September 29, 2023 • 52 mins
"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" centers on the puzzling disappearance of Hatty Doran on her wedding day. Sherlock Holmes investigates at the behest of Lord St. Simon, Hatty's distressed husband. Holmes uncovers Hatty's prior marriage, unknown to St. Simon, leading to her unexpected reunion with her first husband. Her disappearance stemmed from fear of her past disrupting her new life. Through astute observation, Holmes unravels the mystery, reuniting Hatty with her former husband, resolving the misunderstanding, and shedding light on the complexities of concealed histories in the midst of matrimonial ceremonies.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Adventure ten 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 ten, the Adventure
of the Noble Bachelor. The Lord said simon marriage and
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its curious termination have long ceased to be a subject
of interest in those exalted circles in which the unfortunate
bridegroom moves, and their more piquant details have drawn the
gossips away from this four year old drama. As I
have reason to believe, however, that the full facts have
never been revealed to the general public, and as my
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friend Sherlock Holmes had a considerable share in clearing the
matter up, I feel that no memoir of him would
be complete without some little sketch of this remarkable episode.
It was a few weeks before my own marriage, during
the days when I was still sharing rooms with Holmes
in Baker Street, that he came home from an afternoon
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stroll to find a letter on the table waiting for him.
I had remained indoors all day, for the weather had
taken a sudden turn to rain with high autumnal winds,
and the jezl bullet, which I had brought back in
one of my limbs as a relic of my Afghan
campaign throbbed with dull persistence. With my body in one
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easy chair and my legs upon another, I had surrounded
myself with a cloud of newspapers, until at last, saturated
with the news of the day, I tossed them all
aside and lay listless, watching the huge crest and monogram
upon the envelope upon the table, and wondering lazily whom
my friend's noble correspondent could be. Here is a very
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fashionable epistle, I remarked, as he entered. Your morning letters,
if I remember right, were from a fishmonger and a
tide waiter. Yes, my correspondent says, certainly. The charm of variety,
he answered, smiling, and the humbler are usually the more interesting.
This looks like one of those unwelcome social summonss which
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call upon a man either to be bored or to lie.
He broke the seal and glanced over the contents. Oh, come,
it may prove to be something of interest after all.
Not social then no distinctly professional and from a noble client,
one of the highest in England. My dear fellow, I
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congratulate you. I assure you, Watson, without affectation, that the
status of my client is a matter of less moment
to me than the interest of his case. It is
just possible, however, that that also may not be wanting
in this new investigation. You have been reading the papers
diligently of late, have you not? It looks like it,
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said I ruefully, pointing to a huge bundle in the corner.
I have had nothing else to do. It is fortunate
for you will perhaps be able to post me up.
I read nothing except the criminal news and the Agony column.
The latter is always instructive. But if you have followed
recent events so closely, you must have read about Lord
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Saint Simon and his wedding. Oh yes, with the deepest interest.
That is well. The letter which I hold in my
hand is from Lord Saint Simon. I will read it
to you, and in return you must turn over these
papers and let me have whatever bears upon the matter.
This is what he says, my dear mister Sherlock Holmes,
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Lord Backwater tells me that I may place implicit reliance
upon your judgment and discretion. I have determined therefore to
call upon you and to consult you in reference to
the very painful of vent which has occurred in connection
with my wedding. Mister Lestrade of Scotland Yard is acting
already in the matter, but he assures me that he
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sees no objection to your cooperation, and that he even
thinks that it might be of some assistance. I will
call it four o'clock in the afternoon, and should you
have any other engagement at that time, I hope that
you will postpone it, as this matter is of paramount importance,
yours faithfully, Saint Simon. It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions,
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written with a quill pen, and the noble lord has
had the misfortune to get a smear of ink upon
the outer side of his right little finger, remarked Holmes,
as he folded up the epistle. He says, four o'clock
it is three now. He will be here in an hour.
Then I have just time, with your assistance, to get
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clear upon the subject. Turn over those papers and a
rain the extracts in their order of time, while I
take a glance as to who our client is. He
picked a red covered volume from a line of books
of reference beside the mantelpiece. Here he is, said he
sitting down and flattening out upon his knee. Lord Robert
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Walsingham de Vere Saint Simon, second son of the Duke
of Balmoral, hm arms Azure three caltrops in chief over
a fess Sable. Born in eighteen forty six. He's forty
one years of age, which is mature for marriage. Was
under Secretary for the Colonies in a late administration the Duke.
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His father was at one time Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
They inherit Plantagenet blood by direct descent and tutor on
the distaff side. Hah, well, there is nothing very instructive
in all this. I think that I must turn to
you Wats for something more solid. I have very little
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difficulty in finding what I want, said I. For the
facts are quite recent, and the matter struck me as remarkable.
I feared to refer them to you, however, as I
knew that you had an inquiry on hand, and that
you disliked the intrusion of other matters. Oh, you mean
the little problem of the Grosvenor Square, furniture van. That
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is quite cleared up now, though indeed it was obvious
from the first Pray give me the results of your
newspaper selections. Here is the first notice which I can find.
It is in the personal column of the Morning Post
and dates as you see some weeks back. A marriage
has been arranged, it says, and will, if rumor is correct,
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very shortly take place between Lord Robert Saint Simon, second
son of the Duke of Balmoral, and Miss Hattie Dran,
the only daughter of Aloysius Duran, Esquire of San Francisco, California, USA.
That is all terse and to the point, remarked Holmes,
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stretching his long thin legs towards the fire. There was
a paragraph amplifying this in one of the society papers
of the same week. Ah, here it is. There will
soon be a call for protection in the marriage market,
for the present free trade principle appears to tell heavily
against our home product. One by one, the management of
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the noble houses of Great Britain is passing into the
hands of our fair cousins from across the Atlantic. An
important addition has been made during the last week to
the list of the prizes which have been borne away
by these charming invaders. Lord Saint Simon, who has shown
himself for over twenty years proof against the Little God's arrows,
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has now definitely announced his approaching marriage with Miss Hattie Duran,
the fascinating daughter of a californ millionaire, mister Rand, whose
graceful figure and striking face attracted much attention at the
Westbury House festivities. Is an only child and is currently
reported that her dowry will run to considerably over the
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six figures, with expectancies for the future. As it is
an open secret that the Duke of Balmoral has been
compelled to sell his pictures within the last few years,
and as Lord Saint Simon has no property of his
own save the small estate of Birchmoor, it is obvious
that the Californian heiress is not the only gainer by
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an alliance which will enable her to make the easy
and common transition from a Republican lady to a British peeress.
Anything else, asked Holmes, yawning, Oh, yes, plenty. Then there
is another note in the Morning Post to say that
the marriage would be an absolutely quiet one, that it
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would be at Saint George's Hanover Square, that only half
a dozen intimate friends would be invited, and that the
party would return to the furnished house at Lancaster Gate,
which has been taken by mister Aloysius Duran. Two days later,
that is, on Wednesday last, there is a curt announcement
that the wedding had taken place and that the honeymoon
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would be passed at Lord Backwater's place near Petersfield. Those
are all the notices which appeared before the disappearance of
the bride, before the What asked Holmes with a start,
the vanishing of the lady? When did she vanish? Then
at the wedding breakfast? Indeed, this is more interesting than
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it promised to be, quite traumatic. In fact, yes, it
struck me as being a little out of the common.
They often vanished before the ceremony and occasionally during the honeymoon.
But I cannot call to mine anything quite so prompt
as this pray. Let me have the details. I warn
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you that they are very incomplete. Perhaps we might make
them less. So, such as they are, they are set
forth in a single article of a morning paper of yesterday,
which I will read to you. It is headed singular
occurrence at a fashionable wedding. The family of Lord Robert
Saint Simon has been thrown into the greatest consternation by
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the strange and painful episodes which have taken place in
connection with his wedding. The ceremony, as shortly announced in
the papers of yesterday, occurred on the previous morning. But
it is only now that it has been possible to
confirm the strange rumors which have been so persistently floating about.
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In spite of the attempts of the friends to hush
the matter up. So much public attention has now been
drawn to it that no good purpose can be served
by affecting to disregard what is a common subject for conversation.
The ceremony, which was performed at Saint George's Hanover Square,
was a very quiet one, no one being present save
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the father of the bride, Mister Aloysius Duran, the Duchess
of Balmoral, Lord Backwater, Lord Eustace and Lady Clara, Saint Simon,
the younger brother and sister of the bridegroom, and Lady
Alicia Whittington. The whole party proceeded afterwards to the house
of mister Aloysius Duran at Lancaster Gate, where breakfast had
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been prepared. It appears that some little trouble was caused
by a woman, whose name has not been ascertained, who
endeavored to force her way into the house after the
bridal party, alleging that she had some claim upon Lord
Saint Simon. It was only after a painful and prolonged
scene that she was ejected by the butler and the footman.
