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diff --git a/old/69700-0.txt b/old/69700-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4099ef8..0000000 --- a/old/69700-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10390 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The case-book of Sherlock Holmes, by -Arthur Conan Doyle - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The case-book of Sherlock Holmes - -Author: Arthur Conan Doyle - -Release Date: January 4, 2023 [eBook #69700] -[Last updated: November 6, 2023] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASE-BOOK OF SHERLOCK -HOLMES *** - - - - - - - - - THE CASE-BOOK OF - SHERLOCK HOLMES - - BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE - - - - LONDON - JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. - - - - -_First Published 1927_ - - - - -PREFACE - -I fear that Mr. Sherlock Holmes may become like one of those popular -tenors who, having outlived their time, are still tempted to make -repeated farewell bows to their indulgent audiences. This must cease -and he must go the way of all flesh, material or imaginary. One likes -to think that there is some fantastic limbo for the children of -imagination, some strange, impossible place where the beaux of Fielding -may still make love to the belles of Richardson, where Scott's heroes -still may strut, Dickens's delightful Cockneys still raise a laugh, and -Thackeray's worldlings continue to carry on their reprehensible -careers. Perhaps in some humble corner of such a Valhalla, Sherlock -and his Watson may for a time find a place, while some more astute -sleuth with some even less astute comrade may fill the stage which they -have vacated. - -His career has been a long one--though it is possible to exaggerate it; -decrepit gentlemen who approach me and declare that his adventures -formed the reading of their boyhood do not meet the response from me -which they seem to expect. One is not anxious to have one's personal -dates handled so unkindly. As a matter of cold fact Holmes made his -_début_ in _A Study in Scarlet_ and in _The Sign of Four_, two small -booklets which appeared between 1887 and 1889. It was in 1891 that "A -Scandal in Bohemia," the first of the long series of short stories, -appeared in _The Strand Magazine_. The public seemed appreciative and -desirous of more, so that from that date, thirty-six years ago, they -have been produced in a broken series which now contains no fewer than -fifty-six stories, republished in _The Adventures_, _The Memoirs_, _The -Return_, and _His Last Bow_, and there remain these twelve published -during the last few years which are here produced under the title of -_The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes_. He began his adventures in the -very heart of the later Victorian Era, carried it through the -all-too-short reign of Edward, and has managed to hold his own little -niche even in these feverish days. Thus it would be true to say that -those who first read of him as young men have lived to see their own -grown-up children following the same adventures in the same magazine. -It is a striking example of the patience and loyalty of the British -public. - -I had fully determined at the conclusion of _The Memoirs_ to bring -Holmes to an end, as I felt that my literary energies should not be -directed too much into one channel. That pale, clear-cut face and -loose-limbed figure were taking up an undue share of my imagination. I -did the deed, but, fortunately, no coroner had pronounced upon the -remains, and so, after a long interval, it was not difficult for me to -respond to the flattering demand and to explain my rash act away. I -have never regretted it, for I have not in actual practice found that -these lighter sketches have prevented me from exploring and finding my -limitations in such varied branches of literature as history, poetry, -historical novels, psychic research, and the drama. Had Holmes never -existed I could not have done more, though he may perhaps have stood a -little in the way of the recognition of my more serious literary work. - -And so, reader, farewell to Sherlock Holmes! I thank you for your past -constancy, and can but hope that some return has been made in the shape -of that distraction from the worries of life and stimulating change of -thought which can only be found in the fairy kingdom of romance. - -ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. - - - - - CONTENTS - - I The Adventure of the Illustrious Client - II The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier - III The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone - IV The Adventure of the Three Gables - V The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire - VI The Adventure of the Three Garridebs - VII The Problem of Thor Bridge - VIII The Adventure of the Creeping Man - IX The Adventure of the Lion's Mane - X The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger - XI The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place - XII The Adventure of the Retired Colourman - - - - -I - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT - -"It can't hurt now," was Mr. Sherlock Holmes's comment when, for the -tenth time in as many years, I asked his leave to reveal the following -narrative. So it was that at last I obtained permission to put on -record what was, in some ways, the supreme moment of my friend's career. - -Both Holmes and I had a weakness for the Turkish Bath. It was over a -smoke in the pleasant lassitude of the drying-room that I have found -him less reticent and more human than anywhere else. On the upper -floor of the Northumberland Avenue establishment there is an isolated -corner where two couches lie side by side, and it was on these that we -lay upon September 3, 1902, the day when my narrative begins. I had -asked him whether anything was stirring, and for answer he had shot his -long, thin, nervous arm out of the sheets which enveloped him and had -drawn an envelope from the inside pocket of the coat which hung beside -him. - - -"It may be some fussy, self-important fool, it may be a matter of life -or death," said he, as he handed me the note. "I know no more than -this message tells me." - -It was from the Carlton Club, and dated the evening before. This is -what I read: - - -"Sir James Damery presents his compliments to Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and -will call upon him at 4.30 to-morrow. Sir James begs to say that the -matter upon which he desires to consult Mr. Holmes is very delicate, -and also very important. He trusts, therefore, that Mr. Holmes will -make every effort to grant this interview, and that he will confirm it -over the telephone to the Carlton Club." - - -"I need not say that I have confirmed it, Watson," said Holmes, as I -returned the paper. "Do you know anything of this man Damery?" - -"Only that his name is a household word in Society." - -"Well, I can tell you a little more than that. He has rather a -reputation for arranging delicate matters which are to be kept out of -the papers. You may remember his negotiations with Sir George Lewis -over the Hammerford Will case. He is a man of the world with a natural -turn for diplomacy. I am bound, therefore, to hope that it is not a -false scent and that he has some real need for our assistance." - -"Our?" - -"Well, if you will be so good, Watson." - -"I shall be honoured." - -"Then you have the hour--four-thirty. Until then we can put the matter -out of our heads." - - -I was living in my own rooms in Queen Anne Street at the time, but I -was round at Baker Street before the time named. Sharp to the -half-hour, Colonel Sir James Damery was announced. It is hardly -necessary to describe him, for many will remember that large, bluff, -honest personality, that broad, clean-shaven face, above all, that -pleasant, mellow voice. Frankness shone from his grey Irish eyes, and -good humour played round his mobile, smiling lips. His lucent top-hat, -his dark frock-coat, indeed, every detail, from the pearl pin in the -black satin cravat to the lavender spats over the varnished shoes, -spoke of the meticulous care in dress for which he was famous. The -big, masterful aristocrat dominated the little room. - -"Of course, I was prepared to find Dr. Watson," he remarked, with a -courteous bow. "His collaboration may be very necessary, for we are -dealing on this occasion, Mr. Holmes, with a man to whom violence is -familiar and who will, literally, stick at nothing. I should say that -there is no more dangerous man in Europe." - -"I have had several opponents to whom that flattering term has been -applied," said Holmes, with a smile. "Don't you smoke? Then you will -excuse me if I light my pipe. If your man is more dangerous than the -late Professor Moriarty, or than the living Colonel Sebastian Moran, -then he is indeed worth meeting. May I ask his name?" - -"Have you ever heard of Baron Gruner? - -"You mean the Austrian murderer?" - -Colonel Damery threw up his kid-gloved hands with a laugh. "There is -no getting past you, Mr. Holmes! Wonderful! So you have already sized -him up as a murderer?" - -"It is my business to follow the details of Continental crime. Who -could possibly have read what happened at Prague and have any doubts as -to the man's guilt! It was a purely technical legal point and the -suspicious death of a witness that saved him! I am as sure that he -killed his wife when the so-called 'accident' happened in the Splügen -Pass as if I had seen him do it. I knew, also, that he had come to -England, and had a presentiment that sooner or later he would find me -some work to do. Well, what has Baron Gruner been up to? I presume it -is not this old tragedy which has come up again?" - -"No, it is more serious than that. To revenge crime is important, but -to prevent it is more so. It is a terrible thing, Mr. Holmes, to see a -dreadful event, an atrocious situation, preparing itself before your -eyes, to clearly understand whither it will lead and yet to be utterly -unable to avert it. Can a human being be placed in a more trying -position?" - -"Perhaps not." - -"Then you will sympathize with the client in whose interests I am -acting." - -"I did not understand that you were merely an intermediary. Who is the -principal?" - -"Mr. Holmes, I must beg you not to press that question. It is -important that I should be able to assure him that his honoured name -has been in no way dragged into the matter. His motives are, to the -last degree, honourable and chivalrous, but he prefers to remain -unknown. I need not say that your fees will be assured and that you -will be given a perfectly free hand. Surely the actual name of your -client is immaterial?" - -"I am sorry," said Holmes. "I am accustomed to have mystery at one end -of my cases, but to have it at both ends is too confusing. I fear, Sir -James, that I must decline to act." - -Our visitor was greatly disturbed. His large, sensitive face was -darkened with emotion and disappointment. - -"You hardly realize the effect of your own action, Mr. Holmes," said -he. "You place me in a most serious dilemma, for I am perfectly -certain that you would be proud to take over the case if I could give -you the facts, and yet a promise forbids me from revealing them all. -May I, at least, lay all that I can before you?" - -"By all means, so long as it is understood that I commit myself to -nothing." - -"That is understood. In the first place, you have no doubt heard of -General de Merville?" - -"De Merville of Khyber fame? Yes, I have heard of him." - -"He has a daughter, Violet de Merville, young, rich, beautiful, -accomplished, a wonder-woman in every way. It is this daughter, this -lovely, innocent girl, whom we are endeavouring to save from the -clutches of a fiend." - -"Baron Gruner has some hold over her, then?" - -"The strongest of all holds where a woman is concerned--the hold of -love. The fellow is, as you may have heard, extraordinarily handsome, -with a most fascinating manner, a gentle voice, and that air of romance -and mystery which means so much to a woman. He is said to have the -whole sex at his mercy and to have made ample use of the fact. - -"But how came such a man to meet a lady of the standing of Miss Violet -de Merville?" - -"It was on a Mediterranean yachting voyage. The company, though -select, paid their own passages. No doubt the promoters hardly -realized the Baron's true character until it was too late. The villain -attached himself to the lady, and with such effect that he has -completely and absolutely won her heart. To say that she loves him -hardly expresses it. She dotes upon him, she is obsessed by him. -Outside of him there is nothing on earth. She will not hear one word -against him. Everything has been done to cure her of her madness, but -in vain. To sum up, she proposes to marry him next month. As she is -of age and has a will of iron, it is hard to know how to prevent her." - -"Does she know about the Austrian episode?" - -"The cunning devil has told her every unsavoury public scandal of his -past life, but always in such a way as to make himself out to be an -innocent martyr. She absolutely accepts his version and will listen to -no other." - -"Dear me! But surely you have inadvertently let out the name of your -client? It is no doubt General de Merville." - -Our visitor fidgeted in his chair. - -"I could deceive you by saying so, Mr. Holmes, but it would not be -true. De Merville is a broken man. The strong soldier has been -utterly demoralized by this incident. He has lost the nerve which -never failed him on the battlefield and has become a weak, doddering -old man, utterly incapable of contending with a brilliant, forceful -rascal like this Austrian. My client, however, is an old friend, one -who has known the General intimately for many years and taken a -paternal interest in this young girl since she wore short frocks. He -cannot see this tragedy consummated without some attempt to stop it. -There is nothing in which Scotland Yard can act. It was his own -suggestion that you should be called in, but it was, as I have said, on -the express stipulation that he should not be personally involved in -the matter. I have no doubt, Mr. Holmes, with your great powers you -could easily trace my client back through me, but I must ask you, as a -point of honour, to refrain from doing so, and not to break in upon his -incognito." - -Holmes gave a whimsical smile. - -"I think I may safely promise that," said he. "I may add that your -problem interests me, and that I shall be prepared to look into it. -How shall I keep in touch with you?" - -"The Carlton Club will find me. But, in case of emergency, there is a -private telephone call, 'XX.31.'" - -Holmes noted it down and sat, still smiling, with the open -memorandum-book upon his knee. - -"The Baron's present address, please?" - -"Vernon Lodge, near Kingston. It is a large house. He has been -fortunate in some rather shady speculations and is a rich man, which, -naturally, makes him a more dangerous antagonist." - -"Is he at home at present?" - -"Yes." - -"Apart from what you have told me, can you give me any further -information about the man?" - -"He has expensive tastes. He is a horse fancier. For a short time he -played polo at Hurlingham, but then this Prague affair got noised about -and he had to leave. He collects books and pictures. He is a man with -a considerable artistic side to his nature. He is, I believe, a -recognized authority upon Chinese pottery, and has written a book upon -the subject." - -"A complex mind," said Holmes. "All great criminals have that. My old -friend Charlie Peace was a violin virtuoso. Wainwright was no mean -artist. I could quote many more. Well, Sir James, you will inform -your client that I am turning my mind upon Baron Gruner. I can say no -more. I have some sources of information of my own, and dare say we -may find some means of opening matter up." - - -When our visitor had left us, Holmes sat so long in deep thought that -it seemed to me that he had forgotten my presence. At last, however, -he came briskly back to earth. - -"Well, Watson, any views?" he asked. - -"I should think you had better see the young lady herself." - -"My dear Watson, if her poor old broken father cannot move her, how -shall I, a stranger, prevail? And yet there is something in the -suggestion if all else fails. But I think we must begin from a -different angle. I rather fancy that Shinwell Johnson might be a help." - -I have not had occasion to mention Shinwell Johnson in these memoirs -because I have seldom drawn my cases from the latter phases of my -friend's career. During the first years of the century he became a -valuable assistant. Johnson, I grieve to say, made his name first as a -very dangerous villain and served two terms at Parkhurst. Finally, he -repented and allied himself to Holmes, acting as his agent in the huge -criminal underworld of London, and obtaining information which often -proved to be of vital importance. Had Johnson been a "nark" of the -police he would soon have been exposed, but as he dealt with cases -which never came directly into the courts, his activities were never -realized by his companions. With the glamour of his two convictions -upon him, he had the _entrée_ of every night-club, doss-house, and -gambling-den in the town, and his quick observation and active brain -made him an ideal agent for gaining information. It was to him that -Sherlock Holmes now proposed to turn. - -It was not possible for me to follow the immediate steps taken by my -friend, for I had some pressing professional business of my own, but I -met him by appointment that evening at Simpson's, where, sitting at a -small table in the front window, and looking down at the rushing stream -of life in the Strand, he told me something of what had passed. - -"Johnson is on the prowl," said he. "He may pick up some garbage in -the darker recesses of the underworld, for it is down there, amid the -black roots of crime, that we must hunt for this man's secrets." - -"But, if the lady will not accept what is already known, why should any -fresh discovery of yours turn her from her purpose?" - -"Who knows, Watson? Woman's heart and mind are insoluble puzzles to -the male. Murder might be condoned or explained, and yet some smaller -offence might rankle. Baron Gruner remarked to me----" - -"He remarked to you!" - -"Oh, to be sure, I had not told you of my plans! Well, Watson, I love -to come to close grips with my man. I like to meet him eye to eye and -read for myself the stuff that he is made of. When I had given Johnson -his instructions, I took a cab out to Kingston and found the Baron in a -most affable mood." - -"Did he recognize you?" - -"There was no difficulty about that, for I simply sent in my card. He -is an excellent antagonist, cool as ice, silky voiced and soothing as -one of your fashionable consultants, and poisonous as a cobra. He has -breed in him, a real aristocrat of crime, with a superficial suggestion -of afternoon tea and all the cruelty of the grave behind it. Yes, I am -glad to have had my attention called to Baron Adelbert Gruner." - -"You say he was affable?" - -"A purring cat who thinks he sees prospective mice. Some people's -affability is more deadly than the violence of coarser souls. His -greeting was characteristic. 'I rather thought I should see you sooner -or later, Mr. Holmes,' said he. 'You have been engaged, no doubt, by -General de Merville to endeavour to stop my marriage with his daughter, -Violet. That is so, is it not?' - -"I acquiesced. - -"'My dear man,' said he, 'you will only ruin your own well-deserved -reputation. It is not a case in which you can possibly succeed. You -will have barren work, to say nothing of incurring some danger. Let me -very strongly advise you to draw off at once.' - -"'It is curious,' I answered, 'but that was the very advice which I had -intended to give you. I have a respect for your brains, Baron, and the -little which I have seen of your personality has not lessened it. Let -me put it to you as man to man. No one wants to rake up your past and -make you unduly uncomfortable. It is over, and you are now in smooth -waters, but if you persist in this marriage you will raise up a swarm -of powerful enemies who will never leave you alone until they have made -England too hot to hold you. Is the game worth it? Surely you would -be wiser if you left the lady alone. It would not be pleasant for you -if these facts of your past were brought to her notice.' - -"The Baron has little waxed tips of hair under his nose, like the short -antennae of an insect. These quivered with amusement as he listened, -and he finally broke into a gentle chuckle. - -"'Excuse my amusement, Mr. Holmes,' said he, 'but it is really funny to -see you trying to play a hand with no cards in it. I don't think -anyone could do it better, but it is rather pathetic, all the same. -Not a colour card there, Mr. Holmes, nothing but the smallest of the -small.' - -"'So you think.' - -"'So I know. Let me make the thing clear to you, for my own hand is so -strong that I can afford to show it. I have been fortunate enough to -win the entire affection of this lady. This was given to me in spite -of the fact that I told her very clearly of all the unhappy incidents -in my past life. I also told her that certain wicked and designing -persons--I hope you recognize yourself--would come to her and tell her -these things, and I warned her how to treat them. You have heard of -post-hypnotic suggestion, Mr. Holmes? Well, you will see how it works, -for a man of personality can use hypnotism without any vulgar passes or -tomfoolery. So she is ready for you and, I have no doubt, would give -you an appointment, for she is quite amenable to her father's -will--save only in the one little matter.' - -"Well, Watson, there seemed to be no more to say, so I took my leave -with as much cold dignity as I could summon, but, as I had my hand on -the door-handle, he stopped me. - -"'By the way, Mr. Holmes,' said he, 'did you know Le Brun, the French -agent?' - -"'Yes,' said I. - -"'Do you know what befell him?' - -"'I heard that he was beaten by some Apaches in the Montmartre district -and crippled for life.' - -"'Quite true, Mr. Holmes. By a curious coincidence he had been -inquiring into my affairs only a week before. Don't do it, Mr. Holmes; -it's not a lucky thing to do. Several have found that out. My last -word to you is, go your own way and let me go mine. Good-bye!' - -"So there you are, Watson. You are up to date now." - -"The fellow seems dangerous." - -"Mighty dangerous. I disregard the blusterer, but this is the sort of -man who says rather less than he means." - -"Must you interfere? Does it really matter if he marries the girl?" - -"Considering that he undoubtedly murdered his last wife, I should say -it mattered very much. Besides, the client! Well, well, we need not -discuss that. When you have finished your coffee you had best come -home with me, for the blithe Shinwell will be there with his report." - -We found him sure enough, a huge, coarse, red-faced, scorbutic man, -with a pair of vivid black eyes which were the only external sign of -the very cunning mind within. It seems that he had dived down into -what was peculiarly his kingdom, and beside him on the settee was a -brand which he had brought up in the shape of a slim, flame-like young -woman with a pale, intense face, youthful, and yet so worn with sin and -sorrow that one read the terrible years which had left their leprous -mark upon her. - -"This is Miss Kitty Winter," said Shinwell Johnson, waving his fat hand -as an introduction. "What she don't know--well, there, she'll speak -for herself. Put my hand right on her, Mr. Holmes, within an hour of -your message." - -"I'm easy to find," said the young woman. "Hell, London, gets me every -time. Same address for Porky Shinwell. We're old mates, Porky, you -and I. But, by Gripes! there is another who ought to be down in a -lower hell than we if there was any justice in the world! That is the -man you are after, Mr. Holmes." - -Holmes smiled. "I gather we have your good wishes, Miss Winter." - -"If I can help to put him where he belongs, I'm yours to the rattle," -said our visitor, with fierce energy. There was an intensity of hatred -in her white, set face and her blazing eyes such as woman seldom and -man never can attain. "You needn't go into my past, Mr. Holmes. -That's neither here nor there. But what I am Adelbert Gruner made me. -If I could pull him down!" She clutched frantically with her hands -into the air. "Oh, if I could only pull him into the pit where he has -pushed so many!" - -"You know how the matter stands?" - -"Porky Shinwell has been telling me. He's after some other poor fool -and wants to marry her this time. You want to stop it. Well, you -surely know enough about this devil to prevent any decent girl in her -senses wanting to be in the same parish with him." - -"She is not in her senses. She is madly in love. She has been told -all about him. She cares nothing." - -"Told about the murder?" - -"Yes." - -"My Lord, she must have a nerve!" - -"She puts them all down as slanders." - -"Couldn't you lay proofs before her silly eyes?" - -"Well, can you help us do so?" - -"Ain't I a proof myself? If I stood before her and told her how he -used me----" - -"Would you do this?" - -"Would I? Would I not!" - -"Well, it might be worth trying. But he has told her most of his sins -and had pardon from her, and I understand she will not reopen the -question." - -"I'll lay he didn't tell her all," said Miss Winter. "I caught a -glimpse of one or two murders besides the one that made such a fuss. -He would speak of someone in his velvet way and then look at me with a -steady eye and say: 'He died within a month.' It wasn't hot air, -either. But I took little notice--you see, I loved him myself at that -time. Whatever he did went with me, same as with this poor fool! -There was just one thing that shook me. Yes, by Gripes! if it had not -been for his poisonous, lying tongue that explains and soothes, I'd -have left him that very night. It's a book he has--a brown leather -book with a lock, and his arms in gold on the outside. I think he was -a bit drunk that night, or he would not have shown it to me." - -"What was it, then?" - -"I tell you, Mr. Holmes, this man collects women, and takes a pride in -his collection, as some men collect moths or butterflies. He had it -all in that book. Snapshot photographs, names, details, everything -about them. It was a beastly book--a book no man, even if he had come -from the gutter, could have put together. But it was Adelbert Gruner's -book all the same. 'Souls I have ruined.' He could have put that on -the outside if he had been so minded. However, that's neither here nor -there, for the book would not serve you, and, if it would, you can't -get it." - -"Where is it?" - -"How can I tell you where it is now? It's more than a year since I -left him. I know where he kept it then. He's a precise, tidy cat of a -man in many of his ways, so maybe it is still in the pigeon-hole of the -old bureau in the inner study. Do you know his house?" - -"I've been in the study," said Holmes. - -"Have you, though? You haven't been slow on the job if you only -started this morning. Maybe dear Adelbert has met his match this time. -The outer study is the one with the Chinese crockery in it--big glass -cupboard between the windows. Then behind his desk is the door that -leads to the inner study--a small room where he keeps papers and -things." - -"Is he not afraid of burglars?" - -"Adelbert is no coward. His worst enemy couldn't say that of him. He -can look after himself. There's a burglar alarm at night. Besides, -what is there for a burglar--unless they got away with all this fancy -crockery?" - -"No good," said Shinwell Johnson, with the decided voice of the expert. -"No fence wants stuff of that sort that you can neither melt nor sell." - -"Quite so," said Holmes. "Well, now, Miss Winter, if you would call -here to-morrow evening at five, I would consider in the meanwhile -whether your suggestion of seeing this lady personally may not be -arranged. I am exceedingly obliged to you for your co-operation. I -need not say that my clients will consider liberally----" - -"None of that, Mr. Holmes," cried the young woman. "I am not out for -money. Let me see this man in the mud, and I've got all I worked -for--in the mud with my foot on his cursed face. That's my price. I'm -with you to-morrow or any other day so long as you are on his track. -Porky here can tell you always where to find me." - - -I did not see Holmes again until the following evening, when we dined -once more at our Strand restaurant. He shrugged his shoulders when I -asked him what luck he had had in his interview. Then he told the -story, which I would repeat in this way. His hard, dry statement needs -some little editing to soften it into the terms of real life. - -"There was no difficulty at all about the appointment," said Holmes, -"for the girl glories in showing abject filial obedience in all -secondary things in an attempt to atone for her flagrant breach of it -in her engagement. The General 'phoned that all was ready, and the -fiery Miss W. turned up according to schedule, so that at half-past -five a cab deposited us outside 104 Berkeley Square, where the old -soldier resides--one of those awful grey London castles which would -make a church seem frivolous. A footman showed us into a great -yellow-curtained drawing-room, and there was the lady awaiting us, -demure, pale, self-contained, as inflexible and remote as a snow image -on a mountain. - -"I don't quite know how to make her clear to you, Watson. Perhaps you -may meet her before we are through, and you can use your own gift of -words. She is beautiful, but with the ethereal other-world beauty of -some fanatic whose thoughts are set on high. I have seen such faces in -the pictures of the old masters of the Middle Ages. How a beast-man -could have laid his vile paws upon such a being of the beyond I cannot -imagine. You may have noticed how extremes call to each other, the -spiritual to the animal, the cave-man to the angel. You never saw a -worse case than this. - -"She knew what we had come for, of course--that villain had lost no -time in poisoning her mind against us. Miss Winter's advent rather -amazed her, I think, but she waved us into our respective chairs like a -Reverend Abbess receiving two rather leprous mendicants. If your head -is inclined to swell, my dear Watson, take a course of Miss Violet de -Merville. - -"'Well, sir,' said she, in a voice like the wind from an iceberg, 'your -name is familiar to me. You have called, as I understand, to malign my -fiancé, Baron Gruner. It is only by my father's request that I see you -at all, and I warn you in advance that anything you can say could not -possibly have the slightest effect upon my mind.' - -"I was sorry for her, Watson. I thought of her for the moment as I -would have thought of a daughter of my own. I am not often eloquent. -I use my head, not my heart. But I really did plead with her with all -the warmth of words that I could find in my nature. I pictured to her -the awful position of the woman who only wakes to a man's character -after she is his wife--a woman who has to submit to be caressed by -bloody hands and lecherous lips. I spared her nothing--the shame, the -fear, the agony, the hopelessness of it all. All my hot words could -not bring one tinge of colour to those ivory cheeks or one gleam of -emotion to those abstracted eyes. I thought of what the rascal had -said about a post-hypnotic influence. One could really believe that -she was living above the earth in some ecstatic dream. Yet there was -nothing indefinite in her replies. - -"'I have listened to you with patience, Mr. Holmes,' said she. 