luxuriant lounges on either side of the fireplace.
Standing on the run between us, with his slight, tall
figure, his sharp features, thoughtful face, and
curling hair prematurely tinged with gray, he seemed
to represent that not to common type, a nobleman who
is in truth noble.
"You name is very familiar to me, Mr. Holmes," said
he, smiling. "And, of course, I cannot pretend to be
ignorant of the object of your visit. There has only
been once occurrence in these offices which could call
for your attention. In whose interest are you acting,
may I ask?"
"In that of Mr. Percy Phelps," answered Holmes.
"Ah, my unfortunate nephew! You can understand that
our kinship makes it the more impossible for me to
screen him in any way. I fear that the incident must
have a very prejudicial effect upon his career."
"But if the document if found?"
"Ah, that, of course, would be different."
"I had one or two questions which I wished to ask you,
Lord Holdhurst."
"I shall be happy to give you any information in 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 that?"
"Absolutely."
"Well, since you never said so, and Mr. 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."
The statesman smiled. "You take me out of my province
there," 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. "Very grave results indeed."
"Any 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 Holdhurst, with a wry face.
"Since nearly ten weeks have elapsed, then, and
nothing has been heard, it is not unfair to suppose
that for some reason the treaty has not reached them."
Lord Holdhurst shrugged his shoulders.
"We can hardly suppose, Mr. Holmes, that the thief
took the treaty in order to frame it and hang it up."
"Perhaps he is waiting for a better price."
"If he waits a little longer he will get no price at
all. 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," said Holmes, imperturbably. "And
now, Lord Holdhurst, 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's a fine fellow," 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 noticed, of course, that his boots had been
resoled. 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 to my cab
advertisement. But I should be extremely obliged to
you if you would come down with me to Woking
to-morrow, 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 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 Bertillon
system of measurements, and he expressed his
enthusiastic admiration of the French savant.
We found our client still under the charge of his
devoted nurse, but looking considerably better than
before. He rose from the sofa 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 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 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 a 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 centre of some monstrous conspiracy, and
that my life is aimed at 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 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 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 caused by some one forcing an instrument through
the slit 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 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
that he had some weapon in his hand. It looked to 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 if
I had been stronger. As it was, I rang the bell and
roused the house. It took me some little time, for
the bell rings in the kitchen and the servants all
sleep 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 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 had best have your opinion
first."
This tale of our client's appeared to have an
extraordinary effect upon Sherlock Holmes. 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, 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. We passed round the
lawn to the outside of the young diplomatist's window.
There were, as he had said, marks upon the bed, but
they were hopelessly blurred and vague. Holmes
stopped 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 house and see why this
particular room was chose by the burglar. I should
have thought those larger windows of the drawing-room
and dining-room would have had more attractions for
him."
"They are more visible from the road," suggested Mr.
Joseph Harrison.
"Ah, yes, of course. There is a door here which he
might have attempted. What is it for?"
"It is the side entrance for trades-people. 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 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 fellow scaled the
fence. Let us have a look at that!"
The plump young man led us to a spot where the top of
one of the wooden rails had been cracked. 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 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 up.
"Miss Harrison," said Holmes, speaking 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, Mr. Holmes," said the girl
in astonishment.
"When you go to bed lock the door of this room on the
outside and keep the key. 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, thank you, Joseph. I have a slight headache and
this room is deliciously cool and soothing."
"What do you propose now, Mr. 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, 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 the 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. We are all in your
hands, Mr. Holmes, and you must tell us exactly what
you would like done. Perhaps you would prefer that
Joseph came wit 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 al three set
off for town together."
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 manoeuvres 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. Holmes
had 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
&nbs
p; absence, Mr. Phelps, will in some ways rather assist
me. Watson, when you reach London you would oblige me
by driving at once to Baker Street with our friend
here, and remaining with him until I see you again.
It is fortunate that you are old school-fellows, as
you must have much to talk over. Mr. Phelps can have
the spare bedroom to-night, and I will be with you in
time for breakfast, for 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 Briarbrae that I hope to be
back to-morrow night," cried Phelps, as we began to
move from the platform.
"I hardly expect to go back to Briarbrae," answered
Holmes, and waved his hand to us cheerily as we shot
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 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. It sounds high-flown and absurd,
but consider the fats! 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 are sure it was not a house-breaker's jimmy?"
"Oh, no, it was a knife. I saw the flash of the blade
quite distinctly."
"But why on earth should you be pursued with such
animosity?"
"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 towards finding who took the naval
treaty. It is absurd to suppose that you have two
enemies, one of whom robs you, while the other
threatens your life."
"But Holmes said that he was not going to Briarbrae."
"I have known him for some time," said I, "but I never
knew him 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 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, speculating, as to what
Holmes was doing, what steps Lord Holdhurst 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 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 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 a
scent and is not quite absolutely sure yet that it is
the right one that he is most taciturn. Now, my dear