FA MOU S

D E T E C T IV E S T OR IE S

E D IT E D B Y

J W A L KE R Mc S PA D D E N
.

Ed ito r of Fa m o u s G host Stori es

“

Au thor of O pera S yno pses etc

“
,
”
.

N EW Y OR K

C R OW E L L C OMPAN Y
PU B L I S HE R S
 I N T ROD U C T I ON

O rigi n ally planned as a companion volume to

”
F amou s G h ost S tories whic h h as seeme d to str i ke
,

a re spons iv e c h or d w i th t h e rea d ing pub li c — t h is

co l lection o f D et e cti ve S tori e s sp eedi ly pro v ed to
t he e di tor its right to e x i st on its own ac co u nt At .

t he sam e time there is a s ubtle bond o f sympat h y

betw ee n g h ost an d d etecti v e ta l es B oth d ea l wit h
.

t h e prob l em o f mystery ; both sti m u late t h e imagina

tion Wi th t h e form e r class the mystery may ne v er
.
,

be solv e d ; while wi th the l att e r its so l ution is a n e

,

cessa ry ingredient .

However as the wor k upon the detectiv e tales

,

progr e ssed — invo l ving t he r e a di ng o f many tim e s

t he number of stories inc l u ded w i t hi n t h is vo l u m e
t he e ditor was impr e sse d mor e an d more wit h t he
ric h ness o f this parti cu l ar v ei n o f l it e rat u r e And .

he b e l ie v e s th at ev e ry r e a de r wi ll s h are t h e f ee l i ng .

E ve n those r e a d ers who h a ve a l r e a dy b ee n i n t he

h ab i t o f p e r u sing a goo d de t e cti v e yarn to pa ss away
the tim e an d t he n u mb e r o f such r e a de r s is le gi on
may not hav e stopp e d to con si de r t he w e alth and
high qua li ty o f l it e rary o u tput fal li ng un de r t h is
g e n e ra l title S inc e th e ti m e o f E dgar A ll a n P o e
.
,

w h o is regar de d as th e fat he r o f th e sch oo l t he li st

,

o f writers has inc l u d e d som e o f th e ab le st ma sters o f

th e short story .
vi IN TR OD U C T ION

Because Poe wa s the pio nee r we have begun the ,

pre se n t series wit h his famo u s Th e Pur l o i n ed L e t

”
ter w h ich may be parap h rased as the triump h o f
,
”
the obvious Poe s ge n ius in this li ne was abu n
.
’

da u t ly d emonstrated i n h is Murd e rs i n th e Ru e
”
Morgue and was first recogniz e d by t h e F re n ch
, ,

more tha n o n e o f w h om fra nkly imitated him .

P erhaps the ab l est of h is disc i pl e s i n France was

Gaboriau wh o se outstan d i n g c h aracter is M L eco q
, . .

T h e latter s adventur e s fi ll severa l l arge vol um e s

’
,

w h ic h h ave long s i nce passed t h rough sev e ral E n glis h

editio n s ; t h e mo st popular b e ing Fil e No 1 1 3 .

( a ll u d in g to the numb e r o f a crimi n a l case o n t h e

police docket ) We h ave been forced by space lim
.

i t a ti o n s to quote o n ly o n e c h apter from this book but ,

i t is a complete epi sode i n itself an d reveals L eco q s ,

’

powers o f reaso n i n g a n d d e d uction a met h od t h at

was raised to t h e n th power by C ona n D oyle s fa m ous ’

det e ctive S h erlock Ho l mes It is tru e t h at Holm e s

, .

fl eers somew h at ungrac i ously in on e o f h is a dven ,

tures upon the more pon d erous L eco q but t h e i r

, ,
“
m o dus op era n di i s esse n tially t h e same In A .

Sc a n dal in B o h emi a w e witn e ss a typical ad v e n tur e

of D r W atson s astut e f ri end
.
’
.

I n h is New Arabia n Nigh ts S teve n so n t u r n e d ,

his hand at adve n tures of in v o l ve d plot and cou n ter

plot although witho u t the gu id ing g en i u s o f a ce n
,

tral sle u th O n e such story to u c he d as are a ll by

.
, ,

the magic o f h is inimitable styl e i s he re i n cl u de d , .

Amo n g more rece n t writ e rs S ax Ro hm er has a t ,

tracted wi d e atte n tio n in E nglan d and America by the

g rotesque a n d bi z arre typ e s h e presents I n his .
 I NTROD U C T I ON vii

Eu M a n chu
-
tales howeve r his detectives regu
, ,

l a rly get the worst of it The same is tru e o f the

.

R a fll es stories by E W Hor n u n g where we fi nd

. .
,

the amateur crack sma n putti ng it al l over the

detectives pitted agai n st him P ercha nce thi s wa s .

a natural revolt o n t h e writers part agai n st the cock ’

sure met h ods o f our frie n d Sherlock .

A sti l l later group o f detectives however pre , ,

”
serve the traditio n s W e believe they would be
.

a match for the au d acious R a fil es a n d a l l his ga n g .

C raig Ke n nedy the scientist is o n e ; Lawre n ce R a n d

, ,

another ; Ars ene Lupi n w h o is a logical descenda n t,

o f the Fre n ch school a n other ; C leek still a n other ;

, ,

while the ge n tler sex is repr e s en t e d very creditably

by Viol e t S tra n ge w h ose creator Ann a Kat h erine
, ,

Gree n has give n us som e o f t he best rece n t e x

,

a mples of myst e ry story in America .

It ha s bee n such a d istinct pleasure to gather all

these celebrated c h aracters tog e ther — to watch
them work i n company so to speak , t h a t we beli e ve ,

t h e reader wi l l sh are a re sponsive t h ril l It wo u ld .

be a harde n ed reader i n d e ed who do e s n ot fe el h is

, ,

pulses ti ngle befor e h e follows on e of t h ese breat hle ss

a dve n tures very far And so wit h out furt he r a d o
.

— reader we would pres en t these F amous D e

,

t ectives . M e et the new o ne s ; gr ee t t he ol d on e s of

y our acquainta n ce . All ar e wo rt h w h ile .

F i n ally a colle ction su ch as t h is ha s b ee n made

,

p ossible only t h roug h t he g ene ro u s c oop e ration o f

b oth authors an d publis he r s Ou r s i n cere a ckn o wl .

e dgm ent s and t h ank s a re d ue to An n a Katheri n e

G reen a n d Arthur B R e eve for perso n al assista n ce ;

.
,
 I NTR O D U C T IO N

to R ob e rt M McB ri de for p e rmissio n to use th e

.
,

sto ry by S ax Ro hm er ; to the p ub l is h ers o f th e

Metrop o l i ta n Ma ga z i ne for t h e B roughto n B ran
,

d enb u rg story ; to C harl e s S crib ne rs S ons for the

’
,

Hor n ung material ; to D oubl e day P age 8: C om ,

pany for extracts f rom t h e works o f Maurice L e

Blanc an d Thoma s W Hans he w ; a n d to Harp e r a n d
.

Brothers for other kind permi ssio n s .

J W M C S . . .

Mon tcla ir N J
, . .
,

May 1 3 1 9 2 0
, .
 C ON TEN TS

TH E P u RL oxN ED L ETT ER E dg a r A l l a n P oe

AN I N TERVIEW H M
W IT . L Ecoo E mi l e G a bori a u

4- A SC A N DAL IN BOHE MIA A . C ona n D oy l e

TH E ADVE NTU RE or THE H AN SOM

C AB S R ob ert L otu s S tev enson

THE ADVE NTUR E or THE TOADSTOOL S S R hm ax o er

G E NTL E ME D P L AY E RS
N AN E W H g . . ornun

4 THE B C K H NDLA A A th 8 R w r ur . e e

THE G On o S PEc E
R
’ ‘

A K tk i G nn a a er n e reen

THE MY STE Y on THE STEEL DISK B g ht B d b

R rou on ra n en urg

THE S IG o n THE S H ADOW

N M i L Bl a u r ce e a ne

THE MY sTERY or THE STE E L R OOM Th m W H m lm w o as . a

 T HE PU RL OI N E D L E TT E R

By E DGA R A L LA N POE

AT Paris just after dark o n e gusty eve n i n g i n the

,

autum n o f 1 8 I was enj oy i ng t h e twofo ld l uxury

o f me d itatio n a nd a meersch aum i n co m pa n y wit h ,

my frie nd C Auguste D upin i n his l itt l e back

, .
,

library or book cl oset a u tro i szem e N o 3 3 R u e

,
-
, ,
.
,

D u n é t Fa u b o urg S a i n t Germ a i n
,
F or o n e hour at
.

le ast we ha d maintaine d a profoun d si l ence ; whi l e

e ach to a ny casua l observer might have seemed
, ,

i n te n t ly a nd exc l usive l y occupie d with the cur l ing

e d dies of smoke t h at oppresse d the atmosphere of
the chamber For myse l f however I was me n ta lly
.
, ,

d iscussing certain topics which had forme d matter

for conversatio n betwee n us at a n ear l ier perio d of
the evening ; I mea n t h e a ffair of t h e R u e Morgue ,

an d t h e mystery atten d ing the mur d er of M arie

R oget I l ooke d upon i t t h erefore as someth ing
.
, ,

o f a coi n ci d ence when t h e d oor of our apartme n t

,

w a s thrown Sp en an d a d mitte d our o ld acquai n ta n ce ,

Monsieur G t h e P refect of t h e P arisian po l ice .

We gave him a hearty wel come ; for t h ere was

n e a rly half as muc h o f the entertaining as of the

con temptible about the man an d we ha d n ot see n

,

hi m f o r several yea rs We had bee n sitti n g i n the

.
2 FAM O U S DET E CTI V E STOR I ES
dark and D upin now arose for t h e p u rpose o f l igh t
,

i ng a l a m p but sat d ow n agai n W i t h out d oing so

, ,

upon G s say i ng that h e ha d ca lled to cons u l t

’

us or rather to ask t h e Opin i on o f my fri e n d abo u t

, ,

so m e o ffi cia l busin e ss w h ic h had occas i one d a gr e at

de a l of tro ub l e .

If i t is any point r e quir i ng refl e ction Ob se rved ,

D up i n a s h e fo rbo re to e nk i n dle t he W ic k
, we ,
”
s h a ll e xa m in e it to b e tt e r p u rpo se i n t h e d ark .

”
Th i s i s another o f yo u r Odd not i on s sa id t he ,

Pr e f e ct w h o ha d a f a sh ion O f ca ll ing e v e ryt h ing

,

O dd t h at w a s b e yon d hi s co m pr e h e n sion an d t h us ,
”
l i ved a m i d an ab so l ut e le gi on O f Oddi ti e s .

”
V e ry tr u e sa id D up i n a s h e su pp l ie d hi s vi sitor
, ,

with a pipe an d ro lled towar d s hi m a comfortab le

,

c h ai r .

And what i s t he d i ffi cu l ty now ? I a sk e d .

“
Nothing mo re in th e a ssa ssination w a y I h op e ? ,

O h no ; noth ing o f t h at natu re T he fa ct i s t h e

,
.
,

bu sin e ss is v ery si m p le in deed an d I m ak e no d oubt ,

that we ca n m anag e it su ffi ci e nt ly w ell our selve s ; but

t he n I thought D upin w ou ld l i k e to h ear t h e de tai l s
”
O f i t b e cau se it i s so e x c e s si vel y o d d
, .

”
S imp l e an d O dd sa id D upin , .

W hy yes ; an d not exact l y t h a t e ith e r T h e

, , .

f a ct i s we ha v e a ll b ee n a goo d de a l puzz led b e ca u se

,
”
t he a ffair i s so S i mp le an d y e t ba ffl e s u s a l tog e th e r
,
.

“
Pe rhaps it i s the v e ry simp l i city o f the t h ing
”
wh i ch p u t s you at fau l t sai d m y fri e n d , .

W hat nons e nse you d o ta l k ! rep l i ed the Pre

f e et l aughing h e arti l y
, .
 T HE P U R L O I N E D L ETT ER
P erhaps th e myst e ry i s a l ittl e to o plai n sa i d ,

Du p i n .

Oh good he avens ! who ever heard of suc h a n

,
”
i de a ?
A li tt l e to o s el f e v i de nt -
.

Ha ! ha ! ha l — ha l h a ! ha l — ho l ho ! ho !
roa re d our V i si tor profoun dl y amu sed , O D upin , ,

y o u wil l be t h e de ath Of m e ye t !

An d w h at a ft e r a ll is t h e matter o n ha n d ? I
, ,

asked .

W hy I wi ll t ell yo u r e p l ied the P ref e ct as he

, , ,

ga v e a l ong stea dy and co nt e mp l ati v e p u ff an d

, , ,

s e tt led h i ms el f in hi s c h air I wil l t e ll you in a .

few wor d s ; but b e fore I b e gin le t me caution you

, ,

t h at t h i s i s a n a ffair d eman d ing t h e gr e atest se cre cy ,

a n d t h at I shou ld mo st probab l y l o se t he position I

n ow h o ld were it k n ow n that I had confid e d it to

,

any o n e .

P rocee d sai d I , .

”
O r not said D upin , .

Well th e n ; I h ave receive d persona l informa

,

tion from a very h igh q u arter that a c e rtain d ocu

, ,

m en t O f t h e l ast importanc e has b ee n pur l oined from

th e roya l apartment s Th e ind ividu a l who pur .

loine d it is known ; t hi s b e yo n d a doubt ; he was seen

to take it It i s known a l so that it sti ll remains i n
.
, ,
”
hi s po ssession .

How is this known ? asked D u pin .

”
I t is clear l y inf e rr ed rep l ie d th e Prefect , ,

from the nature of the d o cu m ent an d from the ,

n o n appeara n ce o f certai n resu l ts whic h would at

-
 4 FAM OUS DETECTIVE STOR IE S
o nce a rise from its passi ng o u t o f the robber s po sses ’

sio n ; that is to say from his emp l oyi n g it a s he

,

must design i n the e nd to emp l oy i t ”

.

”
Be a little more exp l icit I said , .

Well I may venture so far as to say t h at the

,

paper gives its holder a certain power i n a certai n

quarter where such power is immensely va luable ”
.

The Prefect was fo nd o f the ca n t of diplomacy .

S ti l l I do n ot quite u nd erstand said D upi n , .

No ? We l l ; the disclosure of the d ocument to a

third perso n who sha l l be name l ess wo u ld bri n g in
, ,

questio n the ho n or of a personage o f most exa l ted

station ; a n d this fact gives the hol d ers of the d ocu

m ent a n ascen d a n cy over t h e i ll u strio u s perso n age

”
whose ho n or a n d peace are so j eopar d i z ed .

”
But this asce n dancy I i n terpose d wou ld de
, ,
’
p e n d upo n the robber s knowledge o f the loser s ’

kn ow l edge of the robber Who woul d da re .

“
The thief sa i d G
, is t h e minister
D w h o dares all things those unbecoming as ,

well as those becomi n g a ma n The metho d o f th e .

theft was n o t less i nge n ious tha n bo l d The docu .

me n t i n questio n a letter to be frank , had bee n

receive d by the personage robbed w h i l e a l o n e i n the
royal bo ud o i r Duri n g its p e rusal s h e was sud d enly
.

i n terrupted by t h e e n trance of the other exa l ted per

so n a ge from whom especia l ly it was her wish to co n
,

ceal i t After a hurrie d and vai n e nd eavor to thrust

.

it into a drawer she was fo rced to p l ace it open as it

, ,

was upon a table Th e a d dress ho wever was up

, .
, ,

p er m o s t and
, the,co n te n ts thus u n exposed the letter ,
 TH E P URL O I NED LET TER S

escaped n otice At this ju n cture e n ter the mi n ister

.

D His ly nx eye imme d iate ly perceives t h e

paper recogn i z es the ha n dwri ting of the a d dress
, ,

observes t h e co n fusio n of the perso n age addre sse d ,

an d fathoms h er secret After some business tra n s .

a ctio n s hurried through in his ordi n ary ma nn er he

, ,

produces a letter somewhat simi l ar to t h e one in

que stio n ope n s it preten d s to read it a nd the n
, , ,

places it i n close j uxtapositio n to the other Again .

he co n verses for some fifteen minutes upon the pub

lic a ff airs At le n gt h in taking l eave he takes a l so
.
, ,

from the table the letter to which h e had n o claim .

Its rightful ow n er saw but of course dared n ot call , , ,

a tte n tio n to the act in the presence o f the third per

,

so n a ge who stood at her e l bow

, The mi n ister de .

camped leavi n g his own l etter

, o n e o f n o impor
”
ta n ce upo n the tab l e .

”
Here the n said D upi n to me you have pre
, , ,

ci sely what you demand to make the a sce n dan cy

complete — the robber s kn owledge of the loser s ’ ’

kn owle d ge o f the robber .

”
Yes rep l ied the Pre fect ; a n d the power thus
,

a ttai n ed has fo r som e mo n ths ast bee n wielded

p ,

for po l itical pu rposes to a very d a nge rous exte n t , .

Th e perso n age robbed is more t h oro u gh l y convi n ced

every day of the n ecessity o f re cl aiming h er letter .

B u t this o f course ca nn ot be d o n e openly

, , I n fin e .
,

drive n to d espair she has committed the matter to

,
”
me .

“
T ha n whom said D upin amid a perfect
, ,

whirlwi n d of s m oke n o more sagacious age n t ,

6 FAM OUS D ETECT I VE STOR IE S
coul d I suppose be d e sired o r e ve n imagi n e d
, , , .

”
You fl atter me repli ed th e P refect ; but it is ,

possib l e that som e suc h opinio n may have bee n en

tert a i n ed .

“
It is clear said I as you Observe that the
, , ,

letter is sti ll in poss e ssio n of t h e mi n ister ; since it is

this possession and not any employme n t of t h e let
,

ter which bestows the power With the employ

, .

me n t the power d e parts

“
True sai d G , and upo n this co nvictio n
I proceeded My first care was to make thorough
.

search of the minister s hOtel ; and here my c h ief ’

embarrassment l ay i n the n e cessity of searchi n g

without his kn owle d ge Beyon d a ll thi n gs I have .
,

been war n ed o f the danger w h i ch wou ld resu l t from

”
giving him reason to suspect our design .

”
But sai d I you are qu ite a n fa i t i n these i n
, ,

vestiga ti o n s The P arisian police have done this

.

thi n g o fte n before .

O h yes ; and for this reason I did n ot d espair

, .

The habits o f the mini st e r gave me too a great , ,

advantage He is fr e q u ent ly ab se n t from home a ll

.

n ight His servants are by no means numerous

. .

They s l eep at a d istance from their master s apart ’

me n t and being chi e fly N e apo l ita n s are readi l y

, , ,

made d runk I have keys as you kn ow wi th w h ich

.
, ,

I can ope n any chambe r or cabi n et in P aris F or .

three months a nigh t has not pass ed d u ri ng the ,

greater part of which I have not b e e n engaged per ,

so na lly i n ransa cking the D

, HOt el My .

ho n or is i n terested an d to me n tio n a great secret , ,

 TH E P URL O I NED LE TTER 7

the reward is e n ormous S o I did n ot aba n do n the .

s e arch u n til I ha d become fully satisfied that the

thie f i s a mor e astute ma n t ha n myse l f I fa ncy .

that I have i nvestigated every n oo k and cor n er of

the premises in which it is possible that the paper
”
ca n be co n ceale d .

But is it n ot possible I suggeste d that a l

, ,

though the letter may be i n possessio n o f the mi n is

ter as it unquestio n ably is he may have co n cealed
, ,

it e l sewhere than u po n his ow n premises ?

“ ”
This is barel y possible said D upin The , .

prese n t pecu l iar co n ditio n of a fl a i rs at court a n d ,

especia l ly o f th ose i ntrigues in whic h D is

kn ow n to be i n volved would render the i n sta n t ,

avai l ability of the docume n t — its susceptibi l ity of

bei n g produced at a mome n t s n otice — a poi n t o f
’

”
n ear ly equal importa n ce with its possessio n .

Its susceptibi l ity of being produced ? said I .

That is to say o f being d estroyed said D upi n

, ,
.

”
True I observed ; the paper is clearly then
,

upo n the premises As for its being upo n th e perso n

.

of the mi n ister we may co n sider that a s out o f the

,
”
questio n .

“
E ntirely said the Prefect
, H e ha s bee n .

twice wayl aid as i f by footpads a n d his perso n

, ,
”
rigorous l y s e a rche d u n der my own i n spectio n .

You might h ave spared yourself the trouble ,

sai d D upin D. I pr e s ume is not a l toget her ,

a fool and i f n ot must have a n ticipated these way

, , ,
”
Ia yi n gs a s a matter of course
, .

”
N o t a l toge ther a fool said G but the n
,
8 FAM O U S DETE CTIVE STORI ES
he s a poet which I ta k e to be o nly o n e remove from
’
,
”
a fool .

“
True said D upin a fter a l ong an d t h oug h tfu l
, ,

whi fl from his meer sch aum a l though I hav e been ,

”
gui l ty O f certain doggere l my self .

”
Suppose you d etai l sai d I the particu l ars o f , ,
”
your search .

“
Why t h e fact is we took our time and we
, , ,

searched ev erywhere I h a ve h a d l ong e xp e rience

.

in th e se a fl a i rs I took t h e entir e bui ldi ng room by

.
,

room devoting th e n ights o f a w h ol e we e k to eac h

, .

W e exami n ed first the fur n iture of each apartment

, , .

We ope n e d every possib l e drawer ; and I pr e sume

you kn ow that to a proper l y trai n ed po l ice agent
, ,

such a thi n g as a secret drawer is impossibl e Any .

’
ma n is a dolt who p e rmits a secret drawer to ‘

escape him in a search of this ki n d The thi n g is .

so plain There is a certai n amou n t of bu l k

.

o f space — to be accou n ted for in every cabi n et .

Then we have accu rate rules The fiftiet h part of .

a l in e cou l d n ot es cape us Aft e r the cabin e ts we .

took t he chairs T h e cu sh ions we prob ed with the

.

fi n e l o ng n eedles you h av e seen m e emp l oy From .

”
the tab l es we removed t h e tops .

“ ”
W hy so ?
S om e times th e top O f a tab l e or other similarly
arrange d piece O f fur n itu r e is r e moved by t he p e rso n
wishing to co n ceal an article ; t h e n t h e l eg is ex ca
v a t ed the article de posit e d withi n t h e ca v ity an d th e
, ,

top r e p l aced The bottoms and tops of bed posts

.
-

”
are employed i n the same way .
10 FAM OUS DETECTIVE STORI ES
we exami n ed the house itself We divi n ed its e n ti re .

surface into compartm en ts which we n umbered so , ,

that n one might be missed ; the n we scruti n ized each

i nd ividual s quare i n ch throughout the premises i n ,

cludi n g the two houses immediately adj oini n g with ,

”
the microscope as before , .

“
The two houses adj oini n g ! I exclaimed ; you
”
must have had a great deal O f trouble .

We had ; but the reward O ffered is prodigious .

You i n clude the gro u nds about the h ouses ?

All the grou n ds are paved with brick They .

gave us compa ratively little tro uble We examined .

the moss betwee n the bricks a n d found it u n dis ,

”
tu rb ed .

“ ’
You loo k ed among D s papers of course , ,

a n d into the boo k s of the library ?

C ertai n ly we open e d every package a n d parcel ;
,

we not only o p ened every book but we turned ov er ,

every lea f i n each vo l ume not co n te n ti n g ourselves

,

wit h a mere shake accordi n g to th e fashion o f some

,

o f our police o fli cers We also measured t h e thi ck

.

ness O f every book cover with the most accu rate

-
,

a dmeasureme n t a n d app l ied to each the most j ealous

,

scr u tiny o f the microscope Had a n y o f t h e bind .

i n gs bee n rece n tly medd l ed with it wou l d h a v e bee n ,

utt e rly impossible that the fact S hould ha v e escaped

Observatio n S ome five o r six volumes just fro m
.
,

the ha n ds of the bi n der we carefully probed lo ngi

, ,
”
tu di n a l l y with the needles
,
- .

You explored the floor s beneath the carpets ?

B eyo n d doubt W e removed every carpet a n d
.
,
”
exami n ed the bo a rds with the mic roscope .
 T HE P URLO I NED LETTER 11

A n d th e p aper o n the walls ?

Yes .

You lo oked i n to the cellars ?

”
W e d id .

”
The n I said you have bee n ma k i ng a mis cal
, ,

cula tio n a n d the l etter is no t upo n the premise s as

, ,
”
y o u suppose .

“
I fear you are right there said the Prefect , .

A n d no w D upi n what woul d you advise m e to

, ,
”
do ?
To make a thorough re search of the p remises -
'
.

That i s absolutely n eedless replied G ,

I am n ot more sure that I breathe tha n I am that

the letter is n ot at the h i nd .

I have n o better advice to give you said D upi n , .

You have of cou rse a n accurate descriptio n Of t h is

, ,

letter
O h yes
, A n d here the Prefect produci n g a
.
,

memora ndum book proceeded to read aloud a mi

-
,

nute account o f the i n ter n al a n d e specia ll y of th e ,

exter n al appeara n ce o f the missing docume n t S oon .

after finishing the perusa l o f this description he took ,

hi s departure more e n tire l y d epressed i n spirits than

,

I had ever kn own the good gent l ema n before .

In about a month afterward h e paid us a n other

visit a n d fou n d us occupied v e ry near ly a s before
, .

He took a pip e a nd a chair an d entered i n to some ,

ordinary co n versatio n At l ength I sai d : .

W ell but G , what of t h e p u r l oi n e d lett e r ?

I presume you have at la st ma d e up your mi n d t h at
 2 FAM OUS DETECTI VE STOR I ES
t h ere is no such thi n g as overreachi n g th e minister ?
C onfou n d him say I — yes ; I mad e the t e
,

exam i nation however as Du pi n suggeste d ; but it

, ,
”
was a l l labor lost a s I knew it would be
, .

How much was the reward offered di d you ,

”
say ? as k ed Dupin .

Wh y a very great d e al
, a very liberal reward
’
I don t li k e to say how much precisely ; b u t one
thing I wi ll say that I woul d n t mi n d giving my in
,
’

d i v idual check for fifty t h ousa n d fra n cs to any on e

w h o obtai n s me that l e tter T h e fact is it is b eco m
.
,

ing o f more and more importance every day ; an d

th e reward has bee n l at e ly d oubled I f i t w e r e .

tr e bl ed however I could do n o more tha n I have

, ,
’
d onef
“
Why yes said D upi n drawli n gly between the
, , ,

whi fl s o f his meerschau m I r e a ll y think G

, ,

o u h ave n ot exerte d yourself to the ut m ost i n t hi s

y
matter You might d o a little more I think e h ?
.
, ,
”
How ? i n what way ?
Why [ pu ff pu fl ] you might [ p ufl p u fl ] emp l oy
, , ,

counsel i n the matter eh ? [ p ufl pu ff p u fl ] ,

DO
, ,
.

you remember the story th e y tell of Abernet h y ?

No ; hang Ab em ethy !
To be sure ! hang h im and welcome But o nce .
,

upo n a time a certai n rich miser concei v ed the d e

,

sign O f spo n gi n g upon this A b em ethy for a m e dical

opinio n Getti ng up for t h is purpose a n or dinary
.
, ,

conversation i n a private company he insinuate d hi s ,

case to the p hy sicia n as that of a n imagi n ary i n di

,

V idual .
 TH E P URLO I NED LETT ER 13
’
We will suppose said the miser that his , ,

sym ptoms are s u ch an d such ; n ow doctor what , ,

wo uld yo u have d irecte d him to ta k e ?

Take ! sai d Ab em ethy why ta ke advi ce to , , ,

b e sure .
’

But sai d the P refect a little discomposed I

, , ,

am p erfectly wil l ing to take a d vice a n d to pay for it , .

I wo u ld rea l ly give fi fty thousa nd fra n cs to any o n e

”
who would ai d me in the matter .

”
In that case rep l ied D upin ope n i n g a drawer
, , ,
“
a n d pro ducing a check book you may as well fil l
-
,

m e u p a check for the amount mentione d

o
When .

you have sign ed it I wi ll h and you th e letter

, .

I was astounde d T h e P refect appeared a b so

.

lu tel y t h un d er str i cken For some m i nutes he re

.

ma ined speechless an d motio nl ess looking i ncredu ,

l ou sl y at my frien d with op e n mouth a nd e yes that ,

seeme d starti n g from the i r sockets ; then apparently ,

reco v ering hims el f in some measu re he seize d a pen , ,

an d after s ev era l pauses and v acant stare s fina ll y

, ,

fi lle d up an d signe d a check f o r fifty t h ousand francs ,

and han d e d it across th e tab le to D upin T he l atter .

examin ed i t car e f u ll y an d d e posit ed it i n his po ck e t

,

book ; th en un l o cking a n escri to i re took th e nce a

, ,

l e tt e r an d ga ve it to t h e Pr e f e ct Thi s fu nctionary .

gra sp ed i t i n a p e r f e ct agony of j oy op e n ed it wit h a ,

tremb l ing h an d ca st a rapi d glan ce at its cont e nts

, ,

a nd the n scramb l ing an d str u ggl ing to th e d oor

, ,

ru shed at le ngth u n ce r e moniou sl y from the room

an d from th e ho u se wit h out h a v ing O ffe r ed a sy ll ab l e
,

sin c e D u pin h ad r e quest ed h im to fi ll up t h e check .

14 FAM OUS DETECT IVE ST OR IE S
Whe n he had go n e my frie n d e n tered i n to some
,

exp l anations .

The P arisia n police he said are exceedingly

, ,

able i n their way They a re persevering inge n ious

.
, ,

cunning , and thorough ly versed i n the kn owledge

which their duties seem chiefly to dema n d Thus .
,

wh e n G detailed to us his mode of searc h ing the

premi ses o f the HOtel D I fe l t entire confi d e n ce
in hi s havi n g made a satisfactory i nvestigatio n so
”
fa r as his labors extend e d .

S O f a r as his labors extended ? said I .

”
Yes ,
said D upi n The measures adopted
.

were not o nl y the best o f their ki n d but carried out ,

to absolu te perfectio n Had the letter bee n de

.

posite d within the ra n ge o f thei r search these fello ws ,

would beyond a question have fou n d it

, , .

I mere l y laughed but he seemed quite serious i n

,

all that he said .

The measures the n he co n tinued were good

, , ,

in t h ei r kind a n d we l l ex e cute d ; th e ir defect lay i n

,

th e i r being i n app l icable to the ca se a nd to the ma n .

A c e rtai n set of highly ingenious resources a re with ,

the Prefect a sort o f Procrustean bed to which he

, ,

forcib ly adapts his designs B u t he perpetual l y errs .

in b e i n g too deep or too sha ll ow for the matter in ,

ha n d ; a n d ma ny a schoo lboy is a better reaso n er

than he I kn ew o n e about eight year s o f age
.
,

whose success at guessi n g i n the game o f eve n a n d

odd attracted u n ive rsal a dm iratio n This game i s .

simp l e a n d is played with marbles On e player

, .

holds i n his h a n d a n umber o f these toys an d de ,

 T HE P URLO INED LET TER 15

ma n d s o f a n othe r whether that n umber is eve n or

O dd. I f the guess is right the guesser wi n s o n e ; if ,

wrong he loses o n e The boy to whom I allu d e wo n

, .

all the marb l es of the school O f course he had .

some principles of guessing ; a n d this lay i n mere

Observation a n d admeasu reme n t of the a stuteness o f

hi s oppo n ents F o r example a n a rra n t simpleto n i s

.
,

his oppone n t and ho ld ing up his close d ha n d ask s

, , ,

Are they eve n or Odd ? O ur s choolboy rep l ies ’

,

O dd and loses ; but upo n the seco n d trial he wi n s

,
’
,

for he the n says to himself The simpleto n had ,

them eve n upo n the first trial a n d his amou n t o f ,

cun n i n g i s j ust su ffi cient to ma k e him have them

Odd upo n the secon d ; I will therefore gues s odd ;

’

he guesses Odd and wi n s Now with a simpleto n

, .
,

a degree above the first he woul d have reasoned thus

This fel l ow fi n ds that i n the first i n sta nce I guessed
O dd a n d i n the second he will propose to himself
, ,

u po n the first impulse a simple variatio n from eve n ,

to odd as did the fi rst simpleto n ; but the n a seco n d

,

thought will suggest that this i s too simple a vari a

tion a n d fi n ally he will dec i de upon putti n g it eve n
,

as before I will therefore gue ss even ; he guesse s

.

even a n d wins Now this mode of reasoning i n the

, .
,

s choolboy whom his fe l lows term lucky what i n

,
‘
,
’
,

i ts last a n alys i s is it ? ,
”
It is merely I said a n ide n tificatio n o f the
, ,
’ ”
r easoner s i n tel l ect with that of his Oppo n e n t .

”
It is said D upin ; and upon i n quiri n g o f the
, ,

b o y by what means he e ffect e d the tho r ou gh identi

fi ca ti o n in which his success co n sisted I receive d ,
 16 FAM O U S DET ECTIVE STOR I ES
a n swer as follows : W he n I wis h to fi n d out how
wi se or how st upid or how good or how wicked
, , ,

i s any one or what a re his thoughts at the mome n t

, ,

I fa sh ion the expressio n of my face as accurate l y as ,

po ssibl e in a ccordance with the expression of hi s

, ,

a n d th e n wait to s e e w ha t thoughts or se n time n ts

a ri se in my mind or heart as if to match or co rre ,

sp o n d with the exp ression This response of the ’

.

sch oo l boy l ies at th e bottom o f a l l the sp u rio u s pro

fu n d i ty w hi ch ha s been att ri b u te d to R och e fouca u l d ,

”
to La B o u gi v e to M achia v e ll i an d to C ampane l la
, , .

”
An d th e i de nt i fi cation I said of the rea , ,

so n er s intel le ct with that o f h is opp onent depen d s

’

i f I u n de rstan d yo u a righ t u pon the ac curacy with ,

whi ch t h e oppon e nt s int elle ct is a dm e as u red

’
.

Fo r its p ra ctical v al u e it d epen d s u pon t h is ,

rep l i e d D upin ; a nd t h e P refect and his cohort f ai l

so f requ ent l y first by defa u l t of t h is i de ntification
, , ,

an d se con d ly by i ll adm e as u r e m e nt or rat h er

,
-
,

t h ro u gh non a dmeasu rem e nt o f t h e intelle ct with

-
,

w h i ch t he y are engag ed T he y consi d er only thei r .

o w n i de a s o f ing e n u ity ; an d in s e arch ing for any ,

t hi ng h i dd en a dve rt only to the mo de s in w h ich they

,

wo u ld h a ve h i dde n it T he y a re r i gh t in t h is m u ch
.

t h at th ei r own ing e n u ity is a fa i th fu l r e pr e senta

t i ve o f t h at of the m a ss; b u t whe n t h e c u nning o f t h e

i n d i v i du al f el o n i s d ive rse in c h a racter f rom t he ir

o wn , th e f el on foi l s t he m o f co u rse T h i s a l ways
, .

h app e n s wh e n it i s abo ve t h e i r own an d v e ry u s u a l ly ,

w h en i t i s be l ow Th ey h a v e no v ariat i on of princi
.

p le in t he ir in v estigatio n s ; at be st w h en urged by ,
18 FAM O U S DETE CTIVE S TORI ES
ha v e never bee n know n to fail Y o u wi l l n o w u n der
.

stan d wha t I mea n t in suggesting that had t h e pur ,

loin ed lette r b ee n hi dd e n a nywhere wit hin t h e limits

o f the P refect s exami n a tio n
’
i n other words had ,

t h e pri n ci ple o f its concealme n t bee n compre h e n ded

within the principles o f t h e Prefe ct its disco v e ry
wou l d have been a matter altogether beyond que s
tio n This functionary however ha s been thor
.
, ,

oughl y mystified ; and the remote source of his defeat

li e s in t h e supposition t h at the minister is a fool ,

because he has acqu ired renow n as a poet Al l .

foo l s are poets ; t h is the P refe ct f eels; an d he is

me re ly guil ty of a no n d i stri bu ti o m edi i i n t he n ce
”
inferring that a ll poets are foo l s .

B ut is t h is rea ll y the poet ? I ask e d Ther e .

are two brot h ers I kn ow ; a n d both have attai n ed

,

reputatio n i n l ett e rs The minist e r I be l ie v e ha s

.
, ,

written learn e d ly o n the D i fferential C alculus He .

”
is a mathematician and n o poet , .

You are mistaken ; I know him well ; he is both .

A s poet a nd mathematicia n he wou l d reason we l l ;

as mere mat h ematician h e co u ld not h av e reasoned
at a ll a n d thus wo u ld ha v e bee n at the mercy o f t he
,
”
Pre f e ct .

You su rprise me I sai d by t hese opinio n s

, , ,
.

which h ave bee n co n tra d ict e d by the voice o f the

wor ld You do n ot mean to s e t at naught the well
.

digested idea o f ce n tu ries T h e mathem atical rea

.

son has long bee n regarded as the rea son p a r ex

cel l ence .

11 y a it pa ri er, replied Dupi n quoti ng fro m

,
 TH E P URL O I NE D LETTER 19
'
C ha m fo rt , q u e to u te id ee p u b l i q ,
u e t ou te co nv en

ti o n regu e, est u ne so tti se, ca r ell e a co nvenu e a n

p l us gra nd The mathematicians I grant

no m b re ,

you have do n e their best to promulgate the popular

,

error to whic h yo u allude a n d w hich is no n e th e les s

,

a n error for its promulgation as truth With an art .

wort h y a better cause for example they hav e in sin u

, ,

ated t h e term a n a l ysis i n to application to algebra .

The F re n c h a re t h e originators o f this pra ctical de

cep t i o n ; but i f t h e term is o f any importance if
words derive a n y value from applicability — the n
‘
a na lysi s co nv eys in a l gebra about as mu ch as
’
, , ,

in Latin a m bi tus implies ambition

, rel i gi o ,
’
,
’

’
religio n or ho m i nes ho nesti a set of ho no ra bl e
,
’
,

me n .

“
Y ou ha v e a quarrel on hand I see said I , , ,

wit h some of the a l gebraists o f Paris ; but pro

ceed .

I disp u te the a v ailability and thus the v al u e of

, ,

that reaso n which is cultivate d i n a ny s pe cial form

ot her tha n the abstract l y logi cal I di sput e in par .
,

ticu l a r the reason ed u ce d by ma th em a tical st u d y

, .

The mat h ematics are the sci ence o f fo rm a n d q uan

tity ; mat h ematica l reasoning is merely logic appli e d
to observatio n upo n fo rm and q u antity The gr e at .

error lies in s u pposing that even the truth s o f w h at

is ca ll ed pure a lg ebra are abstract or ge neral tru t h s .

A nd t h i s error is so egregiou s t h at I am confo u nde d

at t h e uni v ersality with which it h as been receiv ed .

Mathematical axioms are n o t axioms o f general

truth W h at is true o f rel a ti o n o f f o rm and quan
.
,
20 F A MO U S DETE CTI VE ST OR I ES
tity , is ofte n gross l y false in regard to morals for ,

examp l e In t h is latter scien ce it is v ery un u s u al l y

.

u n tru e t hat t he aggregat e d parts are eq u a l to the

w h ole In c h emistry also t h e axiom fai l s In t h e

.
, , .

conside ration o f m oti v e it fai l s ; for two moti v es ,

each o f a given v alu e ha v e n ot n ece ssarily a v alu e

, , , ,

w h en united e qu a l to t he sum o f t h eir v a l ues apart

, .

T h ere a re numero u s ot h er mathemati cal tru th s whi ch

are on l y truth s within t he l i m its of rela ti o n B u t .

the mathe matician a rgu e s fro m h is fini te tru ths , ,

thro u gh habit as i f t he y wer e o f an absol u t e ly

,

g e neral appli cabi l ity as t he wor ld in deed imagin e s

th e m to be B ryant in hi s v e ry le arne d Myth
.
,

o l ogy m ention s a n analogo u s so u rc e o f e rror whe n

,
’
,

h e says th at a l t h o u gh th e P ag a n fabl e s a re not b e

l i ev ed y et w e forg e t o u rs e l ve s contin u a l ly an d m ak e
, ,

inf e rences from t h em as exi st i ng r e alities Wi t h .

.
’

t he a l g eb raist s how eve r who are P agans t h em

, ,

sel ve s the P agan f ab l es a re be l ie v e d ; and t h e

‘ ’
,

inf e r e n ce s are ma de n ot so m uch t h ro u gh l ap se of

,

memory as thro u gh an u na cco untab l e a ddl i ng of th e

,

brains In short I n ev e r y e t e n co u ntere d t he m e re

.
,

mat he mati ci an w h o cou l d b e t ru ste d o u t o f e q u al

root s or one who d i d not cland e stin e ly h o l d i t a s a
,

point o f hi s fait h that x 2

p x was absolut e ly and

u n con di tiona ll y e q u al to S ay to on e of t h ese

q .

gent le m e n by way of exp e rim e nt i f yo u p le a se t h at

, ,

you be l i ev e o ccasions may o ccu r w he r e x 2

p x is
n ot altog e ther e qual to q an d ha v ing ma d e h im , ,

understan d wh at yo u m e an get o u t o f his r e ac h as ,

speedily as co nv eni e nt for beyond doubt he will , , ,

e n dea v or to kn ock you dow n .

 TH E P URL O I NED LETT ER 21

I mea n to say co n tin u ed D upin while I merely

, ,

laughed at h is la st ob se r v ations t h at i f the minis

,

ter had be e n no more t h an a math e matician t h e ,

P re fect wo u l d ha v e b ee n un de r no nec e s sity o f giv

ing me this c he ck I knew hi m how eve r as bot h
.
, ,

ma t he matician and po e t ; and m y measur e s were

adapted to h is capacity w i t h re f e r e nc e to th e ci r
,

cu m st a n ces by w h i ch he w a s s u rro u n ded I know .

him as co u rtier too and a s a bold i n trig a n t S u ch

, , .

a ma n I consider coul d not fail to be aware of t h e

, ,

or d inary po l itica l mo de s of action H e co u l d not .

ha v e fail e d to anticipat e and ev ents h a v e p ro v ed

t h at he did n ot fai l to anticipate the wa yl ayi ngs to
w h ich he was s u bj e ct e d He must h ave foreseen I
.
,

refl ected t h e secret in v est i gations of his premises

, .

His fre qu ent ab se n ce s from home at nigh t which ,

were h ai l ed by the P r e fect as c e rtain ai d s to hi s su c

cess I r e gar d ed only as ru ses to a ff ord opport u n ity
, ,

for thorough s e arc h to th e po li ce an d th u s t h e ,

soo n er to impress them with t h e convi ctio n to which

G in f act did final l y ar ri v e
,
— the con v i ction
t h at the l e tte r was n ot u pon th e premis e s I fe l t .
,

a l so t h at t h e whole trai n of tho u gh t which I was at

, ,

so m e pains in d e tailing to you j u st now conc e rni n g ,

the i n v a riable principle of political action in s e arches

f o a rti cle s co n cealed I fe l t t h at this whole train o f

r
,

tho u g h t wo u ld n e cessarily pa ss thro u g h the mind

o f the mini st e r .It woul d imperati vel y l e ad him to
desp i se a l l the ordi n ary n o o ks of conc e a l ment He .

co u d not I reflected be so wea k as n ot to see that

l
, ,

the m o st intricate and remote recess o f his hotel

22 F AM OUS D ETECTIV E ST ORI ES
wo u l d be as o pe n a s h is commo n e st closets to the
eyes to the probe s to the gimlet s a n d to the mic ro
, , ,

scopes of the Prefec t I sa w in fi n e that he w ould.

, ,

be dri v en a s a matter of course to si mpl i ci ty i f n o t

, , ,

d e l i berately induced to it a s a matter of choic e .

You will reme mbe r perhap s ho w desperately the , ,

P refect laughed w he n I su ggested upo n our first i h ,

t ervi ew tha t it was j ust possible thi s mystery

,

troubled him so m uc h o n a ccou n t of his bei n g so v ery

”
self evide n t
-
.

”
Yes sa i d I , I remembe r his merrime n t well
, .

I really thought he would have falle n i n to co nvul

sio n s .

The material world co n ti nu ed D upi n , ,

a b ou n d s with very strict a n alogie s to the imm a te

rial ; a n d thus som e c o lo r o f truth ha s bee n give n
!

to the rhet o rical dogma that m etapho r or simil e , , ,

m a y be made t o stre n gthe n a n argume n t as well a s ,

to embellish a desc riptio n The principle of the vis .

i ner ti a for example seem s to be ide n tical in p hysic

, ,

and metaphysics It i s n ot more true in the fo rmer

.
,

tha t a large body i s with more di fli cul ty set i n motio n

tha n a smaller o n e a n d that i ts sub sequent m o m en
,

tu m is comme n sura te wit h this di fli cu l ty tha n it is ,

i n th e latter tha t i n telle cts o f the vaster capaci ty

, ,

wh ile more forcibl e m ore consta n t a nd more eve n t, ,

fu l in their m o vement s than those o f i n ferior grad e ,

are yet the le ss readi l y moved and mo re embarrassed ,

a n d full o f hesitation i n the first f ew step s o f their

progress A gai n ; have you eve r n oticed wh ich of

.

the street sign s over the sho p door s a re the m ost

”
a ttr a ctive of a t te n tio n ?
 THE P URL O I NE D LET TER 23

I hav e n ever give n the matter a thought , I

There is a game of puz z les b e resumed , ,

which is played upo n a map O n e p ar ty playing .

re quires a n other to find a give n word the n am e of

tow n rive r state or empire
, , , a n y word i n short , ,

upo n the motley and perplexed sur fa ce of the chart .

A n ovice i n the game generally see k s to emba rrass

hi s oppone n ts by givi n g them the most mi n utely
lettered n ame s ; but the adept select s such words a s
stretch i n la rge cha racter s from o n e e n d of the char t
, ,

to the other These li ke t h e over largely lettered

.
,
-

sign s a n d placards of t h e str e et escape observatio n ,

by di n t of bei n g excessively obvious ; a n d here the

phy sical oversi ght i s p re cisely a n alogou s with the
moral i n apprehe n sio n by which the i n telle ct su ffer s
to p a ss u nn oticed those consideratio n s which are too
ob t ru sel y a nd too p alpabl y s el f evide n t But this -
.

is a poi n t it ap p ears somewhat abov e or be n eath

, ,

the u n dersta n ding o f the P refect He n ever o n c e .

thought i t p robable or possibl e that the mi n iste r

, ,

ha d d e posited the letter immediately be n eath the

n ose of the whole world by wa y of best preve n tin g
,

a ny portio n of that world from perceivi n g i t .

But the more I r e fl ected upon the dari n g dash ,

ing a n d di scrimi n ating inge nuity of D

,
upo n
the f a ct that the d ocume n t must always have been a t
ha nd i f h e i n te n ded to use it to good purpose ; a n d
,

upo n the decisive evide n ce obtai n ed b y the Prefect , ,

th a t i t wa s n o t hidde n withi n the limits of th a t

di gni t a ry s o rdi na ry se a rch
’
the m o r e sa t isfied I
24 FAM OUS DET EC T IVE ST OR IE S
became that to co n ceal this le tte r the mi n is te r had
, ,

reso rted to the comprehe n sive a nd sagaciou s ex

p ed i en t of n ot attemptin g to co n cea l it at all .

Full o f these ideas I prepared myself with a pai r ,

of gree n spectacles and called o n e fi n e mor n ing , ,

quite by accident at the mi n iste rial hOtel I fo u n d

, .

D at home yawni n g lounging an d dawdling

, , , ,

as us u al a n d p retending to be i n the last extremity

,

of en nui He is perhap s th e most rea lly en e rg e tic

—
.
, ,

h u man bei n g n o w aliv e but that i s o n l y w he n

nobo dy sees him .

To be eve n with him I complained of my wea k ,

eyes and lamented the necessity o f the spectacles

, ,

un d er cove r of which I cautiously a n d t h oroughly

s u rveyed the W hole apartment while seemingly in ,

t e nt only upon the conversatio n o f my host .

I paid especi al attentio n to a large writing table -

n ear which he sat and upo n which l ay confuse d ly,

some miscella n eous l e tters and ot h er papers wit h ,

one or two musical instrume n ts and a few books .

Here however after a long a n d v ery d e liberate

, ,

scru tiny I saw n othing to excite p articu lar su spicio n

,
.

At le ngth my eyes in going the circu it o f the ,

room f e ll upo n a tru mpery fi l igree card rack o f

,
-

pa steboard that hu ng dangling by a dirty blue rib

,

bon from a littl e b ras s kn ob just beneath t h e middl e

,

of the mantel piece I n this rack which had three

-
.
,

o r four compartme n ts were fi v e or six v isitin g ca rds ,

an d a solitary letter Thi s l ast was muc h soi l ed and .

cru mpled It was tor n nearly in two across the

.
,

middle as if a design i n the fir st i n stance to tea r , ,

26 FA M OUS D ET ECT IV E ST ORIE S
while I mai n tai n ed a most a n imated discussio n with
the minister up o n a topi c which I kn ew well had
,

n ever failed to i n terest a n d excite him I kept my ,

atte n tio n really riveted u pon the letter I n thi s .

exami n atio n I committed to m emory its exter n a l

,

appeara n ce a n d a rra ngeme n t i n the rack ; and also

fe l l at le n gth upon a discovery which set at rest
, ,

w h atever trivial doubt I might have e n tertained I n .

scrutinizi ng the edges o f t h e paper I Observed them ,

to be m ore cha f ed tha n seemed n ecessary They .

presented the bro ken appearance which is ma n ifested

when a sti ff paper having b e e n o n ce folded a n d
,

pressed wit h a folde r is refo l d e d i n a reversed dir c e

,

tion in the same crease s or edg e s w hich ha d formed

,

the original fold Thi s d isco ve ry was su ffi ci e nt It

. .

wa s c l ear to me tha t the l e tt e r had bee n turned as a ,

glove inside out re dir e cted and re sealed I bade

, ,
-
,
-
.

the minister good mor n ing and t o o k my departure ,

at once leavi n g a go l d snu ff box upon the table

,
-
.

The n ext mor n ing I c alled for the snu ff box -

,

whe n we resumed quite eagerly the co n versatio n of

, ,

the prec e di n g day W hil e thus e n gaged however

.
, ,

a l o u d r e port as if o f a pistol was heard i m m edi

, ,

at el y be n eath the wind o ws of the hotel a nd was ,

su cce e ded by a series o f fearful screa m s a n d the ,

shouti n gs of a terrified mob D rushed to a .

ca se m ent threw it open and loo k ed out In the

, , .

mea n time I stepped to the card rack too k the letter

,
-
, ,

p u t it i n my poc k et a n d r e p l aced,it by a f a c s i m il e -

( so fa r as regard s exter n als ) which I had ca refully

prepared at my lo dgings — imitati n g the D
 TH E P URL O I NED LETTER 27

c iphe r ve ry readily by m ea n s o f a seal fo rmed o f

bread .

“
The disturba n ce in the stree t ha d bee n occa
si o n ed by the fra n tic behavio r of a m a n with a

musket He had fi red it among a crowd of wome n

.

a n d childre n It proved however to have bee n

.
, ,

wi th o ut ball and the fel l o w was su ffered to go his

,

way as a lu n atic or a dru nk ard Whe n he had go n e .

,

D c ame fro m the wi n dow wh i t h er I had fol ,

lowed him immediately upo n securi ng the ob j ect i n

V iew. S oon a fterward I bad e him farewell The .

prete n ded lunatic wa s a m a n i n my ow n pay .

”
B ut what p u rpose had you I aske d i n rep l a c , ,

i n g the lett e r by a fa c si m i l e ? Would it n ot have

-

bee n better at the fi rst v isit to have sei z ed it ope n ly

, , ,

a n d departed ?

D replied D upi n is a desperate ma n

, ,

a n d a m a n of n erve His hOtel too i s n ot withou t

.
, ,

attenda n ts devoted to his interest Ha d I made t h e .

wild attem pt you sugg e st I might n ever h ave left

,

the ministerial presence alive The good people of

P aris might have hea rd of me no more But I had .

a n obj ect apart from these considerations You .

kn e w my political preposses sions I n this m atter .

I a ct as a p artisa n o f the lady co n cerned F or .

eightee n mo n ths the minister has h ad her i n his

po wer She h a s n ow him i n hers

.
— since bei n g ,

u n awa re t h at the letter i s n ot i n his possessio n he ,

will p roceed wit h his exa ctions as i f it were Thus .

will he i n evitably comm it h imself a t o n ce to his , ,

political destructio n Hi s dow n fall to o will not

.
, ,
28 FAM O U S DETECTIVE S TOR I ES
be more precipitate t h an awkwa rd It is a ll ve ry .

w e ll to ta lk about the fa ci l i s d escensus Av erni ; but i n

al l kinds of climbing as C atalani said of si nging it , ,

is far mo re easy to get up t ha n to come down In .

t h e prese n t instance I have n o sympathy at least

n o pi ty for him who desce n ds He is that m a n .

stru m ho rren du m a n u n pri n cipled ma n of genius .

,

I co n fess however t hat I shoul d like very we ll to

, ,

know the precise cha racter of his thou gh ts when , ,

b e ing defied by h er whom the P ref e ct terms a cer

tai n personage he is re duced to ope n ing the letter
,
’

”
wh i ch I left for him i n the car d rack -
.

How ? D id you put anything particular i n it ?

Wh y it did not seem altog e th er right to l eave
,

t h e interior blank t h at wo u ld h ave bee n i n su l ting .

D at Vienna onc e did me a n evil tur n which , ,

I told him q u ite goo d hum o redly that I should

,
-
,

remember S o a s I kn e w he wou l d fe el some cu ri

.
,

o si ty i n regard to the i d entity o f the pe rson who h ad

o u twitted h im I t h ought i t a pi ty n ot to give him

,

a cl e w He i s w e l l acquai n ted with my MS ; and I

'

. .

j u st copied i n to the middle o f th e bla nk sh e et the

wo rds
U n d essei n si f u n este
( f f
,

'
d Atrée est dig n e d e Thyeste
’ ’ ’
S il n est d ig n e , .

' ”
C réb ill o n A tre e
’
They a re to be found i n s .
 AN IN TE R VI E W WITH M . L E C OQ

By E MI L E GA B ORIAU
IN the Paris j ou rnals o f F ebru a ry 2 8 1 8 6 ther e ,

appeare d th e following i n tellig ence

A daring robbery committed du ri n g the n ight ,

at o ne of our princi p al ba nk er s M A n dr é Pa n vel ’

, .
,

has crea ted great excitement thi s morn i ng in the

n eighborhood of the R ue de Prove n ce The t h ieves .
,

w h o were as ski ll fu l as they were da ring succee de d ,

i n e ff e cti n g an e n tran ce to the bank in fo rcing the ,

lock of a sa fe that has hereto fore been consi d ered

impregn able and i n possessing themse lv e s o f bank
,

n ot e s of the value o f three hun d red and fi fty thou

,

sand franc s T h e police immediately in formed o f

.
,

the robbe ry displayed th e i r accu stomed zea l and

, ,

thei r e ffo rts h a v e bee n crowne d with succes s A I .

ready i t is said P B
, a cl e rk i n t h e ban k h as bee n
, . u, ,

arr e sted a n d there is every reason to h ope tha t hi s

,

ac comp l ices will be speedily overtake n by t he ha n d

”
of j u sti ce .

F or fou r days thi s robbery wa s the ta l k of Paris .

Th e n p u b li c atte n ti o n was engro ssed by later and

eq u a ll y int e r e sting ev e nt s ; an acrobat broke his leg
’

at t h e cir cus ; a n actres s made her debu t at a mi n o r

theater ; and n e ws of the a 8 th wa s soo n fo rgotte n .

F m Fil N
ro e 3 o. II .
30 FAM O U S DETE CTIV E S TORIES
But for o n ce the n ewspapers were — pe rh a p s
design edly — wro n g or at least i n accurate i n their
,

i n formation The sum o f three hu nd red a nd fi fty

.

thousa n d fra n cs had certai n ly bee n stole n f rom M .

Andr é Fa uvel s bank but n ot i n the ma n ner d escribed

’
, .

A cler k had also been arrested o n suspicio n but n o ,

conclu sive proo f had been forthcoming against him .

T h i s robbery o f unusual importa n c e re m ai n ed i f ,

n ot inexplicable at least unexplained

, .

The police discovered that the safe was habit

u a l l y ope n ed by a curiou s little key which wa s , ,

however the least important o f the mecha n is m

, .

F ive movable ste e l butto n s u p o n which were en,

graved all the letters of the alphabet c o n stituted ,

the real power o f the i n ge n ious lock To ope n the .

sa fe it wa s re quisite before i n serti n g the k ey to t e

, ,

place the letter s o n the buttons in the same order in

which they were whe n the door was locked I n M . .

Fa uvel s bank as elsewhere it w as alway s clos ed

’
, ,

wit h a word that was c h a n ged from time to time .