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The bride, who had fortunately entered the house before this
unpleasant interrupt had sat down to breakfast with the rest,
when she complained of a sudden indisposition and retired to
her room, her prolonged absence having caused some comment. Her
father followed her, but learned from her maid that she
had only come up to her chamber for an instant
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caught up an ulster and bonnet, and hurried down to
the passage. One of the footmen declared that he had
seen a lady leave the house thus apparelled, but had
refused to credit that it was his mistress, believing her
to be with the company. On ascertaining that his daughter
had disappeared, mister Aloysius Duran in conjunction with the bridegroom,
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instantly put themselves in communication with the police, and very
energetic inquiries are being made which will probably result in
his speedy clearing up of this very singular business. Up
to a late hour last night, however, nothing had transpired
as to the whereabouts of the missing lady. There are
rumors of foul play in the matter, and it is
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said that the police have caused the arrest of the
woman who had caused the original disturbance, in the belief
that from jealousy or some other motive, she may have
been concerned in the strange disappearance of the bride. And
is that all only one little item in another of
the morning papers, But it is a suggestive one, and
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it is that Miss Flora Miller, the lady who had
caused the disturbance, has actually been arrested. It appears that
she was formerly a dunceurs at the Allegro, and that
she has known the bridegroom for some years. There are
no further particulars, and the whole case is in your
hands now so far as it has been set forth
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in the public press. And an exceedingly interesting case. It
appears to be. I would not have missed it for worlds.
But there is the ring at the bell, Watson, and
as the clock makes it a few minutes after four,
I have no doubt that this will prove to be
our noble client. Do not dream of going Watson, for
I very much prefer having a witness, if only as
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a check to my own memory. Lord Robert Saint Simon
announced our page boy, throwing open the door. A gentleman entered,
with a pleasant cultured face, high nosed and pale, with
something perhaps of petulance about the mouth, and with a steady,
well opened eye of a man whose pleasant lot it
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had ever been to command and to be obeyed. His
manner was brisk, and yet his general appearance gave an
undue impression of age, for he had a slight forward
stoop and a little bend of the knees as he walked.
His hair, too, as he swept off his very curly
brimmed hat, was grizzled round the edges and thin upon
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the top. As to his dress, it was careful to
the verge of foppishness, with high collar, black frock coat,
white waistcoat, yellow gloves, patent leather shoes and light colored gaiters.
He advanced slowly into the room, turning his head from
left to right, and swinging in his right hand the
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cord which held his golden eye glasses. Good day, Lord
Saint Simon, said Holmes, rising and bowing. Pray, take the
basket chair. This is my friend in colleague, doctor Watson.
Draw up a little to the fire, and we will
talk this matter over, A most painful matter to me,
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as you might most readily imagine, mister Holmes, I have
been cut to the quick. I understand that you have
already managed several delicate cases of this sort, sir, though
I presume that they were hardly from the same class
of society. No, I am descending. I beg pardon. My
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last client of the sort was a king. Oh really,
I had no idea and which king? The King of Scandinavia?
What had he lost his wife? You can understand, said
Holmes suavely, that I extend to the affairs of my
other clients the same secrecy which I promised to you
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in yours. Of course, Very right, very right, I'm sure
I beg pardon. As to my own case. I am
ready to give you any information which may assist you
in forming an opinion. Thank you. I have already learned
all that is in the public Prince, nothing more. I
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presume that I may take it as correct. This article,
for example, as to the disappearance of the bride. Lord
Saint Simon glanced over it. Yes, it is correct as
far as it goes, but it needs a great deal
of supplementing before anyone could offer an opinion. I think
that I may arrive at my facts most directly by
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questioning you, pray do so. When did you first meet
miss Hattie Duran in San Francisco a year ago? You
were traveling in the States. Yes, did you become engaged then? No?
But you were on a friendly footing. I was amused
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by her society, and she could see that I was amused.
Her father is very rich. He is said to be
the richest man on the Pacific Slope. And how did
he make his money in mining? He had nothing a
few years ago. Then he struck gold, invested it and
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came up by leaps and bounds. Now what is your
own impression as to the young ladies your wife's character?
The nobleman swung his glasses a little faster and stead
down into the fire. You see, mister Holmes said he.
My wife was twenty before her father became a rich man.
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During that time she ran free in a mining camp
and wandered through woods or mountains, so that her education
has come from nature rather than from the schoolmaster. She
is what we call in England a tomboy with a
strong nature, wild and free, unfettered by any sort of traditions.
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She is impetuous, volcanic. I was about to say, she
is swift in making up her mind and fearless in
carrying out her resolutions. On the other hand, I would
not have given her the name which I have the
honor to bear. He gave a little stately cough, had
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I not thought her to be at bottom a noble woman.
I believe that she is capable of heroic self sacrifice,
and that anything dishonorable would be pugnant to her. Have
you her photograph? I brought this with me. He opened
a locket and showed us the full face of a
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very lovely woman. It was not a photograph but an
ivory miniature, and the artist that brought out the full
effect of the lustrous black hair, the large dark eyes,
and the exquisite mouth. Holmes gazed long and earnestly at it.
Then he closed the locket and handed it back to
Lord Saint Simon. The young lady came to London then,
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and you renewed your acquaintance. Yes, her father brought her
over for this last London season. I met her several times,
became engaged to her, and have now married her. She
brought I understand a considerable dowry, a fair dowry, not
more than is usual in my family. And this, of
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course remains to you, since the marriage is a feta coompli.
I really have made no inquiries on the subject, very naturally. Not.
Did you see miss Doran on the day before the wedding? Yes,
was she in good spirits, never better. She kept talking
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of what we should do in our future lives. Indeed,
that is very interesting. And on the morning of the
wedding she was as bright as possible, at least until
after the ceremony. And did you observe any change in
her then? Well, to tell the truth, I saw then
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the first signs that I had ever seen that her
temper was just a little sharp. The incident, however, was
too trivial to relate and can have no possible bearing
upon the case. Pray, let us have it for all that. Oh,
it is childish, she tried after Bouquet. As we went
towards the vestry. She was passing the front pew at
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the time, and it fell over into the pew. There
was a moment's delay, but the gentleman and the pew
handed it up to her again, and it did not
appear to be the worse for the fall. Yet, when
I spoke to her of the matter, she answered me abruptly,
and in the carriage on our way home, she seemed
absurdly agitated over this trifling cause. Indeed, you say that
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there was a gentleman in the pew, some of the
general public were present, then, oh, yes, it is impossible
to exclude them when the church is open. This gentleman
was not one of your wife's friends. No, no, I
call him a gentleman by courtesy. But he was quite
a common looking person. I hardly noticed his appearance. But really,
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I think that we are wandering rather far from the point.
Lady Saint Simon returned from the wedding in a less
cheerful frame of mind than she had gone to it.
What did she do on re entering her father's house.
I saw her in conversation with her maid. And who
is her maid? Alice is her name. She is an
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American and came from California with her a confidential servant.
A little too much, so it seemed to me that
her mistress allowed her to take great liberties. Still, of course,
in America they look upon these things in a different way.
How long did she speak to this Alice? Oh, a
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few minutes. I had something else to think of. You
did not overhear what they said. Lady Saint Simon said
something about jumping a claim she was accustomed to you
slang of the kind. I have no idea what she meant.
American slang is very expressive sometimes. And what did your
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wife do when she finished speaking to her maid? She
walked into the breakfast room on your arm, No alone.
She was very independent in little matters like that. Then,
after we had sat down for ten minutes or so,
she rose, hurriedly, muttered some words of apology, and left
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the room. She never came back. But this maid, Alice,
as I understand, deposes that she went to her room
covered her bride's dress with a long Ulster put on
a bonnet and went out quite so, and she was
afterwards seen walking into Hyde Park in company with Flora Millar,
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a woman who is now in custody, and who had
already made a disturbance at mister Durand's house that morning. Ah, yes,
I should like a few particulars as to this young
lady and your relations to her. Lord Saint Simon shrugged
his shoulders and raised it eyebrows. We have been on
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a friendly footing for some years, I may say, on
a very friendly footing. She used to be at the Allegro.
I have not treated her ungenerously, and she had no
just cause of complaint against me, But you know what
women are, mister Holmes. Flora was a dear little thing,
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but exceedingly hot headed and devotedly attached to me. She
wrote me dreadful letters when she heard that I was
about to be married, and to tell the truth, the
reason why I had the marriage celebrated so quietly was
that I feared lest there might be a scandal in
the church. She came to mister Durand's door just after
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we returned, and she endeavored to push her way in
uttering very abusive expressions towards my wife, and even threatening her.
But I had foreseen the possibility of something of the sort,
and I had two police fellows there in private clothes,
who soon pushed her out again. She was quiet when
she saw that there was no good in making a row.
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Did your wife hear all this? No, thank goodness, she
did not, and she was seen walking with this very
woman afterwards. Yes, that is what mister Lestrade of Scotland
Yard looks upon as so serious. It is thought that
Flora decoyed my wife out and laid some terrible trap
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for her. Well, it is a possible supposition. You think
so too, I did not say a probable one, But
you did not yourself look upon this as likely. I
do not think Flora would hurt a fly. Still, jealousy
is a strange transformer of characters. Pray, what is your
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own theory as to what took place? Well? Really, I
came to seek a theory, not to propound one. I
have given you all the facts since you ask me. However,
I may say that it has occurred to me as
possible that the excitement of this affair, the consciousness that
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she had made so immense a social stride had the
effect of causing some little nervous disturbance in my wife,
In short, that she had become suddenly deranged. Well, really,
when I consider that she has turned her back, I
will not say upon me, but upon so much that
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many have aspired to without success, I can hardly explain
it in any other fashion. Well, certainly that is also
a conceivable hypothesis, said Holmes, smiling. And now, Lord Saint Simon,
I think that I have nearly all my data. May
I ask whether you were seated at the breakfast table
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so that you could see out of the window. We
could see the other side of the road and the park.
