March 31, 2025 • 44 mins
Tales of Terror and Mystery is a spine-tingling collection of short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, masterfully blending suspense, horror, and the unexplained. Divided into two parts—Tales of Terror and Tales of Mystery—the book explores eerie encounters, unsettling twists, and haunting atmospheres. From psychological thrills to scientific enigmas, Doyle steps beyond his famous detective tales to deliver chilling narratives that captivate and disturb. Perfect for fans of classic gothic fiction and supernatural suspense, this collection reveals a darker, more mysterious side of Doyle’s literary genius. For more thrilling content and engaging podcasts, visit https://www.quietperiodplease.com/.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle, The
Jew's Breastplate. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Jeremy Pavier Tales
(00:23):
of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Jew's Breastplate.
My particular friend, Ward Mortimer, was one of the best
men of his day and everything connected with Oriental archeology.
He had written largely upon the subject. He had lived
two years in a tomb at Thebes while he excavated
(00:44):
in the Valley of the Kings, and finally he had
created a considerable sensation by his exhumation of the alleged
mummy of Cleopatra in the inner room of the Temple
of Horace at Failais. With such a record, at the
age of thirty one, it was felt that a considerable
careier lay before him, and no one was surprised when
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he was elected to the curatorship of the Belmore Street Museum,
which carries with it the Lectureship and the Oriental College,
an income which is sunk with the falling land, but
which still remains at that ideal sum, which is large
enough to encourage an investigator, but not so large as
to enervate him. There was only one reason which made
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Ward Mortimer's position a little difficult at the Belmore Street Museum,
and that was the extreme eminence of the man whom
he had to succeed. Professor Andreas was a profound scholar
and a man of European reputation. His lectures were frequented
by students from every part of the world, and his
admirable management of the collection entrusted to his care was
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a commonplace in all learned societies. There was therefore considerable
surprise when, at the age of fifty five, he suddenly
resigned his position and retired from those duties which had
been both his livelihood and displeasure. He and his daughter
left the comfortable suite of rooms which had formed his
official residence in connection with the museum, and my friend Mortimer,
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who was a bachelor, took up his quarters there. On
hearing of Mortimer's appointment, Professor andres had written him a
very kindly and flattering congratulatory letter. I was actually present
at their first meeting, and I went with Mortimer Round Museum,
when the Professor showed us the admirable collection which he
had cherished so long. The Professor's beautiful daughter and a
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young man, Captain Wilson, who was, as I understood, soon
to be her husband, accompanied us in our inspection. There
were fifteen rooms, but the Babylonian, the Syrian, and the
central hall, which contained the Jewish and Egyptian collection, were
the finest of all. Professor Andres was a quiet, dry,
elderly man, with a clean shaven face and an impassive manner.
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But his dark eyes sparkled in his feet quickened into
enthusiastic life as he pointed out to us the rarity
and the beauty of some of his specimens. His hand
lingered so fondly over them that one could read his
pride in them and the grief in his heart now
that they were passing from his care into that of another.
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He had shown us in turn his mummies, his papyri,
his rare scarabs, his inscriptions, his Jewish relics, and his
duplication to the famous seven branched candlestick of the Temple,
which was brought to Rome by Titus, and which is
supposed by some to be lying at this instant in
the bed of the Tiber. Then he approached a case
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which stood at the very center of the hall, and
he looked down through the glass with reverence in his
attitude and manner. This is no novelty to an expert
like yourself, mister Mortoner, said he. But I dare say
that your friend, mister Jackson, will be interested to see it.
Leaning over the case, I saw an object five inches square,
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which consisted of twelve precious stones in a framework of gold,
with golden hooks at two of the corners. The stones
were all varying in sort and color, but they were
of the same size. Their shapes, arrangement, and gradation of
tint made me think of a box of water color paints.
Each stone had some hieroglyphics scratched upon its surface. You
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have heard, mister Jackson, of the Urim and Thummim. I
had heard the term, but my idea of its meaning
was exceedingly vague. The Urim and Thummim was a name
given to the jeweled plate which lay upon the breast
of the high priest of the Jews. They had a
very special feeling of reverence for it. Something of the
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feeling which an ancient Roman might have had for the
Sybilline books in the Capitol. They are, as you see,
twelve magnificent stones, inscribed with mystical characters. Counting from the
left hand top corner. The stone ownes are Carnelian, peridot, emerald, ruby,
lapislazuli Onyx, sapphire, agate, amethyst, topaz, beryl, and Jasper. I
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was amazed at the variety beauty of the stones. Has
the breastpate any particular history? I asked? It is of
great age and of immense value, said Professor Andreas, without
being able to make an absolute assertion, we have many
reasons to think that it is possible that it may
be the original Urim and Thummim of Solomon's temple. There
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is certainly nothing so fine in any collection in Europe.
My friend Captain Wilson, here is a practical authority upon
precious stones, and he would tell you how pure these are.
Captain Wilson, a man with a dark, hard, incisive face,
was standing beside his fiancee at the other side of
the case. Yes, said he curtly, I have never seen
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finer stones. And the gold work is also worthy of attention.
The ancients excelled in He was apparently about to indicate
the setting of the stones, when Captain Wilson interrupted him.
You will see a fine example of their gold work
in this candlestick, said he, turning to another table, and
we all joined him in his admiration of its embossed
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stem and delicately ornamented branches. Altogether, it was an interesting
and an all experience to have objects of such rarity
explained by so great an expert. And when finally Professor
Andreas finished our inspection by formally handing over the precious
collection to the care of my friend, I could not
help pitying him and envying his successor, whose life was
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to pass in so pleasant a duty. Within a week
Ward Mortimer was duly installed in his new set of rooms,
and had become the autocrat of the Belmore Street Museum.
About a fortnight afterwards, my friend gave a small dinner
to half a dozen bachelor friends to celebrate his promotion.
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When his guests were departing, he pulled my sleeve and
signaled to me that he wished me to remain. You
have only a few hundred yards to go, said he.
I was living in chambers in the Albany. You may
as well stay and have a quiet cigar with me.
I very much want your advice. I relapsed into an
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arm chair and lit one of his excellent matrollness. When
he had returned from seeing the last of his guests out,
he drew a letter from his dress jacket and sat
down opposite to me. This is an anonymous letter which
I received this morning, said he. I want to read
it to you and to have your advice. You are
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welcome to it for it's worth. This is how the
note runs, Sir, I should strongly advise you to keep
a very careful watch over the many valuable things which
are committed to your charge. I do not think that
the present system of a single watchman is sufficient. Be
upon your guard, or an irreparable misfortune may occur. Is
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that all? Yes, that is all well? Said? I tis
at least obvious that it was written by one of
the limited number of people who are aware that you
have only one watchman at night. Ward Mortimer handed me
the note with a curious smile. Have you an eye
for handwriting? Said he? Now look at this. He put
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another letter in front of me. Look at the sea.
And congratulate, and the secene committed. Look at the captain,
I look at the trick of putting in a dash
instead of a stop. They are undoubtedly from the same hand,
with some attempt to disguise. In the case of this
first one, the second, said Ward Mortimer, is the letter
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of congratulation which was written to me by Professor Andreas
upon my obtaining my appointment. I stared at him in amazement.
Then I turned over the letter in my hand, and
there sure enough was Martin Andreas signed upon the other side.
There could be no doubt in the mind of any
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one who had the slightest knowledge of the science of
griphology that the Professor had written an anonymous letter warning
his successor against thieves. It was inexplicable, but it was certain.
Why should he do it? I asked, precisely what I
should wish to ask you. If he had any such misgivings,
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why could he not come and tell me direct? Will
you speak to him about it? There again, I am
in doubt he might choose to deny that he wrote it.
At any rate, said I, this warning is meant in
a friendly spirit, and I should certainly act upon it.
Are the present precautions enough to insure you against robbery.
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I should have thought so. The public are only admitted
from ten till five, and there is a guardian to
every two rooms. He stands at the door between them,
and so commands them both. But at night, when the
public are gone, we at once put up the great
iron shutters, which are absolutely burglar proof. The watchman is
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a capable fellow. He sits in the lodge, but he
walks round every three hours. We keep one electric light
burning in each room all night. It's difficult to suggest
anything more short of keeping your day watches all night.