T his word wa s kn ow n o n ly t o the head o f the ba n k

a n d the chief cashier each o f whom had a key to
,

the sa fe . I n such a stronghold a perso n might ,

deposit more diamo nd s that the D uke o f B ru n s

wick possessed and sleep well as sured a s he would
, ,

be o f thei r sa fety But one da n ger seemed to

, .

thr eate n that of forgetti n g the secret word which

was the Ope n sesame o f the iro n barrier
,
.

N atural l y suspicion was divided betwee n Prosper

,

B erto m y the c h ief clerk a n d F a uv el the ow n er o f

, , ,

the ban k . But the farther t h e detective fo rc e p ro

 AN I NTERV I EW WITH M . L E C OQ 31

ceeded with the case the more complicated it b e ,

came The detecti v e to whom it was originally as

“ ”
signed Fa n ferl o t or The S quirrel wor k ed day
, , ,

and night to solve it He bu rned to distinguish .

himself by it and thus prove to his own satisfactio n

, ,

i f not to the ent i re force that he was as good a ,

m a n as their chi e f the famous M L eco q As a

, . .

p relimi n ary Fa n ferl ot induced M adame Gipsy

, ,

B ertom y s sweeth e art to flee from j ustice He Oh

’
, .

ta i n ed lodgi n gs for h er a t a hotel ru n by M adame

Al exa n dre .

The hotel of the Grand A rcha n gel Madame ,

’
Gipsy s asylum was the most elegant o n e on the
,

Quai S t M ichel At this hotel a perso n who pays

. .

her fortnight s board i n adva n ce is treated with

’

mar k ed co n sideratio n .

M adam e Al exa n dre who had bee n a ha n dsom e ,

wo m a n was now stou t laced till s h e could scarcely

, ,

b reathe always over dr e ssed a n d fo n d of w e ari n g

,
-
,

a number of fl ashy gold chai n s arou n d her fat neck .

Sh e had brigh t eyes a n d white teeth ; but alas a r e d , ,

n ose O f all her weak n esses

. a n d heav en k nows
she had i n dulged in every vari e ty — o n ly o n e t e
mai n ed ; sh e loved a good d i n n e r washed down with ,

ple n ty of good wine B ut she loved h er husband ; .

“
n ow she bega n to feel worried because her little
man had n ot returned to di nn er Sh e wa s about .

to sit dow n wit h out him whe n t h e waiter cried out ,

“ ”
Here is m aster An d Fa nf erl o t appeared i n
.

person .

Thre e yea rs before Fa n ferl o t had k ept a little ,

32 FAM O US DET E CTIVE S T OR I ES
p

priva te i n quiry o ffi ce ; Madame Alexa n dre dealt

without a license i n perfumery and toilet articl e s ,

a n d fi n di n g it n ecessa ry to have some of her doubt

,

ful customers watched e n gaged Fan ferl o t s s ervices ;

,
’

this was the origin of their acqu ai n ta n ce .

I f t h ey we n t t h rough the marriage ceremo n y for

the good of th e mayoralty and the c h urch i t was ,

because they imagi n ed it would like a baptism was h , ,

out t h e sins of t h e past Upo n this momentous day .

,

Fa n f erl o t ga v e up h is private i n quiry o ffi ce a n d en ,

tered the police where he had already bee n occasio n

,

ally employed a n d Madame Alexa n dre retired fro m

,

business .

U niti n g their savi n gs they hired a n d fur n ished the,

Grand Arc h a n gel whic h they were n ow carrying on

,

prosp e rously esteeme d by th e i r neighbors who w e re

, ,

ign ora n t O f Fa n ferl o t s co nn ectio n with the police

’

fo rc e .

“
Why how late you a re m y little m a n ! e x
, ,

claimed M adame A lexandre as she dropped her

kn ife and for k and rushed forward to embrace h er
,

husba n d .

F a n f erl o t receiv e d her ca ress with a n air of ab

”
st ra ct i o n .My back is brok en he sai d I have , .

bee n the whole day playi ng bi l liards with E variste ,

M Fa uvel s valet a n d allowed h im to wi n a s ofte n

.
’
,

as he wished — a ma n w h o does n ot k now w h at

pool is ! I became acquainted with h im yesterday ,

a n d n ow I am his best friend I f I wish to e n te r .

’
M Fau vel s service i n A n toni n s place I ca n rely
.
’
,
”
u po n E va ri ste s good word
’
.
34 FAM O U S DET E CTI V E ST OR I ES
I wou l d consu lt M L eco q . .

Fa n f erl o t j umped up as i f he had bee n shot .

N ow t h at s pretty advice !
’
, h e exclaimed DO .

you want me to lose my p l ace ? M L eco q does n ot .

suspect that I h ave anything to do with the case ex ,

”
cep ti n g to obey his orders .

“
Nob o dy told you to let him kn ow you were in
v esti ga ti ng i t o n your ow n account You can co n .

sult him with an air of i n di ffe re n ce as i f you wer e ,

not at all i n terested ; a n d after you have got his

,

opi n io n you ca n ta k e adva n tage of it

, .

Th e det e cti v e wei ghéd his wife s words a n d the n ’

,

said Perhaps you are right ; yet M L eco q i s so .

”
d eucedly shrewd that he might see through me
, .

“ ”
S hre wd ! echoed M adame Alexa n dre ;
shrewd ! A ll of you at the Pr é f e cture say that S O
O ften that he h as gai n ed his reputatio n by it
, You .

are j ust as S harp as he i s .

Well we wi l l see I will thi nk the matter over ;

, .

”
but i n the mea n time what does the girl say ?
, ,
”
The girl was M adame Ni n a Gipsy .

I n taking up her abo d e at the Gra n d Arch a ngel ,

M adame Nina t h ought she was following good a d

vice ; a n d as F a n ferl o t had n ever appeared in her
,

p rese n ce si n ce she was

, still under th e impres sion t h at
S he had obeyed a fri e nd o f Prosper s Whe n she ’
.

received her summo n s from M Pa trigent she a d .

,

m ired the wo n derful skill o f the police i n discove r

i n g her hidi n g place ; for she had established her
self a t the hotel under a false o r rather her tru e ,

n am e , Pa lmy re C hoca reill e A rtfully que sti on e d

.
 AN INTERVI EW WITH M . L EC OQ 35

by he r i n quisitive la n dlady she had wi thou t any , ,

m is trust co n fided her histo ry to her

, Thu s Fan fer .

l o t was able to impress th e magistra te with the ide a

o f his bei n g a skillful detective whe n he prete n d ed ,

to hav e discover ed a ll thi s i n forma tio n fro m a va riet y

of sources .

S he is still upstairs repli e d M ad am e Al ex ,

a n dre. She suspects n othi n g ; but to k eep her i n

the house becomes every day more di ffi cult I do n t ’
.

kn ow what t h e magistrate told her but she came ,

home quite beside h ers e lf with anger She wa nted .

to go and mak e a fuss at M Fa u vel s The n S he .

’
.

wrote a letter which she told Jea n to post fo r her ;

,
”
b u t I kept it to show you .

“ ”
What ! i n terrupted Fa n f erl o t you h av e a ,

letter a nd did n ot tell me befor e ? Perhap s i t co n

,
”
t ai n s the clew to the myst e ry Give i t to m e quick .
, .

O beying her husband Madame Al exa n dre ope n ed ,

a little cupboard a n d took out a l e tt e r wh ich she ,

”
ha n d e d to him Here ta k e it S he said
. a nd , , ,

be satisfied .

C onsidering that S he used to b e a chamber maid -

,

Palmyre C ho ca reill e since become M adame Gipsy

, ,

wrot e well Her lett e r bor e the foll owi n g address

.
,

writt en i n a free fl owi n g ha n d ,

M
. L . DE C L A MERA N
F org e -
Mast er, H otel d a L ouvre.

T o be ha n ded to M
. R aou l de L ago rs .

( I mm edi ate )

O h ho !
, said F an f erl o t accompa n yi n g his ex,
36 FAM O U S DET E CTIV E ST OR I E S
cla m atio n with a litt l e whistle as was his habit wh e n ,

he thought he ha d m a d e a gra nd di scove ry Oh .

,

ho !
”
A re you goi n g to open it ? i n quired Madame
Al exandre .

“
A litt l e bit sai d Fan f erl o t a s he dexterously
, ,

opened the e n velope .

M adame A l exa n dr e lea n ed over her husba n d s ’

shoulder a n d th ey both read t h e following

,

MON S I E U R RAOU L — Prosper is in p rison , accu sed of a

ro bbery whi ch he n ever com m i tted . I w rote to you three

days a go
”
.

What ! i n terrupted Fa n ferl o t this silly girl ,

wrote and I never saw the letter ?

,

B ut litt l e man she must have posted it herself

, , ,
”
the day she went to t he P alais de Justice .

“
Very li ke l y said Fa n ferl o t propitiated He
, , .

co n ti n ued reading

I w rote to yo u three days ago , a n d have n o repl y W ho .

w i ll hel p P rosper if his best f ri en ds desert hi m ? If you

do n
’
t a n sw er th si l etter, I shal l co n s i der m ysel f rel ease d
from a certa n i p rom ise and W i thou t scru pl e w i l l tel l P ros
,

p er o f the co nversat i o n I o verhea rd betw een yo u a nd M de .

C l am era n . B ut I ca n co u n t o n yo u , ca n I n ot ? I sha l l

ex pect yo u at the G ra nd Archan gel , on the Qu a i St . Michel ,

the day a ter f to m o rrow , betw een tw el ve and fou r — N IN A

.

G I P SY .

The letter read , Fan f erl o t at o n ce proceed ed to

cop y it .
 AN I NTERVIEW WITH M . L E C OQ 37

Well ! said M adame Alex a n dre , what do you

”
t hi nk ?
F an ferl o t was delicately refaste n i n g the letter
w he n the door o f t he hotel Offi ce was abruptly
o pened a n d the waiter twice whispered :
, Pst !
Pst !
Fa n f erl o t rapid l y disappeared into a dark closet .

H e had bare l y tim e to close the door before M adame

G i psy en ter ed the room The poor girl was s a dly
.

cha n ged S he wa s pale a n d hollow che cked a n d her

.
-
,

eyes were red with we e ping .

O n seei n g h e r M adame Alexandre could n ot con

,

ceal her surprise Why my child you are n ot go

.
, ,

i n g out ? said she .

I am ob l iged to do so madame ; a n d I have come

,

to ask you to te l l any one that may call duri n g my

-

”
a b sence to wait until I return .

B u t where in the world are you goi ng at this

hour u nwell as you are ?
,

For a moment M adame Gipsy hesitated Oh .

,

she said you are so kin d that I am tempted to co n

,

fi de in you ; read this note w h ich a messe n ger j ust

”
n ow brought to me .

What ! cried M adame Alexa n dre perfectly

agha st ; a messe n g e r enter my hou se and go up to ,

yo u r room !
”
Is there anything surprising in t h at ?
”
N 0 Oh n o ! not h ing s u rprisi n g
, ,
And i n a .

to n e loud e n o u gh to be h eard in the cl o set Madame ,

A l exandr e r e a d the note

A fri e n d o f P rosper s who ca n n either receive
’
 38 FAM O U S DETECT IV E ST ORI ES
you n or present himself at you r hotel is ve ry a nx
, ,

ious to speak to you B e in t h e om n ib u s o ffi ce o p

.

p o si t e the tower of S ai n t Jacques to nigh t at n i n e

,
-

prec i sely and the writer will be there a n d tell you

, ,

what he has to say .

I have appointed this public place for the re n de z

”
vous so as to relieve yo u r mi n d O f all fear .

An d you are going to t h is re n de z vous ?

”
C ertainly madame , .

But it is imp rude n t fooli sh : it is a sna r e to en

,
”
trap you .

It ma k es n o di ffere n ce i n terrupted Ni n a
, I .

am so u n fortu n ate alread y that I have n othi n g mo re

”
to dread A ny cha nge would be a reli ef
. An d .
,

without w a iti n g to h ear a nything m o re she wen t OH , .

The door had scarcel y closed u p o n her b e fo re Fa n

,

f erl o t bounced from the close t .

The m ild detective was whit e with ra ge an d swor e ,

vi o le n tly What i s the meani n g of this ? he

.

cri ed . Am I to sta n d by and have people wa l ki n g

a l l over the Grand Arch angel as if it we re a public
street ? M adame Alexa n dre stood trembli n g a n d ,

d ar ed n ot sp eak Was e ver such i m puden ce hea rd

.

” “
of before ! he conti nued A messenger come s
.

into my house a n d goes upstairs without being see n

,

by a nybody ! I wil l loo k i n to this An d the ide a .

o f you Madame Alexandre you a sensible woma n

, , , ,

bei n g idiotic enough to try a n d p er suade th a t little

V iper n ot to k ee p the appoi n tme n t !

But my dear
,

Ha d you n ot se n se e n ough to kn ow th a t I would

 AN INTERV I E W W ITH M . L E C OQ 39

follo w her , an d
discover what she is attempting to
co nceal ? C o m e make haste a n d help me so th at
, ,

she wo n t reco gnize me

’
.

In a few minu tes Fa n ferl o t wa s completely di s

g uised by a thic k beard a wig a n d a line n
, blou se , ,

a n d loo ked for all the world lik e on e of those dis

reputable w o rk i n g men who go abo u t see k ing for

em ployme n t a n d at the same time hopi n g they may

, , ,

n ot fin d any .

Have you your life preserver ? as k e d the solici

tous M adame A lexandre .

“
Y es yes ; ma k e haste a n d h ave that letter to
,
”
M de C l a m era n posted and k e e p o n the look out
.
, .

A n d without listening to his wi fe who ca l led a fter ,

”
him : Good luck Fan ferl o t darte d into t h e stree t
, .

’
M a dame Gipsy had some mi n ute s start of him ;
but he ra n up the street he kn ew she mu st have taken ,

a n d overtoo k her o n the Po n t a u C hange S he was - -

.

wal ki ng with the u n ce rtai n ma nn er of a p erso n who ,

imp atie n t to be at a ren de z vou s has started too soo n , ,

a n d is obliged to occupy the i n te rve n i ng time First .

S he would walk slowly then q u ic k e n her steps a n d

, ,

proceed very rapidly S he strolled up a n d dow n the

.

Place du C hi tel et several times read the theater ,

bills a nd finally seat ed herself o n a be n ch O n e

, .

m in u te before a q uarter to n i n e she e n tered the o m ,

hee a n d sat dow n

n ib u s Ot-
, .

A mome n t a f te rwa rds Fa n ferl o t e n tered ; bu t a s ,

he feared that M ad ame Gipsy might reco gn i z e him

in spite o f his beard he too k a seat a t the opposit e
,

en d o f the roo m i n a d a r k cor ner

, S i n gula r p l ac .
4
0 FAM O U S DETE CTI V E ST ORI ES
for a co nver satio n he thought as he wa tched the
, ,

you ng woma n Who in the world can have ma d e

.

t h i s appointme n t in a n omnibus Offi ce ? Ju dging from

her evident cu riosi ty and uneasi ne ss I could swear ,

sh e has not the fai n test idea for whom s h e is wait

ing .

Meanwh i le the o ffi c e was rapidly filli n g wi th peo

,

p l.e E ve ry mi n ute a n O ffi cial would shout out the

destination of an omnib u s w h ich had j ust a rrived ,

and the passe n gers wou ld ru sh in to Obtain tick ets ,

hopi ng to be able to proceed by it .

As each new c om e r entered Ni n a would tremble

-
, ,

an d Fan f erlo t would say This must be him ! ,

F ina l ly as th e Hotel de Ville clock was striking n i n e

,
- -
,

a man en tered and withou t goi n g to th e ticket des k

, ,
-
,

wa l ked d irectly up to Ni n a bowed an d took a sea t , ,

b e side her He was of medium siz e rath e r sto u t

.
-

, ,

with a c rimso n face and fi ery red whiskers His ,

-
.

dr e ss wa s t h at of a well to do m erchant a n d there- -

was n o thi ng i n his ma nn er or appea ra n ce to excite a t

tention .

F an ferl o t watched him eagerly Wel l my .

,
”
frie n d he said to hims el f in fu ture I sha l l recog
, ,

niz e you n o matter where we m ee t ; and this very

'

,
”
ev e ning I wi l l find out wh o you a re D espite his .

i n tent liste n ing Fa n ferl o t co u l d not hear a word

,

spo k e n by eit h er th e stranger or Nina All he could .

d o wa s to j udge what the subj ect o f thei r co n vers a

tion migh t be by their gestu r e s .

When the stout ma n bowed and spoke to her ,

M adame Gipsy loo k ed so surpri sed that it was evi

4
2 FAM O U S D ETECTIV E STOR IE S
he set o ff at a brisk trot determi n ed up on f oll owi ng
,

it to the e n d of the earth .

The cab proceeded alo n g the Boulevard Seb a s

topol It we n t pretty fast ; but it was n ot fo r n oth
.

i n g that Fa n ferl o t had bee n dubbed the Squirrel .

Wi th his elbows glued to his sides a n d eco n omi z i n g ,

his wi n d he ra n o n By th e time h e had reached the

, .

Boulevard S t D en is he bega n to get wi n ded a nd

.
, ,

sti ff from the pai n i n his si d e The cabma n abruptly .

tur n ed into the R ue F aubourg S t M arti n . .

But Fa n ferl o t who at eight years o f age had

, ,

p layed about the street s of Paris wa s n ot to be ,

b a fll ed ; he was a ma n o f resou rces He sei z ed hold .

o f the spri n g s o f the cab raised himself up by the ,

stre n gth of his wrists and h u n g o n with his le gs

, ,

resting o n the a xle t re e of the hi n d whee l s

-
He was .

n ot particularly comfortable but the n he n o lo n ger , ,

”
ran the risk of being dista n ced Now he .
,
“
chu ckled behi n d his false beard
, you ma y drive a s ,
”
f a st as you please cabby
, .

The ma n whipped his horses a nd drove furiously ,

a lo n g th e hi ll y street o f t he F aubour g S t Martin . .

F i n ally th e cab stopped i n front of a wi ne shop and -

,

the dri v er j u mped dow n from his seat and went i n , .

The detective also le f t his u n comfortable post a n d ,

crouchi n g i n a doo rway waited for Nina and her

compa n ion to alight with t h e i n te n tio n of followi n g
,

closely upon their hee l s Five mi n utes p assed and

.
,

sti l l there were n o S igns o f them W h at ca n they .

”
be doing all this time ? grumbled the detective .

With great precautio n s he approa ch ed the cab and ,

 AN I NTERVIEW W TH I M . L E C OQ 4
3

p e ep ed i n . O h cr u el deceptio n ! i t was em p ty !
,

Fa n ferl o t f e lt a s i f some o n e had thrown a bucket

O f ice water over hi m ; he remained rooted to the
-

spo t with his mouth ope n t h e pict u re of blank b e ,

wilderment He soon recovered his wits su ffi cie n tly

.

to bu rst forth i n to a volley o f oaths loud enough to ,

rattle all the window pa n e s in th e nei g h borhood -

.

“
Tri ck e d ! he cried fooled ! Ah ! but won t
,
’

I ma k e t h e m pay for th is !
I n a mome n t his qu ick mind had ru n over the
g a m u t o f pos sibi l ities probab l e a nd improbable
, .

”
E vidently he m u ttered
, this f e llow a nd Nina ,

en tered by o n e d o or a n d got out by t h e other ; the

,

trick is simp l e e n ough I f th e y resort e d to it tis

.
,
’

because they feared being fo ll owed I f t h ey feared .

being followed th e y have uneasy co n sciences th e re

, ,

fore He suddenly i n t e rru pt e d his monolo gue

a s the i d ea struc k him that he h ad better end e avor to

fi n d out somethi n g from the driver .

U n fortu n ately the d river was i n a very surly

,

mood and n ot o n ly refused to a n swe r but shook his

, ,

whip in so threatening a man n er t h at Fa n f erl o t

”
d eemed it prude n t to beat a retreat O h hang it .
, ,

he m uttered perhaps the driver is mixed u p i n the

,

a ff air also !
But what could he do now at t h is time of n ight ?
He co uld n ot imagi n e He walked d e j e ctedl y back
.

to the q u ay and it was half past e le ven w h e n he

,
-

reached his own door Has the l ittle fool re

.

tu r n ed ? he i n quired o f M adame Alexa n dre the ,

i nsta n t she let him i n .

 4
4 FAM OUS DETECTIV E STOR I ES
NO; but h e re are two large bundles which have
”
com e for her .

F a n ferl o t hastily opened t h em They contained .

three cotton dresses some h e avy shoes and som e , ,

”
line n caps Well said the detective in a v ex ed
.
,

tone now She is going to d isguise h e rse l f U pon

, .

my word I a m getting p u zzled ! What ca n she b e

,

up to ?
When Fa n ferl o t was sulkily wal king down the
F aubourg S t M artin he had fu ll y made up hi s mind
.
,

t h at he would n ot t e l l his wi fe Of his di sco m fi tu re .

B u t onc e at home confro n ted with a n ew fact of ,

n atur e to negative a l l his conj ectures h is vanity d is ,

appeared He conf essed e verything

. his hop e s so
ne ar l y reali z ed his strange mis chance and h is
,
-
,

su spi cions They talke d t h e matt e r over and fina lly

.

d e cide d that t h ey wou ld not go to bed u n til Madame

Gip sy from whom Ma dame Alexandre was d e
,

t erm i n ed to obtain an exp l anation of what h ad h ap

’
pened returned At one O c l ock the worthy couple
, .

were about gi v ing ov e r a ll hope of her re appearance -

,

wh e n t he y h e ard the b e ll ring .

F a n ferl o t instantl y s l ipp ed into the closet a n d ,

M adame Alexandre remained in the Offi ce to rec e ive

Nina . Here you ar e at last my dear chi l d ! she ,

cried
‘

. O h I have been so un e asy so a fraid l est

, ,

som e mi sfortune had happen e d !

Tha nk s for your kin d int e rest madame Has a , .

”
bund l e bee n sent here for m e ?
Poor Nina s appearance ha d stri k i n gly c h a n ged ;
’

S he was still sa d but no lo n ger de j ected as she had

,
 AN INTERVI EW m m M . L E C OQ 45
been To her prostratio n of the last few d ays had
.
,

succeeded a firm a n d gener o us resolutio n which wa s ,

betray e d i n her sparkling eyes a n d resolute step .

Yes two bu ndl es came for you ; here they a re

, .

”
I suppose yo u saw M B erto my s frie n d ? .
’

Yes madame an d his advice has S O ch a nged my

, ,

plans tha t I regret to say I must leave you to m o r

, , ,
-

”
row .

Going away to mo rrow ! Then somethi n g m ust

-

ha v e h appen ed !
Oh ! not h ing that woul d interest you madam e , .

After lighting her can d le at the gas bur n er -

,

M a d ame Gipsy said : Good n ight in a very sig -

n i fi ca n t way and l eft the room , .

A nd what do you think of that Madame Alex ,

andre ? asked Fan f erl o t as he emerged from his ,

hidi n g p l ac e -
.

It i s incredible ! This gi r l writes to M de .

L ago rs to meet her here and the n does not wait for ,
”
him .

“
S he evidently mist rust s us ; she knows who I

Th e n this f rie n d o f the cashier must have told

Nobody k now s who told h e r I begin to th ink .

that I hav e to do with som e v e ry kno wing thi eve s .

Th e y gu e ss I am o n t he ir tra ck a n d a re t ry i ng to ,

e scap e me I s h o u l d n o t b e at a ll su rp ris ed i f t h i s
.

litt le ro gu e ha s t he money her se l f and int e nds to , ,

”
ru n o ff with it to morrow -
.

That is n ot my opinio n ; bu t liste n to me yo u ,

4
6 FAM O U S DE TECTI VE STORIES
had better take my a d v ice a n d co n sult M L ecoq , . .

Fa n ferl o t medita ted awhile the n exclaimed ,

V e ry well ; I will see him just for you r satisfaction ; ,

b ecause I k n o w that if I have n ot discovered a ny

thi n g n e ither wi ll he But i f he ta kes upo n him
,
.

sel f to be domineeri n g it won t do ; for o n ly let him

’
,

sh ow h is insolence to me a n d I will let him kn o w his ,

pla ce !
No twithsta n ding this b rave speech the detective ,

passed an uneasy night and at six O cl o ck the n e xt ,

’

m orning he was up i t was n ecessa ry to rise ve ry

ea rl y i f one wi sh ed to catch M L eco q at home .

an d refr e shed by a cu p o f stro n g co ff ee he direct ed ,

his steps to wards the dwelling of the famous detec

ttve .

F a n ferl o t the S qui rrel was certainly not a fraid of

his chief a s he c alled him fo r he started o ff with his
, ,

n o se i n the air and h is hat cocked on one side But

, .

by t h e time he reache d th e R ue Mo n tm a rte wher e ,

M L eco q live d his courage had vanished ; he pulled

.
,

his hat o ve r his eyes and hung his head as if loo k

, ,

i n g for reli e f among the pa v ing stones He slowly -

.

a sc e n d ed the stairs pa u sing se v eral times and loo k

, ,

ing a ro u n d as i f he woul d like to fly Fi n ally he .

r e ac hed the thi r d floor an d sto o d b e fore a door dec

—
,

orate d with the arms o f the famous detective a

co ck th e symbol o f v igilance
, and hi s heart failed
him so tha t he had scarcely the cou rage to ri n g the
bell .

’
The door was o pened by Ja n o u ill e M L eco q s old , .

se rvant who ha d ve ry m u ch the man n er a nd app ea r

,
 AN I NTERVI EW WITH M . L EGOG 4
7

a n ce of g r en adiear S he w a s a s fai thful t o.h er m a s

ter a s a wa tchdog a n d alway s sto o d ready to a t ta ck

,

a ny o n e who di d n ot tr eat him with the a u gu st t e

“
spect which she co n sidered hi s due Well M .
, .

”
Fa n f erl o t she said yo
, u come at a righ t t ime f
, o r
”
o n ce i n your li fe The chie f is waiti ng to see yo u
. .

Upo n thi s a nn ounceme n t F a n ferl o t wa s sei z ed ,

wi th a viole n t desire to retreat By what cha n c e .

c oul d L eco q be wai ti n g fo r him ? While he thu s

hesitate d Ja n ouill e sei z ed him by the arm and pulle d
, ,

hi m i n sayi n g :
, D o yo u wa n t to ta k e r o ot there ?
C om e a lo n g the master is busy at wor k i n his stu dy
,
.

S eated at a desk i n the middl e o f a la rge ro om ,

half libra ry a n d hal f theatrical dres sing room fu r -

,

n i shed i n a curiou s style wa s a n individual wit h gol d ,

sp ectacl es Thi s was M Loco g i n his o ffi cial char

. .

a cter .

Fa n f erl o t o n his e n tra n ce a dva n ced respectfully ,

bowi ng till his back bo n e was a perfect cu rve M -

. .

L eco q lai d dow n his pe n a n d loo ki n g sha rply a t ,

him said Ah so here you are young man Well

, .
, , .
,
’
it seems that you haven t made much progres s i n
”
B erto my s ease
’
.

“ ” “
What mu rmured Fa n ferl o t y ou know ,

I kn o w tha t you have mu d dl ed everyt hing u n til

you ca n t see your way out ; so that you are r eady to
’

g ive i n .
’

But M L eco q i t was not I

, .
,

M L eco q rose a n d walked up a n d dow n the room ;

.
,

suddenly he co n fro n ted Fa n ferl o t a n d sai d in a to n e ,

o f S co rn ful i ro n y : What would you thi nk M a ster ,

4
8 FAM OU S DE TE CTIVE ST OR I ES
S quirrel of a ma n wh o abu se s the c o n fiden ce o f thos e
,

w h o e mploy him who r ev eals ju st eno u gh to lead th e

,

pro se cut i on on t h e wrong sc e nt who sacrifi ces to hi s ,

own fooli sh v ani ty the cau se o f justice and the liberty

”
of an unfortu n at e pri son e r ?
F a n f erl o t start e d back wit h a scared loo k
”
sho u l d say he stamm e r e d I shoul d say
, ,

Y o u woul d sa y thi s ma n o u gh t to be punish ed ,

an d d i smiss ed from his e mploym e nt ; and you a r e

right Th e l e s s a profe ssion i s honor ed t h e mor e
.
,

honorab l e s h o u ld those b e who '

b e long to it A n d .

yet you ha v e be e n false to yours Ah ! Master .

S qui rr e l w e a re ambitiou s an d we try to mak e the

, ,

po l i ce s e r v ice forward our own v iew s ! We let j u s

ti ce go astray an d w e go on a di ff e r e nt ta ck O ne
, .

must b e a more cu nning b l oo d ho u n d than you ar e -

my fr i e n d to be ab l e to hunt without a huntsman

,
.

”
You a r e too self reliant by h a l f -
.

B u t my c h i e f I sw e ar
, ,

S i le nce ! D o yo u pr e t e nd t o say that you di d

your d uty an d to ld al l you kn ew to t h e in ve stigating
,

magi strat e ? Whi l st ot he r s wer e gi v ing info rmation

a ga i n st the c as h i e r you w e re g e tting up e v id e nce
,

aga i n st t he banker Y o u wat ch ed his mo v ement s .

”
y o u b e cam e intimate with hi s v a le t .

W as M L eco q r e a l ly angry or pr e t ending to b e

.
,

so ? F a n f erl o t w h o kn e w hi m w ell was pu zzl e d a s

, ,

to wh e t he r all this in d ignation wa s r e a l .

“ ”
S ti l l if you w e r e on l y ski ll fu l continu e d M
, , .

“
L eco q , it would be anoth e r matt e r ; b u t no : you
wish to be master and you are not e ven fi t to b e a ,
”
j o u rneyman .
50 FA M O U S DE TE CTIV E ST ORI ES
L eco q I d iot ! This proof star e s you ri ght in the
.

face and you do n t s e e it ! This scratch is the o nly

,
’

c l ue there is to follow and you must lik e a fool n eg ,

le ct it I f I fi n d the guilty party it wi l l be by mea n s

.
,

o f this scratch ; and I am determi n ed that I will fin d

”
him .

At a distance the Sq ui r rel very bravely abuses a n d

de fi es M L eco q ; but in his p re sence he yie l ds to the
.
,

influe n ce whic h this extraordina ry ma n exercises upo n

al l who approach him This exact information these .
,

minute detail s ju st give n him so ups e t his mind t ha t ,

he could not imagine whe re and ho w M L eco q had .

obtained them F inally h e h u mbly said : You have

.

the n bee n occupying yourself with thi s case my ,

chief ?
“
Probabl y I hav e ; but I am n ot infallible a nd ,

ma y have overlooked some importa n t evide n ce .

”
Take a seat an d tell me all you know , .

M L ecoq was not the man to b e hood wi n ked so

.
-
,

Fa n ferlo t to l d th e exact truth a rare t h ing f o r him ,

to do However as h e reac he d t h e end o f his state

.
,

ment a fe e ling of mortifi e d v anity prev e nt e d his tell

,

ing how he had b e en fool e d by Nina and t h e stout

ma n U n fortunat el y fo r poor Fa n ferl o t M L eco q
.
, .

wa s always fully inform e d on e v e ry subject in which

he interested himself It s ee m s to me M aster .
,
”
S quirrel said h e , that you h a v e forgotte n some
,

thing Ho w far d id you fol l ow the empty cab ?

.
”

Fa n ferl o t blus h ed an d hung hi s h e ad l ike a guil ty

,

school boy O h my chief ! he cried

-
.
, a nd yo u ,

kn ow a ll about that too ! How could you have

 AN I N TER VI EW WITH M . L E C OQ 51

But a sudde n i d e a fl ashed acros s hi s m i n d he sto pped ,

short bound ed o ff his ch air a n d exclai m e d : Oh l

, ,

I kn ow n ow : you were the stout ge n tlema n with the

red whiskers
-
.

Hi s ama z ement gave so singula r an exp res sio n to

hi s face that M L eco q could n o t rest rai n a s m i l e
. .

Then it wa s you ! conti n ued the bewildered de

tectiv e ; you were the stout ge n tlema n at who m I
stared so as to impress his appea ra n ce upo n my
,

mi n d a n d I never recogni zed yo u ! Y ou wo ul d

,

m ake a superb acto r my chi e f i f you would go o n

, ,

the stage ; but I wa s disguised too — ve ry well di s

g uised .

Ve ry poorly dis guised : it is o nl y j ust to you that

I should let you know what a failu re it wa s Fan fer ,

lot D o you think that a huge beard a n d a blou se

.

a re su ffi cie n t transformatio n ? The eye is the th in g

to be changed the ey e The art lies i n bei n g abl e
”
to chang e the eye That i s the se cr e t
. This .

t heo ry o f di sguise explained why the ly nx eyed L eco q -

n e v er appeared at the Prefectu re Of Police wi thout

his gold spectacles .

Then my chief said Fa n f erl o t cli n ging to hi s

, , ,

idea you hav e b een mor e successfu l th a n M ada m e

,

Alexandre ; you ha ve made the l ittle girl confe ss ?

You know why she l e aves the Gra n d Archa n gel why ,

she does not wait for M de L a go rs a n d why she has

.
,
”
bought hers e l f some cotton dresses ?
”
She is fo llow i ng my advice .

That b e ing the cas e said the detect ive de ,

j ect edl y there

, is nothing l eft f o r me t o do b u t to ,
”
a ck n owledge myse l f a n a ss .
52 FAM O U S DETE CTIV E ST ORI ES
No S qui rr e l sai d M L eco q kin dly you are
, , .
,

n ot an a ss You m e r el y di d wrong in undertaking

.

a task b e yon d your capacity Ha v e you progr e s sed .

one st e p since you starte d in t h is a ff a i r ? No .

That S h ows t h at a l th o ug h you are incomparable as

,

a lie utenant yo u do not po ssess the qua l ities of a

,

g e n e ral I am going to pr e s e nt you w i t h an a p ho r

.

i sm ; r e member i t an d let it b e yo u r gui d e in the

,

futur e : A m a n ca n shi ne i n the sec o n d ra nk who ,

”
wo u l d b e to ta lly ecl i psed i n t he first .

N ev er h a d F a n ferl o t se en hi s chie f so ta l kati v e

an d goo d natur ed F in d ing h i s de cei t di sco v ered he
-
.
,

ha d exp e cted to be o ve rw hel med with a storm o f

ang e r ; w h er e as he h ad e scape d with a little s h ower
tha t h ad coo led hi s brain L eco q s ang e r di sa p .
’

p e a r ed lik e one o f t h ose h e avy c l o u ds w h ich thr e aten

in th e h orizon for a mom e nt and then are su dde n ly ,

sw e pt away by a gust o f win d .

B u t t hi s u n exp e cted a ffability made F a n f erl o t fe e l

un e a sy H e wa s a fra i d that som e thing migh t b e
.

con ce a l e d b e n e at h i t D o you kno w who t he t h i e f

.

i s my c hi e f ? he i n qu i r e d
,
.

I know n o mor e t h an you do Fa n f erl o t ; an d you ,

seem to h a v e ma de u p yo u r min d wh e r e a s I am still ,

u n d eci de d Y o u d e cl ar e the ca sh i er to b e innoc e nt

.
,

an d t he banker gui l ty I don t know wheth e r you .

’

ar e right or wrong I fo l low a ft e r you and h ave .

,

got no furth e r than t he pr e liminari e s O f my inve sti

g a t i o
. n I am c e rtain of but on e t h ing and t h at is , ,

th e scrat ch on th e sa f e door That scratch is my .

”
start i ng point -
.
 AN I NT ER VI EW WITH M . L E C OQ 53

As he Spoke M L eco q took from h i s des k a n i m

, .

mens e sheet of paper whi ch he un rolle d On this .

pap e r was photograph e d the do o r of M Fa u vel s .

’

sa f e E very d etail wa s ren dered perfectly

. .

Th e re were t h e five movable butto n s with t h e en

gra v ed letters a n d the n ar row proj ecting brass
, ,

lo ck The scratch was indicated with great exac t

.

n ess.

Now said M L eco q here is our scratch It

, .
, .

runs from top to bottom starting diagona l ly fro m , ,

the k e yh ole and pro ce eding from left to righ t ; that

,

i s to say it t e rminates on the side n e xt to t he p rivate

staircase lead i ng to the bank e r s apartments Al ’
.

though ve ry d e e p a t the key h o l e it e n ds i n a sca rcely

,
”
perc e ptible mark .

Yes my c h i e f I see all t h at

, , .

Natura lly you t h oug h t that this sc ratch was

made by t he p e r son w h o took the money Let us .

s ee if you w e re right I h a v e h e re a l itt l e iron box

.
,

pa i nted gre e n l i ke M Fa u v el s sa fe ; here it is

.
’
.

”
Tak e a k e y an d try to scratch it
, .

Th e de u c e take it ! sai d Fa n f erl o t a fte r several

a ttempts this paint is aw fu lly ha rd to move !
,
“
V e ry hard my friend an d yet that on the saf e
, ,

i s h arder sti ll an d more so lid S o you s e e t he

,
.

scrat ch you di sco v er ed cou l d not h a v e b e en made by

th e tr e mb l ing h and o f a t h i e f l etting the k e y slip .

“
S a p ri sti l exc l aim e d Fa n f erl o t amaz e d ; I
neve r sh ou l d ha v e though t o f t h a t It certa In ly re .

q u i r e d great force to make the d e ep sc ratch on the

”
safe .
54 FA M O U S DE TE CTIV E ST OR I ES
Yes but how was that force applied ? I have
,

be e n racking my b rai n for thre e days an d it was o nly ,

y e sterday tha t I came to a co n clu sio n Let us ex .

amin e i f my conj ectures prese n t e n ough chances of

”
probability to establish a sta rting poi n t -
.

M L eco q put the photograph aside a n d wal ki n g

.
, ,

to the d o or c o mmunicati n g with his bed room too k ,

the key from the lock a n d holding it i n hi s ha n ds , , ,

said : C ome here F a n ferl o t a n d sta n d by my side

, , ,

there ; very well N o w suppose that I wa n t to ope n

.

t his d oor a n d th at you don t w i sh me to ope n it ;

’
,

whe n you see me about to i n sert the k ey what w ould ,

be you r first impulse ?

To put my ha n ds o n your a rm a nd d raw i t ,

towards m e so as to p reve n t you r i n troduci n g the

”
k ey.

Precisely S O N o w let u s try it ; go o n

. .

F a n f erl o t obeyed ; a n d the k ey held by M L ecoq .

,

p ull e d aside fr o m the l o ck slipped al o n g the doo r, ,

a n d t raced upon it from abo v e to belo w a diago n a l

,

scratch the exac t rep roductio n Of the one i n the

,

photog raph .

“
O h oh Oh ! exclaimed F an ferl o t i n th ree dif
, ,

f et cnt tones of admiratio n as he sto o d ga z i n g i n a,

reveri e at the door .

D o you begi n to u n dersta n d ? as k ed M L eco q . .

U n dersta n d my c hief ? W hy a child could uh

, ,
,

derstand it n ow Ah what a ma n yo u are ! I see

.
,

t he sce n e a s i f I had bee n the re Two perso n s were .

p rese n t a t the robbery ; o n e wished to ta k e the mo n ey ,

the ot he r wished to preve n t i ts bei n g t a k e n Tha t .

”
i s clea r t hat i s certai n
,
.
 AN INTERVIEW WITH M . L EC OQ 55

A ccu stom ed to triumph s of thi s sort M L eco q , .

wa s much amused at Fa n ferl o t s e n thusiasm ’

.

”
There you go o ff half p rimed agai n he said good
,
-
,

hum o redly ; you regard as certai n p roof a circum

stance w h ich may be accide n tal a n d at the m ost o nly ,
”
p robable .

No my chief ; n o ! a ma n like you could n ot be

,
”
mistaken ; doubt is n o l o n ger possible .

That being the case what de ductio n s wo uld you ,

d raw from o u r discovery ?

I n the fi rst place it p roves that I a m co rrect i n
,
”
thi nki ng the cashier i nn oce n t .

How so ?
Because being at perfect l ibe rty to ope n the saf e
,

whe n e v er he wished to do so it is no t li k ely that he ,

would have had a wit n ess present when he i n te n d ed

”
to comm i t the theft .

W e l l reasoned Fa n ferl o t But o n this suppo

, .

si t i o n the ba nk e r would be e q ually in n ocen t ; reflect

a little .

F an ferl o t reflected a n d all his co n fi de n ce vanished

,
.

”
You are right he said i n a despairi n g to n e
, .

”
What can be do n e n o w ?
“
Look for the third ro gue o r rathe r the real ,

ro gue the one who opened the sa fe an d stole the

, ,

n otes and who is still at la rge whi l e others are

, ,

suspected .

“ ’
Impossible m y chief impo ssible ! D on t you
, ,

kn ow tha t M F au vel and his ca shier had k eys a n d

.
,

t h ey only A n d they alwa y s kept these keys i n their

possessio n .
56 FA M O U S DET E CTIV E ST ORI ES
O n the e v eni n g of the robbe ry the ba nk e r left
his key in his escritoire .

Yes ; but the key alone was n ot su ffi cient to o pe n

the safe ; it was necessa ry tha t the word also should
be kn own .

M L ecoq sh rugged his shoulder s impatie n tly

. .

What was the word ? he ask ed .

”
Gipsy .

Which is the name o f the cashier s mist ress ’

.

Now k eep your eyes o pen The day you fi n d a ma n

.

su fli ci en tl y intimate with Prospe r to be aware of a ll

the ci rcumsta n ces co nn ected with this name and who ,

i s at the same time o n such a footin g with the Fa uvel

family a s would give him the privile ge of e n teri n g
M Fauvel s chambe r the n a n d n ot u n til the n will
.
’
, , ,

y ou discover the guilty p ar ty O n that day the .

”
p roblem wi ll be solv ed .
58 FAM O U S DET E CTIV E ST OR IES
I ha d seen little o f H o l m e s lately My ma rriage .

had d ri ft e d u s away fr o m ea ch other My ow n .

complet e happiness and the home centered in ter e sts

,
-

which rise up a rou n d the ma n who fi rst fin d s h i ms e lf

m a ster o f his ow n establishm e nt were su fli ci en t to ,

absorb all my atte n tio n ; w hile Holmes who loathe d ,

every form of society with his whole Bohemia n soul ,

remained in o u r lodging s i n Bak e r S tr e et buri e d ,

among his old books and alternating from w e ek to

,

week b e tw e en cocain e and a mbitIon the drowsiness ,

of the drug and t h e fi e rce energy of his own ke en

n a ture He was still as ever de e p l y attra cted by
.
, ,

the study of crime and occ u pied his immense f a cul

,

ties a n d extraordina ry pow e rs O f observation i n fol

lowing Ou t those clews and clearing up those m ys
,

teri es which ha d been abando n e d as hop e le ss by the

,

Offi ci al police. F rom time to time I h e ard some

vague account of his doings ; of his su m mons to
O dessa i n t h e case of the Trep o ff murd e r o f his ,

cl ear n up of the singula r tragedy of the Atkinson

brot he rs at Trincomalee and fi na l ly of t h e mi ssio n
,

which he had accomp l ish e d so d e licate ly and su cce ss

fully fo r the r e igning family o f Ho l lan d B eyon d .

these signs of his acti v ity howev e r w h ich I m e r e ly

, ,

sha red wit h a l l the rea de rs of t he dai ly pr e ss I k n e w ,

little of my former fri e nd and companion .

O ne n ight — i t wa s on the 2 0 th of March 1 88 8

— I was returning fro m a j ourney to a pati e nt ( for
,

I had n ow return e d to ci v il practice ) when my way ,

led m e th rough B a k e r S treet A s I passe d th e w e ll

.

remembered door w hi ch mus t always be associated

,
 A SCA NDAL IN B O H E MIA 59

i n my mi n d with my wooing a n d with th e dar k i n ci ,

”
dents o f t h e S tu dy in S carlet I was sei z ed with a ,

k ee n desire to see Holm e s agai n a n d to know how ,

he was employing his extraor d i n a ry powers Hi s .

rooms were brillia n tly li ht e d an d even a s I looked

g ,

u p I saw his tall spare fi gure pass twice i n a dar k

, ,

silhouette against the blind H e was paci n g the .

roo m swiftly e agerly wi th his head sunk upon his

, ,

ch e st and hi s han d s cla spe d behind h im To me

, .
,

who kn ew hi s eve ry moo d and habit h is attitu d e a n d ,

m a nn er told t he ir own story He was at wor k .

agai n He had risen out of his dru g created dr e a m s

.
-
,

a n d was hot upon t h e sce n t of some new problem I .

ra n g the bell and was show n up to t h e chamber which

,

ha d forme rly been in pa rt my ow n .

His ma nn er was not e ffusive It seldo m was ; but .

he was glad I think to see me With ha r dl y a

, , .

wo rd spoke n but with a kin dly eye he waved me to

, ,

a n armchair t hr e w across his ca se o f ci gars an d i n

, ,

di ca ted a spirit ca se and a gasogene in t h e corne r .

Th e n h e stood before the fire and looked m e over i n ,

h is si ngula r intro spe ctive fashio n .

”
We d lock suits yo u he remarked I thi nk
,
.
,

Watson t hat you ha v e put on seven and a half

,
”
poun d s si n ce I saw you .

”
S ev e n I answ e re d
, .

I ndeed I sho uld h av e thought a l ittle more

,
.

Ju st a trifl e m or e I fancy W at son And in practice

, , .

again I obser ve You d id n ot tell me that you in

, .

”
ten ded to go into h arness .

The n how do you kn ow ?

60 FAM O U S DE TE CTIVE STOR I ES
I see it I de duce it How do I kn ow t h at you
, .

have b e e n get ting yo u rs e lf v ery wet l ately and that ,

you ha v e a most cl u msy and ca reless serva n t girl ?

“
My dear Holmes said I this is too much
, , .

Y ou would certainly have bee n bur n ed ha d you li v ed

a few cen tu ries ago It is t rue that I ha d a country
.

wal k on T hursday a n d came home i n a dreadful

mess ; but as I have changed my clot h es I can t ,
’

imagi n e how you deduce it A s to Mary Jane s h e .

,

is i n corrigible and my wi fe has given h er notice ; but

,
”
t here again I fail to see how you work it out .

H e chuckl e d to himsel f a n d rubbed his lon g n ervous

hands to gether .

I t is simplicity itsel f said he ; my eyes tell me

,

that o n the inside o f your left shoe just whe re the ,

fi rel i ght strik e s it the leather is scored by six almost

,

p a rallel cu ts O bviously th e y have bee n caused by

.

some o n e who has v ery carelessly scraped roun d the

edges of the sol e i n orde r to remove crusted mud
from it Hence you see my double deductio n that
.
, ,

you ha d bee n out in V ile weather a n d t h at you ha d ,

a particularly malignant boot s l ickin g specime n of -

the Lo n do n slavey As to your practice i f a ge n tle

.
,

m a n walks i n to my rooms smelli n g of iodoform , ,

with a black mark of n itrate of silver upon his right

fore fi n ge r an d a bulg e o n the side of his top hat to
,
-

Show where he h as secr e t e d h is stethoscope I must ,

be dull indeed if I d o not pronounce hi m to be a n

”
active member o f th e medical pro f e ss i o n .

I could no t he l p laughing at t h e ease with which he

exp l a i n ed hi s proces s of de ductio n Whe n I he a r .
 A SCAND AL IN B O HEM I A 61

you give y ou r re a so n s I rem a r k ed the t

,h i n g a l ,

ways a pp ears to me so ridi cul o usl y simpl e th a t I

could e a sil y do it myself thou gh at ea ch succe ssiv e ,

i n stance of you r reaso n i n g I am ba ffl ed un til you ex ,

p lain you r process A n d yet I believe th a t my eye s

.
,

a re as good as yours .

”
Qui te so he a n swered lighti n g a ci gar ette
, , ,

a nd throwin g himself down into a n armch a i r .

Y ou see but you do no t obse rve The disti n ctio n

, .

i s clea r
. For example you have fre que n tly seen the ,
”
st ep s which lea d up from the ha l l to thi s ro o m .

”
Fre que n tly .

How ofte n ?
Well some hu n dreds of times
, .

Then how many are there ?

How many ? I do n t kn ow ’
.

Quite so ! You have n ot observed An d .

yet you have see n That is j us t my poi n t Now I

. .
,

know there a re seve n tee n ste p s because I h a ve both ,

see n a n d Observed By the way si n ce you a re in

.
,

te rested i n these little p r oblems a nd si n ce you a re ,

goo d e n ou gh to chro n icle o ne or two of my trifli n g

experie nces you may be i n terested i n this
, He .

t h r e w over a she e t of thick pi n k ti n ted n ote p aper - -

which h ad bee n lyi n g o p e n upo n the table It ca m e .

by the last post said he , R ea d it aloud . .

The n ote was u n dated a n d without eith er si gn a ,

ture or address .

There will call u p o n you to night at a qu a rter to -

,

eight o clock it said a gen tlema n who desir es to

’
, ,

consul t you upo n a matter of the very deep e st mo

 62 FAM OU S DETE CTIVE STORI ES
me n t Y our rece n t serv ices to o n e of th e royal house s
.

of E urope have show n that you are o n e who may

sa f e ly b e trusted with matters which a re of an i m

portance which can har dly be exaggerat ed This a c .

count O f you we have fro m all quarters received .

B e in your cha mber then at that hour a n d do n ot

, , ,
”
ta ke it amiss i f your V isitor wears a mas k .

”
This is i n deed a myst e ry I rem ark ed What , .
“

”
do you ima gi n e that it mea n s ?
I have n o data yet It is a capital mistake to
.

theori z e before o n e has data I n se n sibly one b e gi n s .

to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to ,

suit facts Bu t the n ote itself

.
— what do you de
”
duce fro m it ?
I carefully exa m i n ed the writi n g an d the p a p er ,

upon which it was written .

The man who wrote it was p resumably well to

do I remar k ed e n deavori n g to imitate my co m
, ,

panio n s p rocesses
’
S uch paper could not be
.

bought u nd er h alf a crow n a pack et It is pecu l iarly .

”
strong an d sti ff .

Pe culi ar tha t is the very word said Holmes , .

It is n ot an E ngli sh p a p er at all Hold it up to the .

”
light .

I d id so a n d saw a lar ge E with a small g a P a n d

, ,

a large G with a small t wove n into the texture o f

the pa p er .

W hat do you ma ke of that ? asked Holm es .

The name of the m a k er n o doubt ; or his m ono ,

”
gram rather
, .

Not a ll The G with the sma ll t st a n ds fo r

.
 A S C ANDAL IN B O HEMI A 63
’
Gesellscha ft which is the Ger m a n fo r C omp any
, .
’

It is a customary co n traction li ke o u r C O P of .
’
,

cours e sta n ds for P apier

, Now fo r the E g .
’
.

Let us gla n ce at our C ontine n tal Ga z etteer He .

’

took d own a heavy brow n volume from his shelves .

“
E gl o w E gl o n i tz
, he re we ar e E gri a It is in a , .

G e r m an spea ki n g country
-
in Bohemia no t far ,

from C arlsbad R emarkabl e as being the sce n e

o f the d ea t h of Walle n stei n a n d for its n umerou s ,

glass factori e s and paper mills Ha ! ha ! my boy .

’
,
”
what do you ma ke o f t h at ? His eyes sparkled ,

and h e se n t up a great blue triu m pha n t cloud from

his cigarette .

The paper wa s made i n Bohemi a I said , .

P r e cis e ly And the ma n who wrote th e n ote is

.

a Ge rman D O you n ote t h e p eculi ar co n stru ctio n

.

of th e se n t en ce This account o f you we have from

all qua rters received ? A Fre n chma n or R ussia n ’

coul d n o t have written that It is the German who .

is so u n court e ous to his ve rbs It only remains .

,

therefore to discover wh at is wanted by this Ger

,

ma n w h o writes upo n Bo h em i an paper and prefers ,

wearing a mask to showing his face And here he .

comes i f I a m not mistak e n to resolve all our

, ,
”
doubts .

’
As h e spok e t h ere was the sharp sound of horses
hoo fs a nd grating w hee l s against th e curb followed ,

by a sharp pu ll at th e b el l Holmes w h istl ed . .

”
A pai r by the sou n d said he
, Yes he co n
, .
,
“
ti n n ed glanci n g o u t of the wi n dow
, A n ice little .

b rou gham a n d a p ai r O f beauties A hundred a n d .

 64 FAM O U S D ETE C TIVE S TORIE S
fifty gui n eas apiece There s m on ey i n this ca se .
’
,
”
Watson if there is n othi ng else
, .

I thin k I ha d b e tter go Hol m es , .

Not a bit doctor S tay wher e you a re I am

, . .

lost without my Boswell And this promis es to b e .

”
i n teresting It would be a pi ty to m iss it
. .

“
B u t your c l ient
Never mind him I may w a n t your help a nd so .
,

may he Here he comes S it dow n in t h at arm

. .

”
c h air docto r a n d give us your best att en tio n
, , .

A slow and heavy step which ha d bee n heard u p o n ,

the stairs a nd in the pa ssage p aused immedi ately ,

outsi d e the door Then there was a loud an d au

.

tho ri t a tive tap .

C ome in ! said Holmes .

A ma n entered w h o could hardly have bee n l es s

than six fe e t six i n ches in height with the chest a n d ,

limbs o f a Hercules His dress was rich with a rich .

n e ss which would i n E n gla n d be l o o k ed u p o n as

, ,

akin to bad taste H e avy ba n ds o f astra khan wer e

.

slashed across the S leeves and fro n t of his double

br e ast e d coat whi l e t h e deep blue cloak which wa s
,

thrown over his shoul d ers was lined with fl ame

co l or e d silk and secured at the n eck with a brooch
,

whi ch consisted of a single fl aming beryl Boo ts .

which ext e nded half way up his calves and whi ch -

,

w e re trimme d at the tops with ric h brown fur com ,

p l et ed the impr e ssio n of barba ric opule n ce which was

sugge st e d by his whol e appea ra n ce He carried a ' .

broa d brimmed ha t in his ha n d while he wo re a cros s

-
,

the upper part of his face exte n di n g dow n p ast the ,

66 FAM O U S DETE CTIV E STORI ES
I promise sai d Holmes
, .

”
And I .

You wil l excuse this mas k co n tinued our ,

stra n ge V isitor The august perso n who emp l oys

.

me wis h es his ag e nt to b e unkn own to you a nd I may ,

con f e ss at o n ce th e title by which I have j ust cal l e d

”
mys el f is not exact ly my ow n .

”
I was aware of it said Holme s dryly
, , .

The circu m stances a re o f great d e lica cy a n d ,

ev e ry pr e caution has to be take n to qu e nch what

m i gh t grow to be an immense scandal a n d serious ly ,

compromise o n e of the reig n ing families of E urop e .

To sp e ak p l ain l y, th e matter imp l icates th e great

”
Hou se of O rm stei n h e reditary kings of B ohemi a
, .

“
I was a l so aware of t h at m urmure d Ho l m e s
, ,

sett l ing himse l f dow n in his armchair a n d closing ,

h i s ey e s .

O ur v isitor glanced with so m e apparent surprise

at t he l an guid lounging figu re of the man w h o h ad
,

b e en no doubt depict ed to him as the most incisive

, ,

rea so n e r an d most energ e tic agent in E urope .

Ho l m e s s l owly reopened h is eye s and look e d im

pat i ently a t his gigantic cli e nt .

I f your maj esty wou l d condesc e nd to state your

“
ca se h e remark e d
, I should be better ab l e to
,
”
ad v i se you .

T h e man spra n g from his chai r a n d paced up a n d ,

d o wn the roo m in uncontrol l abl e a gitation Then .

,

with a gesture o f de speration h e tore the mask ,

fr o m h is face and hur le d it upo n th e ground .

“ ” “
Y o u a re r i ght he crie d
, I a m the king ,
.

”
Why should I attempt to co n c e al it ?
 A SCA ND AL IN B O H EMIA 67

”
Why i n deed ?
, m u rmured Holmes Y our .

maj e sty h a d not spok en b e fore I was aware that I

wa s a d dressing W il he lm Go ttsrei ch S igismo n d v o n
O rm stei n Gra n d D u k e o f C assel Fel stei n a nd he
,
-
,

redi t a ry King of B ohemia .

“
But you can u n dersta n d said our str a ng e ,

visitor sitt i ng down once more and passi n g his hand

,
“
o v e r h is h igh white for e h e ad you ca n und e rsta n d
, ,

that I am not accustomed to doi n g such business in

my o wn person Y et the matter was so delicate that
.

I cou l d not confide it to a n agent wit h out p utting

myse l f in his pow e r I have come incogn i to from
.

”
P rague for the purpose of co n sulti n g you .

“ ”
Th e n pray co n sult said Hol m es shutti n g his
, , ,

eyes o nce m or e .

“
The facts are briefly thes e : S ome five year s
ago d uring a le n gt h y visi t to Warsaw I m ad e the
, ,

acquaintance of the w ell known adventuress Irene -

”
A dl e r T h e name is no doubt famili ar to you
. .

