September 29, 2023 • 52 mins
"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb" features Victor Hatherley, an engineer seeking Holmes' help after a traumatic experience. Hatherley was hired for a secretive job but discovered it was a criminal operation. He narrowly escaped after losing his thumb to a brutal attack.Holmes investigates and uncovers a counterfeiting scheme. The criminals sought Hatherley's expertise to maintain their machinery. Holmes confronts the gang, foiling their plans, and ensuring Hatherley's safety. This adventure showcases Holmes' ability to deduce complex criminal activities and prevent further harm, ultimately dismantling a dangerous counterfeit operation.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Adventure nine of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain and is read by
Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Adventure nine, The Adventure
(00:21):
of the Engineer's Thumb. Of all the problems which have
been submitted to my friend mister Sherlock Holmes for solution
during the years of our intimacy, there were only two
which I was the means of introducing to his notice,
that of mister Hatherley's Thumb and that of Colonel Warburton's Madness.
(00:43):
Of these, the latter may have afforded a finer field
for an acute and original observer. But the other was
so strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details,
that it may be the more worthy of being placed
upon record, even if it gave my friend fewer openings
for those deductive methods of reasoning by which he achieved
(01:03):
such remarkable results. The story has, I believe, been told
more than once in the newspapers, but like all such narratives,
its effect is much less striking when set forth on
block in a single half column of print, than when
the facts slowly evolve before your own eyes, and the
mystery clears gradually away as each new discovery furnishes a
(01:27):
step which leads on to the complete truth. At the time,
the circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the
lapse of two years has hardly served to weaken the effect.
It was in the summer of eighty nine, not long
after my marriage, that the events occurred which I am
now about to summarize. I had returned to civil practice
(01:50):
and had finally abandoned Holmes in his Baker Street rooms,
although I continually visited him, and occasionally even persuaded him
to forego his bohemian habits so far as to come
and visit us. My practice had steadily increased, and as
I happened to live at no very great distance from
Paddington Station, I got a few patients from among the officials.
(02:15):
One of these, whom I had cured of a painful
and lingering disease, was never weary of advertising my virtues
and of endeavoring to send me on every sufferer over
whom he might have any influence. One morning, at a
little before seven o'clock. I was awakened by the maid
tapping at the door to announce that two men had
(02:37):
come from Paddington and were waiting in the consulting room.
I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway
cases were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended
my old ally, the guard came out of the room
and closed the door tightly behind him. I've got him here,
(02:58):
he whispered, jerking his thumb over head his shoulder. He's
all right. What is it? Then, I asked, for his
manner suggested that it was some strange creature which he
had caged up in my room. It's a new patient,
he whispered. I thought i'd bring him round myself then
he couldn't slip away. There he is all safe and sound.
(03:21):
I must go now, doctor, I have my duties just
the same as you. And off he went, this trusty toute,
without even giving me time to thank him. I entered
my consulting room and found a gentleman seated by the table.
He was quietly dressed in a suit of heather tweed,
with a soft cloth cap, which he had laid down
(03:43):
upon my books round one of his hands. He had
a handkerchief wrapped which was modeled all over with blood stains.
He was young, not more than five and twenty, I
should say, with a strong masculine face, but he was
exceedingly pale, and gave me the impression of a man
who was suffering from some strong agitation which it took
(04:05):
all his strength of mind to control. I am sorry
to knock you up so early, doctor, said he, But
I have had a very serious accident during the night.
I came in by train this morning, and on inquiring
at Paddington as to where I might find a doctor,
a worthy fellow very kindly escorted me here. I gave
(04:27):
the maid a card, but I see that she has
left it upon the side table. I took it up
and glanced at it. Mister Victor Hatherley, Hydraulic Engineer, sixteen
a Victoria Street, third floor. That was the name, style
and abode of my morning visitor. I regret that I
(04:48):
have kept you waiting, said I, sitting down in my
library chair. You are fresh from a night journey, I understand,
which is in itself a monotonous occupation. Oh my night
could not be called monotonous, said he, and laughed. He laughed,
very heartily, with a high ringing note, leaning back in
(05:10):
his chair and shaking his sides. All my medical instincts
rose up against that laugh. Stop it, I cried, pull
yourself together, and I poured out some water from a caraffe.
It was useless, however, he was off in one of
those hysterical outbursts which come upon a strong nature when
(05:31):
some great crisis is over and gone. Presently, he came
to himself once more, very weary and pale looking. I
have been making a fool of myself, he gasped, Not
at all, drink this. I dashed some brandy into the water,
and the color began to come back to his bloodless cheeks.
(05:54):
That's better, said he. And now, doctor, perhaps you would
kindly attend to my thumb, or rather to the place
where my thumb used to be. He unwound the handkerchief
and held out his hand. It gave even my hardened
nerves a shudder to look at it. There were four
protruding fingers and a horrid red, spongy surface where the
(06:17):
thumb should have been. It had been hacked or torn
right out from the roots. Good heavens, I cried, this
is a terrible injury. It must have bled considerably. Yes,
it did. I fainted when it was done, and I
think that I must have been senseless for a long time.
When I came to, I found that it was still bleeding.
(06:40):
So I tied one end of my handkerchief very tightly
round the wrist and braced it up with a twig. Excellent.
You should have been a surgeon. It is a question
of hydraulics, you see, and came within my own province.
This has been done, said I, examining the wound by
a very heavy and sharp instrument, a thing like a cleaver.
(07:04):
Said he, an accident, I presume by no means. What
a murderous attack. Very murderous. Indeed, you horrify me. I
sponged the wound, cleaned it, dressed it, and finally covered
it over with cotton wadding and carbolized bandages. He lay
(07:27):
back without wincing, though he bit his lip from time
to time. How is that? I asked? When I had
finished capital between your brandy and your bandage, I feel
a new man. I was very weak, but I have
had a good deal to go through. Perhaps you had
better not speak of the matter. It is evidently trying
(07:49):
to your nerves. Oh no, not now, I shall have
to tell my tale to the police, but between ourselves.
If it were not for the convincing evidence of this
wound of mine, I should be surprised if they believe
my statement, for it is a very extraordinary one, and
I have not much in the way of proof with
(08:09):
which to back it up. And even if they believe me,
the clues which I can give them are so vague
that it is a question whether justice will be done. Hah,
cried I. If it is anything in the nature of
a problem which you desire to see solved, I should
strongly recommend you to come to my friend, mister Sherlock
(08:30):
Holmes before you go to the official police.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I have heard of that fellow, answered my visitor, and
I should be very glad if he would take the
matter up, though of course I must use the official
police as well. Would you give me an introduction to him?
I'll do better. I'll take you round to him myself.
I should be immensely obliged to you. We'll call a
(08:57):
cab and go together. We shall just be in time
to have a little breakfast with him. Do you feel
equal to it? Yes? I shall not feel easy until
I have told my story. Then my servant will call
a cab and I shall be with you. In an instant,
I rushed upstairs, explained the matter shortly to my wife,
(09:19):
and in five minutes was inside a hansom, driving with
my new acquaintance to Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes was as
I expected, lounging about his sitting room in his dressing gown,
reading the agony column of the Times, and smoking his
before breakfast pipe, which was composed of all the plugs
(09:39):
and dottles left from his smokes of the day before,
all carefully dried and collected on the corner of the
mantel piece. He received us in his quietly genial fashion,
ordered fresh rashers and eggs, and joined us in a
hearty meal. When it was concluded, he settled our new
acquaintance upon the sofa, placed a pillow beneath his head,
(10:02):
and laid a glass of brandy and water within his reach.
It is easy to see that your experience has been
no common one, mister Heatherley, said. He pray, lie down
there and make yourself absolutely at home. Tell us what
you can but stop when you are tired and keep
up your strength with a little stimulant thank you, said
(10:25):
my patient. But I have felt another man since the
doctor bandaged me, and I think that your breakfast has
completed the cure. I shall take up as little of
your valuable time as possible, so I shall start at
once upon my peculiar experiences. Holmes sat in his big
arm chair with the weary, heavy lidded expression which failed
(10:47):
his keen and eager nature, while I sat opposite to him,
and we listened in silence to the strange story which
our visitor detailed to us. You must know, said he,
that I am an orphan and a bachelor, residing alone
in lodgings in London. By profession, I am a hydraulic engineer,
(11:10):
and I have had considerable experience of my work during
the seven years that I was apprenticed to Venner M. Matheson,
the well known firm of Greenwich. Two years ago, having
served my time, and having also come into a fair
sum of money through my poor father's death, I determined
to start in business for myself and took professional chambers
(11:33):
in Victoria Street. I suppose that everyone finds his first
independent start in business a dreary experience to me, it
has been exceptionally so. During two years I have had
three consultations and one small job, and that is absolutely
all that my profession has brought me. My gross takings
(11:54):
amount to twenty seven pounds ten shillings. Every day, from
nine in the morning until four in the afternoon, I
waited in my little den, until at last my heart
began to sink, and I came to believe that I
should never have any practice at all. Yesterday, however, just
as I was thinking of leaving the office, Mike Clark
(12:17):
entered to say there was a gentleman waiting who wished
to see me upon business. He brought up a card too,
with the name of Colonel Lysander Stark engraved upon it.
Close at his heels came the Colonel himself, a man
rather over the middle size, but of an exceeding thinness.
I do not think that I have ever seen so
(12:38):
thin a man. His whole face sharpened away into nose
and chin, and the skin of his cheeks was drawn
quite tense over his outstanding bones. Yet this emaciation seemed
to be a natural habit, and due to no disease,
for his eye was bright, his step brisk, and his
(12:59):
bearing a shoe. He was plainly but neatly dressed, and
his age, I should judge would be nearer forty than thirty,
mister Hatherley, said he with something of a German accent.
