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02 - The Red-Headed League · Sherlock Holmes

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Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. This reading by Kerri Shallenberg. The
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Speaker 1: Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Adventure
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Speaker 1: number two, The Red Headed League. I had called upon
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Speaker 1: my friend mister Sherlock Holmes one day in the autumn
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Speaker 1: of last year, and found him in deep conversation with
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Speaker 1: a very stout, florid faced, elderly gentleman with fiery red hair,
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Speaker 1: with an apology for my intrusion. I was about to
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Speaker 1: withdraw when Holmes pulled me abruptly into the room and
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Speaker 1: closed the door behind me. You could not possibly have
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Speaker 1: come at a better time, my dear Watson, he said cordially.
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Speaker 1: I was afraid that you were engaged, so I am
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Speaker 1: very much so then I can wait in the next room.
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Speaker 1: Not at all, this gentleman, mister Wilson, has been my
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Speaker 1: partner and helper in many of my most successful cases,
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Speaker 1: and I have no doubt that he will be of
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Speaker 1: the utmost use to me in yours. Also. The stout
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Speaker 1: gentleman half rose from his chair and gave a bob
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Speaker 1: of greeting with a quick little questioning glance from his small,
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Speaker 1: fat encircled eyes. Try the settee, said Holmes, relapsing into
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Speaker 1: his arm chair and putting his finger tips together, as
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Speaker 1: was his custom when in judicial moods. I know, my
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Speaker 1: dear Watson, that you share my love of all that
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Speaker 1: is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of
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Speaker 1: every day life. You have shown your relish for it
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Speaker 1: by the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle. And
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Speaker 1: if you will excuse my saying so somewhat to embellish
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Speaker 1: so many of my own little adventures, your cases have
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Speaker 1: indeed been of the greatest interest to me, I observed.
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Speaker 1: You will remember that I remarked the other day, just
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Speaker 1: before we went into the very simple problem presented by
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Speaker 1: Miss Mary Sutherland, that for strange effects and extraordinary combinations,
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Speaker 1: we must go to life itself, which is always far
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Speaker 1: more daring than any effort of the imagination, a proposition
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Speaker 1: which I took the liberty of doubting you did, doctor,
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Speaker 1: But none the less, you must come round to my view,
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Speaker 1: for otherwise I shall keep on piling fact upon fact
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Speaker 1: on you until your reason breaks down under them and
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Speaker 1: acknowledges me to be right. Now, mister Jabez Wilson here
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Speaker 1: has been good enough to call upon me this morning
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Speaker 1: and to begin a narrative which promises to be one
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Speaker 1: of the most singular which I have listened to for
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Speaker 1: some time. You have heard me remark that the strangest
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Speaker 1: and most unique things are very often connected not with
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Speaker 1: the larger but with the smaller crimes, and occasionally, indeed,
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Speaker 1: where there is room for doubt whether any positive crime
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Speaker 1: has been committed. As far as I have heard, it
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Speaker 1: is impossible for me to say whether the present case
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Speaker 1: is an instance of crime or not. But the course
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Speaker 1: of events is certainly among the most singular that I
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Speaker 1: have ever listened to. Perhaps, mister Wilson, you would have
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Speaker 1: the great kindness to recommence your narrative. I ask you
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Speaker 1: not merely because my friend doctor Watson has not heard
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Speaker 1: the opening part, but also because the peculiar nature of
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Speaker 1: the story makes me anxious to have every possible detail
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Speaker 1: from your lips. As a rule, when I have heard
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Speaker 1: some slight indication in the course of events, I am
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Speaker 1: able to guide myself by the thousands of other similar
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Speaker 1: cases which occur to my memory. In the present instance,
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Speaker 1: I am forced to admit that the facts are, to
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Speaker 1: the best of my belief unique. The portly client puffed
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Speaker 1: out his chest with an appearance of some little pride,
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Speaker 1: and pulled a dirty and wrinkled newspaper from the inside
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Speaker 1: pocket of his greatcoat as he glanced down the advertisement
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Speaker 1: column with his head thrust forward and the paper flattened
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Speaker 1: out upon his knee. I took a good look at
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Speaker 1: the man, and endeavored, after the fashion of my companion,
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Speaker 1: to read the indications which might be presented by his
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Speaker 1: dress or appearance. I did not gain very much. However,
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Speaker 1: by my inspection, our visitor bore every mark of being
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Speaker 1: an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. He
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Speaker 1: wore rather baggy gray shepherd's check trousers, a not over
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Speaker 1: clean black frock coat unbuttoned in the front, and a
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Speaker 1: drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy Albert chain and a
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Speaker 1: square pierced bit of metal dangling down as an ornament.
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Speaker 1: A frayed top hat, and a faded brown overcoat with
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Speaker 1: a wrinkled velvet collar lay up on a chair beside him.
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Speaker 1: Altogether look as I would. There was nothing remarkable about
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Speaker 1: the man save his blazing red head and the expression
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Speaker 1: of extreme chagrin and discontent upon his features. Sherlock Holmes's
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Speaker 1: quick eye took in my occupation, and he shook his
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Speaker 1: head with a smile as he noticed my questioning glances.
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Speaker 1: Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time
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Speaker 1: done manual labor, that he takes snuff, that he is
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Speaker 1: a freemason, that he has been in China, and that
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Speaker 1: he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I
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Speaker 1: can deduce nothing else, mister job As Wilson started up
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Speaker 1: in his chair with his forefinger upon the paper, but
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Speaker 1: his eyes upon my companion. How in the name of
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Speaker 1: good fortune did you know all that, mister Holmes, he asked,
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Speaker 1: How did you know, for example, that I did manual labor.
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Speaker 1: It's as true as gospel, for I began as a
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Speaker 1: ship's carpenter. Your hands, my dear sir, your right hand
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Speaker 1: is quite a size larger than your left. You have
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Speaker 1: worked with it, and the muscles are more developed. Well.
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Speaker 1: The snuff, then, and the freemasonry. I won't insult your
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Speaker 1: intelligence by telling you how I read that, especially as
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Speaker 1: rather against the strict rules of your order. You use
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Speaker 1: an arc and compass breastpin. Ah, of course I forgot that.
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Speaker 1: But the writing what else can be indicated by that
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Speaker 1: right cuff so very shiny for five inches, and the
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Speaker 1: left one with the smooth patch near the elbow where
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Speaker 1: you rested upon the desk. Well, but China, the fish
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Speaker 1: that you have tattooed immediately above your right wrist could
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Speaker 1: only have been done in China. I have made a
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Speaker 1: small study of tattoo marks, and have even contributed to
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Speaker 1: the literature of the subject. That trick of staining the
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Speaker 1: fish's scales of a delicate pink is quite peculiar to China. When,
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Speaker 1: in addition, I see a Chinese coin hanging from your
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Speaker 1: watch chain, the matter becomes even more simple. Mister job,
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Speaker 1: as Wilson laughed heavily, Well, I never said he. I
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Speaker 1: thought at first that you had done something clever, But
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Speaker 1: I see that there was nothing in it. After all.