'The -effect upon my mind is exactly as predicted. I am aware that Adelbert, -that my fiancé, has had a stormy life in which he has incurred bitter -hatreds and most unjust aspersions. You are only the last of a series -who have brought their slanders before me. Possibly you mean well, -though I learn that you are a paid agent who would have been equally -willing to act for the Baron as against him. But in any case I wish -you to understand once for all that I love him and that he loves me, -and that the opinion of all the world is no more to me than the twitter -of those birds outside the window. If his noble nature has ever for an -instant fallen, it may be that I have been specially sent to raise it -to its true and lofty level. I am not clear,' here she turned her eyes -upon my companion, 'who this young lady may be.' - -"I was about to answer when the girl broke in like a whirlwind. If -ever you saw flame and ice face to face, it was those two women. - -"'I'll tell you who I am,' she cried, springing out of her chair, her -mouth all twisted with passion--'I am his last mistress. I am one of a -hundred that he has tempted and used and ruined and thrown into the -refuse heap, as he will you also. _Your_ refuse heap is more likely to -be a grave, and maybe that's the best. I tell you, you foolish woman, -if you marry this man he'll be the death of you. It may be a broken -heart or it may be a broken neck, but he'll have you one way or the -other. It's not out of love for you I'm speaking. I don't care a -tinker's curse whether you live or die. It's out of hate for him and -to spite him and to get back on him for what he did to me. But it's -all the same, and you needn't look at me like that, my fine lady, for -you may be lower than I am before you are through with it.' - -"'I should prefer not to discuss such matters,' said Miss de Merville -coldly. 'Let me say once for all that I am aware of three passages in -my fiancé's life in which he became entangled with designing women, and -that I am assured of his hearty repentance for any evil that he may -have done.' - -"'Three passages!' screamed my companion. 'You fool! You unutterable -fool!' - -"'Mr. Holmes, I beg that you will bring this interview to an end,' said -the icy voice. 'I have obeyed my father's wish in seeing you, but I am -not compelled to listen to the ravings of this person.' - -"With an oath Miss Winter darted forward, and if I had not caught her -wrist she would have clutched this maddening woman by the hair. I -dragged her towards the door, and was lucky to get her back into the -cab without a public scene, for she was beside herself with rage. In a -cold way I felt pretty furious myself, Watson, for there was something -indescribably annoying in the calm aloofness and supreme -self-complaisance of the woman whom we were trying to save. So now -once again you know exactly how we stand, and it is clear that I must -plan some fresh opening move, for this gambit won't work. I'll keep in -touch with you, Watson, for it is more than likely that you will have -your part to play, though it is just possible that the next move may -lie with them rather than with us." - -And it did. Their blow fell--or his blow rather, for never could I -believe that the lady was privy to it. I think I could show you the -very paving-stone upon which I stood when my eyes fell upon the -placard, and a pang of horror passed through my very soul. It was -between the "Grand Hotel" and Charing Cross Station, where a one-legged -news-vendor displayed his evening papers. The date was just two days -after the last conversation. There, black upon yellow, was the -terrible news-sheet: - - +-------------+ - | MURDEROUS | - | ATTACK | - | UPON | - | SHERLOCK | - | HOLMES. | - +-------------+ - - -I think I stood stunned for some moments. Then I have a confused -recollection of snatching at a paper, of the remonstrance of the man, -whom I had not paid, and, finally, of standing in the doorway of a -chemist's shop while I turned up the fateful paragraph. This was how -it ran: - - -"We learn with regret that Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the well-known private -detective, was the victim this morning of a murderous assault which has -left him in a precarious position. There are no exact details to hand, -but the event seems to have occurred about twelve o'clock in Regent -Street, outside the Café Royal. The attack was made by two men armed -with sticks, and Mr. Holmes was beaten about the head and body, -receiving injuries which the doctors describe as most serious. He was -carried to Charing Cross Hospital, and afterwards insisted upon being -taken to his rooms in Baker Street. The miscreants who attacked him -appear to have been respectably dressed men, who escaped from the -bystanders by passing through the Café Royal and out into Glasshouse -Street behind it. No doubt they belonged to that criminal fraternity -which has so often had occasion to bewail the activity and ingenuity of -the injured man." - - -I need not say that my eyes had hardly glanced over the paragraph -before I had sprung into a hansom and was on my way to Baker Street. I -found Sir Leslie Oakshott, the famous surgeon in the hall and his -brougham waiting at the kerb. - -"No immediate danger," was his report. "Two lacerated scalp wounds and -some considerable bruises. Several stitches have been necessary. -Morphine has been injected and quiet is essential, but an interview of -a few minutes would not be absolutely forbidden." - -With this permission I stole into the darkened room. The sufferer was -wide awake, and I heard my name in a hoarse whisper. The blind was -three-quarters down, but one ray of sunlight slanted through and struck -the bandaged head of the injured man. A crimson patch had soaked -through the white linen compress. I sat beside him and bent my head. - -"All right, Watson. Don't look so scared," he muttered in a very weak -voice. "It's not as bad as it seems." - -"Thank God for that!" - -"I'm a bit of a single-stick expert, as you know. I took most of them -on my guard. It was the second man that was too much for me." - -"What can I do, Holmes? Of course, it was that damned fellow who set -them on. I'll go and thrash the hide off him if you give the word." - -"Good old Watson! No, we can do nothing there unless the police lay -their hands on the men. But their get-away had been well prepared. We -may be sure of that. Wait a little. I have my plans. The first thing -is to exaggerate my injuries. They'll come to you for news. Put it on -thick, Watson. Lucky if I live the week -out--concussion--delirium--what you like! You can't overdo it." - -"But Sir Leslie Oakshott?" - -"Oh, he's all right. He shall see the worst side of me. I'll look -after that." - -"Anything else?" - -"Yes. Tell Shinwell Johnson to get that girl out of the way. Those -beauties will be after her now. They know, of course, that she was -with me in the case. If they dared to do me in it is not likely they -will neglect her. That is urgent. Do it to-night." - -"I'll go now. Anything more?" - -"Put my pipe on the table--and the tobacco-slipper. Right! Come in -each morning and we will plan our campaign." - -I arranged with Johnson that evening to take Miss Winter to a quiet -suburb and see that she lay low until the danger was past. - -For six days the public were under the impression that Holmes was at -the door of death. The bulletins were very grave and there were -sinister paragraphs in the papers. My continual visits assured me that -it was not so bad as that. His wiry constitution and his determined -will were working wonders. He was recovering fast, and I had -suspicions at times that he was really finding himself faster than he -pretended, even to me. There was a curious secretive streak in the man -which led to many dramatic effects, but left even his closest friend -guessing as to what his exact plans might be. He pushed to an extreme -the axiom that the only safe plotter was he who plotted alone. I was -nearer him than anyone else, and yet I was always conscious of the gap -between. - -On the seventh day the stitches were taken out, in spite of which there -was a report of erysipelas in the evening papers. The same evening -papers had an announcement which I was bound, sick or well, to carry to -my friend. It was simply that among the passengers on the Cunard boat -_Ruritania_, starting from Liverpool on Friday, was the Baron Adelbert -Gruner, who had some important financial business to settle in the -States before his impending wedding to Miss Violet de Merville, only -daughter of, etc., etc. Holmes listened to the news with a cold, -concentrated look upon his pale face, which told me that it hit him -hard. - -"Friday!" he cried. "Only three clear days. I believe the rascal -wants to put himself out of danger's way. But he won't, Watson! By -the Lord Harry, he won't! Now, Watson, I want you to do something for -me." - -"I am here to be used, Holmes." - -"Well, then, spend the next twenty-four hours in an intensive study of -Chinese pottery." - -He gave no explanations and I asked for none. By long experience I had -learned the wisdom of obedience. But when I had left his room I walked -down Baker Street, revolving in my head how on earth I was to carry out -so strange an order. Finally I drove to the London Library in St. -James's Square, put the matter to my friend Lomax, the sub-librarian, -and departed to my rooms with a goodly volume under my arm. - -It is said that the barrister who crams up a case with such care that -he can examine an expert witness upon the Monday has forgotten all his -forced knowledge before the Saturday. Certainly I should not like now -to pose as an authority upon ceramics. And yet all that evening, and -all that night with a short interval for rest, and all next morning I -was sucking in knowledge and committing names to memory. There I -learned of the hall-marks of the great artist-decorators, of the -mystery of cyclical dates, the marks of the Hung-wu and the beauties of -the Yung-lo, the writings of Tang-ying, and the glories of the -primitive period of the Sung and the Yuan. I was charged with all this -information when I called upon Holmes next evening. He was out of bed -now, though you would not have guessed it from the published reports, -and he sat with his much-bandaged head resting upon his hand in the -depth of his favourite arm-chair. - -"Why, Holmes," I said, "if one believed the papers you are dying." - -"That," said he, "is the very impression which I intended to convey. -And now, Watson, have you learned your lessons?" - -"At least I have tried to." - -"Good. You could keep up an intelligent conversation on the subject?" - -"I believe I could." - -"Then hand me that little box from the mantel-piece." - -He opened the lid and took out a small object most carefully wrapped in -some fine Eastern silk. This he unfolded, and disclosed a delicate -little saucer of the most beautiful deep-blue colour. - -"It needs careful handling, Watson. This is the real egg-shell pottery -of the Ming dynasty. No finer piece ever passed through Christie's. A -complete set of this would be worth a king's ransom--in fact, it is -doubtful if there is a complete set outside the Imperial palace of -Peking. The sight of this would drive a real connoisseur wild." - -"What am I to do with it?" - -Holmes handed me a card upon which was printed: "Dr. Hill Barton, 369 -Half Moon Street." - -"That is your name for the evening, Watson. You will call upon Baron -Gruner. I know something of his habits, and at half-past eight he -would probably be disengaged. A note will tell him in advance that you -are about to call, and you will say that you are bringing him a -specimen of an absolutely unique set of Ming china. You may as well be -a medical man, since that is a part which you can play without -duplicity. You are a collector, this set has come your way, you have -heard of the Baron's interest in the subject, and you are not averse to -selling at a price." - -"What price?" - -"Well asked, Watson. You would certainly fall down badly if you did -not know the value of your own wares. This saucer was got for me by -Sir James, and comes, I understand, from the collection of his client. -You will not exaggerate if you say that it could hardly be matched in -the world." - -"I could perhaps suggest that the set should be valued by an expert." - -"Excellent, Watson! You scintillate to-day. Suggest Christie or -Sotheby. Your delicacy prevents your putting a price for yourself." - -"But if he won't see me?" - -"Oh, yes, he will see you. He has the collection mania in its most -acute form--and especially on this subject, on which he is an -acknowledged authority. Sit down, Watson, and I will dictate the -letter. No answer needed. You will merely say that you are coming, -and why." - -It was an admirable document, short, courteous, and stimulating to the -curiosity of the connoisseur. A district messenger was duly dispatched -with it. On the same evening, with the precious saucer in my hand and -the card of Dr. Hill Barton in my pocket, I set off on my own adventure. - - -The beautiful house and grounds indicated that Baron Gruner was, as Sir -James had said, a man of considerable wealth. A long winding drive, -with banks of rare shrubs on either side, opened out into a great -gravelled square adorned with statues. The place had been built by a -South African gold king in the days of the great boom, and the long, -low house with the turrets at the corners, though an architectural -nightmare, was imposing in its size and solidity. A butler who would -have adorned a bench of bishops showed me in, and handed me over to a -plush-clad footman, who ushered me into the Baron's presence. - -He was standing at the open front of a great case which stood between -the windows, and which contained part of his Chinese collection. He -turned as I entered with a small brown vase in his hand. - -"Pray sit down, doctor," said he. "I was looking over my own treasures -and wondering whether I could really afford to add to them. This -little Tang specimen, which dates from the seventh century, would -probably interest you. I am sure you never saw finer workmanship or a -richer glaze. Have you the Ming saucer with you of which you spoke?" - -I carefully unpacked it and handed it to him. He seated himself at his -desk, pulled over the lamp, for it was growing dark, and set himself to -examine it. As he did so the yellow light beat upon his own features, -and I was able to study them at my ease. - -He was certainly a remarkably handsome man. His European reputation -for beauty was fully deserved. In figure he was not more than of -middle size, but was built upon graceful and active lines. His face -was swarthy, almost Oriental, with large, dark, languorous eyes which -might easily hold an irresistible fascination for women. His hair and -moustache were raven black, the latter short, pointed, and carefully -waxed. His features were regular and pleasing, save only his straight, -thin-lipped mouth. If ever I saw a murderer's mouth it was there--a -cruel, hard gash in the face, compressed, inexorable, and terrible. He -was ill-advised to train his moustache away from it, for it was -Nature's danger-signal, set as a warning to his victims. His voice was -engaging and his manners perfect. In age I should have put him at -little over thirty, though his record afterwards showed that he was -forty-two. - -"Very fine--very fine indeed!" he said at last. "And you say you have -a set of six to correspond. What puzzles me is that I should not have -heard of such magnificent specimens. I only know of one in England to -match this, and it is certainly not likely to be in the market. Would -it be indiscreet if I were to ask you, Dr. Hill Barton, how you -obtained this?" - -"Does it really matter?" I asked, with as careless an air as I could -muster. "You can see that the piece is genuine, and, as to the value, -I am content to take an expert's valuation." - -"Very mysterious," said he, with a quick, suspicious flash of his dark -eyes. "In dealing with objects of such value, one naturally wishes to -know all about the transaction. That the piece is genuine is certain. -I have no doubts at all about that. But suppose--I am bound to take -every possibility into account--that it should prove afterwards that -you had no right to sell?" - -"I would guarantee you against any claim of the sort." - -"That, of course, would open up the question as to what your guarantee -was worth." - -"My bankers would answer that." - -"Quite so. And yet the whole transaction strikes me as rather unusual." - -"You can do business or not," said I, with indifference. "I have given -you the first offer as I understood that you were a connoisseur, but I -shall have no difficulty in other quarters." - -"Who told you I was a connoisseur?" - -"I was aware that you had written a book upon the subject." - -"Have you read the book?" - -"No." - -"Dear me, this becomes more and more difficult for me to understand! -You are a connoisseur and collector with a very valuable piece in your -collection, and yet you have never troubled to consult the one book -which would have told you of the real meaning and value of what you -held. How do you explain that?" - -"I am a very busy man. I am a doctor in practice." - -"That is no answer. If a man has a hobby he follows it up, whatever -his other pursuits may be. You said in your note that you were a -connoisseur." - -"So I am." - -"Might I ask you a few questions to test you? I am obliged to tell -you, doctor--if you are indeed a doctor--that the incident becomes more -and more suspicious. I would ask you what do you know of the Emperor -Shomu and how do you associate him with the Shoso-in near Nara? Dear -me, does that puzzle you? Tell me a little about the Northern Wei -dynasty and its place in the history of ceramics." - -I sprang from my chair in simulated anger. - -"This is intolerable, sir," said I. "I came here to do you a favour, -and not to be examined as if I were a schoolboy. My knowledge on these -subjects may be second only to your own, but I certainly shall not -answer questions which have been put in so offensive a way." - -He looked at me steadily. The languor had gone from his eyes. They -suddenly glared. There was a gleam of teeth from between those cruel -lips. - -"What is the game? You are here as a spy. You are an emissary of -Holmes. This is a trick that you are playing upon me. The fellow is -dying, I hear, so he sends his tools to keep watch upon me. You've -made your way in here without leave, and, by God! you may find it -harder to get out than to get in." - -He had sprung to his feet, and I stepped back, bracing myself for an -attack, for the man was beside himself with rage. He may have -suspected me from the first; certainly this cross-examination had shown -him the truth; but it was clear that I could not hope to deceive him. -He dived his hand into a side-drawer and rummaged furiously. Then -something struck upon his ear, for he stood listening intently. - -"Ah!" he cried. "Ah!" and dashed into the room behind him. - -Two steps took me to the open door, and my mind will ever carry a clear -picture of the scene within. The window leading out to the garden was -wide open. Beside it, looking like some terrible ghost, his head girt -with bloody bandages, his face drawn and white, stood Sherlock Holmes. -The next instant he was through the gap, and I heard the crash of his -body among the laurel bushes outside. With a howl of rage the master -of the house rushed after him to the open window. - -And then! It was done in an instant, and yet I clearly saw it. An -arm--a woman's arm--shot out from among the leaves. At the same -instant the Baron uttered a horrible cry--a yell which will always ring -in my memory. He clapped his two hands to his face and rushed round -the room, beating his head horribly against the walls. Then he fell -upon the carpet, rolling and writhing, while scream after scream -resounded through the house. - -"Water! For God's sake, water!" was his cry. - -I seized a carafe from a side-table and rushed to his aid. At the same -moment the butler and several footmen ran in from the hall. I remember -that one of them fainted as I knelt by the injured man and turned that -awful face to the light of the lamp. The vitriol was eating into it -everywhere and dripping from the ears and the chin. One eye was -already white and glazed. The other was red and inflamed. The -features which I had admired a few minutes before were now like some -beautiful painting over which the artist has passed a wet and foul -sponge. They were blurred, discoloured, inhuman, terrible. - -In a few words I explained exactly what had occurred, so far as the -vitriol attack was concerned. Some had climbed through the window and -others had rushed out on to the lawn, but it was dark and it had begun -to rain. Between his screams the victim raged and raved against the -avenger. "It was that hell-cat, Kitty Winter!" he cried. "Oh, the -she-devil! She shall pay for it! She shall pay! Oh, God in heaven, -this pain is more than I can bear!" - -I bathed his face in oil, put cotton wadding on the raw surfaces, and -administered a hypodermic of morphia. All suspicion of me had passed -from his mind in the presence of this shock, and he clung to my hands -as if I might have the power even yet to clear those dead-fish eyes -which gazed up at me. I could have wept over the ruin had I not -remembered very clearly the vile life which had led up to so hideous a -change. It was loathsome to feel the pawing of his burning hands, and -I was relieved when his family surgeon, closely followed by a -specialist, came to relieve me of my charge. An inspector of police -had also arrived, and to him I handed my real card. It would have been -useless as well as foolish to do otherwise, for I was nearly as well -known by sight at the Yard as Holmes himself. Then I left that house -of gloom and terror. Within an hour I was at Baker Street. - -Holmes was seated in his familiar chair, looking very pale and -exhausted. Apart from his injuries, even his iron nerves had been -shocked by the events of the evening, and he listened with horror to my -account of the Baron's transformation. - -"The wages of sin, Watson--the wages of sin!" said he. "Sooner or -later it will always come. God knows, there was sin enough," he added, -taking up a brown volume from the table. "Here is the book the woman -talked of. If this will not break off the marriage, nothing ever -could. But it will, Watson. It must. No self-respecting woman could -stand it." - -"It is his love diary?" - -"Or his lust diary. Call it what you will. The moment the woman told -us of it I realized what a tremendous weapon was there, if we could but -lay our hands on it. I said nothing at the time to indicate my -thoughts, for this woman might have given it away. But I brooded over -it. Then this assault upon me gave me the chance of letting the Baron -think that no precautions need be taken against me. That was all to -the good. I would have waited a little longer, but his visit to -America forced my hand. He would never have left so compromising a -document behind him. Therefore we had to act at once. Burglary at -night is impossible. He takes precautions. But there was a chance in -the evening if I could only be sure that his attention was engaged. -That was where you and your blue saucer came in. But I had to be sure -of the position of the book, and I knew I had only a few minutes in -which to act, for my time was limited by your knowledge of Chinese -pottery. Therefore I gathered the girl up at the last moment. How -could I guess what the little packet was that she carried so carefully -under her cloak? I thought she had come altogether on my business, but -it seems she had some of her own." - -"He guessed I came from you." - -"I feared he would. But you held him in play just long enough for me -to get the book, though not long enough for an unobserved escape. Ah, -Sir James, I am very glad you have come!" - -Our courtly friend had appeared in answer to a previous summons. He -listened with the deepest attention to Holmes's account of what had -occurred. - -"You have done wonders--wonders!" he cried, when he had heard the -narrative. "But if these injuries are as terrible as Dr. Watson -describes, then surely our purpose of thwarting the marriage is -sufficiently gained without the use of this horrible book." - -Holmes shook his head. - -"Women of the de Merville type do not act like that. She would love -him the more as a disfigured martyr. No, no. It is his moral side, -not his physical, which we have to destroy. That book will bring her -back to earth--and I know nothing else that could. It is in his own -writing. She cannot get past it." - -Sir James carried away both it and the precious saucer. As I was -myself overdue, I went down with him into the street. A brougham was -waiting for him. He sprang in, gave a hurried order to the cockaded -coachman, and drove swiftly away. He flung his overcoat half out of -the window to cover the armorial bearings upon the panel, but I had -seen them in the glare of our fanlight none the less. I gasped with -surprise. Then I turned back and ascended the stair to Holmes's room. - -"I have found out who our client is," I cried, bursting with my great -news. "Why, Holmes, it is----" - -"It is a loyal friend and a chivalrous gentleman," said Holmes, holding -up a restraining hand. "Let that now and for ever be enough for us." - -I do not know how the incriminating book was used. Sir James may have -managed it. Or it is more probable that so delicate a task was -entrusted to the young lady's father. The effect, at any rate, was all -that could be desired. Three days later appeared a paragraph in _The -Morning Post_ to say that the marriage between Baron Adelbert Gruner -and Miss Violet de Merville would not take place. The same paper had -the first police-court hearing of the proceedings against Miss Kitty -Winter on the grave charge of vitriol-throwing. Such extenuating -circumstances came out in the trial that the sentence, as will be -remembered, was the lowest that was possible for such an offence. -Sherlock Holmes was threatened with a prosecution for burglary, but -when an object is good and a client is sufficiently illustrious, even -the rigid British law becomes human and elastic. My friend has not yet -stood in the dock. - - - - -II - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE BLANCHED SOLDIER - -The ideas of my friend Watson, though limited, are exceedingly -pertinacious. For a long time he has worried me to write an experience -of my own. Perhaps I have rather invited this persecution, since I -have often had occasion to point out to him how superficial are his own -accounts and to accuse him of pandering to popular taste instead of -confining himself rigidly to facts and figures. "Try it yourself, -Holmes!" he has retorted, and I am compelled to admit that, having -taken my pen in my hand, I do begin to realize that the matter must be -presented in such a way as may interest the reader. The following case -can hardly fail to do so, as it is among the strangest happenings in my -collection, though it chanced that Watson had no note of it in his -collection. Speaking of my old friend and biographer, I would take -this opportunity to remark that if I burden myself with a companion in -my various little inquiries it is not done out of sentiment or caprice, -but it is that Watson has some remarkable characteristics of his own, -to which in his modesty he has given small attention amid his -exaggerated estimates of my own performances. A confederate who -foresees your conclusions and course of action is always dangerous, but -one to whom each development comes as a perpetual surprise, and to whom -the future is always a closed book, is, indeed, an ideal helpmate. - -I find from my notebook that it was in January, 1903, just after the -conclusion of the Boer War, that I had my visit from Mr. James M. Dodd, -a big, fresh, sunburned, upstanding Briton. The good Watson had at -that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can -recall in our association. I was alone. - -It is my habit to sit with my back to the window and to place my -visitors in the opposite chair, where the light falls full upon them. -Mr. James M. Dodd seemed somewhat at a loss how to begin the interview. -I did not attempt to help him, for his silence gave me more time for -observation. I have found it wise to impress clients with a sense of -power, and so I gave him some of my conclusions. - -"From South Africa, sir, I perceive." - -"Yes, sir," he answered, with some surprise. - -"Imperial Yeomanry, I fancy." - -"Exactly." - -"Middlesex Corps, no doubt." - -"That is so. Mr. Holmes, you are a wizard." - -I smiled at his bewildered expression. - -"When a gentleman of virile appearance enters my room with such tan -upon his face as an English sun could never give, and with his -handkerchief in his sleeve instead of in his pocket, it is not -difficult to place him. You wear a short beard, which shows that you -were not a regular. You have the cut of a riding-man. As to -Middlesex, your card has already shown me that you are a stockbroker -from Throgmorton Street. What other regiment would you join?" - -"You see everything." - -"I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I -see. However, Mr. Dodd, it was not to discuss the science of -observation that you called upon me this morning. What has been -happening at Tuxbury Old Park?" - -"Mr. Holmes----!" - -"My dear sir, there is no mystery. Your letter came with that heading, -and as you fixed this appointment in very pressing terms it was clear -that something sudden and important had occurred." - -"Yes, indeed. But the letter was written in the afternoon, and a good -deal has happened since then. If Colonel Emsworth had not kicked me -out----" - -"Kicked you out!" - -"Well, that was what it amounted to. He is a hard nail, is Colonel -Emsworth. The greatest martinet in the Army in his day, and it was a -day of rough language, too. I couldn't have stuck the Colonel if it -had not been for Godfrey's sake." - -I lit my pipe and leaned back in my chair. - -"Perhaps you will explain what you are talking about." - -My client grinned mischievously. - -"I had got into the way of supposing that you knew everything without -being told," said he. "But I will give you the facts, and I hope to -God that you will be able to tell me what they mean. I've been awake -all night puzzling my brain, and the more I think the more incredible -does it become. - -"When I joined up in January, 1901--just two years ago--young Godfrey -Emsworth had joined the same squadron. He was Colonel Emsworth's only -son--Emsworth, the Crimean V.C.--and he had the fighting blood in him, -so it is no wonder he volunteered. There was not a finer lad in the -regiment. We formed a friendship--the sort of friendship which can -only be made when one lives the same life and shares the same joys and -sorrows. He was my mate--and that means a good deal in the Army. We -took the rough and the smooth together for a year of hard fighting. -Then he was hit with a bullet from an elephant gun in the action near -Diamond Hill outside Pretoria. I got one letter from the hospital at -Cape Town and one from Southampton. Since then not a word--not one -word, Mr. Holmes, for six months and more, and he my closest pal. - -"Well, when the war was over, and we all got back, I wrote to his -father and asked where Godfrey was. No answer. I waited a bit and -then I wrote again. This time I had a reply, short and gruff. Godfrey -had gone on a voyage round the world, and it was not likely that he -would be back for a year. That was all. - -"I wasn't satisfied, Mr. Holmes. The whole thing seemed to me so -damned unnatural. He was a good lad and he would not drop a pal like -that. It was not like him. Then, again, I happened to know that he -was heir to a lot of money, and also that his father and he did not -always hit it off too well. The old man was sometimes a bully, and -young Godfrey had too much spirit to stand it. No, I wasn't satisfied, -and I determined that I would get to the root of the matter. It -happened, however, that my own affairs needed a lot of straightening -out, after two years' absence, and so it is only this week that I have -been able to take up Godfrey's case again. But since I have taken it -up I mean to drop everything in order to see it through." - -Mr. James M. Dodd appeared to be the sort of person whom it would be -better to have as a friend than as an enemy. His blue eyes were stern -and his square jaw had set hard as he spoke. - -"Well, what have you done?" I asked. - -"My first move was to get down to his home, Tuxbury Old Park, near -Bedford, and to see for myself how the ground lay. I wrote to the -mother, therefore--I had had quite enough of the curmudgeon of a -father--and I made a clean frontal attack: Godfrey was my chum, I had a -great deal of interest which I might tell her of our common -experiences, I should be in the neighbourhood, would there be any -objection, et cetera? In reply I had quite an amiable answer from her -and an offer to put me up for the night. That was what took me down on -Monday. - -"Tuxbury Old Hall is inaccessible--five miles from anywhere. There was -no trap at the station, so I had to walk, carrying my suit-case, and it -was nearly dark before I arrived. It is a great wandering house, -standing in a considerable park. I should judge it was of all sorts of -ages and styles, starting on a half-timbered Elizabethan foundation and -ending in a Victorian portico. Inside it was all panelling and -tapestry and half-effaced old pictures, a house of shadows and mystery. -There was a butler, old Ralph, who seemed about the same age as the -house and there was his wife, who might have been older. She had been -Godfrey's nurse, and I had heard him speak of her as second only to his -mother in his affections, so I was drawn to her in spite of her queer -appearance. The mother I liked also--a gentle little white mouse of a -woman. It was only the Colonel himself whom I barred. - -"We had a bit of a barney right away, and I should have walked back to -the station if I had not felt that it might be playing his game for me -to do so. I was shown straight into his study, and there I found him, -a huge, bow-backed man with a smoky skin and a straggling grey beard, -seated behind his littered desk. A red-veined nose jutted out like a -vulture's beak, and two fierce grey eyes glared at me from under tufted -brows. I could understand now why Godfrey seldom spoke of his father. - -"'Well, sir,' said he in a rasping voice. 