Sherlock Holmes complete collection by sir arthur conan doyle

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes THE NAVAL TREATY

THE JULY which immediately succeeded my marriage was madememorable by three cases of interest, in which I had the privilege of beingassociated with Sherlock Holmes and of studying his methods. I findthem recorded in my notes under the headings of "The Adventure of theSecond Stain," "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," and "TheAdventure of the Tired Captain." The first of these, however, deals withinterests of such importance and implicates so many of the first familiesin 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 thevalue of his analytical methods so clearly or has impressed those whowere associated with him so deeply. I still retain an almost verbatimreport of the interview in which he demonstrated the true facts of the caseto Monsieur Dubugue of the Paris police, and Fritz von Waldbaum, thewell-known specialist of Dantzig, both of whom had wasted their energiesupon 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 thesecond on my list, which promised also at one time to be of nationalimportance and was marked by several incidents which give it a quiteunique character.During my school-days I had been intimately associated with a ladnamed Percy Phelps, who was of much the same age as myself, though hewas two classes ahead of me. He was a very brilliant boy and carriedaway every prize which the school had to offer, finishing his exploits bywinning a scholarship which sent him on to continue his triumphantcareer at Cambridge. He was, I remember, extremely well connected, andeven when we were all little boys together we knew that his mother'sbrother was Lord Holdhurst, the great conservative politician. This gaudyrelationship did him little good at school. On the contrary, it seemedrather a piquant thing to us to chevy him about the playground and hithim over the shins with a wicket. But it was another thing when he cameout into the world. I heard vaguely that his abilities and the influenceswhich he commanded had won him a good position at the Foreign Office,and then he passed completely out of my mind until the following letterrecalled his existence:Briarbrae, Woking.MY DEAR WATSON:I have no doubt that you can remember "Tadpole" Phelps, whowas in the fifth form when you were in the third. It is possibleeven that you may have heard that through my uncle's influence Iobtained a good appointment at the Foreign Office, and that I was in a situation of trust and honour until a horrible misfortune camesuddenly to blast my career.There is no use writing the details of that dreadful event. In theevent of your acceding to my request it is probable that I shallhave to narrate them to you. I have only just recovered from nineweeks of brain-fever and am still exceedingly weak. Do you thinkthat you could bring your friend Mr. Holmes down to see me? Ishould like to have his opinion of the case, [448] though theauthorities assure me that nothing more can be done. Do try tobring him down, and as soon as possible. Every minute seems anhour while I live in this state of horrible suspense. Assure him thatif I have not asked his advice sooner it was not because I did notappreciate his talents, but because I have been off my head eversince the blow fell. Now I am clear again, though I dare not thinkof it too much for fear of a relapse. I am still so weak that I have towrite, 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, somethingpitiable in the reiterated appeals to bring Holmes. So moved was I thateven had it been a difficult matter I should have tried it, but of course Iknew well that Holmes loved his art, so that he was ever as ready to bringhis aid as his client could be to receive it. My wife agreed with me thatnot a moment should be lost in laying the matter before him, and sowithin an hour of breakfast-time I found myself back once more in the oldrooms in Baker Street.Holmes was seated at his side-table clad in his dressing-gown andworking hard over a chemical investigation. A large curved retort wasboiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilleddrops were condensing into a two-litre measure. My friend hardly glancedup as I entered, and I, seeing that his investigation must be of importance,seated myself in an armchair and waited. He dipped into this bottle orthat, drawing out a few drops of each with his glass pipette, and finallybrought a test-tube containing a solution over to the table. In his righthand he held a slip of litmus-paper."You come at a crisis, Watson," said he. "If this paper remains blue, allis well. If it turns red, it means a man's life." He dipped it into the testtube and it flushed at once into a dull, dirty crimson. "Hum! I thought asmuch!" he cried. "I will be at your service in an instant, Watson. You willfind tobacco in the Persian slipper." He turned to his desk and scribbledoff several telegrams, which were handed over to the page-boy. Then hethrew himself down into the chair opposite and drew up his knees untilhis fingers clasped round his long, thin shins."A very commonplace little murder," said he. "You've got somethingbetter, I fancy. You are the stormy petrel of crime, Watson. What is it?"I handed him the letter, which he read with the most concentratedattention."It does not tell us very much, does it?" he remarked as he handed itback 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 thecommencement of an investigation it is something to know that yourclient is in close contact with someone who, for good or evil, has anexceptional nature. My interest is already awakened in the case. If you areready we will start at once for Woking and see this diplomatist who is insuch evil case and the lady to whom he dictates his letters."[449] We were fortunate enough to catch an early train at Waterloo, andin a little under an hour we found ourselves among the fir-woods and theheather of Woking. Briarbrae proved to be a large detached housestanding in extensive grounds within a few minutes' walk of the station.On sending in our cards we were shown into an elegantly appointeddrawing-room, where we were joined in a few minutes by a rather stoutman who received us with much hospitality. His age may have beennearer forty than thirty, but his cheeks were so ruddy and his eyes somerry that he still conveyed the impression of a plump and mischievousboy."I am so glad that you have come," said he, shaking our hands witheffusion. "Percy has been inquiring for you all morning. Ah, poor oldchap, he clings to any straw! His father and his mother asked me to seeyou, for the mere mention of the subject is very painful to them." "We have had no details yet," observed Holmes. "I perceive that youare not yourself a member of the family."Our acquaintance looked surprised, and then, glancing down, he beganto laugh."Of course you saw the J H monogram on my locket," said he. "For amoment I thought you had done something clever. Joseph Harrison is myname, and as Percy is to marry my sister Annie I shall at least be arelation by marriage. You will find my sister in his room, for she hasnursed him hand and foot this two months back. Perhaps we'd better go inat once, for I know how