We could not afford that. At least I should communicate
with the police and have a special constable put on
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outside in Belmore Street. Said I as to the letter,
if the writer wishes to be anonymous, I think he
has a right to remain, So we must trust to
the future to show some reason for the curious course
which he has adopted. So we dismissed the subject. But
all that night, after my return to my chain, I
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was puzzling my brain as to what possible motive Professor
Andreas could have from writing an anonymous warning letter to
his successor. For that the writing was his was as
certain to me as if I had seen him actually
doing it. He foresaw some danger to the collection? Was
it because he foresaw it that he abandoned his charge
of it? If so, why should he hesitate to warn
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Mortimer in his own name. I puzzled and puzzled, until
at last I fell into a troubled sleep, which carried
me beyond my usual hour of rising. I was aroused
in a singular and effective method. For about nine o'clock.
My friend Mortimer rushed into my room with an expression
of consternation upon his face. He was usually one of
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the most tidy men of my acquaintance, but now his
collar was undone at one end, his tie was flying,
and his hat at the back of his head. I
read his whole story in his frantic eyes. The museum
has been robbed, I cried, springing up in bed. I
fear those jewels, the jewels of the Urim and Thummim.
He gasped, for he was out of breath, running. I
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am going on to the police station. Come to the
museum as soon as you can, Jackson, good bye. He
rushed distractedly out of the room, and I heard him
clatter down the stairs. I was not long in following
his directions, but I found when I arrived that he
had already returned with the police inspector and another elderly
gentleman who proved to be mister Purvis, one of the
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partners of Morson and Company, the well known diamond merchants.
As an expert in stones, he was always prepared to
advise the police. They were grouped round the case in
which the breastplate of the Jewish priest had been exposed.
The plate had been taken out and laid upon the
glass top of the case, and the three heads were
bent over it. It is obvious that it has been
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tampered with, said Mortimer. It caught my eye the moment
that I passed through the room this morning. I examined
it yesterday evening, so that it is certain that this
happened during the night. It was, as he had said,
obvious that some one had been at work upon it.
The settings of the uppermost row of four stones, the
Carnelian peridot, emerald and ruby, were rough and jagged, as
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if some one had scraped all round them. The stones
were in their places, but the beautiful gold work which
we had admired only a few days before, had been
very clumsily pulled about. It looks to me, said the
police inspector, as if some one had been trying to
take out the stones. My fear is, said Mortimer, that
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he not only tried, but succeeded. I believe these four
stones to be skillful imitations which had been put in
place the originals. The same suspicion had evidently been in
the mind of the expert, for he had been carefully
examining the four stones with the aid of a lens.
He now submitted them to several tests, and finally turned
cheerfully to Mortimer. I congratulate you, sir, said he heartily.
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I will pledge my reputation. All four of these stones
are genuine and of a most unusual degree of purity.
The collar began to come back to my poor friend's
frightened face, and she drew a long breath of relief.
Thank God, he cried. Then, what in the world did
the thief want? Probably he meant to take the stones,
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but was interrupted. In that case, one would expect him
to take them out one at a time. But the
setting of each of these has been loosened, and yet
the stones are all here. It is certainly most extraordinary,
said the inspector. I never remember a case like it.
Let us see the watchman. The commissionaire was called a
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soldierly honest faced man who seemed as concerned as Ward
Mortimer at the instant. No, sir, I never heard a sound,
he answered, in reply to the questions of the inspector.
I made my rowans four times as usual, but I
saw nothing suspicious. I've been in my position ten years,
but nothing of the kind has ever occurred before. No
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thief could have come through the windows impossible, sir, or
passed you at the door? No, sir, I never left
my post, except when I walked my rounds. What other
openings are there in the museum. There is the door
into mister Ward Mortimer's private rooms that is locked at night,
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my friend explained, and in order to reach it, any
one from the street would have to open the outside
door as well. Your servants their quarters are entirely separate. Well, well,
said the inspector. This is certainly very obscure. However, there
has been no harm done. Calling to mister Purvis, I
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will swear that those stones are genuine, so that the
case appears to be merely one of malicious damage. But
none the less, I should be very glad to go
carefully round the premises and to see if we can
find any trace to show us who your visitor may
have been. His investigation, which lasted all the morning, was
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careful and intelligent, but it led in the end to nothing.
He pointed out to us that there were two possible
entrances to the museum, which we had not considered. The
one was from the cellars by a trap door opening
in the passage, the other through a skylight from the
lumber room, overlooking that very chamber to which the intruder
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had penetrated. As neither the cellar nor the lumber room
could be entered unless the thief was already within the
locked doors, the matter was not of any practical importance,
and the dust of celler an attic assured us that
no one had used either one or the other. Finally,
we ended as we began, without the slightest clue as
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to how, why, or by whom the setting of these
four duels had been tampered with. There remained one cause
for Mortimer to take, and he took it leaving the
police to continue their fruitless read searches. He asked me
to accompany him that afternoon in a visit to Professor Andreas.
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He took with him the two letters, and it was
his intention to openly tax his predecessor with having written
the mononymous warning, and to ask him to explain the
fact that he should have anticipated so exactly that which
had actually occurred. The Professor was living in a small
villa in Upper Norward, but we were informed by the
servant that he was away from home. Seeing our disappointment,
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she asked us if we should like to see miss Andreas,
and showed us into the modest drawing room. I have mentioned,
incidentally that the professor's daughter was a very beautiful girl.
She was a blonde, tall and graceful, with the skin
of that delicate tint which the French called mah the
color of old ivory, were of the lighter petals of
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the sulfur rose. I was shocked, however, as she entered
the room to see how much she had changed in
the last fortnight. Her young face was haggard and her
bright eyes heavy with trouble. Father has gone to Scotland,
she said. He seems to be tired and has a
good deal to worry him. He only left us yesterday.
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You look a little tired yourself, Miss Andreas, said my friend.
I have been so anxious about father. Can you give
me his Scotch address. Yes, he is with his brother,
the Reverend David Andreas, one Aaron Villas Androssen. Lord Mortimer
made a note of the address, and we left without
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saying anything as to the object of our visit. We
found ourselves in Belmore Street in the evening, in exactly
the same position in which we had been in the morning.
Our only clue was the professor's letter, and my friend
had made up his mind to start for our Drossen
next day and to get to the bottom of the
anonymous letter. And when a new development came to alter
our plans. Very early on the following morning, I was
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aroused from my sleep by a tap upon my bedroom.
It was a messenger with a note from Mortimer. Do
come round, it said, The matter is becoming more and
more extraordinary. When I obeyed his summons, I found him
pacing excitedly up and down the central room, while the
old soldier who guarded the premises stood with military stiffness
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in a corner. My dear Jackson, he cried, I am
so delighted that you have come, for this is a
most inexplicable business. What has happened? Then he waved his
hand towards the case which contained the breastplate. Look at it,
said he. I did so, and could not restrain a
cry of surprise. The setting of the middle row of
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precious stones had been profaned in the same manner as
the upper ones of the twelve duels. Eight had been
now tampered with in this singular fashion. The setting of
the lower fall was neat and smooth, the others jagged
and irregular. Have the stones altered? I asked? No. I
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am certain that these upperfore are the same which the
expert pronounced to be genuine, For I observed yesterday that
little discoloration on the edge of the emerald. Since they
have not extracted the upper stones, there is no reason
to think the lower have been transposed. You say that
you heard nothing, Simpson, No, sir, the commissionaire answered. But
when I made my round after daylight, I had a
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special look at day stones, and I saw at once
that some one had been meddling with them. Then I
called you, sir, and told you I was backwards and
fords all night, and I never saw a soul or
heard a sound. Come up and have some breakfast with me,
said Mortimer, and he took me into his own chambers.
Now what do you think of this, Jackson, he asked.
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It's the most objectless, futile, idiotic business that ever I
heard of. It can only be the work of a monomaniac.
Can you put forward any theory? A curious idea came
into my head. This object is a Jewish relic of
great antiquity and sanctity, said I. How about the anti
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Semitic movement? Could one conceive that a fanatic of that
way of thinking might desecrate No, no, no, cried Mortimer.
That will never do. Such a man might push his
lunacy to the length of destroying a Jewish relic. But
why on earth should he nibble around every stone so
carefully that he can only do four stones in a night.
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We must have a better solution than that, and we
must find it for ourselves, for I do not think
that our inspector is likely to help us. First of all,
what do you think of Sympson and Porter? Have you
any reason to suspect him, only that he is the
one person on the premises. But why should he indulge
in such wanton destruction? Nothing has been taken away, He
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has no motive mania. No, I will swear to sanity.
Have you any other theory? Well yourself? For example, you're
not a somnambulist by any chance, nothing of the sort,
I assure you. Then I give it up. But I don't.
