May 15, 2025 • 37 mins
Dive into the final volume of Arthur Conan Doyles detective stories, where he bids a heartfelt farewell to his most renowned creation - Sherlock Holmes. These eclectic tales span different stages of Holmess life, including his retirement, and are narrated from varying perspectives, including Watson, Holmes, and an omnipotent narrator. While many stories showcase Holmess famed deductive reasoning, others highlight lesser-known aspects of his character, such as his compassion, empathy, and sense of humor. His rapport with Dr. Watson, while occasionally blunt, is marked by kindness, affection, and professional respect, painting a portrait of a profound and intricate friendship that captivates readers. (Summary by T. A. Copeland).
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section four of the case Book of Sherlock Holmes by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in the
public domain. Read by Thomas Copeland, Story four, The Adventure
of the Three Gables. I don't think that any of
my adventures with mister Sherlock Holmes opened quite so abruptly
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or so dramatically as that which I associate with the
Three Gables. I had not seen Holmes for some days,
and had no idea of the new channel into which
his activities had been directed. He was in a chatty
mood that morning, however, and had just settled me into
the well worn low arm chair on one side of
the fire, while he had curled down with his pipe
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in his mouth, upon the opposite chair. When our visitor arrived.
If I had said that a mad bull had arrived,
it would give a clearer impression of what occurred. The
door had flown open, and a huge negro had burst
into the room. He would have been a comic figure
if he had not been terrific, for he was dressed
in a very loud gray check suit with a flowing
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salmon colored tie. His broad face and flattened nose were
thrust forward as his sullen, dark eyes with a smoldering
gleam of malice in them, turned from one of us
to the other. Which of you, gentlemen, is Masser Holmes,
he asked. Holmes raised his pipe with a languid smile.
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Oh it's you, is it, said our visitor, coming with
an unpleasant, stealthy step round the angle of the table.
See here, Masser Holmes. You keep your hands out of
other folks business. Leave folks to manage their own affairs.
Got that, Master Holmes, Keep on talking, said Holmes. It's fine.
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Oh it's fine, is it? Growled the savage. It won't
be so damn fine if I have to trim you
up a bit. I've handled your kind before, and they
didn't look fine when I was through with them. Look
at that, master Holmes. He swung a huge, knotted lump
of a fist under my friend's nose. Holmes examined it
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closely with an air of great interest. Were you born,
so he asked? Or did it come by degrees? It
may have been the icy coolness of my friend, or
it may have been the slight clatter which I made
as I picked up the poker in any case, our
visitor's manner became less flamboyant. Well, I've given you fair warning,
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said he. I've a friend that's interested out Harroway. You
know what I'm meaning, and he don't intend to have
no button in by You got that you ain't the
law and I ain't the law either, And if you
come in, I'll be on hand also, don't you forget it.
I've wanted to meet you for some time, said Holmes.
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I won't ask you to sit down, for I don't
like the smell of you. But aren't you Steve Dixie
the bruiser. That's my name, Mas Holmes. And you'll get
put through it for sure if you give me any lip.
It is certainly the last thing you need, said Holmes,
staring at our visitor's hideous mouth. But it was the
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killing of young Perkins outside the Hoburn bar. What you're
not going? The negro had sprung back and his face
was leaden. I won't listen to no such talk, said he.
What have I to do with this here, Perkins? Matter? Holmes?
I was trainin' of the bull ring in Birmingham when
this boy dun gone get get into trouble. Yes, you'll
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tell the magistrate about it, Steve said, Holmes. I've been
watching you and Barney Stockdale, so help me the lord,
Master Holmes. That's enough, get out of it. I'll pick
you up when I want you. Good mornin', Master Holmes.
I hope there ain't any hard feelin's about the here visit.
There will be unless you tell me who sent you why.
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There ain't no secret about that, Master Holmes. It was
the same gentleman that you've just got done, mention, and
who set him on to it? Selp me, I don't know,
Master Holmes. He just says, Steve, you go see Master
Holmes and tell him his life ain't safe if he
go down Harroway, that's the whole truth. Without waiting for
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any further questioning, our visitor bolted out of the room
almost as precipitately as he had entered. Holmes knocked out
the ashes of his pipe with a quiet chuckle. I
am glad you were not forced to break his wooly head. Watson.
I observed your maneuvers with the poker. But he is
really rather a harmless fellow, a great muscular, foolish, blustering baby,
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and easily cowed. As you have seen, he is one
of the Spencer John gang and has taken part in
some dirty work of late, which I may clear up
when I have time. His immediate principle, Barney, is a
more astute person. They specialize in assault's, intimidation and the like.
What I want to know is who is at the
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back of them on this particular occasion. But why would
they want to intimidate you? It is this harrow Wheeld case.
It decides me to look into the matter, for if
it is worth any once while to take so much trouble,
there must be something in it. But what is it?
I was going to tell you when we had this
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comic interlude. Here is missus Maybley's note. If you care
to come with me, we will wire her and go
out at once. Dear mister Sherlock Holmes, I read I
have had a succession of strange incidents occur to me
in connection with this house, and I should much value
your advice. You would find me at home any time
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to morrow. The house is within a short walk of
the wheeled station. I believe that my late husband, Mortimer Mayberly,
was one of your early clients. Yours faithfully, Mary Maberly.
The address was the three Gables, Harrow Wheeld. So that's that,
said Holmes. And now, if you can spare the time, Watson,
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we will get upon our way. A short railway journey
and a shorter drive brought us to the house, a
brick and timber villa standing in its own acre of
undeveloped grassland. Three small projections above the upper windows made
a feeble attempt to justify its name. Behind was a
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grove of melancholy half grown pines, and the whole aspect
of the place was poor and depressing. None the less,
we found the house to be well furnished, and the
lady who received us was a most engaging elderly person
who bore every mark of refinement and culture. I remember
your husband well, madam, said Holmes, though it is some
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years since he used my services in some trifling matter.
Probably you would be more familiar with the name of
my son, Douglas. Holmes looked at her with great interest.
Dear me, are you the mother of Douglas Maberley. I
knew him slightly, but of course all London knew him.
What a magnificent creature he was. Where is he now dead,
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mister Holmes, dead. He was at a shay at rome
and he died there of pneumonia last month. I am
sorry one could not connect death with such a man.
I have never known any one so vitally alive. He
lived intensely, every fiber of him too intensely, mister Holmes,
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that was the ruin of him. You remember him as
he was debonair and splendid. You did not see the moody, morose,
brooding creature into which he developed. His heart was broken.
In a single month, I seemed to see my gallant
boy turn into a worn out, cynical man, a love affair,
a woman, or a fiend. Well, it was not to
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talk of my poor lad that I asked you to come,
mister Holmes. Doctor Watson and I are at your service.
There have been some very strange happenings. I have been
in this house more than a year now, and as
I wished to lead a retired life, I have seen
little of my neighbors. Three days ago I had a
call from a man who said that he was a
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house agent. He said that this house would exactly suit
a client of his, and that if I would part
with it, money would be no object. It seemed to
me very strange, as there are several empty houses on
the market which appear to be equally eligible. But naturally
I was interested in what he said. I therefore named
a price which was five hundred pounds more than I gave.