impatient he is."The chamber into which we were shown was on the same floor as thedrawing-room. It was furnished partly as a sitting and partly as abedroom, with flowers arranged daintily in every nook and corner. Ayoung man, very pale and worn, was lying upon a sofa near the openwindow, through which came the rich scent of the garden and the balmysummer 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 hecordially. "I should never have known you under that moustache, and Idaresay you would not be prepared to swear to me. This I presume is yourcelebrated friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"I introduced him in a few words, and we both sat down. The stoutyoung man had left us, but his sister still remained with her hand in thatof the invalid. She was a striking-looking woman, a little short and thickfor symmetry, but with a beautiful olive complexion, large, dark, Italianeyes, and a wealth of deep black hair. Her rich tints made the white faceof her companion the more worn and haggard by the contrast."I won't waste your time," said he, raising himself upon the sofa. "I'llplunge into the matter without further preamble. I was a happy andsuccessful man, Mr. Holmes, and on the eve of being married, when asudden and dreadful misfortune wrecked all my prospects in life."I was, as Watson may have told you, in the Foreign Office, andthrough the influence of my uncle, Lord Holdhurst, I rose rapidly to aresponsible position. When my uncle became foreign minister in thisadministration he gave me several missions of trust, and as I alwaysbrought them to a successful conclusion, he came at last to have theutmost confidence in my ability and tact."Nearly ten weeks ago-to be more accurate, on the twenty-third ofMay- he called me into his private room, and, after complimenting me onthe good work [450] which I had done, he informed me that he had a newcommission of trust for me to execute." 'This,' said he, taking a gray roll of paper from his bureau, 'is theoriginal of that secret treaty between England and Italy of which, I regretto say, some rumours have already got into the public press. It is ofenormous importance that nothing further should leak out. The French orthe Russian embassy would pay an immense sum to learn the contents ofthese papers. They should not leave my bureau were it not that it isabsolutely necessary to have them copied. You have a desk in youroffice?'" 'Yes, sir.'" 'Then take the treaty and lock it up there. I shall give directions thatyou may remain behind when the others go, so that you may copy it atyour leisure without fear of being overlooked. When you have finished,relock both the original and the draft in the desk, and hand them over tome personally to-morrow morning.'"I took the papers and- -""Excuse me an instant," said Holmes. "Were you alone during thisconversation?""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 haddeparted. One of them in my room, Charles Gorot, had some arrears ofwork to make up, so I left him there and went out to dine. When Ireturned he was gone. I was anxious to hurry my work, for I knew thatJoseph-the Mr. Harrison whom you saw just now-was in town, and thathe would travel down to Woking by the eleven-o'clock train, and Iwanted if possible to catch it."When I came to examine the treaty I saw at once that it was of suchimportance that my uncle had been guilty of no exaggeration in what hesaid. Without going into details, I may say that it defined the position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance, and foreshadowed the policywhich this country would pursue in the event of the French fleet gaining acomplete ascendency over that of Italy in the Mediterranean. Thequestions treated in it were purely naval. At the end were the signatures ofthe high dignitaries who had signed it. I glanced my eyes over it, and thensettled down to my task of copying."It was a long document, written in the French language, andcontaining twenty-six separate articles. I copied as quickly as I could, butat nine o'clock I had only done nine articles, and it seemed hopeless forme to attempt to catch my train. I was feeling drowsy and stupid, partlyfrom my dinner and also from the effects of a long day's work. A cup ofcoffee would clear my brain. A commissionaire remains all night in alittle lodge at the foot of the stairs and is in the habit of making coffee athis spirit-lamp for any of the officials who may be working overtime. Irang the bell, therefore, to summon him.[451] "To my surprise, it was a woman who answered the summons, alarge, coarse-faced, elderly woman, in an apron. She explained that shewas the commissionaire's wife, who did the charing, and I gave her theorder for the coffee."I wrote two more articles, and then, feeling more drowsy than ever, Irose and walked up and down the room to stretch my legs. My coffee hadnot yet come, and I wondered what the cause of the delay could be.Opening the door, I started down the corridor to find out. There was astraight passage, dimly lighted, which led from the room in which I hadbeen working, and was the only exit from it. It ended in a curvingstaircase, with the commissionaire's lodge in the passage at the bottom.Halfway down this staircase is a small landing, with another passagerunning into it at right angles. This second one leads by means of asecond small stair to a side door, used by servants, and also as a short cutby clerks when coming from Charles Street. Here is a rough chart of theplace.""Thank you. I think that I quite follow you," said Sherlock Holmes."It is of the utmost importance that you should notice this point. I went down the stairs and into the hall, where I found the commissionaire fastasleep in his box, with the kettle boiling furiously upon the spirit-lamp. Itook off the kettle and blew out the lamp, for the water was spurting overthe floor. Then I put out my hand and was about to shake the man, whowas still sleeping soundly, when a bell over his head rang loudly, and hewoke 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 andthen up at the still quivering bell with an ever-growing astonishment uponhis face." 'If you was here, sir, then who rang the bell?' he asked." 'The bell!' I cried. 'What bell is it?'" 'It's the bell of the room you were working in.'"A cold hand seemed to close round my heart. Someone, then, was inthat room where my precious treaty lay upon the table. I ran frantically upthe 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, saveonly that the papers which had been committed to my care had been takenfrom the desk on which they lay. The copy was there, and the originalwas gone."