03 - Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Dive into the riveting world of the legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, in this second compilation of short stories penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Explore 12 enthralling adventures, serialized in The Strand from December 1892 to December 1893, each masterfully illustrated by Sidney Paget. Join Holmes and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson, as they unravel the mysteries that baffle Londons finest. - Summary by David Clarke

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Adventure number three in the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in the
public domain. Adventure number three, The Stockbroker's Clerk. Shortly after
my marriage, I had bought a connection in the Paddington district.
Old mister Farquhar, from whom I purchased it, had at

(00:22):
one time an excellent general practice, But his age and
an affliction of the nature of Saint Vitus's dance from
which he suffered, had very much thinned it. The public,
not unnaturally, goes on the principle that he who would
heal others must himself be whole, and looks askance at
the curative powers of the man whose own case is

(00:43):
beyond the reach of his drugs. Thus, as my predecessor weakened,
his practice declined, until when I purchased it from him,
it had sunk from twelve hundred to little more than
three hundred a year. I had confidence, however, in my
own youth and energy, and was convinced that in a
very few years the concern would be as flourishing as ever.

(01:06):
For three months after taking over the practice, I was
kept very closely at work, and saw little of my
friend Sherlock Holmes, for I was too busy to visit
Baker Street, and he seldom went anywhere himself save upon
professional business. I was surprised therefore, when one morning in June,
as I sat reading the British Medical Journal after breakfast,

(01:26):
I heard a ring at the bell, followed by the high,
somewhat strident tones of my old companion's voice. Ah, my
dear Watson, said he striding into the room. I am
very delighted to see you. I trust that missus Watson
has entirely recovered from all the little excitements connected with
our adventure of the Sign of the Four. Thank you.

(01:49):
We're both doing very well, said I, shaking him warmly
by the hand. And I hope also, he continued, sitting
down in the rocking chair, at the cares of medical
practice have not entirely obliterated the interest which you used
to take in our little deductive problems. On the contrary,
I answered, it was only last night that I was

(02:10):
looking over my old notes and classifying some of our
past results. I trust that you don't consider your collection closed,
not at all. I should wish nothing better than to
have some more of such experiences to day, for example, yes,
to day if you like, and as far off as Birmingham,

(02:32):
certainly if you wish it, and the practice I do
my neighbors when he goes, he's always ready to work
off the debt. Hah, nothing could be better, said Holmes,
leaning back in his chair and looking keenly at me
from under his half closed lids. I perceive that you
have been unwell lately. Summer colds are always a little trying.

(02:56):
I was confined to the house by a severe chill
for three days last week. I thought, however, that I
had cast off every trace of it. So you have
you look remarkably robust. How then did you know it,
my dear fellow, You know my methods. You deduced it, then, certainly?

(03:17):
And from what? From your slippers? I glanced down at
the new patent leathers which I was wearing. How on
earth I began? But Holmes answered my question before it
was asked. Your slippers are new, he said, you could
not have had them more than a few weeks. The

(03:38):
souls which you are at this moment presenting to me
are slightly scorched. For a moment, I thought they might
have got wet and been burned in the drying. But
near the instep there is a small circular wafer of
paper with the shopman's hieroglyphics upon it. Damp would of
course have removed this. You had then been sitting with

(03:59):
your feet outside stretched to the fire, which a man
would hardly do, even in so wet a june as this,
if he were in his full health. Like all Holmes's reasoning,
the thing seems simplicity itself. When it was once explained.
He read the thought upon my features, and his smile
had a tinge of bitterness. I am afraid that I

(04:22):
rather give myself away when I explain, said he. Results
without causes are much more impressive. You are ready to
come to Birmingham, then, certainly what is the case? You
shall hear it all in the train. My client is
outside in a four wheeler. Can you come at once?