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He at once closed with the offer, but added that
his client desired to buy the furniture as well, and
would I put a price upon it. Some of this
furniture is from my old home, and it is, as
you see, very good, so that I named a good
round sum to this also. He at once agreed. I
had always wanted to travel, and the bargain was so
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good one that it really seemed that I should be
my own mistress for the rest of my life. Yesterday
the man arrived with the agreement all drawn out. Luckily
I showed it to mister Sutro, my lawyer, who lives
in Harrow. He said to me, this is a very
strange document. Are you aware that if you sign it
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you could not legally take anything out of the house,
not even your own private possessions. When the man came
again in the evening, I pointed this out and said
that I meant only to sell the furniture. No, no, everything,
said he, but my clothes, my jewels. Well, well, some
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concession might be made for your personal effects, but nothing
shall go out of the house unchecked. My client is
a very liberal man, but he has his fads and
his own way of doing things. It is everything or
nothing with him, then it must be nothing, said I.
And there the matter was left. But the whole thing
seemed to me so unusual that I thought, here we
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had a very extraordinary interruption. Holmes raised his hand for silence.
Then he strode across the room, flung open the door,
and dragged in a great, gaunt woman, whom he had
seized by the shoulder. She entered with ungainly struggles, like
some huge awkward chicken torn squawking out of its coop.
Leave me alone. Why are you do enough, she screeched, Why, Susan,
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what is this? Well, ma'am, I was coming in to
ask if the visitors was staying for lunch when this
man jumped out at me. I have been listening to
her for the last five minutes, but did not wish
to interrupt your most interesting narrative. Just a little wheezy, Susan,
Are you not you breathed too heavily for that kind
of work. Susan turned a sulky but amazed face upon
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her captor. Who be you, anyhow? And what right have
you a pullin me about like this? It was merely
that I wished to ask a question in your presence.
Did you, missus Maberley mention to any one that you
were going to write to me and consult me? No,
mister Holmes, I did not. Who posted your letter, Susan
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did exactly? Now, Susan, to whom was it that you
wrote or sent a message to say that your mistress
was asking advice from me? It's a lie. I sent
no message, now, Susan. We see people may not live long.
You know. It's a wicked thing to tell Fibbs. Whom
did you tell? Susan, cried her mistress. I believe you
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are a bad, treacherous woman. I remember now that I
saw you speaking to some one over the hedge. That
must my own business, said the woman, sullenly. Suppose I
tell you that it was Barney Stockdale to whom you spoke,
said Holmes. Well, if you know, what do you want
to ask for? I was not sure, but I know
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now well, now, Susan, it will be worth ten pounds
to you if you will tell me who is at
the back of Barney, some one that could lay down
a thousand pounds for every ten you have in the world.
So a rich man, and no, you smiled, a rich woman.
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Now we have got so far. You may as well
give me the name and earn the tenor I'll see
you in hell first. Oh Susan, language, I'm clearing out
of here. I've had enough of you all. I'll send
for a box tomorrow. She flounced for the door. Good Bye, Susan.
Paregoric is the stuff now, he continued, turning suddenly from
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lively to severe when the door had closed behind the
flushed and angry woman. This gang means business. Look how
close they play the game. Your letter to me had
the ten p m post mark, and yet Susan passes
the word to Barney. Barney has time to go to
his employer and get instructions. He or she I inclined
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to the latter from Susan's grin. When she thought I
had blundered forms a plan. Black Steve is called in
and I am warned off by eleven o'clock next morning.
That's quick work, you know. But what do they want? Yes,
that's the question. Who had the house before you? A
retired sea captain called Ferguson. Anything remarkable about him, not
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that I ever heard of. I was wondering whether he
could have buried something. Of course, when people bury treasure
nowadays they do it in the post office bank. But
there are always some lunatics about. It would be a
dull world without them. At first I thought of some
buried valuable. But why in that case should they want
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your furniture. You don't happen to have a Raphael or
a first folio Shakespeare without knowing it. No, I don't
think I have anything rarer than a Crown Darby tea set.
That would hardly justify all this mystery. Besides, why should
they not openly state what they want? If they covet
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your tea set, they can surely offer a price for
it without buying you out lock, stock and barrel. No,
as I read it, there is something which you do
not know that you have, and which you would not
give up if you did know. That is how I
read it, said I. Doctor Watson agreed, So that settles it. Well,
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mister Holmes, what can it be? Let us see whether
by this purely mental analysis we can get it to
a finer point. You have been in this house a
year nearly two. All the better during this long period
no one wants anything from you. Now suddenly, within three
or four days you have urgent demands. What would you
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gather from that? It can only mean, said I, that
the object, whatever it may be, has only just come
into the house. Settled once again, said Holmes, Now, missus maberly,
has any object just arrived? No, I have bought nothing
new this year. Indeed, that is very remarkable. Well, I
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think we had best let matters develop a little further
until we have clearer data. Is that lawyer of yours
a capable man? Mister Sutro is most capable. Have you
another maid or was the fair Susan who has just
banged your front door alone? I have a young girl.
Try and get Sacho to spend a night or two
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in the house. You might possibly want protection against whom
who knows the matter is certainly obscure. If I can't
find what they are after, I must approach the matter
from the other end and try to get at the principle.
Did this house agent man give any dress, simply his
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card and occupation Haines Johnson, auctioneer and valuer. I don't
think we shall find him in the directory. Honest business
men don't conceal their place of business. Well, you will
let me know any fresh development. I have taken up
your case, and you may rely upon it that I
shall see it through. As we passed through the hall,
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Holmes's eyes, which missed nothing, lighted upon several trunks and
cases which were piled in the corner. The labels shone
out upon them Milano Lucerne. These are from Italy. They
are poor Douglas as things. You have not unpacked them.
How long have you had them? They arrived last week?
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But you said, why, surely this must be the missing link.
How do we know that there is not something of
value there? There could not possibly be, mister Holmes. Poor
Douglas had only his pay and a small and new
What could he have of value? Holmes was lost in thought.
Delay no longer missus Maberley, who said, at last, have
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these things taken upstairs to your bedroom. Examine them as
soon as possible, and see what they contain. I will
come tomorrow and hear your report. It was quite evident
that the Three Gables was under very close surveillance. For
as we came round the high hedge at the end
of the lane, there was the Negro prize fighter standing
in the shadow. We came upon him quite suddenly, and
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a grim and menacing figure. He looked in that lonely place.
Holmes clapped his hand to his pocket, looking for your gun,
Master Holmes, No for my scent motel, Steve, you are funny,
Master Holmes, ain't you? It won't be funny for you, Steve,
if I get after you. I gave you fair warning
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this morning. Well, Master Holmes, I don't think over what
you said, and I don't want no more or talk
about that affair of Master Perkins. Suppose I can help you,
Master Holmes, I will well, then tell me who is
behind you on this job, So help me the Lord
Masser Holmes, I told you the truth before. I don't know.
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My boss Barney gives me orders and that's all. Well.
Just bear in mind, Steve, that the lady in that
house and everything under that roof is under my protection.
