face protrudes forward, and is forever slowly oscillating from side
to side in a curiously reptilian fashion. He peered at me with great
curiosity in his puckered eyes.
"'You have less frontal development that I should have expected,'
said he, at last. 'It is a dangerous habit to finger loaded firearms
in the pocket of one's dressing-gown.'
"The fact is that upon his entrance I had instantly recognized the
extreme personal danger in which I lay. The only conceivable escape
for him lay in silencing my tongue. In an instant I had slipped the
revolver from the drawer into my pocket, and was covering him through
the cloth. At his remark I drew the weapon out and laid it cocked
upon the table. He still smiled and blinked, but there was something
about his eyes which made me feel very glad that I had it there.
"'You evidently don't now me,' said he.
"'On the contrary,' I answered, 'I think it is fairly evident that I
do. Pray take a chair. I can spare you five minutes if you have
anything to say.'
"'All that I have to say has already crossed your mind,' said he.
"'Then possibly my answer has crossed yours,' I replied.
"'You stand fast?'
"'Absolutely.'
"He clapped his hand into his pocket, and I raised the pistol from
the table. But he merely drew out a memorandum-book in which he had
scribbled some dates.
"'You crossed my patch on the 4th of January,' said he. 'On the 23d
you incommoded me; by the middle of February I was seriously
inconvenienced by you; at the end of March I was absolutely hampered
in my plans; and now, at the close of April, I find myself placed in
such a position through your continual persecution that I am in
positive danger of losing my liberty. The situation is becoming an
impossible one.'
"'Have you any suggestion to make?' I asked.
"'You must drop it, Mr. Holmes,' said he, swaying his face about.
'You really must, you know.'
"'After Monday,' said I.
"'Tut, tut,' said he. 'I am quite sure that a man of your
intelligence will see that there can be but one outcome to this
affair. It is necessary that you should withdraw. You have worked
things in such a fashion that we have only one resource left. It has
been an intellectual treat to me to see the way in which you have
grappled with this affair, and I say, unaffectedly, that it would be
a grief to me to be forced to take any extreme measure. You smile,
sir, abut I assure you that it really would.'
"'Danger is part of my trade,' I remarked.
"'That is not danger,' said he. 'It is inevitable destruction. You
stand in the way not merely of an individual, but of a mighty
organization, the full extent of which you, with all your cleverness,
have been unable to realize. You must stand clear, Mr. Holmes, or be
trodden under foot.'
"'I am afraid,' said I, rising, 'that in the pleasure of this
conversation I am neglecting business of importance which awaits me
elsewhere.'
"He rose also and looked at me in silence, shaking his head sadly.
"'Well, well,' said he, at last. 'It seems a pity, but I have done
what I could. I know every move of your game. You can do nothing
before Monday. It has been a duel between you and me, Mr. Holmes.
You hope to place me in the dock. I tell you that I will never stand
in the dock. You hope to beat me. I tell you that you will never
beat me. If you are clever enough to bring destruction upon me, rest
assured that I shall do as much to you.'
"'You have paid me several compliments, Mr. Moriarty,' said I. 'Let
me pay you one in return when I say that if I were assured of the
former eventuality I would, in the interests of the public,
cheerfully accept the latter.'
"'I can promise you the one, but not the other,' he snarled, and so
turned his rounded back upon me, and went peering and blinking out of
the room.
"That was my singular interview with Professor Moriarty. I confess
that it left an unpleasant effect upon my mind. His soft, precise
fashion of speech leaves a conviction of sincerity which a mere bully
could not produce. Of course, you will say: 'Why not take police
precautions against him?' the reason is that I am well convinced
that it is from his agents the blow will fall. I have the best
proofs that it would be so."
"You have already been assaulted?"
"My dear Watson, Professor Moriarty is not a man who lets the grass
grow under his feet. I went out about mid-day to transact some
business in Oxford Street. As I passed the corner which leads from
Bentinck Street on to the Welbeck Street crossing a two-horse van
furiously driven whizzed round and was on me like a flash. I sprang
for the foot-path and saved myself by the fraction of a second. The
van dashed round by Marylebone Lane and was gone in an instant. I
kept to the pavement after that, Watson, but as I walked down Vere
Street a brick came down from the roof of one of the houses, and was
shattered to fragments at my feet. I called the police and had the
place examined. There were slates and bricks piled up on the roof
preparatory to some repairs, and they would have me believe that the
wind had toppled over one of these. Of course I knew better, but I
could prove nothing. I took a cab after that and reached my
brother's rooms in Pall Mall, where I spent the day. Now I have come
round to you, and on my way I was attacked by a rough with a
bludgeon. I knocked him down, and the police have him in custody;
but I can tell you with the most absolute confidence that no possible
connection will ever be traced between the gentleman upon whose front
teeth I have barked my knuckles and the retiring mathematical coach,
who is, I dare say, working out problems upon a black-board ten miles
away. You will not wonder, Watson, that my first act on entering
your rooms was to close your shutters, and that I have been compelled
to ask your permission to leave the house by some less conspicuous
exit than the front door."
I had often admired my friend's courage, but never more than now, as
he sat quietly checking off a series of incidents which must have
combined to make up a day of horror.
"You will spend the night here?" I said.
