Latest / Classic Adventure Books Collection / The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet - Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet - Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle · Classic Adventure Books Collection

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The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet. Holmes said, I, as I stood
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one morning in our bow window looking down the street, here is a madman
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coming along. It seems rather sad that his relatives should allow him to come
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out alone. My friend rose lazily from his arm chair and stood with his
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hands in the pockets of his dressing gown, looking over my shoulder. It
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was a bright, crisp February morning, and the snow of the day before
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still lay deep upon the ground, shimmering brightly in the wintry sun. Down
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the center of Baker Street, it had been plowed into a brown, crumbly
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band by the traffic, but at either side, and on the heaped up
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edges of the foot paths, it still lay as white as when it fell.
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The gray pavement had been cleaned and scraped, but was still dangerously slippery,
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so that there were fewer passengers than usual. Indeed, from the direction
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of Metropolitan Station, no one was coming save the single gentleman whose eccentric conduct
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had drawn my attention. He was a man of about fifty tall, portly
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and imposing, with a massive, strongly marked face and commanding figure. He
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was dressed in a somber yet rich style, in black frock coat, shining
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hat, neat brown gaiters, and well cut pearl gray trousers. Yet his
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actions were an absurd contrast to the dignity of his dress and features, for
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he was running hard with occasional little springs, such as a weary man gives
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who is little accustomed to set any tax upon his legs. As he ran,
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he jacked his hands up and down, waggled his head, and writhed
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his face into the most extraordinary contortions. What on earth can be the matter
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with him? I asked? He is looking up at the numbers of the
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houses. I believe that he is coming here, said Holmes, rubbing his
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hands here. Yes, I rather think he is coming to consult me professionally.
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I think that I recognized the symptoms. Ha, did I not tell
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you? As he spoke, the man, puffing and blowing, rushed at
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our door and pulled at our bell until the whole house resounded with the clanging.
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A few moments later he was in our room, still puffing, still
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gesticulating, but with so fixed a look of grief and despair in his eye
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that our smiles were turned in an instant to horror and pity. For a
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while he could not get his words out, but swayed his body and plucked
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at his hair, like one who has been driven to the extreme limits of
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his reason. Then, suddenly springing to his feet, he beat his head
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against the wall with such force that we both rushed upon him and tore him
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away to the center of the room. Sharlock Holmes pushed him down into the
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easy chair, and, sitting beside him, patted his hand and chatted with
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him in the easy, soothing tones which he knew so well. How to
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employ You have come to tell me your story, have you not, said
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he? You are fatigued with your haste. Pray, wait until you have
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recovered yourself, and then I shall be most happy to look into any little
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problem which you may submit to me. The man sat for a minute or
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more with a heaving chest, fighting against his emotion. Then he passed his
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handkerchief over his brow, set his lips tight, and turned his face towards
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us. No doubt, ye think me mad, said he. I see
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that you have had some great trouble, responded Holmes. God knows I have
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a trouble which is enough to unseat my reason. So sudden and so terrible
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is it public disgrace I might have faced, although I am a man whose
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character has never yet borne a stain private affliction. All so is the lot
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of every man. But the two coming together and in so frightful a form,
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have been enough to shake my very soul. Besides, it is not
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I alone. The very noblest in the land may suffer unless some way be
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found out of this horrible affair. Pray compose yourself, sir, said Holmes,
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and let me have a clear account of who you are and what it
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is that has befallen you. My name, answered our visitor, is probably
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familiar to your ears. I am Alexander Holder of the bank firm of Holder,
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and Stephenson of Threadneedle Street. The name was indeed well known to us
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as belonging to the senior partner in the second largest private banking concern in the
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city of London. What could have happened then, to bring one of the
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foremost citizens of London to this most pitiable pass. We waited all curiosity until
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with another effort, he braced himself to tell his story. I feel the
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time is of value, said he. That is why I hastened here when
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the police inspector suggested that it should secure your corporation. I came to Baker
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Street by the underground and hurried from here on foot, for the cabs go
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slowly through this snow. That is why I was so out of breath,
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for I am a man who takes very little exercise. I feel better now
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and will put the facts before you as shortly and yet as clearly as I
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can. It is of course well known to you that in a successful banking
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business, as much depends upon our being able to find remunerative investments for our
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funds, as upon our increasing our connection and the number of our depositors.
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One of our most lucrative means of laying out money is in the shape of
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loans, where the security is unimpeachable. We have done a good deal in
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this direction during the last few years, and there are many noble families to
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whom we have advanced large sums upon the security of their pictures, libraries or
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plate. Yesterday morning, I was seated in my office at the bank when
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a card was brought to me by one of the clerks. I started when
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I saw the name, for it was that of none other than well perhaps
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even to you, I had better say no more than that it was a
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name which is a household word all over the earth, one of the highest,
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noblest, most exalted names in England. I was overwhelmed by the honor,
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and attempted when he entered to say so, But he plunged at once
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into business, with the air of a man who wishes to hurry quickly through
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a disagreeable task. Mister Holder said he, I have been informed that you
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are in the habit of advancing money. The firm does so when the security
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is good. I answered, it is absolutely essential to me, said he,
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that I should have fifty thousand pounds at once. I could, of
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course borrow so trifling a sum ten times over from my friends, but I
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much prefer to make it a matter of business, and so carry out that
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business myself. In my position, you can readily understand that it is unwise
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to place one's self under obligations. For How long? May I ask?
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Do you want this sum? I asked, next Monday. I have a
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large sum due to me, and I shall then most certainly repay what you
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advance, with whatever interest you think is right to charge. But it is
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very essential to me that the money should be paid at once. I should
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be happy to advance it without further parley from my own private purse, said
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I, were it not that the strain would be rather more than I could
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bear. If, on the other hand, I am to do it in
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the name of the firm, then in justice to my partner, I must
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insist that, even in your case, every businesslike precaution should be taken.
