morning."
The Premier nodded approvingly.
"I have long known, sir, how high is your sense of public duty," said
he. "I am convinced that in the case of a secret of this importance
it would rise superior to the most intimate domestic ties."
The European Secretary bowed.
"You do me no more than justice, sir. Until this morning I have never
breathed one word to my wife upon this matter."
"Could she have guessed?"
"No, Mr. Holmes, she could not have guessed--nor could anyone have
guessed."
"Have you lost any documents before?"
"No, sir."
"Who is there in England who did know of the existence of this
letter?"
"Each member of the Cabinet was informed of it yesterday; but the
pledge of secrecy which attends every Cabinet meeting was increased
by the solemn warning which was given by the Prime Minister. Good
heavens, to think that within a few hours I should myself have lost
it!" His handsome face was distorted with a spasm of despair, and his
hands tore at his hair. For a moment we caught a glimpse of the
natural man, impulsive, ardent, keenly sensitive. The next the
aristocratic mask was replaced, and the gentle voice had returned.
"Besides the members of the Cabinet there are two, or possibly three,
departmental officials who know of the letter. No one else in
England, Mr. Holmes, I assure you."
"But abroad?"
"I believe that no one abroad has seen it save the man who wrote it.
I am well convinced that his Ministers--that the usual official
channels have not been employed."
Holmes considered for some little time.
"Now, sir, I must ask you more particularly what this document is,
and why its disappearance should have such momentous consequences?"
The two statesmen exchanged a quick glance and the Premier's shaggy
eyebrows gathered in a frown.
"Mr. Holmes, the envelope is a long, thin one of pale blue colour.
There is a seal of red wax stamped with a crouching lion. It is
addressed in large, bold handwriting to--"
"I fear, sir," said Holmes, "that, interesting and indeed essential
as these details are, my inquiries must go more to the root of
things. What was the letter?"
"That is a State secret of the utmost importance, and I fear that I
cannot tell you, nor do I see that it is necessary. If by the aid of
the powers which you are said to possess you can find such an
envelope as I describe with its enclosure, you will have deserved
well of your country, and earned any reward which it lies in our
power to bestow."
Sherlock Holmes rose with a smile.
"You are two of the most busy men in the country," said he, "and in
my own small way I have also a good many calls upon me. I regret
exceedingly that I cannot help you in this matter, and any
continuation of this interview would be a waste of time."
The Premier sprang to his feet with that quick, fierce gleam of his
deep-set eyes before which a Cabinet has cowered. "I am not
accustomed, sir--" he began, but mastered his anger and resumed his
seat. For a minute or more we all sat in silence. Then the old
statesman shrugged his shoulders.
"We must accept your terms, Mr. Holmes. No doubt you are right, and
it is unreasonable for us to expect you to act unless we give you our
entire confidence."
"I agree with you, sir," said the younger statesman.
"Then I will tell you, relying entirely upon your honour and that of
your colleague, Dr. Watson. I may appeal to your patriotism also, for
I could not imagine a greater misfortune for the country than that
this affair should come out."
"You may safely trust us."
"The letter, then, is from a certain foreign potentate who has been
ruffled by some recent Colonial developments of this country. It has
been written hurriedly and upon his own responsibility entirely.
Inquiries have shown that his Ministers know nothing of the matter.
At the same time it is couched in so unfortunate a manner, and
certain phrases in it are of so provocative a character, that its
publication would undoubtedly lead to a most dangerous state of
feeling in this country. There would be such a ferment, sir, that I
do not hesitate to say that within a week of the publication of that
letter this country would be involved in a great war."
Holmes wrote a name upon a slip of paper and handed it to the
Premier.
"Exactly. It was he. And it is this letter--this letter which may
well mean the expenditure of a thousand millions and the lives of a
hundred thousand men--which has become lost in this unaccountable
fashion."
"Have you informed the sender?"
"Yes, sir, a cipher telegram has been despatched."
"Perhaps he desires the publication of the letter."
"No, sir, we have strong reason to believe that he already
understands that he has acted in an indiscreet and hot-headed manner.
It would be a greater blow to him and to his country than to us if
this letter were to come out."
"If this is so, whose interest is it that the letter should come out?
Why should anyone desire to steal it or to publish it?"
"There, Mr. Holmes, you take me into regions of high international
politics. But if you consider the European situation you will have no
difficulty in perceiving the motive. The whole of Europe is an armed
camp. There is a double league which makes a fair balance of military
power. Great Britain holds the scales. If Britain were driven into
war with one confederacy, it would assure the supremacy of the other
confederacy, whether they joined in the war or not. Do you follow?"
"Very clearly. It is then the interest of the enemies of this
potentate to secure and publish this letter, so as to make a breach
between his country and ours?"
"Yes, sir."
"And to whom would this document be sent if it fell into the hands of
an enemy?"
"To any of the great Chancelleries of Europe. It is probably speeding
on its way thither at the present instant as fast as steam can take
it."
Mr. Trelawney Hope dropped his head on his chest and groaned aloud.
The Premier placed his hand kindly upon his shoulder.
"It is your misfortune, my dear fellow. No one can blame you. There
is no precaution which you have neglected. Now, Mr. Holmes, you are
in full possession of the facts. What course do you recommend?"