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Speaker 1: I begin to think, Watson, said Holmes, that I make
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Speaker 1: a mistake in explaining omnae ignotum pro magnifico. You know,
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Speaker 1: and my poor little reputation, such as it is, will
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Speaker 1: suffer shipwreck if I am so candid. Can you not
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Speaker 1: find the advertisement? Mister Wilson, Yes, I have got it now,
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Speaker 1: he answered, with his thick red finger planted half way
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Speaker 1: down the column. Here it is, this is what began
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Speaker 1: at all. You just read it for yourself, sir. I
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Speaker 1: took the paper from him, and as follows to the
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Speaker 1: Red Headed League. On account of the bequest of the
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Speaker 1: late Ezekiah Hopkins of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U. S A. There
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Speaker 1: is now another vacancy open which entitles a member of
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Speaker 1: the League to a salary of four pounds a week
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Speaker 1: for purely nominal services. All Red Headed men who are
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Speaker 1: sound in body and mind and above the age of
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Speaker 1: twenty one years are eligible. Apply in person on Monday
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Speaker 1: at eleven o'clock to Duncan Ross at the offices of
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Speaker 1: the League, seven Popes Court, Fleet Street. What on earth
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Speaker 1: does this mean? I ejaculated after I had twice read
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Speaker 1: over the extraordinary announcement. Holmes chuckled and wriggled in his chair,
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Speaker 1: as was his habit when in high spirits. It is
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Speaker 1: a little off the beaten track, isn't it? Said he?
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Speaker 1: And now, mister Wilson, off you go at scratch and
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Speaker 1: tell us all about yourself, your household, and the effect
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Speaker 1: which this advertisement had upon your fortunes. You will first
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Speaker 1: make a note doctor of the paper and the date.
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Speaker 1: It is the Morning Chronicle of April twenty seventh, eighteen ninety,
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Speaker 1: just two months ago. Very good, now, mister Wilson, Well
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Speaker 1: it is just as I have been telling you, mister
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Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes said job as Wilson mopping his forehead. I
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Speaker 1: have a small pawnbroker's business at Coburg Square, near the city.
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Speaker 1: It's not a very large affair, and of late years
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Speaker 1: it has not done more than just give me a living.
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Speaker 1: I used to be able to keep two assistants, but
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Speaker 1: now I only keep one, and I would have a
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Speaker 1: job to pay him, but that he is willing to
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Speaker 1: come for half wages so as to learn the business.
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Speaker 1: What is the name of this obliging youth, asked Sherlock Holmes.
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Speaker 1: His name is Vincent Spalding, and he's not such a
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Speaker 1: youth either. It's hard to say his age. I should
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Speaker 1: not wish a smarter assistant, mister Holmes, and I know
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Speaker 1: very well that he could better himself and earn twice
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Speaker 1: what I am able to give him. But after all,
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Speaker 1: if he is satisfied, why should I put ideas in
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Speaker 1: his head? Why? Indeed, you seem most fortunate in having
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Speaker 1: an employee who comes under the full market price. It
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Speaker 1: is not a common experience among employers in this age.
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Speaker 1: I don't know that your assistant is not as remarkable
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Speaker 1: as your advertisement. Oh he has his faults too, said
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Speaker 1: mister Wilson. Never was such a fellow for photography, snapping
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Speaker 1: away with a camera when he ought to be improving
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Speaker 1: his mind, and then diving down into the cellar like
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Speaker 1: a rabbit into its hole to develop his pictures. That
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Speaker 1: is his main fault. But on the whole he's a
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Speaker 1: good worker. There's no vice in him. He is still
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Speaker 1: with you, I presume, yes, sir. He and a girl
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Speaker 1: of fourteen who does a bit of simple cooking and
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Speaker 1: keeps the place clean. That's all I have in the house,
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Speaker 1: for I am a widower and never had any family.
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Speaker 1: We live very quietly, sir, the three of us, and
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Speaker 1: we keep a roof over our heads and pay our
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Speaker 1: debts if we do nothing more. The first thing that
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Speaker 1: put us out was that advertisement. Spalding, he came down
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Speaker 1: into the office just this day, eight weeks with this
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Speaker 1: very paper in his hand, and he says, I wish
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Speaker 1: to the Lord mister Wilson, that I was a red
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Speaker 1: headed man. Why's that? I asks? Why? Says he? Here's
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Speaker 1: another vacancy on the League of the Red Headed Men.
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Speaker 1: It's worth quite a little fortune to any man who
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Speaker 1: gets it. And I understand that there are more vacancies
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Speaker 1: than there are men, so that the trustees are at
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Speaker 1: their wits end what to do with the money. If
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Speaker 1: my hair would only change color, here's a nice little
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Speaker 1: crib all ready for me to step into. Why what
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Speaker 1: is it? Then? I asked? You, See, mister Holmes, I
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Speaker 1: am a very stay at home man, and as my
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Speaker 1: business came to me instead of my having to go
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Speaker 1: to it, I was often three weeks on end without
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Speaker 1: putting my foot over the door mat. In that way,
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Speaker 1: I didn't know much of what was going on outside,
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Speaker 1: and I was always glad of a bit of news.
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Speaker 1: Have you never heard of the League of the Red
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Speaker 1: Headed Men? He asked, with his eyes open. Never. Why
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Speaker 1: I wonder at that? For you are eligible yourself for
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Speaker 1: one of the vacancies. And what are they worth? I asked, Oh,
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Speaker 1: merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work
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Speaker 1: is slight and it need not interfere very much with
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Speaker 1: one's other occupations. Well, you can easily think that that
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Speaker 1: made me prick up my ears, for the business has
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Speaker 1: not been over good for some years, and an extra
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Speaker 1: couple of hundred would have been very handy. Tell me
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Speaker 1: all about it, said I. Well, well said he, showing
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Speaker 1: me the advertisement. You can see for yourself that the
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Speaker 1: league has a vacancy, and there is the address where
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Speaker 1: you should apply for particulars. As far as I can
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Speaker 1: make out, the league was founded by an American millionaire,
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Speaker 1: Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways. He
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Speaker 1: was himself red headed, and he had a great sympathy
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Speaker 1: for all red headed men. So when he died, it
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Speaker 1: was found that he had left his enormous fortune in
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Speaker 1: the hands of trustees, with instructions to apply the interest
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Speaker 1: to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair
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Speaker 1: is of that color. From all I hear, it is
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Speaker 1: splendid pay and very little to do. But said I,
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Speaker 1: there would be millions of red headed men who would apply.
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Speaker 1: Not so many as you might think, he answered, you see,
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Speaker 1: it is really confined to Londoners and to grown men.
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Speaker 1: This American had started from London when he was young,
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Speaker 1: and he wanted to do the old town a good turn.
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Speaker 1: Then again, I have heard it is no use your
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Speaker 1: applying if your hair is light red or dark red,
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Speaker 1: or anything but real, bright, blazing, fiery red. Now, if
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Speaker 1: you cared to apply, mister Wilson, you would just walk in.
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Speaker 1: But perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to
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Speaker 1: put yourself out of the way for the sake of
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Speaker 1: a few hundred pounds. Now it is a fact, gentlemen,
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Speaker 1: as you may see for yourselves, that my hair is
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Speaker 1: of a very full and rich tint. So that it
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Speaker 1: seemed to me that if there was to be any
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Speaker 1: competition in the matter, I stood as good a chance
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Speaker 1: as any man that I had ever met. Vincent Spalding
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Speaker 1: seemed to know so much about it that I thought
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Speaker 1: he might prove useful. So I just ordered him to
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Speaker 1: put up the shutters for the day and to come
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Speaker 1: right away with me. He was very willing to have
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Speaker 1: a holiday, so we shut the business up and started
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Speaker 1: off for the address that was given us in the advertisement.
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Speaker 1: I never hoped to see such a sight as that. Again,
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Speaker 1: mister Holmes from north, south, east and west. Every man
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Speaker 1: who had a shade of red in his hair had
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Speaker 1: tramped into the city to answer the advertisement. Fleet Street
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Speaker 1: was choked with red headed folk, and Pope's Court looked
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Speaker 1: like a coster's orange barrow. I should not have thought
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Speaker 1: there were so many in the whole country as were
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Speaker 1: brought together by that single advertisement. Every shade of color.
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Speaker 1: They were straw, lemon, orange, brick, irish setter, liver clay.