(04:43):
In an instant, I scribbled a note to my neighbor,
rushed upstairs to explain the matter to my wife, and
joined Holmes upon the doorstep. Your neighbor is a doctor,
said he, nodding at the brass plate. Yes, he bought
a practice as I did. An old established one, just
the same as mine. Both have been ever since the

(05:05):
houses were built. Ah, then you got hold of the
best of the two. I think I did, But how
do you know by the steps, my boy, Yours are
worn three inches deeper than his. But this gentleman in
the cab is my client, mister hall Pyecroft. Allow me
to introduce you to him. Whip your horse up, Cabby,

(05:26):
for we have only just time to catch our train.
The man whom I found myself facing was a well built,
fresh complexioned young fellow with a frank, honest face and
a slight, crisp yellow mustache. He wore a very shiny
top hat and a neat suit of sober black, which
made him look what he was, A smart young city

(05:47):
man of the class who had been labeled cockneys, but
who give us our crack volunteer regiments, and who turn
out more fine athletes and sportsmen than any body of
men in these islands. His round, ruddy face was naturally
full of cheeriness, but the corners of his mouth seemed
to me to be pulled down in a half comical distress.

(06:10):
It was not, however, until we were all in our
first class carriage, and well started upon our journey to
Birmingham that I was able to learn what the trouble
was which had driven him to Sherlock Holmes. We have
a clear run here of seventy minutes. Holmes remarked, I
want you, mister hall Pycroft, to tell my friend your
very interesting experience, exactly as you have told it to me,

(06:35):
or with more detail, if possible. It will be of
use to me to hear the succession of events again.
It is a case, Watson, which may prove to have
something in it, or may prove to have nothing, but
which at least presents those unusual and utree features which
are as dear to you as they are to me. Now,

(06:55):
mister Pyecroft, I shall not interrupt you again. Our younger
companion looked at me with a twinkle in his eye.
The worst of the story is said he that I
should show myself up as such a confounded fool. Of
course it may work out all right, and I don't
see that I could have done otherwise. But if I've

(07:16):
lost my crib and got nothing in exchange, I shall
feel what a soft johnny I've been. I'm not very
good at telling a story, Dr Watson. But it is
like this with me. I used to have a billet
at Cox and Woodhouses of Draper's Gardens, but they were
let in early in the spring through the Venezuelan loan,

(07:36):
as no doubt you remember, and came a nasty cropper.
I've been with him five years, and old Coxswain gave
me a ripping good testimonial when the smash came. But
of course week clerks were all turned adrift for twenty
seven of us. I tried here and tried there, but
there were lots of other chaps on the same lay
as myself, and it was a perfect frost. For a

(07:58):
long time. I been taking three pounds a week at Coxon's,
and I'd saved about seventy of them. But I soon
worked my way through that and out the other end.
I was fairly at the end of my tether at last,
and could hardly find the stamps to answer the advertisements,
all the envelopes to stick them to. I'd worn up
my boots paddling up off his stairs, and are seen

(08:19):
just as far from getting a billet as ever. At
last I saw vacancy at Morson and Williams. The great
stockbroking firm in Lombard Street. I dare say e c
is not much in your line, but I can tell
you that this is about the richest house in London.
The advertisement was to be answered by a letter only.

(08:40):
I sent him my testimonial an application, but without the
least hope of getting in back. Came an answer by return,
saying that if I would appear next Monday, I might
take over my new duties at once, provided that my
appearance was satisfactory. No one knows how these things are worked.
Some people say that the manager just plunges his hand

(09:01):
into the heap and takes the first that comes. Anyhow,
it was my innings that time, and I don't have
a wish to feel better pleased. The screw was a
pound of weak rise, and the duty is just about
the same as at Coxon's. And now I come to
the queer part of the business. I was in Diggings
out Amstead Way, seventeen potters Terrace, Well. I was sitting

(09:25):
doing a smoke that very evening, after I'd been promised
the appointment, when up came my landlady with a card
which had Arthur Pinner, Financial Agent printed upon it. I
never heard the name before. He could not imagine what
he wanted with me, but of course I asked her
to show him up. In he walked a middle size,

(09:47):
dark haired, dark eyed, black bearded man with a touch
of the sheeny about his nose. He had a brisk
kind of way with him, and he spoke sharply, like
a man who knew the valley of time. Mister Oldcraft,
I believe, said he. Yes, sir, I answered, pushing a
chair towards him. Lately engaged at Coxon and Woodhouse's. Yes, sir,

(10:11):
and now on the staff of Mawson's. Quite so will,
said he. The fact is that I have heard some
really extraordinary stories about your financial ability. You remember Parker,
who used to be Coxon's manager. You can never say
enough about it. Of course, I was pleased to hear this.