'I should be interested to -know the real reasons for this visit.' - -"I answered that I had explained them in my letter to his wife. - -"'Yes, yes; you said that you had known Godfrey in Africa. We have, of -course, only your word for that.' - -"'I have his letters to me in my pocket.' - -"'Kindly let me see them.' - -"He glanced at the two which I handed him, and then he tossed them back. - -"'Well, what then?' he asked. - -"'I was fond of your son Godfrey, sir. Many ties and memories united -us. Is it not natural that I should wonder at his sudden silence and -should wish to know what has become of him?' - -"'I have some recollection, sir, that I had already corresponded with -you and had told you what had become of him. He has gone upon a voyage -round the world. His health was in a poor way after his African -experiences, and both his mother and I were of opinion that complete -rest and change were needed. Kindly pass that explanation on to any -other friends who may be interested in the matter.' - -"'Certainly,' I answered. 'But perhaps you would have the goodness to -let me have the name of the steamer and of the line by which he sailed, -together with the date. I have no doubt that I should be able to get a -letter through to him.' - -"My request seemed both to puzzle and to irritate my host. His great -eyebrows came down over his eyes and he tapped his fingers impatiently -on the table. He looked up at last with the expression of one who has -seen his adversary make a dangerous move at chess, and has decided how -to meet it. - -"'Many people, Mr. Dodd,' said he, 'would take offence at your infernal -pertinacity and would think that this insistence had reached the point -of damned impertinence.' - -"'You must put it down, sir, to my real love for your son.' - -"'Exactly. I have already made every allowance upon that score. I -must ask you, however, to drop these inquiries. Every family has its -own inner knowledge and its own motives, which cannot always be made -clear to outsiders, however well-intentioned. My wife is anxious to -hear something of Godfrey's past which you are in a position to tell -her, but I would ask you to let the present and the future alone. Such -inquiries serve no useful purpose, sir, and place us in a delicate and -difficult position.' - -"So I came to a dead end, Mr. Holmes. There was no getting past it. I -could only pretend to accept the situation and register a vow inwardly -that I would never rest until my friend's fate had been cleared up. It -was a dull evening. We dined quietly, the three of us, in a gloomy, -faded old room. The lady questioned me eagerly about her son, but the -old man seemed morose and depressed. I was so bored by the whole -proceeding that I made an excuse as soon as I decently could and -retired to my bedroom. It was a large, bare room on the ground floor, -as gloomy as the rest of the house, but after a year of sleeping upon -the veldt, Mr. Holmes, one is not too particular about one's quarters. -I opened the curtains and looked out into the garden, remarking that it -was a fine night with a bright half-moon. Then I sat down by the -roaring fire with the lamp on a table beside me, and endeavoured to -distract my mind with a novel. I was interrupted, however, by Ralph, -the old butler, who came in with a fresh supply of coals. - -"'I thought you might run short in the night-time, sir. It is bitter -weather and these rooms are cold.' - -"He hesitated before leaving the room, and when I looked round he was -standing facing me with a wistful look upon his wrinkled face. - -"'Beg your pardon, sir, but I could not help hearing what you said of -young Master Godfrey at dinner. You know, sir, that my wife nursed -him, and so I may say I am his foster-father. It's natural we should -take an interest. And you say he carried himself well, sir?' - -"'There was no braver man in the regiment. He pulled me out once from -under the rifles of the Boers, or maybe I should not be here.' - -"The old butler rubbed his skinny hands. - -"'Yes, sir, yes, that is Master Godfrey all over. He was always -courageous. There's not a tree in the park, sir, that he has not -climbed. Nothing would stop him. He was a fine boy--and oh, sir, he -was a fine man.' - -"I sprang to my feet. - -"'Look here!' I cried. 'You say he was. You speak as if he were dead. -What is all this mystery? What has become of Godfrey Emsworth?' - -"I gripped the old man by the shoulder, but he shrank away. - -"'I don't know what you mean, sir. Ask the master about Master -Godfrey. He knows. It is not for me to interfere.' - -"He was leaving the room, but I held his arm. - -"'Listen,' I said. 'You are going to answer one question before you -leave if I have to hold you all night. Is Godfrey dead?' - -"He could not face my eyes. He was like a man hypnotized. The answer -was dragged from his lips. It was a terrible and unexpected one. - -"'I wish to God he was!' he cried, and, tearing himself free, he dashed -from the room. - -"You will think, Mr. Holmes, that I returned to my chair in no very -happy state of mind. The old man's words seemed to me to bear only one -interpretation. Clearly my poor friend had become involved in some -criminal, or, at the least, disreputable, transaction which touched the -family honour. That stern old man had sent his son away and hidden him -from the world lest some scandal should come to light. Godfrey was a -reckless fellow. He was easily influenced by those around him. No -doubt he had fallen into bad hands and been misled to his ruin. It was -a piteous business, if it was indeed so, but even now it was my duty to -hunt him out and see if I could aid him. I was anxiously pondering the -matter when I looked up, and there was Godfrey Emsworth standing before -me." - -My client had paused as one in deep emotion. - -"Pray continue," I said. "Your problem presents some very unusual -features." - -"He was outside the window, Mr. Holmes, with his face pressed against -the glass. I have told you that I looked out at the night. When I did -so, I left the curtains partly open. His figure was framed in this -gap. The window came down to the ground and I could see the whole -length of it, but it was his face which held my gaze. He was deadly -pale--never have I seen a man so white. I reckon ghosts may look like -that; but his eyes met mine, and they were the eyes of a living man. -He sprang back when he saw that I was looking at him, and he vanished -into the darkness. - -"There was something shocking about the man, Mr. Holmes. It wasn't -merely that ghastly face glimmering as white as cheese in the darkness. -It was more subtle than that--something slinking, something furtive, -something guilty--something very unlike the frank, manly lad that I had -known. It left a feeling of horror in my mind. - -"But when a man has been soldiering for a year or two with brother Boer -as a playmate, he keeps his nerve and acts quickly. Godfrey had hardly -vanished before I was at the window. There was an awkward catch, and I -was some little time before I could throw it up. Then I nipped through -and ran down the garden path in the direction that I thought he might -have taken. - -"It was a long path and the light was not very good but it seemed to me -something was moving ahead of me. I ran on and called his name, but it -was no use. When I got to the end of the path there were several -others branching in different directions to various outhouses. I stood -hesitating, and as I did so I heard distinctly the sound of a closing -door. It was not behind me in the house, but ahead of me, somewhere in -the darkness. That was enough, Mr. Holmes, to assure me that what I -had seen was not a vision. Godfrey had run away from me and he had -shut a door behind him. Of that I was certain. - -"There was nothing more I could do, and I spent an uneasy night turning -the matter over in my mind and trying to find some theory which would -cover the facts. Next day I found the Colonel rather more -conciliatory, and as his wife remarked that there were some places of -interest in the neighbourhood, it gave me an opening to ask whether my -presence for one more night would incommode them. A somewhat grudging -acquiescence from the old man gave me a clear day in which to make my -observations. I was already perfectly convinced that Godfrey was in -hiding somewhere near, but where and why remained to be solved. - -"The house was so large and so rambling that a regiment might be hid -away in it and no one the wiser. If the secret lay there, it was -difficult for me to penetrate it. But the door which I had heard close -was certainly not in the house. I must explore the garden and see what -I could find. There was no difficulty in the way, for the old people -were busy in their own fashion and left me to my own devices. - -"There were several small outhouses, but at the end of the garden there -was a detached building of some size--large enough for a gardener's or -a gamekeeper's residence. Could this be the place whence the sound of -that shutting door had come? I approached it in a careless fashion, as -though I were strolling aimlessly round the grounds. As I did so, a -small, brisk, bearded man in a black coat and bowler hat--not at all -the gardener type--came out of the door. To my surprise, he locked it -after him and put the key in his pocket. Then he looked at me with -some surprise on his face. - -"'Are you a visitor here?' he asked. - -"I explained that I was and that I was a friend of Godfrey's. - -"'What a pity that he should be away on his travels, for he would have -so liked to see me,' I continued. - -"'Quite so. Exactly,' said he, with a rather guilty air. 'No doubt -you will renew your visit at some more propitious time.' He passed on, -but when I turned I observed that he was standing watching me, -half-concealed by the laurels at the far end of the garden. - -"I had a good look at the little house as I passed it, but the windows -were heavily curtained, and, so far as one could see, it was empty. I -might spoil my own game, and even be ordered off the premises, if I -were too audacious, for I was still conscious that I was being watched. -Therefore, I strolled back to the house and waited for night before I -went on with my inquiry. When all was dark and quiet, I slipped out of -my window and made my way as silently as possible to the mysterious -lodge. - -"I have said that it was heavily curtained, but now I found that the -windows were shuttered as well. Some light, however, was breaking -through one of them, so I concentrated my attention upon this. I was -in luck, for the curtain had not been quite closed, and there was a -crack in the shutter so that I could see the inside of the room. It -was a cheery place enough, a bright lamp and a blazing fire. Opposite -to me was seated the little man whom I had seen in the morning. He was -smoking a pipe and reading a paper." - -"What paper?" I asked. - -My client seemed annoyed at the interruption of his narrative. - -"Can it matter?" he asked. - -"It is most essential." - -"I really took no notice." - -"Possibly you observed whether it was a broad-leafed paper or of that -smaller type which one associates with weeklies." - -"Now that you mention it, it was not large. It might have been _The -Spectator_. However, I had little thought to spare upon such details, -for a second man was seated with his back to the window, and I could -swear that this second man was Godfrey. I could not see his face, but -I knew the familiar slope of his shoulders. He was leaning upon his -elbow in an attitude of great melancholy, his body turned towards the -fire. I was hesitating as to what I should do when there was a sharp -tap on my shoulder, and there was Colonel Emsworth beside me. - -"'This way, sir!' said he in a low voice. He walked in silence to the -house and I followed him into my own bedroom. He had picked up a -timetable in the hall. - -"'There is a train to London at eight-thirty,' said he. 'The trap will -be at the door at eight.' - -"He was white with rage, and, indeed, I felt myself in so difficult a -position that I could only stammer out a few incoherent apologies, in -which I tried to excuse myself by urging my anxiety for my friend. - -"'The matter will not bear discussion,' said he abruptly. 'You have -made a most damnable intrusion into the privacy of our family. You -were here as a guest and you have become a spy. I have nothing more to -say, sir, save that I have no wish ever to see you again.' - -"At this I lost my temper, Mr. Holmes, and I spoke with some warmth. - -"'I have seen your son, and I am convinced that for some reason of your -own you are concealing him from the world. I have no idea what your -motives are in cutting him off in this fashion, but I am sure that he -is no longer a free agent. I warn you, Colonel Emsworth, that until I -am assured as to the safety and well-being of my friend I shall never -desist in my efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery, and I shall -certainly not allow myself to be intimidated by anything which you may -say or do.' - -"The old fellow looked diabolical, and I really thought he was about to -attack me. I have said that he was a gaunt, fierce old giant, and -though I am no weakling I might have been hard put to it to hold my own -against him. However, after a long glare of rage he turned upon his -heel and walked out of the room. For my part, I took the appointed -train in the morning, with the full intention of coming straight to you -and asking for your advice and assistance at the appointment for which -I had already written." - -Such was the problem which my visitor laid before me. It presented, as -the astute reader will have already perceived, few difficulties in its -solution, for a very limited choice of alternatives must get to the -root of the matter. Still, elementary as it was, there were points of -interest and novelty about it which may excuse my placing it upon -record. I now proceeded, using my familiar method of logical analysis, -to narrow down the possible solutions. - -"The servants," I asked; "how many were in the house?" - -"To the best of my belief there were only the old butler and his wife. -They seemed to live in the simplest fashion." - -"There was no servant, then, in the detached house?" - -"None, unless the little man with the beard acted as such. He seemed, -however, to be quite a superior person." - -"That seems very suggestive. Had you any indication that food was -conveyed from the one house to the other?" - -"Now that you mention it, I did see old Ralph carrying a basket down -the garden walk and going in the direction of this house. The idea of -food did not occur to me at the moment." - -"Did you make any local inquiries?" - -"Yes, I did. I spoke to the station-master and also to the innkeeper -in the village. I simply asked if they knew anything of my old -comrade, Godfrey Emsworth. Both of them assured me that he had gone -for a voyage round the world. He had come home and then had almost at -once started off again. The story was evidently universally accepted." - -"You said nothing of your suspicions?" - -"Nothing." - -"That was very wise. The matter should certainly be inquired into. I -will go back with you to Tuxbury Old Park." - -"To-day?" - -It happened that at the moment I was clearing up the case which my -friend Watson has described as that of the Abbey School, in which the -Duke of Greyminster was so deeply involved. I had also a commission -from the Sultan of Turkey which called for immediate action, as -political consequences of the gravest kind might arise from its -neglect. Therefore it was not until the beginning of the next week, as -my diary records, that I was able to start forth on my mission to -Bedfordshire in company with Mr. James M. Dodd. As we drove to Euston -we picked up a grave and taciturn gentleman of iron-grey aspect, with -whom I had made the necessary arrangements. - -"This is an old friend," said I to Dodd. "It is possible that his -presence may be entirely unnecessary, and, on the other hand, it may be -essential. It is not necessary at the present stage to go further into -the matter." - -The narratives of Watson have accustomed the reader, no doubt, to the -fact that I do not waste words or disclose my thoughts while a case is -actually under consideration. Dodd seemed surprised, but nothing more -was said and the three of us continued our journey together. In the -train I asked Dodd one more question which I wished our companion to -hear. - -"You say that you saw your friend's face quite clearly at the window, -so clearly that you are sure of his identity?" - -"I have no doubt about it whatever. His nose was pressed against the -glass. The lamplight shone full upon him." - -"It could not have been someone resembling him?" - -"No, no; it was he." - -"But you say he was changed?" - -"Only in colour. His face was--how shall I describe it?--it was of a -fish-belly whiteness. It was bleached." - -"Was it equally pale all over?" - -"I think not. It was his brow which I saw so clearly as it was pressed -against the window." - -"Did you call to him?" - -"I was too startled and horrified for the moment. Then I pursued him, -as I have told you, but without result." - -My case was practically complete, and there was only one small incident -needed to round it off. When, after a considerable drive, we arrived -at the strange old rambling house which my client had described, it was -Ralph, the elderly butler, who opened the door. I had requisitioned -the carriage for the day and had asked my elderly friend to remain -within it unless we should summon him. Ralph, a little wrinkled old -fellow, was in the conventional costume of black coat and -pepper-and-salt trousers, with only one curious variant. He wore brown -leather gloves, which at sight of us he instantly shuffled off, laying -them down on the hall-table as we passed in. I have, as my friend -Watson may have remarked, an abnormally acute set of senses, and a -faint but incisive scent was apparent. It seemed to centre on the -hall-table. I turned, placed my hat there, knocked it off, stooped to -pick it up, and contrived to bring my nose within a foot of the gloves. -Yes, it was undoubtedly from them that the curious tarry odour was -oozing. I passed on into the study with my case complete. Alas, that -I should have to show my hand so when I tell my own story! It was by -concealing such links in the chain that Watson was enabled to produce -his meretricious finales. - -Colonel Emsworth was not in his room, but he came quickly enough on -receipt of Ralph's message. We heard his quick, heavy step in the -passage. The door was flung open and he rushed in with bristling beard -and twisted features, as terrible an old man as ever I have seen. He -held our cards in his hand, and he tore them up and stamped on the -fragments. - -"Have I not told you, you infernal busybody, that you are warned off -the premises? Never dare to show your damned face here again. If you -enter again without my leave I shall be within my rights if I use -violence. I'll shoot you, sir! By God, I will! As to you, sir," -turning upon me, "I extend the same warning to you. I am familiar with -your ignoble profession, but you must take your reputed talents to some -other field. There is no opening for them here." - -"I cannot leave here," said my client firmly, "until I hear from -Godfrey's own lips that he is under no restraint." - -Our involuntary host rang the bell. - -"Ralph," he said, "telephone down to the county police and ask the -inspector to send up two constables. Tell him there are burglars in -the house." - -"One moment," said I. "You must be aware, Mr. Dodd, that Colonel -Emsworth is within his rights and that we have no legal status within -his house. On the other hand, he should recognize that your action is -prompted entirely by solicitude for his son. I venture to hope that, -if I were allowed to have five minutes' conversation with Colonel -Emsworth, I could certainly alter his view of the matter." - -"I am not so easily altered," said the old soldier. "Ralph, do what I -have told you. What the devil are you waiting for? Ring up the -police!" - -"Nothing of the sort," I said, putting my back to the door. "Any -police interference would bring about the very catastrophe which you -dread." I took out my notebook and scribbled one word upon a loose -sheet. "That," said I, as I handed it to Colonel Emsworth, "is what -has brought us here." - -He stared at the writing with a face from which every expression save -amazement had vanished. - -"How do you know?" he gasped, sitting down heavily in his chair. - -"It is my business to know things. That is my trade." - -He sat in deep thought, his gaunt hand tugging at his straggling beard. -Then he made a gesture of resignation. - -"Well, if you wish to see Godfrey, you shall. It is no doing of mine, -but you have forced my hand. Ralph, tell Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Kent that -in five minutes we shall be with them." - -At the end of that time we passed down the garden path and found -ourselves in front of the mystery house at the end. A small bearded -man stood at the door with a look of considerable astonishment upon his -face. - -"This is very sudden, Colonel Emsworth," said he. "This will -disarrange all our plans." - -"I can't help it, Mr. Kent. Our hands have been forced. Can Mr. -Godfrey see us?" - -"Yes; he is waiting inside." He turned and led us into a large, -plainly furnished front room. A man was standing with his back to the -fire, and at the sight of him my client sprang forward with -outstretched hand. - -"Why, Godfrey, old man, this is fine!" - -But the other waved him back. - -"Don't touch me, Jimmie. Keep your distance. Yes, you may well stare! -I don't quite look the smart Lance-Corporal Emsworth, of B Squadron, do -I?" - -His appearance was certainly extraordinary. One could see that he had -indeed been a handsome man with clear-cut features sunburned by an -African sun, but mottled in patches over this darker surface were -curious whitish patches which had bleached his skin. - -"That's why I don't court visitors," said he. "I don't mind you, -Jimmie, but I could have done without your friend. I suppose there is -some good reason for it, but you have me at a disadvantage." - -"I wanted to be sure that all was well with you, Godfrey. I saw you -that night when you looked into my window, and I could not let the -matter rest till I had cleared things up." - -"Old Ralph told me you were there, and I couldn't help taking a peep at -you. I hoped you would not have seen me, and I had to run to my burrow -when I heard the window go up." - -"But what in Heaven's name is the matter?" - -"Well, it's not a long story to tell," said he, lighting a cigarette. -"You remember that morning fight at Buffelsspruit, outside Pretoria, on -the Eastern railway line? You heard I was hit?" - -"Yes, I heard that, but I never got particulars." - -"Three of us got separated from the others. It was very broken -country, you may remember. There was Simpson--the fellow we called -Baldy Simpson--and Anderson, and I. We were clearing brother Boer, but -he lay low and got the three of us. The other two were killed. I got -an elephant bullet through my shoulder. I stuck on to my horse, -however, and he galloped several miles before I fainted and rolled off -the saddle. - -"When I came to myself it was nightfall, and I raised myself up, -feeling very weak and ill. To my surprise there was a house close -beside me, a fairly large house with a broad stoep and many windows. -It was deadly cold. You remember the kind of numb cold which used to -come at evening, a deadly, sickening sort of cold, very different from -a crisp healthy frost. Well, I was chilled to the bone, and my only -hope seemed to lie in reaching that house. I staggered to my feet and -dragged myself along, hardly conscious of what I did. I have a dim -memory of slowly ascending the steps, entering a wide-opened door, -passing into a large room which contained several beds, and throwing -myself down with a gasp of satisfaction upon one of them. It was -unmade, but that troubled me not at all. I drew the clothes over my -shivering body and in a moment I was in a deep sleep. - -"It was morning when I wakened, and it seemed to me that instead of -coming out into a world of sanity I had emerged into some extraordinary -nightmare. The African sun flooded through the big, curtainless -windows, and every detail of the great, bare, whitewashed dormitory -stood out hard and clear. In front of me was standing a small, -dwarf-like man with a huge, bulbous head, who was jabbering excitedly -in Dutch, waving two horrible hands which looked to me like brown -sponges. Behind him stood a group of people who seemed to be intensely -amused by the situation, but a chill came over me as I looked at them. -Not one of them was a normal human being. Every one was twisted or -swollen or disfigured in some strange way. The laughter of these -strange monstrosities was a dreadful thing to hear. - -"It seemed that none of them could speak English, but the situation -wanted clearing up, for the creature with the big head was growing -furiously angry and, uttering wild beast cries, he had laid his -deformed hands upon me and was dragging me out of bed, regardless of -the fresh flow of blood from my wound. The little monster was as -strong as a bull, and I don't know what he might have done to me had -not an elderly man who was clearly in authority been attracted to the -room by the hubbub. He said a few stern words in Dutch and my -persecutor shrank away. Then he turned upon me, gazing at me in the -utmost amazement. - -"'How in the world did you come here?' he asked, in amazement. 'Wait a -bit! I see that you are tired out and that wounded shoulder of yours -wants looking after. I am a doctor, and I'll soon have you tied up. -But, man alive! you are in far greater danger here than ever you were -on the battlefield. You are in the Leper Hospital, and you have slept -in a leper's bed.' - -"Need I tell you more, Jimmie? It seems that in view of the -approaching battle all these poor creatures had been evacuated the day -before. Then, as the British advanced, they had been brought back by -this, their medical superintendent, who assured me that, though he -believed he was immune to the disease, he would none the less never -have dared to do what I had done. He put me in a private room, treated -me kindly, and within a week or so I was removed to the general -hospital at Pretoria. - -"So there you have my tragedy. I hoped against hope, but it was not -until I had reached home that the terrible signs which you see upon my -face told me that I had not escaped. What was I to do? I was in this -lonely house. We had two servants whom we could utterly trust. There -was a house where I could live. Under pledge of secrecy, Mr. Kent, who -is a surgeon, was prepared to stay with me. It seemed simple enough on -those lines. The alternative was a dreadful one--segregation for life -among strangers with never a hope of release. But absolute secrecy was -necessary, or even in this quiet country-side there would have been an -outcry, and I should have been dragged to my horrible doom. Even you, -Jimmie--even you had to be kept in the dark. Why my father has -relented I cannot imagine." - -Colonel Emsworth pointed to me. - -"This is the gentleman who forced my hand." He unfolded the scrap of -paper on which I had written the word "Leprosy." "It seemed to me that -if he knew so much as that it was safer that he should know all." - -"And so it was," said I. "Who knows but good may come of it? I -understand that only Mr. Kent has seen the patient. May I ask, sir, if -you are an authority on such complaints, which are, I understand, -tropical or semi-tropical in their nature?" - -"I have the ordinary knowledge of the educated medical man," he -observed, with some stiffness. - -"I have no doubt, sir, that you are fully competent, but I am sure that -you will agree that in such a case a second opinion is valuable. You -have avoided this, I understand, for fear that pressure should be put -upon you to segregate the patient." - -"That is so," said Colonel Emsworth. - -"I foresaw this situation," I explained, "and I have brought with me a -friend whose discretion may absolutely be trusted. I was able once to -do him a professional service, and he is ready to advise as a friend -rather than as a specialist. His name is Sir James Saunders." - -The prospect of an interview with Lord Roberts would not have excited -greater wonder and pleasure in a raw subaltern than was now reflected -upon the face of Mr. Kent. - -"I shall indeed be proud," he murmured. - -"Then I will ask Sir James to step this way. He is at present in the -carriage outside the door. Meanwhile, Colonel Emsworth, we may perhaps -assemble in your study, where I could give the necessary explanations." - -And here it is that I miss my Watson. By cunning questions and -ejaculations of wonder he could elevate my simple art, which is but -systematized common sense, into a prodigy. When I tell my own story I -have no such aid. And yet I will give my process of thought even as I -gave it to my small audience, which included Godfrey's mother, in the -study of Colonel Emsworth. - -"That process," said I, "starts upon the supposition that when you have -eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains however -improbable, must be the truth. It may well be that several -explanations remain, in which case one tries test after test until one -or other of them has a convincing amount of support. We will now apply -this principle to the case in point. As it was first presented to me, -there were three possible explanations of the seclusion or -incarceration of this gentleman in an outhouse of his father's mansion. -There was the explanation that he was in hiding for a crime, or that he -was mad and that they wished to avoid an asylum, or that he had some -disease which caused his segregation. I could think of no other -adequate solutions. These, then, had to be sifted and balanced against -each other. - -"The criminal solution would not bear inspection. No unsolved crime -had been reported from that district. I was sure of that. If it were -some crime not yet discovered, then clearly it would be to the interest -of the family to get rid of the delinquent and send him abroad rather -than keep him concealed at home. I could see no explanation for such a -line of conduct. - -"Insanity was more plausible. The presence of the second person in the -outhouse suggested a keeper. The fact that he locked the door when he -came out strengthened the supposition and gave the idea of constraint. -On the other hand, this constraint could not be severe or the young man -could not have got loose and come down to have a look at his friend. -You will remember, Mr. Dodd, that I felt round for points, asking you, -for example, about the paper which Mr. Kent was reading. Had it been -_The Lancet_ or _The British Medical Journal_ it would have helped me. -It is not illegal, however, to keep a lunatic upon private premises so -long as there is a qualified person in attendance and that the -authorities have been duly notified. Why, then, all this desperate -desire for secrecy? Once again I could not get the theory to fit the -facts. - -"There remained the third possibility, into which, rare and unlikely as -it was, everything seemed to fit. Leprosy is not uncommon in South -Africa. By some extraordinary chance this youth might have contracted -it. His people would be placed in a very dreadful position, since they -would desire to save him from segregation. Great secrecy would be -needed to prevent rumours from getting about and subsequent -interference by the authorities. A devoted medical man, if -sufficiently paid, would easily be found to take charge of the -sufferer. There would be no reason why the latter should not be -allowed freedom after dark. Bleaching of the skin is a common result -of the disease. The case was a strong one--so strong that I determined -to act as if it were actually proved. When on arriving here I noticed -that Ralph, who carries out the meals, had gloves which are impregnated -with disinfectants, my last doubts were removed. A single word showed -you, sir, that your secret was discovered, and if I wrote rather than -said it, it was to prove to you that my discretion was to be trusted." - -I was finishing this little analysis of the case when the door was -opened and the austere figure of the great dermatologist was ushered -in. But for once his sphinx-like features had relaxed and there was a -warm humanity in his eyes. He strode up to Colonel Emsworth and shook -him by the hand. - -"It is often my lot to bring ill-tidings, and seldom good," said he. -"This occasion is the more welcome. It is not leprosy." - -"What?" - -"A well-marked case of pseudo-leprosy or ichthyosis, a scale-like -affection of the skin, unsightly, obstinate, but possibly curable, and -certainly non-infective. Yes, Mr. Holmes, the coincidence is a -remarkable one. But is it coincidence? Are there not subtle forces at -work of which we know little? Are we assured that the apprehension, -from which this young man has no doubt suffered terribly since his -exposure to its contagion, may not produce a physical effect which -simulates that which it fears? At any rate, I pledge my professional -reputation---- But the lady has fainted! I think that Mr. Kent had -better be with her until she recovers from this joyous shock." - - - - -III - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE MAZARIN STONE - -It was pleasant to Dr. Watson to find himself once more in the untidy -room of the first floor in Baker Street which had been the -starting-point of so many remarkable adventures. He looked round him -at the scientific charts upon the wall, the acid-charred bench of -chemicals, the violin-case leaning in the corner, the coal-scuttle, -which contained of old the pipes and tobacco. Finally, his eyes came -round to the fresh and smiling face of Billy, the young but very wise -and tactful page, who had helped a little to fill up the gap of -loneliness and isolation which surrounded the saturnine figure of the -great detective. - -"It all seems very unchanged, Billy. You don't change, either. I hope -the same can be said of him?" - -Billy glanced, with some solicitude, at the closed door of the bedroom. - -"I think he's in bed and asleep," he said. - -It was seven in the evening of a lovely summer's day, but Dr. Watson -was sufficiently familiar with the irregularity of his old friend's -hours to feel no surprise at the idea. - -"That means a case, I suppose?" - -"Yes, sir; he is very hard at it just now. I'm frightened for his -health. He gets paler and thinner, and he eats nothing. 