”
Ki ndly look h e r up in my index doctor mur , ,

mur ed Ho l m e s wit h ou t openi n g his e yes For many

, .

yea rs he had a d opte d a syst e m for do ck eting a l l

p aragraphs co n cerni n g men an d thi n gs so that it ,

was di fli cu lt to n am e a subj e ct or a perso n o n w h ich

he could not at once fu rnis h information In t h is .

case I foun d h er biograp hy sandwiche d in between

that o f a H e br e w rabbi an d tha t of a sta ff co m -

mand e r w h o h a d written a m o n ograp h upo n the

deep sea fishes
-
.

Le t m e see ! said Hol m es Hu m ! Bor n .

i n New J e rsey i n the year o f 1 8 C o n tra lto

68 FAM O U S D ETECTIVE STORI E S
hu m ! La S ca l a — hum ! P rim a donn a Im p eri a l
O pera o f Warsa w — yes ! R etired from op eratic
stage ha ! Living in Lo n don quite so ! Y our
maj e st y as I u n derstand became enta n gled with this
, ,

you n g perso n wrote her so m e compromisi ng letters

, ,
”
a n d is now desirous of g e tti n g those letters back .

Precise l y so But how .

Wa s there a secret marriage ?

”
None .

No legal p apers or certi fi cates ?

No ne .

The n I fail to fo l low your ma j esty I f t his .

young p erso n should pro d uce her letters fo r blac k

mailing or other purp oses how i s she to p rove their ,

authenticity ?
There is the writi n g .

Pooh pooh ! F orgery

-
.

My private n ote p aper -

.

”
S tol e n .

My own seal .

”
Imitated .

My photo gra p h .

”
B ought .

W e were both i n the p hotograph .

Oh dear ! That i s v ery bad Y o u r m aj esty

,
.

has inde e d committ e d a n indiscretio n .

”
I was ma d insa n e .

You have compromised yourself se riously .

I was o n ly crow n pri n ce the n I was you n g . .

”
I am but t h irty n ow .

I t must be rec overed .

 A SCAN D AL IN B O H EMIA 69

We have trie d a n d failed .

”
You r maj esty must p ay It must be bou ght . .

”
S he will not sell .

”
S tole n then , .

Five attempts have bee n made Twice burglars .

i n my pay ra n sacked her house On ce we diverted .

her lu ggage when she t raveled Twice she has b ee n .

”
w a ylai d There has bee n n o result
. .

”
No S ign of it ?
Absolutely n o n e
H olmes laughed It is quite a p retty little p rob
.

”
l em, said he .

But a very serious o n e to me retur n ed the ,

k i n g repr o achfully
, .

“
Very i n deed A n d wh a t do es she p ropose to
, .

do with the photo grap h ?

”
To rui n me .

But how ?
I am about to be m a r ried .

”
So I have heard .

To C lotilde L o thm an vo n S axe M ei n i n ge n -

,

second daughter of the Ki n g o f S ca n di n avia Y ou .

may kn ow the strict p ri n ciples of h e r fami l y She .

is herself the very soul of delicac y A shadow of a .

d oubt as to my co n duct would bri ng th e ma tter to

”
an e n d .

A n d Iren e Adl er ? ’

T h rea te n s to se n d them the photograph And .

she wi l l do it I kn ow tha t she will d o i t Y ou

. .

d o n o t kn ow her but S he has a soul o f steel

, S he .

ha s the f ace o f the mo st b ea uti ful of wome n and the

70 FAM OUS DETE CTIVE ST ORIES
m ind Of the most resolute o f me n R a the r th a n I .

shoul d marry a n ot h er woma n there are n o l en ths

g
,
”
to w h ich she would not go non e .

”
Y ou are sure she ha s n ot se n t i t y et ?
”
I am sure .

And why ?
Be cause she ha s said that she would se n d i t o n
the day whe n the be trothal was p ublicly proclai m ed .

”
That will be n ex t Mo n day .

Oh the n we have th ree days yet said Holmes

,
”
, ,

with a ya wn That is v e ry fortu n ate as I have

.
,

o n e or two matters o f importa nce to lo o k i n to j us t

at prese n t Y ou r ma j es ty will of cou rse stay i n
.
, ,

Lo n do n for the prese n t ?

C ertai n ly Y ou will fi n d me a t the La n gha m
.
,
”
under the n ame of C ou n t vo n Kramm .

Th en I shall drop you a li n e to l et yo u kn ow

how w e progress .

P ray do so ; I shall be all a nxie ty .

”
T h e n as to mo n ey ?
,

You have ca rte bl a n che .

Absolutely ?
I tell you that I would give o n e of the p rovi n c es
”
of my kingdom to have t h at p h otograph .

A n d for prese n t expe n ses ?

T he k i n g t oo k a heavy ch amois leathe r b a g from
u n der h is cloa k a nd laid it o n the table
,
.

The re a re three hu n dred pou n ds i n gold a n d ,

”
seve n hu n dred i n n otes he said ,
.

H o lmes s cribbled a recei p t u p o n a shee t o f hi s

n o teb oo k and h a n ded it to hi m
,
.
 A SCA ND AL I N B O H EMI A 1
’
A n d m a demoiselle s addres s ? he as k ed .

'
Is B rio ny Lodge S e rpe n ti n e Avenue S t Joh n
, , .
’
s

Woo d .

Holmes too k a note of i t O n e othe r qu esti o n .

,
“
said he thou ghtfully
, Was the photog ra p h a .

”
cabinet ?
I t was .

The n good n igh t your m aj e sty a nd I tru st

,
-
, ,

that we sha l l soo n have some good n ew s f o r you .

”
And good night W atso n he added as the wheels
-
, , ,

o f t h e royal brougham rolled down the stree t If .

you will be goo d enough to call t o morro w afte rn oo n ,

’
at three o clock I should li ke to ch a t th i s little matt er
,
”
ove r with you .

At th re e o clock precisely I wa s a t Ba ker S tre et

’
,

but Holme s had n ot yet return ed The landlady .

i n f o rmed me that h e had left the house shortly a fter

’
eight o clock i n the mor n in g I sa t do wn beside .

the fire however with the i n te n tio n o f awaiti n g him

, , ,

howev e r lo n g he might be I wa s already deeply .

i n terest e d i n hi s i n qui ry f o r though it wa s sur , ,

rou nd ed by n o n e of the gri m a n d st ra n ge fe a tures

which we r e associ ated with the two c rimes which I
ha v e already recorded still the n a tu re of the case , ,

a n d the exalted sta tio n o f his client gave i t a ch a r

a cter of i ts ow n I n d e ed apar t from the n a tu r e of

.
,

the i n vestigatio n whi ch my frie n d had o n ha n d there ,

wa s so m ethi n g in his masterly grasp o f a si tuatio n ,

an d hi s k ee n i n ci sive reaso n i n g which mad e it a

, ,

p l ea su re to m e to stu dy his system of wo rk and to ,

72 FAM OUS D ET ECT IVE STOR I ES
follow the quick subtle methods by which he di sen ,

tangled th e most inextricab l e mysteri e s S o accus .

to m ed was I to his invariable success tha t the very

pos sibility of his failing had ceased to e n ter i n to
my head .

It was clo se upo n four before the doo r ope n ed a n d ,

a dru nken look i ng groom ill k empt a n d side whis k

-
,
- -

ered with a n i n flamed face a n d disreputable clothes

, ,

wa lked into the room Accustomed as I was to my .

’
frie n d s ama z i n g powers i n the use of disguises I ,

ha d to loo k three times before I wa s certai n that it

was i n deed he With a n od he va n i shed into the
.

b e droom whe n ce he e m erged i n fi ve m i n utes twe ed

,

suited a n d res p ect able as of old Putti n g his h a n ds , .

i n to hi s pockets he stretched ou t his legs i n fro n t

,

o f the fi re and laughed he a rtily for so m e mi nute s

,
.

”
Well r eally ! he cried and the n he cho k ed
, , ,

a n d l a ughed a gai n until he was obliged to lie b a c k ,

limp a n d helpless i n the ch ai r , .

Wha t is it ?
It s quite too fu nny I a m sure you could n eve r
’
.

guess how I employed my mor n i n g or w h at I e n ded ,

”
by doing .

I can t imagi n e I suppo se that you have been

’
.

watchi n g the habits a n d perha p s the house o f , , , ,

”
M iss Ire n e A dle r .

Quite so but the se quel was rather u n usual I

,
.

will tell you howeve r I le ft the house a litt l e a ft er

, .

e ight O clock this mor n i n g i n the character of a groom

’

out of work There is a wo n der ful sympathy and

.

fr e e m aso n ry a mo n g horsy me n B e o n e of th em .
,
74 FAM OUS DETECTIV E ST ORI ES
dashi n g ; never calls less t h an once a day a n d ofte n ,

twice He is a M r Godfrey Norton o f the I nn er

. .

Temple S ee the advantages of a cabma n as a co n

.

fi da n t .They ha d driven him home a doze n ti m es

fr o m S erpe n tine M ews and kn ew all about him
, .

Whe n I had liste n ed to all that they ha d to tell I ,

began to walk up a n d down n ea r Briony Lodge o n c e

more and to thi nk o v er m y pla n o f campaig n
, .

“
This Go d frey Norto n was evidently a n im
porta n t factor i n the matter He was a lawyer . .

That sou n ded omi n ous What was the relation be

.

twee n t h em a n d wh at the Obj ect of his repeated

,

visits ? Was she his clie n t his friend or his m i s , ,

tress ? I f the former she had p robably transferred

,

the photograph to his k eepi n g I f the latter it was .

,

l e s s likely On the issue o f this question depe n ded

.

whether I shoul d continue my work at B rio n y Lodge ,

or tur n my atte n tio n to the gentle m an s chamber s ’

in the T e mp l e It was a d e l icate point and i t

.
,

widened the field of my in q uiry I fear that I bore .

you with these d e tails but I have to let you see m y

,

little di ffi culties if you are to u n dersta n d the situ a

,
”
tio n
.

I am followi n g you closely I a n swered , .

I was st i l l balancing the matter in my mi n d ,

whe n a hansom cab dro v e up to Brio ny Lodge and ,

a gentleman sprang out He was a remar kably .

ha n dsome ma n dar k aquiline an d mustached

, , ,

evidently the ma n o f whom I had hea rd He a p .

p e a red to be i n a great hurry shouted to the ca b ,

m a n to wait a n d brushed p ast the maid who o p en ed

,
 A SCAN D AL IN B O H EMIA 75

the door with the air of a ma n who wa s tho rou ghly

,

at home .

He was i n the house about hal f a n hour a n d I ,

could catc h glimpses of him in t h e wi ndo ws of the

sitti n g ro o m paci n g up and down ta lki n g excitedly
-
, ,

a n d wa v i n g his arms O f her I could see nothi n g

. .

Pr e sent l y he emerged looking even more flurried ,

t h an b e fore As he stepped up to the cab he pulled

.
,

a gold watch fro m his pocket a n d loo k ed a t it ear

n estly . D rive like the devil ! he shouted fi rs t ,

to Gross 81 Hankey s in R e gent S treet and the n to

’
,

the C hurch of S t Mo n ica in the E dgewa re R oad

. .

Half a gui ne a i f you do i t i n twent y minutes !

“
Away they went a n d I wa s just wo n deri n g ,

whet h er I s h ould not do well to follow them whe n ,

u p the la n e came a neat little landau the coachma n ,

with h i s coat o nly hal f buttoned and his tie u nder ,

his ear while all th e tags o f his har n ess were stick
,

i n g out of the buckles It had n t pull e d up befor e .

’

sh e shot out o f the hall door and i n to it I o n ly .

caugh t a gl i m ps e o f her at the m ome n t but she was ,

a lovely woman with a face that a man might die

,

for .

The C hurch of S t Mo n ica John she cried ; .

, ,
’

a n d half a sovereign i f you reach it i n twe n ty

‘

mi nutes .
’

“
This was quite too good to lose Watso n I , .

was j ust balancing w h et h er I should run for it o r ,

whether I shou l d perch b eh i nd h e r landau whe n a ,

cab came through the str e et The driv e r looked .

twic e a t such a shabby fare ; but I j umped in before

76 FAM OUS D ETE CTIV E ST ORI ES
h e could ob j ect The C hurch o f S t Mo ni ca said
. .
,
’

I a n d half a so v ereign if you r e ach it i n twen ty

,

min u tes . It was twe n ty fi ve minutes to tw elv e a n d

’
-
,

o f cou rse it was clear enough wh at was in the wind .

My cabby drove fast I d o n t t h ink I ever .

’

drove faster but th e ot h ers were there before us

, .

The cab and la n dau with their steaming horses were

in front of t h e door w h e n I arrived I paid the ma n .
,

and h urried into the church There was not a soul .

there save the two whom I had followed and a ,

s u rpliced cler gyma n who seemed to be expostulati ng ,

wi t h t h em T he y we re all t h re e standing in a knot

.

in front of t h e altar I lounged up the side aisle .

like any othe r idler who h as dropped into a church .

Su dde nly to my surpri se t he three at t h e altar faced

, ,

ro u n d to me an d Go d frey Norto n came ru n nin g as

,

h ar d as he could toward s m e .

‘
Th a n k Go d l he cried You ll do C ome !
’
.
‘ ’
.

C ome !
W hat then ? I ask ed .

C ome m a n come ; o n ly three mi nutes or it

, , ,

won t be l e gal
’
.
’

I was h alf dragg e d up to t h e altar and before , ,

I knew wh e re I was I found m y se lf mumb l ing re ,

spo u ses whic h were w h i spered i n my e ar and vouch ,

ing for things o f which I knew nothing and generally ,

as si sting in t h e secu r e tying up o f Ire n e Adler ,

spinster to Godfr e y Norton bachelor It was a ll

, , .

d on e in a n i n sta n t and ther e was t h e gentlema n,

thanking me o n the one si d e and the lady o n the

ot he r w h ile t h e cl e rgyma n beamed o n me in fro n t
, .
 A SCAN D AL IN B O HEM IA 77
,

It wa s the most preposterou s positi o n i n wh i ch I

ever fou n d mys e lf in my life and it was the thou ght ,

of it that started me laughing j u st n ow It seems .

that t h ere h ad be e n some informality about their

license ; t h at the clergym an absolutely refused to
marry the m without a witness of some sort a n d ,

t h at my lucky appearance saved the bridegroom fro m

h aving to sal l y out into the str e ets i n search o f a
best man The bride gave me a sovereign a n d I
.
,

mean to wea r i t o n my watch chai n i n memory of -

”
the occasio n .

This is a very u n expected tur n o f a ff airs sa id ,

”
1°
an d w h at then ?
Well I found my plans very seriously menaced
,
.

It looked as i f t h e pair migh t take an immediate

departure and to n e c e ssitat e very prompt and e n er
,

getic measur e s on my pa rt At the church door .

,

h owe ve r th ey s e parate d he driving ba ck to the

, ,
‘
Temple and s h e to her own house
, I shall drive .

’
out in the park at five as usual she said as she left , ,

him I h eard no more Th e y drov e away in di f

. .

f eren t dir e ctions and I we n t Off to make my own

,
”
arrang e m e nts .

W hich are ?
S ome cold beef and a gla ss of beer he an ,

swered ringing the be ll

, I ha v e b ee n too bu sy to
.

t h ink o f foo d and I am l ikely to b e bu si e r sti ll this

,

e v ening B y the way doctor I shall want your co

.
, ,

operation .

I sha ll be delighted .

You d on t mind brea k in g the law ?

’
78 FAM OUS D ETECTIVE STORIE S
Not i n the l east .

”
Nor runni n g a chance of a rrest ?
”
Not in a good cau se .

O h the cause is exce l le n t !

,
”
Then I am your ma n .

I wa s sure tha t I might rely o n you .

But wha t is it you W ish ?

When M rs Tur n er has brought i n the tray I
.

will make it clear to you Now he said as he .

, ,

t u rn e d hungrily on the simple fare that our la n d

“
lady had provided I must dis cu ss it w h ile I eat
, ,

for I h ave not much time It is n early five n ow . .

I n two h o urs we must be on the sc e ne of actio n .

M i ss Irene or Madame rather returns from her

, , ,

d rive a t seve n We must be at B riony Lodge to

.

”
m e e t her .

And what then ?

You must l e ave t h at to me I have a l ready .

a rra n ged what is to occur There is only one poi n t .

on w h ich I must in sist You must n ot i n terfere

.
,

come what may You understand ?.

“ ”
I am to be n e utral ?
To do nothing whatever T h ere will prob ably .

be some sma ll unp le a santness D o not j oi n in it . .

It will end i n my b e ing conveyed into the house .

F our or five mi nutes a fterward s the sitting room -

window wi l l open You are to statio n yourself close

.

”
to that ope n wi n dow .

“ ”
Yes .

Y o u a re to watch me for I wil l be visible to ,

 A SC AN DAL IN B O H EMI A 79

Y es .

And whe n I rai se my ha nd — so — yo u will

throw i n to the ro om what I give you to throw a n d ,

will at t h e same time r a ise the cry o f fi re Y ou

, , .

quite follow me ?
”
E ntirely .

It is nothi n g ve ry formidable he sa id ta ki ng , ,
“
a long cigar shaped roll from his p ock et
-
It is .

a n ordina ry plumber s smo ke rocket fitted with a ’

-
,

cap at either e n d to make it sel f lighti ng You r

,
-
.

tas k is confined to that Whe n you raise your cry .

o f fire it will be take n up by quite a number o f

,

p eople You
. may the n wa l k to the e n d of the st re et ,

and I will rej oi n you i n ten minutes I hope that I .

”
have made myself clear ?
I am to remai n n eutral to get nea r the wi n dow , ,

to watch you and a t th e sign al to throw i n thi s

, , ,

ob j e ct t h en to rais e the cry of fi re a nd to w a it fo r

, ,

you at the corner of the street .

”
P recisely .

T he n you may e n tirely rely o n me .

Th at is excelle n t I t h i nk perha p s it is al .
, ,

most time t h at I prepared for the n ew rOle I have

”
to play .

He d isappea red into hi s bedroom a n d retur n e d ,

i n a f e w minutes in the c h a racter of a n ami abl e

a n d simple minded N o nco n fo rm i st clergyma n His
-
.

broad black hat his baggy trousers h is white tie

, , , ,

hi s sympathetic smile and ge n eral look of peeri n g ,

a nd be n ev ole n t curiosity were such a s Mr J ohn .

Hare a lo n e co u ld ha v e equal ed It was no t merely .

80 FAM OUS DETE CTIVE STORI E S
th at Ho lme s cha nged his cos tume His exp ressio n .
,

hi s ma nn er his very soul seemed to vary with every

,

f resh part t h at he assumed The stage l o st a fine

.

actor eve n as science lost an a cute reaso n er whe n

, ,

he beca m e a specialist i n crime .

It was a quarter past six whe n we le ft Baker

S treet and it still wanted ten minutes to the hour
,

whe n we found ourselves in S erpentine Avenue It .

was alrea dy dus k a n d the lamps were just being

,

lighted as we paced up a nd down in front of Briony

L odge waiting for the comi ng of its occupant T h e
, .

house was j u st such as I had pictured it fr om S herlock

'
!

Holmes s succi nct description but the locality a p

’
,

p e a red to be l e ss pri v a t e than I expected O n th e .

co n trary for a small street i n a quiet neig hbor h ood

, ,

it is remarkably animate d There wa s a group of .

shabbily dressed men smoking and l aughing in a

corner a scissors grinder wit h h is wheel two guar d s
,
-
,

m en who were fl irting with a n u rse gir l and s e veral -

,

wel l dressed young me n who were lou n ging up and

-

dow n with cigars i n their m ouths .

“ ”
You see remarke d Holmes as we paced to
, ,

a n d fro i n fr o nt o f t h e h o u se t h is marriage rath e r

,

simplifies matters T h e photograph be comes a.

double edged weapo n now The chances are that

-
.

she would b e as averse to its being seen by M r Go d .

frey Norton as our c l ient I s to its coming to th e e yes

o f his pri n cess Now t h e question is
.
— where are
we to find the photograph ?
Whe re ind e e d ? ,

It is mo st unlikely t h at sh e carries it abou t wit h

82 FAM OUS DETE CTIV E STORI ES
doo r of Brio n y Lodge As it pulled up o n e of the
.

l o a fi n g m en a t the c o r n er dashed fo rward to o pe n the

door i n the hope of earning a copper but was el ,

bowed away by another loa fer who had rushed up

with the same inte n tion A fier ce quarrel broke.

o u t which was i n creased by the two guardsme n who ,

took si d es with one of the l o ungers a n d by the ,

scissors gri n der who was equal l y hot upon the other
-

side A blow was stru ck and in a n instant the lady

.
, ,

who had stepp ed from her carriage was the ce n ter ,

o f a little kn ot o f struggl i ng men who struck savagely

at e a ch other wit h their fists a n d sti cks Holme s .

dash e d into the crowd to protect the lady ; but just ,

as h e reached h er h e ga v e a cry and dropped to the

,

ground with the b l ood running freely dow n hi s face

, .

At his fa l l the gua rd sme n took to their h e els i n o ne

direction a n d the lou n gers in t h e other w h ile a ,

number of better dressed people who had watched

t h e scu ffl e without taki n g p art i n it crowded i n to
h e lp the lady and to attend to the inj ured ma n .

I r en e Adler as I will sti l l call her b a d hurried up

, ,

the steps ; but she stoo d at the top w i th her superb ,

fi gure out l ined agai n st the lights of the h all l o ok ,

i n g back into the street .

Is the poor g e ntlema n much hurt ? she a s k ed .

He is d e ad cried several voices

,
.

”
No n o there s life i n h im s h outed a n othe r
, ,
’
,
.

B ut h e l l be go n e befor e you can get him to the

’

”
h ospital .

“
He s a brave fellow said a woma n
’
, They .

would have had the lady s pu rse a n d watch if it ’

 A SCA N D AL IN B O H E MIA 83

h a d n t been for him They were a ga n g a nd a

’
.
,

rough one , too Ah ! he s breat h ing n ow

.
’
.

He can t lie in the street M ay we bri n g him

’
.

”
i n marm ?
,

Surely B ring him i n to the sittin g room

.
-
.

”
T h ere is a comfortable so fa Thi s way please .
, .

S lowly and sol e mnly he was bor n e i n to Briony Lodge ,

and laid out in the princ i pal room w h ile I still Oh ,

serve d t h e proc e e d ings from my post by th e window .

The lamp s had bee n lighted but the blin d s had n ot

,

been drawn so that I could see Holmes as he lay

,

upon the couch I do n ot kn ow whet h er he wa s

.

seized with compunction at that moment for t h e part

he was p l ayi n g but I know that I never felt more
,

heartily ash a m ed of mys el f in my life tha n whe n

I saw the beautiful creature against whom I was
con spiring or the grace and ki nd li n ess with which
,

she wait e d u po n the injured ma n An d yet it would .

be the blacke st treachery to Holmes to draw back

now from the part wh ich he had intrusted to me .

I har de ned my h eart a n d took the smoke rock et

,
-

from un de r my ul ster After all I t h ough t we a re

.
, ,

not i nj uri n g her We are but p reve n ti ng her fro m

.

inj u ring another .

Holme s had sat upon the couch a nd I saw him ,

motion like a man who is i n need of air A maid .

rush e d across a n d th rew open the window At the .

same instant I saw h im raise his han d and at the ,

signal I tossed m y rocket into the room with a cry o f

“ ”
F ire ! T h e word no soon e r out of my mouth
th a n the whole crowd of spectators well dre ssed a nd ,
84 FAM O U S DETE CTIVE STORI ES
ill — ge n tlem e n hostlers a n d serva n t m aid s
, ,
-

j oi n e d in a ge n era l shriek o f F ire ! Thick clouds

o f smoke curled throug h the room a n d out at the ,

open window I caugh t a glimpse o f rushing

.

figu res and a moment later the voice of Holmes

,

fr o m wit h in ass u ring them tha t it was a false alarm .

S lipping through th e shouti n g crow d I made my way ,

to t h e cor n er of the street and in t e n minutes was ,

’
rej oiced to find my friend s a rm in mine and to get ,

away from the scene of uproar He walked swi ftly .

a n d i n si l e n ce for some few minutes unti l we had ,

tur n ed down o n e of the q u iet str e ets which led

towards the E dgewa re R oad .

“
You di d it very nicely doctor he r e marked , , .

Not h i n g cou l d ha v e been better It is all righ t . .

”
You have the p h otograph ?
”
I kn ow w h ere it is .

”
And how did you fi n d out ?
S h e s h owed me as I tol d you that she would
, .

”
I am still in t h e da rk .

I do n ot wish to ma k e a mystery said b e , ,

“
l aughing . The matter was perf e ctly simpl e .

You o f course saw that every one in the str e et was

, ,

a n accomplice They were all engaged for the eve n

.

H
In g

I guessed as much .

Then when the row bro k e out I h ad a little

, ,

moist red pa in t in t h e palm of my h and I rushed .

forward f ell d own cl apped my ha n d to my face a n d

, , ,
”
became a piteous spectacle It is an Old trick . .

”
T h at also I c o uld fat h om .
 A SCA N DAL IN B O H E MIA 85

The n they carried me in S he was bound to .

have me i n What el se could she do ? An d i n to

.

h er sitting room w h ic h was the very room which I

-
,

suspecte d It lay between t h at and her bedroom

.
,

and I was determined to see which They laid me .

o n a couc h I motio n ed for air t h ey were compelled

, ,
”
to open the wi n dow and you had your cha nce , .

How did that help you ?

I t is a l l important When a woma n thi nks that
-
.

her hou se is o n fire her i n stinct is a t o n ce to rus h to

,

the thing w h ich she values most It is a perfectly .

overpowering impulse a n d I have more tha n o n ce ,

taken advantage of it In the case of the D arli ng .

to n S ubstitutio n S ca n dal it was of use to me a n d ,

also in the Arnsworth C astle busi n ess A married .

woman grab s at her baby an u n married o n e

reach e s for her j ewel b ox Now it was cle a r to me
-
.

tha t our lady o f to day h ad nothi n g i n the house more

-

p recious to h er t h a n what we are i n q uest of S he .

would rush to secure it The alarm o f fi re was a d .

m irab ly done The smoke a nd shoutin g were

.

enough to s h ake nerves o f steel S he respo n ded bea u .

ti fu l ly . T h e photograph is in a recess behi n d a slid

i ng panel j ust above t h e rig h t bell pu l l S he was there -
.

in an instant a n d I caught a glimps e o f it as s h e drew

,

it out Whe n I cried out that it was a false a la rm

.
,

s h e replaced it gla n ced at the rocket r u sh ed from

, ,

the room a n d I have n ot see n her si n ce I r ose

, .
,

a n d ma k ing my excuses escaped from the hous e I

, , .

hesitated whethe r to attemp t to secure the pho to

g raph a t o n ce ; but t h e co a ch m a n had com e i n a n d a s ,
86 FA MOU S DETECTI V E STORI ES
he wa s watchi n g me n arrowly it seemed sa fer to ,
”
wait A littl e over precipita n ce may rui n a ll
.
-
.

“ ”
An d n ow ? I asked .

O ur quest is practically fi n is h ed I shall call .

with the ki ng to morrow a n d with you if you car e

-
, ,

to come with us We will be show n i n to the sittin g

.

room to wait for the l ady but it is probable that ,

whe n she come s she may find n eit h er us n or the photo

g raph It
. might be a satisfactio n to hi s m a j esty to
”
re gain it with his ow n ha nds .

And whe n will you call ?

At eigh t i n the mor n i ng S he will n ot be u p .
,

so that we shall h ave a clear field Bes i des we must .

,

be prompt for this marriage may mean a complete

,

cha n ge i n her li fe a n d habits I must wire to the .

”
k i n g without delay .

We had reac h ed B a k e r S treet a n d had stopped a t

the doo r He was searchi n g his pockets for the key
.
,

whe n some o n e pa ssing said

Good night Mister Sh erlock Holmes
-
, .

There were several people o n the paveme n t at the

t ime but t h e greeting appeared to come from a s l i m
,

y outh i n an ulster who had h urried by .

”
I ve heard t h e voice before said Holmes star
’
, ,

ing dow n the dimly lig h ted street Now I wo n .

,

der who the deuce that could have bee n ?

I slep t at Ba ke r S treet that n ight and we were ,

engaged upo n our toast a nd co ff ee in the morni n g ,

when the King of B ohemia rus h ed into t h e room .

“ ”
You have really go t it ? he cried gr a spi n g ,
 A S CA N DAL IN B OH EMIA 87

S herlock Holmes by either shoulder a n d looki ng ,

e agerly into his face .

”
Not yet .

But you have hopes ?

I h a ve ho p es .

The n come I am all imp a t i e n ce to b e gone

. .

We must have a cab .

No my brough am is waiti n g
, .

The n that will simpli fy matters We de .

sce n ded a n d started o ff o n ce more for Brio n y Lo dge

, .

”
Ire n e A dl er is married rem a rked H olmes , .

M arried 1 Whe n ?
Yesterday .

But to whom ?
T o a n E n glish lawyer n amed N orton .

”
But she could n ot love h im .

I am i n hopes that she d o e s .

”
An d why in hopes ?
B ecause it would spare you r m aj esty all fe ar o f
f u ture a nn oy a n ce I f the lady love s he r husba n d
.
,

she does n ot love your maj esty If s h e does n ot .

l ove your ma j esty there is n o reaso n why she sho u l d

,
”
i n terfere wit h your maj esty s p la n
’
.

It is true A n d yet
. Well I wish S he ha d ,

b ee n o f my ow n statio n What a quee n she would

.

have made ! He re l apsed i n to a moody sile n ce ,

which wa s n ot brok e n u n til we drew up i n S erpe n ti n e

Ave n ue .

The door o f B rio ny Lodge wa s ope n a n d an ,

elderly woman stood upon t h e steps S he watched .

u s with a s a rdo nic eye a s we step p ed from the

b rougham .
88 FA MOU S DETE CTI VE S TORIE S
M r S herlock H olmes I believe ?
. d she , sa i .

”
I am M r Holmes a n swered my comp an io n
.
, ,

l oo ki n g a t her with a questio n i n g a n d r a ther startled

g a z e .

“
Indeed ! M y mistress told m e th a t you were
li k ely to call S he le ft this mor n i n g with her hus
.
,

ba n d by t h e
, trai n from C hari n g C ross for the ,
”
C o n tine n t .

W hat ! Sherlock Holm es st aggered back whit e ,

with cha grin a n d surprise .

D o you mea n that she has l e ft E n gl a n d ?

”
N ev e r to retur n .

An d the p apers ? ask ed the ki ng ho arsely , .

All is lost !
W e shall see He p ushed p ast t h e se rva n t a n d
.
,

rushed into the dr awi ng room followed by the ki n g -

,

a n d myself The fur n iture was scattered about in

.

every directio n with disma n tled shelves an d ope n

, ,

drawers a s i f the l a dy h ad hurriedly ra n sacked them

,

before her flight Holmes rushed a t the bell pull .

-
,

t o re back a sma l l slidi n g shutter a n d p lu nging i n his ,

ha n d pulled out a photograph a n d a letter The

, .

p hotograph was of Ire n e Adler herself in eve n i n g

dress ; the letter was superscribed to Sherlock
H olmes E sq , To be left till called for
. My .

friend tore it ope n a n d we a ll three read it to gethe r

,
.

I t was d ated a t midn i ght o f the p recedi n g n ight a nd ,

ra n i n this wa y

MY DE AR MR . S H ERL OC K H OL ME S , Y ou real l
did ity
V er y well . Y ou too k me in co m pl etel y . U n ti l after the
90 FA M OUS D ETECT IVE STORIE S
this epistle .D id I n o t tell you how quick a nd
resolute she wa s ? Would she n o t have made a n
admirable quee n ? Is it n ot a pity tha t she wa s no t
o n my level ?

From what I have see n of the lady she seem s , ,

i n deed to be o n a very di ff ere nt level to your

,
”
maj e st y said Holmes coldly
, I am sorry that I
, .

have not bee n able to bring your ma j esty s busi n ess to ’

”
a more successful conclusion .

“
O n the con trary my dea r sir cried the ki n g
, , ,

no thing could be mo re successful I kn ow that .

her word is i n violate The photogra p h is no w a s

.

”
if it were i n the fi re .

I am gl ad to hear your maj esty say so .

I am imme n sely i n debt e d to you Pray tell me .

i n what wa y I ca n reward you This ri n g .

He s l ipped a n emerald s n ake ri n g from his fi n ge r ,

a n d hel d it out upo n the palm o f his ha n d .

You r ma j esty h as something which I sho uld

”
value eve n more highly said Holmes ,
.

”
You have but to n ame it .

This photogra p h !
The king stared at him in amazeme n t .

Ir en e s photograph ! he cried
’
C er ta i n ly i f . ,

you wish it .

“
I tha nk your ma j esty The n there is no mor e .

to b e don e i n th e matter I have the ho n or to wish.

you a very good morning -

He bowed and tur n .
,

ing away without observi n g the ha n d which the ki n g

had stretched out to him he set o ff i n my compa ny ,

for his chamber s .

 A SCAN DAL IN B O H EMIA 91

And that was how a great sca n dal thr eaten ed to

a ff e ct the kingdom of Boh emia and h ow the best
,

plans of Mr S herlock Holmes were beaten by a

.

woma n s wit He used to ma k e mer ry over t h e

’
.

clevern ess o f wome n but I have n ot h ea rd him do it

,

of late An d when he spea ks of Irene Adler or

.
,

whe n he refers to her photograph it i s a lw a ys u nder

,

the ho n or abl e titl e o f the wo m a n .

94 FAM O U S DETE CTIV E STORI ES
tions ; but as o n e and all h ad some enga gem en t fo r
the eve n ing h e fou n d himself left e n tirely to hi s
,

own resources He was in dress for he had e n te r

.
,

t a i n ed the n otion of visiting a t heater But the .

great ci ty wa s n ew to him ; he had go n e fr o m a p ro

vi n ci a l s chool to a milit a ry college a n d the nce dire ct
,

to the E aster n E mpire ; a n d he p romised himself

a va ri ety of deligh ts i n this world for exploratio n .

Swinging his ca n e he took his way westward It

, .

was a mild eve n ing already dark an d n ow a n d the n

, ,

threate n i n g rai n The succession of faces in the

.

lamp light stirred the lieutena n t s im a gi n atio n ; and

-
’

it seemed to him as i f he could wa lk forever i n th at

stimulati n g city atmosphere and surrou n ded by the
m y stery of four millio n private lives He gla n ce d .

a t t he ho u ses a n d marvel ed what was passi n g be

,

hind t h ose wa rmly ligh t e d w indows ; he looked i n t o

fac e a fter face and saw th e m each inte n t upo n s ome
,

unknown interest crimi n al or kindly

, .

”
They tal k of wa r he thought bu t thi s i s the
, ,
”
great battle fi el d o f ma nkind
-
.

And the n he began to wo n der that he should wal k

so long in this complicated scene and not c h a n ce ,

upon so much as t h e shadow of an adve n ture for

himself .

All i n good time he r eflecte d , I am still a .

stranger a n d perha p s wear a stra n ge air But I

,
.

”
must be drawn i n to the eddy before lo n g .

The night wa s already well advance d whe n a

plump o f cold rai n fell sudde nly out of the darkn es s .

B rack enbury pause d u n der some tree s and a s he ,

 TH E ADVENT U RE OF T H E H AN SO M C AB S 95

did so he caught sigh t of a ha n som cabm a n ma ki n g

him a S ign th a t he was dise n gaged The cir cum
.

sta n ce fell i n so happily to th e occasio n tha t he a t

o nce r a ised his cane i n a n swer a n d ha d so o n en
,

sconc ed himself i n the Lo n do n go n dol a .

“ ”
W h e r e to sir ? asked the drive r
, .

”
Where you please said B rack e nbury , .

A n d immediately at a pace o f surprisi n g swift

,

n ess the hansom drove Off through the rai n i n to a

,

m aze o f V il l as . O n e villa was so li k e a n other each ,

wi th its fro n t gar d en an d there was so little to

,

d istinguish the deserted lamp l i t streets a n d cresce n t s

-

through which the flyi ng han som took its way th a t ,

B rack enbury so on lost all idea of directio n He .

would have bee n tem pted to believ e that the cabma n

was amusing himself by driving him rou n d a n d rou n d
a n d i n a n d out about a small qua rter but th e re was ,

something busi n es s like i n the speed which convinced

-

him of the contrary The ma n ha d an ob j ect in

.

V ie w he was haste n ing tow a r d a de fi n ite e nd ; and

,
’
B rack e nbury was at once astonished at the fellow s
S kill in pic k i n g a way th rough such a labyri n th a n d ,

a littl e co n cer n ed to imagine what was the occasio n

o f h is hurry He had h eard tales o f str a ngers fall

.

ing ill in Lo n don D id t he dri v er belo n g to some

.

b loody a n d treacherous a ssociation ? and wa s b e him

'

self b e ing whi rl ed to a murderou s death ?

Th e thought had s carcely prese n ted its e l f when ,

the cab swung sharp l y roun d a corn er a nd pulled

u p before the garde n gate o f a V illa i n a lo n g a n d
-

w ide road . The house was brillia n tly lighted up .

96 FAM OU S DETE CT IVE STOR IES
A n other hansom had j u st drive n a way and B ra cken ,

bury c o uld see a gentlema n being admitted at the

front d o or a n d received by seve ral liveried serva nts .

He was su rprised that the cabma n should have

stopp e d so immediately in fr o nt of a house wh e re
a r e c e ptio n was bei n g held ; but he did n ot doubt i t
was the r esult o f accide n t and sat placidly smoki n g
,

w he re he was until he heard t h e trap t h rown open

,

ov e r h is h ead .

H e re we are sir said the drive r

, ,

Here ! repeated B rackenbury Where ? .

You told me to take you wh ere I pleased S i r , ,

returned t h e man with a chuckle and here we are

, .

It struck B rackenbu ry that t h e voice wa s wo n der

ful l y smooth a n d courteous fo r a man in so in ferio r
a position ; he rem e mbered the speed at whi ch he ha d
b ee n driven ; and n o w it occurred to him that the
h ansom was more luxuriou sly appointed tha n the
co mmo n run o f public conveya n ces .

”
I must as k you to explain said b e
, D o yo u .

m e an to tur n me out i n to the rai n ? My good ma n ,

”
I su sp e ct t h e c h oice is mine.

T h e c h oic e is certainly yours replied the ,

“
dri ve r ; but wh e n I tell you all I belie v e I k n ow
,

how a gentl e m a n of your figu r e will d e cide Ther e .

is a g e ntle man s party in t h is h ouse I do not k n ow

’
.

wh e t he r the master be a strang e r to London a n d

without acquainta n ces o f his own ; or whether he i s
a m a n of O dd n otions B ut certainly I was hired to
.

kidnap si n gle ge n t l emen in evening dress a s many ,

as I p le a sed bu t mi l ita ry Ofli cers by pr e fere nce

,
.
98 FAM O U S DETE CT IVE ST OR I ES
B racke nbury alo n g the path a n d up the steps I n the .

hal l s e v e ral o t h er attendant s re liev ed h im of hi s hat ,

cane and paletot gave him a ticket with a number

, ,

in r e tur n a n d polite l y h urried h im up a stair ador n ed

,

w i th t ropical fl owers to the door of a n apartme n t

,

on the fi rst sto ry Here a grave butler i n quired

.

his n ame a n d an n ounci n g Lieutena n t B rackenbu ry

,
”
R i ch
, usher ed him i n t o the d rawing roo m of the -

house .

A young man sle n de r a n d singularly h andsome

, ,

came forwar d and greeted him wit h a n a i r at once

court ly a n d a ff ectionate Hu n dreds of c a n dles o f
.
,

t h e fi nest w ax lighte d up a room that was perfumed

, ,

like t h e stairc a se wi th a pro fusio n of rare a n d beau

,

ti ful flowering s h rub s A side table was loa d ed with

.
-

tempting V iands S everal servants w e nt to a n d fro

.

wit h frui ts a nd goblets of champagn e The co m .

pa n y wa s per h aps sixteen i n numbe r all me n few , ,

beyond the prime of lif e and wit h hardly a n ex , ,

c ep ti o n of a dashing and capable exterior They

, .

w ere divide d in to two groups one about a roulette ,

boar d and t h e othe r surroundi ng a tab l e at which

,

on e of their numbe r hel d a ba n k of baccara t .

”
I see t h ought Brackenbury I am in a p riv a te
, ,

gamb li ng saloon a n d the cab m a n was a tout

,
.

Hi s eye h a d embraced the details a n d hi s mi n d ,

formed the co n clu sion while his host was still hold
,

ing h im by the h and ; a nd to him his loo ks re tur n ed

fro m this rapid su rvey At a seco n d V ie w Mr . .

Morri s surpris e d h im still more than o n the fi rst .

Th e easy elegance of h is ma nn ers the disti n ct io n , ,

 TH E A D VE NTUR E OF TH E HAN SO M CAB S 99

a miability an d courage tha t appeare d upo n his fea

,

tu res fitt ed very ill wit h t h e lieutena n t s p reco n cep

’
,

tions o n the subj ect of t h e proprietor of a hell ; a n d

the tone o f h is conversation seemed to mar k him
out for a ma n o f positio n a n d merit Brack e nbu ry .

found h e had a n i n sti n ctive li ki ng for his en tert a i n er ;

a n d t h ough he c h i d himself for the wea kn ess he ,

was unab l e to re sist a sort of friendly a ttractio n fo r

M r Morri s s p e rson and characte r
.
’
.

I ha v e h eard of you Lieute n ant R ich s a id M r

, , .

Morris lowering hi s tone ; and believe me I am

,

gratifi e d to make your acqua inta n ce Your loo ks a c .

cord with the reputatio n t h at h as preceded you fro m

In dia An d i f you will forget for awhile the i rregu
.

l a ri ty of you r pres e ntation i n my hous e I shall feel ,

i t n ot only an h onor but a g e nuine p l easure besides

, .

A man w h o makes a mout h ful of barbaria n c a v a

”
liers h e add ed wit h a laugh
, should not be ap
,
”
p al l ed by a br e ac h o f e tiquette however serious , .

An d he l e d him towa r d t h e sideboar d a n d press ed

him to partake o f some r e freshment .

”
Upo n my wo rd t h e lieutenant reflected
, thi s ,

i s one of t he pl e asa n t e st fellows and I do n ot doubt

, , ,
”
one o f t h e most agre e ab l e societies in Lo n do n .

He partook o f some c h ampagn e w h ich he fou n d ,

excell e nt ; a n d obser v ing t h at many of t h e compa ny

were alr e ady smoking he ligh te d one of h is ow n
,

M ani l las and strol le d up to t h e rou l ette board w h ere

, ,

he som e tim e s made a stak e an d sometim e s looked o n

smiling ly on t he fortune of ot h ers It was while he .

wa s thus idl ing that he became a wa re of a sh a rp

1 00 FAM OUS D ET ECTIVE S TOR IE S
s cruti ny to whi ch the whole of the guests wer e sub
j e c t e d Mr . Morris. went h ere and t h ere oste n si ,

bly bu sie d on hospitable concerns ; but he had ever

a s h r e wd glanc e at disposal ; n ot a man o f the par ty
escaped h is sudd e n searching looks ; h e took stock o f
,

th e bearing of heavy losers h e valued the amou n t ,

of t h e stakes h e pause d be h ind couples who were

,

d ee p in conv e rsatio n ; a n d i n a word there was , ,

h ar dly a c h aracteristic of a ny one pre sent but he

see m e d to catc h and make a n ote o f it B rac ke n .

bury bega n to wonder i f t h is wer e indeed a gambli n g

hel l ; it h ad so much t he air o f a private inquisitio n .

He fo ll owed Mr Morris in all his mo v eme n ts ; a n d

.

a l t h o u gh t h e man had a ready smil e he seemed to ,

p e r cei v e a s it were under a mask a h aggard care

, , ,

w orn and pr e occupied spirit

, The fe l lows arou n d .

hi m laugh ed and made their game ; but B racke nbury

h ad lost i n terest in t h e guests .

”
This Morris t h ought h e , is no idler i n the ,

room S ome d e ep purpose i n spires h im ; let it b e

.

m ine to fat hom it .

N o w an d then M r Morris would call one o f his

.

vi sitors asid e ; and a ft e r a brie f colloquy in a n ante

room he wo u l d return alo n e and t he V i sitors in ques
, ,

ti on reappeared no more After a certain number

.

o f repetition s t h i s p e rformance excit e d Brack e n

,

b u ry s curio sity to a h igh degree H e determi n ed

’
.

t o be at t h e bottom of t h is minor mystery at o n ce ;

and strolling i n to t h e anteroom found a deep win ,

dow recess conc e aled by curtains o f t he fa sh io n able

gree n Here h e hurriedly ensconc e d himself ; n or
.
1 02 FAM OUS DETE CT IVE STOR IE S
I see said M r M orri s
, .There is a n oth er
.

perso n o f the same n ame further down the street ;

a n d I have n o doubt t h e policema n will be a ble to
supply you with h is number B elieve me I felicitat e
.
,

myself o n t h e misu n derstanding which has pro cured

me the p l easure of your compa n y for so lo n g ; a n d
let me express a hope that we may meet agai n upo n
a more regular fo o ting M eantime I would n ot
.
,

for all t h e w o rld detain you lo n ger from you r

”
friends Joh n he adde d raisi n g his voice
.
, ,
will ,

you see that thi s ge n tlema n fi n ds his great co a t ?

And with the most agreeable air M r Morris es .

co rt ed his V isitor as far as the a n teroom d o o r wh er e ,

he left him u n der co n duct o f the butle r As he .

p assed the wi n dow o n his retur n to the drawi n g

,

room Brac k e nbu ry could hear him utter a pro fou n d

,

sigh ,a s though his mi n d wa s lo a ded with a great

anx iety a n d his n erves a lready fatigued with the

,

task o n which he was e ngaged .

F or perhaps an hour t h e hansom s k ept arri vi n g

with such freque n cy that M r Morris had to receive
,
.

a ne w guest for every old o n e t h at he sent away ,

and t h e company pres e rved its number u n diminished .

But toward t h e e n d o f that time the arrivals grew

few and far b etween and at le n gth ceased e n tirely
, ,

w h ile the proce ss o f elimination was conti nued with

unimpaired activity The drawi n g room bega n to
.
-

look empty ; t he baccarat was disco n tinued for lack

of a banker ; more than one perso n said good n ight -

of hi s own accord and was su ff ered to depart with

,

out exp ostulation ; a n d i n the mea nwhile M r M o rri s .

 TH E AD V E NTU RE O F TH E HA N SO M CAB S 1 03

re doubled i n agreeab le att e ntions to t h ose w h o

stayed behi n d He w e nt from group to gr o up and
.

f rom perso n to person wit h loo k s of the readiest

sympathy a n d t h e most pertine n t and pleasing tal k ;
,

he was n ot so much li k e a host as li ke a hostess a n d ,

t here was a feminine coquetry and condesce n sio n i n

hi s man n e r which charmed t h e hearts of all .

A s the guests grew thin n e r Lieutena n t R ich ,

strolled for a mome n t out of the drawi n g room int o -

the hall i n q uest of fre sh er air But h e had n o .

sooner passed the threshold o f the ante chamber tha n -

he was br o ught to a dead halt by a discovery of the

m ost surprisi n g n ature T h e floweri n g S hrubs ha d
.

disappeared from the staircase ; three l a rge fu rni

tu re wago n s stood be fore t h e ga rden gate ; the serv
-

a n ts were busy dismant l ing the house upo n all sides ;

a n d some o f them had already do nn e d their gre a t

co a ts a n d were prepari n g to depart It was like .

the end of a country ball where everythi n g has bee n

,

supplied by co n tract B ra cke nbury had i n deed some

.

matter for reflectio n Fi rst the guests who were

.
, ,

n o real gu ests a fter all had been dismissed and n ow

, ,

the serva n ts who could h ardly be ge nui n e serva n ts

, ,

were actively dispersing .

Was t h e whole estab l is h me n t a sham ? he as ked

himself . T h e mushroo m of a singl e n igh t which
”
should disappear before morni n g ?

W a tching a favorable opportunity Bracke nbury ,

dashed upstairs to the high er regions o f t h e house .

It was as he had expected He ra n from room to

.

room and saw no t a stick of fu r n iture n or so much

,
1 04 FAMOUS D ET ECTIV E STOR IES
as a picture o n the walls A ltogethe r the house ha d .

been pai n te d and papered it was n ot only uninhab ,

i ted at prese n t but plainly had n ever be e n inhabite d

,

a t al l The young O fli cer r e membe r e d with aston

.

i shm en t i ts spacious settle d a n d h ospitab l e air on

, ,

hi s arrival It wa s on l y at a prodigious co st that

.

th e impostu re co u ld have been carried out u pon so

great a scale .

Wh o then was Mr M orris ? Wh at w a s his in

, , .

tention in t h us playi n g the h ous eh o ld er for a singl e

nigh t i n the remote west o f Lo n don ? A n d w h y did
he col l ect his visitors at hazar d from t h e stre e ts ?
B rackenbury rememb e red tha t he had already de
layed too long and hast e ne d to j oin t h e company
,
.

M any had le ft during his absence ; and counting the

lieutena n t a n d his host there w ere n o t more t h an fi ve
,

p e rsons i n t h e drawing room recent l y so thronged

-
.

Mr Morris greete d hi m as h e reén tered t h e apa rt

.
,

ment with a smile a n d immediately rose to his feet

, , .

”
I t is n ow time gent l em e n said h e to explai n
, , ,

m y purpose in d e coying you from your amu sements .

I trust you did n ot fi n d t h e ev e ning hang v e ry du l ly

on you r h ands ; but my Ob j e ct I will conf e ss it wa s , ,

n ot to entertai n you r leisure bu t to help mys e lf in ,

”
an unfortu n ate n ecessity You are all gentlemen .
,

he conti nued your appeara nce does you t h at much

,

justic e a n d I ask for n o better security He n ce I

,
.

speak it without concealment I ask you to r en der .

me a da n gerous and d e licate servic e ; dang e rous b e

caus e you may run th e ha zard o f your liv e s and ,

delicate be cause I must ask an absolute discretio n

1 06 FAM OUS D ETECTIV E STOR IES
grou n d B ra k e nbury and a n old red n o sed c aval ry
, c -

ma j or ; but these two preserved a n o n ch a l a nt de

meanor a n d beyo n d a look O f i n tellige n ce w h ich
, ,

they rapidly excha n ged appeared e n tirely for ei gn ,

to the d iscussio n tha t h ad just b e e n termi n ated .

M r Morris co n ducted the de serters as f a r as the

.

door which b e closed upon t h eir heels ; the n h e

,

turn e d rou n d disclosing a counte n a n ce of mingle d

,

r el ief and a n imatio n and ad d ressed the two o ffi cers

,

as follows
I h ave chose n my men like Joshu a i n the Bible ,

said M r Morris . and I now believe I have the

,

pick o f Lo n do n Y our appeara n ce pleased my ha n

.

som cabme n ; the n it de lighte d me ; I have watched

you r b eh avio r i n a strange compa n y a n d under the ,

most unusual circumsta n c e s ; I h ave studi ed how yo u

played a n d how you bore you r losses ; lastly I have ,

u t you to the test O f a staggeri n g a nn ounc e ment

p ,

and you received it lik e an invitatio n to dinner I t .

”
is not for n othi ng he crie d that I have been for, ,

years the comp a n ion and the pupil of the bravest a n d

”
wis e st pot en tate i n E urope .

“
A t the a ffair of B underchang observed the ,

maj or , I asked for tw e lv e volu n teers and e very ,

troop e r i n the ra nk s repli ed to my app eal But a .

'

g aming party
-
i s n ot the sam e thi n g as a regim e nt

un de r fire You may be pleased I supp o se to have

.
, ,

fo u n d two and two w h o will not fail you at a pus h

,
.

A s for the pai r who ran away I cou n t them among ,

th e m ost piti ful houn d s I e v e r met with Li e utenant

‘

” “
R i ch h e added ad d r e ssing Bracke nbury
, , I have ,
 THE A DVE NT URE OF T H E H AN SO M C AB S 1 07

hea rd much o f you of late ; an d I can not doubt but

you have also he a rd o f me I am Ma j or .

A nd t he veteran tendere d his hand which was red ,

a n d tremulous to the young lieut e nant

, .

Who h as not ? answ e re d B rack e nbu ry .

”
Wh e n t h is little matter i s settl ed said M r , .

Morris you will think I have su ffi ci e ntly r e war d e d

,

you ; for I could o ff e r nei th e r a more valuabl e se rvice

”
than to mak e him acquaint e d wit h t h e other .

A n d now said M a j or O Ro o ke it is a duel ?

,
’
,
”
A duel after a fashion repli e d Mr Morris a , .
,

d uel wi th unkn own an d dang e rous enemi e s and as , ,

”
I gravely fear a duel to th e death I must ask you
, .
,

he continu e d to call me Morri s no long e r ; call me

, ,

i f you pl e ase Hammersmit h ; my real nam e as well

, ,

as t h at of another person to w h om I hope to present

you before long you will grati fy m e by not asking
,

and not seek i n g to discover for th e mselves Three .

day s ago the p e rson of whom I speak d isappeared

suddenly from h ome ; an d until this morning I re , ,

cei v ed no h int of his situatio n You will fancy my .

alarm wh e n I t e ll you that he is engag e d upo n a wor k

o f private j ustice Boun d by an unha p py oath too
.
,

ligh tly sworn he finds it necessa ry without the help

, ,

o f law to rid the earth o f a n insi d ious and bloody

,

V illain . Already two of ou r fri ends an d o n e of ,

them my o wn bor n brother hav e perished in the ,

enterprise He himself or I am much d eceived is

.
, ,

taken in the same fatal toils But at least he still .

lives and still hopes as this billet su ffi ciently proves

,
.

And the sp ea ker p ro ff ered a l e tter thu s co n ceived , .

 08 FAM O U S DET ECTIVE ST OR I ES
MA JOR H A MMERS MITH O n W edn esda y a t 3 A M
, , .

y o w i
u l l b e a dm i t ted by the s m a ll do o t o t he g a den s o f r r

R ochester H o se Regent s P a k by a m an who is enti rel y

’
u ,
r ,

i m y i n terest
n I m u st req u est yo n o t to fa i l m e by a
. u

s o d
ec n P ray bri n g m y case o f sw o ds an d i f you can fi n d
. r , ,

th m o ne o r two gen tl emen o f co n d ct an d di s ret i o n to

e ,
u c

w hom m y p erson is u n k n ow n My n am e m ust not be u sed

.

i n thi s a ff a i r .

T GODA L L
. .

From his wis d om alon e i f h e had no ot he r title , ,

pursu ed C olonel G e ral d ine w he n t h e ot he rs h ad ,

“
e ach satisfi ed his curiosity my fri e n d i s a man ,

whos e dire ctions shoul d impli citly be fo l low ed I .

ne ed not te l l you th e r e fore that I h ave not so muc h

, ,

as v i site d t h e ne i ghbor h oo d of R o che st e r House ;

an d t h a t I am sti l l as W h olly in th e d a rk as e it h er
o f your selv e s as to th e natur e o f my f ri e nd s di ’

lemma I b e too k mys e lf as soon as I had r e c e iv e d

.
,

t hi s order to a furni shi n g contractor an d in a f e w

, , ,

hours the h ouse in w h ich w e now ar e ha d assumed i ts

,

lat e r ai r o f festival My schem e wa s at l e ast .

or i gina l ; and I am far f rom r e gr e tting an a ction

wh i ch h as procur e d m e th e s e r v ices o f M ajor
O R o ok e an d Lieutenant B rack e nbury R i ch But
’
.

th e r e si de nts i n the str e et will ha ve a strang e awak e n

ing T h e house w h ich t h is e v e ning was full o f li gh ts
.

an d V isitors t he y wi ll fin d unin h abit ed and for sale

to mor row mo rning Thus eve n t h e most se rious
-
.

” ”
con ce rn s a dde d t h e colon e l
, hav e a merry side , .

“ ”
And let us add a merry e nding said B racken ,
1 10 FAM O U S D ET EC TIVE STORIE S
Th rough the continuous noise o f the r a i n the step s ,

a n d voices o f two m en became audibl e fro m the

ot h er si d e of the wall ; a n d as th e y dr ew n e arer, ,

Brackenbury w h ose sense o f he ari n g was rem a rk abl y

,

ac u te could eve n distinguish some fragme n ts of th ei r

,

talk .

I s the grave dug ? as k ed o n e .

“ ” “
It is r e plied the other ; behind the l a urel
,

h edg e Wh e n th e j ob is don e we ca n cover it with

.
,

a pil e Of sta kes .

T h e first speaker laugh e d and the sound of hi s ,

m e rriment was shocking to the listeners o n the oth er

si de .

In a n h o ur from n ow he said , .

And by the so u n d o f the steps it was obvious tha t

the pai r h a d s e parated a n d were p roceeding i n co n
,

tra ry d irectio n s .