(10:31):
I'd always been pretty sharp in the office, but I
never dreamed that I was talked about in the city
in this fashion. You have a good memory, said he
pretty fair, I answered modestly. Have you kept in touch
with the market while you've been out of work? He asked, yes,
I read the stock exchange list every morning. Now that

(10:53):
shows real application, he cried, this is the way to prosper.
You won't mind me test you will you let me
see our airshes a hundred and six and a quarter
two hundred and five and seven eighths a New Zealand
consolidated one hundred and four and British broken Hills seven

(11:14):
to seven and six. Wonderful, he cried, with his hands up.
This quite fits in with all that i'd heard. My boy,
my boy, you are very much too good to be
a clerk at Morson's. This outburst rather astonish me. As
you can think, well, said I. Other people don't think
quite so much of me as you seem to do,

(11:35):
mister Pinner. I had had enough fight to get this berth,
and I'm very glad to have it. Pooh man, you
should soar above it. You're not in your true sphere. Now,
I'll tell you how it stands with me. What I
have to offer is little enough when measured by your ability,
But when compared with Morsons, it's light to dark. Let

(11:57):
me see. When do you go to Morson's on Monday? Ah?
I think i'd risk a little sporting flutter that you
don't go there at all, not go to Mawson's no, sir.
By that day you'll be the business manager of the
Franco Midland Hardware Company Limited, with a hundred and thirty
four branches in the towns and villages of France, not

(12:19):
counting one in Brussels and one in San Remo. This
took my breath away. I never heard of it, said
I very likely not. It has been kept very quiet,
for the capital was all privately subscribed, and it's too
good a thing to let the public into. My brother
Hary Pinner, is promoter and joins the board after allotment

(12:42):
as managing director. He knew I was in the swim
down here and asked me to pick up a good man, cheap,
a young pushing man with plenty of snap about him.
Parker spoke of you, and that brought me here to night.
We can only offer you a beggarly five hundred to
start with, five hundred a year. I shouted only that

(13:03):
at the beginning. But you ought to have an overriding
commission of one percent on all business done by your agents,
and you may take my word for it that this
will come to more than your salary. But I know
nothing about hardware. Tuck my boy, you know about figures.
My head buzzed and I could hardly sit still in
my chair. But suddenly a little chill of doubt came

(13:26):
upon me. I must be frank with you, said I.
Mawson only gives me two hundred. But Mawson is safe now. Really,
I know so little about your company that ah, smart, smart,
he cried, in a kind of ecstasy of delight. You
are the very man for us. You're not to be

(13:48):
talked over, and quite right too. Now here's a note
for one hundred pounds, and if you think that we
can do business, you may just slip it into your
pocket as an advance upon your salary. This is very handsome,
said I. When should I take over my new duties?
Be in Birmingham to morrow at one? Said he. I

(14:10):
have an oue in my pocket here, which you will
take to my brother. You'll find him at one twenty
six B Corporation Street, where the temporary offices of the
company are situated. Of course he must confirm your engagement,
but between ourselves it will be all right. Really, I
hardly know how to express my gratitude, mister Pinner, said I,

(14:31):
not at all, my boy, You've only got your desserts.
There are one or two small things, mere formalities, which
I must arrange with you. You have a bit of
paper beside you there, kindly write upon it. I am
perfectly willing to act as business manager to the Franco
Midland Hardware Company Limited at a minimum salary of five

(14:52):
hundred pounds. I did as he asked, and he put
the paper in his pocket. There is one other detail,
said he, What do you intend to do about Morsons.
I'd forgotten all about Morsons in my joy. I'll write
and resign, said I, precisely what I don't want you

(15:13):
to do. I'd a row over you with Mawson's manager.
I've gone up to ask him about you, and he
was very offensive, accused me of coaxing you away from
the service of the firm, and that sort of thing.
At last, I've fairly lost my temper. If you want
good men, you should pay them a good price, said I.

