June 9, 2025 • 39 mins
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
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Adventure ten in the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in the public
domain Adventure ten The Naval Treaty, Part one.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The July, which.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Immediately succeeded my marriage, was made memorable by three cases
of interest in which I had the privilege of being
associated with Sherlock Holmes and of studying his methods. I
find them recorded in my notes under the headings of
the Adventure of the Second Stain, the Adventure of the
Naval Treaty, and the Adventure of the Tired Captain. The
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first of these, however, deals with interest of such importance
and implicates so many of the first families in the
Kingdom that for many years it will be impossible to
make it public. No case, however, in which Holmes was engaged,
has ever illustrated the value of his analytical methods so clearly,
or has impressed those who were as associated with him
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so deeply. I still retain an almost verbatim report of
the interview in which he demonstrated the true facts of
the case to Monsieur de Bugue of the Paris Police
and Fritz von Waltbaum, the well known specialist of Dancy,
both of whom had wasted their energies upon what proved
to be side issues. The new century will have come, however,
(01:25):
before the story can be safely told. Meanwhile, I pass
on to the second on my list, which promised also
at one time to be of national importance, and was
marked by several incidents which give it a quite unique character.
During my school days I had been intimately associated with
a lad named Percy Phelps, who was of much the
(01:48):
same age as myself, though he was two classes ahead
of me. He was a very brilliant boy and carried
away every prize which the school had to offer, finished
his exploits by wing a scholarship which sent him on
to continue his triumphant career at Cambridge. He was, i remember,
extremely well connected, and even when we were all little
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boys together we knew that his mother's brother was Lord Holthurst,
the great Conservative politician. This gaudy relationship did him little
good at school. On the contrary, it seemed rather a
piquant thing to us to chevy him about the playground
and hit him over the shins with a wicket. But
it was another thing when he came out into the world.
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I heard vaguely that his abilities and the influences which
he commanded had won him a good position at the
Foreign Office, And then he passed completely out of my
mind until the following letter recalled his existence. Briar Bray Woking,
My dear Watson, I have no doubt that you can
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remember Tadpole Phelps, who was in the fifth form when
you were in the third. It is possible even that
you may have heard that through my uncle's inflatruance, I
obtained a good appointment at the Foreign Office, and that
I was in a situation of trust and honor until
a horrible misfortune came suddenly to blast my career. There
(03:11):
is no use writing of the details of that dreadful event.
In the event of your acceding to my request, it
is probable that I shall have to narrate them to you.
I have only just recovered from nine weeks of brain fever,
and am still exceedingly weak. Do you think that you
could bring your friend mister Holmes down to see me.
(03:32):
I should like to have his opinion of the case.
Though the authorities assure me that nothing more can be done.
Do try to bring him down and as soon as possible.
Every minute seems an hour while I live in this
state of horrible suspense. Assure him that if I have
not asked his advice sooner, it was not because I
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did not appreciate his talents, but because I have been
off my head ever since the blow fell. Now I
am clear again, though I dare not think of it
too much for fear of a relapse, I am still
so weak that I have to write, as you see
by dictating, do try to bring him your old schoolfellow,
(04:14):
Percy Phelps. There was something that touched me as I
read this letter, something pitiable in the reiterated appeals to
bring Holmes. So moved was I that, even had it
been a difficult matter, I should have tried it. But
of course I knew well that Holmes loved his art,
so that he was ever as ready to bring his
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aid as his client could be to receive it. My
wife agreed with me that not a moment should be
lost in laying the matter before him, and so within
an hour of breakfast time, I found myself back once
more in the old rooms in Baker Street. Holmes was
seated at his side table, clad in his dressing gown
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and working hard over a chemical investigation. A large curved
retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a
Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a
two liter measure. My friend hardly glanced up as I entered,
and I, seeing that his investigation must be of importance,
seated myself in an arm chair and waited. He dipped
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into this bottle or that, drawing out a few drops
of each with his glass pipette, and finally brought a
test tube containing a solution over to the table. In
his right hand he held a slip of litmus paper.
You come at a crisis, Watson said he. If this
paper remains blue, all is well. If it turns red,
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it means a man's life. He dipped it into the
test tube, and it flushed at once into a dull,
dirty crimson. Hum I thought as much, He cried, I
will be at your service in an instant, Watson, you
will find tobacco in the Persian slipper. He turned to
his desk and scriveled off several telegrams, which were handed
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over to the page boy. Then he threw himself down
into the chair opposite, and drew up his knees until
his fingers clasped round his long, thin shins. A very
commonplace little murder, said he, you've got something better. I
fancy you are the stormy petrel of crime. Watson, what
is it? I handed him the letter, which he read
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with the most concentrated attention. It does not tell us
very much, does it, he remarked, as he handed it
back to me, hardly anything. And yet the writing is
of interest. But the writing is not his own. Precisely,
it is a woman's a man, surely, I cried, No,
(06:49):
a woman's, and a woman of rare character. You see,
at the commencement of an investigation, it is something to
know that your client is in close contact with some
one who, who, for good or evil, has an exceptional nature.
My interest is already awakened in the case. If you
are ready, we will start at once for Woking, and
(07:10):
see this diplomatist who is in such evil case, and
the lady to whom he dictates his letter. We were
fortunate enough to catch an early train at Waterloo, and
in a little under an hour we found ourselves among
the fir woods and the heather of Woking Briarbray proved
to be a large detached house standing in extensive grounds
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within a few minutes walk of the station. On sending
in our cards, we were shown into an elegantly appointed
drawing room, where we were joined in a few minutes
by a rather stout man who received us with much hospitality.
His age may have been nearer forty than thirty, but
his cheeks were so ruddy and his eyes so merry,
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that he still conveyed the impression of a plump and
mischievous boy. I am so glad that you've come, said he,
shaking our hands with effusion. Percy has been inquiring for
you all morning. Ah, poor old chap he clings to
any straw. His father and his mother asked me to
see you, for the mere mention of the subject is
(08:15):
very painful to them. We have no details yet, observed Holmes.
I perceive that you are not yourself a member of
the family. Our acquaintance looked surprised, and then, glancing down,
he began to laugh. Of course you saw the j
H monogram on my locket, said he. For a moment
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I thought you had done something clever. Joseph Harrison is
my name, and as Percy is to marry my sister Annie,
I shall at least be a relation by marriage. You
will find my sister in his room, for she has
nursed him hand and foot this two months back. Perhaps
we'd better go in at once, for I know how
impatient he is. The chamber in which we were shown
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was on the same floor as the drawing room. It
was furnished partly as a sitting and partly as a bedroom,
with flowers arranged daintily in every nook and corner. A
young man, very pale and worn, was lying upon a
sofa near the open window, through which came the rich
scent of the garden and the balmy summer air. A
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woman was sitting beside him, who rose as we entered.
Shall I leave, Percy, she asked. He clutched her hand
to detain her. How are you, Watson, said he cordially.
I should never have known you under that mustache, and
I dare say you would not be prepared to swear
to me. This I presume is your celebrated friend, mister
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Sherlock Holmes. I introduced him in a few words, and
we both sat down. The stout young man had left us,
but his sister still remained with her hand in that
of the invalid. She was a striking looking woman, a
little short and thick for symmetry, but with a beautiful
olive complexion, large dark Italian eyes, and a wealth of
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deep black hair. Her rich tints made the white face
of her companion the more worn and haggard by the contrast.