A l most immedi at e ly a ft e r the poster n d oor was

cautiously ope n ed a white face was pro truded int o
,

th e lane a n d a ha n d was seen beckoni n g to the

,

wat ch e rs In dead sile n ce the thr ee pass e d the

.
,

d oor which was imm e di at e ly lock ed behind them

, ,

an d fo llowed th e i r guide t h rough several garde n

al le y s to the kitchen e ntrance o f the house A si n .

gl e candl e burn e d in th e great paved kitche n which ,

was d e stit u t e of th e customary fur n itu r e ; a n d a s the

party proce e d e d to ascend from thenc e by a flight o f
wi n ding stairs a prodigious nois e of rats testified
,

sti l l mor e plainly to the dilapidatio n of the house .

Their conductor preced e d t he m carryi n g th e ,

candle He was a lea n ma n much b en t but still

.
, ,
 THE A D VE N TURE OF TH E HA N SO M CAB S lll

ag il e ; an d
he tur n ed from time to ti m e and a dm o n
i shed silence an d cautio n by his gestu res C olo n el .

G e raldine followed o n h is he e ls the case o f swor ds ,

u n der one a rm and a pistol ready in the o th er

, .

B ra ck enbu ry s heart beat thickl y He p e rceive d

’
.

that they were still in time ; but b e j udged fr om the

a lacri ty o f the old man that the hou r of actio n mus t

be n ear at hand ; and th e circumstances o f this a dv en

ture wer e so obscure a n d me n acing the place see med ,

so well chosen fo r t h e dar k est acts t h at a n old e r ma n ,

tha n Brackenbury m i ght h ave b ee n pardoned a meas

u re o f e m otio n as he closed the p rocessio n u p the

wi n ding stair .

A t the top the guide threw Op e n a door a nd

u shere d the three o ffi cers b e fore him into a smal l

apartm e nt lighted by a smo ky lamp and the glow of

,

a modest fire A t the chim n ey corn e r sa t a ma n i n

.

the e a rly prime Of life and of a stout but courtly ,

a n d comman d ing appea ranc e His attitude a n d ex .

pression were those Of the most unmoved composu re ;

he was smoking a ch eroot with much e n j oym e nt a n d
d el iberation and on a tabl e by h is e lbow stood a lon g
,

glass of some e ffe rvescing bev e rage which di ffused a n

agreeabl e odor through the roo m .

”
Welc o m e said he extending his ha n d to
, ,

C olo n el Geraldi n e I kn ew I might cou n t o n your

.

”
exactitude .

O n my devotio n r e plied the colo n el with a

, ,

Pres en t me to your fri en ds conti n ued the fi r st ; ,

a n d whe n that cerem o ny had bee n p erfor m ed

, I ,
1 12 FAM O U S DETECT IVE STOR I ES
wish ge n tleme n h e add e d with t h e most exquisite
, , ,

a ff abi l ity that I coul d Offer you a more ch e erful

,

program ; it is ungracious to inaugurate an a c

q u a i n tance upon s e rious a ff airs ; but th e compulsio n
of eve nts is stro n ger than t he obligati o n of goo d
f ell owship I h o p e and b el iev e you will be abl e to
.

forgi v e me this unp l easant e v eni n g ; an d for me n of

your stamp it wi ll b e e nough to kn ow that you are
”
conf e rring a con si de rab le favor .

“ ”
Your highn e ss said t he ma j or must p ardon, ,

my b l un tn ess I am unabl e to h i d e what I kn ow

- . .

F or some tim e ba ck I h av e suspected M a j or Ham

m ersm i th but Mr Go d all i s unmistakabl e
, .To see k
two m e n in Lon d on unacqu aint e d wit h P rince
Fl o rizel o f Bohemia was to ask too much o f F or
’ ”
t u n e s hands .

“
P rince Florizel ! cri ed Brack e nbury i n amaze
m en t .

An d h e gaz e d wit h t h e de ep e st inter e st on the f e a

tur e s of the cel ebrat ed p e r sonag e b e fore hi m .

I shall not lament t he loss O f my incognito re ,

m a rk ed t h e princ e for i t e nab le s me to t h ank you

,

wit h t he mor e a u thority Y o u wo uld h av e d on e as .

m u ch f o r M r Go d a ll I f ee l su r e as for t he P ri n ce
.
, ,

o f B oh e m i a ; b u t th e l att e r ca n per h aps d o more for

”
you T h e gain i s mi n e he a dde d wit h a courteous
.
, ,

g e stu re .

And t he next mome n t h e was conversing with t h e

two o ffi ce r s about t he In d ian a rmy an d t he nati v e
troop s a subj e ct on w h ich a s on all ot he rs h e h a d
, , ,

a r e markable fu n d of information an d the soun de st

V Iews .
1 14 FAM OUS D ETECT IVE ST OR I ES
The three Offi cers a n d the physician haste n ed to
obey a n d for ne arly te n minut e s the only sound i n
,

R oc h ester House was occasio n ed by th e e xcur sio n s o f

the rats behi n d the wood work At the e n d of th at
-
.

period a loud crea k o f a hi n ge brok e in wit h su r

,

prisi n g distinctness o n the sile n ce ; a n d shortly aft er ,

the watcher s could disti n guish a low a n d cautious

tread a pproaching up t he kitche n stair A t e very .

second step the intruder seem e d to pause and le n d

an ea r a n d during these intervals whic h se e med o f
, ,

an incalculable duration a pro found disqui et p os

,

sess e d the spirit of the listeners D r Noel accu s . .

,

to m ed a s he was to dangerous e motions su ffered a n ,

almost p iti ful p h ysical prostratio n ; his breath

w h istled i n h i s lu n gs his teet h grat e d one upo n a n
,

other and his j oints crack ed aloud as he n e rv ously

,

shi fted his positio n .

A t last a han d was laid upo n th e door a n d a bolt ,

shot back with a s l ight report There follow ed an

.

oth e r p aus e du ri n g which Brackenb u ry could see the

,

prince d raw h ims e lf togeth e r n oisel e ssly as i f for

som e unusual exertion The n the door opened let
.
,

ting i n a little more o f the light o f t h e morni n g ; a n d

th e figur e of a ma n appeared upon the th reshold a n d
stood motionl e ss H e was tall a n d carried a kn i f e
.
,

in his h and E ve n in the twilight t h ey could see hi s

.

upp e r teeth bare a n d glistening for his mouth wa s ,

O p e n li k e that of a h ound about to leap The m an .

had e v i d ently been over his head i n water but a mi n

ute or two b e for e ; and eve n while he sto o d t h ere
th e drop s kep t falli n g from his wet clo th es a nd
p att e red o n the floor .
 THE A DVE NTUR E O F T H E H A N SO M CAB S 115

The next moment he crossed th reshold the .

There wa s a l eap a stifled cry a n i n st a n ta n eou s , ,

struggle ; and before C olo n e l Geraldi n e could sp ri ng

to his aid th e p rinc e he ld the ma n dis a rm ed a nd
, ,

helpl e ss by the shoulders

, .

”
D r No e l he sai d
. you will be so go o d a s to
, ,
”
religh t t h e lamp .

An d r e linq u ishing t he charge Of his priso n e r to

Geral d ine and Brack e nbu ry h e crossed the roo m an d ,

s e t his back against the c h imn e y pi e ce A s soo n a s -

.

the lamp had kindl e d the party beheld an un a c i

,

custom e d stern n e ss on th e prince s features It was ’

.

n o longer Florizel t he careless ge n tleman ; it was the ,

Princ e of Bohemia j ustly incensed a n d full of de a dly ,

p urpo se who n ow
, rais e d h is head and add re sse d the

ca ptive president of th e S u i cid e C l u b .

”
Pr e sident h e said you have laid your l a st
, ,

s n are and your Own f e et are ta k en in it The day i s

, .

b eginning ; it is your last morning You have j us t .

swum t h e R eg e nt s C anal ; it i s your last bathe i n thi s

’

worl d Your ol d a ccomplice D r Noel so far from

.
, .
,

betraying m e h as delivered you i n to my hands fo r

,

j udgment And the grav e yo u had dug for m e this

.

a ft e rnoon Shall s e rv e i n God s almigh ty providence ,

’
,

to h i de your own just do om from the curiosity o f

mankin d Kne el an d pray s i r if you have a mi n d
.
, ,

that way ; for yo u r time is short and God is we a ry ,

”
o f your iniq u it i e s .

The pre si de nt ma de n o answer either by word or

si gn ; but continu ed to h ang his head and ga ze sullenly
o n the floor as though he w e r e consciou s o f the
,

i n ce s p rolo n ged a n d u n s p aring g r d

’
p r re a .
 1 16 FAM O U S DETECTIV E STOR I ES
Ge n tlemen co n tin u ed Florizel resuming the o r
, ,

d ina ry tone of hi s con ve rsation ,this is a f el low

who h as long e lu de d m e but w h om t h ank s to D r
, ,
.

No e l I n o w have tigh tly by th e h e e ls To t e ll the

, .

story o f his m is deed s would occ u py mor e t i me than

w e ca n now a fford ; bu t i f t he ca n a l had c ontain e d

nothing but t he b l oo d o f h i s V ictims I b e l i e ve t h e ,

w re t ch wo u l d ha v e b ee n no drier than you s ee him .

E ve n i n an a ff a i r of t h is sort I d e sir e to pres e r ve th e

f o rm s O f h onor . But I m ak e you th e j u d g e s g e ntl e ,

me n this i s more an e xec u t i on t h an a d u el ; and to

g ive t h e rogu e hi s choic e o f we apon s wo u ld b e to pus h
too far a point o f e t i qu e tt e I can not a ff ord to
.

lo se my li f e in su ch a bu si n e ss he continu e d u n
, ,

l o cking t he ca se o f swor d s ; and a s a pistol bu l l e t -

tra ve l s so o ft e n o n th e wings of ch ance and skill ,

and courag e may fa ll by t he most tr e mbling marks

man I h a ve deci de d an d I f e el su r e you wi ll approve
, ,

o f my de t e rmination to put this qu e stion to t h e touch

,
”
of swords .

Wh en B rack e nbury and Maj or O R o o k e to w h om

’
,

t he se r em arks were parti cular l y a dd r e ssed h a d each ,

“ ”
i n t i mat e d hi s appro v a l ,Quick sir a dd ed P rinc e
, ,

Fl o rize l to th e pr e s ide nt ch oo se a b l a de an d do
,

not k ee p me waiting ; I h a v e an impatienc e to b e

d on e with you f or ev er .

Fo r t h e first tim e sin ce he was captur e d and di s

a rm ed th e pr e sident rais e d h is he a d and it wa s ,

p l a i n t h at h e b e gan instantly to pluc k u p co u rag e .

”
Is i t to be stand u p ? he asked eage rl y a n d ,

bet wee n you and m e ?

 1 18 FAM OUS D ETE CTIVE ST OR IE S
C ol o nel Geraldi n e and D r Noe l he s a id .
, ,

will have t h e go o dne ss to await me i n this room .

I wish n o p e rsonal frie n d of mine to be i n volved i n

thi s tran sactio n M aj or O R o o ke you are a ma n O f
’

—
.
,

some year s and a settled reputatio n let m e rec

o m m en d the p resident to your good grace s .

Lieute n a n t R ich will be so goo d a s to lend m e his

attentio n : a you n g ma n ca n n ot have too much ex
”
p er i en ce i n such a f
f ai rs .

”
Your high n ess r e plied B rack e nbu ry it i s an
, ,

ho n o r I shall pr i z e extremely .

“ ”
It i s well re tur ne d Pri nce Flori z el ; I sh a ll
,

hope to sta n d your f ri en d i n m ore i mp o rt a nt ci r

”
cum st a n ces .

An d so sayi ng he led the way o ut o f the ap a rt

me n t a n d down the k itche n stair s .

The two me n who were thus le ft alo n e threw o p en

the window and lea n ed out straining every sense to ,

catch a n i n dicatio n o f the tragical eve nts that we re

about to follow The rai n was now ov e r ; day ha d
.

almost come a n d the birds were pipi n g in t h e S hrub

,

be ry a n d o n the fo rest tre e s of the gard en The .

p ri n ce and hi s comp anions were visible fo r a m o

m en t a s they followed a n alley between two floweri ng
thickets : but at the first corn e r a clump of foli age i n
terv en ed a n d they were again concealed from V ie w
,
.

This was all that the colo n el a n d the p hysician ha d

a n oppor tuni ty to see and the garde n was so va s t
, ,

a n d the place of combat evide n tly so remote fr om

the house that n ot even the n oise of sword p l a y

,
-

re a ched thei r e a r s .
 THE A DV E NT U RE O F TH E H AN SO M CAB S 1 19

He has ta k e n him toward the grave sa i d Dr , .

Noel with a shu d der

, .

“
God cried the colo n el
, God d efend the ,

right !
A nd they awaited the eve n t i n sile n ce the do ct o r ,

sha k ing with fear th e colon e l i n a n ago ny of sweat

, .

M any min u tes must hav e e lapsed the d ay was s en ,

sib l y broa d er and th e bir d s were singing m or e

,

hearti ly in th e ga rd e n b e fore a sou n d of retur n i ng

footst e ps r e called th e i r gla n ces towa rd th e door It .

was th e princ e a n d th e two Indi a n o ffi cers who en

t ered Go d ha d d e fen d e d the right
. .

I am ashamed o f m y emotio n said Pri n ce ,

F loriz e l ; I fe e l it is a w e akness unworthy o f my

station but the co n tinued existence o f that b o u n d o f
,

h e ll h ad begu n to pr e y upo n me like a d is e ase and his ,

d e a th has more r e fr e s h ed me than a n ight of slum

”
ber Look G e ral d ine he co n tinued throwing hi s
.
, , ,

swor d upo n the floor th e r e is th e blood of the m an

,

who ki lle d your brother It shoul d be a welcome .

S ight . A n d yet he a d ded , see how stra n g e ly we

,

m e n are made ! My reve n ge is n ot yet five minutes

ol d an d a l rea dy I am beginni n g to ask myself i f eve n
,

reve n g e b e attainable on this p r e cariou s stag e of

li f e T he i l l h e did who ca n undo it ? The career
.
,

i n w h ich h e amassed a h uge fortu n e ( for th e hous e

its e lf in which we sta n d belonged to him ) — that
car e er i s now a part of the destiny o f mankin d for
e v er ; an d I might weary mysel f maki n g thru sts i n
’
cart e unti l th e cra ck o f judgment and Geraldine s ,

brother would be n on e th e l e ss de ad a n d a thousa n d ,

1 20 FAM OUS DETECTIVE STOR IE S
other i nn oce n t p ersons would be n o n e the l es s dis
ho n o red a n d d ebauc h ed ! The existe n ce o f a ma n is
so small a thi ng to ta k e so mighty a thi n g to em
,
” “
ploy ! A las ! he cried , is there a nythi ng i n li fe
so dise n ch a n ti ng as attai n ment ?
’
God s j ustice has bee n do n e rep lied the doctor, .

S o much I behold The lesso n , your hi ghne ss ha s

.
,

bee n a cruel o n e for me ; a nd I a wait my own tur n

”
with deadly app rehe n sio n .

Wha t wa s I saying ? cri ed the p ri n ce I .

have punished an d h e re is the ma n beside us who ca n

,

help me to u n do A h D r Noel ! you and I have b e

.
, .

fore u s m a n y a day of hard a n d ho n orable toil ; and

p erha p s before we have do n e you ma y hav e m o re
, ,
”
than redeemed you r ea rly errors .

”
A n d i n the m ea n time said the doctor l et me
, ,
”
d b ury m olde t frie n d
g o a n y s .
 1 22 FAMO U S DET E CTIV E ST ORI ES
At last I stan d in th e house o f D r Eu M a n chu ! .
-

whisp e r ed S m i t h .

D espite th e girl s assu ra n c e w e knew t h a t prox

’
,

im i ty to t he sinist e r C hinaman must b e fraught wi th

dang e r W e stood n ot i n th e lio n s de n but i n the
.
,
’
,

serp e nt s l air
’
.

F rom the tim e when Nayla n d S mith had come

from B u rma i n pu rsuit of t h is advan ce guard o f a -

cog e nt Y ell ow Pe ri l the fa ce of D r Fu M a nch u

, .
-

rarely ha d been abs e nt from my dr e ams day or night .

The m i l l ions might s l e e p in p e ace the millio n s i n

whose cause w e labore d ! — but we w h o kn ew the
rea l ity o f t h e d a ng e r kn e w that a veritable oc topu s
ha d fastened upon E ngland — a yellow octopus
whos e hea d was that of D r Eu M a n chu whose .
-
,

tenta cl e s were dacoity t h uggee mod e s O f d e ath

, , ,

secr e t an d swi ft which i n th e darkn ess plucke d me n

,

from li fe an d l e ft no cl ew b eh ind .

Ka ra m a n éh ! I call e d softly .

Th e m ufll ed form b e n e at h th e l amp tur ne d so tha t

th e soft l igh t f e ll u p on the l ov el y face o f t he slave
girl Sh e w h o ha d b ee n a p l i ant instrum e nt i n t h e
.

han d s o f Fu M an ch u n ow was to be the mea n s

-

wher e by so ci e t y s h o u l d b e r id of h im .

Sh e rais e d he r fing e r warni n gl y ; the n becko n e d

me to approa ch .

My fe e t sinking in the ri ch p ile of th e carpet I ,

came t h rough t h e gl oom o f th e great apartm en t in

to th e patc h O f light an d Ka ra m a n éh besid e me
, , ,

stood l ooking dow n u po n t he boy It was Aziz her .

,

b rother ; dead so fa r a s Western lo re had powe r to

 TH E A D VE NTURE O F TH E TO A DSTOOL S 1 23

j u d ge but kept alive in t h at deathli k e tra n ce by t h e

,

u n ca n ny power of th e C hines e doc tor .

”
Be qui ck she said ; be quick ! Awa ke n him !
,
”
I am a fraid .

F ro m the case w h ich I carried I too k ou t a ne edle

syringe and a p h ial contai n ing a small qua n tity of
ambe r h u ed liquid I t was a drug not to b e fou n d in
-
.

t he B ritis h Pha rm a co p ce i a O f its constitution I

.

knew not h ing A l t h ough I h ad ha d the phi al in my

.

p oss e ssio n for some d ays I h a d not dar e d to d evote

any of its prec ious contents to a n alytical purposes .

The amb e r d rops spel l ed l i f e for t he boy Azi z ,

sp ell ed su ccess for th e missio n of Nayla n d Smith ,

sp e lle d ruin for the fie n dish Ch i n ama n .

I raised the w h ite coverlet The boy ful ly .

,

d ressed lay wi th hi s arms cross e d upo n his breast

, .

I disc e rned th e ma rk of pr e vious i nj e ctio n s a s char g ,

i n g t h e syri n ge from the p h ial I made what I hoped

,

wo u ld be the last of su ch e xperim e nt upo n him I .

wo u ld h av e given half of my small wo rl dly posses

sions to h ave kn ow n the r e al natur e o f t h e d rug
which was now coursi ng t h ro u gh t he v e ins of Azi z
w h i ch was tinting the gray e d fa ce wit h th e Ol ive
tone o f li f e ; w h ic h so far a s my medi cal trai n i n g
,

bor e m e wa s r e storing the de ad to l i fe

, .

B u t s u ch wa s not t h e purpose of my visit I was .

com e to r e move from t he h ouse of D r Eu M anch u .

-

t he li v i ng c h a i n w h ic h boun d Ka ra m a n éh to him .

T he boy a l iv e an d fr e e the D octor s ho ld upo n the

,
’

sl av e girl wou ld b e broke n .

My lov ely comp anio n her ha n ds co nvulsively

,
 1 24 FAMOUS D ETE CTIVE STORI ES
clasped kn elt a n d d evoured with her ey es the face
,

o f t he boy who was passing t h rough the most a maz

i ng physiologic a l ch a nge i n the history of therap eu
tics The peculi ar perfume which she wore
.

which seemed to be a part of her — which a lways

I associated with her — was fai n tly percep tible .

Ka ra m a n éh was breathing rapidly .

”
You have n othi n g to fear I whispered ; see, ,

he i s revivi n g In a few mome n ts all will be we l l

.

”
with him .

The ha n gi n g lamp with its garishly colore d S h a de i

swu n g ge n tly above us w a fted it seemed by some

, , ,

draught which passed through the apartme n t The .

boy s heavy lids bega n to quiver a n d Ka ra m a néh

’
,

n ervously clutch e d my arm and held me so whil st

,

we wat ched for the lo n g lashed eyes to o p e n The

-
.

sti l lness of the pla ce wa s positively u n natural ; i t

seemed incon ce ivable t h at all abo u t us wa s the di s

co rdant activity of t h e c o mm e rcial E ast E n d In .

deed this e erie sil e n ce was becomi n g oppressive ; it

,

began positively to appall me .

Inspector W eym o u th s wo n deri n g face p eeped

’

over m y s h ou lde r .

“ ”
Whe re is D r Fu Ma n ch u ? I whispered a s
.
-
,

Nayland Sm it h in turn appeared besi d e me I .

can n ot u n d e rsta n d the sil en ce of t h e h ouse

“
Loo k about r e p l ie d Ka ram a n éh n eve r ta k
, ,

i ng her eyes from th e face o f Aziz .

I peered arou n d t h e sha d owy walls Tall gla ss .

cases the re w e r e s h e l ves a nd n ich es : w h ere o n ce

, ,

f rom the gallery above I had see n the tubes a n d re

,
 1 26 FAM OUS DETE C TIV E STORIE S
lovi ng words i n that soft l y spoke n A rabic which ha d
first b e trayed her n ationali ty to Nayla n d S mith I .

han d e d h er my fl ask whic h I had fil l ed with wi n e

, .

”
My promise is fulfi ll ed ! I said You a re .

fr e e ! Now for Fu Manch u ! But first let us admi t

-

t he poli ce to this hou se ; th e re is something unca nny

i n its sti ll n e ss .

No she replied , F i rst let my brother be

.

tak e n out a n d pla ced in safe ty Will you car ry .

him ?
S he raised her face to that o f I n specto r Wey
mo u th upo n which was writte n awe a n d wonder
,
.

T h e burly detective li fted the boy as te n der l y a s

a woman passed through the shadows to the stai r
,

wa y as cen ded a n d wa s swallo w

, , e d up i n the gloo m .

N ayl an d S mith s ey e s gleamed feverishly He

’
.

turn e d to Ka ra m a n éh .

You a re n ot playing with us ? he said harshly .

We have do n e our part ; it remai n s for you to do

yours .

D O not spea k so loud l y the girl begged , .

is ne ar u s a n d Oh Go d I f e a r him so !
, , ,

Whe r e is he ? p e rsiste d my friend .

Ka ra m a néh s eyes w e r e glassy with fear n ow

’
.

You must not to u ch him u n til the police are

he re she said
,
— but from t h e directio n o f her
q u ick agitated glances I kn e w that her brothe r
, ,

safe n ow she fear e d fo r me a n d for me alo n e

, , .

Th os e g l a n ces se n t my bloo d d a n ci n g ; for Kar a

m a n éh was an E aster n j ewel which a n y ma n o f
flesh a n d blood must h ave coveted ha d b e kn o wn
 THE ADVEN TURE OF THE T O AD STOO L S 1 27

i t to lie withi n his reach H er eye s w ere twi n la k e s

.

o f mystery which , more tha n o n ce I ha d known the ,

desire to explore .

Lo o k beyo n d that curtai n her voice wa s

barely audible but do n ot e n te r E ve n a s he is .
,

I fea r him .

Her voi ce her palpable agitatio n p repared u s

, ,

for som e thi ng extraordi n ary Tragedy a nd Eu .

M a n chu were n ever far apart Though we wer e .

t wo a n d help was so n ear we were i n the abode

, ,

o f the most cu nn i n g murderer who ever came out

o f the E ast .

I t was with stra n gely mi ngled emotio ns that I

crosse d the th i ck carpet Naylan d S mith beside me
, ,

a n d drew as i de the d raperi e s co n ceali n g a do o r to ,

whi ch Ka ra m a n éh had pointed The n upo n look .

,

i n g i n to t h e dim place beyo n d all else save what i t ,

held wa s forgotte n .

W e l o oked upo n a small s quare room the wall s , ,

drap e d with fantastic C hi ne se tapestry the floo r ,

str ew n with cus h io n s ; a n d recli n i n g i n a cor n er ,

wh e r e t h e fai n t b l u e light fro m a lamp placed upo n

, ,

a low tabl e , painted grotesque shadow s about the

cav e r n ous face — was D r Fu Ma n chu ! .
-

At sight of h im m y h e art leaped a n d seeme d

to susp e n d i ts functions so i n te n se was th e h or
,

ror wh i ch t h is man s pr e sence inspir e d in me My

’
.

h and clutching the curtain I stood watc h i ng him ,

.

The l i d s v e i led the malignant gre en eyes but the ,

t h in lips se e m e d to smile The n Smith sile n tly .

p oi n t e d to the ha n d which held a little pipe A .

 1 28 FAM O U S DETECTIVE STOR IE S
s ic kly perfume assail e d my n ostrils a n d the exp l ana
,

tio n o f the hushed silen ce a n d the ease with which

,

we ha d thus far exe cuted our pl a n cam e to me , .

The cu nn ing mi n d was torp i d — lost i n a bruti sh

worl d of dr e ams .

Fu M anchu was i n a n opium S leep !

-

The dim light trace d out a n etwork of ti ny li n e s ,

whic h covered t h e y e llow face from the poi n ted chi n

to the top of t h e great domed brow a n d form ed ,

d e e p sh adow pools in t h e hollows beneath his eye s .

At l ast we h ad triumphed .

I co ul d n ot determi n e the depth of hi s obscen e

‘

t ra n ce ; a nd masterin g some o f my repugn a n c e a n d ,

forgetful of Ka ra m a n éh s warni ng I was about to

’
,

st e p forward into the room loaded with its n au sea t

,

i n g opium fumes wh en a soft breath fa nn e d my

,

cheek .

D o n ot go in ! came Ka ram anéh s w a r ning ’

voice hush e d trembli n g .

Her little h and grasped my arm She drew .

S mith an d mys el f ba ck from the door .

Th e re is d anger ther e ! S he whispered Do .

n ot enter that room ! Th e police must reach him

in some way a n d drag him out ! D o n ot e n ter
t h at room !
T h e girl s voice quivered hysterically ; her eye s
’

bla z ed into savage fl ame The fi erce rese n tm en t

bor n o f dreadful wro ngs was co n sumi ng her n ow ;
but fear O f Fu M an ch u he ld her yet I n s p e cto r
-
.

Weymouth came down the stairs a n d j oi n ed us .

“
I h a ve se n t the boy to Rym an s roo m a t the ’
 1 30 FAM O U S DET ECTIVE STORI ES
io n s the i nl ai d table wit h its blue shaded lamp the
,
-
,

garish wa l ls th e spraw l ing figure with the gh astly

,

ligh t playing upo n its features quivered a n d sho t ,

upwar d !
S o it seemed to me ; though in the e n suing i n sta n t ,

I remembered too late a previous exp e rie n ce of the

, ,

floor s of Fu Manchu s private apartme n ts ; I knew

-
’

what h ad i n d e ed befalle n us A trap had bee n t e .

l e as e d b e n e ath our feet .

I r e ca l l fa ll i ng b u t have n o re collectio n o f the

e n d of my fall — o f t h e shock marking the dro p .

I only r e m e mber figh ting for m y li f e against a sti fl in g

something whi ch had me b y the throat I kn ew .

that I wa s b e ing su ff ocated but my ha n ds met o n ly

,

th e d eath l y empti ne ss .

Into a poisonous w e ll o f darkn ess I sa nk I could .

n ot cry out I was h elpl e ss O f the fate of my

. .

companions I kn e w n ot h i n g — co uld surmise n oth

ing .

The n all co n scious n ess e n de d .

I was bei n g carri e d along a dimly lighted tu nn el ,

lik e p l ace sl ung sa ckwi se a cross th e s h o ulde r of

, , ,

a Bur m a n H e was not a big man but he supported

.
,

my consi de rab l e w e ight wit h appa re nt ca se A .

deadly n ausea h eld me but th e rough ha n dli n g ha d

,

se rved to restore m e to co n sciousn e ss My ha n ds .

a n d feet were closely lash ed I h u ng li mply as a wet

.

towel : I felt t h at thi s spar k of tortured li fe which

had flickered up i n me must ere lo ng fi n ally becom e
ex ti n guished .
 TH E ADVE NT URE OF T H E TOAD STOOLS 1 31

A fa n cy possessed me i n the se the fi rst mome n t s

,

o f my restoratio n to the world of r e alities tha t I ,

ha d been smuggle d into C hina ; a nd as I swu ng h ead

downward I told myse l f that the h uge pu ffy thi n gs ,

whi ch strewed the path were a speci es of gi a n t to a d

stool u nfamilia r to me a nd pos sib ly peculiar to
,

whatever district of C hina I n ow was i n .

T h e air was h ot st e amy an d loaded with a smell

, ,

a s o f rotting vegetatio n I wondered why my b e are r

.

so scr u p u l o u sly avoided touchi n g any of t h e u n wh ole

som e looking growths i n passing through wh at
-

seemed a succ e ss i o n of c e llars b u t st e ered a tor tuous ,

cou rse among t h e bloat e d u nn a tural shapes li fti ng

, ,

his bare brow n f ee t with a catli ke delicacy .

He passed un d er a low arch dropped me roughly ,

to t h e ground a n d ran back Half stun n ed I lay .

,

watc h ing t h e agile brow n body melt i n to the di s

ta n ces o f t h e cellars T h eir wa l ls a n d roof seemed
.

to emit a faint p h osphorescent light

, .

Pe trie ! came a w e a k voice fro m somewh er e

”
ahead . Is that you P etrie ? ,

I t wa s N a yl a n d Smith !
’

Smith ! I said and strove to sit u p

, But the .

i n te n se nausea overcame me so th a t I a ll b u t ,

swoon e d .

I h e ard his voice agai n but could attach n o mea n

,

i n g to t he words whic h he uttered A sou n d of .

te rrific b l ows r e a ch e d my ears too , .

T he B u rma n r e appear e d be n di n g u n der the hea vy

,

load w hi ch h e bore F or as he picked his way

.
,

through the bloated thi n gs which grew u p o n the

1 32 FAM OUS DETE CTIV E STOR IE S
fl o ors o f the c e llars I realized that he wa s ca r rying
,

the inert body of Inspector We ymouth A n d I .

found time to compare the stre ngth of the li ttl e

brown man with that of a Nile beetle whi ch can ,

raise many times its ow n weight .

Th en behind him appeared a seco n d fi gure

, , ,

which immediately claimed the whol e o f my err a nt

attentio n .

Eu Ma n chu !
-
hiss e d my frie n d from the d a rk ,

n es s which conceale d him .

It was i n deed no n e other tha n Fu M anchu the -

Fu Manchu whom we h a d thought to be h elple ss

-
.

The d e eps of a C hinama n s cun n ing the fi n e qual

’

ity of his courage were for ced u p o n me a s am a z i ng

,

facts .

He had a ssumed the appearance o f a drugged

opium smoker so we l l a s to dupe me
- — a medic al

ma n ; so well as to d u pe Ka ra m a n éh — whose e x
ri en ce of t h e nox i o u s habit probably was greate r
p e

t h an my own A nd with the ga l lows d an gli n g b e

.
,

fore h im he had waited ,

— playe d t h e part o f a
l ure whilst a body o f police a ctually surrou n ded
the p l ace !
I have since thought that the room p rob ably wa s
o n e w h ich h e a ctua ll y us ed for opium debauches a n d ,

t h e devi ce o f the trap was i n te n ded to protect him

during the comatose period .

Now holdi n g a lanter n above his he a d the de

, ,

viser of t h e trap w h er e int o we mouseli k e ha d , ,

b l i n dly e n tered came t h rough the ce l lars fol lowi n g

, ,

th e br o wn ma n who carrie d We ymouth The f a i nt .

 1 34 FAM OUS D ETE CTIVE STORIE S
reco gn i z ed the e n tr a n ce of the p olic e i n t o som e
barricaded pa rt of the house the comi n g of th o se
wh o woul d sav e u s who wou ld hold the C hi n ese
doctor for the b a ngm an l
”
I have de cided he said deliberately th a t you
, ,

are more wort h y of my atte n tio n tha n I had for m e rl y

sup p osed A m a n who can solve t h e sec ret o f the
.

Gold en E lixir ( I had n ot solve d it ; I had me rely

stole n some ) should be a v aluable acquisitio n to my
C ou n cil The exte n t of the p la n s o f M r C ommi s
. .

si o n er Nayla n d Smith a n d of t h e E n glish S cotl a n d

Yar d it is i n cu mbe n t upo n me to lear n Th erefor e

.
,

ge n tl e me n you live, for the prese n t !

An d you ll swing came W eym o uth s h o arse
’
,
’

voice , i n the n ea r futu re ! Y ou a nd all your

y e llow gang !
“
I tru st n ot was the placid r eply
, M o st of
.

my people a re sa fe : some are shipped as l asc a r s

u po n the liners ; others have departe d by di ff e ren t

mea n s Ah !
.

That last word was the o nly o n e i n dicative o f

exciteme n t which h ad yet esc aped him A disk o f .

ligh t danced amo ng the bri lliant poiso n hues of the

p a s sage s — but n o sound reached us ; by which I
kn ew that t h e glass d o or must fit almost hermetic a lly .

It was much cool e r here tha n i n the place throu gh

whi ch we had p asse d a n d the n ausea bega n to leav e
,

m e my brai n to grow more clear

, Had I kn own
.

what was to follow I shoul d have cursed the luci di ty

of mi n d whi ch n ow came to me ; I should h a ve
praye d for oblivio n to b e sp ared the si ght o f that
which en su ed .
 THE AD VEN T URE OF TH E T O AD ST OOL S 1 35
“ ’ ”
Log an ! cried I n sp ector W eym outh : a n d
It s

I co u ld tell that he was struggli n g to free him self

o f his bo n ds F rom his voice it wa s evi d e n t that
.

he too was recoveri ng fro m the e ff ects of the n ar

, ,

cotic which ha d bee n admi n istered to us all .

“ ” “
Loga n ! he c ri ed Loga n ! Thi s way .

”
help !
Bu t the b a ck up o n u s in that en clo sed
cry b e at
sp ace a n d seemed to car ry n o f a rth er th a n the i n

v isible walls o f our priso n .

”
The door fits well came Fu M a n chu s mo cki n g ,
-
’

“
V oi ce . It is fortu n a t e for us all that it is so .

This is my observatio n wi n do w D r Petri e a nd , .

,

y o u are about to e nj oy a n u n i q ue opp o rtu n ity o f

studying fungolo gy I have already draw n your a t

.

t entio n to the a n e sthetic propertie s of the lycoper

d o n or commo n p u ff ball
,
You m ay have reco g -
.

ni z ed the fumes ? The chamber i n to wh ich you

rashly precipitated yourselv es was charged with
them By a process o f my own I have greatly en
.

ha n ce d the value o f the pu ff ball i n this re sp ect -

.

Y our frie n d M r W e ymouth proved the mo st ob

, .
,

st in a te subj ect ; but he succu mbed i n fiftee n seco n d s .

“
Loga n ! Help ! Help ! This way m an ! ”
,

S om e thi n g very like fea r sou n de d i n W eym o uth s ’

voice n ow I n deed th e si tuatio n was so u n ca nny

.
,

that it al m ost seemed u n real A group o f m en had .

en tered t h e farthermost cellars led by o n e who b o r e ,

a n el e ctric pocket lamp The h a rd white ray -

.
,

d a n ced from bloated gray fungi to other s o f n i ght

ma re sha p e of da z zling ve n omou s bri lli ance The
, , .

mo cki n g le ctur e r oo m Vo i ce cont inued

,
-
 1 36 FAM OUS DETECT IV E ST ORI ES
Note the s n owy growth upo n the roof D octor ,
.

D O n ot be de ceived by its size It is a giant variety .

o f my ow n culture and is of t h e order empu sa .

You i n E n gla n d a re familiar wit h t h e deat h of t h e

, ,

commo n h o use fl y w h ic h is fou n d attached to the

-

wi n dow pane by a coati n g of white mold I h ave

-
.

developed t h e spores of this mold a n d h ave produced

a giant species O bserve t h e i n teresti n g e ff ect o f
.

the stro n g light upo n my ora n ge a n d blue a ma ni ta

fu n gus !
Ha rd beside me I heard Nayla n d S mith groa n ,

Weymouth had become suddenly sile n t F or my .

ow n p art I could have s h rieked i n pure horror

,
.

F o r I kn ew wha t wa s c o mi ng I realized i n o ne .

a go n i z ed i n sta n t the sign ifica n ce of t h e dim la n ter n ,

of the care ful progress th rough t h e subter ra n e a n

fu n gi grove of the care wit h w h ic h Fu M a n chu a nd
,
-

his serva n t had avoi ded touchi n g a ny of the growth s .

I kn e w n ow that D r Fu Manchu was the great est

, , .
-

fu ngologist the world had ever kn ow n ; was a p o i

so n er to wh om the B o rgi a s were as childre n an d
I k n e w tha t the de te ctives bli n dly were walki n g i n to a
valley of death
—
.

Th e n i t bega n — the u nn atural sce n e the

satur n alia o f murder .

Like so ma ny bombs the brillia n tly colo red ca p s

of t h e hu ge toads tool like things alluded to by the -

C hi n ama n exploded a s the white ray sough t the m

,

out i n the dar kn ess which alone preserv ed thei r ex

i stence A brow n ish cloud — I could n ot dete rmi n e
—
.

whethe r li quid or powde ry arose i n the cell a r .

 GE NTLE M E N A N D PLAY E R S

By E W . . HOR N U N G
OL D R a ffles may or may n ot h av e bee n a n ex cep
t i o n a l criminal , but as a crick e t e r I da re swear he wa s
u n iqu e Himself a da n gerous bat , a brillia n t fi eld ,
.

and per h aps the very finest slow bowler o f h is dec

a de h e too k i n cre dibly little i n terest i n the game
,

a t large He n ever we n t up to Lord s without his

.
’

cricket bag or sho wed t h e slightes t i n terest i n the

-
,

re sult of a matc h i n w h ic h he wa s n ot himself en

gage d Nor was this mere hateful egotism o n his
.

p art He pro fesse d to have lost all e n t h usia sm fo r

.

th e game a n d to keep i t up o nly from the very lowe st

,

motives .

”
C ricket said R a ffl es like everythi n g else i s
, , ,

good eno u gh sport until yo u discover a better AS .

a sourc e o f exciteme n t it isn t i n it with other thi n gs ’

y o u wot of B u nn y a n d the, i n volu n tary compa

, r iso n
becom e s a bor e What s the satisfactio n of taki n g
.
’

a m a n s wick e t whe n yo u wa n t his spoo n s ? S till if

’
,

o u ca n bowl a hi t your low cu nn i n g wo n t get rusty

’

y ,
’
a n d alway s looki n g for the weak spot s j ust the ki n d
O f m e n tal exercise one w a n ts Y es perhaps there s ’
.
,

some a fli n ity betwee n the two thi n gs a fter all B ut .

F m T h Am t C k m
ro
“
e C py i ght 899 by C harl es
a eu r ra c s a n,
”
o r ,
I ,

S ib S B y p mi i f th p b l i h
’
cr n er s on s . er ss o n o e u s ers .

ISO
 14
0 FAM O U S DET ECTIV E ST OR I ES
I d chuck
’
cricket to morrow Bu n ny i f it was n t
up -
, ,
’

for the glorious protection it a ff or d s a perso n o f my

”
pro cli vi ties .

Ho w so ? said I I t bri n gs you before the

.

p ub l i c I s h ould h ave thought far more tha n is

, ,
”
either sa fe or wise .

My dear B u n ny that s exactly where you make

,
’

a mi sta ke To follow C rime with reaso n able im

.

p u n i ty you simply m u st h ave a parall e l oste n s i b le ,

ca ree r the more public the better The pri n ciple .

is obvious M r Peac e of pious memory disarmed

. .
, ,

suspicio n by acquiring a local reputatio n for playi n g

th e fi d dl e a n d tami n g animals an d it s my profou n d ,
’

con vi ctio n that Jack the R ipper was a really emine nt

pub l ic ma n w h ose speec hes were very likely reported
,

a l ongside his atrociti e s Fill the bill i n some promi

.

nent part an d you ll ne ver be suspected o f doubli ng

,
’

it with a n other of e qual promi ne nce T h at s why .

’

I want you to cultivate j our n a l ism my boy a n d sign , ,

all you can A nd it s the one a n d o nly reaso n why

.
’

”
I do n t bu r n my bats for firewood
’
.

Nevertheless w hen he d i d play there wa s n o

,

keener performer on t h e fi e ld n or o n e m o re a n xio u s ,

to d o well for his side I remember how he we n t .

t o the n ets be for e the first matc h of the seaso n

, ,

with his pock et full of sovereign s whi ch he p u t o n ,

t h e s tumps i n stead of bai l s It was a sight to see .

the professio n als bowli ng like d e mo n s for the ha rd

c ash , for whe n ever a stump was h it a pou n d wa s
tossed to the bowler a n d a n other bala n ced i n i ts
stead while o n e ma n too k £ 3 with a ball tha t sprea d
,
14
2 FAM OUS DETE CTI VE STO RIE S
’ ’
He
s i n the La die s E nclo sure Will you come .

rou n d n ow ?
“
W it h pleasure says R a me s K eep a p l ace
, .

”
for me Bu nny , .

A n d they were go n e
-

”
You n g C rowley said some voice fu r ther b a ck , .

”
Last year s Harrow E leve n ’
.

I remember him W orst ma n i n the team . .

Kee n crickete r ho wever S topped ti l l he wa s

, .

twenty to get his colors Governor made him . .

Keen breed O h pretty sir ! Ve ry pret ty !

.
, ,

The game was bori n g me I o nly came to see o ld .

R a ffl e s perform S oo n I was looking wistfully fo r

.

his return a n d at length I saw him becko n i n g m e

,

from the palings to the right .

W a n t to i n troduce you to old Am ersteth he ,

whispered whe n I j oined him, They ve a cricke t .

’

week n ex t mo n th whe n this boy C rowley come s o f

,
”
age a n d we v e bot h got to go d ow n and play
,
’
.

B u t I m n o crick e ter !
’
B oth ! I echoed .

S hut up says R a ffles , Lea v e that to m e . .

”
I ve bee n lyi n g for all I m wort h he a dd ed sep ul
’ ’
,

chra l l y as we reached the bottom O f the steps I .

”
t rust to you no t to give t h e sho w away .

There was t h e gleam i n h is eye that I kn ew well

enough elsewhere but was unpr e pa red for i n tho se,

h e a l thy sane surrou nd ings ; and i t was with very de

,

finite misgivi ngs a n d surmises that I followed the

! ingari blazer thr o ugh the vast fl o wer b e d o f b a t s -

’
a n d bo nn et s th a t bloomed be n eath the ladi e s aw n
I ng .
 G E N TL E M E N A N D P L AY E R S 14
3

Lord wa s a fi n e look ing m a n with a

A m ersteth -

short m u stache a n d a double chi n He received .

me with mu ch d ry courtesy through which however , , ,

it was n ot d i ffi cult to read a less flatteri n g tale I .

was acc epted as the in e vitable appe n d age of the in

valuable R a fll es wit h whom I fel t dee ply i n ce n sed a s
,

I ma d e my bow .

“
I have bee n bold e n ough said Lord Ame r ,

steth, to ask o n e of the Ge n tleme n of E ngla n d to

come dow n a n d play some rustic cricket for us n ex t
m o n th He i s ki n d e n ough to say that h e would
.

ha v e li k ed n othing better but for t h is little fi shi n g ,

expe d itio n O f yours Mr Mr a n d Lord

, . .

Am ersteth su cc e eded i n r e m e mb e ring my n ame .

It was o f course the firs t I had eve r heard of tha t

, ,

fi shing e x pe d ition but I ma d e haste to say th a t it

,

coul d ea si l y a n d should certai nly be put o ff

, , .

R a ffl es gle am e d approval t hroug h his eyelashes .

Lor d A m ersteth bowed and s h rugged .

”
You re v e ry good I m sure said he
’
,
’
, .

”
u n der sta n d you re a cri cketer yourself ?
’

”
He wa s one a t school said R a ffl es wi th i n , ,

famou s readiness .

“
Not a real cricketer I was stammeri n g m e an ,

whi l e .

In the eleve n ? said Lord Am ersteth .

”
I m afraid n ot said I
’
, .

B ut only j us t out o f it declared R a mes to my , ,

ho rror .

Well well we ca n t all play fo r the Ge n tleme n

, ,
’
,

s a id Lo rd Am ersteth slyly My so n C rowley o n l y .

14
4 FAM OUS DETE CT IVE STORIE S
j ust scraped i n to the eleve n a t Ha rrow a n d he s go ,
’

ing to play I may eve n come i n myself at a pi n c h ;

.

so yo u wo n t be the o n ly du ff er i f you a re o n e a n d I
’
, ,

shall be very gl ad i f you will come dow n a n d h el p

us too Y ou shall flog a stre a m before bre a k f ast
.

”
a n d a fter di nn er i f you like , .

I s h ould be very proud I was begi nn i n g a s , ,

the mere prelude to resolute exc u ses ; but the eye o f

R a ffl es opened wide upo n me ; a n d I hesitated wea k ly ,

to be duly lost .

The n that s settled said L o rd Am ersteth with

’
, ,
“
the slightest suspicio n O f grim n ess It s to be a .
’

little week you kn ow whe n my so n come s o f age

, , .

W e play t h e F ree F oresters the D orset shire Ge n tle ,

m e n and probably some l o cal lot as well But M r

,
. .

R a fll es will t e ll you all abo u t it and C ro wley shall ,

writ e A n other wicket ! By Jove t h ey re all out !

.
,
’

Th en I rely o n you both A n d with a little n od .

, ,

Lord Am ersteth rose a n d sidl ed to the ga ngway .

R a fll es ro se also but I caught the sleeve of hi s

,

blaz e r .

Wha t are you thi n ki n g o f ? I whispered

“
savagely I was n owhere n ear the ele v e n I m
. .
’

n o sort of cricke te r I shall have to get out o f .

this !
’
Not yo u h e whispered back
,
Y ou n eed n t .

p l ay but c ome you mus t I f you wait for me a ft er

,
.

half past S ix I ll tell you why

-
’
.

B u t I could gu e ss the reaso n ; and I am ashamed to

sa y that it r e volted me muc h le ss than did the notio n

o f m aking a p ublic fool of myself o n a cri ck et fi el d -

.
14
6 FAM OUS DETE CTI VE STORIES
he a d wo rk a n d ha n diwor k which made eve ry ove r a n
-
,

artistic whole It was all so characteristi c of tha t

.

othe r R a fll es whom I alo n e kn ew !

“
I felt li k e bowli n g this a fter n oo n he told me ,

later in the ha n som With a pitch to help me .

,

I d have do n e somethi n g big ; as it is t h ree fo r

’
,

forty o n e out of the four that fell is n t so bad fo r

-
, ,
’

a slow bowler o n a plumb wick et agai n st those fel

lows But I felt ven omous ! Nothing riles me more
.

t h a n bei n g asked about for my c ricket as though I

were a pro myself . .

Th e n why o n earth go ?
To pu n is h t h em a n d because we shall be j oll y
,

hard up B un ny before the seaso n s over !

, ,
’

Ah ! said I I t h ought it was that . .

O f course i t was ! It seems they re goi n g to

,
’

have the very devil of a week of i t — ball s

di n ner parties -
swagger house party ge n er a l -

j u nketi n gs and Obviously a houseful of diamo n d s

a s well D i amo n ds galore ! A s a general rule n oth
.

i n g would induce me to abuse my positio n as a gu es t .

’
I ve ne ver do n e it B unny B u t i n this case we r e
’
, .

e n gage d like the wait ers a n d the band an d by heave n ,

we l l take our toll ! Let s have a quiet di nn er some

’ ’

”
wh e re and ta lk i t over .

It s e ems rath e r a vulga r sort o f theft I could ,

n ot help saying ; a n d to this my si n gle protes t , ,

R a ffl es insta n tly assented .

“ ” ’
It is a vulga r sort said b e ; but I ca n t help. ,

that We re getti n g vu l garly h ard up agai n a n d

.
’
,

there s a n e n d o n t B esides these people deserv e

’ ’
.
,
 GE NTLEMEN AN D PLAYER S 4
7

i t, a n d ca n a ff ord it
’
An d do n t you ru n away with
.

the idea that all will be pl a i n saili n g ; noth i ng will be

e asier tha n getting some stu ff and n othi n g h arder ,

tha n avoiding a l l Suspicion as of course we m u s t , , , .

We may come a way wit h n o more th a n a good wor k

i n g pla n O f the premises Who knows ? I n a ny .

”
case there s weeks o f thi nking i n it for you a n d me
’
.

But with those weeks I will n ot weary you furt he r

tha n by remarking t h at the thi nking was do n e ,

e n tirely by R a ffl es w h o d id n ot always trouble to

,

communicate his tho u ghts to me His retice nce .

,

ho wev e r was n o longer a n irrita n t I bega n to a c

, .

cept it a s a n ecessary co nve n tio n of these little enter

pr i s e s An d a fter our l ast a dve n ture of the ki n d
.
, ,
'
m ore especially aft e r its deno u em en t my t rust i n ,

R a ffl es was m u ch too solid to be shake n by a want of

tru st i n m e w h ic h I sti ll believe to ha v e bee n more
,

t h e insti n ct o f the crimi n al tha n the j udgme nt of the

ma n .

It was o n Mo n day the te n th Of August that we

, ,

were due at Milchester Abbey D orset ; an d the b e ,

gi n ning o f the mo n t h fou n d us cruisi n g about tha t

very county wit h fl y rods actually i n our ha n ds
,
-
.

Th e id e a was that we sho u l d acquire at o n ce a local

reputatio n as d e ce n t fish e rm e n a n d some kn owledge ,

of the co u ntrysi d e with a vie w to further and more

,

deliberate operations i n the e ve nt o f a n unprofitable

week . There wa s a n other idea w h ich R a ffl es k ep t
to h i mself until he ha d got me dow n there The n .

o n e day h e produced a cricket ball i n a meadow we -

were crossi n g a n d threw me c a tche s fo r an hour

,
14
8 FAM OUS D ETE CT IVE STORIE S
togethe r More hours he spe n t in bowli n g to me
.

o n the n earest gree n ; a n d i f I wa s n ever a crick ete r , ,

at least I came n earer to bei n g o n e by the e n d o f ,

tha t wee k tha n ever before or since

, .

Incide n t bega n early on the Mo n day We had .

sal l ied forth from a d e solate little j unctio n with i n

quite a few miles o f Mil chest er had bee n caught i n ,

a sho wer had ru n for shelter to a wayside i n n A

, .

florid over dressed ma n was d rinki ng i n the parlo r

,
-
,

and I could have swor n it was a t the sight of him

that R a ffl es recoiled on the threshold a n d a fterwards ,

insisted o n returning to the statio n through the ra m .

He assured me however that the odor o f stale ale

, ,

h ad almost knocke d him down And I had to make .

what I coul d o f his speculative down cast eyes a n d ,

-

kn itt e d brows .

Milchester Abbey is a grey quadra n gu l a r pile , ,

de ep set in rich woody cou n try and twi nkling wit h

-
,

triple rows of quain t win d ows every o n e o f which ,

se e med alight a s we drove up j u st in time to dres s

for din n er The carri age had whirled us u n der I
.

kno w not how many triumphal arches i n proces s of

con struction a n d past the tents and fl a g poles o f a
,
-

juicy looki n g cric k et fi el d o n which R a ffl es u n de r

- -
,

took to bowl up to his reputation But the chief .

sig n s of f e sti v al were withi n where we fou n d a n ,

e n ormou s house party assembled i n cluding more per

-
,

sons o f pomp maj esty and domi n ion tha n I had

, ,

e v er e ncou n tered i n one room before I co n fess I .

f el t o v e rpowered O ur erra n d and my ow n p re .

tenses combi n ed to rob me of a n address u p o n whi ch

 1 50 FAM OU S DETE CTIVE STORIE S
— b u rgla rs ! But do n t sp ea k so lo u d It s sup ’
.
’

’
posed to be kept a great sec re t I really ou gh tn t .

to tel l you at all !

B ut what is there to tell ? I whi sp e red wi th
satisfactory impatie n ce .

”
You p romise n ot to spe a k o f it ?
O f course !
Well t he n there are burgl a rs i n the nei ghbo r
, ,

ho o d f
’

“
Have the y commi tted any robb erie s ?
”
Not yet .

Then how do you kn ow ?

T h ey ve bee n see n I n the di st ric t Two well
’
. .

kno wn Lo n do n thieves !
Two ! I loo k ed at R a ffl es I ha d do n e so oft e n .

during the eveni n g e n vying him his high spirits hi s

, ,

iron n erve his buoya n t wit his perfect ease a n d self

, ,

possessio n B u t n ow I pitied him ; throug h all my

.

o wn terror a n d co n ster n atio n I pitied him a s he sa t ,

eati n g a n d dri nki n g a n d laughi n g a n d ta l ki n g w i th

, ,

out a clou d o f fear or of emb a rrassme n t o n h is ha n d

some ta ki n g daredevil face I caugh t up my
, , .

champagn e a n d emptied the glass .

Who has see n them ? I the n asked cal ml y .

A detective They were traced dow n fro m

.

tow n a few days ago They are believed to have .

designs o n the Abbey !

”
B ut why aren t t h ey run i n ? ’

E xactly what I as k ed pap a o n the way here this

evening ; he says t h ere is n o warra n t out agai n s t the
me n at present a n d all that ca n be do n e is to w a tch
,
”
their moveme n ts .
 G ENTLE M E N A ND PLAY ERS 1 51

Oh ! so th e y ar e being watch e d ?
Y e s by a d e t e ctive who is down here o n purpose
, .

A nd I h e ard Lord A m ersteth t e ll papa that they had

b e en s e en this a fternoon at Warb e ck Ju n ctio n !
The v e ry place where R a flles a n d I had bee n
caught i n the rain ! O ur stampede from the i nn wa s
n ow explained ; on the other h and I was n o lo n ger ,

to be taken by surprise by anythi ng that my com

p anion might ha v e to tell me ; a n d I su cceeded i n

looking her in th e face with a smile .

This is real l y quite e xciti n g Miss Melhu i sh , ,

“
said I . M ay I ask how you come to kn ow so
”
m uch about it ?
“ ”
It s papa was the co nfi de n tial reply
’
, Lo rd .

A m erst eth consulted him and he co n sulted m e

, .

But for goodness sake don t let it get about ! I

’ ’

can t think wha t tempt e d me to tell you !

’

“
You may trust me Miss Mel hui sh B ut
, .

’
a ren t you frightened ?

Miss Mel hu i sh giggl e d .

Not a bit ! They wo n t come to the rect o ry

’
.

There s nothing for them th e re But look round the

’
.

table : look at the diamo n ds : loo k a t old Lady M el

rose s nec klace alone !
’

The D owager M archio n ess o f M elros e was o n e

o f the few persons whom it had bee n u nn ecessary to
point out to me She sat on Lord A m ersteth s right ’
,

fl ourishing her ear trumpet a n d drinki n g champ a gn e

-
,

with h e r usual notorious freedom as dissipated a n d ,

k in dl y a dame as the world has e v er see n It was a .

n ecklace of dia m onds a n d sa p phires th a t r o se and

fell about her amp le n eck .
1 52 FAM OUS DETE CT IVE ST ORI E S
T hey say it s worth fi ve thousa n d p o u n d s a t
’

”
least continued my companion
, Lady M argaret .

told me so this morning ( that s Lady M argaret n ext ’

your Mr R a ffl es.you kn ow ) and,the old dear wil l

wear them every n i ght Thi n k what a haul th ey
.

would be ! No ; we do n t feel i n immedi ate d ange r

’

”
a t the rectory .

Whe n the l a dies rose Miss Melhui sh bou n d m e

,

to fresh v ows of secrecy ; a n d left me I should thi nk , ,

with some remorse for her i n discretio n but mor e ,

satisfactio n at the importance which it had un

doubtedly give n her i n my eyes The opinio n m ay .

smack of va n ity though i n reali ty the very spri ngs

, , ,

of conversatio n reside i n that same hu m a n u n iversal ,

i tch to thrill the auditor The peculiarity of M i ss

.

Mel huish was that she must be thrilli n g at all co sts .

A n d thrilling she had surely bee n .

I spare you my feelings of the n ext two h o urs I .

tried hard to get a word with R a fll es but agai n and ,

again I failed I n the di n i ng room he a n d C rowle y

.
-

lit their cigarettes with the same match a n d ha d ,

their heads together all the time I n the drawi ng .

roo m I had the m o rti fi ca ti o n of hearing him talk i h

termi n able n onse n se into the ear tru mpet o f L a dy -

M elrose wh o m he kn ew i n tow n Lastly in the

,
.
,

billiard room they had a great and le ngthy p oo l

-
, ,

while I sat aloof and cha fed more than ever i n the
c ompa n y o f a v ery seri o us S cotchma n who had a r ,

rived since di nn er and who would talk of n othi ng

,

but the r ecent improveme n ts i n instanta n eous p h o to

g ra p hy .He h a d n ot come to pla y i n the m a tches
1 54 FAM OUS DET ECTI VE STORI E S
that night last April And you could n t spot who he .
’

was in a whole hour ! O Bu nny Bu n ny yo u were , ,

n ever built for crime !

