11 - 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 (00:00):
Part two of the Naval Treaty by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Part two.
It was twenty past three when we reached our terminus,
and after a hasty luncheon at the buffet, we pushed
on at once to Scotland Yard. Holmes had already wired

(00:21):
to Forbes, and we found him waiting to receive us,
A small, foxy man with a sharp but by no
means amiable expression. He was decidedly frigid in his manner
to us, especially when he heard the errand upon which
we had come. I've heard of your methods before, now,
mister Elmes, said he tartly. You are ready enough to
use all the information that the police can lay at

(00:42):
your disposal, and then you try to finish the case
yourself and bring discredit on him. On the contrary, said Holmes.
Out of my last fifty three cases, my name has
only appeared in four, and the police have had all
the credit in forty nine. I don't blame you for
not knowing this, for you are young and inexperienced. But

(01:03):
if you wish to get on in your new duties,
you will work with me. And not against me. I'll
be very glad of a int or two, said the detective,
changing his manner. I've certainly had no credit from the
case so far. What steps have you taken? Tangy the
commissionaire has been shadowed. He left the guards with a

(01:23):
good character, and we can find nothing against him. His
wife is a bad lot, though I fancy she knows
more about this than appears. Have you shadowed her? We
have set one of our women on to her. Missus
Tangy drinks and our woman has been with her twice
when she was well on, but she could get nothing
out of her. I understand that they have brokers in

(01:46):
the house, yes, but they were paid off. Where did
the money come from? And that was all right? His
pension was due. They have not shown any sign of
being in funds. What explanation did she give of having
answered the bell when mister Phelps rang for the coffee?
She said that her husband was very tired and she

(02:07):
wished to relieve him. Well, certainly that would agree with
his being found a little later asleep in his chair.
There is nothing against them, then, but the woman's character.
Did you ask her why she hurried away that night?
Her haste attracted the attention of the police constable. She
was lighter than usual and wanted to go home. Did

(02:28):
you point out to her that you and mister Phelps,
who started at least twenty minutes after her, got home
before her. She explains that by the difference between a
bus and a hansom. Did she make it clear why
on reaching her house she ran into the back kitchen
because she had the money there with which to pay

(02:48):
off the brokers. She has at least an answer for everything.
Did you ask her whether in leaving she met anyone
or saw anyone loitering about Charles Street? She saw no
one but thetable. Well, you seem to have cross examined
her pretty thoroughly. What else have you done? The clerk
Goro has been shadowed all these nine weeks, but without

(03:10):
result we can show nothing against him. Anything else. Well,
we have nothing else to go upon, no evidence of
any kind. Have you formed a theory about how that
bell rang? Well? I must confess that it beats me.
It was a cool land whoever it was to go
and give the alarm like that, Yes, it was a

(03:33):
queer thing to do. Many thanks to you for what
you've told me. If I can put the man into
your hands. You shall hear from me. Come along, Watson,
where are we going to now, I asked as we
left the office. We are now going to interview Lord Holdhurst,
the Cabinet Minister and the future Premier of England. We

(03:53):
were fortunate in finding that Lord Holthurst was still in
his chambers in Downing Street, and on Holmes sending in
his cuard, we were instantly shown up. The Statesman received
us with that old fashioned courtesy for which he is remarkable,
and seated us on the two luxuriant loungers on either
side of the fireplace, standing on the rug between us.

(04:14):
With his slight, tall figure, his sharp features, thoughtful face,
and curling hair prematurely tinged with gray, he seemed to
represent that not too common type a nobleman, who is,
in truth noble. Your name is very familiar to me,
mister Holmes, said he smiling, And of course I cannot

(04:35):
pretend to be ignorant of the object of your visit.
There has only been one occurrence in these offices which
could call for your attention. In whose interest are you acting?
May I ask? In that of mister Percy. Phelps answered Holmes, Ah,
my unfortunate nephew. You can understand that our kinship makes

(04:58):
it the more impossible for me screen him in any way.
I fear that the incident must have a very prejudicial
effect upon his career. But if the document is found, Ah,
that of course would be different. I had one or
two questions which I wish to ask you, Lord Holthurst.
I shall be happy to give you any information in

