Sherlock Holmes complete collection by sir arthur conan doyle

The Valley of Fear Chapter 7 THE SOLUTION

NEXT morning, after breakfast, we found Inspector MacDonald andWhite Mason seated in close consultation in the small parlour of the localpolice sergeant. On the table in front of them were piled a number ofletters and telegrams, which they were carefully sorting and docketing.Three had been placed on one side."Still on the track of the elusive bicyclist?" Holmes asked cheerfully."What is the latest news of the ruffian?"MacDonald pointed ruefully to his heap of correspondence."He is at present reported from Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton,Derby, East Ham, Richmond, and fourteen other places. In three ofthem-East Ham, Leicester, and Liverpool-there is a clear case againsthim, and he has actually been arrested. The country seems to be full of thefugitives with yellow coats.""Dear me!" said Holmes sympathetically. "Now, Mr. Mac, and you,Mr. White Mason, I wish to give you a very earnest piece of advice.When I went into this case with you I bargained, as you will no doubtremember, that I should not present you with half-proved theories, butthat I should retain and work out my own ideas until I had satisfiedmyself that they were correct. For this reason I am not at the presentmoment telling you all that is in my mind. On the other hand, I said that Iwould play the game fairly by you, and I do not think it is a fair game toallow you for one unnecessary moment to waste your energies upon aprofitless task. Therefore I am here to advise you this morning, and myadvice to you is summed up in three words-abandon the case."MacDonald and White Mason stared in amazement at their celebratedcolleague."You consider it hopeless!" cried the inspector."I consider your case to be hopeless. I do not consider that it is hopelessto arrive at the truth.""But this cyclist. He is not an invention. We have his description, hisvalise, his bicycle. The fellow must be somewhere. Why should we notget him?""Yes, yes, no doubt he is somewhere, and no doubt we shall get him;but I would not have you waste your energies in East Ham or Liverpool. Iam sure that we can find some shorter cut to a result.""You are holding something back. It's hardly fair of you, Mr. Holmes."The inspector was annoyed."You know my methods of work, Mr. Mac. But I will hold it back forthe shortest time possible. I only wish to verify my details in one way, which can very readily be done, and then I make my bow and return toLondon, leaving my results entirely at your service. I owe you too muchto act otherwise; for in all my experience I cannot recall any moresingular and interesting study.""This is clean beyond me, Mr. Holmes. We saw you when we returnedfrom Tunbridge Wells last night, and you were in general agreement withour results. What has happened since then to give you a completely newidea of the case?""Well, since you ask me, I spent, as I told you that I would, some hourslast night at the Manor House."[807] "Well, what happened?""Ah, I can only give you a very general answer to that for the moment.By the way, I have been reading a short but clear and interesting accountof the old building, purchasable at the modest sum of one penny from thelocal tobacconist."Here Holmes drew a small tract, embellished with a rude engraving ofthe ancient Manor House, from his waistcoat pocket."It immensely adds to the zest of an investigation, my dear Mr. Mac,when one is in conscious sympathy with the historical atmosphere ofone's surroundings. Don't look so impatient; for I assure you that even sobald an account as this raises some sort of picture of the past in one'smind. Permit me to give you a sample. 'Erected in the fifth year of thereign of James I, and standing upon the site of a much older building, theManor House of Birlstone presents one of the finest surviving examplesof the moated Jacobean residence- -'""You are making fools of us, Mr. Holmes!""Tut, tut, Mr. Mac!-the first sign of temper I have detected in you.Well, I won't read it verbatim, since you feel so strongly upon the subject.But when I tell you that there is some account of the taking of the placeby a parliamentary colonel in 1644, of the concealment of Charles forseveral days in the course of the Civil War, and finally of a visit there bythe second George, you will admit that there are various associations ofinterest connected with this ancient house.""I don't doubt it, Mr. Holmes; but that is no business of ours.""Is it not? Is it not? Breadth of view, my dear Mr. Mac, is one of theessentials of our profession. The interplay of ideas and the oblique uses ofknowledge are often of extraordinary interest. You will excuse theseremarks from one who, though a mere connoisseur of crime, is still ratherolder and perhaps more experienced than yourself.""I'm the first to admit that," said the detective heartily. "You get toyour point, I admit; but you have such a deuced round-the-corner way ofdoing it.""Well, well, I'll drop past history and get down to present-day facts. Icalled last night, as