Don't you forget it? All right, Master Holmes, I'll remember
I've got him thoroughly frightened for his own skin. Watson,
Holmes remarked, as we walked on, I think he would
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double cross his employer if he knew who he was.
It was lucky I had some knowledge of the spencer
John Crowd, and that Steve was one of them. Now, Watson,
this is a case for Langdale Pike, and I am
going to see him now. When I get back, I
may be clearer in the matter. I saw no more
of Holmes during the day, but I could well imagine
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how he spent it. For Langdale was his human book
of reference upon all matters of social scandal. This strange,
languid creature spent his waking hours in the bow window
of a Saint James's Street club, and was the receiving
station as well as the transmitter for all the gossip
of the metropolis. He made, it was said, a four
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figure income by the paragraphs which he contributed every week
to the garbage papers, which cater for an inquisitive public.
If ever, far down in the turbid depths of London
life there was some strange swirl or eddy. It was
marked with automatic exactness by this human dial upon the
surface Holmes discreetly helped Langdale to knowledge, and on occasion
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was helped in turn. When I met my friend in
his room early next morning, I was conscious from his
bearing that all was well, but none the less, a
most unpleasant surprise was awaiting us. It took the shape
of the following telegram, Please come out at once, clients
house burgled in the night, police in possession. Sutro Holmes whistled.
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The drama has come to a crisis, and quicker than
I had expected. There is a great driving power at
the back of this business, Watson, which does not surprise
me after what I have heard. This sucho, of course,
is her lawyer. I made a mistake, I fear in
not asking you to spend the night on guard. This
fellow has clearly proved a broken reed. Well, there is
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nothing for it but another journey to Harrow Wheeld. We
found the Three Gables a very different establishment to the
orderly household of the previous day. A small group of
idlers had assembled at the garden gate, while a couple
of constables were examining the windows and the geranium beds. Within.
We met a gray old gentleman who introduced himself as
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the lawyer, together with a bustling rubicunt inspector who greeted
Holmes as an old friend. Well, mister Holmes, no check
answer for you in this case, I'm afraid just a common,
ordinary burglary and well within the capacity of the poor
old police. No experts need apply. I am sure the
case is in very good hands, said Holmes. Merely a
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common burglary, you say, quite so. We know pretty well
who the men are and where to find them. It
is that gang of Barney Stockdale with a big nigger
in it. They've been seen about here. Excellent. What did
they get? Well, they don't seem to have got much.
Missus Maberly was chloroformed, and the house was Ah, here's
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the lady herself, our friend of yesterday, looking very pale
and ill, had entered the room leaning upon a little
maid servant. You gave me good advice, mister Holmes, said, she,
smiling ruefully. Alas I did not take it. I did
not wish to trouble mister Sutrow, and so I was unprotected.
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I only heard of it this morning, the lawyer explained.
Mister Holmes advised me to have some friend in the house.
I neglected his advice, and I have paid for it.
You look wretchedly ill, said Holmes. Perhaps you are hardly
equal to telling me what occurred. It is all here,
said the inspector, tapping a bulky note book. Still, if
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the lady is not too exhausted, there is really so
little to tell. I have no doubt that wicked Susan
had planned an entrance for them. They must have known
the house to an inch. I was conscious for a
moment of the chloroform rag which was thrust over my mouth,
but I have no notion how long I may have
been senseless. When I woke, one man was at the bedside,
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and another was rising with a bundle in his hand
from among my son's baggage, which was partially opened and
glittered over the floor. Before he could get away, I
sprang up and seized him. You took a big risk,
said the inspector. I clung to him, but he shook
me off, and the other may have struck me, for
I can remember no more. Mary the maid heard the
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noise and began screaming out of the window. That brought
the police. But the rascals had got away. What did
they take? Well, I don't think there is anything of
value missing. I am sure there was nothing in my
son's trunks. Did the men leave no clue? There was
one sheet of paper, which I may have torn from
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the man that I grasped. It was lying all crumpled
on the floor. It is in my son's handwriting, which
means that it is not of much use, said the inspector.
Now if it had been in the burglars exactly, said Holmes,
what rugged common sense? None the less, I should be
curious to see it. The inspector drew a folded sheet
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of fool's cap from his pocket book. I never pass anything,
however trifling, said he, with some pupacity. That is my
advice to you, mister Holmes. In twenty five years experience,
I have learned my lesson. There is always the chance
of finger marks or something. Holmes inspected the sheet of paper.
What do you make of it, Inspector, seems to be
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the end of some queer novel. So far as I
can see, it may certainly prove to be the end
of a queer tale, said Holmes. You have noticed the
number on the top of the page. It is two
hundred and forty five. Where are the two hundred and
forty four pages. Well, I suppose the burglars got those,
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much good may it do them? It seems a queer
thing to break into a house in order to steal
such papers as that. Does it suggest anything to you, Inspector, Yes, sir,
it suggests that, in their hurry, the rascals just grabbed
what first came to hand. I wish them joy what
they got. Why should they go to my son's things,
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asked missus Maberley. Well, they found nothing valuable downstairs, so
they tried their lock up stairs. That is how I
read it. What do you make of it, mister Holmes,
I must think it over, Inspector, come to the window. Watson. Then,
as we stood together, he read over the fragment of paper.
It began in the middle of a sentence and ran
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like this. Face bled considerably from the cuts and blows,
but it was nothing to the bleeding of his heart.
As he saw that lovely face, the face for which
he had been prepared to sacrifice his very life, looking
out at his agony and humiliation, she smiled, Yes, by Heaven,
she smiled like the heartless fiend she was. As he
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looked up at her It was at that moment that
love died and hate was born. Man must live for something.
If it is not for your embrace, my lady, then
it shall surely be for your undoing and my complete
revenge queer Grammar, said Holmes with a smile as he
handed the paper back to the inspector. Did you notice
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how the he said the change to my the writer
was so carried away by his own story that he
imagined himself, at the supreme moment to be the hero.
It seemed mighty poor stuff, said the inspector as he
replaced it in his book. What are you off, mister Holmes.
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I don't think there is anything more for me to do,
now that the case is in such capable hands. By
the way, missus Maberley, did you say you wished to travel?
It has always been my dream, mister Holmes. Where would
you like to go? Cairo, Adeira, the Riviera? Oh? If
I had the money, I would go round the world.
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Quite so, round the world? Well, good morning, I may
drop you a line in the evening. As we passed
the window, I caught a glimpse of the Inspector's smile
and shake of the head. These clever fellows have always
a touch of madness. That was what I read in
the inspector's smile. Now, Watson, we are at the last
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lap of our little journey, said Holmes, when we were
back in the roar of central London once more. I
think we had best clear the matter up at once,
and it would be well that you should come with me,
for it is safer to have a witness when you
were dealing with such a lady as Isidora Kleine. We
had taken a cab and were speeding to some address
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in Grosvenor Square. Holmes had been sunk in thought, but
he roused himself suddenly. By the way, Watson, I suppose
you see it all clearly? No, I can't say that
I do. I only gather that we are going to
see the lady who is behind all this mischief exactly.
But does the name Isidore Klein convey nothing to you?
