第 36 页

seen in the duplicate bill. His letters were to be forwarded to 226

Gordon Square; so thither I travelled, and being fortunate enough

to find the loving couple at home, l ventured to give them some

paternal advice and to point out to them that it would be better in

every way that they should make their position a little clearer

both to the general public and to Lord St. Simon in particular. I

invited them to meet him here, and, as you see, I made him keep

the appointment."

"But with no very good result," I remarked. "His conduct

was certainly not very gracious."

"Ah, Watson," said Holmes, smiling, "perhaps you would

not be very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and

wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and

of fortune. I think that we may judge Lord St. Simon very

mercifully and thank our stars that we are never likely to find

ourselves in the same position. Draw your chair up and hand me

my violin, for the only problem we have still to solve is how to

while away these bleak autumnal evenings."

The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet

"Holmes," said I as I stood one morning in our bow-window

looking down the street, "here is a madman coming along. It

seems rather sad that his relatives should allow him to come out

alone."

My friend rose lazily from his armchair and stood with his

hands in the pockets of his dressing-gown, looking over my

shoulder. It was a bright, crisp February morning, and the snow

of the day before still lay deep upon the ground, shimmering

brightly in the wintry sun. Down the centre of Baker Street it had

been ploughed into a brown crumbly band by the traffic, but at

either side and on the heaped-up edges of the foot-paths it still

lay as white as when it fell. The gray pavement had been cleaned

and scraped, but was still dangerously slippery, so that there

were fewer passengers than usual. Indeed, from the direction of

the Metropolitan Station no one was coming save the single

gentleman whose eccentric conduct had drawn my attention.

He was a man of about fifty, tall, portly, and imposing, with a

massive, strongly marked face and a commanding figure. He

was dressed in a sombre yet rich style, in black frock-coat,

shining hat, neat brown gaiters, and well-cut pearl-gray trousers.

Yet his actions were in absurd contrast to the dignity of his dress

and features, for he was running hard, with occasional little

springs, such as a weary man gives who is little accustomed to

set any tax upon his legs. As he ran he jerked his hands up and

down, waggled his head, and writhed his face into the most

extraordinary contortions.

"What on earth can be the matter with him?" I asked. "He is

looking up at the numbers of the houses."

"I believe that he is coming here," said Holmes, rubbing his

hands .

"Here?"

"Yes; I rather think he is coming to consult me professionally.

I think that I recognize the symptoms. Ha! did I not tell you?"

As he spoke, the man, puffing and blowing, rushed at our door

and pulled at our bell until the whole house resounded with the

clanging.

A few moments later he was in our room, still puffing, still

gesticulating, but with so fixed a look of grief and despair in his

eyes that our smiles were turned in an instant to horror and pity.

For a while he could not get his words out, but swayed his body

and plucked at his hair like one who has been driven to the

extreme limits of his reason. Then, suddenly springing to his

feet, he beat his head against the wall with such force that we

both rushed upon him and tore him away to the centre of the

room. Sherlock Holmes pushed him down into the easy-chair

and, sitting beside him, patted his hand and chatted with him in

the easy, soothing tones which he knew so well how to employ.

"You have come to me to tell your story, have you not?" said

he. "You are fatigued with your haste. Pray wait until you have

recovered yourself, and then I shall be most happy to look into

any little problem which you may submit to me."

The man sat for a minute or more with a heaving chest,

fighting against his emotion. Then he passed his handkerchief

over his brow, set his lips tight, and turned his face towards us.

"No doubt you think me mad?" said he.

"I see that you have had some great trouble," responded

Holmes.

"Cod knows I have! -- a trouble which is enough to unseat my

reason, so sudden and so terrible is it. Public disgrace I might

have faced, although I am a man whose character has never yet

borne a stain. Private affliction also is the lot of every man; but

the two coming together, and in so frightful a form, have been

enough to shake my very soul. Besides, it is not I alone. The

very noblest in the land may suffer unless some way be found

out of this horrible affair."

"Pray compose yourself, sir," said Holmes, "and let me have

a clear account of who you are and what it is that has befallen

you."

"My name," answered our visitor, "is probably familiar to

your ears. I am Alexander Holder, of the banking firm of Holder

& Stevenson, of Threadneedle Street."

The name was indeed well known to us as belonging to the

senior partner in the second largest private banking concern in

the City of London. What could have happened, then, to bring

one of the foremost citizens of London to this most pitiable pass?

We waited, all curiosity, until with another effort he braced

himself to tell his story.

"I feel that time is of value," said he; "that is why I hastened

here when the police inspector suggested that I should secure

your cooperation. I came to Baker Street by the Underground

and hurried from there on foot, for the cabs go slowly through

this snow. That is why I was so out of breath, for I am a man

who takes very little exercise. I feel better now, and I will put

the facts before you as shortly and yet as clearly as I can.

"It is, of course, well known to you that in a successful

banking business as much depends upon our being able to find

remunerative investments for our funds as upon our increasing

our connection and the number of our depositors. One of our

most lucrative means of laying out money is in the shape of

loans, where the security is unimpeachable. We have done a

good deal in this direction during the last few years, and there

are many noble families to whom we have advanced large sums

upon the security of their pictures, libraries, or plate.

"Yesterday morning I was seated in my office at the bank

when a card was brought in to me by one of the clerks. I started

when I saw the name, for it was that of none other than -- well,

perhaps even to you I had better say no more than that it was a

name which is a household word all over the earth -- one of the

highest, noblest, most exalted names in England. I was over-

whelmed by the honour and attempted, when he entered, to say

so, but he plunged at once into business with the air of a man

who wishes to hurry quickly through a disagreeable task.

