No doubt you are right,
and it is unreasonable for us to expect you to act unless we give
you our entire confidence."
"I agree with you," said the younger statesman.
"Then I will tell you, relying entirely upon your honour and that of
your colleague, Dr. Watson. I may appeal to your patriotism also,
for I could not imagine a greater misfortune for the country than that
this affair should come out."
"You may safely trust us."
"The letter, then, is from a certain foreign potentate who bas
been ruffled by some recent Colonial developments of this country.
It has been written hurriedly and upon his own responsibility
entirely. Inquiries have shown that his Ministers know nothing of
the matter. At the same time it is couched in so unfortunate a manner,
and certain phrases in it are of so provocative a character, that
its publication would undoubtedly lead to a most dangerous state of
feeling in this country. There would be such a ferment, sir, that I do
not hesitate to say that within a week of the publication of that
letter this country would be involved in a great war."
Holmes wrote a name upon a slip of paper and handed it to the
Premier.
"Exactly. It was he. And it is this letter- this letter which may
well mean the expenditure of a thousand millions and the lives of a
hundred thousand men- which has become lost in this unaccountable
fashion."
"Have you informed the sender?"
"Yes, sir, a cipher telegram has been despatched."
"Perhaps he desires the publication of the letter."
"No, sir, we have strong reason to believe that he already
understands that he has acted in an indiscreet and hot-headed
manner. It would be a greater blow to him and to his country than to
us if this letter were to come out."
"If this is so, whose interest is it that, the letter should come
out? Why should anyone desire to steal it or to publish it?"
"There, Mr. Holmes, you take me into regions of high international
politics. But if you consider the European situation you will have
no difficulty in perceiving the motive. The whole of Europe is an
armed camp. There is a double league which makes a fair balance of
military power. Great Britain holds the scales. If Britain were driven
into war with one confederacy, it would assure the supremacy of the
other confederacy, whether they joined in the war or not. Do you
follow?"
"Very clearly. It is then the interest of the enemies of this
potentate to secure and publish this letter, so as to make a breach
between his country and ours?"
"Yes, sir."
"And to whom would this document be sent if it fell into the hands
of an enemy?"
"To any of the great Chancelleries of Europe. It is probably
speeding on its way thither at the present instant as fast as steam
can take it."
Mr. Trelawney Hope dropped his head on his chest and groaned
aloud. The Premier placed his hand kindly upon his shoulder.
"It is your misfortune, my dear fellow. No one can blame you.
There is no precaution which you have neglected. Now, Mr. Holmes,
you are in full possession of the facts. What course do you
recommend?"
Holmes shook his head mournfully.
"You think, sir, that unless this document is recovered there will
be war?"
"I think it is very probable."
"Then, sir, prepare for war."
"That is a hard saying, Mr. Holmes."
"Consider the facts, sir. It is inconceivable that it was taken
after eleven-thirty at night, since I understand that Mr. Hope and his
wife were both in the room from that hour until the loss was found
out. It was taken, then, yesterday evening between seven-thirty and
eleven-thirty, probably near the earlier hour, since whoever took it
evidently knew that it was there and would naturally secure it as
early as possible. Now, sir, if a document of this importance were
taken at that hour, where can it be now? No one has any reason to
retain it. It has been passed rapidly on to those who need it. What
chance have we now to overtake or even to trace it? It is beyond our
reach."
The Prime Minister rose from the settee.
"What you say is perfectly logical, Mr. Holmes. I feel that the
matter is indeed out of our hands."
"Let us presume, for argument's sake, that the document was taken by
the maid or by the valet-"
"They are both old and tried servants."
"I understand you to say that your room is on the second floor, that
there is no entrance from without, and that from within no one could
go up unobserved. It must, then, be somebody in the house who has
taken it. To whom would the thief take it? To one of several
international spies and secret agents, whose names are tolerably
familiar to me. There are three who may be said to be the heads of
their profession. I will begin my research by going round and
finding if each of them is at his post. If one is missing-
especially if he has disappeared since last night- we will have some
indication as to where the document has gone."
"Why should he be missing?" asked the European Secretary. "He
would take the letter to an Embassy in London, as likely as not."
"I fancy not. These agents work independently, and their relations
with the Embassies are often strained."
The Prime Minister nodded his acquiescence.
"I believe you are right, Mr. Holmes. He would take so valuable a
prize to headquarters with his own hands. I think that your course
of action is an excellent one. Meanwhile, Hope, we cannot neglect
all our other duties on account of this one misfortune. Should there
be any fresh developments during the day we shall communicate with
you, and you will no doubt let us know the results of your own
inquiries."
The two statesmen bowed and walked gravely from the room.
When our illustrious visitors had departed Holmes lit his pipe in
silence and sat for some time lost in the deepest thought. I had
opened the morning paper and was immersed in a sensational crime which
had occurred in London the night before, when my friend gave an
exclamation, sprang to his feet, and laid his pipe down upon the
mantelpiece.
"Yes," said he, "there is no better way of approaching it. The
situation is desperate, but not hopeless. Even now, if we could be
sure which of them has taken it, it is just possible that it has not
yet passed out of his hands. After all, it is a question of money with
these fellows, and I have the British treasury behind me. If it's on
the market I'll buy it- if it means another penny on the income-tax.
It is conceivable that the fellow might hold it back to see what
bids come from this side before he tries his luck on the other.
There are only those three capable of playing so bold a game- there
are Oberstein, La Rothiere, and Eduardo Lucas. I will see each of
them."
I glanced at my morning paper.
"Is that Eduardo Lucas of Godolphin Street?"
"Yes."
"You will not see him."
"Why not?"
"He was murdered in his house last night."
My friend has so often astonished me in the course of our adventures
that it was with a sense of exultation that I realized how
completely I had astonished him. He stared in amazement, and then
snatched the paper from my hands. This was the paragraph which I had
been engaged in reading when he rose from his chair.
MURDER IN WESTMINSTER
A crime of mysterious character was committed last night at 16
Godolphin Street, one of the old-fashioned and secluded rows of
eighteenth century houses which lie between the river and the Abbey,
almost in the shadow of the great Tower of the Houses of Parliament.
This small but select mansion has been inhabited for some years by Mr.
Eduardo Lucas, well known in society circles both on account of his
charming personality and because he has the well-deserved reputation
of being one of the best amateur tenors in the country. Mr. Lucas is
an unmarried man, thirty-four years of age, and his establishment
consists of Mrs. Pringle, an elderly housekeeper, and of Mitton, his
valet. The former retires early and sleeps at the top of the house.
The valet was out for the evening, visiting a friend at Hammersmith.
From ten o'clock onward Mr. Lucas had the house to himself. What
occurred during that time has not yet transpired, but at a quarter
to twelve Police-constable Barrett, passing along Godolphin Street
observed that the door of No. 16 was ajar. He knocked, but received no
answer. Perceiving a light in the front room, he advanced into the
passage and again knocked, but without reply. He then pushed open
the door and entered. The room was in a state of wild disorder, the
furniture being all swept to one side, and one chair lying on its back
in the centre. Beside this chair, and still grasping one of its
legs, lay the unfortunate tenant of the house. He had been stabbed
to the heart and must have died instantly. The knife with which the
crime had been committed was a curved Indian dagger, plucked down from
a trophy of Oriental arms which adorned one of the walls. Robbery does
not appear to have been the motive of the crime, for there had been no
attempt to remove the valuable contents of the room. Mr. Eduardo Lucas
was so well known and popular that his violent and mysterious fate
will arouse painful interest and intense sympathy in a widespread
circle of friends.
"Well, Watson, what do you make of this?" asked Holmes, after a long
pause.
"It is an amazing coincidence."
"A coincidence! Here is one of the three men whom we had named as
possible actors in this drama, and he meets a violent death during the
very hours when we know that that drama was being enacted. The odds
are enormous against its being coincidence. No figures could express
them. No, my dear Watson, the two events are connected- must be
connected. It is for us to find the connection."
"But now the official police must know all."
"Not at all. They know all they see at Godolphin Street. They
know- and shall know- nothing of Whitehall Terrace. Only we know of
both events, and can trace the relation between them. There is one
obvious point which would, in any case, have turned my suspicions
against Lucas. Godolphin Street, Westminster, is only a few minutes'
walk from Whitehall Terrace. The other secret agents whom I have named
live in the extreme West End. It was easier, therefore, for Lucas than
for the others to establish a connection or receive a message from the
European Secretary's household- a small thing, and yet where events
are compressed into a few hours it may prove essential. Halloa! what
have we here?"
Mrs. Hudson had appeared with a lady's card upon her salver.
Holmes glanced at it, raised his eyebrows, and handed it over to me.
"Ask Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope if she will be kind enough to step
up," said he.
A moment later our modest apartment, already so distinguished that
morning, was further honoured by the entrance of the most lovely woman
in London. I had often heard of the beauty of the youngest daughter of
the Duke of Belminster, but no description of it, and no contemplation
of colourless photographs, had prepared me for the subtle, delicate
charm and the beautiful colouring of that exquisite head. And yet as
we saw it that autumn morning, it was not its beauty which would be
the first thing to impress the observer. The cheek was lovely but it
was paled with emotion, the eyes were bright but it was the brightness
of fever, the sensitive mouth was tight and drawn in an effort after
self-command. Terror- not beauty- was what sprang first to the eye
as our fair visitor stood framed for an instant in the open door.
"Has my husband been here, Mr. Holmes?"
"Yes, madam. he has been here."
"Mr. Holmes. I implore you not to tell him that I came here." Holmes
bowed coldly, and motioned the lady to a chair.
"Your ladyship places me in a very delicate position. I beg that you
will sit down and tell me what you desire, but I fear that I cannot
make any unconditional promise."
She swept across the room and seated herself with her back to the
window. It was a queenly presence- tall, graceful, and intensely
womanly.
"Mr. Holmes," she said- and her white-gloved hands clasped and
unclasped as she spoke- "I will speak frankly to you in the hopes that
it may induce you to speak frankly in return. There is complete
confidence between my husband and me on all matters save one. That one
is politics. On this his lips are sealed. He tells me nothing. Now,
I am aware that there was a most deplorable occurrence in our house
last night. I know that a paper has disappeared. But because the
matter is political my husband refuses to take me into his complete
confidence. Now it is essential- essential, I say- that I should
thoroughly understand it. You are the only other person, save only
these politicians, who knows the true facts. I beg you then, Mr.
Holmes, to tell me exactly what has happened and what it will lead to.
Tell me all, Mr. Holmes. Let no regard for your client's interests
keep you silent, for I assure you that his interests, if he would only
see it, would be best served by taking me into his complete
confidence. What was this paper which was stolen?"
"Madam, what you ask me is really impossible."
She groaned and sank her face in her hands.
"You must see that this is so, madam. If your husband thinks fit
to keep you in the dark over this matter, is it for me, who has only
learned the true facts under the pledge of professional secrecy, to
tell what he has withheld? It is not fair to ask it. It is him whom
you must ask."
"I have asked him. I come to you as a last resource. But without
your telling me anything definite, Mr. Holmes, you may do a great
service if you would enlighten me on one point."
"What is it, madam?"
"Is my husband's political career likely to suffer through this
incident?"
"Well, madam, unless it is set right it may certainly have a very
unfortunate effect."
"Ah!" She drew in her breath sharply as one whose doubts are
resolved.
"One more question, Mr. Holmes. From an expression which my
husband dropped in the first shock of this disaster I understood
that terrible public consequences might arise from the loss of this
document."
"If he said so, I certainly cannot deny it."
"Of what nature are they?"
"Nay, madam, there again you ask me more than I can possibly
answer."
"Then I will take up no more of your time. I cannot blame you, Mr.
Holmes, for having refused to speak more freely, and you on your
side will not, I am sure, think the worse of me because I desire, even
against his will, to share my husband's anxieties. Once more I beg
that you will say nothing of my visit."
She looked back at us from the door, and I had a last impression
of that beautiful haunted face, the startled eyes, and the drawn
mouth. Then she was gone.
"Now, Watson, the fair sex is your department," said Holmes, with
a smile, when the dwindling frou-frou of skirts had ended in the
slam of the front door. "What was the fair lady's game? What did she
really want?"
"Surely her own statement is clear and her anxiety very natural."
"Hum! Think of her appearance, Watson- her manner, her suppressed
excitement, her restlessness, her tenacity in asking questions.
Remember that she comes of a caste who do not lightly show emotion."
"She was certainly much moved."
"Remember also the curious earnestness with which she assured us
that it was best for her husband that she should know all. What did
she mean by that? And you must have observed, Watson, how she
manoeuvred to have the light at her back. She did not wish us to
read her expression."
"Yes, she chose the one chair in the room."
"And yet the motives of women are so inscrutable. You remember the
woman at Margate whom I suspected for the same reason. No powder on
her nose- that proved to be the correct solution. How can you build on
such a quicksand? Their most trivial action may mean volumes, or their
most extraordinary conduct may depend upon a hairpin or a curling
tongs. Good-morning, Watson."
"You are off?"
"Yes, I will while away the morning at Godolphin Street with our
friends of the regular establishment. With Eduardo Lucas lies the
solution of our problem, though I must admit that I have not an
inkling as to what form it may take. It is a capital mistake to
theorize in advance of the facts. Do you stay on guard, my good
Watson, and receive any fresh visitors. I'll join you at lunch if I am
able."
All that day and the next and the next Holmes was in a mood which
his friends would can taciturn, and others morose. He ran out and
ran in, smoked incessantly, played snatches on his violin, sank into
reveries, devoured sandwiches at irregular hours, and hardly
answered the casual questions which I put to him. It was evident to me
that things were not going well with him or his quest. He would say
nothing of the case, and it was from the papers that I learned the
particulars of the inquest, and the arrest with the subsequent release
of John Mitton, the valet of the deceased. The coroner's jury
brought in the obvious Wilful Murder, but the,parties remained as
unknown as ever. No motive was suggested. The room was full of
articles of value, but none had been taken. The dead man's papers
had not been tampered with. They were carefully examined, and showed
that he was a keen student of international politics, an indefatigable
gossip, a remarkable linguist, and an untiring letter writer. He had
been on intimate terms with the leading politicians of several
countries. But nothing sensational was discovered among the
documents which filled his drawers. As to his relations with women,
they appeared to have been promiscuous but superficial. He had many
acquaintances among them, but few friends, and no one whom he loved.
His habits were regular, his conduct inoffensive. His death was an
absolute mystery and likely to remain so.
As to the arrest of John Mitton, the valet, it was a council of
despair as an alternative to absolute inaction. But no case could be
sustained against him. He had visited friends in Hammersmith that
night. The alibi was complete. It is true that he started home at an
hour which should have brought him to Westminster before the time when
the crime was discovered, but his own explanation that he had walked
part of the way seemed probable enough in view of the fineness of
the night. He had actually arrived at twelve o'clock, and appeared
to be overwhelmed by the unexpected tragedy. He had always been on
good terms with his master. Several of the dead man's possessions-
notably a small case of razors- had been found in the valet's boxes,
but he explained that they had been presents from the deceased, and
the housekeeper was able to corroborate the story. Mitton had been
in Lucas's employment for three years. It was noticeable that Lucas
did not take Mitton on the Continent with him. Sometimes he visited
Paris for three months on end, but Mitton was left in charge of the
Godolphin Street house. As to the housekeeper, she had heard nothing
on the night of the crime. If her master had a visitor he had
himself admitted him.
So for three mornings the mystery remained, so far as I could follow
it in the papers. If Holmes knew more, he kept his own counsel, but,
as he told me that Inspector Lestrade had taken him into him into
his confidence in the case, I knew that he was in close touch with
every development. Upon the fourth day there appeared a long
telegram from Paris which seemed to solve the whole question.
A discovery has just been made by the Parisian police [said the
Daily Telegraph] which raises the veil which hung round the tragic
fate of Mr. Eduardo Lucas, who met his death by violence last Monday
night at Godolphin Street, Westminster. Our readers will remember that
the deceased gentleman was found stabbed in his room, and that some
suspicion attached to his valet, but that the case broke down on an
alibi. Yesterday a lady, who has been known as Mme. Henri Fournaye,
occupying a small villa in the Rue Austerlitz, was reported to the
authorities by her servants as being insane. An examination showed she
had indeed developed mania of a dangerous and permanent form. On
inquiry, the police have discovered that Mme. Henri Fournaye only
returned from a journey to London on Tuesday last, and there is
evidence to connect her with the crime at Westminster. A comparison of
photographs has proved conclusively that M. Henri Fournaye and Eduardo
Lucas were really one and the same person, and that the deceased had
for some reason lived a double life in London and Paris. Mme.
Fournaye, who is of Creole origin, is of an extremely excitable
nature, and has suffered in the past from attacks of jealousy which
have amounted to frenzy. It is conjectured that it was in one of these
that she committed the terrible crime which has caused such a
sensation in London. Her movements upon the Monday night have not
yet been traced, but it is undoubted that a woman answering to her
description attracted much attention at Charing Cross Station on
Tuesday morning by the wildness of her appearance and the violence
of her gestures. It is probable, therefore, that the crime was
either committed when insane, or that its immediate effect was to
drive the unhappy woman out of her mind. At present she is unable to
give any coherent account of the past, and the doctors hold out no
hopes of the reestablishment of her reason. There is evidence that a
woman, who might have been Mme. Fournaye, was seen for some hours upon
Monday night watching the house in Godolphin Street.
"What do you think of that, Holmes?" I had read the account aloud to
him, while he finished his breakfast.
"My dear Watson," said he, as he rose from the table and paced up
and down the room, "You are most long-suffering, but if I have told
you nothing in the last three days, it is because there is nothing
to tell. Even now this report from Paris does not help us much."
"Surely it is final as regards the man's death."
"The man's death is a mere incident- a trivial episode- in
comparison with our real task, which is to trace this document and
save a European catastrophe. Only one important thing has happened
in the last three days, and that is that nothing has happened. I get
reports almost hourly from the government, and it is certain that
nowhere in Europe is there any sign of trouble. Now, if this letter
were loose- no, it can't be loose- but if it isn't loose, where can it
be? Who has it? Why is it held back? That's the question that beats in
my brain like a hammer. Was it, indeed, a coincidence that Lucas
should meet his death on the night when the letter disappeared? Did
the letter ever reach him? If so, why is it not among his papers?
Did this mad wife of his carry it off with her? If so, is it in her
house in Paris? How could I search for it without the French police
having their suspicions aroused? It is a case, my dear Watson, where
the law is as dangerous to us as the criminals are. Every man's hand
is against us, and yet the interests at stake are colossal. Should I
bring it to a successful conclusion, it will certainly represent the
crowning glory of my career. Ah, here is my latest from the front!" He
glanced hurriedly at the note which had been handed in. "Halloa!
Lestrade seems to have observed something of interest. Put on your
hat, Watson, and we will stroll down together to Westminster."
It was my first visit to the scene of the crime- a high, dingy,
narrow-chested house, prim, formal, and solid, like the century
which gave it birth. Lestrade's bulldog features gazed out at us
from the front window, and he greeted us warmly when a big constable
had opened the door and let us in. The room into which we were shown
was that in which the crime had been committed, but no trace of it now
remained save an ugly, irregular stain upon the carpet. This carpet
was a small square drugget in the centre of the room, surrounded by
a broad expanse of beautiful, old-fashioned wood-flooring in square
blocks, highly polished. Over the fireplace was a magnificent trophy
of weapons, one of which had been used on that tragic night. In the
window was a sumptuous writing-desk, and every detail of the
apartment, the pictures, the rugs, and the hangings, all pointed to
a taste which was luxurious to the verge of effeminacy.
"Seen the Paris news?' asked Lestrade.
Holmes nodded.
"Our French friends seem to have touched the spot this time. No
doubt it's just as they say. She knocked at the door- surprise
visit, I guess, for he kept his life in water-tight compartments- he
let her in, couldn't keep her in the street. She told him how she
had traced him, reproached him. One thing led to another, and then
with that dagger so handy the end soon came. It wasn't all done in
an instant, though, for these chairs were all swept over yonder, and
he had one in his hand as if he had tried to hold her off with it.
We've got it all clear as if we had seen it."
Holmes raised his eyebrows.
"And yet you have sent for me?"
"Ah, yes, that's another matter- a mere trifle, but the sort of
thing you take an interest in- queer, you know, and what you might
call freakish. It has nothing to do with the main fact- can't have, on
the face of it."
"What is it, then?"
"Well, you know, after a crime of this sort we are very careful to
keep things in their position. Nothing has been moved. Officer in
charge here day and night. This morning, as the man was buried and the
investigation over- so far as this room is concerned- we thought we
could tidy up a bit. This carpet. You see, it is not fastened down,
only just laid there. We had occasion to raise it. We found-"
"Yes? You found-"
Holmes's face grew tense with anxiety.
"Well, I'm sure you would never guess in a hundred years what we did
find. You see that stain on the carpet? Well, a great deal must have
soaked through, must it not?"
"Undoubtedly it must."
"Well, you will be surprised to hear that there is no stain on the
white woodwork to correspond."
"No stain! But there must-"
"Yes, so you would say. But the fact remains that there isn't."
He took the corner of the carpet in his hand and, turning it over,
he showed that it was indeed as he said.
"But the under side is as stained as the upper. It must have left
a mark."
Lestrade chuckled with delight at having puzzled the famous expert.
"Now, I'll show you the explanation. There is a second stain, but it
does not correspond with the other. See for yourself." As he spoke
he turned over another portion of the carpet, and there, sure
enough, was a great crimson spill upon the square white facing of
the old-fashioned floor. "What do you make of that, Mr. Holmes?"
"Why, it is simple enough. The two stains did correspond, but the
carpet has been turned round. As it was square and unfastened it was
easily done."
The official police don't need you, Mr. Holmes, to tell them that
the carpet must have been turned round. That's clear enough, for the
stains lie above each other- if you lay it over this way. But what I
want to know is, who shifted the carpet, and why?"
I could see from Holmes's rigid face that he was vibrating with
inward excitement.
"Look here, Lestrade," said he, "has that constable in the passage
been in charge of the place all the time?"
"Yes, he has."
"Well, take my advice. Examine him carefully. Don't do it before us.
Well wait here. You take him into the back room. You'll be more likely
to get a confession out of him alone. Ask him how he dared to admit
people and leave them alone in this room. Don't ask him if he has done
it. Take it for granted. Tell him you know someone has been here.
Press him. Tell him that a full confession is his only chance of
forgiveness. Do exactly what I tell you!"
"By George, if he knows I'll have it out of him!" cried Lestrade. He
darted into the hall, and a few moments later his bullying voice
sounded from the back room.
"Now, Watson, now!" cried Holmes with frenzied eagerness. All the
demoniacal force of the man masked behind that listless manner burst
out in a paroxysm of energy. He tore the drugget from the floor, and
in an instant was down on his hands and knees clawing at each of the
squares of wood beneath it. One turned sideways as he dug his nails
into the edge of it. It hinged back like the lid of a box. A small
black cavity opened beneath it. Holmes plunged his eager hand into
it and drew it out with a bitter snarl of anger and disappointment. It
was empty.
"Quick, Watson, quick! Get it back again!" The wooden lid was
replaced, and the drugget had only just been drawn straight when
Lestrade's voice was heard in the passage. He found Holmes leaning
languidly against the mantelpiece, resigned and patient,
endeavouring to conceal his irrepressible yawns.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Holmes. I can see that you are bored
to death with the whole affair. Well, he has confessed, all right.
Come in here, MacPherson. Let these gentlemen hear of your most
inexcusable conduct."
The big constable, very hot and penitent, sidled into the room.
"I meant no harm, sir, I'm sure. The young woman came to the door
last evening- mistook the house, she did. And then we got talking.
It's lonesome, when you're on duty here all day."
"Well, what happened then?"
"She wanted to see where the crime was done- had read about it in
the papers, she said. She was a very respectable, well-spoken young
woman, sir, and I saw no harm in letting her have a peep. When she saw
that mark on the carpet, down she dropped on the floor, and lay as
if she were dead. I ran to the back and got some water, but I could
not bring her to. Then I went round the corner to the Ivy Plant for
some brandy, and by the time I had brought it back the young woman had
recovered and was off- ashamed of herself, I daresay, and dared not
face me."
"How about moving that drugget?"
"Well, sir, it was a bit rumpled, certainly, when I came back. You
see, she fell on it and it lies on a polished floor with nothing to
keep it in place. I straightened it out afterwards."
"It's a lesson to you that you can't deceive me, Constable
MacPherson," said Lestrade, with dignity. "No doubt you thought that
your breach of duty could never be discovered, and yet a mere glance
at that drugget was enough to convince me that someone had been
admitted to the room. It's lucky for you, my man, that nothing is
missing, or you would find yourself in Queer Street. I'm sorry to have
called you down over such a petty business, Mr. Holmes, but I
thought the point of the second stain not corresponding with the first
would interest you."
"Certainly, it was most interesting. Has this woman only been here
once, constable?"
"Yes, sir, only once."
"Who was she?"
"Don't know the name, sir. Was answering an advertisement about
typewriting and came to the wrong number- very pleasant, genteel young
woman, sir."
"Tall? Handsome?"
"Yes, sir, she was a well-grown young woman. I suppose you might say
she was handsome. Perhaps some would say she was very handsome. 'Oh,
officer, do let me have a peep!' says she. She had pretty, coaxing
ways, as you might say, and I thought there was no harm in letting her
just put her head through the door."
"How was she dressed?"
"Quiet, sir- a long mantle down to her feet."
"What time was it?"
"It was just growing dusk at the time. They were lighting the
lamps as I came back with the brandy."
"Very good," said Holmes. "Come, Watson, I think that we have more
important work elsewhere."
As we left the house Lestrade remained in the front room, while
the repentant constable opened the door to let us out. Holmes turned
on the step and held up something in his hand. The constable stared
intently.
"Good Lord, sir!" he cried, with amazement on his face. Holmes put
his finger on his lips, replaced his hand in his breast pocket, and
burst out laughing as we turned down the street. "Excellent!" said he.
"Come, friend Watson, the curtain rings up for the last act. You
will be relieved to hear that there will be no war, that the Right
Honourable Trelawney Hope will suffer no setback in his brilliant
career, that the indiscreet Sovereign will receive no punishment for
his indiscretion, that the Prime Minister will have no Europe an
complication to deal with, and that with a little tact and
management upon our part nobody will be a penny the worse for what
might have been a very ugly incident."
My mind filled with admiration for this extraordinary man.
"You have solved it!" I cried.
"Hardly that, Watson. There are some points which are as dark as
ever. But we have so much that it will be our own fault if we cannot
get the rest. We will go straight to Whitehall Terrace and bring the
matter to a head."
When we arrived at the residence of the European Secretary it was
for Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope that Sherlock Holmes inquired. We were
shown into the morning-room.
"Mr. Holmes!" said the lady, and her face was pink with her
indignation. "This is surely most unfair and ungenerous upon your
part. I desired, as I have explained, to keep my visit to you a
secret, lest my husband should think that I was intruding into his
affairs. And yet you compromise me by coming here and so showing
that there are business relations between us."
"Unfortunately, madam, I had no possible alternative. I have been
commissioned to recover this immensely important paper. I must
therefore ask you, madam, to be kind enough to place it in my hands."
The lady sprang to her feet, with the colour all dashed in an
instant from her beautiful face. Her eyes glazed- she tottered- I
thought that she would faint. Then with a grand effort she rallied
from the shock, and a supreme astonishment and indignation chased
every other expression from her features.
"You- you insult me, Mr. Holmes."
"Come, come, madam, it is useless. Give up the letter."
She darted to the bell.
"The butler shall show you out."
"Do not ring, Lady Hilda. If you do, then all my earnest efforts
to avoid a scandal will be frustrated. Give up the letter and all will
be set right. If you will work with me I can arrange everything. If
you work against me I must expose you."
She stood grandly defiant, a queenly figure, her eyes fixed upon his
as if she would read his very soul. Her hand was on the bell, but
she had forborne to ring it.
"You are trying to frighten me. It is not a very manly thing, Mr.
Holmes, to come here and browbeat a woman. You say that you know
something. What is it that you know?"
"Pray sit down, madam. You will hurt yourself there if you fall. I
will not speak until you sit down. Thank you."
"I give you five minutes, Mr. Holmes."
"One is enough, Lady Hilda. I know of your visit to Eduardo Lucas,
of your giving him this document, of your ingenious return to the room
last night, and of the manner in which you took the letter from the
hiding-place under the carpet."
She stared at him with an ashen face and gulped twice before she
could speak.
"You are mad, Mr. Holmes- you are mad!" she cried, at last.
He drew a small piece of cardboard from his pocket. It was the
face of a woman cut out of a portrait.
"I have carried this because I thought it might be useful," said he.
"The policeman has recognized it."
She gave a gasp, and her head dropped back in the chair.
"Come, Lady Hilda. You have the letter. The matter may still be
adjusted. I have no desire to bring trouble to you. My duty ends
when I have returned the lost letter to your husband. Take my advice
and be frank with me. It is your only chance."
Her courage was admirable. Even now she would not own defeat.
"I tell you again, Mr. Holmes, that you are under some absurd
illusion."
Holmes rose from his chair.
"I am sorry for you, Lady Hilda. I have done my best for you. I
can see that it is all in vain."
He rang the bell. The butler entered.
"Is Mr. Trelawney Hope at home?"
"He will be home, sir, at a quarter to one."
Holmes glanced at his watch.
"Still a quarter of an hour," said he. "Very good, I shall wait."
The butler had hardly closed the door behind him when Lady Hilda was
down on her knees at Holmes's feet, her hands outstretched, her
beautiful face upturned and wet with her tears.
"Oh, spare me, Mr. Holmes! Spare me!" she pleaded, in a frenzy of
supplication. "For heaven's sake, don't tell him! I love him so! I
would not bring one shadow on his life, and this I know would break
his noble heart."
Holmes raised the lady. "I am thankful, madam, that you have come to
your senses even at this last moment! There is not an instant to lose.
Where is the letter?"
She darted across to a writing-desk, unlocked it, and drew out a
long blue envelope.
"Here it is, Mr. Holmes. Would to heaven I had never seen it!"
"How can we return it?" Holmes muttered. "Quick, quick, we must
think of some way! Where is the despatch-box?"
"Still in his bedroom."
"What a stroke of luck! Quick, madam, bring it here!" A moment later
she had appeared with a red flat box in her hand.
"How did you open it before? You have a duplicate key? Yes, of
course you have. Open it!"
From out of her bosom Lady Hilda had drawn a small key. The box flew
open. It was stuffed with papers. Holmes thrust the blue envelope deep
down into the heart of them, between the leaves of some other
document. The box was shut, locked, and returned to the bedroom.
"Now we are ready for him," said Holmes. "We have still ten minutes.
I am going far to screen you, Lady Hilda. In return you will spend the
time in telling me frankly the real meaning of this extraordinary
affair."
"Mr. Holmes, I will tell you everything," cried the lady. "Oh, Mr.
Holmes, I would cut off my right hand before I gave him a moment of
sorrow! There is no woman in all London who loves her husband as I do,
and yet if he knew how I have acted- how I have been compelled to act-
he would never forgive me. For his own honour stands so high that he
could not forget or pardon a lapse in another. Help me, Mr. Holmes! My
happiness, his happiness, our very lives are at stake!"
"Quick, madam, the time grows short!"
"It was a letter of mine, Mr. Holmes, an indiscreet letter written
before my marriage- a foolish letter, a letter of an impulsive, loving
girl. I meant no harm, and yet he would have thought it criminal.
Had he read that letter his confidence would have been forever
destroyed. It is years since I wrote it. I had thought that the
whole matter was forgotten. Then at last I heard from this man, Lucas,
that it had passed into his hands, and that he would lay it before
my husband. I implored his mercy. He said that he would return my
letter if I would bring him a certain document which he described in
my husband's despatch-box. He had some spy in the office who had
told him of its existence. He assured me that no harm could come to my
husband. Put yourself in my position, Mr. Holmes! What was I to do?"
"Take your husband into your confidence."
"I could not, Mr. Holmes, I could not! On the one side seemed
certain ruin, on the other, terrible as it seemed to take my husband's
paper, still in a matter of politics I could not understand the
consequences, while in a matter of love and trust they were only too
clear to me. I did it, Mr. Holmes! I took an impression of his key.
This man, Lucas, furnished a duplicate. I opened his despatch-box,
took the paper, and conveyed it to Godolphin Street."
"What happened there, madam?"
"I tapped at the door as agreed. Lucas opened it. I followed him
into his room, leaving the hall door ajar behind me, for I feared to
be alone with the man. I remember that there was a woman outside as
I entered. Our business was soon done. He had my letter on his desk, I
handed him the document. He gave me the letter. At this instant
there was a sound at the door. There were steps in the passage.
Lucas quickly turned back the drugget, thrust the document into some
hiding-place there, and covered it over.
"What happened after that is like some fearful dream. I have a
vision of a dark, frantic face, of a woman's voice, which screamed
in French, 'My waiting is not in vain. At last, at last I have found
you with her!' There was a savage struggle. I saw him with a chair
in his hand, a knife gleamed in hers. I rushed from the horrible
scene, ran from the house, and only next morning in the paper did I
learn the dreadful result. That night I was happy, for I had my
letter, and I had not seen yet what the future would bring.
"It was the next morning that I realized that I had only exchanged
one trouble for another. My husband's anguish at the loss of his paper
went to my heart. I could hardly prevent myself from there and then
kneeling down at his feet and telling him what I had done. But that
again would mean a confession of the past. I came to you that
morning in order to understand the full enormity of my offence. From
the instant that I grasped it my whole mind was turned to the one
thought of getting back my husband's paper. It must still be where
Lucas had placed it, for it was concealed before this dreadful woman
entered the room. If it had not been for her coming, I should not have
known where his biding-place was. How was I to get into the room?
For two days I watched the place, but the door was never left open.
Last night I made a last attempt. What I did and how I succeeded,
you have already learned. I brought the paper back with me, and
thought of destroying it, since I could see no way of returning it
without confessing my guilt to my husband. Heavens, I hear his step
upon the stair!"
The European Secretary burst excitedly into the room.
"Any news, Mr. Holmes, any news?" he cried.
"I have some hopes."
"Ah, thank heaven!" His face became radiant. "The Prime Minister
is lunching with me. May he share your hopes? He has nerves of
steel, and yet I know that he has hardly slept since this terrible
event. Jacobs, will you ask the Prime Minister to come up? As to
you, dear, I fear that this is a matter of politics. We will join
you in a few minutes in the dining-room."
The Prime Minister's manner was subdued, but I could see by the
gleam of his eyes and the twitchings of his bony hands that he
shared the excitement of his young colleague.
"I understand that you have something to report, Mr. Holmes?"
"Purely negative as yet," my friend answered. "I have inquired at
every point where it might be, and I am sure that there is no danger
to be apprehended."
"But that is not enough, Mr. Holmes. We cannot live forever on
such a volcano. We must have something definite."
"I am in hopes of getting it. That is why I am here. The more I
think of the matter the more convinced I am that the letter has
never left this house."
"Mr. Holmes!"
"If it had it would certainly have been public by now."
"But why should anyone take it in order to keep it in his house?"
"I am not convinced that anyone did take it."
"Then how could it leave the despatch-box?"
"I am not convinced that it ever did leave the despatch-box."
"Mr. Holmes, this joking is very ill-timed. You have my assurance
that it left the box."
"Have you examined the box since Tuesday morning?"
"No. It was not necessary."
"You may conceivably have overlooked it."
"Impossible, I say."
"But I am not convinced of it. I have known such things to happen. I
presume there are other papers there. Well, it may have got mixed with
them."
"It was on the top."
"Someone may have shaken the box and displaced it."
"No, no, I had everything out."
"Surely it is easily, decided, Hope," said the Premier. "Let us have
the despatch-box brought in."
The Secretary rang the bell.
"Jacobs, bring down my despatch-box. This is a farcical waste of
time, but still, if nothing else will satisfy you, it shall be done.
Thank you, Jacobs, put it here. I have always had the key on my
watch-chain. Here are the papers, you see. Letter from Lord Merrow,
report from Sir Charles Hardy, memorandum from Belgrade, note on the
Russo-German grain taxes, letter from Madrid, note from Lord
Flowers- Good heavens! what is this? Lord Bellinger! Lord Bellinger!"
The Premier snatched the blue envelope from his hand.
"Yes, it is it- and the letter is intact. Hope, I congratulate you."
"Thank you! Thank you! What a weight from my heart. But this is
inconceivable- impossible. Mr. Holmes, you are a wizard, a sorcerer!
How did you know it was there?"
"Because I knew it was nowhere else."
"I cannot believe my eyes!" He ran wildly to the door. "Where is
my wife? I must tell her that all is well. Hilda! Hilda!" we heard his
voice on the stairs.
The Premier looked at Holmes with twinkling eyes.
"Come, sir," said he. "There is more in this than meets the eye. How
came the letter back in the box?"
Holmes turned away smiling from the keen scrutiny of those wonderful
eyes.
"We also have our diplomatic secrets," said he and, picking up his
hat, he turned to the door.
-THE END-
.
1904
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX NAPOLEONS
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
It was no very unusual thing for Mr. Lestrade, of Scotland Yard,
to look in upon us of an evening, and his visits were welcome to
Sherlock Holmes, for they enabled him to keep in touch with all that
was going on at the police headquarters. In return for the news
which Lestrade would bring, Holmes was always ready to listen with
attention to the details of any case upon which the detective was
engaged, and was able occasionally, without any active interference,
to give some hint or suggestion drawn from his own vast knowledge
and experience.
On this particular evening, Lestrade had spoken of the weather and
the newspapers. Then he had fallen silent, puffing thoughtfully at his
cigar. Holmes looked keenly at him.
"Anything remarkable on hand?" he asked.
"Oh, no, Mr. Holmes- nothing very particular."
"Then tell me about it."
Lestrade laughed.
"Well, Mr. Holmes, there is no use denying that there is something
on my mind. And yet it is such an absurd business, that I hesitated to
bother you about it. On the other hand, although it is trivial, it
is undoubtedly queer, and I know that you have a taste for all that is
out of the common. But, in my opinion, it comes more in Dr. Watson's
line than ours."
"Disease?" said I.
"Madness, anyhow. And a queer madness, too. You wouldn't think there
was anyone living at this time of day who had such a hatred of
Napoleon the First that he would break any image of him that he
could see."
Holmes sank back in his chair.
"That's no business of mine," said he.
"Exactly. That's what I said. But then, when the man commits
burglary in order to break images which are not his own, that brings
it away from the doctor and on to the policeman."
Holmes sat up again.
"Burglary! This is more interesting. Let me hear the details."
Lestrade took out his official notebook and refreshed his memory
from its pages.
"The first case reported was four days ago," said he. "It was at the
shop of Morse Hudson, who has a place for the sale of pictures and
statues in the Kennington Road. The assistant had left the front
shop for an instant, when he heard a crash, and hurrying in he found a
plaster bust of Napoleon, which stood with several other works of
art upon the counter, lying shivered into fragments. He rushed out
into the road, but, although several passers-by declared that they had
noticed a man run out of the shop, he could neither see anyone nor
could he find any means of identifying the rascal. It seemed to be one
of those senseless acts of Hooliganism which occur from time to
time, and it was reported to the constable on the beat as such. The
plaster cast was not worth more than a few shillings, and the whole
affair appeared to be too childish for any particular investigation.
"The second case, however, was more serious, and also more singular.
It occurred only last night.
"In Kennington Road, and within a few hundred yards of Morse
Hudson's shop, there lives a well-known medical practitioner, named
Dr. Barnicot, who has one of the largest practices upon the south side
of the Thames. His residence and principal consulting-room is at
Kennington Road, but he has a branch surgery and dispensary at Lower
Brixton Road, two miles away. This Dr. Barnicot is an enthusiastic
admirer of Napoleon, and his house is full of books, pictures, and
relics of the French Emperor. Some little time ago he purchased from
Morse Hudson two duplicate plaster casts of the famous head of
Napoleon by the French sculptor, Devine. One of these he placed in his
hall in the house at Kennington Road, and the other on the mantelpiece
of the surgery at Lower Brixton. Well, when Dr. Barnicot came down
this morning he was astonished to find that his house had been burgled
during the night, but that nothing had been taken save the plaster
head from the hall. It had been carried out and had been dashed
savagely against the garden wall, under which its splintered fragments
were discovered."
Holmes rubbed his hands.
"This is certainly very novel," said he.
"I thought it would please you. But I have not got to the end yet.
Dr. Barnicot was due at his surgery at twelve o'clock, and you can
imagine his amazement when, on arriving there, he found that the
window had been opened in the night and that the broken pieces of
his second bust were strewn all over the room. It had been smashed
to atoms where it stood. In neither case were there any signs which
could give us a clue as to the criminal or lunatic who had done the
mischief. Now, Mr. Holmes, you have got the facts."
"They are singular, not to say grotesque," said Holmes. "May I ask
whether the two busts smashed in Dr. Barnicot's rooms were the exact
duplicates of the one which was destroyed in Morse Hudson's shop?"
"They were taken from the same mould."
"Such a fact must tell against the theory that the man who breaks
them is influenced by any general hatred of Napoleon. Considering
how many hundreds of statues of the great Emperor must exist in
London, it is too much to suppose such a coincidence as that a
promiscuous iconoclast should chance to begin upon three specimens
of the same bust."
"Well, I thought as you do," said Lestrade. "On the other hand, this
Morse Hudson is the purveyor of busts in that part of London, and
these three were the only ones which had been in his shop for years.
So, although, as you say, there are many hundreds of statues in
London, it is very probable that these three were the only ones in
that district. Therefore, a local fanatic would begin with them.
What do you think, Dr. Watson?"
"There are no limits to the possibilities of monomania," I answered.
"There is the condition which the modern French psychologists have
called the 'idee fixe,' which may be trifling in character, and
accompanied by complete sanity in every other way. A man who had
read deeply about Napoleon, or who had possibly received some
hereditary family injury through the great war, might conceivably form
such an idee fixe and under its influence be capable of any
fantastic outrage."
"That won't do, my dear Watson," said Holmes, shaking his head, "for
no amount of idee fixe would enable your interesting monomaniac to
find out where these busts were situated."
"Well, how do you explain it?"
"I don't attempt to do so. I would only observe that there is a
certain method in the gentleman's eccentric proceedings. For
example, in Dr. Barnicot's hall, where a sound might arouse the
family, the bust was taken outside before being broken, whereas in the
surgery, where there was less danger of an alarm, it was smashed where
it stood. The affair seems absurdly trifling, and yet I dare call
nothing trivial when I reflect that some of my most classic cases have
had the least promising commencement. You will remember, Watson, how
the dreadful business of the Abernetty family was first brought to
my notice by the depth which the parsley had sunk into the butter upon
a hot day. I can't afford, therefore, to smile at your three broken
busts, Lestrade, and I shall be very much obliged to you if you will
let me hear of any fresh development of so singular a chain of
events."
The development for which my friend had asked came in a quicker
and an infinitely more tragic form than he could have imagined. I
was still dressing in my bedroom next morning, when there was a tap at
the door and Holmes entered, a telegram in his hand. He read it aloud:
"Come instantly, 131 Pitt Street, Kensington.
"LESTRADE."
"What is it, then?" I asked.
"Don't know- may be anything. But I suspect it is the sequel of
the story of the statues. In that case our friend the image-breaker
has begun operations in another quarter of London. There's coffee on
the table, Watson, and I have a cab at the door."
In half an hour we had reached Pitt Street, a quiet little backwater
just beside one of the briskest currents of London life. No. 131 was
one of a row, all flat-chested, respectable, and most unromantic
dwellings. As we drove up, we found the railings in front of the house
lined by a curious crowd. Holmes whistled.
"By George! It's attempted murder at the least. Nothing less will
bold the London message-boy. There's a deed of violence indicated in
that fellow's round shoulders and outstretched neck. What's this,
Watson? The top steps swilled down and the other ones dry. Footsteps
enough, anyhow! Well, well, there's Lestrade at the front window,
and we shall soon know all about it."
The official received us with a very grave face and showed us into a
sitting-room, where an exceedingly unkempt and agitated elderly man,
clad in a flannel dressing-gown, was pacing up and down. He was
introduced to us as the owner of the house- Mr. Horace Harker, of
the Central Press Syndicate.
"It's the Napoleon bust business again," said Lestrade. "You
seemed interested last night, Mr. Holmes, so I thought perhaps you
would be glad to be present now that the affair has taken a very
much graver turn."
"What has it turned to, then?"
"To murder. Mr. Harker, will you tell these gentlemen exactly what
has occurred?"
The man in the dressing-gown turned upon us with a most melancholy
face.
"It's an extraordinary thing," said be, "that all my life I have
been collecting other people's news, and now that a real piece of news
has come my own way I am so confused and bothered that I can't put two
words together. If I had come in here as a journalist, I should have
interviewed myself and had two columns in every evening paper. As it
is, I am giving away valuable copy by telling my story over and over
to a string of different people, and I can make no use of it myself.
However, I've heard your name, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and if you'll only
explain this queer business, I shall be paid for my trouble in telling
you the story."
Holmes sat down and listened.
"It all seems to centre round that bust of Napoleon which I bought
for this very room about four months ago. I picked it up cheap from
Harding Brothers, two doors from the High Street Station. A great deal
of my journalistic work is done at night, and I often write until
the early morning. So it was to-day. I was sitting in my den, which is
at the back of the top of the house, about three o'clock, when I was
convinced that I heard some sounds downstairs. I listened, but they
were not repeated, and I concluded that they came from outside. Then
suddenly, about five minutes later, there came a most horrible yell-
the most dreadful sound, Mr. Holmes, that ever I heard. It will ring
in my ears as long as I live. I sat frozen with horror for a minute or
two. Then I seized the poker and went downstairs. When I entered
this room I found the window wide open, and I at once observed that
the bust was gone from the mantelpiece. Why any burglar should take
such a thing passes my understanding, for it was only a plaster cast
and of no real value whatever.
"You can see for yourself that anyone going out through that open
window could reach the front doorstep by taking a long stride. This
was clearly what the burglar had done, so I went round and opened
the door. Stepping out into the dark, I nearly fell over a dead man,
who was lying there. I ran back for a light and there was the poor
fellow, a great gash in his throat and the whole place swimming in
blood. He lay on his back, his knees drawn up, and his mouth
horribly open. I shall see him in my dreams. I had just time to blow
on my police-whistle, and then I must have fainted, for I knew nothing
more until I found the policeman standing over me in the hall."
"Well, who was the murdered man?" asked Holmes.
"There's nothing to show who he was," said Lestrade. "You shall
see the body at the mortuary, but we have made nothing of it up to
now. He is a tall man, sunburned, very powerful, not more than thirty.
He is poorly dressed, and yet does not appear to be a labourer. A
horn-handled clasp knife was lying in a pool of blood beside him.
Whether it was the weapon which did the deed, or whether it belonged
to the dead man, I do not know. There was no name on his clothing, and
nothing in his pockets save an apple, some string, a shilling map of
London, and a photograph. Here it is."
It was evidently taken by a snapshot from a small camera. It
represented an alert, sharp-featured simian man, with thick eyebrows
and a very peculiar projection of the lower part of the face, like the
muzzle of a baboon.
"And what became of the bust?" asked Holmes, after a careful study
of this picture.
"We had news of it just before you came. It has been found in the
front garden of an empty house in Campden House Road. It was broken
into fragments. I am going round now to see it. Will you come?"
"Certainly. I must just take one look round." He examined the carpet
and the window. "The fellow had either very long legs or was a most
active man," said he. "With an area beneath, it was no mean feat to
reach that window ledge and open that window. Getting back was
comparatively simple. Are you coming with us to see the remains of
your bust, Mr. Harker?"
The disconsolate journalist had seated himself at a writing-table.
"I must try and make something of it," said he, "though I have no
doubt that the first editions of the evening papers are out already
with full details. It's like my luck! You remember when the stand fell
at Doncaster? Well, I was the only journalist in the stand, and my
journal the only one that had no account of it, for I was too shaken
to write it. And now I'll be too late with a murder done on my own
doorstep."
As we left the room, we heard his pen travelling shrilly over the
foolscap.
The spat where the fragments of the bust had been found was only a
few hundred yards away. For the first time our eyes rested upon this
presentment of the great emperor, which seemed to raise such frantic
and destructive hatred in the mind of the unknown. It lay scattered,
in splintered shards, upon the grass. Holmes picked up several of them
and examined them carefully. I was convinced, from his intent face and
his purposeful manner, that at last he was upon a clue.
"Well?" asked Lestrade.
Holmes shrugged his shoulders.
"We have a long way to go yet," said he. "And yet- and yet- well, we
have some suggestive facts to act upon. The possession of this
trifling bust was worth more, in the eyes of this strange criminal,
than a human life. That is one point. Then there is the singular
fact that he did not break it in the house, or immediately outside the
house, if to break it was his sole object."
"He was rattled and bustled by meeting this other fellow. He
hardly knew what he was doing."
"Well, that's likely enough. But I wish to call your attention
very particularly to the position of this house, in the garden of
which the bust was destroyed."
Lestrade looked about him.
"It was an empty house, and so he knew that he would not be
disturbed in the garden."
"Yes, but there is another empty house farther up the street which
he must have passed before he came to this one. Why did he not break
it there, since it is evident that every yard that he carried it
increased the risk of someone meeting him?"
"I give it up," said Lestrade.
Holmes pointed to the street lamp above our heads.
"He could see what he was doing here, and he could not there. That
was his reason."
"By Jove! that's true," said the detective. "Now that I come to
think of it, Dr. Barnicot's bust was broken not far from his red lamp.
Well, Mr. Holmes, what are we to do with that fact?"
"To remember it- to docket it. We may come on something later
which will bear upon it. What steps do you propose to take now,
Lestrade?"
"The most practical way of getting at it, in my opinion, is to
identify the dead man. There should be no difficulty about that.
When we have found who he is and who his associates are, we should
have a good start in learning what he was doing in Pitt Street last
night, and who it was who met him and killed him on the doorstep of
Mr. Horace Harker. Don't you think so?"
"No doubt, and yet it is not quite the way in which I should
approach the case."
"What would you do then?"
"Oh, you must not let me influence you in any way. I suggest that
you go on your line and I on mine. We can compare notes afterwards,
and each will supplement the other."
"Very good," said Lestrade.
"If you are going back to Pitt Street, you might see Mr. Horace
Harker. Tell him for me that I have quite made up my mind, and that it
is certain that a dangerous homicidal lunatic, with Napoleonic
delusions, was in his house last night. It will be useful for his
article."
Lestrade stared.
"You don't seriously believe that?"
Holmes smiled.
"Don't I? Well, perhaps I don't. But I am sure that it will interest
Mr. Horace Harker and the subscribers of the Central Press
Syndicate. Now, Watson, I think that we shall find that we have a long
and rather complex day's work before us. I should be glad, Lestrade,
if you could make it convenient to meet us at Baker Street at six
o'clock this evening. Until then I should like to keep this
photograph, found in the dead man's pocket. It is possible that I
may have to ask your company and assistance upon a small expedition
which will have be undertaken to-night, if my chain of reasoning
should prove to be correct. Until then good-bye and good luck!"
Sherlock Holmes and I walked together to the High Street, where we
stopped at the shop of Harding Brothers, whence the bust had been
purchased. A young assistant informed us that Mr. Harding would be
absent until afternoon, and that he was himself a newcomer, who
could give us no information. Holmes's face showed his
disappointment and annoyance.
"Well, well, we can't expect to have it all our own way, Watson," he
said, at last. "We must come back in the afternoon, if Mr. Harding
will not be here until then. I am, as you have no doubt surmised,
endeavouring to trace these busts to their source, in order to find if
there is not something peculiar which may account for their remarkable
fate. Let us make for Mr. Morse Hudson, of the Kennington Road, and
see if he can throw any light upon the problem."
A drive of an hour brought us to the picture-dealer's establishment.
He was a small, stout man with a red face and a peppery manner.
"Yes, sir. On my very counter, sir," said he. "What we pay rates and
taxes for I don't know, when any ruffian can come in and break one's
goods. Yes, sir, it was I who sold Dr. Barnicot his two statues.
Disgraceful, sir! A Nihilist plot- that's what I make it. No one but
an anarchist would go about breaking statues. Red republicans-
that's what I call 'em. Who did I get the statues from? I don't see
what that has to do with it. Well, if you really want to know, I got
them from Gelder & Co., in Church Street, Stepney. They are a
well-known house in the trade, and have been this twenty years. How
many had I? Three- two and one are three- two of Dr. Barnicot's, and
one smashed in broad daylight on my own counter. Do I know that
photograph? No, I don't. Yes, I do, though. Why, it's Beppo. He was
a kind of Italian piece-work man, who made himself useful in the shop.
He could carve a bit, and gild and frame, and do odd jobs. The
fellow left me last week, and I've heard nothing of him since. No, I
don't know where he came from nor where he went to. I had nothing
against him while he was here. He was gone two days before the bust
was smashed."
"Well, that's all we could reasonably expect from Morse Hudson,"
said Holmes, as we emerged from the shop. We have this Beppo as a
common factor, both in Kennington and in Kensington, so that is
worth a ten-mile drive. Now, Watson, let us make for Gelder & Co.,
of Stepney, the source and origin of the busts. I shall be surprised
if we don't get some help down there."
In rapid succession we passed through the fringe of fashionable
London, hotel London, theatrical London, literary London, commercial
London, and, finally, maritime London, till we came to a riverside
city of a hundred thousand souls, where the tenement houses swelter
and reek with the outcasts of Europe. Here, in a broad thorough
fare, once the abode of wealthy City merchants, we found the sculpture
works for which we searched. Outside was a considerable yard full of
monumental masonry. Inside was a large room in which fifty workers
were carving or moulding. The manager, a big blond German, received us
civilly and gave a clear answer to all Holmes's questions. A reference
to his books showed that hundreds of casts had been taken from a
marble copy of Devine's head of Napoleon, but that the three which had
been sent to Morse Hudson a year or so before had been half of a batch
of six, the other three being sent to Harding Brothers, of Kensington.
There was no reason why those six should be different from any of
the other casts. He could suggest no possible cause why anyone
should wish to destroy them- in fact, he laughed at the idea. Their
wholesale price was six shillings, but the retailer would get twelve
or more. The cast was taken in two moulds from each side of the
face, and then these two profiles of plaster of Paris were joined
together to make the complete bust. The work was usually done by
Italians, in the room we were in. When finished, the busts were put on
a table in the passage to dry, and afterwards stored. That was all
he could tell us.
But the production of the photograph had a remarkable effect upon
the manager. His face flushed with anger, and his brows knotted over
his blue Teutonic eyes.
"Ah, the rascal!" he cried. "Yes, indeed, I know him very well. This
has always been a respectable establishment, and the only time that we
have ever had the police in it was over this very fellow. It was
more than a year ago now. He knifed another Italian in the street, and
then he came to the works with the police on his heels, and he was
taken here. Beppo was his name- his second name I never knew. Serve me
right for engaging a man with such a face. But he was a good
workman- one of the best."
"What did he get?"
"The man lived and he got off with a year. I have no doubt he is out
now, but he has not dared to show his nose here. We have a cousin of
his here, and I daresay he could tell you where he is."
"No, no," cried Holmes, "not a word to the cousin- not a word, I beg
of you. The matter is very important, and the farther I go with it,
the more important it seems to grow. When you referred in your
ledger to the sale of those casts I observed that the date was June
3rd of last year. Could you give me the date when Beppo was arrested?"
"I could tell you roughly by the pay-list," the manager answered.
"Yes," he continued, after some turning over of pages, "he was paid
last on May 20th."
"Thank you," said Holmes. "I don't think that I need intrude upon
your time and patience any more." With a last word of caution that
he should say nothing as to our researches, we turned our faces
westward once more.
The afternoon was far advanced before we were able to snatch a hasty
luncheon at a restaurant. A news-bill at the entrance announced
"Kensington Outrage. Murder by a Madman," and the contents of the
paper showed that Mr. Horace Harker had got his account into print
after all. Two columns were occupied with a highly sensational and
flowery rendering of the whole incident. Holmes propped it against the
cruet-stand and read it while he ate. Once or twice he chuckled.
"This is all right, Watson," said he. "Listen to this:
"It is satisfactory to know that there can be no difference of
opinion upon this case, since Mr. Lestrade, one of the most
experienced members of the official force, and Mr. Sherlock Holmes,
the well-known consulting expert, have each come to the conclusion
that the grotesque series of incidents, which have ended in so
tragic a fashion, arise from lunacy rather than from deliberate crime.
No explanation save mental aberration can cover the facts.
The Press, Watson, is a most valuable institution, if you only know
how to use it. And now, if you have quite finished, we will hark
back to Kensington and see what the manager of Harding Brothers has to
say on the matter."
The founder of that great emporium proved to be a brisk, crisp
little person, very dapper and quick, with a clear head and a ready
tongue.
"Yes, sir, I have already read the account in the evening papers.
Mr. Horace Harker is a customer of ours. We supplied him with the bust
some months ago. We ordered three busts of that sort from Gelder &
Co., of Stepney. They are all sold now. To whom? Oh, I daresay by
consulting our sales book we could very easily tell you. Yes, we
have the entries here. One to Mr. Harker you see, and one to Mr.
Josiah Brown, of Labumum Lodge, Labumum Vale, Chiswick, and one to Mr.
Sandeford, of Lower Grove Road, Reading. No, I have never seen this
face which you show me in the photograph. You would hardly forget
it, would you, sir, for I've seldom seen an uglier. Have we any
Italians on the staff? Yes, sir, we have several among our
workpeople and cleaners. I daresay they might get a peep at that sales
book if they wanted to. There is no particular reason for keeping a
watch upon that book. Well, well, it's a very strange business, and
I hope that you will let me know if anything comes of your inquiries."
Holmes had taken several notes during Mr. Harding's evidence, and
I could see that he was thoroughly satisfied by the turn which affairs
were taking. He made no remark, however, save that, unless we hurried,
we should be late for our appointment with Lestrade. Sure enough, when
we reached Baker Street the detective was already there, and we
found him pacing up and down in a fever of impatience. His look of
importance showed that his day's work had not been in vain.
"Well?" he asked. "What luck, Mr. Holmes?"
"We have had a very busy day, and not entirely a wasted one," my
friend explained. "We have seen both the retailers and also the
wholesale manufacturers. I can trace each of the busts now from the
beginning."
"The busts" cried Lestrade. "Well, well, you have your own
methods, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and it is not for me to say a word
against them, but I think I have done a better day's work than you.
I have identified the dead man."
"You don't say so?"
"And found a cause for the crime."
"Splendid!"
"We have an inspector who makes a specialty of Saffron Hill and
the Italian Quarter. Well, this dead man had some Catholic emblem
round his neck, and that, along with his colour, made me think he
was from the South. Inspector Hill knew him the moment he caught sight
of him. His name is Pietro Venucci, from Naples, and he is one of
the greatest cut-throats in London. He is connected with the Mafia,
which, as you know, is a secret political society, enforcing its
decrees by murder. Now, you see how the affair begins to clear up. The
other fellow is probably an Italian also, and a member of the Mafia.
He has broken the rules in some fashion. Pietro is set upon his track.
Probably the photograph we found in his pocket is the man himself,
so that he may not knife the wrong person. He dogs the fellow, he sees
him enter a house, he waits outside for him, and in the scuffle he
receives his own death-wound. How is that, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"
Holmes clapped his hands approvingly.
"Excellent, Lestrade, excellent!" he cried. "But I didn't quite
follow your explanation of the destruction of the busts."
"The busts! You never can get those busts out of your head. After
all, that is nothing; petty larceny, six months at the most. It is the
murder that we are really investigating, and I tell you that I am
gathering all the threads into my hands."
"And the next stage?"
"Is a very simple one. I shall go down with Hill to the Italian
Quarter, find the man whose photograph we have got, and arrest him
on the charge of murder. Will you come with us?"
"I think not. I fancy we can attain our end in a simpler way. I
can't say for certain, because it all depends- well, it all depends
upon a factor which is completely outside our control. But I have
great hopes- in fact, the betting is exactly two to one- that if you
will come with us to-night I shall be able to help you to lay him by
the heels."
"In the Italian Quarter?"
"No, I fancy Chiswick is an address which is more likely to find
him. If you will come with me to Chiswick to-night, Lestrade, I'll
promise to go to the Italian Quarter with you to-morrow, and no harm
will be done by the delay. And now I think that a few hours' sleep
would do us all good, for I do not propose to leave before eleven
o'clock, and it is unlikely that we shall be back before morning.
You'll dine with us, Lestrade, and then you are welcome to the sofa
until it is time for us to start. In the meantime, Watson, I should be
glad if you would ring for an express messenger, for I have a letter
to send and it is important that it should go at once."
Holmes spent the evening in rummaging among the files of the old
daily papers with which one of our lumber-rooms was packed. When at
last he descended, it was with triumph in his eyes, but he said
nothing to either of us as to the result of his researches. For my own
part, I had followed step by step the methods by which he had traced
the various windings of this complex case, and, though I could not yet
perceive the goal which we would reach, I understood clearly that
Holmes expected this grotesque criminal to make an attempt upon the
two remaining busts, one of which, I remembered, was at Chiswick. No
doubt the object of our journey was to catch him in the very act,
and I could not but admire the cunning with which my friend had
inserted a wrong clue in the evening paper, so as to give the fellow
the idea that he could continue his scheme with impunity. I was not
surprised when Holmes suggested that I should take my revolver with
me. He had himself picked up the loaded hunting-crop, which was his
favourite weapon.
A four-wheeler was at the door at eleven, and in it we drove to a
spot at the other side of Hammersmith Bridge. Here the cabman was
directed to wait. A short walk brought us to a secluded road fringed
with pleasant houses, each standing in its own grounds. In the light
of a street lamp we read "Laburnum Villa" upon the gate-post of one of
them. The occupants had evidently retired to rest, for all was dark
save for a fanlight over the hall door, which shed a single blurred
circle on to the garden path. The wooden fence which separated the
grounds from the road threw a dense black shadow upon the inner
side, and here it was that we crouched.
"I fear that you'll have a long wait," Holmes whispered. "We may
thank our stars that it is not raining. I don't think we can even
venture to smoke to pass the time. However, it's a two to one chance
that we get something to pay us for our trouble."
It proved, however, that our vigil was not to be so long as Holmes
had led us to fear, and it ended in a very sudden and singular
fashion. In an instant, without the least sound to warn us of his
coming, the garden gate swung open, and a lithe, dark figure, as swift
and active as an ape, rushed up the garden path. We saw it whisk
past the light thrown from over the door and disappear against the
black shadow of the house. There was a long pause, during which we
held our breath, and then a very gentle creaking sound came to our
ears. The window was being opened. The noise ceased, and again there
was a long silence. The fellow was making his way into the house. We
saw the sudden flash of a dark lantern inside the room. What he sought
was evidently not there, for again we saw the flash through another
blind, and then through another.
"Let us get to the open window. We will nab him as he climbs out,"
Lestrade whispered.
But before we could move, the man had emerged again. As he came
out into the glimmering patch of light, we saw that he carried
something white under his arm. He looked stealthily all round him. The
silence of the deserted street reassured him. Turning his back upon us
he laid down his burden, and the next instant there was the sound of a
sharp tap, followed by a clatter and rattle. The man was so intent
upon what he was doing that he never heard our steps as we stole
across the grass plot. With the bound of a tiger Holmes was on his
back, and an instant later Lestrade and I had him by either wrist, and
the handcuffs had been fastened. As we turned him over I saw a
hideous, sallow face, with writhing, furious features, glaring up at
us, and I knew that it was indeed the man of the photograph whom we
had secured.
But it was not our prisoner to whom Holmes was giving his attention.
Squatted on the doorstep, he was engaged in most carefully examining
that which the man had brought from the house. It was a bust of
Napoleon, like the one which we had seen that morning, and it had been
broken into similar fragments. Carefully Holmes held each separate
shard to the light, but in no way did it differ from any other
shattered piece of plaster. He had just completed his examination when
the hall lights flew up, the door opened, and the owner of the
house, a jovial, rotund figure in shirt and trousers, presented
himself.
"Mr. Josiah Brown, I suppose?" said Holmes.
"Yes, sir, and you, no doubt, are Mr. Sherlock Holmes? I had the
note which you sent by the express messenger, and I did exactly what
you told me. We locked every door on the inside and awaited
developments. Well, I'm very glad to see that you have got the rascal.
I hope, gentlemen, that you will come in and have some refreshment."
However, Lestrade was anxious to get his man into safe quarters,
so within a few minutes our cab had been summoned and we were all four
upon our way to London. Not a word would our captive say, but he
glared at us from the shadow of his matted hair, and once, when my
hand seemed within his reach, he snapped at it like a hungry wolf.
We stayed long enough at the police-station to learn that a search
of his clothing revealed nothing save a few shillings and a long
sheath knife, the handle of which bore copious traces of recent blood.
"That's all right," said Lestrade, as we parted. "Hill knows all
these gentry, and he will give a name to him. You'll find that my
theory of the Mafia will work out all right. But I'm sure I am
exceedingly obliged to you, Mr. Holmes, for the workmanlike way in
which you laid hands upon him. I don't quite understand it all yet."
"I fear it is rather too late an hour for explanations," said
Holmes. "Besides, there are one or two details which are not
finished off, and it is one of those cases which are worth working out
to the very end. If you will come round once more to my rooms at six
o'clock to-morrow, I think I shall be able to show you that even now
you have not grasped the entire meaning of this business, which
presents some features which make it absolutely original in the
history of crime. If ever I permit you to chronicle any more of my
little problems, Watson, I foresee that you will enliven your pages by
an account of the singular adventure of the Napoleonic busts."
When we met again next evening, Lestrade was furnished with much
information concerning our prisoner. His name, it appeared, was Beppo,
second name unknown. He was a well-known ne'er-do-well among the
Italian colony. He had once been a skilful sculptor and had earned
an honest living, but he had taken to evil courses and had twice
already been in jail- once for a petty theft, and once, as we had
already heard, for stabbing a fellow-countryman. He could talk English
perfectly well. His reasons for destroying the busts were still
unknown, and he refused to answer any questions upon the subject,
but the police had discovered that these same busts might very well
have been made by his own hands, since he was engaged in this class of
work at the establishment of Gelder & Co. To all this information,
much of which we already knew, Holmes listened with polite
attention, but I, who knew him so well, could clearly see that his
thoughts were elsewhere, and I detected a mixture of mingled
uneasiness and expectation beneath that mask which he was wont to
assume. At last he started in his chair, and his eyes brightened.
There had been a ring at the bell. A minute later we heard steps
upon the stairs, and an elderly red-faced man with grizzled
side-whiskers was ushered in. In his right hand he carried an
old-fashioned carpet-bag, which he placed upon the table.
"Is Mr. Sherlock Holmes here?"
My friend bowed and smiled. "Mr. Sandeford, of Reading, I
suppose?" said he.
"Yes, sir, I fear that I am a little late, but the trains were
awkward. You wrote to me about a bust that is in my possession."
"Exactly."
"I have your letter here. You said, 'I desire to possess a copy of
Devine's Napoleon, and am prepared to pay you ten pounds for the one
which is in your possession.' Is that right?"
"Certainly."
"I was very much surprised at your letter, for I could not imagine
how you knew that I owned such a thing."
"Of course you must have been surprised, but the explanation is very
simple. Mr. Harding, of Harding Brothers, said that they had sold
you their last copy, and he gave me your address."
"Oh, that was it, was it? Did he tell you what I paid for it?"
"No, he did not."
"Well, I am an honest man, though not a very rich one. I only gave
fifteen shillings for the bust, and I think you ought to know that
before I take ten pounds from you.
"I am sure the scruple does you honour, Mr. Sandeford. But I have
named that price, so I intend to stick to it."
"Well, it is very handsome of you, Mr. Holmes. I brought the bust up
with me, as you asked me to do. Here it is!" He opened his bag, and at
last we saw placed upon our table a complete specimen of that bust
which we had already seen more than once in fragments.
Holmes took a paper from his pocket and laid a ten-pound note upon
the table.
"You will kindly sign that paper, Mr. Sandeford, in the presence
of these witnesses. It is simply to say that you transfer every
possible right that you ever had in the bust to me. I am a
methodical man, you see, and you never know what turn events might
take afterwards. Thank you, Mr. Sandeford; here is your money, and I
wish you a very good evening."
When our visitor had disappeared, Sherlock Holmes's movements were
such as to rivet our attention. He began by taking a clean white cloth
from a drawer and laying it over the table. Then he placed his newly
acquired bust in the centre of the cloth. Finally, he picked up his
hunting-crop and struck Napoleon a shard blow on the top of the
head. The figure broke into fragments, and Holmes bent eagerly over
the shattered remains. Next instant, with a loud shout of triumph he
held up one splinter, in which a round, dark object was fixed like a
plum in a pudding.
"Gentlemen," he cried, "let me introduce you to the famous black
pearl of the Borgias."
Lestrade and I sat silent for a moment, and then, with a spontaneous
impulse, we both broke at the well-wrought crisis of a play. A flush
of colour sprang to Holmes's pale cheeks, and he bowed to us like
the master dramatist who receives the homage of his audience. It was
at such moments that for an instant he ceased to be a reasoning
machine, and betrayed his human love for admiration and applause.
The same singularly proud and reserved nature which turned away with
disdain from popular notoriety was capable of being moved to its
depths by spontaneous wonder and praise from a friend.
"Yes, gentlemen," said he, "it is the most famous pearl now existing
in the world, and it has been my good fortune, by a connected chain of
inductive reasoning, to trace it from the Prince of Colonna's
bedroom at the Dacre Hotel, where it was lost, to the interior of
this, the last of the six busts of Napoleon which were manufactured by
Gelder & Co., of Stepney. You will remember, Lestrade, the sensation
caused by the disappearance of this valuable jewel and the vain
efforts of the London police to recover it. I was myself consulted
upon the case, but I was unable to throw any light upon it.
Suspicion fell upon the maid of the Princess, who was an Italian,
and it was proved that she had a brother in London, but we failed to
trace any connection between them. The maid's name was Lucretia
Venucci, and there is no doubt in my mind that this Pietro who was
murdered two nights ago was the brother. I have been looking up the
dates in the old files of the paper, and I find that the disappearance
of pearl was exactly two days before the arrest of Beppo, for some
crime of violence- an event which took place in the factory of
Gelder & Co., at the very moment when these busts were being made. Now
you clearly see the sequence of events, though you see them, of
course, in the inverse order to the way in which they presented
themselves to me. Beppo had the pearl in his possession. He may have
stolen it from Pietro, he may have been Pietro's confederate, he may
have been the go-between of Pietro and his sister. It is of no
consequence to us which is the correct solution.
"The main fact is that he had the pearl, and at that moment, when it
was his person, he was pursued by the police. He made for the
factory in which worked, and he knew that he had only a few minutes in
which to conceal this enormously valuable prize, which would otherwise
be found on him when he was searched. Six plaster casts of Napoleon
were drying in the passage. One of them was still soft. In an
instant Beppo, a skilful workman, made a small hole in the wet
plaster, dropped in the pearl, and with a few touches covered over the
aperture once more. It was an admirable hiding-place. No one could
possibly find it. But Beppo was condemned to a year's imprisonment,
and in the meanwhile his six busts were scattered over London. He
could not tell which contained his treasure. Only by breaking them
could he see. Even shaking would tell him nothing, for as the
plaster was wet it was probable that the pearl would adhere to
it-as, in fact, it has done. Beppo did not despair, and he conducted
his search with considerable ingenuity and perseverance. Through a
cousin who works with Gelder, he found out the retail firms who had
bought the busts. He managed to find employment with Morse Hudson, and
in that way tracked down three of them. The pearl was not there, Then,
with the help of some Italian employee, he succeeded in finding out
where the other three busts had gone. The first was at Harker's. There
he was dogged by his confederate, who held Beppo responsible for the
loss of the pearl, and he stabbed him in the scuffle which followed."
"If he was his confederate, why should he carry his photograph?" I
asked.
"As a means of tracing him, if he wished to inquire about him from
any third person. That was the obvious reason. Well, after the
murder I calculated that Beppo would probably hurry rather than
delay his movements. He would fear that the police would read his
secret, and so he hastened on before they should get ahead of him.
Of course, I could not say that he had not found the pearl in Harker's
bust. I had not even concluded for certain that it was the pearl,
but it was evident to me that he was looking for something, since he
carried the bust past the other houses in order to break it in the
garden which had a lamp overlooking it. Since Harker's bust was one in
three, the chances were exactly as I told you- two to one against
the pearl being inside it. There remained two busts, and it was
obvious that he would go for the London one first. I warned the
inmates of the house, so as to avoid a second tragedy, and we went
down, with the happiest results. By that time, of course, I knew for
certain that it was the Borgia pearl that we were after. The name of
the murdered man linked the one event with the other. There only
remained a single bust- the Reading one- and the pearl must be
there. I bought it in your presence from the owner- and there it
lies."
We sat in silence for a moment.
"Well," said Lestrade, "I've seen you handle a good many cases,
Mr. Holmes, but I don't know that I ever knew a more workmanlike one
than that. We're not jealous of you at Scotland Yard. No, sir, we
are very proud of you, and if you come down to-morrow, there's not a
man, from the oldest inspector to the youngest constable, who wouldn't
be glad to shake you by the hand."
"Thank you!" said Holmes. "Thank you!" and as he turned away, it
seemed to me that he was more nearly moved by the softer human
emotions than I had ever seen him. A moment later he was the cold
and practical thinker once more. "Put the pearl in the safe,
Watson," said he, "and get out the papers of the Conk-Singleton
forgery case. Good-bye, Lestrade. If any little problem comes your
way, I shall be happy, if I can, to give you a hint or two as to its
solution."
-THE END-
.
1903
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE SOLITARY CYCLIST
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
From the years 1894 to 1901 inclusive, Mr. Sherlock Holmes was a
very busy man. It is safe to say that there was no public case of
any difficulty in which he was not consulted during those eight years,
and there were hundreds of private cases, some of them of the most
intricate and extraordinary character, in which he played a
prominent part. Many startling successes and a few unavoidable
failures were the outcome of this long period of continuous work. As I
have preserved very full notes of all these cases, and was myself
personally engaged in many of them, it may be imagined that it is no
easy task to know which I should select to lay before the public. I
shall, however, preserve my former rule, and give the preference to
those cases which derive their interest not so much from the brutality
of the crime as from the ingenuity and dramatic quality of the
solution. For this reason I will now lay before the reader the facts
connected with Miss Violet Smith, the solitary cyclist of Charlington,
and the curious sequel of our investigation, which culminated in
unexpected tragedy. It is true that the circumstance did not admit
of any striking illustration of those powers for which my friend was
famous, but there were some points about the case which made it
stand out in those long records of crime from which I gather the
material for these little narratives.
On referring to my notebook for the year 1895, I find that it was
upon Saturday, the 23rd of April, that we first heard of Miss Violet
Smith. Her visit was, I remember, extremely unwelcome to Holmes, for
he was immersed at the moment in a very abstruse and complicated
problem concerning the peculiar persecution to which John Vincent
Harden, the well known tobacco millionaire, had been subjected. My
friend, who loved above all things precision and concentration of
thought, resented anything which distracted his attention from the
matter in hand. And yet, without a harshness which was foreign to
his nature, it was impossible to refuse to listen to the story of
the young and beautiful woman, tall, graceful, and queenly, who
presented herself at Baker Street late in the evening, and implored
his assistance and advice. It was vain to urge that his time was
already fully occupied, for the young lady had come with the
determination to tell her story, and it was evident that nothing short
of force could get her out of the room until she had done so. With a
resigned air and a somewhat weary smile, Holmes begged the beautiful
intruder to take a seat, and to inform us what it was that was
troubling her.
"At least it cannot be your health," said he, as his keen eyes
darted over her, "so ardent a bicyclist must be full of energy."
She glanced down in surprise at her own feet, and I observed the
slight roughening of the side of the sole caused by the friction of
the edge of the pedal.
"Yes, I bicycle a good deal, Mr. Holmes, and that has something to
do with my visit to you to-day."
My friend took the lady's ungloved hand, and examined it with as
close an attention and as little sentiment as a scientist would show
to a specimen.
"You will excuse me, I am sure. It is my business," said he, as he
dropped it. "I nearly fell into the error of supposing that you were
typewriting. Of course, it is obvious that it is music. You observe
the spatulate finger-ends, Watson, which is common to both
professions? There is a spirituality about the face, however"- she
gently turned it towards the light- "which the typewriter does not
generate. This lady is a musician."
"Yes, Mr. Holmes, I teach music."
"In the country, I presume, from your complexion."
"Yes, sir, near Farnham, on the borders of Surrey."
"A beautiful neighbourhood, and full of the most interesting
associations. You remember, Watson, that it was near there that we
took Archie Stamford, the forger. Now, Miss Violet, what has
happened to you, near Farnham, on the borders of Surrey?"
The young lady, with great clearness and composure, made the
following curious statement:
"My father is dead, Mr. Holmes. He was James Smith, who conducted
the orchestra at the old Imperial Theatre. My mother and I were left
without a relation in the world except one uncle, Ralph Smith, who
went to Africa twenty-five years ago, and we have never had a word
from him since. When father died, we were left very poor, but one
day we were told that there was an advertisement in the Times,
inquiring for our whereabouts. You can imagine how excited we were,
for we thought that someone had left us a fortune. We went at once
to the lawyer whose name was given in the paper. There we, met two
gentlemen, Mr. Carruthers and Mr. Woodley, who were home on a visit
from South Africa. They said that my uncle was a friend of theirs,
that he had died some months before in great poverty in
Johannesburg, and that he had asked them with his last breath to
hunt up his relations, and see that they were in no want. It seemed
strange to us that Uncle Ralph, who took no notice of us when he was
alive, should be so careful to look after us when he was dead, but Mr.
Carruthers explained that the reason was that my uncle had just
heard of the death of his brother, and so felt responsible for our
fate."
"Excuse me," said Holmes. "When was this interview?"
"Last December- four months ago."
"Pray proceed."
"Mr. Woodley seemed to me to be a most odious person. He was for
ever making eyes at me- a coarse, puffy-faced, red-moustached young
man, with his hair plastered down on each side of his forehead. I
thought that he was perfectly hateful- and I was sure that Cyril would
not wish me to know such a person."
"Oh, Cyril is his name!" said Holmes, smiling.
The young lady blushed and laughed.
"Yes, Mr. Holmes, Cyril Morton, an electrical engineer, and we
hope to be married at the end of the summer. Dear me, how did I get
talking about him? What I wished to say was that Mr. Woodley was
perfectly odious, but that Mr. Carruthers, who was a much older man,
was more agreeable. He was a dark, sallow, clean-shaven, silent
person, but he had polite manners and a pleasant smile. He inquired
how we were left, and on finding that we were very poor, he
suggested that I should come and teach music to his only daughter,
aged ten. I said that I did not like to leave my mother, on which he
suggested that I should go home to her every week-end, and he
offered me a hundred a year, which was certainly splendid pay. So it
ended by my accepting, and I went down to Chiltern Grange, about six
miles from Farnham. Mr. Carruthers was a widower, but he had engaged a
lady housekeeper, a very respectable, elderly person, called Mrs.
Dixon, to look after his establishment. The child was a dear, and
everything promised well. Mr. Carruthers was very kind and very
musical, and we had most pleasant evenings together. Every week-end
I went home to my mother in town.
"The first flaw in my happiness was the arrival of the
red-moustached Mr. Woodley. He came for a visit of a week, and oh!
it seemed three months to me. He was a dreadful person- a bully to
everyone else, but to me something infinitely worse. He made odious
love to me, boasted of his wealth, said that if I married him I
could have the finest diamonds in London, and finally, when I would
have nothing to do with him, he seized me in his arms one day after
dinner- he was hideously strong- and swore that he would not let me go
until I had kissed him. Mr. Carruthers came in and tore him from me,
on which he turned upon his own host, knocking him down and cutting
his face open. That was the end of his visit, as you can imagine.
Mr. Carruthers apologized to me next day, and assured me that I should
never be exposed to such an insult again. I have not seen Mr.
Woodley since.
"And now, Mr. Holmes, I come at last to the special thing which
has caused me to ask your advice to-day. You must know that every
Saturday forenoon I ride on my bicycle to Farnham Station, in order to
get the 12:22 to town. The road from Chiltern Grange is a lonely
one, and at one spot it is particularly so, for it lies for over a
mile between Charlington Heath upon one side and the woods which lie
round Charlington Hall upon the other. You could not find a more
lonely tract of road anywhere, and it is quite rare to meet so much as
a cart, or a peasant, until you reach the high road near Crooksbury
Hill. Two weeks ago I was passing this place, when I chanced to look
back over my shoulder, and about two hundred yards behind me I saw a
man, also on a bicycle. He seemed to be a middle-aged man, with a
short, dark beard. I looked back before I reached Farnham, but the man
was gone, so I thought no more about it. But you can imagine how
surprised I was, Mr. Holmes, when, on my return on the Monday, I saw
the same man on the same stretch of road. My astonishment was
increased when the incident occurred again, exactly as before, on
the following Saturday and Monday. He always kept his distance and did
not molest me in any way, but still it certainly was very odd. I
mentioned it to Mr. Carruthers, who seemed interested in what I
said, and told me that he had ordered a horse and trap, so that in
future I should not pass over these lonely roads without some
companion.
"The horse and trap were to have come this week, but for some reason
they were not delivered, and again I had to cycle to the station. That
was this morning. You can think that I looked out when I came to
Charlington Heath, and there, sure enough, was the man, exactly as
he had been the two weeks before. He always kept so far from me that I
could not clearly see his face, but it was certainly someone whom I
did not know. He was dressed in a dark suit with a cloth cap. The only
thing about his face that I could clearly see was his dark beard.
To-day I was not alarmed, but I was filled with curiosity, and I
determined to find out who he was and what he wanted. I slowed down my
machine, but he slowed down his. Then I stopped altogether, but he
stopped also. Then I laid a trap for him. There is a sharp turning
of the road, and I pedalled very quickly round this, and then I
stopped and waited. I expected him to shoot round and pass me before
he could stop. But he never appeared. Then I went back and looked
round the corner. I could see a mile of road, but he was not on it. To
make it the more extraordinary, there was no side road at this point
down which he could have gone."
Holmes chuckled and rubbed his hands. "This case certainly
presents some features of its own," said he. "How much time elapsed
between your turning the corner and your discovery that the road was
clear?"
"Two or three minutes."
"Then he could not have retreated down the road, and you say that
there are no side roads?"
"None."
"Then he certainly took a footpath on one side or the other."
"It could not have been on the side of the heath, or I should have
seen him."
"So, by the process of exclusion, we arrive at the fact that he made
his way toward Charlington Hall, which, as I understand, is situated
in its own grounds on one side of the road. Anything else?"
"Nothing, Mr. Holmes, save that I was so perplexed that I felt I
should not be happy until I had seen you and had your advice."
Holmes sat in silence for some little time.
"Where is the gentleman to whom you are engaged?" he asked at last.
"He is in the Midland Electrical Company, at Coventry."
"He would not pay you a surprise visit?"
"Oh, Mr. Holmes! As if I should not know him!"
"Have you had any other admirers?"
"Several before I knew Cyril."
"And since?"
"There was this dreadful man, Woodley, if you can call him an
admirer."
"No one else?"
Our fair client seemed a little confused.
"Who was he?" asked Holmes.
"Oh, it may be a mere fancy of mine; but it had seemed to me
sometimes that my employer, Mr. Carruthers, takes a great deal of
interest in me. We are thrown rather together. I play his
accompaniments in the evening. He has never said anything. He is a
perfect gentleman. But a girl always knows."
"Ha!" Holmes looked grave. "What does he do for a living?"
"He is a rich man."
"No carriages or horses?"
"Well, at least he is fairly well-to-do. But he goes into the city
two or three times a week. He is deeply interested in South African
gold shares."
"You will let me know any fresh development, Miss Smith. I am very
busy just now, but I will find time to make some inquiries into your
case. In the meantime, take no step without letting me know. Good-bye,
and I trust that we shall have nothing but good news from you."
"It is part of the settled order of Nature that such a girl should
have followers," said Holmes, he pulled at his meditative pipe, "but
for choice not on bicycles in lonely country roads. Some secretive
lover, beyond all doubt. But there are curious and suggestive
details about the case, Watson."
"That he should appear only at that point?"
"Exactly. Our first effort must be to find who are the tenants of
Charlington Hall. Then, again, how about the connection between
Carruthers and Woodley, since they appear to be men of such a
different type? How came they both to be so keen upon looking up Ralph
Smith's relations? One more point. What sort of a menage is it which
pays double the market price for a governess but does not keep a
horse, although six miles from the station? Odd, Watson- very odd!"
"You will go down?"
"No, my dear fellow, you will go down. This may be some trifling
intrigue, and I cannot break my other important research for the
sake of it. On Monday you will arrive early at Farnham; you will
conceal yourself near Charlington Heath; you will observe these
facts for yourself, and act as your own judgment advises. Then, having
inquired as to the occupants of the Hall, you will come back to me and
report. And now, Watson, not another word of the matter until we
have a few solid steppingstones on which we may hope to get across
to our solution."
We had ascertained from the lady that she went down upon the
Monday by the train which leaves Waterloo at 9:50, so I started
early and caught the 9:13. At Farnham Station I had no difficulty in
being directed to Charlington Heath. It was impossible to mistake
scene of the young lady's adventure, for the road runs between the
open heath on one side and an old yew hedge upon the other,
surrounding a park which is studded with magnificent trees. There
was a main gateway of lichen-studded stone, each side pillar
surmounted by mouldering heraldic emblems, but besides this central
carriage drive I observed several points where there were gaps in
the hedge and paths leading through them. The house was invisible from
the road, but the surroundings all spoke of gloom and decay.
The heath was covered with golden patches of flowering gorse,
gleaming magnificently in the light of the bright spring sunshine.
Behind of these clumps I took up my position, so as to command both
the gateway of the Hall and a long stretch of the road upon either
side. It had been deserted when I left it, but now I saw a cyclist
riding down it from the opposite direction to that in which I had
come. He was clad in a dark suit, and I saw that he had a black beard.
On reaching the end of the Charlington grounds, he sprang from his
machine and led it through a gap in the hedge, disappearing from my
view.
A quarter of an hour passed, and then a second cyclist appeared.
This time it was the young lady coming from the station. I saw her
look about her as she came to the Charlington hedge. An instant
later the man emerged from his hiding-place, sprang upon his cycle,
and followed her. In all the broad landscape those were the only
moving figures, the graceful girl sitting very straight upon her
machine, and the man behind her bending low over his handle-bar with a
curiously furtive suggestion in every movement. She looked back at him
and slowed her pace. He slowed also. She stopped. He at once
stopped, too, keeping two hundred yards behind her. Her next
movement was as unexpected as it was spirited. She suddenly whisked
her wheels round and dashed straight at him. He was as quick as she,
however, and darted off in desperate flight. Presently she came back
up the road again, her head haughtily in the air, not deigning to take
any further notice of her silent attendant. He had turned also, and
still kept his distance until the curve of the road hid them from my
sight.
I remained in my hiding-place, and it was well that I did so, for
presently the man reappeared, cycling slowly back. He turned in at the
Hall gates, and dismounted from his machine. For some minutes I
could see him standing among the trees. His hands were raised, and
he seemed to be settling his necktie. Then he mounted his cycle, and
rode away from me down the drive towards the Hall. I ran across the
heath and peered through the trees. Far away I could catch glimpses of
the old gray building with its bristling Tudor chimneys, but the drive
ran through a dense shrubbery, and I saw no more of my man.
However, it seemed to me that I had done a fairly good morning's
work, and I walked back in high spirits to Farnham. The local house
agent could tell me nothing about Charlington Hall, and referred me to
a well known firm in Pall Mall. There I halted on my way home, and met
with courtesy from the representative. No, I could not have
Charlington Hall for the summer. I was just too late. It had been
let about a month ago. Mr. Williamson was the name of the tenant. He
was a respectable, elderly gentleman. The polite agent was afraid he
could say no more, as the affairs of his clients were not matters
which he could discuss.
Mr. Sherlock Holmes listened with attention to the long report which
I was able to present to him that evening, but it did not elicit
that word of curt praise which I had hoped for and should have valued.
On the contrary, his austere face was even more severe than usual as
he commented upon the things that I had done and the things that I had
not.
"Your hiding-place, my dear Watson, was very faulty. You should have
been behind the hedge, then you would have had a close view of this
interesting person. As it is, you were some hundreds of yards away and
can tell me even less than Miss Smith. She thinks she does not know
the man; I am convinced she does. Why, otherwise, should he be so
desperately anxious that she should not get so near him as to see
his features? You describe him as bending over the handle-bar.
Concealment again, you see. You really have done remarkably badly.
He returns to the house, and you want to find out who he is. You
come to a London house agent!"
"What should I have done?" I cried, with some heat.
"Gone to the nearest public-house. That is the centre of country
gossip. They would have told you every name, from the master to the
scullery-maid. Williamson? It conveys nothing to my mind. If he is
an elderly man he is not this active cyclist who sprints away from
that young lady's athletic pursuit. What have we gained by your
expedition? The knowledge that the girl's story is true. I never
doubted it. That there is a connection between the cyclist and the
Hall. I never doubted that either. That the Hall is tenanted by
Williamson. Who's the better for that? Well, well, my dear sir,
don't look so depressed. We can do little more until next Saturday,
and in the meantime I may make one or two inquiries myself."
Next morning, we had a note from Miss Smith, recounting shortly
and accurately the very incidents which I had seen, but the pith of
the letter lay in the postscript:
I am sure that you will respect my confidence, Mr. Holmes, when I
tell you that my place here has become difficult, owing to the fact
that my employer has proposed marriage to me. I am convinced that
his feelings are most deep and most honourable. At the same time, my
promise is of course given. He took my refusal very seriously, but
also very gently. You can understand, however, that the situation is a
little strained.
"Our young friend seems to be getting into deep waters," said Holmes,
thoughtfully, as he finished the letter. "The case certainly
presents more features of interest and more possibility of development
than I had originally thought. I should be none the worse for a quiet,
peaceful day in the country, and I am inclined to run down this
afternoon and test one or two theories which I have formed."
Holmes's quiet day in the country had a singular termination, for he
arrived at Baker Street late in the evening, with a cut lip and a
discoloured lump upon his forehead, besides a general air of
dissipation which would have made his own person the fitting object of
a Scotland Yard investigation. He was immensely tickled by his own
adventures and laughed heartily as be recounted them.
"I get so little active exercise that it is always a treat" said he.
"You are aware that I have some proficiency in the good old British
sport of boxing. Occasionally, it is of service, to-day, for
example, I should have come to very ignominious grief without it."
I begged him to tell me what had occurred.
"I found that country pub which I had already recommended to your
notice, and there I made my discreet inquiries. I was in the bar,
and a garrulous landlord was giving me all that I wanted. Williamson
is a white-bearded man, and he lives alone with a small staff of
servants at the Hall. There is some rumor that he is or has been a
clergyman, but one or two incidents of his short residence at the Hall
struck me as peculiarly unecclesiastical. I have already made some
inquiries at a clerical agency, and they tell me that there was a
man of that name in orders, whose career has been a singularly dark
one. The landlord further informed me that there are usually weekend
visitors- `a warm lot, sir'- at the Hall, and especially one gentleman
with a red moustache, Mr. Woodley by name, who was always there. We
had got as far as this, when who should walk in but the gentleman
himself, who had been drinking his beer in the tap-room and had
heard the whole conversation. Who was I? What did I want? What did I
mean by asking questions? He had a fine flow of language, and his
adjectives were very vigorous. He ended a string of abuse by a vicious
backhander, which I failed to entirely avoid. The next few minutes
were delicious. It was a straight left against a slogging ruffian. I
emerged as you see me. Mr. Woodley went home in a cart. So ended my
country trip, and it must be confessed that, however enjoyable, my day
on the Surrey border has not been much more profitable than your own."
The Thursday brought us another letter from our client.
You will not be surprised, Mr. Holmes [said she] to hear that I am
leaving Mr. Carruthers's employment. Even the high pay cannot
reconcile me to the discomforts of my situation. On Saturday I come up
to town, and I do not intend to return. Mr. Carruthers has got a trap,
and so the dangers of the lonely road, if there ever were any dangers,
are now over.
As to the special cause of my leaving, it is not merely the strained
situation with Mr. Carruthers, but it is the reappearance of that
odious man, Mr. Woodley. He was always hideous, but he looks more
awful than ever now, for he appears to have had an accident and he
is much disfigured. I saw him out of the window, but I am glad to
say I did not meet him. He had a long talk with Mr. Carruthers, who
seemed much excited afterwards. Woodley must be staying in the
neighbourhood, for he did not sleep here, and yet I caught a glimpse
of him again this morning, slinking about in the shrubbery. I would
sooner have a savage wild animal loose about the place. I loathe and
fear him more than I can say. How can Mr. Carruthers endure such a
creature for a moment? However, all my troubles will be over on
Saturday.
"So I trust, Watson, so I trust" said Holmes, gravely. "There is
some deep intrigue going on round that little woman, and it is our
duty to see that no one molests her upon that last journey. I think,
Watson, that we must spare time to run down together on Saturday
morning and make sure that this curious and inclusive investigation
has no untoward ending."
I confess that I had not up to now taken a very serious view of
the case, which had seemed to me rather grotesque and bizarre than
dangerous. That a man should lie in wait for and follow a very
handsome woman is no unheard-of thing, and if he has so little
audacity that he not only dared not address her, but even fled from
her approach, he was not a very formidable assailant. The ruffian
Woodley was a very different person, but, except on one occasion, he
had not molested our client, and now he visited the house of
Carruthers without intruding upon her presence. The man on the bicycle
was doubtless a member of those week-end parties at the Hall of
which the publican had spoken, but who he was, or what he wanted,
was as obscure as ever. It was the severity of Holmes's manner and the
fact that he slipped a revolver into his pocket before leaving our
rooms which impressed me with the feeling that tragedy might prove
to lurk behind this curious train of events.
A rainy night had been followed by a glorious morning, and the
heath-covered countryside, with the glowing clumps of flowering gorse,
seemed all the more beautiful to eyes which were weary of the duns and
drabs and slate grays of London. Holmes and I walked along the
broad, sandy road inhaling the fresh morning air and rejoicing in
the music of the birds and the fresh breath of the spring. From a rise
of the road on the shoulder of Crooksbury Hill, we could see the
grim Hall bristling out from amidst the ancient oaks, which, old as
they were, were still younger than the building which they surrounded.
Holmes pointed down the long tract of road which wound, a reddish
yellow band, between the brown of the heath and the budding green of
the woods. Far away, a black dot, we could see a vehicle moving in our
direction. Holmes gave an exclamation of impatience.
"I have given a margin of half an hour," said he. "If that is her
trap, she must be making for the earlier train. I fear, Watson, that
she will be past Charlington before we can possibly meet her."
From the instant that we passed the rise, we could no longer see the
vehicle, but we hastened onward at such a pace that my sedentary
life began to tell upon me, and I was compelled to fall behind.
Holmes, however, was always in training, for he had inexhaustible
stores of nervous energy upon which to draw. His springy step never
slowed until suddenly, when he was a hundred yards in front of me,
he halted, and I saw him throw up his hand with a gesture of grief and
despair. At the same instant an empty dog-cart, the horse cantering,
the reins trailing, appeared round the curve of the road and rattled
swiftly towards us.
"Too late, Watson, too late!" cried Holmes, as I ran panting to
his side. "Fool that I was not to allow for that earlier train! It's
abduction, Watson- abduction! Murder! Heaven knows what! Block the
road! Stop the horse! That's right. Now, jump in, and let us see if
I can repair the consequences of my own blunder."
We had sprung into the dog-cart, and Holmes, after turning the
horse, gave it a sharp cut with the whip, and we flew back along the
road. As we turned the curve, the whole stretch of road between the
Hall and the heath was opened up. I grasped Holmes's arm.
"That's the man!" I gasped.
A solitary cyclist was coming towards us. His head was down and his
shoulders rounded, as he put every ounce of energy that he possessed
on to the pedals. He was flying like a racer. Suddenly he raised his
bearded face, saw us close to him, and pulled up, springing from his
machine. That coal-black beard was in singular contrast to eyes were
as bright as if he had a fever. He stared at us and at the dog-cart.
Then a look of amazement came over his face.
"Halloa! Stop there!" he shouted, holding his bicycle to block our
road. "Where did you get that dog-cart? Pull up, man!" he yelled,
drawing a pistol from his side "Pull up, I say, or, by George, I'll
put a bullet into your horse."
Holmes threw the reins into my lap and sprang down from the cart.
"You're the man we want to see. Where is Miss Violet Smith?" he
said, in his quick, clear way.
"That's what I'm asking you. You're in her dog-cart. You ought to
know where she is."
"We met the dog-cart on the road. There was no one in it. We drove
back to help the young lady."
"Good Lord! Good Lord! What shall I do?" cried the stranger, in an
ecstasy of despair. "They've got her, that hell-hound Woodley and
the blackguard parson. Come, man, come, if you really are her
friend. Stand by me and we'll save her, if I have to leave my
carcass in Charlington Wood."
He ran distractedly, his pistol in his hand, towards a gap in the
hedge. Holmes followed him, and I, leaving the horse grazing beside
the road, followed Holmes.
"This is where they came through," said he, pointing to the marks of
several feet upon the muddy path. "Halloa! Stop a minute! Who's this
in the bush?"
It was a young fellow about seventeen, dressed like an ostler,
with leather cords and gaiters. He lay upon his back, his knees
drawn up, a terrible cut upon his head. He was insensible, but
alive. A glance at his wound told me that it had not penetrated the
bone.
"That's Peter, the groom," cried the stranger. "He drove her. The
beasts have pulled him off and clubbed him. Let him lie; we can't do
him any good, but we may save her from the worst fate that can
befall a woman."
We ran frantically down the path, which wound among the trees. We
had reached the shrubbery which surrounded the house when Holmes
pulled up.
"They didn't go to the house. Here are their marks on the left-
here, beside the laurel bushes. Ah! I said so."
As he spoke, a woman's shrill scream- a scream which vibrated with a
frenzy of horror- burst from the thick, green clump of bushes in front
of us. It ended suddenly on its highest note with a choke and a
gurgle.
"This way! This way! They are in the bowling-alley," cried the
stranger, darting through the bushes. "Ah, the cowardly dogs! Follow
me, gentlemen! Too late! too late! by the living Jingo!"
We had broken suddenly into a lovely glade of greensward
surrounded by ancient trees. On the farther side of it, under the
shadow of a mighty oak, there stood a singular group of three
people. One was a woman, our client, drooping and faint, a
handkerchief round her mouth. Opposite her stood a brutal,
heavy-faced, redmoustached young man, his gaitered legs parted wide,
one arm akimbo, the other waving a riding crop, his whole attitude
suggestive of triumphant bravado. Between them an elderly,
gray-bearded man, wearing a short surplice over a light tweed suit,
had evidently just completed the wedding service, for he pocketed
his prayer-book as we appeared, and slapped the sinister bridegroom
upon the back in jovial congratulation.
"They're married?" I gasped.
"Come on!" cried our guide, "come on!" He rushed across the glade,
Holmes and I at his heels. As we approached, the lady staggered
against the trunk of the tree for support. Williamson, the
ex-clergyman, bowed to us with mock politeness, and the bully,
Woodley, advanced with a shout of brutal and exultant laughter.
"You can take your beard off, Bob," said he. "I know you, right
enough. Well, you and your pals have just come in time for me to be
able to introduce you to Mrs. Woodley."
Our guide's answer was a singular one. He snatched off the dark
beard which had disguised him and threw it on the ground, disclosing a
long, sallow, clean-shaven face below it. Then he raised his
revolver and covered the young ruffian, who was advancing upon him
with his dangerous riding crop swinging in his hand.
"Yes," said our ally, "I am Bob Carruthers, and I'll see this
woman righted, if I have to swing for it. I told you what I'd do if
you molested her, and, by the Lord! I'll be as good as my word."
"You're too late. She's my wife."
"No, she's your widow."
His revolver cracked, and I saw the blood spurt from the front of
Woodley's waistcoat. He spun round with a scream and fell upon his
back, his hideous red face turning suddenly to a dreadful mottled
pallor. The old man, still clad in his surplice, burst into such a
string of foul oaths as I have never heard, and pulled out a
revolver of his own, but, before he could raise it, he was looking
down the barrel of Holmes's weapon.
"Enough of this," said my friend, coldly. "Drop that pistol! Watson,
pick it up! Hold it to his head. Thank you. You, Carruthers, give me
that revolver. We'll have no more violence. Come, hand it over!"
"Who are you, then?"
"My name is Sherlock Holmes."
"Good Lord!"
"You have heard of me, I see. I will represent the official police
until their arrival. Here, you!" he shouted to a frightened groom, who
had appeared at the edge of the glade. "Come here. Take this note as
hard as you can ride to Farnham." He scribbled a few words upon a leaf
from his notebook. "Give it to the superintendent at the
police-station. Until he comes, I must detain you all under my
personal custody."
The strong, masterful personality of Holmes dominated the tragic
scene, and all were equally puppets in his hands. Williamson and
Carruthers found themselves carrying the wounded Woodley into the
house, and I gave my arm to the frightened girl. The injured man was
laid on his bed, and at Holmes's request I examined him. I carried
my report to where he sat in the old tapestry-hung dining-room with
his two prisoners before him.
"He will live," said I.
"What!" cried Carruthers, springing out of his chair. "I'll go
upstairs and finish him first. Do you tell me that that angel, is to
be tied to Roaring Jack Woodley for life?"
"You need not concern yourself about that," said Holmes. "There
are two very good reasons why she should, under no circumstances, be
his wife. In the first place, we are very safe in questioning Mr.
Williamson's right to solemnize a marriage."
"I have been ordained," cried the old rascal.
"And also unfrocked."
"Once a clergyman, always a clergyman."
"I think not. How about the license?"
"We had a license for the marriage. I have it here in my pocket."
"Then you got it by trick. But, in any case a forced marriage is
no marriage, but it is a very serious felony, as you will discover
before you have finished. You'll have time to think the point out
during the next ten years or so, unless I am mistaken. As to you,
Carruthers, you would have done better to keep your pistol in your
pocket."
"I begin to think so, Mr. Holmes, but when I thought of all the
precaution I had taken to shield this girl- for I loved her, Mr.
Holmes, and it is the only time that ever I knew what love was- it
fairly drove me mad to think that she was in the power of the greatest
brute and bully in South Africa- a man whose name is a holy terror
from Kimberley to Johannesburg. Why, Mr. Holmes, you'll hardly believe
it, but ever since that girl has been in my employment I never once
let her go past this house, where I knew rascals were lurking, without
following her on my bicycle, to see that she came to no harm. I kept
my distance from her, and I wore a beard, so that she should not
recognize me, for she is a good and high-spirited girl, and she
wouldn't have stayed in my employment long if she had thought that I
was following her about the country roads."
"Why didn't you tell her of her danger?"
"Because then, again, she would have left me, and I couldn't bear to
face that. Even if she couldn't love me, it was a great deal to me
just to see her dainty form about the house, and to hear the sound
of her voice."
"Well," said I, "you call that love, Mr. Carruthers, but I should
call it selfishness."
"Maybe the two things go together. Anyhow, I couldn't let her go.
Besides, with this crowd about, it was well that she should have
someone near to look after her. Then, when the cable came, I knew they
were bound to make a move."
"What cable?"
Carruthers took a telegram from his pocket "That's it," said he.
It was short and concise:
THE OLD MAN IS DEAD.
"Hum!" said Holmes. "I think I see how things worked, and I can
understand how this message would, as you say, bring them to a head.
But while you wait, you might tell me what you can.
The old reprobate with the surplice burst into a volley of bad
language.
"By heaven!" said he, "if you squeal on us, Bob Carruthers, I'll
serve you as you served Jack Woodley. You can bleat about the girl
to your heart's content, for that's your own affair, but if you
round on your pals to this plain-clothes copper, it will be the
worst day's work that ever you did."
"Your reverence need not be excited," said Holmes, lighting a
cigarette. "The case is clear enough against you, and all I ask is a
few details for my private curiosity. However, if there's any
difficulty in your telling me, I'll do the talking, and then you
will see how far you have a chance of holding back your secrets. In
the first place, three of you came from South Africa on this game- you
Williamson, you Carruthers, and Woodley."
"Lie number one," said the old man; "I never saw either of them
until two months ago, and I have never been in Africa in my life, so
you can put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Busybody Holmes!"
"What he says is true," said Carruthers.
"Well, well, two of you came over. His reverence is our own homemade
article. You had known Ralph Smith in South Africa. You had reason
to believe he would not live long. You found out that his niece
would inherit his fortune. How's that- eh?"
Carruthers nodded and Williamson swore.
"She was next of kin, no doubt, and you were aware that the old
fellow would make no will."
"Couldn't read or write," said Carruthers.
"So you came over, the two of you, and hunted up the girl. The
idea was that one of you was to marry her, and the other have a
share of the plunder. For some reason, Woodley was chosen as the
husband. Why was that?"
"We played cards for her on the voyage. He won."
"I see. You got the young lady into your service, and there
Woodley was to do the courting. She recognized the drunken brute
that he was, and would have nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, your
arrangement was rather upset by the fact that you had yourself
fallen in love with the lady. You could no longer bear the idea of
this ruffian owning her?"
"No, by George, I couldn't!"
"There was a quarrel between you. He left you in a rage, and began
to make his own plans independently of you."
"It strikes me, Williamson, there isn't very much that we can tell
this gentleman," cried Carruthers, with a bitter laugh. "Yes, we
quarreled, and he knocked me down. I am level with him on that,
anyhow. Then I lost sight of him. That was when he picked up with this
outcast padre here. I found that they had set up housekeeping together
at this place on the line that she had to pass for the station. I kept
my eye on her after that, for I knew there was some devilry in the
wind. I saw them from time to time, for I was anxious to know what
they were after. Two days ago Woodley came up to my house with this
cable, which showed that Ralph Smith was dead. He asked me if I
would stand by the bargain. I said I would not. He asked me if I would
marry the girl myself and give him a share. I said I would willingly
do so, but that she would not have me. He said, `Let us get her
married first and after a week or two she may see things a bit
different.' I said I would have nothing to do with violence. So he
went off cursing, like the foul-mouthed blackguard that he was, and
swearing that he would have her yet. She was leaving me this week-end,
and I had got a trap to take her to the station, but I was so uneasy
in my mind that I followed her on my bicycle. She had got a start,
however, and before I could catch her, the mischief was done. The
first thing I knew about it was when I saw you two gentlemen driving
back in her dog-cart"
Holmes rose and tossed the end of his cigarette into the grate. "I
have been very obtuse, Watson," said he. "When in your report you said
that you had seen the cyclist as you thought arrange his necktie in
the shrubbery, that alone should have told me all. However, we may
congratulate ourselves upon a curious and, in some respects, a
unique case. I perceive three of the county constabulary in the drive,
and I am glad to see that the little ostler is able to keep pace
with them, so it is likely that neither he nor the interesting
bridegroom will be permanently damaged by their morning's
adventures. I think, Watson, that in your medical capacity, you
might wait upon Miss Smith and tell her that if she is sufficiently
recovered, we shall be happy to escort her to her mother's home. If
she is not quite convalescent you will find that a hint that we were
about to telegraph to a young electrician in the Midlands would
probably complete the cure. As to you, Mr. Carruthers, I think that
you have done what you could to make amends for your share in an
evil plot. There is my card, sir, and if my evidence can be of help in
your trial, it shall be at your disposal."