”
But said I , i f that was M ac k e nz i e who wa s
, ,

the fellow you bolted from at Wa rbec k ?

’
That ma n he s watching .

’
B ut h e s watching us !
R a fll es loo k ed at me with a pityi n g eye and shoo k ,

his head agai n before ha n di n g me his o p e n ci garette

case .

“ ’
I do n t kn ow whether smo kin g s forbidden i n ’

o n e s be d room but you d better ta k e one o f the se

’
,
’

and stand tight Bunny because I m goi ng to sa y, ,

’

”
som e thing o ffe n sive .

I he l p e d myself with a laugh .

S ay what you like my d e ar fe llow i f it r eall y , ,

”
is n t you and I that M ackenzie s a fter
’ ’
.

W e l l then i t isn t and it couldn t be and n o

, ,
’
,
’
,

body but a bor n Bunny would suppose for a mom ent

that it was ! D o you s e riously thin k he wou ld si t
th e r e and knowi ngly watch his ma n play i ng po ol
u n der his nose ? Wel l he mi ght ; he s a cool ha n d ,
’
,

M ackenzi e ; but I m not cool en ou gh to win a poo l

’

u n d e r such co n ditions At least I do n t think I a m ; .

’

’
it would be i n teresti n g to see The situation was n t .

’
fr e e from strai n as it was thou gh I knew he was n t ,

thinking o f us C row le y told me all about it a fte r

.

dinner you see and th e n I d see n one of the m en

, ,
’

for mys e lf this aftern o o n You thought it wa s a .

detective who made me tur n tail at that i nn I .

real l y do n t kn ow why I did n t tell yo u a t the tim e

’ ’
,
 G EN TLEM EN AND PLAY ERS 1 55

but it was just th e opposite That loud red faced .

,
-

brute is one of th e cleverest thi e ves i n Londo n and ,

I onc e had a drink with him a n d o u r mutual fe n ce .

I was an E ast e nd e r from tongue to toe at the mo

m ent but you will understand that I don t ru n un
’
,
”
nec e ssary risks O f recognition by a b ru te li k e that .

”
He s not alone I hear
’
, .

B y no means ; there s at least o ne other m an ’

with h im ; and it s sugg e st e d th a t there m ay be a n

’

”
accomplic e here in the house .

D id Lord C rowley tell you so ?

C rowl e y a n d the champagne between th em I n .

confi de nce o f course j ust as you r girl told you ; but

, ,

ev e n in confidence h e n e ver let on about M acke nz ie .

H e told me ther e was a d e tective in th e backgrou n d ,

but that was a l l Putting him up as a guest is evi

.

dently the i r big secr e t to be kept from the other

,

guest s because it might Offend them but more pa r ,

’
ti cu l a rl y from the s e rvants whom h e s here to watch .

That s my reading o f the situation Bu n ny a n d you

’
, ,

wi ll agr ee with me that it s infinite l y more interestin g

’

”
than w e coul d ha v e imagined it woul d prove .

B ut infinit el y mor e di ffi cult for us said I with , ,

a sigh of pusillanimous re l ie f O ur ha n ds are .

tie d for this we e k a t a ll events

, .

Not nec e ssarily my dear Bu n ny though I admit

, ,

that th e chance s ar e against us Yet I m not so .

’

sur e of t h at e ith e r Th e re are a l l sorts o f pos

.

sib i l i t i es in th e s e three cornered combinatio n s

-
S et .

A to watch B and h e won t have a n eye left for

,
’

’
C . Tha t s the obvious theory but then M ac ke nz i e s
’
,
1 56 FAM OUS DETE C TIVE STORIE S
a very b ig A I should b e sorry to have a ny bo o dl e
.

about me with that ma n in the house Yet i t would .

be great to n ip i n betwee n A and B a n d score o ff

them both at o n ce ! It w ould be worth a ris k ,

Bunny to d o that ; it would be worth risking some

,

thing merely to t ake on old b a n ds li k e B an d hi s

men at their ow n old game ! E h Bun ny ? That ,

would be something like a match Ge n tleme n a nd .

Players a t si n gle wicket by Jove ! ,

His eyes were brighter than I ha d k now n them fo r

many a day They sho n e with the perverted en
.

thu si a sm which wa s roused in him o n ly by the co n

t em p l a ti o n of some new audacity He kicked o ff hi s
.

s h oes and began paci n g his room with noi seless rapid
ity ; not since the night o f the O ld B ohemia n di nn e r
to R eube n R ose n thal l had R a flles exhibited such
excitement in my presence ; a n d I was not sorry a t
the mome n t to be reminded of the fi a sc o to whic h
that banquet had bee n t h e prelude .

My dear A said I i n his very own to n e

.
,

you re far to o fo n d o f the uphill game ; you will

’

ev e ntually fall a V ictim to the sporting spirit a n d

not h ing else Take a lesson from our last escape
. ,

and fly lower as you va l ue o u r skins S tudy the .

house as much as you like but do , not go a n d

shove your head in M ack enz ie s mouth ! ’

My wealth o f metaphor brought him to a sta n d

sti l l with his ciga rette betwee n his fi ngers a n d a
,

gr i n benea th his shining eyes .

’
You r e qui te right Bunny I won t I really
’
, . .

won t Yet
’
.
— you saw Ol d Lady M elrose s n eck ’
1 58 FAM OUS DETE CTI VE STORIE S
greater du ff ers th a n I o n the Abbey cricket fi eld .

In d eed quite early in the week whe n it wa s of mo s t

, ,

value to me I gained co n siderable kudos for a lucky

,

catch ; a ball of which I had merely heard the hum

, ,

stuck fast in my hand which Lord Am ersteth him

,

s el f grasp e d in public congratulation This happy .

acci de nt was not to be undo n e eve n by me a n d a s , ,

n ot h ing succe e ds like success and the consta n t en

,

co u ra gem en t of the one great cricketer on the fi el d

was i n itself an immense stimulus I actually made a ,

run or two i n my very next innings Miss Melhui sh .

Said pretty things to me that night at the great b all

in hono r o f Viscount C rowley s ma j ori ty ; she also
’

to ld me that was the night o n which the robber s

wo u l d assure dly make their raid and was full o f ,

arch tremors whe n w e sat out in th e garden thou gh ,

the entire premises were il l umi n ated a l l night long .

Meanwhile th e quiet S cotchma n took c ountl e ss photo

graphs by day which he develop e d by night in a dar k
,

room admirab l y si tu at e d in the s e rvants part of the ’

hous e ; a n d it is my fi rm b el i e f that o n ly two o f hi s

f el low guests knew M r C l ep ha n e o f D u n dee fo r
-
.

Insp e ctor M a ckenzie of S cotland Yard .

The we e k was to en d with a trumpery match on

th e S atur d ay which two or three of us inte n ded
,

abandoning early in or de r to retur n to tow n tha t

night The match howev e r was ne v er played I n
.
, ,
.

th e small hours of the S aturday morning a tra gedy

took p l ace at Mi lchester Abb e y .

Let me tell o f the thing as I saw a n d he a r d i t .

My roo m ope n ed upo n the ce n tral g allery and wa s ,

 G ENTLEM EN AND PLAY ER S 1 59

no t e v en o n the same floor as that o n which Rafll es

and I think all the other me n were qu artered .

I ha d b e en put in fact i n to the dressi n g room of one

, ,
-

of th e grand sui tes and my too n ear n eighbors w ere

,

old La dy M e lrose and my host a n d h os tess Now .

,

by th e F riday eveni n g the actual festiviti es w ere a t

an en d and for the fi rst time that week I must hav e
, , ,

be e n sound asleep since mi dn ight whe n all at o n ce ,

I found mysel f sitting up breathless A heavy th u d .

had come against my door and n ow I heard hard ,

br e athing a n d the dull stamp o f m ufll ed feet .

“ ” “
I ve got ye muttered a v o ice
’
, It s no use .
’

”
st rugg l ing .

It was the S cotch detective and a n ew fe ar tu r n ed ,

me cold Th ere was n o reply but th e hard breath

.
,

ing grew hard e r still a n d the mu med feet beat the ,

floor to a quicker measure I n sudde n p a n ic I .

sprang out of bed a n d flung ope n my d o or A ligh t .

bu rn t low o n the la n ding a n d by it I c o uld see ,

M ackenzie swaying and sta ggeri n g i n a sil en t tussl e

with some powerful adversary .

Hold this ma n ! he cried as I a p p ea red , .

Ho ld the rascal !
B u t I stood like a fool u n til the pair o f th em
back e d into me when with a deep breath I fl u ng my
, ,

self o n the fellow whose face I had see n at l ast He

, .

was o n e o f the footmen who waited at table ; a n d no

sooner had I pi nn ed him th an the det ectiv e lo o sed
hi s hold .

Hang o n to him he cried Th ere s mo re o f

, .
’

”
’
em below .
1 60 FAM OUS DETEC TI VE STO RIE S
An d he we n t leapi ng dow n the tairs a s o th er s ,

doors opened and Lord A m ersteth and his so n a p

p ea re d simu l ta n eously i n their paj amas A t th a t .

m y ma n ceased struggli n g ; but I was still hol di ng

him when C rowley tur n ed up the ga s .

”
What the devil s all this ? asked Lord Am er’

”
steth bli n ki n g
, W ho wa s that ra n dow n stair s ?
.

Mac C l ep han e ! said I hastily .

Aha ! said b e tur n ing to the f o otma n , So .

you re the scou n drel are you ? Well do n e ! Well

’
,

done ! Where was he caught ?

I had no ide a .

’
Here s Lady M elrose s d o or op en ’
,

C rowley . Lady M elrose ! Lady Melrose !

“
You forget she s dea f said Lord Am ersteth ’
, .

”
Ah ! that l l be her maid’
.

A n in n er door had opened ; n ext i n stant ther e was

a little shriek a n d a white fi gure gesticulated o n the
,

threshold .

OiI donc est l ecrin de M adame la M ar qu i s e ?

L a f en étre e st ouverte 1 1 a di sp a ru l .

“
Window op en and j ewel case gone by Jove ! -
,

exclaim e d Lord Am ersteth M ais comme n t est .

M adam e la Mar q uise ? E st elle bien ?

”
O ui milor E l l e dort
, . .

S leeps through it all s a i d my lo rd , .

the o nly one then ! ,

What made M ac ke nz ie C l ep han e bolt ?

young C rowley a sked me .

S aid there were more o f th em below .

W hy the devil couldn t you tell us so befo re ? ’

 1 62 FAM OUS DETE C TI VE ST ORIE S
B arely .

Good God ! Wh ere s C rowley ? ’

It s no
’
Here I am called a breathl ess voic e , .

od fell ws There n othi n g to how w hich ’

g o y o u , o s S .

way they ve gone Here s R a flles ; he s chuc ked i t

’
.
’ ’
,
”
too . An d they ran up pantin g .

”
W el l we ve go t o n e o f them a t all eve n ts
,
’
, ,

muttered Lord Am ersteth The n ext thi n g is to .

get thi s poo r fellow i n doors T ake his shoulder s .

,

somebody Now hi s middle Joi n ha n ds u n de r

. .

him All together n ow ; that s the way Poor fel

.
,
’
.

low ! P o o r fello w ! His n ame i sn t C l epha ne a t ’

all He s a S cotla n d Ya rd detective dow n here fo r

.
’
,

these ve ry V illains !
R a fll es was the fi rst to expres s su rpris e ; but he
had also bee n the fi rst to raise the wounded ma n .

No r had a ny o f them a stronger o r more tend er

hand i n the slow processio n to the house I n a li ttle .

we had the se n seless ma n stretched on a sofa i n the

libra ry An d there with ice o n his wou n d and
.
,

brandy i n his thro a t his eye s ope n ed a n d his li p s ,

moved .

Lo rd Am ersteth be n t down to catch the words .

” ’
Yes yes said he ; we ve got one of them sa fe
, ,
”
an d sou nd The brut e you collared upstairs. .

L o rd Am ersteth bent lowe r By Jove ! Lowe red .

the j ewel case out o f the wi n dow di d he ? A n d

-
,

they ve got clea n away with it ! Well well ! I o n ly

’
,

h ope we ll be able to p ull this good fellow through

’
.

”
H e s o ff agai n
’
.

A n hour p a ssed : the sun was ri sing .

 G E N TLE M EN AN D PLAY ERS 1 63

It fou n d a do ze n you n g fellows o n the sette es i n

the bi ll iard ro o m dri nking whisky a n d soda wa te r i n
-
,
-

their ov e rcoats and paj a m as a n d still talki ng ,

ex cit edly in one breath A time table was bei ng .

-

passed from ha n d to ha n d : the d o ctor was still i n

the library At last the doo r op e n ed an d Lo rd
.
,

Am erst eth put i n his head .

It isn t hope le ss said he but it s b a d en ough

’
, ,
’
.

”
There l l be no cricket to day
’
-
.

Another hour a n d most of us w ere o n ou r way to

,

catch the early trai n ; betwee n u s we fi lled a comp art

m e nt a l most to su ffocation An d still we ta lk ed all .

tog e ther of the night s eve n t ; and still I wa s a littl e

’

h ero in my way for havi n g kept my hold o f the o ne

,

ru ffi a n who had been take n ; a n d my grati fic a ti o n wa s

subt le an d int e nse R a fll es watched me un der low

.

er ed lid s Not a word had we had together ; n ot a

.

word did w e have until we had left the other s at

P ad di ngton an d were skimmi n g through the street s
,

in a h ansom with n oiseless tires a n d a ti nkli n g bell .

”
Well B unny said R a fll es so the p r o fe sso rs
, , ,
”
hav e it eh ?
,
”
Yes said I
, And I m j olly glad !
.
’

Th at poor M ackenzie has a ball in his ch est ?

That you a n d I have bee n o n the dece n t sid e
for on c e .

He shrugged hi s shoulders .

Yo u r e h opeless B unny quite hopeless ! I ta k e

’
, ,

it yo u wo u l d n t have refused your share if the boo dle

’

ha d fal l en to us ? Yet you p ositively en j oy comi n g

o ff s e cond best for the seco n d time runn i n g ! I
1 64 FAM OUS DETE C TI VE STORIE S
co n fess h o wever that the profess o r s meth o ds weI e
, ,
’

full of inte rest to me I for one ha v e probably .

, ,

gained as much i n experie n ce a s I have lost i n o the r

thi ngs Th at lowering the j ewel case out o f the
.
-

window was a very simple a n d e ffective expedient ;

”
two of them had bee n waiting belo w for it for hours .

”
How do yo u know ? I a sked .

I saw them from my own windo w which wa s ,

j ust above the dear old lady s I was fretting for ’

.

that necklace i n particular when I we n t up to turn ,

i n for ou r last night and I happe n ed to loo k ou t

o f my wi n dow In point of fact I wa n ted to see
.
,

whether the o ne below was open a n d whether ther e ,

was the slightest chance o f working the oracle wit h

my she e t for a rope O f course I took the p recau .

tion o f tur nn my li gh t o ff first and it was a lucky ,

thing I did I sa w the pros right down below a n d

. .
,

they never saw me I saw a little tiny lumi n ous disk

.

j ust for a n i n stant and th e n again fo r a n instant a

,

f ew minutes later O f course I knew what it wa s

.
,

fo r I have my own wat ch dial daubed with lumi n ou s -

paint ; i t ma k es a lantern o f sorts whe n you ca n get

no b e tter B ut these fello ws were not using thei rs
.

’
as a lantern They w e re u n der the old lady s wi n
.

dow . Th e y were watching the time The whole .

thing was arrang e d with th e ir acco mplic e i n side S et .

a t hi e f to catch a thi e f : in a minute I ha d guessed

w h at the whol e t h ing proved t o be .

And you did nothing ! I exclaimed .

On the contrary I w e nt downstairs a n d s tr a i ght

,

i n t o Lady Melrose s r o o m ’
 T H E B LA C K H AN D

By ARTH UR B R EE V E .

KE N N E DY a n d I had bee n di n i n g rather late o n e

evening a t Luigi s a little Italia n restaura n t o n the
’
,

lower West S ide We had kn ow n the place well i n

.

our stude n t days a n d had made a poi n t o f V isiti n g

,

it o n ce a mo n th si n ce i n order to keep i n practic e

,

i n the fi n e art of gracefu l ly ha n dli n g lo n g shreds

o f spaghetti T herefore we did n ot thi n k i t stra n ge
.

whe n the pr o prieto r himself st op ped a mome n t a t

ou r table to greet us Gla n ci n g furtively a rou n d a t
.

the other d i n ers mostly Italia n s he sudde n ly lea n e d

, ,

over and whispered to Ke nn edy

I have heard of your wo nd erful detectiv e work ,

Pro fessor C ould you give a little advice i n the

.

”
case o f a frie n d o f mi n e ?
Su rely Lui gi What is the cas e ? a sked C r a i g
, .
,

leani n g back i n his chai r .

Luigi gla n ced a rou n d agai n appr ehe n sively and

lowered hi s voice Not so loud si r Whe n you
.
, .

pay your check go out walk arou n d Washi n g to n

, ,

S quare a n d come i n at the private e n tra n ce I ll

,
.
’

be wai ti ng i n the h a ll M y frie n d i s di n i n g privately

.

”
u pstai rs .

F m The S i l t B u l l et : The Adv e tu es f C a i g Ken edy

ro
“
en n r o r n ,
Sc i ti fi c Detecti ve Copyri ght 1 9 1 0 by H a p e 8: B others
en ,
”
, , r r r .

I 67
1 68 FAM OUS DETE CTI VE STOR I ES
W e li ngered a while over our C hia n t i the n qui etl y ,

pa id t h e ch eck an d d eparte d .

Tru e to h i s wor d Luigi wa s waiti n g for us i n the

,

d ark hall W ith a motio n that i nd icate d si l e n ce he

.
,

le d u s up the stai rs to the sec o n d fl oo r a n d quic kly ,

open ed a door i n to what seemed to be a fair si z ed -

pr iv at e d ining room A ma n was paci n g the floo r

-
.

ne rvous l y O n a table wa s some foo d u n touched

.
, .

A s the d oor Ope n ed I thought he started a s i f in

fear a n d I am sure his dark face bla n ched i f o n ly
, ,

for an insta n t Imagi n e our surprise at seei n g

.

G e nnaro the great te n or with whom mer el y to hav e

, ,

a sp e aki n g acquai n tance was to a rgue o n ese l f famou s .

”
O h it is you Luigi he exclaime d i n per fect
, , ,

E ngl ish rich a n d mello w

, An d who are the se .

gent l eme n ?
Lu i gi m e rely replied F rie n ds in E n glish als o , , ,

a nd the n dropp e d o ff i n to a voluble l o w to n e d ex ,

-

pla n atio n i n Ita l ia n .

I could s e e as w e waited that the same idea ha d

, ,

fl as hed o v er Ke nn e d y s min d a s over my ow n It ’

.

wa s now t hr ee or four days si n ce t h e papers ha d

reporte d the stra n ge kidnapi n g o f Gennaro s fi ve ’

yea r Ol d d augh ter A d e l i n a his only child a n d the

-
, ,

sen d ing of a dema n d for ten thousa n d d ollars ra n

som signed as usual with the mystic Black H a n d
, , ,

a n ame to co nj ure wi th i n blackmail a n d ex to r

tio n .

As S ign or Ge nn aro advanced toward us after hi s ,

short talk with Luigi almost b efore the i ntro duc ,

tio n s were o ve r Ke nn edy a n tici p a ted him by say

,
 1 70 FAM O U S DET ECTIVE ST ORI ES
w o rd to deal fa i rl y i f yo u dea l fai rl y T hi s is a l ast warn
.

i ng . L est yo u sha ll fo rget we w i ll S how one other si gn of

ou r power to -
m o rrow .

L A MAN O N ERA .

The e n d o f this omi n ou s letter wa s gru e som el y

d ecorat e d with a skull a n d cross bo n es a r o u gh -
,

drawi ng of a dagger thrust through a bleedi ng he a rt ,

a co ffi n a nd u n der al l a huge black ha n d T h ere

, , , .

wa s no doubt about the type of letter that i t wa s .

I t was such as have of late years become increa s

ingl y commo n i n all our large cities b a fll i ng the bes t ,

detectives .

You have n o t showed thi s to the p olic e I p re ,

sume ? a ske d Ke nn edy .

”
Naturally n ot .

A re you goi n g S atu rday n ight ?

I am a fraid to go a n d a fraid to sta y away ,

wa s the reply a n d the voice of t h e fi fty thous a n d

,
-

dollars a seaso n te n or was as huma n as that of a

- -

fi ve d ol l ar a week father for at bottom a l l me n hi gh

- - -
, ,

o r low are one

, .

We will n ot fail as we did Wed n e sd ay re ,

“ ”
read C raig What d oes th at mea n ?
.

Ge n n a ro fumbled in his pocketbook a gai n a n d at ,

last drew forth a typewritten l etter beari ng the letter

head o f the Leslie Laboratories I n corporated ,
.

“
After I receive d the first threat expl a i n ed ,

Gen n aro my wi fe an d I we n t from our apartm en ts

,

a t t h e hotel to her father s the ba nker C esare you ’

, ,

know who l ive s o n Fi ft h Ave nue I gave the le tter

,
.

to the Italia n Sq ua d of the p olic e The n ext mo rn .

 TH E BLA CK H AND 1 71

ing my father in law s butler n oticed somethi n g

- -
’

peculiar ab o ut the milk He barely touched some .

o f it to his ton gue a n d he has bee n V iole n tly ill

,

ever since I at once sent the mi l k to the laborato ry

.

o f my friend D octor L e slie to have it a n aly z ed .

”
This letter shows what the household escape d .

My dea r Genna ro , rea d Kenn edy . T he m i l k sub

m i tted to us fo r i
ex am n a t o n i on the l o th i nst . has been
caref u l l y y
a n al z ed, an d I beg to han d you herew i th the
resu lt
Speci fi c gravi ty I . 0 36 at 1 5 deg rees C en t .

8460 per .

R i ci n is l i ttle
known poison deri ved f rom the
a new an d -

shell o f the casto r o i l bean P rofesso r E hrl ich states that

-
.

o ne g ram of the p u re p o i so n w i l l k i l l gu i nea pigs .

R ici n w as l atel y isol ated by P rofesso r Ro bert of R ostock , ,

bu t is sel dom fou n d ex cept in a n im p u re sta te thou gh stil l ,

very dea dl y It su rp asses strychn i ne p ru ssi c aci d a n d other

.
, ,

co mm on l y k n ow n d ru gs I con g ra tu l a te you a nd y ou rs on
.

escap i n g an d sha ll of cou rse respec t y o u r w i shes abso l u tel y

rega rdi n g keep i n g secret this a ttem p t o n you r l i fe B el ieve .

m e,
Very i
s ncerel y you rs ,

C W
. . L ES L I E .
1 72 FAM O US DETECTIV E ST OR I ES
As Kenne d y ha nd e d th e l e tter back he rema rke d ,

si gni ficant ly I ca n see v e ry rea dily w h y you

d on t care to have the police f orce fi gur e in your
’

case It has got quite beyond or d ina ry polic e

.

metho d s .

An d to morrow too they are going to give a n

-
, ,

ot he r si gn o f t he ir power groan ed Gennaro S i n k , ,

ing into the c h air b e fore h i s untaste d food .

”
You say you have left your hot e l ? inquired
K e nn edy .

Yes My wif e i n siste d that we would be mo re

.

sa f el y guar d e d at t h e resi d enc e of he r fath e r the ,

banke r B ut w e ar e a frai d e ven th e re S inc e t h e

.

poi son att e m pt S o I ha ve com e here secret l y to.

Lu ig i my o ld fri e n d Lu igi who i s pr e par i ng food

, ,

fo r u s an d i n a few minut e s on e o f t h e Ce sare s auto

’
,

m ob ile s w ill be her e and I wi ll take the food up ,

to he r — sparing no exp en se or tro u ble Sh e i s .

'

he a rt b roken It will ki l l h er P rof e ssor Ke nn edy

-
.
, ,

if anything happ e ns to our little A de lina .

“
A h sir I am n ot poor my se lf A mo n th s
, , .
’

sa l a ry at th e opera ho u se t h at is w h at t he y ask o f-
,

m e G l a dly wou ld I g iv e i t t e n t h ousan d d o ll ars

.
,

a ll if t he y a sked it of my contract with Herr

, ,

S chl ep p en co u r t h e d ir e cto r B ut t he polic e

, bah ! .

t he y ar e al l f o r cat ching the V il lains W hat good .

wi ll i t d o m e i f they do catch t he m and my l ittle

A deli na is r e tu rne d to m e d ead ? It is all very well
for th e Ang l o S axon to ta l k o f j usti ce a nd the -

l aw but I a m
,
— w h at you ca ll i t ? an emotio n al
Latin I wa nt my little d aughter
. a nd at a ny cos t .
1 74 FAM OUS DET ECT IVE STORI E S
tio n But P rofessor Ken n edy to me i t i s no myth
.
, , .

Wh at i f the real B l ack Hand is a ny ga ng o f c ri m

i n a l s w h o choose to use that co n ve n ie n t n a m e t o
extort mo n ey ? Is it the less re al ? M y dau ght er
i s gone !
“
E xactly agr eed Ken n edy
, It i s n ot a the .

ory t h at confronts you It is a hard cold fac t I

.
, .

understand t h at per fectly What i s the addr ess o f .

this Albano s ?
’

Luigi mentio n ed a n umber o n M ulber ry S treet ,

an d Ke nn e d y made a note of i t .

It is a gambli n g saloo n explai n e d L IIigi , .

A lba n o is a N e apo l itan a C amorrista o n e o f my, ,

countryme n o f w h om I am thoroughly ashamed Pro ,

”
f esso r Kenn edy .

D o you think this Alba n o had a nythi ng t o do

”
with the l e tte r ?
Luigi shrugg e d his shoul ders .

J u st the n a big limousi n e was heard o u tsi de .

Luigi pick e d up a huge hamper that was place d i n

a corn e r of t h e room an d followed closely by S i gno r
,

G e n n aro h u rrie d down to it AS the tenor left us

, .

he gra sped our han d s i n each o f his .

I have an idea in my mind said C rai g simply , .

I wil l try to think it out i n detail to n ight Wh ere -

.

ca n I find you to morrow ? -

“
C o m e to me at the oper a house i n the a fter -

’
n oon o r i f you wa n t me soo n er a t M r C e sa r e s
,
.

resi d ence Good night a n d a thousa n d tha nks to

.
,

you Profes sor Ke n nedy a n d to you also Mr

, , , , .

Jameso n I trust you absolutely b ecause Lui gi

.

trusts you .
 TH E BLA CK HAND 1 75

We sa ti n the little di n i n g roo m u n til we hear d -

the d oor of the limousi n e ba ng shu t a n d the ca r

shoot o ff with the rattle of the cha ngi n g ge a r s .

”
On e more questio n Luigi said C raig a s the
, ,
“
door ope n ed agai n I have n ever bee n o n t ha t
.

block in Mu lb e rry S treet w here this Alba n o s i s ’

.

D o you happe n to know a ny of the shopkeepers on

it or n ear it ?
“
I have a cousi n who has a drug store o n the -

corn er belo w Alba n o s o n the same si d e of the

’
,

stre e t
.

“
Goo d ! D o you thi n k he woul d let me use hi s
store for a few mi nutes S atur d ay n ight of cour se
w i thout a n y risk to himself ?
”
I think I coul d arra nge it .

V e ry well The n to m orrow say at n i n e i n the

.
-
,

mor n ing I wil l stop here an d we will all go over to

, ,

see him Goo d night Lu i gi and many t h a nks fo r

.
, ,

thinking of me i n co n ne ctio n with this case I ve .

’

enj oyed S i gn o r Ge n naro s S i n gi n g O fte n e n ough a t

’

the opera to want to re nd er him this service a nd ,

I m on l y too gla d to be ab l e to be of service to a ll

’

hon e st Italians ; that is i f I succeed i n carryi n g out

,
”
a p l an I h ave i n mi nd .

A little before n ine the followi n g d ay Ke nn edy

an d I dropped i n to Luigi s agai n Ke nn edy wa s ’
.

carrying a suit case which he h ad take n over fro m

-

his l aboratory to our room s the n ight befor e .

Luigi was waiti n g for us a n d without lo si ng a m i nu te

,

we sallie d forth .

By mea n s of the tor tu ous twi st s o f str eets in old

1 76 FAM O U S DET ECTIV E ST OR I ES
G re en wich village we came out a t last o n Bleecker
S t ree t a nd b e gan wa l king east amid t h e b urly bu rly -

o f ra ces of l ower New York We had not qui te .

reached Mu l b e rry S treet whe n our atte n tio n wa s a t

tract e d by a large crow d o n o n e o f the busy cor n ers ,

h eld back by a cor don of police who were e n deavor

ing to keep the people mo v ing with that burly go o d
nat u r e whi ch the six foot I rish policema n d isplays
-

towar d the fi v e foot bur d e n bearers of souther n a n d

- -

e ast e rn E urope who throng New York .

Appar e ntly we saw a s we e d ged up i n to the fr o n t

, ,

o f t h e crow d here was a buil d ing whose whole fro nt

,

ha d literally bee n tor n o ff an d wrecked The thick .

p l at e gla ss of t h e windows was smas h ed to a m as s

-

o f greenish spli n ters o n the sidewa l k while the ,

win d ows o f t h e upper floors an d for several houses

d own th e b l ock in either street were lik e wise brok en .

S ome thi ck i ro n bars which ha d formerly protected

t he wi n dows were n ow be n t and t wisted A h u ge .

ho le yawned in th e fl oor i n si d e t h e doorway a nd ,

pe e r i ng i n we coul d see the d esks an d c h airs a ta n gl ed

ma ss of kin dl ing .

”
Wh a t s t he matter ? I inq u ir e d O f a n o ffi ce r
’

near m e di splaying my r e port e r s fi re lin e bad ge

,
’
-

m or e f o r i ts mora l e ff e ct t h an in t h e hop e o f getti n g

any r e al info rmation in t h ese d ays of e n force d sile n c e
towa r d th e press .

Bl ack Hand bomb was the laconic reply , .

W h e w ! I w h ist le d A ny one hurt ?

.

Th e y do n t usua ll y ki l l any one do they ? a sk ed

’
,

the o ffi cer by way of reply to test my ac quai nt a nce

with such t hi ngs .
1 78 FAM O U S DETECTIV E STOR I ES
C esare too first by poiso n the n by dyn a m it e
, , , .

We s h ouldered our way out through the crowd

and we n t o n u n til we came to Mulber ry S treet ,

pulsi n g with li fe D o wn we we n t past the li ttle

.

shops dodging the chil d re n a n d ma k i n g way fo r

, ,

women with huge bu n dl es of sweat shop clothi ng ac -

curately bala n ced o n their heads o r hugged up u n d e r

their capacious capes Here was j ust o n e li ttle .

colo n y o f the hundre d s of thousands of Itali an s a

population l arger t h a n the Italia n p o pulatio n o f

R ome of whose life the rest of New York knew
a n d ca red n othi n g .

’
A t last we came to Alba n o s little wi n e sh o p a -
,

dark evil malodorous place o n the street level o f

, ,

a fi ve story alleged n ew law te n eme nt Wi th

-
,
-
.

o u t h e sitation Ken n edy entered a nd we followed , ,

acti n g t h e part of a slumming party T here we re .

a few custom e rs at this early hour me n ou t of em ,

ploym e nt an d a n i n o ff en sive looking lot t h ou gh o f -

,

course they eye d us s h arply Alba n o himse l f proved .

to b e a g re a sy l ow browed fellow who had a so rt

,
-

of c u nning look I cou l d w el l imagi ne such a fell o w

.

spr e ading terror i n t h e he arts of S imple fo lk by

merely p ressing both temples with his thumb s a nd
d rawing h i s long bony fore fi nger u n der his thr o at -

the so called B lack Hand sign that has sh ut up

-

ma n y a witness i n the mi d dle of his testim o ny ev en

in ope n court .

We pushed through to the low ceili nged b a ck -

room which wa s empty

, a nd sat dow n a t a tab le , .

Ove r a bottle of Albano s famous C a l ifor n i a red ’

 TH E BLA CK HAND 1 79

ink we sat sil en tly Ke nn edy was ma ki n g a m en t a l

.

n ote o f the place In the midd le of the ceili ng was

.

a single gas bur n e r with a big reflect o r over it I n

-
.

the back wall of the room was a h o ri z o n tal o bl o n g

wi n d o w barred and with a sash that ope n ed like a
, ,

transom The tables were d i rty a n d the chair s

.

rickety The walls were bare a n d u nfi n ished wit h

.
,

beams innoce n t o f d ecoratio n Altogether i t wa s .

a s unprepossessing a p l ace as I had ever see n .

Apparently satisfied with his scruti ny Ke nn edy ,

got u p to go complimenti n g t h e proprietor o n his

,

wine I co u ld see that Ke nn edy ha d mad e up hi s

.

mi n d as to his course of actio n .

How sordi d crime rea l ly is he remarked as ,

we walked o n do wn the street Look a t tha t .

place o f Alba n o s I defy eve n t h e police n ew s re

’
.

”
p orter o n the S ta r to fi n d a n y gl amou r i n that .

O ur n ext stop wa s at the co rn er at the little sto re

kept by the cousi n of Luigi who co nd u cted us b a ck ,

of the partitio n where prescriptio n s were com

pou n de d an d fou n d us c h airs
, .

'

A hurr i ed explanation from Luigi brough t a cloud

to the open face o f the druggist as if he he sita t ed ,

to l ay himself a nd h i s little fort un e open to the

blackmai l ers Ke n ne dy saw it a n d i n terrupted
. .

“ ” “
All that I wis h to d o he sa i d is to put i n a
, ,

littl e instrum e nt h e re an d use it to n ight fo r a few -

m i n u t e s In deed t h e re wi l l be n o risk to yo u
.
, ,

Vinc e nzo S e cr e cy is what I desire a n d n o o ne will

.
,
”
eve r know abo u t it .

Vi n ce nz o was at le n gth co nvi nced a n d C ra i g ,

1 80 FAM O U S DETE CTIV E ST OR IES
o pe n ed his suit case Th e re was little i n it except
-
.

se v era l coi l s of insu l ate d w i re some tools a couple , ,

o f pa ckages wrapped up and a couple of pairs o f ,

o ve ra l ls I n a mom e nt Kennedy ha d donned over

.

a ll s an d was sm eari n g dirt and grease over his fa ce

a n d hands U n d er his directio n I d id the same
. .

Taking the bag of tools the wir e and o n e o f , ,

'

the sma l l packages we went out on the stree t a n d ,

th e n u p th rough t h e dark a n d ill venti l ate d ha l l o f -

th e t e nem en t Half way up a woma n stopped us

.
-

suspiciously .

“
T e lep h o n e compa ny said C raig curtly ,
.

Here s permission from the ow n er o f the hou se

’

”
to string wire s across t h e roof .

H e pull ed an o l d letter out of his pocke t b u t ,

a s i t wa s too dark to r e ad eve n if the woma n ha d

cared to do so we w e nt o n up as he had expected
, ,

unmo le sted At l ast w e came to the roof wher e

.
,

ther e w e r e som e ch ildre n at play a couple of hou se s

down from u s .

Kenne d y began by droppi n g two stra n ds o f wire

down to t h e gro u n d in the back yar d behi n d
V i ncenzo s shop T hen he procee d e d to lay two
’
.

wires a l ong the edge o f t h e roo f .

We had work ed only a litt l e w h ile w h e n the

children began to col le ct However Ke n n e dy k ep t .
,

right on until we reac hed the t en ement n ext to th a t

i n which A lbano s sh op wa s ’
.

Walter h e whispered ,
j ust get the chil dren ,
”
away for a minute now .

Look here you kids I yelled , so m e of yo u , ,

1 82 FAM OUS D ET ECTIVE ST ORI ES
forced o urselves to drin k it so as to ex ci te n o su s
i ci n then a few minute s later desce n ded the S t a i rs
p o ,

of the te n ement comi n g out jus t above Alb a n o s

,
’
.

I wa s wondering how Ke n nedy was goi n g to get

i n to A lbano s agai n without ex citi n g suspicio n He
’
.

solved i t n e a tly .

Now Walter do you thin k you could s tan d an

, ,

other dip into the red in k of Alba n o s ? ’

I said I mi ght i n the i n terests o f scie n ce a nd j us

tice n ot other wise .

Well your face is su ffi cie n tly dir ty he com

, ,

m ent ed so that with the overall s you do n t lo ok

,
’

very much as you did the fi rst time yo u went in .

I don t thi nk the y will re co gn i z e you D o I l oo k

’
.

pretty go od ?
Y ou loo k li ke a coal b eaver ou t o f a j ob I
-
,
”
I ca n scarcely restrai n my admir a ti o n .

Al l right The n take this little glass bo t tl e

. .

Go into the back room and order s omethin g che a p ,

i n keepi n g with your loo k s The n whe n you a re .

a l l alo n e break the bottle It is full of ga s dr ip

.

pings Y ou r n ose will dictate wha t to do n ex t

. .

’
Just tell the p roprietor you saw the ga s comp a ny s
wago n o n the n ext block a n d come up here a n d t ell
”
me .

I e n te red There was a si n ister l o oki ng m an

.
-
,

with a sort of u n scrupulous i n tellige n ce writi ng at ,

a table A s he wrote a n d pu ff ed a t his ci ga r I

.
,

n oticed a scar o n hi s face a deep furrow ru nning ,

from the lobe of his ear to his mouth T h at I .

,

k n ew wa s a b ran d set upo n him b y the C amo rra

,
.
 T H E B LA CK HAND 1 83

I sa t a n d sm ok ed and sipped slowly fo r seve ral mi n

utes cursing him inwar dly more for his pre sence
,
”
than for his e v i d ent look o f the m a l a vi ta At .

last he went out to ask the bark eeper for a stamp .

Qu i ckly I tipto ed o v er to anoth er corner of the

room a n d gro u nd the little bottle unde r my heel .

Th e n I resum e d my seat The odor that pervaded .

the room was sickening .

T h e sinister looking man wit h the scar came in

-

agai n and sni ffed I sn i ff ed The n the proprietor

. .

came in an d sni ff e d .

”
S ay I sai d in the toughest voice I could a s
,

sume you got a leak Wai t I se e n the gas com

, . .

’
pany wagon on the next block whe n I came i n I ll .

”
g e t the man .

I dashed out and hurried up the street to the

place where Kenne dy was waiting impatie n tly .

R attling his tool s he fol l o we d me with appare n t

,

reluctance .

A s he entered the wm e shop he s n orted a fte r -

,
”
the manner of gas men W here s de lea k ?
-
,
’

”
Y o u fi n d a d a l eak gru n ted Alba n o
-
What a
, .
-

you get a you pay for ? Y ou wa n t a me do you r

- -

work ?
W ell half a do z e n 0 you wops get out 0 here
,
’ ’
,

that s a ll D yo u se al l wanter be blow n ter piece s

’
.
’

wi d d em pip e s a n d cigarettes ? C lear out growled ,

Kenne dy .

Th e y retreated precipitatel y an d C raig hastil y ,

op e ne d hi s bag O f tools .

Quick W alter shut the doo r a nd hold it ex

, , ,
1 84 FAM O U S D ET ECTIVE ST OR I ES
claimed C raig working rapidly He u n wrapped a
, .

l ittle package an d took out a round fl at dis k li k e ,

-

thing O f b lack vulcanized rubber Jumpi n g up o n .

a table b e fixed i t to the top of the refl ecto r over

,

t h e gas j et -
.

C a n you see that from the floor W alte r ? he ,

asked u n der his breath .

”
No I replied
, n ot eve n when I know i t is
,
”
there .

The n b e attached a couple of wi re s to it a nd

led them across t h e ceiling to ward the wi n dow co n ,

c ea l i ng them care fully by stick ing them i n the sh a d ow

o f a beam A t th e wi n dow h e qu ickl y a tt a ched the

.

wires to the two that were dangli n g d ow n f rom the

roof a n d shoved them arou n d out o f si ght .

We ll ha v e to trust tha t n o o n e se es them

’
,

he said That s the best I ca n do a t such sho rt

.
’

notice I n ever saw a room so ba re a s thi s any

.
,

way There is n t a n ot h er place I coul d put th at

.
’

thing without its bein g see n .

We gath ered up the broke n gl a ss o f the gas dri p -

ping s bottle and I ope n ed the door, .

“ ”
It s a l l righ t n o w said C rai g sau n te ri n g o ut
’
, , ,

before the ba r O nly de next time you ha s a ny

.

’
t ing de matte r call de comp a ny up I ai n t sup
’
.

osed to o dis wi t o u t orders see ?

’
p d ,

A moment later I followed gla d to get out o f ,

the oppressive atmosphere a n d j oi n e d him in the ,

back o f V i n ce nz o s dru g store where he wa s a ga in at

’
-
,

work A s the re was n o back wi n dow ther e i t was

.
,

quite a j ob to lea d the wires a rou n d the o u tsi d e f ro m

 1 86 FAM O U S DETECTIVE ST OR I ES
The lieutenant l eaned back and watched Ke nn edy
clos e ly without seeming to d o so Wh e n I wa s .

” “
i n Italy last yea r he r e plied at le n gth
, I did a ,

good deal of work i n tracing up some C amo rra su s

p ects I. had a tip about some O f th em to look up
their recor d s — I need n t say where it came from
’
,

but it was a goo d one Much of the evidenc e .

again st some of those fellows who are being t ri ed

at Viterbo was gathered by t h e C arabinieri as a resul t
o f hints that I wa s able to give them — clues th a t
were fu rnish e d to me here i n America from the
source I speak o f I suppose t h ere is really n o n eed
.

to conc e al it tho u gh The ori gi nal tip came fro m

, .

”
a certain banke r here in New Y ork .

”
I can gu e ss who i t was n odded C raig , .

Then a s you kno w this banker is a fi ght er

, , .

He is th e man who organi z ed the White Hand

an organization which is trying to rid the Itali a n
population of the Black Hand His society had a .

lot o f ev idence regar d ing fo rm er m e mbers o f both

the C amorra in Nap l es and the M afia i n S icily a s ,

we ll as the Bl ack Han d gangs in New York C hi cago , ,

an d other citi e s Wel l C esare as you know is Ge n

.
, , ,

n a ro s fath e r i n law
’
- -
.

Wh i l e I was in Nap l es loo k ing up th e record

o f a certa in c ri minal I heard of a p e culiar murde r .

committe d so m e years ago There wa s a n ho n est .

o l d m u sic master who apparently lived the quie t

est a n d most har m less of lives But it bec a m e .

know n that he was supported by C esare a n d had

recei v ed ha n dsome presents o f mo n ey fro m him .
 TH E B LA CK HAN D 1 87

T h e old man was as you may have guessed the

, ,

fi rst m usi c t e a che r of Gennar o the man who d is ,

co ve r ed hi m .O ne m i ght ha v e been at a loss to

see how he co u ld ha ve an enemy but there was one ,

who co ve t ed h is sma l l fortun e O ne day he wa s .

stabbed an d robb ed His m u r d erer ran out into the

.

st ree t crying out that th e poor m a n had been ki lled

, .

Natu ra lly t he cr o w d ru s hed up in a moment for it ,

wa s i n th e mi ddl e of the day B e for e th e inj ured

.

man co u l d make it understood who h ad struck him

th e as sa ssin was d o wn the street and lo st in t h e
maz e o f Ol d Napl e s wh e re he w e ll kne w the houses
o f hi s f riends who would hide him The ma n .

who is kn o wn to h a v e comm i tt e d that crime

F rancesco P aoli escaped to New York We a re .

looking for him to day He is a cle v er ma n f a r

-
.
,

abov e th e a v erage — so n o f a docto r in a tow n a

f e w mi le s from Naples went to the u n iversit y was
, ,

ex pe ll e d f o r some ma d prank in short he was the ,

b l a ck she e p of the family O f course ov e r h e re he

.

i s too hi gh born to w o rk with his han ds on a railroad

-

or i n a t re n ch and not educate d enough to wor k

,

a t anyt h ing e lse S o he has been preying on his

.

m o re in d u strio u s countrymen — a typical case o f a

m a n l i v ing by his wi ts with no V isible means of sup

p o rt
.

Now I d on t mind telling you in strict co n

’

”
fi de n ce continu e d the lieutenant that it s my ’
, ,

t he ory that ol d C esare has s e en P aoli h e r e kne w ,

he was wanted for that mur d e r o f t h e Ol d musi c

m ast e r and gave me the tip to look up his record
,
.
1 88 FAM O U S D ET ECTIVE ST ORI ES
At a n y rate Paoli d isappeared right a fter I retu rn ed
from Italy an d we haven t been able to locate him
,
’

si n ce He must have fou n d out i n some way th at

.

the tip to look him up h ad bee n given by the White

Ha n d He had b e e n a C amorrista i n I taly a n d
.
, ,

had ma ny ways of getti n g i n form a ti on h ere i n

”
America .

H e paused a n d balanced a piece of ca rdb o ard

,

in his h and .

It is my theo ry of this case that i f we c oul d

locate t h is P aoli w e could sol v e the ki dnapin g o f
littl e Adeli n a Gen n aro very quickl y Tha t s his .
’

”
pict u re .

Kenne d y a n d I be n t over to look a t it a n d I ,

start e d i n s u rprise I t was my evil loo ki n g fr i en d

.
-

with the scar o n his c h eek .

”
Wel l said C raig quietl y ha n ding bac k the ca rd
, , ,

wh e ther or not he is the man I know whe re we ,

”
can catch th e ki d napers to night Lieute n a n t -
, .

It was Giuseppe s tur n to sho w surprise n ow

’
.

W ith your as sistance I ll get this ma n a n d the ’

”
who le gang to nigh t explained C raig r a pidl y
-
, ,

sk e t ching over his p l an an d concealing j ust e n ou gh

to make sure that no matt e r ho w anxious the li euten
ant was to get th e cr e dit he could not spoil the a ff a i r
by premature int e r ference .

Th e fi nal arrangem e nt wa s tha t four of the b est

m en o f th e sq u ad w e r e to h i de i n a vaca n t sto re
acro ss from Vincenzo s e arly in the eve n i n g l o ng
’
,

b e fore a n y o n e was watching The signal for th em .

to appear was to b e th e extingu ishi n g o f the l ights

 1 90 FAM O U S D ET ECTIVE ST OR IES
read the address A sk the ma n to r e ad it T h en . .

rep e at it a ft e r him Pretend to be o v erj o yed . .

O ffer to s e t U p wine f o r the w h ole cro wd Just a .

few minu tes that is all I ask and I will gu a ra n tee

, ,

that you wil l be the happiest man i n New York

”
to morrow
-
.

G e nnaro s eyes fi lled with tears as he graspe d

’

Kennedy s hand ’
That is b e tt e r than having the
.

”
whol e polic e forc e back of me he said I sh a ll , .

”
n ever forg e t never forget , .

A s we went out Kenne dy remarked You c a n t ’

blame th e m for k e eping th e ir troubles to them

sel v es H e r e we s e nd a po l i ce o ffi cer over to Ital y
.

to look up th e r e cor d s of som e o f the worst suspect s .

He los e s his li fe Another takes his place T he n . .

a ft e r h e g e ts back h e is set to wor k on the mer e

c l erical ro u tin e o f tran sl ating them O ne Of his a s .

so ciates i s re d uc e d in ran k And so what does i t .

come to ? Hundre d s of r e cords h ave become useles s

be ca u se th e thre e y e ars withi n wh ich th e crimi n als
co ul d be d eport e d ha v e e lapsed with nothi n g done .

Int el ligent i sn t it ? I b e li eve it has b ee n estab l ishe d

,
’

that a l l bu t abo u t fi fty of s even hundred kno wn

Ital i an s u sp e ct s ar e sti l l at large most l y in this ci ty ,
.

And t he r e st o f the Ita l ian pop u lation is guarded

from th e m by a squad of po l i ce in number scarcely
one thirti e th o f th e nu m b e r of know n crimin a l s
- .

”
No it s our fa u l t i f th e Bl ack Hand thri v es
,
’
.

W e had b e en standing on the corner of Bro a d

way waiting for a car
,
.

Now Wa l ter don t forget Meet me at the

, ,
’
.
 TH E B LA CK HAN D 1 91

Bleeck e r S treet station of the subway at el eve n

thir ty I m o ff to the university I have so me very
.
’
.

important experime n ts with phosphor esce n t s a lts

tha t I want to finis h to day -
.

“
What h as that to do with the c a se ? I ask e d
mystified .

’
Nothing replied C raig , I di dn t sa y it ha d . .

A t e lev e n thirty do n t forget By George though ’

-
, .
, ,

that P aoli must be a clever one thi n k of his kn ow

ing abo u t ricin I only heard o f i t myself rece n tl y
. .

Wel l here s m y car Good bye

,
’
.
-
.

C raig sw u ng aboa rd a n Amsterdam Ave nu e ca r ,

lea v ing me to ki ll e igh t nervous hours o f m y weekl y

day of r e st from the S ta r .

T h ey passed a t length a n d a t precisely the ap ,

point e d time Kenne d y a n d I met With suppresse d .

ex cit e m e nt a t l e ast o n my part we w a lked ove r to

, ,

Vinc e nzo s At night this sectio n o f the city wa s

’
.

inde e d a black e n igma T h e lights i n the shops .

wh e r e oli v e Oi l frui t and other thi n gs we re sold

, , ,

w e r e winking out one by one ; here and there strai n s

of m u si c fl oated out of the wine shops a n d little -
,

gro u ps l inger e d on corners conversing i n animated

’
s e nt e nces We passed Alba n o s o n the othe r side
.

o f th e str e et b e ing car e ful not to look at it too

,

c l o sely for se ve ral m e n were hanging idly about

,

pi ck e ts appar e nt l y with some secret co d e t h at would

, ,

in stantly ha ve spread fa r a n d wide the n ews o f a ny

alarming actio n .

’
A t th e corne r we crossed a n d loo k ed i n V i n ce nz o s
wi n dow a mome n t casti n g a furtive gl a n ce across
,
1 92 FAM OUS DETE CT IVE STOR IE S
the street at the dark emp ty store where the p ol ice
must be hiding Then we went in a n d casu a ll y
.

sauntered back of the partition Luigi was there .

alr e ady Th e re were s eve ral cu stomers still i n the

.

store how e ver an d t he r e fore w e had to sit i n sil ence

, ,

whil e Vin ce nzo qui ckl y finished a prescriptio n a nd

wait ed on th e last one .

At l ast the doors were locked and the li ghts

low e r ed all excep t those in t h e wi n dows which were
,

to se rv e as signals .

“
T e n min u tes to twelve said Kennedy pl a ci ng , ,

t h e Oblong box on th e table Gen n a ro will b e .

going in soon Let us try this machi n e n ow a n d

.

see i f it works I f the wires have bee n cut si nce

.

w e p ut th e m up this morni n g Gen n a ro will h ave

”
to take hi s chanc e s a l one .

Kennedy reach ed over a n d with a li ght move

m e nt o f his forefinger touched a switch .

In stantly a babel of voic e s fi lled the S tor e all ,

ta l king at once rapidly and lou d ly Here an d th ere

,
.

w e co u l d di stinguish a snatch o f conversatio n a ,

wo rd a phrase now and th e n e ve n a who l e se n tence

, ,

abo ve th e r e st Ther e was the clink O f gl asses

. .

I co u ld hea r th e ratt le o f d i ce on a bare table a nd ,

an oa th A cork popped S omebody scratch ed a

. .

match .

We sat b e wil d ered looking at Ke nn edy fo r a n ,

ex p l anation .

I m agin e t h a t you a re sitting at a t able i n

”
Albano s back room was all h e said
’
,Thi s i s .

what you woul d be hearing This is my ele ct ri c .

 1 94 FAM OUS DETE CTI VE ST OR I ES
around your wi n dow but n ot i n such a way a s to,

attract attention for they have me n watchi n g the

,
”
stre e t very carefully W hat is it Luigi ? .
,

Gennaro is coming I j ust heard o n e o f them .

say Here he comes

, .

E ve n from t h e bo o th I could hear the dicto

grap h repeating the co nv ersatio n i n the di n gy little
back room of Albano s d ow n the street ’
, .

He s ordering a bottle o f red wine murmure d

’
,

Luigi dancing up and down with excitement

, .

Vin cenzo was so nervous tha t he knocked a bottl e

down in the window an d I belie v e that my heart ,

beats w e r e almost au d ibl e o v er the t el ephone which

I wa s h ol d ing for the police operator called m e
,

down for asking so many ti m es i f a l l wa s rea dy .

“
There it is — ”
the signal cried C raig A , .

“ ”
fine opera is I Pagliacci Now liste n for the .

”
a n swer .

A moment elapse d the n Not without Genn a r o

, , ,

came a gru ff v oice in Italian from the dictogra p h .

A si l ence ensue d It was tense . .

”
Wait wait sai d a voice which I recogni z ed
, ,
“
instantly as Gennaro s I cannot read th i s ’
. .

”
What is this 2 3 V; P rince S tre e t ?
,

No , She has bee n left i n the back yard ,

answered the voi ce .

“ ” “
Jameson calle d C raig
, tell them to driv e ,

straight to 3 3 V; P rince S treet They will find the .

girl in the back yard — quick before the B l a c k ,

Han de rs h ave a chance to go back on their word .

I fairl y shoute d my orders to t h e police h ea d

 TH E BLA CK HAN D 1 95

qua rters . They re o ff came b a ck the a n swer

’
, ,

an d I h ung up t h e r e cei v er .

Wh at was that ? C raig wa s a ski n g o f Lui gi .

I di d n t catch it W ha t did they say ?

’
.

That oth e r v oice said to Ge nn a ro Sit dow n ,

whi le I count this .

’

Sh ! h e s talking agai n
’
.

If it is a p e nny less than te n thous a n d o r I fi nd

a mark on the bil l s I ll call to E n rico a n d you r
’
,
”
d augh te r will be spirited away aga i n tra n slated ,

Luigi .

Now Ge nn aro is tal ki n g s a id C r a i g

, Good , .

— he is gaining time He i s a t rump . I ca n dis .

ti n gu i sh t h at all right He s a ski n g the gru ff ’

.

v o i ced fello w i f he wil l h ave a n other bottle o f wi n e .

H e says he will Good They must be at Pri n ce

. .

S t re et n o w — we ll give them a few mi nutes more

’
,
’
not too much for word will be bac k to A lb a n o s like
,

wi ld fire and t h ey will get G enn aro after all Ah

, .
,

th e y ar e dri nking agai n What was th a t Luigi ? .

,

T he money is all righ t he sa ys ? N ow Vi nce nz o , , ,

o u t with th e lights !

A door bange d open across the st ree t a nd fou r ,

h u ge d ark figures darted out in the directio n of

A lbano s ’
.

W ith his finger Kennedy pulled down th e other

“
s wit ch and shouted : Ge nn aro this i s Ke nn edy ! ,

To the street ! P o l i z i a ! P o l i z i a !
A scu ffle and a cry o f surpr i se followed A seco n d .

voi ce appar e ntly from the bar shouted O ut with

, , ,

the lights out with the lights !

,
1 96 FAM O U S DET ECTIVE STORI E S
B a n g ! went a pi stol a n d another , .

Th e dictograph which had bee n all sou nd a mo ,

ment b e for e was as mut e as a cigar box

,
-
.

”
W hat s th e matter ? I asked Ke nn edy as be
’

ru shed pa st me .

“
Th e y ha v e S hot out the lights My receiving .

in str u ment is d e stroyed C ome o n James o n ; .

,

Vin ce nzo stay back if you don t wa n t to a pp ea r i n

, ,
’

”
thi s .

A s h ort figur e ru sh ed by me fa st e r ev e n th an I ,

could go I t was th e faith ful Luigi

. .

I n front o f Albano s an e xciting fight was go i n g ’

on S h ots wer e being fir e d wildly i n the darkn e ss

.
,

an d heads w e r e poppi n g out o f t en ement wi n dows

on al l side s As Kenn edy and I flung ourselv es i n t o
.

th e crowd w e ca u ght a glimp se of G e nnaro wi th ,

b l o o d streaming from a cut on hi s should e r stru g ,

gli ng wit h a po l ic e man whi le Lu igi v ainly wa s try

i ng to int e rpo se h imse l f b e tw ee n th e m A m a n .
,

held by anot he r po l ic e man wa s u rg i ng the first o ffi ce r ,

” “ ’
on . That s th e man he was cryi n g
’
That s , .

”
the ki d napp e r I caugh t h im . .

In a moment K e nn ed y was b e hind h im Pa oli .

,

you li e You ar e th e ki d napp e r S e ize him

.
— he .

ha s t he mon e y on him Tha t ot h er is Ge nn a ro .

hi ms el f .

