第 29 页

Harrow, of how the slow process of official inquiry came to the

conclusion that the doctor met his fate while indiscreetly playing

with a dangerous pet. The little which I had yet to learn of the

case was told me by Sherlock Holmes as we travelled back next

day.

"I had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion

which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to

reason from insufficient data. The presence of the gypsies, and

the use of the word 'band,' which was used by the poor girl, no

doubt to explain the appearance which she had caught a hurried

glimpse of by the light of her match, were sufficient to put me

upon an entirely wrong scent. I can only claim the merit that I

instantly reconsidered my position when, however, it became

clear to me that whatever danger threatened an occupant of the

room could not come either from the window or the door. My

attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to you,

to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the

bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was

clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the

rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the

hole and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly

occurred to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that

the doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I

felt that I was probably on the right track. The idea of using a

form of poison which could not possibly be discovered by any

chemical test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and

ruthless man who had had an Eastern training. The rapidity with

which such a poison would take effect would also, from his point

of view, be an advantage. It would be a sharp-eyed coroner,

indeed, who could distinguish the two little dark punctures which

would show where the poison fangs had done their work. Then I

thought of the whistle. Of course he must recall the snake before

the morning light revealed it to the victim. He had trained it,

probably by the use of the milk which we saw, to return to him

when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator at the

hour that he thought best, with the certainty that it would crawl

down the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the

occupant, perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but

sooner or later she must fall a victim.

"I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered his

room. An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in

the habit of standing on it, which of course would be necessary

in order that he should reach the ventilator. The sight of the safe,

the saucer of milk, and the loop of whipcord were enough to

finally dispel any doubts which may have remained. The metallic

clang heard by Miss Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfa-

ther hastily closing the door of his safe upon its terrible occu-

pant. Having once made up my mind, you know the steps which

I took in order to put the matter to the proof. I heard the creature

hiss as I have no doubt that you did also, and I instantly lit the

light and attacked it."

"With the result of driving it through the ventilator."

"And also with the result of causing it to turn upon its master

at the other side. Some of the blows of my cane came home and

roused its snakish temper, so that it flew upon the first person it

saw. In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr.

Grimesby Roylott's death, and I cannot say that it is likely to

weigh very heavily upon my conscience."

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb

Of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend,

Mr. Sherlock Holmes, for solution during the years of our

intimacy, there were only two which I was the means of intro-

ducing to his notice -- that of Mr. Hatherley's thumb, and that of

Colonel Warburton's madness. Of these the latter may have

afforded a finer field for an acute and original observer, but the

other was so strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details

that it may be the more worthy of being placed upon record,

even if it gave my friend fewer openings for those deductive

methods of reasoning by which he achieved such remarkable

results. The story has, I believe, been told more than once in the

newspapers, but, like all such narratives, its effect is much less

striking when set forth en bloc in a single half-column of print

than when the facts slowly evolve before your own eyes, and the

mystery clears gradually away as each new discovery furnishes a

step which leads on to the complete truth. At the time the

circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the lapse of

two years has hardly served to weaken the effect.

It was in the summer of '89, not long after my marriage, that

the events occurred which I am now about to summarize. I had

returned to civil practice and had finally abandoned Holmes in

his Baker Street rooms, although I continually visited him and

occasionally even persuaded him to forgo his Bohemian habits

so far as to come and visit us. My practice had steadily in-

creased, and as I happened to live at no very great distance from

Paddington Station, I got a few patients from among the offi-

cials. One of these, whom I had cured of a painful and lingering

disease, was never weary of advertising my virtues and of en-

deavouring to send me on every sufferer over whom he might

have any influence.

One morning, at a little before seven o'clock, I was awakened

by the maid tapping at the door to announce that two men had

come from Paddington and were waiting in the consulting-room.

I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases

were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended,

my old ally, the guard, came out of the room and closed the door

tightly behind him.

"I've got him here," he whispered, jerking his thumb over his

shoulder; "he's all right."

"What is it, then?" I asked, for his manner suggested that it

was some strange creature which he had caged up in my room.

"It's a new patient," he whispered. "I thought I'd bring him

round myself; then he couldn't slip away. There he is, all safe

and sound. I must go now, Doctor; I have my dooties, just the

same as you." And off he went, this trusty tout, without even

giving me time to thank him.

I entered my consulting-room and found a gentleman seated

by the table. He was quietly dressed in a suit of heather tweed

with a soft cloth cap which he had laid down upon my books.

Round one of his hands he had a handkerchief wrapped, which

was mottled all over with bloodstains. He was young, not more

than five-and-twenty, I should say, with a strong, masculine

face; but he was exceedingly pale and gave me the impression of

a man who was suffering from some strong agitation, which it

took all his strength of mind to control.

"I am sorry to knock you up so early, Doctor," said he, "but

I have had a very serious accident during the night. I came in by

train this morning, and on inquiring at Paddington as to where I

might find a doctor, a worthy fellow very kindly escorted me

here. I gave the maid a card, but I see that she has left it upon

the side-table."