(15:33):
He would rather have our small price than your big one,
said he. I'll lay you a fiver, said I that
when he has my offer, you'll never so much as
hear from him again. Done, said he. We picked him
out of the gutter. And he won't leave us so easily.
Those were his very words. The impudent scoundrel, I cried,

(15:58):
I've never so much as seen him in my life.
Why should I consider him in any way? I shall
certainly not write if you would rather I didn't. Good,
that's a promise, said he, rising from his chair. Well,
I'm delighted to have got so good a man from
my brother. Here's your advance of a hundred pounds, and

(16:18):
here is a letter. Make a note of the address
one twenty six B Corporation Street, and remember that one
o'clock to morrow is your appointment. Good night, and may
you have all a fortune that you deserve. That's just
about all that passed between us, as near as I
can remember. You can imagine Dr Watson, how pleased I

(16:40):
was at such an extraordinary bit of good fortune. I
sat up after night I give myself over it. And
next day I was off to Birmingham in a train
that would take me in plenty time for my appointment.
I took my things to a hotel in New Street,
and then I made my way to the address which
had given me. It was a quarter of an hour
before my time. I thought that would make no difference.

(17:04):
One twenty six B was a passage between two large
shops which led to a winding stone stair, from which
there were many flats letters offices to companies or professional men.
The names of the occupants were painted at the bottom
on the wall, but there was no such name as
the Franco Midland Hardware Company. I stood for a few

(17:24):
minutes with my eye in my boots, wondering whether the
whole thing was an elaborate oaks or not. When up
came a man and addressed me. He was very like
the chap I'd seen the night before, the same figure
and voice, but he was clean shaven and his hair
was lighter. Are you mister Allpiecraft, he asked? Yes, said I, oh,

(17:48):
I was expecting you, but you're a trifle before your time.
I had a note from my brother this morning in
which he sang your praises very loudly. I was just
looking for the offices when you came. We have not
got our name up yet, for we only secured these
temporary premises last week. Come up with me and we'll
talk the matter over. I followed him to the top

(18:10):
of a very lofty stair, and there right under the
slates were a couple of empty, dusty little rooms, uncarpeted
and uncurtained, into which he led me. I thought of
a great office with shining tables and rows of clerks,
such as I was used to, and I dare say
I stayed rather straight at the two deal chairs and

(18:31):
one little table, which with a ledger and a waste
paper basket made up the whole furniture. Don't be disheartened,
mister Pyecroft, said my new acquaintance, seeing the length of
my face. Rome was not built in a day, and
we have lots of money at our backs, though we
don't cut much dash yet in offices. Pray, sit down

(18:53):
and let me have your letter. I gave it to him,
and he read it over very carefully. You seem to
have made a vast impression upon my brother, Arthur, said he.
And I know that he is a pretty shrewd judge.
He swears by London, you know, and I by Birmingham.
But this time I shall follow his advice. Pray, consider

(19:15):
yourself definitely engaged. What are my duties, I asked, you
will eventually manage the great depot in Paris, which will
pour a flood of English crockery into the shops of
one hundred and thirty four agents in France. The purchase
will be completed in a week, and meanwhile you'll remain
in Birmingham. May make yourself useful. How for answer, he

(19:40):
took a big red book out of a drawer. This
is a directory of Paris, said he, with the trades
after the names of the people. I want you to
take it own with you and to mark off all
the hardware sellers with their addresses. It will be of
the greatest use to me to have them. Surely they
are classified lists, I suggested, not reliable ones. Their system

(20:03):
is different from ours. Stick at it and let me
have the list by Monday at twelve. Good day, mister Pyecroft.
If you continue to show zeal And intelligence, you'll find
the company a good master. I went back to the
hotel with a big book under my arm and with
very conflicting feelings in my breast. On the one hand,