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I should much prefer to have it, so, said he, raising up
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a square black Morocco case which he had laid beside his chair. You have
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doubtless heard of the Beryl coronet, one of the most precious public possessions of
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the Empire, said I precisely. He opened the case, and there,
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embedded in soft flesh colored velvet lay the magnificent piece of jewelry which he had
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named. There are thirty nine enormous beryls, said he. And the price
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of the gold chasing is incalculable. The lowest estimate would put the worse of
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the coronet at double the sum which I have asked. I am prepared to
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leave it with you as my security. I took the precious case into my
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hands and looked in some perplexity from it to my illustrious client. Ye doubt
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its value, he asked, not at all. I only doubt the propriety
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of my leaving it. You may set your mind at rest about that.
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I should not dream of doing so were it not absolutely certain that I should
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be able in four days to reclaim it. It is a pure matter of
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form. Is the security sufficient ample? You understand, mister holder, that
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I am giving you a strong proof of the confidence which I have in you,
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founded upon all that I have heard of you. I rely upon you
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not only to be discreet and to refrain from all gossip upon the matter,
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but above all, to preserve this coronet with every possible precaution, because I
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need not say that a great public scandal would be caused if any harm were
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to befall it. Any injury to it would be almost as serious as its
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complete loss, for there are no beryls in the world to match these,
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and it would be impossible to replace them. I leave it with you,
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however, with every confidence, and I shall call for it in person on
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Monday morning. Seeing that my client was anxious to leave, I said no
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more, but calling for my cashier, I ordered him to pay over fifty
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one thousand pound notes. When I was alone once more. However, with
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a precious case lying upon the table in front of me, I could not
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but think with some misgivings of the immense responsibility which it entailed upon me.
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There could be no doubt that, as it was a national possession, a
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horrible scandal would ensue if any misfortune should occur to it. I already regretted,
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having ever consented to take charge of it. However, it was too
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late to alter the matter now, so I locked it up in my private
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safe and turned once more to my work. When evening came, I felt
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that it would be an imprudence to leave so precious a thing in the behind
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me. Banker's safes had been forced before now, and why should not mine
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be. If so, how terrible would be the position in which I should
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find myself. I determined therefore, that for the next few days I would
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always carry the case backward and forward with me, so that it might never
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be really out of my reach. With this intention, I called a cab
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and drove out to my house at Stretham, carrying the jewel with me.
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I did not breathe freely until I had taken it upstairs and locked it in
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the bureau of my dressing room. And now a word as to my household,
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mister Holmes, for I wish you to thoroughly understand the situation. My
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groom and my page sleep out of the house and may be set aside.
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Altogether. I have three maid servants who have been with me a number of
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years, and whose absolute reliability is quite above suspicion. Another, Lucy Parr,
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the second waiting maid, has only been in my service a few months.
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She came with an excellent character, however, and has always given me
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satisfaction. She is a very pretty girl and has attracted admirers who have occasionally
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hung about the place. That is the only drawback which we have found to
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her. But we believe her to be a sorrowly good girl in every way.
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So much for the servants. My family itself is so small that it
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will not take me long to describe it. I am a widower and I
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have an only son, Arthur. He has been a disappointment to me,
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mister Holmes, a grievous disappointment. I have no doubt that I am myself
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to blame. People tell me that I have spoiled him very likely I have.
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When my dear wife died, I felt that he was all I had
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to love. I could not bear to see the smile fade, even for
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a moment from his face. I have never denied him a wish. Perhaps
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that would have been better for both of us had I been sterner, but
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I meant it for the best. It was naturally my intention that he should
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succeed me in my business. But he was not of a business turn.
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He was wild, wayward, and to speak the truth, I could not
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trust him in the handling of large sums of money. When he was young,
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he became a member of an aristocratic club, and there, having charming
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manners, he was soon the intimate of a number of men with long purses
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and expensive habits. He learned to play heavily at cards, and to squander
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money on the turf, until he had again and again to come to me
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and implore me to give him an advance upon his allowance, that he might
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settle his debts of honor. He tried more than once to break away from
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the dangerous company which he was keeping, but each time the influence of his
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friend, Sir George Burnwell was enough to draw him back. Again, And
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indeed I could not wonder that such a man as Sir George Banwell should gain
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an influence over him, for he has frequently brought him to my house,
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and I have found myself that I could hardly resist the fascination of his manner.
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He is older than Arthur, a man of the world to his finger
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tips, one who had been everywhere, seen everything, a brilliant talker,
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and a man of great personal beauty. Yet when I think of him in
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cold blood, far away from the glamor of his presence, I am convinced,
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from his cynical speech and the look which I may have caught in his
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eyes, that he is one who should be deeply distrusted. So I think,
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and so too thinks my little Mary, who has a woman's quick insight
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into character. And now there is only she to be described. She is
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my niece. But when my brother died five years ago and left her alone
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in the world, I adopted her and have looked upon her ever since as
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my daughter. She is a sunbeam in my house, sweet, loving,
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beautiful, a wonderful manager and housekeeper. Yet as tender and quiet and gentle
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as a woman could be. She is my right hand. I do not
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know what I could do without her. In only one matter has she ever
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gone against my wishes. Twice my boy has asked her to marry him,
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for he loves her devotedly, but each time she has refused him. I
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think that if any one could have drawn him into the right path, it
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would have been she, and that his marriage might have changed his whole life.
