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Adventure X. The Naval Treaty
The July which immediately succeeded my marriage was made memorable by three cases of interest,
in which I had the privilege of being associated with Sherlock Holmes and of studying his methods.
I find them recorded in my notes under the headings of "The Adventure of the Second Stain,"
"The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," and "The Adventure of the Tired Captain." The first
of these, however, deals with interest of such importance and implicates so many of
the first families in the kingdom that for many years it will be impossible to make it
public. No case, however, in which Holmes was engaged has ever illustrated the value
of his analytical methods so clearly or has impressed those who were associated with him
so deeply. I still retain an almost verbatim report of the interview in which he demonstrated
the true facts of the case to Monsieur Dubugue of the Paris police, and Fritz von Waldbaum,
the well-known specialist of Dantzig, both of whom had wasted their energies upon what
proved to be side-issues. The new century will have come, however, before the story
can be safely told. Meanwhile I pass on to the second on my list, which promised also
at one time to be of national importance, and was marked by several incidents which
give it a quite unique character.
During my school-days I had been intimately associated with a lad named Percy Phelps,
who was of much the same age as myself, though he was two classes ahead of me. He was a very
brilliant boy, and carried away every prize which the school had to offer, finished his
exploits by winning a scholarship which sent him on to continue his triumphant career at
Cambridge. He was, I remember, extremely well connected, and even when we were all little
boys together we knew that his mother's brother was Lord Holdhurst, the great conservative
politician. This gaudy relationship did him little good at school. On the contrary, it
seemed rather a piquant thing to us to chevy him about the playground and hit him over
the shins with a wicket. But it was another thing when he came out into the world. I heard
vaguely that his abilities and the influences which he commanded had won him a good position
at the Foreign Office, and then he passed completely out of my mind until the following
letter recalled his existence:
Briarbrae, Woking. My dear Watson,óI have no doubt that you can remember "Tadpole" Phelps,
who was in the fifth form when you were in the third. It is possible even that you may
have heard that through my uncle's influence I obtained a good appointment at the Foreign
Office, and that I was in a situation of trust and honor until a horrible misfortune came
suddenly to blast my career.
There is no use writing of the details of that dreadful event. In the event of your
acceding to my request it is probable that I shall have to narrate them to you. I have
only just recovered from nine weeks of brain-fever, and am still exceedingly weak. Do you think
that you could bring your friend Mr. Holmes down to see me? I should like to have his
opinion of the case, though the authorities assure me that nothing more can be done. Do
try to bring him down, and as soon as possible. Every minute seems an hour while I live in
this state of horrible suspense. Assure him that if I have not asked his advice sooner
it was not because I did not appreciate his talents, but because I have been off my head
ever since the blow fell. Now I am clear again, though I dare not think of it too much for
fear of a relapse. I am still so weak that I have to write, as you see, by dictating.
Do try to bring him.
Your old school-fellow,
Percy Phelps.
There was something that touched me as I read this letter, something pitiable in the reiterated
appeals to bring Holmes. So moved was I that even had it been a difficult matter I should
have tried it, but of course I knew well that Holmes loved his art, so that he was ever
as ready to bring his aid as his client could be to receive it. My wife agreed with me that
not a moment should be lost in laying the matter before him, and so within an hour of
breakfast-time I found myself back once more in the old rooms in Baker Street.
Holmes was seated at his side-table clad in his dressing-gown, and working hard over a
chemical investigation. A large curved retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame
of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure.
My friend hardly glanced up as I entered, and I, seeing that his investigation must
be of importance, seated myself in an arm-chair and waited. He dipped into this bottle or
that, drawing out a few drops of each with his glass pipette, and finally brought a test-tube
containing a solution over to the table. In his right hand he held a slip of litmus-paper.
"You come at a crisis, Watson," said he. "If this paper remains blue, all is well. If it
turns red, it means a man's life." He dipped it into the test-tube and it flushed at once
into a dull, dirty crimson. "Hum! I thought as much!" he cried. "I will be at your service
in an instant, Watson. You will find tobacco in the Persian slipper." He turned to his
desk and scribbled off several telegrams, which were handed over to the page-boy. Then
he threw himself down into the chair opposite, and drew up his knees until his fingers clasped
round his long, thin shins.
"A very commonplace little ***," said he. "You've got something better, I fancy. You
are the stormy petrel of crime, Watson. What is it?"
I handed him the letter, which he read with the most concentrated attention.
"It does not tell us very much, does it?" he remarked, as he handed it back to me.
"Hardly anything."
"And yet the writing is of interest."
"But the writing is not his own."
"Precisely. It is a woman's."
"A man's surely," I cried.
"No, a woman's, and a woman of rare character. You see, at the commencement of an investigation
it is something to know that your client is in close contact with some one who, for good
or evil, has an exceptional nature. My interest is already awakened in the case. If you are
ready we will start at once for Woking, and see this diplomatist who is in such evil case,
and the lady to whom he dictates his letters."
We were fortunate enough to catch an early train at Waterloo, and in a little under an
hour we found ourselves among the fir-woods and the heather of Woking. Briarbrae proved
to be a large detached house standing in extensive grounds within a few minutes' walk of the
station. On sending in our cards we were shown into an elegantly appointed drawing-room,
where we were joined in a few minutes by a rather stout man who received us with much
hospitality. His age may have been nearer forty than thirty, but his cheeks were so
ruddy and his eyes so merry that he still conveyed the impression of a plump and mischievous
boy.
"I am so glad that you have come," said he, shaking our hands with effusion. "Percy has
been inquiring for you all morning. Ah, poor old chap, he clings to any straw! His father
and his mother asked me to see you, for the mere mention of the subject is very painful
to them."
"We have had no details yet," observed Holmes. "I perceive that you are not yourself a member
of the family."
Our acquaintance looked surprised, and then, glancing down, he began to laugh.
"Of course you saw the J H monogram on my locket," said he. "For a moment I thought
you had done something clever. Joseph Harrison is my name, and as Percy is to marry my sister
Annie I shall at least be a relation by marriage. You will find my sister in his room, for she
has nursed him hand-and-foot this two months back. Perhaps we'd better go in at once, for
I know how impatient he is."
The chamber in which we were shown was on the same floor as the drawing-room. It was
furnished partly as a sitting and partly as a bedroom, with flowers arranged daintily
in every nook and corner. A young man, very pale and worn, was lying upon a sofa near
the open window, through which came the rich scent of the garden and the balmy summer air.
A woman was sitting beside him, who rose as we entered.
"Shall I leave, Percy?" she asked.
He clutched her hand to detain her. "How are you, Watson?" said he, cordially. "I should
never have known you under that moustache, and I dare say you would not be prepared to
swear to me. This I presume is your celebrated friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"
I introduced him in a few words, and we both sat down. The stout young man had left us,
but his sister still remained with her hand in that of the invalid. She was a striking-looking
woman, a little short and thick for symmetry, but with a beautiful olive complexion, large,
dark, Italian eyes, and a wealth of deep black hair. Her rich tints made the white face of
her companion the more worn and haggard by the contrast.