" 'Mr. Holder,' said he, 'I have been informed that you are in

the habit of advancing money.'

" 'The firm does so when the security is good.' I answered.

'' 'It is absolutely essential to me,' said he, 'that I should

have 50,000 pounds at once. I could, of course, borrow so trifling a

sum ten times over from my friends, but I much prefer to make it

a matter of business and to carry out that business myself. In my

position you can readily understand that it is unwise to place

one's self under obligations.'

" 'For how long, may I ask, do you want this sum?' I asked.

" 'Next Monday I have a large sum due to me, and I shall

then most certainly repay what you advance, with whatever

interest you think it right to charge. But it is very essential to me

that the money should be paid at once.'

" 'I should be happy to advance it without further parley from

my own private purse,' said I, 'were it not that the strain would

be rather more than it could bear. If, on the other hand, I am to

do it in the name of the firm, then in justice to my partner I must

insist that, even in your case, every businesslike precaution

should be taken.'

" 'I should much prefer to have it so,' said he, raising up a

square, black morocco case which he had laid beside his chair.

'You have doubtless heard of the Beryl Coronet?'

" 'One of the most precious public possessions of the em-

pire,' said I.

" 'Precisely.' He opened the case, and there, imbedded in

soft, flesh-coloured velvet, lay the magnificent piece of jewellery

which he had named. 'There are thirty-nine enormous beryls,'

said he, 'and the price of the gold chasing is incalculable. The

lowest estimate would put the worth of the coronet at double the

sum which I have asked. I am prepared to leave it with you as

my security.'

"I took the precious case into my hands and looked in some

perplexity from it to my illustrious client.

" 'You doubt its value?' he asked.

" 'Not at all. I only doubt --'

" 'The propriety of my leaving it. You may set your mind at

rest about that. I should not dream of doing so were it not

absolutely certain that I should be able in four days to reclaim it.

It is a pure matter of form. Is the security sufficient?'

" 'Ample. '

" 'You understand, Mr. Holder, that I am giving you a strong

proof of the confidence which I have in you, founded upon all

that I have heard of you. I rely upon you not only to be discreet

and to refrain from all gossip upon the matter but, above all, to

preserve this coronet with every possible precaution because I

need not say that a great public scandal would be caused if any

harm were to befall it. Any injury to it would be almost as

serious as its complete loss, for there are no beryls in the world

to match these, and it would be impossible to replace them. I

leave it with you, however, with every confidence, and I shall

call for it in person on Monday morning.'

"Seeing that my client was anxious to leave, I said no more

but, calling for my cashier, I ordered him to pay over fifty

1000 pound notes. When I was alone once more, however, with the

precious case lying upon the table in front of me, I could not but

think with some misgivings of the immense responsibility which

it entailed upon me. There could be no doubt that, as it was a

national possession, a horrible scandal would ensue if any mis-

fortune should occur to it. I already regretted having ever con-

sented to take charge of it. However, it was too late to alter the

matter now, so I locked it up in my private safe and turned once

more to my work.

"When evening came I felt that it would be an imprudence to

leave so precious a thing in the office behind me. Bankers' safes

had been forced before now, and why should not mine be? If so,

how terrible would be the position in which I should find myself!

I determined, therefore, that for the next few days I would

always carry the case backward and forward with me, so that

it might never be really out of my reach. With this intention,

I called a cab and drove out to my house at Streatham, carrying

the jewel with me. I did not breathe freely until I had taken it

upstairs and locked it in the bureau of my dressing-room.

"And now a word as to my household, Mr. Holmes, for I

wish you to thoroughly understand the situation. My groom and

my page sleep out of the house, and may be set aside altogether.

I have three maid-servants who have been with me a number of

years and whose absolute reliability is quite above suspicion.

Another, Lucy Parr, the second waiting-maid, has only been in

my service a few months. She came with an excellent character,

however, and has always given me satisfaction. She is a very

pretty girl and has attracted admirers who have occasionally

hung about the place. That is the only drawback which we have

found to her, but we believe her to be a thoroughly good girl in

every way.

"So much for the servants. My family itself is so small that it

will not take me long to describe it. I am a widower and have an

only son, Arthur. He has been a disappointment to me, Mr.

Holmes -- a grievous disappointment. I have no doubt that I

am myself to blame. People tell me that I have spoiled him. Very

likely I have. When my dear wife died I felt that he was all I had

to love. I could not bear to see the smile fade even for a moment

from his face. I have never denied him a wish. Perhaps it would

have been better for both of us had I been sterner, but I meant it

for the best.

"It was naturally my intention that he should succeed me in

my business, but he was not of a business turn. He was wild,

wayward, and, to speak the truth, I could not trust him in the

handling of large sums of money. When he was young he

became a member of an aristocratic club, and there, having

charming manners, he was soon the intimate of a number of men

with long purses and expensive habits. He learned to play heav-

ily at cards and to squander money on the turf, until he had again

and again to come to me and implore me to give him an advance

upon his allowance, that he might settle his debts of honour. He

tried more than once to break away from the dangerous company

which he was keeping, but each time the influence of his friend,

Sir George Burnwell, was enough to draw him back again.

"And. indeed, I could not wonder that such a man as Sir

George Bumwell should gain an influence over him, for he has

frequently brought him to my house, and I have found myself