Quite so, then, I do not think that I need
to detain you longer. I shall communicate with you should
you be fortunate enough to solve this problem, said our client, rising,
I have solved it. Eh, What was that? I say
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that I have solved it? Where then is my wife?
That is a detail which I shall speedily supply. Lord
Saint Simon shook his head. I am afraid that it
will take wiser heads than yours or mine, he remarked,
and bowing in a stately old fashioned manner, he departed.
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It is very good of Lord Saint Simon, to honor
my head by putting it on a level with his own,
said Sherlock Holmes, laughing. I think that I shall have
a whiskey and soda and a cigar. After all this
cross questioning. I had formed my conclusions as to the
case before our client came into the room. My dear Holmes,
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I have notes of several similar cases, though none, as
I remarked before, which were quite as prompt. My whole
examination served to turn my conjecture into a certainty. Circumstantial
evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a
trout in the milk, to quote the Rose example. But
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I have heard all that you have heard, without, however,
the knowledge of pre existing cases, which serves me so well.
There was a parallel instance in Aberdeen some years back,
and something on very much the same lines at Munich
the year after the Franco Prussian War. It is one
of these cases. Ah, but hello, here is lestrade, Good afternoon, Lestrade.
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You will find an extra tumbler upon the sideboard, and
there are cigars in the box. The official detective was
attired in a pea jacket and cravat, which gave him
a decidedly nautical appearance, and he carried a black canvas
bag in his hand. With a short greeting, he seated
himself and lit the cigar which had been offered to him.
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What's up, then, asked Holmes, with a twinkle in his eye.
You look dissatisfied, and I feel dissatisfied. It is this
infernal Saint Simon marriage case. I can make neither head
nor tail of the business. Really, you surprise me. Who
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ever heard of such a mixed affair? Every clue seems
to slip through my fingers. I have been at work
upon it all day, and very wet. It seems to
have made you, said Holmes, laying his hand upon the
arm of the pea jacket. Yes, I have been dragging
the serpentine in Heaven's name, what for in search of
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the body of lady Saint Simon Sherlock. Holmes leaned back
in his chair and laughed heartily. Have you tragged the
basin of Trafalgar Square fountain? He asked? Why? What do
you mean? Because you have just as good a chance
of finding this lady in the one as in the other.
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Lestrade shot an angry glance at my companion. I suppose
you know all about it, He snarled. Well, I have
only just heard the facts, but my mind is made up.
Oh indeed, then you think that the serpentine plays no
part in the matter. I think it very unlikely. Then
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perhaps you will kindly explain how it is that we
found this in it. He opened his bag as he spoke,
and tumbled on to the floor a wedding dress of
watered silk, a pair of white satin shoes, and a
bride's wreath and veil, all discolored and soaked in water. There,
said he, putting a new wedding ring upon the top
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of the pile. There is a little nut for you
to crack, Master Holmes. Oh indeed, said my friend, blowing
blue rings into the air. You dragged them from the serpentine. No,
they were found floating near the margin by a park keeper.
They have been identified as her clothes, and it seemed
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to me that if the clothes were there, the body
would not be far off. By the same brilliant reasoning,
every man's body is to be found in the neighborhood
of his wardrobe. And pray, what did you hope to
arrive at through this at some evidence implicating Flora Millar
in the disappearance. I am afraid that you will find
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it difficult, are you indeed? Now, cried Lestrade with some bitterness.
I am afraid, Holmes, that you are not very practical
with your deductions and your inferences. You have made two
blunders in as many minutes. This dress does implicate miss
Flora Millar. And how in the dress is a pocket.
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In the pocket is a card case. In the card
case is a note. And here is the very note.
He slapped it down upon the table in front of him.
Listen to this. You will see me when all is ready,
Come at once. F h M. Now, my theory all
along has been that Lady Saint Simon was decoyed away
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by Flora Millar, and that she, with confederates, no doubt,
was responsible for her disappearance. Here, signed with her initials,
is the very note which was no doubt quietly slipped
into her hand at the door, and which lured her
within their reach. A very good, Lestrade, said Holmes, laughing,
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you really are very fine. Indeed, let me see it.
He took up the paper in a listless way, but
his attention instantly became came riveted, and he gave a
little cry of satisfaction. This is indeed important, said he ha.
You find it so extremely so I congratulate you warmly.
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Lestrade rose in his triumph and bent his head to look. Why,
he shrieked, you're looking at the wrong side. On the contrary,
this is the right side, the right side. You're mad.
Here is the note written in pencil. Over here, and
over here is what appears to be the fragment of
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a hotel bill, which interests me deeply. There's nothing in it.
I looked at it before, said Lestrade. October fourth, rooms
eight shillings, breakfast two shillings sixpence, cocktail one shilling, Lunch
two shillings sixpence, glass sherry eightpence. I see nothing in that.
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Very likely not. It is most important all the same
as to the note, it is important also, or at
least the initials are so. I congratulate you again. I've
wasted time enough, said Lestrade rising. I believe in hard work,
and not in sitting by the fire spinning fine theories.
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Good day, mister Holmes. We shall see which gets to
the bottom of the matter. First, he gathered up the
garments thrust them into the bag and made for the door.
Just one hint to you, Lestrade, drawled Holmes, before his
rival vanished. I will tell you the true solution of
the matter, Lady, Saint Simon is a myth. There is not,
(34:50):
and there never has been any such person. Lestrade looked
sadly at my companion. Then he turned to me, tapped
his forehead three time times, shook his head solemnly, and
hurried away. He had hardly shut the door behind him
when Holmes rose to put on his overcoat. There is
(35:10):
something in what the fellow says about outdoor work, he remarked.
So I think, Watson, that I must leave you to
your papers for a little. It was after five o'clock
when Sherlock Holmes left me, but I had no time
to be lonely, for within an hour there arrived a
confectioner's man with a very large flat box. This unpacked
(35:32):
with the help of a youth whom he had brought
with him, and presently, to my very great astonishment, a
quite epicurean little cold supper began to be laid out
upon our humble lodging house, Mahogany. There were a couple
of brace of cold woodcock, a pheasant, a pate de
foigua pie, with a group of ancient and cobweby bottles.
(35:54):
Having laid out all these luxuries, my two visitors vanished
away like the g of the Arabian Nights, with no
explanation save that the things had been paid for and
were ordered to this address. Just before nine o'clock, Sherlock
Holmes stepped briskly into the room. His features were gravely set,
(36:16):
but there was a light in his eye which made
me think that he had not been disappointed in his conclusions.
They have laid the supper, then he said, rubbing his hands,
You seem to expect company. They have laid for five Yes,
I fancy we may have some company dropping in, said he.
(36:38):
I am surprised that Lord Saint Simon has not already arrived. Hah,
I fancy that I hear his step now upon the stairs.
It was indeed, our visitor of the afternoon who came
bustling in, dangling his glasses more vigorously than ever, and
with a very perturbed expression upon his aristocratic features. My
(37:00):
messenger reached you, then asked Holmes. Yes, and I confess
that the content startled me beyond measure. Have you good
authority for what you say? The best possible, Lord Saint
Simon sank into a chair and passed his hand over
his forehead. What will the Duke say, he murmured, when
(37:23):
he hears that one of the family has been subjected
to such humiliation? It is the purest accident. I cannot
allow that there is any humiliation. Ah, you look on
these things from another standpoint. I failed to see that
anyone is to blame. I can hardly see how the
(37:43):
lady could have acted otherwise, though her abrupt method of
doing it was undoubtedly to be regretted. Having no mother,
she had no one to advise her at such a crisis.
It was a slight, Sir, a public slight, said Lord
Saint Diamond, tapping his fingers upon the table. You must
(38:03):
make allowance for this poor girl placed in so unprecedented
a position. I will make no allowance. I am very angry, indeed,
and I have been shamefully used. I think that I
heard a ring, said Holmes. Yes, there are steps on
the landing. If I cannot persuade you to take a
(38:25):
lenient view of the matter, Lord Saint Simon, I have
brought an advocate here who may be more successful. He
opened the door and ushered in a lady and gentleman.
Lord Saint Simon said, he allow me to introduce you
to mister and missus Francis hay Moulton. The lady, I
think you have already met. At the sight of these newcomers,
(38:49):
our client had sprung from his seat and stood very erect,
with his eyes cast down and his hand thrust into
the breast of his frock coat, a picture of offended dignity.
The lady had taken a quick step forward and had
held out her hand to him, but he still refused
to raise his eyes. It was as well for his resolution, perhaps,
(39:10):
for her pleading face was one which it was hard
to resist. You're angry, Robert said, she. Well, I guess
you have every cause to be pray. Make no apology
to me, said Lord Saint Simon bitterly. Oh, yes, I
know that I have treated you real bad, and that
(39:31):
I should have spoken to you before I went, But
I was kind of rattled, and from the time when
I saw Frank here again, I just didn't know what
I was doing or saying. I only wonder I didn't
fall down and do a faint right there before the altar. Perhaps,
missus Moulton, you would like my friend in me to
leave the room while you explain this matter, if I
(39:53):
may give an opinion, remarked the strange gentleman. We've just
had a little too much secret over this business already.
For my part, I should like all Europe and America
to hear the rights of it. He was a small, wiry,
sun burnt man, clean shaven, with a sharp face and
alert manner. Then I'll tell our story right away, said
(40:17):
the lady. Frank Here and I met in eighty four
in mc chuire's camp near the Rockies, where Pa was
working acclaim. We were engaged to each other, Frank and I.