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And I've a plan by which we will make it
all clear to visit Professor Andreas. No, we shall find
our solution nearer than Scotland. I will tell you what
we shall do. You know that skylight which overlooks the
central hall. We will leave the electric lights in the hall,
and we will keep watch in the lumber room, you
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and I and solve the mystery for ourselves. If our
mysterious visitor is doing four stones at a time, he
has for still to do, and there is every reason
to think that he will return to night and complete
the job. Excellent, I cried. We will keep our own
secret and say nothing either to the police or to Simpson.
Will you join me with the utmost pleasure? Said? And
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so it was agreed. It was ten o'clock that night,
when I returned to the Belmore Street Museum, Mortimer was,
as I could see, in a state of suppressed nervous excitement.
But it was still too early to begin our vigil,
so we remained for an hour or so in his chambers,
discussing all the possibilities of the singular business which we
had met to solve at last. The roaring stream of
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handsome cabs and the rush of hurrying feet became lower
and more intermittent as the pleasure seekers passed on their
way to their stations or their homes. It was nearly
twelve when Mortimer led the way to the lumber Room,
which overlooked the central hall of the museum. He had
visited it during the day and had spread some sacking
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down so that we could lie at our ease and
looked straight down into the museum. The skylight was of
unfrosted glass, but was so covered with dust that it
would be impossible for anyone looking up from below to
detect that he was overlooked. We cleared a small piece
at each corner, which gave us a complete view of
the room beneath us. In the cold white light of
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the electric lamps. Everything stood out hard and clear, and
I could see the smallest detail of the contents of
the various cases. Such a vigil is an excellent lesson,
since one has no choice but to look hard at
those objects which we usually pass with such half hearted
interest through my little peep hole. I employed the hours
in studying every specimen, from the huge mummy case which
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leaned against the wall, to those very jewels which had
brought us there, gleaming and sparkling in their glass case.
Immediately beneath us there was much precious gold work and
many valuable stones scattered through the numerous cases. But those
wonderful twelve which made up the Urim and Thummim, glowed
and burned with a radiance which far eclipsed the others.
I studied in turn the tomb pictures of Sikhara, the
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friezes from Karnak, the statues of Memphis, and the inscriptions
of Thebes. But my eyes would always come back to
that wonderful Jewish relic, and my mind to the singular
mystery that surrounded it. I was lost in the thought
of it when my companion suddenly drew his breath sharply
in and seized my arm in a convulsive grip. At
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the same instant I saw what it was which had
excited him. I have said that against the wall on
the right hand side of the doorway, the right hand side,
as we looked at it with the left as one entered,
there stood a large mummy case. To our unutterable amazement,
it was slowly opening, gradually, gradually, the lid was swinging back,
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and the black slit which marked the opening was becoming
wider and wider. So gently and carefully was it done
that the movement was almost imperceptible. Then, as we breathlessly
watched it, a white, thin hand appeared at the opening,
pushing back the painted lid. Then another hand, and finally
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a face, a face which was familiar to us, both
that of Professor Andreas. Stealthily, he slunk out of the
mummy case, like a fox stealing from its burrow, his
head turning incessantly to left and to right, stepping then pausing,
then stepping again, the very image of craft and of caution.
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Once some sound in the street struck him motionless, and
he stood listening with his ear turned, ready to dart
back to the shelter behind him. Then he crept onwards
again upon tiptoe, very very softly and slowly, until he
had reached the case in the center of the room.
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There he took a bunch of keys from his pocket,
unlocked the case, took out the Jewish breastplate, and, laying
it upon the glass in front of him, began to
work upon it with some sort of small, glistening tool.
He was so directly underneath us that his bent head
covered his work, but we could guess from the movement
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of his hand that he was engaged in finishing the
strange disfigurement which he had begun. I could realize, from
the heavy breathing of my companion, and the twitchings of
the hand which still clutched my wrist, the furious indignation
which filled his heart as he saw this vandalism in
the quarter of all others, where he could least have
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expected it. He, the very man who a fortnight before
had reverently bent over this unique relic, and who had
impressed its antiquity and its sancte upon us, was now
engaged in this outrageous profanation. It was impossible, unthinkable, And
yet there in the white glare of the electric light
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beneath us was that dark figure with the bent gray
head and the twitching elbow. What in human hypocrisy, what
hateful depth of malice against his successor? Must underline these
sinister nocturnal labors. It was painful to think of and
dreadful to watch. Even I, who had none of the
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acute feelings of a virtuoso, could not bear to look
on and see this deliberate mutilation of so ancient a relic.
It was a relief to me when my companion tugged
at my sleeve as a signal that I was to
follow him as he softly crept out of the room.
It was not until we were within his own quarters
that he opened his lips, and then I saw by
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his agitated face how deep was his consternation. The abominable goth,
He cried, Could you have believed it? It is amazing
he is a villain, or a lunatic one or the other.
We shall very soon see which. Come with me, Jackson,
and we shall get to the bottom of this black business.
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A door opened out of the passage, which was the
ivate entrance from his rooms into the museum. This he
opened softly with his key, having first kicked off his shoes,
an example which I followed. We crept together through room
after room until the large hall lay before us, with
that dark figure still stooping and working at the central case.
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With an advance as cautious as his own. We closed
in upon him, but softly as we went we could
not take him entirely unawares. We were still a dozen
yards from him when he looked round with a start, and,
uttering a husky cry of terror, ran frantically down museum Simson.
Simson roared Mortimer, and far away down the vista of
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electric lighted doors, we saw the stiff figure of the
old soldier suddenly appear. Professor Andrea saw him also, and
stopped running with a gesture of despair. At the same instant,
we each laid a hand upon his shoulder. Yes, yes,
j he panted, I will come with you to your room,
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mister Ward Mortimer, if you please. I feel that I
owe you an explanation. My companion's indignation was so great
that I could see that he dared not trust himself
to reply. We walked on each side of the old Professor,
the astonished commissionaire, bringing up the rear. When we reached
the violated case, Mortimer stopped and examined the breastplate. Already
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one of the stones of the lower row had had
its setting turned back in the same manner as the others.
My friend held it up and glanced furiously at his prisoner.
How could you, he cried, How could you? It is horrible, horrible,
said the professor. I don't wonder at your feelings. Take
me to your room, but this shall not be left exposed,
(30:48):
cried Mortimer. He picked the breastplate up and carried it
tenderly in his hand, while I walked beside the professor
like a policeman with a malefactor. We passed into Mortimer's chambers,
leaving the amazed old old you to understand Betters as
best he could. The professor sat down in Mortimer's arm
chair and turned so ghastly, a color that for the
instant all our resentment was changed to concern. A stiff
(31:11):
glass of brandy brought a life back to him once more.
There I am better now, said he. These last few
days have been too much for me. I am convinced
that I could not stand it any longer. It is
a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. That I should be arrested
as a burglar in what has been for so long
my own museum. And yet I cannot blame you. You
(31:34):
could not have done otherwise. My hope always was that
I should get it all over before I was detected.
This would have been my last night's work. How did
you get in, asked Mortimer, by taking a very great
liberty with your private door. But the object justified it.
The object justified everything. You will not be angry when
(31:54):
you know everything. At least you will not be angry
with me. I had a key to your side door,
and also to the museum door. I did not give
them up when I left, And so you see it
was not difficult for me to let myself into the museum.
I used to come in early before the crowd it
cleared from the street. Then I hid myself in the
mummy case and took refuge there. Whenever Simpson came round,
(32:18):
I could always hear him coming. I used to leave
in the same way as I came. You ran a risk,
I had to. But why what on earth was your
object you to do a thing like that? Mortimer pointed
reproachfully the plate which lay before him on the table.
I could devise no other means. I thought and thought,
(32:39):
but there was no alternate except a hideous public scandal
and a private sorrow which would have clouded our lives.
I acted for the best, incredible as it may seem
to you, and I only ask your attention to enable
me to prove it. I will hear what you have
to say before I take any further steps, said Mortimer grimly.
I am determined to hold back nothing and to take
(33:01):
you both completely into my confidence. I will leave it
to your own generosity how far you will use the
facts with which I supply you. We have the essential
facts already, then, yet you understand nothing. Let me go
back to what passed a few weeks ago, and I
will make it all clear to you. Believe me that
what I say is the absolute and exact truth. You
(33:22):
have met the person who called himself Captain Wilson. I
say calls himself because I have reason now to believe
that it is not his correct name. It would take
me too long if I were to describe all the
means by which he obtained an introduction to me and
ingratiated himself into my friendship and the affection of my daughter.
