can hardly accept lumbago, since he was able to stand erect in a
moment."
"He was never better in health," said Bennett. "In fact, he is
stronger than I have known him for years. But there are the facts,
Mr. Holmes. It is not a case in which we can consult the police, and
yet we are utterly at our wit's end as to what to do, and we feel in
some strange way that we are drifting towards disaster. Edith--Miss
Presbury--feels as I do, that we cannot wait passively any longer."
"It is certainly a very curious and suggestive case. What do you
think, Watson?"
"Speaking as a medical man," said I, "it appears to be a case for an
alienist. The old gentleman's cerebral processes were disturbed by
the love affair. He made a journey abroad in the hope of breaking
himself of the passion. His letters and the box may be connected with
some other private transaction--a loan, perhaps, or share
certificates, which are in the box."
"And the wolfhound no doubt disapproved of the financial bargain. No,
no, Watson, there is more in it than this. Now, I can only suggest--"
What Sherlock Holmes was about to suggest will never be known, for at
this moment the door opened and a young lady was shown into the room.
As she appeared Mr. Bennett sprang up with a cry and ran forward with
his hands out to meet those which she had herself outstretched.
"Edith, dear! Nothing the matter, I hope?"
"I felt I must follow you. Oh, Jack, I have been so dreadfully
frightened! It is awful to be there alone."
"Mr. Holmes, this is the young lady I spoke of. This is my fiancee."
"We were gradually coming to that conclusion, were we not, Watson?"
Holmes answered with a smile. "I take it, Miss Presbury, that there
is some fresh development in the case, and that you thought we should
know?"
Our new visitor, a bright, handsome girl of a conventional English
type, smiled back at Holmes as she seated herself beside Mr. Bennett.
"When I found Mr. Bennett had left his hotel I thought I should
probably find him here. Of course, he had told me that he would
consult you. But, oh, Mr. Holmes, can you do nothing for my poor
father?"
"I have hopes, Miss Presbury, but the case is still obscure. Perhaps
what you have to say may throw some fresh light upon it."
"It was last night, Mr. Holmes. He had been very strange all day. I
am sure that there are times when he has no recollection of what he
does. He lives as in a strange dream. Yesterday was such a day. It
was not my father with whom I lived. His outward shell was there, but
it was not really he."
"Tell me what happened."
"I was awakened in the night by the dog barking most furiously. Poor
Roy, he is chained now near the stable. I may say that I always sleep
with my door locked; for, as Jack--as Mr. Bennett--will tell you, we
all have a feeling of impending danger. My room is on the second
floor. It happened that the blind was up in my window, and there was
bright moonlight outside. As I lay with my eyes fixed upon the square
of light, listening to the frenzied barkings of the dog, I was amazed
to see my father's face looking in at me. Mr. Holmes, I nearly died
of surprise and horror. There it was pressed against the window-pane,
and one hand seemed to be raised as if to push up the window. If that
window had opened, I think I should have gone mad. It was no
delusion, Mr. Holmes. Don't deceive yourself by thinking so. I dare
say it was twenty seconds or so that I lay paralyzed and watched the
face. Then it vanished, but I could not--I could not spring out of
bed and look out after it. I lay cold and shivering till morning. At
breakfast he was sharp and fierce in manner, and made no allusion to
the adventure of the night. Neither did I, but I gave an excuse for
coming to town--and here I am."
Holmes looked thoroughly surprised at Miss Presbury's narrative.
"My dear young lady, you say that your room is on the second floor.
Is there a long ladder in the garden?"
"No, Mr. Holmes, that is the amazing part of it. There is no possible
way of reaching the window--and yet he was there."
"The date being September 5th," said Holmes. "That certainly
complicates matters."
It was the young lady's turn to look surprised. "This is the second
time that you have alluded to the date, Mr. Holmes," said Bennett.
"Is it possible that it has any bearing upon the case?"
"It is possible--very possible--and yet I have not my full material
at present."
"Possibly you are thinking of the connection between insanity and
phases of the moon?"
"No, I assure you. It was quite a different line of thought. Possibly
you can leave your notebook with me, and I will check the dates. Now
I think, Watson, that our line of action is perfectly clear. This
young lady has informed us--and I have the greatest confidence in her
intuition--that her father remembers little or nothing which occurs
upon certain dates. We will therefore call upon him as if he had
given us an appointment upon such a date. He will put it down to his
own lack of memory. Thus we will open our campaign by having a good
close view of him."
"That is excellent," said Mr. Bennett. "I warn you, however, that the
professor is irascible and violent at times."
Holmes smiled. "There are reasons why we should come at once--very
cogent reasons if my theories hold good. To-morrow, Mr. Bennett, will
certainly see us in Camford. There is, if I remember right, an inn
called the Chequers where the port used to be above mediocrity and
the linen was above reproach. I think, Watson, that our lot for the
next few days might lie in less pleasant places."
Monday morning found us on our way to the famous university town--an
easy effort on the part of Holmes, who had no roots to pull up, but
one which involved frantic planning and hurrying on my part, as my
practice was by this time not inconsiderable. Holmes made no allusion
to the case until after we had deposited our suitcases at the ancient
hostel of which he had spoken.
"I think, Watson, that we can catch the professor just before lunch.
He lectures at eleven and should have an interval at home."
"What possible excuse have we for calling?"
Holmes glanced at his notebook.