I won't waste your time, said he, raising himself upon
the sofa. I'll plunge into the matter without further preamble.
I was a happy and successful man, mister Holmes, and
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on the eve of being married, when a sudden and
dreadful misfortune wrecked all my prospects in life. I was,
as Watson may have told you, in the Foreign Office,
and through the influences of my uncle, Lord Holthurst, I
rose rapidly to a responsible position. When my uncle became
Foreign Minister in this administration. He gave me several missions
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of trust, and as I always brought them to a
successful conclusion, he came at last to have the utmost
confidence in my ability and tact. Nearly ten weeks ago,
to be more accurate, on the twenty third of May,
he called me into his private room, and after complimenting
me on the good work which I had done, he
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informed me that he had a new commission of trust
for me to execute. This said he, taking a gray
roll of paper from his bureau, is the original of
that secret treaty between England and Italy, of which I
regret to say some rumors have already got into the
public press. It is of enormous importance that nothing further
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should leak out. The French or the Russian embassy would
pay an immense sum to learn the contents of these papers.
They should not leave my bureau, were it not that
it is absolutely necessary to have them copied. You have
a desk in your office, yes, sir, then take the
treaty and lock it up there. I shall give directions
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that you may remain behind when the others go, so
that you may copy it at your leisure without fear
of being overlooked. When you have finished, relock both the
original and the draft in the desk, and hand them
over to me personally to morrow morning. I took the
papers and excuse me, an instant, said Holmes, Were you
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alone during this conversation? Absolutely in a large room thirty
feet each way in the center, yes about it, and
speaking low. My uncle's voice is always remarkably low. I
hardly spoke at all. Thank you, said Holmes, shutting his eyes.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Pray go on.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
I did exactly what he indicated, and waited until the.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Other clerks had departed.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
One of them in my room, Charles Gorro, had some
arrears of work to make up, so I left him
there and went out to dine. When I returned, he
was gone. I was anxious to hurry my work, for
I knew that Joseph, the mister Harrison whom you saw
just now, was in town, and that he would travel
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down to Woking by the eleven o'clock train, and I wanted,
if possible, to catch it. When I came to examine
the treaty, I saw at once that it was of
such importance that my uncle had been guilty of no
exaggeration in what he had said. Without going into details,
I may say that it defined the position of Great
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Britain towards the Triple Alliance, and foreshadowed the policy which
this country would pursue in the event of a French
fleet gaining a complete ascendency over that of Italy in
the Mediterranean. The questions treated in it were purely naval.
At the end were the signatures of the high dignitaries
who had signed it. I glanced my eyes over it,
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and then set down to make my task of copying.
It was a long document, written in the French language
and containing twenty six separate articles. I copied as quickly
as I could, But at nine o'clock I had only
done nine articles, and it seemed hopeless for me to
attempt to catch my train. I was feeling drowsy and stupid,
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partly from my dinner and also from the effects of
a long day's work. A cup of coffee would clear
my brain. A commissionaire remains all night in a little
lodge at the foot of the stairs, and is in
the habit of making coffee at his spirit lamp for
any of the officials who may be working over time.
I rang the bell therefore to summon him. To my surprise,
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it was a woman who answered the summons, a large,
coarse faced, elderly woman in an apron She explained that
she was the commissionaire's wife who did the charring, and
I gave her the order for the coffee. I wrote
two more articles, and then, feeling more drowsy than ever,
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I rose and walked up and down the room to
stretch my legs. My coffee had not yet come, and
I wondered what the cause of the delay could be
opening the door. I started down the corridor to find out.
There was a straight passage, dimly lighted, which led from
the room in which I had been working, and was
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the only exit from it. It ended in a curving
staircase with the Commissionaire's lodge in the passage at the bottom.
Half Way down the staircase is a small landing with
another passage running into it at right angles. This second
one leads by means of a second small stair to
a side door used by servants and also as a
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short cut by clerk's when coming from Charles Street. Here
is a rough chart of the place. Thank you, I
think that I quite follow you, said Sherlock Holmes. It
is of the utmost importance that you should notice this point.
I went down the stairs and into the hall, where
I found the Commissionaire fast asleep in his box, with
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the kettle boiling furiously upon the spirit lamp. I took
off the kettle and blew out the lamp, for the
water was spurting over the floor. Then I put out
my hand and was about to shake the man, who
was still sleeping soundly, when a bell over his head
rang loudly, and he woke with a start. Mister Phelps, sir, said,
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he looking at me in bewilderment. I came down to
see if my coffee was ready. I was boiling the
kettle when I fell.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Asleep, Sir.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
He looked at me, and then up at the still
quivering bell, with an ever growing astonishment upon his face.
If you was here, sir, then who rang the bell?
He asked the bell? I cried, what bell is it?
It's the bell of the room you were working in.
A cold hand seemed to close round my heart. Some
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one then was in that room where my precious treaty
lay upon the table. I ran frantically up the stair
and along the passage. There was no one in the corridors,
mister Holmes, there was no one in the room. All
was exactly as I left it, save only that the
papers which had been committed to my care had been
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taken from the desk on which they lay. The copy
was there, and the original was gone. Holmes sat up
in his chair and rubbed his hands. I could see
that the problem was entirely to his heart.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Pray, what did you do? Then, he murmured.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
I recognized in an instant that the thief must have
come up the stairs from the side door. Of course
I must have met him if he had come the
other way. You were satisfied that he could not have
been concealed in the room all the time, or in
the corridor, which you have just described as dimly lighted.
It is absolutely impossible a rat could not conceal himself,
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either in the room or the corridor. There is no
cover at all. Thank you, Pray proceed. The Commissionaire, seeing
by my pale face that something was to be feared,
had followed me upstairs. Now we both rushed along the
corridor and down the steep steps which led to Charles Street.
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The door at the bottom was closed but unlocked. We
flung it open and rushed out. I can distinctly remember
that as we did so, there came three chimes from
a neighboring clock. It was quarter to ten. That is
of enormous importance, said Holmes, making a note upon his
shirt cuff. The night was very dark and a thin,
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warm rain was falling. There was no one in Charles Street,
but a great traffic was going on as usual in Whitehall.
At the extremity, we rushed along the pavement, bare headed
as we were, and at the far corner we found
a policeman standing. A robbery has been committed, I gasped.
A document of immense value has been stolen from the
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Foreign Office. Has anyone passed this way? I've been standing
here for a quarter of an hour, Sir said he.
Only one person has passed during that time, a woman,
tall and elderly with a Paisley shawl. Ah, that is
only my wife, cried the commissionaire. As no one else passed,
no one, then it must be the other way that
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the thief took, cried the fellow, tugging at my sleeve.
But I was not satisfied, and the attempts which he
made to draw me away increased my suspicions. Which way
did the woman go?
Speaker 2 (19:52):
I cried?