He brought letters from foreign colleagues, which compelled me to
(33:43):
show him some attention, and then, by his own attainments,
which are considerable, he succeeded in making himself a very
welcome visitor at my rooms. When I learned that my
daughter's affections had been gained by him, I may have
thought it premature, but I certainly was not surprised, for
he had a charm of manner and of conversation which
would have made him conspicuous in any society. He was
(34:06):
much interested in Oriental antiquities, and his knowledge of the
subject justified his interest. Often, when he spent the evening
with us, he would ask permission to go down into
the museum and have an opportunity of privately inspecting the
various specimens. You can imagine that I, as an enthusiast,
was in sympathy with such a request, and that I
felt no surprise at the constancy of his visits. After
(34:29):
his actual engagement to release, there was hardly an evening
which he did not pass with us, and an hour
or two were generally devoted to the museum. He had
the free run of the place, and when I have
been away for the evening. I had no objection to
his doing whatever he wished here. This state of things
was only terminated by the fact of my resignation of
my official duties and my retirement to Norwood, while I
(34:50):
hoped to have the leisure to write a considerable work
which I had planned. It was immediately after this, within
a week or so, that I first realized the true
nature and character of the man whom I had so
imprudently introduced into my family. The discovery came to me
through letters from my friends abroad, which showed me that
his introductions to me had been forgeries. Aghast at the revelation,
(35:11):
I asked myself what motive this man could originally have
had in practicing this elaborate deception upon me. I was
too poor a man for any fortune hunter to have
marked me down. Why then had he come? I remembered
that some of the most precious gems in Europe had
been under my charge, and I remembered also the ingenious
excuses by which this man had made himself familiar with
(35:32):
the cases in which they were kept. He was a
rascal who was planning some gigantic robbery. How could I,
without striking my own daughter, who was infatuated about him,
prevent him from carrying out any plan which he might
have formed. My device was a clumsy one, and yet
I could think of nothing more effective. If I had
written a letter under my own name, you would naturally
(35:54):
have turned to me for details which I did not
wish to give. I resorted to an anonymous letter begging
you to be on your guard. I may tell you
that my change from Belmore Street to Norwood had not
affected the visitor of this man, who had I believe
a real and overpowering affection for my daughter. As to her,
I could not have believed that any woman could be
(36:16):
so completely under the influence of a man as she was.
His stronger nature seemed to entirely dominate her. I had
not realized how far this was the case, or the
extent of the confidence which existed between them, until that
very evening, when his true character for the first time
was made clear to me. I had given orders that
when he called, he should be shown into my study
(36:37):
instead of to the drawing room. There, I told him
bluntly that I knew all about him, that I had
taken steps to defeat his designs, and that neither I
nor my daughter desired ever to see him again. I
added that I thanked God that I had found him
out before he had time to harm those precious objects
which had been the work of my lifetime to protect.
(36:58):
He was certainly a man of iron. He took my
remarks without a sign either of surprise or of defiance,
but listened gravely and attentively until I had finished. Then
he walked across the room without a word, and struck
the bell. Ask Miss Andreas to be so kind as
to step this way, said he to the servant. My
(37:19):
daughter entered, and the man closed the door behind her.
Then he took her hand in his elise, said he,
your father has just discovered that I am a villain.
He knows now what you knew before. She stood in silence, listening.
He says that we are to part for ever, said he.
(37:40):
She did not withdraw her hand. Will you be true
to me, or will you remove the last good influence
which is ever likely to come into my life? John,
She cried passionately. I will never abandon you, never, never,
not if the whole world were against you. In vain,
I argued and pleaded with her, in absolutely useless, Our
(38:01):
whole life was bound up in this man before me.
My daughter, gentlemen, is all that I have left to love,
and it filled me with agony when I saw how
powerless I was to save her from her ruin. My
helplessness seemed to touch this man who is the cause
of my trouble. It may not be as bad as
you think, sir, said he, in his quiet, inflexible way.
(38:24):
I love Elise with a love which is strong enough
to rescue even one who has such a record as
I have. It was but yesterday that I promised that
never again, in my whole life would I do a
thing of which she should be ashamed. I have made
up my mind to it, And never yet did I
make up my mind to a thing which I did
not do. He spoke with an air which carried conviction
(38:46):
with it. As he concluded, he put his hand into
his pocket, and he drew out a small cardboard box.
I am about to give you a proof of my determination,
said he. This helies shall be the first fruits of
your redeeming influence over me. You are right, sir, in
thinking that I had designs upon the jewels in your possession.
(39:08):
Such ventures have had charm for me which depended as
much upon the risk run as upon the valley of
the prize. Those famous and antique stones of the Jewish
priest were a challenge to my daring and my ingenuity.
I determined to get them. I guessed as much. There
was only one thing that you did not guess. And
what is that that I got them? They are in
(39:31):
this box. He opened the box and tilted out the
contents upon the corner of my desk. My hair rose
and my flesh grew cold. As I looked. There were
twelve magnificent square stones engraved with mystical characters. There could
be no doubt that they were the jewels of the
Urim and Thummim. Good God, I cried, how have you
(39:55):
escaped discovery by the substitution of twelve others, made especially
to my order, in which the originals are so carefully
imitated that I defy the eye to detect the difference.
Then the present stones are false, I cried, they have
been for some weeks. We all stood in silence, my
(40:16):
daughter white with emotion, but still holding this man by
the hand. You see what I am capable of, Elise
said he. I see that you are capable of repentance
and restitution. She answered, yes, thanks to your influence. I
leave the stones in your hands. Sir, do what you
(40:36):
like about it, but remember that whatever you do against
me is done against the future husband of your only daughter.
You will hear from me soon Againiles, it is the
last time that I will ever cause pain to your
tender heart. And with those words, he left both the
room and the house. My position was a dreadful one.
(40:58):
Here I was with these press relics in my possession,
and how could I return them without a scandal and
an exposure. I knew the depth of my daughter's nature
too well to suppose that I would ever be able
to detach her from this man, now that she had
entirely given him her heart. I was not even sure
how far it was right to detach her. If she
had such an ameliorating influence over him. How could I
(41:21):
expose him without injuring her? And how far was I
justified in exposing him when he had voluntarily put himself
into my power? I thought and thought, until at last
I formed a resolution which may seem to you to
be a foolish one. And yet if I had to
do it again, I believe it would be the best
course open to me. My idea was to return the
(41:43):
stones without any one being the wiser. With my keys,
I could get into the museum at any time, and
I was confident that I could avoid Simpson, whose hours
and methods were familiar to me. I determined to take
no one into my confidence, not even my daughter, whom
I told that I was about to visit my brother
in Scotland. I wanted a free hand for a few nights,
(42:03):
without inquiry as to my comings and goings. To this end,
I took a room in Harding Street that very night,
with an intimation that I was a press man and
that I should keep very late hours. That night I
made my way into the museum and I replaced four
of the stones. It was hard work and took me
all night. When Simpson came round, I always heard his
(42:25):
footsteps and concealed myself in the mummy case. I had
some knowledge of gold work, but was far less skillful
than the thief had been. He had replaced the setting
so exactly that I defy any one to see the difference.
My work was rude and clumsy. However, I hoped that
the plate might not be carefully examined, or the roughness
of the setting observed, until my task was done. Next
(42:49):
night I replaced four more stones, and to night I
should have finished my task, had it not been for
the unfortunate circumstance which has caused me to reveal so
much which I should have wished to keep concealed. I
appeal to you, gentlemen, to your sense of honor and
of compassion, whether what I have told you should go
any farther or not. My own happiness, my daughter's future,
(43:11):
the hopes of this man's regeneration, all depend upon your decision.
Which is said, my friend, that all is well that
ends well, and that the whole matter ends here and
at once to morrow the loose settings shall be tightened
by an expert goldsmith, and so passes the greatest danger
to which since the destruction of the temple, the Urim
(43:33):
and Thumim has been exposed. Here is my hand, Professor Andreas,
and I can only hope that under such difficult circumstances
I should have carried myself as unselfishly and as well
just one footnote to this narrative. Within a month, Elise
Andreas was married to a man whose name had I
(43:53):
the discretion to mention it would appeal to my readers
as one who is now widely and deservedly honored. But
if the truth were known, that honor is due not
to him, but to the gentle girl who plucked him
back when he had gone so far down that dark
road along which few returned. End of The Jew's Breastplate
(44:16):
by Arthur Conan Doyle, recording by Jeremy Pavier
Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle, The
Jew's Breastplate. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Jeremy Pavier Tales
(00:23):
of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Jew's Breastplate.
My particular friend, Ward Mortimer, was one of the best
men of his day and everything connected with Oriental archeology.