I have already said, at the Manor House. I did not seeeither Barker or Mrs. Douglas. I saw no necessity to disturb them; but Iwas pleased to hear that the lady was not visibly pining and that she hadpartaken of an excellent dinner. My visit was specially made to the goodMr. Ames, with whom I exchanged some amiabilities, which culminatedin his allowing me, without reference to anyone else, to sit alone for a time in the study.""What! With that?" I ejaculated."No, no, everything is now in order. You gave permission for that, Mr.Mac, as I am informed. The room was in its normal state, and in it Ipassed an instructive quarter of an hour.""What were you doing?""Well, not to make a mystery of so simple a matter, I was looking forthe missing dumb-bell. It has always bulked rather large in my estimate ofthe case. I ended by finding it.""Where?""Ah, there we come to the edge of the unexplored. Let me go a littlefurther, a very little further, and I will promise that you shall shareeverything that I know.""Well, we're bound to take you on your own terms," said the inspector;"but when it comes to telling us to abandon the case-why in the name ofgoodness should we abandon the case?"[808] "For the simple reason, my dear Mr. Mac, that you have not gotthe first idea what it is that you are investigating.""We are investigating the murder of Mr. John Douglas of BirlstoneManor.""Yes, yes, so you are. But don't trouble to trace the mysteriousgentleman upon the bicycle. I assure you that it won't help you.""Then what do you suggest that we do?""I will tell you exactly what to do, if you will do it.""Well, I'm bound to say I've always found you had reason behind allyour queer ways. I'll do what you advise.""And you, Mr. White Mason?"The country detective looked helplessly from one to the other. Holmesand his methods were new to him. "Well, if it is good enough for theinspector, it is good enough for me," he said at last."Capital!" said Holmes. "Well, then, I should recommend a nice,cheery country walk for both of you. They tell me that the views fromBirlstone Ridge over the Weald are very remarkable. No doubt lunchcould be got at some suitable hostelry; though my ignorance of thecountry prevents me from recommending one. In the evening, tired buthappy- -""Man, this is getting past a joke!" cried MacDonald, rising angrily fromhis chair."Well, well, spend the day as you like," said Holmes, patting himcheerfully upon the shoulder. "Do what you like and go where you will,but meet me here before dusk without fail-without fail, Mr. Mac.""That sounds more like sanity.""All of it was excellent advice; but I don't insist, so long as you arehere when I need you. But now, before we part, I want you to write a noteto Mr. Barker.""Well?""I'll dictate it, if you like. Ready?"DEAR SIR: "It has struck me that it is our duty to drain the moat, in the hopethat we may find some- -""It's impossible," said the inspector. "I've made inquiry.""Tut, tut! My dear sir, please do what I ask you.""Well, go on.""-in the hope that we may find something which may bear uponour investigation. I have made arrangements, and the workmenwill be at work early to-morrow morning diverting the stream- -""Impossible!""-diverting the stream; so I thought it best to explain mattersbeforehand.Now sign that, and send it by hand about four o'clock. At that hour weshall meet again in this room. Until then we may each do what we like;for I can assure you that this inquiry has come to a definite pause."Evening was drawing in when we reassembled. Holmes was veryserious in his manner, myself curious, and the detectives obviouslycritical and annoyed."Well, gentlemen," said my friend gravely, "I am asking you now toput [809] everything to the test with me, and you will judge for yourselveswhether the observations I have made justify the conclusions to which Ihave come. It is a chill evening, and I do not know how long ourexpedition may last; so I beg that you will wear your warmest coats. It isof the first importance that we should be in our places before it growsdark; so with your permission we shall get started at once." We passedalong the outer bounds of the Manor House park until we came to a placewhere there was a gap in the rails which fenced it. Through this weslipped, and then in the gathering gloom we followed Holmes until wehad reached a shrubbery which lies nearly opposite to the main door andthe drawbridge. The latter had not been raised. Holmes crouched downbehind the screen of laurels, and we all three followed his example."Well, what are we to do now?" asked MacDonald with some gruffness."Possess our souls in patience and make as little noise as possible,"Holmes answered."What are we here for at all? I really think that you might treat us withmore frankness."Holmes laughed. "Watson insists that I am the dramatist in real life,"said he. "Some touch of the artist wells up within me, and calls insistentlyfor a well staged performance. Surely our profession, Mr. Mac, would bea drab and sordid one if we did not sometimes set the scene so as toglorify our results. The blunt