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Speaker 1: But as Balding said, there were not many who had
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Speaker 1: the real vivid, flame colored tint. When I saw how
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Speaker 1: many were waiting, I would have given it up in despair.
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Speaker 1: But Spalding would not hear of it. How he did
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Speaker 1: it I could not imagine. But he pushed and pulled
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Speaker 1: and butted until he got me through the crowd and
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Speaker 1: right up to the steps which led to the office.
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Speaker 1: There was a double stream upon the stairs, some going
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Speaker 1: up in hope and some coming back dejected. But we
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Speaker 1: wedged in as well as we could, and soon found
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Speaker 1: ourselves in the office. Your experience has been a most
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Speaker 1: entertaining one, remarked Holmes, as his client paused and refreshed
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Speaker 1: his memory with a huge pinch of snuff, pray continue
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Speaker 1: your very interesting statement. There was nothing in the office
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Speaker 1: but a couple of wooden chairs and a deal table,
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Speaker 1: behind which sat a small man with a head that
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Speaker 1: was even redder than mine. He said a few words
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Speaker 1: to each candidate as he came up, and then he
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Speaker 1: always managed to find some fault in them which would
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Speaker 1: disqualify them. Getting a vacancy did not seem to be
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Speaker 1: such a very easy matter after all. However, when our
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Speaker 1: turn came, the little man was much more favorable to
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Speaker 1: me than to any of the others, and he closed
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Speaker 1: the door as we entered, so that he might have
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Speaker 1: a private word with us. This is mister JOHNS. Bes Wilson,
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Speaker 1: said my assistant, and he is willing to fill a
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Speaker 1: vacancy in the league, and he is admirably suited for it.
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Speaker 1: The other answered, he has every requirement. I cannot recall
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Speaker 1: when I have seen anything so fine. He took a
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Speaker 1: step backward, cocked his head on one side, and gazed
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Speaker 1: at my hair until I felt quite bashful. Then suddenly
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Speaker 1: he plunged forward, wrung my hand, and congratulated me warmly
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Speaker 1: on my success. It would be injustice to hesitate, said he.
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Speaker 1: You will, However, I am sure excuse me for taking
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Speaker 1: an obvious precaution. With that, he seized my hair in
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Speaker 1: both his hands and tugged until I yelled with the pain.
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Speaker 1: There is water in your eyes, said he as he
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Speaker 1: released me. I perceive that all is as it should be,
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Speaker 1: but we have to be careful, for we have twice
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Speaker 1: been deceived by wigs and once by paint. I could
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Speaker 1: tell you tales of cobbler's wax which would disgust you
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Speaker 1: with human nature. He stepped over to the window and
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Speaker 1: shouted through it at the top of his voice that
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Speaker 1: the vacancy was filled. A groan of disappointment came up
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Speaker 1: from below, and the folk all trooped away in different directions,
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Speaker 1: until there was not a red head to be seen
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Speaker 1: except my own and that of the manager. My name said,
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Speaker 1: He is mister Duncan Ross, and I am myself one
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Speaker 1: of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor.
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Speaker 1: Are you a married man, mister Wilson, have you a family?
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Speaker 1: I answered that I had not. His face fell immediately.
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Speaker 1: Dear me, he said, gravely, that is very serious. Indeed,
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Speaker 1: I am sorry to hear you say that the fund
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Speaker 1: was of course, for the propagation and spread of the redheads,
18:55
Speaker 1: as well as for their maintenance. It is exceedingly unfortunate
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Speaker 1: that you should be a bachelor. My face lengthened at this,
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Speaker 1: mister Holmes, for I thought that I was not to
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Speaker 1: have the vacancy after all. But after thinking it over
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Speaker 1: for a few minutes, he said that it would be
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Speaker 1: all right in the case of another, said he, the
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Speaker 1: objection might be fatal, but we must stretch a point
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Speaker 1: in favor of a man with such a head of
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Speaker 1: hair as yours. When shall you be able to enter
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Speaker 1: upon your new duties? Well, it is a little awkward,
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Speaker 1: for I have a business already, said I. Oh, never
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Speaker 1: mind about that, mister Wilson, said Vincent Spalding, I should
19:35
Speaker 1: be able to look after that for you. What would
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Speaker 1: be the hours, I asked, ten to two. Now, a
19:44
Speaker 1: pawnbroker's business is mostly done of an evening, mister Holmes,
19:48
Speaker 1: especially Thursday and Friday evening, which is just before pay day,
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Speaker 1: So it would suit me very well to earn a
19:55
Speaker 1: little in the mornings. Besides, I knew that my assistant
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Speaker 1: was a good man, and that he would see to
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Speaker 1: anything that turned up that would suit me very well,
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Speaker 1: said I. And the pay is four pounds a week,
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Speaker 1: and the work is purely nominal. What do you call
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Speaker 1: purely nominal? Well, you have to be in the office,
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Speaker 1: or at least in the building the whole time. If
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Speaker 1: you leave, you forfeit your whole position forever. The will
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Speaker 1: is very clear upon that point. You don't comply with
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Speaker 1: the conditions if you budge from the office during that time.
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Speaker 1: It's only four hours a day, and I should not
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Speaker 1: think of leaving, said I. No excuse will avail, said
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Speaker 1: mister duncan Ross, neither sickness, nor business nor anything else.
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Speaker 1: There you must stay or you lose your billet. And
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Speaker 1: the work is to copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica. There
20:54
Speaker 1: is the first volume of it in that press. You
20:57
Speaker 1: must find your own ink, pens and blotting paper, but
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Speaker 1: we provide this table and chair. Will you be ready
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Speaker 1: to morrow? Certainly? I answered, Then, good bye, mister Jobez Wilson,
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Speaker 1: and let me congratulate you once more on the important
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Speaker 1: position which you have been fortunate enough to gain. He
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Speaker 1: bowed me out of the room, and I went home
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Speaker 1: with my assistant, hardly knowing what to say or do
21:25
Speaker 1: I was so pleased at my own good fortune. Well,
21:29
Speaker 1: I thought over the matter all day, and by evening
21:32
Speaker 1: I was in low spirits again, for I had quite
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Speaker 1: persuaded myself that the whole affair must be some great
21:38
Speaker 1: hoax or fraud. Though what its object might be, I
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Speaker 1: could not imagine. It seemed altogether past belief that any
21:46
Speaker 1: one could make such a will, or that they would
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Speaker 1: pay such a sum for doing anything so simple as
21:52
Speaker 1: copying out the Encyclopedia Britannica. Vincent Spaulding did what he
21:57
Speaker 1: could to cheer me up, but by bedtime I had
22:00
Speaker 1: reasoned myself out of the whole thing. However, in the
22:03
Speaker 1: morning I determined to have a look at it anyhow
22:06
Speaker 1: so I bought a penny bottle of ink, and with
22:09
Speaker 1: a quill pen and seven sheets of foolscap paper, I
22:13
Speaker 1: started off for Pope's court. Well, to my surprise and delight,
22:18
Speaker 1: everything was as right as possible. The table was set
22:22
Speaker 1: out ready for me, and mister Duncan Ross was there
22:25
Speaker 1: to see that I got fairly to work. He started
22:28
Speaker 1: me off upon the letter A, and then he left me,
22:31
Speaker 1: But he would drop in from time to time to
22:33
Speaker 1: see that all was right with me. At two o'clock
22:37
Speaker 1: he bade me good day, complimented me upon the amount
22:40
Speaker 1: that I had written, and locked the door of the
22:42
Speaker 1: office after me. This went on day after day, mister Holmes,
22:47
Speaker 1: and on Saturday the manager came in and planked down
22:51
Speaker 1: four golden sovereigns for my week's work. It was the
22:55
Speaker 1: same next week, and the same the week after. Every
22:58
Speaker 1: morning I was there at ten, and every afternoon I
23:01
Speaker 1: left at two. By degrees, mister Duncan Ross took to
23:06
Speaker 1: coming in only once of a morning, and then after
23:08
Speaker 1: a time he did not come in at all. Still,
23:11
Speaker 1: of course, I never dared to leave the room for
23:13
Speaker 1: an instant, for I was not sure when he might come.