T he poli ce m an rel e a se d t h e t e nor a n d both o f ,

th e m se i z ed P aoli T h e ot he r s w e r e b e ati n g at the

.

d oo r whi ch w a s b ei ng frantically barricad e d i n sid e

,
.

J u st t h en a tax i cab ca m e swinging up the stre et .

T hr ee m e n jumpe d out and ad de d their stre n gth to

 TH E G R OTT O S PE C T R E
A
By A N N A KAT HE RI N E G R EE N
M I S S STRA N GE was not O ft e n pensi v e at least n ot
at l arg e functions or w hen und e r the public e y e Bu t .

she c e rtainly forgot h e r self at M rs Provost s m u ’

.

si ca l e an d t h at too wit h out appare n t r e aso n

, , Had .

th e m u si c b ee n o f a h ig h ord e r one migh t ha ve u n d e r

stoo d he r abstraction ; but i t was of a de ci d edly medi

ocr e qu a l ity an d Vi o l e t s c a r was muc h too fi n e a n d

,
’

he r musical sense to o culti v a ted for her to be b e

g u i led by anyt hi ng l e ss t h an the v ery best .

N o r h a d s h e t he e xcuse of a dull compa n io n H er .

e scort for t he e vening was a ma n of unusual co n

v ersa t i o n a l pow e rs ; but she seemed to be almo st ob

l iv i o u s o f his pr e s en ce ; a n d whe n through some ,

pa ssi ng court e ous impulse she d id tur n her ear hi s ,

way i t was with just that ti n ge of pre o ccu p a tio n

,

whi ch b e trays th e divid e d mi n d .

We r e he r t h ough ts with some secre t p ro ble m yet

unso lv e d ? It would scarcely seem so fro m the gay
r e mark with wh ich she had left h o m e She was .

sp e aking to h er brother a nd her word s were : I a m

go i ng out to e n joy myself I v e not a care i n the .
’

”
world The slate is quite cl ea n
. Y et she ha d .

F m T h G l d S l i pp e
ro
“
e o d Othe P b l ems f or Vi olet
en r, an r ro
St g C py ight 9 5 by A a Ka therine Rohlfs
ran e,
”
o r , I I ,
nn .

1 99
200 FAM OUS D ET ECTIVE ST ORIE S
n ever seemed more out of tu n e with he r surrou n di n gs
n or show n a mood further removed from tri v ial en
t erta i nm ent W hat had happe n ed to b e cloud her
.

gaiety i n the short time whi ch had si nce elapsed ?

W e can a n swer i n a se n te n ce .

Sh e had se en amo n g a group of you n g me n i n a

,

distant doorway o ne wit h a face so i n divi d ual a n d

,

of a n e xp ressio n so extraor di n ary that all i n terest in

the people about her had stoppe d as a clock stops
wh e n the p e n dulum is held back S he could see .

n othing else thi nk o f n othing else Not that it wa s

, .

so v ery ha n dsome thou gh n o other had ever a p

p ro a ch ed it i n its power o v er he r ima gi n atio n but
because of its ex pressio n of haunti ng mela n c h oly ,

a mela n choly so settled a n d so evide n t ly the result o f

lo n g conti n ued sorrow th at h e r i n terest had be en

-

reac h ed a n d he r heart stri ngs sha k e n as n ever befo re

-

i n her whole li fe .

S he would n ever be the same Vi o let agai n .

Y e t moved as she un d o ubtedly was sh e wa s n ot ,

conscious of the least desire to know who th e youn g

man was or ev en to b e mad e ac quai n ted wit h hi s
,

story S he simp ly wa n ted to dream her drea m un

.

d isturbed .

It was therefore with a sense o f u n welcome sh o c k

t h at in the course of the r e ception followi n g the p ro
,

gram she perceived this same youn g ma n a p pr o ach

,

ing h e rs e lf with his right hand touchi n g his le ft

,

shou ld er in the peculia r way w h ich committed her to

a n int e rview with or wit h out a formal introducti o n .

Should she fly the or d eal ? B e bli n d a n d dea f t o

 202 FAM O U S DET ECT IV E STORI ES
’
R emai n Viol e t s voice was troubled her s elf
.
,

p ossession disturbe d ; but th e r e was a comma n d i n

he r ton e whic h h e was on ly too glad to ob e y I .

kn ow th e nam e ( who di d not ! ) and possibly my

duty to mys e lf s h o u ld ma ke me s h un a confide n c e
w h ic h may burde n me witho u t relieving you Bu t .

you h a ve b ee n s e nt to m e by one whose be h ests I feel

bound to r e sp e ct an d
Mistr u sting he r voice sh e stopped T h e su ffer
, .

i n g w h ic h ma de its el f appar e nt in t he fac e b e fore her

appeal e d to he r h e art in a way to rob h er of her
ju d gm e nt S he did not wish t h is to be see n and so
.
,

fell S i len t .

H e was quick to tak e adva n tage of her o bvi ous

“
embarrassment Sho ul d I ha ve bee n s en t to yo u
.

i f I had not first secur e d t he confi d enc e of the se n der ?

You know th e scan d al attach ed to my n ame so me ,

o f it j ust som e of i t v e ry unjust I f you will gr a n t

, .

m e an int e rvi e w to morrow I will mak e a n e ndeavo r

-
,

to r e fu t e c e rtain ch arg e s w h ic h I h a v e h it h erto l et

go unc h al le ng e d Wi l l you do me this favor ? Will
.

you li sten in your own h ous e to w h at I h ave to say ?

Instinct cri ed out against any such concessio n o n
her part bi dd ing he r b e war e o f on e who c h a rm ed
,

without e xcel l ence and convinc ed without r e aso n .

B u t compassion urged complianc e and compassio n

won th e day T h ough conscio u s of we akness
. she ,

Vio le t S trang e on whom strong men h ad come to

,

r el y in critical h ours ca l ling for wel l balance d judg

-

m e nt — she d id not l e t t h is concer n h e r or a ll o w

,

hers e lf to in dul ge i n us e l e ss regr e ts eve n a fte r the

 TH E GROTT O S PE CTRE 203

first e ffe ct of hi s pr e se nc e h a d pass ed a nd she had

s u cceeded i n r e ca lli ng th e facts w h ich had cast a
c l o u d abo u t h is nam e .

R og e r Upj ohn was a widow e r and th e sca n dal a f

,

f ect in g hi m w a s conn e cted with his wi f e s deat h

’
.

T h ough a d e gen erate in some r e sp e cts lacki n g the ,

domin ee ring pr e senc e t he stro n g me n tal qualities

, ,

an d infl e xible character o f h is pr o ge n itors the ,

w e a l t h y Ma ssachu se tt s U pj o h ns whos e great p lace

on the coast h ad a history a s Ol d as th e S tate itself ,

h e y e t ha d gi ft s an d attractions of h i s o wn which
wo u ld hav e ma de him a wort hy repr e sentative of his
rac e i f on l y h e h a d not fixe d h is a ff e ctio n s o n a
,

woman so co ld and h ee d le ss that S he would ha v e in

sp i r ed u ni ve r sa l a ve r sion in stead of lov e had she n o t
,

b ee n d o we r ed with the b e auty and physical fasci n a

tion w hi ch som e times a ccompany a har d h e art a n d a
sc he ming brain It was this b e auty w h ich ha d
.

ca u gh t the la d ; and on e day j u st a s the carefu l father

,

h a d m app ed out a cours e o f study ca l culated to make

a m a n o f hi s son t h at son drov e up to the gates with
,

t hi s l a dy wh om he intro d uc ed a s his wi fe .

T he sh o ck not of he r bea u ty t h ough t h at was of

, ,

t he d azz l ing q u ality whic h catches a ma n i n the

th ro a t an d m ak e s a sl a ve o f h im whil e t h e first sur
pr i se l a st s b u t o f t he o ve rt h row o f all his h op e s and
,

p l an s n e a rl y prostrat ed Ho m e r U p j ohn H e saw

,
.
,

a s m o st m e n d i d th e moment ju d gment r e turne d t h at ,

for a ll he r satin skin an d ro sy flus h t h e wond e r of

,

h e r h a ir an d t he smil e wh ic h pierc e d lik e arrows a n d

warm e d l ik e win e she was mor e likely to bri ng a
,

c u rs e into the hous e t h a n a blessi n g .

204 FAMOUS DETECTIV E STORI ES
An d so it prov e d . I n less tha n a year the y o u n g
husban d ha d lost all hi s ambition s and many of hi s
b e st impuls e s No long e r i n clin e d to stu dy he s p e n t
.
,

his days in sati sfying h is wi fe s w h ims and his eve n

’

i n gs in caro u sin g wit h th e frie n d s wit h w h ic h she h ad

p rovid ed him T h is i n B oston whit h er t he y had fl ed
.

from the old gentleman s displeasure ; but a fter their

’

l ittl e so n cam e th e fat he r insist e d upon their re tur n

ing home w h ic h l ed to grea t dec e ptio n s a n d p recip i
, ,

t a ted a trage d y no on e e ver un de rstood They wer e

.

n atural gamblers — t h is coupl e as all B osto n

soci e ty kn e w ; an d as Hom e r U pj oh n loat h ed card s ,

they found li f e slow in the gr e a t house a n d gr ew

corr e spon d i n gly r e st le ss till th e y mad e a d iscovery
or shall I say a r e d i scov e ry of t h e o n ce famo u s
grotto hi dden in th e rocks lining th e ir portion of the
c oast. Here they fo u nd a retreat w he r e they could
hide t h em se lve s ( oft e n w h en th ey w e re thought to be
abed and a sl ee p ) an d play tog e t he r for mon e y or fo r
a s u pp e r in th e city or for anyt h ing el se that foolis h
fancy sugg e sted Th is was wh i le t he ir li ttl e so n re
.

main e d an infant ; lat e r t he y w e r e less ea sily satisfied

,
.

Both cra ve d company excit e m e nt and gambli n g o n a

, ,

larg e scale ; so t h ey took to inviting fri end s to me et

them in this grotto w hi ch thro u gh t he ag e ncy of o n e
,

Ol d s e r v ant d e voted to R og e r to th e poi n t of foll y ,

had b ee n fitt e d up and ligh ted in a ma n ner n ot o n ly

comfortab le bu t luxurious A small but s h elter ed
.

h a ve n h i dd en in th e cur ve o f the rocks made a n a p

proac h by boat f e asib le at h igh tide ; a n d at l o w the
c o nn ectio n could b e ma d e by mea n s of a p ath o ver
 206 FAM OUS D ETE CTI VE ST ORIES
mea n disaster n ot o n ly to he rself bu t to the w hol e
family .

In all this a s any o n e could see R oge r had b ee n

, ,

h e r s l ave and t h e willing victim o f a ll her caprice s .

What was it t h e n which so compl e tely cha n ged him

, ,

th at a s e paration be ga n to be talked o f a nd eve n i ts

terms d i scuss e d ? O ne rumor had it that the father
h a d di scov e red the secret o f t h e grotto and exacted
t h i s a s a p e nalty from t h e so n who had di sh o n ored
him Anoth e r that R oger himself was t h e one to
.
,

tak e th e initiati ve i n t h is matter That on retur n

.
,

ing un e xp e ct ed ly from New Yor k one eveni n g a nd

fin d ing h er mi ssing from t he house he h ad traced ,

h er to t h e grotto w he r e he came upon her playi n g

a desperate game with the o ne ma n he had the
greatest r e ason to distrust .

But w h at e v e r t h e ex p lanatio n o f this sudde n

change in th e ir relatio n s the r e is but little doubt that
,

a l e gal separatio n betw een this ill a ssorted cou p l e

-

was p en ding wh en one b le ak autumn mor n i n g she

,

was d is cov e red d e ad in her b e d under circumstan ce s

pecu l iar l y op e n to comment .

Th e p hysicians who mad e out the certificat e

ascribed her d e ath to h e art d iseas e symptoms o f
-
,

w h ich had lately muc h alarm ed t he family doctor ;

but that a personal struggl e of some kind h ad p re
c ede d th e fatal attack wa s e vident from t h e brui ses
whic h black en e d her wrists Had th e r e be e n the
.

l i ke upon her throat i t might have gon e hard with

t he yo u ng husband w h o was known to be co ntem pl a t
i n g her dismissal from the h ouse But the discol o ra
.
 TH E GROTT O S PECTRE 207

tio n ofh e r wrists wa s all and as bruised wrists do

,

n o t ki ll and t he r e was b e sid e s no evidence forth

coming o f th e two h aving sp e nt one moment toget h er

for at least t e n ho u rs pr e ce d ing th e trag e dy but
rath e r fu ll an d satisfacto ry t e stimo ny to the co n trary ,

th e matt e r lapsed and all crimi n al pr o ceedi n gs were

avoi de d .

B u t not t he scandal w h ich always follo ws the u n

e xp l ain e d As tim e passed and the peculiar loo k
.

whic h b e trays t h e h aunted soul gradually became

V i si b le in th e yo u ng widower s eyes doubts ar o se a n d
’
,

r e ports circ u lat e d whic h cast strange refl e ctio ns upo n

t he trag i c e nd o f h is mistake n mar riage S tories of .

th e di sr e putabl e us e to which the ol d grotto had bee n

p u t w e r e m ing l ed wit h vague hints of co nj ugal
V io le nc e ne ve r prop e rly i n vestigated T h e result .

was hi s g e n e ral avo id anc e not o n ly by the social set

dom i nat ed by hi s h ig h mind e d fat h er but by h is o wn
-
,

l e s s r e putab le cot e rie w h ich however lax i n its moral

, ,

co de h a d ve ry l ittle u se for a coward

,
.

’
Suc h was th e gossip which had r e ache d Violet s
e ar s in conn e ction with t hi s n ew client p r ej udici n g ,

he r a l tog e t h e r against him till she caught that beam

o f dee p an d concentrated su ff ering in his e y e a n d
r e cogniz ed an innoc e n ce whic h ensured h er sympathy
an d led h e r to grant him th e intervie w for which he
so e arn e st l y e ntr e ated .

H e cam e prompt to th e hour a n d whe n she saw

,

him again w i th th e marks o f a sleepless n igh t upo n

him an d a ll t h e signs of su ff ering i n t en sifi e d i n his
un u su al counte n a n ce she felt h er heart si nk withi n
,
 208 FAM OUS DETE CTI VE ST O RI E S
her i n a way sh e failed to u n dersta n d A dre a d o f .

what she wa s about to hea r robbe d her of a ll sem

bla n ce of self possession a n d she sto o d like one in
-
,

a dream as he utter e d his first gre e ti n gs a n d then

paused to gath e r up his o wn moral stre n gth befo re
he bega n hi s story Wh en he did spe ak it wa s to
.

say
I fi n d my self obliged to brea k a vow I have m a d e
to myself You can n ot und e rsta n d my n eed u nl ess
.

I S h o w you my heart My trouble is n ot the o n e

.

with which me n have credit e d me . It ha s a n o th er

source and is infi n it e ly harder to bear Per so n al .

dis h onor I have deserv ed i n a gr e ater or le ss degree ,

but t h e trial w h ic h has come to m e n ow i n volves a

p er son mor e d e a r to me t h a n mys e lf a n d is totall y
,

wit h out all evi at i o n u n less you He p aused ,

“
choked , t he n recomme n c e d a bruptly : My wif e
Viol e t h e ld he r breat h wa s su p posed to h ave
died from heart dis e a se or -
or some stra n ge spec ies
o f suicid e T he r e were r e asons for t h is co ncl u si o n
.

r easons which I acc e pte d wi t h out serious questi o n

til l som e fi v e we e ks ago w h e n I mad e a dis cove ry
w h ich led me to f e ar
Th e broken s e nt en c e hun g su sp e n ded Viol et .
,

n otwi th stan d ing h i s hurried ge stu re could n ot re

,

strain he rse l f st e ali n g a look at h is face It wa s set .

i n horror and t h ough partially turne d asid e made a n

, ,

appeal to her compassio n to fill the void made by hi s

silenc e without furt h er s u gge stion from him
,
.

S h e d i d t h is by saying t en tatively and with a s l i ttl e

sho w o f emotio n as possible
 21 0 FAM OUS DETE CTIVE STORIE S
prese n ce i n the house mea n t to his old age I felt my ,

heart tur n sick with appre h e n sio n whe n i n the mi d st

,

o f t he discussio n as to th e t e rms o n w h ich my wi f e

would co n se n t to a perma n ent separatio n the littl e ,

f e llow came da nci n g into t h e room his curls a to ss ,

a n d h is whol e fac e beami ng wit h life a n d j oy .

Sh e had not m e ntioned t he child but I kn ew her ,

well enough to b e sure t h at at t h e first S h ow of p r ef

e renc e o n h i s part for e i ther his grandfather o r
mys el f she wo ul d raise a claim to him whic h she
,

wou l d n e v e r r e l i nq u ish I dared n ot spea k but I

.
,

met h is eag e r l ooks wit h my most forbiddin g fr o w n

a n d hope d by th is S how o f s ev erity to hold him b a ck .

But h is littl e h e art was full a n d ign oring her o u t ,

stretc h e d arms b e bounded towards mi n e with hi s

,

most a ff ectionat e cry She saw a n d uttered her u lti

.

matum T h e child s h ould go with her or she wou ld

.

not co n sent to a s e paratio n It was useless for us

.

to talk ; sh e had said h e r last word T h e blo w .

struck m e hard or so I t h ough t till I loo k e d a t my

, ,

fath e r N e v e r had I beh e ld such a c h a n ge a s th a t

.

on e moment h ad mad e i n h im He stood a s b e.

fore ; he f ac e d u s with t h e same sil en t r e probati o n ;

but his h e art h ad run from him like water .

It was a sight to call up all my resource s To .

a l low he r to remain n ow wit h my fe e lings tow a rd s

,

h e r a l l chang e d and my fath e r s e yes fully o p e n ed to

’

he r stony natur e was i m possibl e Nor could I a p

, .

’
p e a l to law An ope n sca n dal was my fath er s
.

re atest dread and d i vorce proce e dings his horr o r

g .

T he ch ild would have to go unless I could fi n d a way

 TH E GROTT O S PE CTRE 21 1

to influence her through h e r ow n n atur e I kn ew .

of bu t on e do not l o ok at m e Mis s S trange It , .

w a s di sh o noring to u s both and I am horrifi e d n ow

,

w he n I th ink o f it But to m e at that tim e it was

.

nat u ra l e no u gh as a l ast resort There wa s b u t o n e

.

d e bt wh ic h m y wi f e e ver pai d but o ne promise she ,

ev er k e pt It w a s t h at ma d e at the gami n g tab l e

.
-
.

I o ffe r ed a s soon as my fath e r rea l izi n g the hope

, ,

le ssn e ss o f the situ ation h ad go n e tott e ri n g from

,

t he roo m to gamb le with her for the child

, .

”
A n d she a cce p te d .

The sham e and h u miliatio n ex pressed i n this fi nal

w hi sp e r ; t h e s u dd en d arkness — fo r a storm was
coming up s h ook Viol e t to the soul With .

strain e d gaze fix e d on the ma n before her n ow little ,

more th an a s h adow in th e prevaili n g gl oom she ,

wait e d for h im to re su me and waite d i n vain The

, .

minu t e s pa sse d t h e darkness became into l erab le a n d

, ,

in stincti vely h er hand crept towards the electric but

ton b e neath which s h e was sitting But sh e failed .

to pr e ss it A ta l e so dark called for an atmos

.

p h e re of i t s own kind S he
. would cast no light upo n
it Y e t she sh i v ered as t he si le nce co n tinu e d a n d
.
,

start ed in u ncontrollab l e d ismay whe n at le n gth her

str a ng e v i sitor rose and sti ll witho u t spea ki n g ‘

, , ,

wa l k ed a way from h e r to the other end o f the room .

O n ly so co uld he go on with the shamefu l ta l e ; a n d

pr e se nt l y she h e ard his voice o n ce more i n these
wor d s
Ou r ho u se is large an d its rooms ma n y ; but for
s u c h work as w e two co n templated there was but o n e
212 FAM OUS DETECTIVE STOR IE S
s pot where we could comma n d absolute seclusi o n .

You may have heard of it a famous n atura l gr o tt o

,

hidden in our ow n portio n of the coast a n d so fi tte d

up as to form a retreat for our miserable selve s
whe n e scap e from my father s eye seemed de sir abl e
’
.

It was not easy o f access a n d n o o n e so far as we

, ,

kne w had ever followe d us there B ut to e n su r e

, .

ourselves agai n st a n y possib le interruptio n we w a ite d ,

ti ll t h e whole house wa s abed before we left it fo r

the grotto . We went b y boat a n d oh ! the dip o f
thos e oars ! I hear them yet And the witchery o f .

he r face i n the moo nlight ; a n d the mockery of her

l ow fi tfu l la u gh ! A s I caught the sinister n ote i n its
si lv ery ri se a n d fa l l I knew what was be fore me if
,
-

I fai l ed to retai n my comp osur e A n d I strove to .

ho l d it and to meet her cal m n ess with stoicism a n d

t h e taunt o f her e xpres sion with a mask o f i mmobil
ity B ut the e ff ort was hope le ss a n d whe n the tim e
.
,

came for dealing out the car d s my eyes were bu r n ,

ing in their sock e ts a n d my ha nd s shiveri n g lik e

l e a v es in a ri sing gale .

W e p l ay e d o n e game a n d my wife l ost W e .

play e d a n ot h er — and my wi f e wo n We pl a ye d .

th e t h ird an d t h e fate I had foreseen from the fi r st

became mi n e The luck was with her a nd I ha d
.
,

l o st my b o y !
A ga sp a pa u se d u ri n g which the thu nder sp o k e
,

and t he lightning fl a shed then a hurried catchi ng

of his breat h an d the ta le went o n .

A b u rst of la u ght e r ri sing gaily above the b o om

,

of the sea a nn ou n ced her victory

,
— her laugh and
21 4 FA M OUS DETE CTI VE STO RIE S
I fi n all y crep t away it was t o go to the ro om I had
ch o se n i n the top o f the house where I ha d my ho u r ,

of he l l a n d faced my desol a ted f uture D id I hea r .

a nyt h i n g mea n time i n the h a l ls below ? No D i d .

I ev en liste n for the sou n d o f her return ? N o I .

was callous to everythi n g dead to eve ry thi n g bu t m y

,

own misery I did n ot eve n heed the approach o f

.

morning till sudde nly with a shrill n ess n o e ar co ul d

, ,

ign ore there rose tearing through the sile n ce of the

, ,

house that great scream from my wi fe s room whi ch

,
’

a n nou n ced the discovery of her body lyi n g st a r k a n d

col d in her bed .

They said I showed littl e feeli n g He had .

moved o ff agai n and spoke from some wh er e i n the

shadows D o you wonder at this after su ch a
.

manifest strok e by a be n evole n t Provide n ce ? My

wife bei ng dead R o ger was saved to us ! I t was
,

the o n e so n g of m y still undiscipli n ed soul an d I ,

had to assume cold n ess lest th e y should see the great

n ess o f my j oy A wicked a n d guilty re j oicing you
.

will say a n d you are right But I ha d n o me m o ry

, .

the n of the part I had played i n this fata l ity I .

had forgotte n my reckless flight from the grot to ,

which left her with n o aid but th a t of her ow n tri

u m p ha n t spirit to help her over those treache ro u s

rocks The n ecessity for keepi n g secret this p ar t o f

.

ou r disgraceful story led me to e xert myself to keep

it out of my ow n mi n d It has o n ly come back to .

me i n all its force si n ce a new horror a n ew suspi ci o n , ,

has d rive n me to review carefully ever y i ncide n t o f

that awful n i ght .
 TH E GRO TT O S PECTRE 21 5

I wa s n ever a ma n o f much l ogic a n d whe n they

,

came to m e on that mor n i ng o f which I have just

spoken an d took me in w h ere she lay a n d poi n ted
to her b e a u t i f u l co ld bo dy stretched ou t i n seemi n g
p e ace u nder t he satin coverlet a n d the n to the pile
,

of d ainty clothe s l ying n e atly folded o n a chair with

ju st one fairy slipper o n top I shuddered at her fate
,

b u t ask ed n o q u estions not eve n when o n e o f the

,

wo m en of th e house mentio n ed the circumsta n ce o f

the singl e s l ipp e r and said that a search should be
ma de for its mate Nor was I as much impresse d
.

a s one wou l d nat u ra ll y expect by the whi sper dro p ped

in my ea r that somethi n g was the matter with her

wri sts It i s tru e that I li fted the lace th ey had
.

car e fu lly spr e ad o v er them a n d examined the dis

co l orat i on which ext e nded lik e a ri n g about each
pear ly arm ; b u t ha v ing no m e mories o f a n y viole n ce
o ff ered h er ( I h ad not so much a s laid ha n d u p o n
h e r i n the grotto ) t h ese marks failed to rouse my
,

int e r e st B u t
.
— and now I must leap a year i n
my story t he r e came a time when both of these
facts r e cu rr e d to my mind with startli n g disti n ct n es s
an d clamored for explanatio n .

I had risen above the shock which such a death

follow i ng such ev e nts would natural l y occasion eve n
in on e of my bl u nted sensibilities a n d was strivi n g
,

to live a new l ife und e r the encouragement of my

n o w f ul l y r e co n cil e d father whe n accident forced
,

m e to re enter t h e grotto where I had n ev e r step p ed

-

foot si n ce t h at n igh t A favorite d og i n cha se o f

.

som e i nn oce n t prey had escape d the leash and ru n

21 6 FAMOUS DETEC TIVE STORI ES
i n to its dim re ce sses a n d would n ot come o ut a t my
call As I n ee d ed him imm ed iately for the hu nt I
.
,

fol l owed him over the pr om on tor y a n d swall o w i ng ,

m y repugn a nce s l id i n to the grot to to get hi m

,
‘
.

Better a plu nge to my death fr o m the height o f the

rocks toweri n g above it F or there i n a rem o te
.

corner light e d up by a refl ectio n from the sea I b e

, ,

he l d my setter crouched above a n obj ect which i n a n

ot h er moment I recogn ized as my dea d wife s mi ss ’

i ng s l ipper Here ! Not i n the waters of the sea o r

.

i n the interstices of the rocks outside bu t he re ! ,

Proo f that she had n ever walked back to the h o u se

wh e re she was fou n d lyi n g quietly i n her bed ; p ro of
positive ; for I kn ew th e path too w ell a n d the m o re
tha n usual te n der n ess o f he r feet .

How the n did she get there ; a n d by wh o se

,

agency ? Wa s she livi n g whe n she we n t or wa s she ,

already dead ? A year had p assed si n ce that deli

cate shoe had bor n e her from th e boa t i n to these dim
re cesses ; but it might have bee n o nly a day so vivi dly ,

did I live over i n this moment of awfu l e n lighte n

ment all the eve n ts o f the hour i n which we sa t the re
playing for the possessio n of our child A gai n I .

saw her gleaming eyes her rosy worki n g mouth her

, , ,

slim white hand loaded with diamo n ds clutchi ng

, , ,

t h e cards Again I hea rd the lap of the sea on the

.

p e bbles outsid e a n d smelt the odor of the wi n e she

had poured out for us both T he bott l e whi ch ha d .

h eld it ; the gl ass from which s h e had dru nk lay n ow

i n pi e ces on the rocky fl oo r The whole sce n e wa s
.

m i n e a gai n a n d as I followed the even t to i ts d esp a i r

218 FAM O U S DETEC TI VE STORI ES
grott o was hated by me I loat h ed its wall s i t s
.
,

floo r its e very visible a n d i n visible cor n e r To

, .

linger t h er e to look almost tore my soul fro m

my body ; yet I did l inger a n d did loo k a n d this i s
what I found by way of reward .

Behind a proj e cting l edge o f sto n e from which

a ta ttered rug stil l hung I came upo n two n ail s
,

dri v e n a few feet apart i n a fis sur e of the rock I .

had driv en thos e n ails mys e l f l ong before for a cer

tain gym n astic attachme n t m u ch i n vogue at the tim e ,

a n d o n l ooking closer I di scover e d ha n gi n g from

,

the m the rope ends by which I was wo n t to pull

-

myself about S o far there wa s nothi n g to rou se

.

any but innoc e nt reminisc e nces But w h en I h ear d.

th e d og s low moa n and saw him l eap at the cur l ed

’

u p end s and nose them with an eager l ook my way

, ,

I remembered th e d ark marks circ l i n g the wrist s

ab o ut which I had so O ften cl a sped my mother s ’

bracel e ts a n d t h e world went b l ack before me

, .

“
W hen conscio u sness ret u rned — whe n I coul d
once more mo v e and se e and t h ink I n oted a n other ,

fact C ards were strewn about the floor face u p

.
,

and i n a fixed ord e r a s i f laid i n a mocking mood to

be l ooked u p on by relu ctant eyes ; a n d n ear the
ominous h a l f circ l e they ma d e a cushion f ro m the
-
,

l ounge staine d horr ib ly with what I the n thought to

,

b e blood but whic h I a fterwards foun d to b e wi ne

, .

Ve n g e ance spoke in t h ose ropes and in the carefu l ly

spr e ad o u t cards
-
and murder in th e smothering pi l
,

lo w . The v en geance o f one who had watc h ed her

corroding influe n ce eat the li fe out o f my h o n o r a n d
 TH E GRO TTO SP ECTRE 21 9

whose love for o u r little R og e r was such that any

d eed whi ch en sured hi s contin ued presence in the
hom e app e ared not on l y warrantab l e but ob l igatory .

Alas ! I kne w of bu t one person in the w h o l e world

who cou l d cheris h feeli ng to t h is exte n t or possess
s u ffi ci e nt wil l pow e r to carry her lifeless body back
to the ho u se a n d lay it in her bed a n d gi v e no S ign
o f t he abo m i n able act from that day o n to this .

Mi ss S trang e there are me n who have a peculiar

,

conceptio n o f duty My father .

“
You n eed n ot go o n How ge n tly how
.
,

ten d er l y our Violet spoke I u n dersta n d you r

.

trouble
D id s he ? She paused to as k herse l f i f t h is were
so and he d e af perhaps to her words caught up his
, , ,

broken se ntence a n d w en t o n :
My fat h er was in the hall the d ay I came stag
gering i n from my visit to t h e grotto No words .

pa sse d but our eyes met a n d from that hour I have

,

s ee n de ath in his co u n tena n ce and he has see n it i n

mine l ike two oppone n ts each stru ck to the heart
, , ,

w h o stand facing each other with sim u lated smile s

t il l t he y fa ll My fat h er wi ll drop first He i s
. .

o ld v e ry o l d sin ce t h at d ay five weeks ago ; a n d to

see h im die and not be su re to see the grave close
o ve r a pos sib l e innocenc e an d I le ft h er e i n ign ora n c e
,

o f t h e b li ss fu l fact t ill my ow n eye s close foreve r ,

i s more t h an I ca n ho l d up under ; more tha n a n y

so n co u ld . C annot yo u he l p me then to a positive
know l e d ge ? Th ink ! t h ink ! A woma n s mind i s ’

stra n ge ly pe ne trating a n d yours I am told ha s an

, , ,
220 FAM OUS DETE CT IV E STORI E S
i n tu itive faculty more to be relied upo n tha n the
reaso n ing o f me n It m u st suggest some mea n s o f
.

”
confirmi n g my doubts or o f defi n itely e n di n g the m .

The n Violet stirred a n d looked ab out a t him a nd

fi n al l y fou n d voice .

“ ’
Te ll me something about your fath e r s wa ys .

What are his habits ? D oes he sleep well o r i s he

wakefu l at n i ght ?
He has poo r n ight s I do n ot kn ow how po o r
.

because I am n ot ofte n with him His valet who .

,

has a lways bee n i n our family shares hi s room a nd ,

acts as his co n sta n t n urse He ca n watch over him .

better tha n I can ; he has n o distr a cti ng trouble o n hi s

”
m i nd .

And little R oger ? D oes your fath er see much

o f l ittle R o ger ? D oes he fo n dle him an d see m
'

happy in his p rese n ce ?

Yes ; yes I have oft en w o n dered at it but he
.
‘

does They are gre a t c h ums It is a p le a su re to

. .

”
see t h em together .

And the chi l d cli n gs to him shows n o fea r

sits on his lap or o n the bed and plays a s chi ld re n do
p l a y with his beard or with his watch chai n -

Yes O nly o n ce have I seen my little cha p

.

sh rink and that was when my father gave him a loo k

,

o f unu sua l i n te n sity loo king for hi s mother i n him

”
p er h aps .

Mr Upj oh n forgive me the questio n ; it se em s

.
,

nece ssa ry D oes your f at h er

. or rather did you r
fath er b e fore he fel l i l l — ev e r walk i n the d i r ce
tio n o f the grotto o r ha u nt in any way the ro c ks
”
which surrou n d it ?
222 FAM OUS DETE CT IVE STORIES
Violet tur n ed from t h e imposi n g port rai t o f Mr .

U p j oh n which s h e h ad be en gravely co n templ a ti ng ,

a nd met the tro ub l ed eye of her you n g host wit h an

enigmatica l fl as h o f h er own But she mad e no .

an swer in words I n st e ad she lifte d h er right h an d

.
,

an d ran o n e slender finger t h ough tfully up the c a si ng

o f t he d oor n ear w h ich th e y stood til l it struck a
n ick i n the old mahoga n y a l most o n a leve l with her

h ea d .

Is your son R oger old e n ough to reach so fa r ?

she asked wit h another s h ort look at h im as S he l et

h e r finger rest w h ere it had struck the roughe n ed

”
w oo d . I t h o u ght he was a little f ell ow .

H e is T h at cut wa s ma de b y
.
— by my wi fe ;
a sample of her capricious wi llf u lness She wished .

to leave a r e cord of herself i n the substa n ce of o u r

h o u se as we l l as in our li v es T h at n ick marks her .

hei gh t S he la u gh ed w h e n s h e made it
. Till the .

wa ll s cave in or burn i s what she said A n d I

,
’
.

”
t h o ugh t her l aug h and smile capti v ati n g .

C u tt i ng sh ort hi s own l augh which was much to o

sa rd on i c for a l a d y s e ars h e m a d e a move as i f to
’
,

le a d t he way into anot h er portio n o f the room But .

V i o le t f ai le d to noti ce t h is an d lingering in q ui e t
,

cont e mp l ation o f t hi s suggestive l ittl e n ick the

o nl y b le mish in a room o f ancient co l o n ial m a gni fi
ce n c e she t h ough tfu ll y remarked
“ ”
Th en s h e wa s a sma ll wo m a n ? addi ng wi th
”
se em ing ir rel e v ance l ike myse l f .

R og e r win ced S omet h ing in th e suggestio n hurt

.

him and in the n od he gave there was a n air o f

,
 TH E GRO TT O SP ECTRE 223

col dness which u n der or d ina ry cir cumsta n ces would

have d e terr ed h er from pursuing t h is subj ect further .

But the ci rc u mstances were n ot ordi n ary a n d she ,

a ll ow e d h e rs el f to say
W a s she so very di ff ere n t fr o m me i n fi gure ,

I mean ?
No W hy do you as k ? Shall we n ot j oi n y our
.

”
brothe r on t he terrace ?
Not ti ll I have answered the questio n you put me
a moment ago You wished to k n ow my re quire
.

ments On e of the most importa n t you have a l

.

rea d y fu l fil l ed You h ave give n your serva n ts a

.

ha l f h o l i d ay a n d by so d oi n g e n sured to us f ull liberty

-

of actio n Wh at e l s e I need i n the attempt I pro

.

po se to make yo u wil l fi n d l isted i n this memora n

,
'

d um . And taking a sl i p o f paper from her bag she ,

o ffer e d it to him with a h an d t h e trembli n g of whic h

,

he wo u ld h a v e n ote d had he bee n freer i n mi n d .

As h e r e ad s h e watched h im her fi n gers n ervou sl y

, ,

c l u t chi ng h er t h roat .

C an you s upply what I ask ? she faltered a s he ,

f a i led to rai se h is ey e s o r make any move or eve n to

u tt e r t he groan she saw urging up to his lips W i ll .

”
o u ? s h e impet u ous l y urged as his fi n g ers closed
y ,

sp a sm o d ica ll y on t h e paper i n evide n ce that he un

,

dersto o d at l a st t h e trend o f her dari n g p urp os e .

“
The ans we r came slowly but it c a me , I will . .

B u t wh at
H e r h an d rose i n a pleadi ng gesture .

D O not ask me but tak e Arthur a n d my self i n t o

,

t he gar d en and S how u s the flowe rs A fterwards I .

,
”
S ho u l d l ike a glimp se o f the sea .
224 FAM OUS D ET EC T IVE STORIE S
He bowed a n d they j oi n ed Arthur who had al ready
b eg u n to stroll through the gro u nds .

Violet was seldom at a loss for talk eve n a t the

most critical mome n ts B ut sh e was stra ngely .

tongue tied on this oc casio n as was R oger hi m self

-
, .

S a v e for a few observations casua ll y t h row n out b y

Art h ur t h e three passed i n a d isquieting si l en ce
,

through pergola a fter p e rgola a n d around b e ds gor ,

g eo u s w i th every vari e ty of fall fl owers till they ,

tur n ed a sharp cor n er a n d came in f ul l V iew of the

sea .

Ah ! fell i n a n admiri n g murmur from Violet s ’

lips as her eye s swept the hori z o n T h e n as they .

s e tt le d on a mass of ro ck jutting out from the shore

in a great c u rve she lea n ed towards her host a n d
,

softly w h i sp e red ,

The promonto ry ?
He n o dde d and Violet ve n tured n o fart h er bu t
, ,

stood for a little while gazing at t h e t u mble d rock s .

T h en with a quick look back at the house she aske d

, ,

him to point out h is father s wi nd ow ’

.

He d id so and as she n ot e d how ope nl y it fa ce d

,

th e sea her e xpr e s sio n r e laxed and her ma n ner lost

,

some of i ts constraint As they turned to reé nter

.

t he h o use s h e notic e d an o l d man picking fl ower s

,

from a vine c l amberi ng o v er one end of t h e pia zz a .

Wh o i s th at ? s h e asked .

O ur o l dest s e rva n t and my father s ow n m a n

,
’
,
“ ’
was R oger s rep l y ’
H e is picking my fathe r s
.

favorite flowers a few late h oneys uckles

, .

How fort u n ate ! Speak to him M r U pj o hn , . .

”
Ask him how your father is t h is e v eni n g .
226 FAM OUS DETE CTIVE STORIE S
’
Im sorry m uttered R oger But h e ll f o rget ’
, .

i t by to m orrow I could n t bear to keep a si n gl e

-
.
’

o n e from the concert They ll be back i n go o d sea

.
’

so n a n d meantime we have you Abram is wo rth .

half a do z en of them Miss S tra n ge We sh a ll

, .

”
m iss nothi n g .

“
Tha nk you Mr R oge r tha nk you falte re d
, .
, ,
“ ”
the old man I try to d o my duty
. A n d wi th .

anothe r wist ful gla n ce at Violet who looked v ery ,

sweet a n d youthful i n the h a lf light he p o t t e red -

,

away .

The sile n ce which followed his departure wa s a s

pain ful to her as to R oger U p j ohn Wh en she .

broke it it was with this decisive remark

That man must n ot speak of me to your f a th er .

H e must n ot eve n me n tio n that you have a gu e st

to night R u n after him a n d tell him so It i s
-
. .

n ecessary that your father s m i n d should n ot b e t a ken

’

”
up with prese n t happe n ings R u n . .

R oger ma d e haste to obey her Whe n he c a m e .

back she was on the point of j oining h er brot he r

but stopped to utter a fina l i nj u nctio n :
I shall leav e the library or wherever we m ay ,

be sitti n g j ust as the clock strikes hal f past ei ght

,
-
.

Arthur will do the same as by that time he will fe el

,

like smoki n g on the terrace D o n ot follow eithe r .

him or myself but take you r sta n d here o n the pi a z za

,

where you can get a full view of the right ha n d wi n g -

without attracting a ny attentio n to yourself Wh en .

y o u hear the big clock i n the hall strike n i n e l o o k up ,

quickly at your father s window What you see m y

’
.
 TH E GROTT O S PE CTR E 2 27

determine O h A rthur ! sti ll admiring the pro

,

sp e ct ? I d o not won d er But I fi n d it chilly Let

. .

us go in .

R og e r U pj ohn sitting by himself i n the libr a ry

, ,

was wat ching the hands of the me n tal clock slowly

approa ching th e hour o f nine .

N eve r ha d sil e nc e seemed m ore oppressive n or

hi s se n se of lon el in e ss gr e ater Yet the boom of the
.

o cean was di stin ct to the ear a n d human prese n ce n o

,

fa rth e r away than the t e rrace where Arthu r S tra n ge

co uld b e s ee n smoking out his cigar in solitude The .

si le nc e and th e l on e lin e ss wer e in R oger s ow n soul ; ’

an d i n fa ce of the e xpect e d rev e latio n which would

,

mak e or unmake his future the desolatio n they ,

wro u ght wa s m e asur e less .

To cu t hi s su sp e n se short h e rose at le n gth a n d

,

h urri ed out to the spot d esignated by Miss S tra nge

a s th e b e st point from which to keep watch upo n hi s
’
fath e r s win d ow It was at th e end of the pia zz a
.

wh e r e th e hon e ysuckle hung and the odor o f the

,

b l ossoms so p l easing to his fathe r well nigh ove r

, ,
-

po we r ed him not only by its sweet n ess but by the

many memori e s it ca ll ed up Visions o f that fa the r
.

a s h e l ook e d at a l l stages of t h eir relations h ip pa ssed

in a b e wi lde ring maze before him He saw him a s .

he app e ar e d to hi s ch il d i sh eyes i n those early days

o f confi de nce when the l oss of the m othe r cast them
in m u tua l d epen d ence upon each other T he n a .

st e rn e r picture of t h e re l entless parent who sees but

on e stra i ght course to success in this world a n d the

next T h e n the teacher a n d the m a tu red a dvis er ;
.
228 A MOUS DETE C TIVE ST ORIE S
F

a n d the n oh bitter ch a n ge ! th e ma n whose ho p es

,

he had crossed whose l i fe h e had undo n e a n d a l l ,

for her wh o now came steali n g upon the sce n e wi t h

her slim white j e weled hand forever l i fted u p b e
, ,

tween them And she ! Ha d he ever see n her m o re

.

c l ear l y ? O nce more the dainty figure stepped fro m

fairy la nd b e aut e ous wit h e v ery grace that ca n a l
-
,

lure and fina l ly destroy a man An d as he saw he .

,

trembled and wish e d t h at the se mom ents of a wfu l

waiting m ight pass an d th e test be over which wou l d
lay bare h is father s h eart a n d j ustify his fe a rs o r
’

dispel th em forever .

But the crisis i f cri si s it was was o n e of his o wn

, ,

making an d n ot to b e h a stene d or e v a d ed With .

one quick gl anc e at his fat h er s window he tur n ed in

’
,

his impatienc e towar d s the sea whose restless a n d

continuou s moaning h a d at length str u ck his c a r .

What was in its ca l l to night tha t he should th us sw ay

-

towar d s it as though drawn by some dread magn eti c

forc e ? He ha d be e n born to the d ashing o f i ts
wa v es an d knew its e ve ry moo d an d al l the passi o n
of its so n g from fro l icsome rippl e to melancholy
d irge B ut the re was som e thing od d an d i n eXp l i c
.

ab l e in its e ffect upon his spi rit a s h e faced it a t thi s

hour Grim an d implacable
. a sound rather tha n
a sight it s ee m ed to h o l d wit h in its in v isible di s
tanc e s th e image of his future fate Wh at t h i s im a ge .

was and w h y he shou l d seek for it in this impe n e

t ra bl e v oi d he d id not know
, He fe l t himself he l d
.

a n d was Struggling with this infl u e nce as with a n un

kn ow n e n emy w h e n th ere rang out from the ha l l ,
 230 FAM OUS DETE CTIVE STORIES
A h ! it come s — the cry for the a go ni z ed
which
so n had bee n liste n ing ! An old man s shriek hoa rse ’
,

with t h e remorse of sleepless n ights a n d day s of

u nimaginab l e regret and forebo d ing ! I t cuts the
n ight I t cuts its way into his heart He feel s his
. .

senses fai l ing him yet h e m ust gla n ce once mo re a t

,

the wi n dow and see with his last co n scious loo k

But wha t is t h is ! a cha n ge has take n place i n the
picture and he behol d s not the di storted form o f his
,

fat h er sinking back in sham e and terror be fore thi s

visible image o f his secr e t sin but that of a n o the r
,

weak old ma n fal l i n g to the floor behi n d his b a ck !

,

Abram ! the atte n tive seemingly harmless gu ar di an

, ,

o f the household ! Abram ! who ha d n ever sp o k e n

a word or give n a loo k i n any way su ggestive of hi s
h avi n g played a n y other part in the hideous dr am a
o f thei r lives tha n that of the humble a n d sym p a
thetic servant !
The shock was too great the relief too ab so lu te
,

for crede n ce H e the list e ner at the grotto ? H e

.
, ,

th e a v e nger of the fami l y s honor ? H e the i n su r er

’
,

o f l ittl e R oger s continua n ce with the family a t a cost

’

the one who lo v ed him best wo u l d rather have die d

h im se lf tha n pay ? Yes ! th e re is no misdoubti ng thi s
ol d s e r v itor s attitude o f ab j e ct appeal or the m e a n
’
,

ing of Homer U p j oh n s j oyfully upli ft e d cou n te n a nce

’

and outsprea d ing arms The servant begs fo r me rcy

.

from ma n and t h e m aster is gi v ing tha n ks t o

,

H e aven Why gi v ing thanks ? Has he bee n the

.

pr e y of ca n k e ring doubts also ? Has the f ather

dr e a d ed to disco v er that in the so n whi ch the son
h s
a dreaded to discover i n th e father ?
 TH E GROTT O S PE CTRE 23 1

It might easi l y be ; an d as R og e r recognizes this

truth an d the fu ll trag ed y of th e ir mutual l i v es he ,

drops to his kn e es amid t h e honeysuckl e s .

Viol e t you are a wo n der

, . B ut how did you
”
dare ?
This from Art h ur as the two rode to the trai n
i n th e early morning .

T h e answer came a bi t waveri n gly .

I do not know I a m astoni sh ed yet at my

.
,

ow n daring Look a t my hands Th e y ha v e not

. .

ceased trembling since the mome n t you threw the

light upo n me o n the rocks The figure of o l d M r
. .

”
U pj ohn in the window looked so august .

Arthu r with a short glance at the little ha nds she

,

h eld out s h rugged his should e rs imperceptibly It

,
.

struck him that the tremulousness she comp l ai n ed o f

was d ue more to some parting word from their youn g

ho st t h a n from prolonged awe at her own dari n g
,
.

B ut h e made no remark to this e ff ect only obse rved ,

”
Abram has conf e ssed his guilt I hear ,
.

Y es and will die o f it

,
The master will bury
.

”
th e man and not the ma n the m ast er
,
.

“
And R oger ? Not the little fellow but the ,
”
fath e r ?
W e will no t talk of him said she her eyes see k
, ,

ing t h e sea w h ere the sun i n its risi n g wa s battli n g

wit h a troop of loweri ng cl o uds a nd sl o wly gai n i n g
the V icto ry .
 2 34 FAM OUS D ETECTIVE ST ORIES
do n t care o n e tam about him but my d au ghter must
’
,

n ot be ma d e to come i n t is case wi t t e n o o s p a p ers ’ ’ ’

-

o r t e go ss i p so I want you to go over to t e b a nk

’ ’
,

a n d see him a n d help him out in e v ery way yu st so ,

he k e e p his m ou t shut about M arie a n d i f t ey l o ck

’
,
’

him up I wa n t t at she don t go to see him o r n o such

’ ’

foolishness I se n d you my check fo r fi ve hu n d red

.

t is mor n ing a n d I want to kn ow all about wh a t yo u

’
,
”
do at my house to night Will you do it ?
,
-
.

Yes I will go over at once I a n swer ed

.
, .

T at is all Good by
’
.
-

Tha nk you Good by I will ca ll thi s eve .

-
.

Good by Mr Duncan -
, . .

My first impressio n as I hu ng up the re ce i ver was

a thril l at bei n g thus thrust into the ce n te r o f wha t
app e ared to be o n e o f the biggest case s which ha d
tran spir e d in y e ars My second wa s a ple a sur ab le .

recognition o f the crisp direct clear a n d a mple sta te , , ,

m e nt of th e matter which the old real estate m a n had

ma d e It had all bee n do n e i n two mi nute s o r l ess
. .

It is not ofte n tha t we lawyers encounter pe opl e o ut

side o f our own and th e newspaper p rofessio n who
‘

ca n state anything so co ncis ely and n ot lose a ny value

i n it .

At this m ome n t Betts my part n er a n d the s teno g , , ,

ra p her came i n so I hurried over to the M uni ci p al

,

B ank .

B usiness wa s j ust b e gin ni ng fo r the day I could .

see at a gla n ce over the m e n behind the br a s s screens

that they as a whole did n ot a s yet kn ow that the
 THE MY STERY O F T HE STEE L DI S K 23 5

ba nk wa s a loser by a millio n The cashie r s do o r .

’

was open and he was just smoothi n g out his morn

,
’
ing s m ail i n the calm e st o f manne rs No one looked .

u p a s I e n te red ; that showed n ormal state of mi n d

a mong the clerks .

I asked for Mr George R hode s a n d a tall broad

.
, ,

shou l dered clea n cut you n g chap came forward from

,
-
,

a desk i n the extreme rear of the place and too k my

c ard through the bars E v e n with the slight V iew I
.

coul d get of hi s face I perceived he was pale a nd ,

h aggard He opened a side doo r a n d admitted me

.

to the a n teroom of the directors chambe r I told ’

.

h im I had come i n his int e rest retained by M r ,

.

And e rson and sta ted my cli e nt s reason for se n di ng

,
’

m e nam e ly to pre ve nt hi s daught e r s n ame from

, ,
’

being mentio n e d in th e matter at a n y o r a ll times ,

and a sked th e young man what I could do for him .

He ha d bee n sitti ng ru nn ing his thumb nail pre -

ci sel y along the e d ge o f my card a n d n o w he loo k ed , .

up and said in a du ll expressionless way

, , ,

R ea ll y M r D uncan I have thought the matter

, .
,
”
over care fu l ly an d there is nothing to do
,
.

He seem e d so numbed and h opeless that I was

amu se d .

You surprise me M r R hodes I said , S urely.

, .

a thing like this cannot in it sel f shut o ff any actio n .

In the fir st p l ace give me the facts , We will see .

what can b e don e .

The facts are few enough he answered simply ,

.

The bo nds were in a package four inch e s t h ick .

They wer e 9 0 g over

’
n me n t fours clipped a n d w o rth ,
2 36 FAM OUS DETECTIVE STORIES
one millio n two hu n dred thousa n d wh en e n ter ed the
, ,

first of the mo n th three weeks ago They we re

, .

mark ed with a typewritte n slip o n the e n d a n d l a y ,

in the securities co m partment of th e vault La st .

night with the assista n t cashier a n d the receivi n g

,

tel l er as is o ur rule here I che ck ed the ca sh a n d

, ,

books goi n g in W e togethe r do n ot check secu ri ti es

.

i n that compartme n t except once every mo n th b u t

, ,

I go o v er them every night a n d mor n ing i n the wa y

that I was instructed by the c a shier — that i s the ,

packets a re piled i n alphabetical c l assific a tio n an d ,

the piling is done so that i f a pack e t were ta k e n ou t ,

it would mak e a hole whi ch I should see at a gla nce ,

and by r e f e re n ce to my list see what it wa s L a st .

night there was n othing missing for the pil e wa s ,

perfect l y e ve n across the top and we closed the va u l t ,

and set the time lock This mor n i n g the time l o ck

-
.
-

was sti ll running when I arrived and the saf e wa s ,

ab solut el y j ust as I left it W h en I ope n ed the v a u l t

.
,

I w e nt over the securities as usual and obse rvi n g a ,

slight depres sion in th e rear tier put my ha n d o n i t , .

It gav e way enough to show that somethi n g was m is s

i n g and I checked Off the packets a n d found the 9 0
,
’

governments gone I checked the m over three

.

time s and the n when I had got over the sh o ck

, , ,

went into the booth outside and telepho n ed Mr .

Anderso n just what I have told you Havin g a sk ed .

him for h is daugh ter I f e lt I owed that to them a nd

,

to mys e lf The assi stant cashier a n d the a ssista n t

.

receiving tel l er were with me when I ope n ed the

v ault and I checked out the books and ca sh so that
,
2 38 FAM O U S D ETECTIV E STORIES
l
h is quixotic haste i n cal l i n g up his sweethea rt s fa ther
cau sed a pang of remorse to shoot throu gh m e an d ,

I put out my han d and stopped him .

“
I beg your pardo n R ho d es I did no t m ean
, .

to b e bruta l but the facts

,

Th e t e ns e line Of hi s white lips relax ed in to a

si ckl y smil e
—
.

Yes the facts

, I kn ow I am no t i n a p o si
.

tion to rese n t being remind e d o f t h em B u t I hav e .

,

mad e up my mind to t e ll the cashier .

W e l e ft the room toget h er and I walk ed wit h him

,

along th e out e r corridor to the cashier s doo r whe re ’

,

th e stenographer said h e had go n e out a n d we f o u nd ,

’
th e pre sident wou l d not b e dow n u n til one o clo ck .

”
S e e her e R hod e s I said with sudde n deter m i na
, ,

tion , I am goi n g to do what I can i n thi s m a tt er .

Is th e re any r e aso n why i t will become kn own a s a

matt e r o f cours e ?
The first o f the month a wee k fr om to m o rrow
,,
-
,
”
wi ll b e the trip l e che cking up time .

V e ry w el l j u st you ho l d o ff thi s mor n i ng any

, ,

ho w . Y o u will probably have three q uarters o f a n -

hour for lunch m ee t me at H a a n s at

,
’

”
A ll right Good morning
. .

Afte r I had gon e twenty yards from the b a nk I

wa s sorry th at I ha d made the engageme nt It .

wa s n ot in the line o f my duty to my clie n t Mr , .

An de rso n and I wa s lik e ly to become unp ro fi tab ly

,

invo lve d with young R hodes I sa w eve n wit hout .

,

tho u ght that t h ere were two alter n ative s E i ther

,
.

he ha d ta k e n the bo n ds o r they had bee n rem oved

 T H E MY STERY OF T HE STEEL D I SK 239

over n ight from the vault a nd I beli eved he wa s ,

te l ling the truth whe n he said the vaul t wa s all

right i n the mo rni n for i f it had n ot bee n h w l d
g e, o u ,

eagerly have seized o n the circumsta n ces ; a nd fu r

t herm o re the fact would have bee n kn ow n b y the
,

other o ffi cials and the state o f peace which I ha d

,

foun d o n entering would n ot ha v e existed The re .

was but o n e thing to thi nk : R hodes had ta k en the

bonds o r was shiel d i n g the thie f
, .

I related the case to B etts whe n I reached the ,

o ffi ce a n d h e laughed i n cre dulously

,

S ay Dunca n he said
, that is a bit to o wild
, ,

a tale for me Twelve hu n dred thousa n d doll a rs

.

gone fro m a time lo ck ed bank vault overnight wi th -

out op e ning i t l Gee ! Why do n t you co n su l t th a t ’

ma n R an d Lawrence R and the fe l low who has been

, ,

untyin g som e of those hard kn ots out West ? D on t ’

you rememb e r the Johnstone mirror poiso n i n g ca se ,

an d t h e R ebstock m ines a ffair ?

Yes I do Is R a n d hi s n ame ? Where i s he
, .

to b e foun d ?
Jor d o n w e nt up to hi s place o n e n ight — I thi nk
it i s i n Fi fty S ev enth S tre e t in some apartme n t
-
,
!
hous e H e r e look h im up i n the telepho n e book
.
,
.

“
I foun d him enter e d there La wrence R a n d .
,
”
S p e ci a l Agent 3 2 0 8 8 P laza
. A n d calling him u p .

ma de an engag e ment for a n hour later .

I w a s u sh e r ed into the r e ception room of his a p a r t -

m e nt by a d ark skinned young giant wh om I at firs t

-
,

tho u ght a n e gro but as I saw him in the fu ll li gh t

, ,

an d not ed his straight hair a n d heavy copp ery fea

24
0 FAM O U S D ETECTIVE ST OR IE S
tures I wa s surprised to find he was a full bl o o ded
,
-

I nd i a n He was dr e ss e d in clothes that di d n o t

.

seem compatible with t he rank o f a serv an t .

R a n d ent e red with a brisk step a fra nk smil e o n

,

his ke en face As he gripp e d my ha n d I reali z e d

.

th at fa r more ph ysical power was i n his posse ssi o n

th a n one wou l d t h ink by his frame Of medium hei gh t
,

and S lend e r almost to thi n ness It was aft erw a rd

.

that I f ou n d every i n ch of him was whipcord a nd

steel .

We sat dow n in t h e inner room a n d I told him ,

the story O f R hodes a n d the bonds Whe n I ha d .

fi n ished he frown ed ever so s l ightly a n d s a id Is ,

that a l l ?
I thought I had been rather explicit S o I re p li ed .

with a little rigor : That seems to cover the cas e .

