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37 The Second Stain from The Return of Sherlock Holm · Sherlock Holmes

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Speaker 1: The Adventure of the Second Stain. I had intended the
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Speaker 1: Adventure of the Abbe Grange to be the last of
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Speaker 1: those exploits of my friend mister Sherlock Holmes which I
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Speaker 1: should ever communicate to the public. This resolution of mine
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Speaker 1: was not due to any lack of material, since I
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Speaker 1: have notes of many hundreds of cases to which I
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Speaker 1: have never alluded, nor was it caused by any waning
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Speaker 1: interest on the part of my readers in the singular
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Speaker 1: personality and unique methods of this remarkable man. The real
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Speaker 1: reason lay in the reluctance which mister Holmes has shown
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Speaker 1: to the continued publication of his experiences. So long as
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Speaker 1: he was in actual professional practice, the records of his
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Speaker 1: successes were of some practical value to him. But since
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Speaker 1: he has definitely retired from London and betaken himself to
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Speaker 1: study and bee farming on the Sussex Downs, notoriety has
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Speaker 1: become hateful to him, and he has peremptorily requested that
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Speaker 1: his wishes in this matter should be strictly observed. It
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Speaker 1: was only upon my representing to him that I had
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Speaker 1: given a promise that the Adventure of the Second Stain
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Speaker 1: should be published. When the times were ripe and pointing
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Speaker 1: out to him that it is only appropriate that this
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Speaker 1: long series of episodes should culminate in the most important
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Speaker 1: international case which he has ever been called upon to handle.
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Speaker 1: That I at last succeeded in obtaining his consent that
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Speaker 1: a carefully guarded account of the incident should at last
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Speaker 1: be laid before the public. If in telling the story
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Speaker 1: I seem to be somewhat vague in certain details, the
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Speaker 1: public will readily understand that there is an excellent reason
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Speaker 1: for my reticence. It was then, in a year, and
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Speaker 1: even in a decade that shall be nameless, that upon
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Speaker 1: one Tuesday morning in autumn, we found two visitors of
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Speaker 1: European fame within the walls of our humble room in
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Speaker 1: Baker Street. The one, austere, high nosed, eagle eyed, and dominant,
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Speaker 1: was none other than the illustrious Lord Bellinger, twice Premier
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Speaker 1: of Britain. The other, dark, clear cut and elegant, hardly
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Speaker 1: yet of middle age, and endowed with every beauty of
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Speaker 1: body and of mind, was the right Honorable Trelawney Hope,
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Speaker 1: Secretary for European Affairs, and the most rising statesmen in
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Speaker 1: the country. They sat side by side upon our paper
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Speaker 1: littered settee, and it was easy to see from their
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Speaker 1: worn and anxious faces that it was business of the
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Speaker 1: most pressing importance which had brought them. The Premier's thin,
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Speaker 1: blue veined hands were clasped tightly over the ivory head
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Speaker 1: of his umbrella, and his gaunt, aceetic face looked gloomily
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Speaker 1: from homes to me. The Unuropean Secretary pulled nervously at
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Speaker 1: his mustache and fidgeted with the seals of his watch chain.
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Speaker 1: When I discovered my loss, mister Holmes, which was at
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Speaker 1: eight o'clock this morning, I at once informed the Prime Minister.
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Speaker 1: It was at his suggestion that we have both come
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Speaker 1: to you. Have you informed the police? No, so said
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Speaker 1: the Prime Minister, with the quick, decisive manner for which
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Speaker 1: he was famous. We have not done so, nor is
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Speaker 1: it possible that we should do so. To inform the
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Speaker 1: police must, in the long run mean to inform the public.
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Speaker 1: This is what we particularly desire to avoid, and why, sir,
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Speaker 1: Because the document in question is of such immense importance
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Speaker 1: that its publication might very easily, I might almost say probably,
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Speaker 1: lead to European complications of the utmost moment. It is
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Speaker 1: not too much to say that peace or war may
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Speaker 1: hang upon the issue. Unless its recovery can be attended
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Speaker 1: with the utmost secrecy, then it may as well not
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Speaker 1: be recovered at all. For all that is aimed at
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Speaker 1: by those who have taken it is that its contents
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Speaker 1: should be generally known. I understand now, mister Trelawney, hope.
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Speaker 1: I should be much obliged if you would tell me
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Speaker 1: exactly the circumstances under which this document disappeared. That can
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Speaker 1: be done in a very few words, mister Holmes. The
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Speaker 1: letter for it was a letter from a foreign potentate
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Speaker 1: was received six days ago. It was of such importance
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Speaker 1: that I have never left it in my safe, but
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Speaker 1: have taken it across each evening to my house in
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Speaker 1: Whitehall Terrace and kept it in my bedroom in a
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Speaker 1: locked dispatch box. It was there last night, of that
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Speaker 1: I am certain. I actually opened the box while I
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Speaker 1: was dressing for dinner and saw the document inside. This
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Speaker 1: morning it was gone. The dispatch box had stood beside
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Speaker 1: the glass upon my dressing table all night. I am
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Speaker 1: a light sleeper, and so is my wife. We are
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Speaker 1: both prepared to swear that no one could have entered
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Speaker 1: the room during the night, and yet I repeat that
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Speaker 1: the paper is gone. What time did you dine? Half
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Speaker 1: past seven? How long was it before you went to bed?
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Speaker 1: My wife had gone to the theater. I waited up
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Speaker 1: for her. It was half past eleven before we went
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Speaker 1: to our room. Then for four hours the despatch box
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Speaker 1: had lain unguarded. No one is ever permitted to enter
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Speaker 1: that room save the housemaid in the morning, and my
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Speaker 1: valet or my wife's maid during the rest of the day.
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Speaker 1: They are both trusty servants who have been with us
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Speaker 1: for some time. Besides, neither of them could possibly have
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Speaker 1: known that there was anything more valuable than the ordinary
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Speaker 1: departmental papers in my dispatch box. Who did know of
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Speaker 1: the existence of that letter? No one in the house.
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Speaker 1: Surely your wife knew, no, Sir. I had said nothing
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Speaker 1: to my wife, and I missed the paper this morning.
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Speaker 1: The Premier nodded approvingly. I have long known, sir. How
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Speaker 1: high is your sense of public duty? Said he? I
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Speaker 1: am convinced that in the case of a secret of
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Speaker 1: this importance, it would rise superior to the most intimate
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Speaker 1: domestic ties. The European secretary bowed, you do mean no
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Speaker 1: more than justice, Sir, Until this morning, I have never
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Speaker 1: breathed one word to my wife upon this matter. Could
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Speaker 1: she have guessed, No, mister Holmes, she could not have guessed,
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Speaker 1: nor could any one have guessed. Have you lost any
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Speaker 1: documents before? No, sir, Who is there in England who
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Speaker 1: did know of the existence of this letter? Each member
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Speaker 1: of the Cabinet was informed of it yesterday. But the
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Speaker 1: pledge of secrecy which attends every cabinet meeting was increased
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Speaker 1: by the solemn warning which was given by the Prime Minister.
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Speaker 1: Good heavens to think that within a few hours I
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Speaker 1: should myself have lost it. His hand, some face was
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Speaker 1: distorted with a spasm of despair, and his hands tore
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Speaker 1: at his hair. For a moment we caught a glimpse
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Speaker 1: of the natural man, impulsive, ardent, keenly sensitive. The next
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Speaker 1: the aristocratic mask was replaced and the gentle voice had returned.
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Speaker 1: Besides the members of the Cabinet, there are two or
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Speaker 1: possibly three departmental officials who know of the letter. No
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Speaker 1: one else in England, mister Holmes, I assure you, but abroad,
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Speaker 1: I believe that no one abroad has seen it save
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Speaker 1: the man who wrote it. I am well convinced that
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Speaker 1: his ministers that the usual official channels have not been employed.