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I don't know, Sir. I noticed her pass, but I
know special reason for watching her. She seemed to be
an hurry. How long ago was it? Oh, not very
many minutes, within the last five Well, it could not
be more than five. You're only wasting your time, sir,
and every minute now as of importance, cried the commissionaire.
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Take my word for it that my old woman has
nothing to do with it, and come down to the
other end of the street. Well, if you won't, I will.
And with that he rushed off in the other direction.
But I was after him in an instant and caught
him by the sleeve. Where do you live, said I
sixteen ivy line, Brixton, He answered, But don't let yourself
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be drawn away upon a false scent, mister Phelps, come
to the other end of the street and let us
see if we can hear of anything. Nothing was to
be lost by following his advice with the policemen. We
both hurried down, but only to find the street full
of traffic, many people coming and going, but all only
too eager to get to a place of safety. Upon
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so wet a night, there was no lounger who could
tell us who had passed. Then we returned to the
office and searched the stairs and the passage without result.
The corridor which led to the room was laid down
with a kind of creamy linoleum which shows an impression
very easily. We examined it very carefully, but found no
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outline of any footmark. Had it been raining all evening
since about seven? How is it then that the woman
who came into the room about nine left no traces
with her muddy boots. I am glad you raised that point.
It occurred to me at the time. The charwomen are
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in the habit of taking off their boots at the
Commissionaire's office and putting on list slippers. That is very
clear there were no marks then, though the night was
a wet one. The chain of events is certainly one
of extraordinary interest.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
What did you do next?
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Exam in the room? Also, there is no possibility of
a secret door, and the windows are quite thirty feet
from the ground. Both of them were fastened on the inside.
The carpet prevents any possibility of a trap door, and
the ceiling is of the ordinary whitewashed kind. I will
pledge my life that whoever stole my papers could only
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have come through the door. How about the fireplace they
use none. There is a stove. The bell rope hangs
from the wire just to the right of my desk.
Whoever rang it must have come right up to the
desk to do it. But why should any criminal wish
to ring the bell? It is a most insoluble mystery. Certainly,
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the incident was unusual. What were your next steps? You
examined the room, I presume to see if the intruder
had left any traces, any cigar end or dropped glove
or hairpin or other trifle. There was nothing of the sort.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
No smell.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Well, we never thought of that. Ah ascent of tobacco
would have been worth a great deal to us in
such an investigation. I never smoke myself, so I think
I should have observed if there had been any smell
of tobacco. There was absolutely no clue of any kind.
The only tangible fact was that the Commissionaire's wife, Missus
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Tangy was the name, had hurried out of the place.
He could give no explanation, say that it was about
the time when the woman always went home. The policeman
and I agreed that our best plan would be to
seize the woman before she could get rid of the papers,
presuming that she had them. The alarm had reached Scotland
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Yard by this time, and mister Forbes, the detective, came
round at once and took up the case with a
great deal of energy. We hired a hansom, and in
half an hour we were at the address which had
been given to us. A young woman opened the door
who proved to be missus Tangy's eldest daughter. Her mother
had not come back yet, and we were shown into
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the front room to wait. About ten minutes later a
knock came at the door, and here we made the
one serious mistake for which I blame myself. Instead of
opening the door ourselves, we allowed the girl to do so.
We heard her say, mother, there are two men in
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the house waiting to see you. And an instant afterwards
we heard the patter of feet rushing down the passage.
Forbes flung open the door and we both ran into
the back room or kitchen, but the woman had got
there before us. She stared at us with defiant eyes,
and then, suddenly recognizing me, an expression of absolute astonishment
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came over her face. Why if it isn't mister Phelps
of the office, she cried, Come, come, Who did ye
think we were when you ran away from us? Asked
my companion, Ah, I thought you were the brokers, said she.
We've had some trouble with a tradesman. That's not quite
good enough answered Forbes. We have reason to believe that
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you have taken a paper of importance from the Foreign Office,
and that you ran in here to dispose of it.
You must come back with us to Scotland Yard to
be searched. It was in vain that she protested and resisted.
A four wheeler was brought and we all three drove
back in it. We had first made an examination of
the kitchen, and especially of the kitchen fire, to see
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whether she might have made away with the papers during
the instant that she was alone. There were no signs, however,
of any ashes or scraps. When we reached Scotland Yard,
she was handed over at once to the female searcher.
I waited in an agony of suspense until she came
back with her report. There were no signs of the papers. Then,
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for the first time, the horror of my situation came
in its full force. Hitherto I had been acting, and
action had none thought. I had been so confident of
regaining the treaty at once that I had not dared
to think of what would be the consequence if I
failed to do so. But now there was nothing more
to be done, and I had leisure to realize my position.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
It was horrible.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Watson there would tell you that I was a nervous,
sensitive boy at school.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
It is my nature.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I thought of my uncle and of his colleagues in
the cabinet, of the shame which I had brought upon him,
upon myself, upon every one connected with me. What though
I was the victim of an extraordinary accident, no allowance
is made for accidents where diplomatic interests are at stake.
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I was ruined, shamefully, hopelessly ruined. Don't know what I did.
I fancy I must have made a scene. I have
a dim recollection of a group of officials who crowded
round me, endeavoring to soothe me. One of them drove
down with me to Waterloo and saw me into the
Woking train. I believed that he would have come all
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the way had it not been that doctor Ferrier, who
lives near me, was going down by that very train.
The doctor most kindly took charge of me, and it
was well he did so, for I had a fit
in the station, and before we reached home I was
practically a raving maniac. You can imagine the state of
things here when they were roused from their beds by
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the doctor's ringing and found me in this condition. Poor
Annie here and my mother were broken hearted. Doctor Ferrier
had just heard enough from the detective at the station
to be able to give an idea of what had happened,
and his story did not mend matters. It was evident
to all that I was in for a long illness.
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So Joseph was bundled out of this cheery bedroom and
it was turned into a sick room for me. Here
I have lain mister Holmes for over nine weeks, unconscious
and raving with brain fever. If it had not been
for missus Harrison here and for the doctor's care, I
should not be speaking to you now. She has nursed
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me by day, and a hired nurse has looked after
me by night, for in my mad fits I was
capable of anything. Slowly my reason has cleared, but it
is only during the last three days that my memory
has quite returned. Sometimes I wish that it never had.
The first thing that I did was to wire to
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mister Forbes, who had the case in hand. He came
out and assures me that though everything has been done,
no trace of a clue has been discovered. The commissionaire
and his wife have been examined in every way without
any light being thrown upon the matter. The suspicions of
the police then rested upon young Goro, who, as you
(29:06):
may remember, stayed over time in the office that night.
His remaining behind and his French name were really the
only two points which could suggest suspicion. But as a
matter of fact, I did not begin work until he
had gone, and his people are of Huguenot extraction. But
as English in sympathy and tradition as you and I are,
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nothing was found to implicate him in any way, and
there the matter dropped. I turned to you, mister Holmes,
as absolutely my last hope. If you fail me, then
my honor as well as my position, are forever forfeited.
The invalid sank back upon his cushions, tired out by
(29:49):
this long recital, while his nurse poured him out a
glass of some stimulating medicine. Holmes sat silently, with his
head thrown back and his eyes closed, in an attitude
which might seem listless to a stranger, but which I
knew betokened a most intense self absorption. Your statement has
been so explicit, said he at last, that you have
(30:12):
really left me very few questions to ask. There is
one of the very utmost importance. However, did you tell
any one that you had this special task to perform?