(20:24):
I was definitely engaged, and I had undred pounds in
my pocket. On the other, the look of the offices,
the absence of name on the wall, another of the
points which would strike a business man, had left a
bad impression as to the position of my employers. However,
come what might, I had my money, so I settled
down to my task. All Sunday I was kept hard

(20:47):
at work, and yet by Monday I had only got
as far as h I went round to my employer,
found him in the same dismantled kind of room, and
was told to keep at it until Wednesday, and then
come again. On Wednesday. It was still unfinished. So I
am at douay until Friday, that is yesterday. Then I
brought it round to mister Harry Pinner. Thank you very much,

(21:10):
said he. I fear that I underrated the difficulty of
the task. This list will be of very material assistance
to me. It took some time, said I, and now
said he, I want you to make a list of
the furniture shops, for they all sell crockery very good.
An ye can come up to morrow evening at seven

(21:33):
and let me know how you're getting on. Don't overwork yourself.
A couple of hours at day's music all in the
evening would do you no arm after your labors. He
laughed as he spoke, and I saw with a thrill
that his second tooth upon the left hand side had
been very badly stuffed with gold. Sherlock Holmes rubbed his
hands with delight, and I stared with astonishment at our client.

(21:58):
You may well look surprised, doctor Watson. But it is
this way, said he, when I speaking to the other
chap in London at the time that he laughed at
my not going to Mawson's. I appened to notice that
his tooth was stuffed in this very identical fashion. The
glint of the gold in each case caught my eye.
You see, when I put that, with the voice and

(22:18):
figure being the same, and only those things altered which
might be changed by a razor or a wig, I
could not doubt that it was the same man. Of course,
you expect two brothers to be alike, but not that
they should have the same tooth stuffed in the same way.
He bowed me out, and I found myself in the street,
hardly knowing whether I was on my head or my

(22:40):
eels back. I went to my hotel, put my head
in a basin of cold water and try to think
it out. Why had he sent me from London to Birmingham,
Why had he got there before me, and why had
he written a letter from himself to himself. It was
altogether too much for me, and I could make no

(23:01):
sense of it. And then suddenly it struck me that
what was dark to me might be very light to
mister Sherlock Holmes. I had just time to get up
to town by the night train, to see him this morning,
and to bring you both back with me to Birmingham.
There was a pause after the stockbroker's clerk had concluded
his surprising experience. Then Sherlock Holmes cocked his eye at me,

(23:27):
leaning back on the cushions with a pleased and yet
critical face, like a connoisseur who has just taken his
first sip of a Comet vintage. Rather fine Watson, is
it not? Said he? There are points in it which
please me. I think that you will agree with me
that an interview with mister Arthur Harry Pinner in the

(23:47):
temporary offices of the Franco Midland Hardware Company Limited would
be a rather interesting experience for both of us. But
how can we do it? I asked? Oh? Easily enough,
said Hall Pyecroft, cheerily. You are two friends of mine
who are in want of a billet, and what could
be more natural than that? I should bring you both

(24:08):
round to the managing director. Quite so, of course, said Holmes,
I should like to have a look at the gentleman
and see if I can make anything of his little game.
What qualities have you, my friend, which would make your
services so valuable? Or is it possible that he began
biting his nails and staring blankly out of the window,

(24:30):
and we hardly drew another word from him until we
were in New Street at seven o'clock that evening. We
were walking the three of us down Corporation Street to
the company's offices. It is no use our being at
all before our time, said our client. He only comes
there to see me, apparently, for the place is deserted

(24:50):
up to the very hour he names. That is suggestive,
remarked Holmes. By jove, I told you so, cried the clerk.
That's ay walk ahead of us there. He pointed to
a smallish, dark, well dressed man who was bustling along
the other side of the road. As we watched him.