He had written largely upon the subject. He had lived
two years in a tomb at Thebes while he excavated
(00:44):
in the Valley of the Kings, and finally he had
created a considerable sensation by his exhumation of the alleged
mummy of Cleopatra in the inner room of the Temple
of Horace at Failais. With such a record, at the
age of thirty one, it was felt that a considerable
careier lay before him, and no one was surprised when
(01:04):
he was elected to the curatorship of the Belmore Street Museum,
which carries with it the Lectureship and the Oriental College,
an income which is sunk with the falling land, but
which still remains at that ideal sum, which is large
enough to encourage an investigator, but not so large as
to enervate him. There was only one reason which made
(01:24):
Ward Mortimer's position a little difficult at the Belmore Street Museum,
and that was the extreme eminence of the man whom
he had to succeed. Professor Andreas was a profound scholar
and a man of European reputation. His lectures were frequented
by students from every part of the world, and his
admirable management of the collection entrusted to his care was
(01:46):
a commonplace in all learned societies. There was therefore considerable
surprise when, at the age of fifty five, he suddenly
resigned his position and retired from those duties which had
been both his livelihood and displeasure. He and his daughter
left the comfortable suite of rooms which had formed his
official residence in connection with the museum, and my friend Mortimer,
(02:08):
who was a bachelor, took up his quarters there. On
hearing of Mortimer's appointment, Professor andres had written him a
very kindly and flattering congratulatory letter. I was actually present
at their first meeting, and I went with Mortimer Round Museum,
when the Professor showed us the admirable collection which he
had cherished so long. The Professor's beautiful daughter and a
(02:32):
young man, Captain Wilson, who was, as I understood, soon
to be her husband, accompanied us in our inspection. There
were fifteen rooms, but the Babylonian, the Syrian, and the
central hall, which contained the Jewish and Egyptian collection, were
the finest of all. Professor Andres was a quiet, dry,
elderly man, with a clean shaven face and an impassive manner.
(02:57):
But his dark eyes sparkled in his feet quickened into
enthusiastic life as he pointed out to us the rarity
and the beauty of some of his specimens. His hand
lingered so fondly over them that one could read his
pride in them and the grief in his heart now
that they were passing from his care into that of another.
(03:18):
He had shown us in turn his mummies, his papyri,
his rare scarabs, his inscriptions, his Jewish relics, and his
duplication to the famous seven branched candlestick of the Temple,
which was brought to Rome by Titus, and which is
supposed by some to be lying at this instant in
the bed of the Tiber. Then he approached a case
(03:39):
which stood at the very center of the hall, and
he looked down through the glass with reverence in his
attitude and manner. This is no novelty to an expert
like yourself, mister Mortoner, said he. But I dare say
that your friend, mister Jackson, will be interested to see it.
Leaning over the case, I saw an object five inches square,
(04:01):
which consisted of twelve precious stones in a framework of gold,
with golden hooks at two of the corners. The stones
were all varying in sort and color, but they were
of the same size. Their shapes, arrangement, and gradation of
tint made me think of a box of water color paints.
Each stone had some hieroglyphics scratched upon its surface. You
(04:24):
have heard, mister Jackson, of the Urim and Thummim. I
had heard the term, but my idea of its meaning
was exceedingly vague. The Urim and Thummim was a name
given to the jeweled plate which lay upon the breast
of the high priest of the Jews. They had a
very special feeling of reverence for it. Something of the
(04:45):
feeling which an ancient Roman might have had for the
Sybilline books in the Capitol. They are, as you see,
twelve magnificent stones, inscribed with mystical characters. Counting from the
left hand top corner. The stone ownes are Carnelian, peridot, emerald, ruby,
lapislazuli Onyx, sapphire, agate, amethyst, topaz, beryl, and Jasper. I
(05:12):
was amazed at the variety beauty of the stones. Has
the breastpate any particular history? I asked? It is of
great age and of immense value, said Professor Andreas, without
being able to make an absolute assertion, we have many
reasons to think that it is possible that it may
be the original Urim and Thummim of Solomon's temple. There
(05:35):
is certainly nothing so fine in any collection in Europe.
My friend Captain Wilson, here is a practical authority upon
precious stones, and he would tell you how pure these are.
Captain Wilson, a man with a dark, hard, incisive face,
was standing beside his fiancee at the other side of
the case. Yes, said he curtly, I have never seen
(05:57):
finer stones. And the gold work is also worthy of attention.
The ancients excelled in He was apparently about to indicate
the setting of the stones, when Captain Wilson interrupted him.
You will see a fine example of their gold work
in this candlestick, said he, turning to another table, and
we all joined him in his admiration of its embossed
(06:19):
stem and delicately ornamented branches. Altogether, it was an interesting
and an all experience to have objects of such rarity
explained by so great an expert. And when finally Professor
Andreas finished our inspection by formally handing over the precious
collection to the care of my friend, I could not
help pitying him and envying his successor, whose life was
(06:40):
to pass in so pleasant a duty. Within a week
Ward Mortimer was duly installed in his new set of rooms,
and had become the autocrat of the Belmore Street Museum.
About a fortnight afterwards, my friend gave a small dinner
to half a dozen bachelor friends to celebrate his promotion.
(07:01):
When his guests were departing, he pulled my sleeve and
signaled to me that he wished me to remain. You
have only a few hundred yards to go, said he.
I was living in chambers in the Albany. You may
as well stay and have a quiet cigar with me.
I very much want your advice. I relapsed into an
(07:21):
arm chair and lit one of his excellent matrollness. When
he had returned from seeing the last of his guests out,
he drew a letter from his dress jacket and sat
down opposite to me. This is an anonymous letter which
I received this morning, said he. I want to read
it to you and to have your advice. You are
(07:42):
welcome to it for it's worth. This is how the
note runs, Sir, I should strongly advise you to keep
a very careful watch over the many valuable things which
are committed to your charge. I do not think that
the present system of a single watchman is sufficient. Be
upon your guard, or an irreparable misfortune may occur. Is
(08:05):
that all? Yes, that is all well? Said? I tis
at least obvious that it was written by one of
the limited number of people who are aware that you
have only one watchman at night. Ward Mortimer handed me
the note with a curious smile. Have you an eye
for handwriting? Said he? Now look at this. He put
(08:28):
another letter in front of me. Look at the sea.
And congratulate, and the secene committed. Look at the captain,
I look at the trick of putting in a dash
instead of a stop. They are undoubtedly from the same hand,
with some attempt to disguise. In the case of this
first one, the second, said Ward Mortimer, is the letter
(08:53):
of congratulation which was written to me by Professor Andreas
upon my obtaining my appointment. I stared at him in amazement.
Then I turned over the letter in my hand, and
there sure enough was Martin Andreas signed upon the other side.
There could be no doubt in the mind of any
(09:13):
one who had the slightest knowledge of the science of
griphology that the Professor had written an anonymous letter warning
his successor against thieves. It was inexplicable, but it was certain.
Why should he do it? I asked, precisely what I
should wish to ask you. If he had any such misgivings,
(09:36):
why could he not come and tell me direct? Will
you speak to him about it? There again, I am
in doubt he might choose to deny that he wrote it.
At any rate, said I, this warning is meant in
a friendly spirit, and I should certainly act upon it.
Are the present precautions enough to insure you against robbery.
(09:59):
I should have thought so. The public are only admitted
from ten till five, and there is a guardian to
every two rooms. He stands at the door between them,
and so commands them both. But at night, when the
public are gone, we at once put up the great
iron shutters, which are absolutely burglar proof. The watchman is
(10:19):
a capable fellow. He sits in the lodge, but he
walks round every three hours. We keep one electric light
burning in each room all night. It's difficult to suggest
anything more short of keeping your day watches all night.
We could not afford that. At least I should communicate
with the police and have a special constable put on
(10:40):
outside in Belmore Street. Said I as to the letter,
if the writer wishes to be anonymous, I think he
has a right to remain, So we must trust to
the future to show some reason for the curious course
which he has adopted. So we dismissed the subject. But
all that night, after my return to my chain, I
(11:00):
was puzzling my brain as to what possible motive Professor
Andreas could have from writing an anonymous warning letter to
his successor. For that the writing was his was as
certain to me as if I had seen him actually
doing it. He foresaw some danger to the collection? Was
it because he foresaw it that he abandoned his charge
of it? If so, why should he hesitate to warn
(11:23):
Mortimer in his own name. I puzzled and puzzled, until
at last I fell into a troubled sleep, which carried
me beyond my usual hour of rising. I was aroused
in a singular and effective method. For about nine o'clock.
