The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (59 page)

‘Yes, but how can we get at the criminal's pocket before we catch the criminal?'

‘Well, well, it was worth thinking over. Then there is another obvious point. The note was sent to William. The man who wrote it could not have taken it, otherwise of course he might have delivered his own message by word of mouth. Who brought the note, then? Or did it come through the post?'

‘I have made inquiries,' said the Inspector. ‘William received a letter by the afternoon post yesterday. The envelope was destroyed by him.'

‘Excellent!' cried Holmes, clapping the Inspector on the back. ‘You've seen the postman. It is a pleasure to work with you. Well, here is the lodge, and if you will come up, Colonel, I will show you the scene of the crime.'

We passed the pretty cottage where the murdered man had lived, and walked up an oak-lined avenue to the fine old Queen Anne house,
⁶
which bears the date of Malplaquet
⁷
upon the lintel of the door. Holmes and the Inspector led us round it until we came to the side gate, which is separated by a stretch of garden from the hedge which lines the road. A constable was standing at the kitchen door.

‘Throw the door open, officer,' said Holmes. ‘Now it was on those
stairs that young Mr Cunningham stood and saw the two men struggling just where we are. Old Mr Cunningham was at that window–the second on the left – and he saw the fellow get away just to the left of that bush. So did the son. They are both sure of it on account of the bush. Then Mister Alec ran out and knelt beside the wounded man. The ground is very hard, you see, and there are no marks to guide us.'

As he spoke two men came down the garden path, from round the angle of the house. The one was an elderly man, with a strong, deep-lined, heavy-eyed face; the other a dashing young fellow, whose bright, smiling expression and showy dress were in strange contrast with the business which had brought us there.

‘Still at it, then?' said he to Holmes. ‘I thought you Londoners were never at fault. You don't seem to be so very quick after all.'

‘Ah! you must give us a little time,' said Holmes good-humouredly.

‘You'll want it,' said young Alec Cunningham. ‘Why, I don't see that we have any clue at all.'

‘There's only one,' answered the Inspector. ‘We thought that if we could only find—Good heavens! Mr Holmes, what is the matter?'

My poor friend's face had suddenly assumed the most dreadful expression. His eyes rolled upwards, his features writhed in agony, and with a suppressed groan he dropped on his face upon the ground. Horrified at the suddenness and severity of the attack, we carried him into the kitchen, where he lay back in a large chair and breathed heavily for some minutes. Finally, with a shame-faced apology for his weakness, he rose once more.

‘Watson would tell you that I have only just recovered from a severe illness,' he explained. ‘I am liable to these sudden nervous attacks.'

‘Shall I send you home in my trap?' asked old Cunningham.

‘Well, since I am here there is one point on which I should like to feel sure. We can very easily verify it.'

‘What is it?'

‘Well, it seems to me that it is just possible that the arrival of this poor fellow William was not before but after the entrance of the burglar into the house. You appear to take it for granted that although the door was forced the robber never got in.'

‘I fancy that is quite obvious,' said Mr Cunningham gravely. ‘Why, my son Alec had not yet gone to bed, and he would certainly have heard anyone moving about.'

‘Where was he sitting?'

‘I was sitting smoking in my dressing-room.'

‘Which window is that?'

‘The last on the left, next my father's.'

‘Both your lamps were lit, of course?'

‘Undoubtedly.'

‘There are some very singular points here,' said Holmes, smiling. ‘Is it not extraordinary that a burglar – and a burglar who had had some previous experience – should deliberately break into a house at a time when he could see from the lights that two of the family were still afoot?'

‘He must have been a cool hand.'

‘Well, of course, if the case were not an odd one we should not have been driven to ask you for an explanation,' said Mister Alec. ‘But as to your idea that the man had robbed the house before William tackled him, I think it a most absurd notion. Shouldn't we have found the place disarranged and missed the things which he had taken?'