Speaker 2 (30:24):
No?
Speaker 1 (30:24):
One, not Miss Harrison here for example. No, I had
not been back to Woking between getting the order and
executing the commission, and none of your people had by
chance been to see you.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
None. Did any of them know their way about in
the office. Oh?
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yes, all of them had been shown over it. Still,
of course, if you said nothing to any one about
the treaty, these inquiries are irrelevant. I said nothing. Do
you know anything of the commissionaire? Nothing except that he
is an old soldier? What regiment?
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Oh? I have heard cold Stream Guards? Thank you. I
have no doubt I can get details from Forbes.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do
not always use them to advantage. What a lovely thing
a roses. He walked past the couch to the open
window and held up the drooping stalk of a moss rose,
looking down at the dainty blend of crimson and green.
It was a new phase of his character to me,
(31:32):
for I'd never seen him show any keen interest in
natural objects. There is nothing in which deduction is so
necessary as in religion, said he, leaning with his back
against the shutters. It can be built up as an
exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the
goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers.
(31:54):
All other things, our powers, our desires, our food are
all really necessary for our existence in the first instance.
But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its
color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it.
It is only goodness which gives extras. And so I
say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.
(32:18):
Percy Phelps and his nurse looked at Holmes during this
demonstration with surprise and a good deal of disappointment written
upon their faces. He had fallen into a reverie with
the moss rose between his fingers. It had lasted some
minutes before the young lady broke in upon it. Do
you see any prospect of solving this mystery, mister Holmes,
(32:39):
she asked, with a touch of asperity in her voice.
Oh the mystery, he answered, coming back with a start
to the realities of life. Well, it would be absurd
to deny that the case is a very abstruse and
complicated one. But I can promise you that I will
look into the matter and let you know any points
(32:59):
which may strike me.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Do you see any clue?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
You have furnished me with seven But of course I
must test them before I can pronounce upon their value.
You suspect some one, I suspect myself. What of coming
to conclusions too rapidly? Then go to London and test
your conclusions. Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison, said Holmes, rising,
(33:29):
I think Watson, we cannot do better. Do not allow
yourself to indulge in false hopes, mister Phelps. The affair
is a very tangled one. I shall be in a
fever until I see you again, cried the diplomatist. Well,
I'll come out by the same train to morrow, though
it's more than likely that my report will be a
negative one. God bless you for promising to come, cried
(33:53):
our client. It gives me fresh life to know that
something is being done by the way. I have had
a letter from Lord Holthurst. Ha what did he say?
He was cold, but not harsh. I daresay my severe
illness prevented him from being that. He repeated that the
matter was of the utmost importance, and added that no
(34:15):
steps would be taken about my future, by which he means,
of course, my dismissal until my health was restored and
I had an opportunity of repairing my misfortune. Well that
was reasonable and considerate.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Said Holmes.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Come Watson, for we have a good day's work before
us in town. Mister Joseph Harrison drove us down to
the station, and we were soon whirling up in a
Portsmouth train. Holmes was sunk in profound thought and hardly
opened his mouth until we had passed Clapham Junction. It's
a very cheery thing to come into London by any
(34:51):
of these lines, which run high and allow you to
look down upon the houses like this. I thought he
was joking, for the view was soort, but he soon
explained himself. Look at those big, isolated clumps of building
rising up above the slates, like brick islands in a
lead colored sea. The board schools, lighthouses, my boy, beacons
(35:16):
of the future, capsules with hundreds of bright little seeds
in each out of which will spring the wise, better
England of the future. I suppose that man Phelps does
not drink. I should not think so, nor should I,
but we are bound to take every possibility into account.
The poor devil has certainly got himself into very deep water,
(35:39):
and it's a question whether we shall ever be able
to get him ashore. What did you think of miss Harrison?
A girl of strong character? Yes, but she is a
good sort, or I am mistaken. She and her brother
are the only children of an iron master somewhere up
Northumberland Way. He got engaged to her when traveling last winter.
(36:00):
She came down to be introduced to his people, with
her brother as escort. Then came the smash, and she
stayed on to nurse her lover, while brother Joseph, finding
himself pretty snug, stayed on too. I've been making a
few independent inquiries, you see, but to day must be
a day of inquiries my practice, I began. Oh, if
(36:24):
you find your own cases more interesting than mine, said
Holmes with some asperity. I was going to say that
my practice could get along very well for a day
or two, since it is the slackest time in the year. Excellent,
said he recovering his good humor. Then we'll look into
this matter together. I think that we should begin by
seeing Forbes. He can probably tell us all the details
(36:48):
we want, until we know from what side the case
is to be approached.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
You said he had a clue.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
Well, we have several, but we can only test their
value by further inquiry. The most difficult crime to track
is the one which is purposeless. Now this is not purposeless.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Who is it?
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Who profits by it? There is the French ambassador, there
is the Russian. There is whoever might sell it to
either of these? And there is Lord Holdhurst. Lord Holdhurst, Well,
it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself
in a position where he was not sorry to have
(37:27):
such a document accidentally destroyed, Not a statesman with the
honorable record of Lord Holthurst. It is a possibility, and
we cannot afford to disregard it. We shall see the
noble Lord to day and find out if he can
tell us anything. Meanwhile, I have already set inquiries on
foot already. Yes, I sent wires from Woking Station to
(37:52):
every evening paper in London. This advertisement will appear in
each of them. He handed over a sheet to from
a notebook on it was scribbled in pencil. Ten pounds
reward the number of the cab which dropped a fair
at or about the door of the Foreign Office in
Charles Street at quarter to ten in the evening of
(38:13):
May twenty third. Apply to twenty one B Baker Street.
You're confident that the thief came in a cab. If not,
there is no harm done. But if mister Phelps is
correct in stating that there is no hiding place, either
in the room or the corridors, then the person must
have come from outside. If he came from outside on
(38:35):
so wet a night, and yet left no trace of
damp upon the lineoleum, which was examined within a few
minutes of his passing, then it is exceeding probable that
he came in a cab. Yes, I think that we
may safely deduce a cab. It sounds plausible. That is
one of the clues of which I spoke. It may
(38:58):
lead us to something. And then, of course there is
the bell, which is the most distinctive feature of the case.