You have been recommended to me, mister Hatherley, as being
a man who is not only proficient in his profession,
(13:19):
but is also discreet and capable of preserving a secret.
I bowed, feeling as flattered as any young man would
at such an address. May I ask who it was
who gave me so good a character. Well, perhaps it
is better that I should not tell you that just
at this moment I have it from the same source
(13:41):
that you are both an orphan and a bachelor and
are residing alone in London. That is quite correct, I answered.
But you will excuse me if I say that I
cannot see how all this bears upon my professional qualifications.
I understand that it was on a professional matter that
you wish to speak to me, undoubtedly so, but you
(14:04):
will find that all I say is really to the point.
I have a professional commission for you. But absolute secrecy
is quite essential. Absolute secrecy you understand, and of course
we may expect that more from a man who is
alone than from one who lives in the bosom of
his family. If I promise to keep a secret, said I,
(14:27):
you may absolutely depend upon my doing so. He looked
very hard at me as I spoke, and it seemed
to me that I had never seen so suspicious in
questioning an eye. Do you promise, then, said he? At last, Yes,
I promise absolute and complete silence, before, during, and after
(14:52):
no reference to the matter at all, either in word
or writing. I have already given you my word. Very good.
He suddenly sprang up and, darting like lightning across the room,
he flung open the door. The passage outside was empty.
That's all right, said he, coming back. I know that
(15:14):
clerks are sometimes curious as to their master's affairs. Now
we can talk in safety. He drew up his chair
very close to mine and began to stare at me
again with the same questioning and thoughtful look. A feeling
of repulsion and of something akin to fear had begun
to rise within me at the strange antics of this
(15:36):
fleshless man. Even my dread of losing a client could
not restrain me from showing my impatience. I beg that
you will state your business, sir said I. My time
is of value. Heaven forgive me for that last sentence,
But the words came to my lips. How would fifty
(15:56):
guineas for a night's work suit you, he asked, most admirably.
I say a night's work, but an hour's would be
nearer the mark. I simply want your opinion about a
hydraulic stamping machine which has got out of gear. If
you show us what is wrong, we shall soon set
it right ourselves. What do you think of such a
(16:19):
commission as that the work appears to be light and
the pay munificent? Precisely so, we shall want you to
come to night by the last train. Where to to
Eiford in Berkshire. It is a little place near the
borders of Oxfordshire, and within seven miles of reading. There
(16:41):
is a train from Paddington which would bring you there
at about eleven fifteen. Very good. I shall come down
in a carriage to meet you. There is a drive then, Yes,
our little place is quite out in the country. It
is a good seven miles from Eyford station. Then we
(17:02):
can hardly get there before midnight. I suppose there would
be no chance of a train back. I should be
compelled to stop the night. Yes, we could easily give
you a shakedown. That is very awkward. Could I not
come at some more convenient hour? We have judged it
best that you should come late. It is to recompense
(17:25):
you for any inconvenience that we are paying to you,
a young and unknown man, a fee which would buy
an opinion from the very heads of your profession. Still,
of course, if you would like to draw out of
the business, there is plenty of time to do so.
I thought of the fifty guineas, and of how useful
(17:46):
they would be to me. Not at all said I,
I shall be very happy to accommodate myself to your wishes.
I should like, however, to understand a little more clearly
what it is that you wish me to do. Quite so,
it is very natural that the pledge of secrecy which
we have exacted from you should have aroused your curiosity.
(18:08):
I have no wish to commit you to anything without
your having it all laid before you. I suppose that
we are absolutely safe from eavesdroppers entirely, then the matter stands.
Thus you are probably aware that Fuller's earth is a
valuable product, and that it is only found in one
(18:28):
or two places in England. I have heard so. Some
little time ago I bought a small place, a very
small place, within ten miles of reading. I was fortunate
enough to discover that there was a deposit of Fuller's
earth in one of my fields. On examining it, however,
(18:49):
I found that this deposit was a comparatively small one,
and that it formed a link between two very much
larger ones upon the right and left both of them. However,
in the grounds of my neighbors. These good people were
absolutely ignorant that their land contained that which was quite
as valuable as a gold mine. Naturally, it was to
(19:11):
my interest to buy their land before they discovered its
true value, but unfortunately I had no capital by which
I could do this. I took a few of my
friends into the secret, however, and they suggested that we
should quietly and secretly work our own little deposit, and
that in this way we should earn the money which
(19:32):
would enable us to buy the neighboring fields. This we
have now been doing for some time, and in order
to help us in our operations, we erected a hydraulic press.
This press, as I have already explained, has got out
of order, and we wish your advice upon the subject.
(19:52):
We guard our secret very jealously, however, and if it
once became known that we had hydraulic engineers coming to
our little house, it would soon rouse inquiry, and then
if the facts came out, it would be goodbye to
any chance of getting these fields and carrying out our plans.
That is why I have made you promise me that
(20:15):
you will not tell a human being that you are
going to iiford tonight, I hope that I make it
all plain. I quite follow you, said I. The only
point which I could not quite understand was what use
you could make of a hydraulic press in excavating Fuller's earth, which,
as I understand, is dug out like gravel from a pit.
(20:39):
Ah said he carelessly. We have our own process. We
can press the earth into bricks so as to remove
them without revealing what they are. But that is a
mere detail. I have taken you fully into my confidence now,
mister Hatherley, and I have shown you how I trust you.
He rose as he spoke. I shall expect you then
(21:02):
at Ifford at eleven fifteen, I shall certainly be there,
and not a word to a soul. He looked at
me with a last, long, questioning gaze, and then pressing
my hand in a cold, dank grasp, he hurried from
the room. Well. When I came to think it all
(21:23):
over in cool blood, I was very much astonished, as
you may both think, at this sudden commission which has
been entrusted to me. On the one hand, of course,
I was glad, for the fee was at least tenfold
what I should have asked had I set a price
upon my own services, and it was possible that this
order might lead to other ones. On the other hand,
(21:46):
the face and manner of my patron had made an
unpleasant impression upon me, and I could not think that
his explanation of the Fuller's Earth was sufficient to explain
the necessity of my coming at midnight, and as a
stream anxiety lest I should tell any one of my
errand however, I threw all fears to the winds ate
(22:07):
a hearty supper, drove to Paddington and started off, Having
obeyed to the letter the injunction as to holding my
tongue at reading, I had to change not only my
carriage but my station. However, I was in time for
the last train to Eiford, and I reached the little
dim lit station after eleven o'clock. I was the only
(22:29):
passenger who got out there, and there was no one
upon the platform save a single sleepy porter with a lantern.
As I passed out through the wicket gate, however, I
found my acquaintance of the morning waiting in the shadow
upon the other side. Without a word, he grasped my
arm and hurried me into a carriage, the door of
(22:50):
which was standing open. He drew up the windows on
either side, tapped on the woodwork, and away we went,
as fast as the horse could go. Horse, interjected Holmes.
Yes only one. Did you observe the color? Yes, I
saw it by the side lights when I was stepping
(23:10):
into the carriage. It was a chestnut tired looking or fresh, oh,
fresh and glossy. Thank you. I am sorry to have
interrupted you. Pray continue your most interesting statement. Away we went, then,
and we drove for at least an hour. Colonel Lysander
(23:32):
Stark had said that it was only seven miles, but
I should think from the rate that we seemed to
go and from the time that we took that it
must have been nearer twelve. He sat at my side
in silence all the time, and I was aware more
than once when I glanced in his direction, that he
was looking at me with great intensity. The country road
(23:54):
seemed to be not very good in that part of
the world, for we lurched and jolted terribly. I tried
to look out of the windows to see something of
where we were, but they were made of frosted glass,
and I could make out nothing save the occasional bright
blur of a passing light. Now and then I hazarded
some remark to break the monotony of the journey, but
(24:17):
the Colonel answered only im monosyllables, and the conversation soon flagged.
At last, however, the bumping of the road was exchanged
for the crisp smoothness of a gravel drive, and the
carriage came to a stand. Colonel Lysander Stark sprang out,
and as I followed after him, pulled me swiftly into
(24:38):
a porch which gaped in front of us. We stepped,
as it were, right out of the carriage and into
the hall, so that I failed to catch the most
fleeting glance at the front of the house. The instant
that I had crossed the threshold, the door slammed heavily
behind us, and I heard faintly the rattle of the
wheels as the carriage drove. It was pitch dark inside
(25:03):
the house, and the colonel fumbled about, looking for matches
and muttering under his breath. Suddenly a door opened at
the other end of the passage, and a long golden
bar of light shot out in our direction. It grew broader,
and a woman appeared with a lamp in her hand,
which she held above her head, pushing her face forward
(25:24):
and peering at us. I could see that she was pretty,
and from the class with which the light shone upon
her dark dress, I knew that it was a rich material.
She spoke a few words in a foreign tongue, in
a tone as though asking a question, and when my
companion answered in a gruff monosyllable, she gave such a
(25:45):
start that the lamp nearly fell from her hand. Colonel
Stark went up to her, whispered something in her ear,
and then pushing her back into the room from whence
she had come, he walked towards me again with a
lamp in his hand, and perhaps you will have the
kindness to wait in this room for a few minutes,
said he, throwing open another door. It was a quiet, little,
(26:10):
plainly furnished room, with a round table in the center,
on which several German books were scattered. Colonel Stark laid
down the lamp on the top of a harmonium beside
the door. I shall not keep you waiting an instant,
said he, and vanished into the darkness. I glanced at
the books upon the table, and in spite of my
(26:31):
ignorance of German, I could see that two of them
were treatises on science, the others being volumes of poetry.