23:16
Speaker 1: And the billet was such a good one and suited
23:18
Speaker 1: me so well that I would not risk the loss
23:21
Speaker 1: of it. Eight weeks passed away like this, and I
23:26
Speaker 1: had written about abbots and archery, and armor, and architecture
23:32
Speaker 1: and attica, and hoped with diligence that I might get
23:35
Speaker 1: on to the bees before very long. It cost me
23:39
Speaker 1: something in fool's cap, and I had pretty nearly filled
23:42
Speaker 1: a shelf with my writings, And then suddenly the whole
23:46
Speaker 1: business came to an end, to an end, yes, sir,
23:52
Speaker 1: and no later than this morning. I went to my
23:55
Speaker 1: work as usual at ten o'clock, but the door was
23:57
Speaker 1: shut and locked with a little square of cardboard hammered
24:00
Speaker 1: on to the middle of the panel with attack. Here
24:03
Speaker 1: it is, and you can read for yourself. He held
24:08
Speaker 1: up a piece of white cardboard about the size of
24:11
Speaker 1: a sheet of note paper. It read, in this fashion,
24:15
Speaker 1: the Red Headed League is dissolved. October ninth, eighteen ninety
24:22
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes and I surveyed this curt announcement and the
24:26
Speaker 1: rueful face behind it, until the comical side of the
24:29
Speaker 1: affair so completely overtopped every other consideration that we both
24:33
Speaker 1: burst out into a roar of laughter. I cannot see
24:38
Speaker 1: that there is anything very funny, cried our client, flushing
24:42
Speaker 1: up to the roots of his flaming head. If you
24:44
Speaker 1: can do nothing better than laugh at me, I can
24:46
Speaker 1: go elsewhere. No, no, cried Holmes, shoving him back into
24:52
Speaker 1: the chair from which he had half risen. I really
24:55
Speaker 1: wouldn't miss your case for the world. It is most
24:57
Speaker 1: refreshingly unusual. But there is, if you will excuse my
25:01
Speaker 1: saying so, something just a little funny about it. Pray,
25:05
Speaker 1: what steps did you take when you found the card
25:07
Speaker 1: upon the door? I was staggered, Sir, I did not
25:12
Speaker 1: know what to do. Then I called at the offices round,
25:16
Speaker 1: but none of them seemed to know anything about it.
25:19
Speaker 1: Finally I went to the landlord, who is an accountant
25:22
Speaker 1: living on the ground floor, and I asked him if
25:25
Speaker 1: he could tell me what had become of the red
25:27
Speaker 1: headed league. He said that he had never heard of
25:30
Speaker 1: any such body. Then I asked him who mister duncan
25:33
Speaker 1: Ross was. He answered that the name was new to him. Well,
25:40
Speaker 1: said I, the gentleman at number four, what the red
25:44
Speaker 1: headed man? Yes? Oh said he. His name was William Morris.
25:50
Speaker 1: He was a solicitor and was using my room as
25:53
Speaker 1: a temporary convenience until his new premises were ready. He
25:56
Speaker 1: moved out yesterday. Where could I find him? Oh? At
26:02
Speaker 1: his new offices. He did tell me the address, yes,
26:05
Speaker 1: seventeen King Edward Street, near Saint Paul's. I started off,
26:10
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, but when I got to that address, it
26:13
Speaker 1: was a manufactory of artificial knee caps, and no one
26:17
Speaker 1: in it had ever heard of either mister William Morris
26:20
Speaker 1: or mister Duncan Ross. And what did you do, then,
26:24
Speaker 1: asked Holmes. I went home to Saxe Coburg Square, and
26:30
Speaker 1: I took the advice of my assistant, but he could
26:32
Speaker 1: not help me in any way. He could only say
26:34
Speaker 1: that if I waited, I should hear by a post.
26:37
Speaker 1: But that was not quite good enough, mister Holmes. I
26:40
Speaker 1: did not wish to lose such a place without a struggle.
26:43
Speaker 1: So as I had heard that you were good enough
26:45
Speaker 1: to give advice to poor folk who were in need
26:47
Speaker 1: of it, I came right away to you, and you
26:52
Speaker 1: did very wisely, said Holmes. Your case is an exceedingly
26:56
Speaker 1: remarkable one, and I shall be happy to look into it.
27:00
Speaker 1: From what you have told me, I think that it
27:02
Speaker 1: is possible that graver issues hang from it than might,
27:05
Speaker 1: at first sight appear grave enough, said mister job As Wilson.
27:11
Speaker 1: Why I have lost four pounds a week? As far
27:17
Speaker 1: as you are personally concerned, remarked Holmes, I do not
27:21
Speaker 1: see that you have any grievance against this extraordinary league.
27:25
Speaker 1: On the contrary, you are, as I understand, richer by
27:28
Speaker 1: some thirty pounds, to say nothing of the minute knowledge
27:31
Speaker 1: which you have gained on every subject which comes under
27:34
Speaker 1: the letter A. You have lost nothing by them, no, sir,
27:39
Speaker 1: But I want to find out about them and who
27:41
Speaker 1: they are, and what their object was in playing this prank.
27:44
Speaker 1: If it was a prank upon me, it was a
27:47
Speaker 1: pretty expensive joke for them, for it cost them two
27:50
Speaker 1: and thirty pounds. We shall endeavor to clear up these
27:56
Speaker 1: points for you. And first one are two questions, mister Wilson,
27:59
Speaker 1: this assistant of yours who first called your attention to
28:02
Speaker 1: the advertisement? How long had he been with you? About
28:07
Speaker 1: a month? Then? How did he come in answer to
28:12
Speaker 1: an advertisement? Was he the only applicant? No? I had
28:17
Speaker 1: a dozen? Why did you pick him? Because he was
28:22
Speaker 1: handy and would come cheap at half wages? In fact? Yes,
28:30
Speaker 1: what is he like? This? Vincent Spalding? Small stout, built,
28:37
Speaker 1: very quick in his ways, no hair on his face,
28:40
Speaker 1: though he's not short of thirty, has a white splash
28:44
Speaker 1: of acid upon his forehead. Holmes sat up in his
28:49
Speaker 1: chair in considerable excitement. I thought as much, said he.
28:54
Speaker 1: Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced for earrings? Yes, sir,
29:00
Speaker 1: he told me that a gipsy had done it for
29:02
Speaker 1: him when he was a lad Hum, said Holmes, sinking
29:07
Speaker 1: back in deep thought. He is still with you. Oh yes, sir,
29:12
Speaker 1: I have only just left him, and has your business
29:17
Speaker 1: been attended to in your absence. Nothing to complain of, sir.