Why should the bell ring? Was it the thief who
did it out of Bravado or was it some one
who was with the thief who did it in order
to prevent the crime, or was it an accident? Or
was it He sank back into the state of intense
(39:21):
and silent thought from which he had emerged. But it
seemed to me, accustomed as I was, to his every mood,
that some new possibility had dawned suddenly upon him. End
of Part one of the Naval Treaty,
Adventure ten in the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in the public
domain Adventure ten The Naval Treaty, Part one.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The July, which.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Immediately succeeded my marriage, was made memorable by three cases
of interest in which I had the privilege of being
associated with Sherlock Holmes and of studying his methods. I
find them recorded in my notes under the headings of
the Adventure of the Second Stain, the Adventure of the
Naval Treaty, and the Adventure of the Tired Captain. The
(00:39):
first of these, however, deals with interest of such importance
and implicates so many of the first families in the
Kingdom that for many years it will be impossible to
make it public. No case, however, in which Holmes was engaged,
has ever illustrated the value of his analytical methods so clearly,
or has impressed those who were as associated with him
(01:01):
so deeply. I still retain an almost verbatim report of
the interview in which he demonstrated the true facts of
the case to Monsieur de Bugue of the Paris Police
and Fritz von Waltbaum, the well known specialist of Dancy,
both of whom had wasted their energies upon what proved
to be side issues. The new century will have come, however,
(01:25):
before the story can be safely told. Meanwhile, I pass
on to the second on my list, which promised also
at one time to be of national importance, and was
marked by several incidents which give it a quite unique character.
During my school days I had been intimately associated with
a lad named Percy Phelps, who was of much the
(01:48):
same age as myself, though he was two classes ahead
of me. He was a very brilliant boy and carried
away every prize which the school had to offer, finished
his exploits by wing a scholarship which sent him on
to continue his triumphant career at Cambridge. He was, i remember,
extremely well connected, and even when we were all little
(02:09):
boys together we knew that his mother's brother was Lord Holthurst,
the great Conservative politician. This gaudy relationship did him little
good at school. On the contrary, it seemed rather a
piquant thing to us to chevy him about the playground
and hit him over the shins with a wicket. But
it was another thing when he came out into the world.
(02:31):
I heard vaguely that his abilities and the influences which
he commanded had won him a good position at the
Foreign Office, And then he passed completely out of my
mind until the following letter recalled his existence. Briar Bray Woking,
My dear Watson, I have no doubt that you can
(02:51):
remember Tadpole Phelps, who was in the fifth form when
you were in the third. It is possible even that
you may have heard that through my uncle's inflatruance, I
obtained a good appointment at the Foreign Office, and that
I was in a situation of trust and honor until
a horrible misfortune came suddenly to blast my career. There
(03:11):
is no use writing of the details of that dreadful event.
In the event of your acceding to my request, it
is probable that I shall have to narrate them to you.
I have only just recovered from nine weeks of brain fever,
and am still exceedingly weak. Do you think that you
could bring your friend mister Holmes down to see me.
(03:32):
I should like to have his opinion of the case.
Though the authorities assure me that nothing more can be done.
Do try to bring him down and as soon as possible.
Every minute seems an hour while I live in this
state of horrible suspense. Assure him that if I have
not asked his advice sooner, it was not because I
(03:52):
did not appreciate his talents, but because I have been
off my head ever since the blow fell. Now I
am clear again, though I dare not think of it
too much for fear of a relapse, I am still
so weak that I have to write, as you see
by dictating, do try to bring him your old schoolfellow,
(04:14):
Percy Phelps. There was something that touched me as I
read this letter, something pitiable in the reiterated appeals to
bring Holmes. So moved was I that, even had it
been a difficult matter, I should have tried it. But
of course I knew well that Holmes loved his art,
so that he was ever as ready to bring his
(04:34):
aid as his client could be to receive it. My
wife agreed with me that not a moment should be
lost in laying the matter before him, and so within
an hour of breakfast time, I found myself back once
more in the old rooms in Baker Street. Holmes was
seated at his side table, clad in his dressing gown
(04:54):
and working hard over a chemical investigation. A large curved
retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a
Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a
two liter measure. My friend hardly glanced up as I entered,
and I, seeing that his investigation must be of importance,
seated myself in an arm chair and waited. He dipped
(05:19):
into this bottle or that, drawing out a few drops
of each with his glass pipette, and finally brought a
test tube containing a solution over to the table. In
his right hand he held a slip of litmus paper.
You come at a crisis, Watson said he. If this
paper remains blue, all is well. If it turns red,
(05:42):
it means a man's life. He dipped it into the
test tube, and it flushed at once into a dull,
dirty crimson. Hum I thought as much, He cried, I
will be at your service in an instant, Watson, you
will find tobacco in the Persian slipper. He turned to
his desk and scriveled off several telegrams, which were handed
(06:03):
over to the page boy. Then he threw himself down
into the chair opposite, and drew up his knees until
his fingers clasped round his long, thin shins. A very
commonplace little murder, said he, you've got something better. I
fancy you are the stormy petrel of crime. Watson, what
is it? I handed him the letter, which he read
(06:27):
with the most concentrated attention. It does not tell us
very much, does it, he remarked, as he handed it
back to me, hardly anything. And yet the writing is
of interest. But the writing is not his own. Precisely,
it is a woman's a man, surely, I cried, No,
(06:49):
a woman's, and a woman of rare character. You see,
at the commencement of an investigation, it is something to
know that your client is in close contact with some
one who, who, for good or evil, has an exceptional nature.
My interest is already awakened in the case. If you
are ready, we will start at once for Woking, and
(07:10):
see this diplomatist who is in such evil case, and
the lady to whom he dictates his letter. We were
fortunate enough to catch an early train at Waterloo, and
in a little under an hour we found ourselves among
the fir woods and the heather of Woking Briarbray proved
to be a large detached house standing in extensive grounds
(07:32):
within a few minutes walk of the station. On sending
in our cards, we were shown into an elegantly appointed
drawing room, where we were joined in a few minutes
by a rather stout man who received us with much hospitality.
His age may have been nearer forty than thirty, but
his cheeks were so ruddy and his eyes so merry,
(07:54):
that he still conveyed the impression of a plump and
mischievous boy. I am so glad that you've come, said he,
shaking our hands with effusion. Percy has been inquiring for
you all morning. Ah, poor old chap he clings to
any straw. His father and his mother asked me to
see you, for the mere mention of the subject is
(08:15):
very painful to them. We have no details yet, observed Holmes.
I perceive that you are not yourself a member of
the family. Our acquaintance looked surprised, and then, glancing down,
he began to laugh. Of course you saw the j
H monogram on my locket, said he. For a moment
(08:35):
I thought you had done something clever. Joseph Harrison is
my name, and as Percy is to marry my sister Annie,
I shall at least be a relation by marriage. You
will find my sister in his room, for she has
nursed him hand and foot this two months back. Perhaps
we'd better go in at once, for I know how
impatient he is. The chamber in which we were shown
(08:58):
was on the same floor as the drawing room. It
was furnished partly as a sitting and partly as a bedroom,
with flowers arranged daintily in every nook and corner. A
young man, very pale and worn, was lying upon a
sofa near the open window, through which came the rich
scent of the garden and the balmy summer air. A
(09:20):
woman was sitting beside him, who rose as we entered.
Shall I leave, Percy, she asked. He clutched her hand
to detain her. How are you, Watson, said he cordially.
I should never have known you under that mustache, and
I dare say you would not be prepared to swear
to me. This I presume is your celebrated friend, mister
(09:43):
Sherlock Holmes. I introduced him in a few words, and
we both sat down. The stout young man had left us,
but his sister still remained with her hand in that
of the invalid. She was a striking looking woman, a
little short and thick for symmetry, but with a beautiful
olive complexion, large dark Italian eyes, and a wealth of
(10:07):
deep black hair. Her rich tints made the white face
of her companion the more worn and haggard by the contrast.