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But now, alas it is too late, forever too late. Now,
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mister Holmes, ye know the people he live under my roof, and
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I shall continue with my miserable story. When we were taking coffee in the
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drawing room that night after dinner, I told Arthur and Mary my experience and
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of the precious treasure which we had under our roof, suppressing only the name
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of my client, Lucy Parr, who had brought in the coffee. Had
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I am sure left the room, but I cannot swear that the door was
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closed. Mary and Arthur were much interested and wished to see the famous coronet,
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but I thought it better not to disturb it. Where have you put
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it? Asked Arthur in my own bureau. Well, I hope to goodness
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the house won't be burgled during the night, said he. It is locked
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up, I answered, Oh, any old key will fit that bureau.
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When I was a youngster, I have opened it myself with the key of
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the box room cupboard. He often had a wild way of talking, so
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that I thought little of what he said. He followed me to my room.
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However, that night with a very grave face. Look here, Dad
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said he with his eyes cast down. Can you let me have two hundred
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pounds? No? I cannot, I answered sharply. I have been far
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too generous with you in money matter. You have been very kind, said
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he. But I must have this money or else I can never show my
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face inside the club again. And a very good thing too, I cried,
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yes, But YE would not have me leave it. A dishonored man
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said he. I could not bear the disgrace. I must raise the money
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in some way, and if you will not let me have it, then
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I must try other means. I was very angry, for this was the
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surge demand during the month. You shall not have a farthing from me,
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I cried, on which he bowed and left the room without another word.
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When he was gone, I unlocked my bureau, made sure that my treasure
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was safe, and locked it again. Then I started to go round the
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house to see that all was secure, a duty which I normally leave to
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marry, but which I sought it well to perform myself. That night.
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As I came down the stairs, I saw Mary herself at the side window
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of the hall, which she closed and fastened. As I approached. Tell
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me, Dad, she said, looking I thought a little disturbed. Did
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you give Lucy the maid leave to go out to night? Certainly not.
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She came in just now by the back door. I have no doubt that
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she has only been to the side gate to see some one. But I
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think that it is hardly safe and should be stopped. You must speak to
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her in the morning, or I will if you prefer it. Are you
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sure that everything is fastened? Quite sure? Dad? Then good night.
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I kissed her and went up to my bedroom again, where I was soon
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asleep. I am endeavoring to tell you everything, mister Holmes, which may
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have any bearing upon the case, But I beg that you will question me
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upon any point which I do not make clear. On the contrary, your
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statement is singularly lucid. I come to a part of my story now which
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I could wish to be particularly so I am not a very heavy sleeper,
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and the anxiety in my mind tendered no doubt to make me even less so
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than usual. About two in the morning, then I was awakened by some
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sound in the house. It had ceased. ERE was wide awake, but
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it had left an impression behind, as though a window had gently closed somewhere.
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I lay listening with all my ears. Suddenly, to my horror,
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there was a distinct sound of footsteps moving softly in the next room. I
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slipped out of bed, all palpitating with fear, and peeped round the corner
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of my dressing room door. Arthur. I screamed, you villain, you
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thief, how dare you touch that coronet? The gas was half up as
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I had left it, and my unhappy boy, dressed only in his shirt
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and trousers, was standing beside the light, holding the coronet in his hands.
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He appeared to be wrenching at it or bending it with all his strength.
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At my cry, he dropped it from his grasp and turned as pale
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as death. I snatched it up and examined it. One of the gold
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corners with three of the beryls in it was missing, you blackguard. I
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shouted beside me with rage. You have destroyed it. You have dishonored me
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forever. Where are the jewels which you have stolen? Stolen? He cried,
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Yes, thief, I roared, shaking him by the shoulder. There
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are none missing. There cannot be any missing, said he. There are
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three missing, and you know where they are. Must I call you a
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liar as well as a thief. Did I not see you trying to tear
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off another piece? You have called me names enough, said he. I
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will not stand it any longer. I shall not say another word about this
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business. Since you have chosen to insult me. I will leave your house
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in the morning and make my own way in the world. You shall leave
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it in the hands of the police, I cried, half mad with grief
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and rage. I shall have this matter probed to the bottom. You shall
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learn nothing from me, said he, with a passion such as I should
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not have thought was in his nature. If you choose to call the police,
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let the police find what they can. By this time the whole house
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was astir, for I had raised my voice in my anger. Mary was
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the first to rush into my room, and at the sight of the coronet
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and of Arthur's face. She read the whole story, and with a scream,
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fell down senseless on the ground. I sent the housemaid for the police
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and put the investigation into their hands at once. When the inspector and a
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constable entered the house, Arthur, who had stood sullenly with his arms folded,
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asked me whether it was my intention to charge him with theft. I
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answered that it had ceased to be a private matter, but had become a
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public one, since the ruined coronet was national property. I was determined that
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the law should have its way in everything. At least, he said,
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you will not have me arrested at once. It would be to your advantage
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as well as mine if I might leave the house for five minutes, that
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you may get away, or perhaps that you may conceal what you have stolen,
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said I, and then, realizing the dreadful position in which I was
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placed, I implored him to remember that not only my honor, but that
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of one who was far greater than I, was at stake, and that
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he threatened to raise the scandal which would convulse the nation. He might avert
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it all if you would but tell me what he had done with the three
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missing stones. You may as well face the matter, said I. You
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have been caught in the act, and no confession could make you guilt more
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heinous. If you but make such reparation as is in your power by telling
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us where the beryls are, all shall be forgiven and forgotten. Keep your
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forgiveness for those who ask for it, he answered, turning away from me
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with a sneer. I saw that he was too hardened for any words of
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mind to influence him. There was but one way for it. I called
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in the inspector and gave him into custody. As such was made at once,
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not only of his person, but of his room and of every portion
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of the house where he could possibly have concealed the gems. But no trace
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of them could be found, Nor would the wretched boy open his mouth.