But then one day Father struck a rich pocket and
made a pile, while poor frank Here had a claim
that petered out and came to nothing. The richer Pa grew,
(40:37):
the poorer was Frank. So at last Pau wouldn't hear
of our engagement lasting any longer, and he took me
away to Frisco. Frank wouldn't throw up his hand, though,
so he followed me there, and he saw me without
Pau knowing anything about it. It would only have made
him mad to know, so we just fixed it all
up for ourselves. Frank said that he would go and
(40:58):
make his pile too, and never come back to claim
me until he had as much as PA. So then
I promised to wait for him to the end of
time and pledge myself not to marry anyone else while
he lived. Why shouldn't we be married right away, then
said he, And then I will feel sure of you,
and I won't claim to be your husband until I
(41:19):
come back. Well, we talked it over, and he had
fixed it all up so nicely, with a clergyman already
in waiting, that we just did it right there. And
then Frank went off to seek his fortune, and I
went back to PA. The next I heard of Frank
was that he was in Montana, and then he went
prospecting in Arizona, and then I heard of him from
(41:41):
New Mexico. After that came a long newspaper story about
how a miner's camp had been attacked by Apache Indians,
and there was my Frank's name among the killed. I
fainted dead away, and I was very sick for months.
After PA thought I had a decline and took me
to half the doctors in frisk Not a word of
(42:01):
news came for a year, and more so that I
never doubted that Frank was really dead. Then Lord Saint
Simon came to Frisco, and we came to London, and
a marriage was arranged, and pob was very pleased. But
I felt all the time that no man on this
earth would ever take the place in my heart that
had been given to my poor Frank. Still, if I
(42:23):
had married Lord Saint Simon, of course I'd have done
my duty by him. We can't command our love, but
we can our actions. I went to the altar with
him with the intention to make him just as good
a wife as it was in me to be. But
you may imagine what I felt when, just as I
came to the altar rails, I glanced back and saw
(42:44):
Frank standing and looking at me out of the first pew.
I thought it was his ghost at first, but when
I looked again, there he was, still, with a kind
of question in his eyes, as if to ask me
whether I was glad or sorry to see him. I
wonder I didn't drop. I know that everything was turning round,
(43:04):
and the words of the clergyman were just like the
buzz of a bee in my ear. I didn't know
what to do. Should I stop the service and make
a scene in the church. I glanced at him again,
and he seemed to know what I was thinking, for
he raised his finger to his lips to tell me
to be still. Then I saw him scribble on a
piece of paper, and I knew that he was writing
(43:26):
me a note. As I passed his pew on the
way out, I dropped my bouquet over to him, and
he slipped the note into my hand. When he returned
me the flowers, it was only a line asking me
to join him. When he made the sign to me
to do so. Of course, I never doubted for a
moment that my first duty was now to him, and
I determined to do just whatever he might direct. When
(43:49):
I got back, I told my maid, who had known
him in California and had always been his friend. I
ordered her to say nothing but to get a few
things packed in my ulster. Ready. I know I ought
to have spoken to Lord Saint Simon, but it was dreadful,
hard before his mother and all those great people. I
just made up my mind to run away and explain afterwards.
(44:11):
I hadn't been at the table ten minutes before I
saw Frank out of the window at the other side
of the road. He beckoned to me and then began
walking into the park. I slipped out, put on my
things and followed him. Some woman came talking something or
other about Lord Saint Simon to me, seen to me
from the little I heard as if he had a
(44:31):
little secret of his own before marriage also, But I
managed to get away from her and soon overtook Frank.
We got into a cab together and away we drove
to some lodgings he had taken in Gordon Square. And
that was my true wedding. After all those years of waiting.
Frank had been a prisoner among the Apaches, had escaped,
(44:52):
come on to Frisco, found that I had given him
up for dead, and had gone to England, followed me
there and had come upon me at last on the
very morning of my second wedding. I saw it in
a paper, explained the American. It gave the name in
the church, but not where the lady lived. Then we
(45:12):
had a talk as to what we should do, and
Frank was all for openness, but I was so ashamed
of it all that I felt as if I should
like to vanish away and never see any of them again,
just sending a line to Pop, perhaps to show him
that I was alive. It was awful to me to
think of all those lords and ladies sitting round that
breakfast table and waiting for me to come back. So
(45:34):
Frank took my wedding clothes and things and made a
bundle of them so that I should not be traced,
and dropped them away somewhere where no one could find them.
It is likely that we should have gone on to
Paris tomorrow, only that this good gentleman, mister Holmes came
round to us this evening, though how he found us
is more than I can think. And he showed us
(45:54):
very clearly and kindly that I was wrong, and that
Frank was right, and that we should be putting ourselves
in the wrong if we were so secret. Then he
offered to give us a chance of talking to Lord
Saint Simon alone, and so we came right away round
to his rooms at once. Now, Robert, you have heard
it all, and I am very sorry if I have
(46:15):
given you pain, and I hope that you do not
think very meanly of me. Lord Saint Simon had by
no means relaxed his rigid attitude, but had listened with
a frowning brow and a compressed lip to this long narrative.
Excuse me, he said, but it is not my custom
to discuss my most intimate personal affairs in this public manner.
(46:39):
Then you won't forgive me. You won't shake hands before
I go. Oh, certainly, if it would give you any pleasure,
He put out his hand and coldly grasped that which
she extended to him. I had hoped, suggested Holmes, that
you would have joined us in a friendly supper. I
(47:01):
think that there you ask a little too much, responded
his lordship. I may be forced to acquiesce in these
recent developments, but I can hardly be expected to make
merry over them. I think that, with your permission, I
will now wish you all a very good night. He
included us all in a sweeping bow and stalked out
(47:23):
of the room. Then I trust that you at least
will honor me with your company, said Sherlock Holmes. It
is always a joy to meet in American mister Moolton.
For I am one of those who believe that the
folly of a monarch, and the blundering of a minister
in far gone years will not prevent our children from
being some day citizens of the same world wide country
(47:46):
under a flag which shall be a quartering of the
Union Jack with the stars and stripes. The case has
been an interesting one, remarked Holmes when our visitors had
left us, because it serves to show very clearly how
simple the explanation may be of an affair which, at
first sight seems to be almost inexplicable. Nothing could be
(48:09):
more natural than the sequence of events as narrated by
this lady, and nothing stranger than the result, when viewed,
for instance, by mister Lestrade of Scotland Yard. You were
not yourself at fault at all. Then, From the first
two facts were very obvious to me, the one that
the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony,
(48:31):
the other that she had repented of it within a
few minutes of returning home. Obviously something had occurred during
the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
What could that something be? She could not have spoken
to anyone when she was out, for she had been
in the company of the bridegroom had she seen someone, then,
(48:52):
if she had, it must be someone from America, because
she had spent so short a time in this country
that she could hardly have allowed any any one to
acquire so deep an influence over her that the mere
sight of him would induce her to change her plans
so completely. You see, we have already arrived, by a
process of exclusion, at the idea that she might have
(49:14):
seen an American. Then who could this American be, and
why should he possess so much influence over her? It
might be a lover, It might be a husband. Her
young womanhood had I knew, been spent in rough scenes
and under strange conditions, So far I had got before
I ever heard Lord Saint Simon's narrative, when he told
(49:37):
us of a man in a pew, of the change
in the bride's manner, of so transparent a device for
obtaining a note as the dropping of a bouquet, of
her resort to her confidential maid, and of her very
significant allusion to claim jumping, which in Miner's parlance means
taking possession of that which another person has the prior
(49:58):
claim to. The whole situation became absolutely clear she had
gone off with a man, and the man was either
a lover or a previous husband, the chances being in
favor of the latter. And how in the world did
you find them? It might have been difficult, but friend
Lestrade held information in his hands, the value of which
(50:22):
he did not himself know. The initials were, of course
of the highest importance. But more valuable still was it
to know that within a week he had settled his
bill at one of the most select London hotels. How
did you deduce the select by the select prices? Eight
shillings for a bed and eightpence for a glass of
(50:43):
sherry pointed to one of the most expensive hotels. There
are not many in London which charge at that rate.
In the second one, which I visited, in Northumberland Avenue,
I learned by an inspection of the book, that Francis H. Moulton,
an American gentlemen, had left only the day before, And
on looking over the entries against him, I came upon
(51:06):
the very items which I had seen in the duplicate bill.
His letters were to be forwarded to two twenty six
Gordon Square. So thither I traveled, and, being fortunate enough
to find the loving couple at home. I ventured to
give them some paternal advice, and to point out to
them that it would be better in every way that
(51:27):
they should make their position a little clearer, both to
the general public and to Lord Saint Simon. In particular.
I invited them to meet him here, and as you see,
I made him keep the appointment, but with no very
good result. I remarked, his conduct was certainly not very gracious,
(51:48):
Ah Watson, said Holmes, smiling. Perhaps you would not be
very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing
and wedding you found yourself deprived in an inn instant
of wife and of fortune. I think that we may
judge Lord Saint Simon very mercifully, and thank our stars
that we are never likely to find ourselves in the
(52:10):
same position. Draw your chair up and hand me by violin,
for the only problem we have still to solve is
how to while away these bleak autumnal evenings. End of
Adventure ten
Adventure ten 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 ten, the Adventure
of the Noble Bachelor. The Lord said simon marriage and
(00:27):
its curious termination have long ceased to be a subject
of interest in those exalted circles in which the unfortunate
bridegroom moves, and their more piquant details have drawn the
gossips away from this four year old drama. As I
have reason to believe, however, that the full facts have
never been revealed to the general public, and as my
(00:48):
friend Sherlock Holmes had a considerable share in clearing the
matter up, I feel that no memoir of him would
be complete without some little sketch of this remarkable episode.