Holmes shook his head mournfully.
"You think, sir, that unless this document is recovered there will be
war?"
"I think it is very probable."
"Then, sir, prepare for war."
"That is a hard saying, Mr. Holmes."
"Consider the facts, sir. It is inconceivable that it was taken after
eleven-thirty at night, since I understand that Mr. Hope and his wife
were both in the room from that hour until the loss was found out. It
was taken, then, yesterday evening between seven-thirty and
eleven-thirty, probably near the earlier hour, since whoever took it
evidently knew that it was there and would naturally secure it as
early as possible. Now, sir, if a document of this importance were
taken at that hour, where can it be now? No one has any reason to
retain it. It has been passed rapidly on to those who need it. What
chance have we now to overtake or even to trace it? It is beyond our
reach."
The Prime Minister rose from the settee.
"What you say is perfectly logical, Mr. Holmes. I feel that the
matter is indeed out of our hands."
"Let us presume, for argument's sake, that the document was taken by
the maid or by the valet--"
"They are both old and tried servants."
"I understand you to say that your room is on the second floor, that
there is no entrance from without, and that from within no one could
go up unobserved. It must, then, be somebody in the house who has
taken it. To whom would the thief take it? To one of several
international spies and secret agents, whose names are tolerably
familiar to me. There are three who may be said to be the heads of
their profession. I will begin my research by going round and finding
if each of them is at his post. If one is missing--especially if he
has disappeared since last night--we will have some indication as to
where the document has gone."
"Why should he be missing?" asked the European Secretary. "He would
take the letter to an Embassy in London, as likely as not."
"I fancy not. These agents work independently, and their relations
with the Embassies are often strained."
The Prime Minister nodded his acquiescence.
"I believe you are right, Mr. Holmes. He would take so valuable a
prize to head-quarters with his own hands. I think that your course
of action is an excellent one. Meanwhile, Hope, we cannot neglect all
our other duties on account of this one misfortune. Should there be
any fresh developments during the day we shall communicate with you,
and you will no doubt let us know the results of your own inquiries."
The two statesmen bowed and walked gravely from the room.
When our illustrious visitors had departed Holmes lit his pipe in
silence, and sat for some time lost in the deepest thought. I had
opened the morning paper and was immersed in a sensational crime
which had occurred in London the night before, when my friend gave an
exclamation, sprang to his feet, and laid his pipe down upon the
mantelpiece.
"Yes," said he, "there is no better way of approaching it. The
situation is desperate, but not hopeless. Even now, if we could be
sure which of them has taken it, it is just possible that it has not
yet passed out of his hands. After all, it is a question of money
with these fellows, and I have the British Treasury behind me. If
it's on the market I'll buy it--if it means another penny on the
income-tax. It is conceivable that the fellow might hold it back to
see what bids come from this side before he tries his luck on the
other. There are only those three capable of playing so bold a game;
there are Oberstein, La Rothiere, and Eduardo Lucas. I will see each
of them."
I glanced at my morning paper.
"Is that Eduardo Lucas of Godolphin Street?"
"Yes."
"You will not see him."
"Why not?"
"He was murdered in his house last night."
My friend has so often astonished me in the course of our adventures
that it was with a sense of exultation that I realized how completely
I had astonished him. He stared in amazement, and then snatched the
paper from my hands. This was the paragraph which I had been engaged
in reading when he rose from his chair:
Murder in Westminster
A crime of mysterious character was committed last night at 16,
Godolphin Street, one of the old-fashioned and secluded rows of
eighteenth-century houses which lie between the river and the Abbey,
almost in the shadow of the great Tower of the Houses of Parliament.
This small but select mansion has been inhabited for some years by
Mr. Eduardo Lucas, well known in society circles both on account of
his charming personality and because he has the well-deserved
reputation of being one of the best amateur tenors in the country.
Mr. Lucas is an unmarried man, thirty-four years of age, and his
establishment consists of Mrs. Pringle, an elderly housekeeper, and
of Mitton, his valet. The former retires early and sleeps at the top
of the house. The valet was out for the evening, visiting a friend at
Hammersmith. From ten o'clock onwards Mr. Lucas had the house to
himself. What occurred during that time has not yet transpired, but
at a quarter to twelve Police-constable Barrett, passing along
Godolphin Street, observed that the door of No. 16 was ajar. He
knocked, but received no answer. Perceiving a light in the front room
he advanced into the passage and again knocked, but without reply. He
then pushed open the door and entered. The room was in a state of
wild disorder, the furniture being all swept to one side, and one
chair lying on its back in the centre. Beside this chair, and still
grasping one of its legs, lay the unfortunate tenant of the house. He
had been stabbed to the heart and must have died instantly. The knife
with which the crime had been committed was a curved Indian dagger,
plucked down from a trophy of Oriental arms which adorned one of the
walls. Robbery does not appear to have been the motive of the crime,
for there had been no attempt to remove the valuable contents of the
room. Mr. Eduardo Lucas was so well known and popular that his
violent and mysterious fate will arouse painful interest and intense
sympathy in a wide-spread circle of friends.
"Well, Watson, what do you make of this?" asked Holmes, after a long
pause.
"It is an amazing coincidence."
"A coincidence! Here is one of the three men whom we had named as