accusation, the brutal tap upon theshoulder-what can one make of such a dénouement? But the quickinference, the subtle trap, the clever forecast of coming events, thetriumphant vindication of bold theories-are these not the pride and the justification of our life's work? At the present moment you thrill with theglamour of the situation and the anticipation of the hunt. Where would bethat thrill if I had been as definite as a timetable? I only ask a littlepatience, Mr. Mac, and all will be clear to you.""Well, I hope the pride and justification and the rest of it will comebefore we all get our death of cold," said the London detective with comicresignation.We all had good reason to join in the aspiration; for our vigil was along and bitter one. Slowly the shadows darkened over the long, sombreface of the old house. A cold, damp reek from the moat chilled us to thebones and set our teeth chattering. There was a single lamp over thegateway and a steady globe of light in the fatal study. Everything else wasdark and still."How long is this to last?" asked the inspector finally. "And what is itwe are watching for?""I have no more notion than you how long it is to last," Holmesanswered with some asperity. "If criminals would always schedule theirmovements like railway trains, it would certainly be more convenient forall of us. As to what it is we- - Well, that's what we are watching for!"As he spoke the bright, yellow light in the study was obscured bysomebody passing to and fro before it. The laurels among which we laywere immediately opposite the window and not more than a hundred feetfrom it. Presently it was thrown open with a whining of hinges, and wecould dimly see the dark outline of a man's head and shoulders lookingout into the gloom. For some minutes he peered forth in furtive, stealthyfashion, as one who wishes to be assured that he is unobserved. Then heleaned forward, and in the intense silence we were aware of the softlapping of agitated water. He seemed to be stirring up the moat withsomething which he held in his hand. Then suddenly he hauled somethingin as a [810] fisherman lands a fish-some large, round object whichobscured the light as it was dragged through the open casement."Now!" cried Holmes. "Now!"We were all upon our feet, staggering after him with our stiffenedlimbs, while he ran swiftly across the bridge and rang violently at the bell.There was the rasping of bolts from the other side, and the amazed Amesstood in the entrance. Holmes brushed him aside without a word and,followed by all of us, rushed into the room which had been occupied bythe man whom we had been watching.The oil lamp on the table represented the glow which we had seen fromoutside. It was now in the hand of Cecil Barker, who held it towards us aswe entered. Its light shone upon his strong, resolute, clean-shaved faceand his menacing eyes."What the devil is the meaning of all this?" he cried. "What are youafter, anyhow?"Holmes took a swift glance round, and then pounced upon a soddenbundle tied together with cord which lay where it had been thrust underthe writing table."This is what we are after, Mr. Barker-this bundle, weighted with adumb-bell, which you have just raised from the bottom of the moat."Barker stared at Holmes with amazement in his face. "How in thundercame you to know anything about it?" he asked."Simply that I put it there.""You put it there! You!""Perhaps I should have said 'replaced it there,'" said Holmes. "Youwill remember, Inspector MacDonald, that I was somewhat struck by the absence of a dumb-bell. I drew your attention to it; but with the pressureof other events you had hardly the time to give it the consideration whichwould have enabled you to draw deductions from it. When water is nearand a weight is missing it is not a very far-fetched supposition thatsomething has been sunk in the water. The idea was at least worth testing;so with the help of Ames, who admitted me to the room, and the crook ofDr. Watson's umbrella, I was able last night to fish up and inspect thisbundle."It was of the first importance, however, that we should be able toprove who placed it there. This we accomplished by the very obviousdevice of announcing that the moat would be dried to-morrow, which had,of course, the effect that whoever had hidden the bundle would mostcertainly withdraw it the moment that darkness enabled him to do so. Wehave no less than four witnesses as to who it was who took advantage ofthe opportunity, and so, Mr. Barker, I think the word lies now with you."Sherlock Holmes put the sopping bundle upon the table beside the lampand undid the cord which bound it. From within he extracted a dumb-bell,which he tossed down to its fellow in the corner. Next he drew forth apair of boots. "American, as you perceive," he remarked, pointing to thetoes. Then he laid upon the table a long, deadly, sheathed knife. Finally heunravelled a bundle of clothing, comprising a complete set ofunderclothes, socks, a gray tweed suit, and a short yellow overcoat."The clothes are commonplace," remarked Holmes, "save only theovercoat, which is