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For all our persuasions and our threats. This morning he was removed to a
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cell, and I, after going through all the police formalities, have hurried
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round to you to implore you to use your skill in unraveling the matter.
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The police have openly confessed that they can at present make nothing of it.
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You may go to any expense which you think necessary. I have already offered
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a reward of one thousand pounds. My god, what shall I do?
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I have lost my honor, my gems, and my son in one night.
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Oh what shall I do? He put a hand on either side of
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his head and rocked himself to and fro, droning to himself like a child
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whose grief has got beyond words. Sharlock Holmes sat silent for some few minutes,
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with his brows knitted and his eyes fixed upon the fire. Do you
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receive much company? He asked, None save my partner with his family,
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and an occasional friend of Arthur's, Sir George Bernwill, has been several times
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lately. No one else, I think. Do you go out much in
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society? Arthur? Does Mary and I stay at home? We neither of
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us care for it. That is unusual in a young girl. She is
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of a quiet nature. Besides, she is not so very young. She
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is four and twenty. This matter, from what you say, seems to
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have been a shock to her, also terrible. She is even more affected
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than I. You have neither of you any doubt as to your son's guilt?
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How can we have? When I saw him with my own eyes with
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the coronet in his hands. I hardly consider that a conclusive proof. Was
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the remainder of the coronet at all injured? Yes, it was twisted.
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Do you not think then that you might have been trying to straighten it?
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God bless you. You are doing what you can for him and for me,
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But it is too heavy a task. What was he doing there at
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all? If his purpose were innocent, why did he not say so precisely?
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And if he were guilty, why did he not invent a lie?
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His silence appears to me to cut both ways. There are several singular points
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about the case. What did the police think of the noise which awoke you
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from your sleep? They considered that it might be caused by Arthur's closing his
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bedroom door, a likely story, as if a man bent on felony would
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slam his door so as to wake a household. What did they say,
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then, of the disappearance of these gems. They are still sounding the planking
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and probing the furniture in the hope of finding them. Have they sort of
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looking outside the house? Yes, they have shown extraordinary energy. The whole
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garden has already been minutely examined. Now, my dear sir, said Holmes,
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it is not obvious to you now that this matter really strikes very much
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deeper than either you or the police were at first inclined to think. It
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appeared to you to be a simple case. To me, it seems exceedingly
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complex. Consider what is involved by your theory. You suppose that your son
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came down from his bed, went at great risk to your dressing room,
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opened your bureau, took out your coronet, broke off by main force a
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small portion of it, went off to some other place, concealed three gems
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out of the thirty nine with such skill that nobody can find them, and
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then returned with the other thirty six into the room in which he exposed himself
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to the greatest danger of being discovered. I ask you, now, is
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such a theory tenable? But what other is there? Cried the banker,
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with a gesture of despair. If his motives were innocent, why does he
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not explain them? It is our task to find that out, replied Holmes.
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So now, if you please, mister Holder, we will set off
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for Stresthen together and devote an hour to glancing a little more closely into details.
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My friend insisted upon my accompanying them in their expedition, which I was
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eager enough to do, for my curiosity and sympathy were deeply stirred by the
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story to which we had listened. I confess that the guilt of the banker's
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son appeared to me to be as obvious as it did to his unhappy father,
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but still had such faith in Holmes's judgment that I felt that there must
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be some grounds for hope as long as he was dissatisfied with the accepted explanation.
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He hardly spoke a word the whole way out to the southern suburb,
28:41
but sat with his chin upon his breast and his hat drawn over his eyes,
28:45
sunk in the deepest thought. Our client appeared to have taken fresh heart
28:51
at the little glimpse of hope which had been presented to him, and he
28:55
even broke into a desultory chat with me over his business affairs. A short
29:00
railway journey and a shorter walk brought us to Fairbank. The modest residence of
29:04
the great financier Fairbank was a good sized square house of white stone, standing
29:11
back a little from the road. A double carriage sweep with a snow clad
29:17
lawn stretched down in front. Of two large iron gates which closed the entrance.
29:22
On the right side was a small wooden thicket which led into a narrow
29:27
path between two neat hedges, stretching from the road to the kitchen door and
29:33
forming the trademan's entrance. On the left ran a lane which led to the
29:38
stables, and was not itself within the grounds at all, being a public
29:44
so little used soroughfare. Holmes left us standing at the door, and walked
29:51
slowly all round the house, across the front, down the tradesman's path,
29:56
and so round by the garden behind into the stable. So long was he
30:02
that mister Holder and I went into the dining room and waited by the fire
30:06
until he should return. We were sitting there in silence when the door opened
30:11
and the young lady came in. She was rather above the middle height,
30:15
slim, with dark hair and eyes which seemed the darker against the absolute pallor
30:21
of her skin. I do not think that I have ever seen such deadly
30:26
paleness in a woman's face. Her lips, too, were bloodless, but
30:30
her eyes were flushed with crying. As she swept silently into the room.
30:36
She impressed me with a greater sense of grief than the banker had done in
30:40
the morning, and it was the more striking in her as she was evidently
30:44
a woman of strong character with immense capacity for self restraint. Disregarding my presence,
30:52
she went straight to her uncle and passed her hand over his head with
30:56
a sweet womanly caress. You have given orders that Arthur should be liberated,
31:00
have you not dared? She asked? No, No, my girl,
31:06
The matter must be probed to the bottom. But I am so sure that
31:10
he is innocent. You know what woman's instincts are. I know that he
31:15
has done no harm and that you will be sorry for having acted so harshly.