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Speaker 1: Holmes considered for some little time. Now, Sir, I must
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Speaker 1: ask you more particularly what this document is and why
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Speaker 1: its disappearance should have such momentous consequences. The two statesmen
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Speaker 1: exchanged a quick glance, and the Premier's shaggy eyebrows gathered
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Speaker 1: in a frown. Mister Holmes, the envelope is a long,
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Speaker 1: thin one of pale blue color. There is a seal
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Speaker 1: of red wax stamped with a crouching lion. It is
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Speaker 1: addressed in large, bold handwriting to I fear, Sir, said Holmes,
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Speaker 1: that interesting, and indeed essential as these details are, my
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Speaker 1: inquiries must go more to the root of things. What
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Speaker 1: was the letter? That is a state secret of the
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Speaker 1: utmost importance? And I fear that I cannot tell you,
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Speaker 1: nor do I see that it is necessary. If by
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Speaker 1: the aid of the powers which you are said to possess,
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Speaker 1: you can find such an envelope as I describe, with
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Speaker 1: its enclosure, you will have deserved well of your country
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Speaker 1: and earned any reward which it lies in our power
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Speaker 1: to bestow. Sherlock Holmes rose with a smile you are
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Speaker 1: two of the most busy men in the country, said he,
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Speaker 1: And in my own small way, I have also a
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Speaker 1: good many calls upon me. I regret exceedingly that I
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Speaker 1: cannot help you in this matter, and any continuation of
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Speaker 1: this interview would be a waste of time. The Premiere
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Speaker 1: sprang to his feet with that quick, fierce gleam of
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Speaker 1: his deep set eyes before which a cabinet has cowered.
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Speaker 1: I am not accustomed, sir, he began, but mastered his
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Speaker 1: anger and resumed his seat. For a minute or more,
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Speaker 1: we all sat in silence. Then the old statesman shrugged
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Speaker 1: his shoulders. We must accept your terms, mister Holmes. No
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Speaker 1: doubt you are right, and it is unreasonable for us
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Speaker 1: to expect you to act unless we give you our
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Speaker 1: entire confidence. I agree with you, said the younger statesman.
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Speaker 1: Then I will tell you, relying entirely upon your honor
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Speaker 1: and that of your colleague, doctor Watson. I may appeal
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Speaker 1: to your patriotism also, for I could not imagine a
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Speaker 1: greater misfortune for the country than the this affair should
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Speaker 1: come out. You may safely trust us. The letter, then,
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Speaker 1: is from a certain foreign potentate who has been ruffled
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Speaker 1: by some recent colonial developments of this country. It has
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Speaker 1: been written hurriedly and upon his own responsibility entirely. Inquiries
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Speaker 1: have shown that his ministers know nothing of the matter.
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Speaker 1: At the same time, it is couched in so unfortunate
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Speaker 1: a manner, and certain phrases in it are of so
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Speaker 1: provocative a character, that its publication would undoubtedly lead to
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Speaker 1: a most dangerous state of feeling in this country. There
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Speaker 1: would be such a ferment, Sir, that I do not
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Speaker 1: hesitate to say that within a week of the publication
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Speaker 1: of that letter, this country would be involved in a
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Speaker 1: great war. Holmes wrote a name upon a slip of
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Speaker 1: paper and handed it to the premiere. Exactly it was he,
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Speaker 1: And it is this letter, this letter which may well
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Speaker 1: mean the expenditure of a thousand millions and the lives
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Speaker 1: of a hundred thousand men, which has become lost in
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Speaker 1: this unaccountable fashion. Have you informed the sender? Yes, Sir,
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Speaker 1: A cipher telegram has been dispatched. Perhaps he desires the
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Speaker 1: publication of the letter. No, sub We have strong reason
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Speaker 1: to believe that he already understands that he has acted
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Speaker 1: in an indiscreet and hot headed manner. It would be
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Speaker 1: a greater blow to him and to his country than
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Speaker 1: to us if the letter were to come out. If
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Speaker 1: this is so, whose interest is it that the letter
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Speaker 1: should come out? Why should anyone desire to steal it
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Speaker 1: or to publish it? There, mister Holmes, you take me
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Speaker 1: into regions of high international politics. But if you consider
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Speaker 1: the European situation, you will have no difficulty in perceiving
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Speaker 1: the motive. The whole of Europe is an armed camp.
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Speaker 1: There is a double league which makes a fair balance
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Speaker 1: of military power. Great Britain holds the scales. If Britain
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Speaker 1: were driven into war with one confederacy, it would assure
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Speaker 1: the supremacy of the other confederacy, whether they joined in
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Speaker 1: the war or not. Do you follow very clearly? It
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Speaker 1: is then interest of the enemies of this potentate to
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Speaker 1: secure and publish this letter so as to make a
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Speaker 1: breach between his country and ours. Here, sir, and to
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Speaker 1: whom would this document be sent if it fell into
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Speaker 1: the hands of an enemy, to any of the great
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Speaker 1: chancellors of Europe? It is probably speeding on its way
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Speaker 1: thither at the present instant, as fast as steam can
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Speaker 1: take it. Mister Trelawney, hope dropped his head on his
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Speaker 1: chest and groaned aloud. The Premier placed his hand kindly
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Speaker 1: upon his shoulder. It is your misfortune, my dear fellow.
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Speaker 1: No one can blame you. There is no precaution which
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Speaker 1: you have neglected. Now, mister Holmes, you are in full
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Speaker 1: possession of the facts. What course do you recommend? Holmes
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Speaker 1: shook his head mournfully. You think, sir, that unless this
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Speaker 1: document is recovered there will be war. I think it
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Speaker 1: is very probable, then, sir, prepare for war. That is
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Speaker 1: a hard saying, mister Holmes, Consider the fact, sir. It
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Speaker 1: is inconceivable that it was taken after eleven thirty at night,
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Speaker 1: since I understand that mister Hopenty's wife were both in
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Speaker 1: the room from that hour until the loss was found out.
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Speaker 1: It was taken then yesterday evening, between seven thirty and
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Speaker 1: eleven thirty, probably near the earlier hour, since whoever took
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Speaker 1: it evidently knew that it was there and would naturally
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Speaker 1: secure it as early as possible. Now, Sir, if a
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Speaker 1: document of this importance were taken at that hour, where
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Speaker 1: can it be now? No one has any reason to
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Speaker 1: retain it. It has been passed rapidly on to those
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Speaker 1: who need it. What chance have we now to overtake it,
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Speaker 1: or even to trace it? It is beyond our reach.
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Speaker 1: The Prime Minister rose from the settee. What you say
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Speaker 1: is perfectly logical, mister Holmes, I feel that the matter
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Speaker 1: is indeed out of our hands. Let us presume, for
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Speaker 1: argument's sake that the document was taken by the maid
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Speaker 1: or by the valid They are both old and tried servants.
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Speaker 1: I understand you to say that your room is on
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Speaker 1: the second floor, that there is no entrance from without,
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Speaker 1: and that from within no one could go up unobserved.
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Speaker 1: It must then be somebody in the house who has
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Speaker 1: taken it to whom would the thief take it to?
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Speaker 1: One of several international spies and secret agents whose names
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Speaker 1: are tolerably familiar to me. There are three who may
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Speaker 1: be said to be the heads of their profession. I
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Speaker 1: will begin my research by going round and finding if
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Speaker 1: each of them is at his post. If one is missing,
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Speaker 1: especially if he has disappeared since last night, we will
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Speaker 1: have some indication as to where the document has gone.
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Speaker 1: Why should he be missing, asked the European Secretary. He
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Speaker 1: would take the letter to an embassy in London, as
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Speaker 1: likely as not. I fancy not. These agents work independently
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Speaker 1: and their relations with the embassies are often strained. The
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Speaker 1: Prime Minister nodded his acquiescence. I believe you are right,
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Speaker 1: mister Holmes. He would take so valuable a prize to
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Speaker 1: headquarters with his own hands. I think that your course
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Speaker 1: of action is an excellent one. Meanwhile, hope we cannot
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Speaker 1: neglect all our other duties on account of this one misfortune.
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Speaker 1: Should there be any fresh developments during the day, we
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Speaker 1: shall communicate with you, and you will, no doubt let
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Speaker 1: us know the results of your own inqu The two
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Speaker 1: statesmen bowed and walked gravely from the room. When our
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Speaker 1: illustrious visitors had departed, Holmes lit his pipe in silence
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Speaker 1: and sat for some time, lost in the deepest thought.
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Speaker 1: I had opened the morning paper and was immersed in
16:20
Speaker 1: a sensational crime which had occurred in London the night before.
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Speaker 1: When my friend gave an exclamation, sprang to his feet
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Speaker 1: and laid his pipe down upon the mantelpiece. Yes, said he,
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Speaker 1: there is no better way of approaching it. The situation
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Speaker 1: is desperate, but not hopeless. Even now, if we could
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Speaker 1: be sure which of them has taken it. It is
16:42
Speaker 1: just possible that it has not yet passed out of
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Speaker 1: his hands. After all, it is a question of money
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Speaker 1: with these fellows, and I have the British Treasury behind me.