"I won't waste your time," said he, raising himself upon the sofa. "I'll plunge into the
matter without further preamble. I was a happy and successful man, Mr. Holmes, and on the
eve of being married, when a sudden and dreadful misfortune wrecked all my prospects in life.
"I was, as Watson may have told you, in the Foreign Office, and through the influences
of my uncle, Lord Holdhurst, I rose rapidly to a responsible position. When my uncle became
foreign minister in this administration he gave me several missions of trust, and as
I always brought them to a successful conclusion, he came at last to have the utmost confidence
in my ability and tact.
"Nearly ten weeks agoóto be more accurate, on the 23d of Mayóhe called me into his private
room, and, after complimenting me on the good work which I had done, he informed me that
he had a new commission of trust for me to execute.
"'This,' said he, taking a gray roll of paper from his bureau, 'is the original of that
secret treaty between England and Italy of which, I regret to say, some rumors have already
got into the public press. It is of enormous importance that nothing further should leak
out. The French or the Russian embassy would pay an immense sum to learn the contents of
these papers. They should not leave my bureau were it not that it is absolutely necessary
to have them copied. You have a desk in your office?"
"'Yes, sir.'
"'Then take the treaty and lock it up there. I shall give directions that you may remain
behind when the others go, so that you may copy it at your leisure without fear of being
overlooked. When you have finished, relock both the original and the draft in the desk,
and hand them over to me personally to-morrow morning.'
"I took the papers andó"
"Excuse me an instant," said Holmes. "Were you alone during this conversation?"
"Absolutely."
"In a large room?"
"Thirty feet each way."
"In the centre?"
"Yes, about it."
"And speaking low?"
"My uncle's voice is always remarkably low. I hardly spoke at all."
"Thank you," said Holmes, shutting his eyes; "pray go on."
"I did exactly what he indicated, and waited until the other clerks had departed. One of
them in my room, Charles Gorot, had some arrears of work to make up, so I left him there and
went out to dine. When I returned he was gone. I was anxious to hurry my work, for I knew
that Josephóthe Mr. Harrison whom you saw just nowówas in town, and that he would travel
down to Woking by the eleven-o'clock train, and I wanted if possible to catch it.
"When I came to examine the treaty I saw at once that it was of such importance that my
uncle had been guilty of no exaggeration in what he had said. Without going into details,
I may say that it defined the position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance,
and fore-shadowed the policy which this country would pursue in the event of the French fleet
gaining a complete ascendancy over that of Italy in the Mediterranean. The questions
treated in it were purely naval. At the end were the signatures of the high dignitaries
who had signed it. I glanced my eyes over it, and then settled down to my task of copying.
"It was a long document, written in the French language, and containing twenty-six separate
articles. I copied as quickly as I could, but at nine o'clock I had only done nine articles,
and it seemed hopeless for me to attempt to catch my train. I was feeling drowsy and stupid,
partly from my dinner and also from the effects of a long day's work. A cup of coffee would
clear my brain. A commissionnaire remains all night in a little lodge at the foot of
the stairs, and is in the habit of making coffee at his spirit-lamp for any of the officials
who may be working over time. I rang the bell, therefore, to summon him.
"To my surprise, it was a woman who answered the summons, a large, coarse-faced, elderly
woman, in an apron. She explained that she was the commissionnaire's wife, who did the
charing, and I gave her the order for the coffee.
"I wrote two more articles and then, feeling more drowsy than ever, I rose and walked up
and down the room to stretch my legs. My coffee had not yet come, and I wondered what was
the cause of the delay could be. Opening the door, I started down the corridor to find
out. There was a straight passage, dimly lighted, which led from the room in which I had been
working, and was the only exit from it. It ended in a curving staircase, with the commissionnaire's
lodge in the passage at the bottom. Half way down this staircase is a small landing, with
another passage running into it at right angles. This second one leads by means of a second
small stair to a side door, used by servants, and also as a short cut by clerks when coming
from Charles Street. Here is a rough chart of the place."
"Thank you. I think that I quite follow you," said Sherlock Holmes.
"It is of the utmost importance that you should notice this point. I went down the stairs
and into the hall, where I found the commissionnaire fast asleep in his box, with the kettle boiling
furiously upon the spirit-lamp. I took off the kettle and blew out the lamp, for the
water was spurting over the floor. Then I put out my hand and was about to shake the
man, who was still sleeping soundly, when a bell over his head rang loudly, and he woke
with a start.
"'Mr. Phelps, sir!' said he, looking at me in bewilderment.
"'I came down to see if my coffee was ready.'
"'I was boiling the kettle when I fell asleep, sir.' He looked at me and then up at the still
quivering bell with an ever-growing astonishment upon his face.
"'If you was here, sir, then who rang the bell?' he asked.
"'The bell!' I cried. 'What bell is it?'
"'It's the bell of the room you were working in.'
"A cold hand seemed to close round my heart. Some one, then, was in that room where my
precious treaty lay upon the table. I ran frantically up the stair and along the passage.
There was no one in the corridors, Mr. Holmes. There was no one in the room. All was exactly
as I left it, save only that the papers which had been committed to my care had been taken
from the desk on which they lay. The copy was there, and the original was gone."
Holmes sat up in his chair and rubbed his hands. I could see that the problem was entirely
to his heart. "Pray, what did you do then?" he murmured.
"I recognized in an instant that the thief must have come up the stairs from the side
door. Of course I must have met him if he had come the other way."
"You were satisfied that he could not have been concealed in the room all the time, or
in the corridor which you have just described as dimly lighted?"
"It is absolutely impossible. A rat could not conceal himself either in the room or
the corridor. There is no cover at all."
"Thank you. Pray proceed."
"The commissionnaire, seeing by my pale face that something was to be feared, had followed
me upstairs. Now we both rushed along the corridor and down the steep steps which led
to Charles Street. The door at the bottom was closed, but unlocked. We flung it open
and rushed out. I can distinctly remember that as we did so there came three chimes
from a neighboring clock. It was quarter to ten."
"That is of enormous importance," said Holmes, making a note upon his shirt-cuff.
"The night was very dark, and a thin, warm rain was falling. There was no one in Charles
Street, but a great traffic was going on, as usual, in Whitehall, at the extremity.
We rushed along the pavement, bare-headed as we were, and at the far corner we found
a policeman standing.
"'A robbery has been committed,' I gasped. 'A document of immense value has been stolen
from the Foreign Office. Has any one passed this way?'
"'I have been standing here for a quarter of an hour, sir,' said he; 'only one person
has passed during that timeóa woman, tall and elderly, with a Paisley shawl.'
"'Ah, that is only my wife,' cried the commissionnaire; 'has no one else passed?'
"'No one.'
"'Then it must be the other way that the thief took,' cried the fellow, tugging at my sleeve.
"'But I was not satisfied, and the attempts which he made to draw me away increased my
suspicions.
"'Which way did the woman go?' I cried.