(05:20):
my power. Was it in this room that you gave
your instructions as to the copying of the document? It
was then you could hardly have been overheard. It is
out of the question. Did you ever mention to any
one that it was your intention to give any one
the treaty to be copied? Never? You are certain of

(05:43):
that absolutely well. Since you never said so, and mister
Phelps never said so, and nobody else knew anything of
the matter, then the thief's presence in the room was
purely accidental. He saw his chance and he took it.
Statesmen smiled, you take me out of my province there,

(06:03):
said he. Holmes considered for a moment. There is another
very important point which I wish to discuss with you,
said he You feared as I understand that very grave
results might follow from the details of this treaty becoming known.
A shadow passed over the expressive face of the Statesman.

(06:24):
Very grave results, indeed, and have they occurred? Not yet?
If the treaty had reached let us say, the French
or Russian Foreign Office, you would expect to hear of it,
I should, said Lord Holthurst, with a wry face. Since
nearly ten weeks have elapsed then and nothing has been heard.

(06:46):
It is not unfair to suppose that, for some reason,
the treaty has not reached them. Lord Holthurst shrugged his shoulders.
We can hardly suppose, mister Holmes, that the thief took
the treaty in order to frame it and hang it up.
Perhaps he's waiting for a better price. If he waits
a little longer, he will get no price at all.

(07:09):
The treaty will cease to be secret in a few months.
That is most important, said Holmes. Of course, it is
a possible supposition that the thief has had a sudden illness,
an attack of brain fever, for example, asked the Statesman,
flashing a swift glance at him. I did not say so,

(07:30):
said Holmes. Imperturbably. And now, Lord Holthurst, we have already
taken up too much of your valuable time, and we
shall wish you good day, every success to your investigation
be the criminal who it may, answered the nobleman, as
he bowed us out the door. He is a fine fellow,

(07:50):
said Holmes, as we came out into Whitehall, but he
has a struggle to keep up his position. He is
far from rich and has many calls. You notice, of course,
that his boots had been resold. Now, Watson, I won't
detain you from your legitimate work any longer. I shall
do nothing more to day unless I have an answer

(08:10):
to my cab advertisement. But I should be extremely obliged
to you if you would come down with me to
Woking tomorrow by the same train which we took yesterday.
I met him accordingly next morning, and we traveled down
to Woking together. He had had no answer to his advertisement,
he said, and no fresh light had been thrown upon

(08:31):
the case he had when he so willed it. The
utter immobility of countenance of a red Indian. And I
could not gather from his appearance whether he was satisfied
or not with the position of the case. His conversation,
I remember, was about the Berthilent system of measurements, and
he expressed his enthusiastic admiration of the French savant. We

(08:53):
found our clients, still under the charge of his devoted nurse,
but looking considerably better than before. He rose from the
soa and greeted us without difficulty. When we entered any news,
he asked eagerly, My report, as I expected, is a
negative one, said Holmes. I have seen Forbes, and I
have seen your uncle, and I have set one or

(09:15):
two trains of inquiry upon foot which may lead to something.
You have not lost heart. Then, by no means, God
bless you for saying that, cried Miss Harrison. If we
keep our courage and our patience, the truth must come out.
We have more to tell you than you have for us,
said Phelps, reseating himself upon the couch. I hoped you

(09:38):
might have something. Yes, we have had an adventure during
the night, and one which might have proved to be
a serious one. His expression grew very grave as he spoke,
and the look of something akin to fear sprang up
in his eyes. Do you know, said he that I
begin to believe that I am the unconscious center of
some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at

(10:00):
as well as my honor, Ah cried Holmes. It sounds incredible,
for I have not, as far as I know, an
enemy in the world. Yet from last night's experience I
can come to no other conclusion. Pray, let me hear it.
You must know that last night was the very first
night that I have ever slept without a nurse in

(10:21):
the room. I was so much better that I thought
I could dispense with one. I had a night light burning. However,
well about two in the morning, I had sunk into
a light sleep when I was suddenly aroused by a
slight noise. It was like the sound which a mouse
makes when it is gnawing a plank, and I lay

(10:41):
listening to it for some time, under the impression that
it must come from that cause. Then it grew louder,
and suddenly there came from the window a sharp, metallic snick.
I sat up in amazement. There could be no doubt
what the sounds were. Now. The first ones had been
paused by some one forcing an instrument through the slit