Then I walked across to the window, hoping that I
might catch some glimpse of the countryside. But an oak
shutter heavily barred, was folded across it. It was a
wonderfully silent house. There was an old clock ticking loudly
(26:54):
somewhere in the passage, but otherwise everything was deadly still.
Vague feeling of uneasiness began to steal over me. Who
were these German people, and what were they doing living
in this strange, out of the way place, And where
was the place. I was ten miles or so from Eiford.
(27:15):
That was all I knew, But whether north, southeast or west,
I had no idea for that matter. Reading and possibly
other large towns were within that radius, so the place
might not be so secluded after all. Yet it was
quite certain, from the absolute stillness that we were in
(27:35):
the country. I paced up and down the room, humming
a tune under my breath to keep up my spirits,
and feeling that I was thoroughly earning my fifty guinea fee. Suddenly,
without any preliminary sound, in the midst of the utter stillness,
the door of my room swung slowly open. The woman
was standing in the aperture, the darkness of the hall
(27:58):
behind her, the yellow light from my lamp beating upon
her eager and beautiful face. I could see at a
glance that she was sick with fear, and the sight
sent a chill to my own heart. She held up
one shaking finger to warn me to be silent, and
she shot a few whispered words of broken English at me,
(28:19):
her eyes glancing back like those of a frightened horse,
into the gloom behind her. I would go, said she,
trying hard as it seemed to me to speak calmly,
I would go, I should not stay here. There is
no good for you to do. But madam said I.
(28:41):
I have not yet done what I came for. I
cannot possibly leave until I have seen the machine. It
is not worth your while to wait. She went on,
you can pass through the door. No one hinders, And then,
seeing that I smiled and shook my head, she suddenly
threw aside her constraint and made a step forward, with
(29:04):
her hands rung together. For the love of Heaven, she whispered,
get away from here before it is too late. But
I am somewhat headstrong by nature, and the more ready
to engage in an affair. When there was some obstacle
in the way, I thought of my fifty guinea fee,
of my wearisome journey, and of the unpleasant night which
(29:27):
seemed to be before me. Was it all to go
for nothing? Why should I slink away without having carried
out my commission and without the payment which was my due.
This woman might, for all I knew, be a monomaniac
with a stout bearing. Therefore, though her manner had shaken
me more than I cared to confess, I still shook
(29:48):
my head and declared my intention of remaining where I was.
She was about to renew her entreaties when a door
slammed overhead, and the sound of several footsteps was heard
upon the stairs. She listened for an instant, threw up
her hands with a despairing gesture, and vanished as suddenly
and as noiselessly as she had come. The newcomers were
(30:13):
Colonel Lysander Stark and a short, thick man with a
chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of his double chin,
who was introduced to me as mister Ferguson. This is
my secretary and manager, said the Colonel. By the way,
I was under the impression that I left this door
shut just now. I fear that you have felt the draft.
(30:37):
On the contrary, said I, I opened the door myself
because I felt the room to be a little close.
He shot one of his suspicious looks at me. Perhaps
we had better proceed to business, then, said he, mister Ferguson,
and I will take you up to see the machine.
I had better put my hat on, I suppose. Oh, no,
(31:00):
it is in the house what you dig Fuller's earth
in the house. No, no, this is only where we
compress it. But never mind that all we wish you
to do is to examine the machine and to let
us know what is wrong with it. We went upstairs together,
the Colonel first with the lamp, the fat manager, and
(31:23):
I behind him. It was a labyrinth of an old house,
with corridors, passages, narrow winding staircases, and little low doors,
the thresholds of which were hollowed out by the generations
who had crossed them. There were no carpets and no
signs of any furniture above the ground floor. While the
plaster was peeling off the walls and the damp was
(31:47):
breaking through in green, unhealthy blotches. I tried to put
on as unconcerned an air as possible, But I had
not forgotten the warnings of the lady, even though I
disregarded them, and I kept a keen eye upon my
two companions. Ferguson appeared to be a morose and silent man,
but I could see from the little that he said
(32:08):
that he was at least a fellow countryman. Colonel Lysander
Stark stopped at last before a low door, which he unlocked.
Within was a small square room in which the three
of us could hardly get at one time. Ferguson remained outside,
and the Colonel ushered me in. We are now said
(32:31):
he actually within the hydraulic press, and it would be
a particularly unpleasant thing for us if any one were
to turn it on. The ceiling of this small chamber
is really the end of the descending piston, and it
comes down with the force of many tons upon this
metal floor. There are small lateral columns of water outside
(32:52):
which received the force and which transmit him multiplied in
the manner which is familiar to you. The machine goes
deadly enough, but there is some stiffness in the working
of it, and it has lost a little of its force.
Perhaps you will have the goodness to look it over
and to show us how we can set it right.
(33:13):
I took the lamp from him, and I examined the
machine very thoroughly. It was indeed a gigantic one, and
capable of exercising enormous pressure. When I passed outside, however,
and pressed down the levers which controlled it, I knew
at once by the wishing sound that there was a
slight leakage which allowed a regurgitation of water through one
(33:36):
of the side cylinders. An examination showed that one of
the India rubber bands, which was round the head of
a driving rod, had shrunk so as to not quite
fill the socket along which it worked. This was clearly
the cause of the loss of power, and I pointed
it out to my companions, who followed my remarks very
(33:56):
carefully and asked several practical questions as to how they
should proceed to set it right. When I had made
it clear to them, I returned to the main chamber
of the machine and took a good look at it
to satisfy my own curiosity. It was obvious at a
glance that the story of the Fuller's Earth was the
merest fabrication, for it would be absurd to suppose that
(34:20):
so powerful an engine could be designed for so inadequate
a purpose. The walls were of wood, but the floor
consisted of a large iron trough, and when I came
to examine it, I could see a crust of metallic
deposit all over it. I had stooped and was scraping
at this to see exactly what it was when I
(34:41):
heard a muttered exclamation in German and saw the cadaverous
face of the colonel, looking down at me. What are
you doing there, he asked. I felt angry at having
been tricked by so elaborate a story as that which
he had told me. I was admiring your fuller's earth,
said I. I think that I should be better able
(35:02):
to advise you as to your machine if I knew
what the exact purpose was for which it was used.
The instant that I uttered the words, I regretted the
rashness of my speech. His face set hard, and a
baleful light sprang up in his gray eyes. Very well,
said he, you shall know all about the machine. He
(35:26):
took a step backward, slammed the little door, and turned
the key in the lock. I rushed towards it and
pulled at the handle, but it was quite secure and
did not give in the least to my kicks and shoves. Hello,
I yelled, hallo, Colonel, let me out. And then suddenly,
in the silence, I heard a sound which set my
(35:46):
heart into my mouth. It was the clank of the
levers and the swish of the leaking cylinder. He had
set the engine at work. The lamp still stood upon
the floor where I had placed it when examining the trough.
By its light, I saw that the black ceiling was
coming down upon me, slowly, jerkily, but as none knew
(36:07):
better than myself, with a force which must, within a
minute grind me to a shapeless pulp. I threw myself,
screaming against the door, and dragged with my nails at
the lock. I implored the colonel to let me out,
but the remorseless clanking of the levers drowned my cries.
The ceiling was only a foot or two above my head,
(36:29):
and with my hand upraised, I could feel its hard,
rough surface. Then it flashed through my mind that the
pain of my death would depend very much upon the
position in which I met it. If I lay on
my face, the weight would come upon my spine, and
I shuddered to think of that dreadful snap. Easier the
other way, perhaps, And yet had I the nerve to
(36:52):
lie and look up at that deadly black shadow wavering
down upon me, already I was unable to stand erect
when my eye caught something which brought a gush of
hope back to my heart. I have said that though
the floor and ceiling were of iron, the walls were
of wood. As I gave a last hurried glance around.
(37:13):
I saw a thin line of yellow light between two
of the boards, which broadened and broadened as a small
panel was pushed backwards. For an instant I could hardly
believe that here was indeed a door which led away
from death. The next instant I threw myself through and
lay half fainting upon the other side. The panel had
(37:34):
closed again behind me, But the crash of the lamp,
and a few moments afterwards the clang of the two
slabs of metal told me how narrow had been my escape.
I was recalled to myself by a frantic plucking at
my wrist, and I found myself lying upon the stone
floor of a narrow corridor, while a woman bent over
(37:55):
me and tugged at me with her left hand, while
she held a candle in her right. It was the
same good friend whose warning I had so foolishly rejected. Come, come,
she cried breathlessly. They will be here in a moment.
They will see that you are not there. Oh, do
not waste them so precious time. But come this time,
(38:18):
at least I did not scorn her advice. I staggered
to my feet and ran with her along the corridor
and down a winding stair. The latter led to another
broad passage, and just as we reached it, we heard
the sound of running feet and the shouting of two voices,
one answering the other from the floor on which we were,
(38:39):
and from the one beneath. My guide stopped and looked
about her, like one who is at her WIT's end.
Then she threw open a door which led into a bedroom,
through the window of which the moon was shining brightly.
It is your only chance, said she. It is high,
but it may be that you can jump it. As
(38:59):
she spoke, a light sprang into view at the further
end of the passage, and I saw the lean figure
of Colonel Lysander Stark rushing forward, with a lantern in
one hand and a weapon like a butcher's cleaver in
the other. I rushed across the bedroom, flung open the window,
and looked out. How quiet and sweet and wholesome the
(39:20):
garden looked in the moonlight, and it could not be
more than thirty feet down. I clambered out upon the sill,
but I hesitated to jump until I should have heard
what passed between my savior and the ruffian who pursued me.