D O you know wh e th e r there is one n ight wat ch

man O r two ? W hat is the mak e of the safe ? H a ve
there e v er bee n any a ttempts at robbery o f the ba nk ?
Are a ll the m e mb e rs of the ba n k sta ff prese n t th i s
m ornin g ? Has th e pr e sid e nt b een o n the right S ide
o f the mark e t for th e pa st year ?
The qu e stions cam e l ik e shots from a rapid fi re -

gun He did not wait for me to an swer

. .

“
I see you do not know W e wil l waste no .

time You are to meet young R hodes at lu n ch I

. .

want you to invit e me too for I wa n t to see him

, ,
.

We took a S ixth Avenue trai n to R ector S tre et ,

an d at c h ose our seats in a corner com p a rt

m e n t i n Ha an s W e had bee n at the table a
’
.

m ome n t whe n R hodes still very pale e n ter ed a nd

, ,
24
2 FAM O U S D ET ECTIVE STORIES
man n ame d Ha n ahan has b e e n at the b ank twenty
, ,

years a n d has considerable property ? How d o you

k now about his property ?
When I was on accounts he always had fi ft een
or twenty thous a nd on time deposits and drew so m e ,

large check s or made heavy deposits whe n Mr , .

Anderson bought or sold property for him

Whom did you S ay M r A nderson ? The real , .

e stat e agent who s e nt Mr Duncan to see you ? .

“
Yes M r M artin An derson He is Ha n a ha n s
, . .
’

agent Th e y were Ol d v olunteer firea

. to ge th er
in W illiamsburg shortly after they came to thi s
,
”
country .

In deed l How d id you k now that ?

Well one eveni ng shortly after I m et M a ri e
, ,

I went to call on her and she said her fath er wa s ,

n ot a t hom e ; that he was down at our ba nk ch a t ti ng

with Hanaha n an d having a smoke Then she to ld .

me about th eir having b e longed to the sam e fi re

company Aft e r t he Ol d man had take n a di sl i ke
.

to m e and threaten e d to shoot m e i f I came to the

h o u se again I use d to watch for Ha n a ha n s ch eck
,
’
,

fo r e very time he drew I knew he was expe ct i ng ,

to se e Mr Anderson and I would go up to the hou se

.
, .

”
I n ever mis sed it .

R and smil e d as i f h e enj oyed the humo r in the

instance He thought a mo m ent and then sa i d :
.
,
“
Well now if you will go ba ck to the b a nk I
, , ,

wi l l be over presently accompani e d by a m an fro m

the B roadway o ffi ce of M ah l er s and you will b e ’
,

a sk ed to S how us t h e vault P lease do n ot i ndi ca te .

that you kn ow me .
 TH E MY STERY OF TH E STEEL D I SK 24
3

When Rhodes was gone R a n d turned to m e ,

quickly and said : M r D u n ca n k i n dly go ov er to

.
,

M r R ob e rt S teele i n Ha rga n s o ffi ce i n W a ll Stree t

.
,
’
, ,

and te l l him I sent you Ask him whether any gov .

ern m en t fours of
’
9 0 have bee n i n evide n ce i n the
mark et rece n tly M eet me in half a n hour at the
.

”
telephone booth i n the P ar k R ow drug store .

I h urried to the o ffi ce of the great firm of Hargan

C ompa n y and sent in my card to Mr S teele wi th
, .

th rough Mr R a n d on the cor n er I wa s ushered

. .

i n immediately .

M r S teele I was se n t here by M r R a n d to

.
, .

inqui re whether there have been any 9 0 gover n me nt ’

fours on the m ark et in more tha n the usu al qua n ti ty

”
recently ?
A t the questio n he sta rted visibly and wh i rled ,

abruptly a rou n d i n his de sk chair to f a ce me He .

star e d at me a moment as i f weighi n g hi s w o rds

forthcoming .

We ll yes he said S lowly dropp i ng hi s eye s

, ,

in a manner that was a nything but fra nk Yes .

,

t h ere have bee n some He paused an d loo k ed

up at me again took o ff his glasses a n d wipi n g
, , ,

t he m t e ntati v ely put t h em on and loo ked me full in

,

t h e fa ce as if to d e cide o n his course

,
.

“
S ince M r R a n d sent you it must b e all ri gh t
.
, ,

for w e trust M r R and thoro u ghly here Tell him

. .

t h at a p i le o f them ha s be e n dumped i n to the mar k et

in th e p ast wee k n ot into the mar k et ex a ctly but
, ,

S t rau ss bro k ers had them a n d loa n s o n them were ,

u se d to buy O verla n d P aci fi c at a n a verage o f 87 ,

 4
24 FAM O U S DET E C TI VE STOR I ES
and wh e n it r e ac he d 1 6 1 last Thursday who ever , ,

wa s in this pool began to ta k e profits a s n e a rly as ,

w e ca n t el l an d clos e d out the line at an ave rage

,

o f I 57 O f course Ov erland went to I 3 6 b u t she

.
,

is le t m e see — let m e see he l ooked a t the

tap e i s 2 0 6 so whoever held t h ese bo n d s must
,

h a ve b ee n out si de o f S tra u ss s pool It cost us a b o ut ’

.

th ree mil l ion do l lars and i f you can tell me a ny m o r e

,
”
abo u t it I will b e ve ry grat e ful
, .

I t o ld him th e re was absolutely n othi n g o f which

I kn e w p e rsonally .

S u dde n l y I remembered that I had not l ea r ned

eve n t he name O f the presid e nt of the Mu n icip al
B ank an d i f R and ha d asked R h odes at lun ch I
, ,

ha d l e t it S lip by me Inwardly ashamed o f m y .

l oo se m e t h od s co m par e d with R and s t h orough o n es

,
’
,

I h a st e ne d to a sk o f M r S teele as a by matt er .
,
-
,

b e ing sur e th at h e wou ld kn ow I was at the d o o r .

r e ady to go out when the matter fl ashed int o m y

mind .

B y the way M r S te e le I said do you h a pp en

,
.
, ,

to know t h e pr e sident o f th e Municipal B a n k

”
J R F arrington
. S m ith
. ? He j erked his h ea d
a roun d sharply toward me as h e interrupted m e .

“
In deed I d o Th en he emitted a s h ort gr a ti n g
.
,

la u gh and co n tinued looking at me sharply all the

, ,

wh i l e .How O dd I should be thinking of him a l so

at that moment ! D O you know Mr D u n ca n th a t , .
,

S trau ss i s or was his broker ? Yet he is o n the sho r t ,

en d o f Ov erland very ba dly ; that I k n ow to m y ,

'
S OI I OW
‘
.
24
6 FAM O U S DET ECTIV E ST ORI ES
yes You have no n e at all Now what i s the p a t
. .

tern o f the time lo ck ? — Neilson pate n t yes

-

, .

W e ll who superi n te n ded t h e S ecret C o n st ru cti on

,

R oom when t h is o n e was made ? — The old m a n

h imself eh ? Where is Neilson n ow ?
, How l o ng
has he bee n d e ad ? — Well was his brothe r in l a w ,
- -

worki n g with h im in 1 89 o ? — Wait a momen t

He k ept the receive r to his ea r and turn ed to
R an d .

I s there a nythi n g else you wi sh me to a sk Mr , .

R and ?
“
Inquire i f there has been any t rouble wi th a ny
D class vaults T h at will be all
. .

The sa fe ma n repeated t h e que stio n i n t o the

’
phone ; rec ei v ed the a nswer hu n g up the receiver , ,

tur n ed a rou n d a n d said

“
No n e but a n att empt to blow o ne ope n in the
Produce E xcha n ge i n Sprin gfi eld I t failed He . .

says th e m a n who co n trolled the secret mea su r em ents

on that set of vaults was the pate n tee of the t i m e
lo ck and he is de ad The measureme n ts a re se al ed
,
.

and filed The pat e nts went to his brother in l a w

.
- -

who worked with h im who sold them out ri ght to

,
”
the company for a song .

W h at was his name ? as ked R a n d wi th di sap ,

p ointme n t in his voice and manne r .

They have no record and d o not remembe r He .

”
was j ust a dru n ken t h ick headed Swe d e
,
-
.

When R a n d was payi n g the telepho n e toll the

clerk fi gu red on the ra te to C incinnati so I knew ,

they had bee n ta lk i ng to the M ahle r o fii ces at the

 TH E MY STERY OF TH E STEEL D I SK 24
2
fa cto ry I told R a n d j ust wh a t ha d happ ened in
.

S teele s o fli ce and he smiled S li ghtly an d sa i d

’
,

W e ll well the l ost b o n ds o r o thers h ave b een

, ,

u sed as collateral fo r a wee k p a st eh an d Fa rt in

g , ,

to n S mit h was o n the wro ng sid e of the m a rk et I .

do not think R hodes will do any tim e if he is ’

cl e ver I have learn ed th at he wa s a f a vori te em

.

i
’
l
p y o ee o f S mit h s L et u s g o o v er to the M un .ci
”
p a l .

At the b a nk the m an from M ahl er s spoke a ,

’

mome n t to the ca shie r a nd rece ived his p ermissi on ,

”
to S h ow the vaul t to two p ro sp ecti ve custom ers ,

a nd a boy was se n t to t e l l Rho d es tha t the vi sitors

ha d bee n accorded the courte sy .

A s we p a ssed the p re si dent s inner o fi ce door I ’

,

saw S mith at his desk and noticed how p al e and ,

careworn he appe a red I saw that Rand observed .

i t also .

R hode s admit t e d us to the enclosure and ac , ,

cordi n g to R a nd s p revi ous i n structions gave us no

’
,

S ign of reco gn iti o n R a nd and the man from .

M ahler s exami ned the interi or o f the el ectrically

’

ligh ted vault The sa f e m a n tapp ed the fl oor all

.

around with the sti ck he ca rri ed sounding for con ,

cea l ed tunnelli n g bu t the i nsp ecti o n wa s u n frui tful

, .

The pla ce was i n p erfe ct o rde r and the l ock t e ,

sp o n ded repeatedly to the sa fe man s ski l l ed to uch

’
,

i n a way that showed i t was i n ex celle nt con diti on .

R an d had bee n sta n di ng sti ll l oo ki ng c a reful ly a t ,

ev e rythi ng withi n ra nge o f hi s keen eyes str o king ,

his S ilver touche d h air lightly with o ne hand in a

-

way I have ob served many times since .

24
8 FA MO U S D E T E CTI VE S T ORI ES
S udde nly h e pulled out his watch loo k ed a t the ,

d ia l of t he tim e clo ck t he n at his watch the n a t the

-

, ,

bank clock an el e ctrically r e gulated a ff air hu ng o n

,
-

the wa ll T he cl o ck r e ad 2 P M to t h e seco n d
. . . .

“ ”
I beg par d on said R and to R hode s , Wh at .

tim e is it by your watch ?

R hodes took out his timepiece a n d sa i d ,
”
h a v e two O clo ck fl at ’
.

I now noticed that the dial of the time lock sto o d -

: 3 0 .

W h e n d id you notice th a t the clock of the tim e

lock was slow ?
“
It is slow i sn t it ? Wh y I ha d fo rgo t that
,
’
, .

It was la st Mo n day morni n g a week ago I t e , .

”
m e mber I was a l ittle lat e replied R hode s , .

Has any one swept in here si n ce ?

R and ask e d t h is wi th his eyes fi x ed o n the da rk
'

corn e r at th e h eel O f th e right door .

”
N O n ot in th e vault
, .

R and stooped a n d put his hand in to the co rn er .

F or a mome n t I thought he was pi cki n g up som e

t h ing but h e straighte ne d up a n d brushed his fi ngers
,

on e against the other as if riddi n g them o f du st so , ,

I kn e w h i s h ands were empty .

In a moment he signified he was throu gh a n d we ,

left t h e plac e and at t h e corner parted wi th the

,

m an from Mahler s We walk ed o n tow ard my

’
.

o fli ce .

Wha t do you make o f that ? said R a n d sud

denly and I saw he was holding some thi ng to wa rd
,

m e between hi s thumb a n d fo re fi nge r I was sure .

2 50 FAM O U S DET ECTIV E STORI ES
paused a moment as if h alf expecting some on e a nd ,

hurried out as we e nter ed t he next upbound ca r .

When I went into the o ffi c e B etts came in wi th a ,

slip of paper i n his ha n d A fter I had intr o du ced .

him to R and he said :

D uncan for shame n ot to be in whe n n ice you ng
,

ladies call o n you The pretty daughter of y ou r

.

old r e al estate client A n derson was just he re , , .

She h as rec e iv ed a letter from th e young fellow who

took t h ose bonds i n wh ich he says he wishes her to
,

forg e t him S h e r e fuses to b e lie v e he is guil ty a nd

.
,

has had a scene with her father who must have t ol d ,

her that he has retained you for she c am e dow n h ere ,

deman ding that you take her to see the you n g cha p ,

wherever he is locked up Has he bee n a rre sted .

”
yet ?
No I said he i s over in the ba nk
, , .

I think h e will be the re for some time yet oh ,

served R and looking out of t h e window

, .

“
Well she will be back in half a n hour sa id
, ,

Betts layi ng dow n the strip o f paper on my de sk

, .

She d id no t hav e a card a n d wrote her n a m e , .

E xcuse m e M r R and I am not through with my

, .
,

correspondence yet and it will soo n be three ,

”
o clock
’
.

A s Betts went o u t R a n d rose and looked a t the

strip with the n ame writte n in a tall delic a te ha n d , ,
”
Mis s M arie N eil so n An derson .

I n a s h or t time Mi ss A n derso n came i n to the o uter

Ofli ce, and I brough t her in and c l osed t h e d o o r .

Wi th trembli n g lips a n d te a r s co n sta n tly rea d y to

 TH E MY STER Y O F TH E ST EEL D I SK 251

fa l l she re p e at e d what sh e ha d already told B etts

, ,

an d de manded that I arra nge an i n terview with

R h od e s at on ce .

I r e as sured h er to the best of my ability R a nd .

sa t qui e t and said nothing I t h ought he might a t .

l e ast ha ve r e peated to he r what he had j ust said to

B e tts t h ough I could no t exactly make out what
,

w e r e his g roun d s for the stat e men t Instead just .

,

b e f ore she was l ea v ing much comfort ed and calme r, ,

he sai d
“
E x cus e me M iss An derson whe n d id you l a st
, ,
”
see M r R h odes ?
.

“
O h I h ave h ad a l e tter from him n early eve ry
,

d ay but I h ave not talked with him si n ce Su n da y

,

nigh t a week a go w h e n he cam e to see me a t the

,
”
hou se .

How long have you known him ?

”
N e arly two years .

Ho w did you meet him ?

Wh y he knew pap a at the bank a n d o n e day
, ,

whe n papa was ill he s ent for George to come up

,

to the h o u se to get some pap e rs about his accounts ,

an d papa in troduced us When we were fi rst en .

gag ed he d id not seem to dis l ike George a nd often

, ,

sa t ta l king wit h him abou t matters i n t h e ba n k and

”
oth e r t hi ngs .

B y t he way how Ol d are you Miss Anderso n ?

, ,

S h e did not se em to mind t h e blunt question and ,

r e p lied q u i ckl y
I a m twe nty o n e -
.

We r e you born in this cou n t ry ?

 2 52 FAM O U S DETECTIV E STORIE S
Yes I was born i n New Y o rk
, .

Thank you kindly that is all said R a n d a nd

, , ,

wa s prompt ly so d ee p in thought t h at he barely ro se

a n d bowed as s h e left a few minutes la te r He
, , .

kep t h is feet a n d put o n his hat a s i f he to o were

, , , ,

g oing .

“
I beli eve you told me that you were to go to
A nd e rson s h ouse to nigh t a n d report did you no t ?
’
-
, ,

he a sk e d .

“
Yes I am sorry t h at I can n ot ma k e a better
,
”
showing both for my cli e nt a n d for R hodes .

I suppose you mean that you h oped a m an o f my

reputat i on would h ave o ff ered better sup p ort to you
”
in yours h e ob serv ed with a qui zz ical sm il e that
,

n ettled me a s h e walked to t h e door

, .

“
I S hould lik e to go with you Mr D u n c an he , .
,

continue d I will m e et you at the northwest co rner

.

of Gramercy P ark a t eight O clock Will you b e so ’

.

kin d as to bring young R h odes with you ? Phone ’

him at th e bank now and you m ight come prep a red

, ,

for anyt h ing in th e way of a fight for — we will ,

”
c l o se up t h e cas e to nigh t -
.

H e S h ut t h e d oor and w e nt out I wa s wil d to .

call him back and g e t a n explanation but p rid e t e ,

strain e d me .

That evening R hodes met me by appoi n tment a t

t h e Fi fth A ve nu e Hot el and w e wa l ked over to the
,

corn e r R and had nam ed W e had been st an ding

‘

there a mom e nt w he n a carriag e d ro v e up sto p p ed

, , ,

and R and a l igh ted fol l ow e d by J R F arri ngton

,
. .

S mith an d th e brawny In d ian .

2 54 FAM O U S DETE C TIV E ST ORI ES
D unca n M r An derson
, I believe you know Mr
. . .

Smith a n d Mr R hodes Th is is Mr Law ren ce

. . .

”
R an d with whom I have co n sulted in this m a t ter
, .

The Indian whom I sca rcely kn ew how to co n

,

sider whether compa n io n of R and s o r his se rv a nt

,
’
,

had stepped ba ck i n to the S hadow by the por ti eres ,

and I do not think An derson saw him so I m a de ,

n o referen ce to him whatever I wa s ve ry bus y .

thi n king just what to say and how to say i t f o r ,

’
R and s bringing Smith with him showed tha t Sm i th
wa s informed in part or wholly a n d was so n u ez ,

p e c t ed that I had h ad n o chance to ask him a si de

j ust w h a t the situatio n was He left me i n n o nu .

c e rtainty He gracefu l ly superseded me in the ini

.

ti a ti v e by drawing ba ck a chair at a small table i n the

center of the room i n the full glow o f the sh a ded
,

light and saying :

,

Wo u ld you mind sitting here please Mr , , .

A nde rson ? I shall want you to writ e some thi n g in

”
a moment and it will be more conveni e nt f o r yo u
, .

Anderso n sat down as reque st e d and tur n ed hi s

, ,

face toward R and as i f he kn e w where t h e p ower

,

lay I cou ld see t h e art e rie s in his n eck throbbin g

. .

I notic e d that R hodes was very pale and the b ank ,

presi de nt was laboring u nd er gr e a t exciteme n t .

Now to be brie f gentlem e n we a re abou t to

, , ,

adj us t this matter of the disappearance o f twelve

hundred thousand dollars worth of bonds fro m the ’

”
vault o f th e M u n icipal Ba n k .

R and spok e in a soft even voice I think I wa s

, .

the o n ly man who moved a muscle I co u ld see tha t .

 TH E MY STER Y O F TH E STEEL D I S K 2 55

at l e ast Anderson s blood did n ot quick e n any His

’
.

ey e s may h a v e turned toward R h odes I could not .

t ell R and w e n t on
.

B e fore I say anything further I wish to remi n d ,

the intere sted part ie s that I h a ve brough t an o ffi cer

with me and any v iol e nce would b e inadvisable
, .

Mr An derson you wi l l kin d ly tur n over to M r

.
, .

S mit h t h at pa cket of 9 0 go v ernment fours Mr ’

. .

S mith wil l gi v e you a receipt i n full You will also .

g ive Mr S mith your order o n Strauss

. C ompany
for four hundred thousand dollars which is a p p rox i ,

mat ely wh at M r S m i t h lost when caught short o n

.

Ove r l and P acific ten days ago and also your orde r ,

to M r Geo rge R h odes for the remainder of you r

.

profit s wh e n you went long o n O verland Pacific

, ,

th i s l ast w ee k by using the Municipal B a nk a s an

,

in v o l u ntary partne r You will also gi v e your co n .

se nt to his marriage with your da ugh ter Mr . .

D uncan h e re will arrang e t h e matter o f fees a n d ,

th at wi l l close the incide n t I f you do not M r .

, .

S mit h wi l l pros e cute you and I will furnish the evi ,

de nc e I f Mr S mith does n ot perform his share

. .
,

I will in b e ha l f O f Mr R h odes inform the ba n k

,
.
,

d i re ctors of his h and in Ov erla n d Ki n dly do a s I .

”
h a ve r e q u e st ed Mr Anderson ,
. .

The old f ell ow nev e r ch anged color o n e whit nor ,

d i d t he throbbing o f t h e arteries in h is neck increase .

The y d i m ini sh e d i f anything A bitter sneer came

,
.

o n hi s fa c e and as he spo k e he dropped into ve ry

,

b rok e n E ngl i sh .

Vot i ss diss n o n se n se M eeste r Vo t a fe r you r , ,

- -
256 FAM O U S DETE CTIVE ST ORIE S
n em -
i ss ?
Vot a m I ce l i ddle scheme bot e Ah do n t ,
’

’
m a k e no moh n ey b a yco ss Ah a i nd t g o t d ey
’
,

bont s -

R an d h e ld up a forefinger a n d the o ld m an
stopp ed He was n ow br e athi n g hard a nd wa s
.
,

fl u sh ed R and drew from his ves t pock e t a n d l a i d

.

on t he table befor e An de rso n the little st eel di sk .

B e f or e R and cou ld sp e ak the porti eres p a rted , ,

an d i n the openi n g stoo d M arie An derso n very ,

whi t e an d draw n up to h e r f u ll height I n o ne ha n d .

s he e xt e nd e d the packet with the typewritten slip

sti ll o n th e end .

”
F ath e r she sai d s l ow l y i n a low te n s e vo i ce
, , , ,

h e r e ar e the bonds B y acci d e n t I j ust fou n d them

.

”
in a j ar on the sid e boar d .

W ith surprising quickness An derso n drew o ut a

d raw e r in t h e tabl e at which he sat s n atched up a ,

r ev o lve r l e aped to the d oorway thrusti ng hi s

, ,

d a u gh t e r asi d e but a s he t u rn ed and fi red poi n tbl ank

,

a t R an d who h ad va u l t e d th e table to reach him

, ,

th e In d ian knock ed u p the muzzle O f the revo lv er

fro m b ehin d Th e b u lle t stru ck the ceili n g a n d the
.
,

n e x t in stant Ander son w a s on the floor helples s i n ,

th e b e arlik e clasp of t he b i g r ed ma n .

T he girl ha d re eled a s i f about to fai n t R h o d es .

h a d sprung to h e r a ssi stanc e but she recovered her ,

sel f an d seemed to b e anxio u s to get awa y fro m her

f at he r as i f from a r e pti l e
,
R hodes led her to the
.

ot he r sid e of the room .

Tak e the gun away from him a n d set him o n ,

”
the chair again Tom sai d R and as i f n othi ng ha d
, , ,
2 58 FAM O U S DETECTIV E ST OR I ES
c o n fidenc e When you fo u n d that about the ti m e
.
,

you w e r e r e a d y to m ake you r h au l George R h o de s

,

wo u ld b e th e yo u ng man i n c h arge of t h e vaul t you ,

cal led him to the house o n a pr e text a n d made him ,

a cquainte d with your d aughter a n d encourage d hi s

v i sits that you might get from him i n your ch a t s
, ,

bit by bit kn ow led ge of j ust wh at to put your ha n d

,

o n in the short ti m e you w e re in the vau l t a n d ho w ,

to conc e a l the t he ft l o n g enough for you to co n ve rt

th e securitie s Thi s is one O f the de e pest a n d c l ev er
.

est criminal p l ots of which I ha v e eve r he a rd

, .

Your l i fe for al l t h ese years has be en devoted to it .

I am not surprised that you succe ed ed You r o ne .

mi stake was in gi v ing so flimsy a pretex t to Mr .

D u n can for calli n g him up and retaini ng him Th a t .

a ttra cte d my attention to you W h at yo u really

.

wante d was to be ab l e to h ave co n sta n t i n fo rm a ti o n

f rom Mr D unca n whe n h e shou l d become R h o d es
’
.
,

coun sel in the natu ral co u rse of events a s to elIo rtS

, ,

to e x p l ain t h e d isapp earance o f the bon d s i n o rder ,

to de f e nd R hodes In that way you woul d a lw a y s

.

know h ow close h e was on the tra ck of the real thi ef ,

Mr M artin An d erso n F ew men pay atto rn eys

. .

$5 0 0 r e taining fe e s to persua d e you n g me n w h o

r e a ll y l o v e their daughters from dragging the m i n to

a scan d al w h ich d oe s n ot esse n tial l y concern the
,

d aught e rs at best You w e re surprised i n t o this

,
.

mi stake when R ho d es call e d you up a n d c rysta l li z ed

,

you r plan to enforce your choice of cou n sel o n hi m

too h astily .

On Su n day night a wee k ago you we n t to the

“
,
 TH E MY STERY O F TH E STEEL D I SK 2 59

bank a s you r d u p l icat e time lock showed you the steel

,
-

di sk wa s worn S O t h in a j ar on t h e d oor wou l d caus e

,

t he stan d ard to drop and the lock to r ele as e , .

Hana h an as h e to ld me a n hou r ago went acro ss

, ,

t he str ee t for som e tobacco that Sunday night l eav , ,

ing yo u in th e bank In ninety s econ d s you had .

op e n ed th e v a u l t tak en th e right pack e t opened the

, ,

ca se of th e tim e l o ck replaced the d isk with a brass

-

on e c l o sed th e ca se an d closed t h e vault but

, , ,

y o u c a r ele ssl y d ropp e d t h is wor n disk o n the floor !

Y o u u sed the bon d s as co ll atera l to buy st o ck ,

not a s a sp e cu latio n but as an i n ve stm en t t h at woul d

,

con ce a l the bon d s and by chance chose O verla n d

,

P a cific at a l o w figu re a n d it rose You though t , .

b e st to tak e yo u r pr o fits a nd o nl y greed preve n te d ,

y o u f rom ret u rning the bon d s to R hodes by m ail .

A s w e h a v e seen you h a d n ot thought lo n g e n ough

,

o r dee ply enoug h w h at you would do with your li fe

t i m e h ar ve st a f t e r you got i t into your hands a n d

, ,

su dde n l y yo u fo u nd yourself out of you r dept h s .

Y o u h id t he bon d s i n a j ar just like a foolish ol d ,

wo m an B u t I mu st comp l iment you o n you r c l ea r

.

t hi nk i ng an d pr ev iou s pla n ning I ha v e n ever known .

o f anyth ing so del iberate and on l y a ph l e gmatic ,

S can d ina vi an wou l d b e capab l e o f it especia l ly to ,

e n d u p wit h su ch goo d ner ve s a s you hav e S how n

to n i ght Mr S m ith d o e s not wi sh to prosecut e you
-
. .
,

an d e x po se hi s specu l ations Since Mr S mith and . .

Mr D u n can do ubt le s s h a v e ot h er engage m e nts to

.

n i gh t k i n dl y write a s I requeste d a few mi nute s

, ,

ago .
260 FAM O U S DET E C TIV E STO RI E S
Mutt eri ng objurgatio n s i n n ative tongue hi s ,

A nd erson wrote t h e two drafts R hodes b ei ng fo r ,

’

more than one hu n dre d thousa n d and both R h o des ,

and Smith receipted Smith took the b onds a nd .

thrust th e m into h is o v ercoat poc ket M i ss An der .

so n re fus ed to r e main an h o u r lo n ger un d er her

fat he r s roof an d left t h e house to go to the h o m e
’
,

of a d istant relati v e I pock eted the Odd lit tl e S teel

.

d i sk whic h l ies before me as I write wi th a S li p

, ,

cop i e d from a page o f R and s notebook th a t l a ys

’
,

o u t S O plain l y an d S imp l y his q u ick sure a nd uh , ,

e rri n g processes i n this remar kable case th a t I co ul d ,

n ot r e frain from givi n g i t .

( )
I An d erson s r e taining
’
D u n ca n v e r y st r a n g e .

( ) ho d es cranium shows moral i n ca p i y f

’
2 R a c t o r

th e ft Innoce n t
. .

(3) N e il so n s brother
’
i n l aw could k n-
o w l-
oc k co n

struction .

( 4) S mith l ost speculati n g Thief w on h a

. l f
million wit h bon d s .

( 5) Time lock -
l ost ninety seco n d s S u n d a y n i g h t ,

week b e for e d isco ve ry .

( )
6 D i sk O f st e e l inst e ad o f brass M e a n t t o .

wear out I s d i scar ded part of lock M us t b e a

. .

n ew d isk in l o ck Work o f expert Pr ep ar ed S ince

. .

making of l ock .

Marie N i l n A n derso n
(7) e so .

( )
8 An de rson was alone i n ba n k th r ee m in u te s

Su n d ay nigh t o f robb e ry .

And erson guilty P ro ved and co n fe ssed Ad . .

j uste d no proceedings by L R
, , . .
262 FAM O U S DET E CTIV E S TORIES
as you S a y sai d Lupi n a f t er he
E xecrab l e , , ,
“
ha d examine d it but the subj ect itse l f is r a th er
,

n i ce T h at cor ne r of an old courtyard with i ts

.
,

rotun d a of Greek co l umn s its sun dial and i ts fi sh ,

-

pon d a nd t h at rui ne d well with t h e R e n asce n c e ro o f

and tho se sto n e steps a n d sto n e b enches : all very
”
picturesque .

A n d genui n e I added Th a t pic tu re go o d

, .
,

o r bad has never b e e n take n out of its Em p i re

,

frame Besides it i s d ated

.
, Ther e i n the .
,

l e ft ha n d bottom corner : those red fi gures 1 5 4 2

-

, .
,

w h ich Ob v io u s ly stand for 1 5 April ,

“
I dar e say I dare say But yo u were .

speaking o f a coi n cide n c e a n d so f a r I f a il to , ,

se e
I went to a cor n er o f my s tudy took a tel esco p e , ,

fix e d it o n its stand a n d pointed it through the ,

op e n wi nd o w at the open wi n dow of a littl e ro o m

,

facing my flat o n th e ot h er si d e o f the stre et An d

,
.

I a sk ed Lu pin to look through it .

He stooped forwar d Th e sla n ti ng rays o f the .

mor n ing sun lit up the room opposite reveali ng a ,

s e t of mahogany fur n itu re all v ery S imple a l a r ge , ,

b ed and a c hil d s b e d h ung with creto nne cu rt a ins

’
.

” “
Ah ! cri ed Lupin su d de nly The sam e , .

p icture !
“
E xactly the same ! I said An d the da te .

do you s e e the d ate in red ? I 5 4 2 , . . .

Yes I see , An d who li v es i n that ro om ?

.

A la d y or rathe r a workwoma n fo r she, , ,

has to wor k for her living n eedlework hardly ,

”
e n o u gh to k eep herself and her chil d .
 THE S I GN OF TH E S H ADOW 263

W hat is her n ame ?

Louise d E rnem o n t ’
From what I hea r
.
,

s h e is the great gra ndd aughte r of a farme r ge n e ra l

- -

”
who was guil l oti ne d du ring the Terr o r .

Y e s on the same day as Andr é C h en ie r sai d

, ,
“
Lupi n . Accor d ing to the memoir s of the ti m e ,

thi s d E rn em o n t was su pposed to be a very rich

’

man . He raised his head a nd sai d It s a n i n te r ,

’

e sting story Why did you wait before tel li ng

.

”
me ?
“
B e ca u se thi s is the 1 5 th of April .

”
W e ll ?
Well I d iscovered yesterday
,
— I he a rd them
ta lking about it i n t h e porter s box t h at the I 5 th
’

o f Apri l p l ays a n importa nt p art in the life of Lo u i se

”
d E rn em o n t
’
.

Non se nse !
C ontrary to her usual hab i t s thi s wom a n who ,

works e very d ay o f her l ife who kee p s her two ,

roo m s ti dy who cooks the lunch w h ich her li tt le

,

g i r l e ats when she come s home from t h e pa rish

sch oo l this woma n o n the 1 5 th o f April goe s
, ,

o u t w i t h the child at ten o cloc k i n the m or n i n g

’

an d d o e s n ot r e tu rn until n ightfall An d this ha s .

h app e n ed fo r years a n d i n a l l weathers You m u st .

a d m i t that th ere is somethi n g queer about this date

whi ch I find o n a n ol d pictur e which i s i n scrib ed ,

o n anot he r si m ilar picture a nd whic h cont rols the

,

a n n u al mov e me n ts of the desce n da n t o f d E rn em o nt

’

”
the f arm e r g e nera l -
.

d
’
“
Yes i t s curi o us ou re quite rig ht ai
’
, y s ,
264 FAM O U S DET ECTIV E S TORI ES
’
Lu pi n slowly
,
. A n d d o n t you know where she
”
go e s to ?
Nobo d y kn ow s S h e doe s not co nfi d e i n a so ul
. .

”
As a matt e r of fact s h e talks very littl e , .

Are you sure Of you r informatio n ?

Abso l ute l y An d the best pro o f of i ts a ccu racy
.

”
is that h ere she comes .

A d oor had opened i n the b a ck of the r o o m o p

p o s i t
, e admitting a l ittle girl o f seve n or ei g ht w ho ,

came and l ook ed out of the wi n dow A l a d y ap .

p e a r e d behind her ta ll good,

loo k ing ,still a n d w ear -

ing a sad a n d ge n t l e air Both o f them were rea dy.

and dressed in cl othes w h ic h w er e simp l e i n them

,

s elves b ut which poi n ted to a love o f n e a tn ess and

,

a c e rtain elega n ce on the part o f the m oth er .

”
You s e e I whispered
, they a re goi n g o ut ,
.

A n d prese n tly the mother too k the chil d b y the

ha nd and t he y left the room togethe r .

Lupi n caught up hi s hat

Are you coming ?
My curiosity was too great fo r m e to r ai se the
lea st Obj e ction I w e nt d ownstairs with Lupi n
. .

As w e st e pp ed i n to t h e stre e t we saw my n eigh ,

bor ent e r a bak e r s shop S h e bought two r o ll s and

’
.

p l ac ed t he m in a litt l e ba sket which her d a u ghter

was carrying an d which seemed a lr eady to con tain
some ot he r provisions The n they we n t i n the
.

dir e ctio n Of the outer boulevards a n d fol lo wed them

as far a s the Place d e l E to il e w h ere th ey tu rn ed ’
,

dow n th e Avenue Kl eber to walk toward P a ssy .

Lup i n strolled sile n tly a lo n g ev i d en tly o b sessed ,

2 66 FAM OUS D ETECTIVE STORI ES
The m a n too k from his wa l let a key simil a r to my
n e ighbor s and put it i n to the lock The d o o r
’
.

clos e d behind them .

An d sud d en l y at the top of the la n e c a m e the

, , ,

n oise o f a motor car stoppi ng Lupi n d ra gged

-
.

me fifty yar d s l ower dow n to a cor n er i n which we ,

were ab l e to h ide And we saw comi n g do wn the .

lan e carryi ng a littl e dog u n der her a rm a yo u ng

, ,

and ve ry muc h o v er dressed woma n w ea ri ng a -

,

qua n tity of j ewelle ry a you n g woma n wh o se eyes ,

were too dark her l ip s too red her h a ir to o f a i r In

, , .

front o f the door the same performa n c e wi th the , ,

same key .The lady and the do g di sa pp ea red

from view .

This p rom i ses to be m ost amusing s a i d Lu p in , ,

chuckli n g What earthly connection ca n th ere b e

.

”
betw e en thos e di ff ere n t people ?
Th ere hove in sight su ccessively two eld erly l a di es ,

le an an d rather po v erty stricke n i n app eara n c e v ery -

much a l ike evidently sisters ; a footma n in liv ery ; an

,

infantry corporal ; a fat ge n tlema n i n a soiled and

pat che d j acket suit ; a n d lastly a wor kma n s f am ily
-
, ,
’
,

father mot h er a n d four chil d re n all six o f them

, , ,

pa l e a nd sickl y looking like people who n ev er eat

,

t h eir fill And each of the n ewcomers ca rri ed a

.

bask e t or stri n g bag fil l ed wit h p rovisio n s -

.

It s a pic n ic ! I cried
’
.

It grows more a n d more surprisi n g s a id Lup in , ,

and I sha n t be satisfied till I kn o w w ha t is hap

’ ’

”
peni n g behind that wall .

To climb i t was out of the qu est io n W e al so .

 T H E S I GN OF THE S H AD O W 267

saw that i t fi n ish ed a t the lower a s well a s a t the

,

uppe r e nd at a house n o n e o f whose wi n d o w s o ver

,

looke d th e e n closu re which the wall co n taine d .

D uri n g the next hou r n o o n e else ca me alo n g, .

We vain l y cas t about fo r a stratagem ; a n d Lupi n ,

whose fertile brain had exhau sted every possible ex

p e di e n t was
, about t o go i n search of a ladder wh en , ,

sud d en l y t h e l ittl e d o or ope n ed a n d o n e of the work

,

ma n s childre n came out

’
.

The boy ra n up the la n e to the R u e R aynou a rd .

A f e w minutes later he retur n ed carryi n g two bottle s ,

o f wa t e r w h i ch he set dow n o n the paveme n t to

,

take the big key from his pocket .

B y t h at time Lupi n h ad left me a n d wa s strolli ng

S l ow l y alo n g t h e wa l l Whe n the child after e n ter
.
,

ing th e e n cl osure pu shed back the door Lu p i n sprang

,

forward and stuc k t h e poi n t of his kn ife i n to the

stap l e o f t h e lock T h e bolt failed to catch ; a n d it
.

b e ca m e an easy ma tter to push t h e doo r a j a r .

That s d one the trick ! said Lu p i n

’
.

H e cautiously put his ha n d through the doo rway

and t he n to my great surprise entered bold ly B u t
, ,
.
,

on fol l owing his examp l e I saw that ten yards b e , ,

hin d t he wa ll a cl u mp o f laure l s formed a sor t o f

,

cu rtain whi ch al l ow ed us to come up u n observed .

Lupin took hi s stan d righ t i n the middle of the

cl u mp . I j oined him an d like him pushed aside the, ,

bran che s o f one of the sh rubs A n d the sight which .

p re se nt ed its el f to my eyes was so unexpec ted that

I was unable to suppr e ss an exclamation while Lup i n , ,

o n hi s si de m u ttered between his teeth

, ,
268 FAM OUS D ET ECTIV E ST ORIES
By Ju p iter ! This i s a fu nn y j ob !
W e sa w be fore us wit h i n the con fi n ed sp a ce tha t
,

lay b e twe en the two win d owle ss houses the ide n tica l ,

scene represented i n the ol d picture which I ha d

bo u ght at a seco n d hand dea le r s ! -

’

The id e ntical s cene ! At t h e back agai n s t th e o p ,

p o si t e wall the, same Greek rotu n da display e d i ts

sle nder colum n s I n the middle the s am e sto n e

.
,

b e nc he s topped a circ l e o f four steps that ra n do wn

to a fi sh po n d with moss grown fl ags O n the l eft
- -
.
,

th e sa m e well rais e d its wrought iro n roof ; a n d cl o se-

,

at han d the same su n dial showed its sl an ting -

gnomon a nd its marble face .

T h e identical scene ! A n d what added to the

strangeness o f the sight wa s the memo ry obs es si ng ,

Lu pin and mysel f of t h at d ate of the 1 5 th o f Ap ril

, ,

in scribed in a corn e r of the picture a n d the th o ugh t ,

tha t t h is ver y day was the 1 5 th of Ap ril a n d th a t

sixte e n or seve n teen p e op l e S O di ffere n t i n a ge co n
, ,

d ition and manners ha d chose n the 1 5 th o f A p r i l to

,

com e together i n thi s forgott en cor n er o f P ar i s !

A l l o f them at the moment whe n we c a u gh t sight
,

o f th em were sitting in separate groups o n the

,

benc h es a n d S teps ; an d a ll were eating N o t v ery .

far from my n eighbor and her daughter the wo rk ,

man s family and the beggar couple wer e S ha ring

’

their provisions ; while the footman the ge n tle m a n i n ,

the soiled sui t the infantry corporal an d the two

,

lean sisters were maki n g a commo n stock o f their

S l iced ham thei r tins of sardi n es a n d th ei r gruye
, re

cheese .
270 FAM OUS D ETE CTIVE ST ORI ES
s ei z ed hold o f him al so while the b egga rs and the ,

lea n sister s cam e to blows with the wo r km an a nd his

f a mily .

I n a few seco n ds the li ttl e boy ha d no t a sti tch

l e ft o n him beyo n d his shi rt The foo tm a n who .
,

had ta k e n possessio n o f the res t o f the cloth es ra n ,

a way pursued by the corporal who s n atched a wa y

, ,

the boy s breeches which were n ext t o rn from the

’
,

corporal by o n e o f the lea n S isters .

They are mad ! I mutt ered feeli n g ab sol utely ,

at sea .

Not at all n ot at a ll said Lupi n

, , .

What ! D o you mea n to sa y that yo u can mak e

head or tail O f what is going o n ?
He did not r eply The youn g lady wi th the li ttl e
.

do g tucking h er pet u n der her a rm had sta rt ed run

, ,

n ing a fter the chi ld i n the shi rt who utter ed l ou d ,

y e l ls .The two o f them r a ced round th e l a u rel

clump i n which we stood hid d en ; a n d the br a t fl u ng

himself into his mot h er s arms

’
.

A t last Louise d E rnem o nt who ha d pl ayed a

,
’
,

co n ciliatory part from the begin n ing succ eede d in ,

allaying the tumult E verybody sa t down a ga i n ;

.

but there was a reactio n i n a l l those ex a sp era t ed

p eople a n d they remained motion l ess a n d sil en t a s ,

though wor n out with thei r exertio n s .

An d time went by Losi n g patie n c e and b egin .

n i n g to feel the pangs of hu n ger I we n t to the Ru e ,

R a yn o u a rd to fetch something to eat whi ch we di ,

v i ded while watching the actors i n the i nco m p re

hensibl e co m ed y that was bei n g p erfo rm ed b efo re

 THE S I GN OF THE S H AD O W 27 1

our eye s They hardly stirred E ach mi nut e th a t

. .

pas sed seemed to load them with i n creasi n g mela n

cho l y ; and they sank i n to attitude s o f discoura ge

ment bent thei r bac k s more a n d m ore o r sat a bso rb ed

,

i n their m ed i t ations .

Th e a ft e rnoon wore o n i n this way under a gr ay ,

sky that S hed a dreary light over the e n closure .

Are t he y go i n g to spend the n i ght her e ? I

aske d i n a bor e d voice
, .

B ut at fi v e o clock or so the fat ge n tl ema n i n the

,
’
,

soile d j acket suit too k out his watch

-
The oth ers .

did the same and all watch i n ha n d seemed to b e, ,

anxious l y awaiting a n even t o f n o little importa n c e

to thems e lves The event did n ot ta ke place for
.
, ,

i n fift ee n or twe n ty mi nutes the fa t ge n tlema n ga ve ,

a g e stu re o f d e spair stood up and put o n his hat

, .

T he n lam e ntations broke forth The two l ean .

si st e rs and the wor kman s wife fell upo n their knees ’

and ma d e t h e S ig n o f the cross The lady with the .

litt le dog and the beggar woma n ki ssed each o th er -

an d sobbed ; and we saw Loui se d E rnemont p ress ’

ing h e r d a u ghter sadly to her .

”
L e t s go said Lupin
’
, .

Y o u thin k it s over ?
’

Y es ; and we have o n ly j ust t im e to m a ke our

sel ve s scarce .

We w e nt Ou t unmolested A t the top of the l ane .

,

Lu pin turn ed to the left and leaving me outsid e , ,

e nt e r e d the first hou se i n the R ue Raynou a rd the ,

on e that back e d o n to the enclosure .

After talki ng for a few seco n d s to the p ort er he ,

 27 2 FAM OUS D ETE CT IVE STORIE S
j oi n ed me a n d topped pa i n g we cab s a ss t ax i -

No 3 4R ue de Turi n he said to the driver

.
, .

The ground fl o o r o f No 3 4was oc cu p i ed b y a

-
.

n otary s o ffi ce ; and we were shown i n alm o st wi th

’
,

out waiting to Mai tre V al a n di er a smili ng pl ea sant

, , ,

spo k en ma n O f a certai n age .

Lupin introduced himself by the n am e of C a p ta in

J ea n n i o t retired
, from the army H e said tha t he .

wanted to b u ild a house to his ow n li k i n g a nd tha t

some o n e had suggested to him a pl o t of gro un d

situa ted near t h e R ue Ra yn ou a rd .

sa id Mai tre
“
B u t that plot is n ot for sal e ,

V a l a n di er .

“
Oh I was told
,

You ha v e bee n misin formed I f ear , .

The lawyer ro se went to a cupboard a n d r etu rned

,

wit h a pictu re which he showed us I wa s pe trifi ed . .

It was th e same picture which I had bou ght the ,

same picture that hung in Louise d E rn em o nt s ro om ’ ’

.

“ ”
T h is is a painting he said of the pl o t o f , ,

groun d to which you r efer It is kn own a s the Cl os .

”
d E rn em o nt
’
.

Pr e ci se l y .

W e l l t h i s clo se continued the n otary o nce

, , ,

form e d part o f a large garde n belo nging to d E rne ’

mont t h e farmer general who was executed du ring

,
-
, ,

the Terror A ll t h at could b e sold ha s b een so l d

.
,

p iecemeal by the ,h e i rs B ut thi s las t plo t ha s re

.

mained a n d will remain i n t h eir j oi n t po ssessio n

u nless

The n otary b ega n to lau gh .

27 4 FAM O U S DETE CTIVE STORIE S
compa n ying the me n Hi s so n Ch arle s a l though .
,

only eighteen years of a ge was arrested als o , .

When did th is happen ? asked Lupi n .

It happe n ed on t h e 2 6th day of G erm i n a l Y ea r ,

II that i s to say o n the

, ,

M a i tre V a l a ndi er stopped with his e y es fixed o n ,

a calen d ar that hung o n the wall a n d exclai med : ,

Wh y it was o n this very day ! This is the 1 sth

,

o f April the a nn iver sar y of the farm er general s

,
-
’

a rrest f
’

What a n odd coincide nce ! said Lupi n An d .

co n sidering t h e period at wh ich it too k pl ace the ,

arrest n o doubt had serious conseque n ces ?

, ,
“
O h mo st serious ! said the n otary lau ghi ng
, , .

Three months later at the be gi nn i n g of Th erm i ,

dor the farmer ge n eral mou n ted the sc a ffo ld Hi s

,
-
.

so n C harles was forgott en i n priso n and th eir p ro

”
per ty was confiscated .

“
The p roperty was imme n s e I su p po se ? sa id ,

Lupin .

We ll there you are ! That s j ust wh ere the

,
’

thi ng becomes comp licate d The pro p er ty whi ch .

,

wa s i n fact immense could never be trac ed

, , It wa s , .

d iscovered that t h e F aubourg S aint Germ a i n m ansi o n -

had been sol d before t h e R e v olution to a n E ngli sh

, ,

ma n together with all the country seats a n d es ta tes

,
-

a n d all the j ewels se curities and collectio n s b el o n g

,

i n g to the farmer general The C onve n tio n i nsti -

.

tu t ed minute inquiries as did the D irecto ry a f ter ,

”
ward But the inquiries led to n o result
. .

“
There rem a i n ed at a n y rate the Pa ssy house , , ,

sa id Lupi n .
 TH E SI GN OF THE S H AD O W 27 5

T he hou se at Passy was bought for a m ere ,

song by a d el e gate O f t h e C ommune the very m an

, ,

who h ad arrest e d d E rn em o n t one C iti z e n B ro quet

’
, .

Ci tizen B ro qu et s h ut himself up i n t h e house barri ,

c a d ed the doors fortified t h e wall s a n d whe n

, ,

Ch arl e s d E rn em o n t was at last set free a n d ap

’

p e a red outs ide received ,him by fi ring a musket a t

him Ch a rles instituted one law suit a fter a n other
.
-
,

lo st t h em all and th e n proceeded to o ffer large sum s

o f money B ut C itize n B ro qu et proved i n tractabl e
. .

H e had bough t the house and he stuck to the house ;

an d he wo u l d have stuck to it u n til his dea th if ,

C harl e s ha d not obtained the su p port o f B o n a part e .

C itizen B ro q u et cleared out o n the 1 2 th of February ,

I 80 3 ; but C harles d E rn em o n t s j oy was so great a n d

’ ’

h is brain no doubt had bee n so viole n tly u nh i nged

, ,

by a l l t h at he h ad gone through that o n reachi n g the , ,

thr e sho ld of the house of which he had a t la st re

co v er ed t h e owners h ip eve n before ope n i ng the door
,

he b e gan to dance and sin g i n the stre et He ha d .

”
gone c l ean o fl hi s head .

B y Jo v e ! said Lupi n A n d wh at be came o f

.

him ?
His mot h er and his sister Pauli n e who had e n ded ,

by marrying a cousin o f t h e same n ame at Ge n eva ,

w e r e bo th dead Th e old ser v ant woma n too k care

.
-

o f him an d t h ey li v ed toget he r i n the Pass y h ouse .

Years pass e d without any notabl e event ; but sud ,

d en ly in 1 8 1 2 an unexpected i n cide n t ha p pe n ed
, ,
.

T he o ld ser v ant made a series o f stran ge revelatio n s

on h er d eat h bed in the p rese n ce o f two witn e sses
-
,
2 76 FAM OUS D ETECTIVE STORI ES
w hom sh e sen t for S he d ecl ared th a t
. the f ar m er

e n eral had carried to h is hous e a t P a ssy a n um b er

g
o f ba gs filled with gold a n d silver and tha t th o se
bags had disappeared a few days before the a rrest .

A ccording to earlier confi dences m a d e by C ha rl es

d E rn em on t who had the m from his f a th er the trea
’
, ,

sures were hidde n i n the gard en b etween the ,

rotun da the su n di al a n d the well I n proof o f her

,
-
.

statement she p roduced three pictures o r r a th er fo r

, , ,

they wer e not yet fr a med three ca nv a s es whi ch the , ,

f a rme r ge n eral had p ainted duri n g hi s ca p ti vi ty a nd

-

which h e h ad succeeded in co nveyi n g to her wi th in ,

stru cti o n s to h a n d them to his wi fe hi s so n a n d hi s ,

daugh ter T empted by the lure o f wealth C h a rl es

.
,

a nd the old serva n t h ad kept sile n ce Th en ca m e .

’
the law suit s the recovery of the hous e C h a rl es s
-
, ,

madnes s the servant s own useless se a rch es ; and the

,
’

”
t reasure s were still there .

A n d they are th ere n ow chuckl ed Lu pi n , .

”
And th ey will be there a lway s ex cl a i m ed ,

M aitre V a l a ndi er U nless u nl ess C i ti z en

.

B ro q u et who n o doubt smelt a ra t succeeded i n

, ,

ferreting them out B ut t h is is a n u n li k ely supp o si

.

”
tio n for C iti z en B ro q uet d ied i n extr eme p o verty
, .

“
S o the n
S o the n everybody b egan to hu n t The chi l dren .

of Pauline the sister haste n ed from G en ev a It

, , .

was discovered that C ha rles had bee n secr etl y m a r

ried and t hat he h ad son s All th ese heir s set to .

”
work .

”
B ut C h a rl es him self ?
27 8 FAM OUS DETE CT IVE STO RIE S
p art they are co n t en t to si t down o n the step s o f the
,

rotunda like the p oor madma n ; a n d li ke him they

, , ,

wait And that you see is the sa d par t o f thei r

.
, ,

destiny I n those hu n dr ed ye a rs all the se p eo p l e

.
,

who h a ve succeeded one a n o th er f rom f a th er to so n , ,

have lost wh a t S hall I say ? the e n ergy o f l i fe .

T hey have no cour a ge l eft n o i n iti a tive T hey wa i t

, . .

They wait for the 1 5 th of A pril ; and wh en the 1 5 th ,

of April comes they wait for a mira cl e to take p l ace

, .

Poverty has e n ded by overt ak i ng eve ry one o f them .

M y predecessors a n d I hav e sold fi rst the h ou se in ,

order to build a n ot h er which yield s a bet ter rent ,

followed by bits o f the garde n a n d fu r th er b i ts B ut .

”
a s to that cor n er over there p oi n ti ng to the p i ct ure
, ,
“
they would rather die tha n s ell i t O n thi s they .

are all agreed : Louise d E rnem on t who i s the di rect

’
,

heiress o f Pauli n e a s well as the be ggar s the wo rk

, ,

m a n the footma n the circu s rid er and so on who

, ,
-
,
”
represent the u n fortunate C harles .

There was a fresh pause ; a n d Lupi n a sked

What is your ow n opinio n M a i tre V a l a n di er ? ,
’
My p rivate opi n io n is th a t there s n o thi ng in
it W hat credit ca n we give to the st atem en ts of
.

an old serva n t e n feebled by age ? What i mp o rtance

ca n we a ttach to the crotchets o f a madma n ? Be
si des i f the farme r ge n eral had reali z ed hi s fo rtune
,
- -
,

d o n t you think that th at fortu n e would h a ve b een

’

f ou n d ? On e could manage to hid e a p a p er a do cu ,

”
m e n t in a co n fi n ed space li k e that but no t trea su res
, , .

S till the p ictures ?

,

Y es o f cou rs e B u t a fter all , are they a 01 1 5

, .
,

ci en t proof ?
 T HE S IG N OF TH E S H A DO W 2 79

Lupin be n t over t h e copy which the solicitor ha d

tak en from the cu pboard a n d a fter ex ami n i ng it ,

at l engt h sai d : ,

You spok e o f t h ree picture s .

Yes the one which you see wa s h a n ded to my

,

pr e d e c e s sor by t h e heirs o f C harles Louise d E rne .

’

mont poss e sses another A s for the third n ot one.

,

kn ows w h at b ecame of it .

Lupin looked at me a n d co n ti nued

An d do th e y all bear the same date ?
Y e s the date i n scribed by C harles d E rn emont
,
’

wh en he had them framed n ot long befor e hi s ,

de ath . The same date that is to say the 1 sth ,

o f April Year II accordi n g to the revolutio n a ry

, ,

c al e n d ar as t h e arrest too k place i n Ap ril

, ,
”
Oh yes of cou rse said Lupi n
, , , The figure .

2 m e ans

He though t fo r a few m o m e n t s a n d resu m ed

O ne more questio n i f I ma y D id no o ne ever
, .

come forwa rd to sol v e the problem ?

Ma i tre V al a n di er threw up his arms
“ ”
Good n ess gracious me ! he cried Why i t .
,

wa s t h e plague o f the O fi ce ! On e Of my p redeces

sors Ma i tre Tu rb o n wa s summon ed to Pass y n o
, ,

f e w e r t h a n eighteen times between 1 8 2 0 a n d 1 84 3 , ,

by the groups o f heirs whom fortu n e telle rs clai r

,
-
,

v oyants v isionaries impostors o f all sorts had prom

, ,

i sed that they would discover the farmer general s -

’

tr e a sures At last we laid down a rul e : an y o u t

.
,

S i d e r applyi n g to institute a sear ch wa s to be i n b

g y
”
d epositi n g a c ertai n sum .
280 FAMOUS DETE CTIVE STORIE S
What sum ?
A t h ousand fra n cs .

An d did thi s hav e the effect o f fri ghten ing them

NO y ear
. s a go aF our
n H u n ga ri a n h yp n
, o ti st
tried the experime n t a n d made me wa st e a whole
da y . A fter that we fi xed the depo sit a t five thou
,

sa n d francs In case o f succ ess a third o f the

.
,

t reasure go e s to the fi n de r I n cas e o f fa il ure the.

,

deposit is forfeited to the h ei rs S ince th en I ha ve .

,

bee n left i n peace .

Here are your fi ve tho usa n d francs .

T he lawyer gave a start

E h ? What do you say ?
”
I say repeated Lupi n ta ki ng five ba nk no tes
, ,
-

from his pock et a nd calmly spreading th em o n the

table I say that here is the deposit o f five tho usand
,

fra n cs Please give me a receipt a n d i n vit e a ll the

.

d E rn em o n t heirs to m eet m e at Passy o n the 1 5 th o f

’

”
A pril n ext yea r .

The notary could n ot believe his sen se s I m ysel f .

,

a lthough Lupi n h ad accustom ed m e to th es e sur

prises was utterly taken back

, .

A re you serious ? asked M ai t re Val andi er .

Perfectly serious .

But you know I told you m y opi n io n All

, , .

these improbable stories rest u p o n no evidence o f

”
a ny k ind .

’
I do n t agree with you said Lupi n , .

The nota ry gave h im the look which we gi ve to a

perso n who is n ot quite ri ght i n hi s h ea d Then .
,
282 FAM O U S DETE CT IVE S TORIES
hi s isi t to A rme n ia and o f the t er rib l e stru ggl e on
v

which he embar k e d agai n st Abdul the D a m ned a ,

struggle w h ich ended i n the tyra n t s d ow n f a ll ’

.