[452] Holmes sat up in his chair and rubbed his hands. I could see thatthe problem was entirely to his heart. "Pray, what did you do then?" hemurmured."I recognized in an instant that the thief must have come up the stairsfrom the side door. Of course I must have met him if he had come theother way.""You were satisfied that he could not have been concealed in the roomall the time, or in the corridor which you have just described as dimlylighted?""It is absolutely impossible. A rat could not conceal himself either inthe room or the corridor. There is no cover at all.""Thank you. Pray proceed.""The commissionaire, seeing by my pale face that something was to befeared, had followed me upstairs. Now we both rushed along the corridorand down the steep steps which led to Charles Street. The door at thebottom was closed but unlocked. We flung it open and rushed out. I candistinctly remember that as we did so there came three chimes from aneighbouring clock. It was a quarter to ten.""That is of enormous importance," said Holmes, making a note uponhis shirt-cuff."The night was very dark, and a thin, warm rain was falling. There wasno one in Charles Street, but a great traffic was going on, as usual, inWhitehall, at the extremity. We rushed along the pavement, bare-headedas we were, and at the far corner we found a policeman standing." 'A robbery has been committed,' I gasped. 'A document of immense value has been stolen from the Foreign Office. Has anyone passed thisway?'" 'I have been standing here for a quarter of an hour, sir,' said he, 'onlyone person has passed during that time-a woman, tall and elderly, with aPaisley shawl.'" 'Ah, that is only my wife,' cried the commissionaire; 'has no one elsepassed?'" '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 meaway 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 forwatching 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 ofimportance,' cried the commissionaire; 'take my word for it that my oldwoman has nothing to do with it and come down to the other end of thestreet. Well, if you won't, I will.' And with that he rushed off in the otherdirection."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 drawnaway upon a false scent, Mr. Phelps. Come to the other end of the streetand let us see if we can hear of anything.'"Nothing was to be lost by following his advice. With the policemanwe both hurried down, but only to find the street full of traffic, manypeople coming and [453] going, but all only too eager to get to a place ofsafety upon so wet a night. There was no lounger who could tell us whohad passed."Then we returned to the office and searched the stairs and the passagewithout result. The corridor which led to the room was laid down with akind of creamy linoleum which shows an impression very easily. Weexamined 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 nineleft no traces with her muddy boots?""I am glad you raised the point. It occurred to me at the time. Thecharwomen are in the habit of taking off their boots at thecommissionaire's office, and putting on list slippers.""That is very clear. There were no marks, then, though the night was awet 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 werefastened on the inside. The carpet prevents any possibility of a trapdoor,and the ceiling is of the ordinary whitewashed kind. I will pledge my lifethat 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 wirejust to the right of my desk. Whoever rang it must have come right up tothe desk to do it. But why should any criminal wish to ring the bell? It is amost insoluble mystery.""Certainly the incident was unusual. What were your next steps? Youexamined the room, I presume, to see if the intruder had left anytraces-any cigar-end or dropped glove or hairpin or other trifle?""There was nothing of the sort.""No smell?""Well, we never thought of that.""Ah, a scent of tobacco would have been worth a great deal to us insuch an investigation.""I never smoke myself, so I think I should have observed it if there hadbeen any smell of tobacco. There was absolutely no clue of any kind. Theonly tangible fact was that the commissionaire's wife-Mrs. Tangey wasthe name-had hurried out of the place. He could give no explanation savethat it was about the time when the woman always went home. Thepoliceman and I agreed that our best plan would be to seize the womanbefore 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 dealof energy. We hired a hansom, and in half an hour we were at the addresswhich had been given to us. A young woman opened the door, whoproved to be Mrs. Tangey's eldest daughter. Her mother had not comeback yet, and we were shown into the front room to wait."About ten minutes later a knock came at the door, and here we madethe one serious mistake for which I blame myself. Instead of opening thedoor ourselves, we allowed the girl to do so. We heard her say, 'Mother,there are two men in the [454] house waiting to see you,' and an instantafterwards we heard the patter of feet rushing down the passage. Forbesflung open the door, and we both ran into the back room or kitchen, butthe woman had got there before us. She stared at us with defiant eyes, andthen, suddenly recognizing me, an expression of absolute astonishmentcame 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 fromus?' asked my companion." 'I thought you were the brokers,' said she, 'we have had some troublewith a tradesman.'" 'That's not quite good enough,' answered Forbes. 'We have reason tobelieve that you have taken a paper of importance from the ForeignOffice, and that you ran in here to dispose of it. You must come back withus to Scotland Yard to be searched.'"It was in vain that she protested and resisted. A four-wheeler wasbrought, and we all three drove back in it. We had first made anexamination of the kitchen, and especially of the kitchen fire, to seewhether she might have made away with the papers during the instant thatshe was alone. There were no signs, however, of any ashes or scraps.When we reached Scotland Yard she was handed over at once to thefemale searcher. I waited in an agony of suspense until she came backwith 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 soconfident of regaining the treaty at once that I had not dared to think ofwhat would be the consequence if I failed to do so. But now there wasnothing more to be done, and I had leisure to realize my position. It washorrible. Watson there would tell you that I was a nervous, sensitive boyat school. It is my nature. I thought of my uncle and of his colleagues inthe Cabinet, of the shame which I had brought upon him, upon myself,upon everyone connected with me. What though I was the victim of anextraordinary accident? No allowance is made for accidents wherediplomatic interests are at stake. I was ruined, shamefully, hopelesslyruined. I don't know what I did. I fancy I must have made a scene. I have a dim recollection of a group of officials who crowded round me,endeavouring to soothe me. One of them drove down with me toWaterloo, and saw me into the Woking train. I believe that he would havecome all the way had it not been that Dr. Ferrier, who lives near me, wasgoing 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 wereached home I was practically a raving maniac."You can imagine the state of things here when they were roused fromtheir beds by the doctor's ringing and found me in this condition. PoorAnnie here and my mother were broken-hearted. Dr. Ferrier had justheard enough from the detective at the station to be able to give an idea ofwhat had happened, and his story did not mend matters. It was evident toall that I was in for a long illness, so Joseph was bundled out of thischeery bedroom, and it was turned into a sick-room for me. Here I havelain, Mr. Holmes, for over nine weeks, unconscious, and raving withbrain-fever. If it had not been for Miss