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Speaker 1: If it's on the market, I'll buy it. If it
16:55
Speaker 1: means another penny on income tax. It is receivable that
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Speaker 1: the fellow might hold it back to see what bids
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Speaker 1: come from this side before he tries his luck on
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Speaker 1: the other. There are only those three capable of playing
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Speaker 1: so bold a game. There are Oberstein, Larothiere and Eduardo Luca.
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Speaker 1: I will see each of them. I glanced at my
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Speaker 1: morning paper. Is that Edouardo Luca of Godolphin Street? Yes,
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Speaker 1: you will not see him. Why not? He was murdered
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Speaker 1: in his house last night. My friend has so often
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Speaker 1: astonished me in the course of our adventures that it
17:41
Speaker 1: was with a sense of exaltation that I realized how
17:44
Speaker 1: completely I had astonished him. He stared in amazement, and
17:49
Speaker 1: then snatched the paper from my hands. This was the
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Speaker 1: paragraph which I had been engaged in reading when he
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Speaker 1: rose from his chair. Murder in Westminster, crime of mysterious character,
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Speaker 1: was committed last night at sixteen Godolphin Street, one of
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Speaker 1: the old fashioned and secluded rows of eighteenth century houses,
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Speaker 1: which lie between the river and the abbey, almost in
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Speaker 1: the shadow of the Great Tower of the Houses of Parliament.
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Speaker 1: This small but select mansion has been inhabited for some
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Speaker 1: years by mister Eduardo Luca, well known in society circles,
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Speaker 1: both on account of his charming personality and because he
18:28
Speaker 1: has the well deserved reputation of being one of the
18:31
Speaker 1: best amateur tenors in the country. Mister Luca is an
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Speaker 1: unmarried man thirty four years of age, and his establishment
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Speaker 1: consists of Missus Pringle, an elderly housekeeper, and of Mitton,
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Speaker 1: his valet. The former retires early and sleeps at the
18:48
Speaker 1: top of the house. The valet was out for the evening,
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Speaker 1: visiting a friend at Hammersmith. From ten o'clock onward, mister
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Speaker 1: Luca had the house to himself. What occurred during that
19:00
Speaker 1: time has not yet transpired, But at a quarter to
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Speaker 1: twelve police Constable Barrett, passing along Godolphin Street, observed that
19:09
Speaker 1: the door of number sixteen was ajar. He knocked but
19:13
Speaker 1: received no answer. Perceiving a light in the front room,
19:17
Speaker 1: he advanced into the passage and again knocked, but without reply.
19:21
Speaker 1: He then pushed open the door and entered. The room
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Speaker 1: was in a state of wild disorder, the furniture being
19:27
Speaker 1: all swept to one side, and one chair lying on
19:31
Speaker 1: its back in the center. Beside this chair, and still
19:35
Speaker 1: grasping one of its legs, lay the unfortunate tenant of
19:38
Speaker 1: the house. He had been stabbed to the heart and
19:41
Speaker 1: must have died instantly. The knife with which the crime
19:45
Speaker 1: had been committed was a curved Indian dagger, plucked down
19:49
Speaker 1: from a trophy of oriental arms which adorned one of
19:52
Speaker 1: the walls. Robbery does not appear to have been the
19:56
Speaker 1: motive of the crime, for there had been no attempt
19:59
Speaker 1: to remove them valuable contents of the room. Mister Eduardo
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Speaker 1: Luca was so well known and popular that his violent
20:07
Speaker 1: and mysterious fate will arouse painful interest and intense sympathy
20:12
Speaker 1: in a widespread circle of friends. Well, Watson, what do
20:17
Speaker 1: you make of this? Asked Holmes after a long pause.
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Speaker 1: It is an amazing coincidence, a coincidence. Here is one
20:26
Speaker 1: of three men whom we had named as possible actors
20:28
Speaker 1: in this drama, and he meets a violent death during
20:32
Speaker 1: the very hours when we know that that drama was
20:34
Speaker 1: being enacted. The odds are enormous against its being coincidence.
20:40
Speaker 1: No figures could express them. No, my dear Watson, the
20:43
Speaker 1: two events are connected, must be connected. It is for
20:47
Speaker 1: us to find the connection. But now the official police
20:52
Speaker 1: must know all not at all, they know all they
20:55
Speaker 1: see at Godolphin Street, they know and shall know nothing
20:59
Speaker 1: of Whitehall Terrace. Only we know of both events and
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Speaker 1: can trace the relation between them. There is one obvious
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Speaker 1: point which would in any case have turned my suspicions
21:11
Speaker 1: against Luca. Godolphin Street, Westminster, is only a few minutes
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Speaker 1: walk from Whitehall Terrace. The other secret agents whom I
21:20
Speaker 1: have named, live in the extreme west end. It was
21:24
Speaker 1: easier therefore for Luca than for the others to establish
21:27
Speaker 1: a connection or receive a message from the European Secretary's household.
21:32
Speaker 1: A small thing, and yet where events are compressed into
21:35
Speaker 1: a few hours, it may prove essential. Hello, what have
21:40
Speaker 1: we here? Missus Hudson had appeared with a lady's card.
21:44
Speaker 1: Upon her Salver Holmes glanced at it, raised his eyebrows,
21:49
Speaker 1: and handed it over to me. Ask Lady Hilda Trelawney,
21:53
Speaker 1: hope if she will be kind enough to step up
21:56
Speaker 1: said he. A moment later. Our modest apartment, already so
22:01
Speaker 1: distinguished that morning, was further honored by the entrance of
22:05
Speaker 1: the most lovely woman in London. I had often heard
22:10
Speaker 1: of the beauty of the youngest daughter of the Duke
22:12
Speaker 1: of Bellminster, but no description of it, and no contemplation
22:17
Speaker 1: of colorless photographs had prepared me for the subtle, delicate
22:21
Speaker 1: charm and the beautiful coloring of that exquisite head. And
22:26
Speaker 1: yet as we saw it that autumn morning, it was
22:29
Speaker 1: not its beauty which would be the first thing to
22:32
Speaker 1: impress the observer. The cheek was lovely, but it was
22:36
Speaker 1: paled with emotion. The eyes were bright, but it was
22:40
Speaker 1: the brightness of fever. The sensitive mouth was tight and
22:43
Speaker 1: drawn in an effort after self command. Terror, not beauty,
22:49
Speaker 1: was what sprang first to the eye. As our fair
22:52
Speaker 1: visitor stood framed for an instant in the open door.
22:56
Speaker 1: As my husband been here, mister Holmes, Yes, madam, he
23:00
Speaker 1: has been here. Mister Holmes, I implore you not to
23:04
Speaker 1: tell him that I came here. Holmes bowed coldly and
23:09
Speaker 1: motioned the lady to a chair. Your ladyship places me
23:13
Speaker 1: in a very delicate position. I beg that you will
23:16
Speaker 1: sit down and tell me what you desire. But I
23:20
Speaker 1: fear that I cannot make any unconditional promise. She swept
23:24
Speaker 1: across the room and seated herself with her back to
23:27
Speaker 1: the window. It was a queenly present, tall, graceful, and
23:32
Speaker 1: intensely womanly, mister Holmes, she said, and her white gloved
23:39
Speaker 1: hands clasped and unclasped as she spoke. I will speak
23:43
Speaker 1: frankly to you in the hopes that it may induce
23:47
Speaker 1: you to speak frankly in return. There is complete confidence
23:51
Speaker 1: between my husband and me on all matters save one
23:56
Speaker 1: that one is politics. On this his lips are sealed.
24:00
Speaker 1: He tells me nothing. Now. I am aware that there
24:04
Speaker 1: was a most deplorable occurrence in our house last night.
24:08
Speaker 1: I know that a paper has disappeared, But because the
24:12
Speaker 1: matter is political, my husband refuses to take me into
24:14
Speaker 1: his complete confidence. Now it is essential essential, I say
24:20
Speaker 1: that I should thoroughly understand it. You are the only
24:23
Speaker 1: other person, save only these politicians, who knows the true facts.
24:27
Speaker 1: I beg you, then, mister Holmes, to tell me exactly
24:30
Speaker 1: what has happened and what it will lead to tell
24:33
Speaker 1: me all, mister Holmes, Let no regard for your client's
24:37
Speaker 1: interests keep you silent, for I assure you that his interests,
24:41
Speaker 1: if he would only see it, would be best served
24:43
Speaker 1: by taking me into his complete confidence. What was this
24:47
Speaker 1: paper which was stolen? Madam? What you ask me is
24:51
Speaker 1: really impossible? She groaned and sank her face in her hands.