'When will -you be pleased to dine, Mr. Holmes?' Mrs. Hudson asked. 'Seven-thirty, -the day after to-morrow,' said he. You know his way when he is keen on -a case." - -"Yes, Billy, I know." - -"He's following someone. Yesterday he was out as a workman looking for -a job. To-day he was an old woman. Fairly took me in, he did, and I -ought to know his ways by now." Billy pointed with a grin to a very -baggy parasol which leaned against the sofa. "That's part of the old -woman's outfit," he said. - -"But what is it all about, Billy?" - -Billy sank his voice, as one who discusses great secrets of State. "I -don't mind telling you, sir, but it should go no farther. It's this -case of the Crown diamond." - -"What--the hundred-thousand-pound burglary?" - -"Yes, sir. They must get it back, sir. Why, we had the Prime Minister -and the Home Secretary both sitting on that very sofa. Mr. Holmes was -very nice to them. He soon put them at their ease and promised he -would do all he could. Then there is Lord Cantlemere----" - -"Ah!" - -"Yes, sir; you know what that means. He's a stiff 'un, sir, if I may -say so. I can get along with the Prime Minister, and I've nothing -against the Home Secretary, who seemed a civil, obliging sort of man, -but I can't stand his lordship. Neither can Mr. Holmes, sir. You see, -he don't believe in Mr. Holmes and he was against employing him. He'd -rather he failed." - -"And Mr. Holmes knows it?" - -"Mr. Holmes always knows whatever there is to know." - -"Well, we'll hope he won't fail and that Lord Cantlemere will be -confounded. But I say, Billy, what is that curtain for across the -window?" - -"Mr. Holmes had it put up there three days ago. We've got something -funny behind it." - -Billy advanced and drew away the drapery which screened the alcove of -the bow window. - -Dr. Watson could not restrain a cry of amazement. There was a -facsimile of his old friend, dressing-gown and all, the face turned -three-quarters towards the window and downwards, as though reading an -invisible book, while the body was sunk deep in an arm-chair. Billy -detached the head and held it in the air. - -"We put it at different angles, so that it may seem more life-like. I -wouldn't dare touch it if the blind were not down. But when it's up -you can see this from across the way." - -"We used something of the sort once before." - -"Before my time," said Billy. He drew the window curtains apart and -looked out into the street. "There are folk who watch us from over -yonder. I can see a fellow now at the window. Have a look for -yourself." - -Watson had taken a step forward when the bedroom door opened, and the -long, thin form of Holmes emerged, his face pale and drawn, but his -step and bearing as active as ever. With a single spring he was at the -window, and had drawn the blind once more. - -"That will do, Billy," said he. "You were in danger of your life then, -my boy, and I can't do without you just yet. Well, Watson, it is good -to see you in your old quarters once again. You come at a critical -moment." - -"So I gather." - -"You can go, Billy. That boy is a problem, Watson. How far am I -justified in allowing him to be in danger?" - -"Danger of what, Holmes?" - -"Of sudden death. I'm expecting something this evening." - -"Expecting what?" - -"To be murdered, Watson." - -"No, no; you are joking, Holmes!" - -"Even my limited sense of humour could evolve a better joke than that. -But we may be comfortable in the meantime, may we not? Is alcohol -permitted? The gasogene and cigars are in the old place. Let me see -you once more in the customary arm-chair. You have not, I hope, -learned to despise my pipe and my lamentable tobacco? It has to take -the place of food these days." - -"But why not eat?" - -"Because the faculties become refined when you starve them. Why, -surely, as a doctor, my dear Watson, you must admit that what your -digestion gains in the way of blood supply is so much lost to the -brain. I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix. -Therefore, it is the brain I must consider." - -"But this danger, Holmes?" - -"Ah, yes; in case it should come off, it would perhaps be as well that -you should burden your memory with the name and address of the -murderer. You can give it to Scotland Yard, with my love and a parting -blessing. Sylvius is the name--Count Negretto Sylvius. Write it down, -man, write it down! 136 Moorside Gardens, N.W. Got it?" - -Watson's honest face was twitching with anxiety. He knew only too well -the immense risks taken by Holmes, and was well aware that what he said -was more likely to be under-statement than exaggeration. Watson was -always the man of action, and he rose to the occasion. - -"Count me in, Holmes. I have nothing to do for a day or two." - -"Your morals don't improve, Watson. You have added fibbing to your -other vices. You bear every sign of the busy medical man, with calls -on him every hour." - -"Not such important ones. But can't you have this fellow arrested?" - -"Yes, Watson, I could. That's what worries him so." - -"But why don't you?" - -"Because I don't know where the diamond is." - -"Ah! Billy told me--the missing Crown jewel!" - -"Yes, the great yellow Mazarin stone. I've cast my net and I have my -fish. But I have not got the stone. What is the use of taking _them_? -We can make the world a better place by laying them by the heels. But -that is not what I am out for. It's the stone I want." - -"And is this Count Sylvius one of your fish?" - -"Yes, and he's a shark. He bites. The other is Sam Merton, the boxer. -Not a bad fellow, Sam, but the Count has used him. Sam's not a shark. -He is a great big silly bull-headed gudgeon. But he is flopping about -in my net all the same." - -"Where is this Count Sylvius?" - -"I've been at his very elbow all the morning. You've seen me as an old -lady, Watson. I was never more convincing. He actually picked up my -parasol for me once. 'By your leave, madame,' said he--half-Italian, -you know, and with the Southern graces of manner when in the mood, but -a devil incarnate in the other mood. Life is full of whimsical -happenings, Watson." - -"It might have been tragedy." - -"Well, perhaps it might. I followed him to old Straubenzee's workshop -in the Minories. Straubenzee made the air-gun--a very pretty bit of -work, as I understand, and I rather fancy it is in the opposite window -at the present moment. Have you seen the dummy? Of course, Billy -showed it to you. Well, it may get a bullet through its beautiful head -at any moment. Ah, Billy, what is it?" - -The boy had reappeared in the room with a card upon a tray. Holmes -glanced at it with raised eyebrows and an amused smile. - -"The man himself. I had hardly expected this. Grasp the nettle, -Watson! A man of nerve. Possibly you have heard of his reputation as -a shooter of big game. It would indeed be a triumphant ending to his -excellent sporting record if he added me to his bag. This is a proof -that he feels my toe very close behind his heel." - -"Send for the police." - -"I probably shall. But not just yet. Would you glance carefully out -of the window, Watson, and see if anyone is hanging about in the -street?" - -Watson looked warily round the edge of the curtain. - -"Yes, there is one rough fellow near the door." - -"That will be Sam Merton--the faithful but rather fatuous Sam. Where -is this gentleman, Billy?" - -"In the waiting-room, sir." - -"Show him up when I ring." - -"Yes, sir." - -"If I am not in the room, show him in all the same." - -"Yes, sir." - -Watson waited until the door was closed, and then he turned earnestly -to his companion. - -"Look here, Holmes, this is simply impossible. This is a desperate -man, who sticks at nothing. He may have come to murder you." - -"I should not be surprised." - -"I insist upon staying with you." - -"You would be horribly in the way." - -"In his way?" - -"No, my dear fellow--in my way." - -"Well, I can't possibly leave you." - -"Yes, you can, Watson. And you will, for you have never failed to play -the game. I am sure you will play it to the end. This man has come -for his own purpose, but he may stay for mine." Holmes took out his -notebook and scribbled a few lines. "Take a cab to Scotland Yard and -give this to Youghal of the C.I.D. Come back with the police. The -fellow's arrest will follow." - -"I'll do that with joy." - -"Before you return I may have just time enough to find out where the -stone is." He touched the bell. "I think we will go out through the -bedroom. This second exit is exceedingly useful. I rather want to see -my shark without his seeing me, and I have, as you will remember, my -own way of doing it." - -It was, therefore, an empty room into which Billy, a minute later, -ushered Count Sylvius. The famous game-shot, sportsman, and -man-about-town was a big, swarthy fellow, with a formidable dark -moustache, shading a cruel, thin-lipped mouth, and surmounted by a -long, curved nose, like the beak of an eagle. He was well dressed, but -his brilliant necktie, shining pin, and glittering rings were -flamboyant in their effect. As the door closed behind him he looked -round him with fierce, startled eyes, like one who suspects a trap at -every turn. Then he gave a violent start as he saw the impassive head -and the collar of the dressing-gown which projected above the arm-chair -in the window. At first his expression was one of pure amazement. -Then the light of a horrible hope gleamed in his dark, murderous eyes. -He took one more glance round to see that there were no witnesses, and -then, on tiptoe, his thick stick half raised, he approached the silent -figure. He was crouching for his final spring and blow when a cool, -sardonic voice greeted him from the open bedroom door: - -"Don't break it, Count! Don't break it!" - -The assassin staggered back, amazement in his convulsed face. For an -instant he half raised his loaded cane once more, as if he would turn -his violence from the effigy to the original; but there was something -in that steady grey eye and mocking smile which caused his hand to sink -to his side. - -"It's a pretty little thing," said Holmes, advancing towards the image. -"Tavernier, the French modeller, made it. He is as good at waxworks as -your friend Straubenzee is at air-guns." - -"Air-guns, sir! What do you mean?" - -"Put your hat and stick on the side-table. Thank you! Pray take a -seat. Would you care to put your revolver out also? Oh, very good, if -you prefer to sit upon it. Your visit is really most opportune, for I -wanted badly to have a few minutes' chat with you." - -The Count scowled, with heavy, threatening eyebrows. - -"I, too, wished to have some words with you, Holmes. That is why I am -here. I won't deny that I intended to assault you just now." - -Holmes swung his leg on the edge of the table. - -"I rather gathered that you had some idea of the sort in your head," -said he. "But why these personal attentions?" - -"Because you have gone out of your way to annoy me. Because you have -put your creatures upon my track." - -"My creatures! I assure you no!" - -"Nonsense! I have had them followed. Two can play at that game, -Holmes." - -"It is a small point, Count Sylvius, but perhaps you would kindly give -me my prefix when you address me. You can understand that, with my -routine of work, I should find myself on familiar terms with half the -rogues' gallery, and you will agree that exceptions are invidious." - -"Well, _Mr._ Holmes, then." - -"Excellent! But I assure you you are mistaken about my alleged agents." - -Count Sylvius laughed contemptuously. - -"Other people can observe as well as you. Yesterday there was an old -sporting man. To-day it was an elderly woman. They held me in view -all day." - -"Really, sir, you compliment me. Old Baron Dowson said the night -before he was hanged that in my case what the law had gained the stage -had lost. And now you give my little impersonations your kindly -praise!" - -"It was you--you yourself?" - -Holmes shrugged his shoulders. "You can see in the corner the parasol -which you so politely handed to me in the Minories before you began to -suspect." - -"If I had known, you might never----" - -"Have seen this humble home again. I was well aware of it. We all -have neglected opportunities to deplore. As it happens, you did not -know, so here we are!" - -The Count's knotted brows gathered more heavily over his menacing eyes. -"What you say only makes the matter worse. It was not your agents, but -your play-acting, busybody self! You admit that you have dogged me. -Why?" - -"Come now, Count. You used to shoot lions in Algeria." - -"Well?" - -"But why?" - -"Why? The sport--the excitement--the danger!" - -"And, no doubt, to free the country from a pest?" - -"Exactly!" - -"My reasons in a nutshell!" - -The Count sprang to his feet, and his hand involuntarily moved back to -his hip-pocket. - -"Sit down, sir, sit down! There was another, more practical, reason. -I want that yellow diamond!" - -Count Sylvius lay back in his chair with an evil smile. - -"Upon my word!" said he. - -"You knew that I was after you for that. The real reason why you are -here to-night is to find out how much I know about the matter and how -far my removal is absolutely essential. Well, I should say that, from -your point of view, it is absolutely essential, for I know all about -it, save only one thing, which you are about to tell me." - -"Oh, indeed! And, pray, what is this missing fact?" - -"Where the Crown diamond now is." - -The Count looked sharply at his companion. "Oh, you want to know that, -do you? How the devil should I be able to tell you where it is?" - -"You can, and you will." - -"Indeed!" - -"You can't bluff me, Count Sylvius." Holmes's eyes, as he gazed at -him, contracted and lightened until they were like two menacing points -of steel. "You are absolute plate-glass. I see to the very back of -your mind." - -"Then, of course, you see where the diamond is!" - -Holmes clapped his hands with amusement, and then pointed a derisive -finger. "Then you do know. You have admitted it!" - -"I admit nothing." - -"Now, Count, if you will be reasonable, we can do business. If not, -you will get hurt." - -Count Sylvius threw up his eyes to the ceiling. "And you talk about -bluff!" said he. - -Holmes looked at him thoughtfully, like a master chess-player who -meditates his crowning move. Then he threw open the table drawer and -drew out a squat notebook. - -"Do you know what I keep in this book?" - -"No, sir, I do not!" - -"You!" - -"Me?" - -"Yes, sir, _you_! You are all here--every action of your vile and -dangerous life." - -"Damn you, Holmes!" cried the Count, with blazing eyes. "There are -limits to my patience!" - -"It's all here, Count. The real facts as to the death of old Mrs. -Harold, who left you the Blymer estate, which you so rapidly gambled -away." - -"You are dreaming!" - -"And the complete life history of Miss Minnie Warrender." - -"Tut! You will make nothing of that!" - -"Plenty more here, Count. Here is the robbery in the train-de-luxe to -the Riviera on February 13, 1892. Here is the forged cheque in the -same year on the Crédit Lyonnais." - -"No; you're wrong there." - -"Then I am right on the others! Now, Count, you are a card-player. -When the other fellow has all the trumps, it saves time to throw down -your hand." - -"What has all this talk to do with the jewel of which you spoke?" - -"Gently, Count. Restrain that eager mind! Let me get to the points in -my own humdrum fashion. I have all this against you; but, above all, I -have a clear case against both you and your fighting bully in the case -of the Crown diamond. - -"Indeed!" - -"I have the cabman who took you to Whitehall and the cabman who brought -you away. I have the Commissionaire who saw you near the case. I have -Ikey Sanders, who refused to cut it up for you. Ikey has peached, and -the game is up." - -The veins stood out on the Count's forehead. His dark, hairy hands -were clenched in a convulsion of restrained emotion. He tried to -speak, but the words would not shape themselves. - -"That's the hand I play from," said Holmes. "I put it all upon the -table. But one card is missing. It's the King of Diamonds. I don't -know where the stone is." - -"You never shall know." - -"No? Now, be reasonable, Count. Consider the situation. You are -going to be locked up for twenty years. So is Sam Merton. What good -are you going to get out of your diamond? None in the world. But if -you hand it over--well, I'll compound a felony. We don't want you or -Sam. We want the stone. Give that up, and so far as I am concerned -you can go free so long as you behave yourself in the future. If you -make another slip--well, it will be the last. But this time my -commission is to get the stone, not you." - -"But if I refuse?" - -"Why, then--alas!--it must be you and not the stone." - -Billy had appeared in answer to a ring. - -"I think, Count, that it would be as well to have your friend Sam at -this conference. After all, his interests should be represented. -Billy, you will see a large and ugly gentleman outside the front door. -Ask him to come up." - -"If he won't come, sir?" - -"No violence, Billy. Don't be rough with him. If you tell him that -Count Sylvius wants him he will certainly come." - -"What are you going to do now?" asked the Count, as Billy disappeared. - -"My friend Watson was with me just now. I told him that I had a shark -and a gudgeon in my net; now I am drawing the net and up they come -together." - -The Count had risen from his chair, and his hand was behind his back. -Holmes held something half protruding from the pocket of his -dressing-gown. - -"You won't die in your bed, Holmes." - -"I have often had the same idea. Does it matter very much? After all, -Count, your own exit is more likely to be perpendicular than -horizontal. But these anticipations of the future are morbid. Why not -give ourselves up to the unrestrained enjoyment of the present?" - -A sudden wild-beast light sprang up in the dark, menacing eyes of the -master criminal. Holmes's figure seemed to grow taller as he grew -tense and ready. - -"It is no use your fingering your revolver, my friend," he said, in a -quiet voice. "You know perfectly well that you dare not use it, even -if I gave you time to draw it. Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. -Better stick to air-guns. Ah! I think I hear the fairy footstep of -your estimable partner. Good day, Mr. Merton. Rather dull in the -street, is it not?" - -The prize-fighter, a heavily built young man with a stupid, obstinate, -slab-sided face, stood awkwardly at the door, looking about him with a -puzzled expression. Holmes's debonair manner was a new experience, and -though he vaguely felt that it was hostile, he did not know how to -counter it. He turned to his more astute comrade for help. - -"What's the game now, Count? What's this fellow want? What's up?" -His voice was deep and raucous. - -The Count shrugged his shoulders and it was Holmes who answered. - -"If I may put it in a nutshell, Mr. Merton, I should say it was _all_ -up." - -The boxer still addressed his remarks to his associate. - -"Is this cove trying to be funny, or what? I'm not in the funny mood -myself." - -"No, I expect not," said Holmes. "I think I can promise you that you -will feel even less humorous as the evening advances. Now, look here, -Count Sylvius. I'm a busy man and I can't waste time. I'm going into -that bedroom. Pray make yourselves quite at home in my absence. You -can explain to your friend how the matter lies without the restraint of -my presence. I shall try over the Hoffmann Barcarolle upon my violin. -In five minutes I shall return for your final answer. You quite grasp -the alternative, do you not? Shall we take you, or shall we have the -stone?" - -Holmes withdrew, picking up his violin from the corner as he passed. A -few moments later the long-drawn, wailing notes of that most haunting -of tunes came faintly through the closed door of the bedroom. - -"What is it, then?" asked Merton anxiously, as his companion turned to -him. "Does he know about the stone?" - -"He knows a damned sight too much about it. I'm not sure that he -doesn't know all about it." - -"Good Lord!" The boxer's sallow face turned a shade whiter. - -"Ikey Sanders has split on us." - -"He has, has he? I'll do him down a thick 'un for that if I swing for -it." - -"That won't help us much. We've got to make up our minds what to do." - -"Half a mo'," said the boxer, looking suspiciously at the bedroom door. -"He's a leary cove that wants watching. I suppose he's not listening?" - -"How can he be listening with that music going?" - -"That's right. Maybe somebody's behind a curtain. Too many curtains -in this room." As he looked round he suddenly saw for the first time -the effigy in the window, and stood staring and pointing, too amazed -for words. - -"Tut! it's only a dummy," said the Count. - -"A fake, is it? Well, strike me! Madame Tussaud ain't in it. It's -the living spit of him, gown and all. But them curtains, Count!" - -"Oh, confound the curtains! We are wasting our time, and there is none -too much. He can lag us over this stone." - -"The deuce he can!" - -"But he'll let us slip if we only tell him where the swag is." - -"What! Give it up? Give up a hundred thousand quid?" - -"It's one or the other." - -Merton scratched his short-cropped pate. - -"He's alone in there. Let's do him in. If his light were out we -should have nothing to fear." - -The Count shook his head. - -"He is armed and ready. If we shot him we could hardly get away in a -place like this. Besides, it's likely enough that the police know -whatever evidence he has got. Hallo! What was that?" - -There was a vague sound which seemed to come from the window. Both men -sprang round, but all was quiet. Save for the one strange figure -seated in the chair, the room was certainly empty. - -"Something in the street," said Merton. "Now look here, guv'nor, -you've got the brains. Surely you can think a way out of it. If -slugging is no use then it's up to you." - -"I've fooled better men than he," the Count answered. "The stone is -here in my secret pocket. I take no chances leaving it about. It can -be out of England to-night and cut into four pieces in Amsterdam before -Sunday. He knows nothing of Van Seddar." - -"I thought Van Seddar was going next week." - -"He _was_. But now he must get off by the next boat. One or other of -us must slip round with the stone to Lime Street and tell him." - -"But the false bottom ain't ready." - -"Well, he must take it as it is and chance it. There's not a moment to -lose." Again, with the sense of danger which becomes an instinct with -the sportsman, he paused and looked hard at the window. Yes, it was -surely from the street that the faint sound had come. - -"As to Holmes," he continued, "we can fool him easily enough. You see, -the damned fool won't arrest us if he can get the stone. Well, we'll -promise him the stone. We'll put him on the wrong track about it, and -before he finds that it is the wrong track it will be in Holland and we -out of the country." - -"That sounds good to me!" cried Sam Merton, with a grin. - -"You go on and tell the Dutchman to get a move on him. I'll see this -sucker and fill him up with a bogus confession. I'll tell him that the -stone is in Liverpool. Confound that whining music; it gets on my -nerves! By the time he finds it isn't in Liverpool it will be in -quarters and we on the blue water. Come back here, out of a line with -that keyhole. Here is the stone." - -"I wonder you dare carry it." - -"Where could I have it safer? If we could take it out of Whitehall -someone else could surely take it out of my lodgings." - -"Let's have a look at it." - -Count Sylvius cast a somewhat unflattering glance at his associate, and -disregarded the unwashed hand which was extended towards him. - -"What--d'ye think I'm going to snatch it off you? See here, mister, -I'm getting a bit tired of your ways." - -"Well, well; no offence, Sam. We can't afford to quarrel. Come over -to the window if you want to see the beauty properly. Now hold it to -the light! Here!" - -"Thank you!" - -With a single spring Holmes had leaped from the dummy's chair and had -grasped the precious jewel. He held it now in one hand, while his -other pointed a revolver at the Count's head. The two villains -staggered back in utter amazement. Before they had recovered Holmes -had pressed the electric bell. - -"No violence, gentlemen--no violence, I beg of you! Consider the -furniture! It must be very clear to you that your position is an -impossible one. The police are waiting below." - -The Count's bewilderment overmastered his rage and fear. - -"But how the deuce----?" he gasped. - -"Your surprise is very natural. You are not aware that a second door -from my bedroom leads behind that curtain. I fancied that you must -have heard me when I displaced the figure, but luck was on my side. It -gave me a chance of listening to your racy conversation which would -have been painfully constrained had you been aware of my presence." - -The Count gave a gesture of resignation. - -"We give you best, Holmes. I believe you are the devil himself." - -"Not far from him, at any rate," Holmes answered, with a polite smile. - -Sam Merton's slow intellect had only gradually appreciated the -situation. Now, as the sound of heavy steps came from the stairs -outside, he broke silence at last. - -"A fair cop!" said he. "But, I say, what about that bloomin' fiddle! -I hear it yet." - -"Tut, tut!" Holmes answered. "You are perfectly right. Let it play! -These modern gramophones are a remarkable invention." - -There was an inrush of police, the handcuffs clicked and the criminals -were led to the waiting cab. Watson lingered with Holmes, -congratulating him upon this fresh leaf added to his laurels. Once -more their conversation was interrupted by the imperturbable Billy with -his card-tray. - -"Lord Cantlemere, sir." - -"Show him up, Billy. This is the eminent peer who represents the very -highest interests," said Holmes. "He is an excellent and loyal person, -but rather of the old regime. Shall we make him unbend? Dare we -venture upon a slight liberty? He knows, we may conjecture, nothing of -what has occurred." - -The door opened to admit a thin, austere figure with a hatchet face and -drooping mid-Victorian whiskers of a glossy blackness which hardly -corresponded with the rounded shoulders and feeble gait. Holmes -advanced affably, and shook an unresponsive hand. - -"How-do-you-do, Lord Cantlemere? It is chilly, for the time of year, -but rather warm indoors. May I take your overcoat?" - -"No, I thank you; I will not take it off." - -Holmes laid his hand insistently upon the sleeve. - -"Pray allow me! My friend Dr. Watson would assure you that these -changes of temperature are most insidious." - -His lordship shook himself free with some impatience. - -"I am quite comfortable, sir. I have no need to stay. I have simply -looked in to know how your self-appointed task was progressing." - -"It is difficult--very difficult." - -"I feared that you would find it so." - -There was a distinct sneer in the old courtier's words and manner. - -"Every man finds his limitations, Mr. Holmes, but at least it cures us -of the weakness of self-satisfaction." - -"Yes, sir, I have been much perplexed." - -"No doubt." - -"Especially upon one point. Possibly you could help me upon it?" - -"You apply for my advice rather late in the day. I thought that you -had your own all-sufficient methods. Still, I am ready to help you." - -"You see, Lord Cantlemere, we can no doubt frame a case against the -actual thieves." - -"When you have caught them." - -"Exactly. But the question is--how shall we proceed against the -receiver?" - -"Is this not rather premature?" - -"It is as well to have our plans ready. Now, what would you regard as -final evidence against the receiver?" - -"The actual possession of the stone." - -"You would arrest him upon that?" - -"Most undoubtedly." - -Holmes seldom laughed, but he got as near it as his old friend Watson -could remember. - -"In that case, my dear sir, I shall be under the painful necessity of -advising your arrest." - -Lord Cantlemere was very angry. Some of the ancient fires flickered up -into his sallow cheeks. - -"You take a great liberty, Mr. Holmes. In fifty years of official life -I cannot recall such a case. I am a busy man, sir, engaged upon -important affairs, and I have no time or taste for foolish jokes. I -may tell you frankly, sir, that I have never been a believer in your -powers, and that I have always been of the opinion that the matter was -far safer in the hands of the regular police force. Your conduct -confirms all my conclusions. I have the honour, sir, to wish you good -evening." - -Holmes had swiftly changed his position and was between the peer and -the door. - -"One moment, sir," said he. "To actually go off with the Mazarin stone -would be a more serious offence than to be found in temporary -possession of it." - -"Sir, this is intolerable! Let me pass." - -"Put your hand in the right-hand pocket of your overcoat." - -"What do you mean, sir?" - -"Come--come; do what I ask." - -An instant later the amazed peer was standing, blinking and stammering, -with the great yellow stone on his shaking palm. - -"What! What! How is this, Mr. Holmes?" - -"Too bad, Lord Cantlemere, too bad!" cried Holmes. "My old friend here -will tell you that I have an impish habit of practical joking. Also -that I can never resist a dramatic situation. I took the liberty--the -very great liberty, I admit--of putting the stone into your pocket at -the beginning of our interview." - -The old peer stared from the stone to the smiling face before him. - -"Sir, I am bewildered. But--yes--it is indeed the Mazarin stone. We -are greatly your debtors, Mr. Holmes. Your sense of humour may, as you -admit, be somewhat perverted, and its exhibition remarkably untimely, -but at least I withdraw any reflection I have made upon your amazing -professional powers. But how----" - -"The case is but half finished; the details can wait. No doubt, Lord -Cantlemere, your pleasure in telling of this successful result in the -exalted circle to which you return will be some small atonement for my -practical joke. Billy, you will show his lordship out, and tell Mrs. -Hudson that I should be glad if she would send up dinner for two as -soon as possible." - - - - -IV - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GABLES - -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 arm-chair 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 grey 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 genelmen 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 genelman 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 Attaché 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 struggles, 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 the corner. -The labels shone out upon them. - -"'Milano.' 