"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 to stay there to-night?"
"I was just going to propose it."
"Then, if my friend of the night comes to revisit me, he will find
the bird flown. 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 with us so as to look after me?"
"Oh, no; my friend Watson is a medical man, you know, and he'll look
after you. We'll have our lunch here, if you will permit us, and then
we shall all three set off for town together."
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 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,