My friend Mortimer rushed into my room with an expression
of consternation upon his face. He was usually one of
(11:45):
the most tidy men of my acquaintance, but now his
collar was undone at one end, his tie was flying,
and his hat at the back of his head. I
read his whole story in his frantic eyes. The museum
has been robbed, I cried, springing up in bed. I
fear those jewels, the jewels of the Urim and Thummim.
He gasped, for he was out of breath, running. I
(12:05):
am going on to the police station. Come to the
museum as soon as you can, Jackson, good bye. He
rushed distractedly out of the room, and I heard him
clatter down the stairs. I was not long in following
his directions, but I found when I arrived that he
had already returned with the police inspector and another elderly
gentleman who proved to be mister Purvis, one of the
(12:27):
partners of Morson and Company, the well known diamond merchants.
As an expert in stones, he was always prepared to
advise the police. They were grouped round the case in
which the breastplate of the Jewish priest had been exposed.
The plate had been taken out and laid upon the
glass top of the case, and the three heads were
bent over it. It is obvious that it has been
(12:50):
tampered with, said Mortimer. It caught my eye the moment
that I passed through the room this morning. I examined
it yesterday evening, so that it is certain that this
happened during the night. It was, as he had said,
obvious that some one had been at work upon it.
The settings of the uppermost row of four stones, the
Carnelian peridot, emerald and ruby, were rough and jagged, as
(13:12):
if some one had scraped all round them. The stones
were in their places, but the beautiful gold work which
we had admired only a few days before, had been
very clumsily pulled about. It looks to me, said the
police inspector, as if some one had been trying to
take out the stones. My fear is, said Mortimer, that
(13:34):
he not only tried, but succeeded. I believe these four
stones to be skillful imitations which had been put in
place the originals. The same suspicion had evidently been in
the mind of the expert, for he had been carefully
examining the four stones with the aid of a lens.
He now submitted them to several tests, and finally turned
cheerfully to Mortimer. I congratulate you, sir, said he heartily.
(13:58):
I will pledge my reputation. All four of these stones
are genuine and of a most unusual degree of purity.
The collar began to come back to my poor friend's
frightened face, and she drew a long breath of relief.
Thank God, he cried. Then, what in the world did
the thief want? Probably he meant to take the stones,
(14:18):
but was interrupted. In that case, one would expect him
to take them out one at a time. But the
setting of each of these has been loosened, and yet
the stones are all here. It is certainly most extraordinary,
said the inspector. I never remember a case like it.
Let us see the watchman. The commissionaire was called a
(14:39):
soldierly honest faced man who seemed as concerned as Ward
Mortimer at the instant. No, sir, I never heard a sound,
he answered, in reply to the questions of the inspector.
I made my rowans four times as usual, but I
saw nothing suspicious. I've been in my position ten years,
but nothing of the kind has ever occurred before. No
(15:01):
thief could have come through the windows impossible, sir, or
passed you at the door? No, sir, I never left
my post, except when I walked my rounds. What other
openings are there in the museum. There is the door
into mister Ward Mortimer's private rooms that is locked at night,
(15:21):
my friend explained, and in order to reach it, any
one from the street would have to open the outside
door as well. Your servants their quarters are entirely separate. Well, well,
said the inspector. This is certainly very obscure. However, there
has been no harm done. Calling to mister Purvis, I
(15:43):
will swear that those stones are genuine, so that the
case appears to be merely one of malicious damage. But
none the less, I should be very glad to go
carefully round the premises and to see if we can
find any trace to show us who your visitor may
have been. His investigation, which lasted all the morning, was
(16:04):
careful and intelligent, but it led in the end to nothing.
He pointed out to us that there were two possible
entrances to the museum, which we had not considered. The
one was from the cellars by a trap door opening
in the passage, the other through a skylight from the
lumber room, overlooking that very chamber to which the intruder
(16:25):
had penetrated. As neither the cellar nor the lumber room
could be entered unless the thief was already within the
locked doors, the matter was not of any practical importance,
and the dust of celler an attic assured us that
no one had used either one or the other. Finally,
we ended as we began, without the slightest clue as
(16:46):
to how, why, or by whom the setting of these
four duels had been tampered with. There remained one cause
for Mortimer to take, and he took it leaving the
police to continue their fruitless read searches. He asked me
to accompany him that afternoon in a visit to Professor Andreas.
(17:06):
He took with him the two letters, and it was
his intention to openly tax his predecessor with having written
the mononymous warning, and to ask him to explain the
fact that he should have anticipated so exactly that which
had actually occurred. The Professor was living in a small
villa in Upper Norward, but we were informed by the
servant that he was away from home. Seeing our disappointment,
(17:30):
she asked us if we should like to see miss Andreas,
and showed us into the modest drawing room. I have mentioned,
incidentally that the professor's daughter was a very beautiful girl.
She was a blonde, tall and graceful, with the skin
of that delicate tint which the French called mah the
color of old ivory, were of the lighter petals of
(17:50):
the sulfur rose. I was shocked, however, as she entered
the room to see how much she had changed in
the last fortnight. Her young face was haggard and her
bright eyes heavy with trouble. Father has gone to Scotland,
she said. He seems to be tired and has a
good deal to worry him. He only left us yesterday.
(18:13):
You look a little tired yourself, Miss Andreas, said my friend.
I have been so anxious about father. Can you give
me his Scotch address. Yes, he is with his brother,
the Reverend David Andreas, one Aaron Villas Androssen. Lord Mortimer
made a note of the address, and we left without
(18:34):
saying anything as to the object of our visit. We
found ourselves in Belmore Street in the evening, in exactly
the same position in which we had been in the morning.
Our only clue was the professor's letter, and my friend
had made up his mind to start for our Drossen
next day and to get to the bottom of the
anonymous letter. And when a new development came to alter
our plans. Very early on the following morning, I was
(18:57):
aroused from my sleep by a tap upon my bedroom.
It was a messenger with a note from Mortimer. Do
come round, it said, The matter is becoming more and
more extraordinary. When I obeyed his summons, I found him
pacing excitedly up and down the central room, while the
old soldier who guarded the premises stood with military stiffness
(19:20):
in a corner. My dear Jackson, he cried, I am
so delighted that you have come, for this is a
most inexplicable business. What has happened? Then he waved his
hand towards the case which contained the breastplate. Look at it,
said he. I did so, and could not restrain a
cry of surprise. The setting of the middle row of
(19:42):
precious stones had been profaned in the same manner as
the upper ones of the twelve duels. Eight had been
now tampered with in this singular fashion. The setting of
the lower fall was neat and smooth, the others jagged
and irregular. Have the stones altered? I asked? No. I
(20:02):
am certain that these upperfore are the same which the
expert pronounced to be genuine, For I observed yesterday that
little discoloration on the edge of the emerald. Since they
have not extracted the upper stones, there is no reason
to think the lower have been transposed. You say that
you heard nothing, Simpson, No, sir, the commissionaire answered. But
when I made my round after daylight, I had a
(20:23):
special look at day stones, and I saw at once
that some one had been meddling with them. Then I
called you, sir, and told you I was backwards and
fords all night, and I never saw a soul or
heard a sound. Come up and have some breakfast with me,
said Mortimer, and he took me into his own chambers.
Now what do you think of this, Jackson, he asked.
(20:46):
It's the most objectless, futile, idiotic business that ever I
heard of. It can only be the work of a monomaniac.
Can you put forward any theory? A curious idea came
into my head. This object is a Jewish relic of
great antiquity and sanctity, said I. How about the anti
(21:08):
Semitic movement? Could one conceive that a fanatic of that
way of thinking might desecrate No, no, no, cried Mortimer.
That will never do. Such a man might push his
lunacy to the length of destroying a Jewish relic. But
why on earth should he nibble around every stone so
carefully that he can only do four stones in a night.
(21:31):
We must have a better solution than that, and we
must find it for ourselves, for I do not think
that our inspector is likely to help us. First of all,
what do you think of Sympson and Porter? Have you
any reason to suspect him, only that he is the
one person on the premises. But why should he indulge
in such wanton destruction? Nothing has been taken away, He
(21:54):
has no motive mania. No, I will swear to sanity.
Have you any other theory? Well yourself? For example, you're
not a somnambulist by any chance, nothing of the sort,
I assure you. Then I give it up. But I don't.