Harrison here and for the doctor'scare, I should not be speaking to you now. She has nursed me by day anda hired nurse has looked after me by night, for in my mad fits I wascapable of anything. Slowly my reason has cleared, but it is only duringthe last three days [455] that my memory has quite returned. Sometimes Iwish 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, thougheverything has been done, no trace of a clue has been discovered. Thecommissionaire and his wife have been examined in every way withoutany light being thrown upon the matter. The suspicions of the police thenrested upon young Gorot, who, as you may remember, stayed over-timein the office that night. His remaining behind and his French name werereally the only two points which could suggest suspicion; but, as a matterof fact, I did not begin work until he had gone, and his people are ofHuguenot extraction, but as English in sympathy and tradition as you andI are. Nothing was found to implicate him in any way, and there thematter dropped. I turn to you, Mr. Holmes, as absolutely my last hope. Ifyou fail me, then my honour as well as my position are forever forfeited."The invalid sank back upon his cushions, tired out by this long recital,while his nurse poured him out a glass of some stimulating medicine.Holmes sat silently, with his head thrown back and his eyes closed, in anattitude which might seem listless to a stranger, but which I knewbetokened the most intense self-absorption."Your statement has been so explicit," said he at last, "that you havereally left me very few questions to ask. There is one of the very utmostimportance, however. Did you tell anyone that you had this special task toperform?""No one.""Not Miss Harrison here, for example?""No. I had not been back to Woking between getting the order andexecuting the commission.""And none of your people had by chance been to see you?""None.""Did any of them know their way about in the office?" "Oh, yes, all of them had been shown over it.""Still, of course, if you said nothing to anyone about the treaty theseinquiries are irrelevant.""I said nothing.""Do you know anything of the commissionaire?""Nothing except that he is an old soldier.""What regiment?""Oh, I have heard-Coldstream Guards.""Thank you. I have no doubt I can get details from Forbes. Theauthorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always usethem to advantage. What a lovely thing a rose is!"He walked past the couch to the open window and held up the droopingstalk of a moss-rose, looking down at the dainty blend of crimson andgreen. It was a new phase of his character to me, for I had never beforeseen 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 anexact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness ofProvidence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, ourpowers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence inthe first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its colour are anembellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only [456] goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from theflowers."Percy Phelps and his nurse looked at Holmes during this demonstrationwith surprise and a good deal of disappointment written upon their faces.He had fallen into a reverie, with the moss-rose between his fingers. Ithad lasted some minutes before the young lady broke in upon it."Do you see any prospect of solving this mystery, Mr. Holmes?" sheasked with a touch of asperity in her voice."Oh, the mystery!" he answered, coming back with a start to therealities of life. "Well, it would be absurd to deny that the case is a veryabstruse and complicated one, but I can promise you that I will look intothe 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 thembefore I can pronounce upon their value.""You suspect someone?""I suspect myself.""What!""Of coming to conclusions too rapidly.""Then go to London and test your conclusions.""Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison," said Holmes, rising. "Ithink, Watson, we cannot do better. Do not allow yourself to indulge infalse 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 thanlikely that my report will be a negative one.""God bless you for promising to come," cried our client. "It gives mefresh life to know that something is being done. By the way, I have had aletter from Lord Holdhurst.""Ha! what did he say?""He was cold, but not harsh. I dare say my severe illness prevented himfrom being that. He repeated that the matter was of the utmostimportance, and added that no steps would be taken about my future-bywhich he means, of course, my dismissal-until my health was restoredand 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 soonwhirling up in a Portsmouth train. Holmes was sunk in profound thoughtand hardly opened his mouth until we had passed Clapham Junction."It's a very cheery thing to come into London by any of these lineswhich 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 soonexplained himself."Look at those big, isolated clumps of buildings rising up above theslates, like brick islands in a lead-coloured sea.""The board-schools.""Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future! Capsules with hundredsof bright [457] little seeds in each, out of which will spring the wiser,better England of the future. I suppose that man Phelps does not drink?""I should not think so.""Nor should I, but we are bound to take every possibility into account.The poor devil has certainly got himself into very deep water, and it's aquestion whether we shall ever be able to get him ashore. What do youthink of Miss Harrison?""A girl of strong character.""Yes, but she is a good sort, or I am mistaken. She and her brother arethe only children of an iron-master somewhere up Northumberland way.He got engaged to her when travelling last winter, and she came down tobe introduced to his people, with her brother as escort. Then came thesmash, and she stayed on to nurse her lover, while brother Joseph, findinghimself pretty snug, stayed on, too. I've been making a few independentinquiries, you see. But to-day must be a day of inquiries.""My practice- -" I began."Oh, if you find your own cases more interesting than mine- -" saidHolmes with some asperity."I was going to say that my practice could get along very well for a dayor two, since it is the slackest time in the year.""Excellent," said he, recovering his good-humour. "Then we'll lookinto 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 furtherinquiry. 