24:57
Speaker 1: You must see that this is so, madam. If your
25:00
Speaker 1: husband thinks fit to keep you in the dark over
25:02
Speaker 1: this matter, is it for me, who has only learned
25:05
Speaker 1: the true facts under the pledge of professional secrecy, to
25:09
Speaker 1: tell what he has withheld? It is not fair to
25:12
Speaker 1: ask it. It is him whom you must ask. I
25:16
Speaker 1: have asked him. I come to you as a last resource,
25:21
Speaker 1: but without your telling me anything definite. Mister Holmes, you
25:24
Speaker 1: may do a great service if you would enlighten me
25:26
Speaker 1: on one point. What is it? Madam? Is my husband's
25:30
Speaker 1: political career likely to suffer through this incident? Well, madam,
25:36
Speaker 1: Unless it is set right, it may certainly have a
25:39
Speaker 1: very unfortunate effect. Ah, She drew in her breath sharply,
25:45
Speaker 1: as one whose doubts are resolved. One more question, mister Holmes.
25:50
Speaker 1: From an expression which my husband dropped in the first
25:53
Speaker 1: shark of this disaster. I understood the terrible public consequences
25:57
Speaker 1: might arise from the loss of this document. If he
26:01
Speaker 1: said so, I certainly cannot deny it. Of what nature
26:05
Speaker 1: are they? Nay, Madam, there again you ask me more
26:08
Speaker 1: than I can possibly answer. Then I will take up
26:12
Speaker 1: no more of your time. I cannot blame you, mister Holmes,
26:15
Speaker 1: for having refused to speak more freely, and you, on
26:18
Speaker 1: your side, will not, I am sure think the worse
26:21
Speaker 1: of me, because I desire, even against his will, to
26:24
Speaker 1: share my husband's anxieties. Once more, I beg that you
26:28
Speaker 1: will say nothing of my visit. She looked back at
26:32
Speaker 1: us from the door, and I had a last impression
26:34
Speaker 1: of that beautiful, haunted face, the startled eyes, and the
26:38
Speaker 1: drawn mouth. Then she was gone. Now, Watson, the fair
26:46
Speaker 1: Sex is your department, said Holmes with a smile, when
26:51
Speaker 1: the dwindling threw through of the skirts had ended in
26:54
Speaker 1: the slam of the front door. What was the fair
26:58
Speaker 1: lady's game? What did she really want? Surely her own
27:03
Speaker 1: statement is clear, and her anxiety very natural. Hum think
27:09
Speaker 1: of her appearance, Watson, her manner, her suppressed excitement, her restlessness,
27:14
Speaker 1: her tenacity, in asking questions. Remember that she comes of
27:18
Speaker 1: a cast who do not lightly show emotion. She was
27:23
Speaker 1: certainly much moved. Remember also the curious earnestness with which
27:27
Speaker 1: she assured us that it was best for her husband
27:30
Speaker 1: that she should know all What did she mean by that?
27:34
Speaker 1: And you must have observed, Watson, how she maneuvered to
27:37
Speaker 1: have the light at her back. She did not wish
27:40
Speaker 1: us to read her expression. Yes, she chose the one
27:44
Speaker 1: chair in the room. And yet the motives of women
27:47
Speaker 1: are so inscrutable. You remember the woman at Margate, whom
27:52
Speaker 1: I suspected for the same reason no powder on her
27:57
Speaker 1: nose That proved to be the correct sola. How can
28:01
Speaker 1: you build on such a quicksand their most trivial action
28:05
Speaker 1: may mean volumes, or their most extraordinary conduct may depend
28:10
Speaker 1: upon a hairpin or a curling tongus. Good morning, Watson,
28:15
Speaker 1: you are off? Yes, I will while away the morning
28:19
Speaker 1: at Godolphin Street with our friends of the regular establishment.
28:23
Speaker 1: With Eduardo Lucca, lies the solution of our problem, though
28:28
Speaker 1: I must admit that I have not an inkling as
28:30
Speaker 1: to what form it may take. It is a capital
28:34
Speaker 1: mistake to theorize in advance of the facts. Do you
28:38
Speaker 1: stay on guard, my good Watson, and receive any fresh visitors.
28:43
Speaker 1: I'll join you at lunch if I am able. All
28:48
Speaker 1: that day and the next and the next Holmes was
28:51
Speaker 1: in a mood which his friends would call taciturn and
28:55
Speaker 1: others morose. He ran out and ran in, smoked, incessantly
29:00
Speaker 1: played snatches on his violin, sank into reveries, devoured sandwidges
29:05
Speaker 1: at irregular hours, and hardly answered the casual questions which
29:10
Speaker 1: I put to him. It was evident to me that
29:13
Speaker 1: things were not going well with him or his quest.
29:17
Speaker 1: He would say nothing of the case, and it was
29:20
Speaker 1: from the papers that I learned the particulars of the
29:22
Speaker 1: inquest and the arrest. With the subsequent release of John Mitton,
29:27
Speaker 1: the valet of the deceased, the coroner's jury brought in
29:31
Speaker 1: the obvious wilful murder, but the parties remained as unknown.
29:35
Speaker 1: As ever, no motive was suggested. The room was full
29:40
Speaker 1: of articles of value, but none had been taken. The
29:44
Speaker 1: dead man's papers had not been tampered with. They were
29:47
Speaker 1: carefully examined and showed that he was a keen student
29:51
Speaker 1: of international politics, an indefatigable gossip, a remarkable linguist and
29:56
Speaker 1: an untiring letter writer. He had been on intimate terms
30:01
Speaker 1: with the leading politicians of several countries, but nothing sensational
30:06
Speaker 1: was discovered among the documents which filled his drawers. As
30:10
Speaker 1: to his relations with women, they appeared to have been
30:13
Speaker 1: promiscuous but superficial. He had many acquaintances among them, but
30:18
Speaker 1: few friends, and no one whom he loved. His habits
30:23
Speaker 1: were regular, his conduct inoffensive. His death was an absolute
30:28
Speaker 1: mystery and likely to remain so. As to the arrest
30:33
Speaker 1: of John mitton the Valet, it was a council of
30:36
Speaker 1: despair as an alternative to absolute inaction, but no case
30:41
Speaker 1: could be sustained against him. He had visited friends in
30:45
Speaker 1: Hammersmith that night. The alibi was complete. It is true
30:51
Speaker 1: that he started home at an hour which should have
30:53
Speaker 1: brought him to Westminster before the time when the crime
30:56
Speaker 1: was discovered, but his own explanation that he had walked
31:00
Speaker 1: part of the way seemed probable enough in view of
31:03
Speaker 1: the fineness of the night. He had actually arrived at
31:06
Speaker 1: twelve o'clock and appeared to be overwhelmed by the unexpected tragedy.
31:11
Speaker 1: He had always been on good terms with his master
31:14
Speaker 1: several of the dead man's possessions. Notably, a small case
31:18
Speaker 1: of razors had been found in the valet's boxes, but
31:22
Speaker 1: he explained that they had been presents from thee deceased,
31:26
Speaker 1: and the housekeeper was able to corroborate the story. Mitton
31:30
Speaker 1: had been in Luca's employment for three years. It was
31:34
Speaker 1: noticeable that Luca did not take Mitton on the continent
31:38
Speaker 1: with him. Sometimes he visited Paris for three months on end,
31:43
Speaker 1: but Mitton was left in charge of the Godolphin Street house.
31:47
Speaker 1: As to the housekeeper, she had heard nothing on the
31:51
Speaker 1: night of the crime. If her master had a visitor,
31:54
Speaker 1: he had himself admitted him. So for three mornings the
31:59
Speaker 1: missas remained so far as I could follow it in
32:02
Speaker 1: the papers. If Holmes knew more, he kept his counsel.