(25:12):
He looked across at a boy who was bawling out
the latest edition of the evening paper and running over
among the cabs and buses. He brought one from him,
then clutching it in his hand, he vanished through a doorway.
There he goes, cried Hall Pyecroft. These are the company's
offices into which he is gone. Come with me, and

(25:33):
I'll fix it up as easily as possible. Following his lead,
we ascended five stories until we found ourselves outside a
half open door, at which our client tapped a voice
within bade us enter, and we entered a bare, unfurnished room,
such as Hall Pyecroft had described. At the single table

(25:54):
sat the man whom we had seen in the street,
with his evening paper spread out in front of him,
And as he looked up at us, it seemed to
me that I had never looked upon a face which
bore such marks of grief, and of something beyond grief,
of a horror such as comes to a few men
in a lifetime. His brow glistened with perspiration, his cheeks

(26:16):
were of the dull, dead white of a fish's belly,
and his eyes were wild and staring. He looked at
his clerk as though he failed to recognize him. And
I could see, by the astonishment depicted upon our conductor's face,
that this was, by no means the usual appearance of
his employer. You look ill, mister Pinna, he exclaimed, Yes,

(26:38):
I am not very well, answered the other, making obvious
efforts to pull himself together and licking his dry lips,
before he spoke. Who are these gentlemen whom you've brought
with you? One is mister Harris of Bermondsey, and the
other is mister Price of this town, said our clerk glibly.

(26:59):
Their friends am I and gentlemen of experience, but they've
been out of a place for some little time, and
they hope that perhaps you might find an opening for
them in the company's employment. Very possibly, very possibly, cried
mister Pinner, with a ghastly smile. Yes, I have no
doubt that we shall be able to do something for you.
What is your particular lie, mister Harris, I am an accountant,

(27:23):
said Holmes. Ah, Yes, we shall want something of the sort.
And you, mister Price, A clerk said I I have
every hope that the company may accommodate you. I will
let you know about it as soon as we come
to any conclusion. And now I beg that you will go,
for God's sake, leave me to myself. These last words

(27:44):
were shut out of him. As though the constraint which
he was evidently setting upon himself had suddenly and utterly
burst asunder. Holmes and I glanced at each other, and
haul Pyecroft took a step towards the table. You forget,
mister Pinner. The army are by appointment to receive some
directions from you, said he. Certainly, mister Pycroft, certainly, the

(28:06):
other resumed in a calmer tone. You may wait here
a moment, and there is no reason why your friends
should not wait with you. I will be entire at
your service in three minutes, if I may tresp us
upon your patience. So far he rose, with a very
courteous air, and bowing to us, he passed through a
door at the farther end of the room, which he

(28:28):
closed behind him. What now, whispered Holmes, Is he giving
us a slip? Impossible? Answered Pyecroft. Why so that door
leads into an inner room. There is no exit, none,
is it furnished, It was empty yesterday? Then what on

(28:49):
earth can he be doing? There is something which I
don't understand in this manner. If ever a man was
three parts mad with terror, that's man's name is Pinna.
What can have put the shivers on him. He suspects
that we're detectives. I suggested, see it, I croft. Holmes
shook his head. He did not turn pale. He was

(29:13):
pale when we entered the room, said he. It is
just possible that his words were interrupted by a sharp
rat tat from the direction of the inner door. What
the deuce is he knocking his own door for, cried
the clerk again, and much louder came the rat tat tat.
We all gazed expectantly at the closed door. Glancing at Holmes,

(29:37):
I saw his face turn rigid, and he leaned forward
in intense excitement. Then suddenly came a low, guggling, gargling sound,
and a brisk drumming upon woodwork. Holmes sprang frantically across
the room and pushed at the door. It was fastened
on the inner side. Following his example, we threw ourselves

(29:58):
upon it with all our One hinge snapped, then the other,
and down came the door, with a crash, rushing over it.
We found ourselves in the inner room. It was empty,
but it was only for a moment that we were
at fault. At one corner, the corner nearest the room
which we had left, there was a second door. Homes