full of suggestive touches." He held it tenderly towardsthe light. "Here, as you perceive, is the inner pocket prolonged into thelining in such fashion as to give ample space for the truncated fowlingpiece. The tailor's tab is on the [811] neck-'Neal, Outfitter, Vermissa, U.S. A.' I have spent an instructive afternoon in the rector's library, andhave enlarged my knowledge by adding the fact that Vermissa is aflourishing little town at the head of one of the best known coal and ironvalleys in the United States. I have some recollection, Mr. Barker, thatyou associated the coal districts with Mr. Douglas's first wife, and itwould surely not be too far-fetched an inference that the V. V. upon thecard by the dead body might stand for Vermissa Valley, or that this veryvalley which sends forth emissaries of murder may be that Valley of Fearof which we have heard. So much is fairly clear. And now, Mr. Barker, Iseem to be standing rather in the way of your explanation."It was a sight to see Cecil Barker's expressive face during thisexposition of the great detective. Anger, amazement, consternation, andindecision swept over it in turn. Finally he took refuge in a somewhatacrid irony."You know such a lot, Mr. Holmes, perhaps you had better tell us somemore," he sneered."I have no doubt that I could tell you a great deal more, Mr. Barker; butit would come with a better grace from you.""Oh, you think so, do you? Well, all I can say is that if there's anysecret here it is not my secret, and I am not the man to give it away.""Well, if you take that line, Mr. Barker," said the inspector quietly, "wemust just keep you in sight until we have the warrant and can hold you." "You can do what you damn please about that," said Barker defiantly.The proceedings seemed to have come to a definite end so far as he wasconcerned; for one had only to look at that granite face to realize that nopeine forte et dure would ever force him to plead against his will. Thedeadlock was broken, however, by a woman's voice. Mrs. Douglas hadbeen standing listening at the half opened door, and now she entered theroom."You have done enough for now, Cecil," said she. "Whatever comes ofit in the future, you have done enough.""Enough and more than enough," remarked Sherlock Holmes gravely."I have every sympathy with you, madam, and I should strongly urge youto have some confidence in the common sense of our jurisdiction and totake the police voluntarily into your complete confidence. It may be that Iam myself at fault for not following up the hint which you conveyed tome through my friend, Dr. Watson; but, at that time I had every reason tobelieve that you were directly concerned in the crime. Now I am assuredthat this is not so. At the same time, there is much that is unexplained, andI should strongly recommend that you ask Mr. Douglas to tell us his ownstory."Mrs. Douglas gave a cry of astonishment at Holmes's words. Thedetectives and I must have echoed it, when we were aware of a man whoseemed to have emerged from the wall, who advanced now from thegloom of the corner in which he had appeared. Mrs. Douglas turned, andin an instant her arms were round him. Barker had seized his outstretchedhand."It's best this way, Jack," his wife repeated; "I am sure that it is best.""Indeed, yes, Mr. Douglas," said Sherlock Holmes, "I am sure that youwill find it best."The man stood blinking at us with the dazed look of one who comesfrom the dark into the light. It was a remarkable face, bold gray eyes, astrong, short-clipped, grizzled moustache, a square, projecting chin, and ahumorous mouth. He [812] took a good look at us all, and then to myamazement he advanced to me and handed me a bundle of paper."I've heard of you," said he in a voice which was not quite English andnot quite American, but was altogether mellow and pleasing. "You are thehistorian of this bunch. Well, Dr. Watson, you've never had such a storyas that pass through your hands before, and I'll lay my last dollar on that.Tell it your own way; but there are the facts, and you can't miss thepublic so long as you have those. I've been cooped up two days, and I'vespent the daylight hours- as much daylight as I could get in that rattrap-in putting the thing into words. You're welcome to them-you andyour public. There's the story of the Valley of Fear.""That's the past, Mr. Douglas," said Sherlock Holmes quietly. "Whatwe desire now is to hear your story of the present.""You'll have it, sir," said Douglas. "May I smoke as I talk? Well, thankyou, Mr. Holmes. You're a smoker yourself, if I remember right, andyou'll guess what it is to be sitting for two days with tobacco in yourpocket and afraid that the smell will give you away." He leaned againstthe mantelpiece and sucked at the cigar which Holmes had handed him."I've heard of you, Mr. Holmes. I never guessed that I should meet you.But before you are through with that," he nodded at my papers, "you willsay I've brought you something fresh."Inspector MacDonald had been staring at the newcomer with thegreatest amazement. "Well, this fairly beats me!" he cried at last. "If