(11:03):
between the sashes, and the second by the catch being
pressed back. There was a pause then for about ten minutes,
as if the person were waiting to see whether the
noise had awakened me. Then I heard a gentle creaking
as the window was very slowly opened. I could stand
it no longer, for my nerves are not what they

(11:24):
used to be. I sprang out of bed and flung
open the shutters. A man was crouching at the window.
I could see little of him, for he was gone
like a flash. He was wrapped in some sort of
cloak which came across the lower part of his face.
One thing only I am sure of, and that is
he had some weapon in his hand. It looked to

(11:45):
me like a long knife. I distinctly saw the gleam
of it as he turned to run. This is most interesting,
said Holmes. Pray, What did you do? Then? I should
have followed him through the open window. I'd been stronger
as it was. I rang the bell and roused the house.
It took me some little time, for the bell rings

(12:07):
in the kitchen and the servants all asleep upstairs. I shouted, however,
and that brought Joseph down, and he roused the others.
Joseph and the groom found marks on the bed outside
the window, but the weather has been so dry lately
that they found it hopeless to follow the trail across
the grass. There's a place, however, on the wooden fence

(12:29):
which skirts the road, which shows signs they tell me,
as if some one had got over and had snapped
the top of the rail in doing so. I have
said nothing to the local police yet, for I thought
i'd best have your opinion first. This tale of our
clients appeared to have an extraordinary effect upon Sherlock Holmes.

(12:49):
He rose from his chair and paced about the room
in uncontrollable excitement. Misfortunes never come, single, said Phelps, smiling,
though it was evident that his adventure had somewhat shaken him.
You have certainly had your share, said Holmes. Do you
think you could walk round the house with me? Oh? Yes,

(13:10):
I should like a little sunshine. Joseph will come too,
and I also, said miss Harrison. I am afraid not,
said Holmes, shaking his head. I think I must ask
you to remain sitting exactly where you are. The young
lady resumed her seat with an air of displeasure. Her brother, however,
had joined us, and we set off. All four together

(13:33):
we passed round the lawn to the outside of the
young diplomatist's window. They were, as he had said, marks
upon the bed, but they were hopelessly blurred and vague.
Holmes stooped over them for an instant and then rose,
shrugging his shoulders. I don't think any one could make
much of this, said he. Let us go round the

(13:54):
house and see why this particular room was chosen by
the burglar. I should have thought those lareronger windows of
the drawing room and dining room would have had more
attractions for him. They are more visible from the road,
suggested mister Joseph Harrison. Ah. Yes, of course there is
a door here which he might have attempted. What is

(14:15):
it for? It is a side entrance for tradespeople. Of
course it is locked at night. Have you ever had
an alarm like this before? Never, said our client. Do
you keep plate in the house or anything to attract burglars?
Nothing of value? Holmes strolled round the house with his

(14:35):
hands in his pockets and a negligent air, which was
unusual with him. By the way, said he to Joseph Harrison,
you found some place I understand where the fellows scaled
the fence. Let us have a look at it. The
plump young man led us to a spot where the
top of one of the wooden rails had been cracked.

(14:55):
A small fragment of the wood was hanging down. Holmes
pulled it off and examined it critically. Do you think
that was done last night? It looks rather old, does
it not? Well? Possibly so, there are no marks of
any one jumping down upon the other side. No, I

(15:16):
fancy we shall get no help here. Let us go
back to the bedroom and talk the matter over. Percy
Phelps was walking very slowly, leaning upon the arm of
his future brother in law. Holmes walked swiftly across the lawn,
and we were at the open window of the bedroom
long before the others came. Miss Harrison, said Holmes, speaking

(15:36):
with the utmost intensity of manner. You must stay where
you are all day. Let nothing prevent you from staying
where you are all day. It is of the utmost importance,
certainly if you wish it, mister Holmes, said the girl,
in astonishment. When you go to bed, lock the door
of this room on the outside and keep the key.