If she were ill used, then at any risks, I
was determined to go back to her assistance. The thought
had hardly flashed through my mind before he was at
(39:43):
the door, pushing his way past her, and she threw
her arms round him and tried to hold him back. Fritz, Fritz,
she cried in English. Remember your promise, after the last
time you said it should not be again. He will
be silent. Oh, he will be silent. You are mad, Elise,
(40:04):
he shouted, struggling to break away from her. You will
be the ruin of us. He has seen too much.
Let me pass, I say. He dashed her to one side, and,
rushing to the window, cut at me with his heavy weapon.
I had let myself go and was hanging by the
hands to the sill. When his blow fell. I was
(40:25):
conscious of a dull pain. My grip loosened, and I
fell into the garden below. I was shaken but not
hurt by the fall. So I picked myself up and
rushed off among the bushes as hard as I could run,
for I understood that I was far from being out
of danger yet. Suddenly, however, as I ran, a deadly
(40:46):
dizziness and sickness came over me. I glanced down at
my hand, which was throbbing painfully, and then for the
first time saw that my thumb had been cut off,
and that the blood was pouring from my wound. I
endeavored to my handkerchief round it, but there came a
sudden buzzing in my ears, and next moment I fell
(41:06):
in a dead faint among the rose bushes. How long
I remained unconscious, I cannot tell. It must have been
a very long time, for the moon had sunk and
a bright morning was breaking. When I came to myself,
my clothes were all sodden with dew, and my coat
sleeve was drenched with blood from my wounded thumb. The
(41:27):
smarting of it recalled in an instant all the particulars
of my night's adventure, and I sprang to my feet
with a feeling that I might hardly yet be safe
from my pursuers. But to my astonishment, when I came
to look round me, neither house nor garden were to
be seen. I had been lying in an angle of
the hedge, close by the high road, and just a
(41:49):
little lower down was a long building which proved upon
my approaching it to be the very station at which
I had arrived upon the previous night. Were it not
for the ugly wound upon my hand, all that had
passed during those dreadful hours might have been an evil dream.
Half dazed, I went into the station and asked about
(42:11):
the morning train. There would be one to reading in
less than an hour. The same porter was on duty,
I found as had been there when I arrived. I
inquired of him whether he had ever heard of Colonel
Lysander Stark. The name was strange to him. Had he
observed a carriage the night before waiting for me? No?
(42:33):
He had not. Was there a police station anywhere near?
There was one about three miles off. It was too
far for me to go. Weak and ill as I was,
I determined to wait until I got back to town before
telling my story to the police. It was a little
past six when I arrived, so I went first to
(42:54):
have my wound dressed, and then the doctor was kind
enough to bring me along. Here. I put the case
into your hands, and shall do exactly what you advise.
We both sat in silence for some little time after
listening to this extraordinary narrative. Then Sherlock Holmes pulled down
from the shelf one of the ponderous commonplace books in
(43:17):
which he placed his cuttings. Here is an advertisement which
will interest you, said he. It appeared in all the
papers about a year ago. Listen to this lost on
the ninth instant. Mister Jeremiah Hayling, aged twenty six, a
hydraulic engineer, left his lodgings at ten o'clock at night
(43:39):
and has not been heard of since. Was dressed in
et cetera, et cetera. Ha, that represents the last time
that the Colonel needed to have his machine overhauled. I
fancy good, heavens, cried my patient. Then that explains what
the girl said. Undoubtedly it is. It is quite clear
(44:00):
that the Colonel was a cool and desperate man who
was absolutely determined that nothing should stand in the way
of his little game, like those out and out pirates
who will leave no survivor from a captured ship. Well,
every moment now is precious, so if you feel equal
to it, we shall go down to Scotland Yard at
once as a preliminary to starting for Eiford. Some three
(44:24):
hours or so afterwards, we were all in the train together,
bound from Reading to the little Berkshire village. There were
Sherlock Holmes, the hydraulic engineer, Inspector Bradstreet of Scotland, Yard,
a plain clothes man, and myself. Bradstreet had spread an
Ordnance map of the county out upon the seat, and
(44:45):
was busy with his compasses, drawing a circle, with iiford
for its center. There you are, said he. That circle
is drawn at a radius of ten miles from the village.
The place we want must be somewhere near that line.
You said ten miles. I think, sir, it was an
hour's good drive. And you think that they brought you
(45:07):
back all that way when you were unconscious. They must
have done so. I have a confused memory too, of
having been lifted and conveyed somewhere. What I cannot understand,
said I is why they should have spared you when
they found you lying fainting in the garden. Perhaps the
villain was softened by the woman's entreaties. I hardly think
(45:32):
that lightly. I never saw a more inexorable face in
my life. Oh we shall soon clear up all that,
said Bradstreet. Well, I have drawn my circle, and I
only wish I knew at what point upon it The
folk that we are in search of are to be found.
I think I could lay my finger on it, said
(45:54):
Holmes quietly. Really now, cried the inspector. You have formed
you your opinion. Come now we shall see who agrees
with you. I say it is south, for the country
is more deserted there, and I say east, said my patient. A.
(46:14):
I am for west, remarked the plain clothes man. There
are several quiet little villages up there, And I am
for north, said I because there are no hills there.
And our friend says he did not notice the carriage
go up any Come, cried the inspector, laughing. It's a
(46:35):
very pretty diversity of opinion. We have boxed the compass
among us. Who do you give your casting vote to?
You are all wrong, but we can't all be. Oh,
yes you can. This is my point. He placed his
finger in the center of the circle. This is where
(46:56):
we shall find them. But the twelve mile drive, gasped Hatherley,
six out and six back. Nothing simpler. You say yourself
that the horse was fresh and glossy when you got in.
How could it be that it had gone twelve miles
over heavy roads? Indeed, it is a likely ruse enough,
(47:18):
observed Bradstreet. Thoughtfully. Of course, there can be no doubt
as to the nature of this gang, none at all,
said Holmes. They are coiners on a large scale, and
have used the machine to form the amalgam which has
taken the place of silver. We have known for some
time that a clever gang was at work, said the inspector.
(47:41):
They have been turning out half crowns by the thousand.
We even traced them as far as reading, but could
get no farther, for they had covered their traces in
a way that showed that they were very old hands.
But now, thanks to this lucky chance, I think that
we have got them right enough. But the inspector was mistaken,
(48:02):
for those criminals were not destined to fall into the
hands of justice. As we rolled into Eyford Station, we
saw a gigantic column of smoke which streamed up from
behind a small clump of trees in the neighborhood and
hung like an immense Ostrich feather over the landscape. A
house on fire, asked Bradstreet, as the train steamed off
(48:24):
again on its way, Yes, sir, said the station master.
When did it break out?
Speaker 2 (48:31):
I hear that it was during the night sir, but
it has got worse, and the whole place is in
a blaze. Whose house is it, doctor Betcher's, tell me
broke in the engineer?
Speaker 1 (48:44):
Is doctor Becher? A German, very thin, with a long
sharp nose. The station master laughed heartily, No, sir, Doctor
Becher is an Englishman. And there isn't a man in
the parish who has a better lined waistcoat. But he
has a gentleman staying with him, a patient, as I understand,
who is a foreigner. And he looks as if a
(49:06):
little good Berkshire beef would do him no harm. The
station master had not finished his speech before we were
all hastening in the direction of the fire. The road
topped a low hill, and there was a great, widespread,
whitewashed building in front of us, spouting fire at every
chink and window, while in the garden in front, three
(49:27):
fire engines were vainly striving to keep the flames under
That's it, cried Heatherlely, in intense excitement. There is the
gravel drive, and there are the rose bushes where I lay.
That second window is the one that I jumped from.
Well at least, said Holmes, you have had your revenge
(49:47):
upon them. There can be no question that it was
your oil lamp, which, when it was crushed in the press,
set fire to the wooden walls, though no doubt they
were too excited in the chase after you to observe
it at the top. Now keep your eyes open in
this crowd for your friends of last night, though I
very much fear that they are a good hundred miles
(50:07):
off by now. And Holmes's fears came to be realized,
for from that day to this no word has ever
been heard either of the beautiful woman, the sinister German,
or the morose Englishmen. Early that morning a peasant had
met a cart containing several people and some very bulky boxes,
(50:28):
driving rapidly in the direction of Reading. But there all
traces of the fugitives disappeared, and even Holmes's ingenuity failed
ever to discover the least clue as to their whereabouts.
The firemen had been much perturbed at the strange arrangements
which they had found within, and still more so by
discovering a newly severed human thumb upon a window sill
(50:51):
of the second floor. About sunset, however, their efforts were
at last successful, and they subdued the flames, but not
before the roof had fallen in, and the whole place
been reduced to such absolute ruin that, save some twisted
cylinders and iron piping, not a trace remained of the
machinery which accost our unfortunate acquaintance. So dearly large masses
(51:16):
of nickel and of tin were discovered stored in an outhouse,
but no coins were to be found, which may have
explained the presence of those bulky boxes which have been
already referred to. How our hydraulic engineer had been conveyed
from the garden to the spot where he recovered his
senses might have remained forever a mystery, were it not
(51:38):
for the soft mold, which told us a very plain tale.
He had evidently been carried down by two persons, one
of whom had remarkably small feet and the other unusually
large ones. On the whole it was most probable that
the silent Englishman, being less bold or less murderous than
(51:58):
his companion, had assisted the woman to bear the unconscious
man out of the way of danger. Well, said our
engineer ruefully, as we took our seats to return once
more to London. It has been a pretty business for me.