(22:16):
And I've a plan by which we will make it
all clear to visit Professor Andreas. No, we shall find
our solution nearer than Scotland. I will tell you what
we shall do. You know that skylight which overlooks the
central hall. We will leave the electric lights in the hall,
and we will keep watch in the lumber room, you
(22:37):
and I and solve the mystery for ourselves. If our
mysterious visitor is doing four stones at a time, he
has for still to do, and there is every reason
to think that he will return to night and complete
the job. Excellent, I cried. We will keep our own
secret and say nothing either to the police or to Simpson.
Will you join me with the utmost pleasure? Said? And
(23:01):
so it was agreed. It was ten o'clock that night,
when I returned to the Belmore Street Museum, Mortimer was,
as I could see, in a state of suppressed nervous excitement.
But it was still too early to begin our vigil,
so we remained for an hour or so in his chambers,
discussing all the possibilities of the singular business which we
had met to solve at last. The roaring stream of
(23:24):
handsome cabs and the rush of hurrying feet became lower
and more intermittent as the pleasure seekers passed on their
way to their stations or their homes. It was nearly
twelve when Mortimer led the way to the lumber Room,
which overlooked the central hall of the museum. He had
visited it during the day and had spread some sacking
(23:46):
down so that we could lie at our ease and
looked straight down into the museum. The skylight was of
unfrosted glass, but was so covered with dust that it
would be impossible for anyone looking up from below to
detect that he was overlooked. We cleared a small piece
at each corner, which gave us a complete view of
the room beneath us. In the cold white light of
(24:09):
the electric lamps. Everything stood out hard and clear, and
I could see the smallest detail of the contents of
the various cases. Such a vigil is an excellent lesson,
since one has no choice but to look hard at
those objects which we usually pass with such half hearted
interest through my little peep hole. I employed the hours
in studying every specimen, from the huge mummy case which
(24:33):
leaned against the wall, to those very jewels which had
brought us there, gleaming and sparkling in their glass case.
Immediately beneath us there was much precious gold work and
many valuable stones scattered through the numerous cases. But those
wonderful twelve which made up the Urim and Thummim, glowed
and burned with a radiance which far eclipsed the others.
I studied in turn the tomb pictures of Sikhara, the
(24:56):
friezes from Karnak, the statues of Memphis, and the inscriptions
of Thebes. But my eyes would always come back to
that wonderful Jewish relic, and my mind to the singular
mystery that surrounded it. I was lost in the thought
of it when my companion suddenly drew his breath sharply
in and seized my arm in a convulsive grip. At
(25:18):
the same instant I saw what it was which had
excited him. I have said that against the wall on
the right hand side of the doorway, the right hand side,
as we looked at it with the left as one entered,
there stood a large mummy case. To our unutterable amazement,
it was slowly opening, gradually, gradually, the lid was swinging back,
(25:42):
and the black slit which marked the opening was becoming
wider and wider. So gently and carefully was it done
that the movement was almost imperceptible. Then, as we breathlessly
watched it, a white, thin hand appeared at the opening,
pushing back the painted lid. Then another hand, and finally
(26:07):
a face, a face which was familiar to us, both
that of Professor Andreas. Stealthily, he slunk out of the
mummy case, like a fox stealing from its burrow, his
head turning incessantly to left and to right, stepping then pausing,
then stepping again, the very image of craft and of caution.
(26:31):
Once some sound in the street struck him motionless, and
he stood listening with his ear turned, ready to dart
back to the shelter behind him. Then he crept onwards
again upon tiptoe, very very softly and slowly, until he
had reached the case in the center of the room.
(26:52):
There he took a bunch of keys from his pocket,
unlocked the case, took out the Jewish breastplate, and, laying
it upon the glass in front of him, began to
work upon it with some sort of small, glistening tool.
He was so directly underneath us that his bent head
covered his work, but we could guess from the movement
(27:12):
of his hand that he was engaged in finishing the
strange disfigurement which he had begun. I could realize, from
the heavy breathing of my companion, and the twitchings of
the hand which still clutched my wrist, the furious indignation
which filled his heart as he saw this vandalism in
the quarter of all others, where he could least have
(27:33):
expected it. He, the very man who a fortnight before
had reverently bent over this unique relic, and who had
impressed its antiquity and its sancte upon us, was now
engaged in this outrageous profanation. It was impossible, unthinkable, And
yet there in the white glare of the electric light
(27:53):
beneath us was that dark figure with the bent gray
head and the twitching elbow. What in human hypocrisy, what
hateful depth of malice against his successor? Must underline these
sinister nocturnal labors. It was painful to think of and
dreadful to watch. Even I, who had none of the
(28:13):
acute feelings of a virtuoso, could not bear to look
on and see this deliberate mutilation of so ancient a relic.
It was a relief to me when my companion tugged
at my sleeve as a signal that I was to
follow him as he softly crept out of the room.
It was not until we were within his own quarters
that he opened his lips, and then I saw by
(28:35):
his agitated face how deep was his consternation. The abominable goth,
He cried, Could you have believed it? It is amazing
he is a villain, or a lunatic one or the other.
We shall very soon see which. Come with me, Jackson,
and we shall get to the bottom of this black business.
(28:57):
A door opened out of the passage, which was the
ivate entrance from his rooms into the museum. This he
opened softly with his key, having first kicked off his shoes,
an example which I followed. We crept together through room
after room until the large hall lay before us, with
that dark figure still stooping and working at the central case.
(29:20):
With an advance as cautious as his own. We closed
in upon him, but softly as we went we could
not take him entirely unawares. We were still a dozen
yards from him when he looked round with a start, and,
uttering a husky cry of terror, ran frantically down museum Simson.
Simson roared Mortimer, and far away down the vista of
(29:43):
electric lighted doors, we saw the stiff figure of the
old soldier suddenly appear. Professor Andrea saw him also, and
stopped running with a gesture of despair. At the same instant,
we each laid a hand upon his shoulder. Yes, yes,
j he panted, I will come with you to your room,
(30:03):
mister Ward Mortimer, if you please. I feel that I
owe you an explanation. My companion's indignation was so great
that I could see that he dared not trust himself
to reply. We walked on each side of the old Professor,
the astonished commissionaire, bringing up the rear. When we reached
the violated case, Mortimer stopped and examined the breastplate. Already
(30:26):
one of the stones of the lower row had had
its setting turned back in the same manner as the others.
My friend held it up and glanced furiously at his prisoner.
How could you, he cried, How could you? It is horrible, horrible,
said the professor. I don't wonder at your feelings. Take
me to your room, but this shall not be left exposed,
(30:48):
cried Mortimer. He picked the breastplate up and carried it
tenderly in his hand, while I walked beside the professor
like a policeman with a malefactor. We passed into Mortimer's chambers,
leaving the amazed old old you to understand Betters as
best he could. The professor sat down in Mortimer's arm
chair and turned so ghastly, a color that for the
instant all our resentment was changed to concern. A stiff
(31:11):
glass of brandy brought a life back to him once more.
There I am better now, said he. These last few
days have been too much for me. I am convinced
that I could not stand it any longer. It is
a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. That I should be arrested
as a burglar in what has been for so long
my own museum. And yet I cannot blame you. You
(31:34):
could not have done otherwise. My hope always was that
I should get it all over before I was detected.
This would have been my last night's work. How did
you get in, asked Mortimer, by taking a very great
liberty with your private door. But the object justified it.
The object justified everything. You will not be angry when
(31:54):
you know everything. At least you will not be angry
with me. I had a key to your side door,
and also to the museum door. I did not give
them up when I left, And so you see it
was not difficult for me to let myself into the museum.
I used to come in early before the crowd it
cleared from the street. Then I hid myself in the
mummy case and took refuge there. Whenever Simpson came round,
(32:18):
I could always hear him coming. I used to leave
in the same way as I came. You ran a risk,
I had to. But why what on earth was your
object you to do a thing like that? Mortimer pointed
reproachfully the plate which lay before him on the table.
I could devise no other means. I thought and thought,
(32:39):
but there was no alternate except a hideous public scandal
and a private sorrow which would have clouded our lives.
I acted for the best, incredible as it may seem
to you, and I only ask your attention to enable
me to prove it. I will hear what you have
to say before I take any further steps, said Mortimer grimly.
I am determined to hold back nothing and to take
(33:01):
you both completely into my confidence. I will leave it
to your own generosity how far you will use the
facts with which I supply you. We have the essential
facts already, then, yet you understand nothing. Let me go
back to what passed a few weeks ago, and I
will make it all clear to you. Believe me that
what I say is the absolute and exact truth. You
(33:22):
have met the person who called himself Captain Wilson. I
say calls himself because I have reason now to believe
that it is not his correct name. It would take
me too long if I were to describe all the
means by which he obtained an introduction to me and
ingratiated himself into my friendship and the affection of my daughter.