'Lucerne.' These are from Italy." - -"They are poor Douglas's things." - -"You have not unpacked 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 you 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 for 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 grey 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 a -common burglary, you say?" - -"Quite so. We know pretty well who the men are and where to find them. -It is 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 maid-servant. - -"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 pocket-book. - -"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 half-way 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 cheque 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 for ever without cutting those -dainty hands." - - - - -V - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE SUSSEX VAMPIRE - -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 mediæval, of 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._ 19_th._ - -_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 Grimm's 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 -whilst 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 quickly 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. Whilst 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. - -PS.--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 remember 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. His 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 wits' 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 wits' end, 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 as 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 -farm-house 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, brown-faced 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 _entrée_, 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 -arm-chair, 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 for ever." - -"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 understood him and he fitted into my -reconstruction. - -"Now do you understand? Your wife feared such an 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. - - - - -VI - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS - -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 grey 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 here 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?" he 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 am 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 understood 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 amongst 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," "Cromagnon" 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, holding 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 he 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 -hustle 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 your 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, be -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 archæologist 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 lunch-time 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-agents. -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 trapdoor. 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," he cried, 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 lay 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 -bundles. - -"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, and the Killer -returned to those shades from which he had just emerged. - - - - -VII - -THE PROBLEM OF THOR BRIDGE - -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 -matchbox 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 a story backwards. 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_ 3_rd_. - -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 an historical English estate. 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, reed-girt 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 -scars of many a crisis. Cold grey 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 re-entered 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 Gold King took the reproof with equanimity. - -"That's how I feel myself about it now. I thank God that my plans 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 heat 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 murder." - -"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 be 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 though 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 fire-arms 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 humble 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 wide-spread, -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 grey 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 grey, 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 here. 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 fire-arms 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 very 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 eight-thirty 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 workman-like 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 for ever 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 that 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 for 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 onwards 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 safety-catch. 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 an 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 an 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 the 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, as 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." - - - - -VIII - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE CREEPING MAN - -Mr. Sherlock Holmes was always of opinion that I should publish the -singular facts connected with Professor Presbury, if only to dispel -once for all the ugly rumours which some twenty years ago agitated the -University and were echoed in the learned societies of London. There -were, however, certain obstacles in the way, and the true history of -this curious case remained entombed in the tin box which contains so -many records of my friend's adventures. Now we have at last obtained -permission to ventilate the facts which formed one of the very last -cases handled by Holmes before his retirement from practice. Even now -a certain reticence and discretion have to be observed in laying the -matter before the public. - - -It was one Sunday evening early in September of the year 1903 that I -received one of Holmes's laconic messages: "Come at once if -convenient--if inconvenient come all the same.--S.H." The relations -between us in those latter days were peculiar. He was a man of habits, -narrow and concentrated habits, and I had become one of them. As an -institution I was like the violin, the shag tobacco, the old black -pipe, the index books, and others perhaps less excusable. When it was -a case of active work and a comrade was needed upon whose nerve he -could place some reliance, my role was obvious. But apart from this I -had uses. I was a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him. He liked -to think aloud in my presence. His remarks could hardly be said to be -made to me--many of them would have been as appropriately addressed to -his bedstead--but none the less, having formed the habit, it had become -in some way helpful that I should register and interject. If I -irritated him by a certain methodical slowness in my mentality, that -irritation served only to make his own flame-like intuitions and -impressions flash up the more vividly and swiftly. Such was my humble -role in our alliance. - -When I arrived at Baker Street I found him huddled up in his arm-chair -with updrawn knees, his pipe in his mouth and his brow furrowed with -thought. It was clear that he was in the throes of some vexatious -problem. With a wave of his hand he indicated my old arm-chair, but -otherwise for half an hour he gave no sign that he was aware of my -presence. Then with a start he seemed to come from his reverie, and, -with his usual whimsical smile, he greeted me back to what had once -been my home. - -"You will excuse a certain abstraction of mind, my dear Watson," said -he. "Some curious facts have been submitted to me within the last -twenty-four hours, and they in turn have given rise to some -speculations of a more general character. I have serious thoughts of -writing a small monograph upon the uses of dogs in the work of the -detective." - -"But surely, Holmes, this has been explored," said I. -"Bloodhounds--sleuth-hounds----" - -"No, no, Watson; that side of the matter is, of course, obvious. But -there is another which is far more subtle. You may recollect that in -the case which you, in your sensational way, coupled with the Copper -Beeches, I was able, by watching the mind of the child, to form a -deduction as to the criminal habits of the very smug and respectable -father." - -"Yes, I remember it well." - -"My line of thoughts about dogs is analogous. A dog reflects the -family life. Whoever saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family, or a sad dog -in a happy one? Snarling people have snarling dogs, dangerous people -have dangerous ones. And their passing moods may reflect the passing -moods of others." - -I shook my head. "Surely, Holmes, this is a little far-fetched," said -I. - -He had refilled his pipe and resumed his seat, taking no notice of my -comment. - -"The practical application of what I have said is very close to the -problem which I am investigating. It is a tangled skein, you -understand, and I am looking for a loose end. One possible loose end -lies in the question: Why does Professor Presbury's faithful -wolf-hound, Roy, endeavour to bite him?" - -I sank back in my chair in some disappointment. Was it for so trivial -a question as this that I had been summoned from my work? Holmes -glanced across at me. - -"The same old Watson!" said he. "You never learn that the gravest -issues may depend upon the smallest things. But is it not on the face -of it strange that a staid, elderly philosopher--you've heard of -Presbury, of course, the famous Camford physiologist?--that such a man, -whose friend has been his devoted wolf-hound, should now have been -twice attacked by his own dog? What do you make of it?" - -"The dog is ill." - -"Well, that has to be considered. But he attacks no one else, nor does -he apparently molest his master, save on very special occasions. -Curious, Watson--very curious. But young Mr. Bennett is before his -time, if that is his ring. I had hoped to have a longer chat with you -before he came." - -There was a quick step on the stairs, a sharp tap at the door, and a -moment later the new client presented himself. He was a tall, handsome -youth about thirty, well dressed and elegant, but with something in his -bearing which suggested the shyness of the student rather than the -self-possession of the man of the world. He shook hands with Holmes, -and then looked with some surprise at me. - -"This matter is very delicate, Mr. Holmes," he said. "Consider the -relation in which I stand to Professor Presbury, both privately and -publicly. I really can hardly justify myself if I speak before any -third person." - -"Have no fear, Mr. Bennett. Dr. Watson is the very soul of discretion, -and I can assure you that this is a matter in which I am very likely to -need an assistant." - -"As you like, Mr. Holmes. You will, I am sure, understand my having -some reserves in the matter." - -"You will appreciate it, Watson, when I tell you that this gentleman, -Mr. Trevor Bennett, is professional assistant to the great scientist, -lives under his roof, and is engaged to his only daughter. Certainly -we must agree that the Professor has every claim upon his loyalty and -devotion. But it may best be shown by taking the necessary steps to -clear up this strange mystery." - -"I hope so, Mr. Holmes. That is my one object. Does Dr. Watson know -the situation?" - -"I have not had time to explain it." - -"Then perhaps I had better go over the ground again before explaining -some fresh developments." - -"I will do so myself," said Holmes, "in order to show that I have the -events in their due order. The Professor, Watson, is a man of European -reputation. His life has been academic. There has never been a breath -of scandal. He is a widower with one daughter, Edith. He is, I -gather, a man of very virile and positive, one might almost say -combative, character. So the matter stood until a very few months ago. - -"Then the current of his life was broken. He is sixty-one years of -age, but he became engaged to the daughter of Professor Morphy, his -colleague in the chair of Comparative Anatomy. It was not, as I -understand, the reasoned courting of an elderly man, but rather the -passionate frenzy of youth, for no one could have shown himself a more -devoted lover. The lady, Alice Morphy, was a very perfect girl both in -mind and body, so that there was every excuse for the Professor's -infatuation. Nonetheless, it did not meet with full approval in his -own family." - -"We thought it rather excessive," said our visitor. - -"Exactly. Excessive and a little violent and unnatural. Professor -Presbury was rich, however, and there was no objection upon the part of -the father. The daughter, however, had other views, and there were -already several candidates for her hand, who, if they were less -eligible from a worldly point of view, were at least more of an age. -The girl seemed to like the Professor in spite of his eccentricities. -It was only age which stood in the way. - -"About this time a little mystery suddenly clouded the normal routine -of the Professor's life. He did what he had never done before. He -left home and gave no indication where he was going. He was away a -fortnight, and returned looking rather travel-worn. He made no -allusion to where he had been, although he was usually the frankest of -men. It chanced, however, that our client here, Mr. Bennett, received -a letter from a fellow-student in Prague, who said that he was glad to -have seen Professor Presbury there, although he had not been able to -talk to him. Only in this way did his own household learn where he had -been. - -"Now comes the point. From that time onwards a curious change came -over the Professor. He became furtive and sly. Those around him had -always the feeling that he was not the man that they had known, but -that he was under some shadow which had darkened his higher qualities. -His intellect was not affected. His lectures were as brilliant as -ever. But always there was something new, something sinister and -unexpected. His daughter, who was devoted to him, tried again and -again to resume the old relations and to penetrate this mask which her -father seemed to have put on. You, sir, as I understand, did the -same--but all was in vain. And now, Mr. Bennett, tell in your own -words the incident of the letters." - -"You must understand, Dr. Watson, that the Professor had no secrets -from me. If I were his son or his younger brother, I could not have -more completely enjoyed his confidence. As his secretary I handled -every paper which came to him, and I opened and subdivided his letters. -Shortly after his return all this was changed. He told me that certain -letters might come to him from London which would be marked by a cross -under the stamp. These were to be set aside for his own eyes only. I -may say that several of these did pass through my hands, that they had -the E.C. mark, and were in an illiterate handwriting. If he answered -them at all the answers did not pass through my hands nor into the -letter-basket in which our correspondence was collected." - -"And the box," said Holmes. - -"Ah, yes, the box. The Professor brought back a little wooden box from -his travels. It was the one thing which suggested a Continental tour, -for it was one of those quaint carved things which one associates with -Germany. This he placed in his instrument cupboard. One day, in -looking for a cannula, I took up the box. To my surprise he was very -angry, and reproved me in words which were quite savage for my -curiosity. It was the first time such a thing had happened and I was -deeply hurt. I endeavoured to explain that it was a mere accident that -I had touched the box, but all the evening I was conscious that he -looked at me harshly and that the incident was rankling in his mind." -Mr. Bennett drew a little diary book from his pocket. "That was on -July 2," said he. - -"You are certainly an admirable witness," said Holmes. "I may need -some of these dates which you have noted." - -"I learned method among other things from my great teacher. From the -time that I observed abnormality in his behaviour I felt that it was my -duty to study his case. Thus I have it here that it was on that very -day, July 2, that Roy attacked the Professor, as he came from his study -into the hall. Again on July 11, there was a scene of the same sort -and then I have a note of yet another upon July 20. After that we had -to banish Roy to the stables. He was a dear, affectionate animal--but -I fear I weary you." - -Mr. Bennett spoke in a tone of reproach, for it was very clear that -Holmes was not listening. His face was rigid and his eyes gazed -abstractedly at the ceiling. With an effort he recovered himself. - -"Singular! Most singular!" he murmured. "These details were new to -me, Mr. Bennett. I think we have now fairly gone over the old ground, -have we not? But you spoke of some fresh developments." - -The pleasant, open face of our visitor clouded over, shadowed by some -grim remembrance. "What I speak of occurred the night before last," -said he. "I was lying awake about two in the morning, when I was aware -of a dull muffled sound coming from the passage. I opened my door and -peeped out. I should explain that the Professor sleeps at the end of -the passage----" - -"The date being----?" asked Holmes. - -Our visitor was clearly annoyed at so irrelevant an interruption. - -"I have said, sir, that it was the night before last--that is, -September 4." - -Holmes nodded and smiled. - -"Pray continue," said he. - -"He sleeps at the end of the passage, and would have to pass my door in -order to reach the staircase. It was a really terrifying experience, -Mr. Holmes. I think that I am as strong-nerved as my neighbours, but I -was shaken by what I saw. The passage was dark save that one window -half-way along it threw a patch of light. I could see that something -was coming along the passage, something dark and crouching. Then -suddenly it emerged into the light, and I saw that it was he. He was -crawling, Mr. Holmes--crawling! He was not quite on his hands and -knees. I should rather say on his hands and feet, with his face sunk -between his hands. Yet he seemed to move with ease. I was so -paralysed by the sight that it was not until he had reached my door -that I was able to step forward and ask if I could assist him. His -answer was extraordinary. He sprang up, spat out some atrocious word -at me, and hurried on past me, and down the staircase. I waited about -for an hour, but he did not come back. It must have been daylight -before he regained his room." - -"Well, Watson, what make you of that?" asked Holmes, with the air of -the pathologist who presents a rare specimen. - -"Lumbago, possibly. I have known a severe attack make a man walk in -just such a way, and nothing would be more trying to the temper." - -"Good, Watson! You always keep us flat-footed on the ground. But we -can hardly accept lumbago, since he was able to stand erect in a -moment." - -"He was never better in health," said Bennett. "In fact, he is -stronger than I have known him for years. But there are the facts, Mr. -Holmes. It is not a case in which we can consult the police, and yet -we are utterly at our wits' end as to what to do, and we feel in some -strange way that we are drifting towards disaster. Edith--Miss -Presbury--feels as I do, that we cannot wait passively any longer." - -"It is certainly a very curious and suggestive case. What do you -think, Watson?" - -"Speaking as a medical man," said I, "it appears to be a case for an -alienist. The old gentleman's cerebral processes were disturbed by the -love affair. He made a journey abroad in the hope of breaking himself -of the passion. His letters and the box may be connected with some -other private transaction--a loan, perhaps, or share certificates, -which are in the box." - -"And the wolf-hound no doubt disapproved of the financial bargain. No, -no, Watson, there is more in it than this. Now, I can only suggest----" - -What Sherlock Holmes was about to suggest will never be known, for at -this moment the door opened and a young lady was shown into the room. -As she appeared Mr. Bennett sprang up with a cry and ran forward with -his hands out to meet those which she had herself outstretched. - -"Edith, dear! Nothing the matter, I hope?" - -"I felt I must follow you. Oh, Jack, I have been so dreadfully -frightened! It is awful to be there alone." - -"Mr. Holmes, this is the young lady I spoke of. This is my fiancée." - -"We were gradually coming to that conclusion, were we not, Watson?" -Holmes answered, with a smile. "I take it, Miss Presbury, that there -is some fresh development in the case, and that you thought we should -know?" - -Our new visitor, a bright, handsome girl of a conventional English -type, smiled back at Holmes as she seated herself beside Mr. Bennett. - -"When I found Mr. Bennett had left his hotel I thought I should -probably find him here. Of course, he had told me that he would -consult you. But, oh, Mr. Holmes, can you do nothing for my poor -father?" - - -"I have hopes, Miss Presbury, but the case is still obscure. Perhaps -what you have to say may throw some fresh light upon it." - -"It was last night, Mr. Holmes. He had been very strange all day. I -am sure that there are times when he has no recollection of what he -does. He lives as in a strange dream. Yesterday was such a day. It -was not my father with whom I lived. His outward shell was there, but -it was not really he." - -"Tell me what happened." - -"I was awakened in the night by the dog barking most furiously. Poor -Roy, he is chained now near the stable. I may say that I always sleep -with my door locked; for, as Jack--as Mr. Bennett--will tell you, we -all have a feeling of impending danger. My room is on the second -floor. It happened that the blind was up in my window, and there was -bright moonlight outside. As I lay with my eyes fixed upon the square -of light, listening to the frenzied barkings of the dog, I was amazed -to see my father's face looking in at me. Mr. Holmes, I nearly died of -surprise and horror. There it was pressed against the window-pane, and -one hand seemed to be raised as if to push up the window. If that -window had opened, I think I should have gone mad. It was no delusion, -Mr. Holmes. Don't deceive yourself by thinking so. I dare say it was -twenty seconds or so that I lay paralysed and watched the face. Then -it vanished, but I could not--I could not spring out of bed and look -out after it. I lay cold and shivering till morning. At breakfast he -was sharp and fierce in manner, and made no allusion to the adventure -of the night. Neither did I, but I gave an excuse for coming to -town--and here I am." - -Holmes looked thoroughly surprised at Miss Presbury's narrative. - -"My dear young lady, you say that your room is on the second floor. Is -there a long ladder in the garden?" - -"No, Mr. Holmes; that is the amazing part of it. There is no possible -way of reaching the window--and yet he was there." - -"The date being September 5," said Holmes. "That certainly complicates -matters." - -It was the young lady's turn to look surprised. "This is the second -time that you have alluded to the date, Mr. Holmes," said Bennett. "Is -it possible that it has any bearing upon the case?" - -"It is possible--very possible--and yet I have not my full material at -present." - -"Possibly you are thinking of the connection between insanity and -phases of the moon?" - -"No, I assure you. It was quite a different line of thought. Possibly -you can leave your notebook with me and I will check the dates. Now I -think, Watson, that our line of action is perfectly clear. This young -lady has informed us--and I have the greatest confidence in her -intuition--that her father remembers little or nothing which occurs -upon certain dates. We will therefore call upon him as if he had given -us an appointment upon such a date. He will put it down to his own -lack of memory. Thus we will open our campaign by having a good close -view of him." - -"That is excellent," said Mr. Bennett. "I warn you, however, that the -Professor is irascible and violent at times." - -Holmes smiled. "There are reasons why we should come at once--very -cogent reasons if my theories hold good. To-morrow, Mr. Bennett, will -certainly see us in Camford. There is, if I remember right, an inn -called the 'Chequers' where the port used to be above mediocrity, and -the linen was above reproach. I think, Watson, that our lot for the -next few days might lie in less pleasant places." - -Monday morning found us on our way to the famous University town--an -easy effort on the part of Holmes, who had no roots to pull up, but one -which involved frantic planning and hurrying on my part, as my practice -was by this time not inconsiderable. Holmes made no allusion to the -case until after we had deposited our suit-cases at the ancient hostel -of which he had spoken. - -"I think, Watson, that we can catch the Professor just before lunch. -He lectures at eleven, and should have an interval at home." - -"What possible excuse have we for calling?" - -Holmes glanced at his notebook. - -"There was a period of excitement upon August 26. We will assume that -he is a little hazy as to what he does at such times. If we insist -that we are there by appointment I think he will hardly venture to -contradict us. Have you the effrontery necessary to put it through?" - -"We can but try." - -"Excellent, Watson! Compound of the Busy Bee and Excelsior. We can -but try--the motto of the firm. A friendly native will surely guide -us." - -Such a one on the back of a smart hansom swept us past a row of ancient -colleges, and finally turning into a tree-lined drive pulled up at the -door of a charming house, girt round with lawns and covered with purple -wistaria. Professor Presbury was certainly surrounded with every sign -not only of comfort but of luxury. Even as we pulled up a grizzled -head appeared at the front window, and we were aware of a pair of keen -eyes from under shaggy brows which surveyed us through large horn -glasses. A moment later we were actually in his sanctum, and the -mysterious scientist, whose vagaries had brought us from London, was -standing before us. There was certainly no sign of eccentricity either -in his manner or appearance, for he was a portly, large-featured man, -grave, tall, and frock-coated, with the dignity of bearing which a -lecturer needs. His eyes were his most remarkable feature, keen, -observant, and clever to the verge of cunning. - -He looked at our cards. "Pray sit down, gentlemen. What can I do for -you?" - -Mr. Holmes smiled amiably. - -"It was the question which I was about to put to you, Professor." - -"To me, sir!" - -"Possibly there is some mistake. I heard through a second person that -Professor Presbury of Camford had need of my services." - -"Oh, indeed!" It seemed to me that there was a malicious sparkle in -the intense grey eyes. "You heard that, did you? May I ask the name -of your informant?" - -"I am sorry, Professor, but the matter was rather confidential. If I -have made a mistake there is no harm done. I can only express my -regret." - -"Not at all. I should wish to go further into this matter. It -interests me. Have you any scrap of writing, any letter or telegram, -to bear out your assertion?" - -"No, I have not." - -"I presume that you do not go so far as to assert that I summoned you?" - -"I would rather answer no questions," said Holmes. - -"No, I dare say not," said the Professor, with asperity. "However, -that particular one can be answered very easily without your aid." - -He walked across the room to the bell. Our London friend, Mr. Bennett, -answered the call. - -"Come in, Mr. Bennett. These two gentlemen have come from London under -the impression that they have been summoned. You handle all my -correspondence. Have you a note of anything going to a person named -Holmes?" - -"No, sir," Bennett answered, with a flush. - -"That is conclusive," said the Professor, glaring angrily at my -companion. "Now, sir"--he leaned forward with his two hands upon the -table--"it seems to me that your position is a very questionable one." - -Holmes shrugged his shoulders. - -"I can only repeat that I am sorry that we have made a needless -intrusion." - -"Hardly enough, Mr. Holmes!" the old man cried, in a high screaming -voice, with extraordinary malignancy upon his face. He got between us -and the door as he spoke, and he shook his two hands at us with furious -passion. "You can hardly get out of it so easily as that." His face -was convulsed and he grinned and gibbered at us in his senseless rage. -I am convinced that we should have had to fight our way out of the room -if Mr. Bennett had not intervened. - -"My dear Professor," he cried, "consider your position! Consider the -scandal at the University! Mr. Holmes is a well-known man. You cannot -possibly treat him with such discourtesy." - -Sulkily our host--if I may call him so--cleared the path to the door. -We were glad to find ourselves outside the house, and in the quiet of -the tree-lined drive. Holmes seemed greatly amused by the episode. - -"Our learned friend's nerves are somewhat out of order," said he. -"Perhaps our intrusion was a little crude, and yet we have gained that -personal contact which I desired. But, dear me, Watson, he is surely -at our heels. The villain still pursues us." - -There were the sounds of running feet behind, but it was, to my relief, -not the formidable Professor but his assistant who appeared round the -curve of the drive. He came panting up to us. - -"I am so sorry, Mr. Holmes. I wished to apologize." - -"My dear sir, there is no need. It is all in the way of professional -experience." - -"I have never seen him in a more dangerous mood. But he grows more -sinister. You can understand now why his daughter and I are alarmed. -And yet his mind is perfectly clear." - -"Too clear!" said Holmes. "That was my miscalculation. It is evident -that his memory is much more reliable than I had thought. By the way, -can we, before we go, see the window of Miss Presbury's room?" - -Mr. Bennett pushed his way through some shrubs and we had a view of the -side of the house. - -"It is there. The second on the left." - -"Dear me, it seems hardly accessible. And yet you will observe that -there is a creeper below and a water-pipe above which give some -foothold." - -"I could not climb it myself," said Mr. Bennett. - -"Very likely. It would certainly be a dangerous exploit for any normal -man." - -"There was one other thing I wished to tell you, Mr. Holmes. I have -the address of the man in London to whom the Professor writes. He -seems to have written this morning and I got it from his -blotting-paper. It is an ignoble position for a trusted secretary, but -what else can I do?" - -Holmes glanced at the paper and put it into his pocket. - -"Dorak--a curious name. Slavonic, I imagine. Well, it is an important -link in the chain. We return to London this afternoon, Mr. Bennett. I -see no good purpose to be served by our remaining. We cannot arrest -the Professor, because he has done no crime, nor can we place him under -constraint, for he cannot be proved to be mad. No action is as yet -possible." - -"Then what on earth are we to do?" - -"A little patience, Mr. Bennett. Things will soon develop. Unless I -am mistaken next Tuesday may mark a crisis. Certainly we shall be in -Camford on that day. Meanwhile, the general position is undeniably -unpleasant, and if Miss Presbury can prolong her visit----" - -"That is easy." - -"Then let her stay till we can assure her that all danger is past. -Meanwhile, let him have his way and do not cross him. So long as he is -in a good humour all is well." - -"There he is!" said Bennett, in a startled whisper. Looking between -the branches we saw the tall, erect figure emerge from the hall door -and look around him. He stood leaning forward, his hands swinging -straight before him, his head turning from side to side. The secretary -with a last wave slipped off among the trees, and we saw him presently -rejoin his employer, the two entering the house together in what seemed -to be animated and even excited conversation. - -"I expect the old gentleman has been putting two and two together," -said Holmes, as we walked hotelwards. "He struck me as having a -particularly clear and logical brain, from the little I saw of him. -Explosive, no doubt, but then from his point of view he has something -to explode about if detectives are put on his track and he suspects his -own household of doing it. I rather fancy that friend Bennett is in -for an uncomfortable time." - -Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way. -The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me. -"Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak. Suave person, -Bohemian, elderly. Keeps large general store.