In the whirl of our incessant activity, it has often been
difficult for me, as the reader has probably observed, to round off my
narratives, and to give those final details which the curious might
expect. Each case has been the prelude to another, and the crisis once
over, the actors have passed for ever out of our busy lives. I find,
however, a short note at the end of my manuscript dealing with this
case, in which I have put it upon record that Miss Violet Smith did
indeed inherit a large fortune, and that she is now the wife of
Cyril Morton, the senior partner of Morton & Kennedy, the famous
Westminster electricians. Williamson and Woodley were both tried for
abduction and assault, the former getting seven years the latter
ten. Of the fate of Carruthers, I have no record, but I am sure that
his assault was not viewed very gravely by the court, since Woodley
had the reputation of being a most dangerous ruffian, and I think that
a few, months were sufficient to satisfy the demands of justice.
-THE END-
.
1892
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
On glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I have
during the last eight years studied the methods of my friend
Sherlock Holmes, I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely
strange, but none commonplace; for, working as he did rather for the
love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused to
associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards
the unusual, and even the fantastic. Of all these varied cases,
however, I cannot recall any which presented more singular features
than that which was associated with the well-known Surrey family of
the Roylotts of Stoke Moran. The events in question occurred in the
early days of my association with Holmes, when we were sharing rooms
as bachelors in Baker Street. It is possible that I might have
placed them upon record before, but a promise of secrecy was made at
the time, from which I have only been freed during the last month by
the untimely death of the lady to whom the pledge was given. It is
perhaps as well that the facts should now come to light, for I have
reasons to know that there are widespread rumours as to the death of
Dr. Grimesby Roylott which tend to make the matter even more
terrible than the truth.
It was early in April in the year '83 that I woke one morning to
find Sherlock Holmes standing, fully dressed, by the side of my bed.
He was a late riser, as a rule, and as the clock on the mantelpiece
showed me that it was only a quarter-past seven, I blinked up at him
in some surprise, and perhaps just a little resentment, for I was
myself regular in my habits.
"Very sorry to knock you up, Watson," said he, "but it's the
common lot this morning. Mrs. Hudson has been knocked up, she retorted
upon me, and I on you."
"What is it, then-a fire?"
"No; a client. It seems that a young lady has arrived in a
considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She is
waiting now in the sitting-room. Now, when young ladies wander about
the metropolis at this hour of the morning, and knock sleepy people up
out of their beds, I presume that it is something very pressing
which they have to communicate. Should it prove to be an interesting
case, you would, I am sure, wish to follow it from the outset. I
thought, at any rate, that I should call you and give you the chance."
"My dear fellow, I would not miss it for anything."
I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his
professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions,
as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis,
with which he unravelled the problems which were submitted to him. I
rapidly threw on my clothes and was ready in a few minutes to
accompany my friend down to the sitting-room. A lady dressed in
black and heavily veiled, who had been sitting in the window, rose
as we entered.
"Good-morning, madam," said Holmes cheerily. "My name is Sherlock
Holmes. This is my intimate friend and associate, Dr. Watson, before
whom you can speak as freely as before myself. Ha! I am glad to see
that Mrs. Hudson has had the good sense to light the fire. Pray draw
up to it, and I shall order you a cup of hot coffee, for I observe
that you are shivering."
"It is not cold which makes me shiver," said the woman in a low
voice, changing her seat as requested.
"What, then?"
"It is fear, Mr. Holmes. It is terror." She raised her veil as she
spoke, and we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of
agitation, her face all drawn and gray, with restless, frightened
eyes, like those of some hunted animal. Her features and figure were
those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature gray,
and her expression was weary and haggard. Sherlock Holmes ran her over
with one of his quick, all-comprehensive glances.
"You must not fear," said he soothingly, bending forward and patting
her forearm. "We shall soon set matters right, I have no doubt. You
have come in by train this morning, I see."
"You know me, then?"
"No, but I observe the second half of a return ticket in the palm of
your left glove. You must have started early, and yet you had a good
drive in a dog-cart, along heavy roads, before you reached the
station."
The lady gave a violent start and stared in bewilderment at my
companion.
"There is no mystery, my dear madam," said he, smiling. "The left
arm of your jacket is spattered with mud in no less than seven places.
The marks are perfectly fresh. There is no vehicle save a dog-cart
which throws up mud in that way, and then only when you sit on the
left-hand side of the driver."
"Whatever your reasons may be, you are perfectly correct," said she.
"I started from home before six reached Leatherhead at twenty past,
and came in by the first train to Waterloo. Sir, I can stand this
strain no longer; I shall go mad if it continues. I have no one to
turn to-none, save only one, who cares for me, and he, poor fellow,
can be of little aid. I have heard of you, Mr. Holmes; I have heard of
you from Mrs. Farintosh, whom you helped in the hour of her sore need.
It was from her that I had your address. Oh, sir, do you not think
that you could help me, too, and at least throw a little light through
the dense darkness which surrounds me? At present it is out of my
power to reward you for your services, but in a month or six weeks I
shall be married, with the control of my own income, and then at least
you shall not find me ungrateful."
Holmes turned to his desk and, unlocking it, drew out a small
case-book, which he consulted.
"Farintosh," said he. "Ah yes, I recall the case, it was concerned
with an opal tiara. I think it was before your time, Watson. I can
only say, madam, that I shall be happy to devote the same care to your
case as I did to that of your friend. As to reward, my profession is
its own reward; but you are at liberty to defray whatever expenses I
may be put to, at the time which suits you best. And now I beg that
you will lay before us everything that may help us in forming an
opinion upon the matter."
"Alas!" replied our visitor, "the very horror of my situation lies
in the fact that my fears are so vague, and my suspicions depend so
entirely upon small points, which might seem trivial to another,
that even he to whom of all others I have a right to look for help and
advice looks upon all that I tell him about it as the fancies of a
nervous woman. He does not say so, but I can read it from his soothing
answers and averted eyes. But I have heard, Mr. Holmes, that you can
see deeply into the manifold wickedness of the human heart. You may
advise me how to walk amid the dangers which encompass me."
"I am all attention, madam."
"My name is Helen Stoner, and I am living with my stepfather, who is
the last survivor of one of the oldest Saxon families in England,
the Roylotts of Stoke Moran, on the western border of Surrey."
Holmes nodded his head. "The name is familiar to me," said he.
"The family was at one time among the richest in England, and the
estates extended over the borders into Berkshire in the north, and
Hampshire in the west. In the last century, however, four successive
heirs were of a dissolute and wasteful disposition, and the family
ruin was eventually completed by a gambler in the days of the Regency.
Nothing was left save a few acres of ground, and the
two-hundred-year-old house, which is itself crushed under a heavy
mortgage. The last squire dragged out his existence there, living
the horrible life of an aristocratic pauper, but his only son, my
stepfather, seeing that he must adapt himself to the new conditions,
obtained an advance from a relative, which enabled him to take a
medical degree and went out to Calcutta, where, by his professional
skill and his force of character, he established a large practice.
In a fit of anger, however, caused by some robberies which had been
perpetrated in the house, he beat his native butler to death and
narrowly escaped a capital sentence. As it was, he suffered a long
term of imprisonment and afterwards returned to England a morose and
disappointed man.
"When Dr. Roylott was in India he married my mother, Mrs. Stoner,
the young widow of Major General Stoner, of the Bengal Artillery. My
sister Julia and I were twins, and we were only two years old at the
time of my mother's re-marriage. She had a considerable sum of
money-not less than L1000 a year-and this she bequeathed to Dr.
Roylott entirely while we resided with him, with a provision that a
certain annual sum should be allowed to each of us in the event of our
marriage. Shortly after our return to England my mother died-she was
killed eight years ago in a railway accident near Crewe. Dr. Roylott
then abandoned his attempts to establish himself in practice in London
and took us to live with him in the old ancestral house at Stoke
Moran. The money which my mother had left was enough for all our
wants, and there seemed to be no obstacle to our happiness.
"But a terrible change came over our stepfather about this time.
Instead of making friends and exchanging visits with our neighbours,
who had at first been overjoyed to see a Roylott of Stoke Moran back
in the old family seat, he shut himself up in his house and seldom
came out save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might
cross his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania has been
hereditary in the men of the family, and in my stepfather's case it
had, I believe, been intensified by his long residence in the tropics.
A series of disgraceful brawls took place, two of which ended in the
police-court, until at last he became the terror of the village, and
the folks would fly at his approach, for he is a man of immense
strength, and absolutely uncontrollable in his anger.
"Last week he hurled the local blacksmith over a parapet into a
stream, and it was only by paying over all the money which I could
gather together that I was able to avert another public exposure. He
had no friends at all save the wandering gypsies, and he would give
these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the few acres of
bramble-covered land which represent the family estate, and would
accept in return the hospitality of their tents, wandering away with
them sometimes for weeks on end. He has a passion also for Indian
animals, which are sent over to him by a correspondent, and he has
at this moment a cheetah and a baboon, which wander freely over his
grounds and are feared by the villagers almost as much as their
master.
"You can imagine from what I say that my poor sister Julia and I had
no great pleasure in our lives. No servant would stay with us, and for
a long time we did all the work of the house. She was but thirty at
the time of her death, and yet her hair had already begun to whiten,
even as mine has."
"Your sister is dead, then?"
"She died just two years ago, and it is of her death that I wish
to speak to you. You can understand that, living the life which I have
described, we were little likely to see anyone of our own age and
position. We had, however, an aunt, my mother's maiden sister, Miss
Honoria Westphail, who lives near Harrow, and we were occasionally
allowed to pay short visits at this lady's house. Julia went there
at Christmas two years ago, and met there a half-pay major of marines,
to whom she became engaged. My stepfather learned of the engagement
when my sister returned and offered no objection to the marriage;
but within a fortnight of the day which had been fixed for the
wedding, the terrible event occurred which has deprived me of my
only companion."
Sherlock Holmes had been leaning back in his chair with his eyes
closed and his head sunk in a cushion, but he half opened his lids now
and glanced across at his visitor.
"Pray be precise as to details," said he.
"It is easy for me to be so, for every event of that dreadful time
is seared into my memory. The manor-house is, as I have already
said, very old, and only one wing is now inhabited. The bedrooms in
this wing are on the ground floor, the sitting-rooms being in the
central block of the buildings. Of these bedrooms the first is Dr.
Roylott's, the second my sister's, and the third my own. There is no
communication between them, but they all open out into the same
corridor. Do I make myself plain?"
"Perfectly so."
"The windows of the three rooms open out upon the lawn. That fatal
night Dr. Roylott had gone to his room early, though we knew that he
had not retired to rest, for my sister was troubled by the smell of
the strong Indian cigars which it was his custom to smoke. She left
her room, therefore, and came into mine, where she sat for some
time, chatting about her approaching wedding. At eleven o'clock she
rose to leave me, but she paused at the door and looked back.
"'Tell me, Helen,' said she, 'have you ever heard anyone whistle
in the dead of the night?'
"'Never,' said I.
"'I suppose that you could not possibly whistle, yourself, in your
sleep?'
"'Certainly not. But why?'
"'Because during the last few nights I have always, about three in
the morning, heard a low, clear whistle. I am a light sleeper, and
it has awakened me. I cannot tell where it came from-perhaps from
the next room, perhaps from the lawn. I thought that I would just
ask you whether you had heard it.'
"'No, I have not. It must be those wretched gypsies in the
plantation.'
"'Very likely. And yet if it were on the lawn, I wonder that you did
not hear it also.'
"'Ah, but I sleep more heavily than you.'
"'Well, it is of no great consequence, at any rate.' She smiled back
at me, closed my door, and a few moments later I heard her key turn in
the lock."
"Indeed," said Holmes. "Was it your custom always to lock yourselves
in at night?"
"Always."
"And why?"
"I think that I mentioned to you that the doctor kept a cheetah
and a baboon. We had no feeling of security unless our doors were
locked."
"Quite so. Pray proceed with your statement."
"I could not sleep that night. A vague feeling of impending
misfortune impressed me. My sister and I, you will recollect, were
twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls
which are so closely allied. It was a wild night. The wind was howling
outside, and the rain was beating and splashing against the windows.
Suddenly, amid all the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth the
wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew that it was my sister's
voice. I sprang from my bed, wrapped a shawl round me, and rushed into
the corridor. As I opened my door I seemed to hear a low whistle, such
as my sister described, and a few moments later a clanging sound, as
if a mass of metal had fallen. As I ran down the passage, my
sister's door was unlocked, and revolved slowly upon its hinges. I
stared at it horror-stricken, not knowing what was about to issue from
it. By the light of the corridor-lamp I saw my sister appear at the
opening, her face blanched with terror, her hands groping for help,
her whole figure swaying to and fro like that of a drunkard. I ran
to her and threw my arms round her, but at that moment her knees
seemed to give way and she fell to the ground. She writhed as one
who is in terrible pain, and her limbs were dreadfully convulsed. At
first I thought that she had not recognized me, but as I bent over her
she suddenly shrieked out in a voice which I shall never forget,
'Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band!' There was
something else which she would fain have said, and she stabbed with
her finger into the air in the direction of the doctors room, but a
fresh convulsion seized her and choked her words. I rushed out,
calling loudly for my stepfather, and I met him hastening from his
room in his dressing-gown. When he reached my sisters side she was
unconscious, and though he poured brandy down her throat and sent
for medical aid from the village, all efforts were in vain, for she
slowly sank and died without having recovered her consciousness.
Such was the dreadful end of my beloved sister."
"One moment," said Holmes; "are you sure about this whistle and
metallic sound? Could you swear to it?"
"That was what the county coroner asked me at the inquiry. It is
my strong impression that I heard it, and yet, among the crash of
the gale and the creaking of an old house, I may possibly have been
deceived."
"Was your sister dressed?"
"No, she was in her night-dress. In her right hand was found the
charred stump of a match, and in her left a match-box."
"Showing that she had struck a light and looked about her when the
alarm took place. That is important. And what conclusions did the
coroner come to?"
"He investigated the case with great care, for Dr. Roylott's conduct
had long been notorious in the county, but he was unable to find any
satisfactory cause of death. My evidence showed that the door had been
fastened upon the inner side, and the windows were blocked by
old-fashioned shutters with broad iron bars, which were secured
every night. The walls were carefully sounded, and were shown to be
quite solid all round, and the flooring was also thoroughly
examined, with the same result. The chimney is wide, but is barred
up by four large staples. It is certain, therefore, that my sister was
quite alone when she met her end. Besides, there were no marks of
any violence upon her."
"How about poison?"
"The doctors examined her for it, but without success."
"What do you think that this unfortunate lady died of, then?"
"It is my belief that she died of pure fear and nervous shock,
though what it was that frightened her I cannot imagine."
"Were there gypsies in the plantation at the time?"
"Yes, there are nearly always some there."
"Ah, and what did you gather from this allusion to a band-a speckled
band?"
"Sometimes I have thought that it was merely the wild talk of
delirium, sometimes that it may have referred to some band of
people, perhaps to these very gypsies in the plantation. I do not know
whether the spotted handkerchiefs which so many of them wear over
their heads might have suggested the strange adjective which she
used."
Holmes shook his head like a man who is far from being satisfied.
"These are very deep waters," said he; "pray go on with your
narrative."
"Two years have passed since then, and my life has been until lately
lonelier than ever. A month ago, however, a dear friend, whom I have
known for many years, has done me the honour to ask my hand in
marriage. His name is Armitage-Percy Armitage-the second son of Mr.
Armitage, of Crane Water, near Reading. My stepfather has offered no
opposition to the match, and we are to be married in the course of the
spring. Two days ago some repairs were started in the west wing of the
building, and my bedroom wall has been pierced, so that I have had
to move into the chamber in which my sister died, and to sleep in
the very bed in which she slept. Imagine, then, my thrill of terror
when last night, as I lay awake, thinking over her terrible fate, I
suddenly heard in the silence of the night the low whistle which had
been the herald of her own death. I sprang up and lit the lamp, but
nothing was to be seen in the room. I was too shaken to go to bed
again, however, so I dressed, and as soon as it was daylight I slipped
down, got a dog-cart at the Crown Inn, which is opposite, and drove to
Leatherhead, from whence I have come on this morning with the one
object of seeing you and asking your advice."
"You have done wisely," said my friend. "But have you told me all?"
"Yes, all."
"Miss Roylott, you have not. You are screening your stepfather."
"Why, what do you mean?"
For answer Holmes pushed back the frill of black lace which
fringed the hand that lay upon our visitor's knee. Five little livid
spots, the marks of four fingers and a thumb, were printed upon the
white wrist.
"You have been cruelly used," said Holmes.
The lady coloured deeply and covered over her injured wrist. "He
is a hard man," she said, "and perhaps he hardly knows his own
strength."
There was a long silence, during which Holmes leaned his chin upon
his hands and stared into the crackling fire.
"This is a very deep business," he said at last. "There are a
thousand details which I should desire to know before I decide upon
our course of action. Yet we have not a moment to lose. If we were
to come to Stoke Moran to-day, would it be possible for us to see over
these rooms without the knowledge of your stepfather?"
"As it happens, he spoke of coming into town to-day upon some most
important business. It is probable that he will be away all day, and
that there would be nothing to disturb you. We have a housekeeper now,
but she is old and foolish, and I could easily get her out of the
way."
"Excellent. You are not averse to this trip, Watson?"
"By no means."
"Then we shall both come. What are you going to do yourself?"
"I have one or two things which I would wish to do now that I am
in town. But I shall return by the twelve o'clock train, so as to be
there in time for your coming."
"And you may expect us early in the afternoon. I have myself some
small business matters to attend to. Will you not wait and breakfast?"
"No, I must go. My heart is lightened already since I have
confided my trouble to you. I shall look forward to seeing you again
this afternoon." She dropped her thick black veil over her face and
glided from the room.
"And what do you think of it all, Watson?" asked Sherlock Holmes,
leaning back in his chair.
"It seems to me to be a most dark and sinister business."
"Dark enough and sinister enough."
"Yet if the lady is correct in saying that the flooring and walls
are sound, and that the door, window, and chimney are impassable, then
her sister must have been undoubtedly alone when she met her
mysterious end."
"What becomes, then, of these nocturnal whistles, and what of the
very peculiar words of the dying woman?"
"I cannot think."
"When you combine the ideas of whistles at night, the presence of
a band of gypsies who are on intimate terms with this old doctor,
the fact that we have every reason to believe that the doctor has an
interest in preventing his stepdaughter's marriage, the dying allusion
to a band, and, finally, the fact that Miss Helen Stoner heard a
metallic clang, which might have been caused by one of those metal
bars that secured the shutters falling back into its place, I think
that there is good ground to think that the mystery may be cleared
along those lines."
"But what, then, did the gypsies do?"
"I cannot imagine."
"I see many objections to any such theory."
"And so do I. It is precisely for that reason that we are going to
Stoke Moran this day. I want to see whether the objections are
fatal, or if they may be explained away. But what in the name of the
devil!"
The ejaculation had been drawn from my companion by the fact that
our door had been suddenly dashed open, and that a huge man had framed
himself in the aperture. His costume was a peculiar mixture of the
professional and of the agricultural, having a black top-hat, a long
frock-coat, and a pair of high gaiters, with a hunting-crop swinging
in his hand. So tall was he that his hat actually brushed the cross
bar of the doorway, and his breadth seemed to span it across from side
to side. A large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned
yellow with the sun, and marked with every evil passion, was turned
from one to the other of us, while his deep-set, bile-shot eyes, and
his high, thin, fleshless nose, gave him somewhat the resemblance to a
fierce old bird of prey.
"Which of you is Holmes?" asked this apparition.
"My name, sir; but you have the advantage of me," said my
companion quietly.
"I am Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of Stokes Moran."
"Indeed, Doctor," said Holmes blandly. "Pray take a seat."
"I will do nothing of the kind. My stepdaughter has been here. I
have traced her. What has she been saying to you?"
"It is a little cold for the time of the year," said Holmes.
"What has she been saying to you?" screamed the old man furiously.
"But I have heard that the crocuses promise well," continued my
companion imperturbably.
"Ha! You put me off, do you?" said our new visitor, taking a step
forward and shaking his hunting-crop. "I know you, you scoundrel! I
have heard of you before. You are Holmes, the meddler."
My friend smiled.
"Holmes, the busybody?"
His smile broadened.
"Holmes, the Scotland Yard Jack-in-office!"
Holmes chuckled heartily. "Your conversation is most
entertaining," said he. "When you go out close the door, for there
is a decided draught."
"I will go when I have said my say. Don't you dare to meddle with my
affairs. I know that Miss Stoner has been here. I traced her! I am a
dangerous man to fall foul off See here." He stepped swiftly
forward, seized the poker, and bent it into a curve with his huge
brown hands.
"See that you keep yourself out of my grip," he snarled, and hurling
the twisted poker into the fireplace he strode out of the room.
"He seems a very amiable person," said Holmes, laughing. "I am not
quite so bulky, but if he had remained I might have shown him that
my grip was not much more feeble than his own." As he spoke he
picked up the steel poker and, with a sudden effort, straightened it
out again.
"Fancy his having the insolence to confound me with the official
detective force! This incident gives zest to our investigation,
however, and I only trust that our little friend will not suffer
from her imprudence in allowing this brute to trace her. And now,
Watson, we shall order breakfast, and afterwards I shall walk down
to Doctors' Commons, where I hope to get some data which may help us
in this matter."
It was nearly one o'clock when Sherlock Holmes returned from his
excursion. He held in his hand a sheet of blue paper, scrawled over
with notes and figures.
"I have seen the will of the deceased wife," said he. "To
determine its exact meaning I have been obliged to work out the
present prices of the investments with which it is concerned. The
total income, which at the time of the wife's death was little short
of L1000 is now, through the fall in agricultural prices, not more
than L750. Each daughter can claim an income of L250, in case of
marriage. It is evident, therefore, that if both girls had married,
this beauty would have had a mere pittance, while even one of them
would cripple him to a very serious extent. My morning's work has
not been wasted, since it has proved that he has the very strongest
motives for standing in the way of anything of the sort. And now,
Watson, this is too serious for dawdling, especially as the old man is
aware that we are interesting ourselves in his affairs; so if you
are ready, we shall call a cab and drive to Waterloo. I should be very
much obliged if you would slip your revolver into your pocket. An
Eley's No. 2 is an excellent argument with gentlemen who can twist
steel pokers into knots. That and a tooth-brush are, I think, all that
we need."
At Waterloo we were fortunate in catching a train for Leatherhead,
where we hired a trap at the station inn and drove for four or five
miles through the lovely Surrey lanes. It was a perfect day, with a
bright sun and a few fleecy clouds in the heavens. The trees and
wayside hedges were just throwing out their first green shoots, and
the air was full of the pleasant smell of the moist earth. To me at
least there was a strange contrast between the sweet promise of the
spring and this sinister quest upon which we were engaged. My
companion sat in the front of the trap, his arms folded, his hat
pulled down over his eyes, and his chin sunk upon his breast, buried
in the deepest thought. Suddenly, however, he started, tapped me on
the shoulder, and pointed over the meadows.
"Look there!" said he.
A heavily timbered park stretched up in a gentle slope, thickening
into a grove at the highest point. From amid the branches there jutted
out the gray gables and high roof-tree of a very old mansion.
"Stoke Moran?" said he.
"Yes, sir, that be the house of Dr. Grimesby Roylott," remarked
the driver.
"There is some building going on there," said Holmes, "that is where
we are going."
"There's the village," said the driver, pointing to a cluster of
roofs some distance to the left; "but if you want to get to the house,
you'll find it shorter to get over this stile, and so by the foot-path
over the fields. There it is, where the lady is walking."
"And the lady, I fancy, is Miss Stoner," observed Holmes, shading
his eyes. "Yes, I think we had better do as you suggest."
We got off, paid our fare, and the trap rattled back on its way to
Leatherhead.
"I thought it as well," said Holmes as we climbed the stile, "that
this fellow should think we had come here as architects, or on some
definite business. It may stop his gossip. Good-afternoon, Miss
Stoner. You see that we have been as good as our word."
Our client of the morning had hurried forward to meet us with a face
which spoke her joy. "I have been waiting so eagerly for you," she
cried, shaking hands with us warmly. "All has turned out splendidly.
Dr. Roylott has gone to town, and it is unlikely that he will be
back before evening."
"We have had the pleasure of making the doctors acquaintance,"
said Holmes, and in a few words he sketched out what had occurred.
Miss Stoner turned white to the lips as she listened.
"Good heavens!" she cried, "he has followed me, then."
"So it appears."
"He is so cunning that I never know when I am safe from him. What
will he say when he returns?"
"He must guard himself, for he may find that there is someone more
cunning than himself upon his track. You must lock yourself up from
him to-night. If he is violent, we shall take you away to your
aunt's at Harrow. Now, we must make the best use of our time, so
kindly take us at once to the rooms which we are to examine."
The building was of gray, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central
portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on
each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked
with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of
ruin. The central portion was in little better repair, but the
right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the
windows, with the blue smoke curling up from the chimneys, showed that
this was where the family resided. Some scaffolding had been erected
against the end wall, and the stone-work had been broken into, but
there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our visit.
Holmes walked slowly up and down the ill-trimmed lawn and examined
with deep attention the outsides of the windows.
"This, I take it, belongs to the room in which you used to sleep,
the centre one to your sister's, and the one next to the main building
to Dr. Roylott's chamber?"
"Exactly so. But I am now sleeping in the middle one."
"Pending the alterations, as I understand. By the way, there does
not seem to be any very pressing need for repairs at that end wall."
"There were none. I believe that it was an excuse to move me from my
room."
"Ah! that is suggestive. Now, on the other side of this narrow
wing runs the corridor from which these three rooms open. There are
windows in it, of course?"
"Yes, but very small ones. Too narrow for anyone to pass through."
"As you both locked your doors at night, your rooms were
unapproachable from that side. Now, would you have the kindness to
go into your room and bar your shutters?"
Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination
through the open window, endeavoured in every way to force the shutter
open, but without success. There was no slit through which a knife
could be passed to raise the bar. Then with his lens he tested the
hinges, but they were of solid iron, built firmly into the massive
masonry. "Hum!" said he, scratching his chin in some perplexity, "my
theory certainly presents some difficulties. No one could pass these
shutters if they were bolted. Well, we shall see if the inside
throws any light upon the matter."
A small side door led into the whitewashed corridor from which the
three bedrooms opened. Holmes refused to examine the third chamber, so
we passed at once to the second, that in which Miss Stoner was now
sleeping, and in which her sister had met with her fate. It was a
homely little room, with a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, after
the fashion of old country-houses. A brown chest of drawers stood in
one corner, a narrow white-counterpaned bed in another, and a
dressing table on the left-hand side of the window. These articles,
with two small wickerwork chairs, made up all the furniture in the
room save for a square of Wilton carpet in the centre. The boards
round and the panelling of the walls were of brown, worm-eaten oak, so
old and discoloured that it may have dated from the original
building of the house. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner and
sat silent, while his eyes travelled round and round and up and
down, taking in every detail of the apartment.
"Where does that bell communicate with?" he asked at last,
pointing to a thick bell-rope which hung down beside the bed, the
tassel actually lying upon the pillow.
"It goes to the housekeeper's room."
"It looks newer than the other things?"
"Yes, it was only put there a couple of years ago."
"Your sister asked for it I suppose?"
"No, I never heard of her using it. We used always to get what we
wanted for ourselves."
"Indeed, it seemed unnecessary to put so nice a bell-pull there. You
will excuse me for a few minutes while I satisy myself as to this
floor." He threw himself down upon his face with his lens in his
hand and crawled swiftly backward and forward, examining minutely
the cracks between the boards. Then he did the same with the wood-work
with which the chamber was panelled. Finally he walked over to the bed
and spent some time in staring at it and in running his eye up and
down the wall. Finally he took the bell-rope in his hand and gave it a
brisk tug.
"Why, it's a dummy," said he.
"Won't it ring?"
"No, it is not even attached to a wire. This is very interesting.
You can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the
little opening for the ventilator is."
"How very absurd! I never noticed that before."
"Very strange!" muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. "There are one
or two very singular points about this room. For example, what a
fool a builder must be to open a ventilator into another room, when,
with the same trouble, he might have communicated with the outside
air!"
"That is also quite modern," said the lady.
"Done about the same time as the bell-rope?" remarked Holmes.
"Yes, there were several little changes carried out about that
time."
"They seem to have been of a most interesting character-dummy
bell-ropes, and ventilators which do not ventilate. With your
permission, Miss Stoner, we shall now carry our researches into the
inner apartment."
Dr. Grimesby Roylott's chamber was larger than that of his
stepdaughter, but was as plainly furnished. A camp-bed, a small wooden
shelf full of books, mostly of a technical character, an armchair
beside the bed, a plain wooden chair against the wall, a round
table, and a large iron safe were the principal things which met the
eye. Holmes walked slowly round and examined each and all of them with
the keenest interest.
"What's in here?" he asked, tapping the safe.
"My stepfather's business papers."
"Oh! you have seen inside, then?"
"Only once, some years ago. I remember that it was full of papers."
"There isn't a cat in it, for example?'
"No. What a strange idea!"
"Well, look at this!" He took up a small saucer of milk which
stood on the top of it.
"No; we don't keep a cat. But there is a cheetah and a baboon."
"Ah, yes, of course! Well, a cheetah is just a big cat, and yet a
saucer of milk does not go very far in satisfying its wants, I
daresay. There is one point which I should wish to determine." He
squatted down in front of the wooden chair and examined the seat of it
with the greatest attention.
"Thank you. That is quite settled," said he, rising and putting
his lens in his pocket. "Hello! Here is something interesting!"
The object which had caught his eye was a small dog lash hung on one
corner of the bed. The lash, however, was curled upon itself and
tied so as to make a loop of whipcord.
"What do you make of that, Watson?"
"It's a common enough lash. But I don't know why it should be tied."
"That is not quite so common, is it? Ah, me! it's a wicked world,
and when a clever man turns his brains to crime it is the worst of
all. I think that I have seen enough now, Miss Stoner, and with your
permission we shall walk out upon the lawn."
I had never seen my friend's face so grim or his brow so dark as
it was when we turned from the scene of this investigation. We had
walked several times up and down the lawn, neither Miss Stoner nor
myself liking to break in upon his thoughts before he roused himself
from his reverie.
"It is very essential, Miss Stoner," said he, "that you should
absolutely follow my advice in every respect."
"I shall most certainly do so."
"The matter is too serious for any hesitation. Your life may
depend upon your compliance."
"I assure you that I am in your hands."
"In the first place, both my friend and I must spend the night in
your room."
Both Miss Stoner and I gazed at him in astonishment.
"Yes, it must be so. Let me explain. I believe that that is the
village inn over there?"
"Yes, that is the Crown."
"Very good. Your windows would be visible from there?"
"Certainly."
"You must confine yourself to your room, on pretence of a
headache, when your stepfather comes back. Then when you hear him
retire for the night, you must open the shutters of your window,
undo the hasp, put your lamp there as a signal to us, and then
withdraw quietly with everything which you are likely to want into the
room which you used to occupy. I have no doubt that, in spite of the
repairs, you could manage there for one night."
"Oh, yes, easily."
"The rest you will leave in our hands."
"But what will you do?"
"We shall spend the night in your room, and we shall investigate the
cause of this noise which has disturbed you."
"I believe, Mr. Holmes, that you have already made up your mind,"
said Miss Stoner, laying her hand upon my companion's sleeve.
"Perhaps I have."
"Then, for pity's sake, tell me what was the cause of my sister's
death."
"I should prefer to have clearer proofs before I speak."
"You can at least tell me whether my own thought is correct, and
if she died from some sudden fright."
"No, I do not think so. I think that there was probably some more
tangible cause. And now, Miss Stoner, we must leave you, for if Dr.
Roylott returned and saw us our journey would be in vain. Good-bye,
and be brave, for if you will do what I have told you rest assured
that we shall soon drive away the dangers that threaten you."
Sherlock Holmes and I had no difficulty in engaging a bedroom and
sitting-room at the Crown Inn. They were on the upper floor, and
from our window we could command a view of the avenue gate, and of the
inhabited wing of Stoke Moran Manor House. At dusk we saw Dr. Grimesby
Roylott drive past, his huge form looming up beside the little
figure of the lad who drove him. The boy had some slight difficulty in
undoing the heavy iron gates, and we heard the hoarse roar of the
doctor's voice and saw the fury with which he shook his clinched fists
at him. The trap drove on, and a few minutes later we saw a sudden
light spring up among the trees as the lamp was lit in one of the
sitting-rooms.
"Do you know, Watson," said Holmes as we sat together in the
gathering darkness, "I have really some scruples as to taking you
to-night. There is a distinct element of danger."
"Can I be of assistance?"
"Your presence might be invaluable."
"Then I shall certainly come."
"It is very kind of you."
"You speak of danger. You have evidently seen more in these rooms
than was visible to me."
"No, but I fancy that I may have deduced a little more. I imagine
that you saw all that I did."
"I saw nothing remarkable save the bell-rope, and what purpose
that could answer I confess is more than I can imagine."
"You saw the ventilator, too?"
"Yes, but I do not think that it is such a very unusual thing to
have a small opening between two rooms. It was so small that a rat
could hardly pass through."
"I knew that we should find a ventilator before ever we came to
Stoke Moran."
"My dear Holmes!"
"Oh, yes, I did. You remember in her statement she said that her
sister could smell Dr. Roylott's cigar. Now, of course that
suggested at once that there must be a communication between the two
rooms. It could only be a small one, or would have been remarked
upon at the coroner's inquiry. I deduced a ventilator."
"But what harm can there be in that?"
"Well, there is at least a curious coincidence of dates. A
ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady who sleeps in the bed
dies. Does not that strike you?"
"I cannot as yet see any connection."
"Did you observe anything very peculiar about that bed?"
"No."
"It was clamped to the floor. Did you ever see a bed fastened like
that before?"
"I cannot say that I have."
"The lady could not move her bed. It must always be in the same
relative position to the ventilator and to the rope-or so we may
call it, since it was clearly never meant for a bell-pull."
"Holmes," I cried, "I seem to see dimly what you are hinting at.
We are only just in time to prevent some subtle and horrible crime."
"Subtle enough and horrible enough. When a doctor does go wrong he
is the first of criminals. He has nerve and he has knowledge. Palmer
and Pritchard were among the heads of their profession. This man
strikes even deeper, but I think, Watson, that we shall be able to
strike deeper still. But we shall have horrors enough before the night
is over; for goodness' sake let us have a quiet pipe and turn our
minds for a few hours to something more cheerful."
About nine o'clock the light among the trees was extinguished, and
all was dark in the direction of the Manor House. Two hours passed
slowly away, and then, suddenly, just at the stroke of eleven, a
single bright light shone out right in front of us.
"That is our signal," said Holmes, springing to his feet; "it
comes from the middle window."
As we passed out he exchanged a few words with the landlord,
explaining that we were going on a late visit to an acquaintance,
and that it was possible that we might spend the night there. A moment
later we were out on the dark road, a chill wind blowing in our faces,
and one yellow light twinkling in front of us through the gloom to
guide us on our sombre errand.
There was little difficulty in entering the grounds, for
unrepaired breaches gaped in the old park wall. Making our way among
the trees, we reached the lawn, crossed it, and were about to enter
through the window when out from a clump of laurel bushes there darted
what seemed to be a hideous and distorted child, who threw itself upon
the grass with writhing limbs and then ran swiftly across the lawn
into the darkness.
"My God!" I whispered; "did you see it?"
Holmes was for the moment as startled as I. His hand closed like a
vise upon my wrist in his agitation. Then he broke into a low laugh
and put his lips to my ear.
"It is a nice household," he murmured. "That is the baboon."
I had forgotten the strange pets which the doctor affected. There
was a cheetah, too; perhaps we might find it upon our shoulders at any
moment. I confess that I felt easier in my mind when, after
following Holmes's example and slipping off my shoes, I found myself
inside the bedroom. My companion noiselessly closed the shutters,
moved the lamp onto the table, and cast his eyes round the room. All
was as we had seen it in the daytime. Then creeping up to me and
making a trumpet of his hand, he whispered into my ear again so gently
that it was all that I could do to distinguish the words:
"The least sound would be fatal to our plans."
I nodded to show that I had heard.
"We must sit without light. He would see it through the ventilator."
I nodded again.
"Do not go asleep, your very life may depend upon it. Have your
pistol ready in case we should need it. I will sit on the side of
the bed, and you in that chair."
I took out my revolver and laid it on the corner of the table.
Holmes had brought up a long thin cane, and this he placed upon
the bed beside him. By it he laid the box of matches and the stump
of a candle. Then he turned down the lamp, and we were left in
darkness.
How shall I ever forget that dreadful vigil? I could not hear a
sound, not even the drawing of a breath, and yet I knew that my
companion sat open-eyed, within a few feet of me, in the same state of
nervous tension in which I was myself. The shutters cut off the
least ray of light and we waited in absolute darkness. From outside
came the occasional cry of a night-bird, and once at our very window a
long drawn catlike whine, which told us that the cheetah was indeed at
liberty. Far away we could hear the deep tones of the parish clock,
which boomed out every quarter of an hour. How long they seemed, those
quarters! Twelve struck, and one and two and three, and still we sat
waiting silently for whatever might befall.
Suddenly there was the momentary gleam of a light up in the
direction of the ventilator, which vanished immediately, but was
succeeded by a strong smell of burning oil and heated metal. Someone
in the next room had lit a dark-lanten. I heard a gentle sound of
movement, and then all was silent once more, though the smell grew
stronger. For half an hour I sat with straining ears. Then suddenly
another sound became audible-a very gentle, soothing sound, like
that of a small jet of steam escaping continually from a kettle. The
instant that we heard it, Holmes sprang from the bed, struck a
match, and lashed furiously with his cane at the bell-pull.
"You see it, Watson?" he yelled. "You see it?"
But I saw nothing. At the moment when Holmes struck the light I
heard a low, clear whistle, but the sudden glare flashing into my
weary eyes made it impossible for me to tell what it was at which my
friend lashed so savagely. I could, however, see that his face was
deadly pale and filled with horror and loathing.
He had ceased to strike and was gazing up at the ventilator when
suddenly there broke from the silence of the night the most horrible
cry to which I have ever listened. It swelled up louder and louder,
a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger all mingled in the one
dreadful shriek. They say that away down in the village, and even in
the distant parsonage, that cry raised the sleepers from their beds.
It struck cold to our hearts, and I stood gazing at Holmes, and he
at me, until the last echoes of it had died away into the silence from
which it rose.
"What can it mean?" I gasped.
"It means that it is all over," Holmes answered. "And perhaps, after
all, it is for the best. Take your pistol, and we will enter Dr.
Roylott's room."
With a grave face he lit the lamp and led the way down the corridor.
Twice he struck at the chamber door without any reply from within.
Then he turned the handle and entered, I at his heels, with the cocked
pistol in my hand.
It was a singular sight which met our eyes. On the table stood a
dark-lantern with the shutter half open, throwing a brilliant beam
of light upon the iron safe, the door of which was ajar. Beside this
table, on the wooden chair, sat Dr. Grimesby Roylott, clad in a long
gray dressing-gown, his bare ankles protruding beneath, and his feet
thrust into red heelless Turkish slippers. Across his lap lay the
short stock with the long lash which we had noticed during the day.
His chin was cocked upward and his eyes were fixed in a dreadful,
rigid stare at the corner of the ceiling. Round his brow he had a
peculiar yellow band, with brownish speckles, which seemed to be bound
tightly round his head. As we entered he made neither sound nor
motion.
"The band! The speckled band!" whispered Holmes.
I took a step forward. In an instant his strange headgear began to
move, and there reared itself from among his hair the squat
diamond-shaped head and puffed neck of a loathsome serpent.
"It is a swamp adder!" cried Holmes; "the deadliest snake in
India. He has died within ten seconds of being bitten. Violence
does, in truth, recoil upon the violent and the schemer falls into the
pit which he digs for another. Let us thrust this creature back into
its den, and we can then remove Miss Stoner to some place of shelter
and let the county police know what has happened."
As he spoke he drew the dog-whip swiftly from the dead man's lap,
and throwing the noose round the reptile's neck he drew it from its
horrid perch and, carrying it at arm's length, threw it into the
iron safe, which he closed upon it.
Such are the true facts of the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of
Stoke Moran. It is not necessary that I should prolong a narrative
which has already run to too great a length by telling how we broke
the sad news to the terrified girl, how we conveyed her by the morning
train to the care of her good aunt at Harrow, of how the slow
process of official inquiry came to the conclusion that the doctor met
his fate while indiscreetly playing with a dangerous pet. The little
which I had yet to learn of the case was told me by Sherlock Holmes as
we travelled back next day.
"I had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which
shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from
insufficient data. The presence of the gypsies, and the use of the
word 'band,' which was used by the poor girl, no doubt to explain
the appearance which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the
light of her match, were sufficient to put me upon an entirely wrong
scent. I can only claim the merit that I instantly reconsidered my
position when, however, it became clear to me that whatever danger
threatened an occupant of the room could not come either from the
window or the door. My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already
remarked to you, to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung
down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed
was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that
the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the
hole and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred
to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was
furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that I was
probably on the right track. The idea of using a form of poison
which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just
such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had
an Eastern training. The rapidity with which such a poison would
take effect would also, from his point of view, be an advantage. It
would be a sharp-eyed coroner, indeed, who could distinguish the two
little dark punctures which would show where the poison fangs had done
their work. Then I thought of the whistle. Of course he must recall
the snake before the morning light revealed it to the victim. He had
trained it, probably by the use of the milk which we saw, to return to
him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator at the hour
that he thought best, with the certainty that it would crawl down
the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the occupant,
perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but sooner or later
she must fall a victim.
"I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room.
An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in the habit
of standing on it, which of course would be necessary in order that he
should reach the ventilator. The sight of the safe, the saucer of
milk, and the loop of whipcord were enough to finally dispel any
doubts which may have remained. The metallic clang heard by Miss
Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfather hastily closing the door
of his safe upon its terrible occupant. Having once made up my mind,
you know the steps which I took in order to put the matter to the
proof. I heard the creature hiss as I have no doubt that you did also,
and I instantly lit the light and attacked it."
"With the result of driving it through the ventilator."
"And also with the result of causing it to turn upon its master at
the other side. Some of the blows of my cane came home and roused
its snakish temper, so that it flew upon the first person it saw. In
this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby
Roylott's death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very
heavily upon my conscience."
-THE END-
.
1924
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE SUSSEX VAMPIRE
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Holmes had read carefully a note which the last post had brought
him. Then, with the dry chuckle which was his nearest approach to a
laugh, he tossed it over to me.
"For a mixture of the modern and the mediaeval, if the practical and
of the wildly fanciful, I think this is surely the limit," said he.
"What do you make of it, Watson?"
I read as follows:
46, OLD JEWRY,
Nov. 19th.
Re Vampires
SIR:
Our client, Mr. Robert Ferguson, of Ferguson and Muirhead, tea
brokers, of Mincing Lane, has made some inquiry from us in a
communication of even date concerning vampires. As our firm
specializes entirely upon the assessment of machinery the matter
hardly comes within our purview, and we have therefore recommended Mr.
Ferguson to call upon you and lay the matter before you. We have not
forgotten your successful action in the case of Matilda Briggs.
We are, sir,
Faithfully yours,
MORRISON, MORRISON, AND DODD.
per E. J. C.
"Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson," said
Holmes in a reminiscent voice. "It was a ship which is associated with
the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet
prepared. But what do we know about vampires? Does it come within
our purview either? Anything is better than stagnation, but really
we seem to have been switched on to a Grimms' fairy tale. Make a
long arm, Watson, and see what V has to say."
I leaned back and took down the great index volume to which he
referred. Holmes balanced it on his knee, and his eyes moved slowly
and lovingly over the record of old cases, mixed with the
accumulated information of a lifetime.
"Voyage of the Gloria Scott," he read. "That was a bad business. I
have some recollection that you made a record of it, Watson, though
I was unable to congratulate you upon the result. Victor Lynch, the
forger. Venomous lizard or gila. Remarkable case, that! Vittoria,
the circus belle. Vanderbilt and the Yeggman. Vipers. Vigor, the
Hammersmith wonder. Hullo! Hullo! Good old index. You can't beat it.
Listen to this, Watson. Vampirism in Hungary. And again, Vampires in
Transylvania." He turned over the pages with eagerness, but after a
short intent perusal he threw down the great book with a snarl of
disappointment.
"Rubbish, Watson, rubbish! What have we to do with walking corpses
who can only be held in their grave by stakes driven through their
hearts? It's pure lunacy."
"But surely," said I, "the vampire was not necessarily a dead man? A
living person might have the habit. I have read, for example, of the
old sucking the blood of the young in order to retain their youth."
"You are right, Watson. It mentions the legend in one of these
references. But are we to give serious attention to such things?
This agency stands flat-footed upon the ground, and there it must
remain. The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply. I fear
that we cannot take Mr. Robert Ferguson very seriously. Possibly
this note may be from him and may throw some light upon what is
worrying him."
He took up a second letter which had lain unnoticed upon the table
while he had been absorbed with the first. This he began to read
with a smile of amusement upon his face which gradually faded away
into an expression of intense interest and concentration. When he
had finished he sat for some little time lost in thought with the
letter dangling from his fingers. Finally, with a start, he aroused
himself from his reverie.
"Cheeseman's, Lamberley. Where is Lamberley, Watson?"
"It is in Sussex, south of Horsham."
"Not very far, eh? And Cheeseman's?"
"I know that country, Holmes. It is full of old houses which are
named after the men who built them centuries ago. You get Odley's
and Harvey's and Carriton's- the folk are forgotten but their names
live in their houses.
"Precisely," said Holmes coldly. It was one of the peculiarities
of his proud, self-contained nature that though he docketed any
fresh information very quietly and accurately in his brain, he
seldom made any acknowledgment to the giver. "I rather fancy we
shall know a good deal more about Cheeseman's, Lamberley, before we
are through. The letter is, as I had hoped, from Robert Ferguson. By
the way, he claims acquaintance with you."
"With me!"
"You had better read it."
He handed the letter across. It was headed with the address quoted.
DEAR MR. HOLMES [it said]:
I have been recommended to you by my lawyers, but indeed the
matter is so extraordinarily delicate that it is most difficult to
discuss. It concerns a friend for whom I am acting. This gentleman
married some five years ago a Peruvian lady, the daughter of a
Peruvian merchant, whom he had met in connection with the
importation of nitrates. The lady was very beautiful, but the fact
of her foreign birth and of her alien religion always caused a
separation of interests and of feelings between husband and wife, so
that after a time his love may have cooled towards her and he may have
come to regard their union as a mistake. He felt there were sides of
her character which he could never explore or understand. This was the
more painful as she was as loving a wife as a man could have- to all
appearance absolutely devoted.
Now for the point which I will make more plain when we meet. Indeed,
this note is merely to give you a general idea of the situation and to
ascertain whether you would care to interest yourself in the matter.
The lady began to show some curious traits quite alien to her
ordinarily sweet and gentle disposition. The gentleman had been
married twice and he had one son by the first wife. This boy was now
fifteen, a very charming and affectionate youth, though unhappily
injured through an accident in childhood. Twice the wife was caught in
the act of assaulting this poor lad in the most unprovoked way. Once
she struck him with a stick and left a great weal on his arm.
This was a small matter, however, compared with her conduct to her
own child, a dear boy just under one year of age. On one occasion
about a month ago this child had been left by its nurse for a few
minutes. A loud cry from the baby, as of pain, called the nurse
back. As she ran into the room she saw her employer, the lady, leaning
over the baby and apparently biting his neck. There was a small
wound in the neck from which a stream of blood had escaped. The
nurse was so horrified that she wished to call the husband, but the
lady implored her not to do so and actually gave her five pounds as
a price for her silence. No explanation was ever given, and for the
moment the matter was passed over.
It left, however, a terrible impression upon the nurse's mind, and
from that time she began to watch her mistress closely and to keep a
closer guard upon the baby, whom she tenderly loved. It seemed to
her that even as she watched the mother, so the mother watched her,
and that every time she was compelled to leave the baby alone the
mother was waiting to get at it. Day and night the nurse covered the
child, and day and night the silent, watchful mother seemed to be
lying in wait as a wolf waits for a lamb. It must read most incredible
to you, and yet I beg you to take it seriously, for a child's life and
a man's sanity may depend upon it.
At last there came one dreadful day when the facts could no longer
be concealed from the husband. The nurse's nerve had given way; she
could stand the strain no longer, and she made a clean breast of it
all to the man. To him it seemed as wild a tale as it may now seem
to you. He knew his wife to be a loving wife, and, save for the
assaults upon her stepson, a loving mother. Why, then, should she
wound her own dear little baby? He told the nurse that she was
dreaming, that her suspicions were those of a lunatic, and that such
libels upon her mistress were not to be tolerated. While they were
talking a sudden cry of pain was heard. Nurse and master rushed
together to the nursery. Imagine his feelings, Mr. Holmes, as he saw
his wife rise from a kneeling position beside the cot and saw blood
upon the child's exposed neck and upon the sheet. With a cry of
horror, he turned his wife's face to the light and saw blood all round
her lips. It was she- she beyond all question- who had drunk the
poor baby's blood.
So the matter stands. She is now confined to her room. There has
been no explanation. The husband is half demented. He knows, and I
know, little of vampirism beyond the name. We had thought it was
some wild tale of foreign parts. And yet here in the very heart of the
English Sussex- well, all this can be discussed with you in the
morning. Will you see me? Will you use your great powers in aiding a
distracted man? If so, kindly wire to Ferguson, Cheeseman's,
Lamberley, and I will be at your rooms by ten o'clock.
Yours faithfully,
ROBERT FERGUSON.
P. S. I believe your friend Watson played Rugby for Blackheath
when I was three-quarter for Richmond. It is the only personal
introduction which I can give.
"Of course I remembered him," said I as I laid down the letter. "Big
Bob Ferguson, the finest three-quarter Richmond ever had. He was
always a good-natured chap. It's like him to be so concerned over a
friend's case."
Holmes looked at me thoughtfully and shook his head.
"I never get your limits, Watson," said he. "There are unexplored
possibilities about you. Take a wire down, like a good fellow. 'Will
examine your case with pleasure.'"
"Your case!"
"We must not let him think that this agency is a home for the
weak-minded. Of course it is his case. Send him that wire and let
the matter rest till morning."
Promptly at ten o'clock next morning Ferguson strode into our
room. I had remembered him as a long, slab-sided man with loose
limbs and a fine turn of speed which had carried him round many an
opposing back. There is surely nothing in life more painful than to
meet the wreck of a fine athlete whom one has known in his prime. This
great frame had fallen in, his flaxen hair was scanty, and his
shoulders were bowed. I fear that I roused corresponding emotions in
him.
"Hullo, Watson," said he, and his voice was still deep and hearty.
"You don't look quite the man you did when I threw you over the
ropes into the crowd at the Old Deer Park. I expect I have changed a
bit also. But it's this last day or two that has aged me. I see by
your telegram, Mr. Holmes, that it is no use my pretending to be
anyone's deputy."
"It is simpler to deal direct," said Holmes.
"Of course it is. But you can imagine how difficult it is when you
are speaking of the one woman whom you are bound to protect and
help. What can I do? How am I to go to the police with such a story?
And yet the kiddies have got to be protected. Is it madness, Mr.
Holmes? Is it something in the blood? Have you any similar case in
your experience? For God's sake, give me some advice, for I am at my
wit's end."
"Very naturally, Mr. Ferguson. Now sit here and pull yourself
together and give me a few clear answers. I can assure you that I am
very far from being at my wit's and, and that I am confident we
shall find some solution. First of all, tell me what steps you have
taken. Is your wife still near the children?"
"We had a dreadful scene. She is a most loving woman, Mr. Holmes. If
ever a woman loved a man with all her heart and soul, she loves me.
She was cut to the heart that I should have discovered this
horrible, this incredible, secret. She would not even speak. She
gave no answer to my reproaches, save to gaze at me with a sort of
wild, despairing look in her eyes. Then she rushed to her room and
locked herself in. Since then she has refused to see me. She has a
maid who was with her before her marriage, Dolores by name- a friend
rather than a servant. She takes her food to her."
"Then the child is in no immediate danger?"
"Mrs. Mason, the nurse, has sworn that she will not leave it night
or day. I can absolutely trust her. I am more uneasy about poor little
Jack, for, as I told you in my note, he has twice been assaulted by
her."
"But never wounded?"
"No, she struck him savagely. It is the more terrible as he is a
poor little inoffensive cripple." Ferguson's gaunt features softened
as he spoke of his boy. "You would think that the dear lad's condition
would soften anyone's heart. A fall in childhood and a twisted
spine, Mr. Holmes. But the dearest, most loving heart within."
Holmes had picked up the letter of yesterday and was reading it
over. "What other inmates are there in your house, Mr. Ferguson?"
"Two servants who have not been long with us. One stable-hand,
Michael, who sleeps in the house. My wife, myself, my boy Jack,
baby, Dolores, and Mrs. Mason. That is all."
"I gather that you did not know your wife well at the time of your
marriage?"
"I had only known her a few weeks."
"How long had this maid Dolores been with her?"
"Some years."
"Then your wife's character would really be better known by
Dolores than by you?"
"Yes, you may say so."
Holmes made a note.
"I fancy," said he, "that I may be of more use at Lamberley than
here. It is eminently a case for personal investigation. If the lady
remains in her room, our presence could not annoy or inconvenience
her. Of course, we would stay at the inn."
Ferguson gave a gesture of relief.
"It is what I hoped, Mr. Holmes. There is an excellent train at
two from Victoria if you could come."
"Of course we could come. There is a lull at present. I can give you
my undivided energies. Watson, of course, comes with us. But there are
one or two points upon which I wish to be very sure before I start.
This unhappy lady, as I understand it, has appeared to assault both
the children, her own baby and your little son?"
"That is so."
"But the assaults take different forms, do they not? She has
beaten your son."
"Once with a stick and once very savagely with her hands."
"Did she give no explanation why she struck him?"
"None save that she hated him. Again and again she said so."
"Well, that is not unknown among stepmothers. A posthumous jealousy,
we will say. Is the lady jealous by nature?"
"Yes, she is very jealous- jealous with all the strength of her
fiery tropical love."
"But the boy- he is fifteen, I understand, and probably very
developed in mind, since his body has been circumscribed in action.
Did he give you no explanation of these assaults?"
"No, he declared there was no reason."
"Were they good friends at other times?"
"No, there! was never any love between them."
"Yet you say he is affectionate?"
"Never in the world could there be so devoted a son. My life is
his life. He is absorbed in what I say or do."
Once again Holmes made a note. For some time he sat lost in thought.
"No doubt you and the boy were great comrades before this second
marriage. You were thrown very close together, were you not?"
"Very much so."
"And the boy, having so affectionate a nature, was devoted, no
doubt, to the memory of his mother?"
"Most devoted."
"He would certainly seem to be a most interesting lad. There is
one other point about these assaults. Were the strange attacks upon
the baby and the assaults upon your son at the same period?"
"In the first case it was so. It was is if some frenzy had seized
her, and she had vented her rage upon both. In the second case it
was only Jack who suffered. Mrs. Mason had no complaint to make
about the baby."
"That certainly complicates matters."
"I don't quite follow you, Mr. Holmes."
"Possibly not. One forms provisional theories and waits for time
or fuller knowledge to explode them. A bad habit, Mr. Ferguson, but
human nature is weak. I fear that your old friend here has given an
exaggerated view of my scientific methods. However, I will only say at
the present stage that your problem does not appear to me to be
insoluble, and that you may expect to find us at Victoria at two
o'clock."
It was evening of a dull, foggy November day when, having left our
bags at the Chequers, Lamberley, we drove through the Sussex clay of a
long winding lane and finally reached the isolated and ancient
farmhouse in which Ferguson dwelt. It was a large, straggling
building, very old in the centre, very new at the wings with
towering Tudor chimneys and a lichen-spotted, high-pitched roof of
Horsham slabs. The doorsteps were worn into curves, and the ancient
tiles which lined the porch were marked with the rebus of a cheese and
a man after the original builder. Within, the ceilings were corrugated
with heavy oaken beams, and the uneven floors sagged into sharp
curves. An odour of age and decay pervaded the whole crumbling
building.
There was one very large central room into which Ferguson led us.
Here, in a huge old-fashioned fireplace with an iron screen behind
it dated 1670, there blazed and spluttered a splendid log fire.
The room, as I gazed round, was a most singular mixture of dates and
of places. The half-panelled walls may well have belonged to the
original yeoman farmer of the seventeenth century. They were
ornamented, however, on the lower part by a line of well-chosen modern
water-colours; while above, where yellow plaster took the place of
oak, there was hung a fine collection of South American utensils and
weapons, which had been brought, no doubt, by the Peruvian lady
upstairs. Holmes rose, with that quick curiosity which sprang from his
eager mind, and examined them with some care. He returned with his
eyes full of thought.
"Hullo!" he cried. "Hullo!"
A spaniel had lain in a basket in the corner. It came slowly forward
towards its master, walking with difficulty. Its hind legs moved
irregularly and its tail was on the ground. It licked Ferguson's hand.
"What is it, Mr. Holmes?"
"The dog. What's the matter with it?"
"That's what puzzled the vet. A sort of paralysis. Spinal
meningitis, he thought. But it is passing. He'll be all right soon-
won't you, Carlo?"
A shiver of assent passed through the drooping tail. The dog's
mournful eyes passed from one of us to the other. He knew that we were
discussing his case.
"Did it come on suddenly?"
"In a single night."
"How long ago?"
"It may have been four months ago."
"Very remarkable. Very suggestive."
"What do you see in it, Mr. Holmes?"
"A confirmation of what I had already thought."
"For God's sake, what do you think, Mr. Holmes? It may be a mere
intellectual puzzle to you, but it is life and death to me! My wife
a would-be murderer- my child in constant danger! Don't play with
me, Mr. Holmes. It is too terribly serious."
The big Rugby three-quarter was trembling all over. Holmes put his
hand soothingly upon his arm.
"I fear that there is pain for you, Mr. Ferguson, whatever the
solution may be," said he. "I would spare you all I can. I cannot
say more for the instant, but before I leave this house I hope I may
have something definite."
"Please God you may! If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I will go
up to my wife's room and see if there has been any change."
He was away some minutes, during which Holmes resumed his
examination of the curiosities upon the wall. When our host returned
it was clear from his downcast face that he had made no progress. He
brought with him a tall, slim, brownfaced girl.
"The tea is ready, Dolores," said Ferguson. "See that your
mistress has everything she can wish."
"She verra ill," cried the girl, looking with indignant eyes at
her master. "She no ask for food. She verra ill. She need doctor. I
frightened stay alone with her without doctor."
Ferguson looked at me with a question in his eyes.
"I should be so glad if I could be of use."
"Would your mistress see Dr. Watson?"
"I take him. I no ask leave. She needs doctor."
"Then I'll come with you at once."
I followed the girl, who was quivering with strong emotion, up the
staircase and down an ancient corridor. At the end was an iron-clamped
and massive door. It struck me as I looked at it that if Ferguson
tried to force his way to his wife he would find it no easy matter.
The girl drew a key from her pocket, and the heavy oaken planks
creaked upon their old hinges. I passed in and she swiftly followed,
fastening the door behind her.
On the bed a woman was lying who was clearly in a high fever. She
was only half conscious, But as I entered she raised a pair of
frightened but beautiful eyes and glared at me in apprehension. Seeing
a stranger, she appeared to be relieved and sank back with a sigh upon
the pillow. I stepped up to her with a few reassuring words, and she
lay still while I took her pulse and temperature. Both were high,
and yet my impression was that the condition was rather that of mental
and nervous excitement than of any actual seizure.
"She lie like that one day, two day. I 'fraid she die," said the
girl.
The woman turned her flushed and handsome face towards me.
"Where is my husband?"
"He is below and would wish to see you."
"I will not see him. I will not see him." Then she seemed to
wander off into delirium. "A fiend! A fiend! Oh, what shall I do
with this devil?"
"Can I help you in any way?"
"No. No one can help. It is finished. All is destroyed. Do what I
will, all is destroyed."
The woman must have some strange delusion. I could not see honest
Bob Ferguson in the character of fiend or devil.
"Madame," I said, "your husband loves you dearly. He is deeply
grieved at this happening."
Again she turned on me those glorious eyes.
"He loves me. Yes. But do I not love him? Do I not love him even
to sacrifice myself rather than break his dear heart? That is how I
love him. And yet he could think of me- he could speak of me so."
"He is full of grief, but he cannot understand."
"No, he cannot understand. But he should trust."
"Will you not see him?" I suggested.
"No, no, I cannot forget those terrible words nor the look upon
his face. I will not see him. Go now. You can do nothing for me.
Tell him only one thing. I want my child. I have a right to my
child. That is the only message I can send him." She turned her face
to the wall and would say no more.
I returned to the room downstairs, where Ferguson and Holmes still
sat by the fire. Ferguson listened moodily to my account of the
interview.
"How can I send her the child?" he said. "How do I know what strange
impulse might come upon her? How can I ever forget how she rose from
beside it with its blood upon her lips?" He shuddered at the
recollection. "The child is safe with Mrs. Mason, and there he must
remain."
A smart maid, the only modern thing which we had seen in the
house, had brought in some tea. As she was serving it the door
opened and a youth entered the room. He was a remarkable lad,
pale-faced and fair-haired, with excitable light blue eyes which
blazed into a sudden flame of emotion and joy as they rested upon
his father. He rushed forward and threw his arms round his neck with
the abandon of a loving girl.
"Oh, daddy," he cried, "I did not know that you were due yet. I
should have been here to meet you. Oh, I am so glad to see you!"
Ferguson gently disengaged himself from the embrace with some little
show of embarrassment.
"Dear old chap," said he, patting the flaxen head with a very tender
hand. "I came early because my friends, Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson,
have been persuaded to come down and spend an evening with us."
"Is that Mr. Holmes, the detective?"
"Yes."
The youth looked at us with a very penetrating and, as it seemed
to me, unfriendly gaze.
"What about your other child, Mr. Ferguson?" asked Holmes. "Might we
make the acquaintance of the baby?"
"Ask Mrs. Mason to bring baby down," said Ferguson. The boy went off
with a curious, shambling gait which told my surgical eyes that he was
suffering from a weak spine. Presently he returned, and behind him
came a tall, gaunt woman bearing in her arms a very beautiful child,
dark-eyed, golden-haired, a wonderful mixture of the Saxon and the
Latin. Ferguson was evidently devoted to it, for he took it into his
arms and fondled it most tenderly.
Fancy anyone having the heart to hurt him," he muttered as he
glanced down at the small, angry red pucker upon the cherub throat.
It was at this moment that I chanced to glance at Holmes and saw a
most singular intentness in his expression. His face was as set as
if it had been carved out of old ivory, and his eyes, which had
glanced for a moment at father and child, were now fixed with eager
curiosity upon something at the other side of the room. Following
his gaze I could only guess that he was looking out through the window
at the melancholy, dripping garden. It is true that a shutter had half
closed outside and obstructed the view, but none the less it was
certainly at the window that Holmes was fixing his concentrated
attention. Then he smiled, and his eyes came back to the baby. On
its chubby neck there was this small puckered mark. Without
speaking, Holmes examined it with care. Finally he shook one of the
dimpled fists which waved in front of him.
"Good-bye, little man. You have made a strange start in life. Nurse,
I should wish to have a word with you in private."
He took her aside and spoke earnestly for a few minutes. I only
heard the last words, which were: "Your anxiety will soon, I hope,
be set at rest." The woman, who seemed to be a sour, silent kind of
creature, withdrew with the child.
"What is Mrs. Mason like?" asked Holmes.
"Not very prepossessing externally, as you can see, but a heart of
gold, and devoted to the child."
"Do you like her, Jack?" Holmes turned suddenly upon the boy. His
expressive mobile face shadowed over, and he shook his head.
"Jacky has very strong likes and dislikes," said Ferguson, putting
his arm round the boy. "Luckily I am one of his likes."
The boy cooed and nestled his head upon his father's breast.
Ferguson gently disengaged him.
"Run away, little Jacky," said he, and he watched his son with
loving eyes until he disappeared. "Now, Mr. Holmes," he continued when
the boy was gone, "I really feel that I have brought you on a fool's
errand, for what can you possibly do save give me your sympathy? It
must be an exceedingly delicate and complex affair from your point
of view."
"It is certainly delicate," said my friend with an amused smile,
"but I have not been struck up to now with its complexity. It has been
a case for intellectual deduction, but when this original intellectual
deduction is confirmed point by point by quite a number of independent
incidents, then the subjective becomes objective and we can say
confidently that we have reached our goal. I had, in fact, reached
it before we left Baker Street, and the rest has merely been
observation and confirmation."
Ferguson put his big hand to his furrowed forehead.
"For heaven's sake, Holmes," he said hoarsely; "if you can see the
truth in this matter, do not keep me in suspense. How do I stand? What
shall I do? I care nothing as to how you have found your facts so long
as you have really got them."
"Certainly I owe you an explanation, and you shall have it. But
you will permit me to handle the matter in my own way? Is the lady
capable of seeing us, Watson?"
"She is ill, but she is quite rational."
"Very good. It is only in her presence that we can clear the
matter up. Let us go up to her."
"She will not see me," cried Ferguson.
"Oh, yes, she will," said Holmes. He scribbled a few lines upon a
sheet of paper. "You at least have the entree, Watson. Will you have
the goodness to give the lady this note?"
I ascended again and handed the note to Dolores, who cautiously
opened the door. A minute later I heard a cry from within, a cry in
which joy and surprise seemed to be blended. Dolores looked out.
"She will see them. She will leesten," said she.
At my summons Ferguson and Holmes came up. As we entered the room
Ferguson took a step or two towards his wife, who had raised herself
in the bed, but she held out her hand to repulse him. He sank into
an armchair, while Holmes seated himself beside him, after bowing to
the lady, who looked at him with wide-eyed amazement.
"I think we can dispense with Dolores," said Holmes. "Oh, very well,
madame, if you would rather she stayed I can see no objection. Now,
Mr. Ferguson, I am a busy man with many calls, and my methods have
to be short and direct. The swiftest surgery is the least painful. Let
me first say what will ease your mind. Your wife is a very good, a
very loving, and a very ill-used woman."
Ferguson sat up with a cry of joy.
"Prove that, Mr. Holmes, and I am your debtor forever."
"I will do so, but in doing so I must wound you deeply in another
direction."
"I care nothing so long as you clear my wife. Everything on earth is
insignificant compared to that."
"Let me tell you, then, the train of reasoning which passed
through my mind in Baker Street. The idea of a vampire was to me
absurd. Such things do not happen in criminal practice in England. And
yet your observation was precise. You had seen the lady rise from
beside the child's cot with the blood upon her lips."
"I did."
"Did it not occur to you that a bleeding wound may be sucked for
some other purpose than to draw the blood from it? Was there not a
queen in English history who sucked such a wound to draw poison from
it?"
"Poison!"
"A South American household. My instinct felt the presence of
those weapons upon the wall before, my eyes ever saw them. It might
have been other poison, but that was what occurred to me. When I saw
that little empty quiver beside the small bird-bow, it was just what I
expected to see. If the child were pricked with one of those arrows
dipped in curare or some other devilish drug, it would mean death if
the venom were not sucked out.
"And the dog! If one were to use such a poison, would one not try it
first in order to see that it had not lost its power? I did not
foresee the dog, but at least I understand him and he fitted into my
reconstruction.
"Now do you understand? Your wife feared such all attack. She saw it
made and saved the child's life, and yet she shrank from telling you
all the truth, for she knew how you loved the boy and feared lest it
break your heart."
"Jacky!"
"I watched him as you fondled the child just now. His face was
clearly reflected in the glass of the window where the shutter
formed a background. I saw such jealousy, such cruel hatred, as I have
seldom seen in a human face."
"My Jacky!"
"You have to face it, Mr. Ferguson. It is the more painful because
it is a distorted love, a maniacal exaggerated love for you, and
possibly for his dead mother, which has prompted his action. His
very soul is consumed with hatred for this splendid child, whose
health and beauty are a contrast to his own weakness."
"Good God! It is incredible!"
"Have I spoken the truth, madame?"
The lady was sobbing, with her face buried in the pillows. Now she
turned to her husband.
"How could I tell you, Bob? I felt the blow it would be to you. It
was better that I should wait and that it should come from some
other lips than mine. When this gentleman, who seems to have powers of
magic, wrote that he knew all, I was glad."
"I think a year at sea would be my prescription for Master Jacky,"
said Holmes, rising from his chair. "Only one thing is still
clouded, madame. We can quite understand your attacks upon Master
Jacky. There is a limit to a mother's patience. But how did you dare
to leave the child these last two days?"
"I had told Mrs. Mason. She knew."
"Exactly. So I imagined."
Ferguson was standing by the bed, choking, his hands outstretched
and quivering.
"This, I fancy, is the time for our exit, Watson," said Holmes in
a whisper. "If you will take one elbow of the too faithful Dolores,
I will take the other. There, now," he added as he closed the door
behind him, "I think we may leave them to settle the rest among
themselves."
I have only one further note of this case. It is the letter which
Holmes wrote in final answer to that with which the narrative
begins. It ran thus:
BAKER STREET,
Nov. 21st.
Re Vampires
SIR:
Referring to your letter of the 19th, I beg to state that I have
looked into the inquiry of your client, Mr. Robert Ferguson, of
Ferguson and Muirhead, tea brokers, of Mincing Lane, and that the
matter has been brought to a satisfactory conclusion. With thanks
for your recommendation, I am, sir,
Faithfully yours,
SHERLOCK HOLMES.
-THE END-
.
1926
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GABLES
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I don't think that any of my adventures with Mr. Sherlock Holmes
opened quite so abruptly, or so dramatically, as that which I
associate with The Three Gables. I had not seen Holmes for some days
and had no idea of the new channel into which his activities had
been directed. He was in a chatty mood that morning, however, and
had just settled me into the well-worn low armchair on one side of the
fire, while he had curled down with his pipe in his mouth upon the
opposite chair, when our visitor arrived. If I had said that a mad
bull had arrived it would give a clearer impression of what occurred.
The door had flown open and a huge negro had burst into the room. He
would have been a comic figure if he had not been terrific, for he was
dressed in a very loud gray check suit with a flowing
salmon-coloured tie. His broad face and flattened nose were thrust
forward, as his sullen dark eyes, with a smouldering gleam of malice
in them, turned from one of us to the other.
"Which of you gentlemen is Masser Holmes?" he asked.
Holmes raised his pipe with a languid smile.
"Oh! it's you, is it?" said our visitor, coming with an
unpleasant, stealthy step round the angle of the table. "See here,
Masser Holmes, you keep your hands out of other folks' business. Leave
folks to manage their own affairs. Got that, Masser Holmes?"
"Keep on talking," said Holmes. "It's fine."
"Oh! it's fine, is it?" growled the savage. "It won't be so damn
fine if I have to trim you up a bit. I've handled your kind before
now, and they didn't look fine when I was through with them. Look at
that, Masser Holmes!"
He swung a huge knotted lump of a fist under my friend's nose.
Holmes examined it closely with an air of great interest. "Were you
born so?" he asked. "Or did it come by degrees?"
It may have been the icy coolness of my friend, or it may have
been the slight clatter which I made as I picked up the poker. In
any case, our visitor's manner became less flamboyant.
"Well, I've given you fair warnin'," said he. "I've a friend
that's interested out Harrow way- you know what I'm meaning- and he
don't intend to have no buttin' in by you. Got that? You ain't the
law, and I ain't the law either, and if you come in I'll be on hand
also. Don't you forget it."
"I've wanted to meet you for some time," said Holmes. "I won't ask
you to sit down, for I don't like the smell of you, but aren't you
Steve Dixie, the bruiser?"
"That's my name, Masser Holmes, and you'll get put through it for
sure if you give me any lip."
"It is certainly the last thing you need," said Holmes, staring at
our visitor's hideous mouth. "But it was the killing of young
Perkins outside the Holborn Bar- What! you're not going?"
The negro had sprung back, and his face was leaden. "I won't
listen to no such talk," said he. "What have I to do with this 'ere
Perkins, Masser Holmes? I was trainin' at the Bull Ring in
Birmingham when this boy done gone get into trouble."
"Yes, you'll tell the magistrate about it, Steve," said Holmes.
"I've been watching you and Barney Stockdale-"
"So help me the Lord! Masser Holmes-"
"That's enough. Get out of it. I'll pick you up when I want you."
"Good-mornin', Masser Holmes. I hope there ain't no hard feelin's
about this 'ere visit?"
"There will be unless you tell me who sent you."
"Why, there ain't no secret about that, Masser Holmes. It was that
same gen'l'man that you have just done gone mention."
"And who set him on to it?"
"S'elp me. I don't know, Masser Holmes. He just say, 'Steve, you
go see Mr. Holmes, and tell him his life ain't safe if he go down
Harrow way.' That's the whole truth." Without waiting for any
further questioning, our visitor bolted out of the room almost as
precipitately as he had entered. Holmes knocked out the ashes of his
pipe with a quiet chuckle.
"I am glad you were not forced to break his woolly head, Watson. I
observed your manoeuvres with the poker. But he is really rather a
harmless fellow, a great muscular, foolish, blustering baby, and
easily cowed, as you have seen. He is one of the Spencer John gang and
has taken part in some dirty work of late which I may clear up when
I have time. His immediate principal, Barney, is a more astute person.
They specialize in assaults, intimidation, and the like. What I want
to know is, who is at the back of them on this particular occasion?"
"But why do they want to intimidate you?"
"It is this Harrow Weald case. It decides me to look into the
matter, for if it is worth anyone's while to take so much trouble,
there must be something in it."
"But what is it?"
"I was going to tell you when we had this comic interlude. Here is
Mrs. Maberley's note. If you care to come with me we will wire her and
go out at once."
DEAR MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES [I read]:
I have had a succession of strange incidents occur to me in
connection with this house, and I should much value your advice. You
would find me at home any time to-morrow. The house is within a
short walk of the Weald Station. I believe that my late husband,
Mortimer Maberley, was one of your early clients.
Yours faithfully,
MARY MABERLEY.
The address was "The Three Gables, Harrow Weald."
"So that's that!" said Holmes. "And now, if you can spare the
time, Watson, we will get upon our way."
A short railway journey, and a shorter drive, brought us to the
house, a brick and timber villa, standing in its own acre of
undeveloped grassland. Three small projections above the upper windows
made a feeble attempt to justify its name. Behind was a grove of
melancholy, half-grown pines, and the whole aspect of the place was
poor and depressing. None the less, we found the house to be well
furnished, and the lady who received us was a most engaging elderly
person, who bore every mark of refinement and culture.
"I remember your husband well, madam," said Holmes, "though it is
some years since he used my services in some trifling matter."
"Probably you would be more familiar with the name of my son
Douglas."
Holmes looked at her with great interest.
"Dear me! Are you the mother of Douglas Maberley? I knew him
slightly. But of course all London knew him. What a magnificent
creature he was! Where is he now?"
"Dead, Mr. Holmes, dead! He was attache at Rome, and he died there
of pneumonia last month."
"I am sorry. One could not connect death with such a man. I have
never known anyone so vitally alive, He lived intensely- every fibre
of him!"
"Too intensely, Mr. Holmes. That was the ruin of him. You remember
him as he was- debonair and splendid. You did not see the moody,
morose, brooding creature into which he developed. His heart was
broken. In a single month I seemed to see my gallant boy turn into a
worn-out cynical man."
"A love affair- a woman?"
"Or a fiend. Well, it was not to talk of my poor lad that I asked
you to come, Mr. Holmes."
"Dr. Watson and I are at your service."
"'There have been some very strange happenings. I have been in
this house more than a year now, and as I wished to lead a retired
life I have seen little of my neighbours. Three days ago I had a
call from a man who said that he was a house agent. He said that
this house would exactly suit a client of his, and that if I would
part with it money would be no object. It seemed to me very strange as
there are several empty houses on the market which appear to be
equally eligible, but naturally I was interested in what he said. I
therefore named a price which was five hundred pounds more than I
gave. He at once closed with the offer, but added that his client
desired to buy the furniture as well and would I put a price upon
it. Some of this furniture is from my old home, and it is, as you see,
very good, so that I named a good round sum. To this also he at once
agreed. I had always wanted to travel, and the bargain was so good a
one that it really seemed that I should be my own mistress for the
rest of my life.
"Yesterday the man arrived with the agreement all drawn out. Luckily
I showed it to Mr. Sutro, my lawyer, who lives in Harrow. He said to
me, 'This is a very strange document. Are you aware that if you sign
it you could not legally take anything out of the house- not even your
own private possessions?' When the man came again in the evening I
pointed this out, and I said that I meant only to sell the furniture.
"'No, no, everything,' said he.
"'But my clothes? My jewels?'
"'Well, well, some concession might be made for your personal
effects. But nothing shall go out of the house unchecked. My client is
a very liberal man, but he has his fads and his own way of doing
things. It is everything or nothing with him.'
"'Then it must be nothing,' said I. And there the matter was left,
but the whole thing seemed to me to be so unusual that I thought-"
Here we had a very extraordinary interruption.
Holmes raised his hand for silence. Then he strode across the
room, flung open the door, and dragged in a great gaunt woman whom
he had seized by the shoulder. She entered with ungainly struggle like
some huge awkward chicken, torn, squawking, out of its coop.
"Leave me alone! What are you a-doin' of?" she screeched.
"Why, Susan, what is this?"
"Well, ma'am, I was comin' in to ask if the visitors was stayin' for
lunch when this man jumped out at me."
"I have been listening to her for the last five minutes, but did not
wish to interrupt your most interesting narrative. Just a little
wheezy, Susan, are you not? You breathe too heavily for that kind of
work."
Susan turned a sulky but amazed face upon her captor. "Who be you,
anyhow, and what right have you a-pullin' me about like this?"
"It was merely that I wished to ask a question in your presence. Did
you, Mrs. Maberley, mention to anyone that you were going to write
to me and consult me?"
"No, Mr. Holmes, I did not."
"Who posted your letter?"
"Susan did."
"Exactly. Now, Susan, to whom was it that you wrote or sent a
message to say that your mistress was asking advice from me?"
"It's a lie. I sent no message."
"Now, Susan, wheezy people may not live long, you know. It's a
wicked thing to tell fibs. Whom did you tell?"
"Susan!" cried her mistress, "I believe you are a bad, treacherous
woman. I remember now that I saw you speaking to someone over the
hedge."
"That was my own business," said the woman sullenly.
"Suppose I tell you that it was Barney Stockdale to whom you spoke?"
said Holmes.
"Well, if you know, what do you want to ask for?"
"I was not sure, but I know now. Well now, Susan, it will be worth
ten pounds to you if you will tell me who is at the back of Barney."
"Someone that could lay down a thousand pounds for every ten you
have in the world."
"So, a rich man? No; you smiled- a rich woman. Now we have got so
far, you may as well give the name and earn the tenner."
"I'll see you in hell first."
"Oh, Susan! Language!"
"I am clearing out of here. I've had enough of you all. I'll send
for my box to-morrow." She flounced for the door.
"Good-bye, Susan. Paregoric is the stuff.... Now," he continued,
turning suddenly from lively to severe when the door had closed behind
the flushed and angry woman, "this gang means business. Look how close
they play the game. Your letter to me had the 10 P.M. postmark. And
yet Susan passes the word to Barney. Barney has time to go to his
employer and get instructions; he or she- I incline to the latter from
Susan's grin when she thought I had blundered- forms a plan. Black
Steve is called in, and I am warned off by eleven o'clock next
morning. That's quick work, you know."
"But what do they want?"
"Yes, that's the question. Who had the house before you?"
"A retired sea captain called Ferguson."
"Anything remarkable about him?"
"Not that ever I heard of."
"I was wondering whether he could have buried something. Of
course, when people bury treasure nowadays they do it in the
Post-Office bank. But there are always some lunatics about. It would
be a dull world without them. At first I thought of some buried
valuable. But why, in that case, should they want your furniture?
You don't happen to have a Raphael or a first folio Shakespeare
without knowing it?"
"No, I don't think I have anything rarer than a Crown Derby
tea-set."
"That would hardly justify all this mystery. Besides, why should
they not openly state what they want? If they covet your tea-set, they
can surely offer a price for it without buying you out, lock, stock,
and barrel. No, as I read it, there is something which you do not know
that you have, and which you would not give up if you did know."
"That is how I read it," said I.
"Dr. Watson agrees, so that settles it."
"Well, Mr. Holmes, what can it be?"
"Let us see whether by this purely mental analysis we can get it
to a finer point. You have been in this house a year."
"Nearly two."
"All the better. During this long period no one wants anything
from you. Now suddenly within three or four days you have urgent
demands. What would you gather from that?"
"It can only mean," said I, "that the object, whatever it may be,
has only just come into the house."
"Settled once again," said Holmes. "Now, Mrs. Maberley, has any
object just arrived?"
"No, I have bought nothing new this year."
"Indeed! That is very remarkable. Well, I think we had best let
matters develop a little further until we have clearer data. Is that
lawyer of yours a capable man?"
"Mr. Sutro is most capable."
"Have you another maid, or was the fair Susan, who has just banged
your front door, alone?"
"I have a young girl."
"Try and get Sutro to spend a night or two in the house. You might
possibly want protection."
"Against whom?"
"Who knows? The matter is certainly obscure. If I can't find what
they are after, I must approach the matter from the other end and
try to get at the principal. Did this house-agent man give any
address?"
"Simply his card and occupation. Haines-Johnson, Auctioneer and
Valuer."
"I don't think we shall find him in the directory. Honest business
men don't conceal their place of business. Well, you will let me
know any fresh development. I have taken up your case, and you may
rely upon it that I shall see it through."
As we passed through the hall Holmes's eyes, which missed nothing,
lighted upon several trunks and cases which were piled in a corner.
The labels shone out upon them.
"'Milano.' 'Lucerne.' These are from Italy."
"They are poor Douglas's things."
"You have not unbacked them? How long have you had them?"
"They arrived last week."
"But you said- why, surely this might be the missing link. How do we
know that there is not something of value there?"
"There could not possibly be, Mr. Holmes. Poor Douglas had only
his pay and a small annuity. What could he have of value?"
Holmes was lost in thought.
"Delay no longer, Mrs. Maberley," he said at last. "Have these
things taken upstairs to your bedroom. Examine them as soon as
possible and see what they contain. I will come to-morrow and hear
your report."
It was quite evident that The Three Gables was under very close
surveillance, for as we came round the high hedge at the end of the
lane there was the negro prize-fighter standing in the shadow. We came
on him quite suddenly, and a grim and menacing figure he looked in
that lonely place. Holmes clapped his hand to his pocket.
"Lookin' for your gun, Masser Holmes?"
"No, for my scent-bottle, Steve."
"You are funny, Masser Holmes, ain't you?"
"It won't be funny for you, Steve, if I get after you. I gave you
fair warning this morning."
"Well, Masser Holmes, I done gone think over what you said, and I
don't want no more talk about that affair of Masser Perkins. S'pose
I can help you, Masser Holmes, I will."
"Well, then, tell me who is behind you on this job."
"So help me the Lord! Masser Holmes, I told you the truth before.
I don't know. My boss Barney gives me orders and that's all."
"Well, just bear in mind, Steve, that the lady in that house, and
everything under that roof, is under my protection. Don't forget it."
"All right, Masser Holmes. I'll remember."
"I've got him thoroughly frightened for his own skin, Watson,"
Holmes remarked as we walked on. "I think he would double-cross his
employer if he knew who he was. It was lucky I had some knowledge of
the Spencer John crowd, and that Steve was one of them. Now, Watson,
this is a case for Langdale Pike, and I am going to see him now.
When I get back I may be clearer in the matter."
I saw no more of Holmes during the day, but I could well imagine how
he spent it, for Langdale Pike was his human book of reference upon
all matters of social scandal. This strange, languid creature spent
his waking hours in the bow window of a St. James's Street club and
was the receiving-station as well as the transmitter for all the
gossip of the metropolis. He made, it was said, a four-figure income
by the paragraphs which he contributed every week to the garbage
papers which cater to an inquisitive public. If ever, far down in
the turbid depths of London life, there was some strange swirl or
eddy, it was marked with automatic exactness by this human dial upon
the surface. Holmes discreetly helped Langdale to knowledge, and on
occasion was helped in turn.
When I met my friend in his room early next morning, I was conscious
from his bearing that all was well, but none the less a most
unpleasant surprise was awaiting us. It took the shape of the
following telegram:
Please come out at once. Client's house burgled in the night. Police
in possession.
SUTRO.
Holmes whistled. "The drama has come to a crisis, and quicker than I
had expected. There is a great driving-power at the back of this
business, Watson, which does not surprise me after what I have
heard. This Sutro, of course, is her lawyer. I made a mistake, I fear,
in not asking you to spend the night on guard. This fellow has clearly
proved a broken reed. Well, there is nothing for it but another
journey to Harrow Weald."
We found The Three Gables a very different establishment to the
orderly household of the previous day. A small group of idlers had
assembled at the garden gate, while a couple of constables were
examining the windows and the geranium beds. Within we met a gray
old gentleman, who introduced himself as the lawyer, together with a
bustling, rubicund inspector, who greeted Holmes as an old friend.
"Well, Mr. Holmes, no chance for you in this case, I'm afraid.
Just a common, ordinary burglary, and well within the capacity of
the poor old police. No experts need apply."
"I am sure the case is in very good hands," said Holmes. "Merely
burglary, you say?"
"Quite so. We know pretty well who the men are and where to find
that gang of Barney Stockdale, with the big nigger in it- they've been
seen about here."
"Excellent! What did they get?"
"Well, they don't seem to have got much. Mrs. Maberley was
chloroformed and the house was- Ah! here is the lady herself."
Our friend of yesterday, looking very pale and ill, had entered
the room, leaning upon a little maidservant.
"You gave me good advice, Mr. Holmes," said she, smiling ruefully.
"Alas, I did not take it! I did not wish to trouble Mr. Sutro, and
so I was unprotected."
"I only heard of it this morning," the lawyer explained.
"Mr. Holmes advised me to have some friend in the house. I neglected
his advice, and I have paid for it."
"You look wretchedly ill," said Holmes. "Perhaps you are hardly
equal to telling me what occurred."
"It is all here," said the inspector, tapping a bulky notebook.
"Still, if the lady is not too exhausted-"
"There is really so little to tell. I have no doubt that wicked
Susan had planned an entrance for them. They must have known the house
to an inch. I was conscious for a moment of the chloroform rag which
was thrust over my mouth, but I have no notion how long I may have
been senseless. When I woke, one man was at the bedside and another
was rising with a bundle in his hand from among my son's baggage,
which was partially opened and littered over the floor. Before he
could get away I sprang up and seized him."
"You took a big risk," said the inspector.
"I clung to him, but he shook me off, and the other may have
struck me, for I can remember no more. Mary the maid heard the noise
and began screaming out of the window. That brought the police, but
the rascals had got away."
"What did they take?"
"Well, I don't think there is anything of value missing, I am sure
there was nothing in my son's trunks."
"Did the men leave no clue?"
"There was one sheet of paper which I may have torn from the man
that I grasped. It was lying all crumpled on the floor. It is in my
son's handwriting."
"Which means that it is not of much use," said the inspector. "Now
if it had been in the burglar's-"
"Exactly," said Holmes. "What rugged common sense! None the less,
I should be curious to see it."
The inspector drew a folded sheet of foolscap from his pocketbook.
"I never pass anything, however trifling," said he with some
pomposity. "That is my advice to you, Mr. Holmes. In twenty-five
years' experience I have learned my lesson. There is always the chance
of finger-marks or something."
Holmes inspected the sheet of paper.
"What do you make of it, Inspector?"
"Seems to be the end of some queer novel, so far as I can see."
"It may certainly prove to be the end of a queer tale," said Holmes.
"You have noticed the number on the top of the page. It is two hundred
and forty-five. Where are the odd two hundred and forty-four pages?"
"Well, I suppose the burglars got those. Much good may it do them!"
"It seems a queer thing to break into a house in order to steal such
papers as that. Does it suggest anything to you, Inspector?"
"Yes, sir, it suggests that in their hurry the rascals just
grabbed at what came first to hand. I wish them joy of what they got."
"Why should they go to my son's things"' asked Mrs. Maberley.
"Well, they found nothing valuable downstairs, so they tried their
luck upstairs. That is how I read it. What do you make of it, Mr.
Holmes?"
"I must think it over, Inspector. Come to the window, Watson." Then,
as we stood together, he read over the fragment of paper. It began
in the middle of a sentence and ran like this:
"...face bled considerably from the cuts and blows, But it was
nothing to the bleeding of his heart as he saw that lovely face, the
face for which he had been prepared to sacrifice his very life,
looking out at his agony and humiliation, She smiled- yes, by
Heaven! she smiled, like the heartless fiend she was, as he looked
up at her. It was at that moment that love died and hate was born. Man
must live for something. If it is not for your embrace, my lady,
then it shall surely be for your undoing and my complete revenge."
"Queer grammar!" said Holmes with a smile as he handed the paper
back to the inspector. "Did you notice how the 'he' suddenly changed
to 'my'? The writer was so carried away by his own story that he
imagined himself at the supreme moment to be the hero.
"It seemed mighty poor stuff," said the inspector as he replaced
it in his book. "What! are you off, Mr. Holmes?"
"I don't think there is anything more for me to do now that the case
is in such capable hands. By the way, Mrs. Maberley, did you say you
wished to travel?"
"It has always been my dream, Mr. Holmes."
"Where would you like to go- Cairo, Madeira, the Riviera?"
"Oh, if I had the money I would go round the world."
"Quite so. Round the world. Well, good-morning. I may drop you a
line in the evening." As we passed the window I caught a glimpse of
the inspector's smile and shake of the head. "These clever fellows
have always a touch of madness." That was what I read in the
inspector's smile.
"Now, Watson, we are at the last lap of our little journey," said
Holmes when we were back in the roar of central London once more. "I
think we had best clear the matter up at once, and it would be well
that you should come with me, for it is safer to have a witness when
you are dealing with such a lady as Isadora Klein."
We had taken a cab and were speeding to some address in Grosvenor
Square. Holmes had been sunk in thought, but he roused himself
suddenly.
"By the way, Watson, I suppose you see it all clearly?"
"No, I can't say that I do. I only gather that we are going to see
the lady who is behind all this mischief."
"Exactly! But does the name Isadora Klein convey nothing to you? She
was, of course, the celebrated beauty. There was never a woman to
touch her. She is pure Spanish, the real blood of the masterful
Conquistadors, and her people have been leaders in Pernambuco for
generations. She married the aged German sugar king, Klein, and
presently found herself the richest as well as the most lovely widow
upon earth. Then there was an interval of adventure when she pleased
her own tastes. She had several lovers, and Douglas Maberley, one of
the most striking men in London, was one of them. It was by all
accounts more than an adventure with him. He was not a society
butterfly but a strong, proud man who gave and expected all. But she
is the 'belle dame sans merci' of fiction. When her caprice is
satisfied the matter is ended, and if the other party in the matter
can't take her word for it she knows how to bring it home to him."
"Then that was his own story-"
"Ah! you are piecing it together now. I hear that she is about to
marry the young Duke of Lomond, who might almost be her son. His
Grace's ma might overlook the age, but a big scandal would be a
different matter, so it is imperative- Ah! here we are."
It was one of the finest corner-houses of the West End. A
machine-like footman took up our cards and returned with word that the
lady was not at home. "Then we shall wait until she is," said Holmes
cheerfully.
The machine broke down.
"Not at home means not at home to you," said the footman.
"Good," Holmes answered. "That means that we shall not have to wait.
Kindly give this note to your mistress."
He scribbled three or four words upon a sheet of his notebook,
folded it, and handed it to the man.
"What did you say, Holmes?" I asked.
"I simply wrote: 'Shall it be the police, then?' I think that should
pass us in."
It did- with amazing celerity. A minute later we were in an
Arabian Nights drawing-room, vast and wonderful, in a half gloom,
picked out with an occasional pink electric light. The lady had
come, I felt, to that time of life when even the proudest beauty finds
the half light more welcome. She rose from a settee as we entered:
tall, queenly, a perfect figure, a lovely mask-like face, with two
wonderful Spanish eyes which looked murder at us both.
"What is this intrusion- and this insulting message?" she asked,
holding up the slip of paper.
"I need not explain, madame. I have too much respect for your
intelligence to do so- though I confess that intelligence has been
surprisingly at fault of late."
"How so, sir?"
"By supposing that your hired bullies could frighten me from my
work. Surely no man would take up my profession if it were not that
danger attracts him. It was you, then, who forced me to examine the
case of young Maberley."
"I have no idea what you are talking about. What have I to do with
hired bullies?"
Holmes turned away wearily.
"Yes, I have underrated your intelligence. Well, good-afternoon!"
"Stop! Where are you going?"
"To Scotland Yard."
We had not got halfway to the door before she had overtaken us and
was holding his arm. She had turned in a moment from steel to velvet.
"Come and sit down, gentlemen. Let us talk this matter over. I
feel that I may be frank with you, Mr. Holmes. You have the feelings
of a gentleman. How quick a woman's instinct is to find it out. I will
treat you as a friend."
"I cannot promise to reciprocate, madame. I am not the law, but I
represent justice so far as my feeble powers go. I am ready to listen,
and then I will tell you how I will act."
"No doubt it was foolish of me to threaten a brave man like
yourself."
"What was really foolish, madame, is that you have placed yourself
in the power of a band of rascals who may blackmail or give you away."
"No, no! I am not so simple. Since I have promised to be frank, I
may say that no one, save Barney Stockdale and Susan, his wife, have
the least idea who their employer is. As to them, well, it is not
the first-" She smiled and nodded with a charming coquettish intimacy.
"I see. You've tested them before."
"They are good hounds who run silent."
"Such hounds have a way sooner or later of biting the hand that
feeds them. They will be arrested for this burglary. The police are
already after them."
"They will take what comes to them. That is what they are paid
for. I shall not appear in the matter."
"Unless I bring you into it."
"No, no, you would not. You are a gentleman. It is a woman's
secret."
"In the first place, you must give back this manuscript."
She broke into a ripple of laughter and walked to the fireplace.
There was a calcined mass which she broke up with the poker. "Shall
I give this back?" she asked. So roguish and exquisite did she look as
she stood before us with a challenging smile, that I felt of all
Holmes's criminals this was the one whom he would find it hardest to
face. However, he was immune from sentiment.
"That seals your fate," he said coldly. "You are very prompt in your
actions, madame, but you have overdone it on this occasion."
She threw the poker down with a clatter.
"How hard you are!" she cried. "May I tell you the whole story?"
"I fancy I could tell it to you."
"But you must look at it with my eyes, Mr. Holmes. You must
realize it from the point of view of a woman who sees all her life's
ambition about to be ruined at the last moment. Is such a woman to
be blamed if she protects herself?"
"The original sin was yours."
"Yes, yes! I admit it. He was a dear boy, Douglas, but it so chanced
that he could not fit into my plans. He wanted marriage- marriage,
Mr Holmes- with a penniless commoner. Nothing less would serve him.
Then he became pertinacious. Because I had given he seemed to think
that I still must give, and to him only. It was intolerable. At last I
had to make him realize it."
"By hiring ruffians to beat him under your own window."
"You do indeed seem to know everything. Well, it is true. Barney and
the boys drove him away, and were, I admit, a little rough in doing
so. But what did he do then? Could I have believed that a gentleman
would do such an act? He wrote a book in which he described his own
story. I, of course, was the wolf; he the lamb. It was all there,
under different names, of course; but who in all London would have
failed to recognize it? What do you say to that, Mr. Holmes?"
"Well, he was within his rights."
"It was as if the air of Italy had got into his blood and brought
with it the old cruel Italian spirit. He wrote to me and sent me a
copy of his book that I might have the torture of anticipation.
There were two copies, he said- one for me, one for his publisher."
"How did you know the publisher's had not reached him?"
"I knew who his publisher was. It is not his only novel, you know. I
found out that he had not heard from Italy. Then came Douglas's sudden
death. So long as that other manuscript was in the world there was
no safety for me. Of course, it must be among his effects, and these
would be returned to his mother. I set the gang at work. One of them
got into the house as servant. I wanted to do the thing honestly. I
really and truly did. I was ready to buy the house and everything in
it. I offered any price she cared to ask. I only tried the other way
when everything else had failed. Now, Mr. Holmes, granting that I
was too hard on Douglas- and, God knows, I am sorry for it!- what else
could I do with my whole future at stake?"
Sherlock Holmes shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, well," said he, "I suppose I shall have to compound a
felony as usual. How much does it cost to go round the world in
first-class style?"
The lady stared in amazement.
"Could it be done on five thousand pounds?"
"Well, I should think so, indeed!"
"Very good. I think you will sign me a check for that, and I will
see that it comes to Mrs. Maberley. You owe her a little change of
air. Meantime, lady"- he wagged a cautionary forefinger- "have a care!
Have a care! You can't play with edged tools forever without cutting
those dainty hands."
-THE END-
.
1925
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
It may have been a comedy, or it may have been a tragedy. It cost
one man his reason, it cost me a blood-letting, and it cost yet
another man the penalties of the law. Yet there was certainly an
element of comedy. Well, you shall judge for yourselves.
I remember the date very well, for it was in the same month that
Holmes refused a knighthood for services which may perhaps some day be
described. I only refer to the matter in passing, for in my position
of partner and confidant I am obliged to be particularly careful to
avoid any indiscretion. I repeat, however, that this enables me to fix
the date, which was the latter end of June, 1902, shortly after the
conclusion of the South African War. Holmes had spent several days
in bed, as was his habit from time to time, but he emerged that
morning with a long foolscap document in his hand and a twinkle of
amusement in his austere gray eyes.
"There is a chance for you to make some money, friend Watson,"
said he. "Have you ever heard the name of Garrideb?"
I admitted that I had not.
"Well, if you can lay your hand upon a Garrideb, there's money in
it."
"Why?"
"Ah, that's a long story- rather a whimsical one, too. I don't think
in all our explorations of human complexities we have ever come upon
anything more singular. The fellow will be here presently for
cross-examination, so I won't open the matter up till he comes. But,
meanwhile, that's the name we want."
The telephone directory lay on the table beside me, and I turned
over the pages in a rather hopeless quest. But to my amazement there
was this strange name in its due place. I gave a cry of triumph.
"Here you are, Holmes! Here it is!"
Holmes took the book from my hand.
"'Garrideb, N.,'" he read, 136 Little Ryder Street, W.' Sorry to
disappoint you, my dear Watson, but this is the man himself. That is
the address upon his letter. We want another to match him."
Mrs. Hudson had come in with a card upon a tray. I took it up and
glanced at it.
"Why, here it is!" I cried in amazement. "This is a different
initial. John Garrideb, Counsellor at Law, Moorville, Kansas, U.S.A."
Holmes smiled as he looked at the card. "I am afraid you must make
yet another effort, Watson," said he. "This gentleman is also in the
plot already, though I certainly did not expect to see him this
morning. However, he is in a position to tell us a good deal which I
want to know."
A moment later he was in the room. Mr. John Garrideb, Counsellor
at Law, was a short, powerful man with the round, fresh,
clean-shaven face characteristic of so many American men of affairs.
The general effect was chubby and rather childlike, so that one
received the impression of quite a young man with a broad set smile
upon his face. His eyes, however, were arresting. Seldom in any
human head have I seen a pair which bespoke a more intense inward
life, so bright were they, so alert, so responsive to every change
of thought. His accent was American, but was not accompanied by any
eccentricity of speech.
"Mr. Holmes?" he asked, glancing from one to the other. "Ah, yes!
Your pictures are not unlike you, sir, if I may say so. I believe
you have had a letter from my namesake, Mr. Nathan Garrideb, have
you not?"
"Pray sit down," said Sherlock Holmes. "We shall, I fancy, have a
good deal to discuss." He took up his sheets of foolscap. "You are, of
course, the Mr. John Garrideb mentioned in this document. But surely
you have been in England some time?"
"Why do you say that, Mr. Holmes?" I seemed to read sudden suspicion
in those expressive eyes.
"Your whole outfit is English."
Mr. Garrideb forced a laugh. "I've read of your tricks, Mr.
Holmes, but I never thought I would be the subject of them. Where do
you read that?"
"The shoulder cut of your coat, the toes of your boots- could anyone
doubt it?"
"Well, well, I had no idea I was so obvious a Britisher. But
business brought me over where some time ago, and so, as you say, my
outfit is nearly all London. However, I guess your time is of value,
and we did not meet to talk about the cut of my socks. What about
getting down to that paper you hold in your hand?"
Holmes had in some way ruffled our visitor, whose chubby face had
assumed a far less amiable expression.
"Patience! Patience, Mr. Garrideb!" said my friend in a soothing
voice. "Dr. Watson would tell you that these little digressions of
mine sometimes prove in the end to have some bearing on the matter.
But why did Mr. Nathan Garrideb not come with you?"
"Why did he ever drag you into it at all?" asked our visitor with
a sudden outflame of anger. "What in thunder had you to do with it?
Here was a bit of professional business between two gentlemen, and one
of them must needs call in a detective! I saw him this morning, and he
told me this fool-trick he had played me, and that's why I am here.
But I feel bad about it, all the same."
"There was no reflection upon you, Mr. Garrideb. It was simply
zeal upon his part to gain your end- an end which is, I understand,
equally vital for both of you. He knew that I had means of getting
information, and, therefore, it was very natural that he should
apply to me."
Our visitor's angry face gradually cleared.
"Well, that puts it different," said he. "When I went to see him
this morning and he told me he had sent to a detective, I just asked
for your address and came right away. I don't want police butting into
a private matter. But if you are content just to help us find the man,
there can be no harm in that."
"Well, that is just how it stands," said Holmes. "And now, sir,
since you are here, we had best have a clear account from your own
lips. My friend here knows nothing of the details."
Mr. Garrideb surveyed me with not too friendly a gaze.
"Need he know?" be asked.
"We usually work together."
"Well, there's no reason it should be kept a secret. I'll give you
the facts as short as I can make them. If you came from Kansas I would
not need to explain to you who Alexander Hamilton Garrideb was. He
made his money in real estate, and afterwards in the wheat pit at
Chicago, but he spent it in buying up as much land as would make one
of your counties, lying along the Arkansas River, west of Fort
Dodge. It's grazing-land and lumber-land and arable-land and
mineralized land, and just every sort of land that brings dollars to
the man that owns it.
He had no kith nor kin- or, if he had, I never heard of it. But he
took a kind of pride in the queerness of his name. That was what
brought us together. I was in the law at Topeka, and one day I had a
visit from the old man, and he was tickled to death to meet another
man with his own name. It was his pet fad, and he was dead set to find
out if there were any more Garridebs in the world. 'Find me
another!' said he. I told him I was a busy man and could not spend
my life hiking round the world in search of Garridebs. 'None the
less,' said he, 'that is just what you will do if things pan out as
I planned them.' I thought he was joking, but there was a powerful lot
of meaning in the words, as I was soon to discover.
"For he died within a year of saying them, and he left a will behind
him. It was the queerest will that has ever been filed in the State of
Kansas. His property was divided into three parts, and I was to have
one on condition that I found two Garridebs who would share the
remainder. It's five million dollars for each if it is a cent, but
we can't lay a finger on it until we all three stand in a row.
"It was so big a chance that I just let my legal practice slide
and I set forth looking for Garridebs. There is not one in the
United States. I went through it, sir, with a fine-toothed comb and
never a Garrideb could I catch. Then I tried the old country. Sure
enough there was the name in the London telephone directory. I went
after him two days ago and explained the whole matter to him. But he
is a lone man, like myself, with some women relations, but no men.
It says three adult men in the will. So you see we still have a
vacancy, and if you can help to fill it we will be very ready to pay
your charges."
"Well, Watson," said Holmes with a smile, "I said it was rather
whimsical, did I not? I should have thought, sir, that your obvious
way was to advertise in the agony columns of the papers."
"I have done that, Mr. Holmes. No replies."
"Dear me! Well, it is certainly a most curious little problem. I may
take a glance at it in my leisure. By the way, it is curious that
you should have come from Topeka. I used to have a correspondent- he
is dead now- old Dr. Lysander Starr, who was mayor in 1890."
"Good old Dr. Starr!" said our visitor. "His name is still honoured.
Well, Mr. Holmes, I suppose all we can do is to report to you and
let you know how we progress. I reckon you will hear within a day or
two." With this assurance our American bowed and departed.
Holmes had lit his pipe, and he sat for some time with a curious
smile upon his face.
"Well?" I asked at last.
"I a wondering, Watson- just wondering!"
"At what?"
Holmes took his pipe from his lips.
"I was wondering, Watson, what on earth could be the object of
this man in telling us such a rigmarole of lies. I nearly asked him
so- for there are times when a brutal frontal attack is the best
policy- but I judged it better to let him think he had fooled us. Here
is a man with an English coat frayed at the elbow and trousers
bagged at the knee with a year's wear, and yet by this document and by
his own account he is a provincial American lately landed in London.
There have, been no advertisements in the agony columns. You know that
I miss nothing there. They are my favourite covert for putting up a
bird, and I would never have overlooked such a cock pheasant as
that. I never knew a Dr. Lysander Starr, of Topeka. Touch him where
you would he was false. I think the fellow is really an American,
but he has worn his accent smooth with years of London. What is his
game, then, and what motive lies behind this preposterous search for
Garridebs? It's worth our attention, for, granting that the man is a
rascal, he is certainly a complex and ingenious one. We must now
find out if our other correspondent is a fraud also. Just ring him up,
Watson."
I did so, and heard a thin, quavering voice at the other end of
the line.
"Yes, yes, I am Mr. Nathan Garrideb. Is Mr. Holmes there? I should
very much like to have a word with Mr. Holmes."
My friend took the instrument and I heard the usual syncopated
dialogue.
"Yes, he has been here. I understand that you don't know him.... How
long?... Only two days!... Yes, yes, of course, it is a most
captivating prospect. Will you be at home this evening? I suppose your
namesake will not be there?... Very good, we will come then, for I
would rather have a chat without him.... Dr. Watson will come with
me.... I understand from your note that you did not go out often....
Well, we shall be round about six. You need not mention it to the
American lawyer.... Very good. Good-bye!"
It was twilight of a lovely spring evening, and even Little Ryder
Street, one of the smaller offshoots from the Edgware Road, within a
stone-cast of old Tyburn Tree of evil memory, looked golden and
wonderful in the slanting rays of the setting sun. The particular
house to which we were directed was a large, old-fashioned, Early
Georgian edifice, with a flat brick face broken only by two deep bay
windows on the ground floor. It was on this ground floor that our
client lived, and, indeed, the low windows proved to be the front of
the huge room in which he spent his waking hours. Holmes pointed as we
passed to the small brass plate which bore the curious name.
"Up some years, Watson," he remarked, indicating its discoloured
surface. "It's his real name, anyhow, and that is something to note."
The house had a common stair, and there were a number of names
painted in the hall, some indicating offices and some private
chambers. It was not a collection of residential flats, but rather the
abode of Bohemian bachelors. Our client opened the door for us himself
and apologized by saying that the woman in charge left at four
o'clock. Mr. Nathan Garrideb proved to be a very tall,
loose-jointed, round-backed person, gaunt and bald, some sixty-odd
years of age. He had a cadaverous face, with the dull dead skin of a
man to whom exercise was unknown. Large round spectacles and a small
projecting goat's beard combined with his stooping attitude to give
him an expression of peering curiosity. The general effect, however,
was amiable, though eccentric.
The room was as curious as its occupant. It looked like a small
museum. It was both broad and deep, with cupboards and cabinets all
round, crowded with specimens, geological and anatomical. Cases of
butterflies and moths flanked each side of the entrance. A large table
in the centre was littered with all sorts of debris, while the tall
brass tube of a powerful microscope bristled up among them. As I
glanced round I was surprised at the universality of the man's
interests. Here was a case of ancient coins. There was a cabinet of
flint instruments. Behind his central table was a large cupboard of
fossil bones. Above was a line of plaster skulls with such names as
"Neanderthal," "Heidelberg," "Cro-Magnon" printed beneath them. It was
clear that he was a student of many subjects. As he stood in front
of us now, he held a piece of chamois leather in his right hand with
which he was polishing a coin.