31:21
Why is he silent then, if he is innocent? Who knows?
31:26
Perhaps because he was so angry that you should suspect him. How could I
31:30
help suspecting him when I actually saw him with a coronet in his hand.
31:36
Oh, but he had only picked it up to look at it. Oh,
31:38
do do take my word for it that he is innocent. Let the
31:42
matter drop and say no more. It is so dreadful to think of our
31:47
dear Arthur in prison. I shall never let it drop until the gems are
31:52
found. Never marry your affection for Arthur blinds you as to the awful consequences
31:59
to me. Far from hushing the thing up, I have brought gentlemen down
32:04
from London to inquire more deeply into it. This gentleman, she asked,
32:09
facing round to me. No, his friend. He wished us to leave
32:14
him alone. He is round in the stable lane. Now the stable lane,
32:20
she raised her dark eyebrows. What can he hope to find there?
32:24
Ah, this, I suppose is he? I trust, sir, that
32:29
you will succeed in proving what I feel sure is the truth that my cousin
32:32
Arthur is innocent of his crime. I fully share your opinion, and I
32:37
trust with you that we may prove it, returned Holmes, going back to
32:43
the match to knock the snow from his shoes. I believe I have the
32:46
honor of addressing Miss Mary Holder. May I ask you a question or two?
32:52
Pray do, sir, if it may help you, if it may
32:55
help to clear this horrible affair up. You heard nothing yourself last night,
33:01
nothing until my uncle here began to speak loudly. I heard that, and
33:06
I came down. You shut up the windows and doors the night before?
33:10
Did you fasten all the windows? Yes? Were they all fastened this morning?
33:17
Yes, you have a maid who has a sweetheart. I think that
33:22
you remarked to your uncle last night that you had been out to see him.
33:27
Yes, and she was the girl who waited in the drawing room,
33:30
and who may have heard Uncle's remarks about the coronet. I see you infer
33:36
that she may have gone out to tell her sweetheart, and that the two
33:39
may have planned the robbery. But what is the good of all these vague
33:44
theories, cried the banker impatiently, when I have told you that I saw
33:49
Arthur with a coronet in his hands. Wait a little, mister Holder,
33:53
We must come back to that. About this girl, Miss Holder, you
33:58
saw her return by the king door, I presume yes. When I went
34:02
to see if the door was fastened for the night, I met her slipping
34:06
in. I saw the man too, in the gloom. Do you know
34:10
him? Oh? Yes, he is the greengrocer who brings our vegetable friend.
34:16
His name is Francis Prosper. He stood, said Holmes, to the
34:22
left of the door, that is to say, farther up the path than
34:25
is necessary to reach the door. Yes he did, And he is a
34:30
man with a wooden leg. Something like fear sprang up in the lady's expressive
34:37
black eyes. Why you are like a magician, said she. How do
34:42
you know that? She smiled, but there was no answering smile in Holmes's
34:46
thin, eager face. I should be very glad now to go upstairs,
34:52
said he. I shall probably wish to go over to the outside of the
34:55
house again. Perhaps I had better take a look at the lower window before
35:00
I go up. He walked swiftly round from one to the other, pausing
35:05
only at a large one which looked from the hall into the stable lane.
35:09
This he opened and made a very careful examination of the sill with his powerful
35:14
magnifying lens. Now we shall go upstairs, said he. At last.
35:21
The banker's dressing room was a plainly furnished little chamber with a gray carpet,
35:25
a large bureau, and a long mirror. Holmes went to the bureau first
35:30
and looked hard at the lock which key was used to open it. He
35:36
asked, that which my son himself indicated that of the cupboard of the lumber
35:43
room. Have you it here? That is it on the dressing table,
35:49
Sharlock Holmes took it up and opened the bureau. It is a noiseless lock,
35:53
said he. It is no wonder that it did not wake you.
35:58
This case, I presume can hains the coronet. We must have a look
36:01
at it. He opened the case, and taking out the diadem, he
36:07
laid it upon the table. It was a magnificent specimen of the jeweler's art,
36:13
and the thirty six stones were the finest that I have ever seen.
36:16
At one side of the coronet was a cracked edge, where a corner holding
36:22
three gems had been torn away. Now, mister Holder, said Holmes,
36:28
here is the corner which corresponds to that which has been so unfortunately lost.
36:32
Might I beg that you will break it off? The banker recoiled in horror.
36:38
I should not dream of trying it, said he. Then I will.
36:44
Holmes suddenly bent his strength upon it, but without result. I feel
36:49
it give a little, said he. But though I am exceptionally strong in
36:53
the fingers, it would take me all my time to break it. An
36:58
ordinary man could not do it. Now, what do you think would happen
37:01
if I did break it, mister Holder? There would be a noise like
37:06
a pistol shot. Do you tell me that all this happened within a few
37:09
yards of your bed, and that you had nothing of it. I do
37:15
not know what to think. It is all dark to me, but perhaps
37:19
it may grow lighter as we go. What do you think, miss Holder?
37:23
I confess that I still share my uncle's perplexity. Your son had no
37:29
shoes or slippers on when you saw him. He had nothing on save only
37:32
his trousers and shirt. Thank you. We have certainly been favored with extraordinary
37:38
luck during this inquiry, and it will be entirely our own fault if we
37:43
do not succeed in clearing this matter up. With your permission, mister Holder,
37:47
I shall now continue my investigations outside. He went alone, at his
37:52
own request, for he explained that any unnecessary footmarks might make his task more
37:59
difficult. For an hour or more he was at work, returning at last
38:04
with his feet heavy with snow and his features as inscrutable as ever. I
38:10
think that I have seen now all there is to see, mister Holder said
38:14
he. I can serve you best by returning to my rooms. But the
38:17
gems, mister Holmes, where are they? I cannot tell. The banker
38:24
wrung his hands. I shall never see them again. He cried, and
38:29
my son, you give me hopes my opinion is in no way altered.