I took it up and glanced at it. "Mr. Victor Hatherley, hydrau-

iic engineer, 1 6A. Victoria Street (3d floor) . " That was the

name, style, and abode of my morning visitor. "I regret that I

have kept you waiting," said I, sitting down in my library-chair.

"You are fresh from a night journey, I understand, which is in

itself a monotonous occupation."

"Oh, my night could not be called monotonous," said he, and

laughed. He laughed very heartily, with a high, ringing note,

leaning back in his chair and shaking his sides. All my medical

instincts rose up against that laugh.

"Stop it!" I cried; "pull yourself together!" and I poured out

some water from a carafe.

It was useless, however. He was off in one of those hysterical

outbursts which come upon a strong nature when some great

crisis is over and gone. Presently he came to himself once more,

very weary and pale-looking.

"I have been making a fool of myself," he gasped.

"Not at ail. Drink this." I dashed some brandy into the water,

and the colour began to come back to his bloodless cheeks.

"That's better!" said he. "And now, Doctor, perhaps you

would kindly attend to my thumb, or rather to the place where

my thumb used to be."

He unwound the handkerchief and held out his hand. It gave

even my hardened nerves a shudder to look at it. There were four

protruding fingers and a horrid red, spongy surface where the

thumb should have been. It had been hacked or torn right out

from the roots.

"Good heavens!" I cried, "this is a terrible injury. It must

have bled considerably."

"Yes, it did. I fainted when it was done, and I think that I

must have been senseless for a long time. When I came to I

found that it was still bleeding, sol tied one end of my handker-

chief very tightly round the wrist and braced it up with a twig."

"Excellent! You should have been a surgeon."

"It is a question of hydraulics, you see, and came within my

own province."

"This has been done," said I, examining the wound, "by a

very heavy and sharp instrument."

"A thing like a cleaver," said he.

"An accident, I presume?"

"By no means."

"What! a murderous attack?''

"Very murderous indeed."

"You horrify me."

I sponged the wound, cleaned it, dressed it, and finally cov-

ered it over with cotton wadding and carbolized bandages. He

lay back without wincing, though he bit his lip from time to

time.

"How is that?" I asked when I had finished.

"Capital! Between your brandy and your bandage, I feel a

new man. I was very weak, but I have had a good deal to go

through."

"Perhaps you had better not speak of the matter. It is evi-

dently trying to your nerves."

"Oh, no, not now. I shall have to tell my tale to the police;

but, between ourselves, if it were not for the convincing evi-

dence of this wound of mine, I should be surprised if they

believed my statement, for it is a very extraordinary one, and I

have not much in the way of proof with which to back it up; and,

even if they believe me, the clues which I can give them are so

vague that it is a question whether justice will be done."

"Ha!" cried I, "if it is anything in the nature of a problem

which you desire to see solved, I should strongly recommend

you to come to my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, before you go

to the official police."

"Oh, I have heard of that fellow," answered my visitor, "and

I should be very glad if he would take the matter up, though of

course I must use the official police as well. Would you give me

an introduction to him?"

"I'll do better. I'll take you round to him myself."

"I should be immensely obliged to you."

"We'll call a cab and go together. We shall just be in time to

have a little breakfast with him. Do you feel equal to it?"

"Yes; I shall not feel easy until I have told my story."

"Then my servant will call a cab, and I shall be with you in

an instant." I rushed upstairs, explained the matter shortly to my

wife, and in five minutes was inside a hansom, driving with my

new acquaintance to Baker Street.

Sherlock Holmes was, as I expected, lounging about his sitting-

room in his dressing-gown, reading the agony column of The

Times and smoking his before-breakfast pipe, which was com-

posed of all the plugs and dottles left from his smokes of the day

before, all carefully dried and collected on the corner of the

mantelpiece. He received us in his quietly genial fashion, or-

dered fresh rashers and eggs, and joined us in a hearty meal.

When it was concluded he settled our new acquaintance upon

the sofa, placed a pillow beneath his head, and laid a glass of

brandy and water within his reach.

"It is easy to see that your experience has been no common

one, Mr. Hatherley," said he. "Pray, lie down there and make

yourself absolutely at home. Tell us what you can, but stop when

you are tired and keep up your strength with a little stimulant."

"Thank you," said my patient. "but I have felt another man

since the doctor bandaged me, and I think that your breakfast has

completed the cure. I shall take up as little of your valuable time

as possible, so l shall start at once upon my peculiar experiences."

Holmes sat in his big armchair with the weary, heavy-lidded

expression which veiled his keen and eager nature, while I sat

opposite to him, and we listened in silence to the strange story

which our visitor detailed to us.

"You must know," said he, "that I am an orphan and a

bachelor, residing alone in lodgings in London. By profession I

am a hydraulic engineer, and I have had considerable experience

of my work during the seven years that I was apprenticed to

Venner & Matheson, the well-known firm, of Greenwich. Two

years ago, having served my time, and having also come into a

fair sum of money through my poor father's death, I determined

to start in business for myself and took professional chambers in

Victoria Street.

"I suppose that everyone finds his first independent start in

business a dreary experience. To me it has been exceptionally

so. During two years I have had three consultations and one

small job, and that is absolutely all that my profession has

brought me. My gross takings amount to 27 pounds lOs. Every day,