"'I don't know, sir. I noticed her pass, but I had no special reason for watching her.
She seemed to be in a hurry.'
"'How long ago was it?'
"'Oh, not very many minutes.'
"'Within the last five?'
"'Well, it could not be more than five.'
"'You're only wasting your time, sir, and every minute now is of importance,' cried
the commissionnaire; 'take my word for it that my old woman has nothing to do with it,
and come down to the other end of the street. Well, if you won't, I will.' And with that
he rushed off in the other direction.
"But I was after him in an instant and caught him by the sleeve.
"'Where do you live?' said I.
"'16 Ivy Lane, Brixton,' he answered. 'But don't let yourself be drawn away upon a false
scent, Mr. Phelps. Come to the other end of the street and let us see if we can hear of
anything.'
"Nothing was to be lost by following his advice. With the policeman we both hurried down, but
only to find the street full of traffic, many people coming and going, but all only too
eager to get to a place of safety upon so wet a night. There was no lounger who could
tell us who had passed.
"Then we returned to the office, and searched the stairs and the passage without result.
The corridor which led to the room was laid down with a kind of creamy linoleum which
shows an impression very easily. We examined it very carefully, but found no outline of
any footmark."
"Had it been raining all evening?"
"Since about seven."
"How is it, then, that the woman who came into the room about nine left no traces with
her muddy boots?"
"I am glad you raised the point. It occurred to me at the time. The charwomen are in the
habit of taking off their boots at the commissionnaire's office, and putting on list slippers."
"That is very clear. There were no marks, then, though the night was a wet one? The
chain of events is certainly one of extraordinary interest. What did you do next?
"We examined the room also. There is no possibility of a secret door, and the windows are quite
thirty feet from the ground. Both of them were fastened on the inside. The carpet prevents
any possibility of a trap-door, and the ceiling is of the ordinary whitewashed kind. I will
pledge my life that whoever stole my papers could only have come through the door."
"How about the fireplace?"
"They use none. There is a stove. The bell-rope hangs from the wire just to the right of my
desk. Whoever rang it must have come right up to the desk to do it. But why should any
criminal wish to ring the bell? It is a most insoluble mystery."
"Certainly the incident was unusual. What were your next steps? You examined the room,
I presume, to see if the intruder had left any tracesóany cigar-end or dropped glove
or hairpin or other trifle?"
"There was nothing of the sort."
"No smell?"
"Well, we never thought of that."
"Ah, a scent of tobacco would have been worth a great deal to us in such an investigation."
"I never smoke myself, so I think I should have observed it if there had been any smell
of tobacco. There was absolutely no clue of any kind. The only tangible fact was that
the commissionnaire's wifeóMrs. Tangey was the nameóhad hurried out of the place. He
could give no explanation save that it was about the time when the woman always went
home. The policeman and I agreed that our best plan would be to seize the woman before
she could get rid of the papers, presuming that she had them.
"The alarm had reached Scotland Yard by this time, and Mr. Forbes, the detective, came
round at once and took up the case with a great deal of energy. We hired a hansom, and
in half an hour we were at the address which had been given to us. A young woman opened
the door, who proved to be Mrs. Tangey's eldest daughter. Her mother had not come back yet,
and we were shown into the front room to wait.
"About ten minutes later a knock came at the door, and here we made the one serious mistake
for which I blame myself. Instead of opening the door ourselves, we allowed the girl to
do so. We heard her say, 'Mother, there are two men in the house waiting to see you,'
and an instant afterwards we heard the patter of feet rushing down the passage. Forbes flung
open the door, and we both ran into the back room or kitchen, but the woman had got there
before us. She stared at us with defiant eyes, and then, suddenly recognizing me, an expression
of absolute astonishment came over her face.
"'Why, if it isn't Mr. Phelps, of the office!' she cried.
"'Come, come, who did you think we were when you ran away from us?' asked my companion.
"'I thought you were the brokers,' said she, 'we have had some trouble with a tradesman.'
"'That's not quite good enough,' answered Forbes. 'We have reason to believe that you
have taken a paper of importance from the Foreign Office, and that you ran in here to
dispose of it. You must come back with us to Scotland Yard to be searched.'
"It was in vain that she protested and resisted. A four-wheeler was brought, and we all three
drove back in it. We had first made an examination of the kitchen, and especially of the kitchen
fire, to see whether she might have made away with the papers during the instant that she
was alone. There were no signs, however, of any ashes or scraps. When we reached Scotland
Yard she was handed over at once to the female searcher. I waited in an agony of suspense
until she came back with her report. There were no signs of the papers.
"Then for the first time the horror of my situation came in its full force. Hitherto
I had been acting, and action had numbed thought. I had been so confident of regaining the treaty
at once that I had not dared to think of what would be the consequence if I failed to do
so. But now there was nothing more to be done, and I had leisure to realize my position.
It was horrible. Watson there would tell you that I was a nervous, sensitive boy at school.
It is my nature. I thought of my uncle and of his colleagues in the Cabinet, of the shame
which I had brought upon him, upon myself, upon every one connected with me. What though
I was the victim of an extraordinary accident? No allowance is made for accidents where diplomatic
interests are at stake. I was ruined, shamefully, hopelessly ruined. I don't know what I did.
I fancy I must have made a scene. I have a dim recollection of a group of officials who
crowded round me, endeavoring to soothe me. One of them drove down with me to Waterloo,
and saw me into the Woking train. I believe that he would have come all the way had it
not been that Dr. Ferrier, who lives near me, was going down by that very train. The
doctor most kindly took charge of me, and it was well he did so, for I had a fit in
the station, and before we reached home I was practically a raving maniac.
"You can imagine the state of things here when they were roused from their beds by the
doctor's ringing and found me in this condition. Poor Annie here and my mother were broken-hearted.
Dr. Ferrier had just heard enough from the detective at the station to be able to give
an idea of what had happened, and his story did not mend matters. It was evident to all
that I was in for a long illness, so Joseph was bundled out of this cheery bedroom, and
it was turned into a sick-room for me. Here I have lain, Mr. Holmes, for over nine weeks,
unconscious, and raving with brain-fever. If it had not been for Miss Harrison here
and for the doctor's care I should not be speaking to you now. She has nursed me by
day and a hired nurse has looked after me by night, for in my mad fits I was capable
of anything. Slowly my reason has cleared, but it is only during the last three days
that my memory has quite returned. Sometimes I wish that it never had. The first thing
that I did was to wire to Mr. Forbes, who had the case in hand. He came out, and assures
me that, though everything has been done, no trace of a clue has been discovered. The
commissionnaire and his wife have been examined in every way without any light being thrown
upon the matter. The suspicions of the police then rested upon young Gorot, who, as you
may remember, stayed over time in the office that night. His remaining behind and his French
name were really the only two points which could suggest suspicion; but, as a matter
of fact, I did not begin work until he had gone, and his people are of Huguenot extraction,
but as English in sympathy and tradition as you and I are. Nothing was found to implicate
him in any way, and there the matter dropped. I turn to you, Mr. Holmes, as absolutely my
last hope. If you fail me, then my honor as well as my position are forever forfeited."