"No, my friend, you might find me a dangerous guest. I have my plans
laid, and all will be well. Matters have gone so far now that they
can move without my help as far as the arrest goes, though my
presence is necessary for a conviction. It is obvious, therefore,
that I cannot do better than get away for the few days which remain
before the police are at liberty to act. It would be a great
pleasure to me, therefore, if you could come on to the Continent with
me."
"The practice is quiet," said I, "and I have an accommodating
neighbor. I should be glad to come."
"And to start to-morrow morning?"
"If necessary."
"Oh yes, it is most necessary. Then these are your instructions, and
I beg, my dear Watson, that you will obey them to the letter, for you
are now playing a double-handed game with me against the cleverest
rogue and the most powerful syndicate of criminals in Europe. Now
listen! You will dispatch whatever luggage you intend to take by a
trusty messenger unaddressed to Victoria to-night. In the morning
you will send for a hansom, desiring your man to take neither the
first nor the second which may present itself. Into this hansom you
will jump, and you will drive to the Strand end of the Lowther
Arcade, handling the address to the cabman upon a slip of paper, with
a request that he will not throw it away. Have your fare ready, and
the instant that your cab stops, dash through the Arcade, timing
yourself to reach the other side at a quarter-past nine. You will
find a small brougham waiting close to the curb, driven by a fellow
with a heavy black cloak tipped at the collar with red. Into this
you will step, and you will reach Victoria in time for the
Continental express."
"Where shall I meet you?"
"At the station. The second first-class carriage from the front will
be reserved for us."
"The carriage is our rendezvous, then?"
"Yes."
It was in vain that I asked Holmes to remain for the evening. It was
evident to me that he thought he might bring trouble to the roof he
was under, and that that was the motive which impelled him to go.
With a few hurried words as to our plans for the morrow he rose and
came out with me into the garden, clambering over the wall which
leads into Mortimer Street, and immediately whistling for a hansom,
in which I heard him drive away.
In the morning I obeyed Holmes's injunctions to the letter. A hansom
was procured with such precaution as would prevent its being one
which was placed ready for us, and I drove immediately after
breakfast to the Lowther Arcade, through which I hurried at the top
of my speed. A brougham was waiting with a very massive driver
wrapped in a dark cloak, who, the instant that I had stepped in,
whipped up the horse and rattled off to Victoria Station. On my
alighting there he turned the carriage, and dashed away again without
so much as a look in my direction.
So far all had gone admirably. My luggage was waiting for me, and I
had no difficulty in finding the carriage which Holmes had indicated,
the less so as it was the only one in the train which was marked
"Engaged." My only source of anxiety now was the non-appearance of
Holmes. The station clock marked only seven minutes from the time
when we were due to start. In vain I searched among the groups of
travellers and leave-takers for the lithe figure of my friend. There
was no sign of him. I spent a few minutes in assisting a venerable
Italian priest, who was endeavoring to make a porter understand, in
his broken English, that his luggage was to be booked through to
Paris. Then, having taken another look round, I returned to my
carriage, where I found that the porter, in spite of the ticket, had
given me my decrepit Italian friend as a traveling companion. It was
useless for me to explain to him that his presence was an intrusion,
for my Italian was even more limited than his English, so I shrugged
my shoulders resignedly, and continued to look out anxiously for my
friend. A chill of fear had come over me, as I thought that his
absence might mean that some blow had fallen during the night.
Already the doors had all been shut and the whistle blown, when--
"My dear Watson," said a voice, "you have not even condescended to
say good-morning."
I turned in uncontrollable astonishment. The aged ecclesiastic had
turned his face towards me. For an instant the wrinkles were
smoothed away, the nose drew away from the chin, the lower lip ceased
to protrude and the mouth to mumble, the dull eyes regained their
fire, the drooping figure expanded. The next the whole frame
collapsed again, and Holmes had gone as quickly as he had come.
"Good heavens!" I cried; "how you startled me!"
"Every precaution is still necessary," he whispered. "I have reason
to think that they are hot upon our trail. Ah, there is Moriarty
himself."
The train had already begun to move as Holmes spoke. Glancing back,
I saw a tall man pushing his way furiously through the crowd, and
waving his hand as if he desired to have the train stopped. It was
too late, however, for we were rapidly gathering momentum, and an
instant later had shot clear of the station.
"With all our precautions, you see that we have cut it rather fine,"
said Holmes, laughing. He rose, and throwing off the black cassock
and hat which had formed his disguise, he packed them away in a
hand-bag.
"Have you seen the morning paper, Watson?"
"No."
"You haven't seen about Baker Street, then?"
"Baker Street?"
"They set fire to our rooms last night. No great harm was done."
"Good heavens, Holmes, this is intolerable!"
"They must have lost my track completely after their bludgeon-man was
arrested. Otherwise they could not have imagined that I had returned
to my rooms. They have evidently taken the precaution of watching
you, however, and that is what has brought Moriarty to Victoria. You
could not have made any slip in coming?"
"I did exactly what you advised."
"Did you find your brougham?"
"Yes, it was waiting."
"Did you recognize your coachman?"
"No."
"It was my brother Mycroft. It is an advantage to get about in such
a case without taking a mercenary into your confidence. But we must