youare Mr. John Douglas of Birlstone Manor, then whose death have we beeninvestigating for these two days, and where in the world have you sprungfrom now? You seemed to me to come out of the floor like a jack-in-abox.""Ah, Mr. Mac," said Holmes, shaking a reproving forefinger, "youwould not read that excellent local compilation which described theconcealment of King Charles. People did not hide in those days withoutexcellent hiding places, and the hiding place that has once been used maybe again. I had persuaded myself that we should find Mr. Douglas underthis roof.""And how long have you been playing this trick upon us, Mr.Holmes?" said the inspector angrily. "How long have you allowed us towaste ourselves upon a search that you knew to be an absurd one?""Not one instant, my dear Mr. Mac. Only last night did I form myviews of the case. As they could not be put to the proof until this evening,I invited you and your colleague to take a holiday for the day. Pray whatmore could I do? When I found the suit of clothes in the moat, it at oncebecame apparent to me that the body we had found could not have beenthe body of Mr. John Douglas at all, but must be that of the bicyclist fromTunbridge Wells. No other conclusion was possible. Therefore I had to determine where Mr. John Douglas himself could be, and the balance ofprobability was that with the connivance of his wife and his friend he wasconcealed in a house which had such conveniences for a fugitive, andawaiting quieter times when he could make his final escape.""Well, you figured it out about right," said Douglas approvingly. "Ithought I'd dodge your British law; for I was not sure how I stood underit, and also I saw my chance to throw these hounds once for all off mytrack. Mind you, from first to last I have done nothing to be ashamed of,and nothing that I would not do again; but you'll judge that for yourselveswhen I tell you my story. Never mind warning me, Inspector: I'm ready tostand pat upon the truth."I'm not going to begin at the beginning. That's all there," he indicatedmy [813] bundle of papers, "and a mighty queer yarn you'll find it. It allcomes down to this: That there are some men that have good cause to hateme and would give their last dollar to know that they had got me. So longas I am alive and they are alive, there is no safety in this world for me.They hunted me from Chicago to California, then they chased me out ofAmerica; but when I married and settled down in this quiet spot I thoughtmy last years were going to be peaceable."I never explained to my wife how things were. Why should I pull herinto it? She would never have a quiet moment again; but would always beimagining trouble. I fancy she knew something, for I may have dropped aword here or a word there; but until yesterday, after you gentlemen hadseen her, she never knew the rights of the matter. She told you all sheknew, and so did Barker here; for on the night when this thing happenedthere was mighty little time for explanations. She knows everything now,and I would have been a wiser man if I had told her sooner. But it was ahard question, dear," he took her hand for an instant in his own, "and Iacted for the best."Well, gentlemen, the day before these happenings I was over inTunbridge Wells, and I got a glimpse of a man in the street. It was only aglimpse; but I have a quick eye for these things, and I never doubted whoit was. It was the worst enemy I had among them all-one who has beenafter me like a hungry wolf after a caribou all these years. I knew therewas trouble coming, and I came home and made ready for it. I guessed I'dfight through it all right on my own, my luck was a proverb in the Statesabout '76. I never doubted that it would be with me still."I was on my guard all that next day, and never went out into the park.It's as well, or he'd have had the drop on me with that buckshot gun of hisbefore ever I could draw on him. After the bridge was up-my mind wasalways more restful when that bridge was up in the evenings-I put thething clear out of my head. I never dreamed of his getting into the houseand waiting for me. But when I made my round in my dressing gown, aswas my habit, I had no sooner entered the study than I scented danger. Iguess when a man has had dangers in his life-and I've had more thanmost in my time-there is a kind of sixth sense that waves the red flag. Isaw the signal clear enough, and yet I couldn't tell you why. Next instantI spotted a boot under the window curtain, and then I saw why plainenough. "I'd just the one candle that was in my hand; but there was a good lightfrom the hall lamp through the open door. I put down the candle andjumped for a hammer that I'd left on the mantel. At the same moment hesprang at me. I saw the glint of a knife, and I lashed at him with thehammer. I got him somewhere; for the knife tinkled down on the floor.He dodged round the table as quick as an eel, and a moment later he'd gothis gun from under his coat. I heard him cock it; but I had got hold of itbefore he could fire. I had it by the barrel, and we wrestled for it all