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 theFrench ambassador, there is the Russian, there is whoever might sell it toeither of these, and there is Lord Holdhurst.""Lord Holdhurst!""Well, it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself in aposition where he was not sorry to have such a document accidentallydestroyed.""Not a statesman with the honourable record of Lord Holdhurst?""It is a possibility and we cannot afford to disregard it. We shall see thenoble lord to-day and find out if he can tell us anything. Meanwhile Ihave already set inquiries on foot.""Already?""Yes, I sent wires from Woking station to every evening paper inLondon. This advertisement will appear in each of them."He handed over a sheet torn from a notebook. On it was scribbled inpencil:£10 reward. The number of the cab which dropped a fare at orabout the door of the Foreign Office in Charles Street at quarter toten in the evening of May 23d. Apply 221B, Baker Street."You are confident that the thief came in a cab?""If not, there is no harm done. But if Mr. Phelps is correct in statingthat there is no hiding-place either in the room or the corridors, then theperson must have come from outside. If he came from outside on so wet anight, and yet left no trace of damp upon the linoleum, which wasexamined within a few minutes of [458] his passing, then it is exceedinglyprobable that he came in a cab. Yes, I think that we may safely deduce acab.""It sounds plausible.""That is one of the clues of which I spoke. It may lead us to something.And then, of course, there is the bell-which is the most distinctive featureof the case. Why should the bell ring? Was it the thief who did it out ofbravado? Or was it someone who was with the thief who did it in order toprevent the crime? Or was it an accident? Or was it- -?" He sank backinto 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 somenew possibility had dawned suddenly upon him.It was twenty past three when we reached our terminus, and after ahasty luncheon at the buffet we pushed on at once to Scotland Yard.Holmes had already wired to Forbes, and we found him waiting to receiveus-a small, foxy man with a sharp but by no means amiable expression.He was decidedly frigid in his manner to us, especially when he heard theerrand 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 atyour disposal, and then you try to finish the case yourself and bringdiscredit on them.""On the contrary," said Holmes, "out of my last fifty-three cases myname has only appeared in four, and the police have had all the credit inforty-nine. I don't blame you for not knowing this, for you are young andinexperienced, but if you wish to get on in your new duties you will workwith me and not against me.""I'd be very glad of a hint or two," said the detective, changing hismanner. "I've certainly had no credit from the case so far.""What steps have you taken?""Tangey, the commissionaire, has been shadowed. He left the Guardswith a good character, and we can find nothing against him. His wife is abad 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 ourwoman has been with her twice when she was well on, but she could getnothing 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 anysign of being in funds.""What explanation did she give of having answered the bell when Mr.Phelps rang for the coffee?" "She said that her husband was very tired and she wished to relievehim.""Well, certainly that would agree with his being found a little laterasleep in his chair. There is nothing against them then but the woman'scharacter. Did you ask her why she hurried away that night? Her hasteattracted 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 leasttwenty minutes after her, got home before her?""She explains that by the difference between a 'bus and a hansom."[459] "Did she make it clear why, on reaching her house, she ran intothe 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 inleaving she met anyone or saw anyone loitering about Charles Street?""She saw no one but the constable.""Well, you seem to have cross-examined her pretty thoroughly. Whatelse have you done?""The clerk Gorot has been shadowed all these nine weeks, but withoutresult. We can show nothing against him.""Anything else?""Well, we have nothing else to go upon-no evidence of any kind.""Have you formed any theory about how that bell rang?""Well, I must confess that it beats me. It was a cool hand, whoever itwas, to go and give the alarm like that.""Yes, it was a queer thing to do. Many thanks to you for what you havetold 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 ministerand future premier of England."We were fortunate in finding that Lord Holdhurst was still in hischambers in Downing Street, and on Holmes sending in his card we wereinstantly shown up. The statesman received us with that old-fashionedcourtesy for which he is remarkable and seated us on the two luxuriantlounges on either side of the fireplace. Standing on the rug between us,with his slight, tall figure, his sharp features, thoughtful face, and curlinghair prematurely tinged with gray, he seemed to represent that not toocommon 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 foryour 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 kinshipmakes it the more impossible for me to screen him in any way. I fear thatthe 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, LordHoldhurst.""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 copyingof the document?""It was.""Then you could hardly have been overheard?""It is out of the question.""Did you ever mention to anyone that it was your intention to giveanyone the treaty to be copied?""Never.""You are certain of that?"[460] "Absolutely.""Well, since you never said so, and Mr. Phelps never said so, andnobody else knew anything of the matter, then the thief's presence in theroom 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 importantpoint which I wish to discuss with you," said he. "You feared, as Iunderstand, that very grave results might follow from the details of thistreaty becoming known."A shadow passed over the expressive face of the statesman. "Verygrave results indeed.""And have they occurred?""Not yet.""If the treaty had reached, let us say, the French or Russian ForeignOffice, 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 beenheard, it is not unfair to suppose that for some reason the treaty has notreached them."Lord Holdhurst shrugged his shoulders."We can hardly suppose, Mr. Holmes, that the thief took the treaty inorder 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 willcease to be secret in a few months.""That is most important," said Holmes. "Of course, it is a possiblesupposition that the thief has had a sudden illness- -""An attack of brain-fever, for example?" asked the statesman, flashinga swift glance at him. "I did not say so," said Holmes imperturbably. "And now, LordHoldhurst, we have already taken up too much of your valuable time, andwe shall wish you good-day.""Every success to your investigation, be the criminal who it may,"answered the nobleman as he bowed us out at the door."He's a fine fellow," said Holmes as we came out into Whitehall. "Buthe has a struggle to keep up his position. He is far from rich and has manycalls. You noticed, of course, that his boots had been resoled. Now,Watson, I won't detain you from your legitimate work any longer. I shalldo 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 withme to Woking to-morrow by the same train which we took yesterday."I met him accordingly next morning and we travelled down to Wokingtogether. He had had no answer to his advertisement, he said, and no freshlight had been thrown upon the case. He had, when he so willed it, theutter immobility of countenance of a red Indian, and I could not gatherfrom his appearance whether he was satisfied or not with the position ofthe case. His conversation, I remember, was about the Bertillon system ofmeasurements, and he