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She was, of course, the celebrated beauty. There was never
a woman to touch her. She is pure Spanish, the
real blood of the masterful conquistadores, and her people have
been leaders in Pernambucco for generations. She married the aged
German cho King Kleine and presently found herself the richest
as well as the most lovely widow upon earth. Then
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there was an interval of adventure when she pleased her
own tastes. She had several lovers, and Douglas Maberley, one
of the most striking men in London, was one of them.
It was, by all accounts, more than an adventure with him.
He was not a social butterfly, but a strong, proud
man who gave and expected all. But she is the
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Beldame Saint Mercy of fiction. When her caprices satisfied, the
matter is ended. And if the other party in the
matter can't take her word for it, she knows how
to bring it home to him. Then that was his
own story. Ah, you are piecing it together now. I
hear that she is about to marry the young Duke
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of Lomond, who might almost be her son. Is Grace's
ma might overlook the age, but a big scandal would
be a different matter. So it is imperative. Ah, here
we are. It was one of the finest corner houses
at the West End. A machine like footman took up
our cards and returned with word that the lady was
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not at home. Then we shall wait until she is,
said Holmes cheerfully. The machine broke down. Not at home
means not at home to you, said the footman. Good
Holmes answered, that means that we shall not have to wait. Kindly,
give this note to your mistress. He scribbled three or
four words upon a sheet of his note book, folded
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it and handed it to the man. What did you say, Holmes,
i asked, I simply wrote, Shall it be the police?
Then I think that should pass us in It did,
with amazing celerity. A minute later we were in an
Arabian night's drawing room, vast and wonderful, in a half gloom,
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picked out with an occasional pink electric light. The lady
had come, I felt, to that time of life when
even the proudest beauty finds the half light more welcome.
She rose from a settee as we entered. Tall queen
lay a perfect figure, a lovely mask like face, with
two wonderful Spanish eyes which looked murder at us. Both
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what is this intrusion and this insulting message? She asked,
holding up the slip of paper. I need not explain, madame.
I have too much respect for your intelligence. To do so,
though I confess that intelligence has been surprisingly at fault
of late. How so, sir, by supposing that your hired
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bullies could frighten me from my work, Surely no man
would take up my profession if it were not that
danger attracts him. It was you, then, who forced me
to examine the case of young Maberley. I have no
idea what you are talking about. What have I to
do with hired bullies? Holmes turned away wearily. Yes, yes,
(31:00):
I have underrated your intelligence. Well, good afternoon. Stop. Where
are you going to Scotland yard. We had not got
half way to the door before she had overtaken us
and was holding his arm. She had turned in a
moment from steel to velvet. Come and sit down, gentlemen,
let us talk this matter over. I feel that I
(31:22):
may be frank with you, mister Holmes. You have the
feelings of a gentleman. How quick a woman's instinct is
to find it out. I will treat you as a friend.
I cannot promise to reciprocate, Madame. I am not the law,
but I represent justice so far as my feeble powers go.
I am ready to listen, and then I will tell
(31:43):
you how I will act. No doubt, it was foolish
of me to threaten a brave man like yourself. What
was really foolish, madame, is that you have placed yourself
in the power of a band of rascals who may
blackmail or give you away. No, no, I am not
so simple. Since I have promised to be frank, I
(32:05):
may say that no one save Barney Stockdale and Susan
his wife, have the least idea who their employer is.
As to them, well, it is not the first. She
smiled and nodded with a charming, coquettish intimacy. I see
you have tested them before. They are good hounds who
(32:25):
run silent. Such hounds have away sooner or later a
biting the hand that feeds them. They will be arrested
for this burglary. The police are already after them. They
will take what comes to them. That is what they
are paid for. I shall not appear in the matter
unless I bring you into it. No, no, you would not.
(32:47):
You are a gentleman. It is a woman's secret. In
the first place, you must give back this manuscript. She
broke into a ripple of laughter and walked to the fireplace.
There was a calcined mass, which she broke up with
the poker. Shall I give this back? She asked, So
groguish and exquisite did she look as she stood before
(33:11):
us with a challenging smile that I felt of all
Holmes's criminals, this was the one whom he would find
it hardest to face. However, he was immune from sentiment
that seals your fate, he said coldly. You are very
prompt in your actions, madame, but you have overdone it
on this occasion. She threw the poker down with a clatter.
(33:35):
How hard you are, she cried. May I tell you
the whole story? I fancy I could tell it to you,
but you must look at it with my eyes. Mister Holmes,
You must realize it from the point of view of
a woman who sees all her life's ambition about to
be ruined at the last moment. Is such a woman
to be blamed if she protects herself? The original sin
(33:59):
was yours. Yes, yes, I admit it. He was a
dear boy, Douglas, but it so chanced that he could
not fit into my plans. He wanted marriage, marriage, mister Holmes,
with a penniless commoner, nothing less would serve him. Then
he became pertinacious. Because I had given. He seemed to
(34:21):
think that I still must give, and to him only
it was intolerable. At last I had to make him
realize it by hiring ruffians to beat him under your
own window. You do, indeed seem to know everything. Well,
it is true Barney and the boys drove him away,
and were I admit a little ruff in doing so.
(34:43):
But what did he do? Then? Could I have believed
that a gentleman would do such an act? He wrote
a book in which he described his own story. I,
of course was the wolf, he the lamb. It was
all there under different names, of course, But who in
all London would have failed to recognize it? What do
(35:04):
you say to that, mister Holmes? Well, he was within
his rights. It was as if the air of Italy
had got into his blood and brought with it the
old cruel Italian spirit. He wrote to me and sent
me a copy of his book, that I might have
the torture of anticipation. There were two copies, he said,
one for me, one for his publisher. How did you
(35:26):
know the publishers had not reached him? I knew who
his publisher was. It is not his only novel, you know.
I found out that he had not heard from Italy.
Then came Douglas's sudden death. So long as that other
manuscript was in the world, there was no safety for me.
Of course, it must be among his effects, and these
(35:49):
would be returned to his mother. I set the gang
at work. One of them got into the house as serpent.
I wanted to do the thing. Honestly, I really and
truly did. I was ready to buy the house and
everything in it. I offered any price she cared to ask.
I only tried the other way when everything else had failed. Now,
(36:10):
mister Holmes, granting that I was too hard on Douglas,
and God knows I am sorry for it. What else
could I do with my whole future at stake? Sherlock
Holmes shrugged his shoulders. Well, well, said he. I suppose
I shall have to compound a felony as usual. How
much does it cost to go round the world in
(36:32):
first class style? The lady stared in amazement. Could it
be done on five thousand pounds? Well, I should think so. Indeed,
very good. I think you will sign me a check
for that, and I will see that it comes to
missus Maberley. You owe her a little change of air meantime. Lady,
(36:53):
he wagged a cautionary forefinger, Have a care, Have a care.