"Syracusan- of the best period," he explained, bolding it up.
"They degenerated greatly towards the end. At their best I hold them
supreme, though some prefer the Alexandrian school. You will find a
chair here, Mr. Holmes. Pray allow me to clear these bones. And you,
sir- ah, yes, Dr. Watson- if you would have the goodness to put the
japanese vase to one side. You see round me my little interests in
life. My doctor lectures me about never going out, but why should I go
out when I have so much to hold me here? I can assure you that the
adequate cataloguing of one of those cabinets would take me three good
months."
Holmes looked round him with curiosity.
"But do you tell me that you never go out?" he said.
"Now and again I drive down to Sotheby's or Christie's. Otherwise
I very seldom leave my room. I am not too strong, and my researches
are very absorbing. But you can imagine, Mr. Holmes, what a terrific
shock- pleasant but terrific- it was for me when I heard of this
unparalleled good fortune. It only needs one more Garrideb to complete
the matter, and surely we can find one. I had a brother, but hi is
dead, and female relatives are disqualified. But there must surely
be others in the world. I had heard that you handled strange cases,
and that was why I sent to you. Of course, this American gentleman
is quite right, and I should have taken his advice first, but I
acted for the best."
"I think you acted very wisely indeed," said Holmes. "But are you
really anxious to acquire an estate in America?"
"Certainly not, sir. Nothing would induce me to leave my collection.
But this gentleman has assured me that he will buy me out as soon as
we have established our claim. Five million dollars was the sum named.
There are a dozen specimens in the market at the present moment
which fill gaps in my collection, and which I am unable to purchase
for want of a few hundred pounds. Just think what I could do with five
million dollars. Why, I have the nucleus of a national collection. I
shall be the Hans Sloane of my age."
His eyes gleamed behind his great spectacles. It was very clear that
no pains would be spared by Mr. Nathan Garrideb in finding a namesake.
"I merely called to make your acquaintance, and there is no reason
why I should interrupt your studies," said Holmes. "I prefer to
establish personal touch with those with whom I do business. There are
few questions I need ask, for I have your very clear narrative in my
pocket, and I filled up the blanks when this American gentleman
called. I understand that up to this week you were unaware of his
existence."
"That is so. He called last Tuesday."
"Did he tell you of our interview to-day?"
"Yes, he came straight back to me. He had been very angry."
"Why should he be angry?"
"He seemed to think it was some reflection on his honour. But he was
quite cheerful again when he returned."
"Did he suggest any course of action?"
"No, sir, he did not."
"Has he had, or asked for, any money from you?"
"No, sir, never!"
"You see no possible object he has in view?"
"None, except what he states."
"Did you tell him of our telephone appointment?"
"Yes, sir, I did."
Holmes was lost in thought. I could see that he was puzzled.
"Have you any articles of great value in your collection?"
"No, sir. I am not a rich man. It is a good collection, but not a
very valuable one."
"You have no fear of burglars?"
"Not the least."
"How long have you been in these rooms?"
"Nearly five years."
Holmes's cross-examination was interrupted by an imperative knocking
at the door. No sooner had our client unlatched it than the American
lawyer burst excitedly into the room.
"Here you are!" he cried, waving a paper over his head. "I thought I
should be in time to get you. Mr. Nathan Garrideb, my congratulations!
You are a rich man, sir. Our business is happily finished and all is
well. As to you, Mr. Holmes, we can only say we are sorry if we have
given you any useless trouble."
He handed over the paper to our client, who stood staring at a
marked advertisement. Holmes and I leaned forward and read it over his
shoulder. This is how it ran:
HOWARD GARRIDEB
Constructor of Agricultural Machinery
Binders, reapers, steam and hand plows, drills, harrows, farmers'
carts, buckboards, and all other appliances.
Estimates for Artesian Wells
Apply Grosvenor Buildings, Aston
"Glorious!" gasped our host. "That makes our third man."
"I had opened up inquiries in Birmingham," said the American, "and
my agent there has sent me this advertisement from a local paper. We
must bustle and put the thing through. I have written to this man
and told him that you will see him in his office to-morrow afternoon
at four o'clock."
"You want me to see him?"
"What do you say, Mr. Holmes? Don't you think it would be wiser?
Here am I, a wandering American with a wonderful tale. Why should he
believe what I tell him? But you are a Britisher with solid
references, and he is bound to take notice of what you say. I would go
with you if you wished, but I have a very busy day to-morrow, and I
could always follow you if you are in any trouble."
"Well, I have not made such a journey for years."
"It is nothing, Mr. Garrideb. I have figured out our connections.
You leave at twelve and should be there soon after two. Then you can
be back the same night. All you have to do is to see this man, explain
the matter, and get an affidavit of his existence. By the Lord!" he
added hotly, "considering I've come all the way from the centre of
America, it is surely little enough if you go a hundred miles in order
to put this matter through."
"Quite so," said Holmes. "I think what this gentleman says is very
true."
Mr. Nathan Garrideb shrugged his shoulders with a disconsolate
air. "Well, if you insist I shall go," said he. "It is certainly
hard for me to refuse you anything, considering the glory of hope that
you have brought into my life."
"Then that is agreed," said Holmes, "and no doubt you will let me
have a report as soon as you can."
"I'll see to that," said the American. "Well," he added, looking
at his watch, "I'll have to get on. I'll call to-morrow, Mr. Nathan,
and see you off to Birmingham. Coming my way, Mr. Holmes? Well,
then, good-bye, and we may have good news for you to-morrow night."
I noticed that my friend's face cleared when the American left the
room, and the look of thoughtful perplexity had vanished.
"I wish I could look over your collection, Mr. Garrideb," said he.
"In my profession all sorts of odd knowledge comes useful, and this
room of yours is a storehouse of it."
Our client shone with pleasure and his eyes gleamed from behind
his big glasses.
"I had always heard, sir, that you were a very intelligent man,"
said he. "I could take you round now if you have the time."
"Unfortunately, I have not. But these specimens are so well labelled
and classified that they hardly need your personal explanation. If I
should be able to look in to-morrow, I presume that there would be
no objection to my glancing over them?"
"None at all. You are most welcome. The place will, of course, he
shut up, but Mrs. Saunders is in the basement up to four o'clock and
would let you in with her key."
"Well, I happen to be clear to-morrow afternoon. If you would say
a word to Mrs. Saunders it would be quite in order. By the way, who is
your house-agent?"
Our client was amazed at the sudden question.
"Holloway and Steele, in the Edgware Road. But why?"
"I am a bit of an archaeologist myself when it comes to houses,"
said Holmes, laughing. "I was wondering if this was Queen Anne or
Georgian."
"Georgian, beyond doubt."
"Really. I should have thought a little earlier. However, it is
easily ascertained. Well, good-bye, Mr. Garrideb, and may you have
every success in your Birmingham journey."
The house-agent's was close by, but we found that it was closed
for the day, so we made our way back to Baker Street. It was not
till after dinner that Holmes reverted to the subject.
"Our little problem draws to a close," said he. "No doubt you have
outlined the solution in your own mind."
"I can make neither head nor tail of it."
"The head is surely clear enough and the tail we should see
to-morrow. Did you notice nothing curious about that advertisement?"
"I saw that the word 'plough' was misspelt."
"Oh, you did notice that, did you? Come, Watson, you improve all the
time. Yes, it was bad English but good American. The printer had set
it up as received. Then the buckboards. That is American also. And
artesian wells are commoner with them than with us. It was a typical
American advertisement, but purporting to be from an English firm.
What do you make of that?"
"I can only suppose that this American lawyer put it in himself.
What his object was I fail to understand."
"Well, there are alternative explanations. Anyhow, he wanted to
get this good old fossil up to Birmingham. That is very clear. I might
have told him that he was clearly going on a wild-goose chase, but, on
second thoughts, it seemed better to clear the stage by letting him
go. To-morrow, Watson- well, to-morrow will speak for itself."
Holmes was up and out early. When he returned at lunchtime I noticed
that his face was very grave.
"This is a more serious matter than I had expected, Watson," said
he. "It is fair to tell you so, though I know it will only be an
additional reason to you for running your head into danger. I should
know my Watson by now. But there is danger, and you should know it."
"Well, it is not the first we have shared, Holmes. I hope it may not
be the last. What is the particular danger this time?"
"We are up against a very hard case. I have identified Mr. John
Garrideb, Counsellor at Law. He is none other than 'Killer' Evans,
of sinister and murderous reputation."
"I fear I am none the wiser."
"Ah, it is not part of, your profession to carry about a portable
Newgate Calendar in your memory. I have been down to see friend
Lestrade at the Yard. There may be an occasional want of imaginative
intuition down there, but they lead the world for thoroughness and
method. I had an idea that we might get on the track of our American
friend in their records. Sure enough, I found his chubby face
smiling up at me from the rogues' portrait gallery. 'James Winter,
alias Morecroft, alias Killer Evans,' was the inscription below."
Holmes drew an envelope from his pocket. "I scribbled down a few
points from his dossier: Aged forty-four. Native of Chicago. Known
to have shot three men in the States. Escaped from penitentiary
through political influence. Came to London in 1893. Shot a man over
cards in a night-club in the Waterloo Road in January, 1895. Man died,
but he was shown to have been the aggressor in the row. Dead man was
identified as Rodger Prescott, famous as forger and coiner in Chicago.
Killer Evans released in 1901. Has been under police supervision
since, but so far as known has led an honest life. Very dangerous man,
usually carries arms and is prepared to use them. That is our bird,
Watson- a sporting bird, as you must admit."
"But what is his game?"
"Well, it begins to define itself. I have been to the house-agent's.
Our client, as he told us, has been there five years. It was unlet for
a year before then. The previous tenant was a gentleman at large named
Waldron. Waldron's appearance was well remembered at the office. He
had suddenly vanished and nothing more been heard of him. He was a
tall, bearded man with very dark features. Now, Prescott, the man whom
Killer Evans had shot, was, according to Scotland Yard, a tall, dark
man with a beard. As a working hypothesis, I think we may take it that
Prescott, the American criminal, used to live in the very room which
our innocent friend now devotes to his museum. So at last we get a
link, you see."
"And the next link?"
"Well, we must go now and look for that."
He took a revolver from the drawer and handed it to me.
"I have my old favourite with me. If our Wild West friend tries to
live up to his nickname, we must be ready for him. I'll give you an
hour for a siesta, Watson, and then I think it will be time for our
Ryder Street adventure."
It was just four o'clock when we reached the curious apartment of
Nathan Garrideb. Mrs. Saunders, the caretaker, was about to leave, but
she had no hesitation in admitting us, for the door shut with a spring
lock, and Holmes promised to see that all was safe before we left.
Shortly afterwards the outer door closed, her bonnet passed the bow
window, and we knew that we were alone in the lower floor of the
house. Holmes made a rapid examination of the premises. There was
one cupboard in a dark corner which stood out a little from the
wall. It was behind this that we eventually crouched while Holmes in a
whisper outlined his intentions.
"He wanted to get our amiable friend out of his room- that is very
clear, and, as the collector never went out, it took some planning
to do it. The whole of this Garrideb invention was apparently for no
other end. I must say, Watson, that there is a certain devilish
ingenuity about it, even if the queer name of the tenant did give
him an opening which he could hardly have expected. He wove his plot
with remarkable cunning."
"But what did he want?"
"Well, that is what we are here to find out. It has nothing whatever
to do with our client, so far as I can read the situation. It is
something connected with the man he murdered- the man who may have
been his confederate in crime. There is some guilty secret in the
room. That is how I read it. At first I thought our friend might
have something in his collection more valuable than he knew- something
worth the attention of a big criminal. But the fact that Rodger
Prescott of evil memory inhabited these rooms points to some deeper
reason. Well, Watson, we can but possess our souls in patience and see
what the hour may bring."
That hour was not long in striking. We crouched closer in the shadow
as we heard the outer door open and shut. Then came the sharp,
metallic snap of a key, and the American was in the room. He closed
the door softly behind him, took a sharp glance around him to see that
all was safe, threw off his overcoat, and walked up to the central
table with the brisk manner of one who knows exactly what he has to do
and how to do it. He pushed the table to one side, tore up the
square of carpet on which it rested, rolled it completely back, and
then, drawing a jemmy from his inside pocket, he knelt down and worked
vigorously upon the floor. Presently we heard the sound of sliding
boards, and an instant later a square had opened in the planks. Killer
Evans struck a match, lit a stump of candle, and vanished from our
view.
Clearly our moment had come. Holmes touched my wrist as a signal,
and together we stole across to the open trap-door. Gently as we
moved, however, the old floor must have creaked under our feet, for
the head of our American, peering anxiously round, emerged suddenly
from the open space. His face turned upon us with a glare of baffled
rage, which gradually softened into a rather shamefaced grin as he
realized that two pistols were pointed at his head.
"Well, well!" said he coolly as he scrambled to the surface. "I
guess you have been one too many for me, Mr. Holmes. Saw through my
game, I suppose, and played me for a sucker from the first. Well, sir,
I hand it to you; you have me beat and-"
In an instant he had whisked out a revolver from his breast and
had fired two shots. I felt a sudden hot sear as if a red-hot iron had
been pressed to my thigh. There was a crash as Holmes's pistol came
down on the man's head. I had a vision of him sprawling upon the floor
with blood running down his face while Holmes rummaged him for
weapons. Then my friend's wiry arms were round me, and he was
leading me to a chair.
"You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not
hurt!"
It was worth a wound- it was worth many wounds- to know the depth of
loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes
were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the
one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of
a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service
culminated in that moment of revelation.
"It's nothing, Holmes. It's a mere scratch."
He had ripped up my trousers with his pocket-knife.
"You are right," fie c:ried with an immense sigh of relief. "It is
quite superficial." His face set like flint as he glared at our
prisoner, who was sitting up with a dazed face. "By the Lord, it is as
well for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out
of this room alive. Now, sir, what have you to say for yourself?"
He had nothing to say for himself. He only sat and scowled. I leaned
on Holmes's arm, and together we looked down into the small cellar
which had been disclosed by the secret flap. it was still
illuminated by the candle which Evans had taken down with him. Our
eyes fell upon a mass of rusted machinery, great rolls of paper, a
litter of bottles, and, neatly arranged upon a small table, a number
of neat little bundies.
"A printing press- a counterfeiter's outfit," said Holmes.
"Yes, sir," said our prisoner, staggering slowly to his feet and
then sinking into the chair. "The greatest counterfeiter London ever
saw. That's Prescott's machine, and those bundles on the table are two
thousand of Prescott's notes worth a hundred each and fit to pass
anywhere. Help yourselves, gentlemen. Call it a deal and let me beat
it."
Holmes laughed.
"We don't do things like that, Mr. Evans. There is no bolt-hole
for you in this country. You shot this man Prescott, did you not?"
"Yes, sir, and got five years for it, though it was he who pulled on
me. Five years- when I should have had a medal the size of a soup
plate. No living man could tell a Prescott from a Bank of England, and
if I hadn't put him out he would have flooded London with them. I
was the only one in the world who knew where he made them. Can you
wonder that I wanted to get to the place? And can you wonder that when
I found this crazy boob of a bug-hunter with the queer name
squatting right on the top of it, and never quitting his room, I had
to do the best I could to shift him? Maybe I would have been wiser
if I had put him away. It would have been easy enough, but I'm a
soft-hearted guy that can't begin shooting unless the other man has
a gun also. But say, Mr. Holmes, what have I done wrong, anyhow?
I've not used this plant. I've not hurt this old stiff. Where do you
get me?"
"Only attempted murder, so far as I can see," said Holmes. "But
that's not our job. They take that at the next stage. What we wanted
at present was just your sweet self. Please give the Yard a call,
Watson. It won't be entirely unexpected."
So those were the facts about Killer Evans and his remarkable
invention of the three Garridebs. We heard later that our poor old
friend never got over the shock of his dissipated dreams. When his
castle in the air fell down, it buried him beneath the ruins. He was
last heard of at a nursing-home in Brixton. It was a glad day at the
Yard when the Prescott outfit was discovered, for, though they knew
that it existed, they had never been able, after the death of the man,
to find out where it was. Evans had indeed done great service and
caused several worthy C.I.D. men to sleep the sounder, for the
counterfeiter stands in a class by himself as a public danger. They
would willingly have subscribed to that soup-plate medal of which
the criminal had spoken, but an unappreciative bench took a less
favourable view, ind the Killer returned to those shades from which he
had just emerged.
THE END
.
1904
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE STUDENTS
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
It was in the year '95 that a combination of events, into which I
need not enter, caused Mr. Sherlock 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 allowed to
die out. With due discretion the incident itself may, however, be
described, since it serves to illustrate some of those qualities for
which my friend was remarkable. I will endeavour, in my statement,
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 researches
in early English charters- researches which led to results so striking
that they may be the subject of one of my future narratives. Here it
was that one evening we received a visit from an acquaintance, 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," my friend
answered. "I should much prefer that you called in the aid of the
police."
"No, no, my dear sir; such a course is utterly impossible. When once
the law is evoked it cannot be stayed again, and this is just one of
those cases where, for the credit of the college, it is most essential
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 you, Mr.
Holmes, to do what you can."
My friend's temper had not improved since he had been deprived of
the congenial surroundings of Baker Street. Without his scrapbooks,
his chemicals, and his homely untidiness, he was an uncomfortable man.
He shrugged his shoulders in ungracious acquiescence, while our
visitor in hurried words and with much excitable gesticulation
poured forth his 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
consists 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
absolutely 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.
"You are aware, Mr. Holmes, that our college doors are double-a
green baize one within and a heavy oak one without. As I approached my
outer door, I was amazed to see a key in it. For an instant I imagined
that I had left my own there, but on feeling in my pocket I found that
it was all right. The only duplicate which existed, so far as I
knew, was that which belonged to my servant, Bannister- a man who
has looked after my room for ten years, and whose honesty is
absolutely above suspicion. I found that the key was indeed his,
that he had entered my room to know if I wanted tea, and that he had
very carelessly left the key in the door when he came out. His visit
to my room must have been within a very few minutes of my leaving
it. His forgetfulness about the key would have mattered little upon
any other occasion, but on this one day it has produced the most
deplorable consequences.
"The moment I looked at my table, I was aware that someone had
rummaged among my papers. The proof was in three long slips. I had
left them all together. Now, I found that one of them was lying on the
floor, one was on the side table near the window, and the third was
where I had left it."
Holmes stirred for the first time.
"The first page on the floor, the second in the window, the third
where you left it," said he.
"Exactly, Mr. Holmes. You amaze me. How could you possibly know
that?"
"Pray continue your very interesting statement."
"For an instant I imagined that Bannister had taken the unpardonable
liberty of examining my papers. He denied it, however, with the utmost
earnestness, and I am convinced that he was speaking the truth. The
alternative was that someone passing had observed the key in the door,
had known that I was out, and had entered to look at the papers. A
large sum of money is at stake, for the scholarship is a very valuable
one, and an unscrupulous man might very well run a risk in order to
gain an advantage over his fellows.
"Bannister was very much upset by the incident. He had nearly
fainted when we found that the papers had undoubtedly been tampered
with. I gave him a little brandy and left him collapsed in a chair,
while I made a most careful examination of the room. I soon saw that
the intruder had left other traces of his presence besides the rumpled
papers. On the table in the window were several shreds from a pencil
which had been sharpened. A broken tip of lead was lying there also.
Evidently the rascal had copied the paper in a great hurry, had broken
his pencil, and had been compelled to put a fresh point to it."
"Excellent!" said Holmes, who was recovering his good-humour as
his attention became more engrossed by the case. "Fortune has been
your friend."
"This was not all. I have a new writing-table with a fine surface of
red leather. I am prepared to swear, and so is Bannister, that it
was smooth and unstained. Now I found a clean cut in it about three
inches long- not a mere scratch, but a positive cut. Not only this,
but on the table I found a small ball of black dough or clay, with
specks of something which looks like sawdust in it. I am convinced
that these marks were left by the man who rifled the papers. There
were no footmarks and no other evidence as to his identity. I was at
my wit's end, when suddenly the happy thought occurred to me that
you were in the town, and I came straight round to put the matter into
your hands. Do help me, Mr. Holmes. You see my dilemma. Either I
must find the man or else the examination must be postponed until
fresh papers are prepared, and since this cannot be done without
explanation, there will ensue a hideous scandal, which will throw a
cloud not only on the college, but on the university. Above all
things, I desire to settle the matter quietly and discreetly."
"I shall be happy to look into it and to give you such advice as I
can," said Holmes, rising and putting on his overcoat. "The case is
not entirely devoid of interest. Had anyone visited you in your room
after the papers came to you?"
"Yes, young Daulat Ras, an Indian student, who lives on the same
stair, came in to ask me some particulars about the examination."
"For which he was entered?"
"Yes."
"And the papers were on your table?"
"To the best of my belief, they were rolled up."
"But might be recognized as proofs?"
"Possibly."
"No one else in your room?"
"No."
"Did anyone know that these proofs would be there?"
"No one save the printer."
"Did this man Bannister know?"
"No, certainly not. No one knew."
"Where is Bannister now?"
"He was very ill, poor fellow. I left him collapsed in the chair.
I was in such a hurry to come to you."
"You left your door open?"
"I locked up the papers first."
"Then it amounts to this, Mr. Soames: that, unless the Indian
student recognized the roll as being proofs, the man who tampered with
them came upon them accidentally without knowing that they were
there."
"So it seems to me."
Holmes gave an enigmatic smile.
"Well," said he, "let us go round. Not one of your cases, Watson-
mental, not physical. All right; come if you want to. Now, Mr. Soames-
at your disposal!"
The sitting-room of our client opened by a long, low, latticed
window on to the ancient lichen-tinted court of the old college. A
Gothic arched door led to a worn stone Staircase. On the ground
floor was the tutor's room. Above were three students, one on each
story. It was already twilight when we reached the scene of our
problem. Holmes halted and looked earnestly at the window. Then he
approached it, and, standing on tiptoe with his neck craned, he looked
into the room.
"He must have entered through the door. There is no opening except
the one pane," said our learned guide.
"Dear me!" said Holmes, and he smiled in a singular way as he
glanced at our companion. "Well, if there is nothing to be learned
here, we had best go inside."
The lecturer unlocked the outer door and ushered us into his room.
We stood at the entrance while Holmes made an examination of the
carpet.
"I am afraid there are no signs here," said he. "One could hardly
hope for any upon so dry a day. Your servant seems to have quite
recovered. You left him in a chair, you say. Which chair?"
"By the window there."
"I see. Near this little table. You can come in now. I have finished
with the carpet. Let us take the little table first. Of course, what
has happened is very clear. The man entered and took the papers, sheet
by sheet, from the central table. He carried them over to the window
table, because from there he could see if you came across the
courtyard, and so could effect an escape."
"As a matter of fact, he could not," said Soames, "for I entered
by the side door."
"Ah, that's good! Well, anyhow, that was in his mind. Let me see the
three strips. No finger impressions- no! Well, he carried over this
one first, and he copied it. How long would it take him to do that,
using every possible contraction? A quarter of an hour, not less. Then
he tossed it down and seized the next. He was in the midst of that
when your return caused him to make a very hurried retreat- very
hurried, since he had not time to replace the papers which would
tell you that he had been there. You were not aware of any hurrying
feet on the stair as you entered the outer door?"
"No, I can't say I was."
"Well, he wrote so furiously that he broke his pencil, and had, as
you observe, to sharpen it again. This is of interest, Watson. The
pencil was not an ordinary one. It was above the usual size, with a
soft lead, the outer colour was dark blue, the maker's name was
printed in silver lettering, and the piece remaining is only about
an inch and a half long. Look for such a pencil, Mr. Soames, and you
have got your man. When I add that he possesses a large and very blunt
knife, you have an additional aid."
Mr. Soames was somewhat overwhelmed by this flood of information. "I
can follow the other points," said he, "but really, in this matter
of the length-"
Holmes held out a small chip with the letters NN and a space of
clear wood after them.
"You see?"
"No, I fear that even now-"
"Watson, I have always done you an injustice. There are others. What
could this NN be? It is at the end of a word. You are aware that
Johann Faber is the most common maker's name. Is it not clear that
there is just as much of the pencil left as usually follows the
Johann?" He held the small table sideways to the electric light. "I
was hoping that if the paper on which he wrote was thin, some trace of
it might come through upon this polished surface. No, I see nothing. I
don't think there is anything more to be learned here. Now for the
central table. This small pellet is, I presume, the black, doughy mass
you spoke of. Roughly pyramidal in shape and hollowed out, I perceive.
As you say, there appear to be grains of sawdust in it. Dear me,
this is very interesting. And the cut- a positive tear, I see. It
began with a thin scratch and ended in a jagged hole. I am much
indebted to you for directing my attention to this case, Mr. Soames.
Where does that door lead to?"
"To my bedroom."
"Have you been in it since your adventure?"
"No, I came straight away for you."
"I should like to have a glance round. What a charming,
old-fashioned room! Perhaps you will kindly wait a minute, until I
have examined the floor. No, I see nothing. What about this curtain?
You hang your clothes behind it. If anyone were forced to conceal
himself in this room he must do it there, since the bed is too low and
the wardrobe too shallow. No one there, I suppose?"
As Holmes drew the curtain I was aware, from some little rigidity
and alertness of his attitude, that he was prepared for an
emergency. As a matter of fact, the drawn curtain disclosed nothing
but three or four suits of clothes hanging from a line of pegs. Holmes
turned away, and stooped suddenly to the floor.
"Halloa! What's this?" said he.
It was a small pyramid of black, putty-like stuff, exactly like
the one upon the table of the study. Holmes held it out on his open
palm in the glare of the electric light.
"Your visitor seems to have left traces in your bedroom as well as
in your sittingroom, Mr. Soames."
"What could he have wanted there?"
"I think it is clear enough. You came back by an unexpected way, and
so he had no waming until you were at the very door. What could he do?
He caught up everything which would betray him, and he rushed into
your bedroom to conceal himself"
"Good gracious, Mr. Holmes, do you mean to tell me that, all the
time I was talking to Bannister in this room, we had the man
prisoner if we had only known it?"
"So I read it."
"Surely there is another alternative, Mr. Holmes. I don't know
whether you observed my bedroom window?"
"Lattice-paned, lead framework, three separate windows, one swinging
on hinge, and large enough to admit a man."
"Exactly. And it looks out on an angle of the courtyard so as to
be partly invisible. The man might have effected his entrance there,
left traces as he passed through the bedroom, and finally, finding the
door open, have escaped that way."
Holmes shook his head impatiently.
"Let us be practical," said he. "I understand you to say that
there are three students who use this stair, and are in the habit of
passing your door?"
"Yes, there are."
"And they are all in for this examination?"
"Yes."
"Have you any reason to suspect any one of them more than the
others?"
Soames hesitated.
"It is a very delicate question," said he. "One hardly likes to
throw suspicion where there are no proofs."
"Let us hear the suspicions. I will look after the proofs."
"I will tell you, then, in a few words the character of the three
men who inhabit these rooms. The lower of the three is Gilchrist, a
fine scholar and athlete, plays in the Rugby team and the cricket team
for the college, and got his Blue for the hurdles and the long jump.
He is a fine, manly fellow. His father was the notorious Sir Jabez
Gilchrist, who ruined himself on the turf. My scholar has been left
very poor, but he is hard-working and industrious. He will do well.
"The second floor is inhabited by Daulat Ras, the Indian. He is a
quiet, inscrutable fellow; as most of those Indians are. He is well up
in his work, though his Greek is his weak subject. He is steady and
methodical.
"The top floor belongs to Miles McLaren. He is a brilliant fellow
when he chooses to work- one of the brightest intellects of the
university; but he is wayward, dissipated, and unprincipled. He was
nearly expelled over a card scandal in his first year. He has been
idling all this term, and he must look forward with dread to the
examination."
"Then it is he whom you suspect?"
"I dare not go so far as that. But, of the three, he is perhaps
the least unlikely."
"Exactly. Now, Mr. Soames, let us have a look at your servant,
Bannister."
He was a little, white-faced, clean-shaven, grizzly-haired fellow of
fifty. He was still suffering from this sudden disturbance of the
quiet routine of his life. His plump face was twitching with his
nervousness, and his fingers could not keep still.
"We are investigating this unhappy business, Bannister," said his
master.
"Yes, sir."
"I understand," said Holmes, "that you left your key in the door?"
"Yes, sir."
"Was it not very extraordinary that you should do this on the very
day when there were these papers inside?"
"It was most unfortunate, sir. But I have occasionally done the same
thing at other times."
"When did you enter the room?"
"It was about half-past four. That is Mr. Soames' tea time."
"How long did you stay?"
"When I saw that he was absent, I withdrew at once."
"Did you look at these papers on the table?"
"No, sir- certainly not."
"How came you to leave the key in the door?"
"I had the tea-tray in my hand. I thought I would come back for
the key. Then I forgot."
"Has the outer door a spring lock?"
"No, sir."
"Then it was open all the time?"
"Yes, sir."
"Anyone in the room could get out?"
"Yes, sir."
"When Mr. Soames returned and called for you, you were very much
disturbed?"
"Yes, sir. Such a thing has never happened during the many years
that I have been here. I nearly fainted, sir."
"So I understand. Where were you when you began to feel bad?"
"Where was I, sir? Why, here, near the door."
"That is singular, because you sat down in that chair over yonder
near the corner. Why did you pass these other chairs?"
"I don't know, sir, it didn't matter to me where I sat."
'I really don't think he knew much about it, Mr. Holmes. He was
looking very bad- quite ghastly."
"You stayed here when your master left?"
"Only for a minute or so. Then I locked the door and went to my
room."
"Whom do you suspect?"
'Oh, I would not venture to say, sir. I don't believe there is any
gentleman in this university who is capable of profiting by such an
action. No, sir, I'll not believe it."
"Thank you, that will do," said Holmes. "Oh, one more word. You have
not mentioned to any of the three gentlemen whom you attend that
anything is amiss?"
"No, sir- not a word."
"You haven't seen any of them?"
"No, sir."
"Very good. Now, Mr. Soames, we will take a walk in the
quadrangle, if you please."
Three yellow squares of light shone above us in the gathering gloom.
"Your three birds are all in their nests," said Holmes, looking
up. "Halloa! What's that? One of them seems restless enough."
It was the Indian, whose dark silhouette appeared suddenly upon
his blind. He was pacing swiftly up and down his room.
"I should like to have a peep at each of them," said Holmes. "Is
it possible?"
"No difficulty in the world," Soames answered. "This set of rooms is
quite the oldest in the college, and it is not unusual for visitors to
go over them. Come along, and I will personally conduct you."
"No names, please!" said Holmes, as we knocked at Gilchrist's
door. A tall, flaxen-haired, slim young fellow opened it, and made
us welcome when he understood our errand. There were some really
curious pieces of mediaeval domestic architecture within. Holmes was
so charmed with one of them that he insisted on drawing it in his
notebook, broke his pencil, had to borrow one from our host and
finally borrowed a knife to sharpen his own. The same curious accident
happened to him in the rooms of the Indian- a silent, little,
book-nosed fellow, who eyed us askance, and was obviously glad when
Holmes's architectural studies had come to an end. I could not see
that in either case Holmes had come upon the clue for which he was
searching. Only at the third did our visit prove abortive. The outer
door would not open to our knock, and nothing more substantial than
a torrent of bad language came from behind it. "I don't care who you
are. You can go to blazes!" roared the angry voice. "Tomorrow's the
exam, and I won't be drawn by anyone."
"A rude fellow," said our guide, flushing with anger as we
withdrew down the stair. "Of course, he did not realize that it was
I who was knocking, but none the less his conduct was very
uncourteous, and, indeed, under the circumstances rather suspicious."
Holmes's response was a curious one.
"Can you tell me his exact height?" he asked.
"Really, Mr. Holmes, I cannot undertake to say. He is taller than
the Indian, not so tall as Gilchrist. I suppose five foot six would be
about it."
"That is very important," said Holmes. "And now, Mr. Soames, I
wish you good-night."
Our guide cried aloud in his astonishment and dismay. "Good
gracious, Mr. Holmes, you are surely not going to leave me in this
abrupt fashion! You don't seem to realize the position. To-morrow is
the examination. I must take some definite action to-night. I cannot
allow the examination to be held if one of the papers has been
tampered with. The situation must be faced."
"You must leave it as it is. I shall drop round early to-morrow
morning and chat the matter over. It is possible that I may be in a
position then to indicate some course of action. Meanwhile, you change
nothing- nothing at all."
"Very good, Mr. Holmes."
"You can be perfectly easy in your mind. We shall certainly find
some way out of your difficulties. I will take the black clay with me,
also the pencil cuttings. Good-bye."
When we were out in the darkness of the quadrangle, we again
looked up at the windows. The Indian still paced his room. The
others were invisible.
"Well, Watson, what do you think of it?" Holmes asked, as we came
out into the main street. "Quite a little parlour game- sort of
three-card trick, is it not? There are your three men. It must be
one of them. You take your choice. Which is yours?"
"The foul-mouthed fellow at the top. He is the one with the worst
record. And yet that Indian was a sly fellow also. Why should he be
pacing his room all the time?"
"There is nothing in that. Many men do it when they are trying to
learn anything by heart."
"He looked at us in a queer way.'
"So would you, if a flock of strangers came in on you when you
were preparing for an examination next day, and every moment was of
value. No, I see nothing in that. Pencils, too, and knives- all was
satisfactory. But that fellow does puzzle me."
"Who?"
"Why, Bannister, the servant. What's his game in the matter?"
"He impressed me as being a perfectly honest man."
"So he did me. That's the puzzling part. Why should a perfectly
honest man- Well, well, here's a large stationer's. We shall begin our
researches here."
There were only four stationers of any consequences in the town, and
at each Holmes produced his pencil chips, and bid high for a
duplicate. All were agreed that one could be ordered, but that it
was not a usual size of pencil and that it was seldom kept in stock.
My friend did not appear to be depressed by his failure, but
shrugged his shoulders in half-humorous resignation.
"No good, my dear Watson. This, the best and only final clue, has
run to nothing. But, indeed, I have little doubt that we can build
up a sufficient case without it. By Jove! my dear fellow, it is nearly
nine, and the landlady babbled of green peas at seven-thirty. What
with your eternal tobacco, Watson, and your irregularity at meals, I
expect that you will get notice to quit, and that I shall share your
downfall- not, however, before we have solved the problem of the
nervous tutor, the careless servant, and the three enterprising
students."
Holmes made no further allusion to the matter that day, though he
sat lost in thought for a long time after our belated dinner. At eight
in the morning, he came into my room just as I finished my toilet.
"Well, Watson," said he, "it is time we went down to St. Luke's. Can
you do without breakfast?"
"Certainly."
"Soames will be in a dreadful fidget until we are able to tell him
something positive."
"Have you anything positive to tell him?"
"I think so."
"You have formed a conclusion?"
"Yes, my dear Watson, I have solved the mystery."
"But what fresh evidence could you have got?"
"Aha! It is not for nothing that I have turned myself out of bed
at the untimely hour of six. I have put in two hours' hard work and
covered at least five miles, with something to show for it. Look at
that!"
He held out his hand. On the palm were three little pyramids of
black, doughy clay.
"Why, Holmes, you had only two yesterday."
"And one more this morning. It is a fair argument that wherever
No. 3 came from is also the source of Nos. 1 and 2. Eh, Watson?
Well, come along and put friend Soames out of his pain."
The unfortunate tutor was certainly in a state of pitiable agitation
when we found him in his chambers. In a few hours the examination
would commence, and he was still in the dilemma between making the
facts public and allowing the culprit to compete for the valuable
scholarship. He could hardly stand still so great was his mental
agitation, and he ran towards Holmes with two eager hands
outstretched.
"Thank heaven that you have come! I feared that you had given it
up in despair. What am I to do? Shall the examination proceed?"
"Yes, let it proceed, by all means."
"But this rascal?"
"He shall not compete."
"You know him?"
"I think so. If this matter is not to become public, we must give
ourselves certain powers and resolve ourselves into a small private
court-martial. You there, if you please, Soames! Watson you here! I'll
take the armchair in the middle. I think that we are now
sufficiently imposing to strike terror into a guilty breast. Kindly
ring the bell!"
Bannister entered, and shrank back in evident surprise and fear at
our judicial appearance.
"You will kindly close the door," said Holmes. "Now, Bannister, will
you please tell us the truth about yesterday's incident?"
The man turned white to the roots of his hair.
"I have told you everything, sir."
"Nothing to add?"
"Nothing at all, sir."
"Well, then, I must make some suggestions to you. When you sat
down on that chair yesterday, did you do so in order to conceal some
object which would have shown who had been in the room?"
Bannister's face was ghastly.
"No, sir, certainly not."
"It is only a suggestion," said Holmes, suavely. "I frankly admit
that I am unable to prove it. But it seems probable enough, since
the moment that Mr. Soames's back was turned, you released the man who
was hiding in that bedroom."
Bannister licked his dry lips.
"There was no man, sir."
"Ah, that's a pity, Bannister. Up to now you may have spoken the
truth, but now I know that you have lied."
The man's face set in sullen defiance.
"There was no man, sir."
"Come, come, Bannister!"
"No, sir, there was no one."
"In that case, you can give us no further information. Would you
please remain in the room? Stand over there near the bedroom door.
Now, Soames, I am going to ask you to have the great kindness to go up
to the room of young Gilchrist, and to ask him to step down into
yours."
An instant later the tutor returned, bringing with him the
student. He was a fine figure of a man, tall, lithe, and agile, with a
springy step and a pleasant, open face. His troubled blue eyes glanced
at each of us, and finally rested with an expression of blank dismay
upon Bannister in the farther corner.
"Just close the door," said Holmes. "Now, Mr. Gilchrist, we are
all quite alone here, and no one need ever know one word of what
passes between us. We can be perfectly frank with each other. We
want to know, Mr. Gilchrist, how you, an honourable man, ever came
to commit such an action as that of yesterday?"
The unfortunate young man staggered back, and cast a look full of
horror and reproach at Bannister.
"No, no, Mr. Gilchrist, sir, I never said a word- never one word!"
cried the servant.
"No, but you have now," said Holmes. "Now, sir, you must see that
after Bannister's words your position is hopeless, and that your
only chance lies in a frank confession."
For a moment Gilchrist, with upraised hand, tried to control his
writhing features. The next he had thrown himself on his knees
beside the table, and burying his face in his hands, he had burst into
a storm of passionate sobbing.
"Come, come," said Holmes, kindly, "it is human to err, and at least
no one can accuse you of being a callous criminal. Perhaps it would be
easier for you if I were to tell Mr. Soames what occurred, and you can
check me where I am wrong. Shall I do so? Well, well, don't trouble to
answer. Listen, and see that I do you no injustice.
"From the moment, Mr. Soames, that you said to me that no one, not
even Bannister, could have told that the papers were in your room, the
case began to take a definite shape in my mind. The printer one could,
of course, dismiss. He could examine the papers in his own office. The
Indian I also thought nothing of. If the proofs were in a roll, he
could not possibly know what they were. On the other hand, it seemed
an unthinkable coincidence that a man should dare to enter the room,
and that by chance on that very day the papers were on the table. I
dismissed that. The man who entered knew that the papers were there.
How did he know?
"When I approached your room, I examined the window. You amused me
by supposing that I was contemplating the possibility of someone
having in broad daylight, under the eyes of all these opposite
rooms, forced himself through it. Such an idea was absurd. I was
measuring how tall a man would need to be in order to see, as he
passed, what papers were on the central table. I am six feet high, and
I could do it with an effort. No one less than that would have a
chance. Already you see I had reason to think that, if one of your
three students was a man of unusual height, he was the most worth
watching of the three.
"I entered, and I took you into my confidence as to the
suggestions of the side table. Of the centre table I could make
nothing, until in your description of Gilchrist you mentioned that
he was a long-distance jumper. Then the whole thing came to me in an
instant, and I only needed certain corroborative proofs, which I
speedily obtained.
"What happened was this: This young fellow had employed his
afternoon at the athletic grounds, where he had been practising the
jump. He returned carrying his jumping shoes, which are provided, as
you are aware, with several sharp spikes. As he passed by your
window he saw, by means of his great height, these proofs upon your
table, and conjectured what they were. No harm would have been done
had it not been that, as he passed your door, he perceived the key
which had been left by the carelessness of your servant. A sudden
impulse came over him to enter, and see if they were indeed the
proofs. It was not a dangerous exploit for he could always pretend
that he had simply looked in to ask a question.
"Well, when he saw that they were indeed the proofs, it was then
that he yielded to temptation. He put his shoes on the table. What was
it you put on that chair near the window?"
"Gloves," said the young man.
Holmes looked triumphantly at Bannister. "He put his gloves on the
chair, and he took the proofs, sheet by sheet, to copy them. He
thought the tutor must return by the main gate and that he would see
him. As we know, he came back by the side gate. Suddenly he heard
him at the very door. There was no possible escape. He forgot his
gloves but he caught up his shoes and darted into the bedroom. You
observe that the scratch on that table is slight at one side, but
deepens in the direction of the bedroom door. That in itself is enough
to show us that the shoe had been drawn in that direction, and that
the culprit had taken refuge there. The earth round the spike had been
left on the table, and a second sample was loosened and fell in the
bedroom. I may add that I walked out to the athletic grounds this
morning, saw that tenacious black clay is used in the jumping-pit
and carried away a specimen of it, together with some of the fine
tan or sawdust which is strewn over it to prevent the athlete from
slipping. Have I told the truth, Mr. Gilchrist?"
The student had drawn himself erect.
"Yes, sir, it is true," said he.
"Good heavens! have you nothing to add?" cried Soames.
"Yes, sir, I have, but the shock of this disgraceful exposure has
bewildered me. I have a letter here, Mr. Soames, which I wrote to
you early this morning in the middle of a restless night. It was
before I knew that my sin had found me out. Here it is, sir. You
will see that I have said, 'I have determined not to go in for the
examination. I have been offered a commission in the Rhodesian Police,
and I am going out to South Africa at once.'"
"I am indeed pleased to hear that you did not intend to profit by
your unfair advantage," said Soames. "But why did you change your
purpose?"
Gilchrist pointed to Bannister.
"There is the man who set me in the right path," said he.
"Come now, Bannister," said Holmes. "It will be clear to you, from
what I have said, that only you could have let this young man out,
since you were left in the room, and must have locked the door when
you went out. As to his escaping by that window, it was incredible.
Can you not clear up the last point in this mystery, and tell us the
reasons for your action?"
"It was simple enough, sir, if you only had known, but, with all
your cleverness, it was impossible that you could know. Time was, sir,
when I was butler to old Sir Jabez Gilchrist, this young gentleman's
father. When he was ruined I came to the college as servant, but I
never forgot my old employer because he was down in the world. I
watched his son all I could for the sake of the old days. Well, sir,
when I came into this room yesterday, when the alarm was given, the
very first thing I saw was Mr. Gilchrist's tan gloves lying in that
chair. I knew those gloves well, and I understood their message. If
Mr. Soames saw them, the game was up. I flopped down into that
chair, and nothing would budge me until Mr. Soames went for you.
Then out came my poor young master, whom I had dandled on my knee, and
confessed it all to me. Wasn't it natural, sir, that I should save
him, and wasn't it natural also that I should try to speak to him as
his dead father would have done, and make him understand that he could
not profit by such a deed? Could you blame me, sir?"
"No, indeed," said Holmes, heartily, springing to his feet. "Well,
Soames, I think we have cleared your little problem up, and our
breakfasts awaits us at home. Come, Watson! As to you, sir, I trust
that a bright future awaits you in Rhodesia. For once you have
fallen low. Let us see, in the future, how high you can rise."
-THE END-
.
1927
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF THE VEILED LODGER
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
When one considers that Mr. Sherlock Holmes was in active practice
for twenty-three years, and that during seventeen of these I was
allowed to cooperate with him and to keep notes of his doings, it will
be clear that I have a mass of material at my command. The problem has
always been not to find but to choose. There is the long row of
year-books which fill a shelf, and there are the dispatch-cases filled
with documents, a perfect quarry for the student not only of crime but
of the social and official scandals of the late Victorian era.
Concerning these latter, I may say that the writers of agonized
letters, who beg that the honour of their families or the reputation
of famous forebears may not be touched, have nothing to fear. The
discretion and high sense of professional honour which have always
distinguished my friend are still at work in the choice of these
memoirs, and no confidence will be abused. I deprecate, however, in
the strongest way the attempts which have been mode lately to get at
and to destroy these papers. The source of these outrages is known,
and if they are repeated I have Mr. Holmes's authority for saying that
the whole story concerning the politician, the lighthouse, and the
trained cormorant will be given to the public. There is at least one
reader who will understand.
It is not reasonable to suppose that every one of these cases gave
Holmes the opportunity of showing those curious gifts of instinct
and observation which I have endeavoured to set fourth in these
memoirs. Sometimes he had with much effort to pick the fruit,
sometimes it fell easily into his lap. But the most terrible human
tragedies were often involved in those cases which brought him the
fewest personal opportunities, and it is one of these which I now
desire to record. In telling it, I have made a slight change of name
and place, but otherwise the facts are as stated.
One forenoon- it was late in 1896- I received a hurried note from
Holmes asking for my attendance. When I arrived I found him seated
in a smoke-laden atmosphere, with all elderly, motherly woman of the
buxom landlady type in the corresponding chair in front of him.
"This is Mrs. Merrilow, of South Brixton," said my friend with a
wave of the hand. "Mrs. Merrilow does not object to tobacco, Watson,
if you wish to indulge your filthy habits. Mrs. Merrilow has an
interesting story to tell which may well lead to further
developments in which your presence may be useful."
"Anything I can do-"
"You will understand, Mrs. Merrilow, that if I come to Mrs. Ronder I
should prefer to have a witness. You will make her understand that
before we arrive."
"Lord bless you, Mr. Holmes," said our visitor, "she is that anxious
to see you that you might bring the whole parish at your heals!"
"Then we shall come early in the afternoon. Let us see that we
have our facts correct before we start. If we go over them it will
help Dr. Watson to understand the situation. You say that Mrs.
Ronder has been your lodger for seven years and that you have only
once seen her face."
"And I wish to God I had not!" said Mrs. Merrilow.
"It was, I understand, terribly mutilated."
"Well, Mr. Holmes, you would hardly say it was a face at all. That's
how it looked. Our milkman got a glimpse of her once peeping out of
the upper window, and he dropped his tin and the milk all over the
front garden. that is the kind of face it is. When I saw her- I
happened on her unawares- she covered up quick, and then she said,
'Now, Mrs. Merrilow, you know at last why it is that I never raise
my veil.'"
"Do you know anything about her history?"
"Nothing at all."
"Did she give references when she came?"
"No, sir, but she gave hard cash, and plenty of it. A quarter's rent
right down on the table in advance and no arguing about terms. In
these times a poor woman like me can't afford to turn down a chance
like that."
"Did she give any reason for choosing your house?"
"Mine stands well back from the road and is more private than
most. Then, again, I only take the one, and I have no family of my
own. I reckon she had tried others and found that mine suited her
best. It's privacy she is after, and she is ready to pay for it."
"You say that she never showed her face from first to last save on
the one accidental occasion. Well, it is a very remarkable story, most
remarkable, and I don't wonder that you want it examined."
"I don't, Mr. Holmes. I am quite satisfied so long as I get my rent.
You could not have a quieter lodger, or one who gives less trouble."
"Then what has brought matters to a head?"
"Her health, Mr. Holmes. She seems to be wasting away. And there's
something terrible on her mind. 'Murder!' she cries. 'Murder!' And
once I heard her: 'You cruel beast! You monster!' she cried. It was in
the night, and it fair rang through the house and sent the shivers
through me. So I went to her in the morning. 'Mrs. Ronder,' I says,
'if you have anything that is troubling your soul, there's the
clergy,' I says, 'and there's the police. Between them you should
get some help.' 'For God's sake, not the police!' says she, 'and the
clergy can't change what is past. And yet,' she says, 'it would ease
my mind if someone knew the truth before I died.' 'Well,' says I,
'if you won't have the regulars, there is this detective man what we
read about'- beggin' your pardon, Mr. Holmes. And she, she fair jumped
at it. 'That's the man,' says she. 'I wonder I never thought of it
before. Bring him here, Mrs. Merrilow, and if he won't come, tell
him I am the wife of Ronder's wild beast show. Say that, and give
him the name Abbas Parva. Here it is as she wrote it, Abbas Parva.
'That will bring him if he's the man I think he is.'"
"And it will, too," remarked Holmes. "Very good, Mrs. Merrilow. I
should like to have a little chat with Dr. Watson. That will carry
us till lunch-time. About three o'clock you may expect to see us at
your house in Brixton."
Our visitor had no sooner waddled out of the room- no other verb can
describe Mrs. Merrilow's method of progression- than Sherlock Holmes
threw himself with fierce energy upon the pile of commonplace books in
the corner. For a few minutes there was a constant swish of the
leaves, and then with a grunt of satisfaction he came upon what he
sought. So excited was he that he did not rise, but sat upon the floor
like some strange Buddha, with crossed legs, the huge books all
round him, and one open upon his knees.
"The case worried me at the time, Watson. Here are my marginal notes
to prove it. I confess that I could make nothing of it. And yet I
was convinced that the coroner was wrong. Have you no recollection
of the Abbas Parva tragedy?"
"None, Holmes."
"And yet you were with me then. But certainly my own impression
was very superficial. For there was nothing to go by, and none of
the parties had engaged my services. Perhaps you would care to read
the papers?"
"Could you not give me the points?"
"That is very easily done. It will probably come back to your memory
as I talk. Ronder, of course, was a household word. He was the rival
of Wombwell, and of Sanger, one of the greatest showmen of his day.
There is evidence, however, that he took to drink, and that both he
and his show were on the down grade at the time of the great
tragedy. The caravan had halted for the night at Abbas Parva, which is
a small village in Berkshire, when this horror occurred. They were
on their way to Wimbledon, travelling by road, and they were simply
camping and not exhibiting, as the place is so small a one that it
would not have paid them to open.
"They had among their exhibits a very fine North African lion.
Sahara King was its name, and it was the habit, both of Ronder and his
wife, to give exhibitions inside its cage. Here, you see, is a
photograph of the performance by which you will perceive that Ronder
was a huge porcine person and that his wife was a very magnificent
woman. It was deposed at the inquest that there had been some signs
that the lion was dangerous, but, as usual, familiarity begat
contempt, and no notice was taken of the fact.
"It was usual for either Ronder or his wife to feed the lion at
night. Sometimes one went, sometimes both, but they never allowed
anyone else to do it, for they believed that so long as they were
the food-carriers he would regard them as benefactors and would
never molest them. On this particular night, seven years ago, they
both went, and a very terrible happening followed, the details of
which have never been made clear.
"It seems that the whole camp was roused near midnight by the
roars of the animal and the screams of the woman. The different grooms
and employees rushed from their tents, carrying lanterns, and by their
light an awful sight was revealed. Ronder lay, with the back of his
head crushed in and deep claw-marks across his scalp, some ten yards
from the cage, which was open. Close to the door of the cage lay
Mrs. Ronder upon her back, with the creature squatting and snarling
above her. It had torn her face in such a fashion that it was never
thought that she could live. Several of the circus men, headed by
Leonardo, the strong man, and Griggs, the clown, drove the creature
off with poles, upon which it sprang back into the cage and was at
once locked in. How it had got loose was a mystery. It was conjectured
that the pair intended to enter the cage, but that when the door was
loosed the creature bounded out upon them. There was no other point of
interest in the evidence save that the woman in a delirium of agony
kept screaming, 'Coward! Coward!' as she was carried back to the van
in which they lived. It was six months before she was fit to give
evidence, but the inquest was duly held, with the obvious verdict of
death from misadventure.
"What alternative could be conceived?" said I.
"You may well say so. And yet there were one or two points which
worried young Edmunds, of the Berkshire Constabulary. A smart lad
that! He was sent later to Allanabad. That was how I came into the
matter, for he dropped in and smoked a pipe or two over it."
"A thin, yellow-haired man?"
"Exactly. I was sure you would pick up the trail presently."
"But what worried him?"
"Well, we were both worried. It was so deucedly difficult to
reconstruct the affair. Look at it from the lion's point of view. He
is liberated. What does he do? He takes half a dozen bounds forward,
which brings him to Ronder. Ronder turns to fly- the claw-marks were
on the back of his head- but the lion strikes him down. Then,
instead of bounding on and escaping, he returns to the woman, who
was close to the cage, and he knocks her over and chews her face up.
Then, again, those cries of hers would seem to imply that her
husband had in some way failed her. What could the poor devil have
done to help her? You see the difficulty?"
"Quite."
"And then there was another thing. It comes back to me now as I
think it over. There was some evidence that just at the time the
lion roared and the woman screamed, a man began shouting in terror."
"This man Ronder, no doubt."
"Well, if his skull was smashed in you would hardly expect to hear
from him again. There were at least two witnesses who spoke of the
cries of a man being mingled with those of a woman."
"I should think the whole camp was crying out by then. As to the
other points, I think I could suggest a solution."
"I should be glad to consider it."
"The two were together, ten yards from the cage, when the lion got
loose. The man turned and was struck down. The woman conceived the
idea of getting into the cage and shutting the door. It was her only
refuge. She made for it, and just as she reached it the beast
bounded after her and knocked her over. She was angry with her husband
for having encouraged the beast's rage by turning. If they had faced
it they might have cowed it. Hence her cries of 'Coward!'"
"Brilliant, Watson! Only one flaw in your diamond."
"What is the flaw, Holmes?"
"If they were both ten paces from the cage, how came the beast to
get loose?"
"Is it possible that they had some enemy who loosed it?"
"And why should it attack them savagely when it was in the habit
of playing with them, and doing tricks with them inside the cage?"
"Possibly the same enemy had done something to enrage it."
Holmes looked thoughtful and remained in silence for some moments.
"Well, Watson, there is this to be said for your theory. Ronder
was a man of many enemies. Edmunds told me that in his cups he was
horrible. A huge bully of a man, he cursed and slashed at everyone who
came in his way. I expect those cries about a monster, of which our
visitor has spoken, were nocturnal reminiscences of the dear departed.
However, our speculations are futile until we have all the facts.
There is a cold partridge on the sideboard, Watson, and a bottle of
Montrachet. Let us renew our energies before we make a fresh call upon
them."
When our hansom deposited us at the house of Mrs. Merrilow, we found
that plump lady blocking up the open door of her humble but retired
abode. It was very clear that her chief preoccupation was lest she
should lose a valuable lodger, and she implored us, before showing
us up, to say and do nothing which could lead to so undesirable an
end. Then, having reassured her, we followed her up the straight,
badly carpeted staircase and were shown into the room of the
mysterious lodger.
It was a close, musty, ill-ventilated place, as might be expected,
since its inmate seldom left it. From keeping beasts in a cage, the
woman seemed, by some retribution of fate, to have become herself a
beast in a cage. She sat now in a broken armchair in the shadowy
corner of the room. Long years of inaction had coarsened the lines
of her figure, but at some period it must have been beautiful, and was
still full and voluptuous. A thick dark veil covered her face, but
it was cut off close at her upper lip and disclosed a perfectly shaped
mouth and a delicately rounded chin. I could well conceive that she
had indeed been a very remarkable woman. Her voice, too, was well
modulated and pleasing.
"My name is not unfamiliar to you, Mr. Holmes," said she. "I thought
that it would bring you."
"That is so, madam, though I do not know how you are aware that I
was interested in your case."
"I learned it when I had recovered my health and was examined by Mr.
Edmunds, the county detective. I fear I lied to him. Perhaps it
would have been wiser had I told the truth."
"It is usually wiser to tell the truth. But why did you lie to him?"
"Because the fate of someone else depended upon it. I know that he
was a very worthless being, and yet I would not have his destruction
upon my conscience. We had been so close- so close!"
"But has this impediment been removed?"
"Yes, sir. the person that I allude to is dead."
"Then why should you not now tell the police anything you know?"
"Because there is another person to be considered. That other person
is myself. I could not stand the scandal and publicity which would
come from a police examination. I have not long to live, but I wish to
die undisturbed. And yet I wanted to find one man of judgment to
whom I could tell my terrible story, so that when I am gone all
might be understood."
"You compliment me, madam. At the same time, I am a responsible
person. I do not promise you that when you have spoken I may not
myself think it my duty to refer the case to the police."
"I think not, Mr. Holmes. I know your character and methods too
well, for I have followed your work for some years. Reading is the
only pleasure which fate has left me, and I miss little which passes
in the world. But in any case, I will take my chance of the use
which you may make of my tragedy. It will case my mind to tell it."
"My friend and I would be glad to hear it."
The woman rose and took from a drawer the photograph of a man. He
was clearly a professional acrobat, a man of magnificent physique,
taken with his huge arms folded across his swollen chest and a smile
breaking from under his heavy moustache- the self-satisfied smile of
the man of many conquests.
"That is Leonardo," she said.
"Leonardo, the strong man, who gave evidence?"
"The same. And this- this is my husband."
It was a dreadful face- a human pig, or rather a human wild boar,
for it was formidable in its bestiality. One could imagine that vile
mouth champing and foaming in its rage, and one could conceive those
small, vicious eyes darting pure malignancy as they looked forth
upon the world. Ruffian, bully, beast- it was all written on that
heavy-jowled face.
"Those two pictures will help you, gentlemen, to understand the
story. I was a poor circus girl brought up on the sawdust, and doing
springs through the hoop before I was ten. When I became a woman
this man loved me, if such lust as his can be called love, and in an
evil moment I became his wife. From that day I was in hell, and he the
devil who tormented me. There was no one in the show who did not
know of his treatment. He deserted me for others. He tied me down
and lashed me with his riding-whip when I complained. They all
pitied me and they all loathed him, but what could they do? They
feared him, one and all. For he was terrible at all times, and
murderous when he was drunk. Again and again he was had up for
assault, and for cruelty to the beasts, but he had plenty of money and
the fines were nothing to him. The best men all left us, and the
show began to go downhill. It was only Leonardo and I who kept it
up- with little Jimmy Griggs, the clown. Poor devil, he had not much
to be funny about, but he did what he could to bold things together.
"Then Leonardo came more and more into my life. You see what he
was like. I know now the poor spirit that was hidden in that
splendid body, but compared to my husband he seemed like the angel
Gabriel. He pitied me and helped me, till at last our intimacy
turned to love- deep, deep, passionate love, such love as I had
dreamed of but never hoped to feel. My husband suspected it, but I
think that he was a coward as well as a bully, and that Leonardo was
the one man that he was afraid of. He took revenge in his own way by
torturing me more than ever. One night my cries brought Leonardo to
the door of our van. We were near tragedy that night, and soon my
lover and I understood that it could not be avoided. My husband was
not fit to live. We planned that he should die.
"Leonardo had a clever, scheming brain. It was he who planned it.
I do not say that to blame him, for I was ready to go with him every
inch of the way. But I should never have had the wit to think of
such a plan. We made a club- Leonardo made it- and in the leaden
head lie fastened five long steel nails, the points outward, with just
such a spread as the lion's paw. This was to give my husband his
death-blow, and yet to leave the evidence that it was the lion which
we would loose who had done the deed.
"It was a pitch-dark night when my husband and I went down, as was
our custom, to feed the beast. We carried with us the raw meat in a
zinc pail. Leonardo was waiting at the corner of the big van which
we should have to pass before we reached the cage. He was too slow,
and we walked past him before he could strike, but he followed us on
tiptoe and I heard the crash as the club smashed my husband's skull.
My heart leaped with joy at the sound. I sprang forward, and I undid
the catch which held the door of the great lion's cage.
"And then the terrible thing happened. You may have heard how
quick these creatures are to scent human blood, and how it excites
them. Some strange instinct had told the creature in one instant
that a human being had been slain. As I slipped the bars it bounced
out and was on me in an instant. Leonardo could have saved me. If he
had rushed forward and struck the beast with his club he might have
cowed it. But the man lost his nerve. I heard him shout in his terror,
and then I saw him turn and fly. At the same instant the teeth of
the lion met in my face. Its hot, filthy breath had already poisoned
me and I was hardly conscious of pain. With the palms of my hands I
tried to push the great steaming, blood-stained jaws away from me, and
I screamed for help. I was conscious that the camp was stirring, and
then dimly I remembered a group of men. Leonardo, Griggs, and
others, dragging me from under the creature's paws. That was my last
memory, Mr. Holmes, for many a weary month. When I came to myself
and saw myself in the mirror, I cursed that lion- oh, how I cursed
him!- not because he had torn away my beauty but because he had not
torn away my life. I had but one desire, Mr. Holmes, and I had
enough money to gratify it. It was that I should cover myself so
that my poor face should be seen by none, and that I should dwell
where none whom I had ever known should find me. That was all that was
left to me to do- and that is what I have done. A poor wounded beast
that has crawled into its hole to die- that is the end of Eugenia
Ronder."
We sat in silence for some time after the unhappy woman had told her
story. Then Holmes stretched out his long arm and patted her hand with
such a show of sympathy as I had seldom known him to exhibit.
"Poor girl!" he said. "Poor girl! The ways of fate are indeed hard
to understand. If there is not some compensation hereafter, then the
world is a cruel jest. But what of this man Leonardo?"
"I never saw him or heard from him again. Perhaps I have been
wrong to feel so bitterly against him. He might as soon have loved one
of the freaks whom we carried round the country as the thing which the
lion had left. But a woman's love is not so easily set aside. He had
left me under the beast's claws, he had deserted me in my need, and
yet I could not bring myself to give him to the gallows. For myself, I
cared nothing what became of me. What could be more dreadful than my
actual life? But I stood between Leonardo and his fate."
"And he is dead?"
"He was drowned last month when bathing near Margate. I saw his
death in the paper.
"And what did he do with this five-clawed club, which is the most
singular and ingenious part of all your story?"
"I cannot tell, Mr. Holmes. There is a chalk-pit by the camp, with a
deep green pool at the base of it. Perhaps in the depths of that
pool-"
"Well, well, it is of little consequence now. The case is closed."
"Yes," said the woman, "the case is closed."
We had risen to go, but there was something in the woman's voice
which arrested Holmes's attention. He turned swiftly upon her.
"Your life is not your own," he said. "Keep your hands off it."
"What use is it to anyone?"
"How can you tell? the example of patient suffering is in itself the
most precious of all lessons to an impatient world."
The woman's answer was a terrible one. She raised her veil and
stepped forward into the light.
"I wonder if you would bear it," she said.
It was horrible. No words can describe the framework of a face
when the face itself is gone. Two living and beautiful brown eyes
looking sadly out from that grisly ruin did but make the view more
awful. Holmes held up his hand in a gesture of pity and protest, and
together we left the room.
Two days later, when I called upon my friend, he pointed with some
pride to a small blue bottle upon his mantelpiece. I picked it up.
There was a red poison label. A pleasant almondy odour rose when I
opened it.
"Prussic acid?" said I.
"Exactly. It came by post. 'I send you my temptation. I will
follow your advice.' That was the message. I think, Watson, we can
guess the name of the brave woman who sent it."
-THE END-
.
1908
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ADVENTURE OF WISTERIA LODGE
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1. The Singular Experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles
I find it recorded in my notebook that it was a bleak and windy day,
towards the end of March in the year 1892. Holmes had received a
telegram while we sat at our lunch, and he had scribbled a reply. He
made no remark, but the matter remained in his thoughts, for he
stood in front of the fire afterwards with a thoughtful face,
smoking his pipe, and casting an occasional glance at the message.
Suddenly he turned upon me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"I suppose, Watson, We must look upon you as a man of letters," said
he. "How do you define the word 'grotesque'?"
"Strange- remarkable," I suggested.
He shook his head at my definition.
"There is surely something more than that," said he; "some
underlying suggestion of the tragic and the terrible. If you cast your
mind back to some of those narratives with which you have afflicted
a long-suffering public, you will recognize how often the grotesque
has deepened into the criminal. Think of that little affair of the
red-headed men. That was grotesque enough in the outset and yet it
ended in a desperate attempt at robbery. Or, again, there was that
most grotesque affair of the five orange pips, which led straight to a
murderous conspiracy. The word puts me on the alert."
"Have you it there?" I asked.
He read the telegram aloud.
"Have just had most incredible and grotesque experience. May I
consult you?"
"SCOTT ECCLES,
"Post-Office, Charing Cross."
"Man or woman?" I asked.
"Oh, man, of course. No woman would ever send a reply-paid telegram.
She would have come."
"Will you see him?"
"My dear Watson, you know how bored I have been since we locked up
Colonel Carruthers. My mind is like a racing engine, tearing itself to
pieces because it is not connected up with the work for which it was
built. Life is commonplace; the papers are sterile; audacity and
romance seem to have passed forever from the criminal world. Can you
ask me, then, whether I am ready to look into any new problem, however
trivial it may prove? But here, unless I am mistaken, is our client."
A measured step was heard upon the stairs, and a moment later a
stout, tall, gray-whiskered and solemnly respectable person was
ushered into the room. His life history was written in his heavy
features and pompous manner. From his spats to his gold-rimmed
spectacles he was a Conservative, a churchman, a good citizen,
orthodox and conventional to the last degree. But some amazing
experience had disturbed his native composure and left its traces in
his bristling hair, his flushed, angry cheeks, and his flurried,
excited manner. He plunged instantly into his business.
"I have had a most singular and unpleasant experience, Mr.
Holmes," said he. "Never in my life have I been placed in such a
situation. It is most improper- most outrageous. I must insist upon
some explanation." He swelled and puffed in his anger.
"Pray sit down, Mr. Scott Eccles," said Holmes in a soothing
voice. "May I ask, in the first place, why you came to me at all?"
"Well, sir, it did not appear to be a matter which concerned the
police, and yet, when you have heard the facts, you must admit that
I could not leave it where it was. Private detectives are a class with
whom I have absolutely no sympathy, but none the less, having heard
your name-"
"Quite so. But, in the second place, why did you not come at once?"
"What do you mean?"
Holmes glanced at his watch.
"It is a quarter-past two," he said. "Your telegram was dispatched
about one. But no one can glance at your toilet and attire without
seeing that your disturbance dates from the moment of your waking."
Our client smoothed down his unbrushed hair and felt his unshaven
chin.
"You are right, Mr. Holmes. I never gave a thought to my toilet. I
was only too glad to get out of such a house. But I have been
running round making inquiries before I came to you. I went to the
house agents, you know, and they said that Mr. Garcia's rent was
paid up all right and that everything was in order at Wisteria Lodge."
"Come, come, sir," said Holmes, laughing. "You are like my friend,
Dr. Watson, who has a bad habit of telling his stories wrong end
foremost. Please arrange your thoughts and let me know, in their due
sequence, exactly what those events are which have sent you out
unbrushed and unkempt, with dress boots and waistcoat buttoned awry,
in search of advice and assistance."
Our client looked down with a rueful face at his own
unconventional appearance.
"I'm sure it must look very bad, Mr. Holmes, and I am not aware that
in my whole life such a thing has ever happened before. But I will
tell you the whole queer business, and when I have done so you will
admit I am sure, that there has been enough to excuse me."
But his narrative was nipped in the bud. There was a bustle
outside, and Mrs. Hudson opened the door to usher in two robust and
official-looking individuals, one of whom was well known to us as
Inspector Gregson of Scotland Yard, an energetic, gallant and,
within his limitations, a capable officer. He shook hands with
Holmes and introduced his comrade as Inspector Baynes, of the Surrey
Constabulary.
"We are hunting together, Mr. Holmes, and our trail lay in this
direction." He turned his bulldog eyes upon our visitor. "Are You
Mr. John Scott Eccles, of Popham House, Lee?"
"I am."
"We have been following you about all the morning."
"You traced him through the telegram, no doubt," said Holmes.
Exactly, Mr. Holmes. We picked up the scent at Charing Cross
Post-Office and came on here."
"But why do you follow me? What do you want?"
"We wish a statement, Mr. Scott Eccles, as to the events which led
up to the death last night of Mr. Aloysius Garcia, of Wisteria
Lodge, near Esher."
Our client had sat up with staring eyes and every tinge of colour
struck from his astonished face.
"Dead? Did you say he was dead?"
"Yes, sir, he is dead."
"But how? An accident?"
"Murder, if ever there was one upon earth."
"Good God! This is awful! You don't mean- you don't mean that I am
suspected?"
"A letter of yours was found in the dead man's pocket, and we know
by it that you had planned to pass last night at his house."
"So I did."
"Oh, you did, did you?"
Out came the official notebook.
"Wait a bit Gregson," said Sherlock Holmes. "All you desire is a
plain statement is it not?"
"And it is my duty to warn Mr. Scott Eccles that it may be used
against him."
"Mr. Eccles was going to tell us about it when you entered the room.
I think, Watson, a brandy and soda would do him no harm. Now, sir, I
suggest that you take no notice of this addition to your audience, and
that you proceed with your narrative exactly as you would have done
had you never been interrupted."
Our visitor had gulped off the brandy and the colour had returned to
his face. With a dubious glance at the inspector's notebook, he
plunged at once into his extraordinary statement.
"I am a bachelor," said he, "and being of a sociable turn I
cultivate a large number of friends. Among these are the family of a
retired brewer called Melville, living at Albemarle Mansion,
Kensington. It was at his table that I met some weeks ago a young
fellow named Garcia. He was, I understood, of Spanish descent and
connected in some way with the embassy. He spoke perfect English,
was pleasing in his manners, and as good-looking a man as ever I saw
in my life.
"In some way we struck up quite a friendship, this young fellow
and I. He seemed to take a fancy to me from the first, and within
two days of our meeting he came to see me at Lee. One thing led to
another, and it ended in his inviting me out to spend a few days at
his house, Wisteria Lodge, between Esher and Oxshott. Yesterday
evening I went to Esher to fulfil this engagement.
"He had described his household to me before I went there. He
lived with a faithful servant, a countryman of his own, who looked
after all his needs. This fellow could speak English and did his
housekeeping for him. Then there was a wonderful cook, he said, a
half-breed whom he had picked up in his travels, who could serve an
excellent dinner. I remember that he remarked what a queer household
it was to find in the heart of Surrey, and that I agreed with him,
though it has proved a good deal queerer than I thought.
"I drove to the place- about two miles on the south side of Esher.
The house was a fair-sized one, standing back from the road, with a
curving drive which was banked with high evergreen shrubs. It was an
old, tumble-down building in a crazy state of disrepair. When the trap
pulled up on the grass-grown drive in front of the blotched and
weather-stained door, I had doubts as to my wisdom in visiting a man
whom I knew so slightly. He opened the door himself, however, and
greeted me with a great show of cordiality. I was handed over to the
manservant a melancholy, swarthy individual, who led the way, my bag
in his hand, to my bedroom. The whole place was depressing. Our dinner
was tete-a-tete, and though my host did his best to be entertaining,
his thoughts seemed to continually wander, and he talked so vaguely
and wildly that I could hardly understand him. He continually
drummed his fingers on the table, gnawed his nails, and gave other
signs of nervous impatience. The dinner itself was neither well served
nor well cooked, and the gloomy presence of the taciturn servant did
not help to enliven us. I can assure you that many times in the course
of the evening I wished that I could invent some excuse which would
take me back to Lee.
"One thing comes back to my memory which may have a bearing upon the
business that you two gentlemen are investigating. I thought nothing
of it at the time. Near the end of dinner a note was handed in by
the servant. I noticed that after my host had read it he seemed even
more distrait and strange than before. He gave up all pretence at
conversation and sat smoking endless cigarettes, lost in his own
thoughts, but he made no remark as to the contents. About eleven I was
glad to go to bed. Some time later Garcia looked in at my door- the
room was dark at the time- and asked me if I had rung. I said that I
had not. He apologized for having disturbed me so late, saying that it
was nearly one o'clock. I dropped off after this and slept soundly all
night.
"And now I come to the amazing part of my tale. When I woke it was
broad daylight. I glanced at my watch, and the time was nearly nine. I
had particularly asked to be called at eight, so I was very much
astonished at this forgetfulness. I sprang up and rang for the
servant. There was no response. I rang again and again, with the
same result. Then I came to the conclusion that the bell was out of
order. I huddled on my clothes and hurried downstairs in an
exceedingly bad temper to order some hot water. You can imagine my
surprise when I found that there was no one there. I shouted in the
hall. There was no answer. Then I ran from room to room. All were
deserted. My host had shown me which was his bedroom the night before,
so I knocked at the door. No reply. I turned the handle and walked in.
The room was empty, and the bed had never been slept in. He had gone
with the rest. The foreign host, the foreign footman, the foreign
cook, all had vanished in the night! That was the end of my visit to
Wisteria Lodge."
Sherlock Holmes was rubbing his hands and chuckling as he added this
bizarre incident to his collection of strange episodes.
"Your experience is, so far as I know, perfectly unique!" said he.
"May I ask, sir, what you did then?"
"I was furious. My first idea was that I had been the victim of some
absurd practical joke. I packed my things, banged the hall door behind
me, and set off for Esher, with my bag in my hand. I called at Allan
Brothers', the chief land agents in the village, and found that it was
from this firm that the villa had been rented. It struck me that the
whole proceeding could hardly be for the purpose of making a fool of
me, and that the main object must be to get out of the rent. It is
late in March, so quarter-day is at hand. But this theory would not
work. The agent was obliged to me for my warning, but told me that the
rent had been paid in advance. Then I made my way to town and called
at the Spanish embassy. The man was unknown there. After this I went
to see Melville, at whose house I had first met Garcia, but I found
that he really knew rather less about him than I did. Finally when I
got your reply to my wire I came out to you, since I gather that you
are a person who gives advice in difficult cases. But now, Mr.
Inspector, I understand, from what you said when you entered the room,
that you can carry the story on, and that some tragedy has occurred. I
can assure you that every word I have said is the truth, and that
outside of what I have told you, I know absolutely nothing about the
fate of this man. My only desire is to help the law in every
possible way."
"I am sure of it Mr. Scott Eccles- I am sure of it," said
Inspector Gregson in a very amiable tone. "I am bound to say that
everything which you have said agrees very closely with the facts as
they have come to our notice. For example, there was that note which
arrived during dinner. Did you chance to observe what became of it?"
"Yes, I did. Garcia rolled it up and threw it into the fire."
"What do you say to that, Mr. Baynes?"
The country detective was a stout, puffy, red man, whose face was
only redeemed from grossness by two extraordinarily bright eyes,
almost hidden behind the heavy creases of cheek and brow. With a
slow smile he drew a folded and discoloured scrap of paper from his
pocket.
"It was a dog-grate, Mr. Holmes, and he overpitched it. I picked
this out unburned from the back of it."
Holmes smiled his appreciation.
"You must have examined the house very carefully to find a single
pellet of paper."
"I did, Mr. Holmes. It's my way. Shall I read it, Mr. Gregson?"
The Londoner nodded.
"The note is written upon ordinary cream-laid paper without
watermark. It is a quarter-sheet. The paper is cut off in two snips
with a short-bladed scissors. It has been folded over three times
and sealed with purple wax, put on hurriedly and pressed down with
some flat oval object. It is addressed to Mr. Garcia, Wisteria
Lodge. It says:
"Our own colours, green and white. Green open, white shut. Main
stair, first corridor, seventh right, green baize. Godspeed. D.
It is a woman's writing, done with a sharp-pointed pen, but the
address is either done with another pen or by someone else. It is
thicker and bolder, as you see."
"A very remarkable note," said Holmes, glancing it over. "I must
compliment you, Mr. Baynes, upon your attention to detail in your
examination of it. A few trifling points might perhaps be added. The
oval seal is undoubtedly a plain sleeve-link- what else is of such a
shape? The scissors were bent nail scissors. Short as the two snips
are, you can distinctly see the same slight curve in each."
The country detective chuckled.
"I thought I had squeezed all the juice out of it, but I see there
was a little over," he said. "I'm bound to say that I make nothing
of the note except that there was something on hand, and that a woman,
as usual, was at the bottom of it."
Mr. Scott Eccles had fidgeted in his seat during this conversation.
"I am glad you found the note, since it corroborates my story," said
he. "But I beg to point out that I have not yet heard what has
happened to Mr. Garcia, nor what has become of his household."
"As to Garcia," said Gregson, "that is easily answered. He was found
dead this morning upon Oxshott Common, nearly a mile from his home.
His head had been smashed to pulp by heavy blows of a sandbag or
some such instrument, which had crushed rather than wounded. It is a
lonely corner, and there is no house within a quarter of a mile of the
spot. He had apparently been struck down first from behind, but his
assailant had gone on beating him long after he was dead. It was a
most furious assault. There are no footsteps nor any clue to the
criminals."
"Robbed?"
"No, there was no attempt at robbery."
"This is very painful- very painful and terrible," said Mr. Scott
Eccles in a querulous voice, "but it is really uncommonly hard upon
me. I had nothing to do with my host going off upon a nocturnal
excursion and meeting so sad an end. How do I come to be mixed up with
the case?"
"Very simply, sir," Inspector Baynes answered. "The only document
found in the pocket of the deceased was a letter from you saying
that you would be with him on the night of his death. It was the
envelope of this letter which gave us the dead man's name and address.
It was after nine this morning when we reached his house and found
neither you nor anyone else inside it. I wired to Mr. Gregson to run
you down in London while I examined Wisteria Lodge. Then I came into
town, joined Mr. Gregson, and here we are."
"I think now," said Gregson, rising, "we had best put this matter
into an official shape. You will come round with us to the station,
Mr. Scott Eccles, and let us have your statement in writing."
"Certainly, I will come at once. But I retain your services, Mr.
Holmes. I desire you to spare no expense and no pains to get at the
truth."
My friend turned to the country inspector.
"I suppose that you have no objection to my collaborating with
you, Mr. Baynes?"
"Highly honoured, sir, I am sure."
"You appear to have been very prompt and business-like in all that
you have done. Was there any clue, may I ask, as to the exact hour
that the man met his death?"
"He had been there since one o'clock. There was rain about that
time, and his death had certainly been before the rain."
"But that is perfectly impossible, Mr. Baynes," cried our client.
"His voice is unmistakable. I could swear to it that it was he who
addressed me in my bedroom at that very hour."
"Remarkable, but by no means impossible," said Holmes, smiling.
"You have a clue?" asked Gregson.
"On the face of it the case is not a very complex one, though it
certainly presents some novel and interesting features. A further
knowledge of facts is necessary before I would venture to give a final
and definite opinion. By the way, Mr. Baynes, did you find anything
remarkable besides this note in your examination of the house?"
The detective looked at my friend in a singular way.
"There were," said he, "one or two very remarkable things. Perhaps
when I have finished at the police-station you would care to come
out and give me your opinion of them."
"I am entirely at your service," said Sherlock Holmes, ringing the
bell. "You will show these gentlemen out, Mrs. Hudson, and kindly send
the boy with this telegram. He is to pay a five-shilling reply."
We sat for some time in silence after our visitors had left.
Holmes smoked hard, with his brows drawn down over his keen eyes,
and his head thrust forward in the eager way characteristic of the
man.
"Well, Watson," he asked, turning suddenly upon me, "What do you
make of it?"
"I can make nothing of this mystification of Scott Eccles."
"But the crime?"
"Well, taken with the disappearance of the man's companions, I
should say that they were in some way concerned in the murder and
had fled from justice."
"That is certainly a possible point of view. On the face of it you
must admit, however, that it is very strange that his two servants
should have been in a conspiracy against him and should have
attacked him on the one night when he had a guest. They had him
alone at their mercy every other night in the week."
"Then why did they fly?"
"Quite so. Why did they fly? There is a big fact. Another big fact
is the remarkable experience of our client, Scott Eccles. Now, my dear
Watson, is it beyond the limits of human ingenuity to furnish an
explanation which would cover both these big facts? If it were one
which would also admit of the mysterious note with its very curious
phraseology, why, then it would be worth accepting as a temporary
hypothesis. If the fresh facts which come to our knowledge all fit
themselves into the scheme, then our hypothesis may gradually become a
solution."
"But what is our hypothesis?"
Holmes leaned back in his chair with half-closed eyes.
"You must admit my dear Watson, that the idea of a joke is
impossible. There were grave events afoot. as the sequel showed, and
the coaxing of Scott Eccles to Wisteria Lodge had some connection with
them."
"But what possible connection?"
"Let us take it link by link. There is, on the face of it, something
unnatural about this strange and sudden friendship between the young
Spaniard and Scott Eccles. It was the former who forced the pace. He
called upon Eccles at the other end of London on the very day after he
first met him, and he kept in close touch with him until he got him
down to Esher. Now, what did he want with Eccles? What could Eccles
supply? I see no charm in the man. He is not particularly intelligent-
not a man likely to be congenial to a quick-witted Latin. Why, then,
was he picked out from all the other people whom Garcia met as
particularly suited to his purpose? Has he any one outstanding
quality? I say that he has. He is the very type of conventional
British respectability, and the very man as a witness to impress
another Briton. You saw yourself how neither of the inspectors dreamed
of questioning his statement, extraordinary as it was."
"But what was he to witness?"
"Nothing, as things turned out, but everything had they gone another
way. That is how I read the matter."
"I see, he might have proved an alibi."
"Exactly, my dear Watson; he might have proved an alibi. We will
suppose, for arguments sake, that the household of Wisteria Lodge
are confederates in some design. The attempt, whatever it may be, is
to come off, we will say, before one o'clock. By some juggling of
the clocks it is quite possible that they may have got Scott Eccles to
bed earlier than he thought but in any case it is likely that when
Garcia went out of his way to tell him that it was one it was really
not more than twelve. If Garcia could do whatever he had to do and
be back by the hour mentioned he had evidently a powerful reply to any
accusation. Here was this irreproachable Englishman ready to swear
in any court of law that the accused was in his house all the time. It
was an insurance against the worst."
"Yes, yes, I see that. But how about the disappearance of the
others?"
"I have not all my facts yet but I do not think there are any
insuperable difficulties. Still, it is an error to argue in front of
your data. You find yourself insensibly twisting them round to fit
your theories."
"And the message?"
"How did it run? 'Our own colours, green and white.' Sounds like
racing. 'Green open, white shut.' that is clearly a signal. 'Main
stair, first corridor, seventh right, green baize.' This is an
assignation. We may find a jealous husband at the bottom of it all. It
was clearly a dangerous quest. She would not have said 'Godspeed'
had it not been so. 'D'- that should be a guide."
"The man was a Spaniard. I suggest that 'D' stands for Dolores, a
common female name in Spain."
"Good, Watson, very good- but quite inadmissible. A Spaniard would
write to a Spaniard in Spanish. The writer of this note is certainly
English. Well, we can only possess our souls in patience until this
excellent inspector comes back for us. Meanwhile we can thank our
lucky fate which has rescued us for a few short hours from the
insufferable fatigues of idleness."
An answer had arrived to Holmes's telegram before our Surrey officer
had returned. Holmes read it and was about to place it in his notebook
when he caught a glimpse of my expectant face. He tossed it across
with a laugh.
"We are moving in exalted circles," said he.
The telegram was a list of names and addresses:
Lord Harringby, The Dingle; Sir George Ffolliott, Oxshott Towers;
Mr. Hynes Hynes, J. P., Purdey Place; Mr. James Baker Williams, Forton
Old Hall; Mr. Henderson, High Gable; Rev. Joshua Stone, Nether
Walsling.
"This is a very obvious way of limiting our field of operations,"
said Holmes. "No doubt Baynes, with his methodical mind, has already
adopted some similar plan."
"I don't quite understand."
"Well, my dear fellow, we have already arrived at the conclusion
that the message received by Garcia at dinner was an appointment or an
assignation. Now, if the obvious reading of it is correct and in order
to keep this tryst one has to ascend a main stair and seek the seventh
door in a corridor, it is perfectly clear that the house is a very
large one. It is equally certain that this house cannot be more than a
mile or two from Oxshott, since Garcia was walking in that direction
and hoped, according to my reading of the facts, to be back in
Wisteria Lodge in time to avail himself of an alibi, which would
only be valid up to one o'clock. As the number of large houses close
to Oxshott must be limited, I adopted the obvious method of sending to
the agents mentioned by Scott Eccles and obtaining a list of them.
Here they are in this telegram, and the other end of our tangled skein
must lie among them."
It was nearly six o'clock before we found ourselves in the pretty
Surrey village of Esher, with Inspector Baynes as our companion.
Holmes and I had taken things for the night, and found comfortable
quarters at the Bull. Finally we set out in the company of the
detective on our visit to Wisteria Lodge. It was a cold, dark March
evening, with a sharp wind and a fine rain beating upon our faces, a
fit setting for the wild common over which our road passed and the
tragic goal to which it led us.
2. The Tiger of San Pedro
A cold and melancholy walk of a couple of miles brought us to a high
wooden gate, which opened into a gloomy avenue of chestnuts. The
curved and shadowed drive led us to a low, dark house, pitch-black
against a slate-coloured sky. From the front window upon the left of
the door there peeped a glimmer of a feeble light.
"There's a constable in possession," said Baynes. "I'll knock at the
window." He stepped across the grass plot and tapped with his hand
on the pane. Through the fogged glass I dimly saw a man spring up from
a chair beside the fire, and heard a sharp cry from within the room.
An instant later a white-faced, hard-breathing policeman had opened
the door, the candle wavering in his trembling hand.
"What's the matter, Walters?" asked Baynes sharply.
The man mopped his forehead with his handkerchief and gave a long
sigh of relief.
"I am glad you have come, sir. It has been a long evening, and I
don't think my nerve is as good as it was."
"Your nerve, Walters? I should not have thought you had a nerve in
your body."
"Well, sir, it's this lonely, silent house and the queer thing in
the kitchen. Then when you tapped at the window I thought it had
come again."
"That what had come again?"
"The devil, sir, for all I know. It was at the window."
"What was at the window, and when?"
"It was just about two hours ago. The light was just fading. I was
sitting reading in the chair. I don't know what made me look up, but
there was a face looking in at me through the lower pane. Lord, sir,
what a face it was! I'll see it in my dreams."
"Tut, tut, Walters. This is not talk for a police-constable."
"I know, sir, I know; but it shook me, sir, and there's no use to
deny it. It wasn't black, sir, nor was it white, nor any colour that I
know, but a kind of queer shade like clay with a splash of milk in it.
Then there was the size of it- it was twice yours, sir. And the look
of it- the great staring goggle eyes, and the line of white teeth like
a hungry beast. I tell you, sir, I couldn't move a finger, nor get
my breath, till it whisked away and was gone. Out I ran and through
the shrubbery, but thank God there was no one there."
"If I didn't know you were a good man, Walters, I should put a black
mark against you for this. If it were the devil himself a constable on
duty should never thank God that he could not lay his hands upon
him. I suppose the whole thing is not a vision and a touch of nerves?"
"That, at least, is very easily settled," said Holmes, lighting
his little pocket lantern. "Yes," he reported, after a short
examination of the grass bed, "a number twelve shoe, I should say.
If he was all on the same scale as his foot he must certainly have
been a giant."
"What became of him?"
"He seems to have broken through the shrubbery and made for the
road."
"Well" said the inspector with a grave and thoughtful face, "whoever
he may have been, and whatever he may have wanted, he's gone for the
present and we have more immediate things to attend to. Now, Mr.
Holmes, with your permission, I will show you round the house."
The various bedrooms and sitting-rooms had yielded nothing to a
careful search. Apparently the tenants had brought little or nothing
with them, and all the furniture down to the smallest detail had
been taken over with the house. A good deal of clothing with the stamp
of Marx and Co., High Holborn, had been left behind. Telegraphic
inquiries had been already made which showed that Marx knew nothing of
his customer save that he was a good payer. Odds and ends, some pipes,
a few novels, two of them in Spanish, an old-fashioned pinfire
revolver, and a guitar were among the personal property.
"Nothing in all this" said Baynes, stalking, candle in hand, from
room to room. "But now, Mr. Holmes, I invite your attention to the
kitchen."
It was a gloomy, high-ceilinged room at the back of the house,
with a straw litter in one corner, which served apparently as a bed
for the cook. The table was piled with half-eaten dishes and dirty
plates, the debris of last night's dinner.
"Look at this," said Baynes. "What do you make of it?"
He held up his candle before an extraordinary object which stood
at the back of the dresser. It was so wrinkled and shrunken and
withered that it was difficult to say what it might have been. One
could but say that it was black and leathery and that it bore some
resemblance to a dwarfish, human figure. At first, as I examined it, I
thought that it was a mummified negro baby, and then it seemed a
very twisted and ancient monkey. Finally I was left in doubt as to
whether it was animal or human. A double band of white shells was
strung round the centre of it.
"Very interesting- very interesting, indeed!" said Holmes, peering
at this sinister relic. "Anything more?"
In silence Baynes led the way to the sink and held forward his
candle. The limbs and body of some large, white bird, torn savagely to
pieces with the feathers still on, were littered all over it. Holmes
pointed to the wattles on the severed head.
"A white cock," said he. "Most interesting! It is really a very
curious case."
But Mr. Baynes had kept his most sinister exhibit to the last. From
under the sink he drew a zinc pail which contained a quantity of
blood. Then from the table he took a platter heaped with small
pieces of charred bone.
"Something has been killed and something has been burned. We raked
all these out of the fire. We had a doctor in this morning. He says
that they are not human."
Holmes smiled and rubbed his hands.
"I must congratulate you, Inspector, on handling so distinctive
and instructive a case. Your powers, if I may say so without
offence, seem superior to your opportunities."
Inspector Baynes's small eyes twinkled with pleasure.
"You're right, Mr. Holmes. We stagnate in the provinces. A case of
this sort gives a man a chance, and I hope that I shall take it.
What do you make of these bones?"
"A lamb, I should say, or a kid."
"And the white cock?"
"Curious, Mr. Baynes, very curious. I should say almost unique."
"Yes, sir, there must have been some very strange people with some
very strange ways in this house. One of them is dead. Did his
companions follow him and kill him? If they did we should have them,
for every port is watched. But my own views are different. Yes, sir,
my own views are very different."
"You have a theory then?"
"And I'll work it myself, Mr. Holmes. It's only due to my own credit
to do so. Your name is made, but I have still to make mine. I should
be glad to be able to say afterwards that I had solved it without your
help."
Holmes laughed good-humouredly.
"Well, well, Inspector," said he. "Do you follow your path and I
will follow mine. My results are always very much at your service if
you care to apply to me for them. I think that I have seen all that
I wish in this house, and that my time may be more profitably employed
elsewhere. Au revoir and good luck!"
I could tell by numerous subtle signs, which might have been lost
upon anyone but myself, that Holmes was on a hot scent. As impassive
as ever to the casual observer, there were none the less a subdued
eagerness and suggestion of tension in his brightened eyes and brisker
manner which assured me that the game was a foot. After his habit he
said nothing, and after mine I asked no questions. Sufficient for me
to share the sport and lend my humble help to the capture without
distracting that intent brain with needless interruption. All would
come round to me in due time.
I waited, therefore- but to my ever-deepening disappointment I
waited in vain. Day succeeded day, and my friend took no step forward.
One morning he spent in town, and I learned from a casual reference
that he had visited the British Museum. Save for this one excursion,
he spent his days in long and often solitary walks, or in chatting
with a number of village gossips whose acquaintance he had cultivated.
"I'm sure, Watson, a week in the country will be invaluable to you,"
he remarked. "It is very pleasant to see the first green shoots upon
the hedges and the catkins on the hazels once again. With a spud, a
tin box, and an elementary book on botany, there are instructive
days to be spent." He prowled about with this equipment himself, but
it was a poor show of plants which he would bring back of an evening.
Occasionally in our rambles we came across Inspector Baynes. His
fat, red face wreathed itself in smiles and his small eyes glittered
as he greeted my companion. He said little about the case, but from
that little we gathered that he also was not dissatisfied at the
course of events. I must admit, however, that I was somewhat surprised
when, some five days after the crime, I opened my morning paper to
find in large letters:
THE OXSHOTT MYSTERY
A SOLUTION
ARREST OF SUPPOSED ASSASSIN
Holmes sprang in his chair as if he had been stung when I read the
headlines.
"By Jove!" he cried. "You don't mean that Baynes has got him?"
"Apparently," said I as I read the following report:
"Great excitement was caused in Esher and the neighbouring
district when it was learned late last night that an arrest had been
effected in connection with the Oxshott murder. It will be
remembered that Mr. Garcia, of Wisteria Lodge, was found dead on
Oxshott Common, his body showing signs of extreme violence, and that
on the same night his servant and his cook fled, which appeared to
show participation in the crime. It was suggested, but never proved,
that the gentleman may have had valuables in the house, and that their
abstraction was the motive of the crime. Every effort was made by
Inspector Baynes, who has the case in hand, to ascertain the hiding
place of the fugatives, and he had good reason to believe that they
had not gone far but were lurking in some retreat which had been
already prepared. It was certain from the first, however, that they
would eventually be detected, as the cook, from the evidence of one or
two trades-people who have caught a glimpse of him through the window,
was a man of most remarkable appearance- being a huge and hideous
mulatto, with yellowish features of a pronounced negroid type. This
man has been seen since the crime, for he was detected and pursued
by Constable Walters on the same evening, when he had the audacity
to revisit Wisteria Lodge. Inspector Baynes, considering that such a
visit must have some purpose in view and was likely, therefore, to
be repeated, abandoned the house but left an ambuscade in the
shrubbery. The man walk into the trap and was captured last night
after a struggle in which Constable Downing was badly bitten by the
savage. We understand that when the prisoner is brought before the
magistrates a remand will be applied for by the police, and that great
developments are hoped from his capture."
"Really we must see Baynes at once," cried Holmes, picking up his
hat. "We will just catch him before he starts." We hurried down the
village street and found, as we had expected, that the inspector was
just leaving his lodgings.
"You've seen the paper, Mr. Holmes?" he asked, holding one out to
us.
"Yes, Baynes, I've seen it. Pray don't think it a liberty if I
give you a word of friendly warning.
"Of warning. Mr. Holmes?"
"I have looked into this case with some care, and I am not convinced
that you are on the right lines. I don't want you to commit yourself
too far unless you are sure."
"You're very kind, Mr. Holmes."
"I assure you I speak for your good."
It seemed to me that something like a wink quivered for an instant
over one of Mr. Baynes's tiny eyes.
"We agreed to work on our own lines, Mr. Holmes. That's what I am
doing."
"Oh, very good," said Holmes. "Don't blame me."
"No, sir; I believe you mean well by me. But we all have our own
systems, Mr. Holmes. You have yours, and maybe I have mine."
"Let us say no more about it."
"You're welcome always to my news. This fellow is a perfect
savage, as strong as a cart-horse and as fierce as the devil. He
chewed Downing's thumb nearly off before they could master him. He
hardly speaks a word of English, and we can get nothing out of him but
grunts."
"And you think you have evidence that he murdered his late master?"
"I didn't say so, Mr. Holmes; I didn't say so. We all have our
little ways. You try yours and I will try mine. That's the agreement."
Holmes shrugged his shoulders as we walked away together. "I can't
make the man out. He seems to be riding for a fall. Well, as he
says, we must each try our own way and see what comes of it. But
there's something in Inspector Baynes which I can't quite understand."
"Just sit down in that chair, Watson," said Sherlock Holmes when
we had returned to our apartment at the Bull. "I want to put you in
touch with the situation, as I may need your help to-night. Let me
show you the evolution of this case so far as I have been able to
follow it. Simple as it has been in its leading features, it has
none the less presented surprising difficulties in the way of an
arrest. There are gaps in that direction which we have still to fill.
"We will go back to the note which was handed in to Garcia upon
the evening of his death. We may put aside this idea of Baynes's
that Garcia's servants were concerned in the matter. The proof of this
lies in the fact that it was he who had arranged for the presence of
Scott Eccles, which could only have been done for the purpose of an
alibi. It was Garcia, then, who had an enterprise, and apparently a
criminal enterprise, in hand that night in the course of which he
met his death. I say 'criminal' because only a man with a criminal
enterprise desires to establish an alibi. Who, then, is most likely to
have taken his life? Surely the person against whom the criminal
enterprise was directed. So far it seems to me that we are on safe
ground.
"We can now see a reason for the disappearance of Garcia's
household. They were all confederates in the same unknown crime. If it
came off when Garcia returned, any possible suspicion would be
warded off by the Englishman's evidence, and all would be well. But
the attempt was a dangerous one, and if Garcia did not return by a
certain hour it was probable that his own life had been sacrificed. It
had been arranged, therefore, that in such a case his two subordinates
were to make for some prearranged spot where they could escape
investigation and be in a position afterwards to renew their
attempt. That would fully explain the facts, would it not?"
The whole inexplicable tangle seemed to straighten out before me.
I wondered, as I always did, how it had not been obvious to me before.
"But why should one servant return?"
"We can imagine that in the confusion of flight something
precious, something which he could not bear to part with, had been
left behind. That would explain his persistence, would it not?"
"Well, what is the next step?"
"The next step is the note received by Garcia at the dinner. It
indicates a confederate at the other end. Now, where was the other
end? I have already shown you that it could only lie in some large
house, and that the number of large houses, is limited. My first
days in this village were devoted to a series of walks in which in the
intervals of my botanical researches I made a reconnaissance of all
the large houses and an examination of the family history of the
occupants. One house, and only one, riveted my attention. It is the
famous old Jacobean grange of High Gable, one mile on the farther side
of Oxshott, and less than half a mile from the scene of the tragedy.
The other mansions belonged to prosaic and respectable people who live
far aloof from romance. But Mr. Henderson, of High Gable, was by all
accounts a curious man to whom curious adventures might befall. I
concentrated my attention, therefore, upon him and his household.
"A singular set of people, Watson- the man himself the most singular
of them all. I managed to see him on a plausible pretext, but I seemed
to read in his dark, deep-set, brooding eyes that he was perfectly
aware of my true business. He is a man of fifty, strong, active,
with iron-gray hair, great bunched black eyebrows, the step of a deer,
and the air of an emperor- a fierce, masterful man, with a red-hot
spirit behind his parchment face. He is either a foreigner or has
lived long in the tropics, for he is yellow and sapless, but tough
as whipcord. His friend and secretary, Mr. Lucas, is undoubtedly a
foreigner, chocolate brown, wily, suave, and catlike, with a poisonous
gentleness of speech. You see, Watson, we have come already upon two
sets of foreigners- one at Wisteria Lodge and one at High Gable- so
our gaps are beginning to close.
"These two men, close and confidential friends, are the centre of
the household; but there is one other person who for our immediate
purpose may be even more important. Henderson has two children-
girls of eleven and thirteen. Their governess is a Miss Burnet, an
Englishwoman of forty or thereabouts. There is also one confidential
manservant. This little group forms the real family, for they travel
about together, and Henderson is a great traveller, always on the
move. It is only within the last few weeks that he has returned, after
a year's absence, to High Gable. I may add that he is enormously rich,
and whatever his whims may be he can very easily satisfy them. For the
rest, his house is full of butlers, footmen, maidservants, and the
usual overfed, underworked staff of a large English country-house.
"So much I learned partly from village gossip and partly from my own
observation. There are no better instruments than discharged
servants with a grievance, and I was lucky enough to find one. I
call it luck, but it would not have come my way had I not been looking
out for it. As Baynes remarks, we all have our systems. It was my
system which enabled me to find John Warner, late gardener of High
Gable, sacked in a moment of temper by his imperious employer. He in
turn had friends among the indoor servants who unite in their fear and
dislike of their master. So I had my key to the secrets of the
establishment.
"Curious people, Watson! I don't pretend to understand it all yet,
but very curious people anyway. It's a double-winged house, and the
servants live on one side, the family on the other. There's no link
between the two save for Henderson's own servant, who serves the
family's meals. Everything is carried to a certain door, which forms
the one connection. Governess and children hardly go out at all,
except into the garden. Henderson never by any chance walks alone. His
dark secretary is like his shadow. The gossip among the servants is
that their master is terribly afraid of something. 'Sold his soul to
the devil in exchange for money,' says Warner, 'and expects his
creditor to come up and claim his own.' Where they came from, or who
they are, nobody has an idea. They are very violent. Twice Henderson
has lashed at folk with his dog-whip, and only his long purse and
heavy compensation have kept him out of the courts.
"Well, now, Watson, let us judge the situation by this new
information. We may take it that the letter came out of this strange
household and was an invitation to Garcia to carry out some attempt
which had already been planned. Who wrote the note? It was someone
within the citadel, and it was a woman. Who then but Miss Burnet,
the governess? All our reasoning seems to point that way. At any rate,
we may take it as a hypothesis and see what consequences it would
entail. I may add that Miss Burnet's age and character make it certain
that my first idea that there might be a love interest in our story is
out of the question.
"If she wrote the note she was presumably the friend and confederate
of Garcia. What, then, might she be expected to do if she heard of his
death? If he met it in some nefarious enterprise her lips might be
sealed. Still, in her heart, she must retain bitterness and hatred
against those who had killed him and would presumably help so far as
she could to have revenge upon them. Could we see her, then, and try
to use her? That was my first thought. But now we come to a sinister
fact. Miss Burnet has not been seen by any human eye since the night
of the murder. From that evening she has utterly vanished. Is she
alive? Has she perhaps met her end on the same night as the friend
whom she had summoned? Or is she merely a prisoner? There is the point
which we still have to decide.
"You will appreciate the difficulty of the situation, Watson.
There is nothing upon which we can apply for a warrant. Our whole
scheme might seem fantastic if laid before a magistrate. The woman's
disappearance counts for nothing, since in that extraordinary
household any member of it might be invisible for a week. And yet
she may at the present moment be in danger of her life. All I can do
is to watch the house and leave my agent, Warner, on guard at the
gates. We can't let such a situation continue. If the law can do
nothing we must take the risk ourselves."
"What do you suggest?"
"I know which is her room. It is accessible from the top of an
outhouse. My suggestion is that you and I go to-night and see if we
can strike at the very heart of the mystery."
It was not, I must confess, a very alluring prospect. The old
house with its atmosphere of murder, the singular and formidable
inhabitants, the unknown dangers of the approach, and the fact that we
were putting ourselves legally in a false position all combined to
damp my ardour. But there was something in the ice-cold reasoning of
Holmes which made it impossible to shrink from any adventure which
he might recommend. One knew that thus, and only thus, could a
solution be found. I clasped his hand in silence, and the die was
cast.
But it was not destined that our investigation should have so
adventurous an ending. It was about five o'clock, and the shadows of
the March evening were beginning to fall, when an excited rustic
rushed into our room.
"They've gone, Mr. Holmes. They went by the last train. The lady
broke away, and I've got her in a cab downstairs."
"Excellent, Warner!" cried Holmes, springing to his feet. "Watson,
the gaps are closing rapidly."
In the cab was a woman, half-collapsed from nervous exhaustion.
She bore upon her aquiline and emaciated face the traces of some
recent tragedy. Her head hung listlessly upon her breast but as she
raised it and turned her dun eyes upon us I saw that her pupils were
dark dots in the centre of the broad gray iris. She was drugged with
opium.
"I watched at the gate, same as you advised, Mr. Holmes," said our
emissary, the discharged gardener. "When the carriage came out I
followed it to the station. She was like one walking in her sleep, but
when they tried to get her into the train she came to life and
struggled. They pushed her into the carriage. She fought her way out
again. I took her part, got her into a cab, and here we are. I
shan't forget the face at the carriage window as I led her away. I'd
have a short life if he had his way- the black-eyed, scowling,
yellow devil."
We carried her upstairs, laid her on the sofa, and a couple of
cups of the strongest coffee soon cleared her brain from the mists
of the drug. Baynes had been summoned by Holmes, and the situation
rapidly explained to him.
"Why, sir, you've got me the very evidence I want," said the
inspector warmly, shaking my friend by the hand. "I was on the same
scent as you from the first."
"What! You were after Henderson?"
"Why, Mr. Holmes, when you were crawling in the shrubbery at High
Gable I was up one of the trees in the plantation and saw you down
below. It was just who would get his evidence first."
"Then why did you arrest the mulatto?"
Baynes chuckled.
"I was sure Henderson, as he calls himself, felt that he was
suspected, and that he would lie low and make no move so long as he
thought he was in any danger. I arrested the wrong man to make him
believe that our eyes were off him. I knew he would be likely to clear
off then and give us a chance of getting at Miss Burnet."
Holmes laid his hand upon the inspector's shoulder.
"You will rise high in your profession. You have instinct and
intuition," said he.
Baynes flushed with pleasure.
"I've had a plain-clothes man waiting at the station all the week.
Wherever the High Gable folk go he will keep them in sight. But he
must have been hard put to it when Miss Burnet broke away. However,
your man picked her up, and it all ends well. We can't arrest
without her evidence, that is clear, so the sooner we get a
statement the better."
"Every minute she gets stronger," said Holmes, glancing at the
governess. "But tell me, Baynes. who is this man Henderson?"
"Henderson," the inspector answered, "is Don Murillo, once called
the Tiger of San Pedro."
The Tiger of San Pedro! The whole history of the man came back to me
in a flash. He had made his name as the most lewd and bloodthirsty
tyrant that had ever governed any country with a pretence to
civilization. Strong, fearless, and energetic, he had sufficient
virtue to enable him to impose his odious vices upon a cowering people
for ten or twelve years. His name was a terror through all Central
America. At the end of that time there was a universal rising
against him. But he was as cunning as he was cruel, and at the first
whisper of coming trouble he had secretly conveyed his treasures
aboard a ship which was manned by devoted adherents. It was an empty
palace which was stormed by the insurgents next day. The dictator, his
two children, his secretary, and his wealth had all escaped them. From
that moment he had vanished from the world, and his identity had
been a frequent subject for comment in the European press.
"Yes, sir, Don Murillo, the Tiger of San Pedro," said Baynes. "If
you look it up you will find that the San Pedro colours are green
and white, same as in the note, Mr. Holmes. Henderson he called
himself, but I traced him back, Paris and Rome and Madrid to
Barcelona, where his ship came in in '86. They've been looking for him
all the time for their revenge, but it is only now that they have
begun to find him out."
"They discovered him a year ago," said Miss Burnet, who had sat up
and was now intently following the conversation. "Once already his
life has been attempted, but some evil spirit shielded him. Now,
again, it is the noble, chivalrous Garcia who has fallen, while the
monster goes safe. But another will come, and yet another, until
some day justice will be done, that is as certain as the rise of
to-morrow's sun." Her thin hands clenched, and her worn face
blanched with the passion of her hatred.
"But how come you into this matter, Miss Burnet?" asked Holmes. "How
can an English lady join in such a murderous affair?"
"I join in it because there is no other way in the world by which
justice can be gained. What does the law of England care for the
rivers of blood shed years ago in San Pedro, or for the ship load of
treasure which this man has stolen? To you they are like crimes
committed in some other planet. But we know. We have learned the truth
in sorrow and in suffering. To us there is no fiend in hell like
Juan Murillo, and no peace in life while his victims still cry for
vengeance."
"No doubt" said Holmes, "he was as you say. I have heard that he was
atrocious. But how are you affected?"
"I will tell you it all. This villain's policy was to murder, on one
pretext or another, every man who showed such promise that he might in
time come to be a dangerous rival. My husband- yes, my real name is
Sipora Victor Durando- was the San Pedro minister in London. He met me
and married me there. A nobler man never lived upon earth.
Unhappily, Murillo heard of his excellence, recalled him on some
pretext, and had him shot. With a premonition of his fate he had
refused to take me with him. His estates were confiscated, and I was
left with a pittance and a broken heart.
"Then came the downfall of the tyrant. He escaped as you have just
described. But the many whose lives he had mined, whose nearest and
dearest had suffered torture and death at his hands, would not let the
matter rest. They banded themselves into a society which should
never be dissolved until the work was done. It was my part after we
had discovered in the transformed Henderson the fallen despot, to
attach myself to his household and keep the others in touch with his
movements. This I was able to do by securing the position of governess
in his family. He little knew that the woman who faced him at every
meal was the woman whose husband he had hurried at an hour's notice
into eternity. I smiled on him, did my duty to his children, and bided
my time. An attempt was made in Paris and failed. We zig-zagged
swiftly here and there over Europe to throw off the pursuers and
finally returned to this house, which he had taken upon his first
arrival in England.