It was a few weeks before my own marriage, during
the days when I was still sharing rooms with Holmes
in Baker Street, that he came home from an afternoon
(01:08):
stroll to find a letter on the table waiting for him.
I had remained indoors all day, for the weather had
taken a sudden turn to rain with high autumnal winds,
and the jezl bullet, which I had brought back in
one of my limbs as a relic of my Afghan
campaign throbbed with dull persistence. With my body in one
(01:30):
easy chair and my legs upon another, I had surrounded
myself with a cloud of newspapers, until at last, saturated
with the news of the day, I tossed them all
aside and lay listless, watching the huge crest and monogram
upon the envelope upon the table, and wondering lazily whom
my friend's noble correspondent could be. Here is a very
(01:53):
fashionable epistle, I remarked, as he entered. Your morning letters,
if I remember right, were from a fishmonger and a
tide waiter. Yes, my correspondent says, certainly. The charm of variety,
he answered, smiling, and the humbler are usually the more interesting.
This looks like one of those unwelcome social summonss which
(02:15):
call upon a man either to be bored or to lie.
He broke the seal and glanced over the contents. Oh, come,
it may prove to be something of interest after all.
Not social then no distinctly professional and from a noble client,
one of the highest in England. My dear fellow, I
(02:39):
congratulate you. I assure you, Watson, without affectation, that the
status of my client is a matter of less moment
to me than the interest of his case. It is
just possible, however, that that also may not be wanting
in this new investigation. You have been reading the papers
diligently of late, have you not? It looks like it,
(03:02):
said I ruefully, pointing to a huge bundle in the corner.
I have had nothing else to do. It is fortunate
for you will perhaps be able to post me up.
I read nothing except the criminal news and the Agony column.
The latter is always instructive. But if you have followed
recent events so closely, you must have read about Lord
(03:24):
Saint Simon and his wedding. Oh yes, with the deepest interest.
That is well. The letter which I hold in my
hand is from Lord Saint Simon. I will read it
to you, and in return you must turn over these
papers and let me have whatever bears upon the matter.
This is what he says, my dear mister Sherlock Holmes,
(03:47):
Lord Backwater tells me that I may place implicit reliance
upon your judgment and discretion. I have determined therefore to
call upon you and to consult you in reference to
the very painful of vent which has occurred in connection
with my wedding. Mister Lestrade of Scotland Yard is acting
already in the matter, but he assures me that he
(04:10):
sees no objection to your cooperation, and that he even
thinks that it might be of some assistance. I will
call it four o'clock in the afternoon, and should you
have any other engagement at that time, I hope that
you will postpone it, as this matter is of paramount importance,
yours faithfully, Saint Simon. It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions,
(04:34):
written with a quill pen, and the noble lord has
had the misfortune to get a smear of ink upon
the outer side of his right little finger, remarked Holmes,
as he folded up the epistle. He says, four o'clock
it is three now. He will be here in an hour.
Then I have just time, with your assistance, to get
(04:56):
clear upon the subject. Turn over those papers and a
rain the extracts in their order of time, while I
take a glance as to who our client is. He
picked a red covered volume from a line of books
of reference beside the mantelpiece. Here he is, said he
sitting down and flattening out upon his knee. Lord Robert
(05:18):
Walsingham de Vere Saint Simon, second son of the Duke
of Balmoral, hm arms Azure three caltrops in chief over
a fess Sable. Born in eighteen forty six. He's forty
one years of age, which is mature for marriage. Was
under Secretary for the Colonies in a late administration the Duke.
(05:42):
His father was at one time Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
They inherit Plantagenet blood by direct descent and tutor on
the distaff side. Hah, well, there is nothing very instructive
in all this. I think that I must turn to
you Wats for something more solid. I have very little
(06:04):
difficulty in finding what I want, said I. For the
facts are quite recent, and the matter struck me as remarkable.
I feared to refer them to you, however, as I
knew that you had an inquiry on hand, and that
you disliked the intrusion of other matters. Oh, you mean
the little problem of the Grosvenor Square, furniture van. That
(06:25):
is quite cleared up now, though indeed it was obvious
from the first Pray give me the results of your
newspaper selections. Here is the first notice which I can find.
It is in the personal column of the Morning Post
and dates as you see some weeks back. A marriage
has been arranged, it says, and will, if rumor is correct,
(06:48):
very shortly take place between Lord Robert Saint Simon, second
son of the Duke of Balmoral, and Miss Hattie Dran,
the only daughter of Aloysius Duran, Esquire of San Francisco, California, USA.
That is all terse and to the point, remarked Holmes,
(07:08):
stretching his long thin legs towards the fire. There was
a paragraph amplifying this in one of the society papers
of the same week. Ah, here it is. There will
soon be a call for protection in the marriage market,
for the present free trade principle appears to tell heavily
against our home product. One by one, the management of
(07:30):
the noble houses of Great Britain is passing into the
hands of our fair cousins from across the Atlantic. An
important addition has been made during the last week to
the list of the prizes which have been borne away
by these charming invaders. Lord Saint Simon, who has shown
himself for over twenty years proof against the Little God's arrows,
(07:53):
has now definitely announced his approaching marriage with Miss Hattie Duran,
the fascinating daughter of a californ millionaire, mister Rand, whose
graceful figure and striking face attracted much attention at the
Westbury House festivities. Is an only child and is currently
reported that her dowry will run to considerably over the
(08:14):
six figures, with expectancies for the future. As it is
an open secret that the Duke of Balmoral has been
compelled to sell his pictures within the last few years,
and as Lord Saint Simon has no property of his
own save the small estate of Birchmoor, it is obvious
that the Californian heiress is not the only gainer by
(08:35):
an alliance which will enable her to make the easy
and common transition from a Republican lady to a British peeress.
Anything else, asked Holmes, yawning, Oh, yes, plenty. Then there
is another note in the Morning Post to say that
the marriage would be an absolutely quiet one, that it
(08:57):
would be at Saint George's Hanover Square, that only half
a dozen intimate friends would be invited, and that the
party would return to the furnished house at Lancaster Gate,
which has been taken by mister Aloysius Duran. Two days later,
that is, on Wednesday last, there is a curt announcement
that the wedding had taken place and that the honeymoon
(09:19):
would be passed at Lord Backwater's place near Petersfield. Those
are all the notices which appeared before the disappearance of
the bride, before the What asked Holmes with a start,
the vanishing of the lady? When did she vanish? Then
at the wedding breakfast? Indeed, this is more interesting than
(09:42):
it promised to be, quite traumatic. In fact, yes, it
struck me as being a little out of the common.
They often vanished before the ceremony and occasionally during the honeymoon.
But I cannot call to mine anything quite so prompt
as this pray. Let me have the details. I warn
(10:03):
you that they are very incomplete. Perhaps we might make
them less. So, such as they are, they are set
forth in a single article of a morning paper of yesterday,
which I will read to you. It is headed singular
occurrence at a fashionable wedding. The family of Lord Robert
Saint Simon has been thrown into the greatest consternation by
(10:26):
the strange and painful episodes which have taken place in
connection with his wedding. The ceremony, as shortly announced in
the papers of yesterday, occurred on the previous morning. But
it is only now that it has been possible to
confirm the strange rumors which have been so persistently floating about.
(10:46):
In spite of the attempts of the friends to hush
the matter up. So much public attention has now been
drawn to it that no good purpose can be served
by affecting to disregard what is a common subject for conversation.
The ceremony, which was performed at Saint George's Hanover Square,
was a very quiet one, no one being present save
(11:09):
the father of the bride, Mister Aloysius Duran, the Duchess
of Balmoral, Lord Backwater, Lord Eustace and Lady Clara, Saint Simon,
the younger brother and sister of the bridegroom, and Lady
Alicia Whittington. The whole party proceeded afterwards to the house
of mister Aloysius Duran at Lancaster Gate, where breakfast had
(11:32):
been prepared. It appears that some little trouble was caused
by a woman, whose name has not been ascertained, who
endeavored to force her way into the house after the
bridal party, alleging that she had some claim upon Lord
Saint Simon. It was only after a painful and prolonged
scene that she was ejected by the butler and the footman.
(11:55):
The bride, who had fortunately entered the house before this
unpleasant interrupt had sat down to breakfast with the rest,
when she complained of a sudden indisposition and retired to
her room, her prolonged absence having caused some comment. Her
father followed her, but learned from her maid that she
had only come up to her chamber for an instant
(12:18):
caught up an ulster and bonnet, and hurried down to
the passage. One of the footmen declared that he had
seen a lady leave the house thus apparelled, but had
refused to credit that it was his mistress, believing her
to be with the company. On ascertaining that his daughter
had disappeared, mister Aloysius Duran in conjunction with the bridegroom,
(12:39):
instantly put themselves in communication with the police, and very
energetic inquiries are being made which will probably result in
his speedy clearing up of this very singular business. Up
to a late hour last night, however, nothing had transpired
as to the whereabouts of the missing lady. There are
rumors of foul play in the matter, and it is
(13:01):
said that the police have caused the arrest of the
woman who had caused the original disturbance, in the belief
that from jealousy or some other motive, she may have
been concerned in the strange disappearance of the bride. And
is that all only one little item in another of
the morning papers, But it is a suggestive one, and
(13:24):
it is that Miss Flora Miller, the lady who had
caused the disturbance, has actually been arrested. It appears that
she was formerly a dunceurs at the Allegro, and that
she has known the bridegroom for some years. There are
no further particulars, and the whole case is in your
hands now so far as it has been set forth
(13:45):
in the public press. And an exceedingly interesting case. It
appears to be. I would not have missed it for worlds.