You can't play with edged two forever without cutting those
dainty hands. End of the Three Gables,
Section four of the case Book of Sherlock Holmes by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in the
public domain. Read by Thomas Copeland, Story four, The Adventure
of the Three Gables. I don't think that any of
my adventures with mister Sherlock Holmes opened quite so abruptly
(00:22):
or so dramatically as that which I associate with the
Three Gables. I had not seen Holmes for some days,
and had no idea of the new channel into which
his activities had been directed. He was in a chatty
mood that morning, however, and had just settled me into
the well worn low arm chair on one side of
the fire, while he had curled down with his pipe
(00:43):
in his mouth, upon the opposite chair. When our visitor arrived.
If I had said that a mad bull had arrived,
it would give a clearer impression of what occurred. The
door had flown open, and a huge negro had burst
into the room. He would have been a comic figure
if he had not been terrific, for he was dressed
in a very loud gray check suit with a flowing
(01:05):
salmon colored tie. His broad face and flattened nose were
thrust forward as his sullen, dark eyes with a smoldering
gleam of malice in them, turned from one of us
to the other. Which of you, gentlemen, is Masser Holmes,
he asked. Holmes raised his pipe with a languid smile.
(01:26):
Oh it's you, is it, said our visitor, coming with
an unpleasant, stealthy step round the angle of the table.
See here, Masser Holmes. You keep your hands out of
other folks business. Leave folks to manage their own affairs.
Got that, Master Holmes, Keep on talking, said Holmes. It's fine.
(01:47):
Oh it's fine, is it? Growled the savage. It won't
be so damn fine if I have to trim you
up a bit. I've handled your kind before, and they
didn't look fine when I was through with them. Look
at that, master Holmes. He swung a huge, knotted lump
of a fist under my friend's nose. Holmes examined it
(02:07):
closely with an air of great interest. Were you born,
so he asked? Or did it come by degrees? It
may have been the icy coolness of my friend, or
it may have been the slight clatter which I made
as I picked up the poker in any case, our
visitor's manner became less flamboyant. Well, I've given you fair warning,
(02:30):
said he. I've a friend that's interested out Harroway. You
know what I'm meaning, and he don't intend to have
no button in by You got that you ain't the
law and I ain't the law either, And if you
come in, I'll be on hand also, don't you forget it.
I've wanted to meet you for some time, said Holmes.
(02:51):
I won't ask you to sit down, for I don't
like the smell of you. But aren't you Steve Dixie
the bruiser. That's my name, Mas Holmes. And you'll get
put through it for sure if you give me any lip.
It is certainly the last thing you need, said Holmes,
staring at our visitor's hideous mouth. But it was the
(03:12):
killing of young Perkins outside the Hoburn bar. What you're
not going? The negro had sprung back and his face
was leaden. I won't listen to no such talk, said he.
What have I to do with this here, Perkins? Matter? Holmes?
I was trainin' of the bull ring in Birmingham when
this boy dun gone get get into trouble. Yes, you'll
(03:33):
tell the magistrate about it, Steve said, Holmes. I've been
watching you and Barney Stockdale, so help me the lord,
Master Holmes. That's enough, get out of it. I'll pick
you up when I want you. Good mornin', Master Holmes.
I hope there ain't any hard feelin's about the here visit.
There will be unless you tell me who sent you why.
(03:54):
There ain't no secret about that, Master Holmes. It was
the same gentleman that you've just got done, mention, and
who set him on to it? Selp me, I don't know,
Master Holmes. He just says, Steve, you go see Master
Holmes and tell him his life ain't safe if he
go down Harroway, that's the whole truth. Without waiting for
(04:14):
any further questioning, our visitor bolted out of the room
almost as precipitately as he had entered. Holmes knocked out
the ashes of his pipe with a quiet chuckle. I
am glad you were not forced to break his wooly head. Watson.
I observed your maneuvers with the poker. But he is
really rather a harmless fellow, a great muscular, foolish, blustering baby,
(04:38):
and easily cowed. As you have seen, he is one
of the Spencer John gang and has taken part in
some dirty work of late, which I may clear up
when I have time. His immediate principle, Barney, is a
more astute person. They specialize in assault's, intimidation and the like.
What I want to know is who is at the
(04:59):
back of them on this particular occasion. But why would
they want to intimidate you? It is this harrow Wheeld case.
It decides me to look into the matter, for if
it is worth any once while to take so much trouble,
there must be something in it. But what is it?
I was going to tell you when we had this
(05:20):
comic interlude. Here is missus Maybley's note. If you care
to come with me, we will wire her and go
out at once. Dear mister Sherlock Holmes, I read I
have had a succession of strange incidents occur to me
in connection with this house, and I should much value
your advice. You would find me at home any time
(05:43):
to morrow. The house is within a short walk of
the wheeled station. I believe that my late husband, Mortimer Mayberly,
was one of your early clients. Yours faithfully, Mary Maberly.
The address was the three Gables, Harrow Wheeld. So that's that,
said Holmes. And now, if you can spare the time, Watson,
(06:04):
we will get upon our way. A short railway journey
and a shorter drive brought us to the house, a
brick and timber villa standing in its own acre of
undeveloped grassland. Three small projections above the upper windows made
a feeble attempt to justify its name. Behind was a
(06:24):
grove of melancholy half grown pines, and the whole aspect
of the place was poor and depressing. None the less,
we found the house to be well furnished, and the
lady who received us was a most engaging elderly person
who bore every mark of refinement and culture. I remember
your husband well, madam, said Holmes, though it is some
(06:45):
years since he used my services in some trifling matter.
Probably you would be more familiar with the name of
my son, Douglas. Holmes looked at her with great interest.
Dear me, are you the mother of Douglas Maberley. I
knew him slightly, but of course all London knew him.
What a magnificent creature he was. Where is he now dead,
(07:09):
mister Holmes, dead. He was at a shay at rome
and he died there of pneumonia last month. I am
sorry one could not connect death with such a man.
I have never known any one so vitally alive. He
lived intensely, every fiber of him too intensely, mister Holmes,
(07:29):
that was the ruin of him. You remember him as
he was debonair and splendid. You did not see the moody, morose,
brooding creature into which he developed. His heart was broken.
In a single month, I seemed to see my gallant
boy turn into a worn out, cynical man, a love affair,
a woman, or a fiend. Well, it was not to
(07:54):
talk of my poor lad that I asked you to come,
mister Holmes. Doctor Watson and I are at your service.
There have been some very strange happenings. I have been
in this house more than a year now, and as
I wished to lead a retired life, I have seen
little of my neighbors. Three days ago I had a
call from a man who said that he was a
(08:16):
house agent. He said that this house would exactly suit
a client of his, and that if I would part
with it, money would be no object. It seemed to
me very strange, as there are several empty houses on
the market which appear to be equally eligible. But naturally
I was interested in what he said. I therefore named
a price which was five hundred pounds more than I gave.