29:22
Speaker 1: There's never very much to do of a morning. That
29:26
Speaker 1: will do, mister Wilson, I shall be happy to give
29:28
Speaker 1: you an opinion upon the subject in the course of
29:31
Speaker 1: a day or two. To day is Saturday, and I
29:34
Speaker 1: hope that by Monday we may come to a conclusion. Well, Watson,
29:40
Speaker 1: said Holmes, when our visitor had left us, What do
29:43
Speaker 1: you make of it all? I make nothing of it,
29:47
Speaker 1: I answered, frankly. It is a most mysterious business. As
29:53
Speaker 1: a rule, said Holmes, the more bizarre a thing is,
29:57
Speaker 1: the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your
30:01
Speaker 1: commonplace featureless crimes, which are really puzzling, just as a
30:06
Speaker 1: commonplace face is the most difficult to identify. But I
30:10
Speaker 1: must be prompt over this matter. What are you going
30:14
Speaker 1: to do? Then? I asked to smoke? He answered, it
30:19
Speaker 1: is quite a three pipe problem. And I beg that
30:22
Speaker 1: you won't speak to me for fifty minutes. He curled
30:27
Speaker 1: himself up in his chair with his thin knees drawn
30:30
Speaker 1: up to his hawk like nose, and there he sat
30:33
Speaker 1: with his eyes closed and his black clay pipe thrusting
30:37
Speaker 1: out like the bill of some strange bird. I had
30:42
Speaker 1: come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep, and
30:44
Speaker 1: indeed was nodding myself, when he suddenly sprang out of
30:48
Speaker 1: his chair with the gesture of a man who has
30:50
Speaker 1: made up his mind, and put his pipe down upon
30:53
Speaker 1: the mantelpiece. Sarasate plays at the Saint James Hall this afternoon.
30:58
Speaker 1: He remarked, what do you think, Watson? Could your patience
31:02
Speaker 1: spare you for a few hours. I have nothing to
31:06
Speaker 1: do to day. My practice is never very absorbing. Then
31:10
Speaker 1: put on your hat and come. I am going through
31:13
Speaker 1: the city first, and we can have some lunch on
31:15
Speaker 1: the way. I observe that there is a good deal
31:18
Speaker 1: of German music on the program, which is rather more
31:21
Speaker 1: to my taste than Italian or French. It is introspective,
31:25
Speaker 1: and I want to introspect. Come along. We traveled by
31:30
Speaker 1: the underground as far as Aldersgate, and a short walk
31:34
Speaker 1: took us to Saxe Coburg Square, the scene of the
31:37
Speaker 1: singular story which we had listened to in the morning.
31:41
Speaker 1: It was a poky, little shabby, genteel place where four
31:45
Speaker 1: lines of dingy two storied brick houses looked out into
31:49
Speaker 1: a small railed in enclosure, where a lawn of weedy
31:53
Speaker 1: grass and a few clumps of faded laurel bushes made
31:56
Speaker 1: a hard fight against a smoke laden and uncongenial atmosphere.
32:02
Speaker 1: Three gilt balls and a brown board with job as
32:06
Speaker 1: Wilson in white letters. Upon a corner house announced the
32:10
Speaker 1: place where our red headed client carried on his business.
32:15
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes stepped in front of it with his head
32:17
Speaker 1: on one side, and looked it all over with his
32:20
Speaker 1: eyes shining brightly between puckered lids. Then he walked slowly
32:27
Speaker 1: up the street and then down again to the corner,
32:30
Speaker 1: still looking keenly at the houses. Finally he returned to
32:34
Speaker 1: the pawnbrokers, and, having thumped vigorously upon the pavement with
32:38
Speaker 1: his stick two or three times, he went up to
32:41
Speaker 1: the door and knocked. It was instantly opened by a
32:46
Speaker 1: bright looking, clean shaven young fellow, who asked him to
32:49
Speaker 1: step in. Thank you, said Holmes, I only wished to
32:54
Speaker 1: ask you how you would go from here to the
32:56
Speaker 1: strand third right, fourth left, answered the assistant, promptly closing
33:03
Speaker 1: the door. Smart fellow that observed Holmes as we walked away.
33:09
Speaker 1: He is, in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London,
33:13
Speaker 1: and for daring, I am not sure that he has
33:16
Speaker 1: not a claim to be third. I have known something
33:19
Speaker 1: of him before, evidently, said I, Mister Wilson's assistant counts
33:25
Speaker 1: for a good deal in this mystery of the red
33:27
Speaker 1: headed league. I am sure that you inquired your way
33:31
Speaker 1: merely in order that you might see him, not him?
33:36
Speaker 1: What then, the knees of his trousers? And what did
33:42
Speaker 1: you see? What I expected to see? Why did you
33:48
Speaker 1: beat the pavement? My dear doctor, This is a time
33:52
Speaker 1: for observation, not for talk. We are spies in an
33:56
Speaker 1: enemy's country. We know something of Saxe Coburg's Square. Let
34:01
Speaker 1: us now explore the parts which lie behind it. The
34:05
Speaker 1: road in which we found ourselves as we turned round
34:08
Speaker 1: the corner from the retired Saxe Coburg Square presented as
34:13
Speaker 1: great a contrast to it as the front of a
34:16
Speaker 1: picture does to the back. It was one of the
34:19
Speaker 1: main arteries which conveyed the traffic of the city to
34:22
Speaker 1: the north and west. The roadway was blocked with the
34:26
Speaker 1: immense stream of commerce flowing in a double tide inward
34:29
Speaker 1: and outward, while the footpaths were black with the hurrying
34:33
Speaker 1: swarm of pedestrians. It was difficult to realize, as we
34:38
Speaker 1: looked at the line of fine shops and stately business premises,
34:42
Speaker 1: that they really abutted on the other side, upon the
34:45
Speaker 1: faded and stagnant square which we had just quitted. Let
34:50
Speaker 1: me see, said Holmes, standing at the corner and glancing
34:53
Speaker 1: along the line. I should like just to remember the
34:57
Speaker 1: order of the houses here. It is a hobby of
34:59
Speaker 1: mine to have an exact knowledge of London. There is Mortimer's,
35:04
Speaker 1: the Tobacconist, the little newspaper shop, the Cobourg branch of
35:08
Speaker 1: the City and Suburban Bank, the vegetarian restaurant, and McFarlane's
35:13
Speaker 1: carriage building depot that carries us right on to the
35:17
Speaker 1: other block. And now, doctor, we've done our work, so
35:21
Speaker 1: it's time we had some play, a sandwich and a
35:24
Speaker 1: cup of coffee, and then off to violin Land, where
35:28
Speaker 1: all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony, and there are
35:32
Speaker 1: no red headed clients to vex us with their conundrums.
35:37
Speaker 1: My friend was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only
35:42
Speaker 1: a very capable performer, but a composer of no ordinary merit.
35:47
Speaker 1: All the afternoon he sat in the stalls, wrapped in
35:51
Speaker 1: the most perfect happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers
35:55
Speaker 1: in time to the music, while his gently smiling face
35:59
Speaker 1: and his legs linguid, dreamy eyes were as unlike those
36:02
Speaker 1: of Holmes, the sleuth hound, Holmes the relentless, keen witted,
36:06
Speaker 1: ready handed criminal agent, as it was possible to conceive
36:13
Speaker 1: in his singular character, the dual nature alternately asserted itself,
36:17
Speaker 1: and his extreme exactness and astuteness represented, as I have
36:22
Speaker 1: often thought, the reaction against the poetic and contemplative mood
36:26
Speaker 1: which occasionally predominated in him. The swing of his nature
36:32
Speaker 1: took him from extreme languor to devouring energy, And as
36:36
Speaker 1: I knew well, he was never so truly formidable as
36:39
Speaker 1: when for days on end he had been lounging in
36:42
Speaker 1: his arm chair amid his improvisations and his black letter editions.
36:48
Speaker 1: Then it was that the lust of the chase would
36:50
Speaker 1: suddenly come upon him, and that his brilliant reasoning power
36:54
Speaker 1: would rise to the level of intuition, until those who
36:57
Speaker 1: were unacquainted with his methods would look scance at him
37:01
Speaker 1: as on a man whose knowledge was not that of
37:03
Speaker 1: other mortals. When I saw him that afternoon, so enwrapped
37:08
Speaker 1: in the music at Saint James's Hall, I felt that
37:11
Speaker 1: an evil time might be coming upon those whom he
37:14
Speaker 1: had set himself to hunt down. You want to go home,
37:19
Speaker 1: no doubt, doctor, he remarked, as we emerged. Yes, it
37:24
Speaker 1: would be as well, and I have some business to
37:28
Speaker 1: do which will take some hours. This business at Coburg
37:32
Speaker 1: Square is serious? Why serious? A considerable crime is in contemplation.