But there is the ring at the bell, Watson, and
as the clock makes it a few minutes after four,
I have no doubt that this will prove to be
our noble client. Do not dream of going Watson, for
I very much prefer having a witness, if only as
(14:08):
a check to my own memory. Lord Robert Saint Simon
announced our page boy, throwing open the door. A gentleman entered,
with a pleasant cultured face, high nosed and pale, with
something perhaps of petulance about the mouth, and with a steady,
well opened eye of a man whose pleasant lot it
(14:29):
had ever been to command and to be obeyed. His
manner was brisk, and yet his general appearance gave an
undue impression of age, for he had a slight forward
stoop and a little bend of the knees as he walked.
His hair, too, as he swept off his very curly
brimmed hat, was grizzled round the edges and thin upon
(14:50):
the top. As to his dress, it was careful to
the verge of foppishness, with high collar, black frock coat,
white waistcoat, yellow gloves, patent leather shoes and light colored gaiters.
He advanced slowly into the room, turning his head from
left to right, and swinging in his right hand the
(15:11):
cord which held his golden eye glasses. Good day, Lord
Saint Simon, said Holmes, rising and bowing. Pray, take the
basket chair. This is my friend in colleague, doctor Watson.
Draw up a little to the fire, and we will
talk this matter over, A most painful matter to me,
(15:33):
as you might most readily imagine, mister Holmes, I have
been cut to the quick. I understand that you have
already managed several delicate cases of this sort, sir, though
I presume that they were hardly from the same class
of society. No, I am descending. I beg pardon. My
(15:54):
last client of the sort was a king. Oh really,
I had no idea and which king? The King of Scandinavia?
What had he lost his wife? You can understand, said
Holmes suavely, that I extend to the affairs of my
other clients the same secrecy which I promised to you
(16:18):
in yours. Of course, Very right, very right, I'm sure
I beg pardon. As to my own case. I am
ready to give you any information which may assist you
in forming an opinion. Thank you. I have already learned
all that is in the public Prince, nothing more. I
(16:39):
presume that I may take it as correct. This article,
for example, as to the disappearance of the bride. Lord
Saint Simon glanced over it. Yes, it is correct as
far as it goes, but it needs a great deal
of supplementing before anyone could offer an opinion. I think
that I may arrive at my facts most directly by
(17:01):
questioning you, pray do so. When did you first meet
miss Hattie Duran in San Francisco a year ago? You
were traveling in the States. Yes, did you become engaged then? No?
But you were on a friendly footing. I was amused
(17:25):
by her society, and she could see that I was amused.
Her father is very rich. He is said to be
the richest man on the Pacific Slope. And how did
he make his money in mining? He had nothing a
few years ago. Then he struck gold, invested it and
(17:46):
came up by leaps and bounds. Now what is your
own impression as to the young ladies your wife's character?
The nobleman swung his glasses a little faster and stead
down into the fire. You see, mister Holmes said he.
My wife was twenty before her father became a rich man.
(18:10):
During that time she ran free in a mining camp
and wandered through woods or mountains, so that her education
has come from nature rather than from the schoolmaster. She
is what we call in England a tomboy with a
strong nature, wild and free, unfettered by any sort of traditions.
(18:30):
She is impetuous, volcanic. I was about to say, she
is swift in making up her mind and fearless in
carrying out her resolutions. On the other hand, I would
not have given her the name which I have the
honor to bear. He gave a little stately cough, had
(18:50):
I not thought her to be at bottom a noble woman.
I believe that she is capable of heroic self sacrifice,
and that anything dishonorable would be pugnant to her. Have
you her photograph? I brought this with me. He opened
a locket and showed us the full face of a
(19:10):
very lovely woman. It was not a photograph but an
ivory miniature, and the artist that brought out the full
effect of the lustrous black hair, the large dark eyes,
and the exquisite mouth. Holmes gazed long and earnestly at it.
Then he closed the locket and handed it back to
Lord Saint Simon. The young lady came to London then,
(19:33):
and you renewed your acquaintance. Yes, her father brought her
over for this last London season. I met her several times,
became engaged to her, and have now married her. She
brought I understand a considerable dowry, a fair dowry, not
more than is usual in my family. And this, of
(19:57):
course remains to you, since the marriage is a feta coompli.
I really have made no inquiries on the subject, very naturally. Not.
Did you see miss Doran on the day before the wedding? Yes,
was she in good spirits, never better. She kept talking
(20:19):
of what we should do in our future lives. Indeed,
that is very interesting. And on the morning of the
wedding she was as bright as possible, at least until
after the ceremony. And did you observe any change in
her then? Well, to tell the truth, I saw then
(20:41):
the first signs that I had ever seen that her
temper was just a little sharp. The incident, however, was
too trivial to relate and can have no possible bearing
upon the case. Pray, let us have it for all that. Oh,
it is childish, she tried after Bouquet. As we went
towards the vestry. She was passing the front pew at
(21:04):
the time, and it fell over into the pew. There
was a moment's delay, but the gentleman and the pew
handed it up to her again, and it did not
appear to be the worse for the fall. Yet, when
I spoke to her of the matter, she answered me abruptly,
and in the carriage on our way home, she seemed
absurdly agitated over this trifling cause. Indeed, you say that
(21:30):
there was a gentleman in the pew, some of the
general public were present, then, oh, yes, it is impossible
to exclude them when the church is open. This gentleman
was not one of your wife's friends. No, no, I
call him a gentleman by courtesy. But he was quite
a common looking person. I hardly noticed his appearance. But really,
(21:54):
I think that we are wandering rather far from the point.
Lady Saint Simon returned from the wedding in a less
cheerful frame of mind than she had gone to it.
What did she do on re entering her father's house.
I saw her in conversation with her maid. And who
is her maid? Alice is her name. She is an
(22:17):
American and came from California with her a confidential servant.
A little too much, so it seemed to me that
her mistress allowed her to take great liberties. Still, of course,
in America they look upon these things in a different way.
How long did she speak to this Alice? Oh, a
(22:39):
few minutes. I had something else to think of. You
did not overhear what they said. Lady Saint Simon said
something about jumping a claim she was accustomed to you
slang of the kind. I have no idea what she meant.
American slang is very expressive sometimes. And what did your
(23:01):
wife do when she finished speaking to her maid? She
walked into the breakfast room on your arm, No alone.
She was very independent in little matters like that. Then,
after we had sat down for ten minutes or so,
she rose, hurriedly, muttered some words of apology, and left
(23:22):
the room. She never came back. But this maid, Alice,
as I understand, deposes that she went to her room
covered her bride's dress with a long Ulster put on
a bonnet and went out quite so, and she was
afterwards seen walking into Hyde Park in company with Flora Millar,
(23:42):
a woman who is now in custody, and who had
already made a disturbance at mister Durand's house that morning. Ah, yes,
I should like a few particulars as to this young
lady and your relations to her. Lord Saint Simon shrugged
his shoulders and raised it eyebrows. We have been on
(24:03):
a friendly footing for some years, I may say, on
a very friendly footing. She used to be at the Allegro.
I have not treated her ungenerously, and she had no
just cause of complaint against me, But you know what
women are, mister Holmes. Flora was a dear little thing,
(24:23):
but exceedingly hot headed and devotedly attached to me. She
wrote me dreadful letters when she heard that I was
about to be married, and to tell the truth, the
reason why I had the marriage celebrated so quietly was
that I feared lest there might be a scandal in
the church. She came to mister Durand's door just after
(24:44):
we returned, and she endeavored to push her way in
uttering very abusive expressions towards my wife, and even threatening her.
But I had foreseen the possibility of something of the sort,
and I had two police fellows there in private clothes,
who soon pushed her out again. She was quiet when
she saw that there was no good in making a row.
(25:07):
Did your wife hear all this? No, thank goodness, she
did not, and she was seen walking with this very
woman afterwards. Yes, that is what mister Lestrade of Scotland
Yard looks upon as so serious. It is thought that
Flora decoyed my wife out and laid some terrible trap
(25:28):
for her. Well, it is a possible supposition. You think
so too, I did not say a probable one, But
you did not yourself look upon this as likely. I
do not think Flora would hurt a fly. Still, jealousy
is a strange transformer of characters. Pray, what is your
(25:51):
own theory as to what took place? Well? Really, I
came to seek a theory, not to propound one. I
have given you all the facts since you ask me. However,
I may say that it has occurred to me as
possible that the excitement of this affair, the consciousness that
(26:11):
she had made so immense a social stride had the
effect of causing some little nervous disturbance in my wife,
In short, that she had become suddenly deranged. Well, really,
when I consider that she has turned her back, I
will not say upon me, but upon so much that
(26:32):
many have aspired to without success, I can hardly explain
it in any other fashion. Well, certainly that is also
a conceivable hypothesis, said Holmes, smiling. And now, Lord Saint Simon,
I think that I have nearly all my data. May
I ask whether you were seated at the breakfast table
(26:53):
so that you could see out of the window. We
could see the other side of the road and the park.