(15:57):
Promise to do this, But Percy. He will come to
London with us, and am I to remain here? It
is for his sake. You can serve him quick promise.
She gave a quick nod of assent, just as the
other two came up. Why do you sit moping there?
Annie cried her brother. Come out into the sunshine. No,

(16:21):
thank you, Joseph. I have a slight headache, and this
room is deliciously cool and soothing. What do you propose now,
mister Holmes, asked our client. Well, in investigating this minor affair,
we must not lose sight of our main inquiry. It
would be a very great help to me if you
would come up to London with us at once, well,

(16:43):
as soon as you conveniently can say, in an hour.
I feel quite strong enough if I can really be
of any help the greatest possible. Perhaps you would like
me to stay there to night. I was just going
to propose it. Then if my friend of the night
comes to revisit me, he will find the bird flown.

(17:04):
We are all in your hands, mister Holmes, and you
must tell us exactly what you would like done. Perhaps
you would prefer that Joseph came with us so as
to look after me. Oh no, my friend Watson is
a medical man, you know, and he'll look after you.
We'll have our lunch here if you will permit us,
and then we shall all three set off for town together.

(17:25):
It was arranged as he suggested, though Miss Harrison excused
herself from leaving the bedroom in accordance with Holmes's suggestion.
What the object of my friend's maneuvers was I could
not conceive, unless it were to keep the lady away
from Phelps, who, rejoiced by his returning health and by
the prospect of action, lunched with us in the dining room.

(17:47):
Holmes had a still more startling surprise for us, however,
for after accompanying us down to the station and seeing
us into our carriage, he calmly announced that he had
no intention of leaving Woking. There are one or two
small points which I should desire to clear up before
I go, said he Your absence, mister Phelps, will in

(18:07):
some ways rather assist me. Watson when you reach London,
you would oblige me by driving at once to bake
a street with our friend here and remaining with him
until I see you again. It is fortunate that you
are old schoolfellows, as you must have much to talk over.
Mister Phelps, can have the spare bedroom to night, and
I will be with you in time for breakfast, for

(18:30):
there is a train which will take me into Waterloo
at eight. But how about our investigation in London, asked
Phelps ruefully. We can do that to morrow. I think
that just at present I can be of more immediate
use here. You might tell them at Briarbray that I
hope to be back to morrow night, cried Phelps, as
we began to move from the platform. I hardly expect

(18:53):
to go back to Briarbray, answered Holmes, and waved his
hand to us cheerily as we shut out from the station.
Phelps and I talked it over on our journey, but
neither of us could devise a satisfactory reason for this
new development. I suppose he wants to find out some
clue as to the burglary last night. If a burglar,

(19:14):
it was for myself. I don't believe it was an
ordinary thief. What is your own idea? Then? Upon my word?
You may put it down to my weak nerves or not.
But I believe there is some deep political intrigue going
on around me, and that, for some reason that passes
my understanding, my life is aimed at by the conspirators.

(19:35):
It sounds high flown and absurd, but consider the facts.
Why should a thief try to break in at a
bedroom window where there could be no hope of any plunder?
And why should he come with a long knife in
his hand? You're sure it was not a housebreaker's Jimmy,
Oh no, it was a knife. I saw the flash
of the blade quite distinctly. Why on earth should you

(19:58):
be pursued with such anim ah, that is the question. Well,
if Holmes takes the same view, that would account for
his action, would it not? Presuming that your theory is correct,
if he can lay his hands upon the man who
threatened you last night, he will have gone a long
way toward finding who took the naval treaty. Tis absurd
to suppose that you have two enemies, one of whom

(20:20):
robs you while the other threatens your life. But Holmes
said that he was not going to Briarbray. I have
known him for some time, said I, but I never
know him to do anything yet without a very good reason.
And with that, our conversation drifted off on to other topics,
But it was a weary day for me. Phelps was

(20:41):
still weak after his long illness, and his misfortune made
him querulous and nervous in vain. I endeavored to interest
him in Afghanistan, in India, in social questions, in anything
which might take his mind out of the groove. He
would always come back to his lost treaty, wondering, guessing,
sp speculating as to what Holmes was doing, what steps

(21:03):
Lord Holthurst was taking, what news we should have in
the morning. As the evening wore on, his excitement became
quite painful. You have implicit faith in Holmes, he asked.
I have seen him do some remarkable things, but he
never brought light into anything quite so dark as this.
Oh yes, I have known him solve questions which presented