37:41
Speaker 1: I have every reason to believe that we shall be
37:43
Speaker 1: in time to stop it. But to day, being Saturday,
37:46
Speaker 1: rather complicates matters. I shall want your help to night.
37:51
Speaker 1: At what time ten will be early enough. I shall
37:57
Speaker 1: be at Baker Street at ten very well, And I say, doctor,
38:02
Speaker 1: there may be some little danger, so kindly put your
38:06
Speaker 1: army revolver in your pocket. He waved his hand, turned
38:10
Speaker 1: on his heel, and disappeared in an instant among the crowd.
38:16
Speaker 1: I trust that I am not more dense than my neighbors,
38:20
Speaker 1: but I was always oppressed with a sense of my
38:22
Speaker 1: own stupidity in my dealings with Sherlock Holmes. Here I
38:28
Speaker 1: had heard what he had heard. I had seen what
38:31
Speaker 1: he had seen, and yet from his words it was
38:34
Speaker 1: evident that he saw clearly not only what had happened,
38:38
Speaker 1: but what was about to happen. While to me the
38:41
Speaker 1: whole business was still confused and grotesque. As I drove
38:47
Speaker 1: home to my house in Kensington, I thought over it all,
38:50
Speaker 1: from the extraordinary story of the red headed copier of
38:54
Speaker 1: the Encyclopedia, down to the visit at Saxe Coburg Square
38:58
Speaker 1: and the ominous word with which he had parted from me.
39:03
Speaker 1: What was this nocturnal expedition and why should I go? Armed?
39:08
Speaker 1: Where were we going and what were we to do?
39:12
Speaker 1: I had the hint from Holmes that this smooth faced
39:15
Speaker 1: pawnbroker's assistant was a formidable man, a man who might
39:19
Speaker 1: play a deep game. I tried to puzzle it out,
39:22
Speaker 1: but gave up in despair and set the matter aside
39:25
Speaker 1: until night should bring an explanation. It was a quarter
39:30
Speaker 1: past nine when I started from home and made my
39:33
Speaker 1: way across the park and so through Oxford Street to
39:36
Speaker 1: Baker Street. Two Hansoms were standing at the door and
39:41
Speaker 1: as I entered the passage, I heard the sound of
39:43
Speaker 1: voices from above. On entering his room, I found Holmes
39:48
Speaker 1: in animated conversation with two men, one of whom I
39:51
Speaker 1: recognized as Peter Jones, the official police agent, while the
39:56
Speaker 1: other was a long, thin, sad faced man with a
39:59
Speaker 1: very shiny hat and an oppressively respectable frock coat. Ha
40:05
Speaker 1: Our party is complete, said Holmes, buttoning up his pea
40:09
Speaker 1: jacket and taking his heavy hunting crop from the rack. Watson,
40:14
Speaker 1: I think you know, mister Jones of Scotland Yard. Let
40:18
Speaker 1: me introduce you to mister Merriwether, who is to be
40:20
Speaker 1: our companion in to night's adventure. We're hunting in couples again, doctor,
40:26
Speaker 1: You see, said Jones in his consequential way. Our friend
40:31
Speaker 1: here is a wonderful man for starting a chase. All
40:34
Speaker 1: he wants is an old dog to help him do
40:36
Speaker 1: the running down. I hope a wild goose may not
40:40
Speaker 1: prove to be the end of our chase, observed mister
40:44
Speaker 1: Merriweather Gloomily. You may place considerable confidence in mister Holmes, Sir,
40:51
Speaker 1: said the police agent loftily. He has his own little
40:54
Speaker 1: methods which are if he won't mind my saying so.
40:58
Speaker 1: Just a little too theory, htical and fantastic. But he
41:02
Speaker 1: has the makings of a detective in him. It is
41:04
Speaker 1: not too much to say that once or twice, as
41:07
Speaker 1: in that business of the sholto murder and the agra treasure,
41:11
Speaker 1: he has been more nearly correct than the official force. Oh,
41:17
Speaker 1: if you say so, mister Jones, it is all right,
41:20
Speaker 1: said the stranger, with deference. Still, I confess that I
41:26
Speaker 1: miss my rubber. It is the first Saturday night for
41:29
Speaker 1: seven and twenty years that I have not had my rubber.
41:33
Speaker 1: I think you will find, said Sherlock Holmes, that you
41:37
Speaker 1: will play for a higher stake to night than you
41:40
Speaker 1: have ever done yet, and that the play will be
41:43
Speaker 1: more exciting for you, mister Merriwether. The stake will be
41:46
Speaker 1: some thirty thousand pounds, and for you, Jones, it will
41:51
Speaker 1: be the man upon whom you wish to lay your hands,
41:54
Speaker 1: John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher and forger. He's a
41:58
Speaker 1: young man, mister mary Weather, but he is at the
42:01
Speaker 1: head of his profession, and I would rather have my
42:04
Speaker 1: bracelets on him than on any criminal in London. He's
42:08
Speaker 1: a remarkable man is young John Clay. His grandfather was
42:11
Speaker 1: a royal duke, and he himself has been to Eden
42:15
Speaker 1: and Oxford. His brain is as cunning as his fingers,
42:19
Speaker 1: and though we meet signs of him at every turn,
42:21
Speaker 1: we never know where to find the man himself. He'll
42:25
Speaker 1: crack a crib in Scotland one week and be raising
42:29
Speaker 1: money to build an orphanage in Cornwall the next. I've
42:33
Speaker 1: been on his track for years and have never set
42:35
Speaker 1: eyes on him yet. I hope that I may have
42:40
Speaker 1: the pleasure of introducing you tonight. I've had one or
42:43
Speaker 1: two little turns also with mister John Clay, and I
42:46
Speaker 1: agree with you that he is at the head of
42:48
Speaker 1: his profession. It is past ten, however, and quite time
42:52
Speaker 1: that we started. If you two will take the first hansom,
42:56
Speaker 1: Watson and I will follow in the second. Sherlock Holmes
43:01
Speaker 1: was not very communicative during the long drive and lay
43:04
Speaker 1: back in the cab humming the tunes which he had
43:06
Speaker 1: heard in the afternoon. We rattled through an endless labyrinth
43:11
Speaker 1: of gas lit streets until we emerged into Farrington Street.
43:17
Speaker 1: We are close there now, my friend remarked. This fellow
43:20
Speaker 1: Merriweather is a bank director and personally interested in the matter.
43:25
Speaker 1: I thought it as well to have Jones with us. Also,
43:28
Speaker 1: he is not a bad fellow. Though an absolute imbecile
43:31
Speaker 1: in his profession, he has one positive virtue. He is
43:36
Speaker 1: as brave as a bulldog and as tenacious as a
43:39
Speaker 1: lobster if he gets his claws upon any one. Here
43:43
Speaker 1: we are, and they are waiting for us. We had
43:48
Speaker 1: reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had found
43:51
Speaker 1: ourselves in the morning. Our cabs were dismissed, and following
43:56
Speaker 1: the guidance of mister Merriwether, we passed down a narrow
43:59
Speaker 1: path and through a side door which he opened for us.
44:04
Speaker 1: Within there was a small corridor which ended in a
44:07
Speaker 1: very massive iron grate. This also was opened and led
44:12
Speaker 1: down a flight of winding stone steps, which terminated at
44:15
Speaker 1: another formidable gait. Mister Merriweather stopped to light a lantern
44:21
Speaker 1: and then conducted us down a dark, earth smelling passage.