32:07
Speaker 1: But as he told me that Inspector Lestrade had taken
32:10
Speaker 1: him into his confidence in the case, I knew that
32:13
Speaker 1: he was in close touch with every development. Upon the
32:17
Speaker 1: fourth day there appeared a long telegram from Paris which
32:21
Speaker 1: seemed to solve the whole question. A discovery has just
32:25
Speaker 1: been made by the Parisian police, said the Daily Telegraph,
32:30
Speaker 1: which raises the veil which hung round the tragic fate
32:33
Speaker 1: of mister Eduardo Luca, who met his death by violence
32:37
Speaker 1: last Monday night at Godolphin Street, Westminster. Our readers will
32:42
Speaker 1: remember that the deceased gentleman was found stabbed in his room,
32:46
Speaker 1: and that some suspicion attached to his valet, but that
32:51
Speaker 1: the case broke down on an alibi. Yesterday, a lady
32:55
Speaker 1: who has been known as Madame Anri Fournet, occupying a
32:59
Speaker 1: small villa in the Rue Austerlitz, was reported to the
33:02
Speaker 1: authorities by her servants as being insane. An examination showed
33:08
Speaker 1: she had indeed developed mania of a dangerous and permanent form.
33:13
Speaker 1: On inquiry, the police have discovered that Madame Enrefournee only
33:17
Speaker 1: returned from a journey to London on Tuesday last, and
33:21
Speaker 1: there is evidence to connect her with the crime at Westminster.
33:26
Speaker 1: A comparison of photographs has proved conclusively that Monsieur Enrefournae
33:31
Speaker 1: and Edouardo Lucca were really one and the same person,
33:35
Speaker 1: and that the deceased had for some reason lived a
33:38
Speaker 1: double life in London and Paris. Madame Fournee, who is
33:43
Speaker 1: of Creole origin, is of an extremely excitable nature and
33:48
Speaker 1: has suffered in the past from attacks of jealousy, which
33:51
Speaker 1: have amounted to frenzy. It is conjectured that it was
33:55
Speaker 1: in one of these that she committed the terrible crime
33:58
Speaker 1: which has caused such a sensation in London. Her movements
34:02
Speaker 1: upon the Monday night have not yet been traced, but
34:05
Speaker 1: it is undoubted that a woman answering to her description
34:09
Speaker 1: attracted much attention at Charing Cross station on Tuesday morning
34:13
Speaker 1: by the wildness of her appearance and the violence of
34:16
Speaker 1: her gestures. It is probable therefore, that the crime was
34:20
Speaker 1: either committed when insane, or that its immediate effect was
34:24
Speaker 1: to drive the unhappy woman out of her mind. At present,
34:28
Speaker 1: she is unable to give any coherent account of the past,
34:32
Speaker 1: and the doctors hold out no hopes of the re
34:35
Speaker 1: establishment of her reason. There is evidence that a woman
34:39
Speaker 1: who might have been Madame Forney was seen for some
34:42
Speaker 1: hours upon Monday night watching the house in Godolphin Street.
34:47
Speaker 1: What do you think of that? Holmes? I had read
34:51
Speaker 1: the account aloud to him while he finished his breakfast.
34:54
Speaker 1: My dear Watson, said he, as he rose from the
34:57
Speaker 1: table and paced up and down the room. You are
35:01
Speaker 1: most long suffering. But if I have told you nothing
35:04
Speaker 1: in the last three days. It is because there is
35:06
Speaker 1: nothing to tell. Even now, this report from Paris does
35:11
Speaker 1: not help us much. Surely it is final as regards
35:15
Speaker 1: the man's death. The man's death is a mere incident,
35:19
Speaker 1: a trivial episode, in comparison with our real task, which
35:24
Speaker 1: is to trace this document and save a European catastrophe.
35:29
Speaker 1: Only one important thing has happened in the last three days,
35:33
Speaker 1: and that is that nothing has happened. I get reports
35:37
Speaker 1: almost hourly from the government, and it is certain that
35:40
Speaker 1: nowhere in Europe is there any sign of trouble. Now,
35:44
Speaker 1: if this letter were loose, no, it can't be loose.
35:48
Speaker 1: But if it isn't loose, where can it be? Who
35:50
Speaker 1: has it? Why is it held back? That's the question
35:54
Speaker 1: that beats in my brain like a hammer. Was it
35:58
Speaker 1: indeed a coincidence that Lucas should meet his death on
36:01
Speaker 1: the night when the letter disappeared? Did the letter ever
36:04
Speaker 1: reach him? If so, why is it not among his papers?
36:08
Speaker 1: Did this mad wife of his carry it off with her?
36:11
Speaker 1: If so, is it in her house in Paris? How
36:15
Speaker 1: could I search for it without the French police having
36:17
Speaker 1: their suspicions aroused. It is a case my dear Watson.
36:21
Speaker 1: Where the law is as dangerous to us as the
36:24
Speaker 1: criminals are. Every man's hand is against us, and yet
36:28
Speaker 1: the interests at stake are colossal. Should I bring it
36:31
Speaker 1: to a successful conclusion, it will certainly represent the crowning
36:35
Speaker 1: glory of my career. Ah, here is my latest from
36:39
Speaker 1: the front. He glanced hurriedly at the note which had
36:43
Speaker 1: been handed in. Hello, Lestrade, seems to have observed something
36:46
Speaker 1: of interest. Put on your hat, Watson, and we will
36:49
Speaker 1: stroll down together to Westminster. It was my first visit
36:55
Speaker 1: to the scene of the crime. A high, dingy, narrow
36:58
Speaker 1: chested house, prim formal and solid, like the century which
37:04
Speaker 1: gave it birth. Lestrade's bull dog features gazed out at
37:09
Speaker 1: us from the front window, and he greeted us warmly
37:12
Speaker 1: when a big constable had opened the door and let
37:15
Speaker 1: us in. The room into which we were shown was
37:18
Speaker 1: that in which the crime had been committed, but no
37:21
Speaker 1: trace of it now remained, save an ugly irregular stain
37:25
Speaker 1: upon the carpet. This carpet was a small square druget
37:29
Speaker 1: in the center of the room, surrounded by a broad
37:32
Speaker 1: expanse of beautiful old fashioned wood flooring in square blocks.
37:37
Speaker 1: Highly polished. Over the fireplace was a magnificent trophy of weapons,
37:43
Speaker 1: one of which had been used on that tragic night.
37:47
Speaker 1: In the window was a sumptuous writing desk, and every
37:50
Speaker 1: detail of the apartment, the pictures, the rugs, and the hangings,
37:54
Speaker 1: all pointed to a taste which was luxurious to the
37:58
Speaker 1: verge of effeminacy seen the Paris News asked Lestrade. Holmes nodded.
38:07
Speaker 1: Our French friends seemed to have touched the spot this time,
38:10
Speaker 1: no doubt. It's just as they say. She knocked at
38:14
Speaker 1: the door, surprise visit, I guess, for he kept his
38:17
Speaker 1: life in watertight compartments. He let her in, couldn't keep
38:21
Speaker 1: her in the street. She told him how she had
38:24
Speaker 1: traced him, reproached him. One thing led to another, and then,
38:29
Speaker 1: with that dagger so handy, the end soon came. It
38:33
Speaker 1: wasn't all done in an instant, though, for these chairs
38:36
Speaker 1: were all swept over yonder, and he had one in
38:39
Speaker 1: his hand as if he'd tried to hold her off
38:41
Speaker 1: with it. We've got it all clear, as if we'd
38:44
Speaker 1: seen it, Holmes raised his eyebrows. And yet you have
38:49
Speaker 1: sent for me. Ah, Yes, that's another matter, a mere trifle,
38:54
Speaker 1: but the sort of thing you take an interest in queer,
38:57
Speaker 1: you know, and what you might call freakish. It has
39:01
Speaker 1: nothing to do with the main fact. Can't have on
39:04
Speaker 1: the face of it. What is it? Then? Well, you know,
39:09
Speaker 1: after a crime of this sort, we are very careful
39:12
Speaker 1: to keep things in their position. Nothing has been moved
39:17
Speaker 1: Officer in charge here day and night, this morning, as
39:21
Speaker 1: the man was buried, and the investigation over so far
39:25
Speaker 1: as this room is concerned, we thought we could tied
39:28
Speaker 1: up a bit. This carpet, you see, it is not
39:32
Speaker 1: fastened down, only just laid there. We had occasion to
39:36
Speaker 1: raise it. We found, Yes, you found. Holmes's face grew
39:41
Speaker 1: tense with anxiety. Well, I'm sure you would never guess
39:45
Speaker 1: in a hundred years what we did find. You see
39:48
Speaker 1: that stain on the carpet, Well, a great deal must
39:52
Speaker 1: have soaked through, must it not? Undoubtedly it must. Well
39:57
Speaker 1: you'll be surprised to hear that there is no stain
39:59
Speaker 1: on the white wood work. To correspond, no stain, But
40:03
Speaker 1: there must, yes, so you would say, But the fact
40:06
Speaker 1: remains that there isn't. He took the corner of the
40:10
Speaker 1: carpet in his hand and turning it over. He showed
40:14
Speaker 1: that it was indeed as he said, But the under
40:17
Speaker 1: side is as stained as the upper. It must have
40:20
Speaker 1: left a mark. Lestrade chuckled with delight at having puzzled
40:25
Speaker 1: the famous expert. Now I'll show you the explanation. There
40:30
Speaker 1: is a second stain, but it does not correspond with
40:34
Speaker 1: the other. See for yourself. As he spoke, he turned
40:37
Speaker 1: over another portion of the carpet, and there, sure enough
40:41
Speaker 1: was a great crimson spill upon the square white facing
40:44
Speaker 1: of the old fashioned floor. Would you make of that,
40:47
Speaker 1: mister Holmes? Why it is simple enough. The two stains
40:52
Speaker 1: did correspond. But the carpet has been turned round. As
40:56
Speaker 1: it was square and unfastened, it was easily done. The
41:01
Speaker 1: official police don't need you, mister Holmes, to tell them
41:03
Speaker 1: that the carpet must have been turned round. That's clear enough,
41:07
Speaker 1: for the stains lie above each other if you lay
41:09
Speaker 1: it over this way. But what I want to know
41:12
Speaker 1: is who shifted the carpet and why. I could see
41:17
Speaker 1: from Holmes's rigid face that he was vibrating with inward excitement.