The invalid sank back upon his cushions, tired out by this long recital, while his nurse
poured him out a glass of some stimulating medicine. Holmes sat silently, with his head
thrown back and his eyes closed, in an attitude which might seem listless to a stranger, but
which I knew betokened the most intense self-absorption.
"You statement has been so explicit," said he at last, "that you have really left me
very few questions to ask. There is one of the very utmost importance, however. Did you
tell any one that you had this special task to perform?"
"No one."
"Not Miss Harrison here, for example?"
"No. I had not been back to Woking between getting the order and executing the commission."
"And none of your people had by chance been to see you?"
"None."
"Did any of them know their way about in the office?"
"Oh, yes, all of them had been shown over it."
"Still, of course, if you said nothing to any one about the treaty these inquiries are
irrelevant."
"I said nothing."
"Do you know anything of the commissionnaire?"
"Nothing except that he is an old soldier."
"What regiment?"
"Oh, I have heardóColdstream Guards."
"Thank you. I have no doubt I can get details from Forbes. The authorities are excellent
at amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage. What a lovely thing
a rose is!"
He walked past the couch to the open window, and held up the drooping stalk of a moss-rose,
looking down at the dainty blend of crimson and green. It was a new phase of his character
to me, for I had never before seen him show any keen interest in natural objects.
"There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion," said he, leaning
with his back against the shutters. "It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner.
Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other
things, our powers our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence
in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment
of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say
again that we have much to hope from the flowers."
Percy Phelps and his nurse looked at Holmes during this demonstration with surprise and
a good deal of disappointment written upon their faces. He had fallen into a reverie,
with the moss-rose between his fingers. It had lasted some minutes before the young lady
broke in upon it.
"Do you see any prospect of solving this mystery, Mr. Holmes?" she asked, with a touch of asperity
in her voice.
"Oh, the mystery!" he answered, coming back with a start to the realities of life. "Well,
it would be absurd to deny that the case is a very abstruse and complicated one, but I
can promise you that I will look into the matter and let you know any points which may
strike me."
"Do you see any clue?"
"You have furnished me with seven, but, of course, I must test them before I can pronounce
upon their value."
"You suspect some one?"
"I suspect myself."
"What!"
"Of coming to conclusions too rapidly."
"Then go to London and test your conclusions."
"Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison," said Holmes, rising. "I think, Watson, we
cannot do better. Do not allow yourself to indulge in false hopes, Mr. Phelps. The affair
is a very tangled one."
"I shall be in a fever until I see you again," cried the diplomatist.
"Well, I'll come out by the same train to-morrow, though it's more than likely that my report
will be a negative one."
"God bless you for promising to come," cried our client. "It gives me fresh life to know
that something is being done. By the way, I have had a letter from Lord Holdhurst."
"Ha! What did he say?"
"He was cold, but not harsh. I dare say my severe illness prevented him from being that.
He repeated that the matter was of the utmost importance, and added that no steps would
be taken about my futureóby which he means, of course, my dismissalóuntil my health was
restored and I had an opportunity of repairing my misfortune."
"Well, that was reasonable and considerate," said Holmes. "Come, Watson, for we have a
good day's work before us in town."
Mr. Joseph Harrison drove us down to the station, and we were soon whirling up in a Portsmouth
train. Holmes was sunk in profound thought, and hardly opened his mouth until we had passed
Clapham Junction.
"It's a very cheery thing to come into London by any of these lines which run high, and
allow you to look down upon the houses like this."
I thought he was joking, for the view was sordid enough, but he soon explained himself.
"Look at those big, isolated clumps of building rising up above the slates, like brick islands
in a lead-colored sea."
"The board-schools."
"Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future! Capsules with hundreds of bright little seeds
in each, out of which will spring the wise, better England of the future. I suppose that
man Phelps does not drink?"
"I should not think so."
"Nor should I, but we are bound to take every possibility into account. The poor devil has
certainly got himself into very deep water, and it's a question whether we shall ever
be able to get him ashore. What did you think of Miss Harrison?"
"A girl of strong character."
"Yes, but she is a good sort, or I am mistaken. She and her brother are the only children
of an iron-master somewhere up Northumberland way. He got engaged to her when traveling
last winter, and she came down to be introduced to his people, with her brother as escort.
Then came the smash, and she stayed on to nurse her lover, while brother Joseph, finding
himself pretty snug, stayed on too. I've been making a few independent inquiries, you see.
But to-day must be a day of inquiries."
"My practiceó" I began.
"Oh, if you find your own cases more interesting than mineó" said Holmes, with some asperity.
"I was going to say that my practice could get along very well for a day or two, since
it is the slackest time in the year."
"Excellent," said he, recovering his good-humor. "Then we'll look into this matter together.
I think that we should begin by seeing Forbes. He can probably tell us all the details we
want until we know from what side the case is to be approached."
"You said you had a clue?"
"Well, we have several, but we can only test their value by further inquiry. The most difficult
crime to track is the one which is purposeless. Now this is not purposeless. Who is it who
profits by it? There is the French ambassador, there is the Russian, there is whoever might
sell it to either of these, and there is Lord Holdhurst."
"Lord Holdhurst!"
"Well, it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself in a position where he
was not sorry to have such a document accidentally destroyed."
"Not a statesman with the honorable record of Lord Holdhurst?"
"It is a possibility and we cannot afford to disregard it. We shall see the noble lord
to-day and find out if he can tell us anything. Meanwhile I have already set inquiries on
foot."
"Already?"
"Yes, I sent wires from Woking station to every evening paper in London. This advertisement
will appear in each of them."
He handed over a sheet torn from a note-book. On it was scribbled in pencil: "L10 reward.
The number of the cab which dropped a fare at or about the door of the Foreign Office
in Charles Street at quarter to ten in the evening of May 23d. Apply 221 B, Baker Street."
"You are confident that the thief came in a cab?"
"If not, there is no harm done. But if Mr. Phelps is correct in stating that there is
no hiding-place either in the room or the corridors, then the person must have come
from outside. If he came from outside on so wet a night, and yet left no trace of damp
upon the linoleum, which was examined within a few minutes of his passing, then it is exceeding
probable that he came in a cab. Yes, I think that we may safely deduce a cab."
"It sounds plausible."
"That is one of the clues of which I spoke. It may lead us to something. And then, of
course, there is the bellówhich is the most distinctive feature of the case. Why should
the bell ring? Was it the thief who did it out of bravado? Or was it some one who was
with the thief who did it in order to prevent the crime? Or was it an accident? Or was itó?"
He sank back into the state of intense and silent thought from which he had emerged;
but it seemed to me, accustomed as I was to his every mood, that some new possibility
had dawned suddenly upon him.
It was twenty past three when we reached our terminus, and after a hasty luncheon at the
buffet we pushed on at once to Scotland Yard. Holmes had already wired to Forbes, and we
found him waiting to receive usóa small, foxy man with a sharp but by no means amiable
expression. He was decidedly frigid in his manner to us, especially when he heard the
errand upon which we had come.