"But here also the ministers of justice were waiting. Knowing that
he would return there, Garcia, who is the son of the former highest
dignitary in San Pedro, was waiting with two trusty companions of
humble station, all three fired with the same reasons for revenge.
He could do little during the day, for Murillo took every precaution
and never went out save with his satellite Lucas, or Lopez as he was
known in the days of his greatness. At night, however, he slept alone,
and the avenger might find him. On a certain evening, which had been
prearranged, I sent my friend final instructions, for the man was
forever on the alert and continually changed his room. I was to see
that the doors were open and the signal of a green or white light in a
window which faced the drive was to give notice if all was safe or
if the attempt had better be postponed.
"But everything went wrong with us. In some way I had excited the
suspicion of Lopez, the secretary. He crept up behind me and sprang
upon me just as I had finished the note. He and his master dragged
me to my room and held judgment upon me as a convicted traitress. Then
and there they would have plunged their knives into me could they have
seen how to escape the consequences of the deed. Finally, after much
debate, they concluded that my murder was too dangerous. But they
determined to get rid forever of Garcia. They had gagged me, and
Murillo twisted my arm round until I gave him the address. I swear
that he might have twisted it off had I understood what it would
mean to Garcia. Lopez addressed the note which I had written, scaled
it with his sleeve-link, and sent it by the hand of the servant
Jose. How they murdered him I do not know, save that it was
Murillo's hand that struck him down, for Lopez had remained to guard
me. I believe he must have awaited among the gorse bushes through
which the path winds and struck him down as he passed. At first they
were of a mind to let him enter the house and kill him as a detected
burglar, but they argued that if they were mixed up in an inquiry
their own identity would at once be publicly disclosed and they
would be open to further attacks. With the death of Garcia, the
pursuit might cease, since such a death might frighten others from the
task.
"All would now have been well for them had it not been for my
knowledge of what they had done. I have no doubt that there were times
when my life hung in the balance. I was confined to my room,
terrorized by the most horrible threats, cruelly ill-used to break
my spirit- see this stab on my shoulder and the bruises from end to
end of my arms- and a gag was thrust into my mouth on the one occasion
when I tried to call from the window. For five days this cruel
imprisonment continued, with hardly enough food to hold body and
soul together. This afternoon a good lunch was brought me, but the
moment after I took it I knew that I had been drugged. In a sort of
dream I remember being half-led, half-carried to the carriage, in
the same state I was conveyed to the train. Only then, when the wheels
were almost moving, did I suddenly realize that my liberty lay in my
own hands. I sprang out, they tried to drag me back, and had it not
been for the help of this good man, who led me to the cab, I should
never have broken away. Now, thank God, I am beyond their power
forever."
We had all listened intently to this remarkable statement. It was
Holmes who broke the silence.
"Our difficulties are not over," he remarked, shaking his head. "Our
police work ends, but our legal work begins."
"Exactly," said I. "A plausible lawyer could make it out as an act
of self-defence. There may be a hundred crimes in the background,
but it is only on this one that they can be tried."
"Come, come," said Baynes cheerily, "I think better of the law
than that. Self-defence is one thing. To entice a man in cold blood
with the object of murdering him is another, whatever danger you may
fear from him. No, no, we shall all be justified when we see the
tenants of High Gable at the next Guildford Assizes."
It is a matter of history, however, that a little time was still
to elapse before the Tiger of San Pedro should meet with his
deserts. Wily and bold, he and his companion threw their pursuer off
their track by entering a lodging-house in Edmonton Street and leaving
by the back-gate into Curzon Square. From that day they were seen no
more in England. Some six months afterwards the Marquess of Montalva
and Signor Rulli, his secretary, were both murdered in their rooms
at the Hotel Escurial at Madrid. The crime was ascribed to Nihilism,
and the murderers were never arrested. Inspector Baynes visited us
at Baker Street with a printed description of the dark face of the
secretary, and of the masterful features, the magnetic black eyes, and
the tufted brows of his master. We could not doubt that justice, if
belated, had come at last.
"A chaotic case, my dear Watson," said Holmes over an evening
pipe. "It will not be possible for you to present it in that compact
form which is dear to your heart. It covers two continents, concerns
two groups of mysterious persons, and is further complicated by the
highly respectable presence of our friend, Scott Eccles, whose
inclusion shows me that the deceased Garcia had a scheming mind and
a well-developed instinct of self-preservation. It is remarkable
only for the fact that amid a perfect jungle of possibilities we, with
our worthy collaborator, the inspector, have kept our close hold on
the essentials and so been guided along the crooked and winding
path. Is there any point which is not quite clear to you?"
"The object of the mulatto cook's return?"
"I think that the strange creature in the kitchen may account for
it. The man was a primitive savage from the backwoods of San Pedro,
and this was his fetish. When his companion and he had fled to some
prearranged retreat- already occupied, no doubt by a confederate-
the companion had persuaded him to leave so compromising an article of
furniture. But the mulatto's heart was with it, and he was driven back
to it next day, when, on reconnoitring through the window, he found
policeman Walters in possession. He waited three days longer, and then
his piety or his superstition drove him to try once more. Inspector
Baynes, who, with his usual astuteness, had minimized the incident
before me, had really recognized its importance and had left a trap
into which the creature walked. Any other point, Watson?"
"The torn bird, the pail of blood, the charred bones, all the
mystery of that weird kitchen?"
Holmes smiled as he turned up an entry in his notebook.
"I spent a morning in the British Museum reading up on that and
other points. Here is a quotation from Eckermann's Voodooism and the
Negroid Religions:
The true voodoo-worshipper attempts nothing of importance without
certain sacrifices which are intended to propitiate his unclean
gods. In extreme cases these rites take the form of human sacrifices
followed by cannibalism. The more usual victims are a white cock,
which is plucked in pieces alive, or a black goat, whose throat is cut
and body burned.
"So you see our savage friend was very orthodox in his ritual. It is
grotesque, Watson," Holmes added, as he slowly fastened his
notebook, "but, as I have had occasion to remark, there is but one
step from the grotesque to the horrible."
-THE END-
.
1891
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
We were seated at breakfast one morning, my wife and I, when the
maid brought in a telegram. It was from Sherlock Holmes and ran in
this way:
Have you a couple of days to spare? Have just been wired for from
the west of England in connection with Boscombe Valley tragedy.
Shall be glad if you will come with me. Air and scenery perfect. Leave
Paddington by the 11:15.
"What do you say, dear?" said my wife, looking across at me. "Will
you go?"
"I really don't know what to say. I have a fairly long list at
present."
"Oh, Anstruther would do your work for you. You have been looking
a little pale lately. I think that the change would do you good, and
you are always so interested in Mr. Sherlock Holmes's cases."
"I should be ungrateful if I were not, seeing what I gained
through one of them," I answered. "But if I am to go, I must pack at
once, for I have only half an hour."
My experience of camp life in Afghanistan had at least had the
effect of making me a prompt and ready traveller. My wants were few
and simple, so that in less than the time stated I was in a cab with
my valise, rattling away to Paddington Station. Sherlock Holmes was
pacing up and down the platform, his tall, gaunt figure made even
gaunter and taller by his long gray travelling-cloak and close fitting
cloth cap.
"It is really very good of you to come, Watson," said he. "It
makes a considerable difference to me, having someone with me on
whom I can thoroughly rely. Local aid is always either worthless or
else biassed. If you will keep the two corner seats I shall get the
tickets."
We had the carriage to ourselves save for an immense litter of
papers which Holmes had brought with him. Among these he rummaged
and read, with intervals of note-taking and of meditation, until we
were past Reading. Then he suddenly rolled them all into a gigantic
ball and tossed them up onto the rack.
"Have you heard anything of the case?" he asked.
"Not a word. I have not seen a paper for some days."
"The London press has not had very full accounts. I have just been
looking through all the recent papers in order to master the
particulars. It seems, from what I gather, to be one of those simple
cases which are so extremely difficult."
"That sounds a little paradoxical."
"But it is profoundly true. Singularity is almost invariably a clue.
The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the more difficult it
is to bring it home. In this case, however, they have established a
very serious case against the son of the murdered man."
"It is a murder, then?"
"Well, it is conjectured to be so. I shall take nothing for
granted until I have the opportunity of looking personally into it.
I will explain the state of things to you, as far as I have been
able to understand it, in a very few words.
"Boscombe Valley is a country district not very far from Ross, in
Herefordshire. The largest landed proprietor in that part is a Mr.
John Turner, who made his money in Australia and returned some years
ago to the old country. One of the farms which he held, that of
Hatherley, was let to Mr. Charles McCarthy, who was also an
ex-Australian. The men had known each other in the colonies, so that
it was not unnatural that when they came to settle down they should do
so as near each other as possible. Turner was apparently the richer
man, so McCarthy became his tenant but still remained, it seems,
upon terms of perfect equality, as they were frequently together.
McCarthy had one son, a lad of eighteen, and Turner had an only
daughter of the same age, but neither of them had wives living. They
appear to have avoided the society of the neighbouring English
families and to have led retired lives, though both the McCarthys were
fond of sport and were frequently seen at the race-meetings of the
neighbourhood. McCarthy kept two servants-a man and a girl. Turner had
a considerable household, some half-dozen at the least. That is as
much as I have been able to gather about the families. Now for the
facts.
"On June 3rd, that is, on Monday last McCarthy left his house at
Hatherley about three in the afternoon and walked down to the Boscombe
Pool, which is a small lake formed by the spreading out of the
stream which runs down the Boscombe Valley. He had been out with his
serving-man in the morning at Ross, and he had told the man that he
must hurry, as he had an appointment of importance to keep at three.
From that appointment he never came back alive.
"From Hatherley Farmhouse to the Boscombe Pool is a quarter of a
mile, and two people saw him as he passed over this ground. One was an
old woman, whose name is not mentioned, and the other was William
Crowder, a game-keeper in the employ of Mr. Turner. Both these
witnesses depose that Mr. McCarthy was walking alone. The
game-keeper adds that within a few minutes of his seeing Mr.
McCarthy pass he had seen his son, Mr. James McCarthy, going the
same way with a gun under his arm. To the best of his belief, the
father was actually in sight at the time, and the son was following
him. He thought no more of the matter until he heard in the evening of
the tragedy that had occurred.
"The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder,
the game-keeper, lost sight of them. The Boscombe Pool is thickly
wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.
A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the
lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods
picking flowers. She states that while she was there she saw, at the
border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son,
and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel. She heard Mr.
McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she
saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father. She was
so frightened by their violence that she ran away and told her
mother when she reached home that she had left the two McCarthys
quarrelling near Boscombe Pool, and that she was afraid that they were
going to fight. She had hardly said the words when young Mr.
McCarthy came running up to the lodge to say that he had found his
father dead in the wood, and to ask for the help of the
lodge-keeper. He was much excited, without either his gun or his
hat, and his right hand and sleeve were observed to be stained with
fresh blood. On following him they found the dead body stretched out
upon the grass beside the pool. The head had been beaten in by
repeated blows of some heavy and blunt weapon. The injuries were
such as might very well have been inflicted by the butt-end of his
son's gun, which was found lying on the grass within a few paces of
the body. Under these circumstances the young man was instantly
arrested, and a verdict of 'wilful murder' having been returned at the
inquest on Tuesday, he was on Wednesday brought before the magistrates
at Ross, who have referred the case to the next Assizes. Those are the
main facts of the case as they came out before the coroner and the
police-court."
"I could hardly imagine a more damning case," I remarked. "If ever
circumstantial evidence pointed to a criminal it does so here."
"Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing," answered Holmes
thoughtfully. "It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if
you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in
an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different. It
must be confessed, however, that the case looks exceedingly grave
against the young man, and it is very possible that he is indeed the
culprit. There are several people in the neighbourhood, however, and
among them Miss Turner, the daughter of the neighbouring land-owner,
who believe in his innocence, and who have retained Lestrade, whom you
may recollect in connection with 'A Study in Scarlet', to work out the
case in his interest. Lestrade, being rather puzzled, has referred the
case to me, and hence it is that two middleaged gentlemen are flying
westward at fifty miles an hour instead of quietly digesting their
breakfasts at home."
"I am afraid," said I, "that the facts are so obvious that you
will find little credit to be gained out of this case."
"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact," he answered,
laughing. "Besides, we may chance to hit upon some other obvious facts
which may have been by no means obvious to Mr. Lestrade. You know me
too well to think that I am boasting when I say that I shall either
confirm or destroy his theory by means which he is quite incapable
of employing, or even of understanding. To take the first example to
hand, I very clearly perceive that in your bedroom the window is
upon the right-hand side, and yet I question whether Mr. Lestrade
would have noted even so self-evident a thing as that."
"How on earth-"
"My dear fellow, I know you well. I know the military neatness which
characterizes you. You shave every morning, and in this season you
shave by the sunlight, but since your shaving is less and less
complete as we get farther back on the left side, until it becomes
positively slovenly as we get round the angle of the jaw, it is surely
very clear that that is less illuminated than the other. I could not
imagine a man of your habits looking at himself in an equal light
and being satisfied with such a result. I only quote this as a trivial
example of observation and inference. Therein lies my metier, and it
is just possible that it may be of some service in the investigation
which lies before us. There are one or two minor points which were
brought out in the inquest, and which are worth considering."
"What are they?"
"It appears that his arrest did not take place at once, but after
the return to Hatherley Farm. On the inspector of constabulary
informing him that he was a prisoner, he remarked that he was not
surprised to hear it, and that it was no more than his deserts. His
observation of his had the natural effect of removing any traces of
doubt which might have remained in the minds of the coroner's jury."
"It was a confession," I ejaculated.
"No, for it was followed by a protestation of innocence."
"Coming on the top of such a damning series of events, it was at
least a most suspicious remark."
"On the contrary," said Holmes, "it is the brightest rift which I
can at present see in the clouds. However innocent he might be, he
could not be such an absolute imbecile as not to see that the
circumstances were very black against him. Had he appeared surprised
at his own arrest or feigned indignation at it, I should have looked
upon it as highly suspicious, because such surprise or anger would not
be natural under the circumstances, and yet might appear to be the
best policy to a scheming man. His frank acceptance of the situation
marks him as either an innocent man, or else as a man of
considerable self-restraint and firmness. As to his remark about his
deserts, it was also not unnatural if you consider that he stood
beside the dead body of his father, and that there is no doubt that he
had that very day so far forgotten his filial duty as to bandy words
with him, and even, according to the little girl whose evidence is
so important, to raise his hand as if to strike him. The self-reproach
and contrition which are displayed in his remark appear to me to be
the signs of a healthy mind rather than of a guilty one."
I shook my head. "Many men have been hanged on far slighter
evidence," I remarked.
"So they have. And many men have been wrongfully hanged."
"What is the young man's own account of the matter?"
"It is, I am afraid, not very encouraging to his supporters,
though there are one or two points in it which are suggestive. You
will find it here, and may read it for yourself."
He picked out from his bundle a copy of the local Herefordshire
paper, and having turned down the sheet he pointed out the paragraph
in which the unfortunate young man had given his own statement of what
had occurred. I settled myself down in the corner of the carriage
and read it very carefully. It ran in this way:
Mr. James McCarthy, the only son of the deceased, was then called
and gave evidence as follows: "I had been away from home for three
days at Bristol, and had only just returned upon the morning of last
Monday, the 3rd. My father was absent from home at the time of my
arrival, and I was informed by the maid that he had driven over to
Ross with John Cobb, the groom. Shortly after my return I heard the
wheels of his trap in the yard, and, looking out of my window, I saw
him get out and walk rapidly out of the yard, though I was not aware
in which direction he was going. I then took my gun and strolled out
in the direction of the Boscombe Pool, with the intention of
visiting the rabbit-warren which is upon the other side. On my way I
saw William Crowder, the game-keeper, as he had stated in his
evidence; but he is mistaken in thinking that I was following my
father. I had no idea that he was in front of me. When about a hundred
yards from the pool I heard a cry of 'Cooee!' which was a usual signal
between my father and myself. I then hurried forward, and found him
standing by the pool. He appeared to be much surprised at seeing me
and asked me rather roughly what I was doing there. A conversation
ensued which led to high words and almost to blows, for my father
was a man of a very violent temper. Seeing that his passion was
becoming ungovernable, I left him and returned towards Hatherley Farm.
I had not gone more than 150 yards, however, when I heard a hideous
outcry behind me, which caused me to run back again. I found my father
expiring upon the ground, with his head terribly injured. I dropped my
gun and held him in my arms, but he almost instantly expired. I
knelt beside him for some minutes, and then made my way to Mr.
Turner's lodge-keeper, his house being the nearest, to ask for
assistance. I saw no one near my father when I returned, and I have no
idea how he came by his injuries. He was not a popular man, being
somewhat cold and forbidding in his manners; but he had, as far as I
know, no active enemies. I know nothing further of the matter."
The Coroner: Did your father make any statement to you before he
died?
Witness: He mumbled a few words, but I could only catch some
allusion to a rat.
The Coroner: What did you understand by that?
Witness: It conveyed no meaning to me. I thought that he was
delirious.
The Coroner: What was the point upon which you and your father had
this final quarrel?
Witness: I should prefer not to answer.
The Coroner: I am afraid that I must press it.
Witness: It is really impossible for me to tell you. I can assure
you that it has nothing to do with the sad tragedy which followed.
The Coroner: That is for the court to decide. I need not point out
to you that your refusal to answer will prejudice your case
considerably in any future proceedings which may arise.
Witness: I must still refuse.
The Coroner: I understand that the cry of 'Cooee' was a common
signal between you and your father?
Witness: It was.
The Coroner: How was it, then, that he uttered it before he saw you,
and before he even knew that you had returned from Bristol?
Witness (with considerable confusion): I do not know.
A Juryman: Did you see nothing which aroused your suspicions when
you returned on hearing the cry and found your father fatally injured?
Witness: Nothing definite.
The Coroner: What do you mean?
Witness: I was so disturbed and excited as I rushed out into the
open, that I could think of nothing except of my father. Yet I have
a vague impression that as I ran forward something lay upon the ground
to the left of me. It seemed to me to be something gray in colour, a
coat of some sort, or a plaid perhaps. When I rose from my father I
looked round for it, but it was gone.
"Do you mean that it disappeared before you went for help?"
"Yes, it was gone."
"You cannot say what it was?"
"No, I had a feeling something was there."
"How far from the body?"
"A dozen yards or so."
"And how far from the edge of the wood?"
"About the same."
"Then if it was removed it was while you were within a dozen yards
of it?"
"Yes, but with my back towards it."
This concluded the examination of the witness.
"I see," said I as I glanced down the column, "that the coroner in
his concluding remarks was rather severe upon young McCarthy. He calls
attention, and with reason, to the discrepancy about his father having
signalled to him before seeing him, also to his refusal to give
details of his conversation with his father, and his singular
account of his father's dying words. They are all, as he remarks, very
much against the son."
Holmes laughed softly to himself and stretched himself out upon
the cushioned seat. "Both you and the coroner have been at some
pains," said he, "to single out the very strongest points in the young
man's favour. Don't you see that you alternately give him credit for
having too much imagination and too little? Too little, if he could
not invent a cause of quarrel which would give him the sympathy of the
jury; too much, if he evolved from his own inner consciousness
anything so outre as a dying reference to a rat, and the incident of
the vanishing cloth. No, sir, I shall approach this case from the
point of view that what this young man says is true, and we shall
see whither that hypothesis will lead us. And now here is my pocket
Petrarch, and not another word shall I say of this case until we are
on the scene of action. We lunch at Swindon, and I see that we shall
be there in twenty minutes."
It was nearly four o'clock when we at last, after passing through
the beautiful Stroud Valley, and over the broad gleaming Severn, found
ourselves at the pretty little country-town of Ross. A lean
ferret-like man, furtive and sly-looking, was waiting for us upon
the platform. In spite of the light brown dustcoat and leather
leggings which he wore in deference to his rustic surroundings, I
had no difficulty in recognizing Lestrade, of Scotland Yard. With
him we drove to the Hereford Arms where a room had already been
engaged for us.
"I have ordered a carriage," said Lestrade as we sat over a cup of
tea. "I knew your energetic nature, and that you would not be happy
until you had been on the scene of the crime."
"It was very nice and complimentary of you," Holmes answered. "It is
entirely a question of barometric pressure."
Lestrade looked startled. "I do not quite follow," he said.
"How is the glass? Twenty-nine, I see. No wind, and not a cloud in
the sky. I have a caseful of cigarettes here which need smoking, and
the sofa is very much superior to the usual country hotel abomination.
I do not think that it is probable that I shall use the carriage
to-night."
Lestrade laughed indulgently. "You have, no doubt, already formed
your conclusions from the newspapers," he said. "The case is as
plain as a pikestaff, and the more one goes into it the plainer it
becomes. Still, of course, one can't refuse a lady, and such a very
positive one, too. She had heard of you, and would have your
opinion, though I repeatedly told her that there was nothing which you
could do which I had not already done. Why, bless my soul! here is her
carriage at the door."
He had hardly spoken before there rushed into the room one of the
most lovely young women that I have ever seen in my life. Her violet
eyes shining, her lips parted, a pink flush upon her cheeks, all
thought of her natural reserve lost in her overpowering excitement and
concern.
"Oh, Mr. Sherlock Holmes!" she cried, glancing from one to the other
of us, and finally, with a woman's quick intuition, fastening upon
my companion, "I am so glad that you have come. I have driven down
to tell you so. I know that James didn't do it. I know it, and I
want you to start upon your work knowing it, too. Never let yourself
doubt upon that point. We have known each other since we were little
children, and I know his faults as no one else does; but he is too
tenderhearted to hurt a fly. Such a charge is absurd to anyone who
really knows him."
"I hope we may clear him, Miss Turner," said Sherlock Holmes. "You
may rely upon my doing all that I can."
"But you have read the evidence, You have formed some conclusion? Do
you not see some loophole, some flaw? Do you not yourself think that
he is innocent?"
"I think that it is very probable."
"There, now!" she cried, throwing back her head and looking
defiantly at Lestrade. "You hear! He gives me hopes."
Lestrade shrugged his shoulders. "I am afraid that my colleague
has been a little quick in forming his conclusions," he said.
"But he is right. Oh! I know that he is right. James never did it.
And about his quarrel with his father, I am sure that the reason why
he would not speak about it to the coroner was because I was concerned
in it."
"In what way?" asked Holmes.
"It is no time for me to hide anything. James and his father had
many disagreements about me. Mr. McCarthy was very anxious that
there should be a marriage between us. James and I have always loved
each other as brother and sister; but of course he is young and has
seen very little of life yet, and-and-well, he naturally did not
wish to do anything like that yet. So there were quarrels, and this, I
am sure, was one of them."
"And your father?" asked Holmes. "Was he in favour of such a union?"
"No, he was averse to it also. No one but Mr. McCarthy was in favour
of it." A quick blush passed over her fresh young face as Holmes
shot one of his keen, questioning glances at her.
"Thank you for this information," said he. "May I see your father if
I call tomorrow?"
"I am afraid the doctor won't allow it."
"The doctor?"
"Yes, have you not heard? Poor father has never been strong for
years back, but this has broken him down completely. He has taken to
his bed, and Dr. Willows says that he is a wreck and that his
nervous system is shattered. Mr. McCarthy was the only man alive who
had known dad in the old days in Victoria."
"Ha! In Victoria! That is important."
"Yes, at the mines."
"Quite so; at the gold-mines, where, as I understand, Mr. Turner
made his money."
"Yes, certainly."
"Thank you, Miss Turner. You have been of material assistance to
me."
"You will tell me if you have any news to-morrow. No doubt you
will go to the prison to see James. Oh, if you do, Mr. Holmes, do tell
him that I know him to be innocent."
"I will, Miss Turner."
"I must go home now, for dad is very ill, and he misses me so if I
leave him. Good-bye, and God help you in your undertaking." She
hurried from the room as impulsively as she had entered, and we
heard the wheels of her carriage rattle off down the street.
"I am ashamed of you, Holmes," said Lestrade with dignity after a
few minutes' silence. "Why should you raise up hopes which you are
bound to disappoint? I am not over-tender of heart, but I call it
cruel."
"I think that I see my way to clearing James McCarthy," said Holmes.
"Have you an order to see him in prison?"
"Yes, but only for you and me."
"Then I shall reconsider my resolution about going out. We have
still time to take a train to Hereford and see him to-night?"
"Ample."
"Then let us do so. Watson, I fear that you will find it very
slow, but I shall only be away a couple of hours."
I walked down to the station with them, and then wandered through
the streets of the little town, finally returning to the hotel,
where I lay upon the sofa and tried to interest myself in a
yellow-backed novel. The puny plot of the story was so thin,
however, when compared to the deep mystery through which we were
groping, and I found my attention wander so continually from the
fiction to the fact, that I at last flung it across the room and
gave myself up entirely to a consideration of the events of the day.
Supposing that this unhappy young man's story were absolutely true,
then what hellish thing, what absolutely unforeseen and
extraordinary calamity could have occurred between the time when he
parted from his father, and the moment when, drawn back by his
screams, he rushed into the glade? It was something terrible and
deadly. What could it be? Might not the nature of the injuries
reveal something to my medical instincts? I rang the bell and called
for the weekly county paper, which contained a verbatim account of the
inquest. In the surgeon's deposition it was stated that the
posterior third of the left parietal bone and the left half of the
occipital bone had been shattered by a heavy blow from a blunt weapon.
I marked the spot upon my own head. Clearly such a blow must have been
struck from behind. That was to some extent in favour of the
accused, as when seen quarrelling he was face to face with his father.
Still, it did not go for very much, for the older man might have
turned his back before the blow fell. Still, it might be worth while
to call Holmes's attention to it. Then there was the peculiar dying
reference to a rat. What could that mean? It could not be delirium.
A man dying from a sudden blow does not commonly become delirious. No,
it was more likely to be an attempt to explain how he met his fate.
But what could it indicate? I cudgelled my brains to find some
possible explanation. And then the incident of the gray cloth seen
by young McCarthy. If that were true the murderer must have dropped
some part of his dress, presumably his overcoat, in his flight and
must have had the hardihood to return and to carry it away at the
instant when the son was kneeling with his back turned not a dozen
paces off. What a tissue of mysteries and improbabilities the whole
thing was! I did not wonder at Lestrade's opinion, and yet I had so
much faith in Sherlock Holmes's insight that I could not lose hope
as long as every fresh fact seemed to strengthen his conviction of
young McCarthy's innocence.
It was late before Sherlock Holmes returned. He came back alone, for
Lestrade was staying in lodgings in the town.
"The glass still keeps very high," he remarked as he sat down. "It
is of importance that it should not rain before we are able to go over
the ground. On the other hand, a man should be at his very best and
keenest for such nice work as that, and I did not wish to do it when
fagged by a long journey. I have seen young McCarthy."
"And what did you learn from him?"
"Nothing."
"Could he throw no light?"
"None at all. I was inclined to think at one time that he knew who
had done it and was screening him or her, but I am convinced now
that he is as puzzled as everyone else. He is not a very
quick-witted youth, though comely to look at and, I should think,
sound at heart."
"I cannot admire his taste," I remarked, "if it is indeed a fact
that he was averse to a marriage with so charming a young lady as this
Miss Turner."
"Ah, thereby hangs a rather painful tale. This fellow is madly,
insanely, in love with her, but some two years ago, when he was only a
lad, and before he really knew her, for she had been away five years
at a boarding-school, what does the idiot do but get into the clutches
of a barmaid in Bristol and marry her at a registry office? No one
knows a word of the matter, but you can imagine how maddening it
must be to him to be upbraided for not doing what he would give his
very eyes to do, but what he knows to be absolutely impossible. It was
sheer frenzy of this sort which made him throw his hands up into the
air when his father, at their last interview, was goading him on to
propose to Miss Turner. On the other hand, he had no means of
supporting himself, and his father, who was by all accounts a very
hard man, would have thrown him over utterly had he known the truth.
It was with his barmaid wife that he had spent the last three days
in Bristol, and his father did not know where he was. Mark that point.
It is of importance. Good has come out of evil, however, for the
barmaid, finding from the papers that he is in serious trouble and
likely to be hanged, has thrown him over utterly and has written to
him to say that she has a husband already in the Bermuda Dockyard,
so that there is really no tie between them. I think that of news
has consoled young McCarthy for all that he has suffered."
"But if he is innocent, who has done it?"
"Ah! who? I would call your attention very particularly to two
points. One is that the murdered man had an appointment with someone
at the pool, and that the someone could not have been his son, for his
son was away, and he did not know when he would return. The second
is that the murdered man was heard to cry 'Cooee!' before he knew that
his son had returned. Those are the crucial points upon which the case
depends. And now let us talk about George Meredith, if you please, and
we shall leave all minor matters until to-morrow."
There was no rain, as Holmes had foretold, and the morning broke
bright and cloudless. At nine o'clock Lestrade called for us with
the carriage, and we set off for Hatherley Farm and the Boscombe Pool.
"There is serious news this morning," Lestrade observed. "It is said
that Mr. Turner, of the Hall, is so ill that his life is despaired
of."
"An elderly man, I presume?" said Holmes.
"About sixty; but his constitution has been shattered by his life
abroad, and he has been in failing health for some time. This business
has had a very bad effect upon him. He was an old friend of
McCarthy's, and, I may add, a great benefactor to him, for I have
learned that he gave him Hatherley Farm rent free."
"Indeed! That is interesting," said Holmes.
"Oh, yes! In a hundred other ways he has helped him. Everybody about
here speaks of his kindness to him."
"Really! Does it not strike you as a little singular that this
McCarthy, who appears to have had little of his own, and to have
been under such obligations to Turner, should still talk of marrying
his son to Turner's daughter, who is, presumably, heiress to the
estate, and that in such a very cocksure manner, as if it were
merely a case of a proposal and all else would follow? It is the
more strange, since we know that Turner himself was averse to the
idea. The daughter told us as much. Do you not deduce something from
that?"
"We have got to the deductions and the inferences," said Lestrade,
winking at me. "I find it hard enough to tackle facts, Holmes, without
flying away after theories and fancies."
"You are right," said Holmes demurely, "you do find it very hard
to tackle the facts."
"Anyhow, I have grasped one fact which you seem to find it difficult
to get hold of," replied Lestrade with some warmth.
"And that is-"
"That McCarthy senior met his death from McCarthy junior and that
all theories to the contrary are the merest moonshine."
"Well, moonshine is a brighter thing than fog," said Holmes,
laughing. "But I am very much mistaken if this is not Hatherley Farm
upon the left."
"Yes, that is it." It was a widespread, comfortable-looking
building, two-storied, slate-roofed, with great yellow blotches of
lichen upon the gray walls. The drawn blinds and the smokeless
chimneys, however, gave it a stricken look, as though the weight of
this horror still lay heavy upon it. We called at the door, when the
maid, at Holmes's request, showed us the boots which her master wore
at the time of his death, and also a pair of the son's, though not the
pair which he had then had. Having measured these very carefully
from seven or eight different points, Holmes desired to be led to
the court-yard, from which we all followed the winding track which led
to Boscombe Pool.
Sherlock Holmes was transformed when he was hot upon such a scent as
this. Men who had only known the quiet thinker and logician of Baker
Street would have failed to recognize him. His face flushed and
darkened. His brows were drawn into two hard black lines, while his
eyes shone out from beneath them with a steely glitter. His face was
bent downward, his shoulders bowed, his lips compressed, and the veins
stood out like whipcord in his long, sinewy neck. His nostrils
seemed to dilate with a purely animal lust for the chase, and his mind
was so absolutely concentrated upon the matter before him that a
question or remark fell unheeded upon his ears, or, at the most,
only provoked a quick, impatient snarl in reply. Swiftly and
silently he made his way along the track which ran through the
meadows, and so by way of the woods to the Boscombe Pool. It was damp,
marshy ground, as is all that district, and there were marks of many
feet, both upon the path and amid the short grass which bounded it
on either side. Sometimes Holmes would hurry on, sometimes stop
dead, and once he made quite a little detour into the meadow. Lestrade
and I walked behind him, the detective indifferent and contemptuous,
while I watched my friend with the interest which sprang from the
conviction that every one of his actions was directed towards a
definite end.
The Boscombe Pool, which is a little reed-girt sheet of water some
fifty yards across, is situated at the boundary between the
Hatherley Farm and the private park of the wealthy Mr. Turner. Above
the woods which lined it upon the farther side we could see the red,
jutting pinnacles which marked the site of the rich landowner's
dwelling. On the Hatherley side of the pool the woods grew very thick,
and there was a narrow belt of sodden grass twenty paces across
between the edge of the trees and the reeds which lined the lake.
Lestrade showed us the exact spot at which the body had been found,
and, indeed, so moist was the ground, that I could plainly see the
traces which had been left by the fall of the stricken man. To Holmes,
as I could see by his eager face and peering eyes, very many other
things were to be read upon the trampled grass. He ran round, like a
dog who is picking up a scent, and then turned upon my companion.
"What did you go into the pool for?" he asked.
"I fished about with a rake. I thought there might be some weapon or
other trace. But how on earth-"
"Oh, tut, tut! I have no time! That left foot of yours with its
inward twist is all over the place. A mole could trace it, and there
it vanishes among the reeds. Oh, how simple it would all have been had
I been here before they came like a herd of buffalo and wallowed all
over it. Here is where the party with the lodge-keeper came, and
they have covered all tracks for six or eight feet round the body. But
here are three separate tracks of the same feet." He drew out a lens
and lay down upon his waterproof to have a better view, talking all
the time to himself rather than to us. "These are young McCarthy's
feet. Twice he was walking, and once he ran swiftly, so that the soles
are deeply marked and the heels hardly visible. That bears out his
story. He ran when he saw his father on the ground. Then here are
the father's feet as he paced up and down. What is this, then? It is
the butt-end of the gun as the son stood listening. And this? Ha,
ha! What have we here? Tiptoes! tiptoes! Square, too, quite unusual
boots! They come, they go, they come again of course that was for
the cloak. Now where did they come from?" He ran up and down,
sometimes losing, sometimes finding the track until we were well
within the edge of the wood and under the shadow of a great beech, the
largest tree in the neighbourhood. Holmes traced his way to the
farther side of this and lay down once more upon his face with a
little cry of satisfaction. For a long time he remained there, turning
over the leaves and dried sticks, gathering up what seemed to me to be
dust into an envelope and examining with his lens not only the
ground but even the bark of the tree as far as he could reach. A
jagged stone was lying among the moss, and this also he carefully
examined and retained. Then he followed a pathway through the wood
until he came to the highroad, where all traces were lost.
"It has been a case of considerable interest," he remarked,
returning to his natural manner. "I fancy that this gray house on
the right must be the lodge. I think that I will go in and have a word
with Moran, and perhaps write a little note. Having done that, we
may drive back to our luncheon. You may walk to the cab, and I shall
be with you presently."
It was about ten minutes before we regained our cab and drove back
into Ross, Holmes still carving with him the stone which he had picked
up in the wood.
"This may interest you, Lestrade," he remarked, holding it out. "The
murder was done with it."
"I see no marks."
"There are none."
"How do you know, then?"
"The grass was growing under it. It had only lain there a few
days. There was no sign of a place whence it had been taken. It
corresponds with the injuries. There is no sign of any other weapon."
"And the murderer?"
"Is a tall man, left-handed, limps with the right leg, wears
thick-soled shooting boots and a gray cloak, smokes Indian cigars,
uses a cigar-holder, and carries a blunt pen-knife in his pocket.
There are several other indications, but these may be enough to aid us
in our search."
Lestrade laughed. "I am afraid that I am still a sceptic," he
said. "Theories are all very well, but we have to deal with a
hard-headed British jury."
"Nous verrons," answered Holmes calmly. "You work your own method,
and I shall work mine. I shall be busy this afternoon, and shall
probably return to London by the evening train."
"And leave your case unfinished?"
"No, finished."
"But the mystery?"
"It is solved."
"Who was the criminal, then?"
"The gentleman I describe."
"But who is he?"
"Surely it would not be difficult to find out. This is not such a
populous neighbourhood."
Lestrade shrugged his shoulders. "I am a practical man," he said,
"and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a
left-handed gentleman with a game-leg. I should become the
laughing-stock of Scotland Yard."
"All right," said Holmes quietly. "I have given you the chance. Here
are your lodgings. Good-bye. I shall drop you a line before I leave."
Having left Lestrade at his rooms, we drove to our hotel, where we
found lunch upon the table. Holmes was silent and buried in thought
with a pained expression upon his face, as one who finds himself in
a perplexing position.
"Look here, Watson," he said when the cloth was cleared; "just sit
down in this chair and let me preach to you for a little. I don't know
quite what to do, and I should value your advice. Light a cigar and
let me expound."
"Pray do so."
"Well, now, in considering this case there are two points about
young McCarthy's narrative which struck us both instantly, although
they impressed me in his favour and you against him. One was the
fact that his father should, according to his account, cry 'Cooee!'
before seeing him. The other was his singular dying reference to a
rat. He mumbled several words, you understand, but that was all that
caught the son's ear. Now from this double point our research must
commence, and we will begin it by presuming that what the lad says
is absolutely true."
"What of this 'Cooee!' then?"
"Well, obviously it could not have been meant for the son. The
son, as far as he knew, was in Bristol. It was mere chance that he was
within earshot. The 'Cooee!' was meant to attract the attention of
whoever it was that he had the appointment with. But 'Cooee' is a
distinctly Australian cry, and one which is used between
Australians. There is a strong presumption that the person whom
McCarthy expected to meet him at Boscombe Pool was someone who had
been in Australia."
"What of the rat, then?"
Sherlock Holmes took a folded paper from his pocket and flattened it
out on the table. "This is a map of the Colony of Victoria," he
said. "I wired to Bristol for it last night." He put his hand over
part of the map. "What do you read?"
"ARAT," I read.
"And now?" He raised his hand.
"BALLARAT."
"Quite so. That was the word the man uttered, and of which his son
only caught the last two syllables. He was trying to utter the name of
his murderer. So and so, of Ballarat."
"It is wonderful!" I exclaimed.
"It is obvious. And now, you see, I had narrowed the field down
considerably. The possession of a gray garment was a third point
which, granting the son's statement to be correct, was a certainty. We
have come now out of mere vagueness to the definite conception of an
Australian from Ballarat with a gray cloak."
"Certainly."
"And one who was at home in the district, for the pool can only be
approached by the farm or by the estate, where strangers could
hardly wander."
"Quite so."
"Then comes our expedition of to-day. By an examination of the
ground I gained the trifling details which I gave to that imbecile
Lestrade, as to the personality of the criminal."
"But how did you gain them?"
"You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles."
"His height I know that you might roughly judge from the length of
his stride. His boots, too, might be told from their traces."
"Yes, they were peculiar boots."
"But his lameness?"
"The impression of his right foot was always less distinct than
his left. He put less weight upon it. Why? Because he limped-he was
lame."
"But his left-handedness."
"You were yourself struck by the nature of the injury as recorded by
the surgeon at the inquest. The blow was struck from immediately
behind, and yet was upon the left side. Now, how can that be unless it
were by a left-handed man? He had stood behind that tree during the
interview between the father and son. He had even smoked there. I
found the ash of a cigar, which my special knowledge of tobacco
ashes enables me to pronounce as an Indian cigar. I have, as you know,
devoted some attention to this, and written a little monograph on
the ashes of 140 different varieties of pipe, cigar, and cigarette
tobacco. Having found the ash, I then looked round and discovered
the stump among the moss where he had tossed it. It was an Indian
cigar, of the variety which are rolled in Rotterdam."
"And the cigar-holder?"
"I could see that the end had not been in his mouth. Therefore he
used a holder. The tip had been cut off not bitten off, but the cut
was not a clean one, so I deduced a blunt pen-knife."
"Holmes," I said, "you have drawn a net round this man from which he
cannot escape, and you have saved an innocent human life as truly as
if you had cut the cord which was hanging him. I see the direction
in which all this points. The culprit is-"
"Mr. John Turner," cried the hotel waiter, opening the door of our
sitting-room, and ushering in a visitor.
The man who entered was a strange and impressive figure. His slow,
limping step and bowed shoulders gave the appearance of decrepitude,
and yet his hard, deep-lined, craggy features, and his enormous
limbs showed that he was possessed of unusual strength of body and
of character. His tangled beard, grizzled hair, and outstanding,
drooping eyebrows combined to give an air of dignity and power to
his appearance, but his face was of an ashen white, while his lips and
the corners of his nostrils were tinged with a shade of blue. It was
clear to me at a glance that he was in the grip of some deadly and
chronic disease.
"Pray sit down on the sofa," said Holmes gently. "You had my note?"
"Yes, the lodge-keeper brought it up. You said that you wished to
see me here to avoid scandal."
"I thought people would talk if I went to the Hall."
"And why did you wish to see me?" He looked across at my companion
with despair in his weary eyes, as though his question was already
answered.
"Yes," said Holmes, answering the look rather than the words. "It is
so. I know all about McCarthy."
The old man sank his face in his hands. "God help me!" he cried.
"But I would not have let the young man come to harm. I give you my
word that I would have spoken out if it went against him at the
Assizes."
"I am glad to hear you say so," said Holmes gravely.
"I would have spoken now had it not been for my dear girl. It
would break her heart-it will break her heart when she hears that I am
arrested."
"It may not come to that," said Holmes.
"What?"
"I am no official agent. I understand that it was your daughter
who required my presence here, and I am acting in her interests. Young
McCarthy must be got off, however."
"I am a dying man," said old Turner. "I have had diabetes for years.
My doctor says it is a question whether I shall live a month. Yet I
would rather die under my own roof than in a jail."
Holmes rose and sat down at the table with his pen in his hand and a
bundle of paper before him. "Just tell us the truth," he said. "I
shall jot down the facts. You will sign it, and Watson here can
witness it. Then I could produce your confession at the last extremity
to save young McCarthy. I promise you that I shall not use it unless
it is absolutely needed."
"It's as well," said the old man; "it's a question whether I shall
live to the Assizes, so it matters little to me, but I should wish
to spare Alice the shock. And now I will make the thing clear to
you; it has been a long time in the acting, but will not take me
long to tell."
"You didn't know this dead man, McCarthy. He was a devil
incarnate. I tell you that. God keep you out of the clutches of such a
man as he. His grip has been upon me these twenty years, and he has
blasted my life. I'll tell you first how I came to be in his power.
"It was in the early '60's at the diggings. I was a young chap then,
hot-blooded and reckless, ready to turn my hand at anything; I got
among bad companions, took to drink, had no luck with my claim, took
to the bush, and in a word became what you would call over here a
highway robber. There were six of us, and we had a wild, free life
of it, sticking up a station from time to time, or stopping the wagons
on the road to the diggings. Black Jack of Ballarat was the name I
went under, and our party is still remembered in the colony as the
Ballarat Gang.
"One day a gold convoy came down from Ballust to Melbourne, and we
lay in wait for it and attacked it. There were six troopers and six of
us, so it was a close thing, but we emptied four of their saddles at
the first volley. Three of our boys were killed, however, before we
got the swag. I put my pistol to the head of the wagon-driver, who was
this very man McCarthy. I wish to the Lord that I had though him
shot him then, but I spared him, though I saw his wicked little eyes
fixed on my face, as though to remember every feature. We got away
with the gold, became wealthy men, and made our way over to England
without being suspected. There I parted from my old pals and
determined to settle down to a quiet and respectable life. I bought
this estate, which chanced to be in the market, and I set myself to do
a little with my money, to make up for the way in which I had earned
it. I married, too, and though my wife died young she left me my
dear little Alice. Even when she was just a baby her wee hand seemed
to lead me down the right path as nothing else had ever done. In a
word, I turned over a new leaf and did my best to make up for the
past. All was going well when McCarthy laid his grip upon me.
"I had gone up to town about an investment, and I met him in
Regent Street with hardly a coat to his back or a boot to his foot.
"'Here we are, Jack,' says he, touching me on the arm; 'we'll be
as good as a family to you. There's two of us, me and my son, and
you can have the keeping of us. If you don't-it's a fine,
law-abiding country is England, and there's always a policeman
within hail.'
"Well, down they came to the west country, there was no shaking them
off, and there they have lived rent free on my best land ever since.
There was no rest for me, no peace, no forgetfulness; turn where I
would, there was his cunning, grinning face at my elbow. It grew worse
as Alice grew up, for he soon saw I was more afraid of her knowing my
past than of the police. Whatever he wanted he must have, and whatever
it was I gave him without question, land, money, houses, until at last
he asked a thing which I could not give. He asked for Alice.
"His son, you see, had grown up, and so had my girl, and as I was
known to be in weak health, it seemed a fine stroke to him that his
lad should step into the whole property. But there I was firm. I would
not have his cursed stock mixed with mine; not that I had any
dislike to the lad, but his blood was in him, and that was enough. I
stood firm. McCarthy threatened. I braved him to do his worst. We were
to meet at the pool midway between our houses to talk it over.
"When I went down there I found him talking with his son, so I
smoked a cigar and waited behind a tree until he should be alone.
But as I listened to his talk all that was black and bitter in me
seemed, to come uppermost. He was urging his son to marry my
daughter with as little regard for what she might think as if she were
a slut from off the streets. It drove me mad to think that I and all
that I held most dear should be in the power of such a man as this.
Could I not snap the bond? I was already a dying and a desperate
man. Though clear of mind and fairly strong of limb, I knew that my
own fate was sealed. But my memory and my girl! Both could be saved if
I could but silence that foul tongue. I did it, Mr. Holmes.
"I would do it again. Deeply as I have sinned, I have led a life
of martyrdom to atone for it. But that my girl should be entangled
in the same meshes which held me was more than I could suffer. I
struck him down with no more compunction than if he had been some foul
and venomous beast. His cry brought back his son; but I had gained the
cover of the wood, though I was forced to go back to fetch the cloak
which I had dropped in my flight. That is the true story, gentlemen,
of all that occurred."
Well, it is not for me to judge you," said Holmes as the old man
signed the statement which had been drawn out. "I pray that we may
never be exposed to such a temptation."
"I pray not, sir. And what do you intend to do?"
"In view of your health, nothing. You are yourself aware that you
will soon have to answer for your deed at a higher court than the
Assizes. I will keep your confession, and if McCarthy is condemned I
shall be forced to use it. If not, it shall never be seen by mortal
eye; and your secret, whether you be alive or dead, shall be safe with
us."
"Farewell, then," said the old man solemnly. "Your own deathbeds,
when they come, will be the easier for the thought of the peace
which you have given to mine." Tottering and shaking in all his
giant frame, he stumbled slowly from the room.
"God help us!" said Holmes after a long silence. "Why does fate play
such tricks with poor, helpless worms? I never hear of such a case
as this that I do not think of Baxter's words, and say, 'There, but
for the grace of God, goes Sherlock Holmes.'"
James McCarthy was acquitted at the Assizes on the strength of a
number of objections which had been drawn out by Holmes and
submitted to the defending counsel. Old Turner lived for seven
months after our interview, but he is now dead; and there is every
prospect that the son and daughter may come to live happily together
in ignorance of the black cloud which rests upon their past.
-THE END-
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE CROOKED MAN
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Crooked Man.
One summer night a few months after my marriage, I was seated by
my own hearth smoking a last pipe and nodding over a novel, for my
day's work had been an exhausting one. My wife had already gone
upstairs, and the sound of the locking of the hall door some time
before told me that the servants had also retired. I had risen from my
seat and was knocking out the ashes of my pipe when I suddenly heard
the clang of the bell.
I looked at the clock. It was a quarter to twelve. This could not be
a visitor at so late an hour. A patient evidently, and possibly an
all-night sitting. With a wry face I went out into the hall and opened
the door. To my astonishment it was Sherlock Holmes who stood upon
my step.
"Ah, Watson," said he, "I hoped that I might not be too late to
catch you."
"My dear fellow, pray come in."
"You look surprised, and no wonder! Relieved, too, I fancy! Hum! You
still smoke the Arcadia mixture of your bachelor days, then! There's
no mistaking that fluffy ash upon your coat. It's easy to tell that
you have been accustomed to wear a uniform, Watson. You'll never
pass as a pure-bred civilian as long as you keep that habit of
carrying your handkerchief in your sleeve. Could you put me up
to-night?"
"With pleasure."
"You told me that you had bachelor quarters for one, and I see
that you have no gentleman visitor at present. Your hat-stand
proclaims as much."
"I shall be delighted if you will stay."
"Thank you. I'll fill the vacant peg then. Sorry to see that
you've had the British workman in the house. He's a token of evil. Not
the drains, I hope?"
"No, the gas."
"Ah! He has left two nail-marks from his boot upon your linoleum
just where the light strikes it. No, thank you, I had some supper at
Waterloo, but I'll smoke a pipe with you with pleasure."
I handed him my pouch, and he seated himself opposite to me and
smoked for some time in silence. I was well aware that nothing but
business of importance would have brought him to me at such an hour,
so I waited patiently until he should come round to it.
"I see that you are professionally rather busy just now," said he,
glancing very keenly across at me.
"Yes, I've had a busy day," I answered. "It may seem very foolish in
your eyes" I added, "but really I don't know how you deduced it."
Holmes chuckled to himself.
"I have the advantage of knowing your habits, my dear Watson,"
said he. "When your round is a short one you walk, and when it is a
long one you use a hansom. As I perceive that your boots, although
used, are by no means dirty, I cannot doubt that you are at present
busy enough to justify the hansom."
"Excellent!" I cried.
"Elementary," said he. "It is one of those instances where the
reasoner can produce an effect which seems remarkable to his
neighbour, because the latter has missed the one little point which is
the basis of the deduction. The same may be said, my dear fellow,
for the effect of some of these little sketches of yours, which is
entirely meretricious, depending as it does upon your retaining in
your own hands some factors in the problem which are never imparted to
the reader. Now, at present I am in the position of these same
readers, for I hold in this hand several threads of one of the
strangest cases which ever perplexed a man's brain, and yet I lack the
one or two which are needful to complete my theory. But I'll have
them, Watson, I'll have them!" His eyes kindled and a slight flush
sprang into his thin cheeks. For an instant the veil had lifted upon
his keen, intense nature, but for an instant only. When I glanced
again his face had resumed that red-Indian composure which had made so
many regard him as a machine rather than a man.
"The problem presents features of interest," said he. "I may even
say exceptional features of interest. I have already looked into the
matter, and have come, as I think, within sight of my solution. If you
could accompany me in that last step you might be of considerable
service to me."
"I should be delighted."
"Could you go as far as Aldershot to-morrow?'
"I have no doubt Jackson would take my practice."
"Very good. I want to start by the 11:10 from Waterloo."
"That would give me time."
"Then, if you are not too sleepy, I will give you a sketch of what
has happened, and of what remains to be done."
"I was sleepy before you came. I am quite wakeful now."
"I will compress the story as far as may be done without omitting
anything vital to the case. It is conceivable that you may even have
read some account of the matter. It is the supposed murder of
Colonel Barclay, of the Royal Munsters, at Aldershot, which I am
investigating."
"I have heard nothing of it."
"It has not excited much attention yet, except locally. The facts
are only two days old. Briefly they are these:
"The Royal Munsters is, as you know, one of the most famous Irish
regiments in the British Army. It did wonders both in the Crimea and
the Mutiny, and has since that time distinguished itself upon every
possible occasion. It was commanded up to Monday night by James
Barclay, a gallant veteran, who started as a full private, was
raised to commissioned rank for his bravery at the time of the Mutiny,
and so lived to command the regiment in which he had once carried a
musket.
"Colonel Barclay had married at the time when he was a sergeant, and
his wife, whose maiden name was Miss Nancy Devoy, was the daughter
of a former colour sergeant in the same corps. There was, therefore,
as can be imagined, some little social friction when the young
couple (for they were still young) found themselves in their new
surroundings. They appear, however, to have quickly adapted
themselves, and Mrs. Barclay has always, I understand, been as popular
with the ladies of the regiment as her husband was with his brother
officers. I may add that she was a woman of great beauty, and that
even now, when she has been married for of a striking and queenly
appearance.
"Colonel Barclay's family life appears to have been a uniformly
happy one. Major Murphy, to whom I owe most of my facts, assures me
that he has never heard of any misunderstanding between the pair. On
the whole, he thinks that Barclay's devotion to his wife was greater
than his wife's to Barclay. He was acutely uneasy if he were absent
from her for a day. She, on the other hand, though devoted and
faithful, was less obtrusively affectionate. But they were regarded in
the regiment as the very model of a middle-aged couple. There was
absolutely nothing in their mutual relations to prepare people for the
tragedy which was to follow.
"Colonel Barclay himself seems to have had some singular traits in
his character. He was a dashing, jovial old soldier in his usual mood,
but there were occasions on which he seemed to show himself capable of
considerable violence and vindictiveness. This side of his nature,
however, appears never to have been turned towards his wife. Another
fact which had struck Major Murphy and three out of five of the
other officers with whom I conversed was the singular sort of
depression which came upon him at times. As the major expressed it,
the smile has often been struck from his mouth, as if by some
invisible hand, when he has been joining in the gaieties and chaff
of the mess-table. For days on end, when the mood was on him, he has
been sunk in the deepest gloom. This and a certain tinge of
superstition were the only unusual traits in his character which his
brother officers had observed. The latter peculiarity took the form of
a dislike to being left alone, especially after dark. This puerile
feature in a nature which was conspicuously manly had often given rise
to comment and conjecture.
"The first battalion of the Royal Munsters (which is the old One
Hundred and Seventeenth) has been stationed at Aldershot for some
years. The married officers live out of barracks, and the colonel
has during all this time occupied a villa called 'Lachine,' about half
a mile from the north camp. The house stands in its own grounds, but
the west side of it is not more than thirty yards from the highroad. A
coachman and two maids form the staff of servants. These with their
master and mistress were the sole occupants of Lachine, for the
Barclays had no children, nor was it usual for them to have resident
visitors.
"Now for the events at Lachine between nine and ten on the evening
of last Monday.
"Mrs. Barclay was, it appears, a member of the Roman Catholic Church
and had interested herself very much in the establishment of the Guild
of St. George, which was formed in connection with the Watt Street
Chapel for the purpose of supplying the poor with cast-off clothing. A
meeting of the Guild had been held that evening at eight, and Mrs.
Barclay had hurried over her dinner in order to be present at it. When
leaving the house she was heard by the coachman to make some
commonplace remark to her husband, and to assure him that she would be
back before very long. She then called for Miss Morrison, a young lady
who lives in the next villa and the two went off together to their
meeting. It lasted forty minutes, and at a quarter-past nine Mrs.
Barclay returned home, having left Miss Morrison at her door as she
passed.
"There is a room which is used as a morning-room at Lachine. This
faces the road and opens by a large glass folding-door on to the lawn.
The lawn is thirty yards across and is only divided from the highway
by a low wall with an iron rail above it. It was into this room that
Mrs. Barclay went upon her return. The blinds were not down, for the
room was seldom used in the evening, but Mrs. Barclay herself lit
the lamp and then rang the bell, asking Jane Stewart, the housemaid,
to bring her a cup of tea, which was quite contrary to her usual
habits. The colonel had been sitting in the dining-room, but,
hearing that his wife had returned, he joined her in the morning-room.
The coachman saw him cross the hall and enter it. He was never seen
again alive.
"The tea which had been ordered was brought up at the end of ten
minutes; but the maid, as she approached the door, was surprised to
hear the voices of her master and mistress in furious altercation. She
knocked without receiving any answer, and even turned the handle,
but only to find that the door was locked upon the inside. Naturally
enough she ran down to tell the cook, and the two women with the
coachman came up into the hall and listened to the dispute which was
still raging. They all agreed that only two voices were to be heard,
those of Barclay and of his wife. Barclay's remarks were subdued and
abrupt so that none of them were audible to the listeners. The lady's,
on the other hand, were most bitter, and when she raised her voice
could be plainly heard. 'You coward' she repeated over and over again.
'What can be done now? What can be done now? Give me back my life. I
will never so much as breathe the same air with you again! You
coward You coward' Those were scraps of her conversation, ending in
a sudden dreadful cry in the man's voice, with a crash, and a piercing
scream from the woman. Convinced that some tragedy had occurred, the
coachman rushed to the door and strove to force it, while scream after
scream issued from within. He was unable, however, to make his way in,
and the maids were too distracted with fear to be of any assistance to
him. A sudden thought struck him, however, and he ran through the hall
door and round to the lawn upon which the long French windows open.
One side of the window was open, which I understand was quite usual in
the summertime, and he passed without difficulty into the room. His
mistress had ceased to scream and was stretched insensible upon a
couch, while with his feet tilted over the side of an armchair, and
his head upon the ground near the corner of the fender, was lying
the unfortunate soldier stone dead in a pool of his own blood.
"Naturally, the coachman's first thought, on finding that he could
do nothing for his master, was to open the door. But here an
unexpected and singular difficulty presented itself. The key was not
in the inner side of the door, nor could he find it anywhere in the
room. He went out again, therefore, through the window, and, having
obtained the help of a policeman and of a medical man, he returned.
The lady, against whom naturally the strongest suspicion rested, was
removed to her room, still in a state of insensibility. The
colonel's body was then placed upon the sofa and a careful examination
made of the scene of the tragedy.
"The injury from which the unfortunate veteran was suffering was
found to be a jagged cut some two inches long at the back part of
his head, which had evidently been caused by a violent blow from a
blunt weapon. Nor was it difficult to guess what that weapon may
have been. Upon the floor, close to the body, was lying a singular
club of hard carved wood with a bone handle. The colonel possessed a
varied collection of weapons brought from the different countries in
which he had fought, and it is conjectured by the police that this
club was among his trophies. The servants deny having seen it
before, but among the numerous curiosities in the house it is possible
that it may have been overlooked. Nothing else of importance was
discovered in the room by the police, save the inexplicable fact
that neither upon Mrs. Barclay's person nor upon that of the victim
nor in any part of the room was the missing key to be found. The
door had eventually to be opened by a locksmith from Aldershot.
"That was the state of things, Watson, when upon the Tuesday morning
I, at the request of Major Murphy, went down to Aldershot to
supplement the efforts of the police. I think that you will
acknowledge that the problem was already one of interest but my
observations soon made me realize that it was in truth much more
extraordinary than would at first sight appear.
"Before examining the room I cross-questioned the servants, but only
succeeded in eliciting the facts which I have already stated. One
other detail of interest was remembered by Jane Stewart, the
housemaid. You will remember that on hearing the sound of the
quarrel she descended and returned with the other servants. On that
first occasion, when she was alone, she says that the voices of her
master and mistress were sunk so low that she could hardly hear
anything, and judged by their tones rather than their words that
they had fallen out. On my pressing her, however, she remembered
that she heard the word David uttered twice by the lady. The point
is of the utmost importance as guiding us towards the reason of the
sudden quarrel. The colonel's name, you remember, was James.
"There was one thing in the case which had made the deepest
impression both upon the servants and the police. This was the
contortion of the colonel's face. It had set, according to their
account, into the most dreadful expression of fear and horror which
a human countenance is capable of assuming. More than one person
fainted at the mere sight of him, so terrible was the effect. It was
quite certain that he had foreseen his fate, and that it had caused
him the utmost horror. This, of course, fitted in well enough with the
police theory, if the colonel could have seen his wife making a
murderous attack upon him. Nor was the fact of the wound being on
the back of his head a fatal objection to this, as he might have
turned to avoid the blow. No information could be got from the lady
herself, who was temporarily insane from an acute attack of
brain-fever.
"From the police I learned that Miss Morrison, who you remember went
out that evening with Mrs. Barclay, denied having any knowledge of
what it was which had caused the ill-humour in which her companion had
returned.
"Having gathered these facts, Watson, I smoked several pipes over
them, trying to separate those which were crucial from others which
were merely incidental. There could be no question that the most
distinctive and suggestive point in the case was the singular
disappearance of the door-key. A most careful search had failed to
discover it in the room. Therefore it must have been taken from it.
But neither the colonel nor the colonel's wife could have taken it.
That was perfectly clear. Therefore a third person must have entered
the room. And that third person could only have come in through the
window. It seemed to me that a careful examination of the room and the
lawn might possibly reveal some traces of this mysterious
individual. You know my methods, Watson. There was not one of them
which I did not apply to the inquiry. And it ended by my discovering
traces, but very different ones from those which I had expected. There
had been a man in the room, and he had crossed the lawn coming from
the road. I was able to obtain five very clear impressions of his
footmarks: one in the roadway itself, at the point where he had
climbed the low wall, two on the lawn, and two very faint ones upon
the stained boards near the window where he had entered. He had
apparently rushed across the lawn, for his toe-marks were much
deeper than his heels. But it was not the man who surprised me. It was
his companion."
"His companion!"
Holmes pulled a large sheet of tissue-paper out of his pocket and
carefully unfolded it upon his knee.
"What do you make of that?" he asked.
The paper was covered with the tracings of the footmarks of some
small animal. It had five well-marked footpads, an indication of
long nails, and the whole print might be nearly as large as a
dessert-spoon.
"It's a dog," said I.
"Did you ever hear of a dog running up a curtain? I found distinct
traces that this creature had done so."
"A monkey, then?'
"But it is not the print of a monkey."
"What can it be, then?"
"Neither dog nor cat nor monkey nor any creature that we are
familiar with. I have tried to reconstruct it from the measurements.
Here are four prints where the beast has been standing motionless. You
see that it is no less than fifteen inches from fore-foot to hind. Add
to that the length of neck and head, and you get a creature not much
less than two feet long-probably more if there is any tail. But now
observe this other measurement. The animal has been moving, and we
have the length of its stride. In each case it is only about three
inches. You have an indication, you see, of a long body with very
short legs attached to it. It has not been considerate enough to leave
any of its hair behind it. But its general shape must be what I have
indicated, and it can run up a curtain, and it is carnivorous."
"How do you deduce that?"
"Because it ran up the curtain. A canary's cage was hanging in the
window, and its aim seems to have been to get at the bird."
"Then what was the beast?"
"Ah, if I could give it a name it might go a long way towards
solving the case. On the whole, it was probably some creature of the
weasel and stoat tribe-and yet it is larger than any of these that I
have seen."
"But what had it to do with the crime?"
"That, also, is still obscure. But we have learned a good deal,
you perceive. We know that a man stood in the road looking at the
quarrel between the Barclays-the blinds were up and the room
lighted. We know, also, that he ran across the lawn, entered the room,
accompanied by a strange animal, and that he either struck the colonel
or, as is equally possible, that the colonel fell down from sheer
fright at the sight of him, and cut his head on the corner of the
fender. Finally we have the curious fact that the intruder carried
away the key with him when he left."
"Your discoveries seem to have left the business more obscure than
it was before," said I.
"Quite so. They undoubtedly showed that the affair was much deeper
than was at first conjectured. I thought the matter over, and I came
to the conclusion that I must approach the case from another aspect.
But really, Watson, I am keeping you up, and I might just as well tell
you all this on our way to Aldershot to-morrow."
"Thank you, you have gone rather too far to stop.'
"It is quite certain that when Mrs. Barclay left the house at
half-past seven she was on good terms with her husband. She was never,
as I think I have said, ostentatiously affectionate, but she was heard
by the coachman chatting with the colonel in a friendly fashion.
Now, it was equally certain that, immediately on her return, she had
gone to the room in which she was least likely to see her husband, had
flown to tea as an agitated woman will, and finally, on his coming
in to her, had broken into violent recriminations. Therefore something
had occurred between seven-thirty and nine o'clock which had
completely altered her feelings towards him. But Miss Morrison had
been with her during the whole of that hour and a half. It was
absolutely certain, therefore, in spite of her denial, that she must
know something of the matter.
"My first conjecture was that possibly there had been some
passages between this young lady and the old soldier, which the former
had now confessed to the wife. That would account for the angry
return, and also for the girl's denial that anything had occurred. Nor
would it be entirely incompatible with most of the words overheard.
But there was the reference to David, and there was the known
affection of the colonel for his wife to weigh against it, to say
nothing of the tragic intrusion of this other man, which might, of
course, be entirely disconnected with what had gone before. It was not
easy to pick one's steps, but, on the whole, I was inclined to dismiss
the idea that there had been anything between the colonel and Miss
Morrison, but more than ever convinced that the young lady held the
clue as to what it was which had turned Mrs. Barclay to hatred of
her husband. I took the obvious course, therefore, of calling upon
Miss M., of explaining to her that I was perfectly certain that she
held the facts in her possession, and of assuring her that her friend,
Mrs. Barclay, might find herself in the dock upon a capital charge
unless the matter were cleared up.
"Miss Morrison is a little ethereal slip of a girl, with timid
eyes and blond hair, but I found her by no means wanting in shrewdness
and common sense. She sat thinking for some time after I had spoken,
and then, turning to me with a brisk air of resolution, she broke into
a remarkable statement which I will condense for your benefit.
"'I promised my friend that I would say nothing of the matter, and a
promise is a promise,' said she; 'but if I can really help her when so
serious a charge is laid against her, and when her own mouth, poor
darling, is closed by illness, then I think I am absolved from my
promise. I will tell you exactly what happened upon Monday evening.
"'We were returning from the Watt Street Mission about a quarter
to nine o'clock. On our way we had to pass through Hudson Street,
which is a very quiet thoroughfare. There is only one lamp in it, upon
the left-hand side, and as we approached this lamp I saw a man
coming towards us with his back very bent, and something like a box
slung over one of his shoulders. He appeared to be deformed, for he
carried his head low and walked with his knees bent. We were passing
him when he raised his face to look at us in the circle of light
thrown by the lamp, and as he did so he stopped and screamed out in
a dreadful voice, "My God, it's Nancy!" Mrs. Barclay turned as white
as death and would have fallen down had the dreadful-looking
creature not caught hold of her. I was going to call for the police,
but she, to my surprise, spoke quite civilly to the fellow.
"'"I thought you had been dead this thirty years, Henry," said she
in a shaking voice.
"'"So I have," said he, and it was awful to hear the tones that he
said it in. He had a very dark, fearsome face, and a gleam in his eyes
that comes back to me in my dreams. His hair and whiskers were shot
with gray, and his face was all crinkled and Puckered like a
withered apple.
"'"Just walk on a little way, dear," said Mrs. Barclay, "I want to
have a word with this man. There is nothing to be afraid of." She
tried to speak boldly, but she was still deadly pale and could
hardly get her words out for the trembling of her lips.
"'I did as she asked me, and they talked together for a few minutes.
Then she came down the street with her eyes blazing, and I saw the
crippled wretch standing by the lamp-post and shaking his clenched
fists in the air as if he were mad with rage. She never said a word
until we were at the door here, when she took me by the hand and
begged me to tell no one what had happened.
"'"It's an old acquaintance of mine who has come down in the world,"
said she. When I promised her I would say nothing she kissed me, and I
have never seen her since. I have told you now the whole truth, and if
I withheld it from the police it is because I did not realize then the
danger in which my dear friend stood. I know that it can only be to
her advantage that everything should be known.'
"There was her statement, Watson, and to me, as you can imagine,
it was like a light on a dark night. Everything which had been
disconnected before began at once to assume its true place, and I
had a shadowy presentiment of the whole sequence of events. My next
step obviously was to find the man who had produced such a
remarkable impression upon Mrs. Barclay. If he were still in Aldershot
it should not be a very difficult matter. There are not such a very
great number of civilians, and a deformed man was sure to have
attracted attention. I spent a day in the search, and by
evening-this very evening, Watson-I had run him down. The man's name
is Henry Wood, and he lives in lodgings in this same street in which
the ladies met him. He has only been five days in the place. In the
character of a registration-agent I had a most interesting gossip with
his landlady. The man is by trade a conjurer and performer, going
round the canteens after nightfall, and giving a little
entertainment at each. He carries some creature about with him in that
box, about which the landlady seemed to be in considerable
trepidation, for she had never seen an animal like it. He uses it in
some of his tricks according to her account. So much the woman was
able to tell me, and also that it was a wonder the man lived, seeing
how twisted he was, and that he spoke in a strange tongue sometimes,
and that for the last two nights she had heard him groaning and
weeping in his bedroom. He was all right, as far as money went, but in
his deposit he had given her what looked like a bad florin. She showed
it to me, Watson, and it was an Indian rupee.
"So now, my dear fellow, you see exactly how we stand and why it
is I want you. It is perfectly plain that after the ladies parted from
this man he followed them at a distance, that he saw the quarrel
between husband and wife through the window, that he rushed in, and
that the creature which he carried in his box got loose. That is all
very certain. But he is the only person in this world who can tell
us exactly what happened in that room."
"And you intend to ask him?"
"Most certainly-but in the presence of a witness."
"And I am the witness?"
"If you will be so good. If he can clear the matter up, well and
good. If he refuses, we have no alternative but to apply for a
warrant."
"But how do you know he'll be there when we return?"
"You may be sure that I took some precautions. I have one of my
Baker Street boys mounting guard over him who would stick to him
like a burr, go where he might. We shall find him in Hudson Street
to-morrow, Watson, and meanwhile I should be the criminal myself if
I kept you out of bed any longer."
It was midday when we found ourselves at the scene of the tragedy,
and, under my companion's guidance, we made our way at once to
Hudson Street. In spite of his capacity for concealing his emotions, I
could easily see that Holmes was in a state of suppressed excitement
while I was myself tingling with that half-sporting, half-intellectual
pleasure which I invariably experienced when I associated myself
with him in his investigations.
"This is the street," said he as we turned into a short thoroughfare
lined with plain two-storied brick houses. "Ah, here is Simpson to
report."
"He's in all right, Mr. Holmes," cried a small street Arab,
running up to us.
"Good, Simpson!" said Holmes, patting him on the head. "Come
along, Watson. This is the house." He sent in his card with a
message that he had come on important business, and a moment later
we were face to face with the man whom we had come to see. In spite of
the warm weather he was crouching over a fire, and the little room was
like an oven. The man sat all twisted and huddled in his chair in a
way which gave an indescribable impression of deformity, but the
face which he turned towards us, though worn and swarthy, must at some
time have been remarkable for its beauty. He looked suspiciously at us
now out of yellow-shot, bilious eyes, and, without speaking or rising,
he waved towards two chairs.
"Mr. Henry Wood, late of India, I believe," said Holmes affably.
"I've come over this little matter of Colonel Barclay's death."
"What should I know about that?"
"That's what I want to ascertain. You know, I suppose, that unless
the matter is cleared up, Mrs. Barclay, who is an old friend of yours,
will in all probability be tried for murder."
The man gave a violent start.
"I don't know who you are," he cried, "nor how you come to know what
you do know, but will you swear that this is true that you tell me?"
"Why, they are only waiting for her to come to her senses to
arrest her."
"My God! Are you in the police yourself?"
"No."
"What business is it of yours, then?"
"It's every man's business to see justice done."
"You can take my word that she is innocent."
"Then you are guilty."
"No, I am not."
"Who killed Colonel James Barclay, then?"
"It was a just Providence that killed him. But, mind you this,
that if I had knocked his brains out, as it was in my heart to do,
he would have had no more than his due from my hands. If his own
guilty conscience had not struck him down it is likely enough that I
might have had his blood upon my soul. You want me to tell the
story. Well, I don't know why I shouldn't, for there's no cause for me
to be ashamed of it.
"It was in this way, sir. You see me now with my back like a camel
and my ribs all awry, but there was a time when Corporal Henry Wood
was the smartest man in the One Hundred and Seventeenth foot. We
were in India, then, in cantonments, at a place we'll call Bhurtee.
Barclay, who died the other day, was sergeant in the same company as
myself, and the belle of the regiment, ay, and the finest girl that
ever had the breath of life between her lips, was Nancy Devoy, the
daughter of the colour-sergeant. There were two men that loved her,
and one that she loved, and you'll smile when you look at this poor
thing huddled before the fire and hear me say that it was for my
good looks that she loved me.
"Well, though I had her heart, her father was set upon her
marrying Barclay. I was a harum-scarum, reckless lad, and he had had
an education and was already marked for the sword-belt. But the girl
held true to me, and it seemed that I would have had her when the
Mutiny broke out, and all hell was loose in the country.
"We were shut up in Bhurtee, the regiment of us with half a
battery of artillery, a company of Sikhs, and a lot of civilians and
women-folk. There were ten thousand rebels round us, and they were
as keen as a set of terriers round a rat-cage. About the second week
of it our water gave out, and it was a question whether we could
communicate with General Neill's column, which was moving
up-country. It was our only chance, for we could not hope to fight our
way out with all the women and children, so I volunteered to go out
and to warn General Neill of our danger. My offer was accepted, and
I talked it over with Sergeant Barclay, who was supposed to know the
ground better than any other man, and who drew up a route by which I
might get through the rebel lines. At ten o'clock the same night I
started off upon my journey. There were a thousand lives to save,
but it was of only one that I was thinking when I dropped over the
wall that night.
"My way ran down a dried-up water course, which we hoped would
screen me from the enemy's sentries; but as I crept round the corner
of it I walked right into six of them, who were crouching down in
the dark waiting for me. In an instant I was stunned with a blow and
bound hand and foot. But the real blow was to my heart and not to my
head, for as I came to and listened to as much as I could understand
of their talk, I heard enough to tell me that my comrade, the very man
who had arranged the way I was to take, had betrayed me by means of
a native servant into the hands of the enemy.
"Well, there's no need for me to dwell on that part of it. You
know now what James Barclay was capable of. Bhurtee was relieved by
Neill next day, but the rebels took me away with them in their
retreat, and it was many a long year before ever I saw a white face
again. I was tortured and tried to get away, and was captured and
tortured again. You can see for yourselves the state in which I was
left. Some of them that fled into Nepal took me with them, and then
afterwards I was up past Darjeeling. The hill-folk up there murdered
the rebels who had me, and I became their slave for a time until I
escaped; but instead of going south I had to go north, until I found
myself among the Afghans. There I wandered about for many a year,
and at last came back to the Punjab, where I lived mostly among the
natives and picked up a living by the conjuring tricks that I had
learned. What use was it for me, a wretched cripple, to go back to
England or to make myself known to my old comrades? Even my wish for
revenge would not make me do that. I had rather that Nancy and my
old pals should think of Harry Wood as having died with a straight
back, than see him living and crawling with a stick like a chimpanzee.
They never doubted that I was dead, and I meant that they never
should. I heard that Barclay had married Nancy, and that he was rising
rapidly in the regiment, but even that did not make me speak.
"But when one gets old one has a longing for home. For years I've
been dreaming of the bright green fields and the hedges of England. At
last I determined to see them before I died. I saved enough to bring
me across, and then I came here where the soldiers are, for I know
their ways and how to amuse them and so earn enough to keep me."
"Your narrative is most interesting," said Sherlock Holmes. "I
have already heard of your meeting with Mrs. Barclay, and your
mutual recognition. You then, as I understand, followed her home and
saw through the window an altercation between her husband and her,
in which she doubtless cast his conduct to you in his teeth. Your
own feelings overcame you, and you ran across the lawn and broke in
upon them."
"I did, sir, and at the sight of me he looked as I have never seen a
man look before, and over he went with his head on the fender. But
he was dead before he fell. I read death on his face as plain as I can
read that text over the fire. The bare sight of me was like a bullet
through his guilty heart."
"And then?"
"Then Nancy fainted, and I caught up the key of the door from her
hand, intending to unlock it and get help. But as I was doing it to me
better to leave it alone and get away, for the thing might look
black against me, and anyway my secret would be out if I were taken.
In my haste I thrust the key into my pocket, and dropped my stick
while I was chasing Teddy, who had run up the curtain. When I got
him into his box, from which he had slipped, I was off as fast as I
could run."
"Who's Teddy?" asked Holmes.
The man leaned over and pulled up the front of a kind of hutch in
the corner. In an instant out there slipped a beautiful
reddish-brown creature, thin and lithe, with the legs of a stoat, a
long, thin nose, and a pair of the finest red eyes that ever I saw
in an animal's head.
"It's a mongoose," I cried.
"Well, some call them that and some call them ichneumon," said the
man. "Snake-catcher is what I call them, and Teddy is amazing quick on
cobras. I have one here without the fangs, and Teddy catches it
every night to please the folk in the canteen."
"Any other point, sir?"
"Well, we may have to apply to you again if Mrs. Barclay should
prove to be in serious trouble."
"In that case, of course, I'd come forward."
"But if not, there is no object in raking up this scandal against
a dead man, foully as he has acted. You have at least the satisfaction
of knowing that for thirty years of his life his conscience bitterly
reproached him for his wicked deed. Ah, there goes Major Murphy on the
other side of the street. Good-bye, Wood. I want to learn if
anything has happened since yesterday."
We were in time to overtake the major before he reached the corner.
"Ah, Holmes," he said, "I suppose you have heard that all this
fuss has come to nothing?"
"What then?"
"The inquest is just over. The medical evidence showed
conclusively that death was due to apoplexy. You see it was quite a
simple case, after all."
"Oh, remarkably superficial," said Holmes, smiling. "Come, Watson, I
don't think we shall be wanted in Aldershot any more."
"There's one thing," said I as we walked down to the station. "If
the husband's name was James, and the other was Henry, what was this
talk about David?"
"That one word, my dear Watson, should have told me the whole
story had I been the ideal reasoner which you are so fond of
depicting. It was evidently a term of reproach."
"Of reproach?"
"Yes; David strayed a little occasionally, you know, and on one
occasion in the same direction as Sergeant James Barclay. You remember
the small affair of Uriah and Bathsheba? My Biblical knowledge is a
trifle rusty, I fear, but you will find the story in the first or
second of Samuel."
THE END
.
1911
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF LADY FRANCES CARFAX
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"But why Turkish?" asked Mr. Sherlock Holmes, gazing fixedly at my
boots. I was reclining in a cane-backed chair at the moment, and my
protruded feet had attracted his ever-active attention.
"English," I answered in some surprise. "I got them at Latimer's, in
Oxford Street."
Holmes smiled with an expression of weary patience.
"The bath!" he said; "the bath! Why the relaxing and expensive
Turkish rather than the invigorating home-made article?"
"Because for the last few days I have been feeling rheumatic and
old. A Turkish bath is what we call an alterative in medicine- a fresh
starting-point, a cleanser of the system.
"By the way, Holmes," I added, "I have no doubt the connection
between my boots and a Turkish bath is a perfectly self-evident one to
a logical mind, and yet I should be obliged to you if you would
indicate it."
"The train of reasoning is not very obscure, Watson," said Holmes
with a mischievous twinkle. "It belongs to the same elementary class
of deduction which I should illustrate if I were to ask you who shared
your cab in your drive this morning."
"I don't admit that a fresh illustration is an explanation," said
I with some asperity.
"Bravo, Watson! A very dignified and logical remonstrance. Let me
see, what were the points? Take the last one first- the cab. You
observe that you have some splashes on the left sleeve and shoulder of
your coat. Had you sat in the centre of a hansom you would probably
have had no splashes, and if you had they would certainly have been
symmetrical. Therefore it is clear that you sat at the side. Therefore
it is equally clear that you had a companion."
"That is very evident."
"Absurdly commonplace, is it not?"
"But the boots and the bath?"
"Equally childish. You are in the habit of doing up your boots in
a certain way. I see them on this occasion fastened with an
elaborate double bow, which is not your usual method of tying them.
You have, therefore, had them off. Who has tied them? A bootmaker-
or the boy at the bath. It is unlikely that it is the bootmaker, since
your boots are nearly new. Well, what remains? The bath. Absurd, is it
not? But, for all that, the Turkish bath has served a purpose."
"What is that?"
"You say that you have had it because you need a change. Let me
suggest that you take one. How would Lausanne do, my dear Watson-
first-class tickets and all expenses paid on a princely scale?"
"Splendid! But why?"
Holmes leaned back in his armchair and took his notebook from his
pocket.
"One of the most dangerous classes in the world," said he, "is the
drifting and friendless woman. She is the most harmless and often
the most useful of mortals, but she is the inevitable inciter of crime
in others. She is helpless. She is migratory. She has sufficient means
to take her from country to country and from hotel to hotel. She is
lost, as often as not, in a maze of obscure pensions and
boarding-houses. She is a stray chicken in a world of foxes. When
she is gobbled up she is hardly missed. I much fear that some evil has
come to the Lady Frances Carfax."
I was relieved at this sudden descent from the general to the
particular. Holmes consulted his notes.
"Lady Frances," he continued, "is the sole survivor of the direct
family of the late Earl of Rufton. The estates went, as you may
remember, in the male line. She was left with limited means, but
with some very remarkable old Spanish jewellery of silver and
curiously cut diamonds to which she was fondly attached- too attached,
for she refused to leave them with her banker and always carried
them about with her. A rather pathetic figure, the Lady Frances, a
beautiful woman, still in fresh middle age, and yet, by a strange
chance, the last derelict of what only twenty years ago was a goodly
fleet."
"What has happened to her, then?"
"Ah, what has happened to the Lady Frances? Is she alive or dead?
There is our problem. She is a lady of precise habits, and for four
years it has been her invariable custom to write every second week
to Miss Dobney, her old governess, who has long retired and lives in
Camberwell. It is this Miss Dobney who has consulted me. Nearly five
weeks have passed without a word. The last letter was from the Hotel
National at Lausanne. Lady Frances seems to have left there and
given no address. The family are anxious, and as they are
exceedingly wealthy no sum will be spared if we can clear the matter
up."
"Is Miss Dobney the only source of information? Surely she had other
correspondents?"
"There is one correspondent who is a sure draw, Watson. That is
the bank. Single ladies must live, and their passbooks are
compressed diaries. She banks at Silvester's. I have glanced over
her account. The last check but one paid her bill at Lausanne, but
it was a large one and probably left her with cash in hand. Only one
check has been drawn since."
"To whom, and where?"
"To Miss Marie Devine. There is nothing to show where the check
was drawn. It was cashed at the Credit Lyonnais at Montpellier less
than three weeks ago. The sum was fifty Pounds."
"And who is Miss Marie Devine?"
"That also I have been able to discover. Miss Marie Devine was the
maid of Lady Frances Carfax. Why she should have paid her this check
we have not yet determined. I have no doubt, however, that your
researches will soon clear the matter up."
"My researches!"
"Hence the health-giving expedition to Lausanne. You know that I
cannot possibly leave London while old Abrahams is in such mortal
terror of his life. Besides, on general principles it is best that I
should not leave the country. Scotland Yard feels lonely without me,
and it causes an unhealthy excitement among the criminal classes.
Go, then, my dear Watson, and if my humble counsel can ever be
valued at so extravagant a rate as two pence a word, it waits your
disposal night and day at the end of the Continental wire."
Two days later found me at the Hotel National at Lausanne, where I
received every courtesy at the hands of M. Moser, the well-known
manager. Lady Frances, as he informed me, had stayed there for several
weeks. She had been much liked by all who met her. Her age was not
more than forty. She was still handsome and bore every sign of
having in her youth been a very lovely woman. M. Moser knew nothing of
any valuable jewellery, but it had been remarked by the servants
that the heavy trunk in the lady's bedroom was always scrupulously
locked. Marie Devine, the maid, was as popular as her mistress. She
was actually engaged to one of the head waiters in the hotel, and
there was no difficulty in getting her address. It was 11 Rue de
Trajan, Montpellier. All this I jotted down and felt that Holmes
himself could not have been more adroit in collecting his facts.
Only one corner still remained in the shadow. No light which I
possessed could clear up the cause for the lady's sudden departure.
She was very happy at Lausanne. There was every reason to believe that
she intended to remain for the season in her luxurious rooms
overlooking the lake. And yet she had left at a single day's notice,
which involved her in the useless payment of a week's rent. Only Jules
Vibart, the lover of the maid, had any suggestion to offer. He
connected the sudden departure with the visit to the hotel a day or
two before of a tall, dark, bearded man. 'Un savage- un veritable
savage!' cried Jules Vibart. The man had rooms somewhere in the
town. He had been seen talking earnestly to Madame on the promenade by
the lake. Then he had called. She had refused to see him. He was
English, but of his name there was no record. Madame had left the
place immediately afterwards. Jules Vibart, and, what was of more
importance, Jules Vibart's sweetheart, thought that this call and this
departure were cause and effect. Only one thing Jules would not
discuss. That was the reason why Marie had left her mistress. Of
that he could or would say nothing. If I wished to know, I must go
to Montpellier and ask her.
So ended the first chapter of my inquiry. The second was devoted
to the place which Lady Frances Carfax had sought when she left
Lausanne. Concerning this there had been some secrecy, which confirmed
the idea that she had gone with the intention of throwing someone
off her track. Otherwise why should not her luggage have been openly
labelled for Baden? Both she and it reached the Rhenish spa by some
circuitous route. This much I gathered from the manager of Cook's
local office. So to Baden I went, after dispatching to Holmes an
account of all my proceedings and receiving in reply a telegram of
half-humorous commendation.
At Baden the track was not difficult to follow. Lady Frances had
stayed at the Englischer Hof for a fortnight. While there she had made
the acquaintance of a Dr. Shlessinger and his wife, a missionary
from South America. Like most lonely ladies, Lady Frances found her
comfort and occupation in religion. Dr. Shlessinger's remarkable
personality, his whole-hearted devotion, and the fact that he was
recovering from a disease contracted in the exercise of his
apostolic duties affected her deeply. She had helped Mrs.
Shlessinger in the nursing of the convalescent saint. He spent his
day, as the manager described it to me, upon a lounge-chair on the
veranda, with an attendant lady upon either side of him. He was
preparing a map of the Holy Land, with special reference to the
kingdom of the Midianites, upon which he was writing a monograph.
Finally, having improved much in health, he and his wife had
returned to London, and Lady Frances had started thither in their
company. This was just three weeks before, and the manager had heard
nothing since. As to the maid, Marie, she had gone off some days
beforehand in floods of tears, after informing the other maids that
she was leaving service forever. Dr. Shlessinger had paid the bill
of the whole party before his departure.
"By the way," said the landlord in conclusion, "you are not the only
friend of Lady Frances Carfax who is inquiring after her just now.
Only a week or so ago we had a man where upon the same errand."
"Did he give a name?" I asked.
"None; but he was an Englishman, though of an unusual type."
"A savage?" said I, linking my facts after the fashion of my
illustrious friend.
"Exactly. That describes him very well. He is a bulky, bearded,
sunburned fellow, who looks as if he would be more at home in a
farmers inn than in a fashionable hotel. A hard, fierce man, I
should think, and one whom I should be sorry to offend."
Already the mystery began to define itself, as figures grow
clearer with the lifting of a fog. Here was this good and pious lady
pursued from place to place by a sinister and unrelenting figure.
She feared him, or she would not have fled from Lausanne. He had still
followed. Sooner or later he would overtake her. Had he already
overtaken her? Was that the secret of her continued silence? Could the
good people who were her companions not screen her from his violence
or his blackmail? What horrible purpose, what deep design, lay
behind this long pursuit? There was the problem which I had to solve.
To Holmes I wrote showing how rapidly and surely I had got down to
the roots of the matter. In reply I had a telegram asking for a
description of Dr. Shlessinger's left ear. Holmes's ideas of humour
are strange and occasionally, offensive, so I took no notice of his
ill-timed jest- indeed, I had already reached Montpellier in my
pursuit of the maid, Marie, before his message came.
I had no difficulty in finding the ex-servant and in learning all
that she could tell me. She was a devoted creature, who had only
left her mistress because she was sure that she was in good hands, and
because her own approaching marriage made a separation inevitable in
any case. Her mistress had, as she confessed with distress, shown some
irritability of temper towards her during their stay in Baden, and had
even questioned her once as if she had suspicions of her honesty,
and this had made the parting easier than it would otherwise have
been. Lady Frances had given her fifty pounds as a wedding-present.
Like me, Marie viewed with deep distrust the stranger who had driven
her mistress from Lausanne. With her own eyes she had seen him seize
the lady's wrist with great violence on the public promenade by the
lake, He was a fierce and terrible man. She believed that it was out
of dread of him that Lady Frances had accepted the escort of the
Shlessingers to London. She had never spoken to Marie about it, but
many little signs had convinced the maid that her mistress lived in
a state of continual nervous apprehension. So far she had got in her
narrative, when suddenly she sprang from her chair and her face was
convulsed with surprise and fear. "See!" she cried. "The miscreant
follows still! There is the very man of whom I speak."
Through the open sitting-room window I saw a huge, swarthy man
with a bristling black beard walking slowly down the centre of the
street and staring eagerly at the numbers of the houses. It was
clear that, like myself, he was on the track of the maid. Acting
upon the impulse of the moment, I rushed out and accosted him.
"You are an Englishman," I said.
"What if I am?" he asked with a most villainous scowl.
"May I ask what your name is?"
"No, you may not," said he with decision.
The situation was awkward, but the most direct way is often the
best.
"Where is the Lady Frances Carfax?" I asked.
He stared at me in amazement.
"What have you done with her? Why have you pursued her? I insist
upon an answer!" said I.
The fellow gave a bellow of anger and sprang upon me like a tiger. I
have held my own in many a struggle, but the man had a grip of iron
and the fury of a fiend. His hand was on my throat and my senses
were nearly gone before an unshaven French ouvrier in a blue blouse
darted out from a cabaret opposite, with a cudgel in his hand, and
struck my assailant a sharp crack over the forearm, which made him
leave go his hold. He stood for an instant fuming with rage and
uncertain whether he should not renew his attack. Then, with a snarl
of anger, he left me and entered the cottage from which I had just
come. I turned to thank my preserver, who stood beside me in the
roadway.
"Well, Watson," said he, "a very pretty hash you have made of it!
I rather think you had better come back with me to London by the night
express."
An hour afterwards, Sherlock Holmes, in his usual garb and style,
was seated in my private room at the hotel. His explanation of his
sudden and opportune appearance was simplicity itself, for, finding
that he could get away from London, he determined to head me off at
the next obvious point of my travels. In the disguise of a
workingman he had sat in the cabaret waiting for my appearance.
"And a singularly consistent investigation you have made, my dear
Watson," said he. "I cannot at the moment recall any possible
blunder which you have omitted. The total effect of your proceeding
has been to give the alarm everywhere and yet to discover nothing."
"Perhaps you would have done no better," I answered bitterly.
"There is no 'perhaps' about it. I have done better. Here is the
Hon. Philip Green, who is a fellow-lodger with you in this hotel,
and we may find him the starting-point for a more successful
investigation."
A card had come up on a salver, and it was followed by the same
bearded ruffian who had attacked me in the street. He started when
he saw me.
"What is this, Mr. Holmes?" he asked. "I had your note and I have
come. But what has this man to do with the matter?"
This is my old friend and associate, Dr. Watson, who is helping us
in this affair."
The stranger held out a huge, sunburned hand, with a few words of
apology.
"I hope I didn't harm you. When you accused me of hurting her I lost
my grip of myself. Indeed, I'm not responsible in these days. My
nerves are like live wires. But this situation is beyond me. What I
want to know, in the first place, Mr. Holmes, is, how in the world you
came to hear of my existence at all."
"I am in touch with Miss Dobney, Lady Frances's governess."
"Old Susan Dobney with the mob cap! I remember her well."
"And she remembers you. It was in the days before- before you
found it better to go to South Africa."
"Ah, I see you know my whole story. I need hide nothing from you.
I swear to you, Mr. Holmes, that there never was in this world a man
who loved a woman with a more wholehearted love than I had for
Frances. I was a wild youngster, I know- not worse than others of my
class. But her mind was pure as snow. She could not bear a shadow of
coarseness. So, when she came to hear of things that I had done, she
would have no more to say to me. And yet she loved me- that is the
wonder of it!- loved me well enough to remain single all her sainted
days just for my sake alone. When the years had passed and I had
made my money at Barberton I thought perhaps I could seek her out
and soften her. I had heard that she was still unmarried. I found
her at Lausanne and tried all I knew. She weakened, I think, but her
will was strong, and when next I called she had left the town. I
traced her to Baden, and then after a time heard that her maid was
here. I'm a rough fellow, fresh from a rough life, and when Dr. Watson
spoke to me as he did I lost hold of myself for a moment. But for
God's sake tell me what has become of the Lady Frances."
"That is for us to find out," said Sherlock Holmes with peculiar
gravity. "What is your London address, Mr. Green?"
"The Langham Hotel will find me."
"Then may I recommend that you return there and be on hand in case I
should want you? I have no desire to encourage false hopes, but you
may rest assured that all that can be done will be done for the safety
of Lady Frances. I can say no more for the instant. I will leave you
this card so that you may be able to keep in touch with us. Now,
Watson, if you will pack your bag I will cable to Mrs. Hudson to
make one of her best efforts for two hungry travellers at 7:30
to-morrow."
A telegram was awaiting us when we reached our Baker Street rooms,
which Holmes read with an exclamation of interest and threw across
to me. "Jagged or torn," was the message, and the place of origin,
Baden.
"What is this?" I asked.
"It is everything," Holmes answered. "You may remember my
seemingly irrelevant question as to this clerical gentleman's left
ear. You did not answer it."
"I had left Baden and could not inquire."
"Exactly. For this reason I sent a duplicate to the manager of the
Englischer Hof, whose answer lies here."
"What does it show?"
"It shows, my dear Watson, that we are dealing with an exceptionally
astute and dangerous man. The Rev. Dr. Shlessinger, missionary from
South America, is none other than Holy Peters, one of the most
unscrupulous rascals that Australia has ever evolved- and for a
young country it has turned out some very finished types. His
particular specialty is the beguiling of lonely ladies by playing upon
their religious feelings, and his so-called wife, an Englishwoman
named Fraser, is a worthy helpmate. The nature of his tactics
suggested his identity to me, and this physical peculiarity- he was
badly bitten in a saloon-fight at Adelaide in '89- confirmed my
suspicion. This poor lady is in the hands of a most infernal couple,
who will stick at nothing, Watson. That she is already dead is a
very likely supposition. If not, she is undoubtedly in some sort of
confinement and unable to write to Miss Dobney or her other friends.
It is always possible that she never reached London, or that she has
passed through it, but the former is improbable, as, with their system
of registration, it is not easy for foreigners to play tricks with the
Continental police; and the latter is also unlikely, as these rogues
could not hope to find any other place where it would be as easy to
keep a person under restraint. All my instincts tell me that she is in
London, but as we have at present no possible means of telling
where, we can only take the obvious steps, eat our dinner, and possess
our souls in patience. Later in the evening I will stroll down and
have a word with friend Lestrade at Scotland Yard."
But neither the official police nor Holmes's own small but very
efficient organization sufficed to clear away the mystery. Amid the
crowded millions of London the three persons we sought were as
completely obliterated as if they had never lived. Advertisements were
tried, and failed. Clues were followed, and led to nothing. Every
criminal resort which Shlessinger might frequent was drawn in vain.
His old associates were watched, but they kept clear of him. And
then suddenly, after a week of helplessness suspense there came a
flash of light. A silver-and-brilliant pendant of old Spanish design
had been pawned at Bovington's, in Westminster Road. The pawner was
a large, clean-shaven man of clerical appearance. His name and address
were demonstrably false. The ear had escaped notice, but the
description was surely that of Shlessinger.
Three times had our bearded friend from the Langham called for news-
the third time within an hour of this fresh development. His clothes
were getting looser on his great body. He seemed to be wilting away in
his anxiety. "If you will only give me something to do!" was his
constant wail. At last Holmes could oblige him.
"He has begun, to pawn the jewels. We should get him now."
"But does this mean that any harm has befallen the Lady Frances?"
Holmes shook his head very gravely.
"Supposing that they have held her prisoner up to now, it is clear
that they cannot let her loose without their own destruction. We
must prepare for the worst."
"What can I do?"
"These people do not know you by sight?"
"No."
"It is possible that he will go to some other pawnbroker in the
future. In that case, we must begin again. On the other hand, he has
had a fair price and no questions asked, so if he is in need of
ready-money he will probably come back to Bovington's. I will give you
a note to them, and they will let you wait in the shop. If the
fellow comes you will follow him home. But no indiscretion, and, above
all, no violence. I put you on your honour that you will take no
step without my knowledge and consent."
For two days the Hon. Philip Green (he was, I may mention, the son
of the famous admiral of that name who commanded the Sea of Azof fleet
in the Crimean War) brought us no news. On the evening of the third he
rushed into our sitting-room, pale, trembling, with every muscle of
his powerful frame quivering with excitement.
"We have him! We have him!" he cried.
He was incoherent in his agitation. Holmes soothed him with a few
words and thrust him into an armchair.
"Come, now, give us the order of events," said he.
"She came only an hour ago. It was the wife, this time, but the
pendant she brought was the fellow of the other, She is a tall, pale
woman, with ferret eyes."
"That is the lady," said Holmes.
"She left the office and I followed her. She walked up the
Kennington Road, and I kept behind her. Presently she went into a
shop. Mr. Holmes, it was an undertaker's."
My companion started. "Well?" he asked in that vibrant voice which
told of the fiery soul behind the cold gray face.
"She was talking to the woman behind the counter. I entered as well.
'It is late,' I heard her say, or words to that effect. The woman
was excusing herself. 'It should be there before now,' she answered.
'It took longer, being out of the ordinary.' They both stopped and
looked at me, so I asked some question and then left the shop."
"You did excellently well. What happened next?"
"The woman came out, but I had hid myself in a doorway. Her
suspicions had been aroused, I think, for she looked round her. Then
she called a cab and got in. I was lucky enough to get another and
so to follow her. She got down at last at No. 36, Poultney Square,
Brixton. I drove past, left my cab at the corner of the square, and
watched the house."
"Did you see anyone?"
"The windows were all in darkness save one on the lower floor. The
blind was down, and I could not see in. I was standing there,
wondering what I should do next, when a covered van drove up with
two men in it. They descended, took something out of the van, and
carried it up the steps to the hall door. Mr. Holmes, it was a
coffin."
"Ah!"
"For an instant I was on the point of rushing in. The door had
been opened to admit the men and their burden. It was the woman who
had opened it. But as I stood there she caught a glimpse of me, and
I think that she recognized me. I saw her start, and she hastily
closed the door. I remembered my promise to you, and here I am."
"You have done excellent work," said Holmes scribbling a few words
upon a half-sheet of paper. "We can do nothing legal without a
warrant, and you can serve the cause best by taking this note down
to the authorities and getting one. There may be some difficulty,
but I should think that the sale of the jewellery should be
sufficient. Lestrade will see to all details."
"But they may murder her in the meanwhile. What could the coffin
mean, and for whom could it be but for her?"
"We will do all that can be done, Mr. Green. Not a moment will be
lost. Leave it in our hands. Now, Watson," he added as our client
hurried away, "he will set the regular forces on the move. We are,
as usual, the irregulars, and we must take our own line of action. The
situation strikes me as so desperate that the most extreme measures
are justified. Not a moment is to be lost in getting to Poultney
Square.
"Let us try to reconstruct the situation," said he as we drove
swiftly past the Houses of Parliament and over Westminster Bridge.
"These villains have coaxed this unhappy lady to London, after first
alienating her from her faithful maid. If she has written any
letters they have been intercepted. Through some confederate they have
engaged a furnished house. Once inside it, they have made her a
prisoner, and they have become possessed of the valuable jewellery
which has been their object from the first. Already they have begun to
sell part of it, which seems safe enough to them, since they have no
reason to think that anyone is interested in the lady's fate. When she
is released she will, of course, denounce them. Therefore, she must
not be released. But they cannot keep her under lock and key
forever. So murder is their only solution."
"That seems very clear."
"Now we will take another line of reasoning. When you follow two
separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of
intersection which should approximate to the truth. We will start now,
not from the lady but from the coffin and argue backward. That
incident proves, I fear, beyond all doubt that the lady is dead. It
points also to an orthodox burial with proper accompaniment of medical
certificate and official sanction. Had the lady been obviously
murdered, they would have buried her in a hole in the back garden. But
here all is open and regular. What does that mean? Surely that they
have done her to death in some way which has deceived the doctor and
simulated a natural end- poisoning, perhaps. And yet how strange
that they should ever let a doctor approach her unless he were a
confederate, which is hardly a credible proposition."
"Could they have forged a medical certificate?"
"Dangerous, Watson, very dangerous. No, I hardly see them doing
that. Pull up, cabby! This is evidently the undertaker's, for we
have just passed the pawnbroker's. Would you go in, Watson? Your
appearance inspires confidence. Ask what hour the Poultney Square
funeral takes place to-morrow."
The woman in the shop answered me without hesitation that it was
to be at eight o'clock in the morning. "You see, Watson, no mystery;
everything aboveboard! In some way the legal forms have undoubtedly
been complied with, and they think that they have little to fear.
Well, there's nothing for it now but a direct frontal attack. Are
you armed?"
"My stick!"
"Well, well, we shall be strong enough. 'Thrice is he armed who hath
his quarrel just.' We simply can't afford to wait for the police or to
keep within the four corners of the law. You can drive off, cabby.
Now, Watson, we'll just take our luck together, as we have
occasionally done in the past."
He had rung loudly at the door of a great dark house in the centre
of Poultney Square. It was opened immediately, and the figure of a
tall woman was outlined against the dim-lit hall.
"Well, what do you want?" she asked sharply, peering at us through
the darkness.
"I want to speak to Dr. Shlessinger," said Holmes.
"There is no such person here," she answered, and tried to close the
door, but Holmes had jammed it with his foot.
"Well, I want to see the man who lives here, whatever he may call
himself," said Holmes firmly.
She hesitated. Then she threw open the door. "Well, come in!" said
she. "My husband is not afraid to face any man in the world." She
closed the door behind us and showed us into a sitting-room on the
right side of the hall, turning up the gas as she left us. "Mr. Peters
will be with you in an instant," she said.
Her words were literally true, for we had hardly time to look around
the dusty and moth-eaten apartment in which we found ourselves
before the door opened and a big, clean-shaven bald-headed man stepped
lightly into the room. He had a large red face, with pendulous cheeks,
and a general air of superficial benevolence which was marred by a
cruel, vicious mouth.
"There is surely some mistake here, gentlemen," he said in an
unctuous, make-everything-easy voice. "I fancy that you have been
misdirected. Possibly if you tried farther down the street-"
"That will do; we have no time to waste," said my companion
firmly. "You are Henry Peters, of Adelaide, late the Rev. Dr.
Shlessinger, of Baden and South America. I am as sure of that as
that my own name is Sherlock Holmes."
Peters, as I will now call him, started and stared hard at his
formidable pursuer. "I guess your name does not frighten me, Mr.
Holmes," said he coolly. "When a man's conscience is easy you can't
rattle him. What is your business in my house?"
"I want to know what you have done with the Lady Frances Carfax,
whom you brought away with you from Baden."
"I'd be very glad if you could tell me where that lady may be,"
Peters answered coolly. "I've a bill against her for nearly a
hundred pounds, and nothing to show for it but a couple of trumpery
pendants that the dealer would hardly look at. She attached herself to
Mrs. Peters and me at Baden- it is a fact that I was using another
name at the time- and she stuck on to us until we came to London. I
paid her bill and her ticket. Once in London, she gave us the slip,
and, as I say, left these out-of-date jewels to pay her bills. You
find her, Mr. Holmes, and I'm your debtor."
"I mean to find her," said Sherlock Holmes. "I'm going through
this house till I do find her."
"Where is your warrant?"
Holmes half drew a revolver from his pocket. "This will have to
serve till a better one comes."
"Why, you are a common burglar."
"So you might describe me," said Holmes cheerfully. "My companion is
also a dangerous ruffian. And together we are going through your
house."
Our opponent opened the door.
"Fetch a policeman, Annie!" said he. There was a whisk of feminine
skirts down the passage, and the hall door was opened and shut.
"Our time is limited, Watson," said Holmes. "If you try to stop
us, Peters, you will most certainly get hurt. Where is that coffin
which was brought into your house?"
"What do you want with the coffin? It is in use. There is a body
in it."
"I must see that body."
"Never with my consent."
"Then without it." With a quick movement Holmes pushed the fellow to
one side and passed into the hall. A door half opened stood
immediately before us. We entered. It was the dining-room. On the
table, under a half-lit chandelier, the coffin was lying. Holmes
turned up the gas and raised the lid. Deep down in the recesses of the
coffin lay an emaciated figure. The glare from the lights above beat
down upon an aged and withered face. By no possible process of
cruelty, starvation, or disease could this wornout wreck be the
still beautiful Lady Frances. Holmes's face showed his amazement and
also his relief.
"Thank God!" he muttered. "It's someone else."
"Ah, you've blundered badly for once, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said
Peters, who had followed us into the room.
"Who is this dead woman?"
"Well, if you really must know, she is an old nurse of my wife's,
Rose Spender by name, whom we found in the Brixton Workhouse
Infirmary. We brought her round here, called in Dr. Horsom, of 13
Firbank Villas- mind you take the address, Mr. Holmes- and had her
carefully tended, as Christian folk should. On the third day she died-
certificate says senile decay- but that's only the doctor's opinion,
and of course you know better. We ordered her funeral to be carried
out by Stimson and Co., of the Kennington Road, who will bury her at
eight o'clock to-morrow morning. Can you pick any hole in that, Mr.
Holmes? You've made a silly blunder, and you may as well own up to it.
I'd give something for a photograph of your gaping, staring face
when you pulled aside that lid expecting to see the Lady Frances
Carfax and only found a poor old woman of ninety."
Holmes's expression was as impassive as ever under the jeers of
his antagonist, but his clenched hands betrayed his acute annoyance.
"I am going through your house," said he.
"Are you, though!" cried Peters as a woman's voice and heavy steps
sounded in the passage. "We'll soon see about that. This way,
officers, if you please. These men have forced their way into my
house, and I cannot get rid of them. Help me to put them out."
A sergeant and a constable stood in the doorway. Holmes drew his
card from his case.
"This is my name and address. This is my friend, Dr. Watson."
"Bless you, sir, we know you very well," said the sergeant, "but you
can't stay here without a warrant."
"Of course not. I quite understand that."
"Arrest him!" cried Peters.
"We know where to lay our hands on this gentleman if he is
wanted," said the sergeant majestically, "but you'll have to go, Mr.
Holmes."
"Yes, Watson, we shall have to go."
A minute later we were in the street once more. Holmes as cool as
ever, but I was hot with anger and humiliation. The sergeant had
followed us.
"Sorry, Mr. Holmes, but that's the law."
"Exactly, Sergeant, you could not do otherwise."
"I expect there was good reason for your presence there. If there is
anything I can do-"
"It's a missing lady, Sergeant, and I think she is in that house.
I expect a warrant presently."
"Then I'll keep my eye on the parties, Mr. Holmes. If anything comes
along, I will surely let you know."
It was only nine o'clock, and we were off full cry upon the trail at
once. First we drove to Brixton Workhouse Infirmary, where we found
that it was indeed the truth that a charitable couple had called
some days before, that they had claimed an imbecile old woman as a
former servant, and that they had obtained permission to take her away
with them. No surprise was expressed at the news that she had since
died.
The doctor was our next goal. He had been called in, had found the
woman dying of pure senility, had actually seen her pass away, and had
signed the certificate in due form. "I assure you that everything
was perfectly normal and there was no room for foul play in the
matter," said he. Nothing in the house had struck him as suspicious
save that for people of their class it was remarkable that they should
have no servant. So far and no farther went the doctor.
Finally we found our way to Scotland Yard. There had been
difficulties of procedure in regard to the warrant. Some delay was
inevitable. The magistrate's signature might not be obtained until
next morning. If Holmes would call about nine he could go down with
Lestrade and see it acted upon. So ended the day, save that near
midnight our friend, the sergeant, called to say that he had seen
flickering lights here and there in the windows of the great dark
house, but that no one had left it and none had entered. We could
but pray for patience and wait for the morrow.
Sherlock Holmes was too irritable for conversation and too
restless for sleep. I left him smoking hard, with his heavy, dark
brows knotted together, and his long, nervous fingers tapping upon the
arms of his chair, as he turned over in his mind every possible
solution of the mystery. Several times in the course of the night I
heard him prowling about the house. Finally, just after I had been
called in the morning, he rushed into my room. He was in his
dressing-gown, but his pale, hollow-eyed face told me that his night
had been a sleepless one.
"What time was the funeral? Eight, was it not?" he asked eagerly.