Quite so, then, I do not think that I need
to detain you longer. I shall communicate with you should
you be fortunate enough to solve this problem, said our client, rising,
I have solved it. Eh, What was that? I say
(27:18):
that I have solved it? Where then is my wife?
That is a detail which I shall speedily supply. Lord
Saint Simon shook his head. I am afraid that it
will take wiser heads than yours or mine, he remarked,
and bowing in a stately old fashioned manner, he departed.
(27:40):
It is very good of Lord Saint Simon, to honor
my head by putting it on a level with his own,
said Sherlock Holmes, laughing. I think that I shall have
a whiskey and soda and a cigar. After all this
cross questioning. I had formed my conclusions as to the
case before our client came into the room. My dear Holmes,
(28:02):
I have notes of several similar cases, though none, as
I remarked before, which were quite as prompt. My whole
examination served to turn my conjecture into a certainty. Circumstantial
evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a
trout in the milk, to quote the Rose example. But
(28:23):
I have heard all that you have heard, without, however,
the knowledge of pre existing cases, which serves me so well.
There was a parallel instance in Aberdeen some years back,
and something on very much the same lines at Munich
the year after the Franco Prussian War. It is one
of these cases. Ah, but hello, here is lestrade, Good afternoon, Lestrade.
(28:47):
You will find an extra tumbler upon the sideboard, and
there are cigars in the box. The official detective was
attired in a pea jacket and cravat, which gave him
a decidedly nautical appearance, and he carried a black canvas
bag in his hand. With a short greeting, he seated
himself and lit the cigar which had been offered to him.
(29:09):
What's up, then, asked Holmes, with a twinkle in his eye.
You look dissatisfied, and I feel dissatisfied. It is this
infernal Saint Simon marriage case. I can make neither head
nor tail of the business. Really, you surprise me. Who
(29:30):
ever heard of such a mixed affair? Every clue seems
to slip through my fingers. I have been at work
upon it all day, and very wet. It seems to
have made you, said Holmes, laying his hand upon the
arm of the pea jacket. Yes, I have been dragging
the serpentine in Heaven's name, what for in search of
(29:53):
the body of lady Saint Simon Sherlock. Holmes leaned back
in his chair and laughed heartily. Have you tragged the
basin of Trafalgar Square fountain? He asked? Why? What do
you mean? Because you have just as good a chance
of finding this lady in the one as in the other.
(30:14):
Lestrade shot an angry glance at my companion. I suppose
you know all about it, He snarled. Well, I have
only just heard the facts, but my mind is made up.
Oh indeed, then you think that the serpentine plays no
part in the matter. I think it very unlikely. Then
(30:37):
perhaps you will kindly explain how it is that we
found this in it. He opened his bag as he spoke,
and tumbled on to the floor a wedding dress of
watered silk, a pair of white satin shoes, and a
bride's wreath and veil, all discolored and soaked in water. There,
said he, putting a new wedding ring upon the top
(30:58):
of the pile. There is a little nut for you
to crack, Master Holmes. Oh indeed, said my friend, blowing
blue rings into the air. You dragged them from the serpentine. No,
they were found floating near the margin by a park keeper.
They have been identified as her clothes, and it seemed
(31:20):
to me that if the clothes were there, the body
would not be far off. By the same brilliant reasoning,
every man's body is to be found in the neighborhood
of his wardrobe. And pray, what did you hope to
arrive at through this at some evidence implicating Flora Millar
in the disappearance. I am afraid that you will find
(31:42):
it difficult, are you indeed? Now, cried Lestrade with some bitterness.
I am afraid, Holmes, that you are not very practical
with your deductions and your inferences. You have made two
blunders in as many minutes. This dress does implicate miss
Flora Millar. And how in the dress is a pocket.
(32:06):
In the pocket is a card case. In the card
case is a note. And here is the very note.
He slapped it down upon the table in front of him.
Listen to this. You will see me when all is ready,
Come at once. F h M. Now, my theory all
along has been that Lady Saint Simon was decoyed away
(32:28):
by Flora Millar, and that she, with confederates, no doubt,
was responsible for her disappearance. Here, signed with her initials,
is the very note which was no doubt quietly slipped
into her hand at the door, and which lured her
within their reach. A very good, Lestrade, said Holmes, laughing,
(32:51):
you really are very fine. Indeed, let me see it.
He took up the paper in a listless way, but
his attention instantly became came riveted, and he gave a
little cry of satisfaction. This is indeed important, said he ha.
You find it so extremely so I congratulate you warmly.
(33:15):
Lestrade rose in his triumph and bent his head to look. Why,
he shrieked, you're looking at the wrong side. On the contrary,
this is the right side, the right side. You're mad.
Here is the note written in pencil. Over here, and
over here is what appears to be the fragment of
(33:37):
a hotel bill, which interests me deeply. There's nothing in it.
I looked at it before, said Lestrade. October fourth, rooms
eight shillings, breakfast two shillings sixpence, cocktail one shilling, Lunch
two shillings sixpence, glass sherry eightpence. I see nothing in that.
(34:02):
Very likely not. It is most important all the same
as to the note, it is important also, or at
least the initials are so. I congratulate you again. I've
wasted time enough, said Lestrade rising. I believe in hard work,
and not in sitting by the fire spinning fine theories.
(34:24):
Good day, mister Holmes. We shall see which gets to
the bottom of the matter. First, he gathered up the
garments thrust them into the bag and made for the door.
Just one hint to you, Lestrade, drawled Holmes, before his
rival vanished. I will tell you the true solution of
the matter, Lady, Saint Simon is a myth. There is not,
(34:50):
and there never has been any such person. Lestrade looked
sadly at my companion. Then he turned to me, tapped
his forehead three time times, shook his head solemnly, and
hurried away. He had hardly shut the door behind him
when Holmes rose to put on his overcoat. There is
(35:10):
something in what the fellow says about outdoor work, he remarked.
So I think, Watson, that I must leave you to
your papers for a little. It was after five o'clock
when Sherlock Holmes left me, but I had no time
to be lonely, for within an hour there arrived a
confectioner's man with a very large flat box. This unpacked
(35:32):
with the help of a youth whom he had brought
with him, and presently, to my very great astonishment, a
quite epicurean little cold supper began to be laid out
upon our humble lodging house, Mahogany. There were a couple
of brace of cold woodcock, a pheasant, a pate de
foigua pie, with a group of ancient and cobweby bottles.
(35:54):
Having laid out all these luxuries, my two visitors vanished
away like the g of the Arabian Nights, with no
explanation save that the things had been paid for and
were ordered to this address. Just before nine o'clock, Sherlock
Holmes stepped briskly into the room. His features were gravely set,
(36:16):
but there was a light in his eye which made
me think that he had not been disappointed in his conclusions.
They have laid the supper, then he said, rubbing his hands,
You seem to expect company. They have laid for five Yes,
I fancy we may have some company dropping in, said he.
(36:38):
I am surprised that Lord Saint Simon has not already arrived. Hah,
I fancy that I hear his step now upon the stairs.
It was indeed, our visitor of the afternoon who came
bustling in, dangling his glasses more vigorously than ever, and
with a very perturbed expression upon his aristocratic features. My
(37:00):
messenger reached you, then asked Holmes. Yes, and I confess
that the content startled me beyond measure. Have you good
authority for what you say? The best possible, Lord Saint
Simon sank into a chair and passed his hand over
his forehead. What will the Duke say, he murmured, when
(37:23):
he hears that one of the family has been subjected
to such humiliation? It is the purest accident. I cannot
allow that there is any humiliation. Ah, you look on
these things from another standpoint. I failed to see that
anyone is to blame. I can hardly see how the
(37:43):
lady could have acted otherwise, though her abrupt method of
doing it was undoubtedly to be regretted. Having no mother,
she had no one to advise her at such a crisis.
It was a slight, Sir, a public slight, said Lord
Saint Diamond, tapping his fingers upon the table. You must
(38:03):
make allowance for this poor girl placed in so unprecedented
a position. I will make no allowance. I am very angry, indeed,
and I have been shamefully used. I think that I
heard a ring, said Holmes. Yes, there are steps on
the landing. If I cannot persuade you to take a
(38:25):
lenient view of the matter, Lord Saint Simon, I have
brought an advocate here who may be more successful. He
opened the door and ushered in a lady and gentleman.
Lord Saint Simon said, he allow me to introduce you
to mister and missus Francis hay Moulton. The lady, I
think you have already met. At the sight of these newcomers,
(38:49):
our client had sprung from his seat and stood very erect,
with his eyes cast down and his hand thrust into
the breast of his frock coat, a picture of offended dignity.
The lady had taken a quick step forward and had
held out her hand to him, but he still refused
to raise his eyes. It was as well for his resolution, perhaps,
(39:10):
for her pleading face was one which it was hard
to resist. You're angry, Robert said, she. Well, I guess
you have every cause to be pray. Make no apology
to me, said Lord Saint Simon bitterly. Oh, yes, I
know that I have treated you real bad, and that
(39:31):
I should have spoken to you before I went, But
I was kind of rattled, and from the time when
I saw Frank here again, I just didn't know what
I was doing or saying. I only wonder I didn't
fall down and do a faint right there before the altar. Perhaps,
missus Moulton, you would like my friend in me to
leave the room while you explain this matter, if I
(39:53):
may give an opinion, remarked the strange gentleman. We've just
had a little too much secret over this business already.