‘It depends on what the things were,' said Holmes. ‘You must remember that we are dealing with a burglar who is a very peculiar fellow, and who appears to work on lines of his own. Look, for example, at the queer lot of things which he took from Acton's – what was it? – a ball of string, a letter-weight, and I don't know what other odds and ends!'

‘Well, we are quite in your hands, Mr Holmes,' said old Cunningham. ‘Anything which you or the Inspector may suggest will most certainly be done.'

‘In the first place,' said Holmes, ‘I should like you to offer a reward – coming from yourself, for the officials may take a little time before they would agree upon the sum, and these things cannot be done too promptly. I have jotted down the form here, if you would not mind signing it. Fifty pounds was quite enough, I thought.'

‘I would willingly give five hundred,' said the J.P., taking the slip of paper and the pencil which Holmes handed to him. ‘This is
not quite correct, however,' he added, glancing over the document.

‘I wrote it rather hurriedly.'

‘You see, you begin: “Whereas, at about a quarter to one on Tuesday morning, an attempt was made” – and so on. It was at a quarter to twelve, as a matter of fact.'

I was pained at the mistake, for I knew how keenly Holmes would feel any slip of the kind. It was his speciality to be accurate as to fact, but his recent illness had shaken him, and this one little incident was enough to show me that he was still far from being himself. He was obviously embarrassed for an instant, while the Inspector raised his eyebrows and Alec Cunningham burst into a laugh. The old gentleman corrected the mistake, however, and handed the paper back to Holmes.

‘Get it printed as soon as possible,' he said. ‘I think your idea is an excellent one.'

Holmes put the slip of paper carefully away in his pocket-book.

‘And now,' said he, ‘it would really be a good thing that we should all go over the house together, and make certain that this rather erratic burglar did not, after all, carry anything away with him.'

Before entering, Holmes made an examination of the door which had been forced. It was evident that a chisel or strong knife had been thrust in, and the lock forced back with it. We could see the marks in the wood where it had been pushed in.

‘You don't use bars, then?' he asked.

‘We have never found it necessary.'

‘You don't keep a dog?'

‘Yes; but he is chained on the other side of the house.'

‘When do the servants go to bed?'

‘About ten.'

‘I understand that William was usually in bed also at that hour?'

‘Yes.'

‘It is singular that on this particular night he should have been up. Now, I should be very glad if you would have the kindness to show us over the house, Mr Cunningham.'

A stone-flagged passage, with the kitchens branching away from it, led by a wooden staircase directly to the first floor of the house. It
came out upon the landing opposite to a second more ornamental stair which led up from the front hall. Out of this landing opened the drawing-room and several bedrooms, including those of Mr Cunningham and his son. Holmes walked slowly, taking keen note of the architecture of the house. I could tell from his expression that he was on a hot scent, and yet I could not in the least imagine in what direction his inferences were leading him.

‘My good sir,' said Mr Cunningham, with some impatience, ‘this is surely very unnecessary. That is my room at the end of the stairs, and my son's is the one beyond it. I leave it to your judgement whether it was possible for the thief to have come up here without disturbing us.'

‘You must try round and get on a fresh scent, I fancy,' said the son, with a rather malicious smile.

‘Still, I must ask you to humour me a little further. I should like, for example, to see how far the windows of the bedrooms commanded the front. This, I understand, is your son's room' – he pushed open the door – ‘and that, I presume, is the dressing-room in which he sat smoking when the alarm was given. Where does the window of that look out to?' He stepped across the bedroom, pushed open the door, and glanced round the other chamber.

‘I hope you are satisfied now?' said Mr Cunningham testily.

‘Thank you; I think I have seen all that I wished.'

‘Then, if it is really necessary, we can go into my room.'

‘If it is not too much trouble.'

The J.P. shrugged his shoulders, and led the way into his own chamber, which was a plainly furnished and commonplace room. As we moved across it in the direction of the window, Holmes fell back until he and I were the last of the group. Near the foot of the bed was a small square table, on which stood a dish of oranges and a carafe of water. As we passed it, Holmes, to my unutterable astonishment, leaned over in front of me and deliberately knocked the whole thing over. The glass smashed into a thousand pieces, and the fruit rolled about into every corner of the room.