38:36
Then, for God's sake, what was this dark business which was acted in
38:39
my house last night? If you can call upon me at my Baker Street
38:44
rooms to morrow morning between nine and ten, I shall be happy to do
38:47
what I can to make it clearer. I understand that you give me carte
38:52
blanche to act for you, provided only that I get back the gems,
38:58
and that you place no limit on the summer draw. I would give my
39:01
fortune to have them back. Very good. I shall look into the matter
39:07
between this and then good bye. It is just possible that I may have
39:12
to come over here again before evening. It was obvious to me that my
39:15
companion's mind was now made up about the case, although what his conclusions were
39:22
was no more than I could even dimly imagine. Several times during our homeward
39:27
journey I endeavored to sound him upon the point, but he always glided away
39:31
to some other topic, until at last I gave it over in despair.
39:36
It was not yet three when we found ourselves in our rooms once more.
39:40
He hurried to his chamber and was down again in a few minutes. Dressed
39:45
as a common loafer, with his collar tned up, his shiny seedy coat,
39:50
his red cravat, and his worn boots. He was a perfect sample
39:53
of the class. I think that this should do, said he, glancing
39:59
into the glow above the fireplace. I only wish that you could come with
40:02
me, Watson, but a fear that it won't do. I may be
40:07
on my trail in this matter, or I may be following a will o
40:10
the wisp, but I shall soon know which it is. I hope that
40:15
I may be back in a few hours. He cut a slice of beef
40:20
from the joint upon the sideboard, sandwiched it between two rounds of bread,
40:23
and thrusting this rude meal into his pocket, he started off upon his expedition.
40:30
I had just finished my tea when he returned, evidently in excellent spirits.
40:36
Swinging an old elastic sided boot in his hand, he chucked it down
40:40
into a corner and helped himself to a cup of tea. I only looked
40:45
in as I passed, said he. I am going right on where too,
40:52
Oh, to the other side of the west end. It may be
40:54
some time before I get back. Don't wait up for me In case I
40:58
should be late. How are you getting on? Oh? So, so
41:04
nothing to complain of. I have been out to Strestham since I saw you
41:07
last, but I did not call at the house. It is a very
41:12
sweet little problem, and I would not have missed it for a good deal.
41:15
However, I must not sit gossiping here, but must get these disreputable
41:20
clothes off and return to my highly respectable self. I could see by his
41:25
manner that he had stronger reasons for satisfaction than his words alone would imply.
41:31
His eyes twinkled, and there was even a touch of color upon his sallow
41:36
cheeks. He hastened upstairs, and a few minutes later I heard the slam
41:39
of the hall door, which told me that he was off once more upon
41:44
his congenial hunt. I waited until midnight, but there was no sign of
41:49
his return, so I retired to my room. It was no uncommon thing
41:53
for him to be away for days and nights on end when he was hot
41:57
upon ascent, so that his lateness caused me no surprise. I do not
42:01
know at what hour he came in, but when I came down to breakfast
42:06
in the morning, there he was with a cup of coffee in one hand
42:08
and the paper in the other, as fresh and trim as possible. You
42:14
will excuse my beginning without you, Watson said he. But you remember that
42:19
our client has rather an early appointment this morning. Why it is after nine
42:23
now, I answered, I should not be surprised if that were he.
42:29
I thought I heard a ring. It was indeed, our friend, the
42:31
financier. I was shocked by the change which had come over him, for
42:37
his face, which was naturally of a broad and massive mold, was now
42:40
pinched and fallen in, while his hair seemed to me at least a shade
42:45
whiter. He entered with a weariness and lethargy which was even more painful than
42:51
his violence of the morning before, and he dropped heavily into the arm chair,
42:55
which I pushed forward for him. I do not know what I have
43:00
done to be so severely tried, said he. Only two days ago I
43:05
was a happy and prosperous man, without a care in the world. Now
43:08
I am left to a lonely and dishonored age. One sorrow comes close upon
43:15
the heels of another. My niece Mary has deserted me, deserted you,
43:21
Yes, her bed this morning had not been slept in. Her room was
43:24
empty, and a note for me lay upon the hall table. I had
43:30
said to her last night, in sorrow and not in anger, that if
43:32
she had married my boy, all might have been well with him. Perhaps
43:37
it was thoughtless of me to say so. It is to that remark that
43:40
she refers in this note. My dearest uncle, I feel that I have
43:45
brought trouble upon you, and that if I had acted differently, this terrible
43:52
misfortune might never have occurred. I cannot, with this thought in my mind
43:57
ever again be happy under your roof, and I feel that I must leave
44:00
you forever. Do not worry about my future, for that is provided for,
44:06
And above all, do not search for me, for it will be
44:08
fruitless labor and an ill service to me in life or in death. I
44:15
am, ever, your loving Mary. What could she mean by that note,
44:21
mister Holmes? Do you think it points to suicide? No? No,
44:24
nothing of the kind. It is perhaps the best possible solution. I
44:30
trust, mister Holder, that you are nearing the end of your troubles.
44:35
Ha you say so, you have heard something, mister Holmes, You have
44:38
learned something. Where are the gems? You would not think one thousand pounds
44:45
apiece, an excessive sum for them. I would pay ten. That would
44:50
be unnecessary. Three thousand will cover the matter, and there is a little
44:55
reward. I fancy have you your check book? There is a pen.