"I've heard of your methods before now, Mr. Holmes," said he, tartly. "You are ready enough
to use all the information that the police can lay at your disposal, and then you try
to finish the case yourself and bring discredit on them."
"On the contrary," said Holmes, "out of my last fifty-three cases my name has only appeared
in four, and the police have had all the credit in forty-nine. I don't blame you for not knowing
this, for you are young and inexperienced, but if you wish to get on in your new duties
you will work with me and not against me."
"I'd be very glad of a hint or two," said the detective, changing his manner. "I've
certainly had no credit from the case so far."
"What steps have you taken?"
"Tangey, the commissionnaire, has been shadowed. He left the Guards with a good character and
we can find nothing against him. His wife is a bad lot, though. I fancy she knows more
about this than appears."
"Have you shadowed her?"
"We have set one of our women on to her. Mrs. Tangey drinks, and our woman has been with
her twice when she was well on, but she could get nothing out of her."
"I understand that they have had brokers in the house?"
"Yes, but they were paid off."
"Where did the money come from?"
"That was all right. His pension was due. They have not shown any sign of being in funds."
"What explanation did she give of having answered the bell when Mr. Phelps rang for the coffee?"
"She said that he husband was very tired and she wished to relieve him."
"Well, certainly that would agree with his being found a little later asleep in his chair.
There is nothing against them then but the woman's character. Did you ask her why she
hurried away that night? Her haste attracted the attention of the police constable."
"She was later than usual and wanted to get home."
"Did you point out to her that you and Mr. Phelps, who started at least twenty minutes
after her, got home before her?"
"She explains that by the difference between a 'bus and a hansom."
"Did she make it clear why, on reaching her house, she ran into the back kitchen?"
"Because she had the money there with which to pay off the brokers."
"She has at least an answer for everything. Did you ask her whether in leaving she met
any one or saw any one loitering about Charles Street?"
"She saw no one but the constable."
"Well, you seem to have cross-examined her pretty thoroughly. What else have you done?"
"The clerk Gorot has been shadowed all these nine weeks, but without result. We can show
nothing against him."
"Anything else?"
"Well, we have nothing else to go uponóno evidence of any kind."
"Have you formed a theory about how that bell rang?"
"Well, I must confess that it beats me. It was a cool hand, whoever it was, to go and
give the alarm like that."
"Yes, it was a *** thing to do. Many thanks to you for what you have told me. If I can
put the man into your hands you shall hear from me. Come along, Watson."
"Where are we going to now?" I asked, as we left the office.
"We are now going to interview Lord Holdhurst, the cabinet minister and future premier of
England."
We were fortunate in finding that Lord Holdhurst was still in his chambers in Downing Street,
and on Holmes sending in his card we were instantly shown up. The statesman received
us with that old-fashioned courtesy for which he is remarkable, and seated us on the two
luxuriant lounges on either side of the fireplace. Standing on the rug between us, with his slight,
tall figure, his sharp features, thoughtful face, and curling hair prematurely tinged
with gray, he seemed to represent that not too common type, a nobleman who is in truth
noble.
"Your name is very familiar to me, Mr. Holmes," said he, smiling. "And, of course, I cannot
pretend to be ignorant of the object of your visit. There has only been one occurrence
in these offices which could call for your attention. In whose interest are you acting,
may I ask?"
"In that of Mr. Percy Phelps," answered Holmes.
"Ah, my unfortunate nephew! You can understand that our kinship makes it the more impossible
for me to screen him in any way. I fear that the incident must have a very prejudicial
effect upon his career."
"But if the document is found?"
"Ah, that, of course, would be different."
"I had one or two questions which I wished to ask you, Lord Holdhurst."
"I shall be happy to give you any information in my power."
"Was it in this room that you gave your instructions as to the copying of the document?"
"It was."
"Then you could hardly have been overheard?"
"It is out of the question."
"Did you ever mention to any one that it was your intention to give any one the treaty
to be copied?"
"Never."
"You are certain of that?"
"Absolutely."
"Well, since you never said so, and Mr. Phelps never said so, and nobody else knew anything
of the matter, then the thief's presence in the room was purely accidental. He saw his
chance and he took it."
The statesman smiled. "You take me out of my province there," said he.
Holmes considered for a moment. "There is another very important point which I wish
to discuss with you," said he. "You feared, as I understand, that very grave results might
follow from the details of this treaty becoming known."
A shadow passed over the expressive face of the statesman. "Very grave results indeed."
"And have they occurred?"
"Not yet."
"If the treaty had reached, let us say, the French or Russian Foreign Office, you would
expect to hear of it?"
"I should," said Lord Holdhurst, with a wry face.
"Since nearly ten weeks have elapsed, then, and nothing has been heard, it is not unfair
to suppose that for some reason the treaty has not reached them."
Lord Holdhurst shrugged his shoulders.
"We can hardly suppose, Mr. Holmes, that the thief took the treaty in order to frame it
and hang it up."
"Perhaps he is waiting for a better price."
"If he waits a little longer he will get no price at all. The treaty will cease to be
secret in a few months."
"That is most important," said Holmes. "Of course, it is a possible supposition that
the thief has had a sudden illnessó"
"An attack of brain-fever, for example?" asked the statesman, flashing a swift glance at
him.
"I did not say so," said Holmes, imperturbably. "And now, Lord Holdhurst, we have already
taken up too much of your valuable time, and we shall wish you good-day."
"Every success to your investigation, be the criminal who it may," answered the nobleman,
as he bowed us out the door.
"He's a fine fellow," said Holmes, as we came out into Whitehall. "But he has a struggle
to keep up his position. He is far from rich and has many calls. You noticed, of course,
that his boots had been resoled. Now, Watson, I won't detain you from your legitimate work
any longer. I shall do nothing more to-day, unless I have an answer to my cab advertisement.
But I should be extremely obliged to you if you would come down with me to Woking to-morrow,
by the same train which we took yesterday."
I met him accordingly next morning and we traveled down to Woking together. He had had
no answer to his advertisement, he said, and no fresh light had been thrown upon the case.
He had, when he so willed it, the utter immobility of countenance of a red Indian, and I could
not gather from his appearance whether he was satisfied or not with the position of
the case. His conversation, I remember, was about the Bertillon system of measurements,
and he expressed his enthusiastic admiration of the French savant.
We found our client still under the charge of his devoted nurse, but looking considerably
better than before. He rose from the sofa and greeted us without difficulty when we
entered.
"Any news?" he asked, eagerly.
"My report, as I expected, is a negative one," said Holmes. "I have seen Forbes, and I have
seen your uncle, and I have set one or two trains of inquiry upon foot which may lead
to something."
"You have not lost heart, then?"
"By no means."
"God bless you for saying that!" cried Miss Harrison. "If we keep our courage and our
patience the truth must come out."
"We have more to tell you than you have for us," said Phelps, reseating himself upon the
couch.