(08:38):
He at once closed with the offer, but added that
his client desired to buy the furniture as well, and
would I put a price upon it. Some of this
furniture is from my old home, and it is, as
you see, very good, so that I named a good
round sum to this also. He at once agreed. I
had always wanted to travel, and the bargain was so
(08:59):
good one that it really seemed that I should be
my own mistress for the rest of my life. Yesterday
the man arrived with the agreement all drawn out. Luckily
I showed it to mister Sutro, my lawyer, who lives
in Harrow. He said to me, this is a very
strange document. Are you aware that if you sign it
(09:20):
you could not legally take anything out of the house,
not even your own private possessions. When the man came
again in the evening, I pointed this out and said
that I meant only to sell the furniture. No, no, everything,
said he, but my clothes, my jewels. Well, well, some
(09:40):
concession might be made for your personal effects, but nothing
shall go out of the house unchecked. My client is
a very liberal man, but he has his fads and
his own way of doing things. It is everything or
nothing with him, then it must be nothing, said I.
And there the matter was left. But the whole thing
seemed to me so unusual that I thought, here we
(10:03):
had a very extraordinary interruption. Holmes raised his hand for silence.
Then he strode across the room, flung open the door,
and dragged in a great, gaunt woman, whom he had
seized by the shoulder. She entered with ungainly struggles, like
some huge awkward chicken torn squawking out of its coop.
Leave me alone. Why are you do enough, she screeched, Why, Susan,
(10:28):
what is this? Well, ma'am, I was coming in to
ask if the visitors was staying for lunch when this
man jumped out at me. I have been listening to
her for the last five minutes, but did not wish
to interrupt your most interesting narrative. Just a little wheezy, Susan,
Are you not you breathed too heavily for that kind
of work. Susan turned a sulky but amazed face upon
(10:53):
her captor. Who be you, anyhow? And what right have
you a pullin me about like this? It was merely
that I wished to ask a question in your presence.
Did you, missus Maberley mention to any one that you
were going to write to me and consult me? No,
mister Holmes, I did not. Who posted your letter, Susan
(11:14):
did exactly? Now, Susan, to whom was it that you
wrote or sent a message to say that your mistress
was asking advice from me? It's a lie. I sent
no message, now, Susan. We see people may not live long.
You know. It's a wicked thing to tell Fibbs. Whom
did you tell? Susan, cried her mistress. I believe you
(11:39):
are a bad, treacherous woman. I remember now that I
saw you speaking to some one over the hedge. That
must my own business, said the woman, sullenly. Suppose I
tell you that it was Barney Stockdale to whom you spoke,
said Holmes. Well, if you know, what do you want
to ask for? I was not sure, but I know
(12:00):
now well, now, Susan, it will be worth ten pounds
to you if you will tell me who is at
the back of Barney, some one that could lay down
a thousand pounds for every ten you have in the world.
So a rich man, and no, you smiled, a rich woman.
(12:21):
Now we have got so far. You may as well
give me the name and earn the tenor I'll see
you in hell first. Oh Susan, language, I'm clearing out
of here. I've had enough of you all. I'll send
for a box tomorrow. She flounced for the door. Good Bye, Susan.
Paregoric is the stuff now, he continued, turning suddenly from
(12:45):
lively to severe when the door had closed behind the
flushed and angry woman. This gang means business. Look how
close they play the game. Your letter to me had
the ten p m post mark, and yet Susan passes
the word to Barney. Barney has time to go to
his employer and get instructions. He or she I inclined
(13:07):
to the latter from Susan's grin. When she thought I
had blundered forms a plan. Black Steve is called in
and I am warned off by eleven o'clock next morning.
That's quick work, you know. But what do they want? Yes,
that's the question. Who had the house before you? A
retired sea captain called Ferguson. Anything remarkable about him, not
(13:31):
that I ever heard of. I was wondering whether he
could have buried something. Of course, when people bury treasure
nowadays they do it in the post office bank. But
there are always some lunatics about. It would be a
dull world without them. At first I thought of some
buried valuable. But why in that case should they want
(13:53):
your furniture. You don't happen to have a Raphael or
a first folio Shakespeare without knowing it. No, I don't
think I have anything rarer than a Crown Darby tea set.
That would hardly justify all this mystery. Besides, why should
they not openly state what they want? If they covet
(14:13):
your tea set, they can surely offer a price for
it without buying you out lock, stock and barrel. No,
as I read it, there is something which you do
not know that you have, and which you would not
give up if you did know. That is how I
read it, said I. Doctor Watson agreed, So that settles it. Well,
(14:33):
mister Holmes, what can it be? Let us see whether
by this purely mental analysis we can get it to
a finer point. You have been in this house a
year nearly two. All the better during this long period
no one wants anything from you. Now suddenly, within three
or four days you have urgent demands. What would you
(14:56):
gather from that? It can only mean, said I, that
the object, whatever it may be, has only just come
into the house. Settled once again, said Holmes, Now, missus maberly,
has any object just arrived? No, I have bought nothing
new this year. Indeed, that is very remarkable. Well, I
(15:20):
think we had best let matters develop a little further
until we have clearer data. Is that lawyer of yours
a capable man? Mister Sutro is most capable. Have you
another maid or was the fair Susan who has just
banged your front door alone? I have a young girl.
Try and get Sacho to spend a night or two
(15:42):
in the house. You might possibly want protection against whom
who knows the matter is certainly obscure. If I can't
find what they are after, I must approach the matter
from the other end and try to get at the principle.
Did this house agent man give any dress, simply his
(16:02):
card and occupation Haines Johnson, auctioneer and valuer. I don't
think we shall find him in the directory. Honest business
men don't conceal their place of business. Well, you will
let me know any fresh development. I have taken up
your case, and you may rely upon it that I
shall see it through. As we passed through the hall,
(16:25):
Holmes's eyes, which missed nothing, lighted upon several trunks and
cases which were piled in the corner. The labels shone
out upon them Milano Lucerne. These are from Italy. They
are poor Douglas as things. You have not unpacked them.
How long have you had them? They arrived last week?
(16:47):
But you said, why, surely this must be the missing link.
How do we know that there is not something of
value there? There could not possibly be, mister Holmes. Poor
Douglas had only his pay and a small and new
What could he have of value? Holmes was lost in thought.
Delay no longer missus Maberley, who said, at last, have
(17:09):
these things taken upstairs to your bedroom. Examine them as
soon as possible, and see what they contain. I will
come tomorrow and hear your report. It was quite evident
that the Three Gables was under very close surveillance. For
as we came round the high hedge at the end
of the lane, there was the Negro prize fighter standing
in the shadow. We came upon him quite suddenly, and
(17:33):
a grim and menacing figure. He looked in that lonely place.
Holmes clapped his hand to his pocket, looking for your gun,
Master Holmes, No for my scent motel, Steve, you are funny,
Master Holmes, ain't you? It won't be funny for you, Steve,
if I get after you. I gave you fair warning
(17:53):
this morning. Well, Master Holmes, I don't think over what
you said, and I don't want no more or talk
about that affair of Master Perkins. Suppose I can help you,
Master Holmes, I will well, then tell me who is
behind you on this job, So help me the Lord
Masser Holmes, I told you the truth before. I don't know.
(18:14):
My boss Barney gives me orders and that's all. Well.
Just bear in mind, Steve, that the lady in that
house and everything under that roof is under my protection.
Don't you forget it? All right, Master Holmes, I'll remember
I've got him thoroughly frightened for his own skin. Watson,
Holmes remarked, as we walked on, I think he would
(18:35):
double cross his employer if he knew who he was.