45:00
Better make it out for four thousand pounds. With a dazed face, the
45:07
banker made out the required check. Holmes walked over to his desk, took
45:12
out a little triangular piece of gold with three gems in it, and threw
45:15
it down upon the table with a shriek of joy. Our client clutched it
45:22
up. You have it, he gasped. I am saved, I am
45:25
saved. The reaction of joy was as passionate as his grief had been,
45:31
and he hugged his recovered gems to his bosom. There is one other thing
45:37
you owe, mister holder, said Sherlock Holmes, rather sternly. Oh,
45:44
he caught up a pen. Name the sum, and I will pay it.
45:47
No, the debt is not to me. You owe a very humble
45:52
apology to that noble lad your son, who has carried himself in this matter,
45:57
as I should be proud to see my own son do, should I
46:00
ever chance to have one. Then it was not Arthur who took them.
46:07
I told you yesterday, and I repeat to day that it was not.
46:12
You are sure of it, then let us hurry to him at once to
46:15
let him know that the truth is known. He knows it already. When
46:21
I had cleared it up, I had an interview with him, and,
46:23
finding that he would not tell me the story, I told it to him,
46:28
on which he had to confess that I was right, and to add
46:31
the very few details which were not yet quite clear to me. Your news
46:37
of this morning, however, may open his lips, for Heaven's sake.
46:42
Tell me, then, what is this extraordinary mystery? I will do so,
46:46
and I will show you the steps by which I reached it. And
46:51
let me say to you first that which it is hardest for me to say
46:54
and for you to hear. There has been an understanding between Sir George and
47:00
uniece Mary. They have now fled together, My Mary. Impossible, It
47:09
is unfortunately more than possible. It is certain neither you nor your son knew
47:15
the true character of this man when you admitted him into your family circle.
47:21
He is one of the most dangerous men in England, A ruined gambler,
47:25
an absolutely desperate villain, a man without heart or conscience. Your niece knew
47:31
nothing of such men. When he breathed his vows to her, as he
47:37
had done to a hundred before her, she flattered herself that she alone had
47:42
touched his heart. The devil knows best what he said. But at least
47:45
she became his tool, and was in the habit of seeing him nearly every
47:50
evening. I cannot and I will not believe it, cried the banker,
47:57
with an ashen face. I will tell you then, what occurred in your
48:00
house last night, Your niece, when you had, as she thought,
48:05
gone to your room, slipped down and talked to her lover through the window
48:09
which leads into the stable lane. His footmarks had pressed right through the snow,
48:16
so long had he stood there. She told him of the coronet.
48:21
His wicket lust for gold kindled at the news, and he bent her to
48:24
his will. I have no doubt that she loved you. But there are
48:30
women in whom the love of a lover extinguishes all other loves, and I
48:35
think that she must have been one. She had hardly listened to his instructions
48:39
when she saw you coming downstairs, on which she closed the window rapidly and
48:45
told you about one of the servants escapade with her wooden legged lover, which
48:50
was all perfectly true. Your boy Arthur went to bed after his interview with
48:55
you, but he slept badly on account of his uneasiness his club debts.
49:01
In the middle of the night, he heard a soft tread pass his door,
49:06
so he rose, and, looking out, was surprised to see his
49:10
cousin walking very stealthily along the passage, until she disappeared into your dressing room.
49:17
Petrified with astonishment, the lad slipped on some clothes and waited there in
49:22
the dark to see what would come of this strange affair. Presently she emerged
49:28
from the room again, and in the light of the passage lamp, your
49:31
son saw that she carried the precious coronet in her hands. She passed down
49:37
the stairs, and he, thrilling with horror, ran along and slipped behind
49:43
the curtain near your door, whence he could see what passed in the hall
49:46
beneath. He saw her stealthily open the window, hand out the coronet to
49:52
someone in the gloom, and then closing it once more, hurry back to
49:57
her room, passing quite close to way he stood hid behind the curtain.
50:02
As long as she was on the scene, he could not take any action
50:07
without a horrible exposure of the woman whom he loved. But the instant that
50:12
she was gone, he realized how crushing a misfortune this would be for you,
50:16
and how all important it was to set it right. He rushed down
50:22
just as he was in his bare feet, opened the window, sprang out
50:27
into the snow, and ran down the lane, where he could see a
50:30
dark figure in the moonlight, Sir George Banwell. Tried to get away,
50:36
but Arthur caught him, and there was a struggle between them, your lad
50:38
tugging at one side of the coronet and his opponent at the other. In
50:44
the scuffle, your son struck Sir George and cut him over the eye.