(30:20):
sprang to it and pulled it open. A coat and
waistcoat were lying on the floor, and from a hook
behind the door, with his own braces round his neck,
was hanging the managing director of the Franco Midland Hardware Company.
His knees were drawn up, his head hung at a
dreadful angle to his body, and the clatter of his

(30:41):
heels against the door made the noise which had broken
in upon our conversation. In an instant I had caught
him around the waist and held him up, while Holmes
and Pyecroft untied the elastic bands which had disappeared between
the livid creases of skin, and we carried him into
the other room, where he lay with a clay face,
puffing his purple lips in and out with every breath,

(31:04):
a dreadful wreck of all that he had been but
five minutes before. What do you think of him? Watson
asked Holmes. I stooped over him and examined him. His
pulse was feeble and intermittent, but his breathing grew longer,
and there was a little shivering of his eyelids, which
showed a thin white slit of ball beneath. It has

(31:26):
been touch and go with him, said I. But he'll
live now. Just open that window and hand me the water. Craff.
I undid his collar, poured the cold water over his face,
and raised and sank his arms until he drew a long,
natural breath. It's only a question of time now, said I,
as I turned away from him. Holmes stood by the

(31:48):
table with his hands deep in his trousers pockets and
his chin upon his breast. I suppose we ought to
call a police in now, said he. And yet I
confess I'd like to give them a complete case when
they come. It's a blessed mystery to me, cried Pyecroft,
scratching his head. Whatever they wanted to bring me all

(32:09):
the way up here for? And then pooh, All that
is clear enough, said Holmes impatiently. It is this last
sudden move you can understand the rest. Then, I think
that it is fairly obvious. What do you say, Watson,
I shrugged my shoulders. I must confess I am out

(32:30):
of my debts, said I. Oh, surely, if you consider
the events at first, they can only point to one conclusion.
What do you make of them? Well, the whole thing
hinges upon two points. The first is the making of
pyecroft right declaration by which he entered the service of
this preposterous company. Do you not see how very suggestive

(32:52):
that is? I'm afraid I mister point well, why did
they want him to do it? Not as a busy matter?
For these arrangements are usually verbal, and there was no
earthly business reason why this should be an exception. Don't
you see, my young friend, that they were very anxious
to obtain a specimen of your handwriting and had no

(33:13):
other way of doing it. And why? Quite so? Why
when we answer that we have made some progress with
our little problem, why there can be only one adequate reason.
Someone wanted to learn to imitate your writing and had
to procure a specimen of it first. And now if

(33:36):
we pass on to the second point, we find that
each throws light upon the other. That point is the
request made by Pinner that you should not resign your place,
but should leave the manager of his important business, in
the full expectation that a mister hall Pycroft, whom he
had never seen, was about to enter the office upon

(33:56):
the Monday morning. My God, cried our client, What a
blind beat love been. Now you see the point about
the handwriting. Suppose that some one turned up in your
place who wrote a completely different hand from that in
which you had applied for the vacancy, of course the
game would have been up. But in the interval the

(34:17):
rogue had learned to imitate you, and his position was
therefore secure. As I presume that nobody in the office
had ever set eyes upon you, not a soul, groaned
hal Pyecroft. Very good, of course, it was of the
utmost importance to prevent you from thinking better of it,
and also to keep you from coming into contact with

(34:39):
any one who might tell you that your double was
at work in Mawson's office. Therefore they gave you a
handsome advance on your salary and ran you off to
the Midlands, where they gave you enough work to do
to prevent you going to London, where you might have
burst their little game up. That is all plain enough.