44:25
Speaker 1: And so after opening a third door into a huge
44:29
Speaker 1: vault or cellar, which was piled all round with crates
44:32
Speaker 1: and massive boxes. You are not very vulnerable from above,
44:38
Speaker 1: Holmes remarked, as he held up the lantern and gazed
44:41
Speaker 1: about him, nor from below, said mister Merriwether, striking his
44:46
Speaker 1: stick upon the flags which lined the floor. Why dear me,
44:50
Speaker 1: it sounds quite hollow, he remarked, looking up in surprise.
44:56
Speaker 1: I must really ask you to be a little more quiet,
44:59
Speaker 1: said Holmes, severely. You have already imperiled the whole success
45:04
Speaker 1: of our expedition. Might I beg that you would have
45:06
Speaker 1: the goodness to sit down upon one of those boxes,
45:09
Speaker 1: and not to interfere? The solemn mister Merriweather perched himself
45:15
Speaker 1: upon a crate, with a very injured expression upon his face,
45:20
Speaker 1: while Holmes fell upon his knees upon the floor, and
45:23
Speaker 1: with the lantern and a magnifying lens, began to examine
45:27
Speaker 1: minutely the cracks between the stones. A few seconds sufficed
45:33
Speaker 1: to satisfy him, for he sprang to his feet again
45:36
Speaker 1: and put his glass in his pocket. We have at
45:40
Speaker 1: least an hour before us, he remarked, for they can
45:44
Speaker 1: hardly take any steps until the good pawnbroker is safely
45:47
Speaker 1: in bed. Then they will not lose a minute, for
45:50
Speaker 1: the sooner they do their work, the longer time they
45:52
Speaker 1: will have for their escape. We are at present, doctor,
45:56
Speaker 1: as no doubt you have divined in the cellar of
45:59
Speaker 1: the City branch of one of the principal London banks.
46:04
Speaker 1: Mister Merriweather is the Chairman of directors, and he will
46:08
Speaker 1: explain to you that there are reasons why the more
46:10
Speaker 1: daring criminals of London should take a considerable interest in
46:14
Speaker 1: this cellar. At present it is our French gold, whispered
46:19
Speaker 1: the director. We have had several warnings that an attempt
46:23
Speaker 1: might be made upon it your French gold. Yes, we
46:29
Speaker 1: had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources, and
46:33
Speaker 1: borrowed for that purpose thirty thousand napoleons from the Bank
46:36
Speaker 1: of France. It has become known that we have never
46:40
Speaker 1: had an occasion to unpack the money, and that it
46:43
Speaker 1: is still lying in our cellar. The crate upon which
46:46
Speaker 1: I sit contains two thousand napoleons packed between layers of
46:51
Speaker 1: lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is much larger at
46:56
Speaker 1: present than is usually kept in a single branch office.
47:00
Speaker 1: And the directors have had misgivings upon the subject, which
47:04
Speaker 1: were very well justified, observed Holmes. And now it is
47:09
Speaker 1: time that we arranged our little plans. I expect that
47:12
Speaker 1: within an hour matters will come to a head in
47:16
Speaker 1: the meantime, mister Meriwether, we must put the screen over
47:19
Speaker 1: that dark lantern and sit in the dark. I am
47:25
Speaker 1: afraid so. I had brought a pack of cards in
47:28
Speaker 1: my pocket, and I thought that as we were a
47:31
Speaker 1: PARTI carey you might have your rubber after all. But
47:34
Speaker 1: I see that the enemy's preparations have gone so far
47:38
Speaker 1: that we cannot risk the presence of a light. And
47:41
Speaker 1: first of all, we must choose our positions. These are
47:44
Speaker 1: daring men, and though we shall take them at a disadvantage,
47:47
Speaker 1: they may do us some harm unless we are careful.
47:51
Speaker 1: I shall stand behind this crate, and do you conceal
47:54
Speaker 1: yourselves behind those then, when I flash a light upon them,
47:58
Speaker 1: close in swiftly. If they fire, Watson have no compunction
48:03
Speaker 1: about shooting them down. I placed my revolver cocked upon
48:08
Speaker 1: the top of the wooden case behind which I crouched.
48:11
Speaker 1: Holmes shot the slide across the front of his lantern
48:14
Speaker 1: and left us in pitch darkness, such an absolute darkness
48:19
Speaker 1: as I have never before experienced. The smell of hot
48:23
Speaker 1: metal remained to assure us that the light was still there,
48:27
Speaker 1: ready to flash out at a moment's notice to me.
48:31
Speaker 1: With my nerves worked up to a pitch of expectancy,
48:35
Speaker 1: there was something depressing and subduing in the sudden gloom
48:38
Speaker 1: and in the cold, dank air of the vault. They
48:43
Speaker 1: have but one retreat, whispered Holmes. That is back through
48:47
Speaker 1: the house into Saxe Coburg Square. I hope that you
48:50
Speaker 1: have done what I asked you, Jones. I have an
48:54
Speaker 1: inspector and two officers waiting at the front door. Then
48:58
Speaker 1: we have stopped all the whole and now we must
49:01
Speaker 1: be silent and wait. What a time it seemed from
49:07
Speaker 1: comparing notes afterwards, it was but an hour and a quarter.
49:11
Speaker 1: Yet it appeared to me that the night must have
49:13
Speaker 1: almost gone, and the dawn be breaking above us. My
49:17
Speaker 1: limbs were weary and stiff, for I feared to change
49:21
Speaker 1: my position. Yet my nerves were worked up to the
49:24
Speaker 1: highest pitch of tension, and my hearing was so acute
49:27
Speaker 1: that I could not only hear the gentle breathing of
49:30
Speaker 1: my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper, heavier in
49:34
Speaker 1: breath of the bulky Jones from the thin sighing note
49:37
Speaker 1: of the bank director. From my position, I could look
49:41
Speaker 1: over the case in the direction of the floor. Suddenly
49:45
Speaker 1: my eyes caught the glint of a light. At first
49:50
Speaker 1: it was but a lurid spark upon the stone pavement.
49:54
Speaker 1: Then it lengthened out until it became a yellow line,
49:57
Speaker 1: and then, without any warning or sound, a gash seemed
50:01
Speaker 1: to open, and a hand appeared, a white, almost womanly hand,
50:07
Speaker 1: which felt about in the center of the little area
50:10
Speaker 1: of light. For a minute or more, the hand, with
50:14
Speaker 1: its writhing fingers, protruded out of the floor. Then it
50:19
Speaker 1: was withdrawn as suddenly as it appeared, and all was
50:22
Speaker 1: dark again, save the single lurid spark which marked a
50:26
Speaker 1: chink between the stones. Its disappearance, however, was but momentary,
50:31
Speaker 1: with a rending, tearing sound. One of the broad white
50:35
Speaker 1: stones turned over upon its side and left a square,
50:39
Speaker 1: gaping hole through which streamed the light of a lantern.
50:45
Speaker 1: Over the edge. There peeped a clean cut, boyish face
50:48
Speaker 1: which looked keenly about it, and then, with a hand
50:52
Speaker 1: on either side of the aperture, drew itself shoulder high
50:55
Speaker 1: and waist high, until one knee rested upon the edge.