(21:24):
fewer clues than yours, but not where such large interests
are at stake. I don't know that, to my certain knowledge,
he has acted on behalf of three of the reigning
houses of Europe in very vital matters. But you know
him well, Watson. He is such an inscrutable fellow that
I never quite know what to make of him. Do
you think he is hopeful. Do you think he expects

(21:46):
to make a success of it? He has said nothing
that is a bad sign. On the contrary, I have
noticed that when he is off the trail he generally says. So.
It is when he is on ascent and is not
quite absolutely sure yet that it is the right one
that he is most taciturn. Now, my dear fellow, we
can't help matters by making ourselves nervous about them. So

(22:09):
let me implore you to go to bed and so
be fresh for whatever may await us to morrow. I
was able at last to persuade my companion to take
my advice, though I knew from his excited manner that
there was not much hope of sleep for him. Indeed,
his mood was infectious. For I lay tossing half the
night myself, brooding over this strange problem, and inventing a

(22:31):
hundred theories, each of which was more impossible than the last.
Why at Holmes remained at Woking? Why had he asked
Miss Harrison to remain in the sick room all day?
Why had he been so careful not to inform the
people at Briarbray that he intended to remain near them.
I cudgeled my brains until I fell asleep in the
endeavor to find some explanation which would cover all these facts.

(22:55):
It was seven o'clock when I awoke, and I set
off at once for Phelps's room to find him haggard
and spent after a sleepless night. His first question was
whether the homes had arrived yet. He'll be here when
he promised, said I, and not an instant sooner or later.
And my words were true, for shortly after eight a
hansom dashed up to the door, and our friend got

(23:17):
out of it. Standing in the window, we saw that
his left hand was swathed in a bandage, and that
his face was very grim and pale. He entered the house,
but it was some little time before he came upstairs.
He looks like a beaten man, cried Phelps. I was
forced to confess that he was right after all, said I.

(23:37):
The clue of the matter lies probably here in town.
Phelps gave a groan. I don't know how it is,
said he. But I had hoped for so much from
his return. But surely his hand was not tied up
like that yesterday. What can be the matter? You are
not wounded, Holmes, I asked, as my friend entered the room. Tut,

(23:58):
it is only a scratch through my own clumsiness, he answered,
nodding his good mornings to us. This case of yours,
mister Phelps, is certainly one of the darkest which I
have ever investigated. I feared that you would find it
beyond you. It has been a most remarkable experience that
bandage tells her adventures. Said, I won't you tell us

(24:19):
what has happened after breakfast, My dear Watson, remember that
I have breathed thirty miles of surry air this morning.
I suppose that there has been no answer from my
cabman advertisement. Well, well, we cannot expect to score every time.
The table was all laid, and just as I was
about to ring, Missus Hudson entered with the tea and coffee.

(24:40):
A few minutes later, she brought in three covers, and
we all drew up to the table. Holmes ravenous, I curious,
and Phelps in the gloomiest state of depression. Missus Hudson
has risen to the occasion, said Holmes, uncovering a dish
of curried chicken. Her cuisine is a little limited, but
he has as good an idea of breakfast as a scotchwoman.

(25:03):
What have you here, Watson? Have an eggs? I answered? Good?
What are you going to take, mister Phelps? Curry it
fowl or eggs? Or will you help yourself? Thank you?
I can eat nothing, said Phelps. Oh, come try the
dish before you. Thank you. I would really rather not well, then,
said Holmes, with a mischievous twinkle. I suppose that you

(25:26):
have no objection to helping me. Phelps raised the cover,
and as he did so, he uttered a scream, and
sat there staring with a face as white as the
plate upon which he looked. Across the center of it
was lying a little cylinder of blue gray paper. He
caught it up, devoured it with his eyes, and then
danced madly about the room, pressing it to his bosom

(25:49):
and shrieking out in his delight. Then he fell back
into an arm chair, so limp and exhausted with his
own emotions that we had to pour brandy down his
throat to keep him from fainting. There there, said Holmes, soothing,
patting him upon the shoulder. It was too bad to
spring it on you like this, But Watson here will
tell you that I never can resist a touch of