"I hoped you might have something."
"Yes, we have had an adventure during the night, and one which might have proved to
be a serious one." His expression grew very grave as he spoke, and a look of something
akin to fear sprang up in his eyes. "Do you know," said he, "that I begin to believe that
I am the unconscious centre of some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at as
well as my honor?"
"Ah!" cried Holmes.
"It sounds incredible, for I have not, as far as I know, an enemy in the world. Yet
from last night's experience I can come to no other conclusion."
"Pray let me hear it."
"You must know that last night was the very first night that I have ever slept without
a nurse in the room. I was so much better that I thought I could dispense with one.
I had a night-light burning, however. Well, about two in the morning I had sunk into a
light sleep when I was suddenly aroused by a slight noise. It was like the sound which
a mouse makes when it is gnawing a plank, and I lay listening to it for some time under
the impression that it must come from that cause. Then it grew louder, and suddenly there
came from the window a sharp metallic snick. I sat up in amazement. There could be no doubt
what the sounds were now. The first ones had been caused by some one forcing an instrument
through the slit between the sashes, and the second by the catch being pressed back.
"There was a pause then for about ten minutes, as if the person were waiting to see whether
the noise had awakened me. Then I heard a gentle creaking as the window was very slowly
opened. I could stand it no longer, for my nerves are not what they used to be. I sprang
out of bed and flung open the shutters. A man was crouching at the window. I could see
little of him, for he was gone like a flash. He was wrapped in some sort of cloak which
came across the lower part of his face. One thing only I am sure of, and that is that
he had some weapon in his hand. It looked to me like a long knife. I distinctly saw
the gleam of it as he turned to run."
"This is most interesting," said Holmes. "Pray what did you do then?"
"I should have followed him through the open window if I had been stronger. As it was,
I rang the bell and roused the house. It took me some little time, for the bell rings in
the kitchen and the servants all sleep upstairs. I shouted, however, and that brought Joseph
down, and he roused the others. Joseph and the groom found marks on the bed outside the
window, but the weather has been so dry lately that they found it hopeless to follow the
trail across the grass. There's a place, however, on the wooden fence which skirts the road
which shows signs, they tell me, as if some one had got over, and had snapped the top
of the rail in doing so. I have said nothing to the local police yet, for I thought I had
best have your opinion first."
This tale of our client's appeared to have an extraordinary effect upon Sherlock Holmes.
He rose from his chair and paced about the room in uncontrollable excitement.
"Misfortunes never come single," said Phelps, smiling, though it was evident that his adventure
had somewhat shaken him.
"You have certainly had your share," said Holmes. "Do you think you could walk round
the house with me?"
"Oh, yes, I should like a little sunshine. Joseph will come, too."
"And I also," said Miss Harrison.
"I am afraid not," said Holmes, shaking his head. "I think I must ask you to remain sitting
exactly where you are."
The young lady resumed her seat with an air of displeasure. Her brother, however, had
joined us and we set off all four together. We passed round the lawn to the outside of
the young diplomatist's window. There were, as he had said, marks upon the bed, but they
were hopelessly blurred and vague. Holmes stopped over them for an instant, and then
rose shrugging his shoulders.
"I don't think any one could make much of this," said he. "Let us go round the house
and see why this particular room was chosen by the burglar. I should have thought those
larger windows of the drawing-room and dining-room would have had more attractions for him."
"They are more visible from the road," suggested Mr. Joseph Harrison.
"Ah, yes, of course. There is a door here which he might have attempted. What is it
for?"
"It is the side entrance for trades-people. Of course it is locked at night."
"Have you ever had an alarm like this before?"
"Never," said our client.
"Do you keep plate in the house, or anything to attract burglars?"
"Nothing of value."
Holmes strolled round the house with his hands in his pockets and a negligent air which was
unusual with him.
"By the way," said he to Joseph Harrison, "you found some place, I understand, where
the fellow scaled the fence. Let us have a look at that!"
The plump young man led us to a spot where the top of one of the wooden rails had been
cracked. A small fragment of the wood was hanging down. Holmes pulled it off and examined
it critically.
"Do you think that was done last night? It looks rather old, does it not?"
"Well, possibly so."
"There are no marks of any one jumping down upon the other side. No, I fancy we shall
get no help here. Let us go back to the bedroom and talk the matter over."
Percy Phelps was walking very slowly, leaning upon the arm of his future brother-in-law.
Holmes walked swiftly across the lawn, and we were at the open window of the bedroom
long before the others came up.
"Miss Harrison," said Holmes, speaking with the utmost intensity of manner, "you must
stay where you are all day. Let nothing prevent you from staying where you are all day. It
is of the utmost importance."
"Certainly, if you wish it, Mr. Holmes," said the girl in astonishment.
"When you go to bed lock the door of this room on the outside and keep the key. Promise
to do this."
"But Percy?"
"He will come to London with us."
"And am I to remain here?"
"It is for his sake. You can serve him. Quick! Promise!"
She gave a quick nod of assent just as the other two came up.
"Why do you sit moping there, Annie?" cried her brother. "Come out into the sunshine!"
"No, thank you, Joseph. I have a slight headache and this room is deliciously cool and soothing."
"What do you propose now, Mr. Holmes?" asked our client.
"Well, in investigating this minor affair we must not lose sight of our main inquiry.
It would be a very great help to me if you would come up to London with us."
"At once?"
"Well, as soon as you conveniently can. Say in an hour."
"I feel quite strong enough, if I can really be of any help."
"The greatest possible."
"Perhaps you would like me to stay there to-night?"
"I was just going to propose it."
"Then, if my friend of the night comes to revisit me, he will find the bird flown. We
are all in your hands, Mr. Holmes, and you must tell us exactly what you would like done.
Perhaps you would prefer that Joseph came with us so as to look after me?"
"Oh, no; my friend Watson is a medical man, you know, and he'll look after you. We'll
have our lunch here, if you will permit us, and then we shall all three set off for town
together."
It was arranged as he suggested, though Miss Harrison excused herself from leaving the
bedroom, in accordance with Holmes's suggestion. What the object of my friend's manoeuvres
was I could not conceive, unless it were to keep the lady away from Phelps, who, rejoiced
by his returning health and by the prospect of action, lunched with us in the dining-room.
Holmes had a still more startling surprise for us, however, for, after accompanying us
down to the station and seeing us into our carriage, he calmly announced that he had
no intention of leaving Woking.
"There are one or two small points which I should desire to clear up before I go," said
he. "Your absence, Mr. Phelps, will in some ways rather assist me. Watson, when you reach
London you would oblige me by driving at once to Baker Street with our friend here, and
remaining with him until I see you again. It is fortunate that you are old school-fellows,
as you must have much to talk over. Mr. Phelps can have the spare bedroom to-night, and I
will be with you in time for breakfast, for there is a train which will take me into Waterloo
at eight."
"But how about our investigation in London?" asked Phelps, ruefully.
"We can do that to-morrow. I think that just at present I can be of more immediate use
here."