I used to write to h im however a t the a ddress , ,

which he ga v e me an d I was thus able to sen d him

certai n particulars which I had succeeded in ga ther
ing here and t h ere about my n eighbor L o u ise
, ,

d E rnem o n t such as the love which she ha d con

’
,

cei ved a few years earlier for a very ri ch yo ung

, ,

man w h o st il l lo ve d her but who had b een com

, ,

p e l l ed by his fami l y to throw her over ; th e y o ung

wi d ow s desp air and the p lucky life which she l ed
’
,

with her litt l e daugh ter .

Lupin rep lied to no n e O f my letters I di d not .

know whether they reached him ; a n d m ea n t ime , ,

t h e date was drawing near a n d I could n o t help

wondering w h et he r his n u merous underta k i n gs wo ul d
not prev e nt h im from keep in g the a ppoi ntm ent which
he himself had fixed .

As a matter of fact the mor n i ng o f the 1 5 th o f

,

April arrived and Lupi n was n ot with m e by the

time I had fi nished lu n ch It was a qu a r ter p a st .
-

tw e l v e I le ft my flat and too k a cab to Pa ssy

. .

I had no sooner entered the la n e tha n I sa w the

workman s four brats sta n din g outside the do o r i n
’

th e wall Ma i tre V a l andi er i n fo rm ed by them of

.
,

my arri v al hast e ned in my directio n :

,

W ell ? he cri ed Wher e s C a p tain Jean

.
’

n iot ?
Has n t he come ? ’

No ; a n d I ca n assur e you tha t ev erybody i s very

”
i mpatie n t to see him .
 TH E S I GN OF TH E S HA DO W 283

The di fferent gro ups bega n to cro wd r ou n d the

lawyer ; a n d I n otice d that all those faces which I
reco gn ized had throw n o ff the gloomy a n d desp on
de n t expressio n w h ic h t h ey wore a yea r ago .

”
They are full o f ho p e said M ai tre V a l an di er , ,

and it is my fault But what could I do ? Y our.

frie nd made such an impressio n upo n me that I spoke

to t h ese good pe op le with a con fid en ce which
I ca n not say I feel Howeve r he seems a queer sor t
.
,

of f e l l o w thi s C aptai n Jea nnio t of yours

,
.

'
He ask e d me many questio n s a n d I gav e him a
numbe r o f m ore or les s fa n ciful detail s about the

captain to which the hei rs liste n ed n oddi ng th ei r

, ,

hea d s i n appreciatio n of my re m ark s .

O f course t h e truth was bou n d to be discovered

,
”
soo n e r or later said the fa t ge n tlema n i n a to n e
, ,

o f con v ictio n .

Th e i n fa ntry corporal da zz led b y the cap t a i n s ,

’

rank did not entertai n a doubt i n his m i n d

, .

Th e lady wit h the little do g w a n t ed to know i f

C aptain Jea nn i o t was y ou n g .

B ut Louise d E rn em on t said ’

A n d s up pose he does n ot co me ?
W e s h all still have the fi ve tho u sa n d f ra n cs to
”
d i v i de sai d the begga r ma n
,
-
.

Fo r all that Louise d E rn emo nt s words had

,
’ ’

d amp e d t h eir e nt h usiasm Their faces bega n to loo k

.

s u llen and I felt a n atmosphere a s o f a nguish wei gh

I ng upon us .

At h a l f p ast o n e the two l ea n S ist er s fel t fa i n t a n d

-
,

sa t d o wn T h e n th e fat ge n tle m a n i n the so iled suit

.

sudde n ly rou n ded on the n o ta ry :

28 4 FAM OUS D ETE CT IVE STORIE S
It s you M ai t re V a l a ndi er who a re to b l a m e
’
, , .

You ought to ha v e brou ght the capt a i n here

by mai n forc e He s a humb ug th a t s q ui te.
’
,
’

”
clea r .

He gave me a sa vage loo k and the footma n, in ,

hi s tur n flu ng muttered cu rse s at m e

, .

I confess tha t thei r rep roache s seemed to m e well .

fou n ded a nd th a t Lup in s ab sen c e annoyed m e ’

greatly :
“
He wo n t co me now I whisp ered to the l aw ’
,

yer .

And I was thi nki n g of b e a ti n g a ret rea t when the ,

eldest o f the brats app eared at the doo r yellin g ,

There s som e o n e comi n g ! ’

A m o to r
cycle !
A m otor was throbbi ng o n the oth er si de o f the
wall A ma n o n a motor bicycle cam e tea ring d own
.
-

the la n e a t the ris k o f brea k i n g his n e ck Su ddenl y .

,

he put o n his bra k es outside the do o r and sp rang , ,

from h i s machi n e .

U nder the layer o f dust which cov er ed him f rom

head to foot we could see that his n avy blue reefer,
-

suit his care fully creased tr ousers his black fel t hat
, ,

a n d patent leathe r boots were no t the cl othes i n

-

whic h a man usually goes cyc l in g .

”
But that s n ot C aptai n Jea nn iot ! shout ed the
’

n ota ry who failed to recogn i z e him

, .

”
Yes it is said Lupin sha ki n g h ands wi th us
, , , .

I m C aptai n Jea nn io t righ t e n ou gh o nl y I ve

’ ’

S haved o ff my mustache Besid es M ai tre Va .

,
’
l an dier here s y our receipt
, .
286 FAM OUS DETECTI VE STORIE S

l ess thei r fac es w er e p al e and drawn C ap ta in

, .

J ea nn i o t tur n ed slowly to th e left a n d wal ked up

to the su n dial The pedestal r ep re sen t ed the figure
-
.

o f a m a n with a power ful to rso who bo re on hi s ,

shoulders a marble sl ab the surf a c e o f wh ich had

been so much wor n by tim e that we could ha r dly di s
tin gu i sh the e n graved li n es th a t m a r ked the ho urs .

Above the S lab a C upid with outs p rea d wi ngs held

, , ,

a n arrow tha t se rv ed as a g n om o n .

T he captai n stood le ani ng f o rward fo r a minute ,

with atte n tive eyes .

Then he said :
S omebody le n d m e a kn i fe pl ease , .

A clock i n the n eighborhood str uck two At that .

exact mome n t the shadow of the ar row wa s thro wn

,

upon the su nlit dial along the li n e o f a cr ack in the

marble which divided the slab ve ry n e arly i n h al f .

The c aptai n too k th e k nife ha n de d to him And .

with the p oi n t very ge n tly he began to scra tch the

, ,

mixture of earth and moss th at fi lled the na rrow

cleft .

Almost immediately at a co up l e o f i nches fro m

,

the edge he stopped as though his kn i fe ha d en

, ,

cou n tered a n obstacle i n serted his thumb a nd fo re

,

finger a n d withdrew a small ob j ect whi ch he rubb ed

betwee n the palms of his ha n d s a nd ga ve to the
la wyer
Here M ai tre V al andi er S omething to go o n
,
.

with .

It was a n e n ormous di a m ond the si z e o f a ha zel ,

nut a nd beauti fully cut .

 TH E S IG N OF TH E S H A DO W 287

The apt a i n re sumed his work The n ex t m o

c .

m en t a fresh stop A seco n d di a mo n d m a gnifice n t

,
.
,

and brilliant as the fi rst app eared i n S i ght

, .

And then came a third a n d a fourt h .

I n a mi nute s time followi n g the cr a ck from one

’
,

edge to the other and certai nly without di ggi ng

deeper tha n half a n inch the captai n ha d ta k e n out
,

eigh tee n diamonds of the same si z e .

D uri n g this mi nute the re wa s n ot a cry n ot a

, ,

movement arou n d the sun di al The heir s seemed -

.

paralyzed with a sort o f stupo r T he n the fa t .

g e n tl e ma n muttered :

Gemi ny !
An d th e corporal mo a n ed
O h captai n !
, O h capt a i n ! ,

The two sisters fell in a dead f a i n t The l ady .

with the little dog drop p ed o n her kn ee s a nd pr ayed ,

w hil e t h e footm a n staggering li ke a drunk e n m an

, ,

h e l d h is head i n his two ha n d s a nd Lou is e d E rne

,
’

mo n t wept .

W h e n calm was restored a n d a ll b e ca m e eager to

t h a nk C aptai n Jea nn io t th ey saw t ha t he wa s go n e
, .

S ome years p a ssed before I ha d pp o rtu ni t y an o

o f ta l king to Lupi n about thi s bu si n e ss He wa s .

in a confid e ntial v ein a n d a n swer ed

“
The b u siness of the ei ghtee n di amo n ds? B y
Jo ve when I thi nk th a t three o r fou r gen er a ti o n s o f
,

m y f ell ow men had bee n hu n ti n g for the so l u tio n !

-

An d th e e ight e e n diamonds wer e th ere a ll the ti me ,

u n d e r a little mud a n d dust !

288 FA M O U S DETECTIVE ST OR IE S
But how did you guess ?
I d i d n ot guess I reflected I do ub t i f I need . .

even ha v e reflected I was stru ck from the b egi n .

,

ning by the fact that the whole ci rcum st a n ce wa s

,

go v erned by o ne prima ry questio n : the qu est i o n o f

time W hen Ch arles d E rn em o nt wa s still i n p o s
.
’

se s sion of h is wits he wrote a date upo n the thr ee ,

pi ctures Later in the gloom in which he was

.
,

str u ggling a fai n t glimmer of i n tell i ge n c e l ed him

,

e v ery y e ar to t h e cente r of the old ga rde n ; a nd the

sam e fai n t glimmer led him a way from it ev e ry year

at t he same mome n t t h at is to say a t twe n t y seven , ,

-

m inutes past fi v e S omethi n g must have a c ted on

.

t h e disordered machi n e ry of his br a i n i n thi s way .

W hat was t h e superior fo rc e that co n trolled the p o or

madma n s movement s ? Obviously the i n sti n cti ve
’
,

notion o f time represented by the sun dial i n the -

farmer ge n eral s pictures It wa s the an nu a l rev o lu

-
’
.

tion of t h e earth around the su n that brought C ha rles

d E rn em o nt back to t h e gard en at a fi xed date
’
A nd .

it was the eart h s daily revolutio n upon its own a x i s

’

that took him from it at a fixed hour that i s to say , ,

at t he hour mo st like l y when the su n co n ce a le d by

, , ,

obj e cts d i ff ere n t from those of to day ceased to l ight -

,

the P a ssy garden Now o f all this the sun di a l was

.
-

the s ym bol A nd that is why I at o nce kn ew where

. .

”
to look .

But how did you settle the hour at which to b egi n

loo king ?
S imply by the pic tu res A m a n livi ng a t that .

time such as C ha rle s d E rnem ont would have wri t

,
’
,
290 FAMO U S DETECTI VE ST ORI ES
a nd amazi n g h is ki n d woul d be enou gh to mak e him
”
co m mi t any sort o f folly .

Tah ! I cri e d The folly wa s n ot so grea t

.

as al l that S ix magn i fi cent di amo n ds ! Ho w d e

.

lighted the d E rn em o nt h eirs must have b ee n to ful fill

’

th e ir part of th e contract !
Lupi n loo ked at me a n d bur st i n to u nco n tr o l l abl e
laugh t e r
S o you haven t heard ? O h what a j o k e ! The
’
,

d e light o f t h e d E rnem o nt heirs ! W hy my

’
,

dear fellow on the n ext day that worthy C a p ta i n

, ,

J e a nn i o t h ad so many mortal enemies ! O n the v ery

n e xt day the two l e an sister s and the fat ge n tl em a n
,

organiz e d a n opposition A co n tr a ct ? N o t wo rth .

t he pap e r it was writte n o n because as could e a si ly , ,

be proved there was no such perso n a s C a p ta in

,

J ea nn i o t . W here did t h at adventure r spri n g f ro m ?

Ju st l e t him sue them a n d they d soo n S h o w him wha t ’

was what !
”
Loui se d E rn em o n t too ? ’

No Loui se d E rnem o nt protested a ga i n st tha t

,
’

piece o f rascality But w h at could she do a ga i n st so

.

many ? Besi d es now that she was ri ch she go t

, ,
”
back her you ng man I have n t he a rd o f her since .
’
.

So
S o my dear fellow I wa s caught i n a t r a p with
, , ,

n ot a leg to stand on a n d I had to comp r o m i se a nd ,

acc e pt one mode st d i amond as my sh a re the sm a l l est ,

and the least handsome o f the lot Th a t com es o f .

doing one s bes t to help people !

’

An d L up i n grumbled betw een hi s te eth

 TH E S IG N O F THE S H AD O W 29 1

O h gratitu d e !
, Al l
humbu g ! Where
shoul d w e hon e st men be i f we had no t ou r co n scie nce
an d t h e s a tisfactio n o f duty pe rfo rmed to reward
”
us ?
29 4 FAM OUS DETE CTIVE STORIE S
N a rk o m , at the othe r en d of the li n e ca ll ed b a ck ,

I f I miss him i f he come s in wi thout seei n g m e tell

, ,

him to wait ; I ll be round befo re t hree Go o d

’
.

by l t h e n hung up the r e c e i ve r a n d tu r n e d to the

gentlema n w h o stood by the window o n the o ther
side o f th e pri v ate o ffi ce a gi tate dly twirli n g the end
o f his t h ick gray threaded mustache with on e ha nd
-
,

w hile with the other he drummed a n ervo u s t a t to o

upo n the bro a d oa k en sill Not a t ho m e Sir .
,

H e nry ; but fortu n at e ly I k now wh e re to fi nd him

”
with but little loss o f time he said a nd p ressed , ,

twice U pon a n ele ctric butto n beside his des k My .

motor wi l l be at t h e door in a cou p le o f mi nu tes and ,

with ordi n a ry lu ck we ought to be able to p i ck hi m up

”
inside o f the next h al f hour .

S ir He n ry Si r Hen ry Wildi ng B a r t to give him ,

.
,

his full n a me a n d titl e a h a nds o me well set u p man ,

-

of about forty yea rs of age well groomed an d wi th , ,

the uprigh t hea ri ng which comes o f milit a ry tr a ining ,

t wi sted round o n his heel a t this and gav e the su p er

i n ten d en t a n almost grateful loo k .

I hope so God knows I hope so M r N a rk o m

, , , .
,
“
he said agitatedly Time i s the o n e i mp o rt an t
.

thing at prese n t The suspe n se a nd u n cer tai n ty are

.

getti n g o n my n erves so horribly tha t the v ery

minutes s e em e n dless R emember the re a re o nly
.
,

three days before the race a n d i f those ra scal s who

, ,

ever th ey are get at Black R iot befo re then God

, ,
’
h e lp me that s a ll ! An d i f thi s m a n C lee k can t
,
’

probe the diabolical mystery they wi ll get a t her t oo , , ,

a n d p ut Loga n whe re they put Tolliver the b ru tes ! ,

 TH E M Y ST E R Y O F TH E STEEL ROO M 29 5

You may trust C leek to see that they don t S i r ’

,

He n ry It i s ju st the kind of ca se h e will glory in ;

.

and i f Bl ack R iot is all t h at you b el ie v e h e r you ll ,

’

car ry Ofl the D erby plate i n spite o f t h ese en terp ri s

’
i n g g e ntry who Ha l lo ! her e s the motor Cl ap .

o n your hat S ir Hen ry a n d come along Mind the

, , .

st e p ! Kensingto n P a l ac e Gardens Le n n a rd a nd ,
”
as fa st as you ca n streak it .

The c h au ffeur pro v ed that he could strea k it a s

clo se to th e margi n o f th e sp e ed limits as the law
dared wink at eve n i n the case o f the well k now n red
.
-

limousine a n d i n a little over twenty minute s pulled

,

up before the p ark gates N a rko m j umped o u t.

,

beckoned S ir Hen ry to fo ll o w him an d togethe r they ,

hurri ed i n to the grounds i n quest o f C leek .

Wh e re the famou s tulip beds made splotches o f

b ri ll ia n t color a g ainst the clear emer a ld o f the closely
c l ipp e d grass they c a me upo n him a solita ry figure ,

i n the garb o f the elderly seama n C a pt a i n Bur ,

”
bag e o f C l a rges S treet seated o n one of the garde n
, ,

b e n che s his hands fol d ed ove r the kn ob of his thick

,

wa lk ing stick and his c h i n restin g upon t h em staring

-
,

fi x edl y at t h e go rgeou s flowers a n d apparentl y de a f

an d b l ind to all else .

H e wa s n ot however for a s the superi n tende n t

, ,

approa ch e d without altering his ga z e o r his attitude

in t he sli ght e st pa rticle he said with the utmost c a lm
,

n e ss : S u perb are they n ot my frie n d ? What a

, ,

p i ty t he y should be scentles s It i s a s though .

H e a v e n had created a butterfly a nd deprived it of

t h e secret o f flight W a lk o n ple a se wi tho u t a d
.
, ,
296 FAMOUS DETE CTI VE STORIES
dre ssing m e I am quit e frie n dly wi th tha t p o li ce
.

ma n yonde r and I do n ot wish him to su sp ect that

,

the elderly ge n tlema n he i s so kind to i s in a ny way

co n nected with t h e Y a rd E xami n e the tu l i p s . .

That s right You came in yo ur li m ou si ne o f

’
.
,

course ? W here is it ?
Just outsid e the gates a t the end o f the p a th on ,

t h e right rep l ied N a rk o m ha l ting wi th Si r Henry

”
, ,

a n d app e aring to be wholly absorbed in po in ti n g out

the di ff erent var i eties of tulips .

”
Good r e plied C leek app a re n tly t ak i ng n o t the
, ,
“
sligh test n otice I ll toddle on p resen tly a nd
.
’
,

wh en you return from inspecti n g the fl o we rs yo u will

”
fin d me insid e the moto r aw a iti n g you .

D O o l d c h ap a n d ple a se hu rry ; t i m e i s ev ery

, ,

thing in this case Let me i n troduce you to yo u r

.

client.
( Keep looking at the flowers p le a se Si r , ,

H e nry ) I have th e ho n o r to ma k e you a cq u a i n ted

.

wit h S ir Henry W ildi n g C lee k ; he n e ed s yo u m y , ,

”
d e a r f e llow .

D elighted i n both insta n ces My co m p l i .

m en ts S ir He n ry By any chan ce th a t Si r H en ry
, .

W i ld ing w h o se mare Black R iot i s the f avo ri te for

, ,

n ext Wednesday s D erby ? ’

Yes t h a t v ery man M r C leek ; a n d i f

, , .

D o n t get ex cited a n d do n t tu rn p l ea se ; o ur
’ ’

,
,

fri en d t he po l iceman is looki n g this way W ha t s .

’

t he case ? O ne of n obbling ? S omebo dy t rying ’

to g e t a t t h e mare ?
Yes A de sperate somebody who doesn t
.
’
,
’

stop eve n at murder A v ery devil inc a rn a te wha .

29 8 FAM O U S DETECT IVE STORI ES
n ight i n comp a ny with him Y ou a re his o nly hope
.

o f outwitti n g a di abolical agency whi ch ha s set o u t to

get at t h e horse and p ut it ou t of commiss i o n b e fore
D erby D a y and i n the most myste riou s the m o st
, ,

i n scrutable man n e r e v er hea rd of my d ea r chap , .

Already one groom who sat up to watch wi th her has

been killed ano the r hopele ssly pa ra lyz ed a n d to
, ,

night Loga n the mare s trai n er is to sit up wi th her

,
’
,

i n t h e e ff ort to balk the a lrn o st superhuma n ra scal

who is at t h e bottom o f it all C onceive i f yo u ca n .
, ,

my dear fe l low a power so cra fty so diabolic a l that

, , ,

it gets i n to a locked and guarded stable get s i n my , ,

d e ar C l e ek despite four me n co n stantly p a ci ng b ack

,

a n d forth before each and eve ry window a nd door

t h at lead s into the place a n d with a gro om o n gua rd
in side and then g e ts out agai n i n the same m ysteri ous
,

man n er with out havi n g been seen o r heard by a l i v i ng

soul In a d dition to all the window s bei ng sm a ll a nd
.

cover e d wi th a grille o f iro n a f a ct whi ch wo ul d ,

ma k e it impossible for a ny one to get i n or o u t once

t h e d oors were closed and guarded S i r He n ry him ,

s el f wi ll t ell you that t h e stable has b e en r a n sa ck ed

fro m top to bottom every hole a nd ev ery co rn er
,

probe d i n to an d not a li v ing creatu re of a ny so rt di s

,

co ve red Y e t only last night the groo m T o l l iver

.
, ,

wa s s e t upon i n si d e the place a n d k ill ed o u tri ght in

his e ff ort s to prot e ct the horse ; killed C l eek wi th , ,

fo u r m e n p a tro l ing out side and willing to swea r,

,

each an d e ve ry one of t h em that n othing a n d n o o n e

, ,

e ith e r man wo m a n chi l d or be a s t p a s sed them

, , , ,

going in o r getting out from su n set un til d awn .

 TH E M Y STERY O F TH E STEEL ROO M 299

Hum m l sai d C le e k su cking i n h is l ower lip

- -
, .

Myst e r i o u s to sa y t he le a st W as t he re n o stru g
,
.

gle ? D id the m e n o n guar d h e ar no cry ?

In t h e case o f the first groom Mu rp l e the o n e , ,

t h at was paralyz e d — ”
no sai d S ir Henry as the , ,

qu e stion wa s addressed to him But in the case o f .

To ll iv e r yes The men heard him cry out heard

.
,

him ca ll out help ! but by the time they could get

t h e door s op en it was a l l over He was lyi n g .

d oubl e d up before the e n tra n ce to Bla ck R iot s stal l ’

,

with his face to the floo r a s dead a s Julius C aesa r , ,

”
poor f e llow and n ot a S ign of anybody anywhere
, .

A n d the horse ? D id anybody get at t h at ?

No ; for the best o f reaso n s As soo n a s these .

a ttacks began M r C le e k I sent up to Lo n do n A

,
.
, .

gang of twenty four m en came down with steel -

,
’
p l ate s steel j oists steel posts and i n seve n hours
, , ,

time B lack R iot s box was co n verted int o a so rt of

’

sa f e to which I alone hold the key the instant it i s

,

locke d up for the n ight A steel grille abou t h a lf a .

foot d e ep and so tightl y meshed that nothi n g bigge r

,

t h an a mouse could pass thro u gh ru n s all round the ,

enc l osure close to t h e top of the W alls and this sup ,

p l ies ve ntilation Wh e n the door is closed a t n ight

.
,

it automatically co n nects itself with an electric go n g

i n my ow n bedroom so that the s l ightest attemp t to ,

ope n it or ev e n to touch it would hammer out an

, ,

alarm c l ose to my head .

Has i t ever do n e so ?
Y es last n ight whe n Tolliver wa s k ill ed
, , .

How kille d Si r He n ry ? S tabbed or shot ?

,
300 FAM OUS D ET ECT IV E STORIES
Neither He appeared to have been stra n gl ed
.
,
”
p oo r fel l ow a n d to h ave d ied i n most awfu l a go ny
, .

S tra n gled ! But my dea r si r that wo uld ha rdl y

, ,

have bee n possible in so short a time You sa y yo u r .

men h e ard him call out for help Gra n ted tha t i t .

took th e m a full minute a n d it probably di d n o t

ta ke t h em ha l f o n e to open the doors a n d co m e ,

to his assista n ce he would n ot be sto n e de a d in so

,

s h ort a tim e ; a n d he was sto n e dead when they g o t

in I b e li ev e you said ?
,

Y e s God knows what killed him the co ro n er

.
,

wi ll find that out no doubt but there wa s no b l o o d

, ,
”
sh e d and n o mark upon him th a t I could see .

Hum m m ! Was th e re any m a rk o n the d o o r

- -

o f the st e el stall ?
Y e s A l o n g scrat ch somewhat semi ci rcu l a r
.
,
-
,

and sw ee ping downward at the lowe r extremi ty It .

b e gan clo se to the lock a nd e n ded abo ut a f o o t a nd

”
a half l ow e r .

U n d oubt ed ly you see C leek put i n N a rko m

, , , ,

som e one tri ed to force an e ntra n ce to the steel

room and get at the mare but the prompt a rri v al ,

o f th e me n on gu ard outside t h e stable pr even ted

”
his d oing so .

Clee k mad e no r e spo n se Just at tha t m o m en t.

th e l imou sin e was g lid ing past a buildi n g wh o se

courtyard wa s o n e b l aze o f parrot tulips an d hi s eye , ,

caugh t by the fl aming colors he wa s stari n g a t them ,

a n d refl ectiv ely rubbing his t h umb and fore fi nger up

an d dow n his chin Aft e r a mome n t howeve r :
.
,
”
Tell me somethi ng S ir He n ry , he sa i d ,
302 FA M OUS DETEC TI VE S TOR IES
bor as well a s a rival fo r the Derby p l ate I see ! .

I see !
I:
No you do n t ,
— alto gethe r sa id Sir Henry’
,

quickly Lambso n Bowle s is a b ru t e a n d a

.
-

bou n de r i n many ways but well I do n t bel ieve he , ,

’

is low dow n enough to do thi s sort of thi ng a n d

-
,

with murde r attached to it too a l thou gh he did t ry , ,

to bribe poo r Tolliver to leave me O ff ered my .

trainer double wages too to chuck m e and take up , ,

”
his horses .

Oh he did that did he ? S u re o f i t S i r

, , ,
”
He n ry ?
“
Absolutely S aw the le tter he wrote to .

”
Lo ga n .

Hum m m l F eel th a t you can rely on Lo ga

- -

do you ?
To the las t gas p He s as true to m e a s my .
’

ow n s h adow I f you wa n t p roof of it Mr C leek

.
, .
,

he s goi n g to sit i n the stable and keep gu a rd him

’

s e lf to night i n the face O f wh a t h app e ned to Murp l e

-
,
”
a n d Tolliver .

Mu rp l e is the groom who was p a ralyzed is he ,

”
not ? sai d C le ek a ft e r a mome n t S i ngul a r
, .

thi n g that What para l y z ed him do you thi nk ?

.
,

H e av en kn ows He might j ust as well have .

b e e n killed as poor T ollive r was fo r he l l never b e ,

’

any u se agai n the doctors sa y So me i nj ury to the

, .

spi n a l colum n a nd with it a curious a ff ect io n o f the

,

throat and tongue He ca n n either sw all ow n or .

speak Nourishm en t has to be admi n iste red b y tube

.
,
”
a nd the to n gue is ho rribly swo l l en .
 TH E M Y STERY O F TH E STEEL ROO M 303

I am of the opi n io n C lee k p ut i n N a rkom , , ,

that stra n gulation is mere ly p art of the procedure

o f th e rascal who makes these diabolical n octu rn al
vi sits In other words that he is armed wi th so m e
.
,

q u i ck acti n g i n fer n al poiso n which he force s i n t o

-
,

the mo u ths of his v ictims That p a ralysi s o f the .

muscl e s of the throat is o n e o f the symptom s of p ru s

”
sic aci d poiso n ing you must remember , .

“ ”
I do remember M r N a rk o m re p lied C le ek , .
,

enigmatically M y memo ry is much stimulated by

.

th e se d e tails I assure you I gathe r fro m th em

,
.

that w h atever is admi n istered Mu rpl e di d n ot get

, ,

q u ite so much o f it as Tolliver or he too w ould be , , ,

de ad S ir He n ry
. he turned agai n to the b a ro n e t
do you trust everybody else co nn ect ed with yo u r
”
establ i shme n t as m uch as yo u trust Lo ga n ?
Y e s There s n ot a serva n t co nnected with the
.
’

hall t h at has n t bee n i n my se rvice fo r yea r s and all

’
,

ar e loya l to me .

May I as k who else is i n the ho use be si des the

s e rv ants ?
“
My wi fe Lady W il di n g fo r o ne ; her cou si n
, , ,

M r S h arpless who is o n a visit to us for a n other ;

.
, ,

an d fo r a third my u n cle the R ev Ambro se S me er , , .

,
”
the f amous revivalist .

M r S meer doe s n o t approv e of the ra ce track

.
,
”
o f cours e ?

N 0 he does n ot He i s absu rdly na rrow on

, .

som e s u b j ects and spor t o f all so rts i s one o f

,
’

th e m But beyo n d that he i s a dea r l ovabl e ol d

.
, , , ,
”
fe ll ow o f whom I am ama z i ngl y fond
, .
304 FA M OUS DETE C TI VE ST ORIES
H um mm l An d L a dy Wildi ng and Mr
- -
.

Sh a rpless do they too dis a pprove of racin g ?

, , ,

Q u ite to the co n tra ry Both a re en thu si astic .

upo n t h e sub j ect a n d both h ave the u tmo st f a i th in

Black R iot s certai n ty of wi nn i ng La dy W il di ng
’
.

is somethi n g more tha n attached to the m a re ; a n d

as for Mr S harpless he is so upset o ver these ra s
.
,

cally attempts that every mor n in g whe n the steel

room is ope n ed a n d the a nimal ta k e n out a l th o u gh ,

n othing ever happe n s i n the daylight he won t l et ,

’

her get out o f his S ight for a sin gle i n sta nt until she
is groomed a n d locke d up for the n ight He i s so .

ince n sed so worked up over this di abolic al bu si ness

, ,

that I verily believe i f he caught a ny str anger co m

”
i n g ne ar t h e mare he d s h oot him i n his tr a cks ’
.

Hum m m l said C leek abstr a ctedly a nd then

- -
,

sat S ile n t for a lon g time st a ring at his sp ats an d

movi n g one t humb slowly round the br ea dth o f the
othe r his fingers interlaced a n d his lower lip p u shed
,

upward over the one above .

“
Th ere t h at s the case C lee k s a id N a rko m
,
’
, , ,

aft e r a time D o you make a nythi n g ou t o f

.

”
it ?
Y e s he replied ; I ma k e a good d eal o ut o f i t
, ,

Mr N a rk o m but like the l anguage o f the m a n who

.
, ,

stepp e d on the banana skin it isn t fit for publ ica ,

’

tion O ne q u estio n more S ir Hen ry Heave n fo r

.
, .

bi d i t o f co u rse but i f anyt h ing should happ en to

, ,

Logan to night who wou l d you p ut o n guard o ver

-
,

the horse to morrow ? -

D o you think I could persuade an ybod y if a

306 FAM OUS DETE CTIVE ST ORIE S
to the stables o f Wildi n g Hall a n d the ba ro net a nd ,

his gray headed bespectacled a n d gra y sp a tted co m

-
,
-

p anio n a lighted having take n five ho u r s a nd a

,

quarter to ma k e a j our n ey which the tr a i ns wh ich

run daily betwee n Liverpool S t reet a nd D a rsham

m a k e i n four .

A S a matter o f f a ct howeve r the y reall y ha d o u t

, ,
’
stripped the trai n but it had bee n C lee k s pl ea sure
,

to make two calls o n the way o n e at S ax mu ndham , ,

where the p araly z ed Mu rp l e lay i n the infi rm ary o f

the l ocal practitio n er the other at the mo rtu a ry
,

where the body of Tolliver was ret a i n ed aw a iti ng the ,

sitting o f the co ro n er B oth the dead a n d the st ill

.

livi n g ma n C lee k had sub j ected to a critical pe rso n a l

ex amin a tio n but whether eithe r fur n ished him wi th
,

a ny suggested clew he di d not say The o nl y t e .

mark he m a de u p on the sub j ect was whe n Si r H enry ,

o n hea ri n g from Mu rp le s wi fe th at the docto r ha d

’

said he would probab ly not last the week out ha d ,

i n quired i f the woman knew where to put her h an d

on the receipt for the payme n t o f the last premi um ,

so that her claim coul d be se n t i n to the li fe a ssu r

”
ance comp a ny without delay whe n the e n d ca me .

Tell me somet h ing S ir He n ry ”s a id C l eek

, , ,

whe n he heard that a n d n oticed how grat efully the

,

woman look ed at the baronet whe n she repli ed ,

Yes S i r He n ry God bless you S i r !

, , Tel l m e , ,

i f it is n ot a n impertine n t questio n did you t ake o u t ,

a n i n sura n ce policy on Mu rp l e s life a n d pay t he

’

premi u m o n it yoursel f ? I gathered the idea that

you did from the m a nn er i n which the wom an sp o ke
”
to yo u .
 TH E M Y STER Y O F THE STEEL ROO M 307

Y es I did replied S ir He n ry
, , As a matter .

o f fact I tak e out a similar policy payable to the

, ,

wi d ow for eve ry married ma n I employ in co nn ec

,

tion with m y racing stud .

”
May I ask why ?
W e ll for one thi n g they usu a lly a re to o poo r
, ,

a n d have too ma n y childre n to support to be able to

take it ou t for th e ms e l v es a n d exercisi n g racers ha s,
’
a good m any risks Then for a n other thi n g I m
.
, ,

a firm beli ev er in the policy o f li fe assura n ce It s .

’

ju st so mu ch money laid up i n safety a n d o n e neve r ,

”
k n ows what may happe n .

“
Then it is fair said C lee k to suppo se in
, , ,

that case that you have t a k e n out one o n y ou r own

,
”
life ?
Yes rather ! An d a whacking big o n e to o , .

And Lady Wildi n g is o f cours e the b ene , ,

fi ci a ry ?
“
Ce rtainly There a re n o childre n you kno w
.
, .

A s a m atter o f fact we have bee n married o n ly seve n

,

months Be fo re the date o f my wedding the poli cy

.

wa s in my U ncle Ambrose s the R ev M r Sm eer s

’ ’
, . .
,

f a v o rf
’

Ah I see ! said C leek refl ectively The n fell

, .

to th inking dee p l y o v er the subject and was s till ,

thinking o f it whe n the motor whiz z ed into the

st a b l eya rd at Wi l d ing Ha l l a n d brought him i n t o

conta ct f o r t he fir st time with the trainer Log a n , .

H e did n t m u ch fa ncy Logan at first blush and

’

,
’
Logan d i d n t fancy him at all at any time .

Hur ! h e sai d disgustedly i n a stage aside to ,

308 FAM O U S DET ECT IVE STORIES
hi s master as C lee k stood o n the thresho l d o f the
stable wit h hi s head thrown back a n d his chi n a t a n
,

a n gle sni fli n g the air somewhat a fter the ma nn er o f

,

a bird dog -
Hur ! If u n s the best Scotland Y a rd
.
’

could let out to ye S i r a half b a k ed old sof t y l i k e

, ,
-

that th e rest of em must be a blessed p o o r lo t

,
’
,

Ah m thinkin
’
W hat s u n doi n n ow the no o dl e ?
’
.
’ ’
,

snu fli n the ai r l ike he did n ot underst and the

’

sm e ll of it ! He d not be ex p ectin a st abl e to b e

’ ’

scente d with eau de col o gn e would he ? Wh at s u n ,

’

n am e sir ? ,

C l e ek .

Hur ! S ounds like a golf stick an Ah ve n o -

’ ’

doubt he s got a h ea d li k e one : m ai n thick a nd wi th

’

a twist i n nu I d u n n a like tecs Si r He n ry a nd I

.
’
, ,
’
du nn a like t h is one especial W ho s to tell a s he .

are n t i n with they de v ils a s i s afte r B lack R i o t ?

’

”
N aw ! I d u nna like him at all .

M ea n time s e re ne ly unco n scious o f the di spl ea s

,
’
ure he ha d e xcited i n Loga n s breast C leek went o n ,
“ ”
sn i fli n g th e air an d poking about as he phr a sed ,

it in all corners of t h e stable ; a n d when a m o m en t

, ,

later S ir H en ry went i n and j oined him he wa s

, ,

sta n ding before the door of the steel room ex a m i n

i n g t h e curving scratch o f which the baro n e t ha d
spo ke n .

W hat d o you make of i t Mr C lee k ? , .

Not much in th e way of a clew S ir He n ry a cl ew , ,

to a n y po ssibl e i n tr u der I mea n If your a rti stic , .

’
soul hadn t rebel l ed against bare ste e l which woul d , ,

of course have soo n rusted i n thi s a mmo n i a imp reg

,
-
31 0 FAM O U S DET ECTIV E ST OR IE S
Ah ! The n who co n n ected with the ha ll has
bee n ?
”
O h I see what you are drivi n g a t sa i d Sir
, ,

He n ry followi n g the di rectio n of hi s g a z e

, That .

Patagonian p l ant eh ? That belonged to p o o r Tol

,

l iver . He had a stra n ge fa n cy fo r ferns a nd rock

plants and thi n gs o f that descriptio n a n d a s that ,

particu la r specime n h appens to be o n e t h a t d o es bet

ter in the atmosphere o f a stabl e th an el sewhere he ,
”
kept it i n here .

“
W ho told him that it doe s b ett er i n the at
”
m o sp here o f a stable ?
Lady W ildi n g s cousi n Mr Sh a rp l ess It was
’
, . .

he who g ave Tolliver the p la n t .

O ho ! The n Mr S ha rpless ha s b een to South.

A merica has he ? ,

W hy yes A s a m a tte r o f f a ct he com es from

, .
,

there ; so also does Lady Wildi n g I sh o u l d have .

thought you would have remember ed th a t Mr , .

C leek w h e n
,
But perhap s you h a v e n ever
hear d ? She they they that i s sta mm er ,

ing co n fu se dly a nd coloring to the t emp le s u p to ,

seven mo n ths ago M r C leek Lady W ildi ng wa s on

, .
,

the er — m u sic hall stage S he a n d Mr S ha rp

-
. .

less were kn own as S ign o r M ora n do an d L e B ell e

C reole a n d the y did a livi n g statue tu rn to gether .

It wa s highl y artistic ; p e ople raved ; I er fell

i n love with the lady a n d that s all ! ’

But it was n t ; for C lee k readi n g betw een the li nes

’
, ,

saw that the mad i n fatuatio n which had b rought the

lady a titl e and an over ge ne rous h usb an d ha d sim -
 T HE M Y ST E R Y OF TH E S T EE L RO OM 31 1

m e red d o wn a s su ch th i ng s a l way s d o soon e r o r

l a t e r an d t h at t he m arr i a g e wa s ve ry far f ro m b ei ng
a h a p p y o n e A S a m att e r o f f a ct he le a rn ed l at e r
.
,

th a t the co u nty to a w o m an h a d re fu sed to a cccp t

, ,

L a d y Wildi ng ; t h at her l a d y sh i p ch afing u n de r t h i s ,

o st ra ci sm w a s f o r h a vi ng a n u m b e r of he r o ld p ro
,

f essi o n a l f rie n d s co m e d own to vi si t he r an d mak e

a ti m e O f i t an d that on S ir H e nry s obj e cting a
, ,
’
,

vi o le n t q u a rrel h a d e n su ed an d t he R ev A m brose , .

S m ee r h a d co m e d o wn to t he h a l l i n t he e ff ort to
m a k e p e a ce An d he l e arn ed so m e t hi ng el se t h at
.

n i h t whi ch ga ve hi m f oo d for dee p re fl e ction : th e

g
R ev Am b ro se S m ee r too ha d b ee n to S outh
.
, ,

A m e ri ca Whe n h e m et th at g e ntl e m an i n spite of

.
,

t he f a ct t h a t S ir H e n ry t h o u gh t so highly of him ,

an d i t wa s kno wn that hi s r eviv a l m ee tings had d one

a w o rld o f goo d C l ee k d i d not fancy th e R e v Am
, .

b ro se S m ee r any mor e t h an he fancied the trainer ,

L o ga n .

B ut e t u r n to t he p re s e nt B y t h is tim e the
to r .

l a te f a lli n g tw ili gh t O f Ma y h a d b e g un to cl o se i n
-
,

a n d p re se n t l y a s t he d ay wa s now d on e an d the

n i g ht a p ro a chi n g Logan led i n Bl a ck R i ot f ro m

p
t he p a d d o ck f o ll o w ed b y a s li m sa ll o w f e ature d
, ,
-
,

sm a ll m u st a ched
-
man b e a ring a S h ot gun an d
, ,

d ressed i n g ra y tw eed s S ir Henry who it was .

, ,

p l a i n t o s ee h a d ,a l i king for the m a n introd u ced ,

t hi s n e wco m e r to C l ee k a s the S o u t h American Mr , .

A n d rew Sh a rp le ss .

Th a t s th e E nglish o f it M r C leek said t he

“ ’
, .
,

l a t t e r j o vi a ll y b u t with an undoubted Spani sh tw ist

,
31 2 FAM OUS DET E CTIV E ST OR I ES
to the to n gu e I wou l dn t ha v e you r i sk b reaki ng
.
’

your j aw w i th the Brazilia n origi n a l D eli g h t ed to .

m e et yo u S i r I hope to Heave n yo u will g et a t the

, .

bottom of th i s diabolical thi n g Wha t do yo u th ink .

,
’
He n ry ? Lambso n Bowles s j o ck ey was o ver i n this -

neighborhood this aft e rnoo n Tryi ng t o see how .

Black R i ot shapes of course the b o u n d er ! For , ,

tu n a tel y I saw him S kulking alo n g o n the o ther side

,

O f the he d ge a n d gave him two mi n utes i n wh ich to

,

make hi m self sca rce I f he had n t if he ha d come .

’
,

a step n earer to the mare I d have sh o t hi m d own ,

’

lik e a dog That s right Loga n put her up f o r the

.
’
, ,
”
n ight old chap a n d I ll get out you r b ed di n g
, ,
’
.

Aye said Logan through hi s cla m p ed teeth

, , ,

and God hel p ma n or devil that co me s a n igh her -

thi s n ight God help him Lu nn o n Mister tha t s

.
, ,
’

a ll Ah say ! The n he passed i n to the steel ro om

wit h the mare attend ed her for the n i gh t a n d com
, , ,

ing out a min u te o r two later lock ed her up a nd gave ,

S ir He n ry t he key .

B rok e h e r a n d trai n e d her Ah did ; a nd wil l In ,

’
to di e for h e r Ah am if Ah ca n t pull un thro ugh
, ,
”
no oth e r way he sai d pa u si ng be fore C l eek and
, ,

gi v ing him a black look A D erby wi nner her s .

’

cut out for Lu nn o n M ister a n d a D erby wi n ner

, ,

h e r s goi n to be i n spite of all the L amb so n

’ ’
,

B o wl eses and the low down horse n obbler s i n C h ri s - -

t en do m ! Then he switc h ed rou n d an d wa lk ed

over to S harpless who h ad take n a pill ow a n d a ,

bu n dle o f blankets fro m the co n ve n ie n t cup b o a rd ,

a n d wa s making a b ed of them o n the flo o r a t the

foot of the locked steel doo r .
31 4 FAM O U S DET E CTIVE STOR I E S
You must let him have his way A n d i n sp i t e of .
,

a l l Logan s pleading C l e ek did have his wa y

’
, .

Prot e sting s wearing almost weeping the t rai ner

, , ,

was turn ed out and the d o o rs closed lea v i ng C l eek ,

a l one in the stable ; and the last Loga n a n d S i r He n r

y
sa w of h im until h e came out and re j oi n e d the m

h e was stan d ing i n the middle of the flo o r wi th his ,

hand s o n both hips sta rin g fixedl y at the i m p r o m p tu

,

be d i n front of the ste e l room doo r -

.

Put o n the guard now a n d s e e tha t n o body go es

”
into the place u n til mo rn ing Si r Hen ry he sa i d , , ,

w he n he came out and re j oined them so m e m i nu tes

l at e r . Logan you S illy fellow you ll do n o go o d
, ,
’

figh t i ng against Fate M ake the best o f i t an d sto p

.

”
W h ere you ar e .

That nigh t Cl eek met Lady Wildi n g fo r the fi rst

ti m e H e foun d h e r what h e a fterward t erm e d a
.

sp le ndid anima l beautiful statue sq ue mor e o f J u no

, , ,

t h an of Venus a n d fre el y e n dowed with the l a n gu o r

,

Ou s t e mperame n t and the sple n did earth y lo v eli n ess

whi ch grows now he re but u n der tropica l ski es a n d

in the sh a d ow of palm groves and the flame o f ca c
tu s flowers She showed him bu t scant c o ur t esy
.
,

h ow eve r for S he was but a poo r hostess a nd a f ter

, ,

d inner carried her cou si n away to the billiard ro o m -

,

an d l e ft h er h usband to e n tertain the R ev Am b r o se .

an d the det e ctive as best he could C lee k n eed ed .

but little entertaining however fo r i n sp i t e o f hi s , ,

se r e nity he wa s full of the case o n ha n d a n d k ep t ,

wandering i n and o u t of th e house a n d upstai rs a nd

d ow n until eleve n o clock came a n d bed cl a imed hi m
’

with the res t .

 TH E M Y STERY O F TH E ST EEL ROO M 31 5

Hi s last wak e fu l recollectio n was o f the clo ck i n

the l ow e r corridor striking the first qua rter after
e l e ve n ; th en s lee p c l aim ed him an d he kn e w no more ,

u n ti l a l l t he st i lln e s s was su d d e nly shattere d by a

lo u d v oi ced gong ham m e ring ou t an alarm and the

-

S oun d o f p e op le tu m b li ng o u t of bed and scu r ryi n g

abo u t i n a panic o f frigh t H e jumped out o f bed

.
,

p u l led on hi s cl othing and ru she d out into the hall

, ,

on l y to fin d it ali ve wi th startled p e op le an d a t th e ir ,

he a d S ir H e nry w i th a d res si ng gown thrown o n

,
-

o ve r hi s paj amas a n d a be d roo m ca n dle in h is S hak

i n g h and .

T he stabl e ! he cri e d out excite dly C ome .

on co m e on for Go d s sake S om e one h as touched

, ,
’
.

th e d oor o f t h e st ee l room ; an d yet the place was left

e mpty e m pty !
,

B u t it wa s no longer empty as they fou n d out ,

whe n t he y r e a ched it f o r the d oors had bee n fl u ng

,

op e n th e m en wh o h a d been left on gu ard outside

,

t he sta b le s w e re now in si de it the electric lights were

,

in fu ll b l az e th e S h otgun still ha n ging where S h arp

,

l e ss ha d le f t i t t he impromptu bed wa s tumbled a n d

,

to ssed in a m an s de ath agony and at t h e foot of the

’

st ee l d oo r Logan lay cu rled up in a heap a n d sto n e

,

de a d !
H e wo ul d ge t in S i r Henry ; he d have shot o n e
,
’

”
or t he o t he r o f u s i f w e ha d n t l e t him sai d o ne o f
’
,

the o u t e r gu ar d s a s S i r H e nry an d C le e k app e ared

, .

“
H e wo u ld li e b e for e th e d oor an d watc h sir he , ,

S i m p l y w o u ld ; an d Go d ha v e mer cy o n him poor ,

c h ap ; h e was f aithful to the last !

31 6 FAM O U S DETE CTIV E STOR I ES
An d the last might n ot h a ve come for ye a rs the ,

f o ol i f he had o nly obeyed said C lee k ; the n l ap se d

, ,

into silen ce a n d stood stari n g at a dust of white fl o ur

on th e red tiled floo r and a th in wave ri ng lin e tha t
-

broke the eve n surf a ce o f it .

It wa s p erh ap s two mi n ute s l a ter whe n the enti re

household mistress guests a n d serva n ts a like ca m e
, , , ,

troopi n g across the ope n space betwee n the h a ll an d

the stables i n a state of semi dishab i lle but in tha t -
,

brief space o f tim e frien dly ha n d s had reve rentl y

lifted the body of the dead ma n from its pl ac e b e
fore t h e steel door and S i r He n ry wa s n ervo usl y
,

fitting the key to t h e lock i n a fr a n ti c e ffort to get

in and see i f Black R iot was safe .

D i a s! what is it ? Wh at has ha pp e n ed ? cri ed

Lady Wildi n g a s s h e came hurryi n g i n foll owed

, ,

closely by S harpl e ss a n d the R ev Ambr o se Sm eer . .

The n catchi n g S ight of Lo ga n s body she gave a li t

,
’
,
“
tl e scr e am a n d covered her eyes The tr a i n er .
,

Andrew the traine r now ! she we n t o n h a lf hys ter

,
“
i ca lly A n other deat h a nothe r ! Sur ely they
h ave go t the wret ch at last ?
T h e mare ! T he mare He n ry ! Is she sa f e ? ,

exclaimed S harpless excitedly as he whirled awa y ,

from hi s cousi n s S ide and bore down up o n the

’

”
baro n et . Give me the key y ou re to o n e rvo us ,
’
.

A n d ta k i ng it from him u n lo cked the steel ro om

, ,

a n d p a ssed swif tly i n to it .

318 FA MO U S DETE C TI VE S T ORIE S
’
C a n t yo u s u gg e st som e thing ? C an t you see a ny ’

g li m m e r o f l i gh t a t a ll ?
Cle ek l ook ed up a n d t h at c u rio u s sm ile wh ich,

N a rk o m knew so w e ll an d wo u ld h a v e known had ,

”
he b ee n t he r e was the danger signal loope d u p ,

on e corner o f h is mo u th .

“
I fancy it i s a ll light S ir Henry he said ‘
,
’
, .

I may b e wrong b u t I fancy it is merely a ques ,

tion o f comparati ve he ight D o I p u zzle yo u by .

th a t ? Well l e t me expl a in La dy W ildi n g t h er e

, .

i s on e hei gh t iVIr S h a rp l e ss i s anoth e r and I a m a

, .
,

t hi rd ; a n d i f t he y two w e re to plac e t h emsel v e s side

by si de an d sa y a bo u t fo u r inc he s apart and I were
, , , ,

to stan d im m edi at e ly b eh ind th e m t he di ff e re n ce ,

wo u l d b e mo st appar e nt There you are D o yo u . .

gra sp it ?
Not in t he least .

B othe re d i f I d o e ith e r suppl e mented S ha r p ,

It a ll so u n d s l ike tom m y rot to me .

”
D oes it ? sa i d Clee k Th e n let m e expl a i n .

”
i t by i l l ustrat i on and he walk e d q u i e t ly toward
,
“
t he m . La dy W i ld ing wi ll you Ob l ig e m e by ,

st a n d ing he r e ? Th ank you v ery m uch N ow i f .

,

y o u p le a se M r S,ha r p le ss wi.ll yo u st a nd beside he r ,

l a dy sh ip w hile I ta k e up m y p l ac e he re immedi a tely

b ehi n d yo u both ? That s i t exactly A li ttl e ’
.

n e ar e r p le a se
,
— j u st a li tt le so t h at your le ft cl ,

b o w to u ch e s h e r l a d y sh ip s right N OW t hen
’
hi s .
,

two h a n d s m o ved bri sk ly t he r e was a click click ; a n d ,

-

th e n Th e r e you ar e ; t h at exp l ains it my go o d ,

Mr an d Mrs Filippo B u ca rell i ; explai n s it com

. .

p l et el y !
 T HE M Y ST E R Y O F T HE S TE E L RO OM 319

An d a s h e st e pp ed aside on saying t hi s t h ose who ,

w e r e wat chi ng those w h o h e ard La dy Wi l ding s

,
’

sc re a m an d Mr S ha rp l ess s sn a r l ing oa t h an d saw

’
.

t he m v ainly try to spring apart an d d art away saw ,

a l so th at a st eel h an d cu ff wa s on th e woman s wrist ’

,

i t s m at e on th e man s l e ft on e a n d that t he y were

’
,

fir m l y ch a i n e d tog e the r .

In t he name O f h e a v en man b e gan S ir H e nry , , ,

appa lled by t h i s an d grow i ng r ed a n d whit e by

,

rap id t u rns .

“
I fan cy th at h e a ve n h as ve ry l itt l e to d o with
”
t h i s pr e ci o u s pair S i r H e n ry int e rpo sed Cl e e k
, , .

Y o u wa nt th e two peop le w h o a r e acco u ntab l e for

”
the se di abo l i ca l cri m es and t he re th e y stand , .

Wh at ! D o you mean to tell me that Sharpl e ss ,

t h at m y wif e
D on t gi ve th e lady a titl e to which sh e h as not
’

an d n eve r ha d any l e gal righ t S ir Henry I f it h ad , .

e v e r o ccu rred to yo u to e m ul a te m y e xample to night -

an d se a rch th e l a dy s e ff ects you wo uld hav e fo u n d

’

t h a t she was c h rist e n e d E n riq u a D olor e s To rj a d a ,

an d th a t she was ma rrie d to S efi o r F i l ip po B u ca rel l i

h ere a t Va l p a ra i so in C hi l i t h ree y e ars ago a n d
, , ,

th a t he r m a rr i ag e to you was m e rely a cle v er little

sche m e to g e t h o l d of a pot of money a n d sh are it

”
w i t h he r ra sca ll y h u sban d .

It s a l i e ! snar le d out th e male priso n er

’
.

It s a n i n fe rn a l po l iceman s lie ! Y o u n ever fou n d

’ ’

a n y su ch t h ing !

Pa rdo n m e but I did , replied C leek sere n e l y , .

An d wh a t s more I fou n d the little p hi a l of cori a n

’
,
320 FAM O U S DETECTIVE STOR I ES
'
de r an d oil o f sassafras in your room seii o r and I , ,

sha ll finis h o ff th e Mynga W o rm i n a n oth er t en min

”
ut e s !
B u ca rel l i and his wi fe gave a mi ngled c ry a nd , ,

c h ained together though they were m a de a wi l d b olt ,

for the door ; only h owe v er to b e m et o n the

, ,

thr e shold by t h e local co n stable to whom C l eek had

dispat ched a note some h ours previously .

“
Thank you Mr P hilpotts ; you a re very
, .

”
prompt he said
,
. There are you r pris o n er s n icely
tr u ss e d and waiting for you Take them a wa y we .
,

are quit e done with them here Si r He n ry . he

turned to th e baronet i f B lack R io t i s fi tt ed to
w i n t he D e rby s h e will wi n it a n d you n e ed ha ve no
more fear for h er safety No o n e has ever fo r o ne
.

mom e nt tri e d to g e t at her You yo u r se lf were the

.

on e that pre cio u s pai r w e re a fte r a n d the b a i t was ,

y o u r li f e ass u ra n c e B y kil l ing o ff the w a tch ers o ver

.

Black R iot one by o ne they knew tha t ther e wo ul d

,

com e a time when being able to get no o n e el se

, ,

to take th e ri sk o f gu ar d ing t he horse a n d sl eep in g

on t h a t b ed be fore t he steel room do o r you wo ul d
-
,

do it yo u rs e lf ; and when t h at time c a me the y w o u ld

”
ha ve ha d yo u .

B u t how ? B y what means ?

By one of the most diabolical i m agina bl e .

A mong t he r e ptil e s o f P atagoni a S ir He n ry there , ,

is one a speci e s o f black ad de r kn ow n in the cou n

, ,

try as the Mynga W orm whose bite i s m o re d ea dly

tha n th at of the ratt le r or the copp erhe a d an d as ,

rapid i n i ts a ctio n a s prussi c acid i tself It ha s, too .

,
322 FAM O U S DETE CTIV E ST ORI ES
Get spad e s forks a nything a n d dig a hole o u t
, , ,
”
side in t he pa dd ock h e w e nt on
, M ake a deep .

hole a yar d d eep at the least

,
t h en get some str aw ,

so m e para ffi n turpentin e anything that wi l l bur n

, ,

fu rio u sl y an d quickly a n d we will soo n fi n ish the

,
”
littl e bea st.

The ser v ants fl e w to ob e y and when the hole wa s ,

du g he ca rrie d t h e bag out an d lower e d it care fu l l y

,

into it co ve r ed it wit h straw d renche d this wi th a

, ,

ga ll on or mor e o f lamp oil a n d rapidly a pplied a ,

ma t ch to it and sprang back .

A mo m e nt l at e r those w h o were watchi n g sa w a

sma ll b l ack snak e make a n ine ff ectual e ff ort to le a p
out of t h e blazing mass fall back i n to the fl a mes
, ,

and d isappear forever .

”
This m e thod of procedure ? said C leek a n ,

sweri n g the ba ron e t s qu e ry as the latter was pouri n g

’

out w h at h e c a ll ed a ner v e settler prior to follow

i ng t he R ev Ambro se s examp l e and goi n g to b ed
.
’
.

V e ry cu nning an d yet ve ry very simpl e S ir He n ry

, , , .

B u ca rell i ma d e a practice as I saw this eve n i ng o f

, ,

h el ping t he cho sen watcher to m ak e his bed on the

floor in front of t he door to the st e el room but du r ,

ing t he tim e he was r e mo v ing t h e blank e ts from the

cupboar d hi s p l an was to smear them with the
corian d er an d sassafras a n d so arrange the t o p
bla nk e t t h at whe n t he watch e r lay d own the stu ff ,

tou ch e d h is n e ck or throat and made that the poi n t

of attack for th e snak e whos e fang makes a s m a ll
,

ro und spot n ot bigger than the e n d of a kn i tting

 TH E M Y STERY O F TH E STEEL ROO M 32 3

nee d l e which is easily pass e d over by those not

,

u se d to looking for such a thi n g There was su ch

.

a spot on Tolliver s throat ; such a n other at the

’

bas e o f Mu rp l e s S kull an d there is a third i n poor

’
,

Logan s le ft temple N O no more please ; thi s is

’
.
, ,

qu it e e no u gh S ucc e ss to Black R iot a n d th e D erby !

.

T h e ri d dl e is solved S ir H e n ry Good n ight !

, .
-