I have lost my thumb and I have lost a
fifty guinea fee, and what have I gained? Experience, said Holmes, laughing.
(52:23):
Indirectly it may be of value. You know, you have
only to put it into words to gain the reputation
of being excellent company for the remainder of your existence.
End of Adventure nine
Adventure nine of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain and is read by
Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Adventure nine, The Adventure
(00:21):
of the Engineer's Thumb. Of all the problems which have
been submitted to my friend mister Sherlock Holmes for solution
during the years of our intimacy, there were only two
which I was the means of introducing to his notice,
that of mister Hatherley's Thumb and that of Colonel Warburton's Madness.
(00:43):
Of these, the latter may have afforded a finer field
for an acute and original observer. But the other was
so strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details,
that it may be the more worthy of being placed
upon record, even if it gave my friend fewer openings
for those deductive methods of reasoning by which he achieved
(01:03):
such remarkable results. The story has, I believe, been told
more than once in the newspapers, but like all such narratives,
its effect is much less striking when set forth on
block in a single half column of print, than when
the facts slowly evolve before your own eyes, and the
mystery clears gradually away as each new discovery furnishes a
(01:27):
step which leads on to the complete truth. At the time,
the circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the
lapse of two years has hardly served to weaken the effect.
It was in the summer of eighty nine, not long
after my marriage, that the events occurred which I am
now about to summarize. I had returned to civil practice
(01:50):
and had finally abandoned Holmes in his Baker Street rooms,
although I continually visited him, and occasionally even persuaded him
to forego his bohemian habits so far as to come
and visit us. My practice had steadily increased, and as
I happened to live at no very great distance from
Paddington Station, I got a few patients from among the officials.
(02:15):
One of these, whom I had cured of a painful
and lingering disease, was never weary of advertising my virtues
and of endeavoring to send me on every sufferer over
whom he might have any influence. One morning, at a
little before seven o'clock. I was awakened by the maid
tapping at the door to announce that two men had
(02:37):
come from Paddington and were waiting in the consulting room.
I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway
cases were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended
my old ally, the guard came out of the room
and closed the door tightly behind him. I've got him here,
(02:58):
he whispered, jerking his thumb over head his shoulder. He's
all right. What is it? Then, I asked, for his
manner suggested that it was some strange creature which he
had caged up in my room. It's a new patient,
he whispered. I thought i'd bring him round myself then
he couldn't slip away. There he is all safe and sound.
(03:21):
I must go now, doctor, I have my duties just
the same as you. And off he went, this trusty toute,
without even giving me time to thank him. I entered
my consulting room and found a gentleman seated by the table.
He was quietly dressed in a suit of heather tweed,
with a soft cloth cap, which he had laid down
(03:43):
upon my books round one of his hands. He had
a handkerchief wrapped which was modeled all over with blood stains.
He was young, not more than five and twenty, I
should say, with a strong masculine face, but he was
exceedingly pale, and gave me the impression of a man
who was suffering from some strong agitation which it took
(04:05):
all his strength of mind to control. I am sorry
to knock you up so early, doctor, said he, But
I have had a very serious accident during the night.
I came in by train this morning, and on inquiring
at Paddington as to where I might find a doctor,
a worthy fellow very kindly escorted me here. I gave
(04:27):
the maid a card, but I see that she has
left it upon the side table. I took it up
and glanced at it. Mister Victor Hatherley, Hydraulic Engineer, sixteen
a Victoria Street, third floor. That was the name, style
and abode of my morning visitor. I regret that I
(04:48):
have kept you waiting, said I, sitting down in my
library chair. You are fresh from a night journey, I understand,
which is in itself a monotonous occupation. Oh my night
could not be called monotonous, said he, and laughed. He laughed,
very heartily, with a high ringing note, leaning back in
(05:10):
his chair and shaking his sides. All my medical instincts
rose up against that laugh. Stop it, I cried, pull
yourself together, and I poured out some water from a caraffe.
It was useless, however, he was off in one of
those hysterical outbursts which come upon a strong nature when
(05:31):
some great crisis is over and gone. Presently, he came
to himself once more, very weary and pale looking. I
have been making a fool of myself, he gasped, Not
at all, drink this. I dashed some brandy into the water,
and the color began to come back to his bloodless cheeks.
(05:54):
That's better, said he. And now, doctor, perhaps you would
kindly attend to my thumb, or rather to the place
where my thumb used to be. He unwound the handkerchief
and held out his hand. It gave even my hardened
nerves a shudder to look at it. There were four
protruding fingers and a horrid red, spongy surface where the
(06:17):
thumb should have been. It had been hacked or torn
right out from the roots. Good heavens, I cried, this
is a terrible injury. It must have bled considerably. Yes,
it did. I fainted when it was done, and I
think that I must have been senseless for a long time.
When I came to, I found that it was still bleeding.
(06:40):
So I tied one end of my handkerchief very tightly
round the wrist and braced it up with a twig. Excellent.
You should have been a surgeon. It is a question
of hydraulics, you see, and came within my own province.
This has been done, said I, examining the wound by
a very heavy and sharp instrument, a thing like a cleaver.
(07:04):
Said he, an accident, I presume by no means. What
a murderous attack. Very murderous. Indeed, you horrify me. I
sponged the wound, cleaned it, dressed it, and finally covered
it over with cotton wadding and carbolized bandages. He lay
(07:27):
back without wincing, though he bit his lip from time
to time. How is that? I asked? When I had
finished capital between your brandy and your bandage, I feel
a new man. I was very weak, but I have
had a good deal to go through. Perhaps you had
better not speak of the matter. It is evidently trying
(07:49):
to your nerves. Oh no, not now, I shall have
to tell my tale to the police, but between ourselves.
If it were not for the convincing evidence of this
wound of mine, I should be surprised if they believe
my statement, for it is a very extraordinary one, and
I have not much in the way of proof with
(08:09):
which to back it up. And even if they believe me,
the clues which I can give them are so vague
that it is a question whether justice will be done. Hah,
cried I. If it is anything in the nature of
a problem which you desire to see solved, I should
strongly recommend you to come to my friend, mister Sherlock
(08:30):
Holmes before you go to the official police.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I have heard of that fellow, answered my visitor, and
I should be very glad if he would take the
matter up, though of course I must use the official
police as well. Would you give me an introduction to him?
I'll do better. I'll take you round to him myself.
I should be immensely obliged to you. We'll call a
(08:57):
cab and go together. We shall just be in time
to have a little breakfast with him. Do you feel
equal to it? Yes? I shall not feel easy until
I have told my story. Then my servant will call
a cab and I shall be with you. In an instant,
I rushed upstairs, explained the matter shortly to my wife,
(09:19):
and in five minutes was inside a hansom, driving with
my new acquaintance to Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes was as
I expected, lounging about his sitting room in his dressing gown,
reading the agony column of the Times, and smoking his
before breakfast pipe, which was composed of all the plugs
(09:39):
and dottles left from his smokes of the day before,
all carefully dried and collected on the corner of the
mantel piece. He received us in his quietly genial fashion,
ordered fresh rashers and eggs, and joined us in a
hearty meal. When it was concluded, he settled our new
acquaintance upon the sofa, placed a pillow beneath his head,
(10:02):
and laid a glass of brandy and water within his reach.
It is easy to see that your experience has been
no common one, mister Heatherley, said. He pray, lie down
there and make yourself absolutely at home. Tell us what
you can but stop when you are tired and keep
up your strength with a little stimulant thank you, said
(10:25):
my patient. But I have felt another man since the
doctor bandaged me, and I think that your breakfast has
completed the cure. I shall take up as little of
your valuable time as possible, so I shall start at
once upon my peculiar experiences. Holmes sat in his big
arm chair with the weary, heavy lidded expression which failed
(10:47):
his keen and eager nature, while I sat opposite to him,
and we listened in silence to the strange story which
our visitor detailed to us. You must know, said he,
that I am an orphan and a bachelor, residing alone
in lodgings in London. By profession, I am a hydraulic engineer,
(11:10):
and I have had considerable experience of my work during
the seven years that I was apprenticed to Venner M. Matheson,
the well known firm of Greenwich. Two years ago, having
served my time, and having also come into a fair
sum of money through my poor father's death, I determined
to start in business for myself and took professional chambers
(11:33):
in Victoria Street. I suppose that everyone finds his first
independent start in business a dreary experience to me, it
has been exceptionally so. During two years I have had
three consultations and one small job, and that is absolutely
all that my profession has brought me. My gross takings
(11:54):
amount to twenty seven pounds ten shillings. Every day, from
nine in the morning until four in the afternoon, I
waited in my little den, until at last my heart
began to sink, and I came to believe that I
should never have any practice at all. Yesterday, however, just
as I was thinking of leaving the office, Mike Clark
(12:17):
entered to say there was a gentleman waiting who wished
to see me upon business. He brought up a card too,
with the name of Colonel Lysander Stark engraved upon it.
Close at his heels came the Colonel himself, a man
rather over the middle size, but of an exceeding thinness.
I do not think that I have ever seen so
(12:38):
thin a man. His whole face sharpened away into nose
and chin, and the skin of his cheeks was drawn
quite tense over his outstanding bones. Yet this emaciation seemed
to be a natural habit, and due to no disease,
for his eye was bright, his step brisk, and his
(12:59):
bearing a shoe. He was plainly but neatly dressed, and
his age, I should judge would be nearer forty than thirty,
mister Hatherley, said he with something of a German accent.
You have been recommended to me, mister Hatherley, as being
a man who is not only proficient in his profession,
(13:19):
but is also discreet and capable of preserving a secret.