I won't waste your time, said he, raising himself upon
the sofa. I'll plunge into the matter without further preamble.
I was a happy and successful man, mister Holmes, and
(10:27):
on the eve of being married, when a sudden and
dreadful misfortune wrecked all my prospects in life. I was,
as Watson may have told you, in the Foreign Office,
and through the influences of my uncle, Lord Holthurst, I
rose rapidly to a responsible position. When my uncle became
Foreign Minister in this administration. He gave me several missions
(10:50):
of trust, and as I always brought them to a
successful conclusion, he came at last to have the utmost
confidence in my ability and tact. Nearly ten weeks ago,
to be more accurate, on the twenty third of May,
he called me into his private room, and after complimenting
me on the good work which I had done, he
(11:12):
informed me that he had a new commission of trust
for me to execute. This said he, taking a gray
roll of paper from his bureau, is the original of
that secret treaty between England and Italy, of which I
regret to say some rumors have already got into the
public press. It is of enormous importance that nothing further
(11:35):
should leak out. The French or the Russian embassy would
pay an immense sum to learn the contents of these papers.
They should not leave my bureau, were it not that
it is absolutely necessary to have them copied. You have
a desk in your office, yes, sir, then take the
treaty and lock it up there. I shall give directions
(11:59):
that you may remain behind when the others go, so
that you may copy it at your leisure without fear
of being overlooked. When you have finished, relock both the
original and the draft in the desk, and hand them
over to me personally to morrow morning. I took the
papers and excuse me, an instant, said Holmes, Were you
(12:22):
alone during this conversation? Absolutely in a large room thirty
feet each way in the center, yes about it, and
speaking low. My uncle's voice is always remarkably low. I
hardly spoke at all. Thank you, said Holmes, shutting his eyes.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Pray go on.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
I did exactly what he indicated, and waited until the.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Other clerks had departed.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
One of them in my room, Charles Gorro, had some
arrears of work to make up, so I left him
there and went out to dine. When I returned, he
was gone. I was anxious to hurry my work, for
I knew that Joseph, the mister Harrison whom you saw
just now, was in town, and that he would travel
(13:13):
down to Woking by the eleven o'clock train, and I wanted,
if possible, to catch it. When I came to examine
the treaty, I saw at once that it was of
such importance that my uncle had been guilty of no
exaggeration in what he had said. Without going into details,
I may say that it defined the position of Great
(13:35):
Britain towards the Triple Alliance, and foreshadowed the policy which
this country would pursue in the event of a French
fleet gaining a complete ascendency over that of Italy in
the Mediterranean. The questions treated in it were purely naval.
At the end were the signatures of the high dignitaries
who had signed it. I glanced my eyes over it,
(13:59):
and then set down to make my task of copying.
It was a long document, written in the French language
and containing twenty six separate articles. I copied as quickly
as I could, But at nine o'clock I had only
done nine articles, and it seemed hopeless for me to
attempt to catch my train. I was feeling drowsy and stupid,
(14:23):
partly from my dinner and also from the effects of
a long day's work. A cup of coffee would clear
my brain. A commissionaire remains all night in a little
lodge at the foot of the stairs, and is in
the habit of making coffee at his spirit lamp for
any of the officials who may be working over time.
I rang the bell therefore to summon him. To my surprise,
(14:47):
it was a woman who answered the summons, a large,
coarse faced, elderly woman in an apron She explained that
she was the commissionaire's wife who did the charring, and
I gave her the order for the coffee. I wrote
two more articles, and then, feeling more drowsy than ever,
(15:08):
I rose and walked up and down the room to
stretch my legs. My coffee had not yet come, and
I wondered what the cause of the delay could be
opening the door. I started down the corridor to find out.
There was a straight passage, dimly lighted, which led from
the room in which I had been working, and was
(15:29):
the only exit from it. It ended in a curving
staircase with the Commissionaire's lodge in the passage at the bottom.
Half Way down the staircase is a small landing with
another passage running into it at right angles. This second
one leads by means of a second small stair to
a side door used by servants and also as a
(15:52):
short cut by clerk's when coming from Charles Street. Here
is a rough chart of the place. Thank you, I
think that I quite follow you, said Sherlock Holmes. It
is of the utmost importance that you should notice this point.
I went down the stairs and into the hall, where
I found the Commissionaire fast asleep in his box, with
(16:15):
the kettle boiling furiously upon the spirit lamp. I took
off the kettle and blew out the lamp, for the
water was spurting over the floor. Then I put out
my hand and was about to shake the man, who
was still sleeping soundly, when a bell over his head
rang loudly, and he woke with a start. Mister Phelps, sir, said,
(16:37):
he looking at me in bewilderment. I came down to
see if my coffee was ready. I was boiling the
kettle when I fell.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Asleep, Sir.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
He looked at me, and then up at the still
quivering bell, with an ever growing astonishment upon his face.
If you was here, sir, then who rang the bell?
He asked the bell? I cried, what bell is it?
It's the bell of the room you were working in.
A cold hand seemed to close round my heart. Some
(17:09):
one then was in that room where my precious treaty
lay upon the table. I ran frantically up the stair
and along the passage. There was no one in the corridors,
mister Holmes, there was no one in the room. All
was exactly as I left it, save only that the
papers which had been committed to my care had been
(17:30):
taken from the desk on which they lay. The copy
was there, and the original was gone. Holmes sat up
in his chair and rubbed his hands. I could see
that the problem was entirely to his heart.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Pray, what did you do? Then, he murmured.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
I recognized in an instant that the thief must have
come up the stairs from the side door. Of course
I must have met him if he had come the
other way. You were satisfied that he could not have
been concealed in the room all the time, or in
the corridor, which you have just described as dimly lighted.
It is absolutely impossible a rat could not conceal himself,
(18:10):
either in the room or the corridor. There is no
cover at all. Thank you, Pray proceed. The Commissionaire, seeing
by my pale face that something was to be feared,
had followed me upstairs. Now we both rushed along the
corridor and down the steep steps which led to Charles Street.
(18:31):
The door at the bottom was closed but unlocked. We
flung it open and rushed out. I can distinctly remember
that as we did so, there came three chimes from
a neighboring clock. It was quarter to ten. That is
of enormous importance, said Holmes, making a note upon his
shirt cuff. The night was very dark and a thin,
(18:54):
warm rain was falling. There was no one in Charles Street,
but a great traffic was going on as usual in Whitehall.
At the extremity, we rushed along the pavement, bare headed
as we were, and at the far corner we found
a policeman standing. A robbery has been committed, I gasped.
A document of immense value has been stolen from the
(19:17):
Foreign Office. Has anyone passed this way? I've been standing
here for a quarter of an hour, Sir said he.
Only one person has passed during that time, a woman,
tall and elderly with a Paisley shawl. Ah, that is
only my wife, cried the commissionaire. As no one else passed,
no one, then it must be the other way that
(19:40):
the thief took, cried the fellow, tugging at my sleeve.
But I was not satisfied, and the attempts which he
made to draw me away increased my suspicions. Which way
did the woman go?
Speaker 2 (19:52):
I cried?