He brought letters from foreign colleagues, which compelled me to
(33:43):
show him some attention, and then, by his own attainments,
which are considerable, he succeeded in making himself a very
welcome visitor at my rooms. When I learned that my
daughter's affections had been gained by him, I may have
thought it premature, but I certainly was not surprised, for
he had a charm of manner and of conversation which
would have made him conspicuous in any society. He was
(34:06):
much interested in Oriental antiquities, and his knowledge of the
subject justified his interest. Often, when he spent the evening
with us, he would ask permission to go down into
the museum and have an opportunity of privately inspecting the
various specimens. You can imagine that I, as an enthusiast,
was in sympathy with such a request, and that I
felt no surprise at the constancy of his visits. After
(34:29):
his actual engagement to release, there was hardly an evening
which he did not pass with us, and an hour
or two were generally devoted to the museum. He had
the free run of the place, and when I have
been away for the evening. I had no objection to
his doing whatever he wished here. This state of things
was only terminated by the fact of my resignation of
my official duties and my retirement to Norwood, while I
(34:50):
hoped to have the leisure to write a considerable work
which I had planned. It was immediately after this, within
a week or so, that I first realized the true
nature and character of the man whom I had so
imprudently introduced into my family. The discovery came to me
through letters from my friends abroad, which showed me that
his introductions to me had been forgeries. Aghast at the revelation,
(35:11):
I asked myself what motive this man could originally have
had in practicing this elaborate deception upon me. I was
too poor a man for any fortune hunter to have
marked me down. Why then had he come? I remembered
that some of the most precious gems in Europe had
been under my charge, and I remembered also the ingenious
excuses by which this man had made himself familiar with
(35:32):
the cases in which they were kept. He was a
rascal who was planning some gigantic robbery. How could I,
without striking my own daughter, who was infatuated about him,
prevent him from carrying out any plan which he might
have formed. My device was a clumsy one, and yet
I could think of nothing more effective. If I had
written a letter under my own name, you would naturally
(35:54):
have turned to me for details which I did not
wish to give. I resorted to an anonymous letter begging
you to be on your guard. I may tell you
that my change from Belmore Street to Norwood had not
affected the visitor of this man, who had I believe
a real and overpowering affection for my daughter. As to her,
I could not have believed that any woman could be
(36:16):
so completely under the influence of a man as she was.
His stronger nature seemed to entirely dominate her. I had
not realized how far this was the case, or the
extent of the confidence which existed between them, until that
very evening, when his true character for the first time
was made clear to me. I had given orders that
when he called, he should be shown into my study
(36:37):
instead of to the drawing room. There, I told him
bluntly that I knew all about him, that I had
taken steps to defeat his designs, and that neither I
nor my daughter desired ever to see him again. I
added that I thanked God that I had found him
out before he had time to harm those precious objects
which had been the work of my lifetime to protect.
(36:58):
He was certainly a man of iron. He took my
remarks without a sign either of surprise or of defiance,
but listened gravely and attentively until I had finished. Then
he walked across the room without a word, and struck
the bell. Ask Miss Andreas to be so kind as
to step this way, said he to the servant. My
(37:19):
daughter entered, and the man closed the door behind her.
Then he took her hand in his elise, said he,
your father has just discovered that I am a villain.
He knows now what you knew before. She stood in silence, listening.
He says that we are to part for ever, said he.
(37:40):
She did not withdraw her hand. Will you be true
to me, or will you remove the last good influence
which is ever likely to come into my life? John,
She cried passionately. I will never abandon you, never, never,
not if the whole world were against you. In vain,
I argued and pleaded with her, in absolutely useless, Our
(38:01):
whole life was bound up in this man before me.
My daughter, gentlemen, is all that I have left to love,
and it filled me with agony when I saw how
powerless I was to save her from her ruin. My
helplessness seemed to touch this man who is the cause
of my trouble. It may not be as bad as
you think, sir, said he, in his quiet, inflexible way.
(38:24):
I love Elise with a love which is strong enough
to rescue even one who has such a record as
I have. It was but yesterday that I promised that
never again, in my whole life would I do a
thing of which she should be ashamed. I have made
up my mind to it, And never yet did I
make up my mind to a thing which I did
not do. He spoke with an air which carried conviction
(38:46):
with it. As he concluded, he put his hand into
his pocket, and he drew out a small cardboard box.
I am about to give you a proof of my determination,
said he. This helies shall be the first fruits of
your redeeming influence over me. You are right, sir, in
thinking that I had designs upon the jewels in your possession.
(39:08):
Such ventures have had charm for me which depended as
much upon the risk run as upon the valley of
the prize. Those famous and antique stones of the Jewish
priest were a challenge to my daring and my ingenuity.
I determined to get them. I guessed as much. There
was only one thing that you did not guess. And
what is that that I got them? They are in
(39:31):
this box. He opened the box and tilted out the
contents upon the corner of my desk. My hair rose
and my flesh grew cold. As I looked. There were
twelve magnificent square stones engraved with mystical characters. There could
be no doubt that they were the jewels of the
Urim and Thummim. Good God, I cried, how have you
(39:55):
escaped discovery by the substitution of twelve others, made especially
to my order, in which the originals are so carefully
imitated that I defy the eye to detect the difference.
Then the present stones are false, I cried, they have
been for some weeks. We all stood in silence, my
(40:16):
daughter white with emotion, but still holding this man by
the hand. You see what I am capable of, Elise
said he. I see that you are capable of repentance
and restitution. She answered, yes, thanks to your influence. I
leave the stones in your hands. Sir, do what you
(40:36):
like about it, but remember that whatever you do against
me is done against the future husband of your only daughter.
You will hear from me soon Againiles, it is the
last time that I will ever cause pain to your
tender heart. And with those words, he left both the
room and the house. My position was a dreadful one.
(40:58):
Here I was with these press relics in my possession,
and how could I return them without a scandal and
an exposure. I knew the depth of my daughter's nature
too well to suppose that I would ever be able
to detach her from this man, now that she had
entirely given him her heart. I was not even sure
how far it was right to detach her. If she
had such an ameliorating influence over him. How could I
(41:21):
expose him without injuring her? And how far was I
justified in exposing him when he had voluntarily put himself
into my power? I thought and thought, until at last
I formed a resolution which may seem to you to
be a foolish one. And yet if I had to
do it again, I believe it would be the best
course open to me. My idea was to return the
(41:43):
stones without any one being the wiser. With my keys,
I could get into the museum at any time, and
I was confident that I could avoid Simpson, whose hours
and methods were familiar to me. I determined to take
no one into my confidence, not even my daughter, whom
I told that I was about to visit my brother
in Scotland. I wanted a free hand for a few nights,
(42:03):
without inquiry as to my comings and goings. To this end,
I took a room in Harding Street that very night,
with an intimation that I was a press man and
that I should keep very late hours. That night I
made my way into the museum and I replaced four
of the stones. It was hard work and took me
all night. When Simpson came round, I always heard his
(42:25):
footsteps and concealed myself in the mummy case. I had
some knowledge of gold work, but was far less skillful
than the thief had been. He had replaced the setting
so exactly that I defy any one to see the difference.
My work was rude and clumsy. However, I hoped that
the plate might not be carefully examined, or the roughness
of the setting observed, until my task was done. Next
(42:49):
night I replaced four more stones, and to night I
should have finished my task, had it not been for
the unfortunate circumstance which has caused me to reveal so
much which I should have wished to keep concealed. I
appeal to you, gentlemen, to your sense of honor and
of compassion, whether what I have told you should go
any farther or not. My own happiness, my daughter's future,
(43:11):
the hopes of this man's regeneration, all depend upon your decision.
Which is said, my friend, that all is well that
ends well, and that the whole matter ends here and
at once to morrow the loose settings shall be tightened
by an expert goldsmith, and so passes the greatest danger
to which since the destruction of the temple, the Urim
(43:33):
and Thumim has been exposed. Here is my hand, Professor Andreas,
and I can only hope that under such difficult circumstances
I should have carried myself as unselfishly and as well
just one footnote to this narrative. Within a month, Elise
Andreas was married to a man whose name had I
(43:53):
the discretion to mention it would appeal to my readers
as one who is now widely and deservedly honored. But
if the truth were known, that honor is due not
to him, but to the gentle girl who plucked him
back when he had gone so far down that dark
road along which few returned. End of The Jew's Breastplate
(44:16):
by Arthur Conan Doyle, recording by Jeremy Pavier
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