--Mercer." - -"Mercer is since your time," said Holmes. "He is my general utility -man who looks up routine business. It was important to know something -of the man with whom our Professor was so secretly corresponding. His -nationality connects up with the Prague visit." - -"Thank goodness that something connects with something," said I. "At -present we seem to be faced by a long series of inexplicable incidents -with no bearing upon each other. For example, what possible connection -can there be between an angry wolf-hound and a visit to Bohemia, or -either of them with a man crawling down a passage at night? As to your -dates, that is the biggest mystification of all." - -Holmes smiled and rubbed his hands. We were, I may say, seated in the -old sitting-room of the ancient hotel, with a bottle of the famous -vintage of which Holmes had spoken on the table between us. - -"Well, now, let us take the dates first," said he, his finger-tips -together and his manner as if he were addressing a class. "This -excellent young man's diary shows that there was trouble upon July 2, -and from then onwards it seems to have been at nine-day intervals, -with, so far as I remember, only one exception. Thus the last outbreak -upon Friday was on September 3, which also falls into the series, as -did August 26, which preceded it. The thing is beyond coincidence." - -I was forced to agree. - -"Let us, then, form the provisional theory that every nine days the -Professor takes some strong drug which has a passing but highly -poisonous effect. His naturally violent nature is intensified by it. -He learned to take this drug while he was in Prague, and is now -supplied with it by a Bohemian intermediary in London. This all hangs -together, Watson!" - -"But the dog, the face at the window, the creeping man in the passage?" - -"Well, well, we have made a beginning. I should not expect any fresh -developments until next Tuesday. In the meantime we can only keep in -touch with friend Bennett and enjoy the amenities of this charming -town." - - -In the morning Mr. Bennett slipped round to bring us the latest report. -As Holmes had imagined, times had not been easy with him. Without -exactly accusing him of being responsible for our presence, the -Professor had been very rough and rude in his speech, and evidently -felt some strong grievance. This morning he was quite himself again, -however, and had delivered his usual brilliant lecture to a crowded -class. "Apart from his queer fits," said Bennett, "he has actually -more energy and vitality than I can ever remember, nor was his brain -ever clearer. But it's not he--it's never the man whom we have known." - -"I don't think you have anything to fear now for a week at least," -Holmes answered. "I am a busy man, and Dr. Watson has his patients to -attend to. Let us agree that we meet here at this hour next Tuesday, -and I shall be surprised if before we leave you again we are not able -to explain, even if we cannot perhaps put an end to, your troubles. -Meanwhile, keep us posted in what occurs." - - -I saw nothing of my friend for the next few days, but on the following -Monday evening I had a short note asking me to meet him next day at the -train. From what he told me as we travelled up to Camford all was -well, the peace of the Professor's house had been unruffled, and his -own conduct perfectly normal. This also was the report which was given -us by Mr. Bennett himself when he called upon us that evening at our -old quarters in the "Chequers." "He heard from his London -correspondent to-day. There was a letter and there was a small packet, -each with the cross under the stamp which warned me not to touch them. -There has been nothing else." - -"That may prove quite enough," said Holmes grimly. "Now, Mr. Bennett, -we shall, I think, come to some conclusion to-night. If my deductions -are correct we should have an opportunity of bringing matters to a -head. In order to do so it is necessary to hold the Professor under -observation. I would suggest, therefore, that you remain awake and on -the look out. Should you hear him pass your door do not interrupt him, -but follow him as discreetly as you can. Dr. Watson and I will not be -far off. By the way, where is the key of that little box of which you -spoke?" - -"Upon his watch-chain." - -"I fancy our researches must lie in that direction. At the worst the -lock should not be very formidable. Have you any other able-bodied man -on the premises?" - -"There is the coachman, Macphail." - -"Where does he sleep?" - -"Over the stables." - -"We might possibly want him. Well, we can do no more until we see how -things develop. Good-bye--but I expect that we shall see you before -morning." - -It was nearly midnight before we took our station among some bushes -immediately opposite the hall door of the Professor. It was a fine -night, but chilly, and we were glad of our warm overcoats. There was a -breeze, and clouds were scudding across the sky, obscuring from time to -time the half-moon. It would have been a dismal vigil were it not for -the expectation and excitement which carried us along, and the -assurance of my comrade that we had probably reached the end of the -strange sequence of events which had engaged our attention. - -"If the cycle of nine days holds good then we shall have the Professor -at his worst to-night," said Holmes. "The fact that these strange -symptoms began after his visit to Prague, that he is in secret -correspondence with a Bohemian dealer in London, who presumably -represents someone in Prague, and that he received a packet from him -this very day, all point in one direction. What he takes and why he -takes it are still beyond our ken, but that it emanates in some way -from Prague is clear enough. He takes it under definite directions -which regulate this ninth-day system, which was the first point which -attracted my attention. But his symptoms are most remarkable. Did you -observe his knuckles?" - -I had to confess that I did not. - -"Thick and horny in a way which is quite new in my experience. Always -look at the hands first, Watson. Then cuffs, trouser-knees, and boots. -Very curious knuckles which can only be explained by the mode of -progression observed by----" Holmes paused, and suddenly clapped his -hand to his forehead. "Oh, Watson, Watson, what a fool I have been! -It seems incredible, and yet it must be true. All points in one -direction. How could I miss seeing the connection of ideas? Those -knuckles--how could I have passed those knuckles? And the dog! And -the ivy! It's surely time that I disappeared into that little farm of -my dreams. Look out, Watson! Here he is! We shall have the chance of -seeing for ourselves." - -The hall door had slowly opened, and against the lamp-lit background we -saw the tall figure of Professor Presbury. He was clad in his -dressing-gown. As he stood outlined in the doorway he was erect but -leaning forward with dangling arms, as when we saw him last. - -Now he stepped forward into the drive, and an extraordinary change came -over him. He sank down into a crouching position, and moved along upon -his hands and feet, skipping every now and then as if he were -overflowing with energy and vitality. He moved along the face of the -house and then round the corner. As he disappeared Bennett slipped -through the hall door and softly followed him. - -"Come, Watson, come!" cried Holmes, and we stole as softly as we could -through the bushes until we had gained a spot whence we could see the -other side of the house, which was bathed in the light of the -half-moon. The Professor was clearly visible crouching at the foot of -the ivy-covered wall. As we watched him he suddenly began with -incredible agility to ascend it. From branch to branch he sprang, sure -of foot and firm of grasp, climbing apparently in mere joy at his own -powers, with no definite object in view. With his dressing-gown -flapping on each side of him he looked like some huge bat glued against -the side of his own house, a great square dark patch upon the moonlit -wall. Presently he tired of this amusement, and, dropping from branch -to branch, he squatted down into the old attitude and moved towards the -stables, creeping along in the same strange way as before. The -wolf-hound was out now, barking furiously, and more excited than ever -when it actually caught sight of its master. It was straining on its -chain, and quivering with eagerness and rage. The Professor squatted -down very deliberately just out of reach of the hound, and began to -provoke it in every possible way. He took handfuls of pebbles from the -drive and threw them in the dog's face, prodded him with a stick which -he had picked up, flicked his hands about only a few inches from the -gaping mouth, and endeavoured in every way to increase the animal's -fury, which was already beyond all control. In all our adventures I do -not know that I have ever seen a more strange sight than this impassive -and still dignified figure crouching frog-like upon the ground and -goading to a wilder exhibition of passion the maddened hound, which -ramped and raged in front of him, by all manner of ingenious and -calculated cruelty. - -And then in a moment it happened! It was not the chain that broke, but -it was the collar that slipped, for it had been made for a thick-necked -Newfoundland. We heard the rattle of falling metal, and the next -instant dog and man were rolling on the ground together, the one -roaring in rage, the other screaming in a strange shrill falsetto of -terror. It was a very narrow thing for the Professor's life. The -savage creature had him fairly by the throat, its fangs had bitten -deep, and he was senseless before we could reach them and drag the two -apart. It might have been a dangerous task for us, but Bennett's voice -and presence brought the great wolf-hound instantly to reason. The -uproar had brought the sleepy and astonished coachman from his room -above the stables. "I'm not surprised," said he, shaking his head. -"I've seen him at it before. I knew the dog would get him sooner or -later." - -The hound was secured, and together we carried the Professor up to his -room, where Bennett, who had a medical degree, helped me to dress his -torn throat. The sharp teeth had passed dangerously near the carotid -artery, and the hemorrhage was serious. In half an hour the danger was -past, I had given the patient an injection of morphia, and he had sunk -into deep sleep. Then, and only then, were we able to look at each -other and to take stock of the situation. - -"I think a first-class surgeon should see him," said I. - -"For God's sake, no!" cried Bennett. "At present the scandal is -confined to our own household. It is safe with us. If it gets beyond -these walls it will never stop. Consider his position at the -University, his European reputation, the feelings of his daughter." - -"Quite so," said Holmes. "I think it may be quite possible to keep the -matter to ourselves, and also to prevent its recurrence now that we -have a free hand. The key from the watch-chain, Mr. Bennett. Macphail -will guard the patient and let us know if there is any change. Let us -see what we can find in the Professor's mysterious box." - -There was not much, but there was enough--an empty phial, another -nearly full, a hypodermic syringe, several letters in a crabbed, -foreign hand. The marks on the envelopes showed that they were those -which had disturbed the routine of the secretary, and each was dated -from the Commercial Road and signed "A. Dorak." They were mere -invoices to say that a fresh bottle was being sent to Professor -Presbury, or receipts to acknowledge money. There was one other -envelope, however, in a more educated hand and bearing the Austrian -stamp with the postmark of Prague. "Here we have our material!" cried -Holmes, as he tore out the enclosure. - - -"HONOURED COLLEAGUE," it ran. "Since your esteemed visit I have -thought much of your case, and though in your circumstances there are -some special reasons for the treatment, I would none the less enjoin -caution, as my results have shown that it is not without danger of a -kind. - -"It is possible that the Serum of Anthropoid would have been better. I -have, as I explained to you, used black-faced Langur because a specimen -was accessible. Langur is, of course, a crawler and climber, while -Anthropoid walks erect, and is in all ways nearer. - -"I beg you to take every possible precaution that there be no premature -revelation of the process. I have one other client in England, and -Dorak is my agent for both. - -"Weekly reports will oblige. - -"Yours with high esteem, - "H. LOWENSTEIN." - - -Lowenstein! The name brought back to me the memory of some snippet -from a newspaper which spoke of an obscure scientist who was striving -in some unknown way for the secret of rejuvenescence and the elixir of -life. Lowenstein of Prague! Lowenstein with the wondrous -strength-giving serum, tabooed by the profession because he refused to -reveal its source. In a few words I said what I remembered. Bennett -had taken a manual of Zoology from the shelves. "'Langur,'" he read, -"'the great black-faced monkey of the Himalayan slopes, biggest and -most human of climbing monkeys.' Many details are added. Well, thanks -to you, Mr. Holmes, it is very clear that we have traced the evil to -its source." - -"The real source," said Holmes, "lies, of course, in that untimely love -affair which gave our impetuous Professor the idea that he could only -gain his wish by turning himself into a younger man. When one tries to -rise above Nature one is liable to fall below it. The highest type of -man may revert to the animal if he leaves the straight road of -destiny." He sat musing for a little with the phial in his hand, -looking at the clear liquid within. "When I have written to this man -and told him that I hold him criminally responsible for the poisons -which he circulates, we will have no more trouble. But it may recur. -Others may find a better way. There is danger there--a very real -danger to humanity. Consider, Watson, that the material, the sensual, -the worldly would all prolong their worthless lives. The spiritual -would not avoid the call to something higher. It would be the survival -of the least fit. What sort of cesspool may not our poor world -become?" Suddenly the dreamer disappeared, and Holmes, the man of -action, sprang from his chair. "I think there is nothing more to be -said, Mr. Bennett. The various incidents will now fit themselves -easily into the general scheme. The dog, of course, was aware of the -change far more quickly than you. His smell would ensure that. It was -the monkey, not the Professor, whom Roy attacked, just as it was the -monkey who teased Roy. Climbing was a joy to the creature, and it was -a mere chance, I take it, that the pastime brought him to the young -lady's window. There is an early train to town, Watson, but I think we -shall just have time for a cup of tea at the 'Chequers' before we catch -it." - - - - -IX - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE LION'S MANE - -It is a most singular thing that a problem which was certainly as -abstruse and unusual as any which I have faced in my long professional -career should have come to me after my retirement; and be brought, as -it were, to my very door. It occurred after my withdrawal to my little -Sussex home, when I had given myself up entirely to that soothing life -of Nature for which I had so often yearned during the long years spent -amid the gloom of London. At this period of my life the good Watson -had passed almost beyond my ken. An occasional week-end visit was the -most that I ever saw of him. Thus I must act as my own chronicler. -Ah! had he but been with me, how much he might have made of so -wonderful a happening and of my eventual triumph against every -difficulty! As it is, however, I must needs tell my tale in my own -plain way, showing by my words each step upon the difficult road which -lay before me as I searched for the mystery of the Lion's Mane. - -My villa is situated upon the southern slope of the Downs, commanding a -great view of the Channel. At this point the coast-line is entirely of -chalk cliffs, which can only be descended by a single, long, tortuous -path, which is steep and slippery. At the bottom of the path lie a -hundred yards of pebbles and shingle, even when the tide is at full. -Here and there, however, there are curves and hollows which make -splendid swimming-pools filled afresh with each flow. This admirable -beach extends for some miles in each direction, save only at one point -where the little cove and village of Fulworth break the line. - -My house is lonely. I, my old housekeeper, and my bees have the estate -all to ourselves. Half a mile off, however, is Harold Stackhurst's -well-known coaching establishment. The Gables, quite a large place, -which contains some score of young fellows preparing for various -professions, with a staff of several masters. Stackhurst himself was a -well-known rowing Blue in his day, and an excellent all-round scholar. -He and I were always friendly from the day I came to the coast, and he -was the one man who was on such terms with me that we could drop in on -each other in the evenings without an invitation. - -Towards the end of July, 1907, there was a severe gale, the wind -blowing up-Channel, heaping the seas to the base of the cliffs, and -leaving a lagoon at the turn of the tide. On the morning of which I -speak the wind had abated, and all Nature was newly washed and fresh. -It was impossible to work upon so delightful a day, and I strolled out -before breakfast to enjoy the exquisite air. I walked along the cliff -path which led to the steep descent to the beach. As I walked I heard -a shout behind me, and there was Harold Stackhurst waving his hand in -cheery greeting. - -"What a morning, Mr. Holmes! I thought I should see you out." - -"Going for a swim, I see." - -"At your old tricks again," he laughed, patting his bulging pocket. -"Yes. McPherson started early, and I expect I may find him there." - -Fitzroy McPherson was the science master, a fine upstanding young -fellow whose life had been crippled by heart trouble following -rheumatic fever. He was a natural athlete, however, and excelled in -every game which did not throw too great a strain upon him. Summer and -winter he went for his swim, and, as I am a swimmer myself, I have -often joined him. - -At this moment we saw the man himself. His head showed above the edge -of the cliff where the path ends. Then his whole figure appeared at -the top, staggering like a drunken man. The next instant he threw up -his hands, and, with a terrible cry, fell upon his face. Stackhurst -and I rushed forward--it may have been fifty yards--and turned him on -his back. He was obviously dying. Those glazed sunken eyes and -dreadful livid cheeks could mean nothing else. One glimmer of life -came into his face for an instant, and he uttered two or three words -with an eager air of warning. They were slurred and indistinct, but to -my ear the last of them, which burst in a shriek from his lips, were -"the lion's mane." It was utterly irrelevant and unintelligible, and -yet I could twist the sound into no other sense. Then he half raised -himself from the ground, threw his arms into the air and fell forward -on his side. He was dead. - -My companion was paralysed by the sudden horror of it, but I, as may -well be imagined, had every sense on the alert. And I had need, for it -was speedily evident that we were in the presence of an extraordinary -case. The man was dressed only in his Burberry overcoat, his trousers, -and an unlaced pair of canvas shoes. As he fell over, his Burberry, -which had been simply thrown round his shoulders, slipped off, exposing -his trunk. We stared at it in amazement. His back was covered with -dark red lines as though he had been terribly flogged by a thin wire -scourge. The instrument with which this punishment had been inflicted -was clearly flexible, for the long, angry weals curved round his -shoulders and ribs. There was blood dripping down his chin, for he had -bitten through his lower lip in the paroxysm of his agony. His drawn -and distorted face told how terrible that agony had been. - -I was kneeling and Stackhurst standing by the body when a shadow fell -across us, and we found that Ian Murdoch was by our side. Murdoch was -the mathematical coach at the establishment, a tall, dark, thin man, so -taciturn and aloof that none can be said to have been his friend. He -seemed to live in some high, abstract region of surds and conic -sections with little to connect him with ordinary life. He was looked -upon as an oddity by the students, and would have been their butt, but -there was some strange outlandish blood in the man, which showed itself -not only in his coal-black eyes and swarthy face, but also in -occasional outbreaks of temper, which could only be described as -ferocious. On one occasion, being plagued by a little dog belonging to -McPherson, he had caught the creature up and hurled it through the -plate-glass window, an action for which Stackhurst would certainly have -given him his dismissal had he not been a very valuable teacher. Such -was the strange, complex man who now appeared beside us. He seemed to -be honestly shocked at the sight before him, though the incident of the -dog may show that there was no great sympathy between the dead man and -himself. - -"Poor fellow! Poor fellow! What can I do? How can I help?" - -"Were you with him? Can you tell us what has happened?" - -"No, no, I was late this morning. I was not on the beach at all. I -have come straight from The Gables. What can I do?" - -"You can hurry to the police-station at Fulworth. Report the matter at -once." - -Without a word he made off at top speed, and I proceeded to take the -matter in hand, while Stackhurst, dazed at this tragedy, remained by -the body. My first task naturally was to note who was on the beach. -From the top of the path I could see the whole sweep of it, and it was -absolutely deserted save that two or three dark figures could be seen -far away moving towards the village of Fulworth. Having satisfied -myself upon this point, I walked slowly down the path. There was clay -or soft marl mixed with the chalk, and every here and there I saw the -same footstep, both ascending and descending. No one else had gone -down to the beach by this track that morning. At one place I observed -the print of an open hand with the fingers towards the incline. This -could only mean that poor McPherson had fallen as he ascended. There -were rounded depressions, too, which suggested that he had come down -upon his knees more than once. At the bottom of the path was the -considerable lagoon left by the retreating tide. At the side of it -McPherson had undressed, for there lay his towel on a rock. It was -folded and dry, so that it would seem that after all he had never -entered the water. Once or twice as I hunted round amid the hard -shingle I came on little patches of sand where the print of his canvas -shoe, and also of his naked foot, could be seen. The latter fact -proved that he had made all ready to bathe, though the towel indicated -that he had not actually done so. - -And here was the problem clearly defined--as strange a one as had ever -confronted me. The man had not been on the beach more than a quarter -of an hour at the most. Stackhurst had followed him from The Gables, -so there could be no doubt about that. He had gone to bathe and had -stripped, as the naked footsteps showed. Then he had suddenly huddled -on his clothes again--they were all dishevelled and unfastened--and he -had returned without bathing, or at any rate without drying himself. -And the reason for his change of purpose had been that he had been -scourged in some savage, inhuman fashion, tortured until he bit his lip -through in his agony, and was left with only strength enough to crawl -away and to die. Who had done this barbarous deed? There were, it is -true, small grottos and caves in the base of the cliffs, but the low -sun shone directly into them, and there was no place for concealment. -Then, again, there were those distant figures on the beach. They -seemed too far away to have been connected with the crime, and the -broad lagoon in which McPherson had intended to bathe lay between him -and them, lapping up to the rocks. On the sea two or three -fishing-boats were at no great distance. Their occupants might be -examined at our leisure. There were several roads for inquiry, but -none which led to any very obvious goal. - -When I at last returned to the body I found that a little group of -wandering folk had gathered round it. Stackhurst was, of course, still -there, and Ian Murdoch had just arrived with Anderson, the village -constable, a big, ginger-moustached man of the slow, solid Sussex -breed--a breed which covers much good sense under a heavy, silent -exterior. He listened to everything, took note of all we said, and -finally drew me aside. - -"I'd be glad of your advice, Mr. Holmes. This is a big thing for me to -handle, and I'll hear of it from Lewes if I go wrong." - -I advised him to send for his immediate superior, and for a doctor; -also to allow nothing to be moved, and as few fresh footmarks as -possible to be made, until they came. In the meantime I searched the -dead man's pockets. There were his handkerchief, a large knife, and a -small folding card-case. From this projected a slip of paper, which I -unfolded and handed to the constable. There was written on it in a -scrawling, feminine hand: "I will be there, you may be sure.