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I don't know, Sir. I noticed her pass, but I
know special reason for watching her. She seemed to be
an hurry. How long ago was it? Oh, not very
many minutes, within the last five Well, it could not
be more than five. You're only wasting your time, sir,
and every minute now as of importance, cried the commissionaire.
(20:15):
Take my word for it that my old woman has
nothing to do with it, and come down to the
other end of the street. Well, if you won't, I will.
And with that he rushed off in the other direction.
But I was after him in an instant and caught
him by the sleeve. Where do you live, said I
sixteen ivy line, Brixton, He answered, But don't let yourself
(20:37):
be drawn away upon a false scent, mister Phelps, come
to the other end of the street and let us
see if we can hear of anything. Nothing was to
be lost by following his advice with the policemen. We
both hurried down, but only to find the street full
of traffic, many people coming and going, but all only
too eager to get to a place of safety. Upon
(20:58):
so wet a night, there was no lounger who could
tell us who had passed. Then we returned to the
office and searched the stairs and the passage without result.
The corridor which led to the room was laid down
with a kind of creamy linoleum which shows an impression
very easily. We examined it very carefully, but found no
(21:21):
outline of any footmark. Had it been raining all evening
since about seven? How is it then that the woman
who came into the room about nine left no traces
with her muddy boots. I am glad you raised that point.
It occurred to me at the time. The charwomen are
(21:41):
in the habit of taking off their boots at the
Commissionaire's office and putting on list slippers. That is very
clear there were no marks then, though the night was
a wet one. The chain of events is certainly one
of extraordinary interest.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
What did you do next?
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Exam in the room? Also, there is no possibility of
a secret door, and the windows are quite thirty feet
from the ground. Both of them were fastened on the inside.
The carpet prevents any possibility of a trap door, and
the ceiling is of the ordinary whitewashed kind. I will
pledge my life that whoever stole my papers could only
(22:20):
have come through the door. How about the fireplace they
use none. There is a stove. The bell rope hangs
from the wire just to the right of my desk.
Whoever rang it must have come right up to the
desk to do it. But why should any criminal wish
to ring the bell? It is a most insoluble mystery. Certainly,
(22:43):
the incident was unusual. What were your next steps? You
examined the room, I presume to see if the intruder
had left any traces, any cigar end or dropped glove
or hairpin or other trifle. There was nothing of the sort.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
No smell.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Well, we never thought of that. Ah ascent of tobacco
would have been worth a great deal to us in
such an investigation. I never smoke myself, so I think
I should have observed if there had been any smell
of tobacco. There was absolutely no clue of any kind.
The only tangible fact was that the Commissionaire's wife, Missus
(23:23):
Tangy was the name, had hurried out of the place.
He could give no explanation, say that it was about
the time when the woman always went home. The policeman
and I agreed that our best plan would be to
seize the woman before she could get rid of the papers,
presuming that she had them. The alarm had reached Scotland
(23:45):
Yard by this time, and mister Forbes, the detective, came
round at once and took up the case with a
great deal of energy. We hired a hansom, and in
half an hour we were at the address which had
been given to us. A young woman opened the door
who proved to be missus Tangy's eldest daughter. Her mother
had not come back yet, and we were shown into
(24:07):
the front room to wait. About ten minutes later a
knock came at the door, and here we made the
one serious mistake for which I blame myself. Instead of
opening the door ourselves, we allowed the girl to do so.
We heard her say, mother, there are two men in
(24:28):
the house waiting to see you. And an instant afterwards
we heard the patter of feet rushing down the passage.
Forbes flung open the door and we both ran into
the back room or kitchen, but the woman had got
there before us. She stared at us with defiant eyes,
and then, suddenly recognizing me, an expression of absolute astonishment
(24:51):
came over her face. Why if it isn't mister Phelps
of the office, she cried, Come, come, Who did ye
think we were when you ran away from us? Asked
my companion, Ah, I thought you were the brokers, said she.
We've had some trouble with a tradesman. That's not quite
good enough answered Forbes. We have reason to believe that
(25:15):
you have taken a paper of importance from the Foreign Office,
and that you ran in here to dispose of it.
You must come back with us to Scotland Yard to
be searched. It was in vain that she protested and resisted.
A four wheeler was brought and we all three drove
back in it. We had first made an examination of
the kitchen, and especially of the kitchen fire, to see
(25:37):
whether she might have made away with the papers during
the instant that she was alone. There were no signs, however,
of any ashes or scraps. When we reached Scotland Yard,
she was handed over at once to the female searcher.
I waited in an agony of suspense until she came
back with her report. There were no signs of the papers. Then,
(26:01):
for the first time, the horror of my situation came
in its full force. Hitherto I had been acting, and
action had none thought. I had been so confident of
regaining the treaty at once that I had not dared
to think of what would be the consequence if I
failed to do so. But now there was nothing more
to be done, and I had leisure to realize my position.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
It was horrible.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Watson there would tell you that I was a nervous,
sensitive boy at school.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
It is my nature.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I thought of my uncle and of his colleagues in
the cabinet, of the shame which I had brought upon him,
upon myself, upon every one connected with me. What though
I was the victim of an extraordinary accident, no allowance
is made for accidents where diplomatic interests are at stake.
(26:55):
I was ruined, shamefully, hopelessly ruined. Don't know what I did.
I fancy I must have made a scene. I have
a dim recollection of a group of officials who crowded
round me, endeavoring to soothe me. One of them drove
down with me to Waterloo and saw me into the
Woking train. I believed that he would have come all
(27:18):
the way had it not been that doctor Ferrier, who
lives near me, was going down by that very train.
The doctor most kindly took charge of me, and it
was well he did so, for I had a fit
in the station, and before we reached home I was
practically a raving maniac. You can imagine the state of
things here when they were roused from their beds by
(27:40):
the doctor's ringing and found me in this condition. Poor
Annie here and my mother were broken hearted. Doctor Ferrier
had just heard enough from the detective at the station
to be able to give an idea of what had happened,
and his story did not mend matters. It was evident
to all that I was in for a long illness.
(28:02):
So Joseph was bundled out of this cheery bedroom and
it was turned into a sick room for me. Here
I have lain mister Holmes for over nine weeks, unconscious
and raving with brain fever. If it had not been
for missus Harrison here and for the doctor's care, I
should not be speaking to you now. She has nursed
(28:23):
me by day, and a hired nurse has looked after
me by night, for in my mad fits I was
capable of anything. Slowly my reason has cleared, but it
is only during the last three days that my memory
has quite returned. Sometimes I wish that it never had.
The first thing that I did was to wire to
(28:44):
mister Forbes, who had the case in hand. He came
out and assures me that though everything has been done,
no trace of a clue has been discovered. The commissionaire
and his wife have been examined in every way without
any light being thrown upon the matter. The suspicions of
the police then rested upon young Goro, who, as you
(29:06):
may remember, stayed over time in the office that night.
His remaining behind and his French name were really the
only two points which could suggest suspicion. But as a
matter of fact, I did not begin work until he
had gone, and his people are of Huguenot extraction. But
as English in sympathy and tradition as you and I are,
(29:28):
nothing was found to implicate him in any way, and
there the matter dropped. I turned to you, mister Holmes,
as absolutely my last hope. If you fail me, then
my honor as well as my position, are forever forfeited.