(26:11):
the dramatic. Phelps seized his hand and kissed it. God
bless you, he cried, You have saved my honor. Well,
my own was at stake, you know, said Holmes. I
assure you it is just as hateful to me to
fail in a case as it can be to you
to blunder over a commission. Phelps thrust away the precious

(26:31):
document into the innermost pocket of his coat. I have
not the heart to interrupt your breakfast any further, and
yet I am dying to know how you got it
and where it was. Sherlock Holmes swallowed a cup of
coffee and turned his attention to the Hammond eggs. Then
he rose, lit his pipe and settled himself down into
his chair. I'll tell you what I did first, and

(26:54):
how I came to do it afterwards, said he. After
leaving her at the station, I went for a charming
walk through some admirable Surrey scenery to a pretty little
village called Ripley, where I had my tea at an inn,
and took the precaution of filling my flask and of
putting a paper of sandwiches in my pocket. There I
remained until evening, when I set off for Woking again,

(27:16):
and found myself in the high road outside Briarbray just
after sunset. Well, I waited until the road was clear,
tis never a very frequent one at any time I fancy,
and then I clambered over the fence into the grounds.
Surely the gate was open, ejaculated phelps, Yes, but I
have a peculiar taste in these matters. I chose the

(27:38):
place where the three fir trees stand, and behind their screen,
I got over without the least chance of any one
in the house being able to see me. I crouched
down among the bushes on the other side and crawled
from one to the other, witnessed the distributable state of
my trousernes until I had reached the clump of rhododendrons
just opposite to your bedroom window. There I squatted down

(28:02):
and awaited developments. The blind was not down in your room,
and I could see Miss Harrison sitting there reading by
the table. It was quarter past ten when she closed
her book, fastened the shutters, and retired. I heard her
shut the door, and felt quite sure that she had
turned the key in the lock. The key ejaculated, Phelps. Yes,

(28:25):
I had given miss Harrison instructions to lock the door
on the outside and take the key with her when
she went to bed. She carried out every one of
my injunctions to the letter, and certainly without her co
operation you would not have that paper in your coat pocket.
She departed then, and the lights went out, and I

(28:46):
was left squatting in the rhododendron bush. The night was fine,
but still it was a very weary vigil. Of course,
it has the sort of excitement about it that the
sportsman feels when he lies beside the water course and
waits for the big game. It was very long, though
almost as long, Watson, as when you and I waited

(29:07):
in that deadly room when we looked into the little
problem of the speckled band. There was a church clock
down at Woking which struck the quarters, and I thought
more than once that it had stopped at last. However,
about two in the morning, I suddenly heard the gentle
sound of a bolt being pushed back and the creaking
of a key. A moment later, the servant's door was opened,

(29:32):
and mister Joseph Harrison stepped out into the moonlight. Joseph
ejaculated phelps. He was bare headed, but he had a
black coat thrown over his shoulder, so that he could
conceal his face in an instant if there were any alarm.
He walked on tiptoe under the shadow of the wall,
and when he reached the window, he worked a long

(29:54):
bladed knife through the sash and pushed back the catch.
Then he flung open the wind window, and putting his
knife through the crack in the shutters, he thrust the
bar up and swung them open. From where I lay,
I had a perfect view of the inside of the
room and of every one of his movements. He lit
the two candles which stood upon the mantelpiece, and then

(30:17):
he proceeded to turn back the corner of the carpet
in the neighborhood of the door. Presently, he stopped and
picked out a square piece of board, such as is
usually left to enable plumbers to get at the joints
of the gas pipes. This one covered, as a matter
of fact, the tea joint which gives off the pipe
which supplies the kitchen underneath. Out of this hiding place

(30:41):
he drew that little cylinder of paper, pushed down the board,
rearranged the carpet, blew out the candles, and walked straight
into my arms as I stood waiting for him outside
the window. Well, he has rather more viciousness than I
gave him credit for. As Master Joseph. He flew at
me with his knife, and I had to grasp him

(31:03):
twice and got a cut over the knuckles before I
had the upper hand of him. He looked murder out
of the only eye he could see with when we
had finished, but he listened to reason and gave up
the papers having got them. I let my man go,
but I wired full particulars to Forbes this morning. If
he is quick enough to catch his bird, well and good.