41:22
Speaker 1: Look here, Lestrade said, he has that constable in the
41:25
Speaker 1: passage been in charge of the place all the time. Yes,
41:29
Speaker 1: he as well take my advice. Examine him carefully. Don't
41:36
Speaker 1: do it before us. We'll wait here. You take him
41:40
Speaker 1: into the back room. You'll be more likely to get
41:43
Speaker 1: a confession out of him alone. Ask him how he
41:46
Speaker 1: dared to admit people and leave them alone in this room.
41:50
Speaker 1: Don't ask him if he has done it. Take it
41:52
Speaker 1: for granted. Tell him you know some one has been here.
41:56
Speaker 1: Press him, Tell him that a full confession is his
41:59
Speaker 1: only chance of forgiveness. Do exactly what I tell you,
42:04
Speaker 1: by George, If he knows, I'll have it out of him,
42:08
Speaker 1: cried Lestrade. He darted into the hall, and a few
42:13
Speaker 1: moments later his bullying voice sounded from the back room.
42:17
Speaker 1: Now Watson now cried Holmes, with frenzied eagerness. All the
42:24
Speaker 1: demoniacal force of the man masked behind that listless manner
42:28
Speaker 1: burst out in a paroxysm of energy. He tore the
42:32
Speaker 1: drugged from the floor, and in an instant was down
42:35
Speaker 1: on his hands and knees, clawing at each of the
42:37
Speaker 1: squares of wood beneath it. One turned sideways. As he
42:42
Speaker 1: dug his nails into the edge of it, it hinged
42:45
Speaker 1: back like the lid of a box. A small black
42:48
Speaker 1: cavity opened beneath it. Holmes plunged his eager hand into
42:52
Speaker 1: it and drew it out with a bitter snarl of
42:55
Speaker 1: anger and disappointment. It was empty. Quick, Watson, quick, get
43:01
Speaker 1: it back again. The wooden lid was replaced and the drugge.
43:06
Speaker 1: It had only just been drawn straight when Lestrade's voice
43:10
Speaker 1: was heard in the passage. He found Holmes leaning languidly
43:14
Speaker 1: against the mantelpiece, resigned and patient, endeavoring to conceal his
43:20
Speaker 1: irrepressible yawns. Sorry to keep you waiting, mister Holmes. I
43:25
Speaker 1: can see that you're bored to death with the whole affair. Well,
43:29
Speaker 1: he has confessed, All right, come in here, Macpherson. Let
43:32
Speaker 1: these gentlemen hear of your most inexcusable conduct. The big Constable,
43:38
Speaker 1: very hot and penitent, sidled into the room. I meant
43:42
Speaker 1: no harm, sir. I'm sure. The young woman came to
43:45
Speaker 1: the door last evening, and as took the house she did,
43:48
Speaker 1: And then we got talking. That's lonesome when you're on
43:52
Speaker 1: duty here all day. Well, what happened? Then? She wanted
43:57
Speaker 1: to see where the crime was done, read about it
44:00
Speaker 1: in the paper. She said. She was a very respectable,
44:04
Speaker 1: well spoken young woman, sir, and I saw no harm
44:07
Speaker 1: in letting her have a peep. When she saw that
44:11
Speaker 1: mark on the carpet down, she dropped on the floor
44:14
Speaker 1: and lay as if she were dead. I ran to
44:16
Speaker 1: the back and got some water, but I could not
44:18
Speaker 1: bring her too. Then I went round the corner to
44:21
Speaker 1: the ivy plant for some brandy, and by the time
44:24
Speaker 1: I'd brought it back, the young woman had recovered and
44:27
Speaker 1: was off ashamed of herself, I dare say, and dared
44:31
Speaker 1: not face me. How about moving that drug? It? Well, sir,
44:36
Speaker 1: I was a bit rumpled, certainly when I came back.
44:39
Speaker 1: You see, she fell on it and it lies on
44:41
Speaker 1: a polished floor with nothing to keep it in place.
44:44
Speaker 1: I straightened it out afterwards. It's a lesson to you
44:48
Speaker 1: that you can't deceive me, Constable Macpherson, said, Lestrade, with dignity,
44:53
Speaker 1: no doubt, you thought that your breach of duty could
44:56
Speaker 1: never be discovered, and yet to mere glance at that
44:59
Speaker 1: drug it enough to convince me that someone had been
45:02
Speaker 1: admitted to the room. It's lucky for you, my man,
45:05
Speaker 1: that nothing is missing, or you would find yourself in
45:08
Speaker 1: Queer Street I'm sorry to have called you down now
45:12
Speaker 1: for such a petty business, mister Holmes, but I thought
45:15
Speaker 1: the point of the second stand, not corresponding with the first,
45:18
Speaker 1: would interest you certainly. It was most interesting. Has this
45:22
Speaker 1: woman only been here once, Constable? Yes, sir, only once?
45:27
Speaker 1: Who was she? Don't know the name, Sir. Was answering
45:31
Speaker 1: an advertisement about typewriting and came to the wrong number.
45:35
Speaker 1: Very pleasant, genteel young woman, sir. Tall, handsome, Yes, sir.
45:40
Speaker 1: She was a well grown young woman. I suppose you
45:42
Speaker 1: might say she was handsome. Perhaps some would say she
45:46
Speaker 1: was very handsome. O officer. Do let me have a peep,
45:51
Speaker 1: says she. She had pretty cooks in ways, as you
45:54
Speaker 1: might say, and I thought there was no harm in
45:56
Speaker 1: letting her just put her head through the door. How
45:59
Speaker 1: was she dressed? Quiet? A long mantle down to her feet.
46:05
Speaker 1: What time was it? That was just growing dusk at
46:08
Speaker 1: the time? They were lighting the lamps as I came
46:11
Speaker 1: back with a brandy, very good, said Holmes, Come, Watson,
46:16
Speaker 1: I think that we have more important work elsewhere. As
46:21
Speaker 1: we left the house, Lestrade remained in the front room
46:24
Speaker 1: while the repentant Constable opened the door to let us out.
46:28
Speaker 1: Holmes turned on the step and held up something in
46:31
Speaker 1: his hand. The Constable stared intently. Good Lord sir, he cried,
46:38
Speaker 1: with amazement on his face. Holmes put his finger on
46:42
Speaker 1: his lips, replaced his hand in his breast pocket, and
46:46
Speaker 1: burst out laughing as we turned down the street. Excellent,
46:50
Speaker 1: he said, Come, friend, Watson, the curtain rings up for
46:54
Speaker 1: the last act. You will be relieved to hear that
46:57
Speaker 1: there will be no war, that the right Honorable Trelawney
47:01
Speaker 1: Hope will suffer no setback in his brilliant career, that
47:04
Speaker 1: the indiscreet Sovereign will receive no punishment for his indiscretion,
47:09
Speaker 1: that the Prime Minister will have no European complication to
47:12
Speaker 1: deal with, and that with a little tact and management
47:15
Speaker 1: on our part, nobody will be a penny worse for
47:19
Speaker 1: what might have been a very ugly incident. My mind
47:23
Speaker 1: filled with admiration for this extraordinary man you have solved it.