"You might tell them at Briarbrae that I hope to be back to-morrow night," cried Phelps,
as we began to move from the platform.
"I hardly expect to go back to Briarbrae," answered Holmes, and waved his hand to us
cheerily as we shot out from the station.
Phelps and I talked it over on our journey, but neither of us could devise a satisfactory
reason for this new development.
"I suppose he wants to find out some clue as to the burglary last night, if a burglar
it was. For myself, I don't believe it was an ordinary thief."
"What is your own idea, then?"
"Upon my word, you may put it down to my weak nerves or not, but I believe there is some
deep political intrigue going on around me, and that for some reason that passes my understanding
my life is aimed at by the conspirators. It sounds high-flown and absurd, but consider
the facts! Why should a thief try to break in at a bedroom window, where there could
be no hope of any plunder, and why should he come with a long knife in his hand?"
"You are sure it was not a house-breaker's jimmy?"
"Oh, no, it was a knife. I saw the flash of the blade quite distinctly."
"But why on earth should you be pursued with such animosity?"
"Ah, that is the question."
"Well, if Holmes takes the same view, that would account for his action, would it not?
Presuming that your theory is correct, if he can lay his hands upon the man who threatened
you last night he will have gone a long way towards finding who took the naval treaty.
It is absurd to suppose that you have two enemies, one of whom robs you, while the other
threatens your life."
"But Holmes said that he was not going to Briarbrae."
"I have known him for some time," said I, "but I never knew him do anything yet without
a very good reason," and with that our conversation drifted off on to other topics.
But it was a weary day for me. Phelps was still weak after his long illness, and his
misfortune made him querulous and nervous. In vain I endeavored to interest him in Afghanistan,
in India, in social questions, in anything which might take his mind out of the groove.
He would always come back to his lost treaty, wondering, guessing, speculating, as to what
Holmes was doing, what steps Lord Holdhurst was taking, what news we should have in the
morning. As the evening wore on his excitement became quite painful.
"You have implicit faith in Holmes?" he asked.
"I have seen him do some remarkable things."
"But he never brought light into anything quite so dark as this?"
"Oh, yes; I have known him solve questions which presented fewer clues than yours."
"But not where such large interests are at stake?"
"I don't know that. To my certain knowledge he has acted on behalf of three of the reigning
houses of Europe in very vital matters."
"But you know him well, Watson. He is such an inscrutable fellow that I never quite know
what to make of him. Do you think he is hopeful? Do you think he expects to make a success
of it?"
"He has said nothing."
"That is a bad sign."
"On the contrary, I have noticed that when he is off the trail he generally says so.
It is when he is on a scent and is not quite absolutely sure yet that it is the right one
that he is most taciturn. Now, my dear fellow, we can't help matters by making ourselves
nervous about them, so let me implore you to go to bed and so be fresh for whatever
may await us to-morrow."
I was able at last to persuade my companion to take my advice, though I knew from his
excited manner that there was not much hope of sleep for him. Indeed, his mood was infectious,
for I lay tossing half the night myself, brooding over this strange problem, and inventing a
hundred theories, each of which was more impossible than the last. Why had Holmes remained at
Woking? Why had he asked Miss Harrison to remain in the sick-room all day? Why had he
been so careful not to inform the people at Briarbrae that he intended to remain near
them? I cudgelled my brains until I fell asleep in the endeavor to find some explanation which
would cover all these facts.
It was seven o'clock when I awoke, and I set off at once for Phelps's room, to find him
haggard and spent after a sleepless night. His first question was whether Holmes had
arrived yet.
"He'll be here when he promised," said I, "and not an instant sooner or later."
And my words were true, for shortly after eight a hansom dashed up to the door and our
friend got out of it. Standing in the window we saw that his left hand was swathed in a
bandage and that his face was very grim and pale. He entered the house, but it was some
little time before he came upstairs.
"He looks like a beaten man," cried Phelps.
I was forced to confess that he was right. "After all," said I, "the clue of the matter
lies probably here in town."
Phelps gave a groan.
"I don't know how it is," said he, "but I had hoped for so much from his return. But
surely his hand was not tied up like that yesterday. What can be the matter?"
"You are not wounded, Holmes?" I asked, as my friend entered the room.
"Tut, it is only a scratch through my own clumsiness," he answered, nodding his good-mornings
to us. "This case of yours, Mr. Phelps, is certainly one of the darkest which I have
ever investigated."
"I feared that you would find it beyond you."
"It has been a most remarkable experience."
"That bandage tells of adventures," said I. "Won't you tell us what has happened?"
"After breakfast, my dear Watson. Remember that I have breathed thirty miles of Surrey
air this morning. I suppose that there has been no answer from my cabman advertisement?
Well, well, we cannot expect to score every time."
The table was all laid, and just as I was about to ring Mrs. Hudson entered with the
tea and coffee. A few minutes later she brought in three covers, and we all drew up to the
table, Holmes ravenous, I curious, and Phelps in the gloomiest state of depression.
"Mrs. Hudson has risen to the occasion," said Holmes, uncovering a dish of curried chicken.
"Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as a Scotch-woman.
What have you here, Watson?"
"Ham and eggs," I answered.
"Good! What are you going to take, Mr. Phelpsócurried fowl or eggs, or will you help yourself?"
"Thank you. I can eat nothing," said Phelps.
"Oh, come! Try the dish before you."
"Thank you, I would really rather not."
"Well, then," said Holmes, with a mischievous twinkle, "I suppose that you have no objection
to helping me?"
Phelps raised the cover, and as he did so he uttered a scream, and sat there staring
with a face as white as the plate upon which he looked. Across the centre of it was lying
a little cylinder of blue-gray paper. He caught it up, devoured it with his eyes, and then
danced madly about the room, pressing it to his *** and shrieking out in his delight.
Then he fell back into an arm-chair so limp and exhausted with his own emotions that we
had to pour brandy down his throat to keep him from fainting.
"There! there!" said Holmes, soothing, patting him upon the shoulder. "It was too bad to
spring it on you like this, but Watson here will tell you that I never can resist a touch
of the dramatic."
Phelps seized his hand and kissed it. "God bless you!" he cried. "You have saved my honor."
"Well, my own was at stake, you know," said Holmes. "I assure you it is just as hateful
to me to fail in a case as it can be to you to blunder over a commission."
Phelps thrust away the precious document into the innermost pocket of his coat.
"I have not the heart to interrupt your breakfast any further, and yet I am dying to know how
you got it and where it was."
Sherlock Holmes swallowed a cup of coffee, and turned his attention to the ham and eggs.
Then he rose, lit his pipe, and settled himself down into his chair.
"I'll tell you what I did first, and how I came to do it afterwards," said he. "After
leaving you at the station I went for a charming walk through some admirable Surrey scenery
to a pretty little village called Ripley, where I had my tea at an inn, and took the
precaution of filling my flask and of putting a paper of sandwiches in my pocket. There
I remained until evening, when I set off for Woking again, and found myself in the high-road
outside Briarbrae just after sunset.