51:01
Speaker 1: In another instant, he stood at the side of the
51:03
Speaker 1: hole and was hauling after him a companion, live and
51:06
Speaker 1: small like himself, with a pale face and a shock
51:09
Speaker 1: of very red hair. It's all clear, he whispered, Have
51:14
Speaker 1: you the chisel and the bags, Great Scott, jump, Archie jump,
51:18
Speaker 1: and I'll swing for it, Sherlock. Holmes had sprung out
51:23
Speaker 1: and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived
51:26
Speaker 1: down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending
51:28
Speaker 1: cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. The light flashed
51:32
Speaker 1: upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes's hunting crop
51:35
Speaker 1: came down on the man's wrist, and the pistol clinked
51:38
Speaker 1: upon the stone floor. It's no use, John Clay, said Holmes, blandly,
51:46
Speaker 1: you have no chance at all. So I see the
51:50
Speaker 1: other answered with the utmost coolness. I fancy that my
51:55
Speaker 1: pal is all right, though I see you have got
51:58
Speaker 1: his coat tails. There are three men waiting for him
52:02
Speaker 1: at the door, said Holmes. Oh, indeed, you seem to
52:07
Speaker 1: have done the thing very completely. I must compliment you,
52:11
Speaker 1: and I you, Holmes answered, Your red headed idea was
52:16
Speaker 1: very new and effective. You will see your pal again presently,
52:20
Speaker 1: said Jones. He is quicker at climbing down holes than
52:23
Speaker 1: I am. Just hold out while I fix the derbies.
52:28
Speaker 1: I beg that you will not touch me with your
52:30
Speaker 1: filthy hands, remarked our prisoner, as the handcuffs clattered upon
52:35
Speaker 1: his wrists. You may not be aware that I have
52:38
Speaker 1: royal blood in my veins. Have the goodness also when
52:41
Speaker 1: you address me, always to say sir and please all right,
52:46
Speaker 1: said Jones, with a stare and a sninger. Well, will
52:50
Speaker 1: you please, sir march upstairs where we can get a
52:54
Speaker 1: cab to carry your highness to the police station. That
52:59
Speaker 1: is better, said John Clay serenely. He made a sweeping
53:03
Speaker 1: bow to the three of us and walked quietly off
53:06
Speaker 1: in the custody of the detective. Really, mister Holmes, said
53:13
Speaker 1: mister Merriweather, as we followed them from the cellar. I
53:16
Speaker 1: do not know how the bank can thank you or
53:19
Speaker 1: repay you. There is no doubt that you have detected
53:21
Speaker 1: and defeated in the most complete manner, one of the
53:25
Speaker 1: most determined attempts at bank robbery that have ever come
53:28
Speaker 1: within my experience. I have had one or two little
53:35
Speaker 1: scores of my own to settle with, mister John Clay,
53:38
Speaker 1: said Holmes, I have been at some small expense over
53:42
Speaker 1: this matter, which I shall expect the bank to refund.
53:45
Speaker 1: But beyond that I am amply repaid by having had
53:49
Speaker 1: an experience which is in many ways unique, and by
53:52
Speaker 1: hearing the very remarkable narrative of the Red Headed League.
53:57
Speaker 1: You see Watson, he explained in the early hours of
54:01
Speaker 1: the morning, as we sat over a glass of whiskey
54:03
Speaker 1: and soda in Baker Street. It was perfectly obvious from
54:08
Speaker 1: the first that the only possible object of this rather
54:11
Speaker 1: fantastic business for the advertisement of the league and the
54:14
Speaker 1: copying of the encyclopedia, must be to get this not
54:18
Speaker 1: over bright pawnbroker out of the way for a number
54:21
Speaker 1: of hours every day. It was a curious way of
54:24
Speaker 1: managing it, but really it would be difficult to suggest
54:27
Speaker 1: a better The method was no doubt suggested to Clay's
54:32
Speaker 1: ingenious mind by the color of his accomplice's hair. The
54:36
Speaker 1: four pounds a week was a lure which must draw him,
54:39
Speaker 1: and what was it to them who were playing for thousands?
54:43
Speaker 1: They put in the advertisement. One rogue has the temporary office,
54:48
Speaker 1: the other rogue incites the man to apply for it,
54:51
Speaker 1: and together they managed to secure his absence every morning
54:54
Speaker 1: in the week from the time that I heard of
54:59
Speaker 1: the assistant had come for half wages. It was obvious
55:02
Speaker 1: to me that he had some strong motive for securing
55:05
Speaker 1: the situation. But how could you guess what the motive was?
55:12
Speaker 1: Had there been a woman in the house, I should
55:14
Speaker 1: have suspected a mere vulgar intrigue. That, however, was out
55:18
Speaker 1: of the question. The man's business was a small one,
55:22
Speaker 1: and there was nothing in his house which could account
55:24
Speaker 1: for such elaborate preparations and such an expenditure as they
55:29
Speaker 1: were at. It must then be something out of the house.
55:33
Speaker 1: What could it be? I thought of the assistant's fondness
55:38
Speaker 1: for photography and his trick of vanishing into the cellar.
55:42
Speaker 1: The cellar, there was the end of this tangled clue.
55:46
Speaker 1: Then I made inquiries as to this mysterious assistant, and
55:50
Speaker 1: found that I had to deal with one of the
55:52
Speaker 1: coolest and most daring criminals in London. He was doing
55:57
Speaker 1: something in the cellar, something which took many hours a
56:00
Speaker 1: day for months on end. What could it be? Once more,
56:04
Speaker 1: I could think of nothing save that he was running
56:07
Speaker 1: a tunnel to some other building. So far I had
56:12
Speaker 1: got when we went to visit the scene of action.
56:15
Speaker 1: I surprised you by beating upon the pavement with my stick.
56:19
Speaker 1: I was ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front
56:22
Speaker 1: or behind. It was not in front. Then I rang
56:26
Speaker 1: the bell, and as I hoped, the assistant answered it.
56:30
Speaker 1: We have had some skirmishes, but we had never set
56:33
Speaker 1: eyes upon each other before. I hardly looked at his face.
56:38
Speaker 1: His knees were what I wished to see. You must
56:41
Speaker 1: yourself have remarked how worn, wrinkled and stained they were.
56:46
Speaker 1: They spoke of those hours of burrowing. The only remaining
56:50
Speaker 1: point was what they were burrowing. For. I walked round
56:54
Speaker 1: the corner, saw the City and Suburban Bank abutted on
56:58
Speaker 1: our friend's premises, and felt that I had solved my problem.
57:03
Speaker 1: When you drove home after the concert, I called upon
57:06
Speaker 1: Scotland Yard and upon the chairman of the bank directors,
57:09
Speaker 1: with the result that you have seen, And how could
57:13
Speaker 1: you tell that they would make their attempt to night?
57:16
Speaker 1: I asked, Well, when they closed their league offices, that
57:21
Speaker 1: was a sign that they cared no longer about mister
57:23
Speaker 1: Jabez Wilson's presence. In other words, that they had completed
57:27
Speaker 1: their tunnel, but it was essential that they should use
57:32
Speaker 1: it soon, as it might be discovered or the bullion
57:35
Speaker 1: might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than any
57:39
Speaker 1: other day, as it would give them two days for
57:42
Speaker 1: their escape. For all these reasons, I expected them to
57:46
Speaker 1: come to night. You reasoned it out beautifully, I exclaimed
57:52
Speaker 1: in unfeigned admiration. It is so long a chain, and
57:56
Speaker 1: yet every link rings true. It saved me from anui,
58:02
Speaker 1: he answered, yawning. Alas I already feel it closing in
58:07
Speaker 1: upon me. My life is spent in one long effort
58:10
Speaker 1: to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little problems
58:15
Speaker 1: help me to do so, and you are a benefactor
58:20
Speaker 1: of the race, said I. He shrugged his shoulders. Well, perhaps,
58:26
Speaker 1: after all, it is of some little use, he remarked.
58:32
Speaker 1: Lom Syrien Louve Setou as Gustave Flaubert wrote to your
58:38
Speaker 1: sand end of Adventure number two, read by Kara Shallenberg
58:46
Speaker 1: w w W dot kree dot org on September twenty fourth,
58:50
Speaker 1: two thousand six, in Oceanside, California,