The invalid sank back upon his cushions, tired out by
(29:49):
this long recital, while his nurse poured him out a
glass of some stimulating medicine. Holmes sat silently, with his
head thrown back and his eyes closed, in an attitude
which might seem listless to a stranger, but which I
knew betokened a most intense self absorption. Your statement has
been so explicit, said he at last, that you have
(30:12):
really left me very few questions to ask. There is
one of the very utmost importance. However, did you tell
any one that you had this special task to perform?
Speaker 2 (30:24):
No?
Speaker 1 (30:24):
One, not Miss Harrison here for example. No, I had
not been back to Woking between getting the order and
executing the commission, and none of your people had by
chance been to see you.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
None. Did any of them know their way about in
the office. Oh?
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yes, all of them had been shown over it. Still,
of course, if you said nothing to any one about
the treaty, these inquiries are irrelevant. I said nothing. Do
you know anything of the commissionaire? Nothing except that he
is an old soldier? What regiment?
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Oh? I have heard cold Stream Guards? Thank you. I
have no doubt I can get details from Forbes.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do
not always use them to advantage. What a lovely thing
a roses. He walked past the couch to the open
window and held up the drooping stalk of a moss rose,
looking down at the dainty blend of crimson and green.
It was a new phase of his character to me,
(31:32):
for I'd never seen him show any keen interest in
natural objects. There is nothing in which deduction is so
necessary as in religion, said he, leaning with his back
against the shutters. It can be built up as an
exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the
goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers.
(31:54):
All other things, our powers, our desires, our food are
all really necessary for our existence in the first instance.
But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its
color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it.
It is only goodness which gives extras. And so I
say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.
(32:18):
Percy Phelps and his nurse looked at Holmes during this
demonstration with surprise and a good deal of disappointment written
upon their faces. He had fallen into a reverie with
the moss rose between his fingers. It had lasted some
minutes before the young lady broke in upon it. Do
you see any prospect of solving this mystery, mister Holmes,
(32:39):
she asked, with a touch of asperity in her voice.
Oh the mystery, he answered, coming back with a start
to the realities of life. Well, it would be absurd
to deny that the case is a very abstruse and
complicated one. But I can promise you that I will
look into the matter and let you know any points
(32:59):
which may strike me.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Do you see any clue?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
You have furnished me with seven But of course I
must test them before I can pronounce upon their value.
You suspect some one, I suspect myself. What of coming
to conclusions too rapidly? Then go to London and test
your conclusions. Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison, said Holmes, rising,
(33:29):
I think Watson, we cannot do better. Do not allow
yourself to indulge in false hopes, mister Phelps. The affair
is a very tangled one. I shall be in a
fever until I see you again, cried the diplomatist. Well,
I'll come out by the same train to morrow, though
it's more than likely that my report will be a
negative one. God bless you for promising to come, cried
(33:53):
our client. It gives me fresh life to know that
something is being done by the way. I have had
a letter from Lord Holthurst. Ha what did he say?
He was cold, but not harsh. I daresay my severe
illness prevented him from being that. He repeated that the
matter was of the utmost importance, and added that no
(34:15):
steps would be taken about my future, by which he means,
of course, my dismissal until my health was restored and
I had an opportunity of repairing my misfortune. Well that
was reasonable and considerate.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Said Holmes.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Come Watson, for we have a good day's work before
us in town. Mister Joseph Harrison drove us down to
the station, and we were soon whirling up in a
Portsmouth train. Holmes was sunk in profound thought and hardly
opened his mouth until we had passed Clapham Junction. It's
a very cheery thing to come into London by any
(34:51):
of these lines, which run high and allow you to
look down upon the houses like this. I thought he
was joking, for the view was soort, but he soon
explained himself. Look at those big, isolated clumps of building
rising up above the slates, like brick islands in a
lead colored sea. The board schools, lighthouses, my boy, beacons
(35:16):
of the future, capsules with hundreds of bright little seeds
in each out of which will spring the wise, better
England of the future. I suppose that man Phelps does
not drink. I should not think so, nor should I,
but we are bound to take every possibility into account.
The poor devil has certainly got himself into very deep water,
(35:39):
and it's a question whether we shall ever be able
to get him ashore. What did you think of miss Harrison?
A girl of strong character? Yes, but she is a
good sort, or I am mistaken. She and her brother
are the only children of an iron master somewhere up
Northumberland Way. He got engaged to her when traveling last winter.
(36:00):
She came down to be introduced to his people, with
her brother as escort. Then came the smash, and she
stayed on to nurse her lover, while brother Joseph, finding
himself pretty snug, stayed on too. I've been making a
few independent inquiries, you see, but to day must be
a day of inquiries my practice, I began. Oh, if
(36:24):
you find your own cases more interesting than mine, said
Holmes with some asperity. I was going to say that
my practice could get along very well for a day
or two, since it is the slackest time in the year. Excellent,
said he recovering his good humor. Then we'll look into
this matter together. I think that we should begin by
seeing Forbes. He can probably tell us all the details
(36:48):
we want, until we know from what side the case
is to be approached.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
You said he had a clue.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
Well, we have several, but we can only test their
value by further inquiry. The most difficult crime to track
is the one which is purposeless. Now this is not purposeless.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Who is it?
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Who profits by it? There is the French ambassador, there
is the Russian. There is whoever might sell it to
either of these? And there is Lord Holdhurst. Lord Holdhurst, Well,
it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself
in a position where he was not sorry to have
(37:27):
such a document accidentally destroyed, Not a statesman with the
honorable record of Lord Holthurst. It is a possibility, and
we cannot afford to disregard it. We shall see the
noble Lord to day and find out if he can
tell us anything. Meanwhile, I have already set inquiries on
foot already. Yes, I sent wires from Woking Station to
(37:52):
every evening paper in London. This advertisement will appear in
each of them. He handed over a sheet to from
a notebook on it was scribbled in pencil. Ten pounds
reward the number of the cab which dropped a fair
at or about the door of the Foreign Office in
Charles Street at quarter to ten in the evening of
(38:13):
May twenty third. Apply to twenty one B Baker Street.
You're confident that the thief came in a cab. If not,
there is no harm done. But if mister Phelps is
correct in stating that there is no hiding place, either
in the room or the corridors, then the person must
have come from outside. If he came from outside on
(38:35):
so wet a night, and yet left no trace of
damp upon the lineoleum, which was examined within a few
minutes of his passing, then it is exceeding probable that
he came in a cab. Yes, I think that we
may safely deduce a cab. It sounds plausible. That is
one of the clues of which I spoke. It may
(38:58):
lead us to something. And then, of course there is
the bell, which is the most distinctive feature of the case.
Why should the bell ring? Was it the thief who
did it out of Bravado or was it some one
who was with the thief who did it in order
to prevent the crime, or was it an accident? Or
was it He sank back into the state of intense
(39:21):
and silent thought from which he had emerged. But it
seemed to me, accustomed as I was, to his every mood,
that some new possibility had dawned suddenly upon him. End
of Part one of the Naval Treaty,
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