endsup for a minute or more. It was death to the man that lost his grip."He never lost his grip; but he got it butt downward for a moment toolong. Maybe it was I that pulled the trigger. Maybe we just jolted it offbetween us. Anyhow, he got both barrels in the face, and there I was,staring down at all that was left of Ted Baldwin. I'd recognized him in thetownship, and again when he sprang for me; but his own mother wouldn'trecognize him as I saw him then. I'm used to rough work; but I fairlyturned sick at the sight of him."I was hanging on the side of the table when Barker came hurryingdown. I heard my wife coming, and I ran to the door and stopped her. Itwas no sight for a [814] woman. I promised I'd come to her soon. I said aword or two to Barker -he took it all in at a glance-and we waited for therest to come along. But there was no sign of them. Then we understoodthat they could hear nothing, and that all that had happened was knownonly to ourselves."It was at that instant that the idea came to me. I was fairly dazzled bythe brilliance of it. The man's sleeve had slipped up and there was the branded mark of the lodge upon his forearm. See here!"The man whom we had known as Douglas turned up his own coat andcuff to show a brown triangle within a circle exactly like that which wehad seen upon the dead man."It was the sight of that which started me on it. I seemed to see it allclear at a glance. There were his height and hair and figure, about thesame as my own. No one could swear to his face, poor devil! I broughtdown this suit of clothes, and in a quarter of an hour Barker and I had putmy dressing gown on him and he lay as you found him. We tied all histhings into a bundle, and I weighted them with the only weight I couldfind and put them through the window. The card he had meant to lay uponmy body was lying beside his own."My rings were put on his finger; but when it came to the weddingring," he held out his muscular hand, "you can see for yourselves that Ihad struck the limit. I have not moved it since the day I was married, andit would have taken a file to get it off. I don't know, anyhow, that I shouldhave cared to part with it; but if I had wanted to I couldn't. So we just hadto leave that detail to take care of itself. On the other hand, I brought a bitof plaster down and put it where I am wearing one myself at this instant.You slipped up there, Mr. Holmes, clever as you are; for if you hadchanced to take off that plaster you would have found no cut underneath it."Well, that was the situation. If I could lie low for a while and then getaway where I could be joined by my 'widow' we should have a chance atlast of living in peace for the rest of our lives. These devils would give meno rest so long as I was above ground; but if they saw in the papers thatBaldwin had got his man, there would be an end of all my troubles. Ihadn't much time to make it all clear to Barker and to my wife; but theyunderstood enough to be able to help me. I knew all about this hidingplace, so did Ames; but it never entered his head to connect it with thematter. I retired into it, and it was up to Barker to do the rest."I guess you can fill in for yourselves what he did. He opened thewindow and made the mark on the sill to give an idea of how themurderer escaped. It was a tall order, that; but as the bridge was up therewas no other way. Then, when everything was fixed, he rang the bell forall he was worth. What happened afterward you know. And so,gentlemen, you can do what you please; but I've told you the truth and thewhole truth, so help me God! What I ask you now is how do I stand bythe English law?"There was a silence which was broken by Sherlock Holmes."The English law is in the main a just law. You will get no worse thanyour deserts from that, Mr. Douglas. But I would ask you how did thisman know that you lived here, or how to get into your house, or where tohide to get you?""I know nothing of this."Holmes's face was very white and grave. "The story is not over yet, Ifear," said he. "You may find worse dangers than the English law, or eventhan your [815] enemies from America. I see trouble before you, Mr.Douglas. You'll take my advice and still be on your guard."And now, my long-suffering readers, I will ask you to come away with me for a time, far from the Sussex Manor House of Birlstone, and far alsofrom the year of grace in which we made our eventful journey whichended with the strange story of the man who had been known as JohnDouglas. I wish you to journey back some twenty years in time, andwestward some thousands of miles in space, that I may lay before you asingular and terrible narrative-so singular and so terrible that you mayfind it hard to believe that even as I tell it, even so did it occur.Do not think that I intrude one story before another is finished. As youread on you will find that this is not so. And when I have detailed thosedistant events and you have solved this mystery of the past, we shall meetonce more in those rooms on Baker Street, where this, like so many otherwonderful happenings, will find its end.