expressed his enthusiastic admiration of the Frenchsavant.We found our client still under the charge of his devoted nurse, butlooking [461] considerably better than before. He rose from the sofa andgreeted us without difficulty when we entered."Any news?" he asked eagerly."My report, as I expected, is a negative one," said Holmes. "I have seenForbes, and I have seen your uncle, and I have set one or two trains ofinquiry 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 ourcourage and our patience the truth must come out.""We have more to tell you than you have for us," said Phelps, reseatinghimself upon the couch."I hoped you might have something.""Yes, we have had an adventure during the night, and one which mighthave proved to be a serious one." His expression grew very grave as hespoke, and a look of something akin to fear sprang up in his eyes. "Doyou know," said he, "that I begin to believe that I am the unconsciouscentre of some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at as wellas my honour?""Ah!" cried Holmes."It sounds incredible, for I have not, as far as I know, an enemy in theworld. Yet from last night's experience I can come to no otherconclusion.""Pray let me hear it.""You must know that last night was the very first night that I have everslept without a nurse in the room. I was so much better that I though Icould 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 wassuddenly aroused by a slight noise. It was like the sound which a mousemakes when it is gnawing a plank, and I lay listening to it for some timeunder the impression that it must come from that cause. Then it grewlouder, and suddenly there came from the window a sharp metallic snick.I sat up in amazement. There could be no doubt what the sounds werenow. The first ones had been caused by someone forcing an instrumentthrough the slit between the sashes, and the second by the catch beingpressed back."There was a pause then for about ten minutes, as if the person werewaiting to see whether the noise had awakened me. Then I heard a gentlecreaking as the window was very slowly opened. I could stand it nolonger, for my nerves are not what they used to be. I sprang out of bedand flung open the shutters. A man was crouching at the window. I couldsee little of him, for he was gone like a flash. He was wrapped in somesort of cloak which came across the lower part of his face. One thing onlyI am sure of, and that is that he had some weapon in his hand. It looked tome 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 beenstronger. As it was, I rang the bell and roused the house. It took somelittle time, for the bell rings in the kitchen and the servants all sleepupstairs. I shouted, however, and that brought Joseph down, and heroused the others. Joseph and the groom found marks on the bed outsidethe window, but the weather has been so dry lately that they found ithopeless to follow the trail across the grass. There's a place, however, onthe wooden fence which skirts the road which shows signs, [462] they tellme, as if someone had got over, and had snapped the top of the rail indoing so. I have said nothing to the local police yet, for I thought I hadbest have your opinion first." This tale of our client's appeared to have an extraordinary effect uponSherlock Holmes. He rose from his chair and paced about the room inuncontrollable excitement."Misfortunes never come single," said Phelps, smiling, though it wasevident that his adventure had somewhat shaken him."You have certainly had your share," said Holmes. "Do you think youcould 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 askyou to remain sitting exactly where you are."The young lady resumed her seat with an air of displeasure. Herbrother, however, had joined us and we set off all four together. Wepassed 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 hopelesslyblurred and vague. Holmes stooped over them for an instant, and thenrose shrugging his shoulders."I don't think anyone could make much of this," said he. "Let us goround the house and see why this particular room was chosen by theburglar. I should have thought those larger windows of the drawing-roomand 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 haveattempted. 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 anegligent air which was unusual with him."By the way," said he to Joseph Harrison, "you found some place, Iunderstand, 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 thewooden rails had been cracked. A small fragment of the wood washanging down. Holmes pulled it off and examined it critically."Do you think that was done last night? It looks rather old, does it not?""Well, possibly so.""There are no marks of anyone jumping down upon the other side. No,I fancy we shall get no help here. Let us go back to the bedroom and talkthe matter over."Percy Phelps was walking very slowly, leaning upon the arm of hisfuture brother-in-law. Holmes walked swiftly across the lawn, and wewere at the open window of the bedroom long before the others came up."Miss Harrison," said Holmes, speaking with the utmost intensity ofmanner, "you must stay where you are all day. Let nothing prevent youfrom staying where you are all day. It is of the utmost importance.""Certainly, if you wish it, Mr. Holmes," said the girl in astonishment.[463] "When you go to bed lock the door of this room on the outsideand 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 outinto the sunshine!""No, thank you, Joseph. I have a slight headache and this room isdeliciously 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 ourmain 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 thebird flown. We are all in your hands, Mr. Holmes, and you must tell usexactly what you would like done. Perhaps you would prefer that Josephcame with us so as to look after me?""Oh, no, my friend Watson is a medical man, you know, and he'll lookafter you. We'll have our lunch here, if you will permit us, and then weshall all three set off for town together."It was arranged as he suggested, though Miss Harrison excused herselffrom leaving the bedroom, in accordance with Holmes's suggestion. Whatthe object of my friend's manoeuvres was I could not conceive, unless itwere to keep the lady away from Phelps, who, rejoiced by his returninghealth and by the prospect of action, lunched with us in the dining-room.Holmes had a still more startling surprise for us, however, for, afteraccompanying us down to the station and seeing us into our carriage, hecalmly announced that he had no intention of leaving Woking."There are one or two small points which I should desire to clear upbefore I go," said he. "Your absence, Mr. Phelps, will in some waysrather assist me. Watson, when you reach London you would oblige meby driving at once to Baker Street with our friend here, and remainingwith him until I see you again. It is fortunate that you are old schoolfellows, as you must have much to talk over. Mr. Phelps can have thespare bedroom to-night, and I will be with you in time for breakfast, forthere 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 moreimmediate use here.""You might tell them at Briarbrae that I hope to be back to-morrownight," cried Phelps, as we began to move from the platform.