‘You've done it now, Watson,' said he coolly. ‘A pretty mess you've made of the carpet.'

I stooped in some confusion and began to pick up the fruit, understanding that for some reason my companion desired me to take the blame upon myself. The others did the same, and set the table on its legs again.

‘Hallo!' cried the Inspector, ‘where's he got to?'

Holmes had disappeared.

‘Wait here an instant,' said young Alec Cunningham. ‘The fellow is off his head, in my opinion. Come with me father, and see where he has got to!'

They rushed out of the room, leaving the Inspector, the Colonel, and me, staring at each other.

‘ 'Pon my word, I am inclined to agree with Mister Alec,' said the official. ‘It may be the effect of this illness, but it seems to me that—'

His words were cut short by a sudden scream of ‘Help! Help! Murder!' With a thrill I recognized the voice as that of my friend. I rushed madly from the room on to the landing. The cries, which had sunk down into a hoarse, inarticulate shouting, came from the room which we had first visited. I dashed in, and on into the dressing-room beyond. The two Cunninghams were bending over the prostrate figure of Sherlock Holmes, the younger clutching his throat with both hands, while the elder seemed to be twisting one of his wrists. In an instant the three of us had torn them away from him, and Holmes staggered to his feet, very pale, and evidently greatly exhausted.

‘Arrest these men, Inspector!' he gasped.

‘On what charge?'

‘That of murdering their coachman, William Kirwan!'

The Inspector stared about him in bewilderment. ‘Oh, come now, Mr Holmes,' said he at last; ‘I am sure you don't really mean to—'

‘Tut, man; look at their faces!' cried Holmes curtly.

Never, certainly, have I seen a plainer confession of guilt upon human countenances. The older man seemed numbed and dazed, with a heavy, sullen expression upon his strongly marked face. The son, on the other hand, had dropped all that jaunty, dashing style which had characterized him, and the ferocity of a dangerous wild beast gleamed in his dark eyes and distorted his handsome features.

The Inspector said nothing, but, stepping to the door, he blew his whistle. Two of his constables came at the call.

‘I have no alternative, Mr Cunningham,' said he. ‘I trust that this may all prove to be an absurd mistake; but you can see that – Ah, would you? Drop it!' He struck out with his hand, and a revolver, which the younger man was in the act of cocking, clattered down upon the floor.

‘Keep that,' said Holmes, quickly putting his foot upon it. ‘You will find it useful at the trial. But this is what we really wanted.' He held up a little crumpled piece of paper.

‘The remainder of the sheet?' cried the Inspector.

‘Precisely.'

‘And where was it?'

‘Where I was sure it must be. I'll make the whole matter clear to you presently. I think, Colonel, that you and Watson might return now, and I will be with you again in an hour at the furthest. The Inspector and I must have a word with the prisoners; but you will certainly see me back at luncheon time.'

Sherlock Holmes was as good as his word, for about one o'clock he rejoined us in the Colonel's smoking-room. He was accompanied by a little, elderly gentleman, who was introduced to me as the Mr Acton whose house had been the scene of the original burglary.

‘I wished Mr Acton to be present while I demonstrated this small matter to you,' said Holmes, ‘for it is natural that he should take a keen interest in the details. I am afraid, my dear Colonel, that you must regret the hour that you took in such a stormy petrel as I am.'

‘On the contrary,' answered the Colonel warmly, ‘I consider it the greatest privilege to have been permitted to study your methods of working. I confess that they quite surpass my expectations, and that I am utterly unable to account for your result. I have not yet seen the vestige of a clue.'

‘I am afraid that my explanation may disillusionize you, but it has always been my habit to hide none of my methods, either from my friend Watson or from anyone who might take an intelligent interest in them. But first, as I am rather shaken by the knocking about which I had in the dressing-room, I think that I shall help myself to a dash
of your brandy, Colonel. My strength has been rather tried of late.'