47:27
Speaker 1: I cried hardly that Watson, there are some points which
47:32
Speaker 1: are as dark as ever, but we have so much
47:35
Speaker 1: that it will be our own fault if we cannot
47:37
Speaker 1: get the rest. We will go straight to Whitehall Terrace
47:40
Speaker 1: and bring the matter to a head. When we arrived
47:44
Speaker 1: at the residence of the European Secretary. It was for
47:48
Speaker 1: lady Hilda Trelawney Hope that Sherlock Holmes inquired. We were
47:52
Speaker 1: shown into the morning room, mister Holmes said the lady,
47:57
Speaker 1: and her face was pink with her indignation. This is
48:00
Speaker 1: surely most unfair and ungenerous upon your part. I desired,
48:05
Speaker 1: as I have explained, to keep my visit to you
48:07
Speaker 1: a secret, lest my husband should think that I was
48:11
Speaker 1: intruding into his affairs. And yet you compromise me by
48:15
Speaker 1: coming here and so showing that there are business relations
48:18
Speaker 1: between us. Unfortunately, Madam, I had no possible alternative. I
48:24
Speaker 1: have been commissioned to recover this immensely important paper. I
48:28
Speaker 1: must therefore ask you, madam, to be kind enough to
48:31
Speaker 1: place it in my hands. The lady sprang to her feet,
48:35
Speaker 1: with the color all dashed in an instant from her
48:38
Speaker 1: beautiful face, her eyes glazed, she tottered. I thought that
48:42
Speaker 1: she would faint. Then, with a grand effort, she rallied
48:46
Speaker 1: from the shock, and a supreme astonishment and indignation chased
48:51
Speaker 1: every other expression from her features. You you insult me,
48:55
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, come come, madam. It is useless. Give up
49:00
Speaker 1: the letter. She darted to the bell. The butler shall
49:05
Speaker 1: show you out. Do not ring, Lady Hilda. If you do,
49:09
Speaker 1: then all my earnest efforts to avoid a scandal will
49:11
Speaker 1: be frustrated. Give up the letter and all will be
49:15
Speaker 1: set right. If you will work with me, I can
49:18
Speaker 1: arrange everything. If you work against me, I must expose you.
49:23
Speaker 1: She stood grandly defiant, a queenly figure, her eyes fixed
49:28
Speaker 1: upon his as if she would read his very soul.
49:32
Speaker 1: Her hand was on the bell, but she had forborne
49:35
Speaker 1: to ring it. You are trying to frighten me. It
49:38
Speaker 1: is not a very manly thing, mister Holmes, to come
49:41
Speaker 1: here and browbeat a woman. You say that you know something.
49:44
Speaker 1: What is it that you know? Pray? Sit down, madam.
49:48
Speaker 1: You will hurt yourself there if you fall. I will
49:51
Speaker 1: not speak until you sit down. Thank you. I give
49:56
Speaker 1: you five minutes, mister Holmes. One is enough, Lady Hilda.
50:01
Speaker 1: I know of your visit to edouardu Lucca, of your
50:04
Speaker 1: giving him this document, of your ingenious return to the
50:07
Speaker 1: room last night, and of the manner in which you
50:10
Speaker 1: took the letter from the hiding place under the carpet.
50:14
Speaker 1: She stared at him with an ashen face and gulped
50:17
Speaker 1: twice before she could speak. You are mad, mister Holmes,
50:20
Speaker 1: You are mad, she cried. At last, he drew a
50:25
Speaker 1: small piece of cardboard from his pocket. It was the
50:28
Speaker 1: face of a woman cut out of a portrait. I
50:32
Speaker 1: have carried this because I thought it might be useful,
50:34
Speaker 1: said he. The policeman has recognized it. She gave a
50:40
Speaker 1: gasp and her head dropped back in the chair. Come,
50:44
Speaker 1: lady Hilda, you have the letter. The matter may still
50:47
Speaker 1: be adjusted. I have no desire to bring trouble to you.
50:51
Speaker 1: My duty ends when I have returned the lost letter
50:54
Speaker 1: to your husband. Take my advice and be frank with me.
50:58
Speaker 1: It is your only chance. Her courage was admirable. Even now,
51:02
Speaker 1: she would not own defeat. I tell you again, mister Holmes,
51:06
Speaker 1: that you are under some absurd illusion. Holmes rose from
51:10
Speaker 1: his chair. I am sorry for you, Lady Hilda. I
51:14
Speaker 1: have done my best for you. I can see that
51:16
Speaker 1: it is all in vain. He rang the bell. The
51:20
Speaker 1: butler entered. Is mister Trelawney Hope at home? He will
51:25
Speaker 1: be home, sir, at a quarter to one. Holmes glanced
51:28
Speaker 1: at his watch, still the quarter of an hour, said
51:31
Speaker 1: he very good, I shall wait. The butler had hardly
51:36
Speaker 1: closed the door behind him when Lady Hilda was down
51:39
Speaker 1: on her knees at Holmes's feet, her hands outstretched, her
51:43
Speaker 1: beautiful face upturned and wet with tears. Oh spare me,
51:48
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, spare me, she pleaded, in a frenzy of supplication.
51:52
Speaker 1: For Heaven's sake, don't tell him I love him so
51:55
Speaker 1: I would not bring one shadow on his life, and
51:58
Speaker 1: this I know would break his noble heart. But Holmes
52:01
Speaker 1: raised the lady. I am thankful, madam, that you have
52:05
Speaker 1: come to your senses. Even at this last moment. There
52:09
Speaker 1: is not an instant to lose. Where is the letter?
52:13
Speaker 1: She darted across to a writing desk, unlocked it, and
52:16
Speaker 1: drew out a long blue envelope. Here it is, mister Holmes,
52:20
Speaker 1: Good to Heaven. I had never seen it. How can
52:23
Speaker 1: we return it? Holmes muttered, quick, quick, we must think
52:27
Speaker 1: of some way. Where is the despatch box still in
52:31
Speaker 1: his bedroom? What a stroke of luck? Quick, madam, bring
52:34
Speaker 1: it here. A moment later, she had appeared with a
52:38
Speaker 1: red flat box in her hand. How did you open
52:41
Speaker 1: it before. You have a duplicate key. Yes, of course
52:44
Speaker 1: you have open it. From out of her bosom, Lady
52:48
Speaker 1: Hilda had drawn a small key. The box flew open.
52:52
Speaker 1: It was stuffed with papers. Holmes thrust the blue envelope
52:56
Speaker 1: deep down into the heart of them, between the leaves
52:59
Speaker 1: of some other document. The box was shut, locked, and
53:02
Speaker 1: returned to the bedroom. Now we are ready for him,
53:06
Speaker 1: said Holmes. We have still ten minutes. I am going
53:10
Speaker 1: far to screen you, Lady Hilda. In return, you will
53:13
Speaker 1: spend the time in telling me, frankly, the real meaning
53:16
Speaker 1: of this extraordinary affair. Mister Holmes, I will tell you everything,
53:20
Speaker 1: cried the lady. Oh, mister Holmes, I would cut off
53:23
Speaker 1: my right hand before I gave him a moment of sorrow.
53:26
Speaker 1: There is no woman in all London who loves her
53:28
Speaker 1: husband as I do. And yet if he knew how
53:31
Speaker 1: I have acted, how I have been compelled to act,
53:34
Speaker 1: he would never forgive me. For his own honor stands
53:38
Speaker 1: so high that he could not forget or pardon a
53:40
Speaker 1: lapse in another. Help me, mister Holmes, My happiness, his happiness,
53:45
Speaker 1: our very lives are at stake. Quick, madam. The time
53:49
Speaker 1: grows short. It was a letter of mine, mister Holmes,
53:53
Speaker 1: an indiscreet letter written before my marriage, A foolish letter,
53:59
Speaker 1: a letter of an impulsive, loving girl. I meant no harm,
54:04
Speaker 1: and yet he would have thought it criminal. Had he
54:07
Speaker 1: read that letter, his confidence would have been forever destroyed.
54:10
Speaker 1: It is years since I wrote it. I had thought
54:13
Speaker 1: that the whole matter was forgotten. Then at last I
54:16
Speaker 1: heard from this man Luca, that it had passed into
54:19
Speaker 1: his hands and that he would lay it before my husband.