It was lucky I had some knowledge of the spencer
John Crowd, and that Steve was one of them. Now, Watson,
this is a case for Langdale Pike, and I am
going to see him now. When I get back, I
may be clearer in the matter. I saw no more
of Holmes during the day, but I could well imagine
(18:57):
how he spent it. For Langdale was his human book
of reference upon all matters of social scandal. This strange,
languid creature spent his waking hours in the bow window
of a Saint James's Street club, and was the receiving
station as well as the transmitter for all the gossip
of the metropolis. He made, it was said, a four
(19:19):
figure income by the paragraphs which he contributed every week
to the garbage papers, which cater for an inquisitive public.
If ever, far down in the turbid depths of London
life there was some strange swirl or eddy. It was
marked with automatic exactness by this human dial upon the
surface Holmes discreetly helped Langdale to knowledge, and on occasion
(19:42):
was helped in turn. When I met my friend in
his room early next morning, I was conscious from his
bearing that all was well, but none the less, a
most unpleasant surprise was awaiting us. It took the shape
of the following telegram, Please come out at once, clients
house burgled in the night, police in possession. Sutro Holmes whistled.
(20:07):
The drama has come to a crisis, and quicker than
I had expected. There is a great driving power at
the back of this business, Watson, which does not surprise
me after what I have heard. This sucho, of course,
is her lawyer. I made a mistake, I fear in
not asking you to spend the night on guard. This
fellow has clearly proved a broken reed. Well, there is
(20:30):
nothing for it but another journey to Harrow Wheeld. We
found the Three Gables a very different establishment to the
orderly household of the previous day. A small group of
idlers had assembled at the garden gate, while a couple
of constables were examining the windows and the geranium beds. Within.
We met a gray old gentleman who introduced himself as
(20:51):
the lawyer, together with a bustling rubicunt inspector who greeted
Holmes as an old friend. Well, mister Holmes, no check
answer for you in this case, I'm afraid just a common,
ordinary burglary and well within the capacity of the poor
old police. No experts need apply. I am sure the
case is in very good hands, said Holmes. Merely a
(21:13):
common burglary, you say, quite so. We know pretty well
who the men are and where to find them. It
is that gang of Barney Stockdale with a big nigger
in it. They've been seen about here. Excellent. What did
they get? Well, they don't seem to have got much.
Missus Maberly was chloroformed, and the house was Ah, here's
(21:35):
the lady herself, our friend of yesterday, looking very pale
and ill, had entered the room leaning upon a little
maid servant. You gave me good advice, mister Holmes, said, she,
smiling ruefully. Alas I did not take it. I did
not wish to trouble mister Sutrow, and so I was unprotected.
(21:56):
I only heard of it this morning, the lawyer explained.
Mister Holmes advised me to have some friend in the house.
I neglected his advice, and I have paid for it.
You look wretchedly ill, said Holmes. Perhaps you are hardly
equal to telling me what occurred. It is all here,
said the inspector, tapping a bulky note book. Still, if
(22:18):
the lady is not too exhausted, there is really so
little to tell. I have no doubt that wicked Susan
had planned an entrance for them. They must have known
the house to an inch. I was conscious for a
moment of the chloroform rag which was thrust over my mouth,
but I have no notion how long I may have
been senseless. When I woke, one man was at the bedside,
(22:41):
and another was rising with a bundle in his hand
from among my son's baggage, which was partially opened and
glittered over the floor. Before he could get away, I
sprang up and seized him. You took a big risk,
said the inspector. I clung to him, but he shook
me off, and the other may have struck me, for
I can remember no more. Mary the maid heard the
(23:04):
noise and began screaming out of the window. That brought
the police. But the rascals had got away. What did
they take? Well, I don't think there is anything of
value missing. I am sure there was nothing in my
son's trunks. Did the men leave no clue? There was
one sheet of paper, which I may have torn from
(23:25):
the man that I grasped. It was lying all crumpled
on the floor. It is in my son's handwriting, which
means that it is not of much use, said the inspector.
Now if it had been in the burglars exactly, said Holmes,
what rugged common sense? None the less, I should be
curious to see it. The inspector drew a folded sheet
(23:46):
of fool's cap from his pocket book. I never pass anything,
however trifling, said he, with some pupacity. That is my
advice to you, mister Holmes. In twenty five years experience,
I have learned my lesson. There is always the chance
of finger marks or something. Holmes inspected the sheet of paper.
What do you make of it, Inspector, seems to be
(24:08):
the end of some queer novel. So far as I
can see, it may certainly prove to be the end
of a queer tale, said Holmes. You have noticed the
number on the top of the page. It is two
hundred and forty five. Where are the two hundred and
forty four pages. Well, I suppose the burglars got those,
(24:29):
much good may it do them? It seems a queer
thing to break into a house in order to steal
such papers as that. Does it suggest anything to you, Inspector, Yes, sir,
it suggests that, in their hurry, the rascals just grabbed
what first came to hand. I wish them joy what
they got. Why should they go to my son's things,
(24:52):
asked missus Maberley. Well, they found nothing valuable downstairs, so
they tried their lock up stairs. That is how I
read it. What do you make of it, mister Holmes,
I must think it over, Inspector, come to the window. Watson. Then,
as we stood together, he read over the fragment of paper.
It began in the middle of a sentence and ran
(25:13):
like this. Face bled considerably from the cuts and blows,
but it was nothing to the bleeding of his heart.
As he saw that lovely face, the face for which
he had been prepared to sacrifice his very life, looking
out at his agony and humiliation, she smiled, Yes, by Heaven,
she smiled like the heartless fiend she was. As he
(25:35):
looked up at her It was at that moment that
love died and hate was born. Man must live for something.
If it is not for your embrace, my lady, then
it shall surely be for your undoing and my complete
revenge queer Grammar, said Holmes with a smile as he
handed the paper back to the inspector. Did you notice
(25:58):
how the he said the change to my the writer
was so carried away by his own story that he
imagined himself, at the supreme moment to be the hero.
It seemed mighty poor stuff, said the inspector as he
replaced it in his book. What are you off, mister Holmes.
(26:18):
I don't think there is anything more for me to do,
now that the case is in such capable hands. By
the way, missus Maberley, did you say you wished to travel?
It has always been my dream, mister Holmes. Where would
you like to go? Cairo, Adeira, the Riviera? Oh? If
I had the money, I would go round the world.
(26:38):
Quite so, round the world? Well, good morning, I may
drop you a line in the evening. As we passed
the window, I caught a glimpse of the Inspector's smile
and shake of the head. These clever fellows have always
a touch of madness. That was what I read in
the inspector's smile. Now, Watson, we are at the last
(27:01):
lap of our little journey, said Holmes, when we were
back in the roar of central London once more. I
think we had best clear the matter up at once,
and it would be well that you should come with me,
for it is safer to have a witness when you
were dealing with such a lady as Isidora Kleine. We
had taken a cab and were speeding to some address
(27:21):
in Grosvenor Square. Holmes had been sunk in thought, but
he roused himself suddenly. By the way, Watson, I suppose
you see it all clearly? No, I can't say that
I do. I only gather that we are going to
see the lady who is behind all this mischief exactly.