(31:24):
But if, as I shrewdly suspect, he finds the nest
empty before he gets there, why all the better for
the government. I fancy that Lord Holthurst, for one, and
mister Percy Phelps for another, would very much rather that
the affair never got as far as a police court.
My God, gasped our client. Do you tell me that

(31:45):
during these long ten weeks of agony, the stolen papers
were within the very room with me all the time,
So it was and Joseph. Joseph a villain and a thief. Hum,
I am afraid Joseph's character is a rather deep and
more dangerous one than one might judge from his appearance.
From what I have heard from him this morning, I

(32:07):
gather that he has lost heavily in dabbling with stocks,
and that he is ready to do anything on earth
to better his fortunes, Being an absolutely selfish man. When
a chance presented itself, he did not allow either his
sister's happiness or your reputation to hold his hand. Percy
Phelps sank back in his chair. My head whirls, said

(32:29):
he Your words have dazed me. The principal difficulty in
your case, remarked Holmes, in his didactic fashion, lay in
the fact there being too much evidence. What was vital
was overlaid and hidden by what was irrelevant. Of all
the facts which were presented to us, we had to
pick just those which we deemed to be essential, and

(32:51):
then piece them together in their order, so as to
reconstruct this very remarkable chain of events. I had already
begun to suspect Joseph from the fact that you had
intended to travel home with him that night, and that
therefore it was a likely enough thing that he should
call for you, knowing the Foreign Office well upon his way.

(33:12):
When I heard that some one had been so anxious
to get into the bedroom in which no one but
Joseph could have concealed anything, you told us in your
narrative how you had turned Joseph out when you arrived
with the doctor. My suspicions all changed to certainties, especially
as the attempt was made on the first night upon
which the nurse was absent, showing that the intruder was

(33:33):
well acquainted with the ways of the house. How blind
I have been. The facts of the case, as far
as I have worked them out, are these this. Joseph
Harrison entered the office through the Charles Street door, and
knowing his way, he walked straight into your room the
instant after you left it. Finding no one there, he

(33:55):
promptly rang the bell, and at the instant that he
did so, his eyes caught the paper upon the table.
A glance showed him that chance had put in his
way a state document of immense value, and in an
instant he had thrust it into his pocket and was gone.
A few minutes elapsed. As you remember, before the sleepy

(34:15):
Commissionaire drew your attention to the bell, and those were
just enough to give the thief time to make his escape.
He made his way to Woking by the first train, and,
having examined his booty and assured himself that it really
was of immense value, he had concealed it in what
he thought was a very safe place, with the intention

(34:35):
of taking it out again in a day or two
and carrying it to the French embassy or wherever he
thought that a long price was to be had. Then
came your sudden return. He, without a moment's warning, was
bundled out of his room, and from that time onward
there were always at least two of you there to
prevent him from regaining his treasure. The situation to him

(34:58):
must have been a maddening one, but at last he
thought he saw his chance. He tried to steal in,
but was baffled by your wakefulness. You remember that you
did not take your usual draft that night. I remember
I fancy that he had taken steps to make that
draft efficacious, and that he quite relied upon you. Being unconscious,

(35:19):
of course, I understood that he would repeat the attempt
whenever it could be done with safety. Your leaving the
room gave him the chance he wanted. I kept miss
Harrison in it all day, so that he might not
anticipate us. Then, having given him the idea that the
coast was clear, I kept guard as I have described.

(35:41):
I already knew that the papers were probably in the room,
but I had no desire to rip up all the
planking and skirting in search of them. I let him
take them, therefore from the hiding place, and so saved
myself an infinity of trouble. Is there any other point
which I can make clear? Why did he try the
wind on the first occase? I asked, when he might

(36:01):
have entered by the door. In reaching the door, he
would have to pass seven bedrooms. On the other hand,
he could get out onto the lawn with ease. Anything else.
You do not think, asked Phelps, that he had any
murderous intention. The knife was only meant as a tool.
It may be so, answered Holmes, shrugging his shoulders. I

(36:25):
can only say for certain that mister Joseph Harrison is
a gentleman to whose mercy I should be extremely unwilling
to trust. End of the Naval Treaty