54:22
Speaker 1: I implored his mercy. He said that he would return
54:25
Speaker 1: my letter if I would bring him a certain document,
54:28
Speaker 1: which he described in my husband's despatch box. He had
54:32
Speaker 1: some spy in the office who had told him of
54:35
Speaker 1: its existence. He assured me that no harm could come
54:38
Speaker 1: to my husband. Put yourself in my position, mister Holmes.
54:42
Speaker 1: What was I to do? Take your husband into your confidence?
54:46
Speaker 1: I could not, mister Holmes, I could not. On the
54:50
Speaker 1: one side, seemed certain ruin, on the other terrible as
54:54
Speaker 1: it seemed to take my husband's paper. Still, in a
54:57
Speaker 1: matter of politics, I could not understand the consequences, while
55:00
Speaker 1: in a matter of love and trust they were only
55:03
Speaker 1: too clear to me. I did it, mister Holmes. I
55:06
Speaker 1: took an impression of his key. This man, Luca furnished
55:10
Speaker 1: a duplicate. I opened his despatch box, took the paper
55:14
Speaker 1: and conveyed it to Godolphin Street. What happened there, Madam?
55:20
Speaker 1: I tapped at the door as agreed, Luca opened it.
55:24
Speaker 1: I followed him into his room, leaving the hall door
55:27
Speaker 1: Ajar behind me, for I feared to be alone with
55:30
Speaker 1: the man. I remember that there was a woman outside
55:34
Speaker 1: as I entered. Our business was soon done. He had
55:37
Speaker 1: my letter on his desk. I handed him the document.
55:41
Speaker 1: He gave me the letter. But this instant there was
55:44
Speaker 1: a sound at the door. There were steps in the passage.
55:47
Speaker 1: Luca quickly turned back the drug it thrust the document
55:50
Speaker 1: into some hiding place there and covered it over. What
55:54
Speaker 1: happened after that is like some fearful dream. I have
55:57
Speaker 1: a vision of a dark, frantic face, of a woman's
56:00
Speaker 1: voice which screamed in French, my waiting is not in vain.
56:04
Speaker 1: At last, at last, I have found you with her.
56:08
Speaker 1: There was a savage struggle. I saw him with a
56:11
Speaker 1: chair in his hand, A knife gleamed in hers. I
56:16
Speaker 1: rushed from the horrible scene, ran from the house, and
56:19
Speaker 1: only next morning in the paper did I learn the
56:22
Speaker 1: dreadful result. That night, I was happy, for I had
56:25
Speaker 1: my letter, and I had not yet seen what the
56:28
Speaker 1: future would bring. It was the next morning that I
56:33
Speaker 1: realized that I had only exchanged one trouble for another.
56:37
Speaker 1: My husband's anguish at the loss of his paper went
56:40
Speaker 1: to my heart. I could hardly prevent myself from there
56:43
Speaker 1: and then kneeling down at his feet and telling him
56:45
Speaker 1: what I had done, But that again would mean a
56:48
Speaker 1: confession of the past. I came to you that morning
56:52
Speaker 1: in order to understand the full enormity of my offense.
56:56
Speaker 1: From the instant that I grasped it, my whole mind
56:59
Speaker 1: was turned to the one thought of getting back my
57:01
Speaker 1: husband's paper. It must still be where Luca had placed it,
57:06
Speaker 1: for it was concealed before this dreadful woman entered the room.
57:10
Speaker 1: If it had not been for her coming, I should
57:13
Speaker 1: not have known where his hiding place was. How was
57:17
Speaker 1: I to get into the room. For two days I
57:20
Speaker 1: watched the place, but the door was never left open.
57:23
Speaker 1: Last night I made a last attempt. What I did
57:27
Speaker 1: and how I succeeded, you have already learned. I brought
57:30
Speaker 1: the paper back with me and thought of destroying it,
57:33
Speaker 1: since I could see no way of returning it without
57:36
Speaker 1: confessing my guilt to my husband. Heavens, I hear his
57:40
Speaker 1: step upon the stair. The European Secretary burst excitedly into
57:45
Speaker 1: the room. Any news, mister Holmes, Any news, he cried,
57:51
Speaker 1: I have some hopes. Ah, Thank Heaven. His face became radiant.
57:58
Speaker 1: The Prime Minister is lunching with me. May he share
58:00
Speaker 1: your hopes? He has nerves of steel, and yet I
58:04
Speaker 1: know that he has hardly slept since this terrible event.
58:08
Speaker 1: Jacob's will you ask the Prime Minister to come up
58:12
Speaker 1: as to you, Dear, I fear that this is a
58:14
Speaker 1: matter of politics. We will join you in a few minutes.
58:17
Speaker 1: In the dining room. The Prime Minister's manner was subdued,
58:23
Speaker 1: but I could see by the gleam of his eyes
58:25
Speaker 1: and the twitchings of his bony hands that he shared
58:28
Speaker 1: the excitement of his young colleague. I understand that you
58:32
Speaker 1: have something to report, mister Holmes, purely negative as yet,
58:36
Speaker 1: my friend answered. I have inquired at every point where
58:40
Speaker 1: it might be, and I am sure that there is
58:42
Speaker 1: no danger to be apprehended. But that is not enough,
58:46
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. We cannot live forever on such a volcano.
58:51
Speaker 1: We must have something definite. I am in hopes of
58:54
Speaker 1: getting it. That is why I am here. The more
58:58
Speaker 1: I think of the matter, the more convinced I am
59:00
Speaker 1: that the letter has never left this house, mister Holmes.
59:05
Speaker 1: If it had, it would certainly have been public by now.
59:08
Speaker 1: But why should any one take it in order to
59:10
Speaker 1: keep it in his house? I am not convinced that
59:13
Speaker 1: any one did take it. Then how could it leave
59:17
Speaker 1: THEE Despatch box? I am not convinced that it ever
59:20
Speaker 1: did leave THEE Despatch box, mister Holmes. This joking is
59:24
Speaker 1: very ill timed. You have my assurance that it left
59:27
Speaker 1: the box. Have you examined the box since Tuesday morning? No,
59:31
Speaker 1: it was not necessary. You may conceivably have overlooked it. Impossible,
59:37
Speaker 1: I say, but I am not convinced of it. I
59:41
Speaker 1: have known such things to happen. I presume there are
59:44
Speaker 1: other papers there well. It may have got mixed with them.
59:48
Speaker 1: It was on the top. Some one may have shaken
59:51
Speaker 1: the box and displaced it. No, No, I had everything out.
59:56
Speaker 1: Surely it is easily decided, hope, said the premiere. Let
1:00:00
Speaker 1: us have the dispatch box brought in. The secretary rang
1:00:05
Speaker 1: the bell. Jacobs, bring down my dispatch box. This is
1:00:10
Speaker 1: a fascical waste of time. But still, if nothing else
1:00:12
Speaker 1: will satisfy you, it shall be done. Thank you, Jacobs.
1:00:16
Speaker 1: Put it here. I have always had the key on
1:00:19
Speaker 1: my watch chain. Here are the papers you see. Letter
1:00:23
Speaker 1: from Lord Merrow, report from Sir Charles Hardy, memorandum from Belgrade,
1:00:27
Speaker 1: note on the Russeau German grain taxies, letter from Madrid,
1:00:31
Speaker 1: note from Lord Flower Good heavens, what is this, Lord Bellinger?
1:00:37
Speaker 1: Lord Bellinger? The Premier snatched the blue envelope from his hand. Yes,
1:00:45
Speaker 1: it is it, and the letter is intact. Hope. I
1:00:51
Speaker 1: congratulate you, thank you, thank you. What a weight from
1:00:56
Speaker 1: my heart. But this is inconceivable, impossible. Mister Holmes, you
1:01:02
Speaker 1: are a wizard, a sorcerer. How did you know it
1:01:07
Speaker 1: was there? Because I knew it was nowhere else. I
1:01:12
Speaker 1: cannot believe my eyes. He ran wildly to the door.
1:01:16
Speaker 1: Where is my wife? I must tell her that all
1:01:18
Speaker 1: is well? Hilda, Hilda. We heard his voice on the stairs.
1:01:26
Speaker 1: The Premier looked at Holmes with twinkling eyes. Come, sir,
1:01:32
Speaker 1: said he. There is more in this than meets the eye.
1:01:35
Speaker 1: How came the letter back in the box? Holmes turned away,
1:01:39
Speaker 1: smiling from the keen scrutiny of those wonderful eyes. We
1:01:44
Speaker 1: also have our diplomatic secrets, said he, and picking up
1:01:50
Speaker 1: his hat, he turned to the door.