"Well, it is 7:30 now. Good heavens, Watson, what has become of any
brains that God has given me? Quick, man, quick! It's life or death- a
hundred chances on death to one on life. I'll never forgive myself,
never, if we are too late!"
Five minutes had not passed before we were flying in a hansom down
Baker Street. But even so it was twenty-five to eight as we passed Big
Ben, and eight struck as we tore down the Brixton Road. But others
were late as well as we. Ten minutes after the hour the hearse was
still standing at the door of the house, and even as our foaming horse
came to a halt the coffin, supported by three men, appeared on the
threshold. Holmes darted forward and barred their way.
"Take it back!" he cried, laying his hand on the breast of the
foremost. "Take it back this instant!"
"What the devil do you mean? Once again I ask you, where is your
warrant?" shouted the furious Peters, his big red face glaring over
the farther end of the coffin.
"The warrant is on its way. This coffin shall remain in the house
until it comes."
The authority in Holmes's voice had its effect upon the bearers.
Peters had suddenly vanished into the house, and they obeyed these new
orders. "Quick, Watson, quick! Here is a screw-driver!" he shouted
as the coffin was replaced upon the table. "Here's one for you, my
man! A sovereign if the lid comes off in a minute! Ask no questions-
work away! That's good! Another! And another! Now pull all together!
It's giving! It's giving! Ah, that does it at last."
With a united effort we tore off the coffin-lid. As we did so
there came from the inside a stupefying and overpowering smell of
chloroform. A body lay within, its head ill wreathed in cotton-wool,
which had been soaked in the narcotic. Holmes plucked it off and
disclosed the statuesque face of a handsome and spiritual woman of
middle age. In an instant he had passed his arm round the figure and
raised her to a sitting position.
"Is she gone, Watson? Is there a spark left? Surely we are not too
late!"
For half an hour it seemed that we were. What with actual
suffocation, and what with the poisonous fumes of the chloroform,
the Lady Frances seemed to have passed the last point of recall. And
then, at last, with artificial respiration, with injected ether,
with every device that science could suggest, some flutter of life,
some quiver of the eyelids, some dimming of a mirror, spoke of the
slowly returning life. A cab had driven up, and Holmes, parting the
blind, looked out at it. "Here is Lestrade with his warrant," said he.
"He will find that his birds have flown. And here," he added as a
heavy step hurried along the passage, "is someone who has a better
right to nurse this lady than we have. Good morning, Mr. Green; I
think that the sooner we can move the Lady Frances the better.
Meanwhile, the funeral may proceed, and the poor old woman who still
lies in that coffin may go to her last resting-place alone."
"Should you care to add the case to your annals, my dear Watson,"
said Holmes that evening, "it can only be as an example of that
temporary eclipse to which even the best-balanced mind may be exposed.
Such slips are common to all mortals, and the greatest is he who can
recognize and repair them. To this modified credit I may, perhaps,
make some claim. My night was haunted by the thought that somewhere
a clue, a strange sentence, a curious observation, had come under my
notice and had been too easily dismissed. Then, suddenly, in the
gray of the morning, the words came back to me. It was the remark of
the undertaker's wife, as reported by Philip Green. She had said,
'It should be there before now. It took longer, being out of the
ordinary.' It was the coffin of which she spoke. It had been out of
the ordinary. That could only mean that it had been made to some
special measurement. But why? Why? Then in an instant I remembered the
deep sides, and the little wasted figure at the bottom. Why so large a
coffin for so small a body? To leave room for another body. Both would
be buried under the one certificate. It had all been so clear, if only
my own sight had not been dimmed. At eight the Lady Frances would be
buried. Our one chance was to stop the coffin before it left the
house.
"It was a desperate chance that we might find her alive, but it
was a chance, as the result showed. These people had never, to my
knowledge, done a murder. They might shrink from actual violence at
the last. They could bury her with no sign of how she met her end, and
even if she were exhumed there was a chance for them. I hoped that
such considerations might prevail with them. You can reconstruct the
scene well enough. You saw the horrible den upstairs, where the poor
lady had been kept so long. They rushed in and overpowered her with
their chloroform, carried her down, poured more into the coffin to
insure against her waking, and then screwed down the lid. A clever
device, Watson. It is new to me in the annals of crime. If our
ex-missionary friends escape the clutches of Lestrade, I shall
expect to hear of some brilliant incidents in their future career."
-THE END-
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE FINAL PROBLEM
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
It is with a heavy heart that I take up my pen to write these the
last words in which I shall ever record the singular gifts by which my
friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes was distinguished. In an incoherent and, as
I deeply feel, an entirely inadequate fashion, I have endeavoured to
give some account of my strange experiences in his company from the
chance which first brought us together at the period of the 'Study
in Scarlet,' up to the time of his interference in the matter of the
'Naval Treaty'-an interference which had the unquestionable effect
of preventing a serious international complication. It was my
intention to have stopped there, and to have said nothing of that
event which has created a void in my life which the lapse of two years
has done little to fill. My hand has been forced, however, by the
recent letters in which Colonel James Moriarty defends the memory of
his brother, and I have no choice but to lay the facts before the
public exactly as they occurred. I alone know the absolute truth of
the matter, and I am satisfied that the time has come when no good
purpose is to be served by its suppression. As far as I know, there
have been only three accounts in the public press: that in the Journal
de Geneve on May 6th, 1891, the Reuter's dispatch in the English
papers on May 7th, and finally the recent letters to which I have
alluded. Of these the first and second were extremely condensed, while
the last is, as I shall now show, an absolute perversion of the facts.
It lies with me to tell for the first time what really took place
between Professor Moriarty and Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
It may be remembered that after my marriage, and my subsequent start
in private practice, the very intimate relations which had existed
between Holmes and myself became to some extent modified. He still
came to me from time to time when he desired a companion in his
investigations, but these occasions grew more and more seldom, until I
find that in the year 1890 there were only three cases of which I
retain any record. During the winter of that year and the early spring
of 1891, I saw in the papers that he had been engaged by the French
government upon a matter of supreme importance, and I received two
notes from Holmes, dated from Narbonne and from Nimes, from which I
gathered that his stay in France was likely to be a long one. It was
with some surprise, therefore, that I saw him walk into my
consulting-room upon the evening of April 24th. It struck me that he
was looking even paler and thinner than usual.
"Yes, I have been using myself up rather too freely," he remarked,
in answer to my look rather than to my words; "I have been a little
pressed of late. Have you any objection to my closing your shutters?"
The only light in the room came from the lamp upon the table at
which I had been reading. Holmes edged his way round the wall, and,
flinging the shutters together, he bolted them securely.
"You are afraid of something?" I asked.
"Well, I am."
"Of what?"
"Of air-guns."
"My dear Holmes, what do you mean?"
"I think that you know me well enough, Watson, to understand that
I am by no means a nervous man. At the same time, it is stupidity
rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger when it is close
upon you. Might I trouble you for a match?" He drew in the smoke of
his cigarette as if the soothing influence was grateful to him.
"I must apologize for calling so late," said he, "and I must further
beg you to be so unconventional as to allow me to leave your house
presently by scrambling over your back garden wall."
"But what does it all mean?" I asked.
He held out his hand, and I saw in the light of the lamp that two of
his knuckles were burst and bleeding.
"It's not an airy nothing, you see," said he, smiling. "On the
contrary, it is solid enough for a man to break his hand over. Is Mrs.
Watson in?"
"She is away upon a visit."
"Indeed You are alone?"
"Quite."
"Then it makes it the easier for me to propose that you should
come away with me for a week to the Continent."
"Where?"
"Oh, anywhere. It's all the same to me."
There was something very strange in all this. It was not Holmes's
nature to take an aimless holiday, and something about his pale,
worn face told me that his nerves were at their highest tension. He
saw the question in my eyes, and, putting his finger-tips together and
his elbows upon his knees, he explained the situation.
"You have probably never heard of Professor Moriarty?" said he.
"Never."
"Ay, there's the genius and the wonder of the thing" he cried.
"The man pervades London, and no one has heard of him. That's what
puts him on a pinnacle in the records of crime. I tell you Watson,
in all seriousness, that if I could beat that man, if I could free
society of him, I should feel that my own career had reached its
summit, and I should be prepared to turn to some more placid line in
life. Between ourselves, the recent cases in which I have been of
assistance to the royal family of Scandinavia, and to the French
republic, have left me in such a position that I could continue to
live in the quiet fashion which is most congenial to me, and to
concentrate my attention upon my chemical researches. But I could
not rest, Watson, I could not sit quiet in my chair, if I thought that
such a man as Professor Moriarty were walking the streets of London
unchallenged."
"What has he done, then?"
"His career has been an extraordinary one. He is a man of good birth
and excellent education, endowed by nature with a phenomenal
mathematical faculty. At the age of twenty-one he wrote a treatise
upon the binomial theorem, which has had a European vogue. On the
strength of it he won the mathematical chair at one of our smaller
universities, and had, to all appearances, a most brilliant career
before him. But the man had hereditary tendencies of the most
diabolical kind. A criminal strain ran in his blood, which, instead of
being modified, was increased and rendered infinitely more dangerous
by his extraordinary mental powers. Dark rumours gathered round him in
the university town, and eventually he was compelled to resign his
chair and to come down to London, where he set up as an army coach. So
much is known to the world, but what I am telling you now is what I
have myself discovered.
"As you are aware, Watson, there is no one who knows the higher
criminal world of London so well as I do. For years past I have
continually been conscious of some power behind the malefactor, some
deep organizing power which forever stands in the way of the law,
and throws its shield over the wrong-doer. Again and again in cases of
the most varying sorts-forgery cases, robberies, murders-I have felt
the presence of this force, and I have deduced its action in many of
those undiscovered crimes in which I have not been personally
consulted. For years I have endeavoured to break through the veil
which shrouded it, and at last the time came when I seized my thread
and followed it, until it led me, after a thousand cunning windings,
to ex-Professor Moriarty, of mathematical celebrity.
"He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson. He is the organizer of half
that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great
city. He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a
brain of the first order. He sits motionless, like a spider in the
centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he
knows well every quiver of each of them. He does little himself He
only plans. But his agents are numerous and splendidly organized. Is
there a crime to be done a paper to be abstracted, we will say, a
house to be rifled, a man to be removed the word is passed to the
professor, the matter is organized and carried out. The agent may be
caught. In that case money is found for his bail or his defence. But
the central power which uses the agent is never caught-never so much
as suspected. This was the organization which I deduced, Watson, and
which I devoted my whole energy to exposing and breaking up.
"But the professor was fenced round with safeguards so cunningly
devised that, do what I would, it seemed impossible to get evidence
which would convict in a court of law. You know my powers, my dear
Watson, and yet at the end of three months I was forced to confess
that I had at last met an antagonist who was my intellectual equal. My
horror at his crimes was lost in my admiration at his skill. But at
last he made a trip-only a little, little trip-but it was more than he
could afford, when I was so close upon him. I had my chance, and,
starting from that point, I have woven my net round him until now it
is all ready to close. In three days-that is to say, on Monday
next-matters will be ripe, and the professor, with all the principal
members of his gang, will be in the hands of the police. Then will
come the greatest criminal trial of the century, the clearing up of
over forty mysteries, and the rope for all of them; but if we move
at all prematurely, you understand, they may slip out of our hands
even at the last moment.
"Now, if I could have done this without the knowledge of Professor
Moriarty, all would have been well. But he was too wily for that. He
saw every step which I took to draw my toils round him. Again and
again he strove to break away, but I as often headed him off. I tell
you, my friend, that if a detailed account of that silent contest
could be written, it would take its place as the most brilliant bit of
thrust-and-parry work in the history of detection. Never have I
risen to such a height, and never have I been so hard pressed by an
opponent. He cut deep, and yet I just undercut him. This morning the
last steps were taken, and three days only were wanted to complete the
business. I was sitting in my room thinking the matter over when the
door opened and Professor Moriarty stood before me.
"My nerves are fairly proof, Watson, but I must confess to a start
when I saw the very man who had been so much in my thoughts standing
there on my threshold. His appearance was quite familiar to me. He
is extremely tall and thin, his forehead domes out in a white curve,
and his two eyes are deeply sunken in his head. He is clean-shaven,
pale, and ascetic-looking, retaining something of the professor in his
features. His shoulders are rounded from much study, and his face
protrudes forward and is forever slowly oscillating from side to
side in a curiously reptilian fashion. He peered at me with great
curiosity in his puckered eyes.
"'You have less frontal development than I should have expected,'
said he at last. 'It is a dangerous habit to finger loaded firearms in
the pocket of one's dressing-gown.'
"The fact is that upon his entrance I had instantly recognized the
extreme personal danger in which I lay. The only conceivable escape
for him lay in silencing my tongue. In an instant I had slipped the
revolver from the drawer into my pocket and was covering him through
the cloth. At his remark I drew the weapon out and laid it cocked upon
the table. He still smiled and blinked, but there was something
about his eyes which made me feel very glad that I had it there.
"'You evidently don't know me,' said he.
"'On the contrary,' I answered, 'I think it is fairly evident that I
do. Pray take a chair. I can spare you five minutes if you have
anything to say.'
"'All that I have to say has already crossed your mind,' said he.
"'Then possibly my answer has crossed yours,' I replied.
"'You stand fast?'
"'Absolutely.'
"He clapped his hand into his pocket, and I raised the pistol from
the table. But he merely drew out a memorandum-book in which he had
scribbled some dates.
"'You crossed my path on the fourth of January,' said he. 'On the
twenty-third you incommoded me; by the middle of February I was
seriously inconvenienced by you; at the end of March I was
absolutely hampered in my plans; and now, at the close of April, I
find myself placed in such a position through your continual
persecution that I am in positive danger of losing my liberty. The
situation is becoming an impossible one.'
"'Have you any suggestion to make?' I asked.
"'You must drop it, Mr. Holmes,' said he, swaying his face about.
'You really must, you know.'
"'After Monday,' said I.
"'Tut, tut!' said he. 'I am quite sure that a man of your
intelligence will see that there can be but one outcome to this
affair. It is necessary that you should withdraw. You have worked
things in such a fashion that we have only one resource left. It has
been an intellectual treat to me to see the way in which you have
grappled with this affair, and I say, unaffectedly, that it would be a
grief to me to be forced to take any extreme measure. You smile,
sir, but I assure you that it really would.'
"'Danger is part of my trade,' I remarked.
"This is not danger,' said he. 'It is inevitable destruction. You
stand in the way not merely of an individual but of a mighty
organization, the full extent of which you, with all your
cleverness, have been unable to realize. You must stand clear, Mr.
Holmes, or be trodden under foot.'
"'I am afraid,' said I, rising, 'that in the pleasure of this
conversation I am neglecting business of importance which awaits me
elsewhere.'
"He rose also and looked at me in silence, shaking his head sadly.
"'Well, well,' said he at last. 'It seems a pity, but I have done
what I could. I know every move of your game. You can do nothing
before Monday. It has been a duel between you and me, Mr. Holmes.
You hope to place me in the dock. I tell you that I will never stand
in the dock. You hope to beat me. I tell you that you will never
beat me. If you are clever enough to bring destruction upon me, rest
assured that I shall do as much to you.'
"'You have paid me several compliments, Mr. Moriarty,' said I.
'Let me pay you one in return when I say that if I were assured of the
former eventuality I would, in the interests of the public, cheerfully
accept the latter.'
"'I can promise you the one, but not the other,' he snarled, and
so turned his rounded back upon me and went peering and blinking out
of the room.
"That was my singular interview with Professor Moriarty. I confess
that it left an unpleasant effect upon my mind. His soft, precise
fashion of speech leaves a conviction of sincerity which a mere
bully could not produce. Of course, you will say: 'Why not take police
precautions against him?' The reason is that I am well convinced
that it is from his agents the blow would fall. I have the best of
proofs that it would be so."
"You have already been assaulted?"
"My dear Watson, Professor Moriarty is not a man who lets the
grass grow under his feet. I went out about midday to transact some
business in Oxford Street. As I passed the corner which leads from
Bentinck Street on to the Welbeck Street crossing a two-horse van
furiously driven whizzed round and was on me like a flash. I sprang
for the foot-path and saved myself by the fraction of a second. The
van dashed round by Marylebone Lane and was gone in an instant. I kept
to the pavement after that, Watson, but as I walked down Vere Street a
brick came down from the roof of one of the houses and was shattered
to fragments at my feet. I called the police and had the place
examined. There were slates and bricks piled up on the roof
preparatory to some repairs, and they would have me believe that the
wind had toppled over one of these. Of course I knew better, but I
could prove nothing. I took a cab after that and reached my
brother's rooms in Pall Mall, where I spent the day. Now I have come
round to you, and on my way I was attacked by a rough with a bludgeon.
I knocked him down, and the police have him in custody; but I can tell
you with the most absolute confidence that no possible connection will
ever be traced between the gentleman upon whose front teeth I have
barked my knuckles and the retiring mathematical coach, who is, I
daresay, working out problems upon a black-board ten miles away. You
will not wonder, Watson, that my first act on entering your rooms
was to close your shutters, and that I have been compelled to ask your
permission to leave the house by some less conspicuous exit than the
front door."
I had often admired my friend's courage, but never more than now, as
he sat quietly checking off a series of incidents which must have
combined to make up a day of horror.
"You will spend the night here?" I said.
"No, my friend, you might find me a dangerous guest. I have my plans
laid, and all will be well. Matters have gone so far now that they can
move without my help as far as the arrest goes, though my presence
is necessary for a conviction. It is obvious, therefore, that I cannot
do better than get away for the few days which remain before the
police are at liberty to act. It would be a great pleasure to me,
therefore, if you could come on to the Continent with me."
"The practice is quiet," said I, "and I have an accommodating
neighbour. I should be glad to come."
"And to start to-morrow morning?"
"If necessary."
"Oh, yes, it is most necessary. Then these are your instructions,
and I beg, my dear Watson, that you will obey them to the letter,
for you are now playing a double-handed game with me against the
cleverest rogue and the most powerful syndicate of criminals in
Europe. Now listen! You will dispatch whatever luggage you intend to
take by a trusty messenger unaddressed to Victoria to-night. In the
morning you will send for a hansom, desiring your man to take
neither the first nor the second which may present itself. Into this
hansom you will jump, and you will drive to the Strand end of the
Lowther Arcade, handing the address to the cabman upon a slip of
paper, with a request that he will not throw it away. Have your fare
ready, and the instant that your cab stops, dash through the Arcade,
timing yourself to reach the other side at a quarter-past nine. You
will find a small brougham waiting close to the curb, driven by a
fellow with a heavy black cloak tipped at the collar with red. Into
this you will step, and you will reach Victoria in time for the
Continental express."
"Where shall I meet you?"
"At the station. The second first-class carriage from the front will
be reserved for us."
"The carriage is our rendezvous, then?"
"Yes."
It was in vain that I asked Holmes to remain for the evening. It was
evident to me that he thought he might bring trouble to the roof he
was under, and that that was the motive which impelled him to go. With
a few hurried words as to our plans for the morrow he rose and came
out with me into the garden, clambering over the wall which leads into
Mortimer Street, and immediately whistling for a hansom, in which I
heard him drive away.
In the morning I obeyed Holmes's injunctions to the letter. A hansom
was procured with such precautions as would prevent its being one
which was placed ready for us, and I drove immediately after breakfast
to the Lowther Arcade, through which I hurried at the top of my speed.
A brougham was waiting with a very massive driver wrapped in a dark
cloak, who, the instant that I had stepped in, whipped up the horse
and rattled off to Victoria Station. On my alighting there he turned
the carriage, and dashed away again without so much as a look in my
direction.
So far all had gone admirably. My luggage was waiting for me, and
I had no difficulty in finding the carriage which Holmes had
indicated, the less so as it was the only one in the train which was
marked "Engaged." My only source of anxiety now was the non-appearance
of Holmes. The station clock marked only seven minutes from the time
when we were due to start. In vain I searched among the groups of
travellers and leave-takers for the lithe figure of my friend. There
was no sign of him. I spent a few minutes in assisting a venerable
Italian priest, who was endeavouring to make a porter understand, in
his broken English, that his luggage was to be booked through to
Paris. Then, having taken another look round, I returned to my
carriage, where I found that the porter, in spite of the ticket, had
given me my decrepit Italian friend as a travelling companion. It
was useless for me to explain to him that his presence was an
intrusion, for my Italian was even more limited than his English, so I
shrugged my shoulders resignedly, and continued to look out
anxiously for my friend. A chill of fear had come over me, as I
thought that his absence might mean that some blow had fallen during
the night. Already the doors had all been shut and the whistle
blown, when-
"My dear Watson," said a voice, "you have not even condescended to
say good-morning.'
I turned in uncontrollable astonishment. The aged ecclesiastic had
turned his face towards me. For an instant the wrinkles were
smoothed away, the nose drew away from the chin, the lower lip
ceased to protrude and the mouth to mumble, the dull eyes regained
their fire, the drooping figure expanded. The next the whole frame
collapsed again, and Holmes had gone as quickly as he had come.
"Good heavens!" I cried, "how you startled me!"
"Every precaution is still necessary," he whispered. "I have
reason to think that they are hot upon our trail. Ah, there is
Moriarty himself."
The train had already begun to move as Holmes spoke. Glancing
back, I saw a tall man pushing his way furiously through the crowd,
and waving his hand as if he desired to have the train stopped. It was
too late, however, for we were rapidly gathering momentum, and an
instant later had shot clear of the station.
"With all our precautions, you see that we have cut it rather fine,"
said Holmes, laughing. He rose, and throwing off the black cassock and
hat which had formed his disguise, he packed them away in a hand-bag.
"Have you seen the morning paper, Watson?"
"No."
"You haven't seen about Baker Street, then?"
"Baker Street?"
"They set fire to our rooms last night. No great harm was done."
"Good heavens, Holmes, this is intolerable!"
"They must have lost my track completely after their bludgeonman was
arrested. Otherwise they could not have imagined that I had returned
to my rooms. They have evidently taken the precaution of watching you,
however, and that is what has brought Moriarty to Victoria. You
could not have made any slip in coming?"
"I did exactly what you advised."
"Did you find your brougham?"
"Yes, it was waiting."
"Did you recognize your coachman?"
"No."
"It was my brother Mycroft. It is an advantage to get about in
such a case without taking a mercenary into your confidence. But we
must plan what we are to do about Moriarty now."
"As this is an express, and as the boat runs in connection with
it, I should think we have shaken him off very effectively."
"My dear Watson, you evidently did not realize my meaning when I
said that this man may be taken as being quite on the same
intellectual plane as myself. You do not imagine that if I were the
pursuer I should allow myself to be baffled by so slight an
obstacle. Why, then, should you think so meanly of him?"
"What will he do?"
"What I should do."
"What would you do, then?"
"Engage a special."
"But it must be late."
"By no means. This train stops at Canterbury; and there is always at
least a quarter of an hour's delay at the boat. He will catch us
there."
"One would think that we were the criminals. Let us have him
arrested on his arrival."
"It would be to ruin the work of three months. We should get the big
fish, but the smaller would dart right and left out of the net. On
Monday we should have them all. No, an arrest is inadmissible."
"What then?"
"We shall get out at Canterbury."
"And then?"
"Well, then we must make a cross-country journey to Newhaven, and so
over to Dieppe. Moriarty will again do what I should do. He will get
on to Paris, mark down our luggage, and wait for two days at the
depot. In the meantime we shall treat ourselves to a couple of
carpet-bags, encourage the manufactures of the countries through which
we travel, and make our way at our leisure into Switzerland, via
Luxembourg and Basle."
At Canterbury, therefore, we alighted, only to find that we should
have to wait an hour before we could get a train to Newhaven.
I was still looking rather ruefully after the rapidly disappearing
luggage-van which contained my wardrobe, when Holmes pulled my
sleeve and pointed up the line.
"Already, you see," said he.
Far away, from among the Kentish woods there rose a thin spray of
smoke. A minute later a carriage and engine could be seen flying along
the open curve which leads to the station. We had hardly time to
take our place behind a pile of luggage when it passed with a rattle
and a roar, beating a blast of hot air into our faces.
"There he goes," said Holmes, as we watched the carriage swing and
rock over the points. "There are limits, you see, to our friend's
intelligence. It would have been a coup-mattre had he deduced what I
would deduce and acted accordingly."
"And what would he have done had he overtaken us?"
"There cannot be the least doubt that he would have made a murderous
attack upon me. It is, however, a game at which two may play. The
question now is whether we should take a premature lunch here, or
run our chance of starving before we reach the buffet at Newhaven."
We made our way to Brussels that night and spent two days there,
moving on upon the third day as far as Strasbourg. On the Monday
morning Holmes had telegraphed to the London police, and in the
evening we found a reply waiting for us at our hotel. Holmes tore it
open, and then with a bitter curse hurled it into the grate.
"I might have known it!" he groaned. "He has escaped!"
"Moriarty?"
"They have secured the whole gang with the exception of him. He
has given them the slip. Of course, when I had left the country
there was no one to cope with him. But I did think that I had put
the game in their hands. I think that you had better return to
England, Watson."
"Why?"
"Because you will find me a dangerous companion now. This man's
occupation is gone. He is lost if he returns to London. If I read
his character right he will devote his whole energies to revenging
himself upon me. He said as much in our short interview, and I fancy
that he meant it. I should certainly recommend you to return to your
practice."
It was hardly an appeal to be successful with one who was an old
campaigner as well as an old friend. We sat in the Strasbourg
salle-a-manger arguing the question for half an hour, but the same
night we had resumed our journey and were well on our way to Geneva.
For a charming week we wandered up the valley of the Rhone, and
then, branching off at Leuk, we made our way over the Gemmi Pass,
still deep in snow, and so, by way of Interlaken, to Meiringen. It was
a lovely trip, the dainty green of the spring below, the virgin
white of the winter above; but it was clear to me that never for one
instant did Holmes forget the shadow which lay across him. In the
homely Alpine villages or in the lonely mountain passes, I could still
tell by his quick glancing eyes and his sharp scrutiny of every face
that passed us, that he was well convinced that, walk where we
would, we could not walk ourselves clear of the danger which was
dogging our footsteps.
Once, I remember, as we passed over the Gemmi, and walked along
the border of the melancholy Daubensee, a large rock which had been
dislodged from the ridge upon our right clattered down and roared into
the lake behind us. In an instant Holmes had raced up on to the ridge,
and, standing upon a lofty pinnacle, craned his neck in every
direction. It was in vain that our guide assured him that a fall of
stones was a common chance in the springtime at that spot. He said
nothing, but he smiled at me with the air of a man who sees the
fulfillment of that which he had expected.
And yet for all his watchfulness he was never depressed. On the
contrary, I can never recollect having seen him in such exuberant
spirits. Again and again he recurred to the fact that if he could be
assured that society was freed from Professor Moriarty he would
cheerfully bring his own career to a conclusion.
"I think that I may go so far as to say, Watson, that I have not
lived wholly in vain," he remarked. "If my record were closed to-night
I could still survey it with equanimity. The air of London is the
sweeter for my presence. In over a thousand cases I am not aware
that I have ever used my powers upon the wrong side. Of late I have
been tempted to look into the problems furnished by nature rather than
those more superficial ones for which our artificial state of
society is responsible. Your memoirs will draw to an end, Watson, upon
the day that I crown my career by the capture or extinction of the
most dangerous and capable criminal in Europe."
I shall be brief, and yet exact, in the little which remains for
me to tell. It is not a subject on which I would willingly dwell,
and yet I am conscious that a duty devolves upon me to omit no detail.
It was on the third of May that we reached the little village of
Meiringen, where we put up at the Englischer Hof, then kept by Peter
Steiler the elder. Our landlord was an intelligent man and spoke
excellent English, having served for three years as waiter at the
Grosvenor Hotel in London. At his advice, on the afternoon of the
fourth we set off together, with the intention of crossing the hills
and spending the night at the hamlet of Rosenlaui. We had strict
injunctions, however, on no account to pass the falls of
Reichenbach, which are about halfway up the hills, without making a
small detour to see them.
It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen the melting
snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up
like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river
hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock,
and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth,
which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip. The
long sweep of green water roaring forever down, and the thick
flickering curtain of spray hissing forever upward, turn a man giddy
with their constant whirl and clamour. We stood near the edge
peering down at the gleam of the breaking water far below us against
the black rocks, and listening to the half-human shout which came
booming up with the spray out of the abyss.
The path has been cut halfway round the fall to afford a complete
view, but it ends abruptly, and the traveller has to return as he
came. We had turned to do so, when we saw a Swiss lad come running
along it with a letter in his hand. It bore the mark of the hotel
which we had just left and was addressed to me by the landlord. It
appeared that within a very few minutes of our leaving, an English
lady had arrived who was in the last stage of consumption. She had
wintered at Davos Platz and was journeying now to join her friends
at Lucerne, when a sudden hemorrhage had overtaken her. It was thought
that she could hardly live a few hours, but it would be a great
consolation to her to see an English doctor, and, if I would only
return, etc. The good Steiler assured me in a postscript that he would
himself look upon my compliance as a very great favour, since the lady
absolutely refused to see a Swiss physician, and he could not but feel
that he was incurring a great responsibility.
The appeal was one which could not be ignored. It was impossible
to refuse the request of a fellow-countrywoman dying in a strange
land. Yet I had my scruples about leaving Holmes. It was finally
agreed, however, that he should retain the young Swiss messenger
with him as guide and companion while I returned to Meiringen. My
friend would stay some little time at the fall, he said, and would
then walk slowly over the hill to Rosenlaui, where I was to rejoin him
in the evening. As I turned away I saw Holmes, with his back against a
rock and his arms folded, gazing down at the rush of the waters. It
was the last that I was ever destined to see of him in this world.
When I was near the bottom of the descent I looked back. It was
impossible, from that position, to see the fall, but I could see the
curving path which winds over the shoulder of the hills and leads to
it. Along this a man was, I remember, walking very rapidly.
I could see his black figure clearly outlined against the green
behind him. I noted him, and the energy with which he walked, but he
passed from my mind again as I hurried on upon my errand.
It may have been a little over an hour before I reached Meiringen.
Old Steiler was standing at the porch of his hotel.
"Well," said I, as I came hurrying up, "I trust that she is no
worse?"
A look of surprise passed over his face, and at the first quiver
of his eyebrows my heart turned to lead in my breast.
"You did not write this?" I said, pulling the letter from my pocket.
"There is no sick Englishwoman in the hotel?"
"Certainly not!" he cried. "But it has the hotel mark upon it! Ha,
it must have been written by that tall Englishman who came in after
you had gone. He said-"
But I waited for none of the landlord's explanation. In a tingle
of fear I was already running down the village street, and making
for the path which I had so lately descended. It had taken me an
hour to come down. For all my efforts two more had passed before I
found myself at the fall of Reichenbach once more. There was
Holmes's Alpine-stock still leaning against the rock by which I had
left him. But there was no sign of him, and it was in vain that I
shouted. My only answer was my own voice reverberating in a rolling
echo from the cliffs around me.
It was the sight of that Alpine-stock which turned me cold and sick.
He had not gone to Rosenlaui, then. He had remained on that three-foot
path, with sheer wall on one side and sheer drop on the other, until
his enemy had overtaken him. The young Swiss had gone too. He had
probably been in the pay of Moriarty and had left the two men
together. And then what had happened? Who was to tell us what had
happened then?
I stood for a minute or two to collect myself, for I was dazed
with the horror of the thing. Then I began to think of Holmes's own
methods and to try to practise them in reading this tragedy. It was,
alas, only too easy to do. During our conversation we had not gone
to the end of the path, and the Alpine-stock marked the place where we
had stood. The blackish soil is kept forever soft by the incessant
drift of spray, and a bird would leave its tread upon it. Two lines of
footmarks were clearly marked along the farther end of the path,
both leading away from me. There were none returning. A few yards from
the end the soil was all ploughed up into a patch of mud, and the
brambles and ferns which fringed the chasm were torn and bedraggled. I
lay upon my face and peered over with the spray spouting up all around
me. It had darkened since I left, and now I could only see here and
there the glistening of moisture upon the black walls, and far away
down at the end of the shaft the gleam of the broken water. I shouted;
but only that same half-human cry of the fall was borne back to my
cars.
But it was destined that I should, after all, have a last word of
greeting from my friend and comrade. I have said that his Alpine-stock
had been left leaning against a rock which jutted on to the path. From
the top of this boulder the gleam of something bright caught my eye,
and raising my hand I found that it came from the silver
cigarette-case which he used to carry. As I took it up a small
square of paper upon which it had lain fluttered down on to the
ground. Unfolding it, I found that it consisted of three pages torn
from his notebook and addressed to me. It was characteristic of the
man that the direction was as precise, and the writing as firm and
clear, as though it had been written in his study.
MY DEAR WATSON [it said]:
I write these few lines through the courtesy of Mr. Moriarty,
who awaits my convenience for the final discussion of those
questions which lie between us. He has been giving me a sketch of
the methods by which he avoided the English police and kept himself
informed of our movements. They certainly confirm the very high
opinion which I had formed of his abilities. I am pleased to think
that I shall be able to free society from any further effects of his
presence, though I fear that it is at a cost which will give pain to
my friends, and especially, my dear Watson, to you. I have already
explained to you, however, that my career had in any case reached
its crisis, and that no possible conclusion to it could be more
congenial to me than this. Indeed, if I may make a full confession
to you, I was quite convinced that the letter from Meiringen was a
hoax, and I allowed you to depart on that errand under the
persuasion that some development of this sort would follow. Tell
Inspector Patterson that the papers which he needs to convict the gang
are in pigeonhole M., done up in a blue envelope and inscribed
"Moriarty." I made every disposition of my property before leaving
England and handed it to my brother Mycroft. Pray give my greetings to
Mrs. Watson, and believe me to be, my dear fellow,
Very sincerely yours,
SHERLOCK HOLMES.
A few words may suffice to tell the little that remains. An
examination by experts leaves little doubt that a personal contest
between the two men ended, as it could hardly fail to end in such a
situation, in their reeling over, locked in each other's arms. Any
attempt at recovering the bodies was absolutely hopeless, and there,
deep down in that dreadful cauldron of swirling water and seething
foam, will lie for all time the most dangerous criminal and the
foremost champion of the law of their generation. The Swiss youth
was never found again, and there can be no doubt that he was one of
the numerous agents whom Moriarty kept in his employ. As to the
gang, it will be within the memory of the public how completely the
evidence which Holmes had accumulated exposed their organization,
and how heavily the hand of the dead man weighed upon them. Of their
terrible chief few details came out during the proceedings, and if I
have now been compelled to make a clear statement of his career, it is
due to those injudicious champions who have endeavoured to clear his
memory by attacks upon him whom I shall ever regard as the best and
the wisest man whom I have ever known.
THE END
.
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
The Five Orange Pips
When I glance over my notes and records of the Sherlock Holmes
cases between the years '82 and '90, I am faced by so many which
present strange and interesting features that it is no easy matter
to know which to choose and which to leave. Some, however, have
already gained publicity through the papers, and others have not
offered a field for those peculiar qualities which my friend
possessed in so high a degree, and which it is the object of these
papers to illustrate. Some, too, have baffled his analytical
skill, and would be, as narratives, beginnings without an ending,
while others have been but partially cleared up, and have their
explanations founded rather upon conjecture and surmise than on
that absolute logical proof which was so dear to him. There is,
however, one of these last which was so remarkable in its details
and so startling in its results that I am tempted to give some
account of it in spite of the fact that there are points in
connection with it which never have been, and probably never will
be, entirely cleared up.
The year '87 furnished us with a long series of cases of
greater or less interest, of which I retain the records. Among my
headings under this one twelve months I find an account of the
adventure of the Paradol Chamber, of the Amateur Mendicant
Society, who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a
furniture warehouse, of the facts connected with the loss of the
British bark Sophy Anderson, of the singular adventures of the
Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa, and finally of the
Camberwell poisoning case. In the latter, as may be remembered,
Sherlock Holmes was able, by winding up the dead man's watch, to
prove that it had been wound up two hours before, and that
therefore the deceased had gone to bed within that time--a
deduction which was of the greatest importance in clearing up the
case. All these I may sketch out at some future date, but none of
them present such singular features as the strange train of
circumstances which I have now taken up my pen to describe.
It was in the latter days of September, and the equinoctial
gales had set in with exceptional violence. All day the wind had
screamed and the rain had beaten against the windows, so that even
here in the heart of great, hand-made London we were forced to
raise our minds for the instant from the routine of life, and to
recognize the presence of those great elemental forces which
shriek at mankind through the bars of his civilization, like
untamed beasts in a cage. As evening drew in, the storm grew
higher and louder, and the wind cried and sobbed like a child in
the chimney. Sherlock Holmes sat moodily at one side of the
fireplace cross-indexing his records of crime, while I at the
other was deep in one of Clark Russell's fine sea-stories until
the howl of the gale from without seemed to blend with the text,
and the splash of the rain to lengthen out into the long swash of
the sea waves. My wife was on a visit to her mother's, and for a
few days I was a dweller once more in my old quarters at Baker
Street.
"Why," said I, glancing up at my companion, "that was surely
the bell. Who could come to-night? Some friend of yours,
perhaps?"
"Except yourself I have none," he answered. "I do not
encourage visitors."
"A client, then?"
"If so, it is a serious case. Nothing less would bring a man
out on such a day and at such an hour. But I take it that it is
more likely to be some crony of the landlady's."
Sherlock Holmes was wrong in his conjecture, however, for
there came a step in the passage and a tapping at the door. He
stretched out his long arm to turn the lamp away from himself and
towards the vacant chair upon which a newcomer must sit. "Come
in!" said he.
The man who entered was young, some two-and-twenty at the
outside, well-groomed and trimly clad, with something of
refinement and delicacy in his bearing. The streaming umbrella
which he held in his hand, and his long shining waterproof told of
the fierce weather through which he had come. He looked about him
anxiously in the glare of the lamp, and I could see that his face
was pale and his eyes heavy, like those of a man who is weighed
down with some great anxiety.
"I owe you an apology," he said, raising his golden pince-nez
to his eyes. "I trust that I am not intruding. I fear that I
have brought some traces of the storm and rain into your snug
chamber."
"Give me your coat and umbrella," said Holmes. "They may rest
here on the hook and will be dry presently. You have come up from
the south-west, I see."
"Yes, from Horsham."
"That clay and chalk mixture which I see upon your toe caps is
quite distinctive."
"I have come for advice."
"That is easily got."
"And help."
"That is not always so easy."
"I have heard of you, Mr. Holmes. I heard from Major
Prendergast how you saved him in the Tankerville Club scandal."
"Ah, of course. He was wrongfully accused of cheating at
cards."
"He said that you could solve anything."
"He said too much."
"That you are never beaten."
"I have been beaten four times--three times by men, and once
by a woman."
"But what is that compared with the number of your successes?"
"It is true that I have been generally successful."
"Then you may be so with me."
"I beg that you will draw your chair up to the fire and favour
me with some details as to your case."
"It is no ordinary one."
"None of those which come to me are. I am the last court of
appeal."
"And yet I question, sir, whether, in all your experience, you
have ever listened to a more mysterious and inexplicable chain of
events than those which have happened in my own family."
"You fill me with interest," said Holmes. "Pray give us the
essential facts from the commencement, and I can afterwards
question you as to those details which seem to me to be most
important."
The young man pulled his chair up and pushed his wet feet out
towards the blaze.
"My name," said he, "is John Openshaw, but my own affairs
have, as far as I can understand, little to do with this awful
business. It is a hereditary matter; so in order to give you an
idea of the facts, I must go back to the commencement of the
affair.
"You must know that my grandfather had two sons--my uncle
Elias and my father Joseph. My father had a small factory at
Coventry, which he enlarged at the time of the invention of
bicycling. He was a patentee of the Openshaw unbreakable tire,
and his business met with such success that he was able to sell it
and to retire upon a handsome competence.
"My uncle Elias emigrated to America when he was a young man
and became a planter in Florida, where he was reported to have
done very well. At the time of the war he fought in Jackson's
army, and afterwards under Hood, where he rose to be a colonel.
When Lee laid down his arms my uncle returned to his plantation,
where he remained for three or four years. About 1869 or 1870 he
came back to Europe and took a small estate in Sussex, near
Horsham. He had made a very considerable fortune in the States,
and his reason for leaving them was his aversion to the negroes,
and his dislike of the Republican policy in extending the
franchise to them. He was a singular man, fierce and
quick-tempered, very foul-mouthed when he was angry, and of a most
retiring disposition. During all the years that he lived at
Horsham, I doubt if ever he set foot in the town. He had a garden
and two or three fields round his house, and there he would take
his exercise, though very often for weeks on end he would never
leave his room. He drank a great deal of brandy and smoked very
heavily, but he would see no society and did not want any friends,
not even his own brother.
"He didn't mind me; in fact, he took a fancy to me, for at the
time when he saw me first I was a youngster of twelve or so. This
would be in the year 1878, after he had been eight or nine years
in England. He begged my father to let me live with him, and he
was very kind to me in his way. When he was sober he used to be
fond of playing backgammon and draughts with me, and he would make
me his representative both with the servants and with the
tradespeople, so that by the time that I was sixteen I was quite
master of the house. I kept all the keys and could go where I
liked and do what I liked, so long as I did not disturb him in his
privacy. There was one singular exception, however, for he had a
single room, a lumber-room up among the attics, which was
invariably locked, and which he would never permit either me or
anyone else to enter. With a boy's curiosity I have peeped
through the keyhole, but I was never able to see more than such a
collection of old trunks and bundles as would be expected in such
a room.
"One day--it was in March, 1883--a letter with a foreign stamp
lay upon the table in front of the colonel's plate. It was not a
common thing for him to receive letters, for his bills were all
paid in ready money, and he had no friends of any sort. `From
India!' said he as he took it up, `Pondicherry postmark! What can
this be?' Opening it hurriedly, out there jumped five little dried
orange pips, which pattered down upon his plate. I began to laugh
at this, but the laugh was struck from my lips at the sight of his
face. His lip had fallen, his eyes were protruding, his skin the
colour of putty, and he glared at the envelope which he still held
in his trembling hand, `K. K. K.!' he shrieked, and then, `My God,
my God, my sins have overtaken me!'
"`What is it, uncle?' I cried.
"`Death,' said he, and rising from the table he retired to his
room, leaving me palpitating with horror. I took up the envelope
and saw scrawled in red ink upon the inner flap, just above the
gum, the letter K three times repeated. There was nothing else
save the five dried pips. What could be the reason of his
overpowering terror? I left the breakfast-table, and as I
ascended the stair I met him coming down with an old rusty key,
which must have belonged to the attic, in one hand, and a small
brass box, like a cashbox, in the other.
"`They may do what they like, but I'll checkmate them still,'
said he with an oath. `Tell Mary that I shall want a fire in my
room to-day, and send down to Fordham, the Horsham lawyer.'
"I did as he ordered, and when the lawyer arrived I was asked
to step up to the room. The fire was burning brightly, and in the
grate there was a mass of black, fluffy ashes, as of burned paper,
while the brass box stood open and empty beside it. As I glanced
at the box I noticed, with a start, that upon the lid was printed
the treble K which I had read in the morning upon the envelope.
"`I wish you, John,' said my uncle, `to witness my will. I
leave my estate, with all its advantages and all its
disadvantages, to my brother, your father, whence it will, no
doubt, descend to you. If you can enjoy it in peace, well and
good! If you find you cannot, take my advice, my boy, and leave
it to your deadliest enemy. I am sorry to give you such a
two-edged thing, but I can't say what turn things are going to
take. Kindly sign the paper where Mr. Fordham shows you.'
"I signed the paper as directed, and the lawyer took it away
with him. The singular incident made, as you may think, the
deepest impression upon me, and I pondered over it and turned it
every way in my mind without being able to make anything of it.
Yet I could not shake off the vague feeling of dread which it left
behind, though the sensation grew less keen as the weeks passed,
and nothing happened to disturb the usual routine of our lives. I
could see a change in my uncle, however. He drank more than ever,
and he was less inclined for any sort of society. Most of his
time he would spend in his room, with the door locked upon the
inside, but sometimes he would emerge in a sort of drunken frenzy
and would burst out of the house and tear about the garden with a
revolver in his hand, screaming out that he was afraid of no man,
and that he was not to be cooped up, like a sheep in a pen, by man
or devil. When these hot fits were over, however, he would rush
tumultuously in at the door and lock and bar it behind him, like a
man who can brazen it out no longer against the terror which lies
at the roots of his soul. At such times I have seen his face,
even on a cold day, glisten with moisture, as though it were new
raised from a basin.
"Well, to come to an end of the matter, Mr. Holmes, and not to
abuse your patience, there came a night when he made one of those
drunken sallies from which he never came back. We found him, when
we went to search for him, face downward in a little green-scummed
pool, which lay at the foot of the garden. There was no sign of
any violence, and the water was but two feet deep, so that the
jury, having regard to his known eccentricity, brought in a
verdict of `suicide.' But I, who knew how he winced from the very
thought of death, had much ado to persuade myself that he had gone
out of his way to meet it. The matter passed, however, and my
father entered into possession of the estate, and of some 14,000 pounds,
which lay to his credit at the bank."
"One moment," Holmes interposed, "your statement is, I
foresee, one of the most remarkable to which I have ever listened.
Let me have the date of the reception by your uncle of the letter,
and the date of his supposed suicide."
"The letter arrived on March 10, 1883. His death was seven
weeks later, upon the night of May 2d."
"Thank you. Pray proceed."
"When my father took over the Horsham property, he, at my
request, made a careful examination of the attic, which had been
always locked up. We found the brass box there, although its
contents had been destroyed. On the inside of the cover was a
paper label, with the initials of K. K. K. repeated upon it, and
`Letters, memoranda, receipts, and a register' written beneath.
These, we presume, indicated the nature of the papers which had
been destroyed by Colonel Openshaw. For the rest, there was
nothing of much importance in the attic save a great many
scattered papers and note-books bearing upon my uncle's life in
America. Some of them were of the war time and showed that he had
done his duty well and had borne the repute of a brave soldier.
Others were of a date during the reconstruction of the Southern
states, and were mostly concerned with politics, for he had
evidently taken a strong part in opposing the carpet-bag
politicians who had been sent down from the North.
"Well, it was the beginning of '84 when my father came to live
at Horsham, and all went as well as possible with us until the
January of '85. On the fourth day after the new year I heard my
father give a sharp cry of surprise as we sat together at the
breakfast-table. There he was, sitting with a newly opened
envelope in one hand and five dried orange pips in the
outstretched palm of the other one. He had always laughed at what
he called my cock-and-bull story about the colonel, but he looked
very scared and puzzled now that the same thing had come upon
himself.
"`Why, what on earth does this mean, John?' he stammered.
"My heart had turned to lead. `It is K. K. K.,' said I.
"He looked inside the envelope. `So it is,' he cried. `Here
are the very letters. But what is this written above them?'
"`Put the papers on the sundial,' I read, peeping over his
shoulder.
"`What papers? What sundial?' he asked.
"`The sundial in the garden. There is no other,' said I; `but
the papers must be those that are destroyed.'
"`Pooh!' said he, gripping hard at his courage. `We are in a
civilized land here, and we can't have tomfoolery of this kind.
Where does the thing come from?'
"`From Dundee,' I answered, glancing at the postmark.
"`Some preposterous practical joke,' said he. `What have I to
do with sundials and papers? I shall take no notice of such
nonsense.'
"`I should certainly speak to the police,' I said.
"`And be laughed at for my pains. Nothing of the sort.'
"`Then let me do so?'
"`No, I forbid you. I won't have a fuss made about such
nonsense.'
"It was in vain to argue with him, for he was a very obstinate
man. I went about, however, with a heart which was full of
forebodings.
"On the third day after the coming of the letter my father
went from home to visit an old friend of his, Major Freebody, who
is in command of one of the forts upon Portsdown Hill. I was glad
that he should go, for it seemed to me that he was farther from
danger when he was away from home. In that, however, I was in
error. Upon the second day of his absence I received a telegram
from the major, imploring me to come at once. My father had
fallen over one of the deep chalk-pits which abound in the
neighbourhood, and was lying senseless, with a shattered skull. I
hurried to him, but he passed away without having ever recovered
his consciousness. He had, as it appears, been returning from
Fareham in the twilight, and as the country was unknown to him,
and the chalk-pit unfenced, the jury had no hesitation in bringing
in a verdict of `death from accidental causes.' Carefully as I
examined every fact connected with his death, I was unable to find
anything which could suggest the idea of murder. There were no
signs of violence, no footmarks, no robbery, no record of
strangers having been seen upon the roads. And yet I need not
tell you that my mind was far from at ease, and that I was
well-nigh certain that some foul plot had been woven round him.
"In this sinister way I came into my inheritance. You will
ask me why I did not dispose of it? I answer, because I was well
convinced that our troubles were in some way dependent upon an
incident in my uncle's life, and that the danger would be as
pressing in one house as in another.
"It was in January, '85, that my poor father met his end, and
two years and eight months have elapsed since then. During that
time I have lived happily at Horsham, and I had begun to hope that
this curse had passed away from the family, and that it had ended
with the last generation. I had begun to take comfort too soon,
however; yesterday morning the blow fell in the very shape in
which it had come upon my father."
The young man took from his waistcoat a crumpled envelope, and
turning to the table he shook out upon it five little dried orange
pips.
"This is the envelope," he continued. "The postmark is
London--eastern division. Within are the very words which were
upon my father's last message: `K. K. K.'; and then `Put the
papers on the sundial.'"
"What have you done?" asked Holmes.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"To tell the truth"--he sank his face into his thin, white
hands--"I have felt helpless. I have felt like one of those poor
rabbits when the snake is writhing towards it. I seem to be in
the grasp of some resistless, inexorable evil, which no foresight
and no precautions can guard against."
"Tut! tut!" cried Sherlock Holmes. "You must act, man, or you
are lost. Nothing but energy can save you. This is no time for
despair."
"I have seen the police."
"Ah!"
"But they listened to my story with a smile. I am convinced
that the inspector has formed the opinion that the letters are all
practical jokes, and that the deaths of my relations were really
accidents, as the jury stated, and were not to be connected with
the warnings."
Holmes shook his clenched hands in the air. "Incredible
imbecility!" he cried.
"They have, however, allowed me a policeman, who may remain in
the house with me."
"Has he come with you to-night?"
"No. His orders were to stay in the house."
Again Holmes raved in the air.
"Why did you come to me," he cried, "and, above all, why did
you not come at once?"
"I did not know. It was only to-day that I spoke to Major
Prendergast about my troubles and was advised by him to come to
you."
"It is really two days since you had the letter. We should
have acted before this. You have no further evidence, I suppose,
than that which you have placed before us--no suggestive detail
which might help us?"
"There is one thing," said John Openshaw. He rummaged in his
coat pocket, and, drawing out a piece of discoloured, blue-tinted
paper, he laid it out upon the table. "I have some remembrance,"
said he, "that on the day when my uncle burned the papers I
observed that the small, unburned margins which lay amid the ashes
were of this particular colour. I found this single sheet upon
the floor of his room, and I am inclined to think that it may be
one of the papers which has, perhaps, fluttered out from among the
others, and in that way has escaped destruction. Beyond the
mention of pips, I do not see that it helps us much. I think
myself that it is a page from some private diary. The writing is
undoubtedly my uncle's."
Holmes moved the lamp, and we both bent over the sheet of
paper, which showed by its ragged edge that it had indeed been
torn from a book. It was headed, "March, 1869," and beneath were
the following enigmatical notices:
4th. Hudson came. Same old platform.
7th. Set the pips on McCauley, Paramore, and John
Swain, of St. Augustine.
9th. McCauley cleared.
10th. John Swain cleared.
12th. Visited Paramore. All well.
"Thank you!" said Holmes, folding up the paper and returning
it to our visitor. "And now you must on no account lose another
instant. We cannot spare time even to discuss what you have told
me. You must get home instantly and act."
"What shall I do?"
"There is but one thing to do. It must be done at once. You
must put this piece of paper which you have shown us into the
brass box which you have described. You must also put in a note
to say that all the other papers were burned by your uncle, and
that this is the only one which remains. You must assert that in
such words as will carry conviction with them. Having done this,
you must at once put the box out upon the sundial, as directed.
Do you understand?"
"Entirely."
"Do not think of revenge, or anything of the sort, at present.
I think that we may gain that by means of the law; but we have our
web to weave, while theirs is already woven. The first
consideration is to remove the pressing danger which threatens
you. The second is to clear up the mystery and to punish the
guilty parties."
"I thank you," said the young man, rising and pulling on his
overcoat. "You have given me fresh life and hope. I shall
certainly do as you advise."
"Do not lose an instant. And, above all, take care of
yourself in the meanwhile, for I do not think that there can be a
doubt that you are threatened by a very real and imminent danger.
How do you go back?"
"By train from Waterloo."
"It is not yet nine. The streets will be crowded, so I trust
that you may be in safety. And yet you cannot guard yourself too
closely."
"I am armed."
"That is well. To-morrow I shall set to work upon your case."
"I shall see you at Horsham, then?"
"No, your secret lies in London. It is there that I shall
seek it."
"Then I shall call upon you in a day, or in two days, with
news as to the box and the papers. I shall take your advice in
every particular." He shook hands with us and took his leave.
Outside the wind still screamed and the rain splashed and pattered
against the windows. This strange, wild story seemed to have come
to us from amid the mad elements--blown in upon us like a sheet of
sea-weed in a gale--and now to have been reabsorbed by them once
more.
Sherlock Holmes sat for some time in silence, with his head
sunk forward and his eyes bent upon the red glow of the fire.
Then he lit his pipe, and leaning back in his chair he watched the
blue smoke-rings as they chased each other up to the ceiling.
"I think, Watson," he remarked at last, "that of all our cases
we have had none more fantastic than this."
"Save, perhaps, the Sign of Four."
"Well, yes. Save, perhaps, that. And yet this John Openshaw
seems to me to be walking amid even greater perils than did the
Sholtos."
"But have you," I asked, "formed any definite conception as to
what these perils are?"
"There can be no question as to their nature," he answered.
"Then what are they? Who is this K. K. K., and why does he
pursue this unhappy family?"
Sherlock Holmes closed his eyes and placed his elbows upon the
arms of his chair, with his finger-tips together. "The ideal
reasoner," he remarked, "would, when he had once been shown a
single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the
chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which
would follow from it. As Cuvier could correctly describe a whole
animal by the contemplation of a single bone, so the observer who
has thoroughly understood one link in a series of incidents should
be able to accurately state all the other ones, both before and
after. We have not yet grasped the results which the reason alone
can attain to. Problems may be solved in the study which have
baffled all those who have sought a solution by the aid of their
senses. To carry the art, however, to its highest pitch, it is
necessary that the reasoner should be able to utilize all the
facts which have come to his knowledge; and this in itself
implies, as you will readily see, a possession of all knowledge,
which, even in these days of free education and encyclopaedias, is
a somewhat rare accomplishment. It is not so impossible, however,
that a man should possess all knowledge which is likely to be
useful to him in his work, and this I have endeavoured in my case
to do. If I remember rightly, you on one occasion, in the early
days of our friendship, defined my limits in a very precise
fashion."
"Yes," I answered, laughing. "It was a singular document.
Philosophy, astronomy, and politics were marked at zero, I
remember. Botany variable, geology profound as regards the
mud-stains from any region within fifty miles of town, chemistry
eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational literature and crime
records unique, violin-player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer, and
self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco. Those, I think, were the
main points of my analysis."
Holmes grinned at the last item. "Well," he said, "I say now,
as I said then, that a man should keep his little brain-attic
stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the
rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library, where he
can get it if he wants it. Now, for such a case as the one which
has been submitted to us to-night, we need certainly to muster all
our resources. Kindly hand me down the letter K of the American
Encyclopaedia which stands upon the shelf beside you. Thank you.
Now let us consider the situation and see what may be deduced from
it. In the first place, we may start with a strong presumption
that Colonel Openshaw had some very strong reason for leaving
America. Men at his time of life do not change all their habits
and exchange willingly the charming climate of Florida for the
lonely life of an English provincial town. His extreme love of
solitude in England suggests the idea that he was in fear of
someone or something, so we may assume as a working hypothesis
that it was fear of someone or something which drove him from
America. As to what it was he feared, we can only deduce that by
considering the formidable letters which were received by himself
and his successors. Did you remark the postmarks of those
letters?"
"The first was from Pondicherry, the second from Dundee, and
the third from London."
"From East London. What do you deduce from that?"
"They are all seaports. That the writer was on board of a
ship."
"Excellent. We have already a clue. There can be no doubt
that the probability--the strong probability--is that the writer
was on board of a ship. And now let us consider another point.
In the case of Pondicherry, seven weeks elapsed between the threat
and its fulfillment, in Dundee it was only some three or four
days. Does that suggest anything?"
"A greater distance to travel."
"But the letter had also a greater distance to come."
"Then I do not see the point."
"There is at least a presumption that the vessel in which the
man or men are is a sailing-ship. It looks as if they always sent
their singular warning or token before them when starting upon
their mission. You see how quickly the deed followed the sign
when it came from Dundee. If they had come from Pondicherry in a
steamer they would have arrived almost as soon as their letter.
But, as a matter of fact, seven weeks elapsed. I think that those
seven weeks represented the difference between the mail-boat which
brought the letter and the sailing vessel which brought the
writer."
"It is possible."
"More than that. It is probable. And now you see the deadly
urgency of this new case, and why I urged young Openshaw to
caution. The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which
it would take the senders to travel the distance. But this one
comes from London, and therefore we cannot count upon delay."
"Good God!" I cried. "What can it mean, this relentless
persecution?"
"The papers which Openshaw carried are obviously of vital
importance to the person or persons in the sailing-ship. I think
that it is quite clear that there must be more than one of them.
A single man could not have carried out two deaths in such a way
as to deceive a coroner's jury. There must have been several in
it, and they must have been men of resource and determination.
Their papers they mean to have, be the holder of them who it may.
In this way you see K. K. K. ceases to be the initials of an
individual and becomes the badge of a society."
"But of what society?"
"Have you never--" said Sherlock Holmes, bending forward and
sinking his voice --"have you never heard of the Ku Klux Klan?"
"I never have."
Holmes turned over the leaves of the book upon his knee.
"Here it is," said he presently:
"Ku Klux Klan. A name derived from the fanciful
resemblance to the sound produced by cocking a rifle. This
terrible secret society was formed by some ex-Confederate
soldiers in the Southern states after the Civil War, and it
rapidly formed local branches in different parts of the
country, notably in Tennessee, Louisiana, the Carolinas,
Georgia, and Florida. Its power was used for political
purposes, principally for the terrorizing of the negro voters
and the murdering and driving from the country of those who
were opposed to its views. Its outrages were usually preceded
by a warning sent to the marked man in some fantastic but
generally recognized shape--a sprig of oak-leaves in some
parts, melon seeds or orange pips in others. On receiving
this the victim might either openly abjure his former ways, or
might fly from the country. If he braved the matter out,
death would unfailingly come upon him, and usually in some
strange and unforeseen manner. So perfect was the
organization of the society, and so systematic its methods,
that there is hardly a case upon record where any man
succeeded in braving it with impunity, or in which any of its
outrages were traced home to the perpetrators. For some years
the organization flourished in spite of the efforts of the
United States government and of the better classes of the
community in the South. Eventually, in the year 1869, the
movement rather suddenly collapsed, although there have been
sporadic outbreaks of the same sort since that date.
"You will observe," said Holmes, laying down the volume, "that
the sudden breaking up of the society was coincident with the
disappearance of Openshaw from America with their papers. It may
well have been cause and effect. It is no wonder that he and his
family have some of the more implacable spirits upon their track.
You can understand that this register and diary may implicate some
of the first men in the South, and that there may be many who will
not sleep easy at night until it is recovered."
"Then the page we have seen--"
"Is such as we might expect. It ran, if I remember right,
`sent the pips to A, B, and C'--that is, sent the society's
warning to them. Then there are successive entries that A and B
cleared, or left the country, and finally that C was visited,
with, I fear, a sinister result for C. Well, I think, Doctor,
that we may let some light into this dark place, and I believe
that the only chance young Openshaw has in the meantime is to do
what I have told him. There is nothing more to be said or to be
done to-night, so hand me over my violin and let us try to forget
for half an hour the miserable weather and the still more
miserable ways of our fellowmen."
It had cleared in the morning, and the sun was shining with a
subdued brightness through the dim veil which hangs over the great
city. Sherlock Holmes was already at breakfast when I came down.
"You will excuse me for not waiting for you," said he; "I
have, I foresee, a very busy day before me in looking into this
case of young Openshaw's."
"What steps will you take?" I asked.
"It will very much depend upon the results of my first
inquiries. I may have to go down to Horsham, after all."
"You will not go there first?"
"No, I shall commence with the City. Just ring the bell and
the maid will bring up your coffee."
As I waited, I lifted the unopened newspaper from the table
and glanced my eye over it. It rested upon a heading which sent a
chill to my heart.
"Holmes," I cried, "you are too late."
"Ah!" said he, laying down his cup, "I feared as much. How
was it done?" He spoke calmly, but I could see that he was deeply
moved.
"My eye caught the name of Openshaw, and the heading `Tragedy
Near Waterloo Bridge.' Here is the account:
"Between nine and ten last night Police-Constable Cook, of
the H Division, on duty near Waterloo Bridge, heard a cry for
help and a splash in the water. The night, however, was
extremely dark and stormy, so that, in spite of the help of
several passers-by, it was quite impossible to effect a
rescue. The alarm, however, was given, and, by the aid of the
water-police, the body was eventually recovered. It proved to
be that of a young gentleman whose name, as it appears from an
envelope which was found in his pocket, was John Openshaw, and
whose residence is near Horsham. It is conjectured that he
may have been hurrying down to catch the last train from
Waterloo Station, and that in his haste and the extreme
darkness he missed his path and walked over the edge of one of
the small landing-places for river steamboats. The body
exhibited no traces of violence, and there can be no doubt
that the deceased had been the victim of an unfortunate
accident, which should have the effect of calling the
attention of the authorities to the condition of the riverside
landing-stages."
We sat in silence for some minutes, Holmes more depressed and
shaken than I had ever seen him.
"That hurts my pride, Watson," he said at last. "It is a
petty feeling, no doubt, but it hurts my pride. It becomes a
personal matter with me now, and, if God sends me health, I shall
set my hand upon this gang. That he should come to me for help,
and that I should send him away to his death--!" He sprang from
his chair and paced about the room in uncontrollable agitation,
with a flush upon his sallow cheeks and a nervous clasping and
unclasping of his long thin hands.
"They must be cunning devils," he exclaimed at last. "How
could they have decoyed him down there? The Embankment is not on
the direct line to the station. The bridge, no doubt, was too
crowded, even on such a night, for their purpose. Well, Watson,
we shall see who will win in the long run. I am going out now!"
"To the police?"
"No; I shall be my own police. When I have spun the web they
may take the flies, but not before."
All day I was engaged in my professional work, and it was late
in the evening before I returned to Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes
had not come back yet. It was nearly ten o'clock before he
entered, looking pale and worn. He walked up to the sideboard,
and tearing a piece from the loaf he devoured it voraciously,
washing it down with a long draught of water.
"You are hungry," I remarked.
"Starving. It had escaped my memory. I have had nothing
since breakfast."
"Nothing?"
"Not a bite. I had no time to think of it."
"And how have you succeeded?"
"Well."
"You have a clue?"
"I have them in the hollow of my hand. Young Openshaw shall
not long remain unavenged. Why, Watson, let us put their own
devilish trade-mark upon them. It is well thought of!"
"What do you mean?"
He took an orange from the cupboard, and tearing it to pieces
he squeezed out the pips upon the table. Of these he took five
and thrust them into an envelope. On the inside of the flap he
wrote "S. H. for J. O." Then he sealed it and addressed it to
"Captain James Calhoun, Bark Lone Star, Savannah, Georgia."
"That will await him when he enters port," said he, chuckling.
"It may give him a sleepless night. He will find it as sure a
precursor of his fate as Openshaw did before him."
"And who is this Captain Calhoun?"
"The leader of the gang. I shall have the others, but he
first."
"How did you trace it, then?"
He took a large sheet of paper from his pocket, all covered
with dates and names.
"I have spent the whole day," said he, "over Lloyd's registers
and files of the old papers, following the future career of every
vessel which touched at Pondicherry in January and February in
'83. There were thirty-six ships of fair tonnage which were
reported there during those months. Of these, one, the Lone Star,
instantly attracted my attention, since, although it was reported
as having cleared from London, the name is that which is given to
one of the states of the Union."
"Texas, I think."
"I was not and am not sure which; but I knew that the ship
must have an American origin."
"What then?"
"I searched the Dundee records, and when I found that the bark
Lone Star was there in January, '85, my suspicion became a
certainty. I then inquired as to the vessels which lay at present
in the port of London."
"Yes?"
"The Lone Star had arrived here last week. I went down to the
Albert Dock and found that she had been taken down the river by
the early tide this morning, homeward bound to Savannah. I wired
to Gravesend and learned that she had passed some time ago, and as
the wind is easterly I have no doubt that she is now past the
Goodwins and not very far from the Isle of Wight."
"What will you do, then?"
"Oh, I have my hand upon him. He and the two mates, are, as I
learn, the only native-born Americans in the ship. The others are
Finns and Germans. I know, also, that they were all three away
from the ship last night. I had it from the stevedore who has
been loading their cargo. By the time that their sailing-ship
reaches Savannah the mail-boat will have carried this letter, and
the cable will have informed the police of Savannah that these
three gentlemen are badly wanted here upon a charge of murder."
There is ever a flaw, however, in the best laid of human
plans, and the murderers of John Openshaw were never to receive
the orange pips which would show them that another, as cunning and
as resolute as themselves, was upon their track. Very long and
very severe were the equinoctial gales that year. We waited long
for news of the Lone Star of Savannah, but none ever reached us.
We did at last hear that somewhere far out in the Atlantic a
shattered stern-post of the boat was seen swinging in the trough
of a wave, with the letters "L. S." carved upon it, and that is
all which we shall ever know of the fate of the Lone Star.
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE "GLORIA SCOTT"
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"I have some papers here," said my friend Sherlock Holmes as we
sat one winter's night on either side of the fire, "which I really
think, Watson, that it would be worth your while to glance over. These
are the documents in the extraordinary case of the Gloria Scott, and
this is the message which struck Justice of the Peace Trevor dead with
horror when he read it."
He had picked from a drawer a little tarnished cylinder, and,
undoing the tape, he handed me a short note scrawled upon a half-sheet
of slate-gray paper.
The supply of game for London is going steadily up [it ran].
Head-keeper Hudson, we believe, has been now told to receive all
orders for fly-paper and for preservation of your hen-pheasant's life.
As I glanced up from reading this enigmatical message, I saw
Holmes chuckling at the expression upon my face.
"You look a little bewildered," said he.
"I cannot see how such a message as this could inspire horror. It
seems to me to be rather grotesque than otherwise."
"Very likely. Yet the fact remains that the reader, who was a
fine, robust old man, was knocked clean down by it as if it had been
the butt end of a pistol."
"You arouse my curiosity," said I. "But why did you say just now
that there were very particular reasons why I should study this case?"
"Because it was the first in which I was ever engaged."
I had often endeavoured to elicit from my companion what had first
turned his mind in the direction of criminal research, but had never
caught him before in a communicative humour. Now he sat forward in his
armchair and spread out the documents upon his knees. Then he lit
his pipe and sat for some time smoking and turning them over.
"You never heard me talk of Victor Trevor?" he asked. "He was the
only friend I made during the two years I was at college. I was
never a very sociable fellow, Watson, always rather fond of moping
in my rooms and working out my own little methods of thought, so
that I never mixed much with the men of my year. Bar fencing and
boxing I had few athletic tastes, and then my line of study was
quite distinct from that of the other fellows, so that we had no
points of contact at all. Trevor was the only man I knew, and that
only through the accident of his bull terrier freezing on to my
ankle one morning as I went down to chapel.
"It was a prosaic way of forming a friendship, but it was effective.
I was laid by the heels for ten days, and Trevor used to come in to
inquire after me. At first it was only a minute's chat, but soon his
visits lengthened, and before the end of the term we were close
friends. He was a hearty, full-blooded fellow, full of spirits and
energy, the very opposite to me in most respects, but we had some
subjects in common, and it was a bond of union when I found that he
was as friendless as I. Finally he invited me down to his father's
place at Donnithorpe, in Norfolk, and I accepted his hospitality for a
month of the long vacation.
"Old Trevor was evidently a man of some wealth and consideration,
a J. P., and a landed proprietor. Donnithorpe is a little hamlet
just to the north of Langmere, in the country of the Broads. The house
was an old-fashioned, widespread, oakbeamed brick building, with a
fine lime-lined avenue leading up to it. There was excellent wild-duck
shooting in the fens, remarkably good fishing, a small but select
library, taken over, as I understood, from a former occupant, and a
tolerable cook, so that he would be a fastidious man who could not put
in a pleasant month there.
"Trevor senior was a widower, and my friend his only son.
"There had been a daughter, I heard, but she had died of
diphtheria while on a visit to Birmingham. The father interested me
extremely. He was a man of little culture, but with a considerable
amount of rude strength, both physically and mentally. He knew
hardly any books, but he had travelled far, had seen much of the
world, and had remembered all that he had learned. In person he was
a thick-set, burly man with a shock of grizzled hair, a brown,
weather-beaten face, and blue eyes which were keen to the verge of
fierceness. Yet he had a reputation for kindness and charity on the
countryside, and was noted for the leniency of his sentences from
the bench.
"One evening, shortly after my arrival, we were sitting over a glass
of port after dinner, when young Trevor began to talk about those
habits of observation and inference which I had already formed into
a system, although I had not yet appreciated the part which they
were to play in my life. The old man evidently thought that his son
was exaggerating in his description of one or two trivial feats
which I had performed.
"'Come, now, Mr. Holmes,' said he, laughing good-humouredly. 'I'm an
excellent subject, if you can deduce anything from me.'
"'I fear there is not very much,' I answered. 'I might suggest
that you have gone about in fear of some personal attack within the
last twelvemonth.'
"The laugh faded from his lips, and he stared at me in great
surprise.
"'Well, that's true enough,' said he. 'You know, Victor,' turning to
his son, 'when we broke up that poaching gang they swore to knife
us, and Sir Edward Holly has actually been attacked. I've always
been on my guard since then, though I have no idea how you know it.'
"'You have a very handsome stick,' I answered. 'By the inscription I
observed that you had not had it more than a year. But you have
taken some pains to bore the head of it and pour melted lead into
the hole so as to make it a formidable weapon. I argued that you would
not take such precautions unless you had some danger to fear.'
"'Anything else?' he asked, smiling.
"'You have boxed a good deal in your youth.'
"'Right again. How did you know it? Is my nose knocked a little
out of the straight?'
"'No,' said I. 'It is your ears. They have the peculiar flattening
and thickening which marks the boxing man.'
"'Anything else?'
"'You have done a good deal of digging by your callosities.'
"'Made all my money at the gold fields.'
"'You have been in New Zealand.'
"'Right again.'
"'You have visited Japan.'
"'Quite true.'
"'And you have been most intimately associated with someone whose
initials were J. A., and whom you afterwards were eager to entirely
forget.'
"Mr. Trevor stood slowly up, fixed his large blue eyes upon me
with a strange wild stare, and then pitched forward, with his face
among the nutshells which strewed the cloth, in a dead faint.
"You can imagine, Watson, how shocked both his son and I were. His
attack did not last long, however, for when we undid his collar and
sprinkled the water from one of the finger-glasses over his face, he
gave a gasp or two and sat up.
"'Ah, boys,' said he, forcing a smile, 'I hope I haven't
frightened you. Strong as I look, there is a weak place in my heart,
and it does not take much to knock me over. I don't know how you
manage this, Mr. Holmes, but it seems to me that all the detectives of
fact and of fancy would be children in your hands. That's your line of
life, sir, and you may take the word of a man who has seen something
of the world.'
"And that recommendation, with the exaggerated estimate of my
ability with which he prefaced it, was, if you will believe me,
Watson, the very first thing which ever made me feel that a profession
might be made out of what had up to that time been the merest hobby.
At the moment, however, I was too much concerned at the sudden illness
of my host to think of anything else.
"'I hope that I have said nothing to pain you?' said I.
"'Well, you certainly touched upon rather a tender point. Might I
ask how you know, and how much you know?' He spoke now in a
half-jesting fashion, but a look of terror still lurked at the back of
his eyes.
"'It is simplicity itself,' said I. 'When you bared your arm to draw
that fish into the boat I saw that J. A. had been tattooed in the bend
of the elbow. The letters were still legible, but it was perfectly
clear from their blurred appearance, and from the staining of the skin
round them, that efforts had been made to obliterate them. It was
obvious, then, that those initials had once been very familiar to you,
and that you had afterwards wished to forget them.'
"'What an eye you have!' he cried with a sigh of relief. 'It is just
as you say. But we won't talk of it. Of all ghosts the ghosts of our
old loves are the worst. Come into the billiard-room and have, a quiet
cigar.'
"From that day, amid all his cordiality, there was always a touch of
suspicion in Mr. Trevor's manner towards me. Even his son remarked it.
'You've given the governor such a turn,' said he, 'that he'll never be
sure again of what you know and what you don't know.' He did not
mean to show it, I am sure, but it was so strongly in his mind that it
peeped out at every action. At last I became so convinced that I was
causing him uneasiness that I drew my visit to a close. On the very
day, however, before I left, an incident occurred which proved in
the sequel to be of importance.
"We were sitting out upon the lawn on garden chairs, the three of
us, basking in the sun and admiring the view across the Broads, when a
maid came out to say that there was a man at the door who wanted to
see Mr. Trevor.
"'What is his name?'asked my host.
"'He would not give any.'
"'What does he want, then?'
"'He says that you know him, and that he only wants a moments
conversation.'
"'Show him round here.' An instant afterwards there appeared a
little wizened fellow with a cringing manner and a shambling style
of walking. He wore an open jacket, with a splotch of tar on the
sleeve, a red-and-black check shirt, dungaree trousers, and heavy
boots badly worn. His face was thin and brown and crafty, with a
perpetual smile upon it, which showed an irregular line of yellow
teeth, and his crinkled hands were half closed in a way that is
distinctive of sailors. As he came slouching across the lawn I heard
Mr. Trevor make a sort of hiccoughing noise in his throat, and,
jumping out of his chair, he ran into the house. He was back in a
moment, and I smelt a strong reek of brandy as he passed me.
"'Well, my man,' said he. 'What can I do for you?'
"The sailor stood looking at him with puckered eyes, and with the
same loose lipped smile upon his face.
"'You don't know me?' he asked.
"'Why, dear me, it is surely Hudson,' said Mr. Trevor in a tone of
surprise.
"'Hudson it is, sir,' said the seaman. 'Why, it's thirty year and
more since I saw you last. Here you are in your house, and me still
picking my salt meat out of the harness cask.'
"'Tut, you will find that I have not forgotten old times,' cried
Trevor, and, walking towards the sailor, he said something in a low
voice. 'Go into the kitchen ' he continued out loud, 'and you will get
food and drink. I have no doubt that I shall find you a situation.'
"'Thank you, sir,' said the seaman, touching his forelock. 'I'm just
off a two-yearer in an eight-knot tramp, short-handed at that, and I
wants a rest. I thought I'd get it either with Mr. Beddoes or with
you.'
"'Ah!' cried Mr. Trevor. 'You know where Mr. Beddoes is?'
"Bless you, sir, I know where all my old friends are,' said the
fellow with a sinister smile, and he slouched off after the maid to
the kitchen. Mr. Trevor mumbled something to us about having been
shipmate with the man when he was going back to the diggings, and
then, leaving us on the lawn, he went indoors. An hour later, when
we entered the house, we found him stretched dead drunk upon the
dining-room sofa. The whole incident left a most ugly impression
upon my mind, and I was not sorry next day to leave Donnithorpe behind
me, for I felt that my presence must be a source of embarrassment to
my friend.
"All this occurred during the first month of the long vacation. I
went up to my London rooms, where I spent seven weeks working out a
few experiments in organic chemistry. One day, however, when the
autumn was far advanced and the vacation drawing to a close, I
received a telegram from my friend imploring me to return to
Donnithorpe, and saying that he was in great need of my advice and
assistance. Of course I dropped everything and set out for the North
once more.
"He met me with the dog-cart at the station, and I saw at a glance
that the last two months had been very trying ones for him. He had
grown thin and careworn, and had lost the loud, cheery manner for
which he had been remarkable.
"'The governor is dying,' were the first words he said.
"'Impossible!' I cried. 'What is the matter?'
"'Apoplexy. Nervous shock. He's been on the verge all day. I doubt
if we shall find him alive.'
"I was, as you may think, Watson, horrified at this unexpected news.
"'What has caused it?' I asked.
"'Ah, that is the point. jump in and we can talk it over while we
drive. You remember that fellow who came upon the evening before you
left us?'
"'Perfectly.'
"'Do you know who it was that we let into the house that day?'
"'I have no idea.'
"'It was the devil, Holmes,' he cried.
"'I stared at him in astonishment.
"'Yes, it was the devil himself. We have not had a peaceful hour
since-not one. The governor has never held up his head from that
evening, and now the life has been crushed out of him and his heart
broken, all through this accursed Hudson.'
"'What power had he, then?'
"'Ah, that is what I would give so much to know. The kindly,
charitable good old governor-how could he have fallen into the
clutches of such a ruffian! But I am so glad that you have come,
Holmes. I trust very much to your judgment and discretion, and I
know that you will advise me for the best.'
"We were dashing along the smooth white country road, with the
long stretch of the Broads in front of us glimmering in the red
light of the setting sun. From a grove upon our left I could already
see the high chimneys and the flagstaff which marked the squire's
dwelling.
"'My father made the fellow gardener,' said my companion, 'and then,
as that did not satisfy him, he was promoted to be butler. The house
seemed to be at his mercy, and he wandered about and did what he chose
in it. The maids complained of his drunken habits and his vile
language. The dad raised their wages all round to recompense them
for the annoyance. The fellow would take the boat and my father's best
gun and treat himself to little shooting trips. And all this with such
a sneering, leering, insolent face that I would have knocked him
down twenty times over if he had been a man of my own age. I tell you,
Holmes, I have had to keep a tight hold upon myself all this time; and
now I am asking myself whether, if I had let myself go a little
more, I might not have been a wiser man.
"'Well, matters went from bad to worse with us, and this animal
Hudson became more and more intrusive, until at last, on his making
some insolent reply to my father in my presence one day, I took him by
the shoulders and turned him out of the room. He slunk away with a
livid face and two venomous eyes which uttered more threats than his
tongue could do. I don't know what passed between the poor dad and him
after that, but the dad came to me next day and asked me whether I
would mind apologizing to Hudson. I refused, as you can imagine, and
asked my father how he could allow such a wretch to take such
liberties with himself and his household.
"'"Ah, my boy," said he, "it is all very well to talk, but you don't
know how I am placed. But you shall know, Victor. I'll see that you
shall know, come what may. You wouldn't believe harm of your poor
old father, would you, lad?" He was very much moved and shut himself
up in the study all day, where I could see through the window that
he was writing busily.
"'That evening there came what seemed to me to be a grand release,
for Hudson told us that he was going to leave us. He walked into the
dining-room as we sat after dinner and announced his intention in
the thick voice of a half-drunken man.
"'"I've had enough of Norfolk," said he. "I'll run down to Mr.
Beddoes in Hampshire. He'll be as glad to see me as you were, I
daresay."
"'"You're not going away in an unkind spirit Hudson, I hope," said
my father with a tameness which made my blood boil.
"'"I've not had my 'poIogy," said he sulkily, glancing in my
direction.
"'"Victor, you will acknowledge that you have used this worthy
fellow rather roughly," said the dad, turning to me.
"'"On the contrary, I think that we have both shown extraordinary
patience towards him," I answered.
"'"Oh, you do, do you?" he snarled. "Very good, mate. We'll see
about that!"
"'He slouched out of the room and half an hour afterwards left the
house, leaving my father in a state of pitiable nervousness. Night
after night I heard him pacing his room, and it was just as he was
recovering his confidence that the blow did at last fall.'
"'And how?' I asked eagerly.
"'In a most extraordinary fashion. A letter arrived for my father
yesterday evening, bearing the Fordingham postmark. My father read it,
clapped both his hands to his head, and began running round the room
in little circles like a man who has been driven out of his senses.
When I at last drew him down on to the sofa, his mouth and eyelids
were all puckered on one side, and I saw that he had a stroke. Dr.
Fordham came over at once. We put him to bed, but the paralysis has
spread, he has shown no sign of returning consciousness, and I think
that we shall hardly find him alive.'
"'You horrify me, Trevor!' I cried. 'What then could have been in
this letter to cause so dreadful a result?'
"'Nothing. There lies the inexplicable part of it. The message was
absurd and trivial. Ah, my God, it is as I feared!'
"As he spoke we came round the curve of the avenue and saw in the
fading light that every blind in the house had been drawn down. As
we dashed up to the door, my friend's face convulsed with grief, a
gentleman in black emerged from it.
"'When did it happen, doctor?' asked Trevor.
"'Almost immediately after you left.'
"'Did he recover consciousness?'
"'For an instant before the end.'
"'Any message for me?'
"'Only that the papers were in the back drawer of the Japanese
cabinet.'
"My friend ascended with the doctor to the chamber of death, while I
remained in the study, turning the whole matter over and over in my
head, and feeling as sombre as ever I had done in my life. What was
the past of this Trevor, pugilist, traveller, and gold-digger, and how
had he placed himself in the power of this acid-faced seaman? Why,
too, should he faint at an allusion to the half-effaced initials
upon his arm and die of fright when he had a letter from Fordingham?
Then I remembered that Fordingham was in Hampshire, and that this
Mr. Beddoes, whom the seaman had gone to visit and presumably to
blackmail, had also been mentioned as living in Hampshire. The letter,
then, might either come from Hudson, the seaman, saying that he had
betrayed the guilty secret which appeared to exist, or it might come
from Beddoes, warning an old confederate that such a betrayal was
imminent. So far it seemed clear enough. But then how could this
letter be trivial and grotesque, as described by the son? He must have
misread it. If so, it must have been one of those ingenious secret
codes which mean one thing while they seem to mean another. I must see
this letter. If there was a hidden meaning in it, I was confident that
I could pluck it forth. For an hour I sat pondering over it in the
gloom, until at last a weeping maid brought in a lamp, and close at
her heels came my friend Trevor, pale but composed, with these very
papers which lie upon my knee held in his grasp. He sat down
opposite to me, drew the lamp to the edge of the table, and handed
me a short note scribbled, as you see, upon a single sheet of gray
paper. 'The supply of game for London is going steadily up,' it ran.
'Head-keeper Hudson, we believe, has been now told to receive all
orders for fly-paper and for preservation of your hen-pheasant's
life.'
"I daresay my face looked as bewildered as yours did just now when
first I read this message. Then I reread it very carefully. It was
evidently as I had thought, and some secret meaning must lie buried in
this strange combination of words. Or could it be that there was a
prearranged significance to such phrases as 'flypaper' and
'hen-pheasant'? Such a meaning would be arbitrary and could not be
deduced in any way. And yet I was loath to believe that this was the
case, and the presence of the word Hudson seemed to show that the
subject of the message was as I had guessed, and that it was from
Beddoes rather than the sailor. I tried it backward, but the
combination 'life pheasant's hen' was not encouraging. Then I tried
alternate words, but neither 'the of for' nor 'supply game London'
promised to throw any light upon it.
"And then in an instant the key of the riddle was in my hands, and I
saw that every third word, beginning with the first, would give a
message which might well drive old Trevor to despair.
"It was short and terse, the warning, as I now read it to my
companion:
"'The game is up. Hudson has told all. Fly for your life.'
"Victor Trevor sank his face into his shaking hands. 'It must be
that, I suppose,' said he. 'This is worse than death, for it means
disgrace as well. But what is the meaning of these "head-keepers"
and "hen-pheasants"?'
"It means nothing to the message, but it might mean a good deal to
us if we had no other means of discovering the sender. You see that he
has begun by writing "The...game...is," and so on. Afterwards he
had, to fulfil the prearranged cipher, to fill in any two words in
each space. He would naturally use the first words which came to his
mind, and if there were so many which referred to sport among them,
you may be tolerably sure that he is either an ardent shot or
interested in breeding. Do you know anything of this Beddoes?'
"'Why, now that you mention it,' said he, 'I remember that my poor
father used to have an invitation from him to shoot over his preserves
every autumn.'
"'Then it is undoubtedly from him that the note comes,' said I.
'It only remains for us to find out what this secret was which the
sailor Hudson seems to have held over the heads of these two wealthy
and respected men.'
"'Alas, Holmes, I fear that it is one of sin and shame!' cried my
friend. 'But from you I shall have no secrets. Here is the statement
which was drawn up by my father when he knew that the danger from
Hudson had become imminent. I found it in the Japanese cabinet, as
he told the doctor. Take it and read it to me, for I have neither
the strength nor the courage to do it myself.'
"These are the very papers, Watson, which he handed to me, and I
will read them to you, as I read them in the old study that night to
him. They are endorsed outside, as you see, 'Some particulars of the
voyage of the bark Gloria Scott, from her leaving Falmouth on the
8th October, 1855, to her destruction in N. Lat-15' 20', W. Long.
25' 14', on Nov. 6th.' It is in the form of a letter, and runs in this
way.
"'My dear, dear son, now that approaching disgrace begins to
darken the closing years of my life, I can write with all truth and
honesty that it is not the terror of the law, it is not the loss of my
position in the county, nor is it my fall in the eyes of all who
have known me, which cuts me to the heart; but it is the thought
that you should come to blush for me-you who love me and who have
seldom, I hope, had reason to do other than respect me. But if the
blow falls which is forever hanging over me, then I should wish you to
read this, that you may know straight from me how far I have been to
blame. On the other hand, if all should go well (which may kind God
Almighty grant!), then, if by any chance this paper should be still
undestroyed and should fall into your hands, I conjure you, by all you
hold sacred, by the memory of your dear mother, and by the love
which has been between us, to hurl it into the fire and to never
give one thought to it again.
"'If then your eye goes on to read this line, I know that I shall
already have been exposed and dragged from my home, or, as is more
likely, for you know that my heart is weak, be lying with my tongue
sealed forever in death. In either case the time for suppression is
past, and every word which I tell you is the naked truth, and this I
swear as I hope for mercy.
"'My name, dear lad, is not Trevor. I was James Armitage in my
younger days, and you can understand now the shock that it was to me a
few weeks ago when your college friend addressed me in words which
seemed to imply that he had surprised my secret. As Armitage it was
that I entered a London banking-house, and as Armitage I was convicted
of breaking my country's laws, and was sentenced to transportation. Do
not think very harshly of me, laddie. It was a debt of honour, so
called, which I had to pay, and I used money which was not my own to
do it, in the certainty that I could replace it before there could
be any possibility of its being missed. But the most dreadful ill luck
pursued me. The money which I had reckoned upon never came to hand,
and a premature examination of accounts exposed my deficit. The case
might have been dealt leniently with, but the laws were more harshly
administered thirty years ago than now, and on my twenty third
birthday I found myself chained as a felon with thirty-seven other
convicts in the 'tween-decks of the bark Gloria Scott, bound for
Australia.
"'It was the year '55, when the Crimean War was at its height, and
the old convict ships had been largely used as transports in the Black
Sea. The government was compelled, therefore, to use smaller and
less suitable vessels for sending out their prisoners. The Gloria
Scott had been in the Chinese tea-trade, but she was an old-fashioned,
heavy-bowed, broad-beamed craft, and the new clippers had cut her out.
She was a five-hundred-ton boat; and besides her thirty-eight
jail-birds, she carried twenty-six of a crew, eighteen soldiers, a
captain, three mates, a doctor, a chaplain, and four warders. Nearly a
hundred souls were in her, all told, when we set sail from Falmouth.
"'The partitions between the cells of the convicts instead of
being of thick oak, as is usual in convict-ships, were quite thin
and frail. The man next to me, upon the aft side, was one whom I had
particularly noticed when we were led down the quay. He was a young
man with a clear, hairless face, a long, thin nose, and rather
nut-cracker jaws. He carried his head very jauntily in the air, had
a swaggering style of walking, and was, above all else, remarkable for
his extraordinary height. I don't think any of our heads would have
come up to his shoulder, and I am sure that he could not have measured
less than six and a half feet. It was strange among so many sad and
weary faces to see one which was full of energy and resolution. The
sight of it was to me like a fire in a snowstorm. I was glad, then, to
find that he was my neighbour, and gladder still when, in the dead
of the night, I heard a whisper close to my ear and found that he
had managed to cut an opening in the board which separated us.
"'"Hullo, chummy!" said he, "what's your name, and what are you
here for?"
"'I answered him, and asked in turn who I was talking with.
"'"I'm Jack Prendergast," said he, and by God! you'll learn to bless
my name before you've done with me."
"'I remembered hearing of his case, for it was one which had made an
immense sensation throughout the country some time before my own
arrest. He was a man of good family and of great ability, but of
incurably vicious habits, who had by an ingenious system of fraud
obtained huge sums of money from the leading London merchants.
"'"Ha, ha! You remember my case!" said he proudly.
"'"Very well, indeed."
"'"Then maybe you remember something queer about it?"
"'"What was that, then?"
"'"I'd had nearly a quarter of a million, hadn't I?"
"'"So it was said."
"'"But none was recovered,
"'"No."
"'"Well, where d'ye suppose the balance is?" he asked.
"'"I have no idea," said I.
"'"Right between my finger and thumb," he cried. "By God! I've got
more pounds to my name than you've hairs on your head. And if you've
money, my son, and know how to handle it and spread it, you can do
anything. Now, you don't think it likely that a man who could do
anything is going to wear his breeches out sitting in the stinking
hold of a rat-gutted, beetle-ridden, mouldy old coffin of a Chin China
coaster. No, sir, such a man will look after himself and will look
after his chums. You may lay to that! You hold on to him, and you
may kiss the Book that he'll haul you through."
"'That was his style of talk, and at first I thought it meant
nothing, but after a while, when he had tested me and sworn me in with
all possible solemnity, he let me understand that there really was a
plot to gain command of the vessel. A dozen of the prisoners had
hatched it before they came aboard, Prendergast was the leader, and
his money was the motive power.
"'"I'd a partner," said he, "a rare good man, as true as a stock
to a barrel. He's got the dibbs, he has, and where do you think he
is at this moment? Why, he's the chaplain of this ship-the chaplain,
no less? He came aboard with a black coat, and his papers right, and
money enough in his box to buy the thing right up from keel to
main-truck. The crew are his, body and soul. He could buy 'em at so
much a gross with a cash discount, and he did it before ever they
signed on. He's got two of the warders and Mereer, the second mate,
and he'd get the captain himself, if he thought him worth it."
"'"What are we to do, then?" I asked.
"'"What do you think?" said he. "We'll make the coats of some of
these soldiers redder than ever the tailor did."
"'"But they are armed," said I.
"'"And so shall we be, my boy. There's a brace of pistols for
every mothers son of us; and if we can't carry this ship, with the
crew at our back, it's time we were all sent to a young misses'
boarding-school. You speak to your mate upon the left to-night, and
see if he is to be trusted."
"'"I did so and found my other neighbour to be a young fellow in
much the same position as myself, whose crime had been forgery. His
name was Evans, but he afterwards changed it, like myself, and he is
now a rich and prosperous man in the south of England. He was ready
enough to join the conspiracy, as the only means of saving
ourselves, and before we had crossed the bay there were only two of
the prisoners who were not in the secret. One of these was of weak
mind, and we did not dare to trust him, and the other was suffering
from jaundice and could not be of any use to us.
"'From the beginning there was really nothing to prevent us from
taking possession of the ship. The crew were a set of ruffians,
specially picked for the job. The sham chaplain came into our cells to
exhort us, carrying a black bag, supposed to be full of tracts, and so
often did he come that by the third day we had each stowed away at the
foot of our beds a file, a brace of pistols, a pound of powder, and
twenty slugs. Two of the warders were agents of Prendergast, and the
second mate was his right-hand man. The captain, the two mates, two
warders, Lieutenant Martin, his eighteen soldiers, and the doctor were
all that we had against us. Yet, safe as it was, we determined to
neglect no precaution, and to make our attack suddenly by night. It
came, however, more quickly than we expected, and in this way.
"'One evening, about the third week after our start, the doctor
had come down to see one of the prisoners who was ill, and, putting
his hand down on the bottom of his bunk, he felt the outline of the
pistols. If he had been silent he might have blown the whole thing,
but he was a nervous little chap, so he gave a cry of surprise and
turned so pale that the man knew what was up in an instant and
seized him. He was gagged before he could give the alarm and tied down
upon the bed. He had unlocked the door that led to the deck, and we
were through it in a rush. The two sentries were shot down, and so was
a corporal who came running to see what was the matter. There were two
more soldiers at the door of the stateroom, and their muskets seemed
not to be loaded, for they never fired upon us, and they were shot
while trying to fix their bayonets. Then we rushed on into the
captain's cabin, but as we pushed open the door there was an explosion
from within, and there he lay with his brains smeared over the chart
of the Atlantic which was pinned upon the table, while the chaplain
stood with a smoking pistol in his hand at his elbow. The two mates
had both been seized by the crew, and the whole business seemed to
be settled.
"'The stateroom was next the cabin, and we flocked in there and
flopped down on the settees, all speaking together, for we were just
mad with the feeling that we were free once more. There were lockers
all round, and Wilson, the sham chaplain, knocked one of them in,
and pulled out a dozen of brown sherry. We cracked off the necks of
the bottles, poured the stuff out into tumblers, and were just tossing
them off when in an instant without warning there came the roar of
muskets in our ears, and the saloon was so full of smoke that we could
not see across the table. When it cleared again the place was a
shambles. Wilson and eight others were wriggling on the top of each
other on the floor, and the blood and the brown sherry on that table
turn me sick now when I think of it. We were so cowed by the sight
that I think we should have given the job up if it had not been for
Prendergast. He bellowed like a bull and rushed for the door with
all that were left alive at his heels. Out we ran, and there on the
poop were the lieutenant and ten of his men. The swing skylights above
the saloon table had been a bit open, and they had fired on us through
the slit. We got on them before they could load, and they stood to
it like men; but we had the upper hand of them, and in five minutes it
was all over. My God! was there ever a slaughter-house like that ship!
Prendergast was like a raging devil, and he picked the soldiers up
as if they had been children and threw them overboard alive or dead.
There was one sergeant that was horribly wounded and yet kept on
swimming for a surprising time until someone in mercy blew out his
brains. When the fighting was over there was no one left of our
enemies except just the warders, the mates, and,the doctor.
"'It was over them that the great quarrel arose. There were many
of us who were glad enough to win back our freedom, and yet who had no
wish to have murder on our souls. It was one thing to knock the
soldiers over with their muskets in their hands, and it was another to
stand by while men were being killed in cold blood. Eight of us,
five convicts and three sailors, said that we would not see it done.
But there was no moving Prendergast and those who were with him. Our
only chance of safety lay in making a clean job of it, said he, and he
would not leave a tongue with power to wag in a witness-box. It nearly
came to our sharing the fate of the prisoners, but at last he said
that if we wished we might take a boat and go. We jumped at the offer,
for we were already sick of these bloodthirsty doings, and we saw that
there would be worse before it was done. We were given a suit of
sailor togs each, a barrel of water, two casks, one of junk and one of
biscuits, and a compass. Prendergast threw us over a chart, told us
that we were shipwrecked mariners whose ship had foundered in Lat. 15'
and Long. 25' west, and then cut the painter and let us go.
"'And now I come to the most surprising part of my story, my dear
son. The seamen had hauled the fore-yard aback during the rising,
but now as we left them they brought it square again, and as there was
a light wind from the north and east the bark began to draw slowly
away from us. Our boat lay, rising and falling, upon the long,
smooth rollers, and Evans and I, who were the most educated of the
party, were sitting in the sheets working out our position and
planning what coast we should make for. It was a nice question, for
the Cape Verdes were about five hundred miles to the north of us,
and the African coast about seven hundred to the east. On the whole,
as the wind was coming round to the north, we thought that Sierra
Leone might be best and turned our head in that direction, the bark
being at that time nearly hull down on our starboard quarter. Suddenly
as we looked at her we saw a dense black cloud of smoke shoot up
from her, which hung like a monstrous tree upon the sky-line. A few
seconds later a roar like thunder burst upon our ears, and as the
smoke thinned away there was no sign left of the Gloria Scott. In an
instant we swept the boat's head round again and pulled with all our
strength for the place where the haze still trailing over the water
marked the scene of this catastrophe.
"'It was a long hour before we reached it, and at first we feared
that we had come too late to save anyone. A splintered boat and a
number of crates and fragments of spars rising and falling on the
waves showed us where the vessel had foundered; but there was no
sign of life, and we had turned away in despair, when we heard a cry
for help and saw at some distance a piece of wreckage with a man lying
stretched across it. When we pulled him aboard the boat he proved to
be a young seaman of the name of Hudson, who was so burned and
exhausted that he could give us no account of what had happened
until the following morning.
"It seemed that after we had left, Prendergast and his gang had
proceeded to put to death the five remaining prisoners. The two
warders had been shot and thrown overboard, and so also had the
third mate. Prendergast then descended into the 'tween-decks and
with his own hands cut the throat of the unfortunate surgeon. There
only remained the first mate, who was a bold and active man. When he
saw the convict approaching him with the bloody knife in his hand he
kicked off his bonds, which he had somehow contrived to loosen, and
rushing down the deck he plunged into the after-hold. A dozen
convicts, who descended with their pistols in search of him, found him
with a match-box in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel,
which was one of the hundred carried on board, and swearing that he
would blow all hands up if he were in any way molested. An instant
later the explosion occurred, though Hudson thought it was caused by
the misdirected bullet of one of the convicts rather than the mate's
match. Be the cause what it may, it was the end of the Gloria Scott
and of the rabble who held command of her.
"'Such, in a few words, my dear boy, is the history of this terrible
business in which I was involved. Next day we were picked up by the
brig Hotspur, bound for Australia, whose captain found no difficulty
in believing that we were the survivors of a passenger ship which
had foundered. The transport ship Gloria Scott was set down by the
Admiralty as being lost at sea, and no word has ever leaked out as
to her true fate. After an excellent voyage the Hotspur landed us at
Sydney, where Evans and I changed our names and made our way to the
diggings, where, among the crowds who were gathered from all
nations, we had no difficulty in losing our former identities. The
rest I need not relate. We prospered, we travelled, we came back as
rich colonials to England, and we bought country estates. For more
than twenty years we have led peaceful and useful lives, and we
hoped that our past was forever buried. Imagine, then, my feelings
when in the seaman who came to us I recognized instantly the man who
had been picked off the wreck. He had tracked us down somehow and
had set himself to live upon our fears. You will understand now how it
was that I strove to keep the peace with him, and you will in some
measure sympathize with me in the fears which fill me, now that he has
gone from me to his other victim with threats upon his tongue.'
"Underneath is written in a hand so shaky as to be hardly legible,
'Beddoes writes in cipher to say H. has told all. Sweet Lord, have
mercy on our souls!'
"That was the narrative which I read that night to young Trevor, and
I think, Watson, that under the circumstances it was a dramatic one.
The good fellow was heart-broken at it, and went out to the Terai
tea Planting, where I hear that he is doing well. As to the sailor and
Beddoes, neither of them was ever heard of again after that day on
which the letter of warning was written. They both disappeared utterly
and completely. No complaint had been lodged with the police, so
that Beddoes had mistaken a threat for a deed. Hudson had been seen
lurking about, and it was believed by the police that he had done away
with Beddoes and had fled. For myself I believe that the truth was
exactly the opposite. I think that it is most probable that Beddoes,
pushed to desperation and believing himself to have been already
betrayed, had revenged himself upon Hudson, and had fled from the
country with as much money as he could lay his hands on. Those are the
facts of the case, Doctor, and if they are of any use to your
collection, I am sure that they are very heartily at your service."
THE END
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE GREEK INTERPRETER
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
During my long and intimate acquaintance with Mr. Sherlock Holmes
I had never heard him refer to his relations, and hardly ever to his
own early life. This reticence upon his part had increased the
somewhat inhuman effect which he produced upon me, until sometimes I
found myself regarding him as an isolated phenomenon, a brain
without a heart, as deficient in human sympathy as he was preeminent
in intelligence. His aversion to women and his disinclination to
form new friendships were both typical of his unemotional character,
but not more so than his complete suppression of every reference to
his own people. I had come to believe that he was an orphan with no
relatives living; but one day, to my very great surprise, he began
to talk to me about his brother.
It was after tea on a summer evening, and the conversation, which
had roamed in a desultory, spasmodic fashion from golf clubs to the
causes of the change in the obliquity of the ecliptic, came round at
last to the question of atavism and hereditary aptitudes. The point
under discussion was, how far any singular gift in an individual was
due to his ancestry and how far to his own early training.
"In your own case," said I, "from all that you have told me, it
seems obvious that your faculty of observation and your peculiar
facility for deduction are due to your own systematic training."
"To some extent" he answered thoughtfully. "My ancestors were
country squires, who appear to have led much the same life as is
natural to their class. But, none the less, my turn that way is in
my veins, and may have come with my grandmother, who was the sister of
Vernet, the French artist. Art in the blood is liable to take the
strangest forms."
"But how do you know that it is hereditary?"
"Because my brother Mycroft possesses it in a larger degree than I
do."
This was news to me indeed. If there were another man with such
singular powers in England, how was it that neither police nor
public had heard of him? I put the question, with a hint that it was
my companion's modesty which made him acknowledge his brother as his
superior. Holmes laughed at my suggestion.
"My dear Watson," said he, "I cannot agree with those who rank
modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen
exactly as they are, and to underestimate one's self is as much a
departure from truth as to exaggerate one's own powers. When I say,
therefore, that Mycroft has better powers of observation than I, you
may take it that I am speaking the exact and literal truth."
"Is he your junior?"
"Seven years my senior."
"How comes it that he is unknown?"
"Oh, he is very well known in his own circle."
"Where, then?"
Well, in the Diogenes Club, for example."
I had never heard of the institution, and my face must have
proclaimed as much, for Sherlock Holmes pulled out his watch.
"The Diogenes Club is the queerest club in London, and Mycroft one
of the queerest men. He's always there from quarter to five to
twenty to eight. It's six now, so if you care for a stroll this
beautiful evening I shall be very happy to introduce you to two
curiosities."
Five minutes later we were in the street walking towards Regent's
Circus.
"You wonder," said my companion, "why it is that Mycroft does not
use his powers for detective work. He is incapable of it."
"But I thought you said-"
"I said that he was my superior in observation and deduction. If the
art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an armchair, my
brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived. But he
has no ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his way to
verify his own solutions, and would rather be considered wrong than
take the trouble to prove himself right. Again and again I have
taken a problem to him, and have received an explanation which has
afterwards proved to be the correct one. And yet he was absolutely
incapable of working out the practical points which must be gone
into before a case could be laid before a judge or jury."
"It is not his profession, then?"
"By no means. What is to me a means of livelihood is to him the
merest hobby of a dilettante. He has an extraordinary faculty for
figures, and audits the books in some of the government departments.
Mycroft lodges in Pall Mall, and he walks round the corner into
Whitehall every morning and back every evening. From year's end to
year's end he takes no other exercise, and is seen nowhere else,
except only in the Diogenes Club, which is just opposite his rooms."
"I cannot recall the name."
"Very likely not. There are many men in London, you know, who,
some from shyness, some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company
of their fellows. Yet they are not averse to comfortable chairs and
the latest periodicals. It is for the convenience of these that the
Diogenes Club was started, and it now contains the most unsociable and
unclubable men in town. No member is permitted to take the least
notice of any other one. Save in the Stranger's Room, no talking is,
under any circumstances, allowed, and three offences, if brought to
the notice of the committee, render the talker liable to expulsion. My
brother was one of the founders, and I have myself found it a very
soothing atmosphere."
We had reached Pall Mall as we talked, and were walking down it from
the St. James's end. Sherlock Holmes stopped at a door some little
distance from the Carlton, and, cautioning me not to speak, he led the
way into the hall. Through the glass panelling I caught a glimpse of a
large and luxurious room, in which a considerable number of men were
sitting about and reading papers, each in his own little nook.
Holmes showed me into a small chamber which looked out into Pall Mall,
and then, leaving me for a minute, he came back with a companion
whom I knew could only be his brother.
Mycroft Holmes was a much larger and stouter man than Sherlock.
His body was absolutely corpulent, but his face, though massive, had
preserved something of the sharpness of expression which was so
remarkable in that of his brother. His eyes, which were of a
peculiarly light, watery gray, seemed to always retain that
far-away, introspective look which I had only observed in Sherlock's
when he was exerting his full powers.
"I am glad to meet you, sir," said he, putting out a broad, fat hand
like the flipper of a seal. "I hear of Sherlock everywhere since you
became his chronicler. By the way, Sherlock, I expected to see you
round last week to consult me over that Manor House case. I thought
you might be a little out of your depth."
"No, I solved it," said my friend, smiling.
"It was Adams, of course."
"Yes, it was Adams."
"I was sure of it from the first." The two sat down together in
the bow-window of the club. To anyone who wishes to study mankind this
is the spot," said Mycroft. "Look at the magnificent types! Look at
these two men who are coming towards us, for example."
"The billiard-marker and the other?"
"Precisely. What do you make of the other?"
The two men had stopped opposite the window. Some chalk marks over
the waistcoat pocket were the only signs of billiards which I could
see in one of them. The other was a very small, dark fellow, with
his hat pushed back and several packages under his arm.
"An old soldier, I perceive," said Sherlock.
"And very recently discharged," remarked the brother.
"Served in India, I see."
"And a non-commissioned officer."
"Royal Artillery, I fancy," said Sherlock.
"And a widower."
"But with a child."
"Children, my dear boy, children."
"Come," said I, laughing, "this is a little too much."
"Surely," answered Holmes, "it is not hard to say that a man with
that bearing, expression of authority, and sun-baked skin, is a
soldier, is more than a private, and is not long from India."
"That he has not left the service long is shown by his still wearing
his ammunition boots, as they are called," observed Mycroft.
"He had not the cavalry stride, yet he wore his hat on one side,
as is shown by the lighter skin on that side of his brow. His weight
is against his being a sapper. He is in the artillery."
"Then, of course, his complete mourning shows that he has lost
someone very dear. The fact that he is doing his own shopping looks as
though it were his wife. He has been buying things for children, you
perceive. There is a rattle, which shows that one of them is very
young. The wife probably died in childbed. The fact that he has a
picture-book under his arm shows that there is another child to be
thought of."
I began to understand what my friend meant when he said that his
brother possessed even keener faculties than he did himself. He
glanced across at me and smiled. Mycroft took snuff from a
tortoise-shell box and brushed away the wandering grains from his coat
front with a large, red silk handkerchief.
"By the way, Sherlock," said he, "I have had something quite after
your own heart-a most singular problem-submitted to my judgment. I
really had not the energy to follow it up save in a very incomplete
fashion, but it gave me a basis for some pleasing speculations. If you
would care to hear the facts-"
"My dear Mycroft, I should be delighted."
The brother scribbled a note upon a leaf of his pocket-book, and,
ringing the bell, he handed it to the waiter.
"I have asked Mr. Melas to step across," said he. "He lodges on
the floor above me, and I have some slight acquaintance with him,
which led him to come to me in his perplexity. Mr. Melas is a Greek by
extraction, as I understand, and he is a remarkable linguist. He earns
his living partly as interpreter in the law courts and partly by
acting as guide to any wealthy Orientals who may visit the
Northumberland Avenue hotels. I think I will leave him to tell his
very remarkable experience in his own fashion."
A few minutes later we were joined by a short, stout man whose olive
face and coal black hair proclaimed his Southern origin, though his
speech was that of an educated Englishman. He shook hands eagerly with
Sherlock Holmes, and his dark eyes sparkled with pleasure when he
understood that the specialist was anxious to hear his story.