I bowed, feeling as flattered as any young man would
at such an address. May I ask who it was
who gave me so good a character. Well, perhaps it
is better that I should not tell you that just
at this moment I have it from the same source
(13:41):
that you are both an orphan and a bachelor and
are residing alone in London. That is quite correct, I answered.
But you will excuse me if I say that I
cannot see how all this bears upon my professional qualifications.
I understand that it was on a professional matter that
you wish to speak to me, undoubtedly so, but you
(14:04):
will find that all I say is really to the point.
I have a professional commission for you. But absolute secrecy
is quite essential. Absolute secrecy you understand, and of course
we may expect that more from a man who is
alone than from one who lives in the bosom of
his family. If I promise to keep a secret, said I,
(14:27):
you may absolutely depend upon my doing so. He looked
very hard at me as I spoke, and it seemed
to me that I had never seen so suspicious in
questioning an eye. Do you promise, then, said he? At last, Yes,
I promise absolute and complete silence, before, during, and after
(14:52):
no reference to the matter at all, either in word
or writing. I have already given you my word. Very good.
He suddenly sprang up and, darting like lightning across the room,
he flung open the door. The passage outside was empty.
That's all right, said he, coming back. I know that
(15:14):
clerks are sometimes curious as to their master's affairs. Now
we can talk in safety. He drew up his chair
very close to mine and began to stare at me
again with the same questioning and thoughtful look. A feeling
of repulsion and of something akin to fear had begun
to rise within me at the strange antics of this
(15:36):
fleshless man. Even my dread of losing a client could
not restrain me from showing my impatience. I beg that
you will state your business, sir said I. My time
is of value. Heaven forgive me for that last sentence,
But the words came to my lips. How would fifty
(15:56):
guineas for a night's work suit you, he asked, most admirably.
I say a night's work, but an hour's would be
nearer the mark. I simply want your opinion about a
hydraulic stamping machine which has got out of gear. If
you show us what is wrong, we shall soon set
it right ourselves. What do you think of such a
(16:19):
commission as that the work appears to be light and
the pay munificent? Precisely so, we shall want you to
come to night by the last train. Where to to
Eiford in Berkshire. It is a little place near the
borders of Oxfordshire, and within seven miles of reading. There
(16:41):
is a train from Paddington which would bring you there
at about eleven fifteen. Very good. I shall come down
in a carriage to meet you. There is a drive then, Yes,
our little place is quite out in the country. It
is a good seven miles from Eyford station. Then we
(17:02):
can hardly get there before midnight. I suppose there would
be no chance of a train back. I should be
compelled to stop the night. Yes, we could easily give
you a shakedown. That is very awkward. Could I not
come at some more convenient hour? We have judged it
best that you should come late. It is to recompense
(17:25):
you for any inconvenience that we are paying to you,
a young and unknown man, a fee which would buy
an opinion from the very heads of your profession. Still,
of course, if you would like to draw out of
the business, there is plenty of time to do so.
I thought of the fifty guineas, and of how useful
(17:46):
they would be to me. Not at all said I,
I shall be very happy to accommodate myself to your wishes.
I should like, however, to understand a little more clearly
what it is that you wish me to do. Quite so,
it is very natural that the pledge of secrecy which
we have exacted from you should have aroused your curiosity.
(18:08):
I have no wish to commit you to anything without
your having it all laid before you. I suppose that
we are absolutely safe from eavesdroppers entirely, then the matter stands.
Thus you are probably aware that Fuller's earth is a
valuable product, and that it is only found in one
(18:28):
or two places in England. I have heard so. Some
little time ago I bought a small place, a very
small place, within ten miles of reading. I was fortunate
enough to discover that there was a deposit of Fuller's
earth in one of my fields. On examining it, however,
(18:49):
I found that this deposit was a comparatively small one,
and that it formed a link between two very much
larger ones upon the right and left both of them. However,
in the grounds of my neighbors. These good people were
absolutely ignorant that their land contained that which was quite
as valuable as a gold mine. Naturally, it was to
(19:11):
my interest to buy their land before they discovered its
true value, but unfortunately I had no capital by which
I could do this. I took a few of my
friends into the secret, however, and they suggested that we
should quietly and secretly work our own little deposit, and
that in this way we should earn the money which
(19:32):
would enable us to buy the neighboring fields. This we
have now been doing for some time, and in order
to help us in our operations, we erected a hydraulic press.
This press, as I have already explained, has got out
of order, and we wish your advice upon the subject.
(19:52):
We guard our secret very jealously, however, and if it
once became known that we had hydraulic engineers coming to
our little house, it would soon rouse inquiry, and then
if the facts came out, it would be goodbye to
any chance of getting these fields and carrying out our plans.
That is why I have made you promise me that
(20:15):
you will not tell a human being that you are
going to iiford tonight, I hope that I make it
all plain. I quite follow you, said I. The only
point which I could not quite understand was what use
you could make of a hydraulic press in excavating Fuller's earth, which,
as I understand, is dug out like gravel from a pit.
(20:39):
Ah said he carelessly. We have our own process. We
can press the earth into bricks so as to remove
them without revealing what they are. But that is a
mere detail. I have taken you fully into my confidence now,
mister Hatherley, and I have shown you how I trust you.
He rose as he spoke. I shall expect you then
(21:02):
at Ifford at eleven fifteen, I shall certainly be there,
and not a word to a soul. He looked at
me with a last, long, questioning gaze, and then pressing
my hand in a cold, dank grasp, he hurried from
the room. Well. When I came to think it all
(21:23):
over in cool blood, I was very much astonished, as
you may both think, at this sudden commission which has
been entrusted to me. On the one hand, of course,
I was glad, for the fee was at least tenfold
what I should have asked had I set a price
upon my own services, and it was possible that this
order might lead to other ones. On the other hand,
(21:46):
the face and manner of my patron had made an
unpleasant impression upon me, and I could not think that
his explanation of the Fuller's Earth was sufficient to explain
the necessity of my coming at midnight, and as a
stream anxiety lest I should tell any one of my
errand however, I threw all fears to the winds ate
(22:07):
a hearty supper, drove to Paddington and started off, Having
obeyed to the letter the injunction as to holding my
tongue at reading, I had to change not only my
carriage but my station. However, I was in time for
the last train to Eiford, and I reached the little
dim lit station after eleven o'clock. I was the only
(22:29):
passenger who got out there, and there was no one
upon the platform save a single sleepy porter with a lantern.
As I passed out through the wicket gate, however, I
found my acquaintance of the morning waiting in the shadow
upon the other side. Without a word, he grasped my
arm and hurried me into a carriage, the door of
(22:50):
which was standing open. He drew up the windows on
either side, tapped on the woodwork, and away we went,
as fast as the horse could go. Horse, interjected Holmes.
Yes only one. Did you observe the color? Yes, I
saw it by the side lights when I was stepping
(23:10):
into the carriage. It was a chestnut tired looking or fresh, oh,
fresh and glossy. Thank you. I am sorry to have
interrupted you. Pray continue your most interesting statement. Away we went, then,
and we drove for at least an hour. Colonel Lysander
(23:32):
Stark had said that it was only seven miles, but
I should think from the rate that we seemed to
go and from the time that we took that it
must have been nearer twelve. He sat at my side
in silence all the time, and I was aware more
than once when I glanced in his direction, that he
was looking at me with great intensity. The country road
(23:54):
seemed to be not very good in that part of
the world, for we lurched and jolted terribly. I tried
to look out of the windows to see something of
where we were, but they were made of frosted glass,
and I could make out nothing save the occasional bright
blur of a passing light. Now and then I hazarded
some remark to break the monotony of the journey, but
(24:17):
the Colonel answered only im monosyllables, and the conversation soon flagged.
At last, however, the bumping of the road was exchanged
for the crisp smoothness of a gravel drive, and the
carriage came to a stand. Colonel Lysander Stark sprang out,
and as I followed after him, pulled me swiftly into
(24:38):
a porch which gaped in front of us. We stepped,
as it were, right out of the carriage and into
the hall, so that I failed to catch the most
fleeting glance at the front of the house. The instant
that I had crossed the threshold, the door slammed heavily
behind us, and I heard faintly the rattle of the
wheels as the carriage drove. It was pitch dark inside
(25:03):
the house, and the colonel fumbled about, looking for matches
and muttering under his breath. Suddenly a door opened at
the other end of the passage, and a long golden
bar of light shot out in our direction. It grew broader,
and a woman appeared with a lamp in her hand,
which she held above her head, pushing her face forward
(25:24):
and peering at us. I could see that she was pretty,
and from the class with which the light shone upon
her dark dress, I knew that it was a rich material.
She spoke a few words in a foreign tongue, in
a tone as though asking a question, and when my
companion answered in a gruff monosyllable, she gave such a
(25:45):
start that the lamp nearly fell from her hand. Colonel
Stark went up to her, whispered something in her ear,
and then pushing her back into the room from whence
she had come, he walked towards me again with a
lamp in his hand, and perhaps you will have the
kindness to wait in this room for a few minutes,
said he, throwing open another door. It was a quiet, little,
(26:10):
plainly furnished room, with a round table in the center,
on which several German books were scattered. Colonel Stark laid
down the lamp on the top of a harmonium beside
the door. I shall not keep you waiting an instant,
said he, and vanished into the darkness. I glanced at
the books upon the table, and in spite of my
(26:31):
ignorance of German, I could see that two of them
were treatises on science, the others being volumes of poetry.
Then I walked across to the window, hoping that I
might catch some glimpse of the countryside. But an oak
shutter heavily barred, was folded across it. It was a
wonderfully silent house. There was an old clock ticking loudly
(26:54):
somewhere in the passage, but otherwise everything was deadly still.