[464] "I hardly expect to go back to Briarbrae," answered Holmes, andwaved 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 coulddevise a satisfactory reason for this new development."I suppose he wants to find out some clues as to the burglary last night,if a burglar it was. For myself, I don't believe it was an ordinary thief.""What is your own idea, then?""Upon my word, you may put it down to my weak nerves or not, but Ibelieve there is some deep political intrigue going on around me, and thatfor some reason that passes my understanding my life is aimed at by theconspirators. It sounds high-flown and absurd, but consider the facts!Why should a thief try to break in at a bedroom window where therecould be no hope of any plunder, and why should he come with a longknife 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 hisaction, would it not? Presuming that your theory is correct, if he can layhis hands upon the man who threatened you last night he will have gone along way towards finding who took the naval treaty. It is absurd tosuppose that you have two enemies, one of whom robs you, while theother 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 doanything yet without a very good reason," and with that our conversationdrifted off on to other topics.But it was a weary day for me. Phelps was still weak after his longillness, and his misfortunes made him querulous and nervous. In vain Iendeavoured to interest him in Afghanistan, in India, in social questions,in anything which might take his mind out of the groove. He wouldalways come back to his lost treaty, wondering, guessing, speculating asto what Holmes was doing, what steps Lord Holdhurst was taking, whatnews we should have in the morning. As the evening wore on hisexcitement 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 fewerclues 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 ofthree of the reigning houses of Europe in very vital matters.""But you know him well, Watson. He is such an inscrutable fellow thatI never quite know what to make of him. Do you think he is hopeful? Doyou 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 hegenerally says so. It is when he is on a scent and is not quite absolutelysure yet that it is the right one that he is most taciturn. Now, my dearfellow, we can't help [465] matters by making ourselves nervous aboutthem, so let me implore you to go to bed and so be fresh for whatevermay await us to-morrow."I was able at last to persuade my companion to take my advice, thoughI knew from his excited manner that there was not much hope of sleep forhim. Indeed, his mood was infectious, for I lay tossing half the nightmyself, brooding over this strange problem and inventing a hundredtheories, each of which was more impossible than the last. Why hadHolmes remained at Woking? Why had he asked Miss Harrison to remainin the sick-room all day? Why had he been so careful not to inform thepeople at Briarbrae that he intended to remain near them? I cudgelled mybrains until I fell asleep in the endeavour to find some explanation whichwould cover all these facts.It was seven o'clock when I awoke, and I set off at once for Phelps'sroom to find him haggard and spent after a sleepless night. His firstquestion was whether Holmes had arrived yet."He'll be here when he promised," said I, "and not an instant sooner orlater."And my words were true, for shortly after eight a hansom dashed up tothe door and our friend got out of it. Standing in the window we saw thathis left hand was swathed in a bandage and that his face was very grimand 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 ofthe 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 fromhis return. But surely his hand was not tied up like that yesterday. Whatcan be the matter?""You are not wounded, Holmes?" I asked as my friend entered theroom."Tut, it is only a scratch through my own clumsiness," he answered,nodding his good-morning to us. "This case of yours, Mr. Phelps, iscertainly 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 hashappened?""After breakfast, my dear Watson. Remember that I have breathedthirty miles of Surrey air this morning. I suppose that there has been noanswer from my cabman advertisement? Well, well, we cannot expect toscore every time."The table was all laid, and just as I was about to ring Mrs. Hudsonentered with the tea and coffee. A few minutes later she brought in threecovers, and we all drew up to the table, Holmes ravenous, I curious, andPhelps in the gloomiest state of depression."Mrs. Hudson has risen to the occasion," said Holmes, uncovering adish of curried chicken. "Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has asgood an idea of breakfast as a Scotchwoman. What have you there,Watson?""Ham and eggs," I answered."Good! What are you going to take, Mr. Phelps-curried fowl or eggs,or will you help yourself?""Thank you. I can eat nothing," said Phelps."Oh, come! Try the dish before you.""Thank you, I would really rather not."[466] "Well, then," said Holmes with a mischievous twinkle, "I supposethat you have no objection to helping me?"Phelps raised the cover, and as he did so he uttered a scream and satthere 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. Hecaught it up, devoured it with his eyes, and then danced madly about theroom, pressing it to his bosom and shrieking out in his delight. Then hefell back into an armchair, so limp and exhausted with his own emotionsthat we had to pour brandy down his throat to keep him from fainting."There! there!" said Holmes soothingly, patting him upon the shoulder."It was too bad to spring it on you like this, but Watson here will tell youthat I never can resist a touch of the dramatic."Phelps seized his hand and kissed it. "God bless you!" he cried. "Youhave saved my honour.""Well, my own was at stake, you know," said Holmes. "I assure you itis just as hateful to me to fail in a case as it can be to you to blunder overa commission."Phelps thrust away the precious document into the innermost pocket ofhis coat."I have not the heart to interrupt your breakfast any further, and yet Iam dying to know how you got it and where it was."Sherlock Holmes swallowed a cup of coffee and turned his attention tothe ham and eggs. Then he rose, lit his pipe, and settled himself down intohis chair."I'll tell you what I did first, and how I came to do it afterwards," saidhe. "After leaving you at the station I went for a charming walk throughsome 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 flaskand of putting a paper of sandwiches in my pocket. There I remained untilevening, when I set off for Woking again and found myself in thehighroad outside Briarbrae just after sunset."Well, I waited until the road was clear-it is never a very frequentedone at any time, I fancy-and then I clambered over the fence into thegrounds." "Surely the gate was open!" ejaculated Phelps."Yes, but I have a peculiar taste in these matters. I chose the placewhere the three fir-trees stand, and behind their screen I got over withoutthe least chance of anyone in the house being able to see me. I croucheddown among the bushes on the other side and crawled from one to theother-witness the disreputable state of my trouser knees-until I hadreached the clump