(35:00):
But why should this man pretend to be his own brother?
Well that is pretty clear. Also. There are evidently only
two of them in it. The other is impersonating you
at the office. This one acted as your engager and
then found that he could not find you an employer
without admitting a third person into his plot, that he

(35:21):
was most unwilling to do. He changed his appearance as
far as he could, and trusted that the likeness which
you could not fail to observe would be put down
to a family resemblance. But for the happy chance of
the gold stuffing, your suspicions would probably never have been aroused.
All Pyecroft shook his clinched hands in the air. Good lord,

(35:44):
he cried, while I have been fooled in this way?
What has this other hall Pyecroft been doing at Mawson's.
What shall we do? Mister Holmes, tell me what to do.
We must wire at a Mowson's. They shut at twelve
on Saturdays. Never mind, there may be some door keeper
or attendant. Ah yes, and I keep a permanent guard

(36:07):
there on account of the value of the securities that
they old. I remember hearing it talked of in the city.
Very good. We shall wire to him and see if
all is well. And if a clerk of your name
is working there, that is clear enough. But what is
not so clear as why, at the sight of us
one of the rogue should instantly walk out of the
room and hang himself. The paper, croaked a voice behind us.

(36:34):
The man was sitting up, blanched and ghastly, with returning
reason in his eyes and hands, which rubbed nervously at
the broad red band which still encircled his throat. The paper,
of course, yelled Holmes, in a paroxysm of excitement. Idiot
that I was. I thought so much of our visit

(36:55):
that the paper had never entered my head for an instant.
To be sure the secret must be there, He flattened
it upon the table, and a cry of triumph burst
from his lips. Look at this, Watson, he cried. It
is a London paper, an early edition of the Evening Standard.

(37:15):
Here is what we want. Look at the headlines crime
in the city, murder at Mawson and Williams, gigantic attempted robbery,
capture of the criminal. Hear, Watson, We are all equally
anxious to hear it, so kindly read it aloud to us.
It appeared, from its position in the paper to have
been the one event of importance in town, and the

(37:37):
account of it ran in this way a desperate attempt
at robbery, culminating in the death of one man and
the capture of the criminal occurred this afternoon in the city.
For some time back, Mawson and Williams, the famous financial house,
have been the guardians of securities which amount in the
aggregate to a sum of considerably over a million sterling.

(37:58):
So conscious was the manager of the responsibility which devolved
upon him in consequence of the great interest at stake,
that safes of the very latest construction have been employed,
and an armed watchman has been left day and night
in the building. It appears that last week a new
clerk named hall Pyecroft was engaged by the firm. This

(38:19):
person appears to have been none other than Beddington, the
famous forger and cracksman, who, with his brother had only
recently emerged from a five year spell of penal servitude.
By some means which are not yet clear, he succeeded
in winning, under a false name, this official position in
the office, which he utilized in order to obtain moldings

(38:41):
of various locks and a thorough knowledge of the position
of the strong room and the safes. It is customary
at Mawson's for the clerks to leave at midday on
Saturday Sergeant Tuson of the City Police was somewhat surprised, therefore,
to see a gentleman with a carpet bag come down
the steps at twenty minutes past last one. His suspicions

(39:02):
being aroused, the sergeant followed the man, and with the
aid of Constable Pollock, succeeded after a most desperate resistance,
in arresting him. It was at once clear that a
daring and gigantic robbery had been committed. Nearly one hundred
thousand pounds worth of American railway bonds, with a large
amount of scrip in mines and other companies, was discovered

(39:23):
in the bag. On examining the premises, the body of
the unfortunate watchman was found doubled up and thrust into
the largest of the safes, where it would not have
been discovered until Monday morning had it not been for
the prompt action of Sergeant Tewson. The man's skull had
been shattered by a blow from a poker delivered from behind.

(39:43):
There could be no doubt that Beddington had obtained entrance
by pretending that he had left something behind him, and
having murdered the watchman rapidly rifled a large safe and
then made off with his booty. His brother, who usually
works with him, has not appeared in this job as
far as can at present be ascertained, although the police
are making energetic inquiries as to his whereabouts. Well, we

(40:08):
may save the police some little trouble in that direction,
said Holmes, glancing at the haggard figure huddled up by
the window. Human nature is a strange mixture, Watson. You
see that even a villain and murderer can inspire such
affection that his brother turns to suicide when he learns
that his neck is forfeited. However, we have no choice

(40:30):
as to our action. The doctor and I will remain
on guard, mister Pyecroft, if you will have the kindness
to step out for the police. End of the Adventure
of the Stockbroker's Clerk.