--Maudie." -It read like a love affair, an assignation, though when and where were -a blank. The constable replaced it in the card-case and returned it -with the other things to the pockets of the Burberry. Then, as nothing -more suggested itself, I walked back to my house for breakfast, having -first arranged that the base of the cliffs should be thoroughly -searched. - - -Stackhurst was round in an hour or two to tell me that the body had -been removed to The Gables, where the inquest would be held. He -brought with him some serious and definite news. As I expected, -nothing had been found in the small caves below the cliff, but he had -examined the papers in McPherson's desk, and there were several which -showed an intimate correspondence with a certain Miss Maud Bellamy, of -Fulworth. We had then established the identity of the writer of the -note. - -"The police have the letters," he explained. "I could not bring them. -But there is no doubt that it was a serious love affair. I see no -reason, however, to connect it with that horrible happening save, -indeed, that the lady had made an appointment with him." - -"But hardly at a bathing-pool which all of you were in the habit of -using," I remarked. - -"It is mere chance," said he, "that several of the students were not -with McPherson." - -"Was it mere chance?" - -Stackhurst knit his brows in thought. - -"Ian Murdoch held them back," said he; "he would insist upon some -algebraic demonstration before breakfast. Poor chap, he is dreadfully -cut up about it all." - -"And yet I gather that they were not friends." - -"At one time they were not. But for a year or more Murdoch has been as -near to McPherson as he ever could be to anyone. He is not of a very -sympathetic disposition by nature." - -"So I understand. I seem to remember your telling me once about a -quarrel over the ill-usage of a dog." - -"That blew over all right." - -"But left some vindictive feeling, perhaps." - -"No, no; I am sure they were real friends." - -"Well, then, we must explore the matter of the girl. Do you know her?" - -"Everyone knows her. She is the beauty of the neighbourhood--a real -beauty, Holmes, who would draw attention everywhere. I knew that -McPherson was attracted by her, but I had no notion that it had gone so -far as these letters would seem to indicate." - -"But who is she?" - -"She is the daughter of old Tom Bellamy, who owns all the boats and -bathing-cots at Fulworth. He was a fisherman to start with, but is now -a man of some substance. He and his son William run the business." - -"Shall we walk into Fulworth and see them?" - -"On what pretext?" - -"Oh, we can easily find a pretext. After all, this poor man did not -ill-use himself in this outrageous way. Some human hand was on the -handle of that scourge, if indeed it was a scourge which inflicted the -injuries. His circle of acquaintances in this lonely place was surely -limited. Let us follow it up in every direction and we can hardly fail -to come upon the motive, which in turn should lead us to the criminal." - -It would have been a pleasant walk across the thyme-scented Downs had -our minds not been poisoned by the tragedy we had witnessed. The -village of Fulworth lies in a hollow curving in a semicircle round the -bay. Behind the old-fashioned hamlet several modern houses have been -built upon the rising ground. It was to one of these that Stackhurst -guided me. - -"That's The Haven, as Bellamy called it. The one with the corner tower -and slate roof. Not bad for a man who started with nothing but---- By -Jove, look at that!" - -The garden gate of The Haven had opened and a man had emerged. There -was no mistaking that tall, angular, straggling figure. It was Ian -Murdoch, the mathematician. A moment later we confronted him upon the -road. - -"Hullo!" said Stackhurst. The man nodded, gave us a sideways glance -from his curious dark eyes, and would have passed us, but his principal -pulled him up. - -"What were you doing there?" he asked. - -Murdoch's face flushed with anger. "I am your subordinate, sir, under -your roof. I am not aware that I owe you any account of my private -actions." - -Stackhurst's nerves were near the surface after all he had endured. -Otherwise, perhaps, he would have waited. Now he lost his temper -completely. - -"In the circumstances your answer is pure impertinence, Mr. Murdoch." - -"Your own question might perhaps come under the same heading." - -"This is not the first time that I have had to overlook your -insubordinate ways. It will certainly be the last. You will kindly -make fresh arrangements for your future as speedily as you can." - -"I had intended to do so. I have lost to-day the only person who made -The Gables habitable." - -He strode off upon his way, while Stackhurst, with angry eyes, stood -glaring after him. "Is he not an impossible, intolerable man?" he -cried. - -The one thing that impressed itself forcibly upon my mind was that Mr. -Ian Murdoch was taking the first chance to open a path of escape from -the scene of the crime. Suspicion, vague and nebulous, was now -beginning to take outline in my mind. Perhaps the visit to the -Bellamys might throw some further light upon the matter. Stackhurst -pulled himself together and we went forward to the house. - -Mr. Bellamy proved to be a middle-aged man with a flaming red beard. -He seemed to be in a very angry mood, and his face was soon as florid -as his hair. - -"No, sir, I do not desire any particulars. My son here"--indicating a -powerful young man, with a heavy, sullen face, in the corner of the -sitting-room--"is of one mind with me that Mr. McPherson's attentions -to Maud were insulting. Yes, sir, the word 'marriage' was never -mentioned, and yet there were letters and meetings, and a great deal -more of which neither of us could approve. She has no mother, and we -are her only guardians. We are determined----" - -But the words were taken from his mouth by the appearance of the lady -herself. There was no gainsaying that she would have graced any -assembly in the world. Who could have imagined that so rare a flower -would grow from such a root and in such an atmosphere? Women have -seldom been an attraction to me, for my brain has always governed my -heart, but I could not look upon her perfect clear-cut face, with all -the soft freshness of the Downlands in her delicate colouring, without -realizing that no young man would cross her path unscathed. Such was -the girl who had pushed open the door and stood now, wide-eyed and -intense, in front of Harold Stackhurst. - -"I know already that Fitzroy is dead," she said. "Do not be afraid to -tell me the particulars." - -"This other gentleman of yours let us know the news," explained the -father. - -"There is no reason why my sister should be brought into the matter," -growled the younger man. The sister turned a sharp, fierce look upon -him. "This is my business, William. Kindly leave me to manage it in -my own way. By all accounts there has been a crime committed. If I -can help to show who did it, it is the least I can do for him who is -gone." - -She listened to a short account from my companion, with a composed -concentration which showed me that she possessed strong character as -well as great beauty. Maud Bellamy will always remain in my memory as -a most complete and remarkable woman. It seems that she already knew -me by sight, for she turned to me at the end. - -"Bring them to justice, Mr. Holmes. You have my sympathy and my help, -whoever they may be." It seemed to me that she glanced defiantly at -her father and brother as she spoke. - -"Thank you," said I. "I value a woman's instinct in such matters. You -use the word 'they.' You think that more than one was concerned?" - -"I knew Mr. McPherson well enough to be aware that he was a brave and a -strong man. No single person could ever have inflicted such an outrage -upon him." - -"Might I have one word with you alone?" - -"I tell you, Maud, not to mix yourself up in the matter," cried her -father angrily. - -She looked at me helplessly. "What can I do?" - -"The whole world will know the facts presently, so there can be no harm -if I discuss them here," said I. "I should have preferred privacy, but -if your father will not allow it, he must share the deliberations." -Then I spoke of the note which had been found in the dead man's pocket. -"It is sure to be produced at the inquest. May I ask you to throw any -light upon it that you can?" - -"I see no reason for mystery," she answered. "We were engaged to be -married, and we only kept it secret because Fitzroy's uncle, who is -very old and said to be dying, might have disinherited him if he had -married against his wish. There was no other reason." - -"You could have told us," growled Mr. Bellamy. - -"So I would, father, if you had ever shown sympathy." - -"I object to my girl picking up with men outside her own station." - -"It was your prejudice against him which prevented us from telling you. -As to this appointment"--she fumbled in her dress and produced a -crumpled note--"it was in answer to this." - - -"DEAREST," ran the message: "The old place on the beach just after -sunset on Tuesday. It is the only time I can get away.--F.M." - - -"Tuesday was to-day, and I had meant to meet him to-night." - -I turned over the paper. "This never came by post. How did you get -it?" - -"I would rather not answer that question. It has really nothing to do -with the matter which you are investigating. But anything which bears -upon that I will most freely answer." - -She was as good as her word, but there was nothing which was helpful in -our investigation. She had no reason to think that her fiancé had any -hidden enemy, but she admitted that she had had several warm admirers. - -"May I ask if Mr. Ian Murdoch was one of them?" - -She blushed and seemed confused. - -"There was a time when I thought he was. But that was all changed when -he understood the relations between Fitzroy and myself." - -Again the shadow round this strange man seemed to me to be taking more -definite shape. His record must be examined. His rooms must be -privately searched. Stackhurst was a willing collaborator, for in his -mind also suspicions were forming. We returned from our visit to The -Haven with the hope that one free end of this tangled skein was already -in our hands. - - -A week passed. The inquest had thrown no light upon the matter and had -been adjourned for further evidence. Stackhurst had made discreet -inquiry about his subordinate, and there had been a superficial search -of his room, but without result. Personally, I had gone over the whole -ground again, both physically and mentally, but with no new -conclusions. In all my chronicles the reader will find no case which -brought me so completely to the limit of my powers. Even my -imagination could conceive no solution to the mystery. And then there -came the incident of the dog. - -It was my old housekeeper who heard of it first by that strange -wireless by which such people collect the news of the country-side. - -"Sad story this, sir, about Mr. McPherson's dog," said she one evening. - -I do not encourage such conversations, but the words arrested my -attention. - -"What of Mr. McPherson's dog?" - -"Dead, sir. Died of grief for its master." - -"Who told you this?" - -"Why, sir, everyone is talking of it. It took on terrible, and has -eaten nothing for a week. Then to-day two of the young gentlemen from -The Gables found it dead--down on the beach, sir, at the very place -where its master met his end." - -"At the very place." The words stood out clear in my memory. Some dim -perception that the matter was vital rose in my mind. That the dog -should die was after the beautiful, faithful nature of dogs. But 'in -the very place'! Why should this lonely beach be fatal to it? Was it -possible that it also, had been sacrificed to some revengeful feud? -Was it possible----? Yes, the perception was dim, but already -something was building up in my mind. In a few minutes I was on my way -to The Gables, where I found Stackhurst in his study. At my request he -sent for Sudbury and Blount, the two students who had found the dog. - -"Yes, it lay on the very edge of the pool," said one of them. "It must -have followed the trail of its dead master." - -I saw the faithful little creature, an Airedale terrier, laid out upon -the mat in the hall. The body was stiff and rigid, the eyes -projecting, and the limbs contorted. There was agony in every line of -it. - -From The Gables I walked down to the bathing-pool. The sun had sunk -and the shadow of the great cliff lay black across the water, which -glimmered dully like a sheet of lead. The place was deserted and there -was no sign of life save for two sea-birds circling and screaming -overhead. In the fading light I could dimly make out the little dog's -spoor upon the sand round the very rock on which his master's towel had -been laid. For a long time I stood in deep meditation while the -shadows grew darker around me. My mind was filled with racing -thoughts. You have known what it was to be in a nightmare in which you -feel that there is some all-important thing for which you search and -which you know is there, though it remains for ever just beyond your -reach. That was how I felt that evening as I stood alone by that place -of death. Then at last I turned and walked slowly homewards. I had -just reached the top of the path when it came to me. Like a flash, I -remembered the thing for which I had so eagerly and vainly grasped. -You will know, or Watson has written in vain, that I hold a vast store -of out-of-the-way knowledge, without scientific system, but very -available for the needs of my work. My mind is like a crowded box-room -with packets of all sorts stowed away therein--so many that I may well -have but a vague perception of what was there. I had known that there -was something which might bear upon this matter. It was still vague, -but at least I knew how I could make it clear. It was monstrous, -incredible, and yet it was always a possibility. I would test it to -the full. There is a great garret in my little house which is stuffed -with books. It was into this that I plunged and rummaged for an hour. -At the end of that time I emerged with a little chocolate and silver -volume. Eagerly I turned up the chapter of which I had a dim -remembrance. Yes, it was indeed a far-fetched and unlikely -proposition, and yet I could not be at rest until I had made sure if it -might, indeed, be so. It was late when I retired, with my mind eagerly -awaiting the work of the morrow. - -But that work met with an annoying interruption. I had hardly -swallowed my early cup of tea and was starting for the beach when I had -a call from Inspector Bardie of the Sussex Constabulary--a steady, -solid, bovine man with thoughtful eyes, which looked at me now with a -very troubled expression. - -"I know your immense experience, sir," said he. "This is quite -unofficial, of course, and need go no farther. But I am fairly up -against it in this McPherson case. The question is, shall I make an -arrest, or shall I not?" - -"Meaning Mr. Ian Murdoch?" - -"Yes, sir. There is really no one else when you come to think of it. -That's the advantage of this solitude. We narrow it down to a very -small compass. If he did not do it, then who did?" - -"What have you against him?" - -He had gleaned along the same furrows as I had. There was Murdoch's -character and the mystery which seemed to hang round the man. His -furious bursts of temper, as shown in the incident of the dog. The -fact that he had quarrelled with McPherson in the past, and that there -was some reason to think that he might have resented his attentions to -Miss Bellamy. He had all my points, but no fresh ones, save that -Murdoch seemed to be making every preparation for departure. - -"What would my position be if I let him slip away with all this -evidence against him?" The burly, phlegmatic man was sorely troubled -in his mind. - -"Consider," I said, "all the essential gaps in your case. On the -morning of the crime he can surely prove an alibi. He had been with -his scholars till the last moment, and within a few minutes of -McPherson's appearance he came upon us from behind. Then bear in mind -the absolute impossibility that he could single-handed have inflicted -this outrage upon a man quite as strong as himself. Finally, there is -this question of the instrument with which these injuries were -inflicted." - -"What could it be but a scourge or flexible whip of some sort?" - -"Have you examined the marks?" I asked. - -"I have seen them. So has the doctor." - -"But I have examined them very carefully with a lens. They have -peculiarities." - -"What are they, Mr. Holmes?" - -I stepped to my bureau and brought out an enlarged photograph. "This -is my method in such cases," I explained. - -"You certainly do things thoroughly, Mr. Holmes." - -"I should hardly be what I am if I did not. Now let us consider this -weal which extends round the right shoulder. Do you observe nothing -remarkable?" - -"I can't say I do." - -"Surely it is evident that it is unequal in its intensity. There is a -dot of extravasated blood, here, and another there. There are similar -indications in this other weal down here. What can that mean?" - -"I have no idea. Have you?" - -"Perhaps I have. Perhaps I haven't. I may be able to say more soon. -Anything which will define what made that mark will bring us a long way -towards the criminal." - -"It is, of course, an absurd idea," said the policeman, "but if a -red-hot net of wire had been laid across the back, then these -better-marked points would represent where the meshes crossed each -other." - -"A most ingenious comparison. Or shall we say a very stiff -cat-o'-nine-tails with small hard knots upon it?" - -"By Jove, Mr. Holmes, I think you have hit it." - -"Or there may be some very different cause, Mr. Bardie. But your case -is far too weak for an arrest. Besides, we have those last -words--'Lion's Mane.'" - -"I have wondered whether Ian----" - -"Yes, I have considered that. If the second word had borne any -resemblance to Murdoch--but it did not. He gave it almost in a shriek. -I am sure that it was 'Mane.'" - -"Have you no alternative, Mr. Holmes?" - -"Perhaps I have. But I do not care to discuss it until there is -something more solid to discuss." - -"And when will that be?" - -"In an hour--possibly less." - -The Inspector rubbed his chin and looked at me with dubious eyes. - -"I wish I could see what was in your mind, Mr. Holmes. Perhaps it's -those fishing-boats." - -"No, no; they were too far out." - -"Well, then, is it Bellamy and that big son of his? They were not too -sweet upon Mr. McPherson. Could they have done him a mischief?" - -"No, no; you won't draw me until I am ready," said I with a smile. -"Now, Inspector, we each have our own work to do. Perhaps if you were -to meet me here at midday----?" - -So far we had got when there came the tremendous interruption which was -the beginning of the end. My outer door was flung open, there were -blundering footsteps in the passage, and Ian Murdoch staggered into the -room, pallid, dishevelled, his clothes in wild disorder, clawing with -his bony hands at the furniture to hold himself erect. "Brandy! -Brandy!" he gasped, and fell groaning upon the sofa. - -He was not alone. Behind him came Stackhurst, hatless and panting, -almost as distrait as his companion. - -"Yes, yes, brandy!" he cried. "The man is at his last gasp. It was -all I could do to bring him here. He fainted twice upon the way." - -Half a tumbler of the raw spirit brought about a wondrous change. He -pushed himself up on one arm and swung his coat from off his shoulders. -"For God's sake! oil, opium, morphia!" he cried. "Anything to ease -this infernal agony!" - -The Inspector and I cried out at the sight. There, criss-crossed upon -the man's naked shoulder, was the same strange reticulated pattern of -red, inflamed lines which had been the death-mark of Fitzroy McPherson. - -The pain was evidently terrible and was more than local, for the -sufferer's breathing would stop for a time, his face would turn black, -and then with loud gasps he would clap his hand to his heart, while his -brow dropped beads of sweat. At any moment he might die. More and -more brandy was poured down his throat, each fresh dose bringing him -back to life. Pads of cotton-wool soaked in salad-oil seemed to take -the agony from the strange wounds. At last his head fell heavily upon -the cushion. Exhausted Nature had taken refuge in its last storehouse -of vitality. It was half a sleep and half a faint, but at least it was -ease from pain. - -To question him had been impossible, but the moment we were assured of -his condition Stackhurst turned upon me. - -"My God!" he cried, "what is it, Holmes? What is it?" - -"Where did you find him?" - -"Down on the beach. Exactly where poor McPherson met his end. If this -man's heart had been weak as McPherson's was, he would not be here now. -More than once I thought he was gone as I brought him up. It was too -far to The Gables, so I made for you." - -"Did you see him on the beach?" - -"I was walking on the cliff when I heard his cry. He was at the edge -of the water, reeling about like a drunken man. I ran down, threw some -clothes about him, and brought him up. For Heaven's sake, Holmes, use -all the powers you have and spare no pains to lift the curse from this -place, for life is becoming unendurable. Can you, with all your -world-wide reputation, do nothing for us?" - -"I think I can, Stackhurst. Come with me now! And you, Inspector, -come along! We will see if we cannot deliver this murderer into your -hands." - -Leaving the unconscious man in the charge of my housekeeper, we all -three went down to the deadly lagoon. On the shingle there was piled a -little heap of towels and clothes, left by the stricken man. Slowly I -walked round the edge of the water, my comrades in Indian file behind -me. Most of the pool was quite shallow, but under the cliff where the -beach was hollowed out it was four or five feet deep. It was to this -part that a swimmer would naturally go, for it formed a beautiful -pellucid green pool as clear as crystal. A line of rocks lay above it -at the base of the cliff, and along this I led the way, peering eagerly -into the depths beneath me. I had reached the deepest and stillest -pool when my eyes caught that for which they were searching, and I -burst into a shout of triumph. - -"Cyanea!" I cried. "Cyanea! Behold the Lion's Mane!" - -The strange object at which I pointed did indeed look like a tangled -mass torn from the mane of a lion. It lay upon a rocky shelf some -three feet under the water, a curious waving, vibrating, hairy creature -with streaks of silver among its yellow tresses. It pulsated with a -slow, heavy dilation and contraction. - -"It has done mischief enough. Its day is over!" I cried. "Help me, -Stackhurst! Let us end the murderer for ever." - -There was a big boulder just above the ledge, and we pushed it until it -fell with a tremendous splash into the water. When the ripples had -cleared we saw that it had settled upon the ledge below. One flapping -edge of yellow membrane showed that our victim was beneath it. A thick -oily scum oozed out from below the stone and stained the water round, -rising slowly to the surface. - -"Well, this gets me!" cried the Inspector. "What was it, Mr. Holmes? -I'm born and bred in these parts, but I never saw such a thing. It -don't belong to Sussex." - -"Just as well for Sussex," I remarked. "It may have been the -south-west gale that brought it up. Come back to my house, both of -you, and I will give you the terrible experience of one who has good -reason to remember his own meeting with the same peril of the seas." - - -When we reached my study, we found that Murdoch was so far recovered -that he could sit up. He was dazed in mind, and every now and then was -shaken by a paroxysm of pain. In broken words he explained that he had -no notion what had occurred to him, save that terrific pangs had -suddenly shot through him, and that it had taken all his fortitude to -reach the bank. - -"Here is a book," I said, taking up the little volume, "which first -brought light into what might have been for ever dark. It is _Out of -Doors_, by the famous observer J. G. Wood. Wood himself very nearly -perished from contact with this vile creature, so he wrote with a very -full knowledge. _Cyanea Capillata_ is the miscreant's full name, and -he can be as dangerous to life as, and far more painful than, the bite -of the cobra. Let me briefly give this extract. - -"'If the bather should see a loose roundish mass of tawny membranes and -fibres, something like very large handfuls of lion's mane and silver -paper, let him beware, for this is the fearful stinger, _Cyanea -Capillata_.' Could our sinister acquaintance be more clearly described? - -"He goes on to tell his own encounter with one when swimming off the -coast of Kent. He found that the creature radiated almost invisible -filaments to the distance of fifty feet, and that anyone within that -circumference from the deadly centre was in danger of death. Even at a -distance the effect upon Wood was almost fatal. 'The multitudinous -threads caused light scarlet lines upon the skin which on closer -examination resolved into minute dots or pustules, each dot charged as -it were with a red-hot needle making its way through the nerves.' - -"The local pain was, as he explains, the least part of the exquisite -torment. 'Pangs shot through the chest, causing me to fall as if -struck by a bullet. The pulsation would cease, and then the heart -would give six or seven leaps as if it would force its way through the -chest.' - -"It nearly killed him, although he had only been exposed to it in the -disturbed ocean and not in the narrow calm waters of a bathing-pool. -He says that he could hardly recognize himself afterwards, so white, -wrinkled and shrivelled was his face. He gulped down brandy, a whole -bottleful, and it seems to have saved his life. There is the book, -Inspector. I leave it with you, and you cannot doubt that it contains -a full explanation of the tragedy of poor McPherson." - -"And incidentally exonerates me," remarked Ian Murdoch with a wry -smile. "I do not blame you, Inspector, nor you, Mr. Holmes, for your -suspicions were natural. I feel that on the very eve of my arrest I -have only cleared myself by sharing the fate of my poor friend." - -"No, Mr. Murdoch. I was already upon the track, and had I been out as -early as I intended I might well have saved you from this terrific -experience." - -"But how did you know, Mr. Holmes?" - -"I am an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for -trifles. That phrase 'Lion's Mane' haunted my mind. I knew that I had -seen it somewhere in an unexpected context. You have seen that it does -describe the creature. I have no doubt that it was floating on the -water when McPherson saw it, and that this phrase was the only one by -which he could convey to us a warning as to the creature which had been -his death." - -"Then I, at least, am cleared," said Murdoch, rising slowly to his -feet. "There are one or two words of explanation which I should give, -for I know the direction in which your inquiries have run. It is true -that I loved this lady, but from the day when she chose my friend -McPherson my one desire was to help her to happiness. I was well -content to stand aside and act as their go-between. Often I carried -their messages, and it was because I was in their confidence and -because she was so dear to me that I hastened to tell her of my -friend's death, lest someone should forestall me in a more sudden and -heartless manner. She would not tell you, sir, of our relations lest -you should disapprove and I might suffer. But with your leave I must -try to get back to The Gables, for my bed will be very welcome." - -Stackhurst held out his hand. "Our nerves have all been at -concert-pitch," said he. "Forgive what is past, Murdoch. We shall -understand each other better in the future." They passed out together -with their arms linked in friendly fashion. The Inspector remained, -staring at me in silence with his ox-like eyes. - -"Well, you've done it!" he cried at last. "I had read of you, but I -never believed it. It's wonderful!" - -I was forced to shake my head. To accept such praise was to lower -one's own standards. - -"I was slow at the outset--culpably slow. Had the body been found in -the water I could hardly have missed it. It was the towel which misled -me. The poor fellow had never thought to dry himself, and so I in turn -was led to believe that he had never been in the water. Why, then, -should the attack of any water creature suggest itself to me? That was -where I went astray. Well, well, Inspector, I often ventured to chaff -you gentlemen of the police force, but _Cyanea Capillata_ very nearly -avenged Scotland Yard." - - - - -X - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE VEILED LODGER - -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 -co-operate 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 forbears -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 made 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 forth 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 these 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 an 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 heels!" - -"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 -_employés_ 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 strongman, 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 Allahabad. 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 arm-chair 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 ease 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 strongman, 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 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 hold 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 he -fastened five long steel nails, the points outwards, 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 bounded 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 -remember 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." - - - - -XI - -THE ADVENTURE OF SHOSCOMBE OLD PLACE - -Sherlock Holmes had been bending for a long time over a low-power -microscope. Now he straightened himself up and looked round at me in -triumph. - -"It is glue, Watson," said he. "Unquestionably it is glue. Have a -look at these scattered objects in the field!" - -I stooped to the eyepiece and focused for my vision. - -"Those hairs are threads from a tweed coat. The irregular grey masses -are dust. There are epithelial scales on the left. Those brown blobs -in the centre are undoubtedly glue." - -"Well," I said, laughing, "I am prepared to take your word for it. -Does anything depend upon it?" - -"It is a very fine demonstration," he answered. "In the St. Pancras -case you may remember that a cap was found beside the dead policeman. -The accused man denies that it is his. But he is a picture-frame maker -who habitually handles glue." - -"Is it one of your cases?" - -"No; my friend, Merivale of the Yard, asked me to look into the case. -Since I ran down that coiner by the zinc and copper filings in the seam -of his cuff they have begun to realize the importance of the -microscope." He looked impatiently at his watch. "I had a new client -calling, but he is overdue. By the way, Watson, you know something of -racing?" - -"I ought to. I pay for it with about half my wound pension." - -"Then I'll make you my 'Handy Guide to the Turf.' What about Sir -Robert Norberton? Does the name recall anything?" - -"Well, I should say so. He lives at Shoscombe Old Place, and I know it -well, for my summer quarters were down there once. Norberton nearly -came within your province once." - -"How was that?" - -"It was when he horsewhipped Sam Brewer, the well-known Curzon Street -moneylender, on Newmarket Heath. He nearly killed the man." - -"Ah, he sounds interesting! Does he often indulge in that way?" - -"Well, he has the name of being a dangerous man. He is about the most -daredevil rider in England--second in the Grand National a few years -back. He is one of those men who have overshot their true generation. -He should have been a buck in the days of the Regency--a boxer, an -athlete, a plunger on the Turf, a lover of fair ladies, and, by all -account, so far down Queer Street that he may never find his way back -again." - -"Capital, Watson! A thumb-nail sketch. I seem to know the man. Now, -can you give me some idea of Shoscombe Old Place?" - -"Only that it is in the centre of Shoscombe Park, and that the famous -Shoscombe stud and training quarters are to be found there." - -"And the head trainer," said Holmes, "is John Mason. You need not look -surprised at my knowledge, Watson, for this is a letter from him which -I am unfolding. But let us have some more about Shoscombe. I seem to -have struck a rich vein." - -"There are the Shoscombe spaniels," said I. "You hear of them at every -dog show. The most exclusive breed in England. They are the special -pride of the lady of Shoscombe Old Place." - -"Sir Robert Norberton's wife, I presume!" - -"Sir Robert has never married. Just as well, I think, considering his -prospects. He lives with his widowed sister, Lady Beatrice Falder." - -"You mean that she lives with him?" - -"No, no. The place belonged to her late husband, Sir James. Norberton -has no claim on it at all. It is only a life interest and reverts to -her husband's brother. Meantime, she draws the rents every year." - -"And brother Robert, I suppose, spends the said rents?" - -"That is about the size of it. He is a devil of a fellow and must lead -her a most uneasy life. Yet I have heard that she is devoted to him. -But what is amiss at Shoscombe?" - -"Ah, that is just what I want to know. And here, I expect, is the man -who can tell us." - -The door had opened and the page had shown in a tall, clean-shaven man -with the firm, austere expression which is only seen upon those who -have to control horses or boys. Mr. John Mason had many of both under -his sway, and he looked equal to the task. He bowed with cold -self-possession and seated himself upon the chair to which Holmes had -waved him. - -"You had my note, Mr. Holmes?" - -"Yes, but it explained nothing." - -"It was too delicate a thing for me to put the details on paper. And -too complicated. It was only face to face I could do it." - -"Well, we are at your disposal." - -"First of all, Mr. Holmes, I think that my employer, Sir Robert, has -gone mad." - -Holmes raised his eyebrows. "This is Baker Street, not Harley Street," -said he. "But why do you say so?" - -"Well, sir, when a man does one queer thing, or two queer things, there -may be a meaning to it, but when everything he does is queer, then you -begin to wonder. I believe Shoscombe Prince and the Derby have turned -his brain." - -"That is a colt you are running?" - -"The best in England, Mr. Holmes. I should know, if anyone does. Now, -I'll be plain with you, for I know you are gentlemen of honour and that -it won't go beyond the room. Sir Robert has got to win this Derby. -He's up to the neck, and it's his last chance. Everything he could -raise or borrow is on the horse--and at fine odds, too! You can get -forties now, but it was nearer the hundred when he began to back him." - -"But how is that, if the horse is so good?" - -"The public don't know how good he is. Sir Robert has been too clever -for the touts. He has the Prince's half-brother out for spins. You -can't tell 'em apart. But there are two lengths in a furlong between -them when it comes to a gallop. He thinks of nothing but the horse and -the race. His whole life is on it. He's holding off the Jews till -then. If the Prince fails him, he is done." - -"It seems a rather desperate gamble, but where does the madness come -in?" - -"Well, first of all, you have only to look at him. I don't believe he -sleeps at night. He is down at the stables at all hours. His eyes are -wild. It has all been too much for his nerves. Then there is his -conduct to Lady Beatrice!" - -"Ah! what is that?" - -"They have always been the best of friends. They had the same tastes, -the two of them, and she loved the horses as much as he did. Every day -at the same hour she would drive down to see them--and, above all, she -loved the Prince. He would prick up his ears when he heard the wheels -on the gravel, and he would trot out each morning to the carriage to -get his lump of sugar. But that's all over now." - -"Why?" - -"Well, she seems to have lost all interest in the horses. For a week -now she has driven past the stables with never so much as 'good -morning'!" - -"You think there has been a quarrel?" - -"And a bitter, savage, spiteful quarrel at that. Why else would he -give away her pet spaniel that she loved as if he were her child? He -gave it a few days ago to old Barnes, what keeps the 'Green Dragon,' -three miles off, at Crendall." - -"That certainly did seem strange." - -"Of course, with her weak heart and dropsy one couldn't expect that she -could get about with him, but he spent two hours every evening in her -room. He might well do what he could, for she has been a rare good -friend to him. But that's all over, too. He never goes near her. And -she takes it to heart. She is brooding and sulky and drinking, Mr. -Holmes--drinking like a fish." - -"Did she drink before this estrangement?" - -"Well, she took her glass, but now it is often a whole bottle of an -evening. So Stephens, the butler, told me. It's all changed, Mr. -Holmes, and there is something damned rotten about it. But then, -again, what is master doing down at the old church crypt at night? And -who is the man that meets him there?" - -Holmes rubbed his hands. - -"Go on, Mr. Mason. You get more and more interesting." - -"It was the butler who saw him go. Twelve o'clock at night and raining -hard. So next night I was up at the house and, sure enough, master was -off again. Stephens and I went after him, but it was jumpy work, for -it would have been a bad job if he had seen us. He's a terrible man -with his fists if he gets started, and no respecter of persons. So we -were shy of getting too near, but we marked him down all right. It was -the haunted crypt that he was making for, and there was a man waiting -for him there." - -"What is this haunted crypt?" - -"Well, sir, there is an old ruined chapel in the park. It is so old -that nobody could fix its date. And under it there's a crypt which has -a bad name among us. It's a dark, damp, lonely place by day, but there -are few in that county that would have the nerve to go near it at -night. But master's not afraid. He never feared anything in his life. -But what is he doing there in the night-time?" - -"Wait a bit!" said Holmes. "You say there is another man there. It -must be one of your own stable-men, or someone from the house! Surely -you have only to spot who it is and question him?" - -"It's no one I know." - -"How can you say that?" - -"Because I have seen him, Mr. Holmes. It was on that second night. -Sir Robert turned and passed us--me and Stephens, quaking in the bushes -like two bunny-rabbits, for there was a bit of moon that night. But we -could hear the other moving about behind. We were not afraid of him. -So we up when Sir Robert was gone and pretended we were just having a -walk like in the moonlight, and so we came right on him as casual and -innocent as you please. 