of rhododendrons just opposite to your bedroomwindow. There I squatted down and awaited developments."The blind was not down in your room, and I could see Miss Harrisonsitting there reading by the table. It was quarter-past ten when she closedher book, fastened the shutters, and retired."I heard her shut the door and felt quite sure that she had turned the keyin the lock.""The key!" ejaculated Phelps."Yes, I had given Miss Harrison instructions to lock the door on theoutside and take the key with her when she went to bed. She carried outevery one of my injunctions to the letter, and certainly without hercooperation you would not have that paper in your coat-pocket. Shedeparted then and the lights went out, and I was left squatting in therhododendron-bush."The night was fine, but still it was a very weary vigil. Of course it hasthe [467] sort of excitement about it that the sportsman feels when he liesbeside the watercourse and waits for the big game. It was very long,though-almost as long, Watson, as when you and I waited in that deadlyroom when we looked into the little problem of the Speckled Band. Therewas a church-clock down at Woking which struck the quarters, and Ithought more than once that it had stopped. At last, however, about two inthe morning, I suddenly heard the gentle sound of a bolt being pushedback and the creaking of a key. A moment later the servants' door wasopened, and Mr. Joseph Harrison stepped out into the moonlight.""Joseph!" ejaculated Phelps."He was bare-headed, but he had a black cloak thrown over hisshoulder, so that he could conceal his face in an instant if there were anyalarm. He walked on tiptoe under the shadow of the wall, and when hereached the window he worked a long-bladed knife through the sash andpushed back the catch. Then he flung open the window, and putting hisknife through the crack in the shutters, he thrust the bar up and swungthem open."From where I lay I had a perfect view of the inside of the room and ofevery one of his movements. He lit the two candles which stood upon themantelpiece, and then he proceeded to turn back the corner of the carpetin the neighbourhood of the door. Presently he stooped and picked out asquare piece of board, such as is usually left to enable plumbers to get atthe joints of the gas-pipes. This one covered, as a matter of fact, the Tjoint which gives off the pipe which supplies the kitchen underneath. Outof this hiding-place he drew that little cylinder of paper, pushed down theboard, rearranged the carpet, blew out the candles, and walked straightinto my arms as I stood waiting for him outside the window."Well, he has rather more viciousness than I gave him credit for, hasMaster Joseph. He flew at me with his knife, and I had to grasp himtwice, and got a cut over the knuckles, before I had the upper hand ofhim. He looked murder out of the only eye he could see with when wehad finished, but he listened to reason and gave up the papers. Having gotthem 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 Ishrewdly suspect, he finds the nest empty before he gets there, why, allthe better for the government. I fancy that Lord Holdhurst, for one, andMr. Percy Phelps for another, would very much rather that the affairnever got as far as a police-court.""My God!" gasped our client. "Do you tell me that during these longten weeks of agony the stolen papers were within the very room with meall 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 moredangerous one than one might judge from his appearance. From what Ihave heard from him this morning, I gather that he has lost heavily indabbling with stocks, and that he is ready to do anything on earth to betterhis fortunes. Being an absolutely selfish man, when a chance presentsitself he did not allow either his sister's happiness or your reputation tohold his hand."Percy Phelps sank back in his chair. "My head whirls," said he. "Yourwords have dazed me.""The principal difficulty in your case," remarked Holmes in his didacticfashion, "lay in the fact of there being too much evidence. What was vitalwas overlaid and hidden by what was irrelevant. Of all the facts whichwere presented to us we had [468] to pick just those which we deemed tobe essential, and then piece them together in their order, so as toreconstruct this very remarkable chain of events. I had already begun tosuspect Joseph from the fact that you had intended to travel home withhim that night, and that therefore it was a likely enough thing that heshould call for you, knowing the Foreign Office well, upon his way.When I heard that someone had been so anxious to get into the bedroom,in which no one but Joseph could have concealed anything- you told us inyour narrative how you had turned Joseph out when you arrived with thedoctor-my suspicions all changed to certainties, especially as the attemptwas made on the first night upon which the nurse was absent, showingthat 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: ThisJoseph Harrison entered the office through the Charles Street door, andknowing his way he walked straight into your room the instant after youleft it. Finding no one there he promptly rang the bell, and at the instantthat he did so his eyes caught the paper upon the table. A glance showedhim 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 fewminutes elapsed, as you remember, before the sleepy commissionairedrew your attention to the bell, and those were just enough to give thethief time to make his escape."He made his way to Woking by the first train, and, having examinedhis booty and assured himself that it really was of immense value, he hadconcealed it in what he thought was a very safe place, with the intentionof 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. Thencame your sudden return. He, without a moment's warning, was bundledout of his room, and from that time onward there were always at least twoof you there to prevent him from regaining his treasure. The situation tohim must have been a maddening one. But at last he thought he saw hischance. He tried to steal in, but was baffled by your wakefulness. Youmay 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, andthat he quite relied upon your being unconscious. Of course, I understoodthat he would repeat the attempt whenever it could be done with safety.Your leaving the room gave him the chance he wanted. I kept MissHarrison in it all day so that he might not anticipate us. Then, havinggiven him the idea that the coast was clear, I kept guard as I havedescribed. I already knew that the papers were probably in the room, but Ihad no desire to rip up all the planking and skirting in search of them. I lethim take them, therefore, from the hiding-place, and so saved myself aninfinity 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 hemight have entered by the door?""In reaching the door he would have to pass seven bedrooms. On theother hand, he could get out on to the lawn with ease. Anything else?""You do not think," asked Phelps, "that he had any murderousintention? The knife was only meant as a tool.""It may be so," answered Holmes, shrugging his shoulders. "I can onlysay for [469] certain that Mr. Joseph Harrison is a gentleman to whosemercy I should be extremely unwilling to trust."