"Well, I waited until the road was clearóit is never a very frequented one at any time,
I fancyóand then I clambered over the fence into the grounds."
"Surely the gate was open!" *** Phelps.
"Yes, but I have a peculiar taste in these matters. I chose the place where the three
fir-trees stand, and behind their screen I got over without the least chance of any one
in the house being able to see me. I crouched down among the bushes on the other side, and
crawled from one to the otherówitness the disreputable state of my trouser kneesóuntil
I had reached the clump of rhododendrons just opposite to your bedroom window. There I squatted
down and awaited developments.
"The blind was not down in your room, and I could see Miss Harrison sitting there reading
by the table. It was quarter-past ten when she closed her book, fastened the shutters,
and retired.
"I heard her shut the door, and felt quite sure that she had turned the key in the lock."
"The key!" *** Phelps.
"Yes; I had given Miss Harrison instructions to lock the door on the outside and take the
key with her when she went to bed. She carried out every one of my injunctions to the letter,
and certainly without her cooperation you would not have that paper in you coat-pocket.
She departed then and the lights went out, and I was left squatting in the rhododendron-bush.
"The night was fine, but still it was a very weary vigil. Of course it has the sort of
excitement about it that the sportsman feels when he lies beside the water-course and waits
for the big game. It was very long, thoughóalmost as long, Watson, as when you and I waited
in that deadly room when we looked into the little problem of the Speckled Band. There
was a church-clock down at Woking which struck the quarters, and I thought more than once
that it had stopped. At last however about two in the morning, I suddenly heard the gentle
sound of a bolt being pushed back and the creaking of a key. A moment later the servants'
door was opened, and Mr. Joseph Harrison stepped out into the moonlight."
"Joseph!" *** Phelps.
"He was bare-headed, but he had a black coat thrown over his shoulder so that he could
conceal his face in an instant if there were any alarm. He walked on tiptoe under the shadow
of the wall, and when he reached the window he worked a long-bladed knife through the
sash and pushed back the catch. Then he flung open the window, and putting his knife through
the crack in the shutters, he thrust the bar up and swung them open.
"From where I lay I had a perfect view of the inside of the room and of every one of
his movements. He lit the two candles which stood upon the mantelpiece, and then he proceeded
to turn back the corner of the carpet in the neighborhood of the door. Presently he stopped
and picked out a square piece of board, such as is usually left to enable plumbers to get
at the joints of the gas-pipes. This one covered, as a matter of fact, the T joint which gives
off the pipe which supplies the kitchen underneath. Out of this hiding-place he drew that little
cylinder of paper, pushed down the board, rearranged the carpet, blew out the candles,
and walked straight into my arms as I stood waiting for him outside the window.
"Well, he has rather more viciousness than I gave him credit for, has Master Joseph.
He flew at me with his knife, and I had to grasp him twice, and got a cut over the knuckles,
before I had the upper hand of him. He looked *** out of the only eye he could see with
when we had finished, but he listened to reason and gave up the papers. Having got them I
let my man go, but I wired full particulars to Forbes this morning. If he is quick enough
to catch his bird, well and good. But if, as I shrewdly suspect, he finds the nest empty
before he gets there, why, all the better for the government. I fancy that Lord Holdhurst
for one, and Mr. Percy Phelps for another, would very much rather that the affair never
got as far as a police-court.
"My God!" gasped our client. "Do you tell me that during these long ten weeks of agony
the stolen papers were within the very room with me all the time?"
"So it was."
"And Joseph! Joseph a villain and a thief!"
"Hum! I am afraid Joseph's character is a rather deeper and more dangerous one than
one might judge from his appearance. From what I have heard from him this morning, I
gather that he has lost heavily in dabbling with stocks, and that he is ready to do anything
on earth to better his fortunes. Being an absolutely selfish man, when a chance presented
itself he did not allow either his sister's happiness or your reputation to hold his hand."
Percy Phelps sank back in his chair. "My head whirls," said he. "Your words have dazed me."
"The principal difficulty in your case," remarked Holmes, in his didactic fashion, "lay in the
fact of there being too much evidence. What was vital was overlaid and hidden by what
was irrelevant. Of all the facts which were presented to us we had to pick just those
which we deemed to be essential, and then piece them together in their order, so as
to reconstruct this very remarkable chain of events. I had already begun to suspect
Joseph, from the fact that you had intended to travel home with him that night, and that
therefore it was a likely enough thing that he should call for you, knowing the Foreign
Office well, upon his way. When I heard that some one had been so anxious to get into the
bedroom, in which no one but Joseph could have concealed anythingóyou told us in your
narrative how you had turned Joseph out when you arrived with the doctorómy suspicions
all changed to certainties, especially as the attempt was made on the first night upon
which the nurse was absent, showing that the intruder was well acquainted with the ways
of the house."
"How blind I have been!"
"The facts of the case, as far as I have worked them out, are these: this Joseph Harrison
entered the office through the Charles Street door, and knowing his way he walked straight
into your room the instant after you left it. Finding no one there he promptly rang
the bell, and at the instant that he did so his eyes caught the paper upon the table.
A glance showed him that chance had put in his way a State document of immense value,
and in an instant he had thrust it into his pocket and was gone. A few minutes elapsed,
as you remember, before the sleepy commissionnaire drew your attention to the bell, and those
were just enough to give the thief time to make his escape.
"He made his way to Woking by the first train, and having examined his *** and assured
himself that it really was of immense value, he had concealed it in what he thought was
a very safe place, with the intention of taking it out again in a day or two, and carrying
it to the French embassy, or wherever he thought that a long price was to be had. Then came
your sudden return. He, without a moment's warning, was bundled out of his room, and
from that time onward there were always at least two of you there to prevent him from
regaining his treasure. The situation to him must have been a maddening one. But at last
he thought he saw his chance. He tried to steal in, but was baffled by your wakefulness.
You remember that you did not take your usual draught that night."
"I remember."
"I fancy that he had taken steps to make that draught efficacious, and that he quite relied
upon your being unconscious. Of course, I understood that he would repeat the attempt
whenever it could be done with safety. Your leaving the room gave him the chance he wanted.
I kept Miss Harrison in it all day so that he might not anticipate us. Then, having given
him the idea that the coast was clear, I kept guard as I have described. I already knew
that the papers were probably in the room, but I had no desire to rip up all the planking
and skirting in search of them. I let him take them, therefore, from the hiding-place,
and so saved myself an infinity of trouble. Is there any other point which I can make
clear?"
"Why did he try the window on the first occasion," I asked, "when he might have entered by the
door?"
"In reaching the door he would have to pass seven bedrooms. On the other hand, he could
get out on to the lawn with ease. Anything else?"
"You do not think," asked Phelps, "that he had any murderous intention? The knife was
only meant as a tool."
"It may be so," answered Holmes, shrugging his shoulders. "I can only say for certain
that Mr. Joseph Harrison is a gentleman to whose mercy I should be extremely unwilling
to trust."