than likely that my report will be a negative one."
"God bless you for promising to come," cried our client. "It gives me
fresh life to know that something is being done. By the way, I have
had a letter from Lord Holdhurst."
"Ha! What did he say?"
"He was cold, but not harsh. I dare say my severe illness prevented
him from being that. He repeated that the matter was of the utmost
importance, and added that no steps would be taken about my
future--by which he means, of course, my dismissal--until my health
was restored and I had an opportunity of repairing my misfortune."
"Well, that was reasonable and considerate," said Holmes. "Come,
Watson, for we have a goody day's work before us in town."
Mr. Joseph Harrison drove us down to the station, and we were soon
whirling up in a Portsmouth train. Holmes was sunk in profound
thought, and hardly opened his mouth until we had passed Clapham
Junction.
"It's a very cheery thing to come into London by any of these lines
which run high, and allow you to look down upon the houses like
this."
I thought he was joking, for the view was sordid enough, but he soon
explained himself.
"Look at those big, isolated clumps of building rising up above the
slates, like brick islands in a lead-colored sea."
"The board-schools."
"Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future! Capsules with hundreds
of bright little seeds in each, out of which will spring the wise,
better England of the future. I suppose that man Phelps does not
drink?"
"I should not think so."
"Nor should I, but we are bound to take every possibility into
account. The poor devil has certainly got himself into very deep
water, and it's a question whether we shall ever be able to get him
ashore. What did you think of Miss Harrison?"
"A girl of strong character."
"Yes, but she is a good sort, or I am mistaken. She and her brother
are the only children of an iron-master somewhere up Northumberland
way. He got engaged to her when traveling last winter, and she came
down to be introduced to his people, with her brother as escort. Then
came the smash, and she stayed on to nurse her lover, while brother
Joseph, finding himself pretty snug, stayed on too. I've been making
a few independent inquiries, you see. But to-day must be a day of
inquiries."
"My practice--" I began.
"Oh, if you find your own cases more interesting than mine--" said
Holmes, with some asperity.
"I was going to say that my practice could get along very well for a
day or two, since it is the slackest time in the year."
"Excellent," said he, recovering his good-humor. "Then we'll look
into this matter together. I think that we should begin be seeing
Forbes. He can probably tell us all the details we want until we know
from what side the case is to be approached."
"You said you had a clue?"
"Well, we have several, but we can only test their value by further
inquiry. The most difficult crime to track is the one which is
purposeless. Now this is not purposeless. Who is it who profits by
it? There is the French ambassador, there is the Russian, there is
who-ever might sell it to either of these, and there is Lord
Holdhurst."
"Lord Holdhurst!"
"Well, it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself in
a position where he was not sorry to have such a document
accidentally destroyed."
"Not a statesman with the honorable record of Lord Holdhurst?"
"It is a possibility and we cannot afford to disregard it. We shall
see the noble lord to-day and find out if he can tell us anything.
Meanwhile I have already set inquiries on foot."
"Already?"
"Yes, I sent wires from Woking station to every evening paper in
London. This advertisement will appear in each of them."
He handed over a sheet torn from a note-book. On it was scribbled in
pencil:
"?0 reward. The number of the cab which dropped a fare at or about
the door of the Foreign Office in Charles Street at quarter to ten in
the evening of May 23d. Apply 221b, Baker Street."
"You are confident that the thief came in a cab?"
"If not, there is no harm done. But if Mr. Phelps is correct in
stating that there is no hiding-place either in the room or the
corridors, then the person must have come from outside. If he came
from outside on so wet a night, and yet left no trace of damp upon
the linoleum, which was examined within a few minutes of his passing,
then it is exceeding probably that he came in a cab. Yes, I think
that we may safely deduce a cab."
"It sounds plausible."
"That is one of the clues of which I spoke. It may lead us to
something. And then, of course, there is the bell--which is the most
distinctive feature of the case. Why should the bell ring? Was it the
thief who did it out of bravado? Or was it some one who was with the
thief who did it in order to prevent the crime? Or was it an
accident? Or was it--?" He sank back into the state of intense and
silent thought from which he had emerged; but it seemed to me,
accustomed as I was to his every mood, that some new possibility had
dawned suddenly upon him.
It was twenty past three when we reached our terminus, and after a
hasty luncheon at the buffet we pushed on at once to Scotland Yard.
Holmes had already wired to Forbes, and we found him waiting to
receive us--a small, foxy man with a sharp but by no means amiable
expression. He was decidedly frigid in his manner to us, especially
when he heard the errand upon which we had come.
"I've heard of your methods before now, Mr. Holmes," said he, tartly.
"You are ready enough to use all the information that the police can
lay at your disposal, and then you try to finish the case yourself
and bring discredit on them."
"On the contrary," said Holmes, "out of my last fifty-three cases my
name has only appeared in four, and the police have had all the
credit in forty-nine. I don't blame you for not knowing this, for you
are young and inexperienced, but if you wish to get on in your new
duties you will work with me and not against me."
"I'd be very glad of a hint or two," said the detective, changing his
manner. "I've certainly had no credit from the case so far."
"What steps have you taken?"
"Tangey, the commissionaire, has been shadowed. He left the Guards
with a good character and we can find nothing against him. His wife
is a bad lot, though. I fancy she knows more about this than
appears."
"Have you shadowed her?"
"We have set one of our women on to her. Mrs. Tangey drinks, and our
woman has been with her twice when she was well on, but she could get
nothing out of her."
"I understand that they have had brokers in the house?"
"Yes, but they were paid off."
"Where did the money come from?"
"That was all right. His pension was due. They have not shown any
sign of being in funds."
"What explanation did she give of having answered the bell when Mr.
Phelps rang for the coffee?"
"She said that he husband was very tired and she wished to relieve
him."
"Well, certainly that would agree with his being found a little later
asleep in his chair. There is nothing against them then but the
woman's character. Did you ask her why she hurried away that night?
Her haste attracted the attention of the police constable."
"She was later than usual and wanted to get home."
"Did you point out to her that you and Mr. Phelps, who started at
least twenty minutes after he, got home before her?"
"She explains that by the difference between a 'bus and a hansom."
"Did she make it clear why, on reaching her house, she ran into the
back kitchen?"
"Because she had the money there with which to pay off the brokers."
"She has at least an answer for everything. Did you ask her whether
in leaving she met any one or saw any one loitering about Charles
Street?"
"She saw no one but the constable."
"Well, you seem to have cross-examined her pretty thoroughly. What
else have you done?"
"The clerk Gorot has been shadowed all these nine weeks, but without
result. We can show nothing against him."
"Anything else?"
"Well, we have nothing else to go upon--no evidence of any kind."
"Have you formed a theory about how that bell rang?"
"Well, I must confess that it beats me. It was a cool hand, whoever
it was, to go and give the alarm like that."
"Yes, it was a queer thing to do. Many thanks to you for what you
have told me. If I can put the man into your hands you shall hear
from me. Come along, Watson."
"Where are we going to now?" I asked, as we left the office.
"We are now going to interview Lord Holdhurst, the cabinet minister
and future premier of England."
We were fortunate in finding that Lord Holdhurst was still in his
chambers in Downing Street, and on Holmes sending in his card we were
instantly shown up. The statesman received us with that old-fashioned
courtesy for which he is remarkable, and seated us on the two
luxuriant lounges on either side of the fireplace. Standing on the
rug 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.
"Your 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 one 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 is 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.