But does the name Isidore Klein convey nothing to you?
(27:45):
She was, of course, the celebrated beauty. There was never
a woman to touch her. She is pure Spanish, the
real blood of the masterful conquistadores, and her people have
been leaders in Pernambucco for generations. She married the aged
German cho King Kleine and presently found herself the richest
as well as the most lovely widow upon earth. Then
(28:06):
there was an interval of adventure when she pleased her
own tastes. She had several lovers, and Douglas Maberley, one
of the most striking men in London, was one of them.
It was, by all accounts, more than an adventure with him.
He was not a social butterfly, but a strong, proud
man who gave and expected all. But she is the
(28:29):
Beldame Saint Mercy of fiction. When her caprices satisfied, the
matter is ended. And if the other party in the
matter can't take her word for it, she knows how
to bring it home to him. Then that was his
own story. Ah, you are piecing it together now. I
hear that she is about to marry the young Duke
(28:49):
of Lomond, who might almost be her son. Is Grace's
ma might overlook the age, but a big scandal would
be a different matter. So it is imperative. Ah, here
we are. It was one of the finest corner houses
at the West End. A machine like footman took up
our cards and returned with word that the lady was
(29:11):
not at home. Then we shall wait until she is,
said Holmes cheerfully. The machine broke down. Not at home
means not at home to you, said the footman. Good
Holmes answered, that means that we shall not have to wait. Kindly,
give this note to your mistress. He scribbled three or
four words upon a sheet of his note book, folded
(29:33):
it and handed it to the man. What did you say, Holmes,
i asked, I simply wrote, Shall it be the police?
Then I think that should pass us in It did,
with amazing celerity. A minute later we were in an
Arabian night's drawing room, vast and wonderful, in a half gloom,
(29:53):
picked out with an occasional pink electric light. The lady
had come, I felt, to that time of life when
even the proudest beauty finds the half light more welcome.
She rose from a settee as we entered. Tall queen
lay a perfect figure, a lovely mask like face, with
two wonderful Spanish eyes which looked murder at us. Both
(30:16):
what is this intrusion and this insulting message? She asked,
holding up the slip of paper. I need not explain, madame.
I have too much respect for your intelligence. To do so,
though I confess that intelligence has been surprisingly at fault
of late. How so, sir, by supposing that your hired
(30:38):
bullies could frighten me from my work, Surely no man
would take up my profession if it were not that
danger attracts him. It was you, then, who forced me
to examine the case of young Maberley. I have no
idea what you are talking about. What have I to
do with hired bullies? Holmes turned away wearily. Yes, yes,
(31:00):
I have underrated your intelligence. Well, good afternoon. Stop. Where
are you going to Scotland yard. We had not got
half way to the door before she had overtaken us
and was holding his arm. She had turned in a
moment from steel to velvet. Come and sit down, gentlemen,
let us talk this matter over. I feel that I
(31:22):
may be frank with you, mister Holmes. You have the
feelings of a gentleman. How quick a woman's instinct is
to find it out. I will treat you as a friend.
I cannot promise to reciprocate, Madame. I am not the law,
but I represent justice so far as my feeble powers go.
I am ready to listen, and then I will tell
(31:43):
you how I will act. No doubt, it was foolish
of me to threaten a brave man like yourself. What
was really foolish, madame, is that you have placed yourself
in the power of a band of rascals who may
blackmail or give you away. No, no, I am not
so simple. Since I have promised to be frank, I
(32:05):
may say that no one save Barney Stockdale and Susan
his wife, have the least idea who their employer is.
As to them, well, it is not the first. She
smiled and nodded with a charming, coquettish intimacy. I see
you have tested them before. They are good hounds who
(32:25):
run silent. Such hounds have away sooner or later a
biting the hand that feeds them. They will be arrested
for this burglary. The police are already after them. They
will take what comes to them. That is what they
are paid for. I shall not appear in the matter
unless I bring you into it. No, no, you would not.
(32:47):
You are a gentleman. It is a woman's secret. In
the first place, you must give back this manuscript. She
broke into a ripple of laughter and walked to the fireplace.
There was a calcined mass, which she broke up with
the poker. Shall I give this back? She asked, So
groguish and exquisite did she look as she stood before
(33:11):
us with a challenging smile that I felt of all
Holmes's criminals, this was the one whom he would find
it hardest to face. However, he was immune from sentiment
that seals your fate, he said coldly. You are very
prompt in your actions, madame, but you have overdone it
on this occasion. She threw the poker down with a clatter.
(33:35):
How hard you are, she cried. May I tell you
the whole story? I fancy I could tell it to you,
but you must look at it with my eyes. Mister Holmes,
You must realize it from the point of view of
a woman who sees all her life's ambition about to
be ruined at the last moment. Is such a woman
to be blamed if she protects herself? The original sin
(33:59):
was yours. Yes, yes, I admit it. He was a
dear boy, Douglas, but it so chanced that he could
not fit into my plans. He wanted marriage, marriage, mister Holmes,
with a penniless commoner, nothing less would serve him. Then
he became pertinacious. Because I had given. He seemed to
(34:21):
think that I still must give, and to him only
it was intolerable. At last I had to make him
realize it by hiring ruffians to beat him under your
own window. You do, indeed seem to know everything. Well,
it is true Barney and the boys drove him away,
and were I admit a little ruff in doing so.
(34:43):
But what did he do? Then? Could I have believed
that a gentleman would do such an act? He wrote
a book in which he described his own story. I,
of course was the wolf, he the lamb. It was
all there under different names, of course, But who in
all London would have failed to recognize it? What do
(35:04):
you say to that, mister Holmes? Well, he was within
his rights. It was as if the air of Italy
had got into his blood and brought with it the
old cruel Italian spirit. He wrote to me and sent
me a copy of his book, that I might have
the torture of anticipation. There were two copies, he said,
one for me, one for his publisher. How did you
(35:26):
know the publishers had not reached him? I knew who
his publisher was. It is not his only novel, you know.
I found out that he had not heard from Italy.
Then came Douglas's sudden death. So long as that other
manuscript was in the world, there was no safety for me.
Of course, it must be among his effects, and these
(35:49):
would be returned to his mother. I set the gang
at work. One of them got into the house as serpent.
I wanted to do the thing. Honestly, I really and
truly did. I was ready to buy the house and
everything in it. I offered any price she cared to ask.
I only tried the other way when everything else had failed. Now,
(36:10):
mister Holmes, granting that I was too hard on Douglas,
and God knows I am sorry for it. What else
could I do with my whole future at stake? Sherlock
Holmes shrugged his shoulders. Well, well, said he. I suppose
I shall have to compound a felony as usual. How
much does it cost to go round the world in
(36:32):
first class style? The lady stared in amazement. Could it
be done on five thousand pounds? Well, I should think so. Indeed,
very good. I think you will sign me a check
for that, and I will see that it comes to
missus Maberley. You owe her a little change of air meantime. Lady,
(36:53):
he wagged a cautionary forefinger, Have a care, Have a care.
You can't play with edged two forever without cutting those
dainty hands. End of the Three Gables,
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