Vague feeling of uneasiness began to steal over me. Who
were these German people, and what were they doing living
in this strange, out of the way place, And where
was the place. I was ten miles or so from Eiford.
(27:15):
That was all I knew, But whether north, southeast or west,
I had no idea for that matter. Reading and possibly
other large towns were within that radius, so the place
might not be so secluded after all. Yet it was
quite certain, from the absolute stillness that we were in
(27:35):
the country. I paced up and down the room, humming
a tune under my breath to keep up my spirits,
and feeling that I was thoroughly earning my fifty guinea fee. Suddenly,
without any preliminary sound, in the midst of the utter stillness,
the door of my room swung slowly open. The woman
was standing in the aperture, the darkness of the hall
(27:58):
behind her, the yellow light from my lamp beating upon
her eager and beautiful face. I could see at a
glance that she was sick with fear, and the sight
sent a chill to my own heart. She held up
one shaking finger to warn me to be silent, and
she shot a few whispered words of broken English at me,
(28:19):
her eyes glancing back like those of a frightened horse,
into the gloom behind her. I would go, said she,
trying hard as it seemed to me to speak calmly,
I would go, I should not stay here. There is
no good for you to do. But madam said I.
(28:41):
I have not yet done what I came for. I
cannot possibly leave until I have seen the machine. It
is not worth your while to wait. She went on,
you can pass through the door. No one hinders, And then,
seeing that I smiled and shook my head, she suddenly
threw aside her constraint and made a step forward, with
(29:04):
her hands rung together. For the love of Heaven, she whispered,
get away from here before it is too late. But
I am somewhat headstrong by nature, and the more ready
to engage in an affair. When there was some obstacle
in the way, I thought of my fifty guinea fee,
of my wearisome journey, and of the unpleasant night which
(29:27):
seemed to be before me. Was it all to go
for nothing? Why should I slink away without having carried
out my commission and without the payment which was my due.
This woman might, for all I knew, be a monomaniac
with a stout bearing. Therefore, though her manner had shaken
me more than I cared to confess, I still shook
(29:48):
my head and declared my intention of remaining where I was.
She was about to renew her entreaties when a door
slammed overhead, and the sound of several footsteps was heard
upon the stairs. She listened for an instant, threw up
her hands with a despairing gesture, and vanished as suddenly
and as noiselessly as she had come. The newcomers were
(30:13):
Colonel Lysander Stark and a short, thick man with a
chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of his double chin,
who was introduced to me as mister Ferguson. This is
my secretary and manager, said the Colonel. By the way,
I was under the impression that I left this door
shut just now. I fear that you have felt the draft.
(30:37):
On the contrary, said I, I opened the door myself
because I felt the room to be a little close.
He shot one of his suspicious looks at me. Perhaps
we had better proceed to business, then, said he, mister Ferguson,
and I will take you up to see the machine.
I had better put my hat on, I suppose. Oh, no,
(31:00):
it is in the house what you dig Fuller's earth
in the house. No, no, this is only where we
compress it. But never mind that all we wish you
to do is to examine the machine and to let
us know what is wrong with it. We went upstairs together,
the Colonel first with the lamp, the fat manager, and
(31:23):
I behind him. It was a labyrinth of an old house,
with corridors, passages, narrow winding staircases, and little low doors,
the thresholds of which were hollowed out by the generations
who had crossed them. There were no carpets and no
signs of any furniture above the ground floor. While the
plaster was peeling off the walls and the damp was
(31:47):
breaking through in green, unhealthy blotches. I tried to put
on as unconcerned an air as possible, But I had
not forgotten the warnings of the lady, even though I
disregarded them, and I kept a keen eye upon my
two companions. Ferguson appeared to be a morose and silent man,
but I could see from the little that he said
(32:08):
that he was at least a fellow countryman. Colonel Lysander
Stark stopped at last before a low door, which he unlocked.
Within was a small square room in which the three
of us could hardly get at one time. Ferguson remained outside,
and the Colonel ushered me in. We are now said
(32:31):
he actually within the hydraulic press, and it would be
a particularly unpleasant thing for us if any one were
to turn it on. The ceiling of this small chamber
is really the end of the descending piston, and it
comes down with the force of many tons upon this
metal floor. There are small lateral columns of water outside
(32:52):
which received the force and which transmit him multiplied in
the manner which is familiar to you. The machine goes
deadly enough, but there is some stiffness in the working
of it, and it has lost a little of its force.
Perhaps you will have the goodness to look it over
and to show us how we can set it right.
(33:13):
I took the lamp from him, and I examined the
machine very thoroughly. It was indeed a gigantic one, and
capable of exercising enormous pressure. When I passed outside, however,
and pressed down the levers which controlled it, I knew
at once by the wishing sound that there was a
slight leakage which allowed a regurgitation of water through one
(33:36):
of the side cylinders. An examination showed that one of
the India rubber bands, which was round the head of
a driving rod, had shrunk so as to not quite
fill the socket along which it worked. This was clearly
the cause of the loss of power, and I pointed
it out to my companions, who followed my remarks very
(33:56):
carefully and asked several practical questions as to how they
should proceed to set it right. When I had made
it clear to them, I returned to the main chamber
of the machine and took a good look at it
to satisfy my own curiosity. It was obvious at a
glance that the story of the Fuller's Earth was the
merest fabrication, for it would be absurd to suppose that
(34:20):
so powerful an engine could be designed for so inadequate
a purpose. The walls were of wood, but the floor
consisted of a large iron trough, and when I came
to examine it, I could see a crust of metallic
deposit all over it. I had stooped and was scraping
at this to see exactly what it was when I
(34:41):
heard a muttered exclamation in German and saw the cadaverous
face of the colonel, looking down at me. What are
you doing there, he asked. I felt angry at having
been tricked by so elaborate a story as that which
he had told me. I was admiring your fuller's earth,
said I. I think that I should be better able
(35:02):
to advise you as to your machine if I knew
what the exact purpose was for which it was used.
The instant that I uttered the words, I regretted the
rashness of my speech. His face set hard, and a
baleful light sprang up in his gray eyes. Very well,
said he, you shall know all about the machine. He
(35:26):
took a step backward, slammed the little door, and turned
the key in the lock. I rushed towards it and
pulled at the handle, but it was quite secure and
did not give in the least to my kicks and shoves. Hello,
I yelled, hallo, Colonel, let me out. And then suddenly,
in the silence, I heard a sound which set my
(35:46):
heart into my mouth. It was the clank of the
levers and the swish of the leaking cylinder. He had
set the engine at work. The lamp still stood upon
the floor where I had placed it when examining the trough.
By its light, I saw that the black ceiling was
coming down upon me, slowly, jerkily, but as none knew
(36:07):
better than myself, with a force which must, within a
minute grind me to a shapeless pulp. I threw myself,
screaming against the door, and dragged with my nails at
the lock. I implored the colonel to let me out,
but the remorseless clanking of the levers drowned my cries.
The ceiling was only a foot or two above my head,
(36:29):
and with my hand upraised, I could feel its hard,
rough surface. Then it flashed through my mind that the
pain of my death would depend very much upon the
position in which I met it. If I lay on
my face, the weight would come upon my spine, and
I shuddered to think of that dreadful snap. Easier the
other way, perhaps, And yet had I the nerve to
(36:52):
lie and look up at that deadly black shadow wavering
down upon me, already I was unable to stand erect
when my eye caught something which brought a gush of
hope back to my heart. I have said that though
the floor and ceiling were of iron, the walls were
of wood. As I gave a last hurried glance around.
(37:13):
I saw a thin line of yellow light between two
of the boards, which broadened and broadened as a small
panel was pushed backwards. For an instant I could hardly
believe that here was indeed a door which led away
from death. The next instant I threw myself through and
lay half fainting upon the other side. The panel had
(37:34):
closed again behind me, But the crash of the lamp,
and a few moments afterwards the clang of the two
slabs of metal told me how narrow had been my escape.
I was recalled to myself by a frantic plucking at
my wrist, and I found myself lying upon the stone
floor of a narrow corridor, while a woman bent over
(37:55):
me and tugged at me with her left hand, while
she held a candle in her right. It was the
same good friend whose warning I had so foolishly rejected. Come, come,
she cried breathlessly. They will be here in a moment.
They will see that you are not there. Oh, do
not waste them so precious time. But come this time,
(38:18):
at least I did not scorn her advice. I staggered
to my feet and ran with her along the corridor
and down a winding stair. The latter led to another
broad passage, and just as we reached it, we heard
the sound of running feet and the shouting of two voices,
one answering the other from the floor on which we were,
(38:39):
and from the one beneath. My guide stopped and looked
about her, like one who is at her WIT's end.
Then she threw open a door which led into a bedroom,
through the window of which the moon was shining brightly.
It is your only chance, said she. It is high,
but it may be that you can jump it. As
(38:59):
she spoke, a light sprang into view at the further
end of the passage, and I saw the lean figure
of Colonel Lysander Stark rushing forward, with a lantern in
one hand and a weapon like a butcher's cleaver in
the other. I rushed across the bedroom, flung open the window,
and looked out. How quiet and sweet and wholesome the
(39:20):
garden looked in the moonlight, and it could not be
more than thirty feet down. I clambered out upon the sill,
but I hesitated to jump until I should have heard
what passed between my savior and the ruffian who pursued me.