For my part, I should like all Europe and America
to hear the rights of it. He was a small, wiry,
sun burnt man, clean shaven, with a sharp face and
alert manner. Then I'll tell our story right away, said
(40:17):
the lady. Frank Here and I met in eighty four
in mc chuire's camp near the Rockies, where Pa was
working acclaim. We were engaged to each other, Frank and I.
But then one day Father struck a rich pocket and
made a pile, while poor frank Here had a claim
that petered out and came to nothing. The richer Pa grew,
(40:37):
the poorer was Frank. So at last Pau wouldn't hear
of our engagement lasting any longer, and he took me
away to Frisco. Frank wouldn't throw up his hand, though,
so he followed me there, and he saw me without
Pau knowing anything about it. It would only have made
him mad to know, so we just fixed it all
up for ourselves. Frank said that he would go and
(40:58):
make his pile too, and never come back to claim
me until he had as much as PA. So then
I promised to wait for him to the end of
time and pledge myself not to marry anyone else while
he lived. Why shouldn't we be married right away, then
said he, And then I will feel sure of you,
and I won't claim to be your husband until I
(41:19):
come back. Well, we talked it over, and he had
fixed it all up so nicely, with a clergyman already
in waiting, that we just did it right there. And
then Frank went off to seek his fortune, and I
went back to PA. The next I heard of Frank
was that he was in Montana, and then he went
prospecting in Arizona, and then I heard of him from
(41:41):
New Mexico. After that came a long newspaper story about
how a miner's camp had been attacked by Apache Indians,
and there was my Frank's name among the killed. I
fainted dead away, and I was very sick for months.
After PA thought I had a decline and took me
to half the doctors in frisk Not a word of
(42:01):
news came for a year, and more so that I
never doubted that Frank was really dead. Then Lord Saint
Simon came to Frisco, and we came to London, and
a marriage was arranged, and pob was very pleased. But
I felt all the time that no man on this
earth would ever take the place in my heart that
had been given to my poor Frank. Still, if I
(42:23):
had married Lord Saint Simon, of course I'd have done
my duty by him. We can't command our love, but
we can our actions. I went to the altar with
him with the intention to make him just as good
a wife as it was in me to be. But
you may imagine what I felt when, just as I
came to the altar rails, I glanced back and saw
(42:44):
Frank standing and looking at me out of the first pew.
I thought it was his ghost at first, but when
I looked again, there he was, still, with a kind
of question in his eyes, as if to ask me
whether I was glad or sorry to see him. I
wonder I didn't drop. I know that everything was turning round,
(43:04):
and the words of the clergyman were just like the
buzz of a bee in my ear. I didn't know
what to do. Should I stop the service and make
a scene in the church. I glanced at him again,
and he seemed to know what I was thinking, for
he raised his finger to his lips to tell me
to be still. Then I saw him scribble on a
piece of paper, and I knew that he was writing
(43:26):
me a note. As I passed his pew on the
way out, I dropped my bouquet over to him, and
he slipped the note into my hand. When he returned
me the flowers, it was only a line asking me
to join him. When he made the sign to me
to do so. Of course, I never doubted for a
moment that my first duty was now to him, and
I determined to do just whatever he might direct. When
(43:49):
I got back, I told my maid, who had known
him in California and had always been his friend. I
ordered her to say nothing but to get a few
things packed in my ulster. Ready. I know I ought
to have spoken to Lord Saint Simon, but it was dreadful,
hard before his mother and all those great people. I
just made up my mind to run away and explain afterwards.
(44:11):
I hadn't been at the table ten minutes before I
saw Frank out of the window at the other side
of the road. He beckoned to me and then began
walking into the park. I slipped out, put on my
things and followed him. Some woman came talking something or
other about Lord Saint Simon to me, seen to me
from the little I heard as if he had a
(44:31):
little secret of his own before marriage also, But I
managed to get away from her and soon overtook Frank.
We got into a cab together and away we drove
to some lodgings he had taken in Gordon Square. And
that was my true wedding. After all those years of waiting.
Frank had been a prisoner among the Apaches, had escaped,
(44:52):
come on to Frisco, found that I had given him
up for dead, and had gone to England, followed me
there and had come upon me at last on the
very morning of my second wedding. I saw it in
a paper, explained the American. It gave the name in
the church, but not where the lady lived. Then we
(45:12):
had a talk as to what we should do, and
Frank was all for openness, but I was so ashamed
of it all that I felt as if I should
like to vanish away and never see any of them again,
just sending a line to Pop, perhaps to show him
that I was alive. It was awful to me to
think of all those lords and ladies sitting round that
breakfast table and waiting for me to come back. So
(45:34):
Frank took my wedding clothes and things and made a
bundle of them so that I should not be traced,
and dropped them away somewhere where no one could find them.
It is likely that we should have gone on to
Paris tomorrow, only that this good gentleman, mister Holmes came
round to us this evening, though how he found us
is more than I can think. And he showed us
(45:54):
very clearly and kindly that I was wrong, and that
Frank was right, and that we should be putting ourselves
in the wrong if we were so secret. Then he
offered to give us a chance of talking to Lord
Saint Simon alone, and so we came right away round
to his rooms at once. Now, Robert, you have heard
it all, and I am very sorry if I have
(46:15):
given you pain, and I hope that you do not
think very meanly of me. Lord Saint Simon had by
no means relaxed his rigid attitude, but had listened with
a frowning brow and a compressed lip to this long narrative.
Excuse me, he said, but it is not my custom
to discuss my most intimate personal affairs in this public manner.
(46:39):
Then you won't forgive me. You won't shake hands before
I go. Oh, certainly, if it would give you any pleasure,
He put out his hand and coldly grasped that which
she extended to him. I had hoped, suggested Holmes, that
you would have joined us in a friendly supper. I
(47:01):
think that there you ask a little too much, responded
his lordship. I may be forced to acquiesce in these
recent developments, but I can hardly be expected to make
merry over them. I think that, with your permission, I
will now wish you all a very good night. He
included us all in a sweeping bow and stalked out
(47:23):
of the room. Then I trust that you at least
will honor me with your company, said Sherlock Holmes. It
is always a joy to meet in American mister Moolton.
For I am one of those who believe that the
folly of a monarch, and the blundering of a minister
in far gone years will not prevent our children from
being some day citizens of the same world wide country
(47:46):
under a flag which shall be a quartering of the
Union Jack with the stars and stripes. The case has
been an interesting one, remarked Holmes when our visitors had
left us, because it serves to show very clearly how
simple the explanation may be of an affair which, at
first sight seems to be almost inexplicable. Nothing could be
(48:09):
more natural than the sequence of events as narrated by
this lady, and nothing stranger than the result, when viewed,
for instance, by mister Lestrade of Scotland Yard. You were
not yourself at fault at all. Then, From the first
two facts were very obvious to me, the one that
the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony,
(48:31):
the other that she had repented of it within a
few minutes of returning home. Obviously something had occurred during
the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
What could that something be? She could not have spoken
to anyone when she was out, for she had been
in the company of the bridegroom had she seen someone, then,
(48:52):
if she had, it must be someone from America, because
she had spent so short a time in this country
that she could hardly have allowed any any one to
acquire so deep an influence over her that the mere
sight of him would induce her to change her plans
so completely. You see, we have already arrived, by a
process of exclusion, at the idea that she might have
(49:14):
seen an American. Then who could this American be, and
why should he possess so much influence over her? It
might be a lover, It might be a husband. Her
young womanhood had I knew, been spent in rough scenes
and under strange conditions, So far I had got before
I ever heard Lord Saint Simon's narrative, when he told
(49:37):
us of a man in a pew, of the change
in the bride's manner, of so transparent a device for
obtaining a note as the dropping of a bouquet, of
her resort to her confidential maid, and of her very
significant allusion to claim jumping, which in Miner's parlance means
taking possession of that which another person has the prior
(49:58):
claim to. The whole situation became absolutely clear she had
gone off with a man, and the man was either
a lover or a previous husband, the chances being in
favor of the latter. And how in the world did
you find them? It might have been difficult, but friend
Lestrade held information in his hands, the value of which
(50:22):
he did not himself know. The initials were, of course
of the highest importance. But more valuable still was it
to know that within a week he had settled his
bill at one of the most select London hotels. How
did you deduce the select by the select prices? Eight
shillings for a bed and eightpence for a glass of
(50:43):
sherry pointed to one of the most expensive hotels. There
are not many in London which charge at that rate.
In the second one, which I visited, in Northumberland Avenue,
I learned by an inspection of the book, that Francis H. Moulton,
an American gentlemen, had left only the day before, And
on looking over the entries against him, I came upon
(51:06):
the very items which I had seen in the duplicate bill.
His letters were to be forwarded to two twenty six
Gordon Square. So thither I traveled, and, being fortunate enough
to find the loving couple at home. I ventured to
give them some paternal advice, and to point out to
them that it would be better in every way that
(51:27):
they should make their position a little clearer, both to
the general public and to Lord Saint Simon. In particular.
I invited them to meet him here, and as you see,
I made him keep the appointment, but with no very
good result. I remarked, his conduct was certainly not very gracious,
(51:48):
Ah Watson, said Holmes, smiling. Perhaps you would not be
very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing
and wedding you found yourself deprived in an inn instant
of wife and of fortune. I think that we may
judge Lord Saint Simon very mercifully, and thank our stars
that we are never likely to find ourselves in the
(52:10):
same position. Draw your chair up and hand me by violin,
for the only problem we have still to solve is
how to while away these bleak autumnal evenings. End of
Adventure ten
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