'Hullo, mate! who may you be?' says I. I -guess he had not heard us coming, so he looked over his shoulder with a -face as if he had seen the Devil coming out of Hell. He let out a -yell, and away he went as hard as he could lick it in the darkness. He -could run!--I'll give him that. In a minute he was out of sight and -hearing, and who he was, or what he was, we never found." - -"But you saw him clearly in the moonlight?" - -"Yes, I would swear to his yellow face--a mean dog, I should say. What -could he have in common with Sir Robert?" - -Holmes sat for some time lost in thought. - -"Who keeps Lady Beatrice Falder company?" he asked at last. - -"There is her maid, Carrie Evans. She has been with her this five -years." - -"And is, no doubt, devoted?" - -Mr. Mason shuffled uncomfortably. - -"She's devoted enough," he answered at last. "But I won't say to whom." - -"Ah!" said Holmes. - -"I can't tell tales out of school." - -"I quite understand, Mr. Mason. Of course, the situation is clear -enough. From Dr. Watson's description of Sir Robert I can realize that -no woman is safe from him. Don't you think the quarrel between brother -and sister may lie there?" - -"Well, the scandal has been pretty clear for a long time." - -"But she may not have seen it before. Let us suppose that she has -suddenly found it out. She wants to get rid of the woman. Her brother -will not permit it. The invalid, with her weak heart and inability to -get about, has no means of enforcing her will. The hated maid is still -tied to her. The lady refuses to speak, sulks, takes to drink. Sir -Robert in his anger takes her pet spaniel away from her. Does not all -this hang together?" - -"Well, it might do--so far as it goes." - -"Exactly! As far as it goes. How would all that bear upon the visits -by night to the old crypt? We can't fit that into our plot." - -"No, sir, and there is something more that I can't fit in. Why should -Sir Robert want to dig up a dead body?" - -Holmes sat up abruptly. - -"We only found it out yesterday--after I had written to you. Yesterday -Sir Robert had gone to London, so Stephens and I went down to the -crypt. It was all in order, sir, except that in one corner was a bit -of a human body." - -"You informed the police, I suppose?" - -Our visitor smiled grimly. - -"Well, sir, I think it would hardly interest them. It was just the -head and a few bones of a mummy. It may have been a thousand years -old. But it wasn't there before. That I'll swear, and so will -Stephens. It had been stowed away in a corner and covered over with a -board, but that corner had always been empty before." - -"What did you do with it?" - -"Well, we just left it there." - -"That was wise. You say Sir Robert was away yesterday. Has he -returned?" - -"We expect him back to-day." - -"When did Sir Robert give away his sister's dog?" - -"It was just a week ago to-day. The creature was howling outside the -old well-house, and Sir Robert was in one of his tantrums that morning. -He caught it up and I thought he would have killed it. Then he gave it -to Sandy Bain, the jockey, and told him to take the dog to old Barnes -at the 'Green Dragon,' for he never wished to see it again." - -Holmes sat for some time in silent thought. He had lit the oldest and -foulest of his pipes. - -"I am not clear yet what you want me to do in this matter, Mr. Mason," -he said at last. "Can't you make it more definite?" - -"Perhaps this will make it more definite, Mr. Holmes," said our visitor. - -He took a paper from his pocket and, unwrapping it carefully, he -exposed a charred fragment of bone. - -Holmes examined it with interest. - -"Where did you get it?" - -"There is a central heating furnace in the cellar under Lady Beatrice's -room. It's been off for some time, but Sir Robert complained of cold -and had it on again. Harvey runs it--he's one of my lads. This very -morning he came to me with this which he found raking out the cinders. -He didn't like the look of it." - -"Nor do I," said Holmes. "What do you make of it, Watson?" - -It was burned to a black cinder, but there could be no question as to -its anatomical significance. - -"It's the upper condyle of a human femur," said I. - -"Exactly!" Holmes had become very serious. "When does this lad tend -to the furnace?" - -"He makes it up every evening and then leaves it." - -"Then anyone could visit it during the night? - -"Yes, sir." - -"Can you enter it from outside?" - -"There is one door from outside. There is another which leads up by a -stair to the passage in which Lady Beatrice's room is situated." - -"These are deep waters, Mr. Mason; deep and rather dirty. You say that -Sir Robert was not at home last night?" - -"No, sir." - -"Then, whoever was burning bones, it was not he." - -"That's true, sir." - -"What is the name of that inn you spoke of?" - -"The 'Green Dragon.'" - -"Is there good fishing in that part of Berkshire?" - -The honest trainer showed very clearly upon his face that he was -convinced that yet another lunatic had come into his harassed life. - -"Well, sir, I've heard there are trout in the millstream and pike in -the Hall lake." - -"That's good enough. Watson and I are famous fishermen--are we not, -Watson? You may address us in future at the 'Green Dragon.' We should -reach it to-night. I need not say that we don't want to see you, Mr. -Mason, but a note will reach us, and no doubt I could find you if I -want you. When we have gone a little farther into the matter I will -let you have a considered opinion." - - -Thus it was that on a bright May evening Holmes and I found ourselves -alone in a first-class carriage and bound for the little -"halt-on-demand" station of Shoscombe. The rack above us was covered -with a formidable litter of rods, reels and baskets. On reaching our -destination a short drive took us to an old-fashioned tavern, where a -sporting host, Josiah Barnes, entered eagerly into our plans for the -extirpation of the fish of the neighbourhood. - -"What about the Hall lake and the chance of a pike?" said Holmes. - -The face of the innkeeper clouded. - -"That wouldn't do, sir. You might chance to find yourself in the lake -before you were through." - -"How's that, then?" - -"It's Sir Robert, sir. He's terrible jealous of touts. If you two -strangers were as near his training quarters as that he'd be after you -as sure as fate. He ain't taking no chances, Sir Robert ain't." - -"I've heard he has a horse entered for the Derby." - -"Yes, and a good colt, too. He carries all our money for the race, and -all Sir Robert's into the bargain. By the way"--he looked at us with -thoughtful eyes--"I suppose you ain't on the Turf yourselves?" - -"No, indeed. Just two weary Londoners who badly need some good -Berkshire air." - -"Well, you are in the right place for that. There is a deal of it -lying about. But mind what I have told you about Sir Robert. He's the -sort that strikes first and speaks afterwards. Keep clear of the park." - -"Surely, Mr. Barnes! We certainly shall. By the way, that was a most -beautiful spaniel that was whining in the hall." - -"I should say it was. That was the real Shoscombe breed. There ain't -a better in England." - -"I am a dog-fancier myself," said Holmes. "Now, if it is a fair -question, what would a prize dog like that cost?" - -"More than I could pay, sir. It was Sir Robert himself who gave me -this one. That's why I have to keep it on a lead. It would be off to -the Hall in a jiffy if I gave it its head." - -"We are getting some cards in our hand, Watson," said Holmes, when the -landlord had left us. "It's not an easy one to play, but we may see -our way in a day or two. By the way Sir Robert is still in London, I -hear. We might, perhaps, enter the sacred domain to-night without fear -of bodily assault. There are one or two points on which I should like -reassurance." - -"Have you any theory, Holmes?" - -"Only this, Watson, that something happened a week or so ago which has -cut deep into the life of the Shoscombe household. What is that -something? We can only guess at it from its effects. They seem to be -of a curiously mixed character. But that should surely help us. It is -only the colourless, uneventful case which is hopeless. - -"Let us consider our data. The brother no longer visits the beloved -invalid sister. He gives away her favourite dog. Her dog, Watson! -Does that suggest nothing to you?" - -"Nothing but the brother's spite." - -"Well, it might be so. Or--well, there is an alternative. Now to -continue our review of the situation from the time that the quarrel, if -there is a quarrel, began. The lady keeps her room, alters her habits, -is not seen save when she drives out with her maid, refuses to stop at -the stables to greet her favourite horse, and apparently takes to -drink. That covers the case, does it not?" - -"Save for the business in the crypt." - -"That is another line of thought. There are two, and I beg you will -not tangle them. Line A, which concerns Lady Beatrice, has a vaguely -sinister flavour, has it not?" - -"I can make nothing of it." - -"Well, now, let us take up line B, which concerns Sir Robert. He is -mad keen upon winning the Derby. He is in the hands of the Jews, and -may at any moment be sold up and his racing stables seized by his -creditors. He is a daring and desperate man. He derives his income -from his sister. His sister's maid is his willing tool. So far we -seem to be on fairly safe ground, do we not?" - -"But the crypt?" - -"Ah, yes, the crypt! Let us suppose, Watson--it is merely a scandalous -supposition, a hypothesis put forward for argument's sake--that Sir -Robert has done away with his sister." - -"My dear Holmes, it is out of the question." - -"Very possibly, Watson. Sir Robert is a man of an honourable stock. -But you do occasionally find a carrion crow among the eagles. Let us -for a moment argue upon this supposition. He could not fly the country -until he had realized his fortune, and that fortune could only be -realized by bringing off this coup with Shoscombe Prince. Therefore, -he has still to stand his ground. To do this he would have to dispose -of the body of his victim, and he would also have to find a substitute -who would impersonate her. With the maid as his confidante that would -not be impossible. The woman's body might be conveyed to the crypt, -which is a place so seldom visited, and it might be secretly destroyed -at night in the furnace, leaving behind it such evidence as we have -already seen. What say you to that, Watson?" - -"Well, it is all possible if you grant the original monstrous -supposition." - -"I think that there is a small experiment which we may try to-morrow, -Watson, in order to throw some light on the matter. Meanwhile, if we -mean to keep up our characters, I suggest that we have our host in for -a glass of his own wine and hold some high converse upon eels and dace, -which seems to be the straight road to his affections. We may chance -to come upon some useful local gossip in the process." - - -In the morning Holmes discovered that we had come without our -spoon-bait for jack, which absolved us from fishing for the day. About -eleven o'clock we started for a walk, and he obtained leave to take the -black spaniel with us. - -"This is the place," said he, as we came to two high park gates with -heraldic griffins towering above them. "About midday, Mr. Barnes -informs me, the old lady takes a drive, and the carriage must slow down -while the gates are opened. When it comes through, and before it -gathers speed, I want you, Watson, to stop the coachman with some -question. Never mind me. I shall stand behind this holly-bush and see -what I can see." - -It was not a long vigil. Within a quarter of an hour we saw the big -open yellow barouche coming down the long avenue, with two splendid, -high-stepping grey carriage horses in the shafts. Holmes crouched -behind his bush with the dog. I stood unconcernedly swinging a cane in -the roadway. A keeper ran out and the gates swung open. - -The carriage had slowed to a walk and I was able to get a good look at -the occupants. A highly-coloured young woman with flaxen hair and -impudent eyes sat on the left. At her right was an elderly person with -rounded back and a huddle of shawls about her face and shoulders which -proclaimed the invalid. When the horses reached the high road I held -up my hand with an authoritative gesture, and as the coachman pulled up -I inquired if Sir Robert was at Shoscombe Old Place. - -At the same moment Holmes stepped out and released the spaniel. With a -joyous cry it dashed forward to the carriage and sprang upon the step. -Then in a moment its eager greeting changed to furious rage, and it -snapped at the black skirt above it. - -"Drive on! Drive on!" shrieked a harsh voice. The coachman lashed the -horses, and we were left standing in the roadway. - -"Well, Watson, that's done it," said Holmes, as he fastened the lead to -the neck of the excited spaniel. "He thought it was his mistress and -he found it was a stranger. Dogs don't make mistakes." - -"But it was the voice of a man!" I cried. - -"Exactly! We have added one card to our hand, Watson, but it needs -careful playing, all the same." - -My companion seemed to have no further plans for the day, and we did -actually use our fishing tackle in the mill-stream, with the result -that we had a dish of trout for our supper. It was only after that -meal that Holmes showed signs of renewed activity. Once more we found -ourselves upon the same road as in the morning, which led us to the -park gates. A tall, dark figure was awaiting us there, who proved to -be our London acquaintance, Mr. John Mason, the trainer. - -"Good evening, gentlemen," said he. "I got your note, Mr. Holmes. Sir -Robert has not returned yet, but I hear that he is expected to-night." - -"How far is this crypt from the house?" asked Holmes. - -"A good quarter of a mile." - -"Then I think we can disregard him altogether." - -"I can't afford to do that, Mr. Holmes. The moment he arrives he will -want to see me to get the last news of Shoscombe Prince." - -"I see! In that case we must work without you, Mr. Mason. You can -show us the crypt and then leave us." - -It was pitch-dark and without a moon, but Mason led us over the -grass-lands until a dark mass loomed up in front of us which proved to -be the ancient chapel. We entered the broken gap which was once the -porch and our guide, stumbling among heaps of loose masonry, picked his -way to the corner of the building, where a steep stair led down into -the crypt. Striking a match, he illuminated the melancholy -place--dismal and evil-smelling, with ancient crumbling walls of -rough-hewn stone, and piles of coffins, some of lead and some of stone, -extending upon one side right up to the arched and groined roof which -lost itself in the shadows above our heads. Holmes had lit his -lantern, which shot a tiny tunnel of vivid yellow light upon the -mournful scene. Its rays were reflected back from the coffin-plates, -many of them adorned with the griffin and coronet of this old family -which carried its honours even to the gate of Death. - -"You spoke of some bones, Mr. Mason. Could you show them before you -go?" - -"They are here in this corner." The trainer strode across and then -stood in silent surprise as our light was turned upon the place. "They -are gone," said he. - -"So I expected," said Holmes, chuckling. "I fancy the ashes of them -might even now be found in that oven which had already consumed a part." - -"But why in the world would anyone want to burn the bones of a man who -has been dead a thousand years?" asked John Mason. - -"That is what we are here to find out," said Holmes. "It may mean a -long search, and we need not detain you. I fancy that we shall get our -solution before morning." - -When John Mason had left us, Holmes set to work making a very careful -examination of the graves, ranging from a very ancient one, which -appeared to be Saxon, in the centre, through a long line of Norman -Hugos and Odos, until we reached the Sir William and Sir Denis Falder -of the eighteenth century. It was an hour or more before Holmes came -to a leaden coffin standing on end before the entrance to the vault. I -heard his little cry of satisfaction, and was aware from his hurried -but purposeful movements that he had reached a goal. With his lens he -was eagerly examining the edges of the heavy lid. Then he drew from -his pocket a short jemmy, a box-opener, which he thrust into a chink, -levering back the whole front, which seemed to be secured by only a -couple of clamps. There was a rending, tearing sound as it gave way, -but it had hardly hinged back and partly revealed the contents before -we had an unforeseen interruption. - -Someone was walking in the chapel above. It was the firm, rapid step -of one who came with a definite purpose and knew well the ground upon -which he walked. A light streamed down the stairs, and an instant -later the man who bore it was framed in the Gothic archway. He was a -terrible figure, huge in stature and fierce in manner. A large -stable-lantern which he held in front of him shone upwards upon a -strong, heavily-moustached face and angry eyes, which glared round him -into every recess of the vault, finally fixing themselves with a deadly -stare upon my companion and myself. - -"Who the devil are you?" he thundered. "And what are you doing upon my -property?" Then, as Holmes returned no answer, he took a couple of -steps forward and raised a heavy stick which he carried. "Do you hear -me?" he cried. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" His cudgel -quivered in the air. - -But instead of shrinking, Holmes advanced to meet him. - -"I also have a question to ask you, Sir Robert," he said in his -sternest tone. "Who is this? And what is it doing here?" - -He turned and tore open the coffin-lid behind him. In the glare of the -lantern I saw a body swathed in a sheet from head to foot, with -dreadful, witch-like features, all nose and chin, projecting at one -end, the dim, glazed eyes staring from a discoloured and crumbling face. - -The Baronet had staggered back with a cry and supported himself against -a stone sarcophagus. - -"How came you to know of this?" he cried. And then, with some return -of his truculent manner: "What business is it of yours?" - -"My name is Sherlock Holmes," said my companion. "Possibly it is -familiar to you. In any case, my business is that of every other good -citizen--to uphold the law. It seems to me that you have much to -answer for." - -Sir Robert glared for a moment, but Holmes's quiet voice and cool, -assured manner had their effect. - -"'Fore God, Mr. Holmes, it's all right," said he. "Appearances are -against me, I'll admit, but I could act no otherwise." - -"I should be happy to think so, but I fear your explanations must be -for the police." - -Sir Robert shrugged his broad shoulders. - -"Well, if it must be, it must. Come up to the house and you can judge -for yourself how the matter stands." - - -Quarter of an hour later we found ourselves in what I judge, from the -lines of polished barrels behind glass covers, to be the gun-room of -the old house. It was comfortably furnished, and here Sir Robert left -us for a few moments. When he returned he had two companions with him; -the one, the florid young woman whom we had seen in the carriage; the -other, a small rat-faced man with a disagreeably furtive manner. These -two wore an appearance of utter bewilderment, which showed that the -Baronet had not yet had time to explain to them the turn events had -taken. - -"There," said Sir Robert, with a wave of his hand, "are Mr. and Mrs. -Norlett. Mrs. Norlett, under her maiden name of Evans, has for some -years been my sister's confidential maid. I have brought them here -because I feel that my best course is to explain the true position to -you, and they are the two people upon earth who can substantiate what I -say." - -"Is this necessary, Sir Robert? Have you thought what you are doing?" -cried the woman. - -"As to me, I entirely disclaim all responsibility," said her husband. - -Sir Robert gave him a glance of contempt. "I will take all -responsibility," said he. "Now, Mr. Holmes, listen to a plain -statement of the facts. - -"You have clearly gone pretty deeply into my affairs or I should not -have found you where I did. Therefore, you know already, in all -probability, that I am running a dark horse for the Derby and that -everything depends upon my success. If I win, all is easy. If I -lose--well, I dare not think of that!" - -"I understand the position," said Holmes. - -"I am dependent upon my sister, Lady Beatrice, for everything. But it -is well known that her interest in the estate is for her own life only. -For myself, I am deeply in the hands of the Jews. I have always known -that if my sister were to die my creditors would be on to my estate -like a flock of vultures. Everything would be seized; my stables, my -horses--everything. Well, Mr. Holmes, my sister _did_ die just a week -ago." - -"And you told no one!" - -"What could I do? Absolute ruin faced me. If I could stave things off -for three weeks all would be well. Her maid's husband--this man -here--is an actor. It came into our heads--it came into my head--that -he could for that short period personate my sister. It was but a case -of appearing daily in the carriage, for no one need enter her room save -the maid. It was not difficult to arrange. My sister died of the -dropsy which had long afflicted her." - -"That will be for a coroner to decide." - -"Her doctor would certify that for months her symptoms have threatened -such an end." - -"Well, what did you do?" - -"The body could not remain there. On the first night Norlett and I -carried it out to the old well-house, which is now never used. We were -followed, however, by her pet spaniel, which yapped continually at the -door, so I felt some safer place was needed. I got rid of the spaniel -and we carried the body to the crypt of the church. There was no -indignity or irreverence, Mr. Holmes. I do not feel that I have -wronged the dead." - -"Your conduct seems to me inexcusable, Sir Robert." - -The Baronet shook his head impatiently. "It is easy to preach," said -he. "Perhaps you would have felt differently if you had been in my -position. One cannot see all one's hopes and all one's plans shattered -at the last moment and make no effort to save them. It seemed to me -that it would be no unworthy resting-place if we put her for the time -in one of the coffins of her husband's ancestors lying in what is still -consecrated ground. We opened such a coffin, removed the contents, and -placed her as you have seen her. As to the old relics which we took -out, we could not leave them on the floor of the crypt. Norlett and I -removed them, and he descended at night and burned them in the central -furnace. There is my story, Mr. Holmes, though how you forced my hand -so that I have to tell it is more than I can say." - -Holmes sat for some time lost in thought. - -"There is one flaw in your narrative, Sir Robert," he said at last. -"Your bets on the race, and therefore your hopes for the future, would -hold good even if your creditors seized your estate." - -"The horse would be part of the estate. What do they care for my bets? -As likely as not they would not run him at all. My chief creditor is, -unhappily, my most bitter enemy--a rascally fellow, Sam Brewer, whom I -was once compelled to horsewhip on Newmarket Heath. Do you suppose -that he would try to save me?" - -"Well, Sir Robert," said Holmes, rising, "this matter must, of course, -be referred to the police. It was my duty to bring the facts to light -and there I must leave it. As to the morality or decency of your own -conduct, it is not for me to express an opinion. It is nearly -midnight, Watson, and I think we may make our way back to our humble -abode." - - -It is generally known now that this singular episode ended upon a -happier note than Sir Robert's actions deserved. Shoscombe Prince did -win the Derby, the sporting owner did net eighty thousand pounds in -bets, and the creditors did hold their hand until the race was over, -when they were paid in full, and enough was left to re-establish Sir -Robert in a fair position in life. Both police and coroner took a -lenient view of the transaction, and beyond a mild censure for the -delay in registering the lady's decease, the lucky owner got away -scatheless from this strange incident in a career which has now -outlived its shadows and promises to end in an honoured old age. - - - - -XII - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE RETIRED COLOURMAN - -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 grey 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 an 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 it 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. However, 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 unsalable. 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 -door 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 grey-tinted sun-glasses?" - -"Holmes, you are a wizard. I did not say so, but he had grey-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 strong-room 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 -egg-shells 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 two-ten from Little Turlington," said Holmes. "Little -Turlington 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 Mossmoor cum Little Purlington. -Look up the trains, Watson." - -"There is one at five-twenty 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 sitting-room of our client. A -stern-looking, impassive man sat beside him, a dark man with -grey-tinted glasses and a large Masonic pin 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 here, 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 onwards, 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 mediæval 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 -forgathering, 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 some eye 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 and 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 strongroom 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." - - - -Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London - - - - - * * * * * - - - - - By A. CONAN DOYLE - - THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. - THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. - THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. - MICAH CLARKE. - THE CAPTAIN OF THE POLE STAR. - THE SIGN OF FOUR. - THE WHITE COMPANY - THE REFUGEES. - THE STARK MUNRO LETTERS. - THE EXPLOITS OF BRIGADIER GERARD. - RODNEY STONE. - UNCLE BERNAC. - THE TRAGEDY OF THE "KOROSKO." - A DUET, WITH AN OCCASIONAL CHORUS. - THE GREEN FLAG. - THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. - THE ADVENTURES OF GERARD. - SIR NIGEL. - THROUGH THE MAGIC DOOR. - ROUND THE FIRE STORIES. - THE LAST GALLEY. - THE LOST WORLD. - ROUND THE RED LAMP. - THE VALLEY OF FEAR. - HIS LAST BOW. - DANGER! AND OTHER STORIES. - THE FIRM OF GIRDLESTONE. - TALES OF ADVENTURE AND MEDICAL LIFE. - TALES OF LONG AGO. - TALES OF PIRATES AND BLUE WATER. - TALES OF THE RING AND CAMP. - TALES OF TERROR AND MYSTERY. - TALES OF TWILIGHT AND THE UNSEEN. - SONGS OF ACTION. - SONGS OF THE ROAD. - THE GUARDS CAME THROUGH, AND OTHER POEMS. - POEMS: COLLECTED EDITION. - THREE OF THEM: A REMINISCENCE. - - THE MYSTERY OF JOAN OF ARC. BY LÉON - DENIS. Translated from the French by - A. CONAN DOYLE. - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASE-BOOK OF SHERLOCK -HOLMES *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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