If she were ill used, then at any risks, I
was determined to go back to her assistance. The thought
had hardly flashed through my mind before he was at
(39:43):
the door, pushing his way past her, and she threw
her arms round him and tried to hold him back. Fritz, Fritz,
she cried in English. Remember your promise, after the last
time you said it should not be again. He will
be silent. Oh, he will be silent. You are mad, Elise,
(40:04):
he shouted, struggling to break away from her. You will
be the ruin of us. He has seen too much.
Let me pass, I say. He dashed her to one side, and,
rushing to the window, cut at me with his heavy weapon.
I had let myself go and was hanging by the
hands to the sill. When his blow fell. I was
(40:25):
conscious of a dull pain. My grip loosened, and I
fell into the garden below. I was shaken but not
hurt by the fall. So I picked myself up and
rushed off among the bushes as hard as I could run,
for I understood that I was far from being out
of danger yet. Suddenly, however, as I ran, a deadly
(40:46):
dizziness and sickness came over me. I glanced down at
my hand, which was throbbing painfully, and then for the
first time saw that my thumb had been cut off,
and that the blood was pouring from my wound. I
endeavored to my handkerchief round it, but there came a
sudden buzzing in my ears, and next moment I fell
(41:06):
in a dead faint among the rose bushes. How long
I remained unconscious, I cannot tell. It must have been
a very long time, for the moon had sunk and
a bright morning was breaking. When I came to myself,
my clothes were all sodden with dew, and my coat
sleeve was drenched with blood from my wounded thumb. The
(41:27):
smarting of it recalled in an instant all the particulars
of my night's adventure, and I sprang to my feet
with a feeling that I might hardly yet be safe
from my pursuers. But to my astonishment, when I came
to look round me, neither house nor garden were to
be seen. I had been lying in an angle of
the hedge, close by the high road, and just a
(41:49):
little lower down was a long building which proved upon
my approaching it to be the very station at which
I had arrived upon the previous night. Were it not
for the ugly wound upon my hand, all that had
passed during those dreadful hours might have been an evil dream.
Half dazed, I went into the station and asked about
(42:11):
the morning train. There would be one to reading in
less than an hour. The same porter was on duty,
I found as had been there when I arrived. I
inquired of him whether he had ever heard of Colonel
Lysander Stark. The name was strange to him. Had he
observed a carriage the night before waiting for me? No?
(42:33):
He had not. Was there a police station anywhere near?
There was one about three miles off. It was too
far for me to go. Weak and ill as I was,
I determined to wait until I got back to town before
telling my story to the police. It was a little
past six when I arrived, so I went first to
(42:54):
have my wound dressed, and then the doctor was kind
enough to bring me along. Here. I put the case
into your hands, and shall do exactly what you advise.
We both sat in silence for some little time after
listening to this extraordinary narrative. Then Sherlock Holmes pulled down
from the shelf one of the ponderous commonplace books in
(43:17):
which he placed his cuttings. Here is an advertisement which
will interest you, said he. It appeared in all the
papers about a year ago. Listen to this lost on
the ninth instant. Mister Jeremiah Hayling, aged twenty six, a
hydraulic engineer, left his lodgings at ten o'clock at night
(43:39):
and has not been heard of since. Was dressed in
et cetera, et cetera. Ha, that represents the last time
that the Colonel needed to have his machine overhauled. I
fancy good, heavens, cried my patient. Then that explains what
the girl said. Undoubtedly it is. It is quite clear
(44:00):
that the Colonel was a cool and desperate man who
was absolutely determined that nothing should stand in the way
of his little game, like those out and out pirates
who will leave no survivor from a captured ship. Well,
every moment now is precious, so if you feel equal
to it, we shall go down to Scotland Yard at
once as a preliminary to starting for Eiford. Some three
(44:24):
hours or so afterwards, we were all in the train together,
bound from Reading to the little Berkshire village. There were
Sherlock Holmes, the hydraulic engineer, Inspector Bradstreet of Scotland, Yard,
a plain clothes man, and myself. Bradstreet had spread an
Ordnance map of the county out upon the seat, and
(44:45):
was busy with his compasses, drawing a circle, with iiford
for its center. There you are, said he. That circle
is drawn at a radius of ten miles from the village.
The place we want must be somewhere near that line.
You said ten miles. I think, sir, it was an
hour's good drive. And you think that they brought you
(45:07):
back all that way when you were unconscious. They must
have done so. I have a confused memory too, of
having been lifted and conveyed somewhere. What I cannot understand,
said I is why they should have spared you when
they found you lying fainting in the garden. Perhaps the
villain was softened by the woman's entreaties. I hardly think
(45:32):
that lightly. I never saw a more inexorable face in
my life. Oh we shall soon clear up all that,
said Bradstreet. Well, I have drawn my circle, and I
only wish I knew at what point upon it The
folk that we are in search of are to be found.
I think I could lay my finger on it, said
(45:54):
Holmes quietly. Really now, cried the inspector. You have formed
you your opinion. Come now we shall see who agrees
with you. I say it is south, for the country
is more deserted there, and I say east, said my patient. A.
(46:14):
I am for west, remarked the plain clothes man. There
are several quiet little villages up there, And I am
for north, said I because there are no hills there.
And our friend says he did not notice the carriage
go up any Come, cried the inspector, laughing. It's a
(46:35):
very pretty diversity of opinion. We have boxed the compass
among us. Who do you give your casting vote to?
You are all wrong, but we can't all be. Oh,
yes you can. This is my point. He placed his
finger in the center of the circle. This is where
(46:56):
we shall find them. But the twelve mile drive, gasped Hatherley,
six out and six back. Nothing simpler. You say yourself
that the horse was fresh and glossy when you got in.
How could it be that it had gone twelve miles
over heavy roads? Indeed, it is a likely ruse enough,
(47:18):
observed Bradstreet. Thoughtfully. Of course, there can be no doubt
as to the nature of this gang, none at all,
said Holmes. They are coiners on a large scale, and
have used the machine to form the amalgam which has
taken the place of silver. We have known for some
time that a clever gang was at work, said the inspector.
(47:41):
They have been turning out half crowns by the thousand.
We even traced them as far as reading, but could
get no farther, for they had covered their traces in
a way that showed that they were very old hands.
But now, thanks to this lucky chance, I think that
we have got them right enough. But the inspector was mistaken,
(48:02):
for those criminals were not destined to fall into the
hands of justice. As we rolled into Eyford Station, we
saw a gigantic column of smoke which streamed up from
behind a small clump of trees in the neighborhood and
hung like an immense Ostrich feather over the landscape. A
house on fire, asked Bradstreet, as the train steamed off
(48:24):
again on its way, Yes, sir, said the station master.
When did it break out?
Speaker 2 (48:31):
I hear that it was during the night sir, but
it has got worse, and the whole place is in
a blaze. Whose house is it, doctor Betcher's, tell me
broke in the engineer?
Speaker 1 (48:44):
Is doctor Becher? A German, very thin, with a long
sharp nose. The station master laughed heartily, No, sir, Doctor
Becher is an Englishman. And there isn't a man in
the parish who has a better lined waistcoat. But he
has a gentleman staying with him, a patient, as I understand,
who is a foreigner. And he looks as if a
(49:06):
little good Berkshire beef would do him no harm. The
station master had not finished his speech before we were
all hastening in the direction of the fire. The road
topped a low hill, and there was a great, widespread,
whitewashed building in front of us, spouting fire at every
chink and window, while in the garden in front, three
(49:27):
fire engines were vainly striving to keep the flames under
That's it, cried Heatherlely, in intense excitement. There is the
gravel drive, and there are the rose bushes where I lay.
That second window is the one that I jumped from.
Well at least, said Holmes, you have had your revenge
(49:47):
upon them. There can be no question that it was
your oil lamp, which, when it was crushed in the press,
set fire to the wooden walls, though no doubt they
were too excited in the chase after you to observe
it at the top. Now keep your eyes open in
this crowd for your friends of last night, though I
very much fear that they are a good hundred miles
(50:07):
off by now. And Holmes's fears came to be realized,
for from that day to this no word has ever
been heard either of the beautiful woman, the sinister German,
or the morose Englishmen. Early that morning a peasant had
met a cart containing several people and some very bulky boxes,
(50:28):
driving rapidly in the direction of Reading. But there all
traces of the fugitives disappeared, and even Holmes's ingenuity failed
ever to discover the least clue as to their whereabouts.
The firemen had been much perturbed at the strange arrangements
which they had found within, and still more so by
discovering a newly severed human thumb upon a window sill
(50:51):
of the second floor. About sunset, however, their efforts were
at last successful, and they subdued the flames, but not
before the roof had fallen in, and the whole place
been reduced to such absolute ruin that, save some twisted
cylinders and iron piping, not a trace remained of the
machinery which accost our unfortunate acquaintance. So dearly large masses
(51:16):
of nickel and of tin were discovered stored in an outhouse,
but no coins were to be found, which may have
explained the presence of those bulky boxes which have been
already referred to. How our hydraulic engineer had been conveyed
from the garden to the spot where he recovered his
senses might have remained forever a mystery, were it not
(51:38):
for the soft mold, which told us a very plain tale.
He had evidently been carried down by two persons, one
of whom had remarkably small feet and the other unusually
large ones. On the whole it was most probable that
the silent Englishman, being less bold or less murderous than
(51:58):
his companion, had assisted the woman to bear the unconscious
man out of the way of danger. Well, said our
engineer ruefully, as we took our seats to return once
more to London. It has been a pretty business for me.
I have lost my thumb and I have lost a
fifty guinea fee, and what have I gained? Experience, said Holmes, laughing.
(52:23):
Indirectly it may be of value. You know, you have
only to put it into words to gain the reputation
of being excellent company for the remainder of your existence.
End of Adventure nine
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.