"There was a period of excitement upon August 26th. We will assume
that he is a little hazy as to what he does at such times. If we
insist that we are there by appointment I think he will hardly
venture to contradict us. Have you the effrontery necessary to put it
through?"
"We can but try."
"Excellent, Watson! Compound of the Busy Bee and Excelsior. We can
but try--the motto of the firm. A friendly native will surely guide
us."
Such a one on the back of a smart hansom swept us past a row of
ancient colleges and, finally turning into a tree-lined drive, pulled
up at the door of a charming house, girt round with lawns and covered
with purple wisteria. Professor Presbury was certainly surrounded
with every sign not only of comfort but of luxury. Even as we pulled
up, a grizzled head appeared at the front window, and we were aware
of a pair of keen eyes from under shaggy brows which surveyed us
through large horn glasses. A moment later we were actually in his
sanctum, and the mysterious scientist, whose vagaries had brought us
from London, was standing before us. There was certainly no sign of
eccentricity either in his manner or appearance, for he was a portly,
large-featured man, grave, tall, and frock-coated, with the dignity
of bearing which a lecturer needs. His eyes were his most remarkable
feature, keen, observant, and clever to the verge of cunning.
He looked at our cards. "Pray sit down, gentlemen. What can I do for
you?"
Mr. Holmes smiled amiably.
"It was the question which I was about to put to you, Professor."
"To me, sir!"
"Possibly there is some mistake. I heard through a second person that
Professor Presbury of Camford had need of my services."
"Oh, indeed!" It seemed to me that there was a malicious sparkle in
the intense gray eyes. "You heard that, did you? May I ask the name
of your informant?"
"I am sorry, Professor, but the matter was rather confidential. If I
have made a mistake there is no harm done. I can only express my
regret."
"Not at all. I should wish to go further into this matter. It
interests me. Have you any scrap of writing, any letter or telegram,
to bear out your assertion?"
"No, I have not."
"I presume that you do not go so far as to assert that I summoned
you?"
"I would rather answer no questions," said Holmes.
"No, I dare say not," said the professor with asperity. "However,
that particular one can be answered very easily without your aid."
He walked across the room to the bell. Our London friend, Mr.
Bennett, answered the call.
"Come in, Mr. Bennett. These two gentlemen have come from London
under the impression that they have been summoned. You handle all my
correspondence. Have you a note of anything going to a person named
Holmes?"
"No, sir," Bennett answered with a flush.
"That is conclusive," said the professor, glaring angrily at my
companion. "Now, sir"--he leaned forward with his two hands upon the
table--"it seems to me that your position is a very questionable
one."
Holmes shrugged his shoulders.
"I can only repeat that I am sorry that we have made a needless
intrusion."
"Hardly enough, Mr. Holmes!" the old man cried in a high screaming
voice, with extraordinary malignancy upon his face. He got between us
and the door as he spoke, and he shook his two hands at us with
furious passion. "You can hardly get out of it so easily as that."
His face was convulsed, and he grinned and gibbered at us in his
senseless rage. I am convinced that we should have had to fight our
way out of the room if Mr. Bennett had not intervened.
"My dear Professor," he cried, "consider your position! Consider the
scandal at the university! Mr. Holmes is a well-known man. You cannot
possibly treat him with such discourtesy."
Sulkily our host--if I may call him so--cleared the path to the door.
We were glad to find ourselves outside the house and in the quiet of
the tree-lined drive. Holmes seemed greatly amused by the episode.
"Our learned friend's nerves are somewhat out of order," said he.
"Perhaps our intrusion was a little crude, and yet we have gained
that personal contact which I desired. But, dear me, Watson, he is
surely at our heels. The villain still pursues us."
There were the sounds of running feet behind, but it was, to my
relief, not the formidable professor but his assistant who appeared
round the curve of the drive. He came panting up to us.
"I am so sorry, Mr. Holmes. I wished to apologize."
"My dear sir, there is no need. It is all in the way of professional
experience."
"I have never seen him in a more dangerous mood. But he grows more
sinister. You can understand now why his daughter and I are alarmed.
And yet his mind is perfectly clear."
"Too clear!" said Holmes. "That was my miscalculation. It is evident
that his memory is much more reliable than I had thought. By the way,
can we, before we go, see the window of Miss Presbury's room?"
Mr. Bennett pushed his way through some shrubs, and we had a view of
the side of the house.
"It is there. The second on the left."
"Dear me, it seems hardly accessible. And yet you will observe that
there is a creeper below and a water-pipe above which give some
foothold."
"I could not climb it myself," said Mr. Bennett.
"Very likely. It would certainly be a dangerous exploit for any
normal man."
"There was one other thing I wish to tell you, Mr. Holmes. I have the
address of the man in London to whom the professor writes. He seems
to have written this morning, and I got it from his blotting-paper.
It is an ignoble position for a trusted secretary, but what else can
I do?"
Holmes glanced at the paper and put it into his pocket.
"Dorak--a curious name. Slavonic, I imagine. Well, it is an important
link in the chain. We return to London this afternoon, Mr. Bennett. I
see no good purpose to be served by our remaining. We cannot arrest
the professor because he has done no crime, nor can we place him
under constraint, for he cannot be proved to be mad. No action is as
yet possible."
"Then what on earth are we to do?"
"A little patience, Mr. Bennett. Things will soon develop. Unless I
am mistaken, next Tuesday may mark a crisis. Certainly we shall be in