"I do not believe that the police credit me-on my word, I do not,"
said he in a wailing voice. "Just because they have never heard of
it before, they think that such a thing cannot be. But I know that I
shall never be easy in my mind until I know what has become of my poor
man with the sticking-plaster upon his face."
"I am all attention," said Sherlock Holmes.
"This is Wednesday evening," said Mr. Melas. "Well, then, it was
Monday night-only two days ago, you understand-that all this happened.
I am an interpreter, as perhaps my neighbour there has told you. I
interpret all languages-or nearly all-but as I am a Greek by birth and
with a Grecian name, it is with that particular tongue that I am
principally associated. For many years I have been the chief Greek
interpreter in London, and my name is very well known in the hotels.
"It happens not unfrequently that I am sent for at strange hours
by foreigners who get into difficulties, or by travellers who arrive
late and wish my services. I was not surprised, therefore, on Monday
night when a Mr. Latimer, a very fashionably dressed young man, came
up to my rooms and asked me to accompany him in a cab which was
waiting at the door. A Greek friend had come to see him upon business,
he said, and as he could speak nothing but his own tongue, the
services of an interpreter were indispensable. He gave me to
understand that his house was some little distance off, in Kensington,
and he seemed to be in a great hurry, bustling me rapidly into the cab
when we had descended to the street.
"I say into the cab, but I soon became doubtful as to whether it was
not a carriage in which I found myself. It was certainly more roomy
than the ordinary four-wheeled disgrace to London, and the fittings,
though frayed, were of rich quality. Mr. Latimer seated himself
opposite to me and we started off through Charing Cross and up the
Shaftesbury Avenue. We had come out upon Oxford Street and I had
ventured some remark as to this being a roundabout way to
Kensington, when my words were arrested by the extraordinary conduct
of my companion.
"He began by drawing a most formidable-looking bludgeon loaded
with lead from his pocket, and switching it backward and forward
several times, as if to test its weight and strength. Then he placed
it without a word upon the seat beside him. Having done this, he
drew up the windows on each side, and I found to my astonishment
that they were covered with paper so as to prevent my seeing through
them.
"'I am sorry to cut off your view, Mr. Melas,' said he. 'The fact is
that I have no intention that you should see what the place is to
which we are driving. It might possibly be inconvenient to me if you
could find your way there again.'
"As you can imagine, I was utterly taken aback by such an address.
My companion was a powerful, broad-shouldered young fellow, and, apart
from the weapon, I should not have had the slightest chance in a
struggle with him.
"'This is very extraordinary conduct, Mr. Latimer,' I stammered.
'You must be aware that what you are doing is quite illegal.'
"'It is somewhat of a liberty, no doubt,' said he, 'but we'll make
it up to you. I must warn you, however, Mr. Melas, that if at any time
to-night you attempt to raise an alarm or do anything which is against
my interest, you will find it a very serious thing. I beg you to
remember that no one knows where you are, and that, whether you are in
this carriage or in my house, you are equally in my power.'
"His words were quiet but he had a rasping way of saying them, which
was very menacing. I sat in silence wondering what on earth could be
his reason for kidnapping me in this extraordinary fashion. Whatever
it might be, it was perfectly clear that there was no possible use
in my resisting, and that I could only wait to see what might befall.
"For nearly two hours we drove without my having the least clue as
to where we were going. Sometimes the rattle of the stones told of a
paved causeway, and at others our smooth, silent course suggested
asphalt; but, save by this variation in sound, there was nothing at
all which could in the remotest way help me to form a guess as to
where we were. The paper over each window was impenetrable to light,
and a blue curtain was drawn across the glasswork in front. It was a
quarter past seven when we left Pall Mall, and my watch showed me that
it was ten minutes to nine when we at last came to a standstill. My
companion let down the window, and I caught a glimpse of a low, arched
doorway with a lamp burning above it. As I was hurried from the
carriage it swung open, and I found myself inside the house, with a
vague impression of a lawn and trees on each side of me as I
entered. Whether these were private grounds, however, or bona-fide
country was more than I could possibly venture to say.
"There was a coloured gaslamp inside which was turned so low that
I could see little save that the hall was of some size and hung with
pictures. In the dim light I could make out that the person who had
opened the door was a small, mean-looking, middle-aged man with
rounded shoulders. As he turned towards us the glint of the light
showed me that he was wearing glasses.
"'Is this Mr. Melas, Harold?' said he.
"'Yes.'
"'Well done, well done! No ill-will, Mr. Melas, I hope, but we could
not get on without you. If you deal fair with us you'll not regret it,
but if you try any tricks, God help you!' He spoke in a nervous, jerky
fashion, and with little giggling laughs in between, but somehow he
impressed me with fear more than the other.
"'What do you want with me?' I asked.
"'Only to ask a few questions of a Greek gentleman who is visiting
us, and to let us have the answers. But say no more than you are
told to say, or-' here came the nervous giggle again-'you had better
never have been born.'
"As he spoke he opened a door and showed the way into a room
which appeared to be very richly furnished, but again the only light
was afforded by a single lamp half-turned down. The chamber was
certainly large, and the way in which my feet sank into the carpet
as I stepped across it told me of its richness. I caught glimpses of
velvet chairs, a high white marble mantelpiece, and what seemed to
be a suit of Japanese armour at one side of it. There was a chair just
under the lamp, and the elderly man motioned that I should sit in
it. The younger had left us, but he suddenly returned through
another door, leading with him a gentleman clad in some sort of
loose dressing-gown who moved slowly towards us. As he came into the
circle of dim light which enabled me to see him more clearly I was
thrilled with horror at his appearance. He was deadly pale and
terribly emaciated, with the protruding, brilliant eyes of a man whose
spirit was greater than his strength. But what shocked me more than
any signs of physical weakness was that his face was grotesquely
criss-crossed with sticking-plaster and that one large pad of it was
fastened over his mouth.
"'Have you the slate, Harold?' cried the older man, as this
strange being fell rather than sat down into a chair. 'Are his hands
loose? Now, then, give him the pencil. You are to ask the questions,
Mr. Melas, and he will write the answers. Ask him first of all whether
he is prepared to sign the papers?'
"The man's eyes flashed fire.
"'Never!' he wrote in Greek upon the slate.
"'On no conditions?' I asked at the bidding of our tyrant.
"'Only if I see her married in my presence by a Greek priest whom
I know.'
"The man giggled in his venomous way.
"'You know what awaits you, then?'
"'I care nothing for myself.'
"These are samples of the questions and answers which made up our
strange half-spoken, half-written conversation. Again and again I
had to ask him whether he would give in and sign the documents.
Again and again I had the same indignant reply. But soon a happy
thought came to me. I took to adding on little sentences of my own
to each question, innocent ones at first, to test whether either of
our companions knew anything of the matter, and then, as I found
that they showed no sign I played a more dangerous game. Our
conversation ran something like this:
"'You can do no good by this obstinacy. Who are you?'
"'I care not. I am a stranger in London.'
"'Your fate will be on your own head. How long have you been here?'
"'Let it be so. Three weeks.'
"'The property can never be yours. What ails you?'
"'It shall not go to villains. They are.'
"'You shall go free if you sign. What house is this?'
"'I will never sign. I do not know.'
"'You are not doing her any service. What is your name?'
"'Let me hear her say so. Kratides.'
"'You shall see her if you sign. Where are you from?'
"'Then I shall never see her. Athens.'
"Another five minutes, Mr. Holmes, and I should have wormed out
the whole story under their very noses. My very next question might
have cleared the matter up, but at that instant the door opened and
a woman stepped into the room. I could not see her clearly enough to
know more than that she was tall and graceful with black hair, and
clad in some sort of loose white gown.
"'Harold,' said she, speaking English with a broken accent. 'I could
not stay away longer. It is so lonely up there with only-Oh, my God,
it is Paul!'
"These last words were in Greek, and at the same instant the man
with a convulsive effort tore the plaster from his lips, and screaming
out 'Sophy! Sophy!' rushed into the woman's arms. Their embrace was
but for an instant, however, for the younger man seized the woman
and pushed her out of the room, while the elder easily overpowered his
emaciated victim and dragged him away through the other door. For a
moment I was left alone in the room, and I sprang to my feet with some
vague idea that I might in some way get a clue to what this house
was in which I found myself. Fortunately, however, I took no steps,
for looking up I saw that the older man was standing in the doorway,
with his eyes fixed upon me.
"'That will do, Mr. Melas,' said he. 'You perceive that we have
taken you into our confidence over some very private business. We
should not have troubled you, only that our friend who speaks Greek
and who began these negotiations has been forced to return to the
East. It was quite necessary for us to find someone to take his place,
and we were fortunate in hearing of your powers.'
"I bowed.
"'There are five sovereigns here,' said he, walking up to me, 'which
will, I hope, be a sufficient fee. But remember,' he added, tapping me
lightly on the chest and giggling, 'if you speak to a human soul about
this-one human soul, mind-well, may God have mercy upon your soul!'
"I cannot tell you the loathing and horror with which this
insignificant-looking man inspired me. I could see him better now as
the lamp-light shone upon him. His features were peaky and sallow, and
his little pointed beard was thready and ill-nourished. He pushed
his face forward as he spoke and his lips and eyelids were continually
twitching like a man with St. Vitus's dance. I could not help thinking
that his strange, catchy little laugh was also a symptom of some
nervous malady. The terror of his face lay in his eyes, however, steel
gray, and glistening coldly with a malignant inexorable cruelty in
their depths.
"'We shall know if you speak of this,' said he. 'We have our own
means of information. Now you will find the carriage waiting, and my
friend will see you on your way.'
"I was hurried through the hall and into the vehicle, again
obtaining that momentary glimpse of trees and a garden. Mr. Latimer
followed closely at my heels and took his place opposite to me without
a word. In silence we again drove for an interminable distance with
the windows raised, until at last, just after midnight, the carriage
pulled up.
"'You will get down here, Mr. Melas,' said my companion. 'I am sorry
to leave you so far from your house, but there is no alternative.
Any attempt upon your part to follow the carriage can only end in
injury to yourself.'
"He opened the door as he spoke, and I had hardly time to spring out
when the coachman lashed the horse and the carriage rattled away. I
looked around me in astonishment. I was on some sort of a heathy
common mottled over with dark clumps of furze-bushes. Far away
stretched a line of houses, with a light here and there in the upper
windows. On the other side I saw the red signal-lamps of a railway.
"The carriage which had brought me was already out of sight. I stood
gazing round and wondering where on earth I might be, when I saw
someone coming towards me in the darkness. As he came up to me I
made out that he was a railway porter.
"'Can you tell me what place this is?' I asked.
"'Wandsworth Common,' said he.
"'Can I get a train into town?'
"'If you walk on a mile or so to Clapham Junction,' said he, 'you'll
just be in time for the last to Victoria.'
"So that was the end of my adventure, Mr. Holmes. I do not know
where I was, nor whom I spoke with, nor anything save what I have told
you. But I know that there is foul play going on, and I want to help
that unhappy man if I can. I told the whole story to Mr. Mycroft
Holmes next morning, and subsequently to the police."
We all sat in silence for some little time after listening to this
extraordinary narrative. Then Sherlock looked across at his brother.
"Any steps?" he asked.
Mycroft picked up the Daily News, which was lying on the side-table.
"Anybody supplying any information as to the whereabouts of a
Greek gentleman named Paul Kratides, from Athens, who is unable to
speak English, will be rewarded. A similar reward paid to anyone
giving information about a Greek lady whose first name is Sophy. X
2473'
"That was in all the dailies. No answer."
"How about the Greek legation?"
"I have inquired. They know nothing."
"A wire to the head of the Athens police, then?"
"Sherlock has all the energy of the family," said Mycroft, turning to
me. "Well, you take the case up by all means and let me know if you do
any good."
"Certainly," answered my friend, rising from his chair. "I'll let
you know, and Mr. Melas also. In the meantime, Mr. Melas, I should
certainly be on my guard if I were you, for of course they must know
through these advertisements that you have betrayed them."
As we walked home together, Holmes stopped at a telegraph office and
sent of several wires.
"You see, Watson," he remarked, "our evening has been by no means
wasted. Some of my most interesting cases have come to me in this
way through Mycroft. The problem which we have just listened to,
although it can admit of but one explanation, has still some
distinguishing features."
"You have hopes of solving it?"
"Well, knowing as much as we do, it will be singular indeed if we
fail to discover the rest. You must yourself have formed some theory
which will explain the facts to which we have listened."
"In a vague way, yes."
"What was your idea, then?"
"It seemed to me to be obvious that this Greek girl had been carried
off by the young Englishman named Harold Latimer."
"Carried off from where?"
"Athens, perhaps."
Sherlock Holmes shook his head. "This young man could not talk a
word of Greek. The lady could talk English fairly well. Inference-that
she had been in England some little time, but he had not been in
Greece."
"Well, then, we will presume that she had once come on a visit to
England, and that this Harold had persuaded her to fly with him."
"That is more probable."
"Then the brother-for that, I fancy, must be the
relationship-comes over from Greece to interfere. He imprudently
puts himself into the power of the young man and his older
associate. They seize him and use violence towards him in order to
make him sign some papers to make over the girl's fortune-of which
he may be trustee-to them. This he refuses to do. In order to
negotiate with him they have to get an interpreter, and they pitch
upon this Mr. Melas, having used some other one before. The girl is
not told of the arrival of her brother and finds it out by the
merest accident.
"Excellent, Watson!" cried Holmes. "I really fancy that you are
not far from the truth. You see that we hold all the cards, and we
have only to fear some sudden act of violence on their part. If they
give us time we must have them."
"But how can we find where this house lies?"
"Well, if our conjecture is correct and the girl's name is or was
Sophy Kratides, we should have no difficulty in tracing her. That must
be our main hope, for the brother is, of course, a complete
stranger. It is clear that some time has elapsed since this Harold
established these relations with the girl-some weeks, at any
rate-since the brother in Greece has had time to hear of it and come
across. If they have been living in the same place during this time,
it is probable that we shall have some answer to Mycroft's
advertisement."
We had reached our house in Baker Street while we had been
talking. Holmes ascended the stair first, and as he opened the door of
our room he gave a start of surprise. Looking over his shoulder, I was
equally astonished. His brother Mycroft was sitting smoking in the
armchair.
"Come in, Sherlock! Come in, sir," said he blandly, smiling at our
surprised faces. "You don't expect such energy from me, do you,
Sherlock? But somehow this can attracts me."
"How did you get here?"
"I passed you in a hansom."
"There has been some new development?"
"I had an answer to my advertisement."
"Ah!"
"Yes, it came within a few minutes of your leaving."
"And to what effect?"
Mycroft Holmes took out a sheet of paper.
"Here it is," said he, "Written with a J pen on royal cream paper by
a middle-aged man with a weak constitution.
"SIR [he says]:
"In answer to your advertisement of to-day's date, I beg to inform
you that I know the young lady in question very well. If you should
care to call upon me I could give you some particulars as to her
painful history. She is living at present at The Myrtles, Beckenham.
"Yours faithfully,
"J. DAVENPORT.
"He writes from Lower Brixton," said Mycroft Holmes. "Do you not
think that we might drive to him now, Sherlock, and learn these
particulars?"
"My dear Mycroft, the brother's life is more valuable than the
sister's story. I think we should call at Scotland Yard for
Inspector Gregson and go straight out to Beckenham. We know that a man
is being done to death, and every hour may be vital."
"Better pick up Mr. Melas on our way," I suggested. "We may need
an interpreter."
"Excellent," said Sherlock Holmes. "Send the boy for a four-wheeler,
and we shall be off at once." He opened the table-drawer as he
spoke, and I noticed that he slipped his revolver into his pocket.
"Yes," said he in answer to my glance, "I should say, from what we
have heard, that we are dealing with a particularly dangerous gang."
It was almost dark before we found ourselves in Pall Mall, at the
rooms of Mr. Melas. A gentleman had just called for him, and he was
gone.
"Can you tell me where?" asked Mycroft Holmes.
"I don't know, sir," answered the woman who had opened the door,
"I only know that he drove away with the gentleman in a carriage."
"Did the gentleman give a name?"
"No, sir."
"He wasn't a tall, handsome. dark young man?"
"Oh, no, sir. He was a little gentleman, with glasses, thin in the
face, but very pleasant in his ways, for he was laughing all the
time that he was talking."
"Come along!" cried Sherlock Holmes abruptly. "This grows
serious," he observed as we drove to Scotland Yard. "These men have
got hold of Melas again. He is a man of no physical courage, as they
are well aware from their experience the other night. This villain was
able to terrorize him the instant that he got into his presence. No
doubt they want his professional services, but, having used him,
they may be inclined to punish him for what they will regard as his
treachery."
Our hope was that, by taking train, we might get to Beckenham as
soon as or sooner than the carriage. On reaching Scotland Yard,
however, it was more than an hour before we could get Inspector
Gregson and comply with the legal formalities which would enable us to
enter the house. It was a quarter to ten before we reached London
Bridge, and half past before the four of us alighted on the
Beckenham platform. A drive of half a mile brought us to The Myrtles-a
large, dark house standing back from the road in its own grounds. Here
we dismissed our cab and made our way up the drive together.
"The windows are all dark," remarked the inspector. "The house seems
deserted."
"Our birds are flown and the nest empty," said Holmes.
"Why do you say so?"
"A carriage heavily loaded with luggage has passed out during the
last hour."
The inspector laughed. "I saw the wheel-tracks in the light of the
gate-lamp, but where does the luggage come in?"
"You may have observed the same wheel-tracks going the other way.
But the outward-bound ones were very much deeper-so much so that we
can say for a certainty that there was a very considerable weight on
the carriage."
"You get a trifle beyond me there," said the inspector, shrugging
his shoulders. "It will not be an easy door to force, but we will
try if we cannot make someone hear us."
He hammered loudly at the knocker and pulled at the bell, but
without any success. Holmes had slipped away, but he came back in a
few minutes.
"I have a window open," said he.
"It is a mercy that you are on the side of the force, and not
against it, Mr. Holmes," remarked the inspector as he noted the clever
way in which my friend had forced back the catch. "Well, I think
that under the circumstances we may enter without an invitation."
One after the other we made our way into a large apartment, which
was evidently that in which Mr. Melas had found himself. The inspector
had lit his lantern, and by its light we could see the two doors,
the curtain, the lamp, and the suit of Japanese mail as he had
described them. On the table lay two glasses, an empty
brandy-bottle, and the remains of a meal.
"What is that?" asked Holmes suddenly.
We all stood still and listened. A low moaning sound was coming from
somewhere over our heads. Holmes rushed to the door and out into the
hall. The dismal noise came from upstairs. He dashed up, the inspector
and I at his heels, while his brother Mycroft followed as quickly as
his great bulk would permit.
Three doors faced us upon the second floor, and it was from the
central of these that the sinister sounds were issuing, sinking
sometimes into a dull mumble and rising again into a shrill whine.
It was locked, but the key had been left on the outside. Holmes
flung open the door and rushed in, but he was out again in an instant,
with his hand to his throat.
"It's charcoal," he cried. "Give it time. It will clear."
Peering in, we could see that the only light in the room came from a
dull blue flame which flickered from a small brass tripod in the
centre. It threw a livid, unnatural circle upon the floor, while in
the shadows beyond we saw the vague loom of two figures which crouched
against the wall. From the open door there reeked a horrible poisonous
exhalation which set us gasping and coughing. Holmes rushed to the top
of the stairs to draw in the fresh air, and then, dashing into the
room, he threw up the window and hurled the brazen tripod out into the
garden.
"We can enter in a minute," he gasped, darting out again. "Where
is a candle? I doubt if we could strike a match in that atmosphere.
Hold the light at the door and we shall get them out, Mycroft, now!"
With a rush we got to the poisoned men and dragged them out into the
well lit hall. Both of them were blue-lipped and insensible, with
swollen, congested faces and protruding eyes. Indeed, so distorted
were their features that, save for his black beard and stout figure,
we might have failed to recognize in one of them the Greek interpreter
who had parted from us only a few hours before at the Diogenes Club.
His hands and feet were securely strapped together, and he bore over
one eye the marks of a violent blow. The other, who was secured in a
similar fashion, was a tall man in the last stage of emaciation,
with several strips of stickingplaster arranged in a grotesque pattern
over his face. He had ceased to moan as we laid him down, and a glance
showed me that for him at least our aid had come too late. Mr.
Melas, however, still lived, and in less than an hour, with the aid of
ammonia and brandy, I had the satisfaction of seeing him open his
eyes, and of knowing that my hand had drawn him back from that dark
valley in which all paths meet.
It was a simple story which he had to tell, and one which did but
confirm our own deductions. His visitor, on entering his rooms, had
drawn a life-preserver from his sleeve, and had so impressed him
with the fear of instant and inevitable death that he had kidnapped
him for the second time. Indeed, it was almost mesmeric, the effect
which this giggling ruffian had produced upon the unfortunate
linguist, for he could not speak of him save with trembling hands
and a blanched cheek. He had been taken swiftly to Beckenham, and
had acted as interpreter in a second interview, even more dramatic
than the first, in which the two Englishmen had menaced their prisoner
with instant death if he did not comply with their demands. Finally,
finding him proof against every threat, they had hurled him back
into his prison, and after reproaching Melas with his treachery, which
appeared from the newspaper advertisement, they had stunned him with a
blow from a stick, and he remembered nothing more until he found us
bending over him.
And this was the singular case of the Grecian Interpreter, the
explanation of which is still involved in some mystery. We were able
to find out, by communicating with the gentleman who had answered
the advertisement, that the unfortunate young lady came of a wealthy
Grecian family, and that she had been on a visit to some friends in
England. While there she had met a young man named Harold Latimer, who
had acquired an ascendency over her and had eventually persuaded her
to fly with him. Her friends, shocked at the event, had contented
themselves with informing her brother at Athens, and had then washed
their hands of the matter. The brother, on his arrival in England, had
imprudently placed himself in the power of Latimer and of his
associate, whose name was Wilson Kemp-a man of the foulest
antecedents. These two, finding that through his ignorance of the
language he was helpless in their hands, had kept him a prisoner,
and had endeavoured by cruelty and starvation to make him sign away
his own and his sister's property. They had kept him in the house
without the girl's knowledge, and the plaster over the face had been
for the purpose of making recognition difficult in case she should
ever catch a glimpse of him. Her feminine perceptions, however, had
instantly seen through the disguise when, on the occasion of the
interpreter's visit, she had seen him for the first time. The poor
girl, however, was herself a prisoner, for there was no one about
the house except the man who acted as coachman, and his wife, both
of whom were tools of the conspirators. Finding that their secret
was out, and that their prisoner was not to be coerced, the two
villains with the girl had fled away at a few hours' notice from the
furnished house which they had hired, having first, as they thought,
taken vengeance both upon the man who had defied and the one who had
betrayed them.
Months afterwards a curious newspaper cutting reached us from
Budapest. It told how two Englishmen who had been travelling with a
woman had met with a tragic end. They had each been stabbed, it seems,
and the Hungarian police were of opinion that they had quarrelled
and had inflicted mortal injuries upon each other. Holmes, however,
is, I fancy, of a different way of thinking, and he holds to this
day that, if one could find the Grecian girl, one might learn how
the wrongs of herself and her brother came to be avenged.
THE END
.
1891
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Isa Whitney, brother of the late Elias Whitney, D.D., Principal of
the Theological College of St. George's, was much addicted to opium.
He habit grew upon him, as I understand, from some foolish freak
when he was at college; for having read De Quincey's description of
his dreams and sensations, he had drenched his tobacco with laudanum
in an attempt to produce the same effects. He found, as so many more
have done, that the practice is easier to attain than to get rid of,
and for many years he continued to be a slave to the drug, an object
of mingled horror and pity to his friends and relatives. I can see him
now, with yellow, pasty face, drooping lids, and pin-point pupils, all
huddled in a chair, the wreck and ruin of a noble man.
One night-it was in June, '89-there came a ring to my bell, about
the hour when a man gives his first yawn and glances at the clock. I
sat up in my chair, and my wife laid her needle-work down in her lap
and made a little face of disappointment.
"A patient!" said she. "You'll have to go out."
I groaned, for I was newly come back from a weary day.
We heard the door open, a few hurried words, and then quick steps
upon the linoleum. Our own door flew open, and a lady, clad in some
dark-coloured stuff, with a black veil, entered the room.
"You will excuse my calling so late," she began, and then,
suddenly losing her self-control, she ran forward, threw her arms
about my wife's neck, and sobbed upon her shoulder. "Oh, I'm in such
trouble!" she cried; "I do so want a little help."
"Why," said my wife, pulling up her veil, "it is Kate Whitney. How
you startled me, Kate! I had not an idea who you were when you came
in."
"I didn't know what to do, so I came straight to you." That was
always the way. Folk who were in grief came to my wife like birds to a
light-house.
"It was very sweet of you to come. Now, you must have some wine
and water, and sit here comfortably and tell us all about it. Or
should you rather that I sent James off to bed?"
"Oh, no, no! I want the doctor's advice and help, too. It's about
Isa. He has not been home for two days. I am so frightened about him!"
It was not the first time that she had spoken to us of her husband's
trouble, to me as a doctor, to my wife as an old friend and school
companion. We soothed and comforted her by such words as we could
find. Did she know where her husband was? Was it possible that we
could bring him back to her?
It seems that it was. She had the surest information that of late he
had, when the fit was on him, made use of an opium den in the farthest
east of the City. Hitherto his orgies had always been confined to
one day, and he had come back, twitching and shattered, in the
evening. But now the spell had been upon him eight-and forty hours,
and he lay there, doubtless among the dregs of the docks, breathing in
the poison or sleeping off the effects. There he was to be found,
she was sure of it, at the Bar of Gold, in Upper Swandam Lane. But
what was she to do? How could she, a young and timid woman, make her
way into such a place and pluck her husband out from among the
ruffians who surrounded him?
There was the case, and of course there was but one way out of it.
Might I not escort her to this place? And then, as a second thought,
why should she come at all? I was Isa Whitney's medical adviser, and
as such I had influence over him. I could manage it better if I were
alone. I promised her on my word that I would send him home in a cab
within two hours if he were indeed at the address which she had
given me. And so in ten minutes I had left my armchair and cheery
sitting-room behind me, and was speeding eastward in a hansom on a
strange errand, as it seemed to me at the time, though the future only
could show how strange it was to be.
But there was no great difficulty in the first stage of my
adventure. Upper Swandam Lane is a vile alley lurking behind the
high wharves which line the north side of the river to the east of
London Bridge. Between a slop-shop and a gin-shop, approached by a
steep flight of steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of
a cave, I found the den of which I was in search. Ordering my cab to
wait, I passed down the steps, worn hollow in the centre by the
ceaseless tread of drunken feet and by the light of a flickering
oillamp above the door I found the latch and made my way into a
long, low room, thick and heavy with the brown opium smoke, and
terraced with wooden berths, like the forecastle of an emigrant ship.
Through the gloom one could dimly catch a glimpse of bodies lying in
strange fantastic poses, bowed shoulders, bent knees, heads thrown
back, and chins pointing upward, with here and there a dark,
lack-lustre eye turned upon the newcomer. Out of the black shadows
there glimmered little red circles of light, now bright, now faint, as
the burning poison waxed or waned in the bowls of the metal pipes. The
most lay silent, but some muttered to themselves, and others talked
together in a strange, low, monotonous voice, their conversation
coming in gushes, and then suddenly tailing off into silence, each
mumbling out his own thoughts and paying little heed to the words of
his neighbour. At the farther end was a small brazier of burning
charcoal, beside which on a three-legged wooden stool there sat a
tall, thin old man, with his jaw resting upon his two fists, and his
elbows upon his knees, staring into the fire.
As I entered, a sallow Malay attendant had hurried up with a pipe
for me and a supply of the drug, beckoning me to an empty berth.
"Thank you. I have not come to stay," said I. "There is a friend
of mine here, Mr. Isa Whitney, and I wish to speak with him."
There was a movement and an exclamation from my right, and peering
through the gloom I saw Whitney, pale, haggard, and unkempt staring
out at me.
"My God! It's Watson," said he. He was in a pitiable state of
reaction, with every nerve in a twitter. "I say, Watson, what
o'clock is it?"
"Nearly eleven."
"Of what day?'
"Of Friday, June 19th."
"Good heavens! I thought it was Wednesday. It is Wednesday. What
d'you want to frighten the chap for?" He sank his face onto his arms
and began to sob in a high treble key.
"I tell you that it is Friday, man. Your wife has been waiting
this two days for you. You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"So I am. But you've got mixed, Watson, for I have only been here
a few hours, three pipes, four pipes-I forget how many. But I'll go
home with you. I wouldn't frighten Kate-poor little Kate. Give me your
hand! Have you a cab?"
"Yes, I have one waiting."
"Then I shall go in it. But I must owe something. Find what I owe,
Watson. I am all off colour. I can do nothing for myself."
I walked down the narrow passage between the double row of sleepers,
holding my breath to keep out the vile, stupefying fumes of the
drug, and looking about for the manager. As I passed the tall man
who sat by the brazier I felt a sudden pluck at my skirt, and a low
voice whispered, "Walk past me, and then look back at me." The words
fell quite distinctly upon my ear. I glanced down. They could only
have come from the old man at my side, and yet he sat now as
absorbed as ever, very thin, very wrinkled, bent with age, an opium
pipe dangling down from between his knees, as though it had dropped in
sheer lassitude from his fingers. I took two steps forward and
looked back. It took all my self-control to prevent me from breaking
out into a cry of astonishment. He had turned his back so that none
could see him but I. His form had filled out, his wrinkles were
gone, the dull eyes had regained their fire, and there, sitting by the
fire and grinning at my surprise, was none other than Sherlock Holmes.
He made a slight motion to me to approach him, and instantly, as he
turned his face half round to the company once more, subsided into a
doddering, loose-lipped senility.
"Holmes!" I whispered, "what on earth are you doing in this den?"
"As low as you can," he answered; "I have excellent ears. If you
would have the great kindness to get rid of that sottish friend of
yours I should be exceedingly glad to have a little talk with you."
"I have a cab outside."
"Then pray send him home in it. You may safely trust him, for he
appears to be too limp to get into any mischief. I should recommend
you also to send a note by the cabman to your wife to say that you
have thrown in your lot with me. If you will wait outside, I shall
be with you in five minutes."
It was difficult to refuse any of Sherlock Holmes's requests, for
they were always so exceedingly definite, and put forward with such
a quiet air of mastery. I felt, however, that when Whitney was once
confined in the cab my mission was practically accomplished; and for
the rest, I could not wish anything better than to be associated
with my friend in one of those singular adventures which were the
normal condition of his existence. In a few minutes I had written my
note, paid Whitney's bill, led him out to the cab, and seen him driven
through the darkness. In a very short time a decrepit figure had
emerged from the opium den, and I was walking down the street with
Sherlock Holmes. For two streets he shuffled along with a bent back
and an uncertain foot. Then, glancing quickly round, he straightened
himself out and burst into a hearty fit of laughter.
"I suppose, Watson," said he, "that you imagine that I have added
opium smoking to cocaine injections, and all the other little
weaknesses on which you have favoured me with your medical views."
"I was certainly surprised to find you there."
"But not more so than I to find you."
"I came to find a friend."
"And I to find an enemy."
"An enemy?"
"Yes; one of my natural enemies, or, shall I say, my natural prey.
Briefly, Watson, I am in the midst of a very remarkable inquiry, and I
have hoped to find a clue in the incoherent ramblings of these sots,
as I have done before now. Had I been recognized in that den my life
would not have been worth an hour's purchase; for I have used it
before now for my own purposes, and the rascally lascar who runs it
has sworn to have vengeance upon me. There is a trap-door at the
back of that building, near the corner of Paul's Wharf, which could
tell some strange tales of what has passed through it upon the
moonless nights."
"What! You do not mean bodies?"
"Ay, bodies, Watson. We should be rich men if we had L1000 for every
poor devil who has been done to death in that den. It is the vilest
murder-trap on the whole riverside, and I fear that Neville St.
Clair has entered it never to leave it more. But our trap should be
here." He put his two forefingers between his teeth and whistled
shrilly-a signal which was answered by a similar whistle from the
distance, followed shortly by the rattle of wheels and the clink of
horses' hoofs.
"Now, Watson," said Holmes, as a tall dog-cart dashed up through the
gloom, throwing out two golden tunnels of yellow light from its side
lanterns. "You'll come with me, won't you?"
"If I can be of use."
"Oh, a trusty comrade is always of use; and a chronicler still
more so. My room at The Cedars is a double-bedded one."
"The Cedars?"
"Yes; that is Mr. St. Clair's house. I am staying there while I
conduct the inquiry."
"Where is it, then?"
"Near Lee, in Kent. We have a seven-mile drive before us."
"But I am all in the dark."
"Of course you are. You'll know all about it presently. Jump up
here. All right, John; we shall not need you. Here's half a crown.
Look out for me to-morrow, about eleven. Give her head. So long,
then!"
He flicked the horse with his whip, and we dashed away through the
endless succession of sombre and deserted streets, which widened
gradually, until we were flying across a broad balustraded bridge,
with the murky river flowing sluggishly beneath us. Beyond lay another
dull wilderness of bricks and mortar, its silence broken only by the
heavy, regular footfall of the policeman, or the songs and shouts of
some belated party of revellers. A dull wrack was drifting slowly
across the sky, and a star or two twinkled dimly here and there
through the rifts of the clouds' Holmes drove in silence, with his
head sunk upon his breast, and the air of a man who is lost in
thought, while I sat beside him, curious to learn what this new
quest might be which seemed to tax his powers so sorely, and yet
afraid to break in upon the current of his thoughts. We had driven
several miles, and were beginning to get to the fringe of the belt
of suburban villas, when he shook himself, shrugged his shoulders, and
lit up his pipe with the air of a man who has satisfied himself that
he is acting for the best.
"You have a grand gift of silence, Watson," said he. "It makes you
quite invaluable as a companion. 'Pon my word, it is a great thing for
me to have someone to talk to, for my own thoughts are not
over-pleasant. I was wondering what I should say to this dear little
woman to-night when she meets me at the door."
"You forget that I know nothing about it.'
"I shall just have time to tell you the facts of the case before
we get to Lee. It seems absurdly simple, and yet somehow, I can get
nothing to go upon. There's plenty of thread, no doubt, but I can't
get the end of it into my hand. Now, I'll state the case clearly and
concisely to you, Watson, and maybe you can see a spark where all is
dark to me."
"Proceed then."
"Some years ago-to be definite, in May, 1884-there came to Lee a
gentleman, Neville St. Clair by name, who appeared to have plenty of
money. He took a large Villa, laid out the grounds very nicely, and
lived generally in good style. By degrees he made friends in the
neighbourhood, and in 1887 he married the daughter of a local
brewer, by whom he now has two children. He had no occupation, but was
interested in several companies and went into town as a rule in the
morning, returning by the 5:14 from Cannon Street every night. Mr. St.
Clair is now thirty seven years of age, is a man of temperate
habits, a good husband, a very affectionate father, and a man who is
popular with all who know him. I may add that his whole debts at the
present moment, as far as we have been able to ascertain, amount to
L88 10s., while he has L220 standing to his credit in the Capital
and Counties Bank. There is no reason, therefore, to think that
money troubles have been weighing upon his mind.
"Last Monday Mr. Neville St. Clair went into town rather earlier
than usual, remarking before he started that he had two important
commissions to perform, and that he would bring his little boy home
a box of bricks. Now, by the merest chance, his wife received a
telegram upon this same Monday, very shortly after his departure, to
the effect that a small parcel of considerable value which she had
been expecting was waiting for her at the offices of the Aberdeen
Shipping Company. Now, if you are well up in your London, you will
know that the office of the company is in Fresno Street, which
branches out of Upper Swandam Lane, where you found me to-night.
Mrs. St. Clair had her lunch, started for the City, did some shopping,
proceeded to the company's office, got her packet, and found herself
at exactly 4:35 walking through Swandam Lane on her way back to the
station. Have you followed me so far?"
"It is very clear."
"If you remember, Monday was an exceedingly hot day, and Mrs. St.
Clair walked slowly, glancing about in the hope of seeing a cab, as
she did not like the neighbourhood in which she found herself. While
she was walking in this way down Swandam Lane, she suddenly heard an
ejaculation or cry, and was struck cold to see her husband looking
down at her and, as it seemed to her, beckoning to her from a
second-floor window. The window was open, and she distinctly saw his
face, which she describes as being terribly agitated. He waved his
hands frantically to her, and then vanished from the window so
suddenly that it seemed to her that he had been plucked back by some
irresistible force from behind. One singular point which struck her
quick feminine eye was that although he wore some dark coat, such as
he had started to town in, he had on neither collar nor necktie.
"Convinced that something was amiss with him, she rushed down the
steps- for the house was none other than the opium den in which you
found me to-night- and running through the front room she attempted to
ascend the stairs which led to the first floor. At the foot of the
stairs, however, she met this lascar scoundrel of whom I have
spoken, who thrust her back and, aided by a Dane, who acts as
assistant there, pushed her out into the street. Filled with the
most maddening doubts and fears, she rushed down the lane and, by rare
good-fortune, met in Fresno Street a number of constables with an
inspector, all on their way to their beat. The inspector and two men
accompanied her back, and in spite of the continued resistance of
the proprietor, they made their way to the room in which Mr. St. Clair
had last been seen. There was no sign of him there. In fact, in the
whole of that floor there was no one to be found save a crippled
wretch of hideous aspect, who, it seems, made his home there. Both
he and the lascar stoutly swore that no one else had been in the front
room during the afternoon. So determined was their denial that the
inspector was staggered, and had almost come to believe that Mrs.
St. Clair had been deluded when, with a cry, she sprang at a small
deal box which lay upon the table and tore the lid from it. Out
there fell a cascade of children's bricks. It was the toy which he had
promised to bring home.
"This discovery, and the evident confusion which the cripple showed,
made the inspector realize that the matter was serious. The rooms were
carefully examined, and results all pointed to an abominable crime.
The front room was plainly furnished as a sitting-room and led into
a small bedroom, which looked out upon the back of one of the wharves.
Between the wharf and the bedroom window is a narrow strip, which is
dry at low tide but is covered at high tide with at least four and a
half feet of water. The bedroom window was a broad one and opened from
below. On examination traces of blood were to be seen upon the
window-sill, and several scattered drops were visible upon the
wooden floor of the bedroom. Thrust away behind a curtain in the front
room were all the clothes of Mr. Neville St. Clair, with the exception
of his coat. His boots, his socks, his hat, and his watch-all were
there. There were no signs of violence upon any of these garments, and
there were no other traces of Mr. Neville St. Clair. Out of the window
he must apparently have gone, for no other exit could be discovered,
and the ominous bloodstains upon the sill gave little promise that
he could save himself by swimming, for the tide was at its very
highest at the moment of the tragedy.
"And now as to the villains who seemed to be immediately
implicated in the matter. The lascar was known to be a man of the
vilest antecedents, but as, by Mrs. St. Clair's story, he was known to
have been at the foot of the stair within a very few seconds of her
husband's appearance at the window, he could hardly have been more
than an accessory to the crime. His defense was one of absolute
ignorance, and he protested that he had no knowledge as to the
doings of Hugh Boone, his lodger, and that he could not account in any
way for the presence of the missing gentleman's clothes.
"So much for the lascar manager. Now for the sinister cripple who
lives upon the second floor of the opium den, and who was certainly
the last human being whose eyes rested upon Neville St. Clair. His
name is Hugh Boone, and his hideous face is one which is familiar to
every man who goes much to the City. He is a professional beggar,
though in order to avoid the police regulations he pretends to a small
trade in wax vestas. Some little distance down Thread needle Street,
upon the left-hand side, there is, as you may have remarked, a small
angle in the wall. Here it is that this creature takes his daily seat,
crosslegged, with his tiny stock of matches on his lap, and as he is a
piteous spectacle a small rain of charity descends into the greasy
leather cap which lies upon the pavement beside him. I have watched
the fellow more than once before ever I thought of making his
professional acquaintance, and I have been surprised at the harvest
which he has reaped in a short time. His appearance, you see, is so
remarkable that no one can pass him without observing him. A shock
of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar, which, by
its contraction, has turned up the outer edge of his upper lip, a
bulldog chin, and a pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which
present a singular contrast to the colour of his hair, all mark him
out from amid the common crowd of mendicants, and so, too, does his
wit, for he is ever ready with a reply to any piece of chaff which may
be thrown at him by the passers-by. This is the man whom we now
learn to have been the lodger at the opium den, and to have been the
last man to see the gentleman of whom we are in quest."
"But a cripple!" said I. "What could he have done single-handed
against a man in the prime of life?"
"He is a cripple in the sense that he walks with a limp; but in
other respects he appears to be a powerful and well-nurtured man.
Surely your medical experience would tell you, Watson, that weakness
in one limb is often compensated for by exceptional strength in the
others."
"Pray continue your narrative."
"Mrs. St. Clair had fainted at the sight of the blood upon the
window, and she was escorted home in a cab by the police, as her
presence could be of no help to them in their investigations.
Inspector Barton, who had charge of the case, made a very careful
examination of the premises, but without finding anything which
threw any light upon the matter. One mistake had been made in not
arresting Boone instantly, as he was allowed some few minutes during
which he might have communicated with his friend the lascar, but
this fault was soon remedied, and he was seized and searched,
without anything being found which could incriminate him. There
were, it is true, some blood-stains upon his right shirt-sleeve, but
he pointed to his ring-finger, which had been cut near the nail, and
explained that the bleeding came from there, adding that he had been
to the window not long before, and that the stains which had been
observed there came doubtless from the same source. He denied
strenuously having ever seen Mr. Neville St. Clair and swore that
the presence of the clothes in his room was as much a mystery to him
as to the police. As to Mrs. St. Clair's assertion that she had
actually seen her husband at the window, he declared that she must
have been either mad or dreaming. He was removed, loudly protesting,
to the police-station, while the inspector remained upon the
premises in the hope that the ebbing tide might afford some fresh
clue.
"And it did, though they hardly found upon the mud-bank what they
had feared to find. It was Neville St. Clair's coat, and not Neville
St. Clair, which lay uncovered as the tide receded. And what do you
think they found in the pockets?"
"I cannot imagine."
"No, I don't think you would guess. Every pocket stuffed with
pennies and halfpennies-421 pennies and 270 half-pennies. It was no
wonder that it had not been swept away by the tide. But a human body
is a different matter. There is a fierce eddy between the wharf and
the house. It seemed likely enough that the weighted coat had remained
when the stripped body had been sucked away into the river."
"But I understand that all the other clothes were found in the room.
Would the body be dressed in a coat alone?"
"No, sir, but the facts might be met speciously enough. Suppose that
this man Boone had thrust Neville St. Clair through the window,
there is no human eye which could have seen the deed. What would he do
then? It would of course instantly strike him that he must get rid
of the tell-tale garments. He would seize the coat, then, and be in
the act of throwing it out, when it would occur to him that it would
swim and not sink. He has little time, for he has heard the scuffle
downstairs when the wife tried to force her way up, and perhaps he has
already heard from his lascar confederate that the police are hurrying
up the street. There is not an instant to be lost. He rushes to some
secret hoard, where he has accumulated the fruits of his beggary,
and he stuffs all the coins upon which he can lay his hands into the
pockets to make sure of the coats sinking. He throws it out, and would
have done the same with the other garments had not he heard the rush
of steps below, and only just had time to close the window when the
police appeared."
"It certainly sounds feasible."
"Well, we will take it as a working hypothesis for want of a better.
Boone, as I have told you, was arrested and taken to the station,
but it could not be shown that there had ever before been anything
against him. He had for years been known as a professional beggar, but
his life appeared to have been a very quiet and innocent one. There
the matter stands at present, and the questions which have to be
solved-what Neville St. Clair was doing in the opium den, what
happened to him when there, where is he now, and what Hugh Boone had
to do with his disappearance- are all as far from a solution as
ever. I confess that I cannot recall any case within my experience
which looked at the first glance so simple and yet which presented
such difficulties."
While Sherlock Holmes had been detailing this singular series of
events, we had been whirling through the outskirts of the great town
until the last straggling houses had been left behind, and we
rattled along with a country hedge upon either side of us. just as
he finished, however, we drove through two scattered villages, where a
few lights still glimmered in the windows.
"We are on the outskirts of Lee," said my companion. "We have
touched on three English counties in our short drive, starting in
Middlesex, passing over an angle of Surrey, and ending in Kent. See
that light among the trees? That is The Cedars, and beside that lamp
sits a woman whose anxious ears have already, I have little doubt,
caught the clink of our horse's feet."
"But why are you not conducting the case from Baker Street?" I
asked.
"Because there are many inquiries which must be made out here.
Mrs. St. Clair has most kindly put two rooms at my disposal, and you
may rest assured that she will have nothing but a welcome for my
friend and colleague. I hate to meet her, Watson, when I have no
news of her husband. Here we are. Whoa, there, whoa!"
We had pulled up in front of a large villa which stood within its
own grounds. A stable-boy had run out to the horse's head, and
springing down I followed Holmes up the small, winding gravel-drive
which led to the house. As we approached, the door flew open, and a
little blonde woman stood in the opening' clad in some sort of light
mousseline de soie, with a touch of fluffy pink chiffon at her neck
and wrists. She stood with her figure outlined against the flood of
light, one hand upon the door, one half-raised in her eagerness, her
body slightly bent, her head and face protruded, with eager eyes and
parted lips, a standing question.
"Well?" she cried, "Well?" And then, seeing that there were two of
us, she gave a cry of hope which sank into a groan as she saw that
my companion shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"No good news?"
"None."
"No bad?"
"No."
"Thank God for that. But come in. You must be weary, for you have
had a long day."
"This is my friend, Dr. Watson. He has been of most vital use to
me in several of my cases, and a lucky chance has made it possible for
me to bring him out and associate him with this investigation."
"I am delighted to see you," said she, pressing my hand warmly. "You
will, I am sure, forgive anything that may be wanting in our
arrangements, when you consider the blow which has come so suddenly
upon us."
"My dear madam," said I, "I am an old campaigner, and if I were
not I can very well see that no apology is needed. If I can be of
any assistance, either to you or to my friend here, I shall be
indeed happy."
"Now, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said the lady as we entered a well lit
dining-room, upon the table of which a cold supper had been laid
out, "I should very much like to ask you one or two plain questions,
to which I beg that you will give a plain answer."
"Certainly, madam."
"Do not trouble about my feelings. I am not hysterical, nor given to
fainting. I simply wish to hear your real, real opinion."
"Upon what point?"
"In your heart of hearts, do you think that Neville is alive?"
Sherlock Holmes seemed to be embarrassed by the question.
"Frankly, now!" she repeated, standing upon the rug and looking keenly
down at him as he leaned back in a basket-chair.
"Frankly, then, madam, I do not."
"You think that he is dead?"
"I do."
"Murdered?"
"I don't say that. Perhaps."
"And on what day did he meet his death?"
"On Monday."
"Then perhaps, Mr. Holmes, you will be good enough to explain how it
is that I have received a letter from him to-day."
Sherlock Holmes sprang out of his chair as if he had been
galvanized.
"What!" he roared.
"Yes, to-day." She stood smiling, holding up a little slip of
paper in the air.
"May I see it?"
"'Certainly."
He snatched it from her in his eagerness, and smoothing it out
upon the table he drew over the lamp and examined it intently. I had
left my chair and was gazing at it over his shoulder. The envelope was
a very coarse one and was stamped with the Gravesend postmark and with
the date of that very day, or rather of the day before, for it was
considerably after midnight.
"Coarse writing," murmured Holmes. "Surely this is not your
husband's writing, madam."
"No, but the enclosure is."
"I perceive also that whoever addressed the envelope had to go and
inquire as to the address."
"How can you tell that?"
"The name, you see, is in perfectly black ink, which has dried
itself. The rest is of the grayish colour, which shows that
blotting-paper has been used. If it had been written straight off, and
then blotted, none would be of a deep black shade. This man has
written the name, and there has then been a pause before he wrote
the address, which can only mean that he was not familiar with it.
It is, of course, a trifle, but there is nothing so important as
trifles. Let us now see the letter. Ha! There has been an enclosure
here!"
"Yes, there was a ring. His signet-ring."
"And you are sure that this is your husband's hand?"
"One of his hands."
"One?"
"His hand when he wrote hurriedly. It is very unlike his usual
writing, and yet I know it well."
"Dearest do not be frightened. All will come well. There is a huge
error which it may take some little time to rectify. Wait in
patience."
"NEVILLE.
Written in pencil upon the fly-leaf of a book, octavo size, no
water-mark. Hum! Posted to-day in Gravesend by a man with a dirty
thumb. Ha! And the flap has been gummed, if I am not very much in
error, by a person who had been chewing tobacco. And you have no doubt
that it is your husband's hand, madam?"
"None. Neville wrote those words."
"And they were posted to-day at Gravesend. Well, Mrs. St. Clair, the
clouds lighten, though I should not venture to say that the danger
is over."
"But he must be alive, Mr. Holmes."
"Unless this is a clever forgery to put us on the wrong scent. The
ring, after all, proves nothing. It may have been taken from him."
"No, no; it is, it is his very own writing!"
"Very well. It may, however, have been written on Monday and only
posted to-day."
"That is possible."
"If so, much may have happened between."
"Oh, you must not discourage me, Mr. Holmes. I know that all is well
with him. There is so keen a sympathy between us that I should know if
evil came upon him. On the very day that I saw him last he cut himself
in the bedroom, and yet I in the dining-room rushed upstairs instantly
with the utmost certainty that something had happened. Do you think
that I would respond to such a trifle and yet be ignorant of his
death?"
"I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may
be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner. And in
this letter you certainly have a very strong piece of evidence to
corroborate your view. But if your husband is alive and able to
write letters, why should he remain away from you?"
"I cannot imagine. It is unthinkable."
"And on Monday he made no remarks before leaving you?"
"No."
"And you were surprised to see him in Swandam Lane?"
"Very much so."
"Was the window open?"
"Yes."
"Then he might have called to you?"
"He might."
"He only, as I understand, gave an inarticulate cry?"
"Yes."
"A call for help, you thought?"
"Yes. He waved his hands."
"But it might have been a cry of surprise. Astonishment at the
unexpected sight of you might cause him to throw up his hands?"
"It is possible."
"And you thought he was pulled back?"
"He disappeared so suddenly."
"He might have leaped back. You did not see anyone else in the
room?"
"No, but this horrible man confessed to having been there, and the
lascar was at the foot of the stairs."
"Quite so. Your husband, as far as you could see, had his ordinary
clothes on?"
"But without his collar or tie. I distinctly saw his bare throat."
"Had he ever spoken of Swandam Lane?"
"Never."
"Had he ever showed any signs of having taken opium?"
"Never."
"Thank you, Mrs. St. Clair. Those are the principal points about
which I wished to be absolutely clear. We shall now have a little
supper and then retire, for we may have a very busy day to-morrow."
A large and comfortable double-bedded room. had been placed at our
disposal, and I was quickly between the sheets, for I was weary
after my night of adventure. Sherlock Holmes was a man, however,
who, when he had an unsolved problem upon his mind, would go for days,
and even for a week, without rest, turning it over, rearranging his
facts, looking at it from every point of view until he had either
fathomed it or convinced himself that his data were insufficient. It
was soon evident to me that he was now preparing for an all-night
sitting. He took off his coat and waistcoat, put on a large blue
dressing-gown, and then wandered about the room collecting pillows
from his bed and cushions from the sofa and armchairs. With these he
constructed a sort of Eastern divan, upon which he perched himself
cross-legged, with an ounce of shag tobacco and a box of matches
laid out in front of him. In the dim light of the lamp I saw him
sitting there, an old briar pipe between his lips, his eyes fixed
vacantly upon the corner of the ceiling, the blue smoke curling up
from him, silent, motionless, with the light shining upon his
strong-set aqualine features. So he sat as I dropped off to sleep,
and so he sat when a sudden ejaculation caused me to wake up, and I
found the summer sun shining into the apartment The pipe was still
between his lips, the smoke still curled upward, and the room was
full of a dense tobacco haze, but nothing remained of the heap of
shag which I had seen upon the previous night.
"Awake, Watson?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Game for a morning drive?"
"Certainly."
"Then dress. No one is stirring yet, but I know where the stable-boy
sleeps, and we shall soon have the trap out." He chuckled to himself
as he spoke, his eyes twinkled, and he seemed a different man to the
sombre thinker of the previous night.
As I dressed I glanced at my watch. It was no wonder that no one was
stirring. It was twenty-five minutes past four. I had hardly
finished when Holmes returned with the news that the boy was putting
in the horse.
"I want to test a little theory of mine," said he, pulling on his
boots. "I think, Watson, that you are now standing in the presence
of one of the most absolute fools in Europe. I deserve to be kicked
from here to Charing Cross. But I think I have the key of the affair
now."
"And where is it?" I asked, smiling.
"In the bathroom," he answered. "Oh, yes, I am not joking," he
continued, seeing my look of incredulity. "I have just been there, and
I have taken it out, and I have got it in the bag. Come on, my boy,
and we shall see whether it will not fit the lock."
We made our way downstairs as quietly as possible, and out into
the bright morning sunshine. In the road stood our horse and trap,
with the half-clad stableboy waiting at the head. We both sprang in,
and away we dashed down the London Road. A few country carts were
stirring, bearing in vegetables to the metropolis, but metropolis, but
the lines of villas on either side were as silent and lifeless as some
city in a dream.
"It has been in some points a singular case," said Holmes,
flicking the horse on into a gallop. "I confess that I have been as
blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to
learn it at all."
In town the earliest risers were just beginning to look sleepily
from their windows as we drove through the streets of the Surrey side,
Passing down the Waterloo Bridge Road we crossed over the river, and
dashing up Wellington Street wheeled sharply to the right and found
ourselves in Bow Street. Sherlock Holmes was well known to the
force, and the two constables at the door saluted him. One of them
held the horse's head while the other led us in.
"Who is on duty?" asked Holmes.
"Inspector Bradstreet, sir."
"Ah, Bradstreet, how are you?" A tall, stout official had come
down the stoneflagged passage, in a peaked cap and frogged jacket.
"I wish to have a quiet word with you, Bradstreet."
"Certainly, Mr. Holmes. Step into my room here."
It was a small, office-like room, with a huge ledger upon the table,
and a telephone projecting from the wall. The inspector sat down at
his desk.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Holmes?"
"I called about that beggarman, Boone-the one who was charged with
being concerned in the disappearance of Mr. Neville St. Clair, of
Lee."
"Yes. He was brought up and remanded for further inquiries."
"So I heard. You have him here?"
"In the cells."
"Is he quiet?"
"Oh, he gives no trouble. But he is a dirty scoundrel."
"Dirty?"
"Yes, it is all we can do to make him wash his hands, and his face
is as black as a tinker's. Well, when once his case has been
settled, he will have a regular prison bath; and I think, if you saw
him, you would agree with me that he needed it."
"I should like to see him very much."
"Would you? That is easily done. Come this way. You can leave your
bag."
"No, I think that I'll take it."
"Very good. Come this way, if you please." He led us down a passage,
opened a barred door, passed down a winding stair, and brought us to a
whitewashed corridor with a line of doors on each side.
"The third on the right is his," said the inspector. "Here it is!"
He quietly shot back a panel in the upper part of the door and glanced
through.
"He is asleep," said he. "You can see him very well."
We both put our eyes to the grating. The prisoner lay with his
face towards us, in a very deep sleep, breathing slowly and heavily.
He was a middle-sized man, coarsely clad as became his calling, with a
coloured shirt protruding through the rent in his tattered coat. He
was, as the inspector had said, extremely dirty, but the grime which
covered his face could not conceal its repulsive ugliness. A broad
wheal from an old scar ran right across it from eye to chin, and by
its contraction had turned up one side of the upper lip, so that three
teeth were exposed in a perpetual snarl. A shock of very bright red
hair grew low over his eyes and forehead.
"He's a beauty, isn't he?" said the inspector.
"He certainly needs a wash," remarked Holmes. "I had an idea that he
might, and I took the liberty of bringing the tools with me." He
opened the Gladstone bag as he spoke, and took out, to my
astonishment, a very large bath-sponge.
"He! he! You are a funny one," chuckled the inspector.
"Now, if you will have the great goodness to open that door very
quietly, we will soon make him cut a much more respectable figure"
"Well, I don't know why not," said the inspector. "He doesn't look a
credit to the Bow Street cells, does he?" He slipped his key into
the lock, and we all very quietly entered the cell. The sleeper half
turned, and then settled down once more into a deep slumber. Holmes
stooped to the water-jug, moistened his sponge, and then rubbed it
twice vigorously across and down the prisoner's face.
"Let me introduce you," he shouted, "to Mr. Neville St. Clair, of
Lee, in the county of Kent."
Never in my life have I seen such a sight. The man's face peeled off
under the sponge like the bark from a tree. Gone was the coarse
brown tint! Gone, too, was the horrid scar which had seamed it across,
and the twisted lip which had given the repulsive sneer to the face! A
twitch brought away the tangled red hair, and there, sitting up in his
bed, was a pale, sad-faced, refined-looking man, black-haired and
smooth-skinned, rubbing his eyes and staring about him with sleepy
bewilderment. Then suddenly realizing the exposure, he broke into a
scream and threw himself down with his face to the pillow.
"Great heavens!" cried the inspector, "it is, indeed, the missing
man. I know him from the photograph."
The prisoner turned with the reckless; air of a man who abandons
himself to his destiny. "Be it so," said he. "And pray, what am I
charged with?"
"With making away with Mr. Neville St.-Oh, come, you can't be
charged with that unless they make a case of attempted suicide of it,"
said the inspector with a grin. "Well, I have been twenty-seven
years in the force, but this really takes the cake."
"If I am Mr. Neville St. Clair, then it is obvious that no crime has
been committed, and that, therefore, I am illegally detained."
"No crime, but a very great error has been committed," said
Holmes. "You would have done better to have trusted your wife."
"It was not the wife; it was the children," groaned the prisoner.
"God help me, I would not have them ashamed of their father. My God!
What an exposure! What can I do?"
Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on the couch and patted him
kindly on the shoulder.
"If you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up," said he,
"of course you can hardly avoid publicity. On the other hand, if you
convince the police authorities that there is no possible case against
you., I do not know that there is any reason that the details should
find their way into the papers. Inspector Bradstreet would, I am sure,
make notes upon anything which you might tell us and submit it to
the proper authorities. The case would then never go into court at
all."
"God bless you!" cried the prisoner passionately. "I would have
endured imprisonment, ay, even execution, rather than have left my
miserable secret as a family blot to my children.
"You are the first who have ever heard my story. My father was a
school-master in Chesterfield, where I received an excellent
education. I travelled in my youth, took to the stage, and finally
became a reporter on an evening paper in London. One day my editor
wished to have a series of articles upon begging in the metropolis,
and I volunteered to supply them. There was the point from which all
my adventures started. It was only by trying begging as an amateur
that I could get the facts upon which to base my articles. When an
actor I had, of course learned all the secrets of making up, and had
been famous in the green-room for my skill. I took advantage now of my
attainments. I painted my face, and to make myself as pitiable as
possible I made a good scar and fixed one side of my lip in a twist by
the aid of a small slip of flesh-coloured plaster. Then with a red
head of hair, and an appropriate dress, I took my station in the
business part of the city, ostensibly as a match-seller but really
as a beggar. For seven hours I plied my trade, and when I returned
home in the evening I found to my surprise that I had received no less
than 26s. 4d.
"I wrote my articles and thought little more of the matter until,
some time later, I backed a bill for a friend and had a writ served
upon me for L25. I was at my wit's end where to get the money, but a
sudden idea came to me. I begged a fortnight's grace from the
creditor, asked for a holiday from my employers, and spent the time in
begging in the City under my disguise. In ten days I had the money and
had paid the debt.
"Well, you can imagine how hard it was to settle down to arduous
work at L2 a week when I knew that I could earn as much in a day by
smearing my face with a little paint, laying my cap on the ground, and
sitting still. It was a long fight between my pride and the money, but
the dollars won at last, and I threw up reporting and sat day after
day in the corner which I had first chosen, inspiring pity by my
ghastly face and filling my pockets with coppers. Only one man knew my
secret. He was the keeper of a low den in which I used to lodge in
Swandam Lane, where I could every morning emerge as a squalid beggar
and in the evenings transform myself into a well-dressed man about
town. This fellow, a lascar, was well paid by me for his rooms, so
that I knew that my secret was safe in his possession.
"Well, very soon I found that I was saving considerable sums of
money. I do not mean that any beggar in the streets of London could
earn L700 a year-which is less than my average takings-but I had
exceptional advantages in my power of making up, and also in a
facility of repartee, which improved by practice and made me quite a
recognized character in the City. All day a stream of pennies,
varied by silver, poured in upon me, and it was a very bad day in
which I failed to take L2.
"As I grew richer I grew more ambitious, took a house in the
country, and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion
as to my real occupation. My dear wife knew that I had business in the
City. She little knew what.
"Last Monday I had finished for the day and was dressing in my
room above the opium den when I looked out of my window and saw, to my
horror and astonishment that my wife was standing in the street,
with her eyes fixed full upon me. I gave a cry of surprise, threw up
my arms to cover my face, and, rushing to my confidant the lascar,
entreated him to prevent anyone from coming up to me. I heard her
voice downstairs, but I knew that she could not ascend. Swiftly I
threw off my clothes, pulled on those of a beggar, and put on my
pigments and wig. Even a wife's eyes could not pierce so complete a
disguise. But then it occurred to me that there might be a search in
the room, and that the clothes might betray me. I threw open the
window, reopening by my violence a small cut which I had inflicted
upon myself in the bedroom that morning. Then I seized my coat,
which was weighted by the coppers which I had just transferred to it
from the leather bag in which I carried my takings. I hurled it out of
the window, and it disappeared into the Thames. The other clothes
would have followed, but at that moment there was a rush of constables
up the stair, and a few minutes after I found, rather, I confess, to
my relief, that instead of being identified as Mr. Neville St.
Clair, I was arrested as his murderer.
"I do not know that there is anything else for me to explain. I
was determined to preserve my disguise as long as possible, and
hence my preference for a dirty face. Knowing that my wife would be
terribly anxious, I slipped off my ring and confided it to the
lascar at a moment when no constable was watching me, together with
a hurried scrawl, telling her that she had no cause to fear."
"That note only reached her yesterday," said Holmes.
"Good God! What a week she must have spent!"
"The police have watched this lascar," said Inspector Bradstreet,
"and I can quite understand that he might find it difficult to post
a letter unobserved. Probably he handed it to some sailor customer
of his, who forgot all about it for some days."
"That was it," said Holmes, nodding approvingly, "I have no doubt of
it. But have you never been prosecuted for begging?"
"Many times; but what was a fine to me?"
"It must stop here, however," said Bradstreet. "If the police are to
hush this thing up, there must be no more of Hugh Boone."
"I have sworn it by the most solemn oaths which a man can take."
"In that case I think that it is probable that no further steps
may be taken. But if you are found again, then all must come out. I am
sure, Mr. Holmes, that we are very much indebted to you for having
cleared the matter up. I wish I knew how you reach your results."
"I reached this one," said my friend, "by sitting upon five
pillows and consuming an ounce of shag. I think, Watson, that if we
drive to Baker Street we shall just be in time for breakfast."
-THE END-
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
An anomaly which often struck me in the character of my friend
Sherlock Holmes was that, although in his methods of thought he was
the neatest and most methodical of mankind, and although also he
affected a certain quiet primness of dress, he was nonetheless in
his personal habits one of the most untidy men that ever drove a
fellow-lodger to distraction. Not that I am in the least
conventional in that respect myself. The rough-and-tumble work in
Afghanistan, coming on the top of natural Bohemianism of
disposition, has made me rather more lax than befits a medical man.
But with me there is a limit, and when I find a man who keeps his
cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian
slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a
jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantelpiece, then I
begin to give myself virtuous airs. I have always held, too, that
pistol practice should be distinctly an open-air pastime; and when
Holmes, in one of his queer humours, would sit in an armchair with his
hair-trigger and a hundred Boxer cartridges and proceed to adorn the
opposite wall with a patriotic V. R. done in bullet-pocks, I felt
strongly that neither the atmosphere nor the appearance of our room
was improved by it.
Our chambers were always full of chemicals and of criminal relics
which had a way of wandering into unlikely positions, and of turning
up in the butter-dish or in even less desirable places. But his papers
were my great crux. He had a horror of destroying documents,
especially those which were connected with his past cases, and yet
it was only once in every year or two that he would muster energy to
docket and arrange them; for, as I have mentioned somewhere in these
incoherent memoirs, the outbursts of passionate energy when he
performed the remarkable feats with which his name is associated
were followed by reactions of lethargy during which he would lie about
with his violin and his books, hardly moving save from the sofa to the
table. Thus month after month his papers accumulated until every
corner of the room was stacked with bundles of manuscript which were
on no account to be burned, and which could not be put away save by
their owner. One winter's night, as we sat together by the fire, I
ventured to suggest to him that, as he had finished pasting extracts
into his commonplace book, he might employ the next two hours in
making our room a little more habitable. He could not deny the justice
of my request, so with a rather rueful face he went off to his
bedroom, from which he returned presently pulling a large tin box
behind him. This he placed in the middle of the floor, and,
squatting down upon a stool in front of it, he threw back the lid. I
could see that it was already a third full of bundles of paper tied up
with red tape into separate packages.
"There are cases enough here, Watson," said he, looking at me with
mischievous eyes. "I think that if you knew all that I had in this box
you would ask me to pull some out instead of putting others in."
"These are the records of your early work, then?" I asked. "I have
often wished that I had notes of those cases."
"Yes, my boy, these were all done prematurely before my biographer
had come to glorify me." He lifted bundle after bundle in a tender,
caressing sort of way.
"They are not all successes, Watson," said he. "But there are some
pretty little problems among them. Here's the record of the Tarleton
murders, and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the
adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the
aluminum crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the
club-foot, and his abominable wife. And here-ah, now, this really is
something a little recherche."
He dived his arm down to the bottom of the chest and brought up a
small wooden box with a sliding lid such as children's toys are kept
in. From within he produced a crumpled piece of paper, an
old-fashioned brass key, a peg of wood with a ball of string
attached to it, and three rusty old discs of metal.
"Well, my boy, what do you make of this lot?" he asked, smiling at
my expression.
"It is a curious collection."
"Very curious, and the story that hangs round it will strike you
as being more curious still."
"These relics have a history, then?"
"So much so that they are history."
"What do you mean by that?"
Sherlock Holmes picked them up one by one and laid them along the
edge of the table. Then he reseated himself in his chair and looked
them over with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.
"These," said he, "are all that I have left to remind me of the
adventure of the Musgrave Ritual."
I had heard him mention the case more than once, though I had
never been able to gather the details. "I should be so glad," said
I, "if you would give me an account of it."
"And leave the litter as it is?" he cried mischievously. "Your
tidiness won't bear much strain, after all, Watson. But I should be
glad that you should add this case to your annals, for there are
points in it which make it quite unique in the criminal records of
this or, I believe, of any other country. A collection of my
trifling achievements would certainly be incomplete which contained no
account of this very singular business.
"You may remember how the affair of the Gloria Scott, and my
conversation with the unhappy man whose fate I told you of, first
turned my attention in the direction of the profession which has
become my life's work. You see me now when my charge has become
known far and wide, and when I am generally recognized both by the
public and by the official force as being a final court of appeal in
doubtful cases. Even when you knew me first, at the time of the affair
which you have commemorated in 'A Study in Scarlet,' I had already
established a considerable, though not a very lucrative, connection.
You can hardly realize, then, how difficult I found it at first, and
how long I had to wait before I succeeded in making any headway.
"When I first came up to London I had rooms in Montague Street, just
round the corner from the British Museum, and there I waited,
filling in my too abundant leisure time by studying all those branches
of science which might make me more efficient. Now and again cases
came in my way, principally through the introduction of old
fellow-students, for during my last years at the university there
was a good deal of talk there about myself and my methods. The third
of these cases was that of the Musgrave Ritual, and it is to the
interest which was aroused by that singular chain of events, and the
large issues which proved to be at stake, that I trace my first stride
towards the position which I now hold.
"Reginald Musgrave had been in the same college as myself, and I had
some slight acquaintance with him. He was not generally popular
among the undergraduates, though it always seemed to me that what
was set down as pride was really an attempt to cover extreme natural
diffidence. In appearance he was a man of an exceedingly
aristocratic type, thin, high-nosed, and large-eyed, with languid
and yet courtly manners. He was indeed a scion of one of the very
oldest families in the kingdom, though his branch was a cadet one
which had separated from the northern Musgraves some time in the
sixteenth century and had established itself in western Sussex,
where the Manor House of Hurlstone is perhaps the oldest inhabited
building in the county. Something of his birth-place seemed to cling
to the man, and I never looked at his pale, keen face or the poise
of his head without associating him with gray archways and mullioned
windows and all the venerable wreckage of a feudal keep. Once or twice
we drifted into talk, and I can remember that more than once he
expressed a keen interest in my methods of observation and inference.
"For four years I had seen nothing of him until one morning he
walked into my room in Montague Street. He had changed little, was
dressed like a young man of fashion-he was always a bit of a dandy-and
preserved the same quiet, suave manner which had formerly
distinguished him.
"'How has all gone with you, Musgrave?' I asked after we had
cordially shaken hands.
"'You probably heard of my poor father's death,' said he; 'he was
carried off about two years ago. Since then I have of course had the
Hurlstone estate to manage, and as I am member for my district as
well, my life has been a busy one. But I understand, Holmes, that
you are turning to practical ends those powers with which you used
to amaze us?'
"'Yes,' said I, 'I have taken to living by my wits.'
"'I am delighted to hear it, for your advice at present would be
exceedingly valuable to me. We have had some very strange doings at
Hurlstone, and the police have been able to throw no light upon the
matter. It is really the most extraordinary and inexplicable
business.'
"You can imagine with what eagerness I listened to him, Watson,
for the very chance for which I had been panting during all those
months of inaction seemed to have come within my reach. In my inmost
heart I believed that I could succeed where others failed, and now I
had the opportunity to test myself.
"'Pray let me have the details,' I cried.
"Reginald Musgrave sat down opposite to me and lit the cigarette
which I bad pushed towards him.
"'You must know,' said he, 'that though I am a bachelor, I have to
keep up a considerable staff of servants at Hurlstone, for it is a
rambling old place and takes a good deal of looking after. I preserve,
too, and in the pheasant months I usually have a house-party, so
that it would not do to be short-handed. Altogether there are eight
maids, the cook, the butler, two footmen, and a boy. The garden and
the stables of course have a separate staff.
"'Of these servants the one who had been longest in our service
was Brunton, the butler. He was a young schoolmaster out of place when
he was first taken up by my father, but he was a man of great energy
and character, and he soon became quite invaluable in the household.
He was a well-grown, handsome man, with a splendid forehead, and
though he has been with us for twenty years he cannot be more than
forty now. With his personal advantages and his extraordinary
gifts-for he can speak several languages and play nearly every musical
instrument-it is wonderful that he should have been satisfied so
long in such a position, but I suppose that he was comfortable and
lacked energy to make any change. The butler of Hurlstone is always
a thing that is remembered by all who visit us.
"'But this paragon has one fault. He is a bit of a Don Juan, and you
can imagine that for a man like him it is not a very difficult part to
play in a quiet country district. When he was married it was all
right, but since he has been a widower we have had no end of trouble
with him. A few months ago we were in hopes that he was about to
settle down again, for he became engaged to Rachel Howells, our second
housemaid; but he has thrown her over since then and taken up with
Janet Tregellis, the daughter of the head game-keeper. Rachel-who is a
very good girl, but of an excitable Welsh temperament-had a sharp
touch of brain-fever and goes about the house now-or did until
yesterday-like a black-eyed shadow of her former self. That was our
first drama at Hurlstone; but a second one came to drive it from our
minds, and it was prefaced by the disgrace and dismissal of butler
Brunton.
"'This was how it came about. I have said that the man was
intelligent, and this very intelligence has caused his ruin, for it
seems to have led to an insatiable curiosity about things which did
not in the least concern him. I had no idea of the lengths to which
this would carry him until the merest accident opened my eyes to it.
"'I have said that the house is a rambling one. One day last week-on
Thursday night, to be more exact-I found that I could not sleep,
having foolishly taken a cup of strong cafe noir after my dinner.
After struggling against it until two in the morning, I felt that it
was quite hopeless, so I rose and lit the candle with the intention of
continuing a novel which I was reading. The book, however, had been
left in the billiard-room, so I pulled on my dressing-gown and started
off to get it.
"'In order to reach the billiard-room I had to descend a flight of
stairs and then to cross the head of a passage which led to the
library and the gun-room. You can imagine my surprise when, as I
looked down this corridor, I saw a glimmer of light coming from the
open door of the library. I had myself extinguished the lamp and
closed the door before coming to bed. Naturally my first thought was
of burglars. The corridors at Hurlstone have their walls largely
decorated with trophies of old weapons. From one of these I picked a
battle-axe, and then, leaving my candle behind me, I crept on tiptoe
down the passage and peeped in at the open door.
"'Brunton, the butler, was in the library. He was sitting, fully
dressed, in an easy-chair, with a slip of paper which looked like a
map upon his knee, and his forehead sunk forward upon his hand in deep
thought. I stood dumb with astonishment, watching him from the
darkness. A small taper on the edge of the table shed a feeble light
which sufficed to show me that he was fully dressed. Suddenly, as I
looked, he rose from his chair, and, walking over to a bureau at the
side, he unlocked it and drew out one of the drawers. From this he
took a paper, and, returning to his seat, he flattened it out beside
the taper on the edge of the table and began to study it with minute
attention. My indignation at this calm examination of our family
documents overcame me so far that I took a step forward, and
Brunton, looking up, saw me standing in the doorway. He sprang to
his feet, his face turned livid with fear, and he thrust into his
breast the chart-like paper which he had been originally studying.
"'"So!" said I. "'"This is how you repay the trust which we have
reposed in you. You will leave my service to-morrow."
"'He bowed with the look of a man who is utterly crushed and slunk
past me without a word. The taper was still on the table, and by its
light I glanced to see what the paper was which Brunton had taken from
the bureau. To my surprise it was nothing of any importance at all,
but simply a copy of the questions and answers in the singular old
observance called the Musgrave Ritual. It is a sort of ceremony
peculiar to our family, which each Musgrave for centuries past has
gone through on his coming of age-a thing of private interest, and
perhaps of some little importance to the archaeologist, like our own
blazonings and charges, but of no practical use whatever.'
"'We had better come back to the paper afterwards,' said I.
"'If you think it really necessary,' he answered with some
hesitation. 'To continue my statement, however: I relocked the bureau,
using the key which Brunton had left, and I had turned to go when I
was surprised to find that the butler had returned, and was standing
before me.
"'"Mr. Musgrave, sir," he cried in a voice which was hoarse with
emotion, "I can't bear disgrace, sir. I've always been proud above
my station in life, and disgrace would kill me. My blood will be on
your head, sir-it will, indeed-if you drive me to despair. If you
cannot keep me after what has passed, then for God's sake let me
give you notice and leave in a month, as if of my own free will. I
could stand that, Mr. Musgrave, but not to be cast out before all
the folk that I know so well."
"'"You don't deserve much consideration, Brunton," I answered. "Your
conduct has been most infamous. However, as you have been a long
time in the family, I have no wish to bring public disgrace upon
you. A month, however, is too long. Take yourself away in a week,
and give what reason you like for going."
"'"Only a week, sir?" he cried in a despairing voice. "A
fortnight-say at least a fortnight!"
"'"A week," I repeated, "and you may consider yourself to have
been very leniently dealt with."
"'He crept away, his face sunk upon his breast, like a broken man,
while I put out the light and returned to my room.
"'For two days after this Brunton was most assiduous in his
attention to his duties. I made no allusion to what had passed and
waited with some curiosity to see how he would cover his disgrace.
On the third morning, however, he did not appear, as was his custom,
after breakfast to receive my instructions for the day. As I left
the dining-room I happened to meet Rachel Howells, the maid. I have
told you that she had only recently recovered from an illness and
was looking so wretchedly pale and wan that I remonstrated with her
for being at work.
"'"You should be in bed," I said. "Come back to your duties when you
are stronger."
"'She looked at me with so strange an expression that I began to
suspect that her brain was affected.
"'"I am strong enough, Mr. Musgrave," said she.
"'"We will see what the doctor says," I answered. "You must stop
work now, and when you go downstairs just say that I wish to see
Brunton."
"'"The butler is gone," said she.
"'"Gone! Gone where?"
"'"He is gone. No one has seen him. He is not in his room. Oh,
yes, he is gone, he is gone!" She fell back against the wall with
shriek after shriek of laughter, while I, horrified at this sudden
hysterical attack, rushed to the bell to summon help. The girl was
taken to her room, still screaming and sobbing, while I made inquiries
about Brunton. There was no doubt about it that he had disappeared.
His bed had not been slept in, he had been seen by no one since he had
retired to his room the night before, and yet it was difficult to
see how he could have left the house, as both windows and doors were
found to be fastened in the morning. His clothes, his watch, and
even his money were in his room, but the black suit which he usually
wore was missing. His slippers, too, were gone, but his boots were
left behind. Where then could butler Brunton have gone in the night
and what could have become of him now?
"'Of course we searched the house from cellar to garret, but there
was no trace of him. It is, as I have said, a labyrinth of an old
house, especially the original wing, which is now practically
uninhabited; but we ransacked every room and cellar without
discovering the least sign of the missing man. It was incredible to me
that he could have gone away leaving all his property behind him,
and yet where could he be? I called in the local police, but without
success. Rain had fallen on the night before, and we examined the lawn
and the paths all round the house, but in vain. Matters were in this
state, when a new development quite drew our attention away from the
original mystery.
"'For two days Rachel Howells had been so ill, sometimes
delirious, sometimes hysterical, that a nurse had been employed to sit
up with her at night. On the third night after Brunton's
disappearance, the nurse, finding her patient sleeping nicely, had
dropped into a nap in the armchair, when she woke in the early morning
to find the bed empty, the window open, and no signs of the invalid. I
was instantly aroused, and, with the two footmen, started off at
once in search of the missing girl. It was not difficult to tell the
direction which she had taken, for, starting from under her window, we
could follow her footmarks easily across the lawn to the edge of the
mere, where they vanished close to the gravel path which leads out
of the grounds. The lake there is eight feet deep, and you can imagine
our feelings when we saw that the trail of the poor demented girl came
to an end at the edge of it.
"'Of course, we had the drags at once and set to work to recover the
remains, but no trace of the body could we find. On the other hand, we
brought to the surface an object of a most unexpected kind. It was a
linen bag which contained within it a mass of old rusted and
discoloured metal and several dull-coloured pieces of pebble or glass.
This strange find was all that we could get from the mere, and,
although we made every possible search and inquiry yesterday, we
know nothing of the fate either of Rachel Howells or of Richard
Brunton. The county police are at their wit's end, and I have come
up to you as a last resource.'
"You can imagine, Watson, with what eagerness I listened to this
extraordinary sequence of events, and endeavoured to piece them
together, and to devise some common thread upon which they might all
hang. The butler was gone. The maid was gone. The maid had loved the
butler, but had afterwards had cause to hate him. She was of Welsh
blood, fiery and passionate. She had been terribly excited immediately
after his disappearance. She had flung into the lake a bag
containing some curious contents. These were all factors which had
to be taken into consideration, and yet none of them got quite to
the heart of the matter. What was the starting-point of this chain
of events? There lay the end of this tangled line.
"'I must see that paper, Musgrave,' said I, 'which this butler of
yours thought it worth his while to consult, even at the risk of the
loss of his place.'
"'It is rather an absurd business, this ritual of ours,' he
answered. 'But it has at least the saving grace of antiquity to excuse
it. I have a copy of the questions and answers here if you care to run
your eye over them.'
"He handed me the very paper which I have here, Watson, and this
is the strange catechism to which each Musgrave had to submit when
he came to man's estate. I will read you the questions and answers
as they stand.
"'Whose was it?'
"'His who is gone.'
"'Who shall have
"'He who will come.'
"'Where was the sun?'
"'Over the oak.'
"'Where was the shadow?'
"'Under the elm.'
"'How was it stepped?'
"'North by ten and by ten, east by five and by five, south by two
and by two, west by one and by one, and so under.'
"'What shall we give for it?'
"'All that is ours.'
"'Why should we give it?'
"'For the sake of the trust.'
"'The original has no date, but is in the spelling of the middle
of the seventeenth century,' remarked Musgrave. 'I am afraid, however,
that it can be of little help to you in solving this mystery.'
"'At least,' said I, 'it gives us another mystery, and one which
is even more interesting than the first. It may be that the solution
of the one may prove to be the solution of the other. You will
excuse me, Musgrave, if I say that your butler appears to me to have
been a very clever man, and to have had a clearer insight than ten
generations of his masters.'
"'I hardly follow you,' said Musgrave. 'The paper seems to me to
be of no practical importance.'
"'But to me it seems immensely practical, and I fancy that Brunton
took the same view. He had probably seen it before that night on which
you caught him.'
"'It is very possible. We took no pains to hide it.'
"'He simply wished, I should imagine, to refresh his memory upon
that last occasion. He had, as I understand, some sort of map or chart
which he was comparing with the manuscript, and which he thrust into
his pocket when you appeared.'
"'That is true. But what could he have to do with this old family
custom of ours, and what does this rigimarole mean?'
"'I don't think that we should have much difficulty in determining
that,' said I; 'with your permission we will take the first train down
to Sussex and go a little more deeply into the matter upon the spot.'
"The same afternoon saw us both at Hurlstone. Possibly you have seen
pictures and read descriptions of the famous old building, so I will
confine my account of it to saying that it is built in the shape of an
L, the long arm being the more modern portion, and the shorter the
ancient nucleus from which the other has developed. Over the low,
heavy-lintelled door, in the centre of this old part, is chiselled the
date, 1607, but experts are agreed that the beams and stonework are
really much older than this. The enormously thick walls and tiny
windows of this part had in the last century driven the family into
building the new wing, and the old one was used now as a storehouse
and a cellar, when it was used at all. A splendid park with fine old
timber surrounds the house, and the lake, to which my client had
referred, lay close to the avenue, about two hundred yards from the
building.
"I was already firmly convinced, Watson, that there were not three
separate mysteries here, but one only, and that if I could read the
Musgrave Ritual aright I should hold in my hand the clue which would
lead me to the truth concerning both the butler Brunton and the maid
Howells. To that then I turned all my energies. Why should this
servant be so anxious to master this old formula? Evidently because he
saw something in it which had escaped all those generations of country
squires, and from which he expected some personal advantage. What
was it then, and how had it affected his fate?
"It was perfectly obvious to me, on reading the Ritual, that the
measurements must refer to some spot to which the rest of the document
alluded, and that if we could find that spot we should be in a fair
way towards finding what the secret was which the old Musgraves had
thought it necessary to embalm in so curious a fashion. There were two
guides given us to start with, an oak and an elm. As to the oak
there could be no question at all. Right in front of the house, upon
the lefthand side of the drive, there stood a patriarch among oaks,
one of the most magnificent trees that I have ever seen.
"'That was there when your Ritual was drawn up,' said I as we
drove past it.
"'It was there at the Norman Conquest in all probability,' he
answered. 'It has a girth of twenty-three feet.'
"Here was one of my fixed points secured.
"'Have you any old elms?' I asked.
"'There used to be a very old one over yonder, but it was struck
by lightning ten years ago, and we cut down the stump.'
"'You can see where it used to be?'
"`Oh yes.'
"`There are no other elms?'
"'No old ones, but plenty of beeches.'
"'I should like to see where it grew.'
"We had driven up in a dog-cart, and my client led me away at
once, without our entering the house, to the scar on the lawn where
the elm had stood. It was nearly midway between the oak and the house.
My investigation seemed to be progressing.
"'I suppose it is impossible to find out how high the elm was?' I
asked.
"'I can give you it at once. It was sixty-four feet.'
"'How do you come to know it?' I asked in surprise.
"'When my old tutor used to give me an exercise in trigonometry,
it always took the shape of measuring heights. When I was a lad I
worked out every tree and building in the estate.'
"This was an unexpected piece of luck. My data were coming more
quickly than I could have reasonably hoped.
"'Tell me,' I asked, 'did your butler ever ask you such a question?'
"Reginald Musgrave looked at me in astonishment. 'Now that you
call it to my mind,' he answered, 'Brunton did ask me about the height
of the tree some months ago in connection with some little argument
with the groom.'
"This was excellent news, Watson, for it showed me that I was on the
right road. I looked up at the sun. It was low in the heavens, and I
calculated that in less than an hour it would lie just above the
topmost branches of the old oak. One condition mentioned in the Ritual
would then be fulfilled. And the shadow of the elm must mean the
farther end of the shadow, otherwise the trunk would have been
chosen as the guide. I had, then, to find where the far end of the
shadow would fall when the sun was just clear of the oak."
"That must have been difficult, Holmes, when the elm was no longer
there."
"Well, at least I knew that if Brunton could do it, I could also.
Besides, there was no real difficulty. I went with Musgrave to his
study and whittled myself this peg, to which I tied this long string
with a knot at each yard. Then I took two lengths of a fishing-rod,
which came to just six feet, and I went back with my client to where
the elm had been. The sun was just grazing the top of the oak. I
fastened the rod on end, marked out the direction of the shadow, and
measured it. It was nine feet in length.
"Of course the calculation now was a simple one. If a rod of six
feet threw a shadow of nine, a tree of sixty-four feet would throw one
of ninety-six, and the line of the one would of course be the line
of the other. I measured out the distance, which brought me almost
to the wall of the house, and I thrust a peg into the spot. You can
imagine my exultation, Watson, when within two inches of my peg I
saw a conical depression in the ground. I knew that it was the mark
made by Brunton in his measurements, and that I was still upon his
trail.
"From this starting-point I proceeded to step, having first taken
the cardinal points by my pocket-compass. Ten steps with each foot
took me along parallel with the wall of the house, and again I
marked my spot with a peg. Then I carefully paced off five to the east
and two to the south. It brought me to the very threshold of the old
door. Two steps to the west meant now that I was to go two paces
down the stone-flagged passage, and this was the place indicated by
the Ritual.
"Never have I felt such a cold chill of disappointment, Watson.
For a moment it seemed to me that there must be some radical mistake
in my calculations. The setting sun shone full upon the passage floor,
and I could see that the old, foot-worn gray stones with which it
was paved were firmly cemented together, and had certainly not been
moved for many a long year. Brunton had not been at work here. I
tapped upon the floor, but it sounded the same all over, and there was
no sign of any crack or crevice. But fortunately, Musgrave, who had
begun to appreciate the meaning of my proceedings, and who was now
as excited as myself, took out his manuscript to check my
calculations.
"'And under,' he cried. 'You have omitted the and under.'
"I had thought that it meant that we were to dig, but now, of
course, I saw at once that I was wrong. 'There is a cedar under this
then?' I cried.
"'Yes, and as old as the house. Down here, through this door.'
"We went down a winding stone stair, and my companion, striking a
match, lit a large lantern which stood on a barrel in the corner. In
an instant it was obvious that we had at last come upon the true
place, and that we had not been the only people to visit the spot
recently.
"It had been used for the storage of wood, but the billets, which
had evidently been littered over the floor, were now piled at the
sides, so as to leave a clear space in the middle. In this space lay a
large and heavy flagstone with a rusted iron ring in the centre to
which a thick shepherd's-check muffler was attached.
"'By Jove!' cried my client. 'That's Brunton's muffler. I have
seen it on him and could swear to it. What has the villain been
doing here?'
"At my suggestion a couple of the county police were summoned to
be present, and I then endeavoured to raise the stone by pulling on
the cravat. I could only move it slightly, and it was with the aid
of one of the constables that I succeeded at last in carrying it to
one side. A black hole yawned beneath into which we all peered,
while Musgrave, kneeling at the side, pushed down the lantern.
"A small chamber about seven feet deep and four feet square lay open
to us. At one side of this was a squat, brass-bound wooden box, the
lid of which was hinged upward, with this curious old-fashioned key
projecting from the lock. It was furred outside by a thick layer of
dust, and damp and worms had eaten through the wood, so that a crop of
livid fungi was growing on the inside of it. Several discs of metal,
old coins apparently, such as I hold here, were scattered over the
bottom of the box, but it contained nothing else.
"At the moment, however, we had no thought for the old chest, for
our eyes were riveted upon that which crouched beside it. It was the
figure of a man, clad in a suit of black, who squatted down upon his
hams with his forehead sunk upon the edge of the box and his two
arms thrown out on each side of it. The attitude had drawn all the
stagnant blood to the face, and no man could have recognized that
distorted liver-coloured countenance; but his height, his dress, and
his hair were all sufficient to show my client, when we had drawn
the body up, that it was indeed his missing butler. He had been dead
some days, but there was no wound or bruise upon his person to show
how he had met his dreadful end. When his body had been carried from
the cellar we found ourselves still confronted with a problem which
was almost as formidable as that with which we had started.
"I confess that so far, Watson, I had been disappointed in my
investigation. I had reckoned upon solving the matter when once I
had found the place referred to in the Ritual; but now I was there,
and was apparently as far as ever from knowing what it was which the
family had concealed with such elaborate precautions. It is true
that I had thrown a light upon the fate of Brunton, but now I had to
ascertain how that fate had come upon him, and what part had been
played in the matter by the woman who had disappeared. I sat down upon
a keg in the corner and thought the whole matter carefully over.
"You know my methods in such cases, Watson. I put myself in the
man's place, and, having first gauged his intelligence, I try to
imagine how I should myself have proceeded under the same
circumstances. In this case the matter was simplified by Brunton's
intelligence being quite first-rate, so that it was unnecessary to
make any allowance for the personal equation, as the astronomers
have dubbed it. He knew that something valuable was concealed. He
had spotted the place. He found that the stone which covered it was
just too heavy for a man to move unaided. What would he do next? He
could not get help from outside, even if he had someone whom he
could trust, without the unbarring of doors and considerable risk of
detection. It was better, if he could, to have his helpmate inside the
house. But whom could he ask? This girl had been devoted to him. A man
always finds it hard to realize that he may have finally lost a
woman's love, however badly he may have treated her. He would try by a
few attentions to make his peace with the girl Howells, and then would
engage her as his accomplice. Together they would come at night to the
cellar, and their united force would suffice to raise the stone. So
far I could follow their actions as if I had actually seen them.
"But for two of them, and one a woman, it must have been heavy work,
the raising of that stone. A burly Sussex policeman and I had found it
no light job. What would they do to assist them? Probably what I
should have done myself. I rose and examined carefully the different
billets of wood which were scattered round the floor. Almost at once I
came upon what I expected. One piece, about three feet in length,
had a very marked indentation at one end, while several were flattened
at the sides as if they had been compressed by some considerable
weight. Evidently, as they had dragged the stone up, they had thrust
the chunks of wood into the chink until at last when the opening was
large enough to crawl through, they would hold it open by a billet
placed lengthwise, which might very well become indented at the
lower end, since the whole weight of the stone would press it down
on to the edge of this other slab. So far I was still on safe ground.
"And now how was I to proceed to reconstruct this midnight drama?
Clearly, only one could fit into the hole, and that one was Brunton.
The girl must have waited above. Brunton then unlocked the box, handed
up the contents presumably-since they were not to be found-and
then-and then what happened?
"What smouldering fire of vengeance had suddenly sprung into flame
in this passionate Celtic woman's soul when she saw the man who had
wronged, perhaps, far more than we suspected-in her power? Was it a
chance that the wood had slipped and that the stone had shut Brunton
into what had become his sepulchre? Had she only been guilty of
silence as to his fate? Or had some sudden blow from her hand dashed
the support away and sent the slab crashing down into its place? Be
that as it might, I seemed to see that woman's figure still
clutching at her treasure trove and flying wildly up the winding
stair, with her ears ringing perhaps with the muffled screams from
behind her and with the drumming of frenzied hands against the slab of
stone which was choking her faithless lover's life out.
"Here was the secret of her blanched face, her shaken nerves, her
peals of hysterical laughter on the next morning. But what had been in
the box? What had she done with that? Of course, it must have been the
old metal and pebbles which my client had dragged from the mere. She
had thrown them in there at the first opportunity to remove the last
trace of her crime.
"For twenty minutes I had sat motionless, thinking the matter out.
Musgrave still stood with a very pale face, swinging his lantern and
peering down into the hole.
"'These are coins of Charles the First,' said he, holding out the
few which had been in the box; 'you see we were right in fixing our
date for the Ritual.'
"'We may find something else of Charles the First,' I cried, as
the probable meaning of the first two questions of the Ritual broke
suddenly upon me. 'Let me see the contents of the bag which you fished
from the mere.'
"We ascended to his study, and he laid the debris before me. I could
understand his regarding it as of small importance when I looked at
it, for the metal was almost black and the stones lustreless and dull.
I rubbed one of them on my sleeve, however, and it glowed afterwards
like a spark in the dark hollow of my hand. The metal work was in
the form of a double ring, but it had been bent and twisted out of its
original shape.
"'You must bear in mind,' said I, 'that the royal party made head in
England even after the death of the king, and that when they at last
fled they probably left many of their most precious sessions buried
behind them, with the intention of returning for them in more peaceful
times.'
"'My ancestor, Sir Ralph Musgrave, was a prominent cavalier and
the righthand man of Charles the Second in his wanderings,' said my
friend.
"'Ah, indeed!' I answered. 'Well now, I think that really should
give us the last link that we wanted. I must congratulate you on
coming into the possession, though in rather a tragic manner, of a
relic which is of great intrinsic value, but of even greater
importance as a historical curiosity.'
"'What is it, then?' he gasped in astonishment.
"'It is nothing less than the ancient crown of the kings of
England.'
"'The crown!'
"'Precisely. Consider what the Ritual says. How does it run?
"Whose was it?" "His who is gone." That was after the execution of
Charles. Then, "Who shall have it?" "He who will come." That was
Charles the Second, whose advent was already foreseen. There can, I
think, be no doubt that this battered and shapeless diadem once
encircled the brows of the royal Stuarts.'
"'And how came it in the pond?'
"'Ah, that is a question that will take some time to answer.' And
with that I sketched out to him the whole long chain of surmise and of
proof which I had constructed. The twilight had closed in and the moon
was shining brightly in the sky before my narrative was finished.
"'And how was it then that Charles did not get his crown when he
returned?' asked Musgrave, pushing back the relic into its linen bag.
"'Ah, there you lay your finger upon the one point which we shall
probably never be able to clear up. It is likely that the Musgrave who
held the secret died in the interval, and by some oversight left
this guide to his descendant without explaining the meaning of it.
From that day to this it has been handed down from father to son,
until at last it came within reach of a man who tore its secret out of
it and lost his life in the venture.'
"And that's the story of the Musgrave Ritual, Watson. They have
the crown down at Hurlstone-though they had some legal bother and a
considerable sum to pay before they were allowed to retain it. I am
sure that if you mentioned my name they would be happy to show it to
you. Of the woman nothing was ever heard, and the probability is
that she got away out of England and carried herself and the memory of
her crime to some land beyond the seas."
THE END
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE NAVAL TREATY
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
THE NAVAL TREATY
The July which immediately succeeded my marriage was made
memorable by three cases of interest, in which I had the privilege
of being associated with Sherlock Holmes and of studying his
methods. I find them recorded in my notes under the headings of "The
Adventure of the Second Stain," "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty,"
and "The Adventure of the Tired Captain." The first of these, however,
deals with interests of such importance and implicates so many of
the first families in the kingdom that for many years it will be
impossible to make it public. No case, however, in which Holmes was
engaged has ever illustrated the value of his analytical methods so
clearly or has impressed those who were associated with him so deeply.
I still retain an almost verbatim report of the interview in which
he demonstrated the true facts of the case to Monsieur Dubugue of
the Paris police, and Fritz von Waldbaum, the well-known specialist of
Dantzig, both of whom had wasted their energies upon what proved to be
side-issues. The new century will have come, however, before the story
can be safely told. Meanwhile I pass on to the second on my list,
which promised also at one time to be of national importance and was
marked by several incidents which give it a quite unique character.
During my school-days I had been intimately associated with a lad
named Percy Phelps, who was of much the same age as myself, though
he was two classes ahead of me. He was a very brilliant boy and
carried away every prize which the school had to offer, finishing
his exploits by winning a scholarship which sent him on to continue
his triumphant career at Cambridge. He was, I remember, extremely well
connected, and even when we were all little boys together we knew that
his mother's brother was Lord Holdhurst, the great conservative
politician. This gaudy relationship did him little good at school.
On the contrary, it seemed rather a piquant thing to us to chevy him
about the playground and hit him over the shins with a wicket. But
it was another thing when he came out into the world. I heard
vaguely that his abilities and the influences which he commanded had
won him a good position at the Foreign Office, and then he passed
completely out of my mind until the following letter recalled his
existence:
Briarbrae, Woking.
MY DEAR WATSON:
I have no doubt that you can remember "Tadpole" Phelps, who was in
the fifth form when you were in the third. It is possible even that
you may have heard that through my uncle's influence I obtained a good
appointment at the Foreign Office, and that I was in a situation of
trust and honour until a horrible misfortune came suddenly to blast my
career.
There is no use writing the details of that dreadful event. In the
event of your acceding to my request it is probable that I shall
have to narrate them to you. I have only just recovered from nine
weeks of brain-fever and am still exceedingly weak. Do you think
that you could bring your friend Mr. Holmes down to see me? I should
like to have his opinion of the case, though the authorities assure me
that nothing more can be done. Do try to bring him down, and as soon
as possible. Every minute seems an hour while I live in this state
of horrible suspense. Assure him that if I have not asked his advice
sooner it was not because I did not appreciate his talents, but
because I have been off my head ever since the blow fell. Now I am
clear again, though I dare not think of it too much for fear of a
relapse. I am still so weak that I have to write, as you see, by
dictating. Do try to bring him.
Your old school-fellow,
PERCY PHELPS.
There was something that touched me as I read this letter, something
pitiable in the reiterated appeals to bring Holmes. So moved was I
that even had it been a difficult matter I should have tried it, but
of course I knew well that Holmes loved his art, so that he was ever
as ready to bring his aid as his client could be to receive it. My
wife agreed with me that not a moment should be lost in laying the
matter before him, and so within an hour of breakfast-time I found
myself back once more in the old rooms in Baker Street.
Holmes was seated at his side-table clad in his dressing-gown and
working hard over a chemical investigation. A large curved retort
was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and
the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure. My
friend hardly glanced up as I entered, and I, seeing that his
investigation must be of importance, seated myself in an armchair
and waited. He dipped into this bottle or that, drawing out a few
drops of each with his glass pipette, and finally brought the
test-tube containing a solution over to the table. In his right hand
he held a slip of litmus-paper.
"You come at a crisis Watson," said he. "If this paper remains blue,
all is well. If it turns red, it means a man's life." He dipped it
into the test-tube and it flushed at once into a dull, dirty
crimson. "Hum! I thought as much!" he cried. "I will be at your
service in an instant, Watson. You will find tobacco in the Persian
slipper." He turned to his desk and scribbled off several telegrams,
which were handed over to the page-boy. Then he threw himself down
into the chair opposite and drew up his knees until his fingers
clasped round his long, thin shins.
"A very commonplace little murder," said he. "You've got something
better, I fancy. You are the stormy petrel of crime, Watson. What is
it?" I handed him the letter, which he read with the most concentrated
attention.
"It does not tell us very much, does it?" he remarked as he handed
it back to me.
"Hardly anything."
"And yet the writing is of interest."
"But the writing is not his own."
"Precisely. It is a woman's."
"A man's surely," I cried.
"No, a woman's, and a woman of rare character. You see, at the
commencement of an investigation it is something to know that your
client is in close contact with someone who, for good or evil, has
an exceptional nature. My interest is already awakened in the case. If
you are ready we will start at once for Woking and see this
diplomatist who is in such evil case and the lady to whom he
dictates his letters."
We were fortunate enough to catch an early train at Waterloo, and in
a little under an hour we found ourselves among the fir-woods and
the heather of Woking. Briarbrae proved to be a large detached house
standing in extensive grounds within a few minutes' walk of the
station. On sending in our cards we were shown into an elegantly
appointed drawing-room, where we were joined in a few minutes by a
rather stout man who received us with much hospitality. His age may
have been nearer forty than thirty, but his cheeks were so ruddy and
his eyes so merry that he still conveyed the impression of a plump and
mischievous boy.
"I am so glad that you have come," said he, shaking our hands with
effusion. "Percy has been inquiring for you all morning. Ah, poor
old chap, he clings to any straw! His father and his mother asked me
to see you, for the mere mention of the subject is very painful to
them."
"We have had no details yet," observed Holmes. "I perceive that
you are not yourself a member of the family."
Our acquaintance looked surprised, and then, glancing down, he began
to laugh.
"Of course you saw the J H monogram on my locket," said he. "For a
moment I thought you had done something clever. Joseph Harrison is
my name, and as Percy is to marry my sister Annie I shall at least
be a relation by marriage. You will find my sister in his room, for
she has nursed him hand and foot this two months back. Perhaps we'd
better go in at once, for I know how impatient he is."
The chamber into which we were shown was on the same floor as the
drawing-room. It was furnished partly as a sitting and partly as a
bedroom, with flowers arranged daintily in every nook and corner. A
young man, very pale and worn was lying upon a sofa near the open
window, through which came the rich scent of the garden and the
balmy summer air. A woman was sitting beside him, who rose as we
entered.
"Shall I leave, Percy?" she asked.
He clutched her hand to detain her. "How are you, Watson?' said he
cordially. "I should never have known you under that moustache, and
I daresay you would not be prepared to swear to me. This I presume
is your celebrated friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"
I introduced him in a few words, and we both sat down. The stout
young man had left us, but his sister still remained with her hand
in that of the invalid. She was a smug-looking woman, a little short
and thick for symmetry, but with a beautiful olive complexion,
large, dark, Italian eyes, and a wealth of deep black hair. Her rich
tints made the white face of her companion the more worn and haggard
by the contrast.
"I won't waste your time," said he, raising himself upon the sofa.
"I'll plunge into the matter without further preamble. I was a happy
and successful man, Mr. Holmes, and on the eve of being married,
when a sudden and dreadful misfortune wrecked all my prospects in
life.
"I was, as Watson may have told you, in the Foreign Office, and
through the influence of my uncle, Lord Holdhurst, I rose rapidly to a
responsible position. When my uncle became foreign minister in this
administration he gave me several missions of trust, and as I always
brought them to a successful conclusion, he came at last to have the
utmost confidence in my ability and tact.
"Nearly ten weeks ago-to be more accurate, on the twenty-third of
May-he called me into his private room, and, after complimenting me on
the good work which I had done, he informed me that he had a new
commission of trust for me to execute.
"'This,' said he, taking a gray roll of paper from his bureau, 'is
the original of that secret treaty between England and Italy of which,
I regret to say, some rumours have already got into the public
press. It is of enormous importance that nothing further should leak
out. The French or the Russian embassy would pay an immense sum to
learn the contents of these papers. They should not leave my bureau
were it not that it is absolutely necessary to have them copied. You
have a desk in your office?'
"'Yes, sir.'
"'Then take the treaty and lock it up there. I shall give directions
that you may remain behind when the others go, so that you may copy it
at your leisure without fear of being overlooked. When you have
finished, relock both the original and the draft in the desk, and hand
them over to me personally to-morrow morning.'
"'I took the papers and-'
"Excuse me an instant," said Holmes. "Were you alone during this
conversation?"
"Absolutely."
"'In a large room?"
"Thirty feet each way."
"In the centre?"
"Yes, about it."
"And speaking low?"
"My uncle's voice is always remarkably low. I hardly spoke at all."
"Thank you," said Holmes, shutting his eyes; "pray go on."
"I did exactly what he indicated and waited until the other clerks
had departed. One of them in my room, Charles Gorot, had some
arrears of work to make up, so I left him there and went out to
dine. When I returned he was gone. I was anxious to hurry my work, for
I knew that Joseph-the Mr. Harrison whom you saw just now-was in town,
and that he would travel down to Woking by the eleven-o'clock train,
and I wanted if possible to catch it.
"When I came to examine the treaty I saw at once that it was of such
importance that my uncle had been guilty of no exaggeration in what he
said. Without going into details, I may say that it defined the
position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance, and
foreshadowed the policy which this country would pursue in the event
of the French fleet gaining a complete ascendency over that of Italy
in the Mediterranean. The questions treated in it were purely naval.
At the end were the signatures of the high dignitaries who had
signed it. I glanced my eyes over it, and then settled down to my task
of copying.
"It was a long document, written in the French language, and
containing twenty six separate articles. I copied as quickly as I
could, but at nine o'clock I had only done nine articles, and it
seemed hopeless for me to attempt to catch my train. I was feeling
drowsy and stupid, partly from my dinner and also from the effects
of a long day's work. A cup of coffee would clear my brain. A
commissionaire remains all night in a little lodge at the foot of
the stairs and is in the habit of making coffee at his spirit-lamp for
any of the officials who may be working overtime. I rang the bell,
therefore, to summon him.
"To my surprise, it was a woman who answered the summons, a large,
coarse faced, elderly woman, in an apron. She explained that she was
the commissionaire's wife, who did the charing, and I gave her the
order for the coffee.
"I wrote two more articles, and then, feeling more drowsy than ever,
I rose and walked up and down the room to stretch my legs. My coffee
had not yet come, and I wondered what the cause of the delay could be.
Opening the door, I started down the corridor to find out. There was a
straight passage, dimly lighted, which led from the room in which I
had been working, and was the only exit from it. It ended in a curving
staircase, with the commissionaire's lodge in the passage at the
bottom. Halfway down this staircase is a small landing, with another
passage running into it at right angles. This second one leads by
means of a second small stair to a side door, used by servants, and
also as a short cut by clerks when coming from Charles Street. Here is
a rough chart of the place." (See illustration.)
"Thank you. I think that I quite follow you," said Sherlock Holmes.
"It is of the utmost importance that you should notice this point. I
went down the stairs and into the hall, where I found the
commissionaire fast asleep in his box, with the kettle boiling
furiously upon the spirit-lamp. I took off the kettle and blew out the
lamp, for the water was spurting over the floor. Then I put out my
hand and was about to shake the man, who was still sleeping soundly,
when a bell over his head rang loudly, and he woke with a start.
"'Mr. Phelps, sir!' said he, looking at me in bewilderment.
"'I came down to see if my coffee was ready.'
"'I was boiling the kettle when I fell asleep, sir.' He looked at me
and then up at the still quivering bell with an ever-growing
astonishment upon his face.
"'If you was here, sir, then who rang the bell?' he asked.
"'The bell!' I cried. 'What bell is it?'
"'It's the bell of the room you were working in.'
"A cold hand seemed to close round my heart. Someone, then, was in
that room where my precious treaty lay upon the table. I ran
frantically up the stair and along the passage. There was no one in
the corridors, Mr. Holmes. There was no one in the room. All was
exactly as I left it, save only that the papers which had been
committed to my care had been taken from the desk on which they lay.
The copy was there, and the original was gone."
Holmes sat up in his chair and rubbed his hands. I could see that
the problem was entirely to his heart. "Pray, what did you do then?"
he murmured.
"I recognized in an instant that the thief must have come up the
stairs from the side door. Of course I must have met him if he had
come the other way."
"You were satisfied that he could not have been concealed in the
room all the time, or in the corridor which you have just described
as dimly lighted?"
"It is absolutely impossible. A rat could not conceal himself either
in the room or the corridor. There is no cover at all."
"Thank you. Pray proceed."
"The commissionaire, seeing by my pale face that something was to be
feared, had followed me upstairs. Now we both rushed along the
corridor and down the steep steps which led to Charles Street. The
door at the bottom was closed but unlocked. We flung it open and
rushed out. I can distinctly remember that as we did so there came
three chimes from a neighbouring clock. It was a quarter to ten."