50:49
Then something suddenly snapped, and your son, finding that he had the coronet
50:53
in his hands, rushed back, closed the window, ascended to your room,
50:59
and had just observed that the coronet had been twisted in the struggle,
51:02
and was endeavoring to straighten it when you appeared upon the scene. Is it
51:08
possible, gasped the banker. You then roused his anger by calling him names
51:15
at a moment when he felt that he had deserved your warmest thanks. He
51:21
could not explain the true state of affairs without betraying one who certainly deserved little
51:27
enough consideration at his hands. He took the more chivalrous view, however,
51:32
and preserved her secret. And that was why she shrieked and fainted when she
51:38
saw the coronet. Cried mister holder, O, my god, what a
51:43
blind fool I have been, and his asking to be allowed to go out
51:47
for five minutes. The dear fellow wanted to see if the missing peace were
51:52
at the scene of the struggle. How cruelly I have misjudged him. When
51:58
I arrived at the house, continued homes. I at once went very carefully
52:02
round it to observe if there were any traces in the snow which might help
52:07
me. I knew that none had fallen since the evening before, and also
52:13
that there had been a strong frost to preserve impressions. I passed along the
52:17
tradesman's path, but found it all trampled down and indistinguishable. Just beyond,
52:24
however, at the far side of the kitchen door, a woman had stood
52:29
and talked with a man whose round impressions on one side showed that he had
52:34
a wooden leg. I could even tell that he had been disturbed, for
52:37
the woman had run back swiftly to the door, as was shown by the
52:42
deep toe and light heel marks, while wooden leg had waited a little and
52:46
then had gone away. I thought at the time that this might be the
52:51
maid and her sweetheart, of whom he had already spoken to me, and
52:54
inquiry showed it was so. I passed round the garden without seeing anything more
53:00
than random tracks, which I took to be the police. But when I
53:05
got into the stable lane, a very long and complex story was written in
53:09
the snow. In front of me. There was a double line of tracks
53:15
of a booted man, and a second double line, which I saw with
53:19
delight, belonged to a man with naked feet. I was at once convinced
53:24
from what you had told me that the latter was your son. The first
53:29
had walked both ways, but the other had run swiftly, and as his
53:32
tread was marked in places over the depression of the boot, it was obvious
53:37
that he had passed after the other. I followed them up and found they
53:42
led to the hall window, where boots had worn all the snow away while
53:45
waiting. Then I walked to the other end, which was a hundred yards
53:51
or more down the lane. I saw where boots had faced round, where
53:55
the snow was cut up as though there had been a struggle, and finally
54:00
where a few drops of blood had fallen to show me that I was not
54:05
mistaken. Boots had then run down the lane, and another little smudge of
54:10
blood showed that it was he who had been hurt. When he came to
54:15
the high road. At the other end, I found that the pavement had
54:19
been cleared, so there was an end to that clue. On entering the
54:24
house, however, I examined, as you remember, the sill and framework
54:30
of the hall window with my lents, and I could at once see that
54:35
some one had passed out. I could distinguish the outline of an instep where
54:39
the wet foot had been placed in coming in. I was then beginning to
54:44
be able to form an opinion as to what had occurred. A man had
54:49
waited outside the window. Some one had brought the gems. The deed had
54:53
been overseen by your son. He had pursued the thief, had struggled with
54:58
him. They had each tugged at the coronet their united strength, causing injuries
55:04
which neither alone could have effected. He had returned with a prize, but
55:09
had left a fragment in the grasp of his opponent. So far I was
55:15
clear. The question now was who was the man and who was it brought
55:20
him the coronet? It is an old maxim of mine that, when you
55:24
have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
55:31
Now I knew that it was not you who had brought it down,
55:36
So there only remained your niece and the maids. And if it were the
55:39
maids, why should your son allow himself to be accused in their place?
55:45
There could be no possible reason, as he loved his cousin. However,
55:50
there was an excellent explanation why he should retain her secret, the more so
55:55
as the secret was a disgraceful one. Whenever remembered that you had seen her
56:00
at that window, and how she had fainted on seeing the coronet again,
56:06
my conjecture became a certainty. And who could it be? Who was her
56:10
confederate? A lover? Evidently? For who else could outweigh the love and
56:15
gratitude which she must feel for you? I knew that you went out little,
56:21
and that your circle of friends was a very limited one. But among
56:24
them was Sir George Burnwell. I had heard of him before as a man
56:30
of evil reputation among women. It must have been he who wore those boots
56:36
and retained the missing gems. Even though he knew that Arthur had discovered him,
56:42
he might still flatter himself that he was safe, for the lad could
56:45
not say a word without compromising his own family. Well, your own good
56:52
sense will suggest what measures I took. Next, I went in the shape
56:55
of a loafer to Sir George's house, managed to pick up an acquaintance with
57:00
his valet, learned that his master had cut his head the night before,
57:06
and finally, at the expense of six shillings, made all sure by buying
57:10
a pair of his cast off shoes. With these I journeyed down to Stretham
57:15
and saw that they exactly fitted the tracks. I saw an ill dressed vagabund
57:22
on the lane yesterday evening, said mister Holder. Precisely it was I.
57:29
I found that I had my man, so I came home and changed my
57:31
clothes. It was a delicate part which I had to play then, for
57:36
I saw that prosecution must be avoided to avat scandal. And I knew that
57:40
so astute a villain would see that our hands were tied in the matter.
57:45
I went and saw him. At first, of course he denied everything,
57:50
but when I gave him every particular that had occurred, he tried to bluster
57:54
and took down a life preserver from the wall. I knew my man,
57:59
however, and I clapped a pistol to his head before he could strike.
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Then he became a little more reasonable. I told him that we would give
58:08
him a price for the stones. He held one thousand pounds apiece. That
58:14
brought out the first signs of grief that he had shown. Why dash it
58:17
all? Said he I have let them go at six hundred for the three.
58:23
I soon managed to get the address of the receiver who had them on,
58:28
promising him that there would be no prosecution. Off, I said to
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him, and after much chaffering, I got our stones at one thousand pounds
58:37
apiece. Then I looked in upon your son, told him that all was
58:42
right, and eventually got to my bed at about two o'clock, after what
58:46
I may call a really hard day's work, a day which has saved England
58:52
from a great public scandal, said the banker, rising, Sir, I
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cannot find words to thank you, but you shall not find me ungrateful for
59:01
what you have done. Your skill has indeed exceeded all that I have heard
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of, And now I must fly to my dear boy to apologize to him
59:12
for the wrong which I have done him. As to what you tell me
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of poor Mary, it goes to my very heart not even your skill can
59:21
inform me where she is. Now. I think that we may safely say,
59:28
returned Holmes, that she is wherever Sir George Burnwell is. It is
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equally certain too that whatever her sins are, they will soon receive a more
59:37
than sufficient punishment. And of the Beryl Coronet,