"That is of enormous importance," said Holmes, making a note upon
his shirt-cuff.
"The night was very dark, and a thin, warm rain was falling. There
was no one in Charles Street, but a great traffic was going on, as
usual, in Whitehall, at the extremity. We rushed along the pavement,
bare-headed as we were, and at the far corner we found a policeman
standing.
"'A robbery has been committed,' I gasped. 'A document of immense
value has been stolen from the Foreign Office. Has anyone passed
this way?'
"'I have been standing here for a quarter of an hour, sir,' said he,
'only one person has passed during that time-a woman, tall and
elderly, with a Paisley shawl.'
"'Ah, that is only my wife,' cried the commissionaire; 'has no one
else passed?'
"'No one.'
"'Then it must be the other way that the thief took,' cried the
fellow, tugging at my sleeve.
"But I was not satisfied, and the attempts which he made to draw
me away increased my suspicions.
"'Which way did the woman go?' I cried.
"'I don't know, sir. I noticed her pass, but I had no special reason
for watching her. She seemed to be in a hurry.'
"'How long ago was it?'
"'Oh, not very many minutes.'
"'Within the last five?'
"'Well, it could not have been more than five.'
"'You're only wasting your time, sir, and every minute now is of
importance,' cried the commissionaire; 'take my word for it that my
old woman has nothing to do with it and come down to the other end
of the street. Well, if you won't, I will.' And with that he rashed
off in the other direction.
"'But I was after him in an instant and caught him by the sleeve.
"'Where do you live?' said I.
"'16 Ivy Lane, Brixton,' he answered. 'But don't let yourself be
drawn away upon a false scent, Mr. Phelps. Come to the other end of
the street and let us see if we can hear of anything.'
"Nothing was to be lost by following his advice. With the
policeman we both hurried down, but only to find the street full of
traffic, many people coming and going, but all only too eager to get
to a place of safety upon so wet a night. There was no lounger who
could tell us who had passed.
"Then we returned to the office and searched the stairs and the
passage without result. The corridor which led to the room was laid
down with a kind of creamy linoleum which shows an impression very
easily. We examined it very carefully, but found no outline of any
footmark."
"Had it been raining all evening?"
"Since about seven."
"How is it, then, that the woman who came into the room about nine
left no traces with her muddy boots?"
"I am glad you raised the point. It occurred to me at the time.
The charwomen are in the habit of taking off their boots at the
commissionaire's office, and putting on list slippers."
"That is very clear. There were no marks then, though the night
was a wet one? The chain of events is certainly one of extraordinary
interest. What did you do next?"
"We examined the room also. There is no possibility of a secret
door, and the windows are quite thirty feet from the ground. Both of
them were fastened on the inside. The carpet prevents any
possibility of a trapdoor, and the ceiling is of the ordinary
whitewashed kind. I will pledge my life that whoever stole my papers
could only have come through the door."
"How about the fireplace?"
"They use none. There is a stove. The bell-rope hangs from the
wire just to the right of my desk. Whoever rang it must have come
right up to the desk to do it. But why should any criminal wish to
ring the bell? It is a most insoluble mystery."
"Certainly the incident was unusual. What were your next steps?
You examined the room, I presume, to see if the intruder had left
any traces-any cigar-end or dropped glove or hairpin or other trifle?"
"There was nothing of the sort."
"No smell?"
"Well, we never thought of that."
"Ah, a scent of tobacco would have been worth a great deal to us
in such an investigation."
"I never smoke myself, so I think I should have observed it if there
had been any smell of tobacco. There was absolutely no clue of any
kind. The only tangible fact was that the commissionaire's wife-Mrs.
Tangey was the name-had hurried out of the place. He could give no
explanation save that it was about the time when the woman always went
home. The policeman and I agreed that our best plan would be to
seize the woman before she could get rid of the papers, presuming that
she had them.
"The alarm had reached Scotland Yard by this time, and Mr. Forbes,
the detective, came round at once and took up the case with a great
deal of energy. We hired a hansom, and in half an hour we were at
the address which had been given to us. A young woman opened the door,
who proved to be Mrs. Tangey's eldest daughter. Her mother had not
come back yet, and we were shown into the front room to wait.
"About ten minutes later a knock came at the door, and here we
made the one serious mistake for which I blame myself. Instead of
opening the door ourselves, we allowed the girl to do so. We heard her
say, 'Mother, there are two men in the house waiting to see you,'
and an instant afterwards we heard the patter of feet rushing down the
passage. Forbes flung open the door, and we both ran into the back
room or kitchen, but the woman had got there before us. She stared
at us with defiant eyes, and then, suddenly recognizing me, an
expression of absolute astonishment came over her face.
"'Why, if it isn't Mr. Phelps, of the office!' she cried.
"'Come, come, who did you think we were when you ran away from
us?' asked my companion.
"'I thought you were the brokers,' said she, 'we have had some
trouble with a tradesman.'
"'That's not quite good enough,' answered Forbes. 'We have reason to
believe that you have taken a paper of importance from the Foreign
Office, and that you ran in here to dispose of it. You must come
back with us to Scotland Yard to be searched.'
"It was in vain that she protested and resisted. A four-wheeler
was brought, and we all three drove back in it. We had first made an
examination of the kitchen, and especially of the kitchen fire, to see
whether she might have made away with the papers during the instant
that she was alone. There were no signs, however, of any ashes or
scraps. When we reached Scotland Yard she was handed over at once to
the female searcher. I waited in an agony of suspense until she came
back with her report. There were no signs of the papers.
"Then for the first time the horror of my situation came in its full
force. Hitherto I had been acting, and action had numbed thought. I
had been so confident of regaining the treaty at once that I had not
dared to think of what would be the consequence if I failed to do
so. But now there was nothing more to be done, and I had leisure to
realize my position. It was horrible. Watson there would tell you that
I was a nervous, sensitive boy at school. It is my nature. I thought
of my uncle and of his colleagues in the Cabinet, of the shame which I
had brought upon him, upon myself, upon everyone connected with me.
What though I was the victim of an extraordinary accident? No
allowance is made for accidents where diplomatic interests are at
stake. I was ruined, shamefully, hopelessly ruined. I don't know
what I did. I fancy I must have made a scene. I have a dim
recollection of a group of officials who crowded round me,
endeavouring to soothe me. One of them drove down with me to Waterloo,
and saw me into the Woking train. I believe that he would have come
all the way had it not been that Dr. Ferrier, who lives near me, was
going down by that very train. The doctor most kindly took charge of
me, and it was well he did so, for I had a fit in the station, and
before we reached home I was practically a raving maniac.
"You can imagine the state of things here when they were roused from
their beds by the doctor's ringing and found me in this condition.
Poor Annie here and my mother were broken-hearted. Dr. Ferrier had
just heard enough from the detective at the station to be able to give
an idea of what had happened, and his story did not mend matters. It
was evident to all that I was in for a long illness, so Joseph was
bundled out of this cheery bedroom, and it was turned into a sick-room
for me. Here I have lain, Mr. Holmes, for over nine weeks,
unconscious, and raving with brain-fever. If it had not been for
Miss Harrison here and for the doctor's care, I should not be speaking
to you now. She has nursed me by day and a hired nurse has looked
after me by night, for in my mad fits I was capable of anything.
Slowly my reason has cleared, but it is only during the last three
days that my memory has quite returned. Sometimes I wish that it never
had. The first thing that I did was to wire to Mr. Forbes, who had the
case in hand. He came out, and assures me that, though everything
has been done, no trace of a clue has been discovered. The
commissionaire and his wife have been examined in every way without
any light being thrown upon the matter. The suspicions of the police
then rested upon young Gorot, who, as you may remember, stayed
over-time in the office that night. His remaining behind and his
French name were really the only two points which could suggest
suspicion; but, as a matter of fact, I did not begin work until he had
gone, and his people are of Huguenot extraction, but as English in
sympathy and tradition as you and I are. Nothing was found to
implicate him in any way, and there the matter dropped. I turn to you,
Mr. Holmes, as absolutely my last hope. If you fail me, then my honour
as well as my position are forever forfeited."
The invalid sank back upon his cushions, tired out by this long
recital, while his nurse poured him out a glass of some stimulating
medicine. Holmes sat silently, with his head thrown back and his
eyes closed, in an attitude which might seem listless to a stranger,
but which I knew betokened the most intense self-absorption.
"Your statement has been so explicit," said he at last, "that you
have really left me very few questions to ask. There is one of the
very utmost importance, however. Did you tell anyone that you had this
special task to perform?"
"No one."
"Not Miss Harrison here, for example?"
"No. I had not been back to Woking between getting the order and
executing the commission."
"And none of your people had by chance been to see you?"
"None."
"Did any of them know their way about in the office?"
"Oh, yes, all of them had been shown over it."
"Still, of course, if you said nothing to anyone about the treaty
these inquiries are irrelevant."
"I said nothing."
"Do you know anything of the commissionaire?"
"Nothing except that he is an old soldier."
"What regiment?"
"Oh, I have heard-Coldstream Guards."
"Thank you. I have no doubt I can get details from Forbes. The
authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always
use them to advantage. What a lovely thing a rose is!"
He walked past the couch to the open window and held up the drooping
stalk of a moss-rose, looking down at the dainty blend of crimson
and green. It was a new phase of his character to me, for I had
never before seen him show any keen interest in natural objects.
"There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in
religion," said he, leaning with his back against the shutters. "It
can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest
assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the
flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are
all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this
rose is an extra. Its smell and its colour are an embellishment of
life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras,
and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers."
Percy Phelps and his nurse looked at Holmes during this
demonstration with surprise and a good deal of disappointment
written upon their faces. He had fallen into a reverie, with the
moss-rose between his fingers. It had lasted some minutes before the
young lady broke in upon it.
"Do you see any prospect of solving this mystery, Mr. Holmes?" she
asked with a touch of asperity in her voice.
"Oh, the mystery!" he answered, coming back with a start to the
realities of life. "Well, it would be absurd to deny that the case
is a very abstruse and complicated one, but I can promise you that I
will look into the matter and let you know any points which may strike
me."
"Do you see any clue?"
"You have furnished me with seven, but of course I must test them
before I can pronounce upon their value."
"You suspect someone?"
"I suspect myself."
"What!"
"Of coming to conclusions too rapidly."
"Then go to London and test your conclusions."
"Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison," said Holmes, rising.
"I think, Watson, we cannot do better. Do not allow yourself to
indulge in false hopes, Mr. Phelps. The affair is a very tangled one."
"I shall be in a fever until I see you again," cried the
diplomatist.
"Well, I'll come out by the same train to-morrow, though it's more
than likely that my report will be a negative one."
"God bless you for promising to come," cried our client. "It gives
me fresh life to know that something is being done. By the way, I have
had a letter from Lord Holdhurst."
"Ha! what did he say?'
"He was cold, but not harsh. I dare say my severe illness
prevented him from being that. He repeated that the matter was of
the utmost importance, and added that no steps would be taken about my
future-by which he means, of course, my dismissal-until my health
was restored and I had an opportunity of repairing my misfortune."
"Well, that was reasonable and considerate," said Holmes. "Come,
Watson, for we have a good day's work before us in town."
Mr. Joseph Harrison drove us down to the station, and we were soon
whirling up in a Portsmouth train. Holmes was sunk in profound thought
and hardly opened his mouth until we had passed Clapham Junction.
"It's a very cheery thing to come into London by any of these
lines which run high and allow you to look down upon the houses like
this."
I thought he was joking, for the view was sordid enough, but he soon
explained himself.
"Look at those big, isolated clumps of buildings rising up above the
slates, like brick islands in a lead-coloured sea."
"The board-schools."
"Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future! Capsules with hundreds
of bright little seeds in each, out of which will spring the wiser,
better England of the future. I suppose that man Phelps does not
drink?"
"I should not think so."
"Nor should I, but we are bound to take every possibility into
account. The poor devil has certainly got himself into very deep
water, and it's a question whether we shall ever be able to get him
ashore. What do you think of Miss Harrison?"
"A girl of strong character."
"Yes, but she is a good sort, or I am mistaken. She and her
brother are the only children of an iron-master somewhere up
Northumberland way. He got engaged to her when travelling last winter,
and she came down to be introduced to his people, with her brother
as escort. Then came the smash, and she stayed on to nurse her
lover, while brother Joseph, finding himself pretty snug, stayed on,
too. I've been making a few independent inquiries, you see. But to-day
must be a day of inquiries."
"My practice-" I began.
"Oh, if you find your own cases more interesting than mine-" said
Holmes with some asperity.
"I was going to say that my practice could get along very well for a
day or two, since it is the slackest time in the year."
"Excellent," said he, recovering his good-humour. "Then we'll look
into this matter together. I think that we should begin by seeing
Forbes. He can probably tell us all the details we want until we
know from what side the case is to be approached."
"You said you had a clue?"
"Well, we have several, but we can only test their value by
further inquiry. The most difficult crime to track is the one which is
purposeless. Now this is not purposeless. Who is it who profits by it?
There is the French ambassador, there is the Russian, there is whoever
might sell it to either of these, and there is Lord Holdhurst."
"Lord Holdhurst!"
"Well, it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself in
a position where he was not sorry to have such a document accidentally
destroyed."
"Not a statesman with the honourable record of Lord Holdhurst?"
"It is a possibility and we cannot afford to disregard it. We
shall see the noble lord to-day and find out if he can tell us
anything. Meanwhile I have already set inquiries on foot."
"Already?"
"Yes, I sent wires from Woking station to every evening paper in
London. This advertisement will appear in each of them."
He handed over a sheet torn from a notebook. On it was scribbled in
pencil:
L10 reward. The number of the cab which dropped a fare at or about
the door of the Foreign Office in Charles Street at quarter to ten
in the evening of May 23rd. Apply 221B, Baker Street.
"You are confident that the thief came in a cab?"
"If not, there is no harm done. But if Mr. Phelps is correct in
stating that there is no hiding-place either in the room or the
corridors, then the person must have come from outside. If he came
from outside on so wet a night, and yet left no trace of damp upon the
linoleum, which was examined within a few minutes of his passing, then
it is exceedingly probable that he came in a cab. Yes, I think that we
may safely deduce a cab."
"It sounds plausible."
"That is one of the clues of which I spoke. It may lead us to
something. And then, of course, there is the bell-which is the most
distinctive feature of the case. Why should the bell ring? Was it
the thief who did it out of bravado? Or was it someone who was with
the thief who did it in order to prevent the crime? Or was it an
accident? Or was it-?" He sank back into the state of intense and
silent thought from which he had emerged; but it seemed to me,
accustomed as I was to his every mood, that some new possibility had
dawned suddenly upon him.
It was twenty past three when we reached our terminus, and after a
hasty luncheon at the buffet we pushed on at once to Scotland Yard.
Holmes had already wired to Forbes, and we found him waiting to
receive us-a small, foxy man with a sharp but by no means amiable
expression. He was decidedly frigid in his manner to us, especially
when he heard the errand upon which we had come.
"I've heard of your methods before now, Mr. Holmes," said he tartly.
"You are ready enough to use all the information that the police can
lay at your disposal, and then you try to finish the case yourself and
bring discredit on them."
"On the contrary," said Holmes, "out of my last fifty-three cases my
name has only appeared in four, and the police have had all the credit
in forty-nine. I don't blame you for not knowing this, for you are
young and inexperienced, but if you wish to get on in your new
duties you will work with me and not against me."
"I'd be very glad of a hint or two," said the detective, changing
his manner. "I've certainly had no credit from the case so far."
"What steps have you taken?"
"Tangey, the commissionaire, has been shadowed. He left the Guards
with a good character, and we can find nothing against him. His wife
is a bad lot, though. I fancy she knows more about this than appears."
"Have you shadowed her?"
"We have set one of our women on to her. Mrs. Tangey drinks, and our
woman has been with her twice when she was well on, but she could
get nothing out of her."
"I understand that they have had brokers in the house?"
"Yes, but they were paid off."
"Where did the money come from?"
"That was all right. His pension was due. They have not shown any
sign of being in funds."
"What explanation did she give of having answered the bell when
Mr. Phelps rang for the coffee?"
"She said that her husband was very tired and she wished to
relieve him."
"Well, certainly that would agree with his being found a little
later asleep in his chair. There is nothing against them then but
the woman's character. Did you ask her why she hurried away that
night? Her haste attracted the attention of the police constable."
"She was later than usual and wanted to get home."
"Did you point out to her that you and Mr. Phelps, who started at
least twenty minutes after her, got home before her?"
"She explains that by the difference between a bus and a hansom."
"Did she make it clear why, on reaching her house, she ran into
the back kitchen?"
"Because she had the money there with which to pay off the brokers."
"She has at least an answer for everything. Did you ask her
whether in leaving she met anyone or saw anyone loitering about
Charles Street?"
"She saw no one but the constable."
"Well, you seem to have cross-examined her pretty thoroughly. What
else have you done?"
"The clerk Gorot has been shadowed all these nine weeks, but without
result. We can show nothing against him."
"Anything else?"
"Well, we have nothing else to go upon-no evidence of any kind."
"Have you formed any theory about how that bell rang?"
"Well, I must confess that it beats me. It was a cool hand,
whoever it was, to go and give the alarm like that."
"Yes, it was a queer thing to do. Many thanks to you for what you
have told me. If I can put the man into your hands you shall hear from
me. Come along Watson."
"Where are we going to now?" I asked as we left the office.
"We are now going to interview Lord Holdhurst, the cabinet
minister and future premier of England."
We were fortunate in finding that Lord Holdhurst was still in his
chambers in Downing Street, and on Holmes sending in his card we
were instantly shown up. The statesman received us with that
old-fashioned courtesy for which he is remarkable and seated us on the
two luxuriant lounges on either side of the fireplace. Standing on the
rug between us, with his slight, tall figure, his sharp features,
thoughtful face, and curling hair prematurely tinged with gray, he
seemed to represent that not too common type, a nobleman who is in
truth noble.
"Your name is very familiar to me, Mr. Holmes," said he, smiling.
"And of course I cannot pretend to be ignorant of the object of your
visit. There has only been one occurrence in these offices which could
call for your attention. In whose interest are you acting, may I ask?"
"In that of Mr. Percy Phelps," answered Holmes.
"Ah, my unfortunate nephew! You can understand that our kinship
makes it the more impossible for me to screen him in any way. I fear
that the incident must have a very prejudicial effect upon his
career."
"But if the document is found?"
"Ah, that, of course, would be different."
"I had one or two questions which I wished to ask you, Lord
Holdhurst."
"I shall be happy to give you any information in my power."
"Was it in this room that you gave your instructions as to the
copying of the document?"
"It was."
"Then you could hardly have been overheard?"
"It is out of the question."
"Did you ever mention to anyone that it was your intention to give
anyone the treaty to be copied?"
"Never."
"You are certain of that?"
"Absolutely."
"Well, since you never said so, and Mr. Phelps never said so, and
nobody else knew anything of the matter, then the thief's presence
in the room was purely accidental. He saw his chance and he took it."
The statesman smiled. "You take me out of my province there," said
he.
Holmes considered for a moment. "There is another very important
point which I wish to discuss with you," said he. "You feared, as I
understand, that very grave results might follow from the details of
this treaty becoming known."
A shadow passed over the expressive face of the statesman. "Very
grave results indeed."
"And have they occurred?"
"Not yet."
"If the treaty had reached, let us say, the French or Russian
Foreign Office, you would expect to hear of it?"
"I should," said Lord Holdhurst with a wry face.
"Since nearly ten weeks have elapsed, then, and nothing has been
heard, it is not unfair to suppose that for some reason the treaty has
not reached them."
Lord Holdhurst shrugged his shoulders.
"We can hardly suppose, Mr. Holmes, that the thief took the treaty
in order to frame it and hang it up."
"Perhaps he is waiting for a better price."
"If he waits a little longer he will get no price at all. The treaty
will cease to be secret in a few months."
"That is most important," said Holmes. "Of course, it is a
possible supposition that the thief has had a sudden illness-"
"An attack of brain-fever, for example?" asked the statesman,
flashing a swift glance at him.
"I did not say so," said Holmes imperturbably. "And now, Lord
Holdhurst, we have already taken up too much of your valuable time,
and we shall wish you good-day."
"Every success to your investigation, be the criminal who it may,"
answered the nobleman as he bowed us out at the door.
"He's a fine fellow," said Holmes as we came out into Whitehall.
"But he has a struggle to keep up his position. He is far from rich
and has many calls. You noticed, of that his boots had been resoled.
Now, Watson, I won't detain you from your legitimate work any
longer. I shall do nothing more to-day unless I have an answer to my
cab advertisement. But I should be extremely obliged to you if you
would come down with me to Woking to-morrow by the same train which we
took yesterday."
I met him accordingly next morning and we travelled down to Woking
together. He had had no answer to his advertisement, he said, and no
fresh light had been thrown upon the case. He had, when he so willed
it, the utter immobility of countenance of a red Indian, and I could
not gather from his appearance whether he was satisfied or not with
the position of the case. His conversation, I remember, was about
the Bertillon system of measurements, and he expressed his
enthusiastic admiration of the French savant.
We found our client still under the charge of his devoted nurse, but
looking considerably better than before. He rose from the sofa and
greeted us without difficulty when we entered.
"Any news?" he asked eagerly.
"My report, as I expected, is a negative one," said Holmes. "I
have seen Forbes, and I have seen your uncle, and I have set one or
two trains of inquiry upon foot which may lead to something."
"You have not lost heart, then?"
"By no means."
"God bless you for saying that!" cried Miss Harrison. "If we keep
our courage and our patience the truth must come out."
"We have more to tell you than you have for us," said Phelps,
reseating himself upon the couch.
"I hoped you might have something."
"Yes, we have had an adventure during the night, and one which might
have proved to be a serious one." His expression grew very grave as he
spoke, and a look of something akin to fear sprang up in his eyes. "Do
you know," said he, "that I begin to believe that I am the unconscious
centre of some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at as
well as my honour?"
"Ah!" cried Holmes.
"It sounds incredible, for I have not, as far as I know, an enemy in
the world. Yet from last night's experience I can come to no other
conclusion."
"Pray let me hear it."
"You must know that last night was the very first night that I
have ever slept without a nurse in the room. I was so much better that
I though I could dispense with one. I had a night-light burning,
however. Well, about two in the morning I had sunk into a light
sleep when I was suddenly aroused by a slight noise. It was like the
sound which a mouse makes when it is gnawing a plank, and I lay
listening to it for some time under the impression that it must come
from that cause. Then it grew louder, and suddenly there came from the
window a sharp metallic snick. I sat up in amazement. There could be
no doubt what the sounds were now. The first ones had been caused by
someone forcing an instrument through the slit between the sashes, and
the second by the catch being pressed back.
"There was a pause then for about ten minutes, as if the person
were waiting to see whether the noise had awakened me. Then I heard
a gentle creaking as the window was very slowly opened. I could
stand it no longer, for my nerves are not what they used to be. I
sprang out of bed and flung open the shutters. A man was crouching
at the window. I could see little of him, for he was gone like a
flash. He was wrapped in some sort of cloak which came across the
lower part of his face. One thing only I am sure of, and that is
that he had some weapon in his hand. It looked to me like a long
knife. I distinctly saw the gleam of it as he turned to run."
"This is most interesting," said Holmes. "Pray what did you do
then?"
"I should have followed him through the open window if I had been
stronger. As it was, I rang the bell and roused the house. It took
some little time, for the bell rings in the kitchen and the servants
all sleep upstairs. I shouted, however, and that brought Joseph
down, and he roused the others. Joseph and the groom found marks on
the bed outside the window, but the weather has been so dry lately
that they found it hopeless to follow the trail across the grass.
There's a place, however, on the wooden fence which skirts the road
which shows signs, they tell me, as if someone had got over, and had
snapped the top of the rail in doing so. I have said nothing to the
local police yet, for I thought I had best have your opinion first."
This tale of our client's appeared to have an extraordinary effect
upon Sherlock Holmes. He rose from his chair and paced about the
room in uncontrollable excitement.
"Misfortunes never come single," said Phelps, smiling, though it was
evident that his adventure had somewhat shaken him.
"You have certainly had your share," said Holmes. "Do you think
you could walk round the house with me?"
"Oh, yes, I should like a little sunshine. Joseph will come, too."
"And I also," said Miss Harrison.
"I am afraid not," said Holmes, shaking his head. "I think I must
ask you to remain sitting exactly where you are."
The young lady resumed her seat with an air of displeasure. Her
brother, however, had joined us and we set off all four together. We
passed round the lawn to the outside of the young diplomatist's
window. There were, as he had said, marks upon the bed, but they
were hopelessly blurred and vague. Holmes stooped over them for an
instant, and then rose shrugging his shoulders.
"I don't think anyone could make much of this," said he. "Let us
go round the house and see why this particular room was chosen by
the burglar. I should have thought those larger windows of the
drawing-room and dining-room would have had more attractions for him."
"They are more visible from the road," suggested Mr. Joseph
Harrison.
"Ah, yes, of course. There is a door here which he might have
attempted. What is it for?"
"It is the side entrance for trades-people. Of course it is locked
at night."
"Have you ever had an alarm like this before?"
"Never," said our client.
"Do you keep plate in the house, or anything to attract burglars?"
"Nothing of value."
Holmes strolled round the house with his hands in his pockets and
a negligent air which was unusual with him.
"By the way," said he to Joseph Harrison, "you found some place, I
understand, where the fellow scaled the fence. Let us have a look at
that!"
The plump young man led us to a spot where the top of one of the
wooden rails had been cracked. A small fragment of the wood was
hanging down. Holmes pulled it off and examined it critically.
"Do you think that was done last night? It looks rather old, does it
not?"
"Well, possibly so."
"There are no marks of anyone jumping down upon the other side.
No, I fancy we shall get no help here. Let us go back to the bedroom
and talk the matter over."
Percy Phelps was walking very slowly, leaning upon the arm of his
future brother-in-law. Holmes walked swiftly across the lawn, and we
were at the open window of the bedroom long before the others came up.
"Miss Harrison," said Holmes, speaking with the utmost intensity
of manner, "you must stay where you are all day. Let nothing prevent
you from staying where you are all day. It is of the utmost
importance."
"Certainly, if you wish it, Mr. Holmes," said the girl in
astonishment.
"When you go to bed lock the door of this room on the outside and
keep the key. Promise to do this."
"But Percy?"
"He will come to London with us."
"And am I to remain here?"
"It is for his sake. You can serve him. Quick! Promise!"
She gave a quick nod of assent just as the other two came up.
"Why do you sit moping there, Annie?" cried her brother. "Come out
into the sunshine!"
"No, thank you, Joseph. I have a slight headache and this room is
deliciously cool and soothing."
"What do you propose now, Mr. Holmes?" asked our client.
"Well, in investigating this minor affair we must not lose sight
of our main inquiry. It would be a very great help to me if you
would come up to London with us."
"At once?"
"Well, as soon as you conveniently can. Say in an hour."
"I feel quite strong enough, if I can really be of any help."
"The greatest possible."
"Perhaps you would like me to stay there to-night?"
"I was just going to propose it."
"Then, if my friend of the night comes to revisit me, he will find
the bird flown. We are all in your hands, Mr. Holmes, and you must
tell us exactly what you would like done. Perhaps you would prefer
that Joseph came with us so as to look after me?"
"Oh, no, my friend Watson is a medical man, you know, and he'll look
after you. We'll have our lunch here, if you will permit us, and
then we shall all three set off for town together."
It was arranged as he suggested, though Miss Harrison excused
herself from leaving the bedroom, in accordance with Holmes's
suggestion. What the object of my friend's maneuvres was I could not
conceive, unless it were to keep the lady away from Phelps, who,
rejoiced by his returning health and by the prospect of action,
lunched with us in the dining-room. Holmes had a still more
startling surprise for us, however, for, after accompanying us down to
the station and seeing us into our carriage, he calmly announced
that he had no intention of leaving Woking.
"There are one or two small points which I should desire to clear up
before I go," said he. "Your absence, Mr. Phelps, will in some ways
rather assist me. Watson, when you reach London you would oblige me by
driving at once to Baker Street with our friend here, and remaining
with him until I see you again. It is fortunate that you are old
school-fellows, as you must have much to talk over. Mr. Phelps can
have the spare bedroom to-night, and I will be with you in time for
breakfast, for there is a train which will take me into Waterloo at
eight."
"But how about our investigation in London?" asked Phelps ruefully.
"We can do that to-morrow. I think that just at present I can be
of more immediate use here."
"You might tell them at Briarbrae that I hope to be back to-morrow
night," cried Phelps, as we began to move from the platform.
"I hardly expect to go back to Briarbrae," answered Holmes, and
waved his hand to us cheerily as we shot out from the station.
Phelps and I talked it over on our journey, but neither of us
could devise a satisfactory reason for this new development.
"I suppose he wants to find out some clues as to the burglary last
night, if a burglar it was. For myself, I don't believe it was an
ordinary thief."
"What is your own idea, then?"
"Upon my word, you may put it down to my weak nerves or not, but I
believe there is some deep political intrigue going on around me,
and that for some reason that passes my understanding my life is aimed
at by the conspirators. It sounds high-flown and absurd, but
consider the facts! Why should a thief try to break in at a bedroom
window where there could be no hope of any plunder, and why should
he come with a long knife in his hand?"
"You are sure it was not a house-breaker's jimmy?"
"Oh, no, it was a knife. I saw the flash of the blade quite
distinctly."
"But why on earth should you be pursued with such animosity?"
"Ah, that is the question."
"Well, if Holmes takes the same view, that would account for his
action, would it not? Presuming that your theory is correct, if he can
lay his hands upon the man who threatened you last night he will
have gone a long way towards finding who took the naval treaty. It
is absurd to suppose that you have two enemies, one of whom robs
you, while the other threatens your life."
"But Holmes said that he was not going to Briarbrae."
"I have known him for some time," said I, "but I never knew him do
anything yet without a very good reason," and with that our
conversation drifted off on to other topics.
But it was a weary day for me. Phelps was still weak after his
long illness, and his misfortunes made him querulous and nervous. In
vain I endeavoured to interest him in Afghanistan, in India, in social
questions, in anything which might take his mind out of the groove. He
would always come back to his lost treaty, wondering, guessing,
speculating as to what Holmes was doing, what steps Lord Holdhurst was
taking, what news we should have in the morning. As the evening wore
on his excitement became quite painful.
"You have implicit faith in Holmes?" he asked.
"I have seen him do some remarkable things."
"But he never brought light into anything quite so dark as this?"
"Oh, yes, I have known him solve questions which presented fewer
clues than yours."
"But not where such large interests are at stake?"
"I don't know that. To my certain knowledge he has acted on behalf
of three of the reigning houses of Europe in very vital matters."
"But you know him well, Watson. He is such an inscrutable fellow
that I never quite know what to make of him. Do you think he is
hopeful? Do you think he expects to make a success of it?"
"He has said nothing."
"That is a bad sign."
"On the contrary. I have noticed that when he is off the trail he
generally says so. It is when he is on a scent and is not quite
absolutely sure yet that it is the right one that he is most taciturn.
Now, my dear fellow, we can't help matters by making ourselves nervous
about them, so let me implore you to go to bed and so be fresh for
whatever may await us to-morrow."
I was able at last to persuade my companion to take my advice,
though I knew from his excited manner that there was not much hope
of sleep for him. Indeed, his mood was infectious, for I lay tossing
half the night myself, brooding over this strange problem and
inventing a hundred theories, each of which was more impossible than
the last. Why had Holmes remained at Woking? Why had he asked Miss
Harrison to remain in the sick-room all day? Why had he been so
careful not to inform the people at Briarbrae that he intended to
remain near them? I cudgelled my brains until I fell asleep in the
endeavour to find some explanation which would cover all these facts.
It was seven o'clock when I awoke, and I set off at once for
Phelps's room to find him haggard and spent after a sleepless night.
His first question was whether Holmes had arrived yet.
"He'll be here when he promised," said I, "and not an instant sooner
or later."
And my words were true, for shortly after eight a hansom dashed up
to the door and our friend got out of it. Standing in the window we
saw that his left hand was swathed in a bandage and that his face
was very grim and pale. He entered the house, but it was some little
time before he came upstairs.
"He looks like a beaten man," cried Phelps.
I was forced to confess that he was right. "After all," said I, "the
clue of the matter lies probably here in town."
Phelps gave a groan.
"I don't know how it is," said he, "but I had hoped for so much from
his return. But surely his hand was not tied up like that yesterday.
What can be the matter?"
"You are not wounded, Holmes?" I asked as my friend entered the
room.
"Tut, it is only a scratch through my own clumsiness," he
answered, nodding his good-morning to us. "This case of yours, Mr.
Phelps, is certainly one of the darkest which I have ever
investigated."
"I feared that you would find it beyond you."
"It has been a most remarkable experience."
"That bandage tells of adventures," said I. "Won't you tell us
what has happened?"
"After breakfast, my dear Watson. Remember that I have breathed
thirty miles of Surrey air this morning. I suppose that there has been
no answer from my cabman advertisement? Well, well, we cannot expect
to score every time."
The table was all laid, and just as I was about to ring Mrs.
Hudson entered with the tea and coffee. A few minutes later she
brought in three covers, and we all drew up to the table, Holmes
ravenous, I curious, and Phelps in the gloomiest state of depression.
"Mrs. Hudson has risen to the occasion," said Holmes, uncovering a
dish of curried chicken. "Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has
as good an idea of breakfast as a Scotchwoman. What have you there,
Watson?"
"Ham and eggs," I answered.
"Good! What are you going to take, Mr. Phelps-curried fowl or
eggs, or will you help yourself?"
"Thank you. I can eat nothing," said Phelps.
"Oh, come! Try the dish before you."
"Thank you, I would really rather not."
"Well, then," said Holmes with a mischievous twinkle, "I suppose
that you have no objection to helping me?"
Phelps raised the cover, and as he did so he uttered a scream and
sat there staring with a face as white as the plate upon which he
looked. Across the centre of it was lying a little cylinder of
blue-gray paper. He caught it up, devoured it with his eyes, and
then danced madly about the room, pressing it to his bosom and
shrieking out in his delight. Then he fell back into an armchair, so
limp and exhausted with his own emotions that we had to pour brandy
down his throat to keep him from fainting.
"There! there!" said Holmes soothingly, patting him upon the
shoulder. "It was too bad to spring it on you like this, but Watson
here will tell you that I never can resist a touch of the dramatic."
Phelps seized his hand and kissed it. "God bless you!" he cried.
"You have saved my honour."
"Well, my own was at stake, you know," said Holmes. "I assure you it
is just as hateful to me to fail in a case as it can be to you to
blunder over a commission."
Phelps thrust away the precious document into the innermost pocket
of his coat.
"I have not the heart to interrupt your breakfast any further, and
yet I am dying to know how you got it and where it was."
Sherlock Holmes swallowed a cup of coffee and turned his attention
to the ham and eggs. Then he rose, lit his pipe, and settled himself
down into his chair.
"I'll tell you what I did first, and how I came to do it
afterwards," said he. "After leaving you at the station I went for a
charming walk through some admirable Surrey scenery to a pretty little
village called Ripley, where I had my tea at an inn and took the
precaution of filling my flask and of putting a paper of sandwiches in
my pocket. There I remained until evening, when I set off for Woking
again and found myself in the highroad outside Briarbrae just after
sunset.
"Well, I waited until the road was clear-it is never a very
frequented one at any time, I fancy-and then I clambered over the
fence into the grounds."
"Surely the gate was open!' ejaculated Phelps.
"Yes, but I have a peculiar taste in these matters. I chose the
place where the three fir-trees stand, and behind their screen I got
over without the least chance of anyone in the house being able to see
me. I crouched down among the bushes on the other side and crawled
from one to the other-witness the disreputable state of my trouser
knees-until I had reached the clump of rhododendrons just opposite
to your bedroom window. There I squatted down and awaited
developments.
"The blind was not down in your room, and I could see Miss
Harrison sitting there reading by the table. It was quarter-past ten
when she closed her book, fastened the shutters, and retired.
"I heard her shut the door and felt quite sure that she had turned
the key in the lock."
"The key!" ejaculated Phelps.
"Yes, I had given Miss Harrison instructions to lock the door on the
outside and take the key with her when she went to bed. She carried
out every one of my injunctions to the letter, and certainly without
her cooperation you would not have that paper in your coat-pocket. She
departed then and the lights went out, and I was left squatting in the
rhododendron-bush.
"The night was fine, but still it was a very weary vigil. Of
course it has the sort of excitement about it that the sportsman feels
when he lies beside the water course and waits for the big game. It
was very long, though-almost as long, Watson, as when you and I waited
in that deadly room when we looked into the little problem of the
Speckled Band. There was a church-clock down at Woking which struck
the quarters, and I thought more than once that it had stopped. At
last, however, about two in the morning, I suddenly heard the gentle
sound of a bolt being pushed back and the creaking of a key. A
moment later the servants' door was opened, and Mr. Joseph Harrison
stepped out into the moonlight."
"Joseph!" ejaculated Phelps.
"He was bare-headed, but he had a black cloak thrown over his
shoulder, so that he could conceal his face in an instant if there
were any alarm. He walked on tiptoe under the shadow of the wall,
and when he reached the window he worked a long-bladed knife through
the sash and pushed back the catch. Then he flung open the window, and
putting his knife through the crack in the shutters, he thrust the bar
up and swung them open.
"From where I lay I had a perfect view of the inside of the room and
of every one of his movements. He lit the two candles which stood upon
the mantelpiece, and then he proceeded to turn back the corner of
the carpet in the neighbourhood of the door. Presently he stooped
and picked out a square piece of board, such as is usually left to
enable plumbers to get at the joints of the gas-pipes. This one
covered, as a matter of fact, the T joint which gives off the pipe
which supplies the kitchen underneath. Out of this hiding-place he
drew that little cylinder of paper, pushed down the board,
rearranged the carpet, blew out the candles, and walked straight
into my arms as I stood waiting for him outside the window.
"Well, he has rather more viciousness than I gave him credit for,
has Master Joseph. He flew at me with his knife, and I had to grasp
him twice, and got a cut over the knuckles, before I had the upper
hand of him. He looked murder out of the only eye he could see with
when we had finished, but he listened to reason and gave up the
papers. Having got them I let my man go, but I wired full
particulars to Forbes this morning. If he is quick enough to catch his
bird, well and good. But if, as I shrewdly suspect, he finds the
nest empty before he gets there, why, all the better for the
government. I fancy that Lord Holdhurst, for one, and Mr. Percy Phelps
for another, would very much rather that the affair never got as far
as a police-court."
"My God!" gasped our client. "Do you tell me that during these
long ten weeks of agony the stolen papers were within the very room
with me all the time?"
"So it was."
"And Joseph! Joseph a villain and a thief!"
"Hum! I am afraid Joseph's character is a rather deeper and more
dangerous one than one might judge from his appearance. From what I
have heard from him this morning, I gather that he has lost heavily in
dabbling with stocks, and that he is ready to do anything on earth
to better his fortunes. Being an absolutely selfish man, when a chance
presents itself he did not allow either his sister's happiness or your
reputation to hold his hand."
Percy Phelps sank back in his chair. "My head whirls," said he.
"Your words have dazed me."
"The principal difficulty in your case," remarked Holmes in his
didactic fashion, "lay in the fact of there being too much evidence.
What was vital was overlaid and hidden by what was irrelevant. Of
all the facts which were presented to us we had to pick just those
which we deemed to be essential, and then piece them together in their
order, so as to reconstruct this very remarkable chain of events. I
had already begun to suspect Joseph from the fact that you had
intended to travel home with him that night, and that therefore it was
a likely enough thing that he should call for you, knowing the Foreign
Office well, upon his way. When I heard that someone had been so
anxious to get into the bedroom, in which no one but Joseph could have
concealed anything-you told us in your narrative how you had turned
Joseph out when you arrived with the doctor-my suspicions all
changed to certainties, especially as the attempt was made on the
first night upon which the nurse was absent, showing that the intruder
was well acquainted with the ways of the house."
"How blind I have been!"
"The facts of the case, as far as I have worked them out, are these:
This Joseph Harrison entered the office through the Charles Street
door, and knowing his way he walked straight into your room the
instant after you left it. Finding no one there he promptly rang the
bell, and at the instant that he did so his eyes caught the paper upon
the table. A glance showed him that chance had put in his way a
State document of immense value, and in an instant he had thrust it
into his pocket and was gone. A few minutes elapsed, as you
remember, before the sleepy commissionaire drew your attention to
the bell, and those were just enough to give the thief time to make
his escape.
"He made his way to Woking by the first train, and, having
examined his booty and assured himself that it really was of immense
value, he had concealed it in what he thought was a very safe place,
with the intention of taking it out again in a day or two, and
carrying it to the French embassy, or wherever he thought that a
long price was to be had. Then came your sudden return. He, without
a moment's warning, was bundled out of his room, and from that time
onward there were always at least two of you there to prevent him from
regaining his treasure. The situation to him must have been a
maddening one. But at last he thought he saw his chance. He tried to
steal in, but was baffled by your wakefulness. You may remember that
you did not take your usual draught that night."
"I remember."
"I fancy that he had taken steps to make that draught efficacious,
and that he quite relied upon your being unconscious. Of course, I
understood that he would repeat the attempt whenever it could be
done with safety. Your leaving the room gave him the chance he wanted.
I kept Miss Harrison in it all day so that he might not anticipate us.
Then, having given him the idea that the coast was clear, I kept guard
as I have described. I already knew that the papers were probably in
the room, but I had no desire to rip up all the planking and
skirting in search of them. I let him take them, therefore, from the
hiding-place, and so saved myself an infinity of trouble. Is there any
other point which I can make clear?"
"Why did he try the window on the first occasion," I asked, "when he
might have entered by the door?"
"In reaching the door he would have to pass seven bedrooms. On the
other hand, he could get out on to the lawn with case. Anything else?"
"You do not think," asked Phelps, "that he had any murderous
intention? The knife was only meant as a tool."
"It may be so," answered Holmes, shrugging his shoulders. "I can
only say for certain that Mr. Joseph Harrison is a gentleman to
whose mercy I should be extremely unwilling to trust."
THE END
.
1922
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE PROBLEM OF THOR BRIDGE
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing
Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatch-box with my
name, John H. Watson, M. D., Late Indian Army, painted upon the lid.
It is crammed with papers, nearly all of which are records of cases to
illustrate the curious problems which Mr. Sherlock Holmes had at
various times to examine. Some, and not the least interesting, were
complete failures, and as such will hardly bear narrating, since no
final explanation is forthcoming. A problem without a solution may
interest the student, but can hardly fail to annoy the casual
reader. Among these unfinished tales is that of Mr. James
Phillimore, who, stepping back into his own house to get his umbrella,
was never more seen in this world. No less remarkable is that of the
cutter Alicia, which sailed one spring morning into a small patch of
mist from where she never again emerged, nor was anything further ever
heard of herself and her crew. A third case worthy of note is that
of Isadora Persano, the well-known journalist and duellist, who was
found stark staring mad with a match box in front of him which
contained a remarkable worm said to be unknown to science. Apart
from these unfathomed cases, there are some which involve the
secrets of private families to an extent which would mean
consternation in many exalted quarters if it were thought possible
that they might find their way into print. I need not say that such
a breach of confidence is unthinkable, and that these records will
be separated and destroyed now that my friend has time to turn his
energies to the matter. There remain a considerable residue of cases
of greater or less interest which I might have edited before had I not
feared to give the public a surfeit which might react upon the
reputation of the man whom above all others I revere. In some I was
myself concerned and can speak as an eye-witness, while in others I
was either not present or played so small a part that they could
only be told as by a third person. The following narrative is drawn
from my own experience.
It was a wild morning in October, and I observed as I was dressing
how the last remaining leaves were being whirled from the solitary
plane tree which graces the yard behind our house. I descended to
breakfast prepared to find my companion in depressed spirits, for,
like all great artists, he was easily impressed by his surroundings.
On the contrary, I found that he had nearly finished his meal, and
that his mood was particularly bright and joyous, with that somewhat
sinister cheerfulness which was characteristic of his lighter moments.
"You have a case, Holmes?" I remarked.
"The faculty of deduction is certainly contagious, Watson," he
answered. "It has enabled you to probe my secret. Yes, I have a
case. After a month of trivialities and stagnation the wheels move
once more."
"Might I share it?"
"There is little to share, but we may discuss it when you have
consumed the two hard-boiled eggs with which our new cook has favoured
us. Their condition may not be unconnected with the copy of the Family
Herald which I observed yesterday upon the hall-table. Even so trivial
a matter as cooking an egg demands an attention which is conscious
of the passage of time and incompatible with the love romance in
that excellent periodical."
A quarter of an hour later the table had been cleared and we were
face to face. He had drawn a letter from his pocket.
"You have heard of Neil Gibson, the Gold King?" he said.
"You mean the American Senator?"
"Well, he was once Senator for some Western state, but is better
known as the greatest gold-mining magnate in the world."
"Yes, I know of him. he has surely lived in England for some time.
His name is very familiar."
"Yes, he bought a considerable estate in Hampshire some five years
ago. Possibly you have already heard of the tragic end of his wife?"
"Of course. I remember it now. That is why the name is familiar. But
I really know nothing of the details."
Holmes waved his hand towards some papers on a chair. "I had no idea
that the case was coming my way or I should have had my extracts
ready," said he. "The fact is that the problem, though exceedingly
sensational, appeared to present no difficulty. The interesting
personality of the accused does not obscure the clearness of the
evidence. That was the view taken by the coroner's jury and also in
the police-court proceedings. It is now referred to the Assizes at
Winchester. I fear it is a thankless business. I can discover facts,
Watson, but I cannot change them. Unless some entirely new and
unexpected ones come to light I do not see what my client can hope
for."
"Your client?"
"Ah, I forgot I had not told you. I am getting into your involved
habit, Watson, of telling the story backward. You had best read this
first."
The letter which he handed to me, written in a bold, masterful hand,
ran as follows:
CLARIDGE'S HOTEL,
October 3rd.
Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes:
I can't see the best woman God ever made go to her death without
doing all that is possible to save her. I can't explain things- I
can't even try to explain them, but I know beyond all doubt that
Miss Dunbar is innocent. You know the facts- who doesn't? It has
been the gossip of the country. And never a voice raised for her! It's
the damned injustice of it all that makes me crazy. That woman has a
heart that wouldn't let her kill a fly. Well, I'll come at eleven
to-morrow and see if you can get some ray of light in the dark.
Maybe I have a clue and don't know it. Anyhow, all I know and all I
have and all I am are for your use if only you can save her. If ever
in your life you showed your powers, put them now into this case.
Yours faithfully,
J. NEIL GIBSON.
"There you have it," said Sherlock Holmes, knocking out the ashes of
his after breakfast pipe and slowly refilling it. "That is the
gentleman I await. As to the story, you have hardly time to master all
these papers, so I must give it to you in a nutshell if you are to
take an intelligent interest in the proceedings. This man is the
greatest financial power in the world, and a man, as I understand,
of most violent and formidable character. He married a wife, the
victim of this tragedy, of whom I know nothing save that she was
past her prime, which was the more unfortunate as a very attractive
governess superintended the education of two young children. These are
the three people concerned, and the scene is a grand old manor
house, the centre of a historical English state. Then as to the
tragedy. The wife was found in the grounds nearly half a mile from the
house, late at night, clad in her dinner dress, with a shawl over
her shoulders and a revolver bullet through her brain. No weapon was
found near her and there was no local clue as to the murder. No weapon
near her, Watson- mark that! The crime seems to have been committed
late in the evening, and the body was found by a gamekeeper about
eleven o'clock, when it was examined by the police and by a doctor
before being carried up to the house. Is this too condensed, or can
you follow it clearly?"
"It is all very clear. But why suspect the governess?"
"Well, in the first place there is some very direct evidence. A
revolver with one discharged chamber and a calibre which
corresponded with the bullet was found on the floor of her
wardrobe." His eyes fixed and he repeated in broken words, "On- the-
floor- of- her- wardrobe." Then he sank into silence, and I saw that
some train of thought had been set moving which I should be foolish to
interrupt. Suddenly with a start he emerged into brisk life once more.
"Yes, Watson, it was found. Pretty damning, eh? So the two juries
thought. Then the dead woman had a note upon her making an appointment
at that very place and signed by the governess. How's that? Finally
there is the motive. Senator Gibson is an attractive person. If his
wife dies, who more likely to succeed her than the young lady who
had already by all accounts received pressing attentions from her
employer? Love, fortune, power, all depending upon one middle-aged
life. Ugly, Watson- very ugly!"
"Yes, indeed, Holmes."
"Nor could she prove an alibi. On the contrary, she had to admit
that she was down near Thor Bridge- that was the scene of the tragedy-
about that hour. She couldn't deny it, for some passing villager had
seen her there."
"That really seems final."
"And yet, Watson- and yet! This bridge- a single broad span of stone
with balustraded sides- carries the drive over the narrowest part of a
long, deep, reedgirt sheet of water. Thor Mere it is called. In the
mouth of the bridge lay the dead woman. Such are the main facts. But
here, if I mistake not, is our client, considerably before his time."
Billy had opened the door, but the name which he announced was an
unexpected one. Mr. Marlow Bates was a stranger to both of us. He
was a thin, nervous wisp of a man with frightened eyes and a
twitching, hesitating manner- a man whom my own professional eye would
judge to be on the brink of an absolute nervous breakdown.
"You seem agitated, Mr. Bates," said Holmes. "Pray sit down. I
fear I can only give you a short time, for I have an appointment at
eleven."
"I know you have," our visitor gasped, shooting out short
sentences like a man who is out of breath, "Mr. Gibson is coming.
Mr. Gibson is my employer. I am manager of his estate. Mr. Holmes,
he is a villain- an infernal villain."
"Strong language, Mr. Bates."
"I have to be emphatic, Mr. Holmes, for the time is so limited. I
would not have him find me here for the world. He is almost due now.
But I was so situated that I could not come earlier. His secretary,
Mr. Ferguson, only told me this morning of his appointment with you."
"And you are his manager?"
"I have given him notice. In a couple of weeks I shall have shaken
off his accursed slavery. A hard man, Mr. Holmes, hard to all about
him. Those public charities are a screen to cover his private
iniquities. But his wife was his chief victim. He was brutal to her-
yes, sir, brutal! How she came by her death I do not know, but I am
sure that he had made her life a misery to her. She was a creature
of the tropics, a Brazilian by birth, as no doubt you know."
"No, it had escaped me."
"Tropical by birth and tropical by nature. A child of the sun and of
passion. She had loved him as such women can love, but when her own
physical charms had faded- I am told that they once were great-
there was nothing to hold him. We all liked her and felt for her and
hated him for the way that he treated her. But he is plausible and
cunning. That is all I have to say to you. Don't take him at his
face value. There is more behind. Now I'll go. No, no, don't detain
me! He is almost due."
With a frightened look at the clock our strange visitor literally
ran to the door and disappeared.
"Well! Well!" said Holmes after an interval of silence. "Mr.
Gibson seems to have a nice loyal household. But the warning is a
useful one, and now we can only wait till the man himself appears."
Sharp at the hour we heard a heavy step upon the stairs, and the
famous millionaire was shown into the room. As I looked upon him I
understood not only the fears and dislike of his manager but also
the execrations which so many business rivals have heaped upon his
head. If I were a sculptor and desired to idealize the successful
man of affairs, iron of nerve and leathery of conscience, I should
choose Mr. Neil Gibson as my model. His tall, gaunt, craggy figure had
a suggestion of hunger and rapacity. An Abraham Lincoln keyed to
base uses instead of high ones would give some idea of the man. His
face might have been chiselled in granite, hard-set, craggy,
remorseless, with deep lines upon it, the sears of many a crisis. Cold
gray eyes, looking shrewdly out from under bristling brows, surveyed
us each in turn. He bowed in perfunctory fashion as Holmes mentioned
my name, and then with a masterful air of possession he drew a chair
up to my companion and seated himself with his bony knees almost
touching him.
"Let me say right here, Mr. Holmes," he began, "that money is
nothing to me in this case. You can burn it if it's any use in
lighting you to the truth. This woman is innocent and this woman has
to be cleared, and it's up to you to do it. Name your figure!"
"My professional charges are upon a fixed scale," said Holmes
coldly. "I do not vary them, save when I remit them altogether."
"Well, if dollars make no difference to you, think of the
reputation. If you pull this off every paper in England and America
will be booming you. You'll be the talk of two continents."
"Thank you, Mr. Gibson, I do not think that I am in need of booming.
It may surprise you to know that I prefer to work anonymously, and
that it is the problem itself which attracts me. But we are wasting
time. Let us get down to the facts."
"I think that you will find all the main ones in the press
reports. I don't know that I can add anything which will help you. But
if there is anything you would wish more light upon- well, I am here
to give it."
"Well, there is just one point."
"What is it?"
"What were the exact relations between you and Miss Dunbar?"
The Gold King gave a violent start and half rose from his chair.
Then his massive calm came back to him.
"I suppose you are within your rights- and maybe doing your duty- in
asking such a question, Mr. Holmes."
"We will agree to suppose so," said Holmes.
"Then I can assure you that our relations were entirely and always
those of an employer towards a young lady whom he never conversed
with, or ever saw, save when she was in the company of his children."
Holmes rose from his chair.
"I am a rather busy man, Mr. Gibson," said he, "and I have no time
or taste for aimless conversations. I wish you good-morning."
Our visitor had risen also, and his great loose figure towered above
Holmes. There was an angry gleam from under those bristling brows
and a tinge of colour in the sallow cheeks.
"What the devil do you mean by this, Mr. Holmes? Do you dismiss my
case?"
"Well, Mr. Gibson, at least I dismiss you. I should have thought
my words were plain."
"Plain enough, but what's at the back of it? Raising the price on
me, or afraid to tackle it, or what? I've a right to a plain answer."
"Well, perhaps you have," said Holmes. "I'll give you one. This case
is quite sufficiently complicated to start with without the further
difficulty of false information."
"Meaning that I lie."
"Well, I was trying to express it as delicately as I could, but if
you insist upon the word I will not contradict you."
I sprang to my feet, for the expression upon the millionaire's
face was fiendish in its intensity, and he had raised his great
knotted fist. Holmes smiled languidly and reached his hand out for his
pipe.
"Don't be noisy, Mr. Gibson. I find that after breakfast even the
smallest argument is unsettling. I suggest that a stroll in the
morning air and a little quiet thought will be greatly to your
advantage."
With an effort the Gold King mastered his fury. I could not but
admire him, for by a supreme self-command he had turned in a minute
from a hot flame of anger to a frigid and contemptuous indifference.
"Well, it's your choice. I guess you know how to run your own
business. I can't make you touch the case against your will. You've
done yourself no good this morning, Mr. Holmes, for I have broken
stronger men than you. No man ever crossed me and was the better for
it."
"So many have said so, and yet here I am," said Holmes, smiling.
"Well, good morning, Mr. Gibson. You have a good deal yet to learn."
Our visitor made a noisy exit, but Holmes smoked in imperturbable
silence with dreamy eyes fixed upon the ceiling.
"Any views, Watson?" he asked at last.
"Well, Holmes, I must confess that when I consider that this is a
man who would certainly brush any obstacle from his path, and when I
remember that his wife may have been an obstacle and an object of
dislike, as that man Bates plainly told us, it seems to me-"
"Exactly. And to me also."
"But what were his relations with the governess, and how did you
discover them?"
"Bluff, Watson, bluff! When I considered the passionate,
unconventional, unbusinesslike tone of his letter and contrasted it
with his self-contained manner and appearance, it was pretty clear
that there was some deep emotion which centred upon the accused
woman rather than upon the victim. We've got to understand the exact
relations of those three people if we are to reach the truth. You
saw the frontal attack which I made upon him, and how imperturbably he
received it. Then I bluffed him by giving him the impression that I
was absolutely certain, when in reality I was only extremely
suspicious."
"Perhaps he will come back?"
"He is sure to come back. He must come back. He can't leave it where
it is. Ha! isn't that a ring? Yes, there is his footstep. Well, Mr.
Gibson, I was just saying to Dr. Watson that you were somewhat
overdue."
The Gold King had reentered the room in a more chastened mood than
he had left it. His wounded pride still showed in his resentful
eyes, but his common sense had shown him that he must yield if he
would attain his end.
"I've been thinking it over, Mr. Holmes, and I feel that I have been
hasty in taking your remarks amiss. You are justified in getting
down to the facts, whatever they may be, and I think the more of you
for it. I can assure you, however, that the relations between Miss
Dunbar and me don't really touch this case."
"That is for me to decide, is it not?"
"Yes, I guess that is so. You're like a surgeon who wants every
symptom before he can give his diagnosis."
"Exactly. That expresses it. And it is only a patient who has an
object in deceiving his surgeon who would conceal the facts of his
case."
"That may be so, but you will admit, Mr. Holmes, that most men would
shy off a bit when they are asked point-blank what their relations
with a woman may be- if there is really some serious feeling in the
case. I guess most men have a little private reserve of their own in
some corner of their souls where they don't welcome intruders. And you
burst suddenly into it. But the object excuses you, since it was to
try and save her. Well, the stakes are down and the reserve open,
and you can explore where you will. What is it you want?"
"The truth."
The Gold King paused for a moment as one who marshals his
thoughts. His grim, deep-lined face had become even sadder and more
grave.
"I can give it to you in a very few words, Mr. Holmes," said he at
last. "There are some things that are painful as well as difficult
to say, so I won't go deeper than is needful. I met my wife when I was
gold-hunting in Brazil. Maria Pinto was the daughter of a government
official at Manaos, and she was very beautiful. I was young and ardent
in those days, but even now, as I look back with colder blood and a
more critical eye, I can see that she was rare and wonderful in her
beauty. It was a deep rich nature, too, passionate, whole-hearted,
tropical, ill-balanced, very different from the American women whom
I had known. Well, to make a long story short, I loved her and I
married her. It was only when the romance had passed- and it
lingered for years- that I realized that we had nothing- absolutely
nothing- in common. My love faded. If hers had faded also it might
have been easier. But you know the wonderful way of women! Do what I
might, nothing could turn her from me. If I have been harsh to her,
even brutal as some have said, it has been because I knew that if I
could kill her love, or if it turned to hate, it would be easier for
both of us. But nothing changed her. She adored me in those English
woods as she had adored me twenty years ago on the banks of the
Amazon. Do what I might, she was as devoted as ever.
"Then came Miss Grace Dunbar. She answered our advertisement and
became governess to our two children. Perhaps you have seen her
portrait in the papers. The whole world has proclaimed that she also
is a very beautiful woman. Now, I make no pretence to be more moral
than my neighbours, and I will admit to you that I could not live
under the same roof with such a woman and in daily contact with her
without feeling a passionate regard for her. Do you blame me, Mr.
Holmes?"
"I do not blame you for feeling it. I should blame you if you
expressed it, since this young lady was in a sense under your
protection."
"Well, maybe so," said the millionaire, though for a moment the
reproof had brought the old angry gleam into his eyes. "I'm not
pretending to be any better than I am. I guess all my life I've been a
man that reached out his hand for what he wanted, and I never wanted
anything more than the love and possession of that woman. I told her
so."
"Oh, you did, did you?"
Holmes could look very formidable when he was moved.
"I said to her that if I could marry her I would, but that it was
out of my power. I said that money was no object and that all I
could do to make her happy and comfortable would be done."
"Very generous, I am sure," said Holmes with a sneer.
"See here, Mr. Holmes. I came to you on a question of evidence,
not on a question of morals. I'm not asking for your criticism."
"It is only for the young lady's sake that I touch your case at
all," said Holmes sternly. "I don't know that anything she is
accused of is really worse than what you have yourself admitted,
that you have tried to ruin a defenceless girl who was under your
roof. Some of you rich men have to be taught that all the world cannot
be bribed into condoning your offences."
To my surprise the Cold King took the reproof with equanimity.
"That's how I feel myself about it now. I thank God that my plains
did not work out as I intended. She would have none of it, and she
wanted to leave the house instantly."
"Why did she not?"
"Well, in the first place, others were dependent upon her, and it
was no light matter for her to let them all down by sacrificing her
living. When I had sworn- as I did- that she should never be
molested again, she consented to remain. But there was another reason.
She knew the influence she had over me, and that it was stronger
than any other influence in the world. She wanted to use it for good."
"How?"
"Well, she knew something of my affairs. They are large, Mr. Holmes-
large beyond the belief of an ordinary man. I can make or break- and
it is usually break. It wasn't individuals only. It was communities,
cities, even nations. Business is a hard game, and the weak go to
the wall. I played the game for all it was worth. I never squealed
myself, and I never cared if the other fellow squealed. But she saw it
different. I guess she was right. She believed and said that a fortune
for one man that was more than he needed should not be built on ten
thousand ruined men who were left without the means of life. That
was how she saw it, and I guess she could see past the dollars to
something that was more lasting. She found that I listened to what she
said, and she believed she was serving the world by influencing my
actions. So she stayed- and then this came along."
"Can you throw any light upon that?"
The Gold King paused for a minute or more, his head sunk in his
hands, lost in deep thought.
"It's very black against her. I can't deny that. And women lead an
inward life and may do things beyond the judgment of a man. At first I
was so rattled and taken aback that I was ready to think she had
been led away in some extraordinary fashion that was clean against her
usual nature. One explanation came into my head. I give it to you, Mr.
Holmes, for what it is worth. There is no doubt that my wife was
bitterly jealous. There is a soul-jealousy that can be as frantic as
any body-jealousy, and though my wife had no cause- and I think she
understood this- for the latter, she was aware that this English
girl exerted an influence upon my mind and my acts that she herself
never had. It was an influence for good, but that did not mend the
matter. She was crazy with hatred, and the beat of the Amazon was
always in her blood. She might have planned to murder Miss Dunbar-
or we will say to threaten her with a gun and so frighten her into
leaving us. Then there might have been a scuffle and the gun gone
off and shot the woman who held it."
"That possibility had already occurred to me," said Holmes. "Indeed,
it is the only obvious alternative to deliberate intruder."
"But she utterly denies it."
"Well, that is not final- is it? One can understand that a woman
placed in so awful a position might hurry home still in her
bewilderment holding the revolver. She might even throw it down
among her clothes, hardly knowing what she was doing, and when it
was found she might try to lie her way out by a total denial, since
all explanation was impossible. What is against such a supposition?"
"Miss Dunbar herself."
"Well, perhaps."
Holmes looked at his watch. "I have no doubt we can get the
necessary permits this morning and reach Winchester by the evening
train. When I have seen this young lady it is very possible that I may
be of more use to you in the matter, though I cannot promise that my
conclusions will necessarily be such as you desire."
There was some delay in the official pass, and instead of reaching
Winchester that day we went down to Thor Place, the Hampshire estate
of Mr. Neil Gibson. He did not accompany us himself, but we had the
address of Sergeant Coventry, of the local police, who had first
examined into the affair. He was a tall, thin, cadaverous man, with
a secretive and mysterious manner which conveyed the idea that he knew
or suspected a very great deal more than he dared say. He had a trick,
too, of suddenly sinking his voice to a whisper as if he had come upon
something of vital importance, though the information was usually
commonplace enough. Behind these tricks of manner he soon showed
himself to be a decent, honest fellow who was not too proud to admit
that he was out of his depth and would welcome any help.
"Anyhow, I'd rather have you than Scotland Yard, Mr. Holmes," said
he. "If the Yard gets called into a case, then the local loses all
credit for success and may be blamed for failure. Now, you play
straight, so I've heard."
"I need not appear in the matter at all," said Holmes to the evident
relief of our melancholy acquaintance. "If I can clear it up I don't
ask to have my name mentioned."
"Well, it's very handsome of you, I am sure. And your friend, Dr.
Watson, can he trusted, I know. Now, Mr. Holmes, as we walk down to
the place there is one question I should like to ask you. I'd
breathe it to no soul but you." He looked round as thorough he
hardly dare utter the words. "Don't you think there might be a case
against Mr. Neil Gibson himself?"
"I have been considering that."
"You've not seen Miss Dunbar. She is a wonderful fine woman in every
way. He may well have wished his wife out of the road. And these
Americans are readier with pistols than our folk are. It was his
pistol, you know."
"Was that clearly made out?"
"Yes, sir. It was one of a pair that he had."
"One of a pair? Where is the other?"
"Well, the gentleman has a lot of firearms of one sort and
another. We never quite matched that particular pistol- but the box
was made for two."
"If it was one of a pair you should surely be able to match it."
"Well, we have them all laid out at the house if you would care to
look them over."
"Later, perhaps. I think we will walk down together and have a
look at the scene of the tragedy."
This conversation had taken place in the little front room of
Sergeant Coventry's horrible cottage which served as the local
police-station. A walk of half a mile or so across a wind-swept heath,
all gold and bronze with the fading ferns, brought us to a side-gate
opening into the grounds of the Thor Place estate. A path led us
through the pheasant preserves, and then from a clearing we saw the
widespread, half-timbered house, half Tudor and half Georgian, upon
the crest of the hill. Beside us there was a long, reedy pool,
constricted in the centre where the main carriage drive passed over
a stone bridge, but swelling into small lakes on either side. Our
guide paused at the mouth of this bridge, and he pointed to the
ground.
"That was where Mrs. Gibson's body lay. I marked it by that stone."
"I understand that you were there before it was moved?"
"Yes, they sent for me at once."
"Who did?"
"Mr. Gibson himself. The moment the alarm was given and he had
rushed down with others from the house, he insisted that nothing
should be moved until the police should arrive."
"That was sensible. I gathered from the newspaper report that the
shot was fired from close quarters."
"Yes, sir, very close."
"Near the right temple?"
"Just Behind it, sir."
"How did the body lie?"
"On the back, sir. No trace of a struggle. No marks. No weapon.
The short note from Miss Dunbar was clutched in her left hand."
"Clutched, you say?"
"Yes, sir, we could hardly open the fingers."
"That is of great importance. It excludes the idea that anyone could
have placed the note there after death in order to furnish a false
clue. Dear me! The note, as I remember, was quite short:
"I will be at Thor Bridge at nine o'clock.
"G. DUNBAR.
Was that not so?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did Miss Dunbar admit writing it?"
"Yes, sir."
"What was her explanation?"
"Her defence was reserved for the Assizes. She would say nothing."
"The problem is certainly a very interesting one. The point of the
letter is very obscure, is it not?"
"Well, sir," said the guide, "it seemed, if I may be so bold as to
say so, the only really clear point in the whole case."
Holmes shook his head.
"Granting that the letter is genuine and was really written, it
was certainly received some time before- say one hour or two. Why,
then, was this lady still clasping it in her left hand? Why should she
carry it so carefully? She did not need to refer to it in the
interview. Does it not seem remarkable?"
"Well, sir, as you put it, perhaps it does."
"I think I should like to sit quietly for a few minutes and think it
out." He seated himself upon the stone ledge of the bridge, and I
could see his quick gray eyes darting their questioning glances in
every direction. Suddenly he sprang up again and ran across to the
opposite parapet, whipped his lens from his pocket, and began to
examine the stonework.
"This is curious," said he.
"Yes, sir, we saw the chip on the ledge. I expect it's been done
by some passer-by."
The stonework was gray, But at this one point it showed white for
a space not larger than a sixpence. When examined closely one could
see that the surface was chipped as by a sharp blow.
It took some violence to do that," said Holmes thoughtfully. With
his cane he struck the ledge several times without leaving a mark.
"Yes, it was a hard knock. In a curious place, too. It was not from
above but from below, for you see that it is on the lower edge of
the parapet."
"But it is at least fifteen feet from the body."
"Yes, it is fifteen feet from the body. It may have nothing to do
with the matter, But it is a point worth noting. I do not think that
we have anything more to learn where. There were no footsteps, you
say?"
The ground was iron hard, sir. There were no traces at all."
"Then we can go. We will go up to the house first and look over
these weapons of which you speak. Then we shall get on to
Winchester, for I should desire to see Miss Dunbar before we go
farther."
Mr. Neil Gibson had not returned from town, but we saw in the
house the neurotic Mr. Bates who had called upon us in the morning. He
showed us with a sinister relish the formidable array of firearms of
various shapes and sizes which his employer had accumulated in the
course of an adventurous life.
"Mr. Gibson has his enemies, as anyone would expect who knew him and
his methods," said he. "He sleeps with a loaded revolver in the drawer
beside his bed. He is a man of violence, sir, and there are times when
all of us are afraid of him. I am sure that the poor lady who has
passed was often terrified."
"Did you ever witness physical violence towards her?"
"No, I cannot say that. But I have heard words which were nearly
as bad- words of cold, cutting contempt, even before the servants."
"Our millionaire does not seem to shine in private life," remarked
Holmes as we made our way to the station. "Well, Watson, we have
come on a good many facts, some of them new ones, and yet I seem
some way from my conclusion. In spite of the evident dislike which Mr.
Bates has to his employer, I gather from him that when the alarm
came he was undoubtedly in his library. Dinner was over at 8:30 and
all was normal up to then. It is true that the alarm was somewhat late
in the evening, but the tragedy certainly occurred about the hour
named in the note. There is no evidence at all that Mr. Gibson had
been out of doors since his return from town at five o'clock. On the
other hand, Miss Dunbar, as I understand it, admits that she had
made an appointment to meet Mrs. Gibson at the bridge. Beyond this she
would say nothing, as her lawyer, had advised her to reserve her
defence. We have several very vital questions to ask that young
lady, and my mind will not be easy until we have seen her. I must
confess that the case would seem to me to be very black against her if
it were not for one thing."
"And what is that, Holmes?"
"The finding of the pistol in her wardrobe."
"Dear me, Holmes!" I cried, "that seemed to me to be the most
damning incident of all."
"Not so, Watson. It had struck me even at my first perfunctory
reading as very strange, and now that I am in closer touch with the
case it is my only firm ground for hope. We must look for consistency.
Where there is a want of it we must suspect deception."
"I hardly follow you."
"Well now, Watson, suppose for a moment that we visualize you in the
character of a woman who, in a cold, premeditated fashion, is about to
get rid of a rival. You have planned it. A note has been written.
The victim has come. You have your weapon. The crime is done. It has
been workmanlike and complete. Do you tell me that after carrying
out so crafty a crime you would now ruin your reputation as a criminal
by forgetting to fling your weapon into those adjacent reed-beds which
would forever cover it, but you must needs carry it carefully home and
put it in your own wardrobe, the very first place that would be
searched? Your best friends would hardly call you a schemer, Watson,
and yet I could not picture you doing anything so crude as that."
"In the excitement of the moment-"
"No, no, Watson, I will not admit that it is possible. Where a crime
is coolly premeditated, then the means of covering it are coolly
premeditated also. I hope, therefore, that we are in the presence of a
serious misconception."
"But there is so much to explain."
"Well, we shall set about explaining it. When once your point of
view is changed, the very thing which was so damning becomes a clue to
the truth. For example, there is this revolver. Miss Dunbar
disclaims all knowledge of it. On our new theory she is speaking truth
when she says so. Therefore, it was placed in her wardrobe. Who placed
it there? Someone who wished to incriminate her. Was not that person
the actual criminal? You see how we come at once upon a most
fruitful line of inquiry."
We were compelled to spend the night at Winchester, as the
formalities had not yet been completed, but next morning, in the
company of Mr. Joyce Cummings, the rising barrister who was
entrusted with the defence, we were allowed to see the young lady in
her cell. I had expected from all that we had heard to see a beautiful
woman, but I can never forget the effect which Miss Dunbar produced
upon me. It was no wonder that even the masterful millionaire had
found in her something more powerful than himself- something which
could control and guide him. One felt, too, as one looked at the
strong, clear-cut, and yet sensitive face, that even should she be
capable of some impetuous deed. None the less there was an innate
nobility of character which would make her influence always for the
good. She was a brunette, tall, with a noble figure and commanding
presence, but her dark eyes had in them the appealing, helpless
expression of the hunted creature who feels the nets around it, but
can see no way out from the toils. Now, as she realized the presence
and the help of my famous friend, there came a touch of colour in
her wan cheeks and a light of hope began to glimmer in the glance
which she turned upon us.
"Perhaps Mr. Neil Gibson has told you something of what occurred
between us?" she asked in a low, agitated voice.
"Yes," Holmes answered, "you need not pain yourself by entering into
that part of the story. After seeing you, I am prepared to accept
Mr. Gibson's statement both as to the influence which you had over him
and as to the innocence of your relations with him. But why was the
whole situation not brought out in court?"
"It seemed to me incredible that such a charge could be sustained. I
thought that if we waited the whole thing must clear itself up without
our being compelled to enter into painful details of the inner life of
the family. But I understand that far from clearing it has become even
more serious."
"My dear young lady," cried Holmes earnestly, "I beg you to have
no illusions upon the point. Mr. Cummings here would assure you that
all the cards are at present against us, and that we must do
everything that is possible if we are to win clear. It would be a
cruel deception to pretend that you are not in very great danger. Give
me all the help you can, then, to get at the truth."
"I will conceal nothing."
"Tell us, then, of your true relations with Mr. Gibson's wife."
"She hated me, Mr. Holmes. She hated me with all the fervour of
her tropical nature. She was a woman who would do nothing by halves,
and the measure of her love fear her husband was the measure also of
her hatred for me. It is probable that she misunderstood our
relations. I would not wish to wrong her, but she loved so vividly
in a physical sense that she could hardly understand the mental, and
even spiritual, tie which held her husband to me, or imagine that it
was only my desire to influence his power to good ends which kept me
under his roof. I can see now that I was wrong. Nothing could
justify me in remaining where I was a cause of unhappiness, and yet it
is certain that the unhappiness would have remained even if I had left
the house."
"Now, Miss Dunbar," said Holmes, "I beg you to tell us exactly
what occurred that evening."
"I can tell you the truth so far as I know it, Mr. Holmes, but I
am in a position to prove nothing, and there are points- the most
vital points- which I can neither explain nor can I imagine any
explanation."
"If you will find the facts, perhaps others may find the
explanation."
"With regard, then, to my presence at Thor Bridge that night, I
received a note from Mrs. Gibson in the morning. It lay on the table
of the schoolroom, and it may have been left there by her own hand. It
implored me to see her there after dinner, said she had something
important to say to me, and asked me to leave an answer on the sundial
in the garden, as she desired no one to be in our confidence, I saw no
reason for such secrecy, but I did as she asked, accepting the
appointment. She asked me to destroy her note and I burned it in the
schoolroom grate. She was very much afraid of her husband, who treated
her with a harshness for which I frequently reproached him, and I
could only imagine that she acted in this way Because she did not wish
him to know of our interview."
"Yet she kept your reply very carefully?"
"Yes. I was surprised to hear that she had it in her hand when she
died."
"Well, what happened then?"
"I went down as I had promised. When I reached the bridge she was
waiting for me. Never did I realize till that moment how this poor
creature hated me. She was like a mad woman- indeed, I think she was a
mad woman, subtly mad with the deep power of deception which insane
people may have. How else could she have met me with unconcern every
day and yet had so raging a hatred of me in her heart? I will not
say what she said. She poured her whole wild fury out in burning and
horrible words. I did not even answer- I could not. It was dreadful to
see her. I put my hands to my ears and rushed away. When I left her
she was standing, still shrieking out her curses at me, in the mouth
of the bridge."
"Where she was afterwards found?"
"Within a few yards from the spot."
"And yet, presuming that she met her death shortly after you left
her, you heard no shot?"
"No, I heard nothing. But, indeed, Mr. Holmes, I was so agitated and
horrified by this terrible outbreak that I rushed to get back to the
peace of my own room, and I was incapable of noticing anything which
happened."
"You say that you returned to your room. Did you leave it again
before next morning.
"Yes, when the alarm came that the poor creature had met her death I
ran out with the others."
"Did you see Mr. Gibson?"
"Yes, he had just returned from the bridge when I saw him. He had
sent for the doctor and the police."
"Did he seem to you much perturbed?"
"Mr. Gibson is a very strong, self-contained man. I do not think
that he would ever show his emotions on the surface. But I, who knew
him so well, could see that he was deeply concerned."
"Then we come to the all-important point. This pistol that was found
in your room. Had you ever seen it before?"
"Never, I swear it."
"When was it found?"
"Next morning, when the police made their search."
"Among your clothes?"
"Yes, on the floor of my wardrobe under my dresses."
"You could not guess how long it had been there?"
"It had not been there the morning before."
"How do you know?"
"Because I tidied out the wardrobe."
"That is final. Then someone came into your room and placed the
pistol there in order to inculpate you."
"It must have been so."
"And when?"
"It could only have been at meal-time, or else at the hours when I
would be in the schoolroom with the children."
"As you were when you got the note?"
"Yes, from that time onward for the whole morning."
"Thank you, Miss Dunbar. Is there any other point which could help
me in the investigation?"
"I can think of none."
"There was some sign of violence on the stonework of the bridge- a
perfectly fresh chip just opposite the body. Could you suggest any
possible explanation of that?"
"Surely it must be a mere coincidence."
"Curious, Miss Dunbar, very curious. Why should it appear at the
very time of the tragedy, and why at the very place?"
"But what could have caused it? Only great violence could have
such an effect."
Holmes did not answer. His pale, eager face had suddenly assumed
that tense, far-away expression which I had learned to associate
with the supreme manifestations of his genius. So evident was the
crisis in his mind that none of us dared to speak, and we sat,
barrister, prisoner, and myself, watching him in a concentrated and
absorbed silence. Suddenly he sprang from his chair, vibrating with
nervous energy and the pressing need for action.
"Come, Watson, come!" he cried.
"What is it, Mr. Holmes?"
"Never mind, my dear lady. You will hear from me, Mr. Cummings. With
the help of the god of justice I will give you a case which will
make England ring. You will get news by to-morrow, Miss Dunbar, and
meanwhile take my assurance that the clouds are lifting and that I
have every hope that the light of truth is breaking through."
It was not a long journey from Winchester to Thor Place, but it
was long to me in my impatience, while for Holmes it was evident
that it seemed endless; for, in his nervous restlessness, he could not
sit still, but paced the carriage or drummed with his long,
sensitive fingers upon the cushions beside him. Suddenly, however,
as we neared our destination he seated himself opposite to me- we
had a first-class carriage to ourselves- and laying a hand upon each
of my knees he looked into my eyes with the peculiarly mischievous
gaze which was characteristic of his more imp-like moods.
"Watson," said he, "I have some recollection that you go armed
upon these excursions of ours."
It was as well for him that I did so, for he took little care for
his own safety when his mind was once absorbed by a problem, so that
more than once my revolver had been a good friend in need. I
reminded him of the fact.
"Yes, yes, I am a little absent-minded in such matters. But have you
your revolver on you?"
I produced it from my hip-pocket, a short, handy, but very
serviceable little weapon. He undid the catch, shook out the
cartridges, and examined it with care.
"It's heavy- remarkably heavy," said he.
"Yes, it is a solid bit of work."
He mused over it for a minute.
"Do you know, Watson," said he, "I believe your revolver is going to
have a very intimate connection with the mystery which we are
investigating."
"My dear Holmes, you are joking."
"No, Watson, I am very serious. There is a test before us. If the
test comes off all will be clear. And the test will depend upon the
conduct of this little weapon. One cartridge out. Now we will
replace the other five and put on the safetycatch. So! That
increases the weight and makes it a better reproduction."
I had no glimmer of what was in his mind, nor did he enlighten me,
but sat lost in thought until we pulled up in the little Hampshire
station, We secured a ramshackle trap, and in a quarter of all hour
were at the house of our confidential friend, the sergeant.
"A clue, Mr. Holmes? What is it?"
"It all depends upon the behaviour of Dr. Watson's revolver," said
my friend. Here it is. Now, officer, can you give me ten yards of
string?"
The village shop provided a ball of stout twine.
"I think that this is all we will need," said Holmes. "Now, if you
please, we will get off on what I hope is the last stage of our
journey."
The sun was setting and turning the rolling Hampshire moor into a
wonderful autumnal panorama. The sergeant, with many critical and
incredulous glances, which showed his deep doubts of the sanity of
my companion, lurched along beside us. As we approached the scene of
the crime I could see that my friend under all his habitual coolness
was in truth deeply agitated.
"Yes," he said in answer to my remark, "you have seen me miss my
mark before, Watson. I have all instinct for such things, and yet it
has sometimes played me false. It seemed a certainty when first it
flashed across my mind in the cell at Winchester, but one drawback
of an active mind is that one can always conceive alternative
explanations which would make our scent a false one. And yet- and yet-
Well, Watson, we can but try"
As he walked he had firmly tied one end of the string to the
handle of the revolver. We had now reached the scene of the tragedy.
With great care he marked out under the guidance of the policeman
the exact spot where the body had been stretched. He then hunted among
the heather and the ferns until he found a considerable stone. This he
secured to the other end of his line of string, and he hung it over
the parapet of the bridge so that it swung clear above the water. He
then stood on the fatal spot, some distance from the edge of the
bridge, with my revolver in his hand, the string being taut between
the weapon and the heavy stone on the farther side.
"Now for it!" he cried.
At the words he raised the pistol to his head, and then let go his
grip. In an instant it had been whisked away by the weight of the
stone, had struck with a sharp crack against the parapet, and had
vanished over the side into the water. It had hardly gone before
Holmes was kneeling beside tile stonework, and a joyous cry showed
that he had found what he expected.
"Was there ever a more exact demonstration?" he cried. "See, Watson,
your revolver has solved the problem!" As he spoke he pointed to a
second chip of the exact size and shape of the first which had
appeared on the under edge of the stone balustrade.
"We'll stay at the inn to-night," he continued as he rose and
faced the astonished sergeant. "You will, of course, get a
grappling-hook and you will easily restore my friend's revolver. You
will also find beside it the revolver, string and weight with which
this vindictive woman attempted to disguise her own crime and to
fasten a charge of murder upon an innocent victim. You can let Mr.
Gibson know that I will see him in the morning, when steps can be
taken for Miss Dunbar's vindication."
Late that evening, is we sat together smoking our pipes in the
village inn, Holmes gave me a brief review of what had passed.
"I fear, Watson," said he, "that you will not improve any reputation
which I may have acquired by adding the case of the Thor Bridge
mystery to your annals. I have been sluggish in mind and wanting in
that mixture of imagination and reality which is the basis of my
art. I confess that the chip in the stonework was a sufficient clue to
suggest the true solution, and that I blame myself for not having
attained it sooner.
"It must be admitted that the workings of this unhappy woman's
mind were deep and subtle, so that it was no very simple matter to
unravel her plot. I do not think that in our adventures we have ever
come across a stranger example of what perverted love can bring about.
Whether Miss Dunbar was her rival in a physical or in a merely
mental sense seems to have been equally unforgivable in her eyes. No
doubt she blamed this innocent lady for all those harsh dealings and
unkind words with which her husband tried to repel her too
demonstrative affection. Her first resolution was to end her own life.
Her second was to do it in such a way as to involve her victim in a
fate which was worse far than any sudden death could be.
"We can follow the various steps quite clearly, and they show a
remarkable subtlety of mind. A note was extracted very cleverly from
Miss Dunbar which would make it appear that she had chosen the scene
of the crime. In her anxiety that it should be discovered she somewhat
overdid it by holding it in her hand to the last. This alone should
have excited my suspicions earlier than it did.
"Then she took one of her husband's revolvers- there was, as you
saw, an arsenal in the house- and kept it for her own use. A similar
one she concealed that morning in Miss Dunbar's wardrobe after
discharging one barrel, which she could easily do in the woods without
attracting attention. She then went down to the bridge where she had
contrived this exceedingly ingenious method for getting rid of her
weapon. When Miss Dunbar appeared she used her last breath in
pouring out her hatred, and then, when she was out of hearing, carried
out her terrible purpose. Every link is now in its place and the chain
is complete. The papers may ask why the mere was not dragged in the
first instance, but it is easy to be wise after the event, and in
any case the expanse of a reed-filled lake is no easy matter to drag
unless you have a clear perception of what you are looking for and
where. Well, Watson, we have helped a remarkable woman, and also a
formidable man. Should they in the future join their forces, as
seems not unlikely, the financial world may find that Mr. Neil
Gibson has learned something in that schoolroom of sorrow where our
earthly lessons are taught."
THE END
.
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
The Red-Headed League
I had called upon my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, one day in the
autumn of last year and found him in deep conversation with a very
stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman with fiery red hair. With
an apology for my intrusion, I was about to withdraw when Holmes
pulled me abruptly into the room and closed the door behind me.
"You could not possibly have come at a better time, my dear
Watson," he said cordially.
"I was afraid that you were engaged."
"So I am. Very much so."
"Then I can wait in the next room."
"Not at all. This gentleman, Mr. Wilson, has been my partner
and helper in many of my most successful cases, and I have no
doubt that he will be of the utmost use to me in yours also."
The stout gentleman half rose from his chair and gave a bob of
greeting, with a quick little questioning glance from his small,
fat-encircled eyes.
"Try the settee," said Holmes, relapsing into his armchair and
putting his fingertips together, as was his custom when in
judicial moods. "I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love
of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum
routine of everyday life. You have shown your relish for it by
the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle, and, if you
will excuse my saying so, somewhat to embellish so many of my own
little adventures."
"Your cases have indeed been of the greatest interest to me,"
I observed.
"You will remember that I remarked the other day, just before
we went into the very simple problem presented by Miss Mary
Sutherland, that for strange effects and extraordinary
combinations we must go to life itself, which is always far more
daring than any effort of the imagination."
"A proposition which I took the liberty of doubting."
"You did, Doctor, but none the less you must come round to my
view, for otherwise I shall keep on piling fact upon fact on you
until your reason breaks down under them and acknowledges me to be
right. Now, Mr. Jabez Wilson here has been good enough to call
upon me this morning, and to begin a narrative which promises to
be one of the most singular which I have listened to for some
time. You have heard me remark that the strangest and most unique
things are very often connected not with the larger but with the
smaller crimes, and occasionally, indeed, where there is room for
doubt whether any positive crime has been committed. As far as I
have heard it is impossible for me to say whether the present case
is an instance of crime or not, but the course of events is
certainly among the most singular that I have ever listened to.
Perhaps, Mr. Wilson, you would have the great kindness to
recommence your narrative. I ask you not merely because my friend
Dr. Watson has not heard the opening part but also because the
peculiar nature of the story makes me anxious to have every
possible detail from your lips. As a rule, when I have heard some
slight indication of the course of events, I am able to guide
myself by the thousands of other similar cases which occur to my
memory. In the present instance I am forced to admit that the
facts are, to the best of my belief, unique."
The portly client puffed out his chest with an appearance of
some little pride and pulled a dirty and wrinkled newspaper from
the inside pocket of his greatcoat. As he glanced down the
advertisement column, with his head thrust forward and the paper
flattened out upon his knee, I took a good look at the man and
endeavoured, after the fashion of my companion, to read the
indications which might be presented by his dress or appearance.
I did not gain very much, however, by my inspection. Our
visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British
tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. He wore rather baggy gray
shepherd's check trousers, a not over-clean black frock-coat,
unbuttoned in the front, and a drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy
Albert chain, and a square pierced bit of metal dangling down as
an ornament. A frayed top-hat and a faded brown overcoat with a
wrinkled velvet collar lay upon a chair beside him. Altogether,
look as I would, there was nothing remarkable about the man save
his blazing red head, and the expression of extreme chagrin and
discontent upon his features.
Sherlock Holmes's quick eye took in my occupation, and he
shook his head with a smile as he noticed my questioning glances.
"Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual
labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has
been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of
writing lately, I can deduce nothing else."
Mr. Jabez Wilson started up in his chair, with his forefinger
upon the paper, but his eyes upon my companion.
"How, in the name of good-fortune, did you know all that, Mr.
Holmes?" he asked. "How did you know, for example, that I did
manual labour? It's as true as gospel, for I began as a ship's
carpenter."
"Your hands, my dear sir. Your right hand is quite a size
larger than your left. You have worked with it, and the muscles
are more developed."
"Well, the snuff, then, and the Freemasonry?"
"I won't insult your intelligence by telling you how I read
that, especially as, rather against the strict rules of your
order, you use an arc-and-compass breastpin."
"Ah, of course, I forgot that. But the writing?"
"What else can be indicated by that right cuff so very shiny
for five inches, and the left one with the smooth patch near the
elbow where you rest it upon the desk?"
"Well, but China?"
"The fish that you have tattooed immediately above your right
wrist could only have been done in China. I have made a small
study of tattoo marks and have even contributed to the literature
of the subject. That trick of staining the fishes' scales of a
delicate pink is quite peculiar to China. When, in addition, I
see a Chinese coin hanging from your watch-chain, the matter
becomes even more simple."
Mr. Jabez Wilson laughed heavily. "Well, I never!" said he.
"I thought at first that you had done something clever, but I see
that there was nothing in it, after all."
"I begin to think, Watson," said Holmes, "that I make a
mistake in explaining. `Omne ignotum pro magnifico,' you know,
and my poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer
shipwreck if I am so candid. Can you not find the advertisement,
Mr. Wilson?"
"Yes, I have got it now," he answered with his thick red
finger planted halfway down the column. "Here it is. This is
what began it all. You just read it for yourself, sir."
I took the paper from him and read as follows:
To THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE:
On account of the bequest of the late Ezekiah Hopkins, of
Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., there is now another vacancy
open which entitles a member of the League to a salary of 4 pound a
week for purely nominal services. All red-headed men who are
sound in body and mind, and above the age of twenty-one years,
are eligible. Apply in person on Monday, at eleven o'clock, to
Duncan Ross, at the offices of the League, 7 Pope's Court,
Fleet Street.
"What on earth does this mean?" I ejaculated after I had twice
read over the extraordinary announcement.
Holmes chuckled and wriggled in his chair, as was his habit
when in high spirits. "It is a little off the beaten track, isn't
it?" said he. "And now, Mr. Wilson, off you go at scratch and
tell us all about yourself, your household, and the effect which
this advertisement had upon your fortunes. You will first make a
note, Doctor, of the paper and the date."
"It is The Morning Chronicle of April 27, 1890. Just two
months ago."
"Very good. Now, Mr. Wilson?"
"Well, it is just as I have been telling you, Mr. Sherlock
Holmes," said Jabez Wilson, mopping his forehead; "I have a small
pawnbroker's business at Coburg Square, near the City. It's not a
very large affair, and of late years it has not done more than
just give me a living. I used to be able to keep two assistants,
but now I only keep one; and I would have a job to pay him but
that he is willing to come for half wages so as to learn the
business."
"What is the name of this obliging youth?" asked Sherlock
Holmes.
"His name is Vincent Spaulding, and he's not such a youth,
either. It's hard to say his age. I should not wish a smarter
assistant, Mr. Holmes; and I know very well that he could better
himself and earn twice what I am able to give him. But, after
all, if he is satisfied, why should I put ideas in his head?"
"Why, indeed? You seem most fortunate in having an employee
who comes under the full market price. It is not a common
experience among employers in this age. I don't know that your
assistant is not as remarkable as your advertisement."
"Oh, he has his faults, too," said Mr. Wilson. "Never was
such a fellow for photography. Snapping away with a camera when
he ought to be improving his mind, and then diving down into the
cellar like a rabbit into its hole to develop his pictures. That
is his main fault, but on the whole he's a good worker. There's
no vice in him."
"He is still with you, I presume?"
"Yes, sir. He and a girl of fourteen, who does a bit of
simple cooking and keeps the place clean--that's all I have in the
house, for I am a widower and never had any family. We live very
quietly, sir, the three of us; and we keep a roof over our heads
and pay our debts, if we do nothing more.
"The first thing that put us out was that advertisement.
Spaulding, he came down into the office just this day eight weeks,
with this very paper in his hand, and he says:
"`I wish to the Lord, Mr. Wilson, that I was a red-headed
man.'
"`Why that?' I asks.
"`Why,' says he, `here's another vacancy on the League of the
Red-headed Men. It's worth quite a little fortune to any man who
gets it, and I understand that there are more vacancies than there
are men, so that the trustees are at their wits end what to do
with the money. If my hair would only change colour, here's a
nice little crib all ready for me to step into.'
"`Why, what is it, then?' I asked. "You see, Mr. Holmes, I am
a very stay-at-home man, and as my business came to me instead of
my having to go to it, I was often weeks on end without putting my
foot over the door-mat. In that way I didn't know much of what
was going on outside, and I was always glad of a bit of news.
"`Have you never heard of the League of the Red-headed Men?'
he asked with his eyes open.
"`Never.'
"`Why, I wonder at that, for you are eligible yourself for one
of the vacancies.'
"`And what are they worth?' I asked.
"`Oh, merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work is
slight, and it need not interfere very much with one's other
occupations.'
"Well, you can easily think that that made me prick up my
ears, for the business has not been over-good for some years, and
an extra couple of hundred would have been very handy.
"`Tell me all about it,' said I."
"`Well,' said he, showing me the advertisement, `you can see
for yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the
address where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can
make out, the League was founded by an American millionaire,
Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways. He was
himself red-headed, and he had a great sympathy for all red-headed
men; so when he died it was found that he had left his enormous
fortune in the hands of trustees, with instructions to apply the
interest to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of
that colour. From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little
to do.'
"`But,' said I, `there would be millions of red-headed men who
would apply.'
"`Not so many as you might think,' he answered. `You see it
is really confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This American
had started from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the
old town a good turn. Then, again, I have heard it is no use your
applying if your hair is light red, or dark red, or anything but
real bright, blazing, fiery red. Now, if you cared to apply, Mr.
Wilson, you would just walk in; but perhaps it would hardly be
worth your while to put yourself out of the way for the sake of a
few hundred pounds.'
"Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves,
that my hair is of a very full and rich tint, so that it seemed to
me that if there was to be any competition in the matter I stood
as good a chance as any man that I had ever met. Vincent
Spaulding seemed to know so much about it that I thought he might
prove useful, so I just ordered him to put up the shutters for the
day and to come right away with me. He was very willing to have a
holiday, so we shut the business up and started off for the
address that was given us in the advertisement.
"I never hope to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes.
From north, south, east, and west every man who had a shade of red
in his hair had tramped into the city to answer the advertisement.
Fleet Street was choked with red-headed folk, and Pope's Court
looked like a coster's orange barrow. I should not have thought
there were so many in the whole country as were brought together
by that single advertisement. Every shade of colour they
were--straw, lemon, orange, brick, Irish-setter, liver, clay; but,
as Spaulding said, there were not many who had the real vivid
flame-coloured tint. When I saw how many were waiting, I would
have given it up in despair; but Spaulding would not hear of it.
How he did it I could not imagine, but he pushed and pulled and
butted until he got me through the crowd, and right up to the
steps which led to the office. There was a double stream upon the
stair, some going up in hope, and some coming back dejected; but
we wedged in as well as we could and soon found ourselves in the
office."
"Your experience has been a most entertaining one," remarked
Holmes as his client paused and refreshed his memory with a huge
pinch of snuff. "Pray continue your very interesting statement."
"There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs
and a deal table, behind which sat a small man with a head that
was even redder than mine. He said a few words to each candidate
as he came up, and then he always managed to find some fault in
them which would disqualify them. Getting a vacancy did not seem
to be such a very easy matter, after all. However, when our turn
came the little man was much more favourable to me than to any of
the others, and he closed the door as we entered, so that he might
have a private word with us.
"`This is Mr. Jabez Wilson,' said my assistant, `and he is
willing to fill a vacancy in the League.'
"`And he is admirably suited for it,' the other answered. `He
has every requirement. I cannot recall when I have seen anything
so fine.' He took a step backward, cocked his head on one side,
and gazed at my hair until I felt quite bashful. Then suddenly he
plunged forward, wrung my hand, and congratulated me warmly on my
success.
"`It would be injustice to hesitate,' said he. `You will,
however, I am sure, excuse me for taking an obvious precaution.'
With that he seized my hair in both his hands, and tugged until I
yelled with the pain. `There is water in your eyes,' said he as
he released me. `I perceive that all is as it should be. But we
have to be careful, for we have twice been deceived by wigs and
once by paint. I could tell you tales of cobbler's wax which
would disgust you with human nature.' He stepped over to the
window and shouted through it at the top of his voice that the
vacancy was filled. A groan of disappointment came up from below,
and the folk all trooped away in different directions until there
was not a red-head to be seen except my own and that of the
manager.
"`My name,' said he, `is Mr. Duncan Ross, and I am myself one
of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. Are
you a married man, Mr. Wilson? Have you a family?'
"I answered that I had not.
"His face fell immediately.
"`Dear me!' he said gravely, `that is very serious indeed! I
am sorry to hear you say that. The fund was, of course, for the
propagation and spread of the red-heads as well as for their
maintenance. It is exceedingly unfortunate that you should be a
bachelor.'
"My face lengthened at this, Mr. Holmes, for I thought that I
was not to have the vacancy after all; but after thinking it over
for a few minutes he said that it would be all right.
"`In the case of another,' said he, `the objection might be
fatal, but we must stretch a point in favour of a man with such a
head of hair as yours. When shall you be able to enter upon your
new duties?'
"`Well, it is a little awkward, for I have a business
already,' said I.
"`Oh, never mind about that, Mr. Wilson!' said Vincent
Spaulding. `I should be able to look after that for you.'
"`What would be the hours?' I asked.
"`Ten to two.'
"Now a pawnbroker's business is mostly done of an evening, Mr.
Holmes, especially Thursday and Friday evening, which is just
before pay-day; so it would suit me very well to earn a little in
the mornings. Besides, I knew that my assistant was a good man,
and that he would see to anything that turned up.
"`That would suit me very well,' said I. `And the pay?'
"`Is 4 pound a week.'
"`And the work?'
"`Is purely nominal.'
"`What do you call purely nominal?'
"`Well, you have to be in the office, or at least in the
building, the whole time. If you leave, you forfeit your whole
position forever. The will is very clear upon that point. You
don't comply with the conditions if you budge from the office
during that time.'
"`It's only four hours a day, and I should not think of
leaving,' said I.
"`No excuse will avail,' said Mr. Duncan Ross; `neither
sickness nor business nor anything else. There you must stay, or
you lose your billet.'
"`And the work?'
"`Is to copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica. There is the
first volume of it in that press. You must find your own ink,
pens, and blotting-paper, but we provide this table and chair.
Will you be ready to-morrow?'
"`Certainly,' I answered.
"`Then, good-bye, Mr. Jabez Wilson, and let me congratulate
you once more on the important position which you have been
fortunate enough to gain.' He bowed me out of the room, and I
went home with my assistant, hardly knowing what to say or do, I
was so pleased at my own good fortune.
"Well, I thought over the matter all day, and by evening I was
in low spirits again; for I had quite persuaded myself that the
whole affair must be some great hoax or fraud, though what its
object might be I could not imagine. It seemed altogether past
belief that anyone could make such a will, or that they would pay
such a sum for doing anything so simple as copying out the
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vincent Spaulding did what he could to
cheer me up, but by bedtime I had reasoned myself out of the whole
thing. However, in the morning I determined to have a look at it
anyhow, so I bought a penny bottle of ink, and with a quill-pen,
and seven sheets of foolscap paper, I started off for Pope's
Court.
"Well, to my surprise and delight, everything was as right as
possible. The table was set out ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross
was there to see that I got fairly to work. He started me off
upon the letter A, and then he left me; but he would drop in from
time to time to see that all was right with me. At two o'clock he
bade me good-day, complimented me upon the amount that I had
written, and locked the door of the office after me.
"This went on day after day, Mr. Holmes, and on Saturday the
manager came in and planked down four golden sovereigns for my
week's work. It was the same next week, and the same the week
after. Every morning I was there at ten, and every afternoon I
left at two. By degrees Mr. Duncan Ross took to coming in only
once of a morning, and then, after a time, he did not come in at
all. Still, of course, I never dared to leave the room for an
instant, for I was not sure when he might come, and the billet was
such a good one, and suited me so well, that I would not risk the
loss of it.
"Eight weeks passed away like this, and I had written about
Abbots and Archery and Armour and Architecture and Attica, and
hoped with diligence that I might get on to the B's before very
long. It cost me something in foolscap, and I had pretty nearly
filled a shelf with my writings. And then suddenly the whole
business came to an end."
"To an end?"
"Yes, sir. And no later than this morning. I went to my work
as usual at ten o'clock, but the door was shut and locked, with a
little square of card-board hammered on to the middle of the panel
with a tack. Here it is, and you can read for yourself."
He held up a piece of white card-board about the size of a
sheet of note-paper. It read in this fashion:
THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE
IS
DISSOLVED.
October 9, 1890.
Sherlock Holmes and I surveyed this curt announcement and the
rueful face behind it, until the comical side of the affair so
completely overtopped every other consideration that we both burst
out into a roar of laughter.
"I cannot see that there is anything very funny," cried our
client, flushing up to the roots of his flaming head. "If you can
do nothing better than laugh at me, I can go elsewhere."
"No, no," cried Holmes, shoving him back into the chair from
which he had half risen. "I really wouldn't miss your case for
the world. It is most refreshingly unusual. But there is, if you
will excuse my saying so, something just a little funny about it.
Pray what steps did you take when you found the card upon the
door?"
"I was staggered, sir. I did not know what to do. Then I
called at the offices round, but none of them seemed to know
anything about it. Finally, I went to the landlord, who is an
accountant living on the ground-floor, and I asked him if he could
tell me what had become of the Red-headed League. He said that he
had never heard of any such body. Then I asked him who Mr. Duncan
Ross was. He answered that the name was new to him.
"`Well,' said I, `the gentleman at No. 4.'
"`What, the red-headed man?'
"`Yes.'
"`Oh,' said he, `his name was William Morris. He was a
solicitor and was using my room as a temporary convenience until
his new premises were ready. He moved out yesterday.'
"`Where could I find him?'
"`Oh, at his new offices. He did tell me the address. Yes,
17 King Edward Street, near St. Paul's.'
"I started off, Mr. Holmes, but when I got to that address it
was a manufactory of artificial knee-caps, and no one in it had
ever heard of either Mr. William Morris or Mr. Duncan Ross."
"And what did you do then?" asked Holmes.
"I went home to Saxe-Coburg Square, and I took the advice of
my assistant. But he could not help me in any way. He could only
say that if I waited I should hear by post. But that was not
quite good enough, Mr. Holmes. I did not wish to lose such a
place without a struggle, so, as I had heard that you were good
enough to give advice to poor folk who were in need of it, I came
right away to you."
"And you did very wisely," said Holmes. "Your case is an
exceedingly remarkable one, and I shall be happy to look into it.
From what you have told me I think that it is possible that graver
issues hang from it than might at first sight appear."
"Grave enough!" said Mr. Jabez Wilson. "Why, I have lost four
pound a week."
"As far as you are personally concerned," remarked Holmes, "I
do not see that you have any grievance against this extraordinary
league. On the contrary, you are, as I understand, richer by some
30 pound, to say nothing of the minute knowledge which you have gained
on every subject which comes under the letter A. You have lost
nothing by them."
"No, sir. But I want to find out about them, and who they
are, and what their object was in playing this prank--if it was a
prank--upon me. It was a pretty expensive joke for them, for it
cost them two and thirty pounds."
"We shall endeavour to clear up these points for you. And,
first, one or two questions, Mr. Wilson. This assistant of yours
who first called your attention to the advertisement--how long had
he been with you?"
"About a month then."
"How did he come?"
"In answer to an advertisement."
"Was he the only applicant?"
"No, I had a dozen."
"Why did you pick him?"
"Because he was handy and would come cheap."
"At half-wages, in fact."
"Yes."
"What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?"
"Small, stout-built, very quick in his ways, no hair on his
face, though he's not short of thirty. Has a white splash of acid
upon his forehead."
Holmes sat up in his chair in considerable excitement. "I
thought as much," said he. "Have you ever observed that his ears
are pierced for earrings?"
"Yes, sir. He told me that a gypsy had done it for him when
he was a lad."
"Hum!" said Holmes, sinking back in deep thought. "He is
still with you?"
"Oh, yes, sir; I have only just left him."
"And has your business been attended to in your absence?"
"Nothing to complain of, sir. There's never very much to do
of a morning."
"That will do, Mr. Wilson. I shall be happy to give you an
opinion upon the subject in the course of a day or two. To-day is
Saturday, and I hope that by Monday we may come to a conclusion."
"Well, Watson," said Holmes when our visitor had left us,
"what do you make of it all?"
"I make nothing of it," I answered frankly. "It is a most
mysterious business."
"As a rule," said Holmes, "the more bizarre a thing is the
less mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace,
featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a
commonplace face is the most difficult to identify. But I must be
prompt over this matter."
"What are you going to do, then?" I asked.
"To smoke," he answered. "It is quite a three pipe problem,
and I beg that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes." He
curled himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn up to
his hawk-like nose, and there he sat with his eyes closed and his
black clay pipe thrusting out like the bill of some strange bird.
I had come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep, and
indeed was nodding myself, when he suddenly sprang out of his
chair with the gesture of a man who has made up his mind and put
his pipe down upon the mantelpiece.
"Sarasate plays at the St. James's Hall this afternoon," he
remarked. "What do you think, Watson? Could your patients spare
you for a few hours?"
"I have nothing to do today. My practice is never very
absorbing."
"Then put on your hat and come. I am going through the City
first, and we can have some lunch on the way. I observe that
there is a good deal of German music on the programme, which is
rather more to my taste than Italian or French. It is
introspective, and I want to introspect. Come along!"
We travelled by the Underground as far as Aldersgate; and a
short walk took us to Saxe-Coburg Square, the scene of the
singular story which we had listened to in the morning. It was a
poky, little, shabby-genteel place, where four lines of dingy
two-storied brick houses looked out into a small railed-in
enclosure, where a lawn of weedy grass and a few clumps of faded
laurel-bushes made a hard fight against a smoke-laden and
uncongenial atmosphere. Three gilt balls and a brown board with
"JABEZ WILSON" in white letters, upon a corner house, announced
the place where our red-headed client carried on his business.
Sherlock Holmes stopped in front of it with his head on one side
and looked it all over, with his eyes shining brightly between
puckered lids. Then he walked slowly up the street, and then down
again to the corner, still looking keenly at the houses. Finally
he returned to the pawnbroker's, and, having thumped vigorously
upon the pavement with his stick two or three times, he went up to
the door and knocked. It was instantly opened by a
bright-looking, clean-shaven young fellow, who asked him to step
in.
"Thank you," said Holmes, "I only wished to ask you how you
would go from here to the Strand."
"Third right, fourth left," answered the assistant promptly,
closing the door.
"Smart fellow, that," observed Holmes as we walked away. "He
is, in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London, and for
daring I am not sure that he has not a claim to be third. I have
known something of him before."
"Evidently," said I, "Mr. Wilson's assistant counts for a good
deal in this mystery of the Red-headed League. I am sure that you
inquired your way merely in order that you might see him."
"Not him."
"What then?"
"The knees of his trousers."
"And what did you see?"
"What I expected to see."
"Why did you beat the pavement?"
"My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk.
We are spies in an enemy's country. We know something of
Saxe-Coburg Square. Let us now explore the parts which lie behind
it."
The road in which we found ourselves as we turned round the
corner from the retired Saxe-Coburg Square presented as great a
contrast to it as the front of a picture does to the back. It was
one of the main arteries which conveyed the traffic of the City to
the north and west. The roadway was blocked with the immense
stream of commerce flowing in a double tide inward and outward,
while the footpaths were black with the hurrying swarm of
pedestrians. It was difficult to realize as we looked at the line
of fine shops and stately business premises that they really
abutted on the other side upon the faded and stagnant square which
we had just quitted.
"Let me see," said Holmes, standing at the corner and glancing
along the line, "I should like just to remember the order of the
houses here. It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of
London. There is Mortimer's, the tobacconist, the little
newspaper shop, the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban Bank,
the Vegetarian Restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage-building
depot. That carries us right on to the other block. And now,
Doctor, we've done our work, so it's time we had some play. A
sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then off to violin-land, where
all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony, and there are no
red-headed clients to vex us with their conundrums."
My friend was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only
a very capable performer but a composer of no ordinary merit. All
the afternoon he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect
happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the
music, while his gently smiling face and his languid, dreamy eyes
were as unlike those of Holmes, the sleuth-hound, Holmes the
relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent, as it was
possible to conceive. In his singular character the dual nature
alternately asserted itself, and his extreme exactness and
astuteness represented, as I have often thought, the reaction
against the poetic and contemplative mood which occasionally
predominated in him. The swing of his nature took him from
extreme languor to devouring energy; and, as I knew well, he was
never so truly formidable as when, for days on end, he had been
lounging in his armchair amid his improvisations and his
black-letter editions. Then it was that the lust of the chase
would suddenly come upon him, and that his brilliant reasoning
power would rise to the level of intuition, until those who were
unacquainted with his methods would look askance at him as on a
man whose knowledge was not that of other mortals. When I saw him
that afternoon so enwrapped in the music at St. James's Hall I
felt that an evil time might be coming upon those whom he had set
himself to hunt down.
"You want to go home, no doubt, Doctor," he remarked as we
emerged.
"Yes, it would be as well."
"And I have some business to do which will take some hours.
This business at Coburg Square is serious."
"Why serious?"
"A considerable crime is in contemplation. I have every
reason to believe that we shall be in time to stop it. But to-day
being Saturday rather complicates matters. I shall want your help
to-night."
"At what time?"
"Ten will be early enough."
"I shall be at Baker Street at ten."
"Very well. And, I say, Doctor, there may be some little
danger, so kindly put your army revolver in your pocket." He
waved his hand, turned on his heel, and disappeared in an instant
among the crowd.
I trust that I am not more dense than my neighbours, but I was
always oppressed with a sense of my own stupidity in my dealings
with Sherlock Holmes. Here I had heard what he had heard, I had
seen what he had seen, and yet from his words it was evident that
he saw clearly not only what had happened but what was about to
happen, while to me the whole business was still confused and
grotesque. As I drove home to my house in Kensington I thought
over it all, from the extraordinary story of the red-headed copier
of the Encyclopaedia down to the visit to Saxe-Coburg Square, and
the ominous words with which he had parted from me. What was this
nocturnal expedition, and why should I go armed? Where were we
going, and what were we to do? I had the hint from Holmes that
this smooth-faced pawnbroker's assistant was a formidable man--a
man who might play a deep game. I tried to puzzle it out, but
gave it up in despair and set the matter aside until night should
bring an explanation.
It was a quarter-past nine when I started from home and made
my way across the Park, and so through Oxford Street to Baker
Street. Two hansoms were standing at the door, and as I entered
the passage I heard the sound of voices from above. On entering
his room I found Holmes in animated conversation with two men, one
of whom I recognized as Peter Jones, the official police agent,
while the other was a long, thin, sad-faced man, with a very shiny
hat and oppressively respectable frock-coat.
"Ha! our party is complete," said Holmes, buttoning up his
pea-jacket and taking his heavy hunting crop from the rack.
"Watson, I think you know Mr. Jones, of Scotland Yard? Let me
introduce you to Mr. Merryweather, who is to be our companion in
to-night's adventure."
"We're hunting in couples again, Doctor, you see," said Jones
in his consequential way. "Our friend here is a wonderful man for
starting a chase. All he wants is an old dog to help him to do
the running down."
"I hope a wild goose may not prove to be the end of our
chase," observed Mr. Merryweather gloomily.
"You may place considerable confidence in Mr. Holmes, sir,"
said the police agent loftily. "He has his own little methods,
which are, if he won't mind my saying so, just a little too
theoretical and fantastic, but he has the makings of a detective
in him. It is not too much to say that once or twice, as in that
business of the Sholto murder and the Agra treasure, he has been
more nearly correct than the official force."
"Oh, if you say so, Mr. Jones, it is all right," said the
stranger with deference. "Still, I confess that I miss my rubber.
It is the first Saturday night for seven-and-twenty years that I
have not had my rubber."
"I think you will find," said Sherlock Holmes, "that you will
play for a higher stake to-night than you have ever done yet, and
that the play will be more exciting. For you, Mr. Merryweather,
the stake will be some 30,000 pounds; and for you, Jones, it will be the
man upon whom you wish to lay your hands."
"John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger. He's a
young man, Mr. Merryweather, but he is at the head of his
profession, and I would rather have my bracelets on him than on
any criminal in London. He's a remarkable man, is young John
Clay. His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has been
to Eton and Oxford. His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and
though we meet signs of him at every turn, we never know where to
find the man himself. He'll crack a crib in Scotland one week,
and be raising money to build an orphanage in Cornwall the next.
I've been on his track for years and have never set eyes on him
yet."
"I hope that I may have the pleasure of introducing you
to-night. I've had one or two little turns also with Mr. John
Clay, and I agree with you that he is at the head of his
profession. It is past ten, however, and quite time that we
started. If you two will take the first hansom, Watson and I will
follow in the second."
Sherlock Holmes was not very communicative during the long
drive and lay back in the cab humming the tunes which he had heard
in the afternoon. We rattled through an endless labyrinth of
gas-lit streets until we emerged into Farrington Street.
"We are close there now," my friend remarked. "This fellow
Merryweather is a bank director, and personally interested in the
matter. I thought it as well to have Jones with us also. He is
not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile in his profession.
He has one positive virtue. He is as brave as a bulldog and as
tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws upon anyone. Here we
are, and they are waiting for us."
We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had
found ourselves in the morning. Our cabs were dismissed, and,
following the guidance of Mr. Merryweather, we passed down a
narrow passage and through a side door, which he opened for us.
Within there was a small corridor, which ended in a very massive
iron gate. This also was opened, and led down a flight of winding
stone steps, which terminated at another formidable gate. Mr.
Merryweather stopped to light a lantern, and then conducted us
down a dark, earth-smelling passage, and so, after opening a third
door, into a huge vault or cellar, which was piled all round with
crates and massive boxes.
"You are not very vulnerable from above," Holmes remarked as
he held up the lantern and gazed about him.
"Nor from below," said Mr. Merryweather, striking his stick
upon the flags which lined the floor. "Why, dear me, it sounds
quite hollow!" he remarked, looking up in surprise.
"I must really ask you to be a little more quiet!" said Holmes
severely. "You have already imperilled the whole success of our
expedition. Might I beg that you would have the goodness to sit
down upon one of those boxes, and not to interfere?"
The solemn Mr. Merryweather perched himself upon a crate, with
a very injured expression upon his face, while Holmes fell upon
his knees upon the floor and, with the lantern and a magnifying
lens, began to examine minutely the cracks between the stones. A
few seconds sufficed to satisfy him, for he sprang to his feet
again and put his glass in his pocket.
"We have at least an hour before us," he remarked, "for they
can hardly take any steps until the good pawnbroker is safely in
bed. Then they will not lose a minute, for the sooner they do
their work the longer time they will have for their escape. We
are at present, Doctor--as no doubt you have divined--in the
cellar of the City branch of one of the principal London banks.
Mr. Merryweather is the chairman of directors, and he will explain
to you that there are reasons why the more daring criminals of
London should take a considerable interest in this cellar at
present."
"It is our French gold," whispered the director. "We have had
several warnings that an attempt might be made upon it."
"Your French gold?"
"Yes. We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our
resources and borrowed for that purpose 30,000 napoleons from the
Bank of France. It has become known that we have never had
occasion to unpack the money, and that it is still lying in our
cellar. The crate upon which I sit contains 2,000 napoleons
packed between layers of lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is
much larger at present than is usually kept in a single branch
office, and the directors have had misgivings upon the subject."
"Which were very well justified," observed Holmes. "And now
it is time that we arranged our little plans. I expect that
within an hour matters will come to a head. In the meantime, Mr.
Merryweather, we must put the screen over that dark lantern."
"And sit in the dark?"
"I am afraid so. I had brought a pack of cards in my pocket,
and I thought that, as we were a partie carree, you might have
your rubber after all. But I see that the enemy's preparations
have gone so far that we cannot risk the presence of a light.
And, first of all, we must choose our positions. These are daring
men, and though we shall take them at a disadvantage, they may do
us some harm unless we are careful. I shall stand behind this
crate, and do you conceal yourselves behind those. Then, when I
flash a light upon them, close in swiftly. If they fire, Watson,
have no compunction about shooting them down."
I placed my revolver, cocked, upon the top of the wooden case
behind which I crouched. Holmes shot the slide across the front
of his lantern and left us in pitch darkness--such an absolute
darkness as I have never before experienced. The smell of hot
metal remained to assure us that the light was still there, ready
to flash out at a moment's notice. To me, with my nerves worked
up to a pitch of expectancy, there was something depressing and
subduing in the sudden gloom, and in the cold dank air of the
vault.
"They have but one retreat," whispered Holmes. "That is back
through the house into Saxe-Coburg Square. I hope that you have
done what I asked you, Jones?"
"I have an inspector and two officers waiting at the front
door."
"Then we have stopped all the holes. And now we must be
silent and wait."
What a time it seemed! From comparing notes afterwards it was
but an hour and a quarter, yet it appeared to me that the night
must have almost gone, and the dawn be breaking above us. My
limbs were weary and stiff, for I feared to change my position;
yet my nerves were worked up to the highest pitch of tension, and
my hearing was so acute that I could not only hear the gentle
breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper,
heavier in-breath of the bulky Jones from the thin, sighing note
of the bank director. From my position I could look over the case
in the direction of the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint
of a light.
At first it was but a lurid spark upon the stone pavement.
Then it lengthened out until it became a yellow line, and then,
without any warning or sound, a gash seemed to open and a hand
appeared; a white, almost womanly hand, which felt about in the
centre of the little area of light. For a minute or more the
hand, with its writhing fingers, protruded out of the floor. Then
it was withdrawn as suddenly as it appeared, and all was dark
again save the single lurid spark which marked a chink between the
stones.
Its disappearance, however, was but momentary. With a
rending, tearing sound, one of the broad, white stones turned over
upon its side and left a square, gaping hole, through which
streamed the light of a lantern. Over the edge there peeped a
clean-cut, boyish face, which looked keenly about it, and then,
with a hand on either side of the aperture, drew itself
shoulder-high and waist-high, until one knee rested upon the edge.
In another instant he stood at the side of the hole and was
hauling after him a companion, lithe and small like himself, with
a pale face and a shock of very red hair.
"It's all clear," he whispered. "Have you the chisel and the
bags? Great Scott! Jump, Archie, jump, and I'll swing for it!"
Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the
collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of
rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. The light flashed
upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes's hunting crop came down
on the man's wrist, and the pistol clinked upon the stone floor.
"It's no use, John Clay," said Holmes blandly. "You have no
chance at all."
"So I see," the other answered with the utmost coolness. "I
fancy that my pal is all right, though I see you have got his
coat-tails."
"There are three men waiting for him at the door," said
Holmes.
"Oh, indeed! You seem to have done the thing very completely.
I must compliment you."
"And I you," Holmes answered. "Your red-headed idea was very
new and effective."
"You'll see your pal again presently," said Jones. "He's
quicker at climbing down holes than I am. Just hold out while I
fix the derbies."
"I beg that you will not touch me with your filthy hands,"
remarked our prisoner as the handcuffs clattered upon his wrists.
"You may not be aware that I have royal blood in my veins. Have
the goodness, also, when you address me always to say `sir' and
`please.'"
"All right," said Jones with a stare and a snigger. "Well,
would you please, sir, march upstairs, where we can get a cab to
carry your Highness to the police-station?"
"That is better," said John Clay serenely. He made a sweeping
bow to the three of us and walked quietly off in the custody of
the detective.
"Really, Mr. Holmes," said Mr. Merryweather as we followed
them from the cellar, "I do not know how the bank can thank you or
repay you. There is no doubt that you have detected and defeated
in the most complete manner one of the most determined attempts at
bank robbery that have ever come within my experience."
"I have had one or two little scores of my own to settle with
Mr. John Clay," said Holmes. "I have been at some small expense
over this matter, which I shall expect the bank to refund, but
beyond that I am amply repaid by having had an experience which is
in many ways unique, and by hearing the very remarkable narrative
of the Red-headed League."
"You see, Watson," he explained in the early hours of the
morning as we sat over a glass of whisky and soda in Baker Street,
"it was perfectly obvious from the first that the only possible
object of this rather fantastic business of the advertisement of
the League, and the copying of the Encyclopaedia, must be to get
this not over-bright pawnbroker out of the way for a number of
hours every day. It was a curious way of managing it, but,
really, it would be difficult to suggest a better. The method was
no doubt suggested to Clay's ingenious mind by the colour of his
accomplice's hair. The 4 pound a week was a lure which must draw him,
and what was it to them, who were playing for thousands? They put
in the advertisement, one rogue has the temporary office, the
other rogue incites the man to apply for it, and together they
manage to secure his absence every morning in the week. From the
time that I heard of the assistant having come for half wages, it
was obvious to me that he had some strong motive for securing the
situation."
"But how could you guess what the motive was?"
"Had there been women in the house, I should have suspected a
mere vulgar intrigue. That, however, was out of the question.
The man's business was a small one, and there was nothing in his
house which could account for such elaborate preparations, and
such an expenditure as they were at. It must, then, be something
out of the house. What could it be? I thought of the assistant's
fondness for photography, and his trick of vanishing into the
cellar. The cellar! There was the end of this tangled clue.
Then I made inquiries as to this mysterious assistant and found
that I had to deal with one of the coolest and most daring
criminals in London. He was doing something in the
cellar--something which took many hours a day for months on end.
What could it be, once more? I could think of nothing save that
he was running a tunnel to some other building.
"So far I had got when we went to visit the scene of action.
I surprised you by beating upon the pavement with my stick. I was
ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind.
It was not in front. Then I rang the bell, and, as I hoped, the
assistant answered it. We have had some skirmishes, but we had
never set eyes upon each other before. I hardly looked at his
face. His knees were what I wished to see. You must yourself
have remarked how worn, wrinkled, and stained they were. They
spoke of those hours of burrowing. The only remaining point was
what they were burrowing for. I walked round the corner, saw the
City and Suburban Bank abutted on our friend's premises, and felt
that I had solved my problem. When you drove home after the
concert I called upon Scotland Yard and upon the chairman of the
bank directors, with the result that you have seen."
"And how could you tell that they would make their attempt
to-night?" I asked.
"Well, when they closed their League offices that was a sign
that they cared no longer about Mr. Jabez Wilson's presence--in
other words, that they had completed their tunnel. But it was
essential that they should use it soon, as it might be discovered,
or the bullion might be removed. Saturday would suit them better
than any other day, as it would give them two days for their
escape. For all these reasons I expected them to come to-night."
"You reasoned it out beautifully," I exclaimed in unfeigned
admiration. "It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings
true."
"It saved me from ennui," he answered, yawning. "Alas! I
already feel it closing in upon me. My life is spent in one long
effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little
problems help me to do so."
"And you are a benefactor of the race," said I.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, perhaps, after all, it is
of some little use," he remarked. "`L'homme c'est rien--l'oeuvre
c'est tout,' as Gustave Flaubert wrote to George Sand."
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE REIGATE PUZZLE
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
It was some time before the health of my friend Mr. Sherlock
Holmes recovered from the strain caused by his immense exertions in
the spring of '87. The whole question of the Netherland-Sumatra
Company and of the colossal schemes of Baron Maupertuis are too recent
in the minds of the public, and are too intimately concerned with
politics and finance to be fitting subjects for this series of
sketches. They led, however, in an indirect fashion to a singular
and complex problem which gave my friend an opportunity of
demonstrating the value of a fresh weapon among the many with which he
waged his lifelong battle against crime.
On referring to my notes I see that it was upon the fourteenth of
April that I received a telegram from Lyons which informed me that
Holmes was lying ill in the Hotel Dulong. Within twenty-four hours I
was in his sick-room and was relieved to find that there was nothing
formidable in his symptoms. Even his iron constitution, however, had
broken down under the strain of an investigation which had extended
over two months, during which period he had never worked less than
fifteen hours a day and had more than once, as he assured me, kept
to his task for five days at a stretch. Even the triumphant issue of
his labours could not save him from reaction after so terrible an
exertion, and at a time when Europe was ringing with his name and when
his room was literally ankle-deep with congratulatory telegrams I
found him a prey to the blackest depression. Even the knowledge that
he had succeeded where the police of three countries had failed, and
that he had outmaneuvered at every point the most accomplished
swindler in Europe, was insufficient to rouse him from his nervous
prostration.
Three days later we were back in Baker Street together; but it was
evident that my friend would be much the better for a change, and
the thought of a week of springtime in the country was full of
attractions to me also. My old friend, Colonel Hayter, who had come
under my professional care in Afghanistan, had now taken a house
near Reigate in Surrey and had frequently asked me to come down to him
upon a visit. On the last occasion he had remarked that if my friend
would only come with me he would be glad to extend his hospitality
to him also. A little diplomacy was needed, but when Holmes understood
that the establishment was a bachelor one, and that he would be
allowed the fullest freedom, he fell in with my plans and a week after
our return from Lyons we were under the colonel's roof. Hayter was a
fine old soldier who had seen much of the world, and he soon found, as
I had expected, that Holmes and he had much in common.
On the evening of our arrival we were sitting in the colonel's
gun-room after dinner, Holmes stretched upon the sofa, while Hayter
and I looked over his little armory of Eastern weapons.
"By the way," said he suddenly, "I think I'll take one of these
pistols upstairs with me in case we have an alarm."
"An alarm!" said I.
"Yes, we've had a scare in this part lately. Old Acton, who is one
of our county magnates, had his house broken into last Monday. No
great damage done, but the fellows are still at large."
"No clue?" asked Holmes, cocking his eye at the colonel.
"None as yet. But the affair is a petty one, one of our little
country crimes, which must seem too small for your attention, Mr.
Holmes, after this great international affair."
Holmes waved away the compliment, though his smile showed that it
had pleased him.
"Was there any feature of interest?"
"I fancy not. The thieves ransacked the library and got very
little for their pains. The whole place was turned upside down,
drawers burst open, and presses ransacked, with the result that an odd
volume of Pope's Homer, two plated candlesticks, an ivory
letter-weight, a small oak barometer, and a ball of twine are all that
have vanished."
"What an extraordinary assortment!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, the fellows evidently grabbed hold of everything they could
get."
Holmes grunted from the sofa.
"The county police ought to make something of that" said he; "why,
it is surely obvious that-"
But i held up a warning finger.
"You are here for a rest, my dear fellow. For heaven's sake don't
get started on a new problem when your nerves are all in shreds."
Holmes shrugged his shoulders with a glance of comic resignation
towards the colonel, and the talk drifted away into less dangerous
channels.
It was destined, however, that all my professional caution should be
wasted, for next morning the problem obtruded itself upon us in such a
way that it was impossible to ignore it, and our country visit took
a turn which neither of us could have anticipated. We were at
breakfast when the colonel's butler rushed in with all his propriety
shaken out of him.
"Have you heard the news, sir?" he gasped. "At the Cunningham's,
sir!"
"Burglary!" cried the colonel, with his coffee-cup in mid-air.
"Murder!"
The colonel whistled. "By Jove!" said he. "Who's killed, then? The
J. P. or his son?"
"Neither, sir. It was William the coachman. Shot through the
heart, sir, and never spoke again."
"Who shot him, then?"
"The burglar, sir. He was off like a shot and got clean away. He'd
just broke in at the pantry window when William came on him and met
his end in saving his master's property."
"What time?"
"It was last night, sir, somewhere about twelve."
"Ah, then, we'll step over afterwards," said the colonel, coolly
settling down to his breakfast again. "It's a baddish business," he
added when the butler had gone; "he's our leading man about here, is
old Cunningham, and a very decent fellow too. He'll be cut up over
this, for the man has been in his service for years and was a good
servant. It's evidently the same villains who broke into Acton's."
"And stole that very singular collection," said Holmes thoughtfully.
"Precisely."
"Hum! It may prove the simplest matter in the world, but all the
same at first glance this is just a little curious, is it not? A
gang of burglar acting in the country might be expected to vary the
scene of their operations, and not to crack two cribs in the same
district within a few days. When you spoke last night of taking
precautions I remember that it passed through my mind that this was
probably the last parish in England to which the thief or thieves
would be likely to turn their attention-which shows that I have
still much to learn."
"I fancy it's some local practitioner," said the colonel. "In that
case, of course, Acton's and Cunningham's are just the places he would
go for, since they are far the largest about here."
"And richest?"
"Well, they ought to be, but they've had a lawsuit for some years
which has sucked the blood out of both of them, I fancy. Old Acton has
some claim on half Cunningham's estate, and the lawyers have been at
it with both hands."
"If it's a local villain there should not be much difficulty in
running him down," said Holmes with a yawn. "All right, Watson, I
don't intend to meddle."
"Inspector Forrester, sir," said the butler, throwing open the door.
The official, a smart, keen-faced young fellow, stepped into the
room. "Good morning, Colonel," said he. "I hope I don't intrude, but
we hear that Mr. Holmes of Baker Street is here."
The colonel waved his hand towards my friend, and the inspector
bowed.
"We thought that perhaps you would care to step across, Mr. Holmes."
"The fates are against you, Watson," said he, laughing. "We were
chatting about the matter when you came in, Inspector. Perhaps you can
let us have a few details." As he leaned back in his chair in the
familiar attitude I knew that the case was hopeless.
"We had no clue in the Acton affair. But here we have plenty to go
on, and there's no doubt it is the same party in each case. The man
was seen."
"Ah!"
"Yes, sir. But he was off like a deer after the shot that killed
poor William Kirwan was fired. Mr. Cunningham saw him from the bedroom
window, and Mr. Alec Cunningham saw him from the back passage. It
was quarter to twelve when the alarm broke out. Mr. Cunningham had
just got into bed, and Mr. Alec was smoking a pipe in his
dressing-gown. They both heard William, the coachman, calling for
help, and Mr. Alec ran down to see what was the matter. The back
door was open, and as he came to the foot of the stairs he saw two men
wrestling together outside. One of them fired a shot, the other
dropped, and the murderer rushed across the garden and over the hedge.
Mr. Cunningham, looking out of his bedroom, saw the fellow as he
gained the road, but lost sight of him at once. Mr. Alec stopped to
see if he could help the dying man, and so the villain got clean away.
Beyond the fact that he was a middle-sized man and dressed in some
dark stuff, we have no personal clue, but we are making energetic
inquiries, and if he is a stranger we shall soon find him out."
"What was this William doing there? Did he say anything before he
died?"
"Not a word. He lives at the lodge with his mother, and as he was
a very faithful fellow we imagine that he walked up to the house
with the intention of seeing that all was right there. Of course
this Acton business has put everyone on their guard. The robber must
have just burst open the door-the lock has been forced-when William
came upon him."
"Did William say anything to his mother before going out?"
"She is very old and deaf, and we can get no information from her.
The shock has made her half-witted, but I understand that she was
never very bright. There is one very important circumstance,
however. Look at this!"
He took a small piece of torn paper from a notebook and spread it
out upon his knee.
"This was found between the finger and thumb of the dead man. It
appears to be a fragment torn from a larger sheet. You will observe
that the hour mentioned upon it is the very time at which the poor
fellow met his fate. You see that his murderer might have torn the
rest of the sheet from him or he might have taken this fragment from
the murderer. It reads almost as though it were an appointment."
Holmes took up the scrap of paper, a facsimile of which is here
reproduced.
(See illustration.)
"Presuming that it is an appointment," continued the inspector,
"it is of course a conceivable theory that this William Kirwan, though
he had the reputation of being an honest man, may have been in
league with the thief. He may have met him there, may even have helped
him to break in the door, and then they may have fallen out between
themselves."
"This writing is of extraordinary interest," said Holmes, who had
been examining it with intense concentration. "These are much deeper
waters than I had thought." He sank his head upon his hands, while the
inspector smiled at the effect which his case had had upon the
famous London specialist.
"Your last remark," said Holmes presently, "as to the possibility of
there being an understanding between the burglar and the servant,
and this being a note of appointment from one to the other, is an
ingenious and not entirely impossible supposition. But this writing
opens up-" He sank his head into his hands again and remained for some
minutes in the deepest thought. When he raised his face again I was
surprised to see that his cheek was tinged with colour, and his eyes
as bright as before his illness. He sprang to his feet with all his
old energy.
"I'll tell you what," said he, "I should like to have a quiet little
glance into the details of this case. There is something in it which
fascinates me extremely. If you will permit me, Colonel, I will
leave my friend Watson and you, and I will step round with the
inspector to test the truth of one or two little fancies of mine. I
will be with you again in half an hour."
An hour and a half had elapsed before the inspector returned alone.
"Mr. Holmes is walking up and down in the field outside," said he.
"He wants us all four to go up to the house together."
"To Mr. Cunningham's?"
"Yes, sir."
"What for?"
The inspector shrugged his shoulders. "I don't quite know, sir.
Between ourselves, I think Mr. Holmes has not quite got over his
illness yet. He's been behaving very queerly, and he is very much
excited."
"I don't think you need alarm yourself," said I. "I have usually
found that there was method in his madness."
"Some folk might say there was madness in his method," muttered
the inspector. "But he's all on fire to start, Colonel, so we had best
go out if you are ready."
We found Holmes pacing up and down in the field, his chin sunk
upon his breast, and his hands thrust into his trousers pockets.
"The matter grows in interest," said he. "Watson, your country
trip has been a distinct success. I have had a charming morning."
"You have been up to the scene of the crime, I understand," said the
colonel.
"Yes, the inspector and I have made quite a little reconnaissance
together."
"Any success?'
"Well, we have seen some very interesting things. I'll tell you what
we did as we walk. First of all, we saw the body of this unfortunate
man. He certainly died from a revolver wound as reported."
"Had you doubted it then?"
"Oh, it is as well to test everything. Our inspection was not
wasted. We then had an interview with Mr. Cunningham and his son,
who were able to point out the exact spot where the murderer had
broken through the garden-hedge in his flight. That was of great
interest."
"Naturally."
"Then we had a look at this poor fellow's mother. We could get no
information from her, however, as she is very old and feeble."
"And what is the result of your investigations?"
"The conviction that the crime is a very peculiar one. Perhaps our
visit now may do something to make it less obscure. I think that we
are both agreed, Inspector, that the fragment of paper in the dead
man's hand, bearing, as it does, the very hour of his death written
upon it is of extreme importance."
"It should give a clue, Mr. Holmes."
"It does give a clue. Whoever wrote that note was the man who
brought William Kirwan out of his bed at that hour. But where is the
rest of that sheet of paper?"
"I examined the ground carefully in the hope of finding it," said the
inspector.
"It was torn out of the dead man's hand. Why was someone so anxious
to get possession of it? Because it incriminated him. And what would
he do with it? Thrust it into his pocket, most likely, never
noticing that a corner of it had been left in the grip of the
corpse. If we could get the rest of that sheet it is obvious that we
should have gone a long way towards solving the mystery."
"Yes, but how can we get at the criminal's pocket before we catch
the criminal?"
"Well, well, it was worth thinking over. Then there is another
obvious point. The note was sent to William. The man who wrote it
could not have taken it; otherwise, of course, he might have delivered
his own message by word of mouth. Who brought the note, then? Or did
it come through the post?"
"I have made inquiries," said the inspector. "William received a
letter by the afternoon post yesterday. The envelope was destroyed
by him."
"Excellent!" cried Holmes, clapping the inspector on the back.
"You've seen the postman. It is a pleasure to work with you. Well,
here is the lodge, and if you will come up, Colonel, I will show you
the scene of the crime."
We passed the pretty cottage where the murdered man had lived and
walked up an oak-lined avenue to the fine old Queen Anne house,
which bears the date of Malplaquet upon the lintel of the door. Holmes
and the inspector led us round it until we came to the side gate,
which is separated by a stretch of garden from the hedge which lines
the road. A constable was standing at the kitchen door.
"Throw the door open, officer," said Holmes. "Now, it was on those
stairs that Young Mr. Cunningham stood and saw the two men
struggling just where we are. Old Mr. Cunningham was at that
window-the second on the left-and he saw the fellow get away just to
the left of that bush. So did the son. They are both sure of it on
account of the bush. Then Mr. Alec ran out and knelt beside the
wounded man. The ground is very hard, you see, and there are no
marks to guide us." As he spoke two men came down the garden path,
from round the angle of the house. The one was an elderly man, with
a strong, deep-lined, heavy-eyed face; the other a dashing young
fellow, whose bright, smiling expression and showy dress were in
strange contrast with the business which had brought us there.
"Still at it, then?" said he to Holmes. "I thought you Londoners
were never at fault. You don't seem to be so very quick, after all."
"Ah, you must give us a little time," said Holmes good-humouredly.
"You'll want it," said young Alec Cunningham. "Why, I don't see that
we have any clue at all."
"There's only one," answered the inspector. "We thought that if we
could only find-Good heavens, Mr. Holmes! what is the matter?"
My poor friend's face had suddenly assumed the most dreadful
expression. His eyes rolled upward, his features writhed in agony, and
with a suppressed groan he dropped on his face upon the ground.
Horrified at the suddenness and severity of the attack, we carried him
into the kitchen, where he lay back in a large chair and breathed
heavily for some minutes. Finally, with a shamefaced apology for his
weakness, he rose once more.
"Watson would tell you that I have only just recovered from a severe
illness," he explained. "I am liable to these sudden nervous attacks."
"Shall I send you home in my trap?" asked old Cunningham.
"Well, since I am here, there is one point on which I should like to
feel sure. We can very easily verify it."
"What is it?"
"Well, it seems to me that it is just possible that the arrival of
this poor fellow William was not before, but after, the entrance of
the burglar into the house. You appear to take it for granted that
although the door was forced the robber never got in."
"I fancy that is quite obvious," said Mr. Cunningham gravely.
"Why, my son Alec had not yet gone to bed, and he would certainly have
heard anyone moving about."
"Where was he sitting?"
"I was smoking in my dressing-room."
"Which window is that?"
"The last on the left, next my father's."
"Both of your lamps were lit, of course?"
"Undoubtedly."
"There are some very singular points here," said Holmes, smiling.
"Is it not extraordinary that a burglar-and a burglar who had some
previous experience- should deliberately break into a house at a
time when he could see from the lights that two of the family were
still afoot?"
"He must have been a cool hand."
"Well, of course, if the case were not an odd one we should not have
been driven to ask you for an explanation," said young Mr. Alec.
"But as to your ideas that the man had robbed the house before William
tackled him, I think it a most absurd notion. Wouldn't we have found
the place disarranged and missed the things which he had taken?"
"It depends on what the things were," said Holmes. "You must
remember that we are dealing with a burglar who is a very peculiar
fellow, and who appears to work on lines of his own. Look, for
example, at the queer lot of things which he took from Acton's-what
was it?-a ball of string, a letter-weight, and I don't know what other
odds and ends."
"Well, we are quite in your hands, Mr. Holmes," said old Cunningham.
"Anything which you or the inspector may suggest will most certainly
be done."
"In the first place," said Holmes, "I should like you to offer a
reward-coming from yourself, for the officials may take a little
time before they would agree upon the sum, and these things cannot
be done too promptly. I have jotted down the form here, if you would
not mind signing it. Fifty pounds was quite enough, I thought."
"I would willingly give five hundred," said the J. P., taking the
slip of paper and the pencil which Holmes handed to him. "This is
not quite correct however," he added, glancing over the document.
"I wrote it rather hurriedly."
"You see you begin, 'Whereas, at about a quarter to one on Tuesday
morning an attempt was made,' and so on. It was at a quarter to
twelve, as a matter of fact."
I was pained at the mistake, for I knew how keenly Holmes would feel
any slip of the kind. It was his specialty to be accurate as to
fact, but his recent illness had shaken him, and this one little
incident was enough to show me that he was still far from being
himself. He was obviously embarrassed for an instant, while the
inspector raised his eyebrows, and Alec Cunningham burst into a laugh.
The old gentleman corrected the mistake, however, and handed the paper
back to Holmes.
"Get it printed as soon as possible," he said; "I think your idea is
an excellent one."
Holmes put the slip of paper carefully away into his pocketbook.
"And now," said he, "it really would be a good thing that we
should all go over the house together and make certain that this
rather erratic burglar did not, after all, carry anything away with
him."
Before entering, Holmes made an examination of the door which had
been forced. It was evident that a chisel or strong knife had been
thrust in, and the lock forced back with it. We could see the marks in
the wood where it had been pushed in.
"You don't use bars, then?" he asked.
"We have never found it necessary."
"You don't keep a dog?"
"Yes, but he is chained on the other side of the house."
"When do the servants go to bed?"
"About ten."
"I understand that William was usually in bed also at that hour?"
"Yes."
"It is singular that on this particular night he should have been
up. Now, I should be very glad if you would have the kindness to
show us over the house, Mr. Cunningham."
A stone-flagged passage, with the kitchens branching away from it,
led by a wooden staircase directly to the first floor of the house. It
came out upon the landing opposite to a second more ornamental stair
which came up from the front hall. Out of this landing opened the
drawing-room and several bedrooms, including those of Mr. Cunningham
and his son. Holmes walked slowly, taking keen note of the
architecture of the house. I could tell from his expression that he
was on a hot scent and yet I could not in the least imagine in what
direction his inferences were leading him.
"My good sir," said Mr. Cunningham, with some impatience, "this is
surely very unnecessary. That is my room at the end of the stairs, and
my son's is the one beyond it. I leave it to your judgment whether
it was possible for the thief to have come up here without
disturbing us."
"You must try round and get on a fresh scent, I fancy," said the son
with a rather malicious smile.
"Still, I must ask you to humour me a little further. I should like,
for example, to see how far the windows of the bedrooms command the
front. This, I understand, is your son's room"-he pushed open the
door-"and that, I presume is the dressing-room in which he sat smoking
when the alarm was given. Where does the window of that look out
to?" He stepped across the bedroom, pushed open the door, and
glanced round the other chamber.
"I hope that you are satisfied now?" said Mr. Cunningham tartly.
"Thank you, I think I have seen all that I wished."
"Then if it is really necessary we can go into my room."
"If it is not too much trouble."
The J. P. shrugged his shoulders and led the way into his own
chamber, which was a plainly furnished and commonplace room. As we
moved across it in the direction of the window, Holmes fell back until
he and I were the last of the group. Near the foot of the bed stood
a dish of oranges and a carafe of water. As we passed it Holmes, to my
unutterable astonishment, leaned over in front of me and
deliberately knocked the whole thing over. The glass smashed into a
thousand pieces and the fruit rolled about into every corner of the
room.
"You've done it now, Watson," said he coolly. "A pretty mess
you've made of the carpet."
I stooped in some confusion and began to pick up the fruit,
understanding for some reason my companion desired me to take the
blame upon myself. The others did the same and set the table on its
legs again.
"Hullo!" cried the inspector, "where's he got to?"
Holmes had disappeared.
"Wait here an instant," said young Alec Cunningham. "The fellow is
off his head, in my opinion. Come with me, father, and see where he
has got to!"
They rushed out of the room, leaving the inspector, the colonel, and
me staring at each other.
"'Pon my word, I am inclined to agree with Master Alec," said the
official. "It may be the effect of this illness, but it seems to me
that-"
His words were cut short by a sudden scream of "Help! Help! Murder!"
With a thrill I recognized the voice as that of my friend. I rushed
madly from the room on to the landing. The cries, which had sunk
down into a hoarse, inarticulate shouting, came from the room which we
had first visited. I dashed in, and on into the dressing-room
beyond. The two Cunninghams were bending over the prostrate figure
of Sherlock Holmes, the younger clutching his throat with both
hands, while the elder seemed to be twisting one of his wrists. In
an instant the three of us had torn them away from him, and Holmes
staggered to his feet, very pale and evidently greatly exhausted.
"Arrest these men, Inspector," he gasped.
"On what charge?"
"That of murdering their coachman, William Kirwan."
The inspector stared about him in bewilderment. "Oh, come now, Mr.
Holmes," said he at last, "I'm sure you don't really mean to-"
"Tut, man, look at their faces!" cried Holmes curtly.
Never certainly have I seen a plainer confession of guilt upon human
countenances. The older man seemed numbed and dazed, with a heavy,
sullen expression upon his strongly marked face. The son, on the other
hand, had dropped all that jaunty, dashing style which had
characterized him, and the ferocity of a dangerous wild beast
gleamed in his dark eyes and distorted his handsome features. The
inspector said nothing, but, stepping to the door, he blew his
whistle. Two of his constables came at the call.
"I have no alternative, Mr. Cunningham," said he. "I trust that this
may all prove to be an absurd mistake, but you can see that-Ah,
would you? Drop it!" He struck out with his hand, and a revolver which
the younger man was in the act of cocking clattered down upon the
floor.
"Keep that," said Holmes, quietly putting his foot upon it; "you
will find it useful at the trial. But this is what we really
wanted." He held up a little crumpled piece of paper.
"The remainder of the sheet!" cried the inspector.
"Precisely."
"And where was it?"
"Where I was sure it must be. I'll make the whole matter clear to
you presently. I think, Colonel, that you and Watson might return now,
and I will be with you again in an hour at the furthest. The inspector
and I must have a word with the prisoners, but you will certainly
see me back at luncheon time."
Sherlock Holmes was as good as his word, for about one o'clock he
rejoined us in the colonel's smoking-room. He was accompanied by a
little elderly gentleman, who was introduced to me as the Mr. Acton
whose house had been the scene of the original burglary.
"I wished Mr. Acton to be present while I demonstrated this small
matter to you," said Holmes, "for it is natural that he should take
a keen interest in the details. I am afraid, my dear Colonel, that you
must regret the hour that you took in such a stormy petrel as I am."
"On the contrary," answered the colonel warmly, "I consider it the
greatest privilege to have been permitted to study your methods of
working. I confess that they quite surpass my expectations, and that I
am utterly unable to account for your result. I have not yet seen
the vestige of a clue."
"I am afraid that my explanation may disillusion you, but it has
always been my habit to hide none of my methods, either from my friend
Watson or from anyone who might take an intelligent interest in
them. But, first, as I am rather shaken by the knocking about which
I had in the dressing-room, I think that I shall help myself to a dash
of your brandy, Colonel. My strength has been rather tried of late."
"I trust you had no more of those nervous attacks."
Sherlock Holmes laughed heartily. "We will come to that in its
turn," said he. "I will lay an account of the case before you in its
due order, showing you the various points which guided me in my
decision. Pray interrupt me if there is any inference which is not
perfectly clear to you.
"It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be
able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental
and which vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be
dissipated instead of being concentrated. Now, in this case there
was not the slightest doubt in my mind from the first that the key
of the whole matter must be looked for in the scrap of paper in the
dead man's hand.
"Before going into this, I would draw your attention to the fact
that, if Alec Cunningham's narrative was correct, and if the
assailant, after shooting William Kirwan, had instantly fled, then
it obviously could not be he who tore the paper from the dead man's
hand. But if it was not he, it must have been Alec Cunningham himself,
for by the time that the old man had descended several servants were
upon the scene. The point is a simple one, but the inspector had
overlooked it because he had started with the supposition that these
county magnates had had nothing to do with the matter. Now, I make a
point of never having any prejudices, and of following docilely
wherever fact may lead me, and so, in the very first stage of the
investigation, I found myself looking a little askance at the part
which had been played by Mr. Alec Cunningham.
"And now I made a very careful examination of the corner of paper
which the inspector had submitted to us. It was at once clear to me
that it formed part of a very remarkable document. Here it is. Do
you not now observe something very suggestive about it?"
"It has a very irregular look," said the colonel.
"My dear sir," cried Holmes, "there cannot be the least doubt in the
world that it has been written by two persons doing alternate words.
When I draw your attention to the strong t's of 'at' and 'to,' and ask
you to compare them with the weak ones of 'quarter' and 'twelve,'
you will instantly recognize the fact. A very brief analysis of
these four words would enable you to say with the utmost confidence
that the 'learn' and the 'maybe' are written in the stronger hand, and
the 'what' in the weaker."
"By Jove, it's as clear as day!" cried the colonel. "Why on earth
should two men write a letter in such a fashion?"
"Obviously the business was a bad one, and one of the men who
distrusted the other was determined that, whatever was done, each
should have an equal hand in it. Now, of the two men, it is clear that
the one who wrote the 'at' and 'to' was the ringleader.'
"How do you get at that?"
"We might deduce it from the mere character of the one hand as
compared with the other. But we have more assured reasons than that
for supposing it. If you examine this scrap with attention you will
come to the conclusion that the man with the stronger hand wrote all
his words first, leaving blanks for the other to fill up. These blanks
were not always sufficient% and you can see that the second man had
a squeeze to fit his 'quarter' in between the 'at' and the 'to,'
showing that the latter were already written. The man who wrote all
his words first is undoubtedly the man who planned the affair."
"Excellent!" cried Mr. Acton.
"But very superficial," said Holmes. "We come now, however, to a
point which is of importance. You may not be aware that the
deduction of a man's age from his writing is one which has been
brought to considerable accuracy by experts. In normal cases one can
place a man in his true decade with tolerable confidence. I say normal
cases, because ill-health and physical weakness reproduce the signs of
old age, even when the invalid is a youth. In this case, looking at
the bold, strong hand of the one, and the rather broken-backed
appearance of the other, which still retains its legibility although
the t's have begun to lose their crossing, we can say that the one was
a young man and the other was advanced in years without being
positively decrepit."
"Excellent!" Cried Mr. Acton again.
"There is a further point, however, which is subtler and of
greater interest. There is something in common between these hands.
They belong to men who are blood-relatives. It may be most obvious
to you in the Greek e's, but to me there are many small points which
indicate the same thing. I have no doubt at all that a family
mannerism can be traced in these two specimens of writing. I am
only, of course, giving you the leading results now of my
examination of the paper. There were twenty-three other deductions
which would be of more interest to experts than to you. They all
tend to deepen the impression upon my mind that the Cunninghams,
father and son, had written this letter.
"Having got so far, my next step was, of course, to examine into the
details of the crime, and to see how far they would help us. I went up
to the house with the inspector and saw all that was to be seen. The
wound upon the dead man was, as I was able to determine with
absolute confidence, fired from a revolver at the distance of
something over four yards. There was no powder-blackening on the
clothes. Evidently, therefore, Alec Cunningham had lied when he said
that the two men were struggling when the shot was fired. Again,
both father and son agreed as to the place where the man escaped
into the road. At that point, however, as it happens, there is a
broadish ditch, moist at the bottom. As there were no indications of
boot-marks about this ditch, I was absolutely sure not only that the
Cunninghams had again lied but that there had never been any unknown
man upon the scene at all.
"And now I have to consider the motive of this singular crime. To
get at this, I endeavoured first of all to solve the reason of the
original burglary at Mr. Acton's. I understood, from something which
the colonel told us, that a lawsuit had been going on between you, Mr.
Acton, and the Cunninghams. Of course, it instantly occurred to me
that they had broken into your library with the intention of getting
at some document which might be of importance in the case."
"Precisely so," said Mr. Acton. "There can be no possible doubt as
to their intentions. I have the clearest claim upon half of their
present estate, and if they could have found a single paper-which,
fortunately, was in the strong-box of my solicitors-they would
undoubtedly have crippled our case."
"There you are," said Holmes, smiling. "It was a dangerous, reckless
attempt in which I seem to trace the influence of young Alec. Having
found nothing, they tried to divert suspicion by making it appear to
be an ordinary burglary, to which end they carried off whatever they
could lay their hands upon. That is all clear enough, but there was
much that was still obscure. What I wanted, above all, was to get
the missing part of that note. I was certain that Alec had torn it out
of the dead man's hand, and almost certain that he must have thrust it
into the pocket of his dressing-gown. Where else could he have put it?
The only question was whether it was still there. It was worth an
effort to find out, and for that object we all went up to the house.
"The Cunninghams joined us, as you doubtless remember, outside the
kitchen door. It was, of course, of the very first importance that
they should not be reminded of the existence of this paper,
otherwise they would naturally destroy it without delay. The inspector
was about to tell them the importance which we attached to it when, by
the luckiest chance in the world, I tumbled down in a sort of fit
and so changed the conversation."
"Good heavens!" cried the colonel, laughing, "do you mean to say all
our sympathy was wasted and your fit an imposture?"
"Speaking professionally, it was admirably done," cried I, looking
in amazement at this man who was forever confounding me with some
new phase of his astuteness.
"It is an art which is often useful," said he. "When I recovered I
managed, by a device which had perhaps some little merit of ingenuity,
to get old Cunningham to write the word 'twelve,' so that I might
compare it with the 'twelve' upon the paper. "
"Oh, what an ass I have been!" I exclaimed.
"I could see that you were commiserating me over my weakness,"
said Holmes, laughing. "I was sorry to cause you the sympathetic
pain which I know that you felt. We then went upstairs together,
and, having entered the room and seen the dressing-gown hanging up
behind the door, I contrived, by upsetting a table, to engage their
attention for the moment and slipped back to examine the pockets. I
had hardly got the paper, however-which was, as I had expected, in one
of them-when the two Cunninghams were on me, and would, I verily
believe, have murdered me then and there but for your prompt and
friendly aid. As it is, I feel that young man's grip on my throat now,
and the father has twisted my wrist round in the effort to get the
paper out of my hand. They saw that I must know all about it, you see,
and the sudden change from absolute security to complete despair
made them perfectly desperate.
"I had a little talk with old Cunningham afterwards as to the
motive of the crime. He was tractable enough, though his son was a
perfect demon, ready to blow out his own or anybody else's brains if
he could have got to his revolver. When Cunningham saw that the case
against him was so strong he lost all heart and made a clean breast of
everything. It seems that William had secretly followed his two
masters on the night when they made their raid upon Mr. Acton's and,
having thus got them into his power, proceeded, under threats of
exposure, to levy blackmail upon them. Mr. Alec, however, was a
dangerous man to play games of that sort with. It was a stroke of
positive genius on his part to see in the burglary scare which was
convulsing the countryside an opportunity of plausibly getting rid
of the man whom he feared. William was decoyed up and shot, and had
they only got the whole of the note and paid a little more attention
to detail in their accessories, it is very possible that suspicion
might never have been aroused.
"And the note?" I asked.
Sherlock Holmes placed the subjoined paper before us.
(See illustration.)
"It is very much the sort of thing that I expected," said he. "Of
course, we do not yet know what the relations may have been between
Alec Cunningham, William Kirwan, and Annie Morrison. The result
shows that the trap was skilfully baited. I am sure that you cannot
fail to be delighted with the traces of heredity shown in the p's
and in the tails of the g's. The absence of the i-dots in the old
man's writing is also most characteristic. Watson, I think our quiet
rest in the country has been a distinct success, and I shall certainly
return much invigorated to Baker Street to-morrow."
THE END
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE STOCK-BROKER'S CLERK
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Stock-Broker's Clerk
Shortly after my marriage I had bought a connection in the
Paddington district. Old Mr. Farquhar, from whom I purchased it, had
at one time an excellent general practice; but his age, and an
affliction of the nature of St. Vitus's dance from which he
suffered, had very much thinned it. The public not unnaturally goes on
the principle that he who would heal others must himself be whole, and
looks askance at the curative powers of the man whose own case is
beyond the reach of his drugs. Thus as my predecessor weakened his
practice declined, until when I purchased it from him it had sunk from
twelve hundred to little more than three hundred a year. I had
confidence, however, in my own youth and energy and was convinced that
in a very few years the concern would be as flourishing as ever.
For three months after taking over the practice I was kept very
closely at work and saw little of my friend Sherlock Holmes, for I was
too busy to visit Baker Street and he seldom went anywhere himself
save upon professional business. I was surprised, therefore, when, one
morning in June, as I sat reading the British Medical Journal after
breakfast, I heard a ring at the bell, followed by the high,
somewhat strident tones of my old companion's voice.
"Ah, my dear Watson," said he, striding into the room, "I am very
delighted to see you! I trust that Mrs. Watson has entirely
recovered from all the little excitements connected with our adventure
of the Sign of Four."
"Thank you, we are both very well," said I, shaking him warmly by
the hand.
"And I hope, also," he continued, sitting down in the rocking-chair,
"that the cares of medical practice have not entirely obliterated
the interest which you used to take in our little deductive problems."
"On the contrary," I answered, "it was only last night that I was
looking over my old notes, and classifying some of our past results."
"I trust that you don't consider your connection closed."
"Not at all. I should wish nothing better than to have some more
of such experiences."
"To-day, for example?"
"Yes, to-day, if you like."
"And as far off as Birmingham?"
"Certainly, if you wish it."
"And the practice?"
"I do my neighbour's when he goes. He is always ready to work off
the debt."
"Ha! nothing could be better," said Holmes, leaning back in his
chair and looking keenly at me from under his half-closed lids. "I
perceive that you have been unwell lately. Summer colds are always a
little trying."
"I was confined to the house by a severe chill for three days last
week. I thought, however, that I had cast off every trace of it."
"So you have. You look remarkably robust."
"How, then, did you know of it?"
"My dear fellow, you know my methods."
"You deduced it, then?"
"Certainly."
"And from what?"
"From your slippers."
I glanced down at the new patent-leathers which I was wearing.
"How on earth -" I began, but Holmes answered my question before it
was asked.
"Your slippers are new," he said. "You could not have had them
more than a few weeks. The soles which you are at this moment
presenting to me are slightly scorched. For a moment I thought they
might have got wet and been burned in the drying. But near the
instep there is a small circular wafer of paper with the shopman's
hieroglyphics upon it. Damp would of course have removed this. You
had, then, been sitting with your feet outstretched to the fire, which
a man would hardly do even in so wet a June as this if he were in
his full health."
Like all Holmes's reasoning the thing seemed simplicity itself
when it was once explained. He read the thought upon my features,
and his smile had a tinge of bitterness.
"I am afraid that I rather give myself away when I explain," said
he. "Results without causes are much more impressive. You are ready to
come to Birmingham, then?"
"Certainly. What is the case?"
"You shall hear it all in the train. My client is outside in a
four-wheeler. Can you come at once?"
"In an instant." I scribbled a note to my neighbour, rushed upstairs
to explain the matter to my wife, and joined Holmes upon the doorstep.
"Your neighbour is a doctor," said he, nodding at the brass plate.
"Yes, he bought a practice as I did."
"An old-established one?"
"Just the same as mine. Both have been ever since the houses were
built."
"Ah! then you got hold of the best of the two."
"I think I did. But how do you know?"
"By the steps, my boy. Yours are worn three inches deeper than
his. But this gentleman in the cab is my client, Mr. Hall Pycroft.
Allow me to introduce you to him. Whip your horse up, cabby, for we
have only just time to catch our train."
The man whom I found myself facing was a well-built,
fresh-complexioned young fellow, with a frank, honest face and a
slight, crisp, yellow moustache. He wore a very shiny top-hat and a
neat suit of sober black, which made him look what he was-a smart
young City man, of the class who have been labelled cockneys, but
who give us our crack volunteer regiments, and who turn out more
fine athletes and sportsmen than any body of men in these islands. His
round, ruddy face was naturally full of cheeriness, but the corners of
his mouth seemed to me to be pulled down in a half-comical distress.
It was not, however, until we were in a first-class carriage and
well started upon our journey to Birmingham that I was able to learn
what the trouble was which had driven him to Sherlock Holmes.
"We have a clear run here of seventy minutes," Holmes remarked. "I
want you, Mr. Hall Pycroft, to tell my friend your very interesting
experience exactly as you have told it to me, or with more detail if
possible. It will be of use to me to hear the succession of events
again. It is a case, Watson, which may prove to have something in
it, or may prove to have nothing, but which, at least, presents those:
unusual and outre features which are as dear to you as they are to me.
Now, Mr. Pycroft I shall not interrupt you again."
Our young companion looked at me with a twinkle in his eye.
"The worst of the story is," said he, "that I show myself up as such
a confounded fool. Of course it may work out all right, and I don't
see that I could have done otherwise; but if I have lost my crib and
get nothing in exchange I shall feel what soft Johnny I have been. I'm
not very good at telling a story, Dr. Watson, but it is like this with
me:
"I used to have a billet at Coxon & Woodhouse's, of Draper
Gardens, but they were let in early in the spring through the
Venezuelan loan, as no doubt you remember, and came a nasty cropper. I
have been with them five years, and old Coxon gave me a ripping good
testimonial when the smash came, but of course we clerks were all
turned adrift, the twenty-seven of us. I tried here and tried there,
but there were lots of other chaps on the same lay as myself, and it
was a perfect frost for a long time. I had been taking three pounds
a week at Coxon's, and I had saved about seventy of them, but I soon
worked my way through that and out at the other end. I was fairly at
the end of my tether at last and could hardly find the stamps to
answer the advertisements or the envelopes to stick them to. I had
worn out my boots paddling up office stairs, and I seemed just as
far from getting a billet as ever.
"At last I saw a vacancy at Mawson & Williams's, the great
stock-broking firm in Lombard Street. I dare say E. C. is not much
in your line, but I can tell you that this is about the richest
house in London. The advertisement was to be answered by letter
only. I sent in my testimonial and application, but without the
least hope of getting it. Back came an answer by return, saying that
if I would appear next Monday I might take over my new duties at once,
provided that my appearance was satisfactory. No one knows how these
things are worked. Some people say that the manager just plunges his
hand into the heap and takes the first that comes. Anyhow it was my
innings that time, and I don't ever wish to feel better pleased. The
screw was a pound a week rise, and the duties just about the same as
at Coxon's.
"And now I come to the queer part of the business. I was in diggings
out Hampstead way, 17 Potter's Terrace. Well, I was sitting doing a
smoke that very evening after I had been promised the appointment,
when up came my landlady with a card which had 'Arthur Pinner,
Financial Agent' printed upon it. I had never heard the name before
and could not imagine what he wanted with me, but of course I asked
her to show him up. In he walked, a middle-sized, dark-haired,
dark-eyed, black-bearded man, with a touch of the sheeny about his
nose. He had a brisk kind of way with him and spoke sharply, like a
man who knew the value of time.
"'Mr. Hall Pycroft, I believe?' said he.
"'Yes, sir,' I answered, pushing a chair towards him.
"'Lately engaged at Coxon & Woodhouse's?'
"'Yes, sir.'
"'And now on the staff of Mawson's.'
"'Quite so.'
"'Well,' said he, 'the fact is that I have heard some really
extraordinary stories about your financial ability. You remember
Parker, who used to be Coxon's manager. He can never say enough
about it.'
"Of course I was pleased to hear this. I had always been pretty
sharp in the office, but I had never dreamed that I was talked about
in the City in this fashion.
"'You have a good memory?' said he.
"'Pretty fair,' I answered modestly.
"'Have you kept in touch with the market while you have been out
of work?' he asked.
"'Yes. I read the stock-exchange list every morning.'
"'Now that shows real application!' he cried. 'That is the way to
prosper! You won't mind my testing you, will you? Let me see. How
are Ayrshires?'
"'A hundred and six and a quarter to a hundred and five and
seven-eighths.'
"'And New Zealand consolidated?'
"'A hundred and four.'
"'And British Broken Hills?'
"'Seven to seven-and-six.'
"'Wonderful!' he cried with his hands up. 'This quite fits in with
all that I had heard. My boy, my boy, you are very much too good to be
a clerk at Mawson's!'
"This outburst rather astonished me, as you can think. 'Well,'
said I, 'other people don't think quite so much of me as you seem to
do, Mr. Pinner. I had a hard enough fight to get this berth, and I
am very glad to have it.'
"'Pooh man; you should soar above it. You are not in your true
sphere. Now, I'll tell you how it stands with me. What I have to offer
is little enough when measured by your ability, but when compared with
Mawson's it's light to dark. Let me see. When do you go to Mawson's?'
"'On Monday.'
"'Ha, ha! I think I would risk a little sporting flutter that you
don't go there at all.'
"'Not go to Mawson's?'
"'No, sir. By that day you will be the business manager of the
Franco-Midland Hardware Company, Limited, with a hundred and
thirty-four branches in the towns and villages of France, not counting
one in Brussels and one in San Remo.'
"This took my breath away. 'I never heard of it,' said I.
"'Very likely not. It has been kept very quiet, for the capital
was all privately subscribed, and it's too good a thing to let the
public into. My brother, Harry Pinner, is promoter, and joins the
board after allotment as managing director. He knew I was in the
swim down here and asked me to pick up a good man cheap. A young,
pushing man with plenty of snap about him. Parker spoke of you, and
that brought me here to-night. We can only offer you a beggarly five
hundred to start with.'
"'Five hundred a year!' I shouted.
"'Only that at the beginning; but you are to have an over-riding
commission of one per cent on all business done by your agents, and
you may take my word for it that this will come to more than your
salary.'
"'But I know nothing about hardware.'
"'Tut, my boy, you know about figures.'
"My head buzzed, and I could hardly sit still in my chair. But
suddenly a little chill of doubt came upon me.
"'I must be frank with you,' said I. 'Mawson only gives me two
hundred, but Mawson is safe. Now, really, I know so little about
your company that-'
"'Ah, smart, smart!' he cried in a kind of ecstasy of delight.
'You are the very man for us. You are not to be talked over, and quite
right, too. Now, here's a note for a hundred pounds, and if you
think that we can do business you may just slip it into your pocket as
an advance upon your salary.'
"'That is very handsome' said I. When should I take over my new
duties?'
"'Be in Birmingham at one,' said he. 'I have a note in my pocket
here which you will take to my brother. You will find him at 126B
Corporation Street, where the temporary offices of the company are
situated. Of course he must confirm your engagement, but between
ourselves it will be all right.'
"'Really, I hardly know how to express my gratitude, Mr. Pinner,'
said I.
"'Not at all, my boy. You have only got your deserts. There are
one or two small things-mere formalities-which I must arrange with
you. you have a bit of paper beside you there. Kindly write upon it "I
am perfectly willing to act as business manager to the
Franco-Midland Hardware Company, Limited, at a minimum salary of
L500."'
"I did as he asked, and he put the paper in his pocket.
"'There is one other detail,' said he. 'What do you intend to do
about Mawson's?'
"I had forgotten all about Mawson's in my joy. 'I'll write and
resign,' said I.
"'Precisely what I don't want you to do. I had a row over you with
Mawson's manager. I had gone up to ask him about you, and he was
very offensive; accused me of coaxing you away from the service of the
firm, and that sort of thing. At last I fairly lost my temper. "If you
want good men you should pay them a good price," said I.
"'"He would rather have our small price than your big one," said he.
"'"I'll lay you a fiver," said I, "that when he has my offer
you'll never so much as hear from him again."
"'"Done!" said he. "We picked him out of the gutter, and he won't
leave us so easily." Those were his very words.'
"'The impudent scoundrel!' I cried. 'I've never so much as seen
him in my life. Why should I consider him in any way? I shall
certainly not write if you would rather I didn't.'
"'Good! That's a promise,' said he, rising from his chair. 'Well,
I'm delighted to have got so good a man for my brother. Here's your
advance of a hundred pounds, and here is the letter. Make a note of
the address, 126B Corporation Street, and remember that one o'clock
to-morrow is your appointment. Good-night, and may you have aH the
fortune that you deserve!'
"That's just about all that passed between us, as near as I can
remember. You can imagine, Dr. Watson, how pleased I was at such an
extraordinary bit of good fortune. I sat up half the night hugging
myself over it, and next day I was off to B in a train that would take
me in plenty time for my appointment. I took my things to a hotel in
New Street, and then I made my way to the address which had been given
me.
"It was a quarter of an hour before my time, but I thought that
would make no difference. 126B was a passage between two large
shops, which led to a winding stone stair, from which there were
many flats, let as offices to companies or professional men. The names
of the occupants were painted at the bottom on the wall, but there was
no such name as the Franco-Midland Hardware Company, Limited. I
stood for a few minutes with my heart in my boots, wondering whether
the whole thing was an elaborate hoax or not, when up came a man and
addressed me. He was very like the chap I had seen the night before,
the same figure and voice, but he was clean-shaven and his hair was
lighter.
"'Are you Mr. Hall Pycroft?' he asked.
"'Yes,' said I.
"'Oh! I was expecting you, but you are a trifle before your time.
I had a note from my brother this morning in which he sang your
praises very loudly.'
"'I was just looking for the offices when you came.'
"'We have not got our name up yet, for we only secured these
temporary premises last week. Come up with me, and we will talk the
matter over.'
"I followed him to the top of a very lofty stair, and there, right
under the slates, were a couple of empty, dusty little rooms,
uncarpeted and uncurtained, into which he led me. I had thought of a
great office with shining tables and rows of clerks, such as I was
used to, and I daresay I stared rather straight at the two deal chairs
and one little table, which with a ledger and a waste-paper basket,
made up the whole furniture.
"'Don't be disheartened, Mr. Pycroft,' said my new acquaintance,
seeing the length of my face. 'Rome was not built in a day, and we
have lots of money at our backs, though we don't cut much dash yet
in offices. Pray sit down, and let me have your letter.'
"I gave it to him, and he read it over very carefully.
"'You seem to have made a vast impression upon my brother Arthur,'
said he, 'and I know that he is a pretty shrewd judge. He swears by
London, you know; and I by Birmingham; but this time I shall follow
his advice. Pray consider yourself definitely engaged.'
"'What are my duties?' I asked.
"'You will eventually manage the great depot in Paris, which will
pour a flood of English crockery into the shops of a hundred and
thirty-four agents in France. The purchase will be completed in a
week, and meanwhile you will remain in B and make yourself useful.'
"'How?'
"For answer, he took a big red book out of a drawer.
"'This is a directory of Paris,' said he, 'with the trades after
the names of the people. I want you to take it home with you, and to
mark off all the hardware sellers, with their addresses. It would be
of the greatest use to me to have them.'
"'Surely, there are classified lists?' I suggested.
"'Not reliable ones. Their system is different from ours. Stick at
it, and let me have the lists by Monday, at twelve. Good-day, Mr.
Pycroft. If you continue to show zeal and intelligence you will find
the company a good master.'
"I went back to the hotel with the big book under my arm, and with
very conflicting feelings in my breast. On the one hand, I was
definitely engaged and had a hundred pounds in my pocket, on the
other, the look of the offices, the absence of name on the wall, and
other of the points which would strike a business man had left a bad
impression as to the position of my employers. However, come what
might, I had my money, so I settled down to my task. All Sunday I
was kept hard at work, and yet by Monday I had only got as far as H. I
went round to my employer, found him in the same dismantled kind of
room, and was told to keep at it until Wednesday, and then come again.
On Wednesday it was still unfinished, so I hammered away until
Friday-that is, yesterday. Then I brought it round to Mr. Harry
Pinner.
"'Thank you very much,' said he, 'I fear that I underrated the
difficulty of the task. This list will be of very material
assistance to me.'
"'It took some time,' said I.
"'And now,' said he, 'I want you to make a list of the furniture
shops, for they all sell crockery.'
"'Very good.'
"'And you can come up to-morrow evening at seven and let me know how
you are getting on. Don't overwork yourself. A couple of hours at
Day's Music Hall in the evening would do you no harm after your
labours.' He laughed as he spoke, and I saw with a thrill that his
second tooth upon the left-hand side had been very badly stuffed
with gold."
Sherlock Holmes rubbed his hands with delight, and I stared with
astonishment at our client.
"You may well look surprised, Dr. Watson, but it is this way," said
he: "When I was speaking to the other chap in London, at the time that
he laughed at my not going to Mawson's. I happened to notice that
his tooth was stuffed in this very identical fashion. The glint of the
gold in each case caught my eye, you see. When I put that with the
voice and figure being the same, and only those things altered which
might be changed by a razor or a wig, I could not doubt that it was
the same man. Of course you expect two brothers to be alike, but not
that they should have the same tooth staffed in the same way. He bowed
me out, and I found myself in the street, hardly knowing whether I was
on my head or my heels. Back I went to my hotel, put my head in a
basin of cold water, and tried to think it out. Why had he sent me
from London to Birmingham? Why had he got there before me? And why had
he written a letter from himself to himself? It was altogether too
much for me, and I could make no sense of it. And then suddenly it
struck me that what was dark to me might be very light to Mr. Sherlock
Holmes. I had just time to get up to town by the night train to see
him this morning, and to bring you both back with me to Birmingham."
There was a pause after the stock-broker's clerk had concluded his
surprising experience. Then Sherlock Holmes cocked his eye at me,
leaning back on the cushions with a pleased and yet critical face,
like a connoisseur who has just taken his first sip of a comet
vintage.
"Rather fine, Watson, is it not?" said he. "There are points in it
which please me. I think that you will agree with me that an interview
with Mr. Arthur Harry Pinner in the temporary offices of the
Franco-Midland Hardware Company, limited, would be a rather
interesting experience for both of us."
"But how can we do it?" I asked.
"Oh, easily enough," said Hall Pycroft cheerily. "You are two
friends of mine who are in want of a billet, and what could be more
natural than that I should bring you both round to the managing
director?"
"Quite so, of course," said Holmes. "I should like to have a look at
the gentleman and see if I can make anything of his little game.
What qualities have you, my friend, which would make your services
so valuable? Or is it possible that-" He began biting his nails and
staring blankly out of the window, and we hardly drew another word
from him until we were in New Street.
At seven o'clock that evening we were walking, the three of us, down
Corporation Street to the company's offices.
"It is no use our being at all before our time," said our client.
"He only comes there to see me, apparently, for the place is
deserted up to the very hour he names."
"That is suggestive," remarked Holmes.
"By Jove, I told you so!" cried the clerk. "That's he walking
ahead of us there"
He pointed to a smallish, dark, well-dressed man who was bustling
along the other side of the road. As we watched him he looked across
at a boy who was bawling out the latest edition of the evening
paper, and, running over among the cabs and busses, he bought one from
him. Then, clutching it in his hand, he vanished through a doorway.
"There he goes!' cried Hall Pycroft. These are the company's offices
into which he has gone. Come with me, and I'll fix it up as easily
as possible."
Following his lead, we ascended five stories, until we found
ourselves outside a half-opened door, at which our client tapped. A
voice within bade us enter, and we entered a bare, unfurnished room
such as Hall Pycroft had described. At the single table sat the man
whom we had seen in the street, with his evening paper spread out in
front of him, and as he looked up at us it seemed to me that I had
never looked upon a face which bore such marks of grief, and of
something beyond grief-of a horror such as comes to few men in a
lifetime. His brow glistened with perspiration, his cheeks were of the
dull, dead white of a fish's belly, and his eyes were wild and
staring. He looked at his clerk as though he failed to recognize
him, and I could see by the astonishment depicted upon our conductor's
face that this was by no means the usual appearance of his employer.
"You look ill, Mr. Pinner!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, I am not very well," answered the other, making obvious
efforts to pull himself together and licking his dry lips before he
spoke. "Who are these gentlemen whom you have brought with you?."
"One is Mr. Harris, of Bermondsey, and the other is Mr. Price, of
this town," said our clerk glibly. "They are friends of mine and
gentlemen of experience, but they have been out of a place for some
little time, and they hoped that perhaps you might find an opening for
them in the company's employment."
"Very possibly! very possibly!" cried Mr. Pinner with a ghastly
smile. "Yes, I have no doubt that we shall be able to do something for
you. What is your particular line, Mr. Harris?"
"I am an accountant," said Holmes.
"Ah, yes, we shall want something of the sort. And you, Mr. Price?"
"A clerk," said I.
"I have every hope that the company may accommodate you. I will
let you know about it as soon as we come to any conclusion. And now
I beg that you will go. For God's sake leave me to myself!"
These last words were shot out of him, as though the constraint
which he was evidently setting upon himself had suddenly and utterly
burst asunder. Holmes and I glanced at each other, and Hall Pycroft
took a step towards the table.
"You forget, Mr. Pinner, that I am here by appointment to receive
some directions from you," said he.
"Certainly, Mr. Pycroft, certainly," the other resumed in a calmer
tone. "You may wait here a moment and there is no reason why your
friends should not wait with you. I will be entirely at your service
in three minutes, if I might trespass upon your patience so far." He
rose with a very courteous air, and, bowing to us, he passed out
through a door at the farther end of the room, which he closed
behind him.
"What now?" whispered Holmes. "Is he giving us the slip?"
"Impossible,' answered Pycroft.
"Why so?"
"That door leads into an inner room."
"There is no exit?"
"None."
"Is it furnished?"
"It was empty yesterday."
"Then what on earth can he be doing? There is something which I
don't understand in this matter. If ever a man was three parts mad
with terror, that man's name is Pinner. What can have put the
shivers on him?"
"He suspects that we are detectives," I suggested.
"That's it," cried Pycroft.
Holmes shook his head. "He did not turn pale. He was pale when we
entered the room," said he. "It is just possible that-"
His words were interrupted by a sharp rat-tat from the direction
of the inner door.
"What the deuce is he knocking at his own door for?" cried the
clerk.
Again and much louder came the rat-tat-tat. We all gazed expectantly
at the closed door. Glancing at Holmes, I saw his face turn rigid, and
he leaned forward in intense excitement. Then suddenly came a low
guggling, gargling sound, and a brisk drumming upon woodwork. Holmes
sprang frantically across the room and pushed at the door. It was
fastened on the inner side. Following his example, we threw
ourselves upon it with all our weight. One hinge snapped, then the
other, and down came the door with a crash. Rushing over it, we
found ourselves in the inner room. It was empty.
But it was only for a moment that we were at fault. At one corner,
the corner nearest the room which we had left, there was a second
door. Holmes sprang to it and pulled it open. A coat and waistcoat
were lying on the floor, and from a hook behind the door, with his own
braces round his neck, was hanging the managing director of the
Franco-Midland Hardware Company. His knees were drawn up, his head
hung at a dreadful angle to his body, and the clatter of his heels
against the door made the noise which had broken in upon our
conversation. In an instant I had caught him round the waist and
held him up while Holmes and Pycroft untied the elastic bands which
had disappeared between the livid creases of skin. Then we carried him
into the other room, where he lay with a clay-coloured face, puffing
his purple lips in and out with every breath-a dreadful wreck of all
that he had been but five minutes before.
"What do you think of him, Watson?" asked Holmes.
I stooped over him and examined him. His pulse was feeble and
intermittent, but his breathing grew longer, and there was a little
shivering of his eyelids, which showed a thin white slit of ball
beneath.
"It has been touch and go with him," said I, "but he'll live now.
Just open that window, and hand me the water carafe." I undid his
collar, poured the cold water over his face, and raised and sank his
arms until he drew a long, natural breath. "It's only a question of
time now," said I as I turned away from him.
Holmes stood by the table, with his hands deep in his trousers'
pockets and his chin upon his breast.
"I suppose we ought to call the police in now," said he. "And yet
I confess that I'd like to give them a complete case when they come."
"It's a blessed mystery to me," cried Pycroft, scratching his
head. "Whatever they wanted to bring me all the way up here for, and
then-"
"Pooh! All that is clear enough," said Holmes impatiently. "It is
this last sudden move."
"You understand the rest, then?"
"I think that it is fairly obvious. What do you say, Watson?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I must confess that I am out of my
depths," said I.
"Oh, surely if you consider the events at first they can only
point to one conclusion."
"What do you make of them?"
"Well, the whole thing hinges upon two points. The first is the
making of Pycroft write a declaration by which he entered the
service of this preposterous company. Do you not see how very
suggestive that is?"
"I am afraid I miss the point."
"Well, why did they want him to do it? Not as a business matter, for
these arrangements are usually verbal, and there was no earthly
business reason why this should be an exception. Don't you see, my
young friend, that they were very anxious to obtain a specimen of your
handwriting, and had no other way of doing it?'
"And why?"
"Quite so. Why? When we answer that we have made some progress
with our little problem. Why? There can be only one adequate reason.
Someone wanted to learn to imitate your writing and had to procure a
specimen of it first. And now if we pass on to the second point we
find that each throws light upon the other. That point is the
request made by Pinner that you should not resign your place, but
should leave the manager of this important business in the full
expectation that a Mr. Hall Pycroft, whom he had never seen, was about
to enter the office upon the Monday morning."
"My God!" cried our client, "what a blind beetle I have been!"
"Now you see the point about the handwriting. Suppose that someone
turned up in your place who wrote a completely different hand from
that in which you had applied for the vacancy, of course the game
would have been up. But in the interval the rogue had learned to
imitate you, and his position was therefore secure, as I presume
that nobody in the office had ever set eyes upon you."
"Not a soul," groaned Hall Pycroft.
"Very good. Of course it was of the utmost importance to prevent you
from thinking better of it, and also to keep you from coming into
contact with anyone who might tell you that your double was at work in
Mawson's office. Therefore they gave you a handsome advance on your
salary, and ran you off to the Midlands, where they gave you enough
work to do to prevent your going to London, where you might have burst
their little game up. That is all plain enough."
"But why should this man pretend to be his own brother?"
"Well, that is pretty clear also. There are evidently only two of
them in it. The other is impersonating you at the office. This one
acted as your engager, and then found that he could not find you an
employer without admitting a third person into his plot. That he was
most unwilling to do. He changed his appearance as far as he could,
and trusted that the likeness, which you could not fail to observe,
would be put down to a family resemblance. But for the happy chance of
the gold stuffing, your suspicions would probably never have been
aroused."
Hall Pycroft shook his clenched hands in the air. "Good Lord!" he
cried "while I have been fooled in this way, what has this other
Hall Pycroft been doing at Mawson's? What should we do, Mr. Holmes?
Tell me what to do."
"We must wire to Mawson's."
"They shut at twelve on Saturdays."
"Never mind. There may be some door-keeper or attendant-"
"Ah, yes, they keep a permanent guard there on account of the
value of the securities that they hold. I remember hearing it talked
of in the City."
"Very good, we shall wire to him and see if all is well, and if a
clerk of your name is working there. That is clear enough, but what is
not so clear is why at sight of us one of the rogues should
instantly walk out of the room and hang himself."
"The paper!" croaked a voice behind us. The man was sitting up,
blanched and ghastly, with returning reason in his eyes, and hands
which rubbed nervously at the broad red band which still encircled his
throat.
"The paper! Of course!" yelled Holmes in a paroxysm of excitement.
"Idiot that I was! I thought so much of our visit that the paper never
entered my head for an instant. To be sure, the secret must lie
there." He flattened it out upon the table, and a cry of triumph burst
from his lips. "Look at this, Watson," he cried. 'It is a London
paper, an early edition of the Evening Standard. Here is what we want.
Look at the headlines: 'Crime in the City. Murder at Mawson &
Williams's. Gigantic Attempted Robbery. Capture of the Criminal.'
Here, Watson, we are all equally anxious to hear it, so kindly read it
aloud to us."
It appeared from its position in the paper to have been the one
event of importance in town, and the account of it ran in this way:
"A desperate attempt at robbery, culminating in the death of one man
and the capture of the criminal, occurred this afternoon in the
City. For some time back Mawson & Williams, the famous financial
house, have been the guardians of securities which amount in the
aggregate to a sum of considerably over a million sterling. So
conscious was the manager of the responsibility which devolved upon
him in consequence of the great interests at stake that safes of the
very latest construction have been employed, and an armed watchman has
been left day and night in the building. It appears that last week a
new clerk named Hall Pycroft was engaged by the firm. This person
appears to have been none other than Beddington, the famous forger and
cracksman, who, with his brother, has only recently emerged from a
five years' spell of penal servitude. By some means, which are not yet
clear, he succeeded in winning, under a false name, this official
position in the office, which he utilized in order to obtain mouldings
of various locks, and a thorough knowledge of the position of the
strongroom and the safes.
"It is customary at Mawson's for the clerks to leave at midday on
Saturday. Sergeant Tuson, of the City police, was somewhat
surprised, therefore, to see a gentleman with a carpet-bag come down
the steps at twenty minutes past one. His suspicions being aroused,
the sergeant followed the man, and with the aid of Constable Pollock
succeeded, after a most desperate resistance, in arresting him. It was
at once clear that a daring and gigantic robbery had been committed.
Nearly a hundred thousand pounds' worth of American railway bonds,
with a large amount of scrip in mines and other companies, was
discovered in the bag. On examining the premises the body of the
unfortunate watchman was found doubled up and thrust into the
largest of the safes, where it would not have been discovered until
Monday morning had it not been for the prompt action of Sergeant
Tuson. The man's skull had been shattered by a blow from a poker
delivered from behind. There could be no doubt that Beddington had
obtained entrance pretending that he had left something behind him,
and having murdered the watchman, rapidly rifled the large safe, and
then made off with his booty. His brother, who usually works with him,
has not appeared in this job as far as can at present be
ascertained, although the police are making energetic inquiries as
to his whereabouts."
"Well, we may save the police some little trouble in that
direction," said Holmes, glancing at the haggard figure huddled up
by the window. "Human nature is a strange mixture, Watson. You see
that even a villain and murderer can inspire such affection that his
brother turns to suicide when he learns that his neck is forfeited.
However, we have no choice as to our action. The doctor and I will
remain on guard, Mr. Pycroft, if you will have the kindness to step
out for the police."
THE END
.
1893
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE YELLOW FACE
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
[In publishing these short sketches based upon the numerous cases in
which my companion's singular gifts have made us the listeners to, and
eventually the actors in, some strange drama, it is only natural
that I should dwell rather upon his successes than upon his
failures. And this not so much for the sake of his reputation-for,
indeed, it was when he was at his wit's end that his energy and his
versatility were most admirable-but because where he failed it
happened too often that no one else succeeded, and that the tale was
left forever without a conclusion. Now and again, however, it
chanced that even when he erred the truth was still discovered. I have
noted of some half-dozen cases of the kind; the adventure of the
Musgrave Ritual and that which I am about to recount are the two which
present the strongest features of interest.]
Sherlock Holmes was a man who seldom took exercise for exercise's
sake. Few men were capable of greater muscular effort, and he was
undoubtedly one of the finest boxers of his weight that I have ever
seen; but he looked upon aimless bodily exertion as a waste of energy,
and he seldom bestirred himself save where there was some professional
object to be served. Then he was absolutely untiring and
indefatigable. That he should have kept himself in training under such
circumstances is remarkable, but his diet was usually of the
sparest, and his habits were simple to the verge of austerity. Save
for the occasional use of cocaine, he had no vices, and he only turned
to the drug as a protest against the monotony of existence when
cases were scanty and the papers uninteresting.
One day in early spring he had so far relaxed as to go for a walk
with me in the Park, where the first faint shoots of green were
breaking out upon the elms, and the sticky spear-heads of the
chestnuts were just beginning to burst into their fivefold leaves. For
two hours we rambled about together, in silence for the most part,
as befits two men who know each other intimately. It was nearly five
before we were back in Baker Street once more.
"Beg pardon, sir," said our page-boy as he opened the door. "There's
been a gentleman here asking for you, sir."
Holmes glanced reproachfully at me. "So much for afternoon walks!"
said he.
"Has this gentleman gone, then?"
"Yes, sir."
"Didn't you ask him in?"
"Yes, sir, he came in."
"How long did he wait?"
"Half an hour, sir. He was a very restless gentleman, sir, a-walkin'
and a-stampin' all the time he was here. I was waitin' outside the
door, sir, and I could hear him. At last he outs into the passage, and
he cries, 'Is that man never goin' to come?' Those were his very
words, sir. 'You'll only need to wait a little longer,' says I.
'Then I'll wait in the open air, for I feel half choked,' says he.
'I'll be back before long.' And with that he ups and he outs, and
all I could say wouldn't hold him back."
"Well, well, you did your best," said Holmes as we walked into our
room. "It's very annoying, though, Watson. I was badly in need of a
case, and this looks, from the man's impatience, as if it were of
importance. Hullo! that's not your pipe on the table. He must have
left his behind him. A nice old brier with a good long stem of what
the tobacconists call amber. I wonder how many real amber
mouthpieces there are in London? Some people think that a fly in it is
a sign. Well, he must have been disturbed in his mind to leave a
pipe behind him which he evidently values highly."
"How do you know that he values it highly?" I asked.
"Well, I should put the original cost of the pipe at seven and
sixpence. Now it has, you see, been twice mended, once in the wooden
stem and once in the amber. Each of these mends, done, as you observe,
with silver bands, must have cost more than the pipe did originally.
The man must value the pipe highly when he prefers to patch it up
rather than buy a new one with the same money."
"Anything else?" I asked, for Holmes was turning the pipe about in
his hand and staring at it in his peculiar pensive way.
He held it up and tapped on it with his long, thin forefinger, as
a professor might who was lecturing on a bone.
"Pipes are occasionally of extraordinary interest," said he.
"Nothing has more individuality, save perhaps watches and bootlaces.
The indications here, however, are neither very marked nor very
important. The owner is obviously a muscular man, left-handed, with an
excellent set of teeth, careless in his habits, and with no need to
practise economy."
My friend threw out the information in a very offhand way, but I saw
that he cocked his eye at me to see if I had followed his reasoning.
"You think a man must be well-to-do if he smokes a seven-shilling
pipe?" said I.
"This is Grosvenor mixture at eightpence an ounce," Holmes answered,
knocking a little out on his palm. "As he might get an excellent smoke
for half the price, he has no need to practise economy."
"And the other points?"
"He has been in the habit of lighting his pipe at lamps and
gas-jets. You can see that it is quite charred all down one side. Of
course a match could not have done that. Why should a man hold a match
to the side of his pipe? But you cannot light it at a lamp without
getting the bowl charred. And it is all on the right side of the pipe.
From that I gather that he is a left-handed man. You hold your own
Pipe to the lamp and see how naturally you, being right-handed, hold
the left side to the flame. You might do it once the other way, but
not as a constancy. This has always been held so. Then he has bitten
through his amber. It takes a muscular, energetic fellow, and one with
a good set of teeth, to do that. But if I am not mistaken I hear him
upon the stair, so we shall have something more interesting than his
pipe to study."
An instant later our door opened, and a tall young man entered the
room. He was well but quietly dressed in a dark gray suit and
carried a brown wide awake in his hand. I should have put him at about
thirty, though he was really some years older.
"I beg your pardon," said he with some embarrassment, "I suppose I
should have knocked. Yes, of course I should have knocked. The fact is
that I am a little upset, and you must put it all down to that." He
passed his hand over his forehead like a man who is half dazed, and
then fell rather than sat down upon a chair.
"I can see that you have not slept for a night or two," said
Holmes in his easy, genial way. "That tries a man's nerves more than
work, and more even than pleasure. May I ask how I can help you?"
"I wanted your advice, sir. I don't know what to do, and my whole
life seems to have gone to pieces."
"You wish to employ me as a consulting detective?"
Not that only. I want your opinion as a judicious man-as a man of
the world. I want to know what I ought to do next. I hope to God
you'll be able to tell me."
He spoke in little, sharp, jerky outbursts, and it seemed to me that
to speak at all was very painful to him, and that his will all through
was overriding his inclinations.
"It's a very delicate thing," said he. "One does not like to speak
of one's domestic affairs to strangers. It seems dreadful to discuss
the conduct of one's wife with two men whom I have never seen
before. It's horrible to have to do it. But I've got to the end of
my tether, and I must have advice."
"My dear Mr. Grant Munro--" began Holmes.
Our visitor sprang from his chair. "What!" he cried, "you know my
name?"
"If you wish to preserve your incognito," said Holmes, smiling, "I
would suggest that you cease to write your name upon the lining of
your hat, or else that you turn the crown towards the person whom
you are addressing. I was about to say that my friend and I have
listened to a good many strange secrets in this room, and that we have
had the good fortune to bring peace to many troubled souls. I trust
that we may do as much for you. Might I beg you, as time may prove
to be of importance, to furnish me with the facts of your case without
further delay?"
Our visitor again passed his hand over his forehead, as if he
found it bitterly hard. From every gesture and expression I could
see that he was a reserved selfcontained man, with a dash of pride
in his nature, more likely to hide his wounds than to expose them.
Then suddenly, with a fierce gesture of his closed hand, like one
who throws reserve to the winds, he began:
"The facts are these, Mr. Holmes," said he. "I am a married man
and have been so for three years. During that time my wife and I
have loved each other as fondly and lived as happily as any two that
ever were joined. We have not had a difference, not one, in thought or
word or deed. And now, since last Monday, there has suddenly sprung up
a barrier between us, and I find that there is something in her life
and in her thoughts of which I know as little as if she were the woman
who brushes by me in the street. We are estranged, and I want to
know why.
"Now there is one thing that I want to impress upon you before I
go any further, Mr. Holmes. Effie loves me. Don't let there be any
mistake about that. She loves me with her whole heart and soul, and
never more than now. I know it. I feel it. I don't want to argue about
that. A man can tell easily enough when a woman loves him. But there's
this secret between us, and we can never be the same until it is
cleared."
"Kindly let me have the facts, Mr. Munro," said Holmes with some
impatience.
"I'll tell you what I know about Effie's history. She was a widow
when I met her first, though quite young-only twenty-five. Her name
then was Mrs. Hebron. She went out to America when she was young and
lived in the town of Atlanta, where she married this Hebron, who was a
lawyer with a good practice. They had one child, but the yellow
fever broke out badly in the place, and both husband and child died of
it. I have seen his death certificate. This sickened her of America,
and she came back to live with a maiden aunt at Pinner, in
Middlesex. I may mention that her husband had left her comfortably
off, and that she had a capital of about four thousand five hundred
pounds, which had been so well invested by him that it returned an
average of seven per cent. She had only been six months at Pinner when
I met her; we fell in love with each other, and we married a few weeks
afterwards.
"I am a hop merchant myself, and as I have an income of seven or
eight hundred, we found ourselves comfortably off and took a nice
eighty-pound-a-year villa at Norbury. Our little place was very
countrified, considering that it is so close to town. We had an inn
and two houses a little above us, and a single cottage at the other
side of the field which faces us, and except those there were no
houses until you got halfway to the station. My business took me
into town at certain seasons, but in summer I had less to do, and then
in our country home my wife and I were just as happy as could be
wished. I tell you that there never was a shadow between us until this
accursed affair began.
"There's one thing I ought to tell you before I go further. When
we married, my wife made over all her property to me-rather against my
will, for I saw how awkward it would be if my business affairs went
wrong. However, she would have it so, and it was done. Well, about six
weeks ago she came to me.
"'Jack,' said she, 'when you took my money you said that if ever I
wanted any I was to ask you for it.'
"'Certainly,' said I. 'It's all your own.'
"'Well,' said she, 'I want a hundred pounds.'
"I was a bit staggered at this, for I had imagined it was simply a
new dress or something of the kind that she was after.
"'What on earth for?' I asked.
"'Oh,' said she in her playful way, 'You said that you were only
my banker, and bankers never ask questions, you know.'
"'If you really mean it, of course you shall have the money,' said
I.
"'Oh, yes, I really mean it.'
"'And you won't tell me what you want it for?'
"'Some day, perhaps, but not just at present, Jack.'
"So I had to be content with that, though it was the first time that
there had ever been any secret between us. I gave her a check, and I
never thought any more of the matter. It may have nothing to do with
what came afterwards, but I thought it only right to mention it.
"Well, I told you just now that there is a cottage not far from
our house. There is just a field between us, but to reach it you
have to go along the road and then turn down a lane. Just beyond it is
a nice little grove of Scotch firs, and I used to be very fond of
strolling down there, for trees are always a neighbourly kind of
thing. The cottage had been standing empty this eight months, and it
was a pity, for it was a pretty two-storied place, with an
old-fashioned porch and a honeysuckle about it. I have stood many a
time and thought what a neat little homestead it would make.
"Well, last Monday evening I was taking a stroll down that way
when I met an empty van coming up the lane and saw a pile of carpets
and things lying about on the grass-plot beside the porch. It was
clear that the cottage had at last been let. I walked past it, and
then stopping, as an idle man might, I ran my eye over it and wondered
what sort of folk they were who had come to live so near us. And as
I looked I suddenly became aware that a face was watching me out of
one of the upper windows.
"I don't know what there was about that face, Mr. Holmes, but it
seemed to send a chill right down my back. I was some little way
off, so that I could not make out the features, but there was
something unnatural and inhuman about the face. That was the
impression that I had, and I moved quickly forward to get a nearer
view of the person who was watching me. But as I did so the face
suddenly disappeared, so suddenly that it seemed to have been
plucked away into the darkness of the room. I stood for five minutes
thinking the business over and trying to analyze my impressions. I
could not tell if the face was that of a man or a woman. It had been
too far from me for that. But its colour was what had impressed me
most. It was of a livid chalky white, and with something set and rigid
about it which was shockingly unnatural. So disturbed was I that I
determined to see a little more of the new inmates of the cottage. I
approached and knocked at the door, which was instantly opened by a
tall, gaunt woman with a harsh, forbidding face.
"'What may you be wantin'?' she asked in a Northern accent.
"'I am your neighbour over yonder,' said I, nodding towards.my
house. 'I see that you have only just moved in, so I thought that if I
could be of any help to you in any-'
"'Ay, we'll just ask ye when we want ye,' said she, and shut the
door in my face. Annoyed at the churlish rebuff, I turned my back
and walked home. All evening, though I tried to think of other
thines my mind would still turn to the apparition at the window and
the rudeness of the woman. I determined to say nothing about the
former to my wife, for she is a nervous, highly strung woman, and I
had no wish that she should share the unpleasant impression which
had been produced upon myself. I remarked to her, however, before I
fell asleep, that the cottage was now occupied, to which she
returned no reply.
"I am usually an extremely sound sleeper. It has been a standing
jest in the family that nothing could ever wake me during the night.
And yet somehow on that particular night, whether it may have been the
slight excitement produced by my little adventure or not I know not,
but I slept much more lightly than usual. Half in my dreams I was
dimly conscious that something was going on in the room, and gradually
became aware that my wife had dressed herself and was slipping on
her mantle and her bonnet. My lips were parted to murmur out some
sleepy words of surprise or remonstrance at this untimely preparation,
when suddenly my half-opened eyes fell upon her face, illuminated by
the candle-light, and astonishment held me dumb. She wore an
expression such as I had never seen before-such as I should have
thought her incapable of assuming. She was deadly pale and breathing
fast, glancing furtively towards the bed as she fastened her mantle to
see if she had disturbed me. Then, thinking that I was still asleep,
she slipped noiselessly from the room, and an instant later I heard
a sharp creaking which could only come from the hinges of the front
door. I sat up in bed and rapped my knuckles against the rail to
make certain that I was truly awake. Then I took my watch from under
the pillow. It was three in the morning. What on this earth could my
wife be doing out on the country road at three in the morning?
"I had sat for about twenty minutes turning the thing over in my
mind and trying to find some possible explanation. The more I thought,
the more extraordinary and inexplicable did it appear. I was still
puzzling over it when I heard the door gently close again, and her
footsteps coming up the stairs.
"'Where in the world have you been, Effie?' I asked as she entered.
"She gave a violent start and a kind of gasping cry when I spoke,
and that cry and start troubled me more than all the rest, for there
was something indescribably guilty about them. My wife had always been
a woman of a frank, open nature, and it gave me a chill to see her
slinking into her own room and crying out and wincing when her own
husband spoke to her.
"'You awake, Jack!' she cried with a nervous laugh. 'Why, I
thought that nothing could awake you.'
"'Where have you been?' I asked, more sternly.
"'I don't wonder that you are surprised,' said she, and I could
see that her fingers were trembling as she undid the fastenings of her
mantle. 'Why, I never remember having done such a thing in my life
before. The fact is that I felt as though I were choking and had a
perfect longing for a breath of fresh air. I really think that I
should have fainted if I had not gone out. I stood at the door for a
few minutes, and now I am quite myself again.'
"All the time that she was telling me this story she never once
looked in my direction, and her voice was quite unlike her usual
tones. It was evident to me that she was saying what was false. I said
nothing in reply, but turned my face to the wall, sick at heart,
with my mind filled with a thousand venomous doubts and suspicions.
What was it that my wife was concealing from me? Where had she been
during that strange expedition? I felt that I should have no peace
until I knew, and yet I shrank from asking her again after once she
had told me what was false. All the rest of the night I tossed and
tumbled, framing theory after theory, each more unlikely than the
last.
"I should have gone to the City that day, but I was too disturbed in
my mind to be able to pay attention to business matters. My wife
seemed to be as upset as myself, and I could see from the little
questioning glances which she kept shooting at me that she
understood that I disbelieved her statement, and that she was at her
wit's end what to do. We hardly exchanged a word during breakfast, and
immediately afterwards I went out for a walk that I might think the
matter out in the fresh morning air.
"I went as far as the Crystal Palace, spent an hour in the
grounds, and was back in Norbury by one o'clock. It happened that my
way took me past the cottage, and I stopped for an instant to look
at the windows and to see if I could catch a glimpse of the strange
face which had looked out at me on the day before. As I stood there,
imagine my surprise, Mr. Holmes, when the door suddenly opened and
my wife walked out.
"I was struck dumb with astonishment at the sight of her, but my
emotions were nothing to those which showed themselves upon her face
when our eyes met. She seemed for an instant to wish to shrink back
inside the house again; and then, seeing how useless all concealment
must be, she came forward, with a very white face and frightened
eyes which belied the smile upon her lips.
"'Ah, Jack,' she said, 'I have just been in to see if I can be of
any assistance to our new neighbours. Why do you look at me like that,
Jack? You are not angry with me?'
"'So,' said I, 'this is where you went during the night.'
"What do you mean?' she cried.
"'You came here. I am sure of it. Who are these people that you
should visit them at such an hour?'
"'I have not been here before.'
"'How can you tell me what you know is false?' I cried. 'Your very
voice changes as you speak. When have I ever had a secret from you?
I shall enter that cottage, and I shall probe the matter to the
bottom.'
"'No, no, Jack, for God's sake!' she gasped in uncontrollable
emotion. Then, as I approached the door, she seized my sleeve and
pulled me back with convulsive strength.
"'I implore you not to do this, Jack,' she cried. 'I swear that I
will tell you everything some day, but nothing but misery can come
of it if you enter that cottage.' Then, as I tried to shake her off,
she clung to me in a frenzy of entreaty.
"'Trust me, Jack!' she cried. 'Trust me only this once. You will
never have cause to regret it. You know that I would not have a secret
from you if it were not for your own sake. Our whole lives are at
stake in this. If you come home with me all will be well. If you force
your way into that cottage all is over between us.'
"There was such earnestness, such despair, in her manner that her
words arrested me, and I stood irresolute before the door.
"'I will trust you on one condition, and on one condition only,'
said I at last. 'It is that this mystery comes to an end from now. You
are at liberty to preserve your secret, but you must promise me that
there shall be no more nightly visits, no more doings which are kept
from my knowledge. I am willing to forget those which are past if
you will promise that there shall be no more in the future.'
"'I was sure that you would trust me,' she cried with a great sigh
of relief. 'It shall be just as you wish. Come away-oh, come away up
to the house.'
"Still pulling at my sleeve, she led me away from the cottage. As we
went I glanced back, and there was that yellow livid face watching
us out of the upper window. What link could there be between that
creature and my wife? Or how could the coarse, rough woman whom I
had seen the day before be connected with her? It was a strange
puzzle, and yet I knew that my mind could never know ease again
until I had solved it.
"For two days after this I stayed at home, and my wife appeared to
abide loyally by our engagement, for, as far as I know, she never
stirred out of the house. on the third day, however, I had ample
evidence that her solemn promise was not enough to hold her back
from this secret influence which drew her away from her husband and
her duty.
"I had gone into town on that day, but I returned by the 2:40
instead of the 3:36, which is my usual train. As I entered the house
the maid ran into the hall with a startled face.
"'Where is your mistress?' I asked.
"'I think that she has gone out for a walk,' she answered.
"My mind was instantly filled with suspicion. I rushed upstairs to
make sure that she was not in the house. As I did so I happened to
glance out of one of the upper windows and saw the maid with whom I
had just been speaking running across the field in the direction of
the cottage. Then of course I saw exactly what it all meant. My wife
had gone over there and had asked the servant to call her if I
should return. Tingling with anger, I rushed down and hurried
across, determined to end the matter once and forever. I saw my wife
and the maid hurrying back along the lane, but I did not stop to speak
with them. In the cottage lay the secret which was casting a shadow
over my life. I vowed that, come what might, it should be a secret
no longer. I did not even knock when I reached it, but turned the
handle and rushed into the passage.
"It was all still and quiet upon the ground floor. In the kitchen
a kettle was singing on the fire, and a large black cat lay coiled
up in the basket; but there was no sign of the woman whom I had seen
before. I ran into the other room, but it was equally deserted. Then I
rushed up the stairs only to find two other rooms empty and deserted
at the top. There was no one at all in the whole house. The
furniture and pictures were of the most common and vulgar description,
save in the one chamber at the window of which I had seen the
strange face. That was comfortable and elegant, and all my
suspicions rose into a fierce, bitter flame when I saw that on the
mantelpiece stood a copy of a full-length photograph of my wife, which
had been taken at my request only three months ago.
"I stayed long enough to make certain that the house was
absolutely empty. Then I left it, feeling a weight at my heart such as
I had never had before. My wife came out into the hall as I entered my
house; but I was too hurt and angry to speak with her, and, pushing
past her, I made my way into my study. She followed me, however,
before I could close the door.
"'I am sorry that I broke my promise, Jack,' said she, 'but if you
knew all the circumstances I am sure that you would forgive me.'
"'Tell me everything, then,' said I.
"'I cannot, Jack, I cannot,' she cried.
"'Until you tell me who it is that has been living in that
cottage, and who it is to whom you have given that photograph, there
can never be any confidence between us,' said I, and breaking away
from her I left the house. That was yesterday, Mr. Holmes, and I
have not seen her since, nor do I know anything more about this
strange business. It is the first shadow that has come between us, and
it has so shaken me that I do not know what I should do for the
best. Suddenly this morning it occurred to me that you were the man to
advise me, so I have hurried to you now, and I place myself
unreservedly in your hands. If there is any point which I have not
made clear, pray question me about it. But, above all, tell me quickly
what I am to do, for this misery is more than I can bear."
Holmes and I had listened with the utmost interest to this
extraordinary statement, which had been delivered in the jerky, broken
fashion of a man who is under the influence of extreme emotion. My
companion sat silent now for some time, with his chin upon his hand,
lost in thought.
"Tell me," said he at last, "could you swear that this was a man's
face which you saw at the window?"
"Each time that I saw it I was some distance away from it, so that
it is impossible for me to say."
"You appear, however, to have been disagreeably impressed by it."
"It seemed to be of an unusual colour and to have a strange rigidity
about the features. When I approached it vanished with a jerk."
"How long is it since your wife asked you for a hundred pounds?"
"Nearly two months."
"Have you ever seen a photograph of her first husband?"
"No, there was a great fire at Atlanta very shortly after his death,
and all her papers were destroyed."
"And yet she had a certificate of death. You say that you saw it."
"Yes, she got a duplicate after the fire."
"Did you ever meet anyone who knew her in America?"
"No."
"Did she ever talk of revisiting the place?"
"No."
"Or get letters from it?"
"No."
"Thank you. I should like to think over the matter a little now.
If the cottage is now permanently deserted we may have some
difficulty. If, on the other hand, as I fancy is more likely, the
inmates were warned of your coming and left before you entered
yesterday, then they may be back now, and we should clear it all up
easily. Let me advise you, then, to return to Norbury and to examine
the windows of the cottage again. If you have reason to believe that
it is inhabited, do not force your way in, but send a wire to my
friend and me. We shall be with you within an hour of receiving it,
and we shall then very soon get to the bottom of the business."
"And if it is still empty?"
"In that case I shall come out to-morrow and talk it over with
you. Good-bye, and, above all, do not fret until you know that you
really have a cause for it."
"I am afraid that this is a bad business, Watson," said my companion
as he returned after accompanying Mr. Grant Munro to the door. "What
do you make of it?"
"It had an ugly sound," I answered.
"Yes. There's blackmail in it, or I am much mistaken."
"And who is the blackmailer?"
"Well, it must be the creature who lives in the only comfortable
room in the place and has her photograph above his fireplace. Upon
my word, Watson, there is something very attractive about that livid
face at the window, and I would not have missed the case for worlds."
"You have a theory?"
"Yes, a provisional one. But I shall be surprised if it does not
turn out to be correct. This woman's first husband is in that
cottage."
"Why do you think so?"
"How else can we explain her frenzied anxiety that her second one
should not enter it? The facts, as I read them, are something like
this: This woman was married in America. Her husband developed some
hateful qualities, or shall we say he contracted some loathsome
disease and became a leper or an imbecile? She flies from him at last,
returns to England, changes her name, and starts her life, as she
thinks, afresh. She has been married three years and believes that her
position is quite secure, having shown her husband the death
certificate of some man whose name she has assumed, when suddenly
her whereabouts is discovered by her first husband, or, we may
suppose, by some unscrupulous woman who has attached herself to the
invalid. They write to the wife and threaten to come and expose her.
She asks for a hundred pounds and endeavours to buy them off. They
come in spite of it, and when the husband mentions casually to the
wife that there are newcomers in the cottage, she knows in some way
that they are her pursuers. She waits until her husband is asleep, and
then she rushes down to endeavour to persuade them to leave her in
peace. Having no success, she goes again next morning, and her husband
meets her, as he has told us, as she comes out. She promises him
then not to go there again, but two days afterwards the hope of
getting rid of those dreadful neighbours was too strong for her, and
she made another attempt, taking down with her the photograph which
had probably been demanded from her. In the midst of this interview
the maid rushed in to say that the master had come home, on which
the wife, knowing that he would come straight down to the cottage,
hurried the inmates out at the back door, into the grove of fir-trees,
probably, which was mentioned as standing near. In this way he found
the place deserted. I shall be very much surprised, however, if it
is still so when he reconnoitres it this evening. What do you think of
my theory?"
"It is all surmise."
"But at least it covers all the facts. After new facts come to our
knowledge which cannot be covered by it, it will be time enough to
reconsider it. We can do nothing more until we have a message from our
friend at Norbury."
But we had not a very long time to wait for that. It came just as we
bad finished our tea.
The cottage is still tenanted [it said]. Have seen the face
again at the window. Will meet the seven-o'clock train and will take
no steps until you arrive.
He was waiting on the platform when we stepped out, and we could see
in the light of the station lamps that he was very pale, and quivering
with agitation.
"They are still there, Mr. Holmes," said he, laying his hand hard
upon my friend's sleeve. "I saw lights in the cottage as I came
down. We shall settle it now once and for all."
"What is your plan, then?" asked Holmes as he walked down the dark
tree-lined road.
"I am going to force my way in and see for myself who is in the
house. I wish you both to be there as witnesses."
"You are quite determined to do this in spite of your wife's warning
that it is better that you should not solve the mystery?"
"Yes, I am determined."
"Well, I think that you are in the right. Any truth is better than
indefinite doubt. We had better go up at once. Of course, legally,
we are putting ourselves hopelessly in the wrong; but I think that
it is worth it."
It was a very dark night, and a thin rain began to fall as we turned
from the highroad into a narrow lane, deeply rutted, with hedges on
either side. Mr. Grant Munro pushed impatiently forward, however,
and we stumbled after him as best we could.
"There are the lights of my house," he murmured, pointing to a
glimmer among the trees. "And here is the cottage which I am going
to enter."
We turned a corner in the lane as he spoke, and there was the
building close beside us. A yellow bar falling across the black
foreground showed that the door was not quite closed, and one window
in the upper story was brightly illuminated. As we looked, we saw a
dark blur moving across the blind.
"There is that creature!" cried Grant Munro. "You can see for
yourselves that someone is there. Now follow me, and we shall soon
know all."
We approached the door, but suddenly a woman appeared out of the
shadow and stood in the golden track of the lamplight. I could not see
her face in the darkness, but her arms were thrown out in an
attitude of entreaty.
"For God's sake, don't, Jack!" she cried. "I had a presentiment that
you would come this evening. Think better of it, dear! Trust me again,
and you will never have cause to regret it."
"I have trusted you too long, Effie," he cried sternly. "Leave go of
me! I must pass you. My friends and I are going to settle this
matter once and forever!" He pushed her to one side, and we followed
closely after him. As he threw the door open an old woman ran out in
front of him and tried to bar his passage, but he thrust her back, and
an instant afterwards we were all upon the stairs. Grant Munro
rushed into the lighted room at the top, and we entered at his heels.
It was a cosy, well-furnished apartment, with two candles burning
upon the table and two upon the mantelpiece. In the corner, stooping
over a desk, there sat what appeared to be a little girl. Her face was
turned away as we entered, but we could see that she was dressed in
a red frock, and that she had long white gloves on. As she whisked
round to us, I gave a cry of surprise and horror. The face which she
turned towards us was of the strangest livid tint, and the features
were absolutely devoid of any expression. An instant later the mystery
was explained. Holmes, with a laugh, passed his hand behind the
child's ear, a mask peeled off from her countenance, and there was a
little coal-black negress, with all her white teeth flashing in
amusement at our amazed faces. I burst out laughing, out of sympathy
with her merriment; but Grant Munro stood staring, with his hand
clutching his throat.
"My God!" he cried. "What can be the meaning of this?"
"I will tell you the meaning of it," cried the lady, sweeping into
the room with a proud, set face. "You have forced me, against my own
judgment, to tell you, and now we must both make the best of it. My
husband died at Atlanta. My child survived."
"Your child?"
She drew a large silver locket from her bosom. "You have never
seen this open."
"I understood that it did not open."
She touched a spring, and the front hinged back. There was a
portrait within of a man strikingly handsome and
intelligent-looking, but bearing unmistakable signs upon his
features of his African descent.
"That is John Hebron, of Atlanta," said the lady, "and a nobler
man never walked the earth. I cut myself off from my race in order
to wed him, but never once while he lived did I for an instant
regret it. It was our misfortune that our only child took after his
people rather than mine. It is often so in such matches, and little
Lucy is darker far than ever her father was. But dark or fair, she
is my own dear little girlie, and her mother's pet." The little
creature ran across at the words and nestled up against the lady's
dress. "When I left her in America," she continued, "it was only
because her health was weak, and the change might have done her
harm. She was given to the care of a faithful Scotch woman who had
once been our servant. Never for an instant did I dream of disowning
her as my child. But when chance threw you in my way, Jack, and I
learned to love you, I feared to tell you about my child. God
forgive me, I feared that I should lose you, and I had not the courage
to tell you. I had to choose between you, and in my weakness I
turned away from my own little girl. For three years I have kept her
existence a secret from you, but I heard from the nurse, and I knew
that all was well with her. At last, however, there came an
overwhelming desire to see the child once more. I struggled against
it, but in vain. Though I knew the danger, I determined to have the
child over, if it were but for a few weeks. I sent a hundred pounds to
the nurse, and I gave her instructions about this cottage, so that she
might come as a neighbour, without my appearing to be in any way
connected with her. I pushed my precautions so far as to order her
to keep the child in the . p house during the daytime, and to cover up
her little face and hands so that even those who might see her at
the window should not gossip about there being a black child in the
neighbourhood. If I had been less cautious I might have been more
wise, but I was half crazy with fear that you should learn the truth.
"It was you who told me first that the cottage was occupied. I
should have waited for the morning, but I could not sleep for
excitement, and so at last I slipped out, knowing how difficult it
is to awake you. But you saw me go, and that was the beginning of my
troubles. Next day you had my secret at your mercy, but you nobly
refrained from pursuing your advantage. Three days later, however, the
nurse and child only just escaped from the back door as you rushed
in at the front one. And now to-night you at last know all, and I
ask you what is to become of us, my child and me?" She clasped her
hands and waited for an answer.
It was a long ten minutes before Grant Munro broke the silence,
and when his answer came it was one of which I love to think. He
lifted the little child, kissed her, and then, still carrying her,
he held his other hand out to his wife and turned towards the door.
"We can talk it over more comfortably at home," said he. "I am not a
very good man, Effie, but I think that I am a better one than you have
given me credit for being."
Holmes and I followed them down the lane, and my friend plucked at
my sleeve as we came out.
"I think," said he, "that we shall be of more use in London than
in Norbury."
Not another word did he say of the case until late that night,
when he was turning away, with his lighted candle, for his bedroom.
"Watson," said he, "if it should ever strike you that I am getting a
little overconfident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than
it deserves, kindly whisper